THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) credited Japan for the Philippines’s improved prospects in registering higher Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) this year.
In a statement on Wednesday, BSP Deputy Governor Francisco G. Dakila Jr. said the central bank initially projected a $9-billion net FDI position in the first quarter.
However, thanks to the positive global economic environment signified by the interest of Japanese investors, Dakila said the estimate has since been raised to $9.5 billion.
“Actually, this is still very conservative...in 2023, we had already achieved $8.9 billion. Th at projection is premised on both push and pull considerations,” Dakila said. Dakila said apart from positive global economic growth prospects, the improved outlook is based on the Philippine government’s commitment to attaining its growth targets.
From 2019 to February 2024, Japan was the second largest source of Philippine FDIs, contributing an average share of 28.9 percent to net equity other than reinvestment of earnings during the period.
Th is is second only to the 39.1 percent net equity other than reinvestment of earnings share from economies in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) region.
“We are very happy that Japan is both recognizing the potential of the country and supporting Philippine economic growth,” Dakila said.
Recto: ‘Best friend In his keynote speech, Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto highlighted the strong and long-standing bilateral ties between the Philippines and Japan, tagging it as “the Philippines’ best friend in the region.”
The Finance Secretary further
By Andrea E. San Juan @andreasanjuan
HILIPPINE electronics ex-
Pporters are seeing a 10-percent decline in electronics exports for 2024 due to inventory correction and the product mix in the Philippines, according to the Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation Inc. (Seipi).
“We had a board meeting. We projected a 10-percent contraction for the year, for 2024,” Seipi President Danilo C. Lachica told the BusinessMirror on the sidelines
of the Launch of the National AI Strategy Roadmap 2.0 and Center for AI Research on Wednesday.
The head of the organization of foreign and Filipino electronics companies in the Philippines said exporters are seeing a 10-percent dip in electronics exports this year due to inventory correction and “the product mix we have in the Philippines.”
“Inventory correction, carryover from last year. We contracted last year and then the product mix in the Philippines,” Lachica added.
Asked if the tensions arising from China and Taiwan could
threaten the country’s outbound shipments of electronics, the Seipi chief expressed concern, but noted that so far, it’s “business as usual.”
“Well it’s a threat because Taiwan is the major source of wafers for our industry. So we’re concerned about it so we’re monitoring it, but right now it’s business as usual,” Lachica also told this paper.
Lachica, however, still expressed optimism on the performance of the country’s electronics exports this year as he is banking on the uptrend shown by data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
“But I’m hoping it will improve because year to date April showed the growth of about 15 percent so if we can sustain that then hopefully we’ll revise the projection,” the Seipi chief said. PSA data showed that electronics exports earnings reached $14.04 billion in the January to April 2024 period. Th is is a 17.9-percent growth from the $11.90
TBy Reine Juvierre S. Alberto @reine_alberto
WITH the P6.352-trillion approved national budget for 2025, the development of infrastructure, human capital, enterprise and climatesmart and disaster-resilient communities; food security; research and development and innovation; government’s digital transformation; and devolution strategy will be prioritized.
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said the bud-
urged Japanese investors to take part in the country’s promising growth narrative as the country “has all the makings of a tiger economy.”
He also cited Japan as the largest investor in Philippine economic zones, with a number of 806 locator companies to date.
The BSP recently teamed up with the country’s economic managers to highlight the Philippines’ growth potential and widening investment opportunities during the Philippine Economic Briefing (PEB) in Tokyo on 21 June 2024. About 500 participants from Japan’s business community attended the briefing, including Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group President and Chief Executive Officer Toru Nakashima; Tsuneishi Holdings Corporation Chairman Kenji Kawano; and Tsuneishi Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. Representative Director, Vice President and Executive Officer, and Chief Country Officer Hitoshi Kono.
The PEB provided a platform to update the Japanese business community on our country’s economic progress and the government’s initiatives to further attract investments.
Earlier, the BSP reported that the country’s FDIs grew 42.1 percent in the January to March period this year. (See: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2024/06/11/ q1s-fdi-net-inflows-up-42-1-to-3-billion-bsp/).
The data showed the cumulative FDI net inflows grew to $3 billion in the first quarter of 2024, higher than the US$2.1-billion net inflows recorded in the same period of 2023.
In March 2024, the data showed FDI increased 23.1 percent to $686 million from the $557-million net inflows in March 2023.
Cebu Pacific gets 7th aircraft after booking P1.4-T order
By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan
BUDGET carrier Cebu Pacific, which has just booked what is billed as the “largest aircraft order in Philippine aviation history,” has taken delivery of its seventh aircraft this year, a brand-new Airbus A321 new engine option (neo) jet.
In a statement, Cebu Pacific President Xander Lao said the carrier received the new airliner at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) from the Airbus facility in Hamburg, Germany. “Th is aircraft delivery reaffi rms our commitment to providing safe, affordable, and accessible fl ights for every Juan. We look forward to carrying more passen-
get priorities align with meeting the requirements of the Marcos Jr.’s administration’s 8-Point Socioeconomic Agenda and the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028.
“We have crafted this carefully and meticulously to ensure that we stay on track with our economic growth targets while ensuring no one is left behind,” Budget Secre-
gers to their chosen destinations as we continue to expand not only our network, but also our fl eet,” he said.
Earlier, the Gokongwei-led carrier signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Airbus for the purchase of as much as 152 Airbus A321 new engine option (Neo) jets.
The deal is valued at $24 billion
tary Amenah F. Pangandaman assure the public on Wednesday.
According to the 2025 Budget Priorities Framework (Expenditure Priorities), published by the DBM, it would sustain the momentum of the Build Better More program and prioritize the completion of ongoing infrastructure programs, activities and projects.
The infrastructure funding will also support innovative fi nancing solutions and strategic partner-
ships with the private sector, considering only shovel-ready proposals aligned with the investment priorities, as well as enhancing connectivity through transportation projects.
The DBM added the budget will prioritize synergizing water supply and sanitation projects through the Water Resources Program.
Under human capital development, the budget will help achieve the MATATAG Agenda in the education sector—which is making the curriculum relevant, taking steps to accelerate the delivery of basic education facilities and services, taking good care of learners and giving support to teachers.
Access to Early Childhood Education will also be strengthened and expanded as well as the acceleration of delivery of Basic Education Facilities. It will also develop and pursue globally competitive and inclusive Technical and Vocational Education and Training and higher education programs.
In terms of health, the budget will prioritize accelerating the Universal Health Care Act, establishing healthcare facilities, improving the supply and deployment of Human Resources for Health and promoting digital health initiatives.
To provide social protection to Filipinos, the establishment and upgrading of interoperable social registries and targeting systems for vulnerable sectors and shift to digital payments of cash transfer programs will be focused on.
Th is is to achieve a universal, modern, and integrated social protection system and develop and implement adaptive and shockresponsive interventions, the DBM said.
Labor and employment are also among the budget priorities, which will highlight efforts to upskill and reskill the labor force, implement the Philippine Qualifications Framework (PQF) and Philippine Skill Framework (PSF), strengthen existing employment facilitation services and enhance income support and emergency employment programs.
The implementation of the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino, the development of alternative housing financing mechanisms and mobilizing public and private investments in the housing industry will be allocated funding.
The National Farm-to-Market Roads Network Plan 2023-2028 will also be executed to ensure food security and adopt and maximize climate-smart technologies.
To strengthen businesses in the country, the Philippine Ease of Doing Business, Efficient Government Delivery Reporting System and the National Competition Policy will
or about P1.4 trillion based on list prices and is the “largest aircraft order in Philippine aviation history.”
Airbus NEOs are the latest-generation aircraft that burn 15 percent less fuel per fl ight compared to the previous generation.
The reduction in fuel consumption leads to a corresponding reduction in aircraft carbon emissions.
The memo encompasses firm orders for up to 102 A321neo aircraft, with an option to purchase an additional 50 A320neo family jets.
To date, Cebu Pacific operates a diversified commercial fleet that includes eight Airbus 330s, 39 Airbus 320s, and 21 Airbus 321s, and 15 turboprops.
Currently, Cebu Pacific fl ies to 35 domestic and 25 international destinations across Asia, Australia, and the Middle East.
be fully implemented.
It will also lay the groundwork for “mindfacturing,” an industrialization strategy driven by science, technology, and innovation and will promote multidimensional tourism and enhance tourism service quality.
Research and Development (R&D) and Innovation will continuously foster innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship, promote and invite the private sector for investments in R&D, and pursue an enhanced Academe-IndustryGovernment R&D linkage.
The government will also invest in faster, more reliable and equitable broadband connectivity across remote and unserved areas and prioritize policies and regulations to promote competition, investments and inclusive digital access.
To develop climate-smart and disaster-resilient communities, the government vowed to expedite the implementation of the National Adaptation Plan and strengthen climate and risk data information management systems.
Local government units (LGUs) will be provided advisory and technical support and capacity development interventions as the national government pursues the devolution of basic services and facilities to LGUs.
The allocation for LGUs will also harmonize regional plans and national priorities and adopt recommendations from ongoing and forthcoming policy studies on improving transition efforts.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. approved the 2025 national budget, higher by 10.1 percent than the P5.768-trillion budget for 2024, on July 2.
aiming for flat growth this year, the Philippine semiconductor and electronics industry is seeing some “modest” growth based on global market demand.
Just a week ago, UK-based think tank Oxford Economics reported that Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines are among the “most
BMI noted that telecommunication fi rms, PLDT, GLobe and Converge ICT already introduced low-cost fiber brands to cater to “price-sensitive consumers.” These may appeal to temporary fiber clients because of the flexibility of these low-cost fibre brands but this may lead to lower average revenue per user (Arpu) data for the firms.
“By extensively cofi nancing last-mile area rollout, wholesale network providers and ISPs may be encouraged to further decrease prices on fibre bundles though at the expense of Arpu figures,” it added.
BMI said Fiber to the “x” (FTTx) in the country is expected to slightly improve to 1.83 million subscription and 1.4 for every 100 people penetration rate by 2033. Th is, the think tank said, is slightly better than the 1.58 million subscription and 1.3 for every 100 penetration rate estimate in 2024.
“Our forecasts are reflective of a [consistent] uptake for household-level fiber broadband only in metropolitan and suburban areas, where disposable income is highest and churn rates lowest,” BMI said. The National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) Board recently approved the PDIP, be financed by the World Bank. It aims to enhance broadband infrastructure in last-mile areas. Neda earlier said the project is anchored on the National Broadband Program, a fl agship initiative of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).
The project will have five major components: backbone network; middle-mile network; access network (last-mile); network security; and project management support.
“Execution and project management will be key for the success of the PDIP to boost stronger fiber uptake among Philippines-based households,” BMI said.
NEDA Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan, who also serves as the Neda Board Vice Chairperson, highlighted the transformative potential of the project.
“Broadband services have already opened up numerous opportunities for Filipinos, from work-from-home arrangements to digital access to critical public and private services, including the latest technological tools such as artificial intelligence. Th is project will enable us to connect more Filipinos to markets and networks, spurring economic development,” he said.
The government envisioned the project to enhance the country’s broadband connectivity and bring high-speed internet connection even in disadvantaged areas to augment digital infrastructure.
The PDIP aims to bridge the digital divide, stimulate private sector investments, and strengthen capacity for cybersecurity and for protecting critical information infrastructure.
NEDA Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan
Military keeps tight watch on all Philippine waters
By Rex Anthony Naval
ASIDE from the West Philippine Sea (WPS), the military is also keeping a tight watch on all of the country’s territorial waters and exclusive economic zone (EEZ) as part of ongoing efforts to prevent foreign incursion.
“Our monitoring is always ongoing because we already have our radar systems...our littoral monitoring systems, this is part our coordination and cooperation with our allies and partners,” Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., Armed Forces chief of staff, said in a mix of Filipino and English when asked on how the military is protecting country’s waters during a television interview.
Because of these systems which are now all operational, Brawner said the military gets the whole picture on the aircraft and ships entering the country’s territory without permission.
He added that aircraft and ships are regularly challenged once they enter Philippine territory.
In addition, Brawner said the Philippines will have more joint sail activities with its allies in the coming months.
Earlier, the Navy conducted joint sail missions with the United States, Australia, Japan, and Canada at the international waters near the disputed Spratly Islands on the West Philippine Sea.
“In the coming months, we will have more multilateral maritime cooperative activities. And this time, even European nations like France, the United Kingdom, and Germany want to join,” Brawner added.
Meanwhile, the Armed Forces said it takes security threats against the country seriously and is ready to coordinate with Sen. Imee Marcos to get the details on the alleged Chinese hypersonic missiles aimed at certain areas.
“We are ready to coordinate with Senator Marcos to obtain details and take actions to ensure our nation’s security,” the Armed Forces spokesperson, Col. Francel Margareth Padilla, said in a message to reporters.
The Armed Forces, Padilla said, “takes such concerns seriously.”
Earlier, Marcos said 25 areas in the Philippines are potentially targeted by China following the country’s Enhance Defense Cooperation Agreement with the United States and ongoing conflicts at the West Philippine Sea.
At the same time, Brawner said the ongoing modernization of the military has gone far in terms of ramping up the country’s capability to thwart attacks or invasion attempts by hostile forces.
Brawner said the military’s modernization dates back to 1995 when its assets began to deteriorate after the closure of American military bases in the country.
He said some of the fruits of the ongoing Armed Forces Modernization Program are the FA-50PH light jet fighters and the various missile systems that were recently delivered and are now in service, along with the various state-of-the-art navy ships being used to patrol the West Philippine Sea.
Last month, Brawner also joined Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro at the launching of BRP Miguel Malvar (FF-06), one of the Philippines’ two guided missile corvettes built in South Korea.
The Armed Forces Modernization Program is subdivided into three “horizons” aimed at acquiring weapons systems and platforms for external defense missions.
Horizon 1 was from 2013 to 2017; Horizon 2 from 2018 to 2022; and Horizon 3 from 2023 to 2028.
“First, we have to modernize our radar and surveillance systems, also our sensors. Once these are developed, we must develop the ships and the aircraft. Let’s say there is an invasion attempt and this was detected by our radar systems, our defense needs to intercept it. We have missile systems, we can use these,” Brawner said.
Without giving details, he said the military is looking to acquire more modern jet fighters to strengthen its defensive capabilities.
Brawner also cited the need to train personnel tasked to handle newly acquired assets to ensure their proper usage and maintenance.
He thanked the House of Representatives and President Marcos for their strong support for the military’s modernization program, considering that this initiative is capital-intensive. With PNA
House prepares for Sona
THE House of Representatives is in the final stages of preparation for President Marcos’s third State of the Nation Address (Sona) on July 22.
House Secretary General Reginald Velasco confirmed the readiness of the lower chamber to host the event during the recent third Sona inter-agency meeting held at Heroes Hall, Malacañan Palace.
“We are ready to adjust to accommodate our partners from the Office of the President and the Senate,” Velasco said, highlighting the ongoing renovations and enhancements at the lower house.
In the meeting, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Honey Rose Mercado requested the Metro Manila
RP, China agree to negotiate for new Ayungin Shoal deal
By Malou Talosig-Bartolome
HIGH-RANKING diplomats from the Philippines and China were at loggerheads on how to defuse the tension in Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea, but managed to agree to go back to the negotiating table to halt a potential escalation into a full-blown armed conflict.
The one-day Philippine-China Bilateral Consultation Mechanism in Manila Tuesday focused on the most urgent issue of the rotation and resupply (RORE) mission of the Philippine Armed Forces to its soldiers stationed in decrepit decommissioned ship BRP Sierra Madre.
Philippine DFA Undersecretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro and Chinese Vice Foreign Chen Xiaodong led the two delegations.
“We’re negotiating the issue of Ayungin Shoal. We are trying to start again to see how we can calm the tension without sacrificing the Philippine sovereignty and territorial integrity,” a high-ranking source privy to the BCM meeting told BusinessMirror.
The 9th BCM dialogue was
held two weeks after China Coast Guard and Philippine Navy forces clash near Ayungin Shoal. A Filipino soldier’s finger was severed, and the PN inflatable rubber boat was damaged after CCG forces rammed the boat.
The source said Manila and Beijing diplomats still won’t budge on the issue of RORE missions and the Philippine grounding of BRP Sierra Madre on Ayungin Shoal.
But the source said both sides are “open” to having an agreement on Ayungin Shoal.
It is not clear though on the terms of agreement that both sides are willing to work on. But earlier, the Chinese Embassy in Manila said there was a “gentleman’s agreement” that includes CCG will not hamper RORE missions with
only one civilian boat, escorted by Philippine Coast Guard, bringing only food supplies. The DFA denied agreeing to such an arrangement.
There was a suggestion for Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi to join the next round of BCM talks in China.
“But we’ve already made some headway today,” the source added.
In a statement, the DFA said the two sides agreed to revive the hotline between the foreign ministries in the event of another maritime encounter between Philippine and Chinese forces in the West Philippine Sea.
“Recalling the outcomes of the 8th BCM which recognized the need to strengthen the bilateral maritime communication mechanism on the South China Sea, the two sides signed the Arrangement on Improving Philippine-China Maritime Communication Mechanisms and agreed to discuss further how to operationalize this mechanism,” the DFA said.
Both sides also agreed for the Philippine and Chinese coast guards to hold separate talks on establishing their own hotline.
“The two sides agreed to continue discussions on maritime cooperation between their respective coast guard authorities, including the possible resumption of the Joint Coast Guard
Committee,” the DFA said. The deputy foreign ministers also discussed the possibility of convening an academic forum composed of scientists and marine science academicians for possible marine scientific and technology cooperation.
China: Stop maritime infringement IN a separate statement, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said they had “candid and constructive exchange of views” with the Philippine side.
“China reiterated its sovereignty over Nansha Qundao including Ren’ai Jiao and the adjacent waters, and its sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the relevant waters.
“The Chinese side urges the Philippine side to stop maritime infringement and provocation at once, earnestly abide by the provisions of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea [DOC], return to the right track of properly handling disputes through dialogue and consultation, jointly manage the situation at Ren’ai Jiao with the Chinese side, promote the easing and cooling down of the maritime situation, and stabilize China-Philippines relations from further deterioration,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry statement said.
SC seeks to strengthen protective writs
By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573
THE Supreme Court (SC) has started a series of multisectoral focus group discussions (FGDs) in a bid to strengthen the protective writs of habeas corpus, amparo, and habeas data.
The consultations, which were approved by the Court en banc, will be spearheaded by the SC Committee on Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law chaired by Senior Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen.
The FGDs, according to the Court, are being conducted with the goal of gaining a deeper understanding of the effectiveness and
THE Department of Justice (DOJ) has given the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) the green light to accept donations from persons and businesses related to the tobacco industry.
Development Authority (MMDA) to provide detailed traffic rerouting plans so that public advisories may be issued and amplified to alert motorists and commuters to make the necessary adjustments on Sona day.
The National Police reported its plan to deploy 22,000 personnel across Metro Manila and surrounding areas to ensure security and smooth operations during the event.
Last Monday, officials from the OP did an initial walk-through of the Sona scenario, from the President’s arrival to his delivery of the Sona and afterwards.
The final meeting for the Sona preparations is scheduled on July 15, 2024. Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz
In a six-page legal opinion signed by Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, the DOJ held that the intended acceptance of the DSWD of donations from individuals or companies in the tobacco industry will not violate Section 3.3 of Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) 2010-01 of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and Department of Health (DOH).
JMC 2010-01 (Protection of the Bureaucracy against Tobacco Industry Interference), prohibits public officials and employees from soliciting or accepting, directly or indirectly, any gift, gratuity, favor, entertainment, loan or anything of monetary value in the course of their official duties or in connection with any operation being regulated by, or any transaction which may be affected by the functions of their office from any person or business related to the tobacco industry.
The prohibition is in consonance with the country’s attempt at complying with its international commitments under the World Health Organization Framework Convention
limitations of the protective writs.
The consultations are being held in Baguio, Cebu, and Davao provinces where participants are being asked to share their experiences and discuss challenges and areas for improvement in the formulation and implementation of the writs.
Leonen has expressed high hopes of garnering valuable insight from key stakeholders in the Judiciary, the academe, law enforcement and prosecution, and the affected public.
Consultations are expected to conclude in September.
The findings will be submitted to the technical working group under the Human Rights Committee
on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), to which the Philippines is a signatory.
The DOJ pointed out that the prohibition under JMC 2010-01 is a reiteration of the same proscription found in Section 7(d) of Republic Act 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.
The said provision provides that public officials and employees shall not solicit or accept, directly or indirectly, any gift, gratuity, favor, entertainment, loan or anything of monetary value from any person In the course of their official duties or in connection with any operation being regulated by, or any transaction which may be affected by the functions of their office.
The DOJ noted that both JMC 2010-01 and Section 7(d) of RA 6713 prohibits the receipt or solicitation of public officials and employees of gifts in the course of their official functions and not the government agency or office itself.
Likewise, the JMC 2010-01 imposes a penalty upon the erring public official or employee, in case he or she violates said circular and not the agency or department itself.
“Given that the prohibition under JMC
to ensure actionable recommendations in proposing amendments to the three protective writs.
The SC said the consultations form part of the Judiciary’s continued efforts to review the relevance and effectiveness of the rules, as guided by the principles laid out in the Supreme Court’s Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022- 2027, which is a brainchild of Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo.
A Writ of Amparo is a legal remedy available to any person whose right to life, liberty and security has been violated or under threat while the writ of habeas data is a remedy available to any person whose right to privacy in life, lib-
2010-01 only expressly covers public officials and employees, the same cannot be interpreted to broadly extend to the national government, local government, and other government agencies, subdivisions, and offices,” the DOJ declared.
The DOJ issued the legal opinion upon the request of DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian.
In his letter-request, Gatchalian sought the DOJ’s opinion on the legality of accepting donation from a tobacco company of three mobile clinics for the use of social welfare and disaster response operations, in light of the prohibition provided under JMC No. 2010-01.
Gatchalian expressed belief that the acceptance of donation from a tobacco industry is not prohibited under the country’s legal system.
In issuing the circular, the DSWD said the CSC and DOH overstretched their construction of the regulations provided under WHO FCTC and existing national laws on tobacco products and industry.
erty or security has been violated or under threat by the unlawful gathering of information about the person, his or her family and home.
A writ of habeas corpus “is a writ directed to a person detaining another, commanding the former to produce the body of the latter at a designated time and place.” It extends “to all cases of illegal and arbitrary detention by which any person is deprived of his liberty….”
Several human rights groups have pleaded to the SC to strengthen the so-called protection writs in light of the rampant red-tagging and terrorist-labelling being done to activists, journalists and other sectors on different media platforms.
Subsequently, the DSWD issued AO 11, series of 2019, which expanded the prohibition against receiving gifts from any person or business related to the tobacco industry. The said AOs made the prohibition no longer just applicable to the employees and personnel of DSWD but to the agency itself.
“As correctly pointed out in your letter, existing national laws regarding the regulation of tobacco in the country do not explicitly restrict donations made by persons or businesses involved in the tobacco industry to government agencies,” the DOJ declared.
“Moreover, the WHO FCTC does not oblige Parties to absolutely ban or prohibit the donation of persons or businesses involved in the tobacco industry to government agencies,” it added.
However, in light of AO 11, the DOJ advised the DSWD to internally address its “overreaching inclusion” of both the agency and its officials and employees in the coverage of the prohibition.
The DOJ also told the DSWD to also seek the position of the DOH and CSC on the matter being the lead implementing agencies of the JMC.
Gatchalian also noted that the DSWD under the Duterte administration issued Administrative Order 7, series of 2018 which provides that “DSWD personnel regardless of rank and status shall limit interactions with the tobacco industry to those strictly necessary for its regulation.”
Local pharmas ask govt to weed out ‘cheap but not efficacious’ imports
By Andrea San Juan @andreasanjuan
LOCAL drug companies are pushing for the implementation of the Pharmaceutical Inspection Cooperation Scheme (PIC/S) in the Philippines to prevent the entry of cheap but not efficacious medicines and devices as well as level the playing field between locally produced and imported pharmaceutical drug products.
“If the Philippine [Food and Drug Administration] FDA is already PIC/S Accredited then we can export to PIC/S country.
DOH and FDA should allow importation only from PIC/S Certified Foreign Manufacturer or equivalent [WHO certified, EU certified,TGA certified, USFDA certified],” Philippine Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA) President Higinio Porte Jr. told the BusinessMirror on Tuesday.
Porte said this after he told reporters at the joint briefing of the Anti-Red Tape Authority (Arta), Department of Health (DOH),
Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) on the medical drug and device manufacturers initiatives to level the playing field in terms of importing and locally sourcing drug products, since imported drug products are cheaper compared to the locally produced ones. Right now, Porte said PIC/S certification is not required in the Philippines. “Kaya ang [That is why our] initiative ngayon [now] is the implementation of PIC/S. Ang [The] Pharmaceutical Inspection Cooperation Scheme.
If the Philippines is already PIC/S accredited and that is regulation that will be used locally, then imported medicines and devices must also be PIC/s certified. That is not required now,” Porte also noted.
Currently, Porte said the procurement by the Philippine government of imported pharmaceutical drug products is 6 percent of P270 billion,which he said is the size of the Philippine pharmaceutical market in 2023.
Based on the computation made by this paper, the government is importing P16.2 billion worth of pharmaceutical drug products.However, the head of local pharmaceutical manufacturers said only 5 percent of the value of the imported drugs and devices is being sourced locally or around P810 million.
Porte said PPMA is pushing for full procurement of pharmaceutical drug products. He explained that local pharmaceutical makers are only able to supply 5 percent of the value of what’s being imported because the imported items are cheaper.
To illustrate the price difference, Porte said, “Like, example, we bid for the supply of paracetamol tablets. The tablets made in India are offered at only 50 centavos each while our manufacturing cost here is already 90 centavos. So, how can we compete?”
To address this problem, he
said there is a need to level the playing field in terms of regulation. He said there is a need for the FDA to strengthen its “foreign audit” on importers.
He explained that by doing so, FDA can ensure that the “active pharmaceutical ingredient” being used in the medicines being imported are of good quality.
Here is where PIC/S will enter into the picture. Porte noted, “India and China are not PIC/S certified. That is why their products are cheaper. We has their products test and some of those were substandard. An example is Losartan, so products from those countries tested at only 80 active ingredient, the requirement is not not lower than 90 percent.”
Further, he emphasized that “This is when the products have just arrived...after two years the active ingredient may have been degraded to 50 percent. If you are patient, and your dose is for 500 milligram, taking these imported ones will result in you taking half your dose. You may not get well.”
According to its website, PIC/S “aims at harmonizing inspection procedures worldwide by developing common standards in the field of [good manufacturing practice] GMP and by providing training opportunities to inspectors.”
PIC/S currently comprises 56 participating authorities coming from all over the world (Europe, Africa, America, Asia and Australasia).
THE average retail price of regular milled rice nationwide was P51.14 per kilo halfway through June, data garthered by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) indicate.
Figures from the PSA showed that the price during the June 15 to 17 period (second phase) was lower than its average retail price in the June 1 to 5 period (first phase) at P51.33 per kilo.
Central Visayas saw the highest average retail price at P53.83 per kilo, while Cagayan Valley registered the lowest at P45.95 per kilo.
The average retail price of well-milled rice was registered at P56.35 per kilo during the second phase of June, which was also lower than the P56.50 recorded in the first phase.
Western Visayas had the highest average retail price of well-milled rice at P59.22 per kilo, with Ilocos Region recording the lowest at P52.47 per kilo.
ON TUESDAY, July 2, Sen. Christopher
Go led a significant event at the Bislig Highland Function Farm Hotel in Bislig City, which aims to foster cooperative development in Caraga Region. This event launched the Malasakit sa Kooperatiba program in the region in collaboration with the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA), providing essential financial support to 23 local cooperatives.
Each cooperative received P50,000 from the CDA, through Go’s support, as funding to enhance their businesses, from sustaining daily operations to investing in new ventures.
“Let’s use this as a stepping stone for your members to innovate and elevate their livelihoods,” Go encouraged during his address.
The ceremony welcomed key figures, including Surigao del Sur Governor Alexander Pimentel and Lingig Mayor Elmer Evangelio.
Meanwhile, the PSA said that the average retail price of tomatoes nationwide reached P80.07 per kilo during the second phase of June, an increase from P71.47 in the first phase.
The National Capital Region (NCR) saw the highest average retail price of tomatoes at P98.11 per kilo, up by 45.28 percent from the P67.53 per kilo registered in the first phase. Tomato prices in Metro Manila markets ranged between P120 and P180 per kilo as of July 1, according to the latest price monitoring report of the Department of Agriculture (DA). Current tomato prices saw an increase compared to the P50 and P120 range on June 17, based on DA monitoring reports.
Agriculture Assistant Secretary and Spokesman Arnel de Mesa recently said that the prices of tomatoes will go down in the next two weeks due to the incoming volume of harvest. Ada Pelonia
Two representatives per cooperative were sent from distant provinces like Surigao del Norte, Dinagat Islands, and Agusan del Norte. Although only 46 individuals from the cooperatives were present, an additional 75 from other Bislig City cooperatives attended as observers to learn from the orientation. On top of the financial support from CDA, Go also distributed essential items such as shirts, basketballs, and volleyballs to coop members, alongside watches for cooperative heads, symbolizing a commitment to longlasting community support. Go also highlighted the strategic importance of using the funds wisely to foster sustainable community projects. His initiative is part of the CDA’s Human Capital Development Program for Cooperatives, which he advocated for additional funding in the 2024 budget. As a champion for cooperatives, Go coauthored and co-sponsored key legislations like Republic Act 11502, designating October as National Cooperative Month, and RA 11535, mandating a Cooperatives Development Officer in local governments. His commitment to cooperatives is further reflected in his role on the Senate Committee on Cooperatives. He concluded with a commitment to continuous support: “Dahilbisyokoangmagserbisyo,asahanninyo,patuloyakongmagiging kaagapayninyoatsusuportahananginyong mgapagsisikapsaabotngakingmakakaya.”
BOI convenes maiden Investment Promotion Network meeting to deal with investor issues
By Andrea E. San Juan @andreasanjuan
THE Board of Investments (BOI) said it convened the first 36-member agency Investment Promotion Unit Network (IPU-Net) meeting to address the issues being faced by local and foreign investors.
As the IPU-Network Secretariat, BOI said it convened the 36-member agency to discuss “recurring issues” faced by local and foreign investors. The agenda included various concerns about the business en-
vironment, particularly business registration, tax-related issues, import procedures, consistency of the investment framework, developments in the industrial sector, and other relevant matters aimed
SOCIOECONOMIC Planning Sec-
retary Arsenio M. Balisacan said the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) is “strongly advocating” for the passage of the Open Access bill as this will allow the country to harness the “full benefits” of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
“To strengthen the country’s internet infrastructure and enhance digital connectivity, Neda, in collaboration with other government champions, strongly advocates for the passage of the Konektadong Pinoy Act or the Open Access bill,” Balisacan said during the launch of the National AI Strategy Roadmap 2.0 and the Center for AI Research (CAIR) on Wednesday.
“By promoting access to affordable and better-quality internet services, this legislation will allow the country to harness the full benefits of AI,” Balisacan added.
According to Balisacan, AI technology depends on “real-time data exchange and processing capabilities, requiring high-speed internet and vast data storage solutions.
“A modern digital infrastructure ensures these technologies operate efficiently, bringing innovations and efficiencies in sectors like healthcare, finance, and urban planning, among others,” said Balisacan, adding that having the necessary digital infrastructure would enhance service delivery and drive economic growth and technological advancement in the country.
Balisacan emphasized that in order
to unlock opportunities, the country must address the challenges of “limited internal capacities” in public institutions and infrastructure.
“These factors impede the effective oversight and facilitation of AI development and regulation,” the Neda chief noted.
Citing the 2023 Government AI Readiness Index developed by Oxford Insights, Balisacan said the Philippines lags in the government’s readiness to implement AI.
“With this, adequate and effective digital infrastructure must be in place,” he underscored.
Balisacan said Neda “reaffirms” its support for the National AI Strategy Roadmap 2.0, which renews the agency’s commitment to the government’s vision of transforming the Philippines into an “AI Center of Excellence.”
He also stressed that the roadmap will “strengthen” the government’s capacity for sustainable digital transformation, promoting local innovation and entrepreneurship while enabling new opportunities in the digital economy.
“The benefits of AI, having been well articulated by the panelists—particularly improving efficiency, automating tasks, enhancing decision-making, and fostering innovation—these benefits are immense,” said Balisacan.
Balisacan also noted that the Philippines can “potentially” gain P2.6 trillion annually if businesses adopt AI-powered solutions. Andrea E. San Juan
at improving the business environment in the Philippines.
Facilitated by the BOI Investments Assistance Service, the meeting addressed several key issues, including the registration of juridical entities, value-added tax (VAT) refund applications, customs procedures and requirements, applications for licenses to operate and product registrations, the process of land conversion, treecutting permit applications, securing favorable endorsements from local government units, an overview of Executive Order No. 59 (Infrastructure Flagship Projects), and energy transmission concerns, the investment promotion agency noted.
For his part, BOI Executive Director Fondevilla said “the commitments we make following this meeting will enhance the business
environment, attracting more investments, creating jobs, and improving the perception of investors in our country.”
Moreover, the concerned agencies responded to the issues, provided policy updates and recommended “ways forward” to ensure no unnecessary delays in government processes.
“Proposals included the adoption of strategies aimed at the digitalization of government operations, streamlining business registration and land conversion applications, and securing favorable endorsements from LGUs, among others,” the investment promotion agency said.
Moreover, BOI said the agencies asured continued updates and coordination with “relevant” government bodies to fast-track the resolution of
issues raised during the meeting. Among the agencies present were the Anti-Red Tape Authority (Arta), Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), DENREnvironmental Management Bureau (EMB), DENR-Forest Management Bureau (FMB), DENR-Land Management Bureau (LMB), Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Finance (DOF), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of Science and Technology (DOST),
Amazing Thailand looking to love PHL better via direct flights
By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo @akosistellaBM Special
to the BusinessMirror
THAILAND is looking to increase flight frequencies with the Philippines, and connect more of its popular tourism spots with destinations outside of Metro Manila.
In an interview with select reporters in Mactan, Thai Vice Minister for Tourism and Sports Jakkaphon Tangsutthitham said they want direct flights from Cebu to Phuket, Cebu to Koh Samui, “also from Palawan or Baguio to Chiang Mai.” Tangsutthitham, along with Thailand’s Ambassador to the Philippines Tull Traisorat, attended last week’s First United Nations Tourism Regional Forum on Gastronomy Tourism for Asia and the Pacific in Cebu.
“For the [flights] to Koh Samui and Phuket to Palawan, they’re still under negotiations. We just discussed it with your [Secretary of Tourism] today, and we want to make it happen,” added Tangsutthitham.
Data from the Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sports showed, of the 28-million tourist arrivals in Thailand in 2023, Filipinos accounted for 461,251; this was 91 percent of the 506,430 who visited in prepandemic 2019. On the other hand, Thai visitors to the Philippines reached 40,952 last year, or 68.5 percent of the 59,793 who visited in 2019, data from the Department of Tourism (DOT) showed.
Open skies
ACCORDING to Civil Aeronautics
Board Executive Director Carmelo L. Arcilla, the Philippines has an “open skies policy with Thailand, under the existing Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) open skies protocols. This means that the airlines of the Philippines and Thailand have unlimited rights to increase flights to and from any points between the two countries. The only limit is demand.”
PAL currently flies three times a week between Cebu and Bangkok, while Cebu Pacific will start flying the route this October, three times weekly as well. The Philippines and Thailand are celebrating 75 years of diplomatic relations this year.
At the Ministerial Dialogue on “Fostering policies to advance a roadmap for gastronomy tourism” at the Gastronomy Forum, Tangsutthitham said his country was looking forward to “collaborating” with the Philippines to jointly promote their respective countries’ culture, food, and other tourism activities. He said, for instace, “if you are in Philippine Airlines we will be happy [if they can] put [Thai] food. We can also [cooperate in promoting] scuba tourism. We have very similar culture and food, and we can have this sister-city [agreement].”
He later said a joint promotion progam could involve sending Thai “influencers to the Philippines, and Filipino influencers to Thailand.” Upskilling program UNDER the memorandum of understanding on tourism cooperation between both countries, Thailand and the Philippines are
supposed to implement a “twocountry, one-destination concept,” where foreign tourists will be encouraged to visit each other’s key destinations, thus necessitating more direct flights.
In March, Traisorat said he was already discussing direct flights between Phuket and Cebu with several carriers such as Thai Airways, PAL, CEB, Thai VietJet Air, and AirAsia. “It’s a key to promote tourism between our two countries,” he said, and allow the Philippines to get a share of Thailand’s large market of foreign tourists.
Last year, there were 5.5 million international visitors in the Philippines, and for 2024, DOT is targetting inbound arrivals to hit 7.7 million.
Meanwhile, Thailand and the Philippines are also working to create a program “to upskill and reskill our employees including the Filipinos, because many of them are working in Thailand,” said Tangsutthitham. This will be done in partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment.
Thailand had also opened its tourism industry to Filipino workers, as its hotels were experiencing a 60-percent vacancy in 2022, as the country lifted Covid restrictions. Then, Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco invited Thailand to join tourism job fairs in the Philippines so the former can hire local hotel workers.
This didn’t sit well with local hoteliers, who privately said, they too, continue to suffer from a shortfall in workers.
(See, “High airfare, UN regulate AirBnbs bugging hotel sector,” in the BusinessMirror, June 5, 2024.)
Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Tourism (DOT), Department of Transportation (DOTr), Bureau of Fire and Protection (BFP), Bureau of Customs (BOC), Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Security and Exchange Commission (SEC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Department of Justice-Bureau of Immigration (DOJ-BI), Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), PublicPrivate Partnership (PPP) Center, Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP), National Economic and Development Authority (Neda), National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (Nica), Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), and Bureau of Fire and Protection (BFP).
By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla
THE Commission on Elections has started building up the case it will file against Bamban, Tarlac Alice Guo over the discrepancies in her Certificate of Candidacy (COC) by securing a copy of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) probe on her apparent dual identity.
Comelec Chairman George M. Garcia met Wednesday with NBI Director Jaime Santiago to discuss Guo’s case and other matters including anti-vote buying initiatives and crafting of the guidelines for the use of Artificial Intelligence during election campaigns.
“We will officially request the report findings particularly on the fingerprint examination and such other examinations that NBI is conducting so we can use the said documents as evidence in our case build up,” Garcia said during a joint press conference with Santiago. Santiago gave assurances it will continue to extend aid to the poll body so it is filing its case against Guo.
“Now it is up to the Senate and the Comelec what their next move will be. We will only be assisting them,” the NBI chief said.
The NBI concluded that Guo has the same fingerprints as Guo Hua Ping, a Chinese national, who entered the country on January 12, 2003.
This contradicted what Guo stipulated in the COC she filed to run during the 2022 polls, where she claimed she is a Filipino citizen and not a permanent resident or immigrant from another country.
Garcia reiterated they will filing misrepresentation case against Guo.
“Yesterday, I already talked with our law department and gave them the instruction they can start the ball rolling on the investigation so they start gathering [pieces] of evidence,” the poll chief said. He said they will “rely heavily” on the separate case related to Guo’s eligibility, which will be filed by the Solicitor General and the findings of the NBI in building up their case. However, he noted that they will also gather their own evidence using their own fingerprint experts.
Once the Comelec Law Department issues its findings on the Guo issue, it will submit its recommendation to the Comelec en banc.
“It is the en banc, which will have the final say if there will be a case [against Guo], which will be filed before the courts or not,” Garcia said.
THAI Vice Minister for Tourism and Sports Jakkaphon Tangsutthitham (right) said his country wants to explore more areas to collaborate with the Philippines, especially in tourism. He attended the First UN Tourism Regional Forum on Gastronomy Tourism for Asia and the Pacific in Mactan on June 26, and spoke at the
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Enough onions until next year
THE Department of Agriculture (DA) on Wednesday said onion stocks will last until early next year, mulling over further extending the importation ban on the commodity.
Data from the DA’s report showed that the country’s stocks of red onion hit 161,973 metric tons (MT) as of June 21 while yellow onion and shallots are at 11,569 MT and 60 MT, respectively.
Agriculture Assistant Secretary and Spokesman Arnel de Mesa said that with the monthly consumption of 17,000 MT, the current red onion stocks could last for up to eight months, taking into consideration the shrinkage of about 10 to 20 percent of the total volume.
“[Extending the importation ban on onions] is possible due to the level of inventory that we have now,” de Mesa told reporters.
“We have ample stocks. If cheap imported onions get into the country, it will further drive down prices. We also need to consider the hardship of our onion farmers,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. earlier extended the ban on importation of onions until July owing to ample supply.
However, de Mesa said it was possible that the government would allow the importation of yellow onions.
“Posible na ang bigyan lang ng provision for importation ang yellow [onions],” he said, noting that with 4,000 MT monthly consumption, the current stocks of yellow onion could last for only two to three months.
Meanwhile, de Mesa assured that the prices of tomatoes will go down in the next two weeks owing to the incoming volume of harvest.
Tomato prices in Metro Manila markets ranged between P120 and P180 per kilo as of July 1, the latest price monitoring report of the DA shows.
Current tomato prices saw an increase compared to the P50 and P120 range in June 17, the same monitoring report indicates.
Ang karamihan ng harvest ng [kamatis] will come in two weeks time,” de Mesa said, adding that consumers could expect lower tomato prices by that time.
He noted that there were areas which had a delay in harvest due to typhoons, particularly in the Southern Tagalog.
“Ngayon kasi nag-uulan. Medyo mahal talaga ang kamatis ’pag wet season [...] mura ang kamatis ’pag tag-araw,” he said. Ada Pelonia
DA to focus on disaster resilience, support for affected communities
By Ada Pelonia @adapelonia
THE Department of Agriculture (DA) on Wednesday stressed the need for continued dedication to disaster resilience and support for affected communities.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. called on everyone to redouble their efforts to restore affected enterprises and recover the nation’s losses due to the ill effects of El Niño.
“The farmers and fishermen of provinces hard-hit by the drought have shown great courage and resilience in dealing with the tremendous damage it has left behind,” Laurel said in a statement.
“I urge the men and women of this agency and our colleagues in the Office of Civil Defense to respond with equivalent tenacity as we continue to restore their enterprises and regain what our nation has lost,” he added. Laurel also reported that
President Marcos has pledged to strengthen the farm and fishery sectors against future calamities, aiming to build a well-organized, modern agriculture and fisheries sector which can drive the national economy and ensure food security.
“The President has vowed to build a well-organized, modern agriculture and fisheries sector brimming with hope and resilience—able to drive the national economy, feed our nation, and compete with its counterparts abroad. Together, we must renew our dedication to the work of turning that national policy into a living reality,” he said.
Meanwhile, Office of Civil De-
fense (OCD) Assistant Secretary Raffy Alejandro underscored the critical role of the DA in disaster resilience. He highlighted how the agency’s efforts are essential for maintaining food security, enhancing productivity, balancing the supply and demand of food and raw materials, and modernizing the agriculture sector.
“These sensitive agriculture and food security systems are needed to effectively respond to the increasing severity and frequency of disaster events mainly attributed to climate change,” he said.
The department commemorated the 36th National Disaster Resilience Month under this year’s theme “Bantayog ng Katatagan at ang Pagbubuklod sa Layuning Kahandaan.” The yearly observance of National Disaster Resilience Month is mandated by Executive Order 29, signed by former President Rodrigo Duterte on June 28, 2017.
The order directs nationwide activities during National Disaster Resilience Month, focusing on enhancing disaster resilience in four key areas: prevention and mitigation, preparedness, response, and rehabilitation.
Guidelines set for swine industry’s recovery program
AGRICULTURE
Secretary
Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.
on Wednesday issued a memorandum that modified the implementation of the Integrated National Swine Production Initiatives for Recovery and Expansion (Inspire) program to revive the industry and give livelihood to previous hog raisers.
The Inspire program together with the Bantay ASF sa Barangay, which started in 2021, deals with the recovery and repopulation of the lost hog population struck by the deadly African swine fever (ASF) through community clustering, distribution of piglets, and firming up of biosecurity management.
Tiu’s Memorandum Circular (MC) 28 Series of 2024 states that ASF continues to pose a serious concern on food security in the
country and the rising and unstable price of pork.
“There is a need to enhance and refocus the implementing strategies of the repopulation program, to achieve the targets of the project and stabilize the price of pork in the retail market,” MC 28 read.
It added that this year, the program targets to substitute 10 percent of imported pork or approximately 60,000 metric tons (MT) by boosting domestic production.
“The strategy will focus on sow-weaner operation through the establishment of multiplier and production farms [sowweaner operation] with artificial insemination [AI].”
It also said that the Farmers’ Cooperatives and Associations (FCAs) and local governmentbeneficiaries should adopt mod-
ern climate-controlled building systems or conventional facilities but compliant with Biosecurity Level 1.
It added that the FCA or local governments should continue to follow the requirements to ensure freedom from ASF as provided in prevailing DA issuances.
“The piglets produced from Multiplier Farms will be distributed to their members for breeding while those produced at Production farms will be distributed to members or existing growerfinisher farm projects of DA for finishing, or sell them through a contract with a registered buyer or a big swine company,” MC 28 read.
It added that this approach would lessen the possibility of ASF infection, facilitate sustained production of piglets, provision of technical support to benefi-
ciaries, and efficient monitoring organized by FCA under the supervision of the LGU veterinary office or the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI).
“Clustering would enable marketing efforts to be more efficient, and the prospects of value addition and maximized profits can be realized,” MC 28 read.
It also stated that the modified INSPIRE will give primacy to ASF-free areas and/or islands, noting that the FCA or LGU swine clusters or compartments will be encouraged to pursue a contract growing arrangement with swine integrators as a recommended scheme
“This will ensure the sustainable supply of breeders, feeds, semen, access to markets, and overall logistical and technical support.” Ada Pelonia
First Cefa set to start operation in early ’25
AGRICULTURE Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. on Wednesday said the Cold Examination Facility in Agriculture (Cefa) in Angat, Bulacan, will start operations by early next year.
Laurel confirmed that private builders are now constructing a Cefa in Angat, Bulacan, with equipment procurement underway to meet the operational timeline.
“We expect the Angat Cefa to be operational by January or February next year,” Laurel said in a statement.
He added that plans are also underway to open four additional Cefas by September 2025 in Manila, Subic, Davao, and General Santos City.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) said that while the Cefas in Angat and General Santos City will only have DA-funded laboratories, comprehensive facilities are planned for major ports and fish ports.
These include the Manila International Container Terminal, Subic Bay International Corporation, Davao International Container Terminal, Manila South Harbor, New Cebu International Container Port, Batangas International Port, Navotas Fish Port, Iloilo International Container Port, and Misamis Oriental.
“Funding for the Cefa project was originally pegged at P2.3 billion last year but was reduced to P1.2 billion for the current year
due to the offer of International Container Terminal Services Inc. [ICTSI] to host most of the facilities at local ports which the listed company operates,” the DA said in a statement.
The department said that the country’s first Q fever case linked to imported goats from the United States and persistent agricultural smuggling has “highlighted the need to operationalize ‘first border’ control measures” to ensure food safety and prevent the entry of plant pests and economically significant terrestrial and aquatic animal diseases.
However, before the Cefas commence their operations, Laurel said that DA will implement preshipment inspections in ports of origin.
“Before these facilities become operational, we will issue an administrative order on preshipment inspection, pending approval from the Department of Finance,” he explained. Laurel said he anticipates that pre-shipment inspections could be enforced within three months to bolster food safety measures and curb smuggling activities detrimental to local farmers and public health.
“The initiative underscores the government’s commitment to fortify border controls amid emerging health and economic challenges posed by imported agricultural products,” the DA said. Ada Pelonia
Congressman seeks blacklisting of fish, food products smugglers
By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie
THE chairman of the House Committee on Aquaculture and Fisheries Resources has strongly backed the Department of Agriculture’s stepped up campaign against agricultural smuggling by blacklisting importers of fish and other food products involved in this illicit trade.
Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan, the nominee to the House of Representatives of the party-list group Bicol Saro, the panel chairman, said that fish smuggling undermines the livelihoods of small fishermen and jeopardizes consumer safety.
While commending the DA’ plan to blacklist suspected smugglers, he urged that this action be followed by the filing of criminal cases against the offending traders.
“We will await the action of the Department of Agriculture on this matter. We are counting on Agriculture Secretary [Francisco Tiu] Laurel [Jr.] to make his move soon against these suspected smugglers,” Yamsuan said.
Yamsuan issued the statement in response to Laurel’s recent announcement of his plan to blacklist at least four importers suspected of acts classified as economic sabotage. Laurel said they involve one rice importer, two fish traders, and a sugar importer.
“Blacklisting erring agricultural importers should not be the DA’s only measure against them. If there is enough evidence, then criminal cases should be hurled against them in court,” said Yamsuan.
The lawmaker said blacklisted companies may just resort to using dummy firms to continue their illegal activities.
Yamsuan pointed out that under the current law, large-scale fish smuggling is classified as economic sabotage if the amount of the goods subject of the crime is at least P1 million as valued by the Bureau of Customs (BOC).
The punishment for this crime under Republic Act 10845 is life imprisonment and a fine of twice the fair value of the smuggled fish products, along with the aggregate amount of the taxes, duties, and other charges involved.
Yamsuan said a new measure—the proposed Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act—aims to strengthen RA 10845 by including hoarding, profiteering, and cartel as acts of economic sabotage when the value of each agricultural and fishery product involved in these illegal activities amounts to at least P1 million.
Certified by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. as an urgent measure, this proposed law also increases the fine for acts of economic sabotage to thrice the value of the goods that are the subject of the crime. The measure has already been approved by both the Senate and the House of Representatives and is awaiting the president’s signature.
“We hope that this will be signed by the President and enacted soon so that it can serve as a strong deterrent to agricultural smugglers,” Yamsuan said.
“Agricultural smugglers undermine our collective goal of attaining food security and jeopardize the livelihoods of our farmers and fishermen. They also place the safety of consumers at risk because smuggled food products do not undergo the necessary measures that are meant to ensure that these are fit and safe for human consumption,” he added.
SORTING EGGS A worker arranges eggs in
Palestinian family flees home for safety, finds death in Israeli-declared safe zone
By Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdy & Lee Keath The Associated Press
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip—
The Hamdan family—around a dozen people from three generations—fled their home in the middle of the night after the Israeli military ordered an evacuation from the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis.
They found refuge with extended relatives in a building further north, inside an Israeli-declared safe zone. But hours after they arrived, an Israeli airstrike on Tuesday afternoon hit their building in the town of Deir al-Balah, killing nine members of the family and three others.
In all, five children and three women were among the dead, according to hospital records and a relative who survived.
Israel’s order on Monday for people to leave the eastern half of Khan Younis—the territory’s second-largest city—has triggered the third mass flight of Palestinians in as many months, throwing the population deeper into confusion, chaos and misery as they scramble once again to find safety.
About 250,000 people live in the area covered by the order, according to the United Nations. Many of them had just returned to their homes there after fleeing Israel’s invasion of Khan Younis earlier this year—or had just taken refuge there after escaping Israel’s offensive in the city of Rafah,
further south.
The order also prompted a frantic flight from European General Hospital, Gaza’s second-largest hospital, located in the evacuation area. The facility shut down after staffers and more than 200 patients were evacuated overnight and on Tuesday, along with thousands of displaced who had sheltered on the hospital grounds, according to the staff and the International Committee of the Red Cross, which had a medical team there.
Hisham Mhanna, the ICRC spokesperson in Gaza, said some families dragged patients in their hospital beds through the streets for up to 10 kilometers (6 miles) to reach safety. Ambulances moved others elsewhere as staff rushed out valuable equipment, including X-ray and ultrasound machines and endoscopy devices now so scarce, said a nurse, Muhammad Younis.
Hours after ordering the evacuation, the Israeli military said the hospital was not included on that order. But the staff said they feared a repeat of previous Israeli raids
on other Gaza hospitals.
“Many hospitals have come to rubble and have been turned into battlefields or graveyards,” Mhanna said.
Israel has raided hospitals, saying Hamas uses them for military purposes, a claim Gaza’s medical officials deny.
On Tuesday, cars loaded with personal belongings streamed out of eastern Khan Younis, though the number of those fleeing was not immediately known. The new exodus comes on top of the 1 million people who fled Rafah since May, as well as tens of thousands who were displaced the past week from a new Israeli offensive in the Shijaiyah district of northern Gaza.
“We left everything behind,” said Munir Hamza, a father of three children who on Monday night fled his home in an eastern district of Khan Younis for the second time. “We are tired of moving and displacement. ... This is unbearable.”
Nowhere safe
UP to 15 members of the Hamdan family fled their Khan Younis home and arrived late on Monday at their extended family’s building in Deir al-Balah, said Asmaa Salim, a relative who lived in the building.
The building was located inside the extended humanitarian zone that the Israeli military had declared when it began its offensive in Rafah in May, telling Palestinians to evacuate there for safety.
The strike came around 3 p.m. on Tuesday. Associated Press video shows an entire floor of the building gutted. “Almost everyone inside was martyred, only two or three survived,” Salim told the AP.
A list of the dead posted at the nearby Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said those killed included the family patriarch, 62-year-old dermatologist Hossam Hamdan, as well as his wife and their adult son and daughter. Four of their grandchildren, aged 3 to 5, and the mother
Hezbollah’s deputy leader says group would stop fighting with Israel after Gaza cease-fire
By Abby Sewell & Sarah El Deeb
The Associated Press
BEIRUT—The deputy leader of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said Tuesday the only sure path to a ceasefire on the Lebanon-Israel border is a full cease-fire in Gaza.
“If there is a cease-fire in Gaza, we will stop without any discussion,” Hezbollah’s deputy leader, Sheikh Naim Kassem, said in an interview with The Associated Press at the group’s political office in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Hezbollah’s participation in the Israel-Hamas war has been as a “support front” for its ally, Hamas, Kassem said, and “if the war stops, this military support will no longer exist.”
But, he said, if Israel scales back its military operations without a formal cease-fire agreement and full withdrawal from Gaza, the implications for the Lebanon-Israel border conflict are less clear.
“If what happens in Gaza is a mix between cease-fire and no cease-fire, war and no war, we can’t answer (how we would react) now, because we don’t know its shape, its results, its impacts,” Kassem said during a 40-minute interview.
The war began on October 7 after Hamas militants invaded southern Israel, killing some 1,200—mostly civilians—and kidnapping roughly 250. Israel responded with an air and ground
assault that has caused widespread devastation and killed more than 37,900 people in Gaza, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count.
Talks of a cease-fire in Gaza have faltered in recent weeks, raising fears of an escalation on the Lebanon-Israel front. Hezbollah has traded near-daily strikes with Israeli forces along their border over the past nine months. The low-level conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has displaced tens of thousands on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border. In northern Israel, 16 soldiers and 11 civilians have been killed; in Lebanon, more than 450 people— mostly fighters but also dozens of civilians—have been killed Hamas has demanded an end to the war in Gaza, and not just a pause in fighting, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to make such a commitment until Israel realizes its goals of destroying Hamas’ military and governing capabilities and brings home the roughly 120 hostages still held by Hamas.
Last month, the Israeli army said it had “approved and validated” plans for an offensive in Lebanon if no diplomatic solution was reached to the ongoing clashes. Any decision to launch such an operation would have to come from the country’s political leadership.
Some Israeli officials have said they are seeking a diplomatic solution to the standoff and hope to avoid war. At the same time, they have warned that the scenes of destruction seen in Gaza will be repeated in Lebanon if war breaks out.
Hezbollah, meanwhile, is far more powerful than Hamas and believed to have a vast arsenal of rockets and missiles capable of striking anywhere in Israel.
Kassem said he doesn’t believe that Israel currently has the ability—or has made a decision—to launch a full-blown war with Hezbollah. He warned that even if Israel intends to launch a limited operation in Lebanon that stops short of a full-scale war, it should not expect the fighting to remain limited.
“Israel can decide what it wants: limited war, total war, partial war,” he said. “But it should expect that our response and our resistance will not be within a ceiling and rules of engagement set by Israel… If Israel wages the war, it means it doesn’t control its extent or who enters into it.”
The latter was an apparent reference to Hezbollah’s allies in the Iran-backed so-called “axis of resistance” in the region. Armed groups in Iraq, Syria, Yemen and elsewhere—and, potentially, Iran itself—could enter the fray in the event of a full-scale war in Lebanon, which might also pull in Israel’s strongest ally, the United States.
US and European diplomats have made a circuit between Lebanon and Israel for months in an attempt to ward off a wider conflict.
Kassem said he met on Saturday with Germany’s deputy chief of intelligence, Ole Dieh, in Beirut. US officials do not meet directly with Hezbollah because Washington has designated it a terrorist group, but they regularly send messages via intermediaries.
Kassem said White House envoy Amos Hochstein had recently requested via intermediaries that Hezbollah apply pressure on Hamas to accept a cease-fire and hostage-exchange proposal put forward by US President Joe Biden. He said Hezbollah had rejected the request.
“Hamas is the one that makes its decisions and whoever wants to ask for something should talk to it directly,” he said.
Kassem criticized US efforts to find a resolution to the war in Gaza, saying it has backed Israel’s plans to end Hamas’ presence in Gaza. A constructive deal, he said, would aim to end the war, get Israel to withdraw from Gaza, and ensure the release of hostages.
Once a cease-fire is reached, then a political track can determine the arrangements inside Gaza and on the front with Lebanon, he added.
The Associated Press writers Kareem Chehayeb and Bassem Mroue in Beirut contributed to this report.
of two of the children were also killed. A man and his 5-year-old son who lived in the building and a man on the street outside were also killed in the strike, which wounded 10 other people, including several children.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the strike.
Flight from Khan Younis
MONDAY’S evacuation order suggested a new ground assault into Khan Younis could be coming though there was no immediate sign of one. Israeli forces waged a months-long offensive there earlier this year, battling Hamas militants and leaving large swaths of the southern city destroyed or heavily damaged.
Israel has repeatedly moved back into parts of the Gaza Strip it previously invaded to root out militants it said had regrouped—a sign of Hamas’ continued capabilities even after nearly nine-months of war in Gaza.
Israel’s campaign has killed more than 37,900 Palestinians, the majority women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish combatants among its count. Israel launched its campaign after Hamas’ October 7 attack in which militants killed some 1,200 people in southern Israel and took around 250 others hostage.
The Israeli military said Tuesday it estimates that some 1.8 million Palestinians are now in the humanitarian zone it declared, covering a stretch of about 14 kilometers (8.6 miles) along Gaza’s Mediterranean coast. Much of that area is now blanketed with tent camps that lack sanitation and medical facilities with limited
access to aid, UN and humanitarian groups say. Families live amid mountains of trash and streams of water contaminated by sewage.
The amount of food and other supplies getting into Gaza has plunged since the Rafah offensive began. The UN says fighting, Israeli military restrictions and general chaos—including looting of trucks by criminal gangs in Gaza—make it near impossible for it to pick up truckloads of goods that Israel has let in. As a result, cargo is stacked up uncollected just inside Gaza at the main Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel, near Rafah.
The Norwegian Refugee Council said last week that it surveyed nearly 1,100 families who fled Rafah and 83 percent of them reported having no access to food and more than half had no access to safe water.
On Tuesday, more families fleeing Khan Younis were trying to find space in the zone. Um AbdelRahman said she and her family of four children—the youngest 3 years old—walked for hours during the night to reach the zone only to find no place to stay.
“There is no room for anyone,” she said. “We are waiting and have nothing to do but wait.” Noha al-Bana said she has been displaced four times since fleeing Gaza City in the north early in the war.
“We have been humiliated,” she said. “No proper food, no proper water, no proper bathrooms, no proper place for sleep.… Fear, fear, fear. There is no safety. No safety at home, no safety in the tents.”
Magdy and Keath reported from Cairo. The Associated Press writer Sarah El Deeb in Beirut contributed to this report.
Defense secretary says the US will provide $2.3 billion more in military aid to Ukraine
By Tara Copp & Lolita C. Baldor The Associated Press
WASHINGTON—
Defense Secretary
Lloyd Austin said Tuesday that the US will soon announce an additional $2.3 billion in security assistance for Ukraine, to include antitank weapons, interceptors and munitions for Patriot and other air defense systems.
Austin’s remarks came as Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov met with him at the Pentagon. And they mark a strong response to pleas from Kyiv for help in battling Russian forces in the Donetsk region.
Of that total, $150 million of the aid will come from presidential drawdown authority (PDA) and the remainder will be provided by Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI). PDA allows the Pentagon to take the weapons from its stocks and send them more quickly to Ukraine; USAI puts weapons on longer-term contracts.
The announcement comes just days before the US hosts the NATO summit in Washington and as Ukraine has continued to lobby for military support and acceptance into the alliance.
“We’ll take steps to build a bridge to NATO membership for Ukraine,” Austin told Umerov.
“Hopefully soon Ukraine will receive its invitation,” the Ukrainian minister responded.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that Russia had dropped more than 800 powerful glide bombs in Ukraine in the last week alone. And he urged national leaders to relax restrictions on the use of Western weapons to strike military targets inside Russia. In particular, he said, Ukraine needs the “necessary means to destroy the carriers of these bombs, including Russian combat aircraft, wherever they are.” Austin did not refer to the restrictions in his opening comments, but he told Umerov that they would discuss “more ways to meet Ukraine’s immediate security needs and to build a future force to ward off more Russian aggression.”
Including the latest $2.3 billion, the US has committed more than $53.5 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February 2022.
“Make no mistake, Ukraine is not alone, and the United States will never waver in our support,” Austin said as he opened the meeting with Umerov. “Alongside some 50 allies and partners, we’ll continue to provide critical capabilities that Ukraine needs to push back Russian aggression today and to deter Russian aggression tomorrow.”
Pressure is building on Biden to step aside, but many Democrats feel powerless to replace him
By Steve Peoples, Will Weissert & Joey Cappelletti The Associated Press
WASHINGTON—Bernie
Sanders describes President Joe Biden’s recent debate performance as “painful.” In an interview, he says he’s not confident that Biden can win this fall.
But the progressive senator from Vermont does not want Biden to step aside.
Instead, Sanders, who served as Biden’s chief rival in the Democratic Party’s 2020 nomination fight, is calling on voters to adopt “a maturity” as they view their options this fall.
“A presidential election is not a Grammy Award contest for the best singer or entertainer. It’s about who has the best policies that impact our lives,” Sanders said. “I’m going to do everything I can to see that Biden gets reelected.”
That’s putting the best face on it. Nearly a week after Biden’s disastrous debate performance, questions about his ability to remain in the race are intensifying among concerned Democrats. But there is also a growing sense that the party has trapped itself in a bad situation with no clear solution, caught in a primary process set up to protect Biden with elected officials unwilling to say out loud what some say quietly.
Some allies, like Sanders, are acknowledging Biden’s problems but contrasting his policies and record with those of Republican Donald Trump. But many donors, strategists and party insiders want Biden to suspend his reelection campaign to avoid what they see as certain defeat come November.
Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas on Tuesday became the first House Democrat to call for the president to withdraw, saying “too much is at stake” for Biden to stay in the race and lose to Trump.
“He has the opportunity to encourage a new generation of leaders from whom a nominee can be chosen to unite our country through an open, democratic process,” Doggett said in a written statement. “My decision to make these strong reservations public is not done lightly nor does it in any way diminish my respect for all that President Biden has achieved.”
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told MSNBC that she believes “it is a legitimate question” whether Biden’s halting performance is just “an episode or is this a condition.”
“When people ask that question, it’s legitimate—of both candidates,” Pelosi said.
Pelosi said she had not spoken with Biden since the debate, but she emphasized that the president is on “top of his game, in terms of knowing the issues and what is at stake.”
In private, people close to wouldbe Biden replacements—including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Vice President Kamala Harris— are having informal conversations
Cash-based Japan issues first new bills in two decades to fight counterfeiting
By Yuri Kageyama Ap Business Writer
TOKYO—Japan issued its first new banknotes in two decades on Wednesday, yen packed with 3-D hologram technology to fight counterfeiting.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida praised as “historic” the state-ofthe-art anti-counterfeit traits of the new 10,000 yen, 5,000 yen and 1,000 yen bills.
“I hope the people will like the new bills, and they will help energize the Japanese economy,” he told reporters at the Bank of Japan.
While the new bills were released with fanfare, currency already in use will remain valid. In fact, people will still need older bills to use most vending machines and to pay bus fares, local media reported.
Kishida noted the people featured on the bills celebrate Japanese capitalism, women’s equality and scientific innovation.
The 10,000 yen bill, worth about $62 at the current exchange rate, has the face of Eiichi Shibusawa, known as “the father of Japanese capitalism,” a key figure in building Japan’s modern economy. He is credited with founding hundreds of companies.
about potential next steps should Biden abruptly change course and step aside.
Such conversations include talk of potential running mates, according to donors involved in the discussions. Names of potential vice presidential nominees that have surfaced include Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and California Rep. Ro Khanna.
Every one of the officials on such lists has publicly pledged support for Biden in recent days. And ever defiant, Biden’s team has downplayed the president’s political problems in a series of memos and private meetings with donors, strategists and party insiders.
“The voters are powerless,” said Nina Turner, a national co-chair of Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, who now fears the Democratic Party cannot win again with Biden as the nominee. “The decision rests solely with him.”
Amid such frustration, key groups in Biden’s political coalition—who had shown signs of fraying even before the debate— have begun to turn against each other.
Tim Miller, a prominent Biden supporter who once worked for
Republican political campaigns, has come under attack in recent days from pro-Biden activists. They posted pictures of his family on social media after he raised concerns about Biden’s general election prospects.
In an interview, however, Miller said elected Democrats privately tell him that they share his concerns.
“For me, the only risk right now is everyone shutting up and getting in line,” Miller said. “It’s the right time to have an open conversation about what the path forward is. Otherwise, we’re on a trajectory for another Donald Trump presidency.”
A handful of leading Republicans from the “Never Trump” camp met privately Monday with Biden campaign officials to encourage the president to leave the race.
The Biden campaign issued a memo over the weekend claiming he had lost little support after the debate. A separate internal memo also argued that he would retain the support of many voters who had a negative reaction to his primetime performance.
A CNN poll conducted by SSRS after the debate found that Biden’s
favorability rating hasn’t shifted meaningfully, nor has the share of Americans who say they will vote for him in November. However, three-quarters of US voters—and more than half of Democratic voters—say the Democratic Party would have a better chance of winning the presidency with someone else at the top of the ticket.
At the same time, the president’s campaign announced on Tuesday a massive fundraising haul for the month of June. Overall, the campaign raised $127 million last month, including $33 million on the day of the debate and in its aftermath, according to the campaign. The numbers cannot be verified until federal filings are posted later in the month.
Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison made clear Tuesday that the party’s rules leave no room for a Plan B.
Biden secured almost every delegate in the state-by-state primary process this spring. They are pledged by party rules to “in all good conscience” reflect the desires of voters who chose Biden. A virtual roll call vote to formalize Biden’s status as the nominee is expected weeks before the party’s national convention.
“The primary is over, and in every state, the will of Democratic voters was clear: Joe Biden will be the Democratic Party’s nominee for president,” Harrison told The Associated Press. “Delegates are pledged to reflect voters’ sentiment, and over 99% of delegates are already pledged to Joe Biden headed into our convention.”
But Biden’s allies in key states across the country acknowledge the fear spreading through their party ranks.
Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried said she’s worked to calm concerns about Biden’s mental acuity by sharing her personal experiences.
“I have been in close-quarter meetings and conversations and interactions with the president where we’re able to talk high policy initiatives but also been able to just have a general conversation, like you’re talking to your neighbor,” Fried said. “There’s never been a time that I have questioned his abilities to run this country and to put forth the type of energy and coalition that will be necessary to win in November.”
Michigan Democratic Party chair Lavora Barnes said she spoke with volunteers Monday night and “yes they asked questions” about Biden’s debate performance. But “we need to focus our talks with our voters on the work that the president’s done in contrast with Donald Trump,” she said.
Vermont Democratic Sen. Peter Welch conceded that Biden’s debate performance intensified questions about the president’s age, which are on the minds of “everyday voters” and even “extremely energetic Biden supporters.”
“Within the Biden campaign they’re acutely aware of it,” Welch said in an interview. “I thought it was a mistake for the Biden campaign to be critical of people who started asking questions the campaign itself is asking.”
Meanwhile, Vermont’s other senator, Sanders, conceded that Biden’s path to reelection will not be easy.
“I wasn’t confident he could win before the debate,” Sanders told the AP. “What we need on the part of the American people is a maturity right now—and that is to understand that what is important are the issues. And the difference between Trump and Biden: day and night.”
Cappelletti reported from Lansing, Michigan. Associated Press writer Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux in Washington contributed to this report.
Fed Chair Powell sees slowing inflation, but cautions against premature rate cuts
By Christopher Rugaber AP Economics Writer
ASHINGTON—In-
The new bills also feature larger printing so they’re easier to read, especially for the nation’s aging population.
By the end of March next year, nearly 7.5 billion new banknotes will have been printed, according to the government. The amount of money in the new bills going out in a single day is estimated at 1.6 trillion yen ($10 billion).
It may take some time for ordinary people to get hold of the new bills. They first are going to banks and other financial organizations. Then, they’ll be distributed to automatic teller machines and stores, according to the Bank of Japan.
A majority of transactions in Japan still are done in cash and cashless payments have been slower to catch on than in many other countries.
“Although the world is moving toward cashless interactions, we believe cash remains important as a way for safely settling payments anywhere and anytime,” said Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda.
AP Videographer Mayuko Ono contributed.
The 5,000 yen bill, worth about $30, features Umeko Tsuda, a pioneer feminist and educator who founded a college. The 1,000 yen note, worth about $6.20, portrays physician and bacteriologist Shibasaburo Kitasato, who was instrumental in the research of tetanus and the bubonic plague. The backs of each of the bills feature Tokyo Station, wisteria flowers and ukiyo-e artist Katsushika Hokusai’s Mount Fuji, respectively.
Wflation in the United States is slowing again after higher readings earlier this year, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Tuesday, while adding that more such evidence would be needed before the Fed would cut interest rates.
After some persistently high inflation reports at the start of 2024, Powell said, the data for April and May “do suggest we are getting back on a disinflationary path.”
Speaking in a panel discussion at the European Central Bank’s monetary policy conference in Sintra, Portugal, Powell said Fed officials still want to see annual price growth slow further toward their 2 percent target before they would feel confident of having fully defeated high inflation.
“We just want to understand that the levels that we’re seeing are a true reading of underlying inflation,” he added.
Powell also acknowledged that the Fed is treading a fine line as it weighs when to cut its benchmark interest rate, which it raised 11 times from March 2022 through July 2023 to its
current level of 5.3 percent. The rate hikes were intended to curb the worst streak of inflation in four decades by slowing borrowing and spending by consumers and businesses. Inflation did tumble from its peak in 2022 yet still remains elevated.
If the Fed cuts rates too soon, Powell cautioned, inflation could re-accelerate, forcing the policymakers to reverse course and impose punishing rate hikes. But if the Fed waits too long to reduce borrowing costs, it risks weakening the economy so much as to potentially cause a recession.
“Getting the balance on monetary policy right during this critical period—that’s really what I think about in the wee hours,” Powell said in response to a question about his top worries.
On Friday, the government reported that consumer prices, according to the Fed’s preferred measure, were unchanged from April to May, the mildest such reading in more than four years. And compared with a year earlier, inflation dropped to just 2.6 percent in May, from 2.7 percent in April, the government said.
Excluding volatile food and energy costs, “core” prices also barely rose from April to May. On a year-
over-year basis, core inflation fell to 2.6 percent from 2.8 percent in April. The latest inflation figures were a sharp improvement from early this year.
In his appearance Tuesday, Powell said the US economy and job market remain fundamentally healthy, which means the Fed can take its time in deciding when rate cuts are appropriate. Most economists think the Fed’s first rate cut will occur in September, with potentially another cut to follow by year’s end.
The Fed chair also said the job market is “cooling off appropriately,” which likely means that it won’t heighten inflationary pressures through rapid wage gains.
“It doesn’t look like it’s heating up or presenting a big problem for inflation going forward,” Powell said of the job market. “It looks like it’s doing just what you would want it to do, which is to cool off over time.”
Powell declined to signal any time frame for a rate cut. Investors are betting that there is nearly a 70 percent chance for a reduction at the Fed’s meeting in September.
Fed officials have expressed a range of views on inflation and interest-rate policy since their last
meeting a little over two weeks ago. John Williams, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and vice chair of the central bank’s rate-setting committee, said last week, “I am confident that we at the Fed are on a path to achieving our 2 percent inflation goal on a sustained basis.”
Mary Daly, president of the San Francisco Fed, cautioned last week, though, that it was “hard to know if we are truly on track to sustainable price stability.”
In his appearance Tuesday in Portugal, Powell spoke at a panel along with Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank, and Roberto Campos Neto, the head of Brazil’s central bank. The ECB has already made a quarter-point cut to its key rate this year, with inflation in the 20-nation eurozone having sunk from above 10 percent to just 2.5 percent. In her remarks Tuesday, though, Lagarde reiterated that the ECB is not on any “predetermined path” and that its recent rate cut “would be followed by further review of data.”
Such comments have led many analysts to conclude that the ECB’s next rate cut won’t occur until September at the earliest.
PRESIDENT Joe Biden listens during a visit to the D.C. Emergency Operations Center on Tuesday,
2024, in Washington. AP/EVAN VUCCI
Editor: Angel R. Calso
A stain on PHL democracy: Consequences of electoral fraud and foreign influence
THE recent revelation that Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo is a Chinese national has sent shockwaves through the country’s political landscape. The subsequent announcement by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) that it intends to file an election offense against the embattled mayor is a step in the right direction. However, it is imperative that swift action be taken to address this serious matter and uphold the integrity of the electoral process. (Read the BusinessMirror report: “Comelec filing poll offense vs Guo for misrepresentation,” July 1, 2024).
Mayor Guo’s case ra ises concer ns on mu ltiple f ronts. Firstly, her alleged misrepresentation in her Cer tif icate of Cand idacy (COC) by cla iming to be a Fi l ipino citizen when she is, in fact, a Chinese national is a d irect v iolation of election laws. Such del iberate falsif ication under mines t he democratic principles of transparency and fa ir ness, erod ing trust in t he electoral system. T he Comelec’s decision to consider a motu proprio misrepresentation case aga inst Guo demonstrates its commitment to uphold ing t he ru le of law. Moreover, Mayor Guo’s alleged involvement in human traff ick ing and her ties to a Chinese criminal synd icate f ur t her compound t he seriousness of t he issue. If t hese allegations are proven true, t hey represent a g rave t hreat to national security. T he Depar tment of Justice’s pursuit of human traff ick ing charges aga inst Guo underscores t he need for a comprehensive investigation into her activ ities and connections.
T he revelation t hat Mayor Guo allegedly falsif ied incor porators in a gaming technology company by stealing t he identities of local vendors adds anot her layer of concer n. T his not only high l ights potential f raud and identity t heft but also ra ises questions about t he broader impl ications of foreign influence and inf i ltration in local businesses. It is crucial t hat t he aut horities t horough ly investigate t hese allegations and ensure t hat justice is ser ved.
T he role of t he Senate in uncovering Mayor Guo’s true identity and shedd ing l ight on her alleged w rongdoings cannot be overstated. T heir ded ication to unear t hing t he trut h and exposing potential t hreats to national security is commendable. T he collaboration between t he Senate, t he National Bureau of Investigation, and t he Comelec is v ital to ensuring a comprehensive and impar tial investigation.
T he resolution of t his case is of utmost impor tance, not only for t he people of Bamban, Tarlac, but also for t he entire nation. Fa i lure to add ress t his issue promptly and effectively wou ld expose t he Phi l ippines to rid icu le on t he inter national stage. It is essential t hat t he Comelec, ar med w it h t he ev idence prov ided by t he Senate and t he Off ice of t he Sol icitor General, acts decisively to hold Mayor Guo accountable for her alleged offenses.
T he Phi l ippine gover nment must demonstrate its commitment to upholding t he ru le of law, safeg uard ing national security, and ma inta ining t he trust of its citizens. T his includes ensuring t hat t hose who seek publ ic off ice do so w it h integ rity and honesty. T he pursuit of justice in t he case of Mayor Guo is not only about one ind iv idual; it is about send ing a strong message t hat no one is above t he law.
Meanwhile, the latest development, i.e., that Philippine and Chinese gover nment off icials met on Tuesday to d iscuss Mani la’s ongoing campa ign aga inst i llegal Pogos l inked to transnational crimes w i ll, it is hoped, f ur t her bolster t he effor ts in t he d iff icu lt task a head—not just for t he PAOCC, but all ot her gover nment agencies at t he national and local levels.
As t h e nat i on awa its t h e o utcome of t h e i nvest i gat i on and s u bsequ ent legal p r oceed i ngs, it i s c ru c i al t h at t h e aut ho rit i es h andle t hi s case t r anspa r ently, i mpa r t i ally, and exped
gence and r esolve.
Betting on the PSE
LOUTSIDE THE BOX
ET me ask you a question. Who will be elected president of the United States on November 5, 2024? Too difficult? Let’s make it easier. Who will be the top two candidates on the ballot for president of the United States on November 5, 2024?
“2024: T he Year of Crazy Uncerta inty.” I make my money from trading the stock market. I do not sell or give away stock trading adv ice. T he headline on December 27, 2023 was, “W hy market players are optimistic about equities in 2024.” T he Managing Director and Chief Economist at two different major local banks both said: “T he PSE’s main index could hit the 7,000 level next year.” Good v ibes that deser ved my investment. I agreed wholeheartedly. But I should have read the next part. “On the back of a better interest rate env ironment.”
All t he expectations for a US Federal Reser ve interest rate cut—on which t he local stock market was apparently dependent—were high and conf ident. We knew t hat t his was going to be deter mined on t he US inflation rate. T he inflation rate had d ropped f rom 3.7 percent in September 2023 and hit 3.1 percent in Januar y 2024. But t hen it moved back up to 3.5 percent in March
W hat t he heck happened? W ho was in charge of t hat?
Even oi l prices at t hat time were stable f rom $77.00 in December to only $83.00 in Februar y. T hat is not much (8 percemt), considering t he nor mal volat i l ity of t he oi l price. Currently, Brent crude is trad ing at t he same level as it was in October 2018, but US inflation is not close to t he 2.5 percent rate in October 2018.
So what happened to t he downwa rd t r ajector y of US i nflat ion?
W hat happened to t he interest rate cuts t hat supposedly were locked in?
W hat happened to “Fed rate cut plans may boost Joe Biden’s prospects for US Presidential Polls 2024” (March 25, 2024)?
W hat happened to “T he President of t he Phi l ippine Stock Exc hange (PSE) is optimistic t hat 2024 w i ll be a better year for t he local bourse”?
W hat happened to “shor t-sell ing” on t he PSE? W hat happened to t he REITs (Real estate investment trust) and IPOs (Initial Publ ic Offering)
By Cindy Wang, Yian Lee & Foster Wong
CHINA detained a Taiwanese fishing boat and its crew, a move that risks worsening tensions with the island’s new president. The Chinese Coast Guard stopped the fishing vessel on Tuesday evening near the Taiwanese island of Kinmen, maritime authorities in Taipei said in a statement. Kinmen is roughly 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) from China.
If the performance of the PSE depends on what the Fed and subsequently the BSP does about interest rates, betting on the US election—not the PSE—may be the most profitable move.
t hat were supposed to “outper for m” and save t he market?
T he local I P O ma rket pe r formance reminds me of t he stor y of Sodom and Gomorra h By t he time su lf ur and f ire ra ined down destroying t he city, it was too late to repent of your sins.” T he REIT issues have not done much better Husband Lot bought AREIT and maybe Citicore Energy (CREIT); his w ife bought t he ot hers, tur ning her por tfol io into a pi llar of salt. My trad ing in 2024 has been several good, healt hy prof itable issues and a number of small, annoy ing, sick losers. T he best trade I made this year was “buy ing” “Trump to w in t he Presidency” at 29.2 last September, currently at 55.5. I shou ld have put all my money on t he Orange Man. After a one week move higher f rom a temporar y bottom at PSEi 6,150 a rea, t he da i ly c h a r t looks ready to go back down aga in. T he weekly char t says t he blue-chip issues cou ld go higher, but the monthly char t is tell ing me to wa it for anot her downside bottom. I looked for some comfor t in t he ot her indexes. Unfor t u nately, w it h overall t rading volume as bleak and dark as t he dev i l’s hear t, t here is not any broad favorable outlook t hroughout t he
local stock market. Yet if you are a stock market investor you must always cl ing to t he
Locally, Capital Economics says, “Our v iew is t hat t he central bank (BSP) w i ll cut interest rates at its next meeting in Aug ust.” Great! But Oxford Economics says, “We expect t he BSP to cut t he pol icy rate in Quar ter 4.” Abra ham approac hed God and sa id, “Suppose
Officials in Taipei have also expressed concern in recent days that China will detain more individuals from the island to pile pressure on Lai. Last week, Taiwan hiked its travel warning for China to the second-highest level, citing Beijing’s decision to expand laws that threaten “separatists” from the island with the death penalty.
893-1662; 814-0134 to 36. E-mail: news.businessmirror@gmail.com www.news.businessmirror@gmail.com Printed by BROWN MADONNA Press, Inc.–Sun Valley Drive KM-15, South Superhighway,
John Mangun
www.news.businessmirror@gmail.com
China can end Russia’s war in Ukraine with one phone call, Finland says
By Kati Pohjanpalo & Leo Laikola
RUSSIA’S reliance on China has gotten to the point where Beijing could end the war in Ukraine if it chose to, Finnish President Alexander Stubb said.
“Russia is so dependent on China right now,” Stubb, 56, sa id in an inter v iew in Helsink i Tuesday.
“One phone call f rom President X i Jinping wou ld solve t his crisis.” Stubb’s comments reflect t he increasing f rustration among Uk ra ine’s all ies over China’s perceived suppor t for Russia’s war effor t. T hey accuse Beijing of prov iding t he K reml in w it h technolog ies and par ts for weapons and helping Moscow to get around inter national trade restrictions.
“If he were to say, ‘Time to star t negotiating peace,’ Russia wou ld be forced to do t hat,” Stubb sa id. “T hey wou ld have no ot her choice.”
T he Chinese Foreign Ministr y d idn’t immed iately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday evening—outside of reg u lar working hours.
X i has sought to por tray China as a neutral actor in d iscussions over t he war, w it h his gover nment criticizing Russia over attacks on civ i l ians and t hreats to use nuclear weapons. China opposes international sanctions on principle, say ing it only respects penalties backed by t he United Nations, and has accused t he US and its all ies of f uel ing t he war by prov id ing weapons to Uk ra ine.
China accounted for about 28 percent of Russia’s total trade last year, up f rom 19 percent in 2021, accord ing to statistics compi led by Bloomberg. T he European Union, by contrast, saw its share of Russian trade fall to 17 percent f rom 36 percent in t hat period.
X i hosted Russian President Vlad imir Putin in Beijing on May 16 and called for an inter national conference includ ing bot h Russia and Uk ra ine to resolve what he described as “t he Uk ra ine issue.”
“China stands ready to continue to play a constructive role in t his regard,” X i sa id.
X i and Putin are expected to hold talks in Kazak hstan, where t hey’re tak ing par t in a Shangha i Cooperation Organization summit meeting t hat beg ins Wednesday in t he capital Astana.
Finland’s new head of state was swor n in March 1 and prev iously ser ved as prime minister, f inance minister and foreign minister in t he nation of 5.5 mi ll ion. His predecessor Sau l i Niinisto reached a constitutional ter m l imit after 12 years in power Speak ing at t he g i lded 19t h centur y presidential palace—prev iously a residence of t he Russian czar when Finland was par t of his empire— Stubb sa id t hat China wou ld stand to benef it f rom ending Putin’s “agg ressive and colonial war in Uk ra ine.
“It needs to protect t he inter national ru les which are l inked to territorial integ rity and sovereignty,” he sa id. “T hat is t he right t hing to do. And t hat wou ld also show leadership f rom China.”
T he European Union’s most Russia-f riendly leader, Hungarian Prime Minister Vi ktor Orban sa id on Tuesday t hat he’d asked Uk ra ine’s president, Volodymy r Zelenskyy, to engage in talks w it h Russia and seek a quick ceasef ire.
T he Finnish president d isag reed.
“It’s out of t he question to push for a ceasef ire at t he moment, t here needs to be a genuine peace negotiation,” Stubb sa id. “T he only t hing t hat Russia understands is power And t herefore t he more we can help Uk ra ine now, t he faster
we’ll get t he war to end.”
Stubb also urged Europe to bolster its suppor t to Uk ra ine whi le also
On Philippine-American Friendship Day we celebrate a year of historic achievements
OStubb’s comments reflect the increasing frustration among Ukraine’s allies over China’s perceived support for Russia’s war effort. They accuse Beijing of providing the Kremlin with technologies and parts for weapons and helping Moscow to get around international trade restrictions.
as well as aga inst Russia’s hybrid war fare. Uk ra ine needs bot h material help—which includes f inancial assistance—and pol itical suppor t, includ ing f ir ming up a pat h toward a membership in bot h t he EU and t he Nor t h Atlantic Treaty Organization, accord ing to Stubb. Europe needs to shift to a “wartime economy,” pool ing orders for ammunition and weapons to g ive t heir defense industr y a long-ter m perspective, he sa id. In add ition to state f und ing, Stubb called for t he European Investment Bank— where he was prev iously v ice president—to move beyond its red l ines and star t being more “bu ll ish in f inancing mi l itar y industr y. Somet hing else Europe needs to do is create a playbook for how to counter hybrid attacks, t he president sa id. T hat wou ld enta i l bot h plans to get systems up and running after attacks, but also streaml ining communications to present a unif ied f ront aga inst t he K reml in. Cyber attacks, GPS jamming, a irspace v iolations and weaponized immig ration comprise some for ms of Russian hybrid war fare Finland has experienced just over t he past mont hs, alongside much of t he ot her Easter n flank countries of Nato.
“W hat Russia tries to do w it h hybrid attacks is get us to overreact or react d ifferently,” Stubb sa id, add ing t hat attributing hybrid operations can also help put an end to t hem.
“If you deny it or keep it under t he radar t hen I t hink Russia w i ll just continue doing it.” Wit h more t han 1,300 k i lometers (800 mi les) of border, Finland g uards half of Nato’s demarcation aga inst its ma in adversar y, and has a f raught histor y of co-ex istence w it h Russia. Hav ing won independence in 1917 after more t han 100 years as a Grand Duchy of t he Russian Empire, Finns fought two wars w it h t he Sov iet Union, ced ing par ts of t heir territor y in 1944. Finland t hen tiptoed t hrough an era of neutral ity during t he Cold War—by necessity, not by choice—deferring to Moscow whi le reta ining independence in a pol icy t hat came to be known as Finland ization. After t he collapse of t he Sov iet Union, t he Nord ic countr y immed iately sought entr y into t he European fold in Sweden’s wake, w it h t he two joining t he EU in 1995. Unti l Russia’s invasion of Uk ra ine in 2022, Finnish pol icymakers almost never identif ied Russia—at least publ icly—as t he primar y mi l itar y t hreat. In Apri l 2023 Finland joined Nato.
Geared for sur v ival, t he Nord ic countr y has always rema ined on aler t. It’s able to deploy 280,000 troops in war time and has one of t he strongest ar ti lleries in Europe. “Finland is, right now, geopol itically and geostrateg ically one of t he most impor tant countries in Europe because we have just doubled our Nato border w it h Russia,” Stubb sa id. “A lot of people count on us.” With assistance from Max Ramsay, Rob Dawson and Ben Priechenfried / Bloomberg
By MaryKay Carlson
N the Fourth of July—US Independence Day and PhilippineAmerican Friendship Day—we look back on what the USPhilippine partnership has achieved over the past 12 months. We’ve reached incredible milestones together as friends, partners, and allies, setting a bold agenda to build a more secure and prosperous future for our peoples.
T he Tri lateral Leaders’ Summit among President Biden, President Marcos, and Japanese Prime Minister K ishida in Washington was a historic moment in a year of exceptional achievements. T he leaders committed to advancing t he security and prosperity of all t hree nations, t he Indo-Pacif ic reg ion, and t he world t hrough cooperation on economic g rowt h c rit ical tec h nolog ies, t he d ig ital economy, cl imate and clean energy, i nf rast ruct ure, and peace and security. T hey announced t he Lu zon Economic Corridor under t he Par tnership for Global Inf rastructure and Investment and t he IndoPacif ic Economic Framework (IPEF) Investment Accelerator, which w i ll suppor t transfor mative publ ic and private investments f rom Subic Bay to Batangas – home to 40 percent of t he Phi l ippines’ popu lation and 50 percent of its economic activ ity. T he three leaders also announced $8 mi ll ion for Open Rad io Access Network (RAN) f ield trials t hat w i ll pave t he way for more affordable and secure telecommunications. As President Ma rcos h as sa id, economic security is national security. Our commitment to bring g reater private investment to the Philippines is mu ltifaceted. In March Secretar y
of Commerce Raimondo led the firstever Presidential Trade and Investment Mission to t he Phi l ippi nes, where US f ir ms annou nced more t han $1 bi ll ion in investments in key sectors and new par tnerships to help develop a f ut ure-ready Phi l ippine workforce. We bui lt on t hese engagements in May during the Indo-Pacific Business Forum in Manila, where the US Trade and Development Agency awarded a g rant to a Fi l ipino company to del iver affordable, high qual ity Internet connectiv ity to underser ved communities in t he Phi l ippines. We are accelerating investment in t he Phi l ippines w it h t he introduction of new tools and resources. Later t his year, t he US Development Finance Cor poration (DFC) plans to open a Manila office, its fifth location in t he Indo-Pacif ic reg ion. T his new off ice u nderscores DFC’s g row ing focus on t he Phi l ippines in critical sectors such as renewable energy, ag ricu lt ure, crit ical minerals, and inf rastructure.
T he Mi llennium Challenge Corporation retur ned to t he Phi l ippines t his year and now has a team on t he g round to co-develop a t hreshold program. T his program identifies key constra ints to economic g rowt h and creates favorable cond itions for new
investments f rom t he private
MaryKay
Biden blames jet lag for poor debate as he looks to calm revolt
By Jennifer Jacobs, Akayla Gardner & Justin Sink
PRESIDENT Joe Biden blamed travel plans that took him to France and Italy in the weeks ahead of his disastrous debate against Donald Trump for his poor performance on stage, seeking to explain a moment that has upended the 2024 race and imperiled his reelection prospects.
“I d idn’t have my best night but t he fact is that you know, I wasn’t ver y smar t. I decided to travel around the world a couple times, going through around 100 time zones. For real, I t hink it was about 15 t ime zones,” Biden told Democrat ic donors at a Tuesday f und ra iser in Virg inia.
“Didn’t l isten to my staff and came back and nea rly fell asleep on stage.
T hat’s no excuse but it is an explanation,” Biden sa id, offering some of his most extended rema rks yet on his cond it ion during t he f irst debate w it h Trump t his elect ion cycle.
Biden in June went to France for t he 80t h anniversa r y of t he D-Day land ings and a state dinner He retur ned to Europe days later for t he Group of Seven leaders’ summit, whic h was followed by a trip to Los Angeles for a celebrity-laden f undra iser Before his encounter w it h Trump in Atlanta, Biden spent more than a week out of the public eye, v isiting his vacation home in Delawa re and prepa ring for t he debate at Camp Dav id.
T he jet lag explanat ion came after Biden’s adv isers had prev iously c halked up his shaky per for mance to a cold. He was st i ll struggl ing w it h t he i llness but had not taken med icine before his debate w it h Trump, W hite House Press Secreta r y Ka rine Jean-Pierre told repor ters Tuesday.
B i den’s d i sast r o u s pe r fo r mance touched off a stor m of Democratic angst, escalat ing worries about his f itness and leav ing pa r ty members to openly call for him to stand aside. To counter that, Biden t his week plans to meet w it h Democratic gover nors and lawmakers, travel to two battleg round states and sit for his f irst telev ised inter v iew in an attempt to reassure anx ious suppor ters.
T he peri l Biden faces as he presses on w it h his reelect ion campa ign only heightened ea rl ier Tuesday, when Lloyd Doggett of Texas became t he f irst sitt ing US House Democrat to call on him to ex it t he race and new polls showed t he president’s suppor t fad ing. T he president’s troubles were f urt her exacerbated by a repor t in t he New York Times t hat cited US and foreign off icials expressing concer n over a se-
ries of instances in whic h he seemed to be struggl ing. Biden’s meet ing Wednesday w it h t he gover nors is expected to be held v ir t ually, w it h many joining v ia v ideo call, accord ing to people fami l ia r w it h t he matter But a spokesman for Minnesota Gover nor Tim Walz, t he cha ir man of t he Democratic Gover nors Association, says he w i ll be at t he W hite House. ABC News anc hor George Stephanopou los w i ll inter v iew Biden on Friday. B i den plans to t r avel on F ri day to W i scons i n and to Phi ladelp hi a on S u nday t h en h old a p r ess confe r ence next week at t h e Nato s u mm i t i n Was hi ngton, Jean- Pi e rr e anno u nced Tu esday. T h e p r es i dent i s also expected to speak w i t h leade r s on Cap i tol H i ll, s h e sa i d.
“We’re going to t ur n t he page. We’re going to get out t here across t he countr y. Americans a re going to see him for t hemselves,” Jean-Pierre told repor ters.
W hite House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients w i ll also hold an all-hands meet ing on Wednesday and is expected to emphasize t he impor tance of cont inuing to execute on t he administrat ion’s mission, according to people fami l iar w it h t he plans who spoke on cond it ion of anonymity. T he meet ing, set for 12:30 p.m. local t ime, is sc hedu led to last 15 minutes.
Democratic fears THE effor t is meant to counter brewing d iscontent among top Democrat ic donors, a ides and elected off icials over what happened at t he debate, whic h has deepened t heir fea rs t hat Trump w i ll ret ur n to t he W hite House. T hree qu a r ters of US voters sa id Democrats wou ld have a better c hance of reta ining control of t he W hite House if someone else was atop t he t icket, accord ing to a CNN poll released Tuesday. B iden polled wor se i n head-to- head matc h ups t han ot her prominent Democrats—includ ing gover nors l i ke Cal ifor nia’s
Biden’s disastrous performance touched off a storm of Democratic angst, escalating worries about his fitness and leaving party members to openly call for him to stand aside. To counter that, Biden this week plans to meet with Democratic governors and lawmakers, travel to two battleground states and sit for his first televised interview in an attempt to reassure anxious supporters.
rat ic pol it ical act ion committee, f ind ing t hat Biden’s favorabi l ity numbers plummeted after t he debate in “t he la rgest single-week d rop” in nea rly t hree yea rs. Prominent Democrats have beg
aloud about t
to
president’s mental state. “It is a leg it imate quest
to say, is
an episode or is
ion?” for mer House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sa id Tuesday on MSNBC. “So when people ask t hat quest ion it is leg it imate, of bot h cand idates.” T he gover nors meeting, reported earl ier by CBS News, is a c hance for Biden to persu ade t hem he shou ld rema in t he party’s standard bearer as some privately ha rbor concer ns about Biden’s v iabi l ity. W hitmer sa id Monday t hat she stands be hi nd t he pres ident, pu s hi ng back aga inst suggest ions t here were tensions between her team and Biden’s. Despite the fears about Biden’s cand idacy in many cor ners of t he Democrat ic Pa r ty, no top lawmakers, gover nors or cabinet off icials have publ icly sa id t he president should end his
CARLSON
A16 Thursday, July 4, 2024
AT-RISK FOOD SYSTEMS NEED NEW PARTNERSHIPS–DA CHIEF
AGRICULTURE Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. encouraged forming new partnerships with agri-fishery stakeholders to address the challenges that the Philippine food systems currently face.
The agriculture chief emphasized the need to search for new avenues of collaboration and cooperation to address the complex challenges that agricultural food systems face, such as rapid globalization, climate change, and resource scarcity during the opening ceremony of the 11th Philippine Association of Agriculturists, Inc. (PAA) National Congress on Tuesday.
“This summit provides a key platform for the interchange of ideas, strategies, and innovations with the end in view of strengthening the agriculture sector of the Philippines,” Laurel said in a message read by the Department of Agriculture (DA) Central Luzon Regional Executive Director Dr. Eduardo L. Lapuz Jr.
“Together, we have the power, creativity, and determination to impart knowledge and ideas to the younger generation. Let us work as a team in empowering our nation to thrive in the face of adversity. By working together to diversify crops, improve soil health, and enhance water management practices, we can build resilience that withstands the stress due to changing climate.”
He also stressed that resilience is not enough since there is a need to strengthen the agri-food systems into socially and economically sustainable structures that can provide equal and profitable opportunities to all stakeholders along the value chain.
Meanwhile, Senator Juan Miguel F. Zubiri expressed his strong commitment to the passage of the Philippine Agriculturist Act or Senate Bill
By Andrea E. San Juan
No. 2535, which ensures the practice of the agriculture profession in the Philippines and creates a professional regulatory board for agriculturists. He said this bill will ensure that the profession remains competent, relevant, and up to par with the highest standards of excellence.
“Now more than ever, we need agriculturists to bond together and develop lasting solutions to the various climate, medical, and geopolitical challenges that threaten our food security in this globalized age,” Sen. Zubiri said.
The senator, along with four other individuals, took their oath as newly registered professional agriculturists and were inducted as new members of PAA.
“We will strengthen the agricultural profession. We hope to engage more of you in public service as crucial partners in developing more effective programs that will boost local production, enough not just to feed our people but also help us regain our footing as an agricultural fair in Southeast Asia, eventually across the globe,” Zubiri added.
With the theme, “Building and Strengthening Partnerships for Sustainable Agri-Food Systems,” licensed professional agriculturists and interested agriculturists from across the Philippines gathered to discuss various challenges in the agriculture sector and learn new concepts and best practices from other participants through governmentacademe-industry sessions.
The event also marked the kickoff of the 1st Philippine Agriculturists’ Month celebration, in line with Presidential Proclamation 544, signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., declaring July of every year as Philippine Agriculturist Month. Ada Pelonia
Economy must grow 6% in ’24 to reach Umic goal
By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario & Andrea E. San Juan @andreasanjuan
THE country’s dream of becoming an Upper Middle Income Country (UMIC) by the end of next year or early 2026 means the economy should post a GDP growth of at least 6 percent this year.
Based on est i mates f rom t he Phi l i pp i ne Stat i st i cs A u t h o ri ty ( PSA), t he cou nt r y’s Gross Nat ional Income (GNI) levels i n 2023 was at P 26.99 t ri ll ion. W i t h a pop u lat i on
i
based on t he 2020 Censu s of Popu lat ion and Hou s i ng (C PH), t he cou nt r y’s pe r capita GNI at c urrent local prices i s at $4, 335.60. “In order to ac hieve UMIC stat u s i n 2024, our GDP shou ld g row by at least 6 pe rcent on t he ass u mpt ion t h at N PI [Net Pri ma r y Income]w i
he SR P bu llet i n duri ng a spec i al meet i ng of t he Nat ional Price Coord i nat i ng Cou nc i l (NPCC) last Ju ne 27. By al i gn i ng t h e SR P w i t h “essent i al da i ly and eme r gency i tems,” P asc u al sa i d t h e agency i s tak i ng a s i gn i f i cant step towa r ds bette r p ri ce stab i l i ty and cons u me r p r otect i on. T he proposed del i sted items i nclude: condensed m i lk, condensada, evaporated m i lk, evaporada, coffee ref i ll, candles, salt, bottled wate r cond i ments, and
ries. Items to
ned i ncl
cessed and
beef, and pou lt r y meat, and toi let soap. Accord i ng to DTI, t he proposal follows va riou s cons u ltat ions w it h stake holde r s i nclu d i ng t he Depa r tment of Soc i al Welfa re and Development, Phi l ippi ne Stat i st ics A ut hority ( PSA), Phi l ippi ne Amalgamated S u pe r ma r kets Assoc i at
Inc. ( Pagasa), Phi l ippi ne Assoc i at ion of Stores and Ca ri nde ri a
Owne r s, and seve r al reta i le r s. T he Tr ade depa r tment sa id it cons ide red data f rom t he Fam i ly Income and Expend it ure Sur vey, Cons u me r Price Index (C PI) basket of commod it ies and top-sell i ng items i n sa ri -sa ri stores. To f ur t her ref i ne” t he proposal, a tec h n ical work i ng g roup (TWG) w i ll be c reated to f i nal i ze t he l i st of stock keepi ng u n its w it hi n eac h categor y. As a “key” i mplement i ng agency of t h e Pri ce Act and c h a ir man of t h e N P CC, t h e DTI i s mandated to ens ur e p ri ce stab i l i ty and ade qu ate s u pply of bas i c necess i t i es and p ri me commod i t i es (BN P Cs).
Mo r eove r, Sect i on 10 (5) of t h e Pri ce Act p r ov i des t h at i mplement i ng agenc i es may i ss u e s u ggested r easonable r eta i l p ri ces fo r any o r all BN P Cs u nde r t h e ir juri sd i ct i on.
Meanwhi le, i n a V ibe r message sent to repor te r s, DTI Unde r secreta r y for Commu n icat ions Jose Edga rdo Su n ico, sa id t he re i s no dec i s ion yet on whet he r t he agency w i ll ph ase out t he i mplementat ion of t he SR P Howeve r he expla i ned, “W h at we a re doi ng i s st reaml i n i ng t he bu llet i n so t h at it se r ves its purpose—more foc u sed and i nfor mat ive, r at he r t h an conf u s i ng.” Amanda Nog r ales, S u pe r v i s i ng Head of DTI’s
cont i n u e b ui ldi ng roads, hi g hways, por ts, sc hool b ui ld i ngs, cl i mate c h ange-p r oof st ru ct ur es, and s i m i la r i nf r ast ruct ure to ma i nta i n and expand econom ic g rowt h Prog ress h as to reac h t he remotest commu n it ies,” he st ressed.
Unde r t he approved NEP,
Editor: Jennifer A. Ng
TBy Lenie Lectura @llectura
HE Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has suspended an earlier directive to distribution utilities (DUs) to submit their generation rates every fifth day of the month.
ea rl ie r d irected all DUs to subm it updated gener at ion r ates on t he 5t h day of eac h mont h , to s upplement t he ir s u bm i ss ions u nde r Resolut ion 14 (se ries of 2022) ent i tled “Adopt i ng t h e Rev i sed R u les Gove r n i ng t h e A utomat i c Cost Ad ju stment and Tru e- u p Mec h an i sms and Correspond i ng Conf ir mat ion Process for D i st ri -
b ut i on Ut i l it i es” o r t h e Rev i sed ACA R u les.
T he adv i sor y, i ss ued last Ju ne 18, was i ntended to allow t he comm i ss ion to ant ic ipate any major c h anges i n price t h at wou ld re quire t i mely reg u lator y response. W hen sou g ht for comment, ERC C h a ir pe r son and CEO Monal i sa C. D i malanta sa id t h at t he reg ula r s u bm i ss ion falls eve r y 3 0t h of t he mont h “Howeve r it’s al ready too late s i nce t h ey h ave al r eady b i lled t he ir c u stome r s,” D i malanta sa id v i a V ibe r T he agency, she added, i s now “so r t i ng o u t t h e pe ri ods” and “t r y i ng a way to ant ic ipate price
c h anges” afte r some of t he DUs al ready rece ive t he ir IEMOP bi lls afte r t he 5t h “In t he meant i me, DUs a re d irected to cont i nue s u bm itt i ng act u al cons u me r bi lls and computed rates, among ot her doc u ments, purs u ant to t he Rev i sed ACA R u les,” accord i ng to t he ERC.
Electricity prices TO note, elect ric ity prices i n t he WESM went down to P 6.15 pe r k i lowatt hour (kW h) duri ng t he bi ll i ng pe riod May 26 to Ju ne 25 due to a d rop i n demand brou g ht about by t he r a i ny season. Data f r om WESM ope r ato r Independent Elect ri c i ty Ma rket Ope r ato r of t he Phi l i pp i nes (IEMO P ) s h owed t h at elect ri city demand slowed by 6.2 pe rcent to 14,710megawatts (MW) f rom 15,688MW i n t he prev iou s b i lli ng mont h Of t he total, L u zon’s elect ric ity demand reac hed 10,664MW w hi le V i sayas hi t 2,002MW. Elect ri city demand i n M i ndanao reac hed 2,044MW. D uri ng t he same pe riod, WESM prices i n L u zon plu nged to P 6.97 pe r kW h For V i sayas and M i ndanao, WESM prices also went down to P8.56 pe r kW h and P4.61 pe r kW h , respect ively.
Supply stood at 19,6 3 8MW, almost u nc h anged f rom t he prev iou s b i ll i ng pe riod. In L u zon, s u pply was recorded at 1 3 ,860MW, V isayas at 2, 322MW, and M i ndanao, 3,457MW.
In t h e p r ev io u s b i ll i ng cycle, Apri l 26 to May 25, WESM prices i nc r eased ma i nly d u e to hi g h e r demand and s upply for elect ric ity f rom WESM. T he P8.22 pe r kW h ave r age WESM price for t h at pe-
ms to del i ve r steady complet i on and stable r even u es f r om new and ongo i ng p r o j ects s u c h as West S i de C i ty Reso r ts, Malolos Cla r k r a i lway, and Met r o Man i la S u bway System. “In o ur landpo r t, P ITx ( P ar ana qu e Integ r ated Te r m i nal Exc h ange) last yea r h osted mo r e t h an 100,000 passenge r s da i ly, t h e hi
riod was 19.1
Market suspension THE WESM ma rket w i ll be s u spended w hen t he red ale r t not ice i s hoi sted ove r t he g rids by t he Nat ional Grid Cor por at ion of t he Phi l i pp i nes (NGC P), t h e Ene r gy Reg u lato r y Comm i ss i on (ERC) ea rl ie r ru led. Unde r ex i st i ng WESM ru les, t he ERC may s u spend nor mal ope r at ions of t he WESM i n cases of nat ur al calam it ies or follow i ng t he off ic i al decla r at ion of a nat ional or i nte r nat ional sec urity eme r gency by t he Pres ident of t he Repu bl ic. D uri ng t he ma rket s u
By VG Cabuag
Gcap of P19 per kW h for t he rese r ve ma rket. T he reg u lator s sa id t he proposed amou nt i s a “reasonable offe r ce i l i ng t h at w i ll l i m it excess ive pric
Banking&Finance Options to better use excess PhilHealth funds forwarded
to continue ser v ing ex isting cl ients, Ola Doud in, co-founder and CEO of BitOasis, sa id in an inter v iew.
TBy Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie
HE chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means expressed support for the Department of Finance’s (DOF) decision to utilize excess funds from the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to finance unprogrammed appropriations, emphasizing these are taxpayer money being put to more effective use.
l i kes of Singapore and Hong Kong to establ ish itself as
for
ypto businesses. CoinDCX has identif ied reg ions t hat offer clear reg u lator y f rameworks for cr ypto operators and is targeting t hem for expansion t hrough mergers and acquisitions, Gupta said in an inter v iew w it h Bloomberg News. Launched in 2016, BitOasis operates in countries such as t he United
A rab Emirates, Saudi A rabia, Bahrain and Kuwa it. Since inception, t he exchange has processed over $6 bi ll ion in trad ing volume whi le raising more t han $40 mi ll ion dollars in venture f und ing f rom investors, accord ing to t he statement.
License regained
LAST Ju ly, BitOasis had its “minimum v iable product operational l icense” suspended by Duba i ’s Vir tual Assets Reg u lator y Aut hority—or VARA—after fall i ng shor t of local requirements. T he l icense has since been reinstated, allow ing t he exchange to reopen its platfor m for new reta i l and institutional users. BitOasis also secured a l icense f rom t he Central Bank of Ba hra in.
T he suspension of t he l icense imposed some l imitations on acquiring new users, but allowed t he exchange
Fdecision, not by defau lt.” Goolsbee’s comments follow data out last week t hat showed t he Fed’s preferred gauge of underly ing inflation increased 0.1 percent in May, the slowest pace in si x mont hs.
T his is a modal w indow. T he med ia cou ld not be loaded, eit her because t he ser ver or network fa i led or because t he for mat is not suppor ted. Fed officials have held rates steady at a more than two-decade high since last July, and have indicated a need to see more ev idence inflation is on track toward their 2 percent goal before lowering borrow ing costs.
“We got to this rate when inflation was over 4 percent, and inflation is now down close to 2.5 percent, so if you sit w ith the rate somewhere while
“Despite t his sl ight hiccup, we haven’t really seen signif icant chur n f rom our customers or assets leav ing t he platfor m,” Doud in sa id. ”In fact, over t he last si x mont hs, our average mont h ly trad ing volume has g rown by over 100 percent, and our assets under custody have continued to increase, now exceeding $210 mi llion.” Doud in added t hat BitOasis has over 750,000 customers, w it h t he majority of its $6 bi ll ion in total trad ing volume generated over t he past 18 mont hs.
BitOasis’ brand and leadership team w i ll rema i n u nc h anged follow i ng t he acqui sit ion, accord i ng to t he statement. Based on current market cond itions, Gupta estimates t hat BitOasis may generate an extra $30 mi ll ion to $50 mi ll ion in annual revenue for CoinDCX. Coi nDCX began oper at ions i n 2018 and became Ind ia’s f irst cr ypto unicor n—a private star tup valued at more t han $1 bi ll ion—in 2021. But t he company and local rivals suffered a d rop in revenue after Ind ia introduced a tax reg ime in 2022 t hat imposed a 1 percent tax on cr ypto transactions as well as a flat 30 percent levy on any cr ypto-related gains, ev iscerating volumes on domestic exchanges.
T here are no such taxes in t he
Un ited A rab Em irates “so people continue to trade t here,” Gupta sa id. Cr ypto mergers and acquisitions as well as potential initial publ ic offerings are mak ing a comeback follow ing a rev ival in t he d ig ital-asset sector Bitcoin has more t han tripled since t he star t of 2023 in a recover y f rom a bear market. Bloomberg News
In a statement issued last Wednesday, Albay Rep. Joey Sar te Salceda said the General Appropriations Acts (GAAs) have allocated a substantial
TRADERS in the $27 trillion Treasur y market are betting on hi g h e r long-te r m bond yields as Wall Street star ts to adjust for Donald Trump’s potential return to the W hite House.
Investo r s h ave been b u y i ng shor ter-maturity notes and sell ing longer-ter m ones after Trump came out a head of President Joe Biden in t he f irst presidential debate. It’s a wage r —known as a steepene r trade—t hat’s been ga ining momentum ever since.
Open interest, or t he amount of risk held by traders, cl imbed shar ply on Friday and Monday as t he gap be-
P162 billion in taxpayer-f unded subsid ies to Phi lHealt h Salceda noted that if there are still excess f unds, it ind icates an over-
tween t he two- and 10-year y ields w idened. T hat resu lted in about 13 basis points wor t h of cur ve steepening, t he biggest such two-day move s i nce Octobe r T h at move pa red sl ightly as t he week prog ressed w it h f ront-end y ields inching higher on Wednesday.
“It’s sti ll too soon to f u lly price in an election outcome—but probably not too early to leg into it,” sa id Subad ra Rajappa, head of US rates strategy at Societe Generale SA. “T he recent move is a bear steepener and seems to be t he market assigning higher odds of a Trump w in.”
T he t rade h as been touted by a
c horu s of Wall St reet st rateg i sts i n recent days, w it h Morgan Stanley and Ba rclays urg i ng cl ients to prepa re for st icky i nflat ion and higher long-ter m bond y ields i n anot her Tru mp ter m. As t he bet ga ined momentum in t he market, open interest surged a combined $15.7 mi ll ion per basis point in risk—a metric that indicates trader appetite for f resh steepener trades. It also suggests t hat t he recent ebb in longer-dated Treasuries was d riven by f resh shor t positions. Trad ing in many of t hese notes is anonymous, mak ing
RIZAL MicroBank Inc. (RMB) has put more focus in providing easily accessible financial ser vices to the unser ved and underser ved Filipino coconut suppliers, saying such focus is anchored on its core value of “ malasakit” (compassion).
To make this revolutionar y f inancial ecosystem work, RMB has par tnered w it h global desiccated coconut suppl ier Frankl in Baker
inflation goes down you ’ re tightening. T he reason that you would want to tighten is if you think that you ’ re not on a path to 2 percent,” said Goolsbee, who w ill vote on the Fed’s July policy decision as an alternate member of the Federal Open Market Committee.
Inflation appeared to be retur ning to target, he added. “We hit a bump in t he road in Januar y but now we’ve gotten a string of improved inflation read ings.”
“If employment sta r ts fall i ng apar t or if t he economy beg ins to weaken, whic h you’ve seen some war ning signs, you’ve got to balance t hat off w it h how prog ress you ’ re mak ing on t he price f ront,” he sa id.
“T he unemployment rate is still quite low, but it has been rising.”
Fed Cha ir Jerome Powell, speaking later Tuesday during a panel d iscussion, sa id t he Fed has made quite a bit of prog ress” on inflation, but off icials want to see more ev idence of t he downward trend before lowering borrow ing costs.
“Beca u se t h e US economy i s strong and the labor market is strong, we have t he abi l ity to take our time and get t his right,” he sa id at t he European Central Bank Forum on Central Bank ing in Sintra. Bloomberg News
Cent ral to t hi s pa r tnership, it sa id, l ies a commitment to underscore f inancial inclusiv ity, break ing down barriers t hat often hinder t he g rowt h of small coconut businesses. RMB sa id it has streaml ined and facilitated financial processes, particularly for verif ied suppliers associated w it h Frankl in Baker
Wit h t his more eff icient f inancing mechanism, payment periods are now signif icantly reduced to just two days, f rom t he industr y standard of 30 days. Loan appl ication processes have also been made faster to just t hree work ing days f rom t he prev ious one to two weeks. T his sw ift tur naround in f inancial processes not only injects liquidity into the supply cha in but also empowers coconut suppliers w ith f inancial flex ibi lity so they can reinvest in t heir businesses.
Wit h loans reaching up to P10
mi ll ion per verif ied suppl ier or borrower t he par tnership prov ides coconut businesses of var y ing scales w it h access to t he f inancial suppor t t hey need to t hrive. In 2023, RMB was able to disburse a total of P184.8 million across 26 borrowers. According to the bank, they aim to triple this number this year
Because of the collaboration’s success in Mindanao, RMB and Frankin Baker expanded the program during the
first quarter of the year in Southern Luzon, where Franklin Baker’s San Pablo, Laguna plant is located.
Real-world impact on local entrepreneurs
THE RMB sa id its malasakit has not been l imited to its par tnership w it h Frankl in Baker as t he bank has long been add ressing t he f inancial needs of local micro, small, and med iumsized enter prises (MSMEs).
One example: Mariv ic Balcarse successf u lly expanded Marco Lorenzo Ha rdwa re in Cabuyao, Lag una into two branches and constructed a t hree-stor y bui ld i ng si mply by ava i l ing a small-business ter m loan f rom RMB.
Elmer Mabuhay, owner of a palay trad ing business, far m equipment rental ser v ice, and tree plantation located in San Jose, Oriental, Mindoro, was also w idely suppor ted t hrough t he bank’s “revolv ing cred it l ine,” which enabled him to extend his tree plantation f rom 70 to 200 hectares.
T hese stories underscore its malasakit in mak ing bank ing inclusive for all, RMB said. From sidewalk vendors to restaurateurs and ag ricu ltural entrepreneurs, RMB’s lend ing ser v ices have catalyzed business expansions, improved l iv ing cond itions, and increased f inancial stabi l ity. By priorit i zing malasak it RMB
sa id it is creating a f inancial ecosystem that ensures local entrepreneurs are considered and suppor ted. T his approach not only suppor ts t he susta inabi l ity of businesses, but also contributes to t he economic empower ment of communities, mark ing a signif icant stride towa rds a more inclusive f inancial landscape in t he Phi l ippines.
LENDERS to risky, debt-laden companies are inc reasingly demanding protection from financing maneuvers used to undercut creditors when times get tough A recent c rop of leveraged loans demonstrates investors’ heightened concer n w it h protect i ng t heir assets. In some recent deals money managers h ave successf u lly closed loopholes borrowe r s m i g ht h ave t ried to exploit i f higher -for -longer i nterest rates over whelmed t heir f i nances. T he move i s a response to yea rs of cont roversi al f i nanc i al maneuve r s—once called c r ed i to r -onc red itor v iolence, now more pol itely called l i abi l ity management t ransact ions—t h at leave some lenders out i n t he cold. And t he resi stance i s spi ll i ng over to t he world of private cred it, too, whic h saw its veneer of safety sh attered i n May after a V i sta Equity Pa r tners-backed f ir m
out of reac h of
c
it lenders. “Because t he market is so hot, investors are w i ll ing to consider lending to challenged companies, but in order to get t hose deals across t he f inish l ine, t hey want incremental protections,” sa id Rober t Schwar tz, a por tfol io manager at All ianceBernstein. T he push for assurances on collateral is coming despite f ierce competition for deals, and ind icates borrowers face
market is seeing simi lar momentum, accord ing to JPMorgan Chase & Co. data. T he bank’s latest sur vey of cl ients showed a 5-percentage-point d rop in t he number of bets for a bond rally, tak ing t he net
OLA DOUDIN PHOTOGRAPHER: CHRISTOPHER PIKE/BLOOMBERG
Health& Fitness
DOH notes slight increase in number of dengue cases
By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco
ASLIGHTincrease in dengue cases in the country was reported by the Department of Health (DOH) as it continues its WILD (Water-borne disease, Influenza-like illness, leptospirosis, and dengue) monitoring.
From the earlier reported plateau, the number of cases have started climbing slightly by ar ound 10 percent, from 5,547 reported last May 5 to 18, 2024 to 6,082 cases last May 19 to June 1.
While there have only been 4,689 cases reported from June 2 to 15 as of this update, the DOH cautions that this number may still change due to incoming late reports.
From the start of 2024 to June 15, a total of 77,867 dengue cases have already been reported, with 205 deaths. The number of cases this year is 15 percent higher than the previous year’s tally of 67,576 for the same period.
Only five regions did not have an increase
includes: Search and Destroy mosquito breeding grounds by eliminating stagnant water and their containers; Self-protection measures like insect repellent and wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants; Seek early consultation with a doctor or health worker for any symptoms; and Support fogging or spraying in local hotspot or outbreak areas where an increase in cases is registered.
There have been notable initiatives in other countries like the Project Wolbachia of Singapore that uses bacteria in mosquitoes to disrupt the dengue transmission process.
Min cases in the period from May 5 to June 1: National Capital Region, CALABARZON, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, and Caraga.
The DOH does not release specific names of local governments to allow for their coordinated risk communication, community engagement and response on localized Dengue outbreaks, as provided for under Section 7 of Republic Act No. 11332.
Monitor, asses
THE DOH continues to monitor and assess the situation to implement necessary measures and interventions.
The DOH “4S” strategy to combat dengue
However, the World Health Organization (WHO) Vector Advisory Group as referred to by Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA) recommends that pilot tests for this technology should involve rigorous and independent monitoring and evaluation.
“One solution to dengue, while basic in principle, needs collective and sustained action. The rise in cases this year is still early and much can still be done. Dahil sa Bagong Pilipinas, Bawat Buhay Mahalaga, we call on local governments to lead the way - Search and destroy mosquito breeding grounds,” said Health Secretary Teodoro J. Herbosa.
MSD unveils GHIF IDEA Studios to drive healthcare innovation
HARMACEUTICAL company
PMSD has launched its Global Health Innovation Fund (GHIF) IDEA Studios, a new initiative aimed at funding and working with entrepreneurs and startups that offer transformative healthcare solutions.
Revealed during the HLTH Europe conference, MSD IDEA Studio Asia Pacific and MSD IDEA Studio Europe will bring the firm’s industry-leading corporate venture arm together with the healthcare expertise of its regional business teams.
Located in Singapore and Berlin, respectively, the IDEA Studios will build an entrepreneurial hub and facilitate the crosspollination of ideas to foster breakthrough innovation.
“At MSD, we are constantly seeking to apply digital and data science technologies to improve patient outcomes and help accelerate our purpose of saving and improving lives,” said Joseph Romanelli, president of MSD
Human Health International. “The launch of MSD IDEA Studios will offer entrepreneurs the opportunity to leverage our deep healthcare expertise to accelerate their impact and achieve meaningful innovation to improve patients’ lives.”
Detailed plans
PART of the initiative is a collaboration of MSD business teams in Asia Pacific and Europe with GHIF portfolio managers to choose and finance local entrepreneurs who are developing innovative healthcare solutions to improve patients’ lives.
As for its plan, the GHIF will invest $38 million across both regions during the next three years. Key areas of interest within IDEA Studio Asia Pacific include access to vaccinations and cancer therapies. MSD IDEA Studio Europe, on the other hand, will look for inventive ways to diagnose disease earlier, monitor patients to enhance medication compliance,
and improve clinical trial recruitment.
“We are excited to build on GHIF’s track record of growth investing to collaborate with our colleagues in the Asia Pacific and European regions via the MSD IDEA Studio,” said Joel Krikston, managing director Venture Investments, GHIF. “We aim to fuel innovative solutions through strategic investments that will ultimately enable better access to our medicines and vaccines.”
“We are looking forward to the impact this collaboration could bring to health care in the Philippines, through the enablement of entrepreneurs in delivering innovative patient-centered solutions, addressing some of the most pressing challenges, including cancer and vaccine-preventable diseases,” added MSD PhilippinesManaging Director Andreas Riedel.
For more information on the IDEA Studios or details to apply, visit: https://www. msdideastudio.com Roderick Abad
Tondo Medical Center awarded Gold Trailblazer anew
THE Tondo Medical Center (TMC) was the recipient of the Gold Trailblazer Award for the second time, recognized by the Institute for Solidarity in Asia for its commitment to excellent healthcare delivery.
Dr. Jeffrey Castillo, chair of TMC’s Office for Strategy Management, said the hospital received its award on June 19, 2024 after making it to the Proficiency Stage of the Performance Governance System (PGS).
“This award recognizes Tondo Med’s commitment to excellence in healthcare delivery, innovative practices and outstanding patient care,” Castillo said.
“With this, our employees are assured that they will receive the necessary trainings to further develop their expertise and most importantly, our patients are assured that they will only receive the highest level of quality healthcare.”
In 2018, the Department of Health (DOH) Level 3 hospital got the same award for the Initiation and Compliance Stages.
Four stages THE PGS has four stages—Initiation, Compliance, Proficiency and Institutionalization.
It is a framework for the formulation and implementation of strategies aimed at governance reform capacities toward better service delivery.
It also culls global best practices in managing strategy to meet the needs of Philippine public sector institutions.
TMC Medical Center Chief II Dr. Maria Isabelita Estrella said the TMC started its PGS journey in 2018, and from thereon has brought “positive changes” in the hospital. She said the PGS has become the “cornerstone of the hospital’s transformation from just being an extension hospital to an excellent health facility.”
Progress driver TMC was established in 1971 and started as the Tondo Annex of the Jose R. Reyes Memorial Hospital.
“It has helped the hospital to drive progress, foster accountability and enhance performance across all levels,” she said. “It is expected to stay as the focal point for Tondo Med’s continued progress and success.” Meanwhile, Castillo said the journey has never been easy but because of a “shared vision” among the hospital’s workforce to provide better health outcomes, the job has been done.
“The hospital underwent an audit conducted by a third party auditor. It consisted of focus group discussions, interviews and spot audits,” Castillo said. He said among the plans in the pipeline are completing the specialty centers for geriatrics, trauma, burn and derma; increasing bed capacity from 300 to 500; and the establishment of a new specialty center on cancer.
Local, int’l recognitions
IN 2019, 2022 and 2023, TMC snared the DOH Hospital Star Award, which recognizes institutions that demonstrate excellence in medical care and innovation.
The hospital is also one of the first government institutions to be International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certified. In January, the hospital was granted ISO recertification until January 2027.
TMC was also accredited for 2020 to 2023 by the Philippine Tripartite Accreditation for Health Facilities Inc., an independent non-profit organization dedicated to improve and promote quality and safety in the delivery of healthcare through continuing review of performance assessment and accreditation.
TMC is now in the final stages for reaccreditation by late 2024 to early 2025.
During the World Hospital Congress in Lisbon, Portugal in 2023, TMC got the Gold award from the International Hospital Federation Awards in the category Sultanate of Oman Excellence Awards for Health Services During Crisis.
TMC bested hundreds of projects and programs for its entry titled “Tondo Medical Center Covid-19 Response.” PNA
By Roderick L. Abad Contributor
AINTAINING Epidemic Control (EpiC) Philippines, a project supported by the President of the United States’ (US) Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) implemented by FHI360, brought its Free To Be U campaign to this year’s Pride Festival in the Philippines “Love Laban 2 Everyone.”
Through a booth dedicated to HIV awareness, destigmatization, prevention, testing, and treatment that was put up in Q uezon City Memorial Circle last June 22, 2024, marchers and attendees were invited to learn more about the disease via games, take home resources and materials like flyers, and book their Q uickRes.org health appointments through a provided Q R code.
“I didn’t know that there is so much misinformation about HIV. There really needs to be better awareness about HIV so that people can realize that it’s still possible to live a normal life even with HIV,” a festival goer said in mixed Filipino and English after playing the booth’s trivia game on HIV myths.
Manning the booth were “Free to Be Youth” volunteers, the next generation of queer leaders and allies who work together to find solutions and discuss the HIV epidemic in the country particularly for young people They, likewise, joined in the Pride march.
Cases on the rise
GLOBALLY, AIDS is targeted to end by 2030. As one of the countries with high HIV/AIDS cases on record, the Philippines is actively committed to achieve this goal.
According to Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Dr. Teodoro J. Herbosa, the country has seen the fastest growth in Asia and the Pacific with a 418-percent increase in new HIV infections since 2010. It has also the highest growth percentage of AIDS-related deaths in the region at 536 percent during the same period.
Referring to the UNAIDS’s 95-95-95 targets, he cited that the Philippines performance are the following: Only 61 percent of HIV positive people know their status; only 64 percent of those who are aware on their status are on antiretroviral therapy (ART); and only 45 percent of those on ART have achieved viral suppression.
Herbosa noted that more and more younger people, especially males, are diagnosed with HIV. In fact, about 47 percent of the new HIV infections are at the age range between 15 to 24 years old.
“The rising number of HIV cases among youth aged 15 to 24 years old is very alarming. There needs to be representation of these young people not just in raising awareness, but even in the management of the overall HIV response in the Philippines,” said Ed Bagasol, community engagement officer of EpiC Philippines and the current project lead for the “Free to Be Youth” program. “We have so many youth leaders who are competent enough to engage in political
SENATOR Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel and Special Envoy Kat Pimentel, in collaboration with Manila Doctors Hospital, conducted the Marikina MultiSpecialty Medical Mission and Surgical Screening, benefiting more than 1,600 patients.
The medical mission brought together a dedicated team of 130 volunteer doctors, surgeons, and nurses in a grand health caravan last June 29, 2024 in Barangay Malanday in Marikina City. Pimentel said the services provided were comprehensive and wide-ranging, including dental extraction, oral prophylaxis, and consultation, along with internal medicine, which featured specializations in cardiology, pulmonary, gastroenterology, and nephrology.
Obstetrics gynecology (OB-GYN) services were also offered, featuring pap smears, acetic vinegar testing, consultation, and screening for myoma under the Women Empowerment through Surgical Help on Ovarian and Uterine Tumors program, which included free surgery by Manila Doctors Hospital.
“By offering essential medical services free of charge, the caravan helps ensure that everyone has the opportunity to receive basic medical attention and improve their overall well-being. This mission is about bringing healthcare directly to the people and addressing the immediate medical needs of our community,” the senator said.
“Health is our priority. This medical mission underscores our commitment to ensuring that every individual in our community has access to the necessary medical services. It is through such initiatives that we can improve the overall health and quality of life for our countrymen,” Kat Pimentel said.
Medical professionals
THE mission was led by a team of esteemed medical professionals, including Dr. Genaro Chan, Chairperson
discussions where they can influence programs and policies that could change the game in responding to the epidemic.”
Access to right information
CLICHE it may sound, but knowledge is power. With the wisdom gained from available informative materials about HIV, the public, both disease carrier or not, can learn how to avoid, face, approach and treat this perennial health malaise that has claimed so many lives through the years.
For EpiC Philippines Project Director Teresita Bagasao, HIV is a national pressing issue that affects a significant portion of young and queer population.
“The good news is HIV information and services can easily be made accessible to young people through social media campaigns like Free to Be U as well as online service booking platforms like QuickRes.org.,” she said.
“Advancements in medical technology allow for this, and we as a society owe it to our young people, especially those living with HIV, to make it available to them so that they can be free to be themselves and lead happy and healthy lives,” she added.
On its third edition, the recent Pride PH Festival in Q uezon City was the largest celebration of its kind in Asia. Per the local government, this year’s event was participated in by more than 200,000 visitors, including LGBT Q IA+ and youth organizations, local government partners, advocates and volunteers, as well as members of the queer community both here and abroad.
The festival highlighted the Pride Expo, which featured booths of partner groups, sponsors, and LGBT Q IA+-run businesses for attendees to engage with, and the Pride March, which this year included two routes that converged into one, symbolizing the community coming together and uniting in the spirit of diversity and equality.
of the Department of Outpatient; Dr. Edmund Ong, Committee Chair of External Medical and Surgical Mission and Vice Chair of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology; Dr. Manuel Delfin Jr., Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology; Dr. Anunsacion, Chair of the Department of Dental Medicine at De Ocampo Memorial College; Dr. Sonya Raisa Paulino, Training Officer of the Department of Pediatrics; Dr. Elmer Angus, Former Chair of the Department of Family & Community Medicine; Dr. Angela Laborte, Former Training Officer of the Department of OB-GYN; Dr. Michelle Cloa, Section Chief of the Section of Gastroenterology; Jill Alvarez, Head of the Corporate Sustainability Initiatives Office; Airah Lorico, Assistant Head of the Corporate Sustainability Initiatives Office; and Sheryll Ann Limson, Head of the Department of Pharmacy. The event was done with the support of Marikina Rep. Maan Teodoro and Marikina City Mayor Marcy Teodoro. Orthopedic physically handicapped (OPH) services provided essential eye care, including eye refraction, screening for cataract under the Share the Gift of Vision program, and free reading glasses. Additionally, otorhinolaryngology (ORL) services were performed including minor surgery, screening for cleft lip and palate under the Bridging the Gap program, and ear flushing, further broadening the scope of the mission. Pediatrics and surgical services were also pivotal components of the medical mission. Pediatric care ensured the health and well-being of the younger patients, while surgical services included minor excision and circumcision. The screening for hernia, gallstones, and goiter was conducted under the Goiter Ends Today through Surgery program, which also featured free surgery by Manila Doctors Hospital.
Additionally, a range of diagnostic exams were available on-site, including chest x-ray, 2D-echo (plain), and ECG.
Editor: Anne Ruth Dela Cruz
TONDO Medical Center Chief Dr. Maria Isabelita Estrella (second from left) receives the Gold Trailblazer Award from the Institute
Parentlife BusinessMirror
Advance Booking service launched to ease guaranteed on-time rides
the Philippines, or sealing business deals overseas can be a daunting endeavor. The pre-travel stress between can be too much to handle—and this is even without considering the challenge of getting to the airport on time or arranging transportation.
of every Filipino for safe, convenient, and reliable mobility—launches its latest transportation service Advance Booking. This guarantees on-time rides to another item on the travelers’ checklist.
decade, we at Grab have deepened our understanding of the distinct needs of our Filipino passengers. One such need that stands out is their requirement for reliable airport transportation. Our new Grab airport transfers—it provides travelers the peace of mind they deserve. This new service has been engineered to have guaranteed on-time rides every time, enabling every Filipino traveler to leave their
hours of the morning or during the peak of the metro bustle are a thing of the past with Grab Advance Booking. You can plan as early as seven days ahead, time.
Accessing Grab Advance Booking is a walk in the the Grab transport page. They can then enter the date and time of their ride, along with their pick-up Advance Booking passengers will also be receiving regular updates and reminders about the status of their ride leading to the scheduled pick-up time. As safety and convenience remain paramount for Grab, Advance Booking rides can only accommodate a luggage.
More information on Grab Advance Booking is available at tinyurl.com/5n797y3h.
B5 Editor: Gerard S. Ramos
Social issues to teach: Climate change
LAST week, I shared information about gender equality and how we can talk about social issues as points of conversations with our
I like how the British Columbia curriculum involves the awareness, understanding and appreciation of connections among people, including between people and the natural environment. Social with others and the natural world in respectful and caring ways.
People who are socially aware and responsible contribute to the well-being of their social and physical environments. They support the development of welcoming and inclusive communities, where people feel safe and have a sense of belonging.
contributes positively to their family, community and environment; empathizes with others and appreciates their perspectives; resolves problems peacefully; and develops and sustains healthy relationships.
the awareness, understanding and appreciation of connections among people, including between people and the natural environment. Social awareness and responsibility focuses on interacting with others and the natural world in respectful and caring ways.”
For my kids, I started them as early as their kindergarten years by pointing out the important role of people in the community, from people who help us at home, teachers in school, servers in the school canteen to vendors selling food outside their school. It my daughter’s recent valedictory speech, she her become the person she is today, starting with Kuya Marlon, the security guard who greets her and her classmates with the biggest smile every morning, and she then led everyone to give Kuya Marlon a round of applause from the audience.
The care for one person is a good starting point
Another issue good to discuss with our kids is Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical
workshop for this landmark initiative was held on June 18 and 19, 2024, at the Citadines Roces in Quezon
severely impacted the agricultural sector.
The Philippines, ranking 4th on the Long-Term
heat levels of up to 47°C and devastating typhoons, such as Typhoon Aghon, causing severe damage to agriculture.
The Philippines has faced unprecedented
phenomenon, have resulted in global temperatures reaching new highs and making food production
School interventions offer best shot at reducing youth violence
Case Western Reserve University
BLACK youth show up in emergency rooms with States. Some hospitals have violence interventions they are treated, but in most cases victims are sent back into the world to continue their struggles.
that predict which children are most likely to head down paths to violence?
I’m a social scientist focused on this question, and my research has led me to an answer that I believe early in public schools and help them then and there. The study I led provides evidence that kids who grow up in poverty—or who are referred to child to become victims of violence when they become teenagers.
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY IS NOT THE MOST IMPORTANT PREDICTOR
and child protection systems. Studies have shown
go to addressing these children. In our study, victims of violence were four times more likely to be involved control group.
in our study
were
those who attend public school and had received public assistance in early life. The other was those who attended public school and had been involved in the child welfare system
Kids and teens in our study who ended up in the emergency room by age 13 as victims of violence were nearly three times more likely have been in foster control group.
lived in a homeless shelter by age 7. And violently
That is an important revelation. It shows that poverty and domestic problems loom larger than
PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE THE COMMON DENOMINATOR
SCHOOL is where we can identify these children in their high-risk groups. To be clear, going to public situation to help them. It’s an ideal place because it is both a compulsory and, ideally, a nonthreatening environment. Still, there are important barriers to schools could provide special attention to students whose families have been on public assistance or investigated by child protective services as early as age 5. But to do so, they—or whichever agency is in a position to help—would need information unavailable. In Cleveland, much of this information is being researchers on grounds we do not divulge details
to the nation’s food security, are under immense hectares of rice, corn, cassava, and high-value crops, of 1.25 million climate-vulnerable rural smallholder farmers by promoting Climate Resilient Agriculture
by a $39.2 million fund—comprising a $26.2 million grant from the Green Climate Fund and $12.9 million of climate risks and risk-reduction measures; building capacity to develop sustainable agricultural technologies; and adopting climate-resilient agricultural practices.
children to show them that there are proactive solutions that can be done to safeguard the future of Filipino farmers, and to ensure the sustainability of the nation’s agricultural production. This can even future.
protection services records in particular are almost directly involved in a particular case without a court order.
WHAT CAN BE DONE
insurmountable. At least one community, Allegheny County in Pennsylvania, has found a way to identify Communities that don’t have access to integrated data like Allegheny’s model can instead use school screening questionnaires that strike a balance between getting information and permitting families a level of privacy about what they share. These youths are reachable long before they show THE CONVERSATION
Parents finding new way to balance work, study and leisure
SCHOOLING poses numerous challenges for children, and parents are not exempted from its demands. They face tasks such as bringing kids to school and being present to support their learning.
Many parents in this day and age will also have to juggle work alongside these chores.
Backed by the National Teachers College (NTC) and APEC Schools, the NTC SmartClass Homeschooling has provided a solution for numerous families, like that of Rochelle Bondoc, parent to a ninth grader. To her family, the SmartClass program is not just the convenient option, but one that cultivates her son’s potential. “For us, SmartClass is more than a school. It is the cornerstone of our effort to engage with our son and provide him with a comprehensive
education,” Bondoc said. “It has become a platform where he passionately pursues his interests, fostering the development of essential skills.” Through its constructivist approach, SmartClass Homeschooling uses the learners’ existing knowledge and experiences to stir up the teaching. This way, students are pushed to be more independent as they drive their own learning. To achieve this, the subjects in SmartClass are integrated. Students learn concepts in math, science, languages, and other subjects in a real-world setting. This way, the learning translates to the development of 21st century skills like problem solving, critical thinking, grit, creativity, and collaboration. In a survey conducted by
SmartClass Homeschooling, 9 out of 10 parents said that their kids have also developed integrity, gratitude, and ownership. Mark Xian Bagtong, 8th grader, has established a love for learning at his young age. “Don’t be afraid that you might commit mistakes. It is part of the process to learn. Always have fun learning,” Bagtong said. With asynchronous classes and distance learning methods, SmartClass learners can accomplish tasks at their own timing when the family has to travel for vacation or business or take part in other activities. The flexibility paves the way for a more holistic development and a healthy study-life balance, both crucial in molding young individuals.
“It allows for a continuous and efficient
learning experience, as students can adjust their schedules to meet their individual needs and preferences,” explained Enrique Jandusay Jr., another SmartClass Homeschooling parent. Each child is unique, and SmartClass caters to that by offering customized learning pathways to every student in the program across the board, from Kinder to Grade 10. Built on the 95-year track record of NTC, a premier teacher education institution, and the progressive methods of APEC Schools, the only Google Reference School in the Philippines, NTC SmartClass Homeschooling provides a new way of learning that meets modern demands— education for Filipinos that is accessible, flexible and top-notch.
PHOTO BY MARKUS SPISKE ON UNSPLASH
PLDT IS TOP PHL TELCO ON FORTUNE SEA 500 RANKING
PLDT Inc. (PLDT) is one of 38 Filipino firms in the maiden Fortune Southeast Asia (SEA) 500 list, which ranks the largest companies in Southeast Asia in terms of total revenues for the 2023 fiscal year.
With revenues equivalent to $3.79 billion, PLDT emerged as the top Philippine telco to land on the list, and the 6th largest telco in Southeast Asia. It
took 11th place as the highest performing Philippine company, and 97th place across all sectors in the regional rankings. PLDT’s historically high service revenues are largely attributed to the continuous expansion of its portfolio of broadband offerings to meet the different connectivity needs of Filipinos. These services are supported by the country’s most
IF the year 2020 was a bane for most businesses across all industries worldwide, it was a pivotal year for Sheanne Roll Up Door Construction Services. Sheanne Roll Up Door Construction Services started in 2018 but it was only in 2020 when the business really managed to take off. A major telco company ordered roll up doors for some of its locations. The surge of orders and the abrupt growth in operations prompted Salvacion “Salve” Paparon, the CEO of the business, to quit regular employment to focus on the growing venture.
“It was a real blessing that we signed up the giant telco as a client. After that, other major clients came especially from the biotech and pharmacy retail industries that were flourishing during the pandemic,” Paparon recalls. “Now, our clientele also includes manufacturing, retail, airport, and clothing businesses.”
From a struggling startup in Imus, Cavite with just three personnel in 2018, Sheanne Roll Up Door Construction Services now has a labor force of 23. It occasionally hires additional contractual personnel when there is a need for more people to meet orders and timelines.
extensive and integrated fixed and wireless network. PLDT also underscored its commitment to providing lasting value to the customers and communities that it serves, alongside its continued pursuit of innovation and excellence.
During the company’s disclosure of its 2023 financial results, Manuel V Pangilinan, PLDT Chairman and CEO said, “PLDT is aiming not just for higher profits but to maintain PLDT and Smart’s premier positions, where they rightfully belong. This requires a commitment to excellence all around—encompassing the quality of our network, the efficiency of our installations and repairs, the innovations we pursue, and the speed of our services.”
The Fortune Southeast Asia 500 list highlights the increasing importance of Southeast Asia to the global economy, due to shifting supply chains and the rapid development of the region. The inaugural rankings include companies from the following Southeast Asian nations: Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Another Pangilinan-led firm, Manila Electric Co. stood No. 34 with revenues of $7.98 billion.
Paparon was working as an HR specialist with background in political science when she and her husband, who was a seafarer, decided to try manufacturing roll up doors. Paparon took care of the administrative and marketing aspect, while her husband focused on the assembly and manufacturing of roll up doors. The arrangement works well for the couple and the business.
“I understand that as a businesswoman, patience and understanding are innate to my character. I treat everyone in the business as family, a trait I could attribute to my late father, who taught me to always be fair, kind, and compassionate towards other people,” she says.
A testament to Paparon’s commitment is the fact that all their staff are bent on staying with the business, except for a few who had to leave due to abrupt medical conditions. “They are the lifeline of our business, that is why I treat them as our most important asset,” she asserts.
Aside from her dedicated and loyal personnel, Paparon cites the high quality of materials they use along with excellent services and aftersales relationship they provide for the continuing success of Sheanne Roll Up Door Construction Services. The business has also built a reputation for being more generous in terms of aftersales services—it offers a year of warranty versus the three-month to six-month warranty the competitors usually provide.
“Sometimes, we even extend our warranty duration to please our clients. We are building lasting relationships to match the quality of our products and services. That’s how we initially create an impression for more prospective clientele,” Paparon discloses.
The challenges and victories have made Paparon a seasoned and successful entrepreneur. Sheanne Roll Up Door Construction Services is the testament to enriching experiences in her life journey. Her partnership with her husband—in business and in keeping their family—is inarguably a formidable one.
Sheanne Roll Up Door Construction Services is once again a recipient of a Philippines Finest Business Award (Golden Awardee) for 2024. Paparon will receive the Golden Achiever Award as the Most Outstanding Business Leader. They will join other awardees, which will be formally recognized in the much-anticipated awarding ceremony of the Philippine Finest Business Awards & Outstanding Achievers 2024 to be held on September 8, 2024 at the Hexagon Events Place in Q uezon City.
A Taste of Home with Family-Favorite Recipes from Richard Gomez and Marjorie Barretto
AS the lingering warmth of summer gradually fades away, there’s no better time to gather around the table and savor the comforting flavors of classic family recipes.
From the kitchens of celebrity home cooks Richard Gomez and Marjorie Barretto, here are some delightful recipes- all made with Dona Elena Olive Oil - that the family will surely enjoy. From nourishing recipes to dishes that call for rich and hearty ingredients, these celebrity home cooks prove that with Doña Elena, the possibilities are endless.
Begin with Simplicity: Richard’s Simple and Flavorful Chicken Rice Recipe is a testament to the versatility of Doña Elena Pure Olive Oil. Ideal for everyday cooking, this olive oil variant is perfect for sautéing and light frying, making it a staple for this one-pot dish. The dish is not only easy to prepare but also brimming with health benefits from the olive oil, such as antioxidants and heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. It’s the perfect meal for a family Sunday lunch or a cozy dinner.
Festive Delight: Transform your dining table into a festive Filipino feast with Richard’s Version Of Lengua Estofado, where the rich and tender ox tongue is simmered to perfection in a savory tomato sauce infused with Doña Elena Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Ideal for special occasions or as a celebratory centerpiece, this Lengua Estofado is a culinary masterpiece that combines traditional Filipino flavors with the wholesome goodness of Doña Elena’s finest olive oil, Doña Elena Diced Tomatoes, and Doña Elena Pitted Green Olives.
and her
Rice to the Occasion. In a rush to make a midweek dinner or have unexpected guests call in? All you need is cold leftover rice and pantry staples like shrimp, eggs, frozen vegetables, and the ideal for everyday cooking Doña Elena Pure Olive Oil. Marjorie’s simple yet satisfying Shrimp Fried Rice is a cinch to make and destined to be on repeat in your menu rotation.
A Crowd Favorite: Perfect for any occasion that calls for a touch of sophistication, Marjorie’s Chicken Cordon Bleu stands out with its tender chicken breasts, wrapped around a savory combination of ham and cheese, all coated in a golden breadcrumb crust. This classic dish is elevated by the use of the ideal for frying Doña Elena Pomace Olive Oil, which not only adds a subtle richness to the chicken but also brings with it a host of health benefits, including
CALLING all Filipino job seekers! Mark your calendars for the GetHired Job Fair and Conference, a premier event connecting top Filipino companies with qualified candidates. This exciting event takes place on Friday, July 26, 2024, at Megatrade Hall 3, 5th Level, SM Megamall B, from 8 am to 5 pm.
Fifty companies are expected participate in this one-day activity with 4,000 target participants. It is going to be a very eventful day with exciting talks related to the future of work with networking opportunities and the chance to take home giveaways and a laptop.
Government agencies like SSS, PhilHealth and Pagibig will be on hand to extend assistance to applicants. Human resource specialists will also be at the event to offer resume reviews. Get a free headshot while at the job fair and get invitations to join other onsite and online job fairs, conferences, and webinars with access to free templates and resources. Get to connect, too, with partner manpower and digital agencies, brands, schools, government agencies, communities and industry leaders Whether you’re a recent high school graduate, a college student or a seasoned professional, GetHired has opportunities for you. It offers flexible work options. Explore full-time, part-time, remote, or hybrid positions to find the perfect fit for your lifestyle. Network with a wide range of leading companies across various sectors.
a high content of antioxidants and heart-healthy monounsaturated fats.
Celebrities like Richard Gomez and Marjorie Barretto remind us that cooking is an art form, a means of expression that brings heartwarming memories to the dining table. With Doña Elena Olive Oil, every meal becomes an opportunity to create something extraordinary and will impress family and friends.
Doña Elena is exclusively distributed by Fly Ace Corporation in the Philippines. It is the consistent No. 1 Olive Oil brand according to NielsenI Q. Available in three (3) variants, Extra Virgin, Pure, and Pomace which comes in 250 ml, 500 ml, 1 Liter glass bottles, and 5 Liter PET bottle sizes. For more tips, recipes, and promos visit @donaelenacuisineraclub on Facebook and Instagram.
THE long-awaited return of Richmonde Hotel Ortigas’ popular and enjoyable value-for-money lunch buffet at its all-day dining restaurant, Richmonde Café, is finally happening this July 3, 2024. Residents, corporate executives, office workers, and frequent visitors of Ortigas Center can once again indulge in a sumptuous eat-all-you-can spree of culinary delights, perfect for a satisfying midday meal in the heart of the metro’s commercial and business district. To welcome back the lunch crowd with a relaxed and invigorating buffet experience, Richmonde Café’s kitchen team, headed by Sous Chef Joey Daymon, has prepared a dynamic menu featuring an assortment of global cuisine, carefully curated to appeal to a variety of palates. From international flavors to local favorites, the buffet promises to be a wonderful gastronomic journey through taste and tradition. “Our goal each time is to serve familiar and well-loved dishes and create a spread that combines the comfort of home-cooked meals with the allure of gourmet fare,” shares Chef Joey. Diners can expect a feast for the senses each time with a robust selection of appetizers, mains, and desserts, not to mention exciting action stations that feature a variety of freshly cooked items such as pastas, tapas, and fajitas, grilled meats, oven-baked pizzas, sizzling fried sisig, and many more! Mainstays like the salad bar, mixed sushi, cheese board, and premium beef carving will surely make each meal a worthy treat. According to F&B Manager Ria Rosal, “We’re super thrilled to bring back Richmonde Café’s lunch buffet and serve our guests delectable food as we showcase our chefs’ amazing talents. Aside from the weekly
Filipino-themed buffet every Monday, we will be coming out regularly with thematic offerings so our diners can always look forward to trying something new.”
SALVACION “Salve” Paparon, CEO, Sheanne Roll Up Door Construction Services
Sheanne Roll Up Door Construction Services: When Doors Open Opportunities for Success
Richmonde Hotel Ortigas’ Weekday
MARJORIE Barreto
Shrimp Fried Rice. RICHARD GOME Z and his Chicken Rice.
UNDERAUSTRALIA’SSIXSHIELDSTRATEGY:
Diplomat seeks to bolster Indo-Pacific cybersecurity
By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes
AUSTRALIA wants to maintain its role in boosting the Philippines’s capabilities that will address cyber threats, according to Ambassador Hae Kyong Yu PSN.
“We want to work with you [in upholding international law, as well as the rules and norms] of responsible state behavior in cyberspace. Sounds familiar? A bit like what we’re doing in the South China Sea, yes. And there are really great mechanisms through which you can do this, like the United Nations [UN] Open-ended Working Group on Cybersecurity,” relayed Yu during the recent “Safeguarding the Indo-Pacific: Strengthening the Partnerships to Meet Emerging Cybersecurity Threats” conference organized by Stratbase ADR. “I encourage the Philippine government to really step up in [its] engagements through that group.”
Together with the United States, the envoy said Australia will continue to deter and respond to malicious cyber activity by pursuing attributions and sanctions. She added that her country is really keen on exploring the use of these tools with the Philippines: “[Our] government is already doing it. But this is where we work together to build coalitions, then
Turkish Navy’s warfare corvette docks in Manila
THE Turkish Navy’s Adaclass anti-submarine warfare corvette TCG K ın a lı ada (F - 514) conducted a port visit in Manila on June 26 and 28, in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Türkiye and the Philippines.
TCG Kınalıada was on an expedition to various parts of Asia and visited 24 ports in 20 countries during her four-and-a-half-month journey to demonstrate the capabilities of the Turkish Naval Forces, introduce Türkiye’s national platforms, and enhance bilateral relations with the countries visited.
Launched in 2017 and commissioned in 2019, “Kınalıada” is the latest ADA-class navy ship built by the Istanbul Naval Shipyard under the MILGEM national shipbuilding program. According to the Embassy of Türkiye, the vessel is equipped with advanced indigenous assets such as first national surface-to-surface guided missile ATMACA, and the ADVENT combat-management system.
Following the visit, TCG Kınalıada and Philippine Navy ships were also scheduled to conduct a joint passing exercise and highlight the growing defense cooperation between their countries.
Relations of the two have significantly developed across various sectors in recent years, including the defense industry. The visit of “Kınalıada” was expected to further contribute to the process.
Officials of the embassy expressed their heartfelt gratitude to the Philippine government for the facilitation of what they said was an “important visit.”
we can increase the power of deterrence.”
Yu emphasized that the Philippines plays an important role in cybersecurity in the Indo-Pacific Region. As an important neighbor, friend and strategic partner, she considers the country as “toppriority” under Australia’s “Six Cyber Shields strategy.” “As such, [we have been working hard with the Philippines by partnering] on cybersecurity, bilaterally on regional programs, and on multilateral fora as well.”
Said strategy is for strong businesses and citizens; safe technology; world-class sharing and blocking; protection of critical infrastructure and essential government services; developing sovereign capabilities in the cybersecurity sector; and building a cyber-resilient regime that prospers from the digital economy. The diplomat believes there is “strength in numbers, as we work together to build broader coalitions; then, we can really increase the power of deterrence.”
According to Yu, Australia is
also keen on working with the Philippines to protect human rights as well in the UN ad hoc committee’s cybercrime negotiations: “When efforts are put together, it’s amazing what we can achieve.”
She said the Philippines and Australia have to take charge of this very important issue and provide leadership.
Yu said there is still a lot that
needs to be done together, and insisted that it should not be just through government-to-government cooperation: “We want to work with the private sector, civil society, academia and others [that are] very…supportive, international partners in the Philippines. Together, we can ensure a cyberresilient region that can truly prosper in the digital economy.”
Brazil’s embassy translates Rizal’s ‘Mi ultimo adios’ into Portuguese
By Malou Talosig-Bartolome
THE Embassy of Brazil in Manila has officially presented the Portuguese version of Dr. Jose P. Rizal’s “Mi ultimo adios (My Last Farewell).
Ambassador Gilberto Fonseca Guimarães de Moura led the unveiling of a plaque with words rendered in his native Portuguese—the official and national language of Brazil—at Fort Santiago in Manila on the occasion of Rizal’s birth anniversary last June.
De Moura said that despite the Philippines and Brazil being separated geographically, the Iberian influence connects both historically and culturally.
“Iberian countries have played a very important role here. Ferdinand Magellan is Portuguese,” the envoy explained. “Also, between 1558 and 1614, Spain and Portugal were together under King Philip II. And so, Brazil also was under [him]. So, for some time, Brazil was under the rule of the king of Spain. We [have a lot more] in common than we can imagine.”
He said it took the embassy a “long time” to complete the translation: “We had to send the manuscript to the Brazilian [Academy of Sciences. It should be very perfect, as] it is a very beautiful literary work that we… want to change absolutely nothing. It should be very precise: the rhythm, the metric, and also the expressions and words used.”
They also needed to consult with other experts to be able to bring the manuscript to the historic hallway of Rizal’s shrine in Fort Santiago.
In the past, other foreign deputations in Manila have also translated the poem into their respective lan-
guages. The plaques of translation were placed in a row near the prison cell where the hero composed it.
Assistant Secretary for Cultural Diplomacy Celia Anna Feria from the Department of Foreign Affairs thanked the Brazilian Embassy for initiating the project: “This is the first translation of Mi ultimo adios to Portuguese…there is now a body of 230 million Portuguese speakers around the world—[we call them ‘Lusophones’—who will now have access to the poem] in Portuguese.”
The former ambassador to Portugal said that during her stint in Lisbon, the Philippine Embassy also initiated an effort to translate the novel Noli Me Tangere into Portuguese. She told BusinessMirror that “it was a wonderful way for us to promote our culture, our history, our narratives, our heritage to the Portuguese speaking world. ‘Noli’ was originally written in Spanish… there are similarities with Portuguese, but [they are] completely different.”
‘Always Filipino first, or nothing’
EXCELLENCIES, friends and colleagues, ladies and gentlemen:
On that glorious 12th of June in Kawit, Cavite 126 years ago, the triumphant music and soaring phrases of our National Anthem filled the jubilant air, as our flag of red, white and blue waved freely for the very first time. It heralded the birth of the Philippines, and declared to the world the untiring resolve of the Filipino people to chart their own destiny.
A declaration of independence, though grand, is but a moment in time, as Father Francis pointed out at Our Lady of Victories: Independence itself is a continuing struggle.
A century and a quarter have passed since we broke the chains of foreign subjugation; yet the fervor of Filipino nationalism burns bright and hot as on that first day. We stand united, upholding with pride the hardearned national independence and personal freedom bequeathed to us by those who came before, even as we commit to leave that legacy, with an even stronger defense, to those coming after.
While the times may be different, our struggles remain, in most respects, the same. We see the spirit of freedom in all Filipinos striving to strengthen the circle of our country’s sovereignty, deepen its foundations in material progress, and widen the beneficiaries of a steadily increasing felicity; even as we embrace new directions under successive, elected democratic leaderships to achieve a yet brighter future for our children and country.
Background
MI ULTIMO ADIOS is the last literary piece of Rizal, believed to have been composed hours before he was executed in Bagumbayan (now Luneta Park) in 1896.
Kristoffer Pasion, senior history researcher at the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), said that after Rizal’s execution, his sisters read the manuscripts to American and Spanish journalists.
“Even some of the reporters who did not understand the original Spanish manuscript really cried because of [the choice of words, and how they are] heartfelt, even though the words escaped them,” Pasion shared.
The poem of 14 five-line stanzas was actually untitled, he said.
Andres Bonifacio and other historical figures who figured in the revolution against Spain translated the poem in their respective languages or dialects.
The researcher also recalled that the poem was read in Spanish in the United States Congress, in a bid by an American congressman to persuade his counterparts in granting the Philippines its independence.
The reading of the poem and the persistent lobbying of Filipino leaders led to the passage of the “Jones Law” in 1908, that later was succeeded by the establishment of the Commonwealth of the Philippines—the government that prepared the country for a 10-year transition toward full independence, said Pasion.
The literary piece was also translated into English and used by an Indonesian writer to rally his nation’s soldiers during their struggle for independence during the Japanese invasion in the 1940s, according to the NHCP official.
We see it in the resilience and perseverance of our farmers and fisherfolk as they provide us with sustenance; of our miners and industrial workers as they haul the mineral riches of our lands and waters—and roll out the prideful products of our factories; of our office workers and salespeople as they clock in without fail for a full day’s work. And of our health-care professionals, be they at home or abroad. And the public convenience drivers who take them to work. We thank the British transport system, even as we express grateful thanks to the National Health Service for keeping us healthy in these sceptered isles, among these good and happy people, in these most precious stones set in the silver sea, like our own archipelago on the other side of the world—this earth, your England, our Philippines.
We see it in the dedication of our teachers in nurturing the minds of future generations to be worthy of a free society. Education is nothing if it does not nurture love of country and freedom; without which, education is but an instruction manual for slaves.
We see it in the tenacity of our soldiers and sailors as they brave perils [within our own borders at that] to keep every inch of ground and every drop of saltwater that’s ours by right and not fanciful declaration; adamant in the certainty that Filipinos will never accept loss—by secession as they proved in savage wars of peace in the deep South without violating a single article of lawful warfare; by default in not fighting to the last drop for what is ours—what more taken by naked seizure. If we must, we will fight alone; if only to put to shame the same friends who wave before the rest of the world the same commitment to stand and fight by them.
Never will Filipinos take foreign dictation on any vital matter be it from
friend or foe. We trust only ourselves to be dependably like-minded in the first and foremost thing that counts: standing up for Filipino freedom, independence, territorial integrity and survival in that order. We will not allow ourselves to be an expendable factor in a wider strategy of global or regional peace and stability. It is always Filipino first, or nothing. And we don’t fool easily. Our foreign friends here tonight feel the same way about their respective countries. So, the race goes on; the torch will be passed. Vigor shall not lag; nor resolution fail when it comes to that. Our freedom and independence will not be lost or diminished in any measure while there’s breath in us. If our last relay runners fall to their knees, they will rather clasp the scorching flame to their breast than pass the torch to another who is not of our race. For no people are better off than when they are free and able to do as they think best for themselves; in the confidence that they will always do right by others as Filipinos always have.
‘A country worthy of our best selves’ EVEN as we hold freedom dear, we will never interfere with another country’s choices of government, policy, and manners—until they mean us harm. But our borders will always be open, even as our arms are wide to take in strangers who suffer from bad governments. Thus, we welcomed White Russians fleeing civil war; Jews, the impending Holocaust when only Great Britain and the Philippines took them in; Vietnamese boat people fleeing the best intentions of foreign friends of freedom. Most recently, as no other country to my knowledge, we took in Afghans fleeing the dubious mercy of the same that took down the Twin Towers. We do no evil, and wish no one harm; we give help and sanctuary to all in mortal peril. That sums up of our foreign policy. Our country is not a great power; nor are many of our people rich; but quite a few of them are—and how. That is why Filipinos have been the biggest investors in their own country by magnitudes that take the breath away. They account for all the Philippines’s most serious capital investments. But we welcome everyone here and out there to join our increasing economic success in any fair way, by any fair means.
But all Filipinos are rich, in the vital sense of their willingness to share whatever they have. When some of us go abroad, as much for the challenge of it as from need, we offer our all to our second countrymen; giving— when cure, palliative and vaccine were yet lacking—the last ounce of compassion by holding the hands of the dying; even at the risk of being drawn gently with them into that good night; as many Filipino nurses did in the pandemic; never raging at the dying of their light.
As we celebrate the founding of our nation, let us continue to dedicate ourselves to the challenging, even daunting, but always fulfilling task of realizing the full potential of our race in building a country worthy of our best selves—including you: our friends abroad. Ours is a nation that truly embodies the ideals of a free and just, progressive and independent country that was the first republic in Asia. Plus, the sun and sand in our country are beyond comparison. Thank you.
AMB. Locsin, with UK’s chief nurse for Adult Social Care Deborah Sturdy CBE
AMBASSADOR Gilberto Fonseca Guimarães de Moura FB: EMBASSY OF BRAZIL IN MANILA
AMBASSADOR H.K. Yu PSN X: @AUSEMBPH
Hand
officially earned their
to Paris at the close of the qualifying window for athletics and the Philippines now has the most number of Olympic athletes at 22 since Barcelona 1992.
“Target achieved,” said Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino on Wednesday. “Now to the most important goal—medals.”
There were 26 Filipino athletes in Barcelona 1992 when the Olympics have yet to go strict in imposing qualifying standards.
And with the qualifiers in place to limit the games to the best of the best, Team Philippines has gone down to 12 athletes in Atlanta 1996, 20 in Sydney 2000, 15 each in Athens 2004 where boxer Mansueto Velasco clinched silver and Beijing 2008, 11 in London 2012 and 13 in Rio de Janeiro where weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz also got silver.
Diaz then won the country’s first Olympic gold medal in Tokyo 2020 where 19 athletes competed and set the best performance ever by Team Philippines with Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paaalam adding silver medals and Eumir Felix Marcial’s contributing a bronze in boxing.
“This proves that despite the stringent qualifiers by the international federations, our athletes have established themselves as among the world’s best,” Tolentino said. “It’s never easy qualifying for the Olympics—much more winning medals—but the template has been set and our athletes in Paris have surely set the tone and path for the future.”
The Philippines is not left behind by its Southeast Asian neighbors and shares fourth place with Singapore, which also qualified 22 athletes to Paris.
Template for future Olympics forged–POC
Thailand has the most qualifiers at 47, followed by Indonesia with 28 and Malaysia with 25, while the other countries have at least one athlete going to Paris.
Marcial, meanwhile, arrived at the Team Philippines training camp in Metz on Wednesday from Washington DC where he sparred with top US light heavyweights in preparation for the Olympics.
There are now 11 athletes in Metz— gymnast Carlos Yulo, swimmers Jarod Hatch and Kyla Sanchez, rower Joanie Delgaco, weightlifters Elreen Ando, John Ceniza and Vanessa Sarno and Marcial and fellow boxers Paalam, Petecio, Hergie Bacyadan and Aira Villegas.
The Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association announced late Tuesday the two athletes’ qualification—Hoffman in women’s 400 meters hurdles and Tolentino in men’s 110m hurdles.
They are both first-timers and will join world No. 2 and Asian champion pole vaulter Ernest John “EJ” Obiena as the country’s athletes in track and field in Paris.
Hoffman qualified by placing 39th in the Olympic cutoff of the top 40 in the rankings while Tolentino was comfortably at No. 30 in the men’s top 40 rankings that gained entry to Paris.
Cone has OQT perspective set
TBy Josef Ramos
HE Philippines battles Latvia in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) on Friday with head coach Tim Cone giving his players a perspective from a bird’s eye view.
“We’re not here to win a game, we’re here to win the whole tournament,” Cone told his players during a training huddle on Wednesday.
He had more big words for Gilas Pilipinas whose world No. 37 ranking is way below the host’s No. 8.
“We’re ready to win the whole thing,” he said.
Latvia already opened OQT action with a punctuating 88-53 rout of Georgia on Wednesday, a fitting springboard when the hosts meet the Filipinos at midnight (Manila time) on Friday at the 11,200-seat Arena Riga.
Cone knows his basketball mathematics and motivated his boys by looking at the OQT at its entirety.
“Losing tomorrow [Thursday] does not knock us out,” he said.
“When we allow the first one to affect us in the second one, then we’re going to be knocked out.”
“Be mindful of that,” he stressed to the players.
Six teams are in the Latvia OQT—Brazil, Montenegro and Cameroon are in the other group— but only one will qualify for the Paris Olympics.
The Philippines faces Georgia at 8:30 p.m. (Manila time) also on Friday—a small window to rest from the Latvia match.
Latvia relied heavily on 6-foot-6 Arturs Strautins, who shot 5-of-5 from the field with four triples for 18 points against Georgia.
Cone, backed by his former import at Alaska Sean Chambers and Jong Uichico and team manager Richard del Rosario, scouted the Latvians but kept their observations to themselves.
He reminded his players though not to be bothered by the referees.
“Don’t play with the referees, find a way to win each game,” he told his players.
“When we were in China [Hangzhou Asian Games last October], we didn’t mind the referees. We just played,” Cone said.
“If we kept that in our heads that China won’t allow the referees to make us win, then we would never have won that game.”
MAXINE ESTEBAN got a huge boost for her Paris Olympics campaign after the FilipinoIvorian fencer climbed to No. 27 in the world rankings—the highest ever achieved by any Philippine-born fencer. This is after the FIE, for International Fencing Federation, released only recently the latest 2023 to 2024 world rankings.
“I am happy and excited that my world ranking has again risen, now to 27th,” Esteban said. “After such a hectic season of 18 Olympic qualifiers which culminated in my direct qualification for Paris Olympics, this is indeed one of the biggest reward for all my hard work.” “This development will surely be
added motivation as I prepare for my greatest challenge—competing in the Olympics, which is the dream of every athlete,” said Esteban, who is also the highest-ranked Ivorian in the world. Esteban is one of the 30 direct qualifiers for the women’s foil event— automatic berths granted to athletes based on their world ranking. “I want to thank my Coach Andrea [Magro], the Ivorian Fencing Federation, and for all my sponsors for the continued trust and support,” said the eight-time Philippine champion and multi-World Cup medalist who is backed by Anta, Rebisco Extreme, Akari and Allstar Fencing.
“I also want to thank all my Filipino and Ivorian supporters. Thank you for
Eight teams begin battle for lone VNL spot
By Aldrin Quinto
EIGHT teams from five continental confederations—including European league medalists and an Olympic-bound squad—battle for honors starting on Thursday in the 2024 FIVB Women’s Volleyball Challenger Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
European Golden League champion
Sweden parades a practically unchanged squad led by Most Valuable Player Isabelle Haak in a go big or go home tournament offering one spot to the FIVB Volleyball Nations League (VNL) next year.
Haak and Co. play a tough opening match on Thursday at 5 p.m. against a familiar rival in Belgium, a squad that topped the Golden League preliminaries behind star outside hitter Britt Herbots and middle blocker Silke Van Avermaet only to fall in the Final Four and wind up third.
The Belgians defeated Romania in straight sets to earn the bronze in the European Volleyball Confederation tournament.
Kenya, the top-ranked women’s team in the African Volleyball Confederation, makes a stop in the Philippines to challenge for a spot in VNL 2025 while seeking valuable tournament play ahead of its Paris Olympics stint.
Filipino-Ivorian fencer Esteban rises to world No. 27
your prayers and love. You are the reason I continue to strive for excellence,” she said. “Lastly, I thank God for this amazing season, thank you for your protection and guidance—and for the overwhelming abundance of blessings.”
The final pairings for the women’s foil event, which will be a direct elimination format, will be known after the four lowest ranked fencers battle for the last two slots in the round of 32.
The top 16 in the rankings will battle the lower 16 in crossover fashion and fencers will need at least three wins for a shot at the podium. Esteban is currently in Germany with Magro, who tutored several gold-winning Olympians before.
The Malkia Strikers, led by team captain and veteran middle blocker Trizah Atuka, battles Puerto Rico at 3 o’clock.
Puerto Rico was among the early qualifiers for the FIVB Women’s VCC, topping the North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation International League Final Four last year.
On Friday at 3 p.m., European Golden League silver medalist Czech Republic, led by outside hitter Michaela Mlejnkova, battles the South American Volleyball Confederation’s Argentina, which placed third in the 2019 Challenger Cup.
Meanwhile, Alas Pilipinas and Vietnam finally cross paths at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, weeks after rallying to the podium without meeting each other in the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Challenge Cup at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
The Philippines earned bronze in the AVC meet, its first-ever podium finish in a continental volleyball tournament, with a straight-sets win over Australia. Vietnam, on the other hand, completed an unbeaten run to the gold medal with a sweep of Kazakhstan.
The survivors of the first two match days advance to Saturday’s semifinals, with the battle for third place and the gold medal match set Sunday.
IT’S a marked
Olympics.
TAthletes stay connected to home from Paris games
PLDT and Smart are bringing the action closer to Filipinos as the official broadcast partners for the Paris Olympics.
Cignal TV, PLDT and Smart are making the events accessible to all Filipinos nationwide through multiplatform coverage on free-to-air, pay TV, OTT, IPTV, digital and social media.
Smart’s coverage of Paris 2024 is the most comprehensive in the country as Smart LiveStream is scheduled to broadcast the games 24/7 while select events will also be streamed live on Smart Sports and Puso Pilipinas social media pages.
Smart is also the official telco partner of the Philippine Olympic Committee and the Philippine Olympians with the Filipino athletes staying connected through Smart GigaRoam while in training camp at La Moselle in the City of Metz in France.
Staunch supporters of sports development, PLDT and Smart, together with the MVP Sports Foundation, continue to discover, develop and train Filipino athletes and teams from the grassroots to collegiate, amateur, and professional levels.
HE Premier Volleyball League (PVL) is gearing up for another thrilling Reinforced
PHILIPPINE Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino in a cheery moment in Metz with swimmer Kyla Sanchez, weightlifter Elreen Ando, boxer Nesthy Petecio, gymnast Carlos Yulo and boxer Carlo Paalam.
