ESPITE implementation of Executive Order (EO) 62 which reduced the tariff for rice to 15 percent, the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) said the pace of the decline in the prices of the staple is still “slow.”
Citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Neda Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan said the reduction in the retail price of rice has been gradual.
“But hopefully as the world rice market situation improves, and
THE national government recorded a P28.8-billion budget shortfall in July 2024, pushing the year-to-date deficit to P642.8 billion, according to the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr).
also stakeholders are able to adjust...we will see improvements [in the price of rice],” Balisacan told Palace reporters in a chance interview last Wednesday.
In June, President Ferdinand Marcos issued EO 62, which reduced the tariff for rice to 15 percent from 35 percent to ease prices. Rice and other cereals and cereal products are still among the main contributors to food infl ation as of July, according to PSA. Balisacan said it will take some time before the impact of EO 62 is felt.
However, he said the current tariff rate for rice will be reviewed
by November. “We are monitoring the situation and I think that our team, that committee, that infl ation and market outlook committee looking into the market situation for the different agricultural products will come out with the report soon [for rice],” he said.
Price trends
IN its market price monitoring report in Metro Manila, the Department of Agriculture (DA) reported that the average weekly price of imported well-milled and regular milled rice in the third week of June reached P53.43 per kilogram
(kg) and P49.78 per kg, respectively. e said prices improved to P52.60 per kg (well-milled) and P49.09 per kg (regular milled) in July, before the price for wellmilled rice slightly
to P53.04 per kg. For
milled rice, it continued to P47.08 per
this month. For local rice, the average weekly price for
rice also consistently dropped from P53.43 per
last June, to P52.60 per kg and P53.04 per kg this month. e same trend was also ob-
SEA export earnings to stay modest till yearend
HE growth of export earnings across Southeast Asia, including in the Philippines, may continue to be modest until the end of next year, according to a UK-based think tank.
In an Asia Pacific brief on Southeast Asian exports, Oxford Economics said, however, that export growth will continue and is also due to pick up.
However, as households in advanced economies continue to feel the pinch, they may be less inclined to make major spending
AS the country races to meet its commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in less than a decade, the latest government report showed projects linked to environment and energy-related goals received the least number of Official Development Assistance (ODA).
“We expect the boost from the chip upcycle to continue over the coming year, lending a helping hand to overall exports. However, there are few strong tailwinds elsewhere. e usual lags suggest the impact from looser monetary policy will not be massive,” Oxford Economics said.
“And despite looking in decent shape, households in advanced economies still look reluctant to spend big. As such, the pickup in Asia exports growth will probably remain modest until the end of 2025,” it added.
Oxford Economics estimated that Asian exports grew 0.6 percent on a month-on-month basis. is was mainly driven by the 8.7 percent month-on-month growth of Southeast Asian exports.
PHL returns to global debt mart via dollar bond issue
e National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) report showed SDG 7 on affordable and clean energy received the least number of ODA with only 16 projects. is was followed by SDG 14 or Life Below Water where there are only 18 projects; SDG 15 or Life on Land which only have 21 projects; and SDG 12 on Responsible Consumption and Production at 24 projects.
THE Government of the Philippines will be returning to the global debt market this month through the three-tranche benchmarked-sized issuance of US dollar-denominated bonds.
“ODA plays a critical role in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals [SDGs], particularly for SDG 17, which emphasizes global partnerships and resource mobilization for sustainable development,” Neda said in its latest ODA Portfolio
e Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) said on Wednesday evening that the government started offering its second external issuance of 5.5-year, 10.5-year and 25-year Securities and Exchange Commission-registered Fixed Rate US Dollar Global Bonds.
“Our recent credit rating upgrade and affi rmation are powerful endorsements of our robust macroeconomic fundamentals and sound
policy environment. And they came at a very opportune time for this issuance,” Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto said.
e Treasury said the proceeds raised from the bonds are meant for general purposes, such as budget fi nancing support. Meanwhile, the Republic will partially allocate the proceeds of the 25-year Global Bond to assets under the Republic’s Sustainable Finance Framework—its sixth G3 ESG bond offering.
e 5.5-year, 10.5-year and 25year dollar bonds will mature in 2030, 2035 and 2049, respectively, according to Moody’s Ratings. e bonds secured a “Baa2” from Moody’s and gained a “BBB” from Fitch Ratings and “BBB+”
S&P
added that the
represent direct, general,
unsecured and un-
obligations of the BNP Paribas, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, J.P. Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Standard Chartered Bank and UBS are acting as Joint Bookrunners for the transaction, according to the Treasury. Leading the “Joint Sustainability Structuring Banks” are
In terms of product, the think tank noted that electronic exports remained the key bright spot for the region given the upturn in the chip cycle.
“Available data suggest semiconductor export growth has continued to hold up well at the start of Q3 [third quarter]. Outside of Asia, capital goods exports to the US also rose on the back of resilient capex activities there,” Oxford Economics said.
Earlier, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said the growth of the country’s export earnings posted a 14-month low in June 2024.
PSA said the export earnings growth declined 17.3 percent in June 2024, the lowest since the 20.3-percent contraction in April 2023.
e data showed earnings from exports reached $5.566 billion in June 2024, lower than the $6.73 billion posted in June 2023.
In May 2024 and June 2023, total exports sales registered annual decreases of 3.1 percent and 0.2 percent, respectively.
However, in the January to June period, export earnings reached $36.41 billion in 2024, a 3-percent growth from the $35.34 billion posted in 2023.
PSA said the commodity group that posted the largest decline in export value were electronic products, the country’s primary export. (See: www.businessmirror.com.
Report amending DBP Charter endorsed to Senate plenary
THE chairman of the Senate Banks committee on Wednesday endorsed to the plenary a bill amending the Charter of the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) to boost its ability to fulfill its main mandate “to provide development financing for Filipinos.”
Taking the floor at Wednesday’s session, Sen. Mark A. Villar delivered his sponsorship speech to open floor deliberations on his committee report on Senate Bill 2804.
“We are pushing for amending the Charter of the DBP to give this institution additional capacity to deal with the increased demand of fi nancial resources for different projects from vital sectors,” Villar said. Besides wider access to financial resources from DBP, more
jobs for more Filipinos is another desirable “outcome of the proposed amendments,” said Villar.
In the Committee Report crafted after several public hearings, Technical Working Group sessions and consultative meetings, the panel came up with key features of the proposed charter that, Villar said, would further empower DBP to fulfi ll its mission. He included among the key amendatory features the following:
■ First, the increase in autho-
rized capital stock will help the bank’s ability to continuously meet regulatory requirements and improve the level of capital adequacy to ensure stability and solvency;
■ Second, the issuance of shares to the general public wherein the potential Initial Public Offering or IPO will significantly augment DBP’s operations and societal influence by substantially expanding its reach to other regions;
■ ird, the designation of the Secretary of Finance as the ex-officio chairperson will ensure that critical decisions are in harmony with DBP’s growth strategy which will further foster sustainable development and fi nancial stability; and,
■ Lastly, the engagement in financial leasing in connection with government projects can contribute to the growth of the bank’s asset base as it acquires assets through leasing transactions.
Villar asserted that “these proposed amendments can help stimulate economic activity across the board. ese additional resources will empower DBP to provide Filipinos increased accessibility to fi-
nancial resources for the development of their respective ventures.”
e senator traced the long history of the DBP since the establishment of the Rehabilitation Finance Corp. in 1947 “to provide credit facilities for the rehabilitation of war-destroyed enterprises.”
From that era, he added, “the DBP has played a crucial role in development fi nancing and broader finance activity for the country and our fellow Filipinos.”
As of July 31, 2024, the DBP has 148 fi nancial centers and branches, 32 lending centers, 902 ATMs and 3,118 employees from Luzon to Mindanao. In the same period, DBP has also recorded P509.19 billion in total loans to borrowers.
e DBP’s loan portfolio “reflects the most allocation to priority sectors that have the most immediate impact on the common Filipino,” Villar said.
As of December 2023, 55.6 percent goes to infrastructure and logistics, 21.8 percent to social infrastructure, 11 percent to environmental loans and 5.7 percent goes to MSME Loans, among others, the senator added.
ENVIRONMENT-, ENERGY-TIED PROJECTS GOT LOWEST ODA
Review report.
e clean energy projects list includes mostly ODA grant-funded projects, including four with the Department of Energy (DOE).
ese are the Access to Sustainable Energy in the Philippines; Clean, affordable, and secure energy for Southeast Asia (CASE); Development for Renewable Energy Applications Mainstreaming and Market Sustainability; and Energy Secure Philippines (ESP).
e list also includes: Accelerating Green and Climate Finance from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas; Cool contributions fighting Climate Change (C4II) from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources; Transformative Actions for Climate and Ecological Protection and Development (Transcend) from the Department of Trade and Industry; and the Low Carbon Urban Transport from the Department of Transportation.
Meanwhile, Neda said the active ODA loans and grants predominantly support progress towards SDG 9 or Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure with a total of 119 projects.
is was followed by SDG 13 or Climate Action at 76 projects; SDG 2 or Zero Hunger at 73 programs and projects funded; and SDG 16 or Peace, Justice, and Strong Institution with 61 projects.
SDG 9 projects include both ODA loans and grants such as the Philippine Rural Development Project, Philippine Rural Development Project Additional Financing 2, Philippine Rural Development Project Scale-up, and Second Additional Financing for Philippine Rural Development Project under the Department of Agriculture.
e list of projects also includes big- ticket ODA loan projects from the Department of Public Works
and Highways (DPWH) and the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
DPWH projects include the Arterial Road Bypass Project Phase III (ARBP III); Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge Project-Tranche 1; Cebu-Mactan Bridge (4th Bridge) and Coastal Road Construction Project; Davao City Bypass Construction Project II; and Metro Manila Bridges Project, among others.
DOTr projects include the Malolos-Clark Railway Project; Metro Manila Subway Project Phase I; Metro Manila Subway Project (Phase I) (Tranche II); Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 3; New Bohol Airport Construction and Sustainable Environment Protection Project II; North-South Commuter Railway Extension Project (I); and North-South Commuter Railway Extension Project (I), among others.
In 2022, Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Chief Statistical Specialist Bernadette B. Balamban said the country was on track to meet Goal 14 on Life Below Water.
Based on the 247 indicators the country monitors locally, this goal only has one indicator. However, the country is also on track to attain another indicator under Goal 17 on Partnerships, but this is not enough to make the country on track to meet the entire SDG 17.
In order to track the country’s SDG progress, the PSA used the Current Status Index to determine how much progress has been made by the Philippines since 2000 when the country fi rst signed the Millennium Declaration. Balamban said the index measures the country’s progress at the goal level and that it required two data points since 2000 and the 2030 numerical target. (See: https:// businessmirror.com.ph/2022/09/23/ most-aspac-countries-including-phltrailing-in-sdgs/)
“We have imported pork that can balance in case of a short supply in the local market.”
Based on DA’s latest price monitoring, the prevailing price of pork ham and pork belly in Metro Manila markets as of August 28 was P320 and P380, respectively.
Ada Pelonia
P346 billion posted in the same period a year ago.
Revenue from taxes
MEANWHILE, the bulk of the government’s revenues came from tax collections, which comprised 88.07 percent while non-tax revenues accounted for 11.93 percent of the total.
Broken down, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR)
taxes. Tax revenues from the Bureau of Customs (BOC) rose by 9.99 percent to P80.4 billion from P73.1 billion. e BOC’s aggregate collection for the fi rst seven months reached P535.9 billion, 5.80 percent higher than the P506.5 billion in the same period a year ago.
e Treasury said the year-onyear growth in BOC’s collection was driven by higher VAT, import duties and excise taxes collection as well as peso depreciation, higher value and volume of imports and higher international crude oil price.
e Bureau of the Treasury’s (BTr) income declined by 60.82 percent to P19.9 billion in July 2024 from P50.8 billion in the same month in 2023.
e Treasury explained its income declined due to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) one-off remittance of P31.9 billion in 2023 and the reduced income from BTrmanaged funds and the national government’s deposits.
Year-to-date, the Treasury’s income reached P183.8 billion, higher by 27.81 percent than the P143.8 billion collected in the January to July period in 2023 due to higher dividend remittances, interest on advances from state-run corporations and the government’s share from Pagcor income.
Collections by other offices, such as non-tax revenues, privatization proceeds, fees and charges and grants, reached P34.6 billion in July 2024 with cumulative collection amounting to P73.5 billion.
Deficit-to-GDP ratio, or the government’s budget deficit measured against its gross domestic product, widened to 4.87 percent in the fi rst half of 2024 with the 6 percent real GDP growth. is is higher than the 4.80 percent deficit-to-GDP ratio posted a year ago.
Villafuerte has high hopes for Senate passage of medical marijuana bill
By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie
WITH the United Nations (UN) Commission on Narcotic Drugs’ (CND)
official recognition of the medical value of cannabis oil, a senior lawmaker expressed optimism that the Senate would follow the House of Representatives in passing legislation allowing Filipinos with cancer, epilepsy, and other severe ailments to use cannabis oil (cannabidiol or CBD) as a coadjuvant if not alternative treatment.
Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte made a call after the CND—the UN’s drug policy-making body—recognized the medical value of CBD.
Villafuerte in a statement said that medical cannabis is already legal in 60 countries, with its benefits confirmed by prominent medical journals such as Harvard
Health, publications of the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), and the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). These publications cite its effectiveness in reducing chemotherapy-related nausea, improving appetite, and alleviating symptoms of multiple sclerosis.
As the Senate deliberates on its version of the House-approved bill to remove CBD from the list of prohibited drugs under Republic Act 9165, Villafuerte hopes that the CND’s recognition of CBD’s non-addictive therapeutic benefits will convince the majority of senators to support the measure.
“With the House’s third and final approval of HB 10439 in the previous legislative session, what we only need now is for our senators to act on their counterpart measure in the hope that we can come up with an enrolled bill for submission to, and
enactment into law by, President Marcos this third and final session of the 19th Congress,” said Villafuerte, a lead author of HB 10439 and longtime advocate of the legalization of CBD strictly for medical purposes only.
Villafuerte also noted that the Senate Committee Report 210, which endorses Senate Bill 2573, primarily authored by Sen. Robinhood Padilla, has already garnered support from 13 senators during the second regular session of the 19th Congress. The bill proposes the establishment of a Medical Cannabis Office (MCO) to oversee the licensing and use of CBD oil for medical purposes.
In addition to its medical benefits, Villafuerte sees this legislation as an opportunity to create a new industry around the production and trade of CBD oil products in the global market.
Both HB 10439 and SB 2573 propose the creation of a Medical Cannabis Office (MCO)
to oversee the licensing and use of CBD oil for medical purposes.
Villafuerte explained that he has pushed since the past Congresses the legalization of CBD because this oil is non-addictive and is different from tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is another active ingredient of cannabis sativa that has intoxicating or psychoactive qualities that produce the “high” or buzz for those who smoke or eat it.
But Villafuerte’s bills got stuck in the House in both instances in the absence of counterpart bills passed by the Senate.
As he had pointed out in one of the House joint committee hearings on the proposed CBD legalization bill, Villafuerte said that while health regulations exist on the compassionate use of medical marijuana for treatment of certain diseases, applying for the importation and local medical use of CBD products was so tedious for applicants.
SC says no data breach but Dark Web monitor claims records compromised
TUnder the House-approved bill, only CBD will be legalized, while marijuana will remain on the Dangerous Drugs Board’s (DDB) list of prohibited substances under RA 9165. Moreover, CBD oil products are expensive abroad, such that poor patients in the Philippines are unlikely to afford them, he said.
In a Commission on Appointments (CA) hearing in September 2023, Secretary Teodoro Herbosa of the Department of Health (DOH) confirmed his support for the legalization of medical CBD. Herbosa mentioned that while there is a compassionate use permit given by the FDA, the process is difficult due to the required paperwork.
By Joel San Juan @jrsanjuan1573
HE Supreme Court (SC) yesterday said it found no evidence of security breach or indication that sensitive data was compromised contrary to the claim of Deep Web Konek, a group that monitors Dark Web activities in the Philippines and describes itself as “cybersecurity enthusiast.”
The SC through its spokesman, Camille Sue Mae Ting, said an investigation was conducted on Deep Web Konek’s post in social media platform X (formerly Twitter) which states that “a major security breach exposed sensitive legal data from the Supreme Court. Over 13,000 records including names, case details, and payment info, were leaked.”
“The Supreme Court and its service providers launched an immediate investigation and, as of this afternoon, found no evidence of a breach or indication that sensitive data was compromised,” the SC said in a statement.
However, it assured that the investigation will continue to cover all angles.
“As precautionary measure, and although regularly done, we will do another round of Vulnerability and Penetration Testing assessment [VAPT] and have asked our providers and partners to do the same,” the SC added.
Another round of external review of its cybersecurity systems will also be conducted.
“We assure the public that in its current efforts to digitalize court processes, the Court has always given priority to cybersecurity and taken necessary precautions in terms of training, access, and the use of the needed apps and hardware,” the SC stressed.
“We have layers of in-house and external cybersecurity,” it added.
The SC assured the public that its systems are “professional, state-of-the-art, robust, and capable of identifying and tracing the sources of any form of attack.”
The hacking, according to Deep Web Konek happened last Tuesday, the same day
Ting assured the public that the SC has “every robust anti-hacking application.”
“So security is very, I say strong. Until now, I’d like to say and very proud that the SC has not been hacked,” Ting said when asked how the SC can ensure that the protection of cases and data in light with the implementation of the mandatory submission of electronic copies of pleadings and other court submissions being filed before the lower courts pursuant to the Efficient Use of Paper Rule.
Ting admitted though that “there is a first time for everything.”
Following Ting’s pronouncement, Deep Web Konek, posted on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) about the supposed data breach.
The SC Public Information Office’s X account were among those tagged by Deep Web Konek in its post.
A hacker group known as “Grep” has claimed responsibility for the breach.
According to Kukublan Philippines, the
media arm of Deep Web Konek, the breach has exposed 13,564 records.
These records cover a wide range of legal proceedings and applications, including:
Sought for her comment, Ting said: “We learned of the social media post about the alleged data breach and our Miso [Management Information Systems Office] is currently validating it. We will make a public statement soon.”
“Rest assured the Court has invested in cybersecurity for its data and will continue to do so as we digitalize our processes,” Ting added.
Ting assured that all processes of the Court, including the Bar exams, are secure.
Meanwhile, the implementation of the electronic filing will begin on September 1, 2024, with full implementation completed by December 1, 2024.
Ting said based on the guidelines promulgated by the Court under the leadership of Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, starting
‘Pogo money used to pay policemen who killed suspects during drug war’
CONTROVERSIAL National Police officer
Aon Wednesday confirmed the reward system for policemen involved in drug kills and alleged that funding for the operations came from intelligence funds and Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) money.
In a seven-page affidavit submitted to the House Quad Committee, Col. Jovie Espenido detailed before the committee his experiences as Chief of Police in Albuera, Leyte, and Ozamiz City, Misamis Occidental.
“Even intelligence funds were used in the drug war. Pogo money was also used. After these Pogos were able to register with the government, funding was funneled downward from the level of [Senator] Bong Go,” he said in his affidavit. Espenido also revealed the existence of a quota and reward system for police officers who made drug kills, explaining it in his affidavit.
“I confirm that there was a quota and reward system in the implementation of the war on drugs during the previous administration. I truly wanted to implement it without causing deaths. When the leadership imposed a quota of 50-100 per day, we only took it to mean that we had to knock on the doors of 50-100 households suspected of drug use or pushing,” Espenido added.
“I know that there was a reward of P20,000 per kill in the drug war. The funding came from operators of the Small-Town Lottery [STL], or jueteng lords who give money to the police regional commanders, provincial commanders, down the line. The group or individuals who make the kill receive the money,” he added.
Espenido also claimed that STL money was directly remitted to the regional or provincial directors and that vigilantes received
similar payments. “The flow of money was automatic,” he added.
Sought for comment on Espenido’s remarks in the House, dela Rosa said he had not seen the video of the former police officer, because he was busy attending a Senate hearing.
He declined at first to comment until he had seen it, but later reacted to Espenido’s misuse of the word “neutralize,” saying, partly in Filipino, that there was nothing wrong in him ordering the former to “neutralize” the drugs problem. “We have to neutralize the drug problem, right? Why, did I say anything about killing people? I didn’t say anything about killing.”
Despite his involvement in the drug war, Espenido emphasized that his mission as a police officer was to ensure the surrender and rehabilitation of drug suspects.
“Nobody died during my stints in Albuera and Bacolod. I also made sure that the rewards my stations received were legitimate. For example, some local governments would award P100,000 for successful arrests involving big-time drug pushers. We accepted these to fund further operations,” he said.
As for the payment of these rewards, Espenido said there were “bagmen” who delivered the money to high-ranking police officers.
“I personally know some of the bagmen. Many PNCOs [non-commissioned officers] who were my classmates were murdered. They were bagmen acting at the beck and call of regional and provincial directors,” Espenido said.
“When Duterte became president, these RDs and PDs [regional and provincial directors] pointed to their own bagmen when asked about police personnel involved in
the illegal drug trade. In Cebu, a barangay captain was killed by an ex-army personnel who pretended to be a vigilante. This was established by CCTV,” he added.
Espenido said that some of these “bagmen” are still alive and that he can talk to them to testify in the House probe.
“Some of these bagmen are still alive, and I can talk to them to convince them to also testify about what they know; quite a few are in hiding. also know an intelligence officer who can disclose details of the drug war,” Espenido said.
‘By all means’ IN addition, Espenido claimed that Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, who was then National Police chief, instructed him to eliminate illegal drugs in his jurisdiction “by all means,” including killing drug suspects.
Responding to queries of Manila Rep. Joel Chua, Espenido said when he assumed the position of Chief of Police of Albuera town in Leyte, dela Rosa, who was the National Police chief at the time called him up and told him to dismantle the drug operations in his area of jurisdiction.
“The instruction was clear: help me and President Duterte in this war against illegal drugs. So, do your best. You’re the Chief of Police in Albuera, so drugs in Albuera must disappear,” Espenido recounted dela Rosa as saying.
He said that for police officers, the instructions were clear, as words and terms are used in police language.
“Your Honor, Mr. Chairman, isa lang ang general word na ibigay, lahat alam na namin ang isang meaning din.‘Pag-sabi na mawala, kasali na iyong mamatay, that is very very obvious of us...,” said Espenido. When asked by Chua to clarify if “disap -
22, paragraph (b)(2) of Republic Act 11983 for allegedly using a false Philippine passport. Ong, the official representative of raided Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator Lucky South 99 in Pampanga, will be charged with violation of the Revised Penal Code for Disobedience to Summons issued by the House of Representatives and for obstruction of justice for harboring, concealing, or facilitating the escape of a criminal offender.
The DOJ was referring to the escape of
pear” included killing, Espenido replied, “By all means, Your Honor, exactly.”
Espenido also asked for an executive session to further discuss his conversations with de la Rosa during his stint as chief of police of Albuera, as the information may be sensitive.
Espenido speculated that his transfer to Ozamiz was a punishment for dismantling the Kerwin Espinosa drug syndicate, which he claimed had connections within the police force.
Bong Go, Dela Rosa slam lies SOUGHT for comment, Senator Bong Go cautioned against the use of obvious hearsay from someone like Espenido “who himself admitted in a hearing that he has no direct information or evidence that can show have any Pogo-drug war links.” Go noted that Espenido cited only hearsay, and yet made it part of his affidavit.
“I can categorically say, kailanman ay walaakongkinalamansaanumang Pogo at sa sinasabi niyang reward system sa drug war. When I was still the Special Assistant to the President, I NEVER handled any funds related to the drug war and most especially anything from Pogo. More so when I became senator in 2019,” added the senator.
He pointed out that he himself, as Vice Chair of Senate Committee on Public Order, had said outright that he is against Pogos because they disrupt peace and order.
Senator dela Rosa also reacted. He said he had not seen the video of the former police officer, because he was busy attending a Senate hearing.
He declined at first to comment until he had seen it, but later reacted to Espenido’s misuse of the word “neutralize,” saying, partly in Filipino, that there was nothing wrong in
Guo from the Philippines accompanied by her siblings Sheila and Wesley and Ong.
The group managed to leave the Philippines last month undetected despite the Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order (Ilbo) issued against them by the DOJ and the Bureau of Immigration (BI).
September 1, trial courts will only act upon pleadings and other court submissions in civil cases if the filing is accompanied by an electronic transmittal of the same document in PDF form through email.
Electronic submissions must be completed within 24 hours from the primary manner of service, which includes personal filing, registered mail, or accredited courier.
On the other hand, all orders and documents issued by the trial courts are mandated to be accompanied by an electronic transmittal to the parties and their counsel of PDF copies through email also starting September 1.
Ting said this new innovation will guarantee the speedy resolution of cases being filed in courts.
“Definitely, it will help in that aspect because we are talking about electronic rollos which can be accessed by court personnel and judges anytime. So if they are not dependent on the physical rollos that means they can be working from anywhere and at any time. So we believe this will speed up the decision making process.”
him ordering the former to “neutralize” the drugs problem. “We have to neutralize the drug problem, right? Why, did I say anything about killing people? I didn’t say anything about killing.”
Human rights violations
ESPENIDO also confirmed that numerous human-rights violations were committed during the anti-drug campaign of the Duterte administration.
Espenido, whom Duterte once praised for his role in the drug war, revealed that individuals close to the former President, along with some of his colleagues in the National Police, exploited the “tokhang” operations for personal gain.
Espenido acknowledged that while some drug lords were “neutralized,” the majority of those “eliminated” were ordinary drug users and small-time peddlers.
“In my view, they were victims. I wanted to give them a second chance,” Espenido said.
He said in Leyte, Ozamiz City, and Bacolod City, where he was assigned, he told his men to spare the “victims” in the anti-drug campaign and go after big-time pushers, suppliers, and drug lords.
He said police officers and men “who made the kill received the money.”
He pointed out that police stations he headed accepted rewards only from local governments, and the money was used “to fund further operations.”
He added that when he was assigned in Ozamiz City, dela Rosa called him to tell him to spare a certain town mayor in his operations.
Espenido claimed that the mayor was allegedly a small town lottery operator but was also a suspected drug lord.
Almost 30,000 drug suspects were believed to have been killed in the previous administration’s anti-drug campaign.
The House-approved bill defines “debilitating medical conditions” as including cancer, multiple sclerosis, damage to the nervous system, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, PTSD, rheumatoid arthritis, and other ailments identified by the DOH.
Villafuerte pointed out that cannabis has been used as medicine in Asia for over 6,000 years and criticized the US government for criminalizing it, only to be the first to decriminalize it eventually. Over half of US states have fully or partially decriminalized marijuana possession and use, with some states treating possession as a minor offense with no jail time involved.
Under the House-approved bill, “debilitating medical conditions” include cancer, multiple sclerosis, damage to the nervous system, glaucoma, positive status for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or AIDS, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), rheumatoid arthritis, and other ailments identified by the DOH. Villafuerte also noted that the US FDA has approved several cannabis-based medications, such as Epidiolex, Sativex, Sinemet, and Marinol.
DILG to question Davao court Tepo in favor of Quiboloy’s followers
By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla
THE Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said it will question the validity of a Davao City court order for the removal of the police barricade around the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) compound, where fugitive Apollo Quiboloy, the group’s pastor, is believed be holed out. On Tuesday, the Branch 15 of the Regional Trial Court in Davao City issued a temporary protection order (Tepo) in favor of KJOC and directed the removal of the police barriers around the KOJC premises in Davao City. Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. said that while the department and the National Police will comply with order, they want to get a clarification if the concerned RTC is authorized to issue such a directive.
“We will clarify this. And especially this one. And I think...our lawyer here is the Solicitor General...will file this motion this afternoon,” Abalos told Palace reporters in a chance interview in Cavite on Wednesday. In a Viber message, Solicitor General Menardo I. Guevarra said he is still studying the case.
“But any motion, whether for reconsideration or clarification, will have to be filed in the same court (RTC-Davao City),” Guevarra said. The Tepo from the RTC in Davao City will not affect the ongoing police operations for the arrest of Quiboloy, Abalos said. Citing a resolution issued by the Supreme Court on May 28, Abalos said the jurisdiction on the two criminal cases of Quiboloy was transferred to Quezon City upon the request of the Department of Justice (DOJ). Quiboloy is currently facing human trafficking and child abuse charges.
“The court further directed judges in Davao City and in other stations in Mindanao where future, mind you, future related cases involving Quiboloy and his co-accused may be filed to motu proprio order the transmittal of the records to the Office of the Clerk of Court of the RTC in Quezon City or Metropolitan Trial Court in Quezon City as the case may be,” Abalos said. He maintained the importance of the police barricade to prevent further turmoil around the KOJC compound.
During the weekend, policemen and KOJC members clashed after the latter served the warrant of arrest at the compound.
“But with reference to the barriers. As a matter of fact, this helps in the protection of life. Because if we will just let it be, there might be more conflict [in the KOJC compound],” Abalos said.
Abalos urged Quiboloy to surrender to authorities so he can defend himself before the courts and prevent further conflict in the KOJC compound.
“Now it’s time to tell the people. For your version of what really happened. And let the Philippine legal system take its course,” he said.
Shiela claimed during the continuation of the Senate investigation on illegal Pogo activities that their group left the country using boats but could not determine their point of origin.
The dismissed Bamban mayor is facing a qualified human trafficking case before the DOJ in connection with the illegal POGO activities in her hometown.
Shiela and Ong were arrested by Indonesian authorities on August 22 in Batam and were turned over to Philippine authorities on the basis of the arrest warrants issued by the Senate and the House of Representatives, respectively.
The DOJ resolution also said that the criminal charges against respondents Zhang and Ong for falsification under Article 172 of the RPC (falsification by private individual and use of falsified documents) and for violations of RA 8239 (Passport Act of 1996) and Commonwealth Act 613 (An Act to Control and Regulate the Immigration of Aliens into the Philippines) will be referred to the National Bureau of Investigation and other law enforcement agencies for case build up and further investigation. Joel R. San Juan
Thursday, August 29, 2024
Power shortfall in Siargao forces hotel investors to halt construction–Zubiri
By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo @akosistellaBM Special
Tto the BusinessMirror
HE projected shortfall in pow -
er supply on Siargao Island, the
“Surfing Capital of the Philippines,” has halted major hotel investors from pursuing the construction of their properties.
Former Senate President Miguel Zubiri made this disclosure at the hearing on Tuesday on his Senate Resolution 1121 which calls for an inquiry into the economic impact of poor and inadequate infrastructure and insufficient water supply on the tourism industry.
“I was told by my dear friend, compadre, Mayor [Alfredo Matugas] Coro of Del Carmen, that they actually have several locators already there—bigname hotels and resorts—but their construction is on hold because they
were told power could not be guaranteed.” The lawmaker could not remember, however, the names of these hotel locators.
A tourism source separately confirmed to the BusinessMirror that they, too, were informed about the power shortfall, which is the reason they are decreasing the number of rooms at their resort. But they will continue building, the source said on background: “We are working with the electric company to supply us enough power in two years,” when their property is scheduled to open. The inquiry was made by the Committee on Economic Affairs, which Zubiri now chairs, and conducted jointly with the Committees on Tourism, and Finance.
Projected energy demand in 5 years
ZUBIRI noted that the current de -
mand for power on Siargao, a province of Surigao del Norte, is about 50 megawatts ( MW ), but the supply is only 40 MW, thus the frequent power interruptions there. In five years, “We’re looking at a projected 60- M W power demand to cater to the foreseeable increase in tourists and businesses on the island,” he said.
A recent survey by Leechiu Property Consultants indicated that Siargao, which hosts international surfing and game fishing competitions, is attracting a lot of interest from hotel investors, who considers it an “emerging market.” (See,“PHL hotel investors drawn to Bohol, El Nido, Siargao,” in the BusinessMirror June 24, 2024.)
Among the hospitality companies which are constructing new properties on the island include Boulevard Holdings Inc.’s Friday’s Resort, to be managed by the Radisson Hotel Group; the Cebu-based BE Group of Companies, which will build a luxury villa resort; and Filipinoowned Hira Holdings Inc., which will build a luxury eco-friendly villa resort that will be managed by the Robinsons Hotels and Resorts. As of the first quarter of 2024, there are 148 hospitality accommodations with 1,270 keys in Siargao that have been accredited by the Department of Tourism (DOT).
At the hearing, resource persons intimidated that right-of-way issues as well as the high cost of land on Siargao have blocked efforts to expand its current airport, and the construction of an international airport, respectively. Despite these, and other challenges, such as the lack of clean toilet facilities, potable water
supply, and inroads connecting one municipality to another, tourism there has helped boost Caraga region’s economic development.
Lower poverty incidence
DINAGAT Islands Gov. Nilo Demerey Jr., who chairs the Caraga Regional Development Council (RDC), said, “[The] region reduced its poverty incidence among families to 14.9 percent [in 2023] from 25.9 percent in 2021, mainly due to tourism.” Other Caraga provinces include Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, and Surigao del Sur, celebrated for its Hinatuan Enchanted River.
Demerey noted that tourism receipts in Caraga last year reached P17.5 billion, from P8.7 billion in 2022, and contributed 5.2 percent to the region’s economy. In 2023, tourist arrivals reached 1.46 million, both foreigners and locals, already 94 percent of total arrivals in prepandemic 2019.
Zubiri expressed hope that “tourism gems” in the country would not suffer like Bohol, where it took almost 20 years for a new international airport to be constructed. Now it is reaping the gains, he said, and attracting a lot of foreign tourists.
Meanwhile, Tourism Undersecretary Shahlimar Hofer Tamano disclosed that foreign tourists in 2024 will likely reach “6 million,” with arrivals as of August 19 just 3.86 million. The DOT had originally targeted 7.7 million international travelers this year, having banked on return of some 1.74 million mainland Chinese tourists. (See, “7.7-M arrivals goal now a ‘moving target’—DOT,” in the BusinessMirror , August 19, 2024.)
DTI to beauty product makers: Tap US, ME, Europe markets
By Andrea San Juan @andreasanjuan
PHILIPPINE makers of beauty products such as whitening creams and lotions as well as virgin coconut oil may tap into export potential of these products in the United States as well as countries in Middle East and Europe, among others, according to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
“One brand, the Kojie San is being exported. And then the Silka Papaya is also a very strong brand that’s being exported,” DTI Acting Secretary Cristina Aldeguer-Roque told reporters on the sidelines of the DTI’s first Beauty Fair held in Mandaluyong City on Wednesday. For her part, Marievic Bonoan of DTI-Bureau of Market Development, Promotions and [One Town,One Product] Otop said that the Kojie San soap is now “saleable” in Indonesia, according to DTI’s commercial attaché in Jakarta.
Aldeguer-Roque emphasized “There’s really a strong export market for these beauty products especially the products that are let’s say papaya or virgin coconut oil [based], which are also very popular abroad.”
In pushing to tap the US$3.3 trillion global potential of Halal products, the DTI Acting Secretary also noted that “So there’s also Halal beauty products. So we’ll push for this one.”
As to the potential markets which the Philippine beauty product makers can tap, Aldeguer-Roque said, “There’s the Middle East, there’s also US, there’s also Europe, because they also like the pili oil. They also like the virgin coconut oil. They like any coconut products and then they also like the whitening for some…let’s say, countries where they want to make paputi or what, then the papaya soap is very strong.”
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) indicate that coconut
oil exports posted the fastest growth rate among the merchandise exports of the Philippines in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period last year.
PSA data noted that coconut oil exports grew by 52.8 percent to $891.34 million in the January to June 2024 period from the $583.24 million in the six-month period in 2023. During the DTI’s first Beauty Fair held at the Megamall, Aldeguer-Roque said she wants to “level up” the trade fairs being held by the Trade department by making these fairs more “targeted” in order to gather more micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
“So I decided to start with a very targeted trade fairs, which is like the food fair, we just stuck it to all to food, and then the National Trade Fair, which is the handicrafts and a little bit of food. Now it’s the beauty. After that, we also have fashion,” said Aldeguer-Roque. She noted, “Then after that, we also have a bridal [fair] so it’s really targeted ang fairs ng DTI so that we can really get a lot of the MSMEs together so that hindi siya halo-halo.”
With the potential to grow into a “billion-peso” industry, AldeguerRoque described the Philippine beauty products as “easy to sell.”
“You can sell it online. You can also sell it in stores. The stores don’t have to be big,” she noted, adding that social media has been the growth driver of the local beauty industry. The DTI Beauty Fair 2024 at the Mega Fashion Hall in Mandaluyong City will be from August 28 to September 1. DTI said there are more than 40 local brands present at the Beauty Fair. These exhibitors are selling skincare, haircare, personal care, bodycare and cosmetics products, among others. Among these local brands, there are around seven brands selling coconutbased beauty products.
PHL govt eyes MDT review amid new WPS incidents
By Samuel P. Medenilla
T@sam_medenilla
HE government is now eye -
ing to review the provisions of the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) with the United States amid China’s growing aggression in the West Philippine Sea.
National Maritime Council (NMC) spokesman Undersecretary
Alexander Lopez said they are now considering the option amid the new security challenges faced by the country.
“For me, the Mutual Defense Treaty was [signed] way back in 1951. And since then, the strategic landscape has changed so much. So, maybe it’s high time now to maybe review,” he told reporters in an interview in Malacañang on Wednesday.
He said the Department of Defence will determine which of the provisions of the MDT can be updated.
Earlier this week, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro stressed
the need to expand or change the MDT to allow the US to support the country in stopping China’s activities that have jeopardized Philippine units in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
Aside from the US, Lopez said the Philippines is also actively engaging with other countries to enforce international laws in the WPS.
In a related development, the NMC official said they are providing technical inputs to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in the diplomatic protest the country will file against China for the Escodal shoal incident.
The incident involved Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) sea vessels ramming two Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ships.
“We, the members of the council are basically giving technical information so that the Department of Foreign Affairs can really study what is the violation, what is the right approach, diplomatic approach,” Lopez said.
Neda Board tackles infra projects, CSC modernization
By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla
THE modernization of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and updates on the flagship infrastructure projects, including the Bohol International Airport and the Laguindingan International Airport, were discussed in the latest board meeting of the National Economic and Development (Neda).
In an interview with Palace reporters, NEDA Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan said among the highlights of the meeting led by President Ferdinand Marcos in Malacañang on Wednesday is the Philippine Civil Service Modernization program.
“It’s quite an important project for the development of human resource management processes in the public sector,” he said. He said they approved expanding the membership of the Neda Board to include the secretaries
of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Education.
The measure aims to ensure the implementation priorities of the priorities of the Marcos administration in food security, as well as education and skill development.
The board also discussed the Metro Manila Priority Bridges Seismic Improvement Project for the improvement of the safety and resilience of the Lambingan Bridge and the Guadalupe Bridge.
It also approved the confirmation of referendum decisions on the upgrade, expansion, and operation and maintenance of both the Bohol International Airport at Laguindingan International Airport.
“We also reported on the progress in the implementation of the 186 infrastructure flagship projects and also how those relate with earlier reported as problematic ODA (overseas development assistance) projects,” Balisacan said.
New IPOPHL rules for IP agents’ recognition bared
THE Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) recently announced new rules to recognize intellectual property (IP) agents and attorneys, with the goal of ensuring the “credibility and competency” of individuals providing IP services.
Taking effect last August 22,2024, the Office’s Memorandum Circulars 12 and 13 introduced a formal recognition system for patent and trademark agents and attorneys, respectively.
In a statement on Wednesday, IPOPHL explained that the guidelines set the standards for the recognition’s qualifications, application procedures, training, fees, grounds for revocation, cancellation and renewal.
“The new rules require agents and attorneys to fulfill certain documentary requirements, complete requisite training and pass a qualifying examination to become recognized patent and trademark agents and attorneys,” said IPOPHL. The intellectual property rights watchdog also noted that Recognition Boards comprising five members will be formed to oversee the implementation of the system.
It explained that the recognition is mandatory for non-lawyers who are providing patent and trademark services to IP owners. In contrast, the recognition is voluntary for lawyers. According to IPOPHL, the names of recognized agents and lawyers will be posted and regularly updated on the IPOPHL website. The country’s IP rights body said the recognition is valid for three years and is subject for renewal.
IPOPHL noted that recognition may
DTI, Arta ready deal to cut down biz process for MSME
By Andrea E. San Juan @andreasanjuan
THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said it is set to ink an agreement with the Anti-Red Tape Authority (Arta) to cut down the process of doing business for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the local market and to prepare these businesses to become export-ready.
“We will be signing a [Memorandum of Agreement] MOA on that soon to make it easy for the local market, for access, to ease the business locally, and also to be able to get the papers ready, so that they will be ready for export,” DTI Acting Secretary Cristina Aldeguer-Roque told reporters on the sidelines of the agency’s first ever Beauty Fair held in Mandaluyong City on Wednesday.
“Also the MSMEs, aside from the big, of course, the big industries which we really support, we also have a push for the small and medium enterprises,” she noted. “The small [enterprises], P3 million to P10 million assets. And then for the medium is P11 million to P100 million in assets. So these are people that are really ready to conquer the global arena,” said Aldeguer-Roque.
The Acting DTI Secretary said the MOA aims to reduce the steps in doing business for Filipino MSMEs.
“‘We will cut the steps. Let’s just say from six steps, it should be three steps. That’s also what I did in [Small Business Corporation] SB Corp. which is under the DTI. So before, they only want collateral but we have to realize MSMEs have no collateral,” said Aldeguer-Roque, adding that in making a loan with SB Corp., it used to take small merchants months, but now it had been cut down to 19 days.
In doing business in the Philippines, she explained the goals of DTI and Arta under this MOA, saying, “So locally, cut down the process and globally, come up with...of course when we’re abroad we have to follow the rules in that country but here in our country, we can also shorten the steps, which is what we discussed with [Arta] Secretary Perez.”
A few weeks ago, DTI-Export Marketing Bureau Director Bianca Pearl R. Sykimte told the BusinessMirror that Filipino MSME exporters are finding it difficult to compete in international markets
due to problems in getting necessary certifications, among others. Sykimte said these challenges were underscored in the Needs Assessment Survey that the export marketing division of DTI has been conducting to address the needs of stakeholders.
“Based on the results of the said survey, the following are the key challenges of exporters: Regulatory compliance;Pro duction,particularly on costing and pricing and Certification,” Sykimte told the BusinessMirror in a Viber message earlier this month.
“These challenges have made it more difficult for MSME exporters to effectively compete in international markets,” she noted. The Trade official said this includes cost of complying and getting the “necessary” certifications. Moreover, exporters raised “lengthy process and tedious documentation required.”
Sykimte said exporters both raised issues in securing local and international certifications. (Full story here: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2024/08/09/whycant-msme-exports-competedti-explains/)
be taken away from any representative who no longer meets the required standards, or is convicted of offenses involving dishonesty or violations under the IP Code of the Philippines. Those who breach their “fiduciary duties,” engage in improper conduct or gross negligence as determined by the Recognition Boards, fail to adhere to ethical standards, lose legal capacity or die will also be stripped of recognition.
Meanwhile, to allow agents to adapt “smoothly” to the new rules, IPOPHL said it has given patent representatives 24 months and trademark representatives 18 months from the August 2024 effectivity date of the circulars as transition period.
For his part, IPOPHL Director General Rowel S. Barba said the new system will allow IPOPHL to “officially recognize professionals who provide patent and trademark services to creators, innovators, entrepreneurs and related stakeholders,” adding that the scope of service will include legal representation in administrative cases and mediation proceedings.
“Overall, this will strengthen the IP profession as it sets standards that make for satisfactory and quality IP services,” Barba added, noting the new rules will also help the public differentiate legitimate IP professionals from possible “fraudulent operators.”
Barba encouraged future applicants to seek the assistance of recognized patent agents and attorneys to ensure they only engage with “reputable” individuals who possess competence and experience in the field of IP. Andrea E. San Juan
PDLs’ food budget, prison decongestion bug DOJ
TBy Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573
HE Department of Jus -
tice (DOJ) on Wednesday lamented the unresolved problem of corruption in the P70 food budget allotted for persons deprived of liberty (PDLs).
At the budget hearing for 2025 conducted by the Senate Committee on Finance (Subcommittee A), Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla was asked by Senator Nancy Binay how much the department has set aside for the PDLs’ food allowance.
Remulla agreed with Binay that the daily allocation of P70 per prisoner is higher than the P64 for three meals a day that the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) considered as the level in which one is deemed not “food poor.”
However, the justice secretary
admitted that only P45 worth of food per day would end up on the prisoners’ table.
“The Neda’s figure has no kickback. The problem is with the bidding process; the supplier system—that is where corruption happens. It’s so difficult to prevent and we are trying to figure out the best way to feed these prisoners sufficiently,” Remulla said.
“The estimate of my colleagues inside the DOJ is that out of the P70, you are already lucky if P45 worth of food would go to the table of each prisoner,” he said.
Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) General Director Gregorio Catapang Jr., on the other hand said, the latest winning bidder for PDL’s food distribution has allotted P59 per day, which is now much lower to Neda’s figure.
Catapang said the P59 budget would include eggs and rice for
PDLs, which they often recook to improve the taste.
The BuCor’s budget allocation for PDLs’ food for 2024 was P1.5 billion.
Senator Grace Poe, the Senate Finance committee chair, promised to find ways to resolve the situation.
Also at the hearing, Senator JV Ejercito asked Remulla what DOJ programs would be affected, considering that only P40.58 billion was approved in the 2005 National Expenditure Program out of the P65 billion it requested.
Remulla pointed to the DOJ and BuCor’s planned prison modernization program as the one that would likely suffer due to the cut in their proposed budget.
He stressed that a mega prison such as the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa is already considered “taboo” around the
world as this dehumanizes the condition of PDLs.
He said congestion of correction facilities in the country is already “unmanageable.”
Remulla cited the NBP, which was actually designed for 5,500 PDLs; it is now catering to 21,000 inmates.
“It’s really a pitiful situation that we have right now within our prisons, that’s why we wanted to decentralize the prison system and to build 15 regional jails in the different capitals all throughout the country of 5,000 each maximum,” the DOJ secretary explained.
“But this has not been given any importance, well the government has more important things than this,” Remulla added.
Remulla said the DOJ is exploring the possibility of entering into public-private partnership (PPP) to address the problem.
STREET DREAMS Pedestrians walk past a vibrant mural by Korean artist Jun-wook, a striking piece of art that contrasts sharply with the harsh realities of life on the streets. Nearby, a homeless individual sleeps on the sidewalk along the national road in Teresa, Rizal, highlighting the juxtaposition of creativity and the ongoing struggles faced by many in the community. The mural, while a symbol of cultural expression, also serves as a poignant backdrop to the pressing social issues that persist in the area. BERNARD TESTA
Russia’s massive missile and drone strikes hit Ukraine for 2nd day, raising nuclear concerns
By Illia Novikov The Associated Press
KYIV, Ukraine—Russia fired dozens of missiles and drones across Ukraine for a second day on Tuesday, including some that Ukraine’s president said were shot down by Western-supplied F-16 fighter jets before they reached their targets.
The onslaught killed at least five people, destroying a hotel, homes and residential buildings as well as critical infrastructure in multiple Ukrainian regions. Kyiv and other cities had power outages in sweltering heat.
As it often does in statements after Russian bombing raids, Ukraine’s military listed the Russian regions and occupied territories where the weapons were launched. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other top officials have called repeatedly for the US to lift restrictions and let Ukraine strike deep inside Russia to hit military infrastructure responsible for the war.
“(The allies) try not to speak with me about it. But I keep raising this topic. Generally, that’s it. The Olympics are over, but the pingpong continues,” Zelenskyy said. In comments addressing the apparent first use by Ukraine of the F-16s to shoot down a missile, Zelenskyy thanked Ukraine’s supporters for them but said there were too few, and too few pilots trained to fly them.
Among the Russian regions listed as a source of Tuesday’s attack was Kursk, where the head of the Ukrainian army said his troops have gained control of nearly 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles) since their surprise incursion three weeks ago. That’s roughly the size of Los Angeles.
Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi also said Ukraine has captured 594 Russian prisoners in the operation, which he said was intended to draw Russia’s military away from the fighting in Ukraine. His claims could not be independently confirmed.
The Kursk operation, the largest incursion into Russia since World War II, has forced some 130,000 residents to evacuate their homes. Russia has sent reinforcements into the region, but it was not clear to what extent the
movements might be weakening Russia’s positions in Ukrainian territory.
Fighting in the region has raised concerns about dangers to the Kursk nuclear power plant, said International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi, who visited it Tuesday. He said in a post on X the situation was “serious” and called any attack on a nuclear plant unacceptable.
“There is now a danger of a nuclear incident here,” Grossi said. “Today I was told about sev -
Devastating impact of conflict: Gaza Strip sees first polio case in 25 years
By Wafaa Shurafa & Samy Magdy
The Associated Press
EIR AL-BALAH, Gaza
DStrip—Born into the devastating Israel-Hamas war, 10-month-old Abdel-Rahman Abu El-Jedian started crawling early. Then one day, he froze—his left leg appeared to be paralyzed.
The baby boy is the first confirmed case of polio inside Gaza in 25 years, according to the World Health Organization.
Abdel-Rahman was an energetic baby, said the child’s mother, Nevine Abu El-Jedian, fighting back tears. “Suddenly, that was reversed. Suddenly, he stopped crawling, stopped moving, stopped standing up, and stopped sitting.”
Health care workers in Gaza have been warning of the potential for a polio outbreak for months, as the humanitarian crisis unleashed by Israel’s offensive on the strip only grows. Abdel-Rahman’s diagnosis confirms health workers’ worst fears. Before the war, Gaza’s children were largely vaccinated against polio, the WHO says. But Abdel-Rahman was not
vaccinated because he was born just before October 7, when Hamas militants attacked Israel and Israel launched a retaliatory offensive on Gaza that forced his family into near-immediate flight. Hospitals came under attack, and regular vaccinations for newborns all but stopped.
The WHO says that for every case of paralysis due to polio, there are hundreds more who likely have been infected but aren’t showing symptoms. Most people who contract the disease do not experience symptoms, and those who do usually recover in a week or so. But there is no cure, and when polio causes paralysis, it is usually permanent. If the paralysis affects breathing muscles, the disease can be fatal.
The Abu El-Jedian family, like many, now live in a crowded tent camp, near heaps of garbage and dirty wastewater flowing into the streets that aid workers describe as breeding grounds for diseases like polio, spread through fecal matter. The United Nations has unveiled plans to begin a vaccination campaign to stop the spread and protect other families from the ordeal the Abu El-Jedian family now faces. The family of 10 left their
home in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya, moving from shelter to shelter until finally settling in a tent in the central city of Deir al-Balah.
“My son was not vaccinated because of the continued displacement,” his mother said. “We are sheltering here in the tent in such health conditions where there is no medication, no capabilities, no supplements.”
The mother of eight said she was “stunned” to find out that her boy had contracted polio.
The WHO says that there are at least two other children with paralysis reported in the strip, and samples of their stool have been sent to a lab in Jordan.
In order to vaccinate most of Gaza’s children under the age of 10, UNICEF spokesperson Ammar Ammar said a cease-fire is necessary. The health agencies seek a pause in the fighting, which in recent days has sent thousands of Palestinian families fleeing under successive Israeli evacuation orders. Many children live in areas of Gaza that ongoing Israeli military operations make difficult to reach.
“Without the polio pause or cease-fire, it would be impossible,” Ammar said. “This is due
to the continued evacuation orders and continued displacement of the children and their families. In addition, it can be extremely dangerous for teams as well, to be able to reach the children.”
The United Nations aims to vaccinate at least 95 percent of more than 640,000 children, beginning Saturday. Already 1.2 million doses of vaccine have arrived in Gaza, with 400,000 more doses set to arrive in the coming weeks, according to UNICEF. Israel’s military body in charge of civilian affairs, COGAT, said it allowed UN trucks carrying over 25,000 vials of the vaccine through the Kerem Shalom crossing Sunday.
“If this is not implemented, it could have a disastrous effect, not only for the children in Gaza, but also neighboring countries and across the borders in the region,” Ammar said.
Back in the family’s tent in Deir Al-Balah, Nevine Abu El-Jedian gazed at her youngest boy, lying still in a plastic car seat-turned bassinet as her seven other children gathered around.
“I hope he returns to be like his siblings, sitting down and moving,” she said.
eral cases of drone attacks on the territory, on the plant’s facilities. At the plant I saw traces of these attacks.”
But the plant now is operating “in a mode very close to normal,” he said.
The Russian Defense Ministry asserted Tuesday that Ukraine has suffered heavy casualties in Kursk—some 6,600 troops killed or injured—and that more than 70 tanks have been destroyed along with scores of armored vehicles.
Those figures could not be independently confirmed.
The head of the Ukrainian army’s claim of territorial control came hours after the second consecutive barrage of nighttime air and missile attacks from Russia.
Five people were reported killed and 16 injured in the attacks, which Zelenskyy said included 81 drones as well as cruise and ballistic missiles.
In the Kyiv region, which struggled with blackouts after Monday’s onslaught that targeted energy facilities throughout the country, five air alerts were called during the night. The regional administration said air defenses destroyed all the drones and missiles but falling debris set off forest fires.
After Monday’s barrage across
Ukraine of more than 100 missiles and a similar number of drones, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said “the energy infrastructure has once again become the target of Russian terrorists” and urged Ukraine’s allies to provide it with long-range weapons and permission to use them on targets inside Russia.
President Joe Biden called Monday’s Russian attack on energy infrastructure “outrageous” and said he had “reprioritized US air defense exports so they are sent to Ukraine first.” He also said the US was “surging energy equipment to Ukraine to repair its systems and strengthen the resilience of Ukraine’s energy grid.” The Russian Defense Ministry said the attacks used “long-range precision air- and sea-based weapons and strike drones against critical energy infrastructure facilities that support the operation of Ukraine’s military-industrial complex. All designated targets were hit.” Russian officials reported four Ukrainian missiles were shot down over the Kursk region.
The Associated Press writer Jim Heintz in Tallinn, Estonia, contributed to this report.
New Hampshire resident dies from rare mosquito virus, alarms health officials
By Patrick Whittle The Associated Press
ANEW Hampshire resident infected with the mosquito-borne eastern equine encephalitis virus has died, state health authorities said.
The Hampstead resident’s infection was the first in the state in a decade, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday. The resident, whom the department only identified as an adult, had been hospitalized due to severe central nervous system symptoms, the department said.
About a third of people who develop encephalitis from the virus die from the infection, and survivors can suffer lifelong mental and physical disabilities. There is no vaccine or antiviral treatment available for infections, which can cause flu-like symptoms and lead to severe neurological disease along with inflammation of the brain and membranes around the spinal cord.
“When it does cause an infection, it is very, very severe. Although it’s a very rare infection, we have no treatment for it,” said Dr. Richard Ellison, immunologist and infectious disease specialist at University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center.
“Once someone gets it, it’s just—all we can do is provide supportive care, and it can kill people.”
Nationally, the burden of eastern equine encephalitis can vary from year to year. There are typically about 11 human cases in the US per year, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There were seven cases nationally last year, but more
than 30 in 2019, which was a historically bad year in which at least a dozen patients died, according to federal data. The 2019 outbreak included six deaths among 12 confirmed cases in Massachusetts, and the outbreak continued the following year with five more cases and another death. Two of the three people infected in New Hampshire in 2014 died.
This year, human infections have been confirmed in New Jersey, Wisconsin, Massachusetts and Vermont as well as New Hampshire, according to the CDC.
The New Hampshire health department said the virus has also been detected in one horse and several mosquito batches in New Hampshire this summer. Mosquitoes that carry the virus can sometimes be found in developed areas that used to be swampland where they can still find habitat, Ellison said.
Public health authorities in states where mosquito-borne infections happen encourage people to take precautions, preventing mosquito bites by using repellent, wearing long sleeves and pants and avoiding outdoor activity in the early morning and evening when mosquitoes are most active. Removing any standing water where mosquitoes breed also is important.
“We believe there is an elevated risk for EEEV infections this year in New England given the positive mosquito samples identified. The risk will continue into the fall until there is a hard frost that kills the mosquitos. Everybody should take steps to prevent mosquito bites when they are outdoors,” said New Hampshire epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan.
Africa’s mpox outbreaks result from neglect, world’s inability to stop epidemics–experts
By Maria Cheng Ap Medical Writer
LONDON—The growing mpox outbreaks in Africa that triggered the World Health Organization’s emergency declaration are largely the result of decades of neglect and the global community’s inability to stop sporadic epidemics among a population with little immunity against the smallpox-related disease, leading African scientists said Tuesday.
According to Dr. Dimie Ogoina, who chaired WHO’s mpox emergency committee, negligence has led to a new, more transmissible version of the virus emerging in countries with few resources to stop outbreaks.
Mpox, also known as monkeypox, had been spreading mostly undetected for years in Africa before the disease prompted the 2022 outbreak in more than 70 countries, Ogoina said at a virtual news conference. “What we are witnessing in Africa now
is different from the global outbreak in 2022,” he said. While that outbreak was overwhelmingly focused in gay and bisexual men, mpox in Africa is now being spread via sexual transmission as well as through close contact among children, pregnant women and other vulnerable groups. And while most people over 50 were likely vaccinated against smallpox—which may provide some protection against mpox—that is not the case for Africa’s mostly young population, who Ogoina said
were mostly susceptible. Mpox belongs to the same family of viruses as smallpox but causes milder symptoms like fever and body aches. It mostly spreads through close skin-to-skin contact, including sex. People with more serious cases can develop prominent blisters on the face, hands, chest and genitals.
Earlier this month, WHO declared the surging mpox outbreaks in Congo and 11 other countries in Africa to be a global emergency.
On Tuesday, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there were more than 22,800 mpox cases and 622 deaths on the continent and that infections had jumped 200 percent in the last week.
The majority of cases and deaths are in Congo, where most mpox infections are in children under 15.
Dr. Placide Mbala-Kingebeni, a Congolese scientist who helped identify the newest version of mpox, said diagnostic tests being used in the country did not
always pick it up, making it hard to track the variant’s spread.
In May, Mbala-Kingebeni, who heads a lab at Congo’s National Institute for Biomedical Research, published research showing a new form of mpox that may be less deadly but more transmissible. The noted mutations suggested it was “more adapted to human transmission,” he said, but the lack of tests in Congo and elsewhere complicated efforts to monitor outbreaks. The new variant has been detected in
Mexico puts relations with US and Canada ‘on pause’ over judicial overhaul concerns
By Megan Janetsky The Associated Press
MEXICO CITY—Mexico’s president told reporters
Tuesday he has put relations with the United States and Canadian embassies “on pause” after the two countries voiced concerns over a proposed judicial overhaul that critics say could undermine the independence of the judiciary.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador didn’t elaborate on what a pause would mean. It’s not a term used in formal diplomatic codes, and Mexico’s foreign ministry did not respond to an Associated Press request for comment about what it would entail.
The judicial overhaul proposal, suggested by the Mexican president during his final weeks in office, includes having judges elected to office, something analysts, judges and international observers
fear would stack courts with politically biased judges with little experience. It has spurred major protests and strikes and wide criticism from investors and financial institutions.
Last week, American ambassador Ken Salazar called the proposal a “risk” to democracy that would endanger Mexico’s commercial relationship with the United States. López Obrador lambasted the ambassador, saying he violated Mexican sovereignty. Salazar has since
dialed back his tone, writing on X that he was open to a dialogue.
López Obrador said during his morning press briefing Tuesday he believed the sharp comments were not from Salazar, but rather from the US State Department.
“We’re not going to tell him (Salazar) to leave the country,” he said, “I hope that they promise to be respectful of Mexican’s independence, of our country’s sovereignty. But until that happens, and they continue these policies,
it’s on pause.” He added cheekily, “we are going to take our time,” garnering laughs from some reporters.
López Obrador also accused Canada of interfering with an internal matter for expressing apprehension about the proposal. The three countries share a crucial commercial relationship that reached an estimated $1.8 trillion in trade in 2022. So far, the tensions show no clear signs of how they can affect the longstanding
Iran’s supreme leader opens door to renewed talks with US over Tehran’s nuclear program
By Jon Gambrell The Associated Press
DUBAI, United Arab Emir -
ates—Iran’s supreme leader opened the door Tuesday to renewed negotiations with the United States over his country’s rapidly advancing nuclear program, telling its civilian government there was “no harm” in engaging with its “enemy.”
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s remarks set clear red lines for any talks taking place under the government of reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian and renewed his warnings that Washington wasn’t to be trusted.
But his comments mirror those around the time of Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, which saw Tehran’s nuclear program greatly curtailed in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. Yet it remains unclear just how much room Pezeshkian will have to maneuver, particularly as tensions remain high in the wider Middle East over the Israel-Hamas war and as the US prepares for a presidential election in November.
“This does not mean that we cannot interact with the same enemy in certain situations,” Khamenei said, according to a transcript on his official website. “There is no harm in that, but do not place your hopes in them.” Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters, also warned Pezeshkian’s Cabinet, “Do not trust the enemy.”
Khamenei, 85, has occasionally urged talks or dismissed them with Washington after then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from the deal in 2018.
There have been indirect talks between Iran and the US in recent years mediated by Oman and Qatar, two of the United States’ Middle East interlocutors when it comes to Iran. Khamenei’s re -
marks came a day after Qatar’s prime minister visited the country.
Asked for comment, the US State Department told The Associated Press: “We will judge Iran’s leadership by their actions, not their words.”
“We have long said that we ultimately view diplomacy as the best way to achieve an effective, sustainable solution with regard to Iran’s nuclear program,” it said. “However, we are far away from anything like that right now given Iran’s escalations across the board, including its nuclear escalations and its failure to cooperate” with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations nuclear watchdog.
“If Iran wants to demonstrate seriousness or a new approach, they should stop nuclear escalations and start meaningfully cooperating with the IAEA,” it said.
Since the deal’s collapse, Iran has abandoned all limits that the deal put on its program, and enriches uranium to up to 60 percent purity—near weapons-grade levels of 90 percent.
Surveillance cameras installed by the IAEA have been disrupted,
while Iran has barred some of the Vienna-based agency’s most experienced inspectors. Iranian officials also have increasingly threatened that they could pursue atomic weapons.
Meanwhile, tensions between Iran and Israel have hit a new high during the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. Tehran launched an unprecedented drone-and-missile attack on Israel in April after years of a shadow war between the two countries reached a climax with Israel’s apparent attack on an Iranian consular building in Syria that killed two Iranian generals and others.
The assassination in Tehran of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh also prompted Iran to threaten to retaliate against Israel.
Pezeshkian, a former lawmaker who won the presidency after a May helicopter crash killed hardline President Ebrahim Raisi, campaigned in part on a promise to reengage the West with negotiations. Khamenei’s remarks as Iran’s paramount leader could provide him with the political cover to do so. Pezeshkian’s new foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, was
deeply involved in negotiations on the 2015 deal.
“After doing everything we can, a tactical retreat might sometimes be necessary, but we should not abandon our goals or opinions at the first sign of difficulty,” Khameini also said Tuesday, the second time in recent days he’s referred to a “tactical retreat” amid the tensions.
However, it’s not just Iran that’s facing a new presidency. The US will hold a presidential election on November 5, with Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump as the leading candidates. Iran has been concerned about Trump’s return to power.
While the US engaged in indirect talks with Iran under President Joe Biden, it remains unclear how that would carry over to a possible Harris administration.
Harris, in a speech to the Democratic National Convention last week, said: “I will never hesitate to take whatever action is necessary to defend our forces and our interests against Iran and Iranbacked terrorists.”
The RANE Network, a riskintelligence firm, said if Harris wins, “the likelihood of a deal will rise as the Israel-Hamas war winds down.”
“Once negotiations begin, Iran will likely demand more protections regarding a potential US withdrawal from a new deal after the United States walked away from the previous deal in 2018,” RANE said in an analysis Tuesday.
“Because of concerns about the sustainability of any new deal, Iran is also less likely to offer as many nuclear concessions, like the dismantling of more advanced centrifuges, since Iran would want to be able to spin up its nuclear program as fast as possible in the event of another US exit from the new deal.”
economic and diplomatic relationship between them.
Salazar has since dialed back his tone, writing on X that he was open to a dialogue and that he respected Mexican sovereignty. But as he did, members of the bipartisan Senate Foreign Relations Committee, including Republican Sen. Marco Rubio and Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine, issued a joint statement saying they were “deeply concerned” about the judicial overhaul and other proposed reforms to the constitution, which they say could “contradict commitments” made in their trade agreement.
The comments are likely to only further irritate the populist leader.
Mexico’s Secretary of Foreign Relations Alicia Bárcena took to X to say she supports López Obrador in railing against what she called an “interventionist” policy by the US and Canada. However, she added in the same post that the trilateral relationship was a “priority” and that ties continue on as “normal.”
It’s not the first time the Mexican state head has thrown around the phrase. In 2022, he announced a diplomatic pause with Spain over a dispute with energy companies. At the time, López Obrador said the pause “is not a break in rela -
tions” with Spain, but “nothing more than a respectful and fraternal protest against the abuses and grievances committed against the people of Mexico and our country.” However, the latest comments aimed at the US ambassador come amid heightened tensions between the two governments in recent months, after the US nailed Mexican drug lord Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada in a peculiar set of events. As more information has been revealed about the case, López Obrador has taken on an increasingly belligerent tone, said Carlos Pérez Ricart, a political analyst at Mexico’s Center for Economic Research and Teaching. “In other circumstances, in another context, he might have just listened, not escalated the conflict,” Pérez Ricart said. “In the past months, we’ve seen a lot more radical statements towards the United States.” López Obrador is set to pass the baton to his political ally and President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, who takes office on October 1. Pérez Ricart said while the recent tensions may burden Mexico’s first woman president, it can also help her set herself apart as a more moderate head of state.
Proposed UN resolution on Myanmar condemns military attacks on civilians, urges peace efforts
By Edith M. Lederer The Associated Press
UNITED NATIONS—Britain circulated a wide-ranging United Nations resolution on Myanmar urging renewed peace efforts, condemning attacks on civilians—especially by the Myanmar military—and calling for a halt to illicit arms transfers.
The draft resolution obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press expresses “alarm at the increased violence across Myanmar,” which is engulfed in civil war between the military-led regime and resistance forces.
It calls for “safe, rapid, and unhindered humanitarian access at scale,” expressing “grave concern” at the deteriorating humanitarian situation and restrictions on humanitarian access in the country that led to rising food insecurity and hunger.
The proposed resolution warns that the current situation has the potential to further exacerbate discrimination, ethnically motivated violence, violations of international humanitarian law, human rights abuses, and conflict-related sexual violence.
Myanmar’s military ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, 2021. It was the day Parliament was to reconvene following November 2020 elections, which her National League for Democracy party won overwhelmingly— an outcome the military claims without evidence was based on fraud. Suu Kyi and party members remain under arrest.
The takeover was met with massive public opposition, which has since turned into armed resistance and civil war.
The military regime now faces its great -
est challenge from the ethnic minority militias and people’s defense forces that support the main opposition and have captured wide swaths of territory in fierce fighting in recent months.
The draft resolution stresses the central role of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the 10-country bloc whose 2021 peace plan has so far been rejected by Myanmar’s generals. It calls for an immediate end to the violence and dialogue among contending parties brokered through an Asean envoy. The draft resolution urges renewed efforts by the Asean special envoy to Myanmar, Alounkeo Kittikhoun, and new U.N. special envoy, Julie Bishop, “to engage all relevant stakeholders to seek a peaceful, inclusive solution to the crisis in Myanmar.” Security Council negotiations on the draft resolution are expected to be tough. The 15-member council approved its first-ever resolution on Myanmar in December 2022 by a vote of 12-0 with three abstentions—Russia, China and India, who all have ties to the Myanmar regime. India’s two-year term on the council ended that month, but Russia and China are veto wielding permanent members of the council. The proposed draft demands full implementation of the December 2022 resolution, which demanded an immediate end to violence in the Southeast Asian nation and urged its military rulers to release all “arbitrarily detained” prisoners, including Suu Kyi, and to restore democratic institutions. It also called for the country’s opposing parties to pursue dialogue and reconciliation and urged all sides “to respect human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law.”
The Associated Press writer Nasser Karimi contributed to this report from Tehran, Iran.
IN this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei attends a meeting with the President Masoud Pezeshkian’s administration, in Tehran, Iran on Tuesday, August 27, 2024. Iran’s supreme leader opened the door Tuesday to renewed negotiations with the United States over his country’s rapidly advancing nuclear program, telling its civilian government there was “no barrier” to engaging with its “enemy.” OFFICE OF THE IRANIAN
PROTESTERS run after police fired warning shots and used water cannon to disperse them during a protest in Mandalay, Myanmar on February 9, 2021. AP
PHL needs to address inequality to unlock its economic potential
THe stark reality is that the world is not a true meritocracy— not even close. As author Malcolm Gladwell aptly observed, “The world is not a meritocracy, as much as we may like to pretend that it is. And we have a long way to go before we really reward people based on their own merit.”
This sentiment rings especially true in the Philippines, a country that has seemingly been stuck in the lower middle-income trap for decades. The reasons behind this economic stagnation are multifaceted, but a key factor is the lack of genuine, opportunity-based meritocracy.
Too often in the Philippines, success and access to good jobs, quality education, and other avenues of advancement are not determined by one’s abilities and hard work, but rather by factors like family connections, social status, and geographic location. This “unfair system,” as the World Bank puts it, discourages people from investing in their own skills and reaching for greater achievements. (Read the BusinessMirror story: “Failing meritocracy stalling push to high-income status,” August 26, 2024).
The result is a vicious cycle of inequality that perpetuates the dominance of elites and stifles social mobility. Talented individuals from underprivileged backgrounds are denied the chance to climb the ladder, while those born into privilege coast through life on the coattails of their family name and connections.
The World Bank identifies three key forces perpetuating this inequality:
Networks: The power of the elite pact prioritizes “who you know” over “what you know,” favoring those with family ties and social networks, granting them access to better education and jobs.
Geography: Where someone is born and raised significantly impacts their chances in life, with access to quality education and safe environments often determined by location.
Patriarchy: Unfair laws and customs continue to disadvantage women, limiting their opportunities in education, employment, and entrepreneurship.
To break free of the middle-income trap and propel the country towards highincome status, national leaders must urgently address these entrenched forces of inequality. Our policymakers, including public and private sector leaders must take bold steps to reward merit over mere status—through investments in quality education for all, transparent and competitive hiring practices, and policies that hold elites accountable and reduce extreme wealth disparities.
To break this cycle and foster a truly meritocratic society, the Philippines needs to implement comprehensive reforms: Invest in education: Provide high-quality education for all, ensuring equal access to opportunities regardless of background.
Identify and support talent: Utilize standardized tests and other objective measures to identify and nurture talent, regardless of social connections. Expand employment opportunities: Make qualifications transparent and merit-based, creating a level playing field for all job seekers.
Encourage innovation: Invest in research and development through partnerships with academia, fostering a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.
Discipline elites: The World Bank cites the need to implement progressive tax policies to reduce wealth inequality and hold elites accountable for their actions.
The proposed wealth tax, which could generate billions in revenue, offers a promising step towards addressing inequality. This revenue could be channeled towards funding education, healthcare, and other social programs that promote social mobility and opportunity for all.
The road ahead is not an easy one, but the rewards of building an equitable society are immense. The Philippines has the potential to become a highincome country, but achieving this requires a fundamental shift towards a meritocratic system. By addressing the forces that perpetuate inequality and implementing the necessary reforms, the country can unlock the full potential of its people and build a more prosperous and equitable future.
My trip to the province
DJohn Mangun
OUTSIDE THE BOX
uriNG the long weekend, we travelled south with most of the trip by land. i have witnessed active volcanoes including Kilauea and Mauna Kea. Nothing prepared me for the majesty and magic of Mt. Mayon up close and personal. The pictures and videos you may have seen do not do any justice to reality.
You cannot help but think of a long-ago ancestor stumbling over a hill and seeing the volcano for the first time. The beauty of Mt. Mayon justifies the myth of it being the burial grounds of lovers Magayon and Panganoron.
The several hours spent on the road gave me time for reflection. It almost does not matter where you travel in the provinces, be it to Baguio, Bacolod, or Butuan, so much of the Philippines is beginning to look all the same. You can tell you are in a different place from another by the language or accent, but there is not much differences as there was 30 years ago.
A new bridge or double-wide road may have replaced the narrow, dangerous route that travellers had to take in the past. It is likely, as you
Tenter the next town, to see a new SSS office or DPWH building. But the only thing that distinguishes these from anywhere else is the sign mentioning the province or city.
Local governments, with help of the national politician from the area, are able to build brand new offices looking like palaces next to the carinderias and beauty salons. It is beneficial to the community and to the local economy. But the scene is not like it was two decades or more ago.
The young people, with the exception of the working poor, are all beginning to look alike and as if you were in a metropolitan area. The “Future of the Philippines” is told how they might want to dress by the Internet, and the local SM Mall supplies the goods.
By Arun Devnath & Kai Schultz
H e Bangladesh Nationalist Party, a key political group, has called on the interim government to open talks with politicians and hold national elections within a “reasonable time,” intensifying pressure on Muhammad Yunus, the leader of the new administration.
“People want to vote. There should be a dialog between the political parties for the election,” Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, secretary general of the party, said in an interview in Dhaka on Monday.
“People are willing to wait more than three months,” he said. “Probably, reasonable time should be given to the interim government, but not unreasonable time, like in the past— two or three years. I don’t think they will accept that.”
The BNP wants to avoid a repeat of the past, where an army-controlled caretaker government in 2006 stayed beyond its mandated three months and delayed the voting by about two years, bringing Sheikh Hasina back to power. Hasina’s government rescinded the caretaker system in 2011, making the subsequent elections less competitive and more favorable to her party, the Awami League.
In January this year, Hasina was voted back into power in a third
stage-managed election. Her administration hollowed out the BNP by arresting and jailing numerous leaders and supporters, forcing the opposition group to boycott this year’s election. Khaleda Zia, leader of the BNP and a former prime minister, was kept imprisoned or sidelined for a decade, while her son Tarique Rahman, acting chairman of the party, still lives in exile in London. Islam, 76, a senior leader of the BNP, was behind bars during the election.
Hasina resigned and fled to India on August 5 following weeks of deadly protests by students calling for her to step down. Yunus, the Nobel Prize-winning economist, was appointed to head an interim government, backed by the military, and work towards holding elections. Under the constitution, voting must take place within 90 days.
In a televised address to the nation on Sunday, Yunus vowed to pave the way for a national election but
The several hours spent on the road gave me time for reflection. It almost does not matter where you travel in the provinces, be it to Baguio, Bacolod, or Butuan, so much of the Philippines is beginning to look all the same. You can tell you are in a different place from another by the language or accent, but there is not much differences as there was 30 years ago.
Don’t misunderstand me. There is definitely a different attitude— for want of a better word—found from the people outside of the Metros. Life does seem to move a little slower, people act with a bit more respect and kindness, and coming from a family that has its continuous roots going back many generations over two centuries is not “unsophisticated.” These people are bonded to the land of their ancestors and that can be a good thing.
Speaking to a member of one of those families, I am told that they, as in the past, plant rice where the land allows and coconut where rice will not grow. The family may be reasonably self-sufficient but will never become wealthy.
Which brings me to another ob -
failed to give a clear indication of how soon it will be held.
“When the election will be held is entirely a political decision, not ours,” Yunus said. “The countrymen will decide when we should leave. We came here, responding to students’ calls. They are the ones who appointed us and the people of the country supported our appointment. We will constantly remind everybody of this issue so that the question does not suddenly arise when we should go.”
As part of the reform agenda, the new government will reform the Election Commission and keep it ready to hold “ideal elections” at any time, Yunus said.
While Islam acknowledged the need for reforms to the Election Commission, Yunus’s speech without an election roadmap frustrated him.
“It’s a vague, totally a vague statement,” Islam said, adding that Yunus has to invite the political parties to discuss the election roadmap. “He’s well respected in Bangladesh as well as in the entire world. But he’s not a politician. A state is run by politicians. A government is run by politicians,” he said.
“This is true that the new government must act as per the desire of the people. But what is the desire
servation. During the next 20 years, the nation will need more and more jobs. Rice farming can only go so far. Continued joblessness will catch up with the children of today and that will eventually lead to crowds with pitchforks and torches outside those government offices.
The smallest economic unit is the individual and no matter how large or small, the units follow the same pattern. Produce a good here. Sell that good over there. Spend the money here. For people and even nations, it is the same. That is the focus behind Japan’s “One Village, One Product” program that has been adopted in the Philippines. An example. I have never tasted better coffee, “Black as hell, strong as death,” as I found in Sorsogon City every place I went. The beans are sourced from Benguet, roasted in Manila, and brewed in Sorsogon. It is about adding value at every point on the economic chain.
Travelling through the “province” after many years was an eye-opener to both the failings of today and positive potential for the future. Achieving that potential will take vision and effort.
E-mail me at mangun@gmail.com. Follow me on Twitter @mangunonmarkets.
of the people and what is the way? How do you know the people? What do people want to say? So we think that Parliament is the only place where these things can be decided,” Islam said.
Bangladesh is grappling with a severe political turmoil. More than 600 people were killed during weeks-long violence, including reprisal attacks on Awami League leaders and supporters and minority Hindus. Some in Bangladesh blamed the BNP for fanning the flames, an accusation Islam rejected.
The situation is “already defused,” he said. He added that some people in the previous government and media outlets in India had whipped up sentiment around the issue that religious minorities were being targeted.
“This is not a communal problem,” he said. “This was a political problem. It’s always a political party versus another political party, not the communal problems, not Hindu versus Muslims.” Islam urged the international community to come forward to help restore democracy in Bangladesh. “They also came last time, but that should be more coordinated. They should support the present government until it goes for an election,” he said. bloomberg
Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon
2005
Thaksin’s dinner talk displays his clout in Thai government
By Patpicha Tanakasempipat
Thailand’s most prominent businessmen, politicians and diplomats turned up at a dinner event last week to listen to former leader Thaksin shinawatra share his vision for the nation. it was the clearest sign yet of the influence he is likely to wield over his daughter’s administration.
Among those making a beeline to greet the 75-year-old politician were Thailand’s top billionaires Sarath Ratanavadi and Dhanin Chearavanont. The event organizer had to turn down requests for more invites to the dinner, which came less than a week after Thaksin’s daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra, 38, won a parliament vote to become Thailand’s youngest-ever prime minister.
“As a father, I care for my daughter and must help her, but I won’t be interfering in her duties as prime minister,” Thaksin said at the dinner attended by 1,500 people. “But I also can’t stay still and look at problems in the country without caring either.”
Thaksin’s views at the dinner have been closely dissected by analysts and media for days after. His comments have been interpreted as a blueprint that’s likely to be adopted by Paetongtarn and her cabinet when they take office in the next couple of weeks.
In his speech, Thaksin offered his fixes on every conceivable problem confronting contemporary Thailand, including chronic public and household debt. He also commented on Thai politics, including how a recent royal defamation case against him was masterminded by a political opponent.
The two-time former premier even touched on military coups, saying he was confident there won’t be one against Paetongtarn’s administration, as he will be helping her clean up any “rubbish” that he spots.
Paetongtarn had dismissed claims about her father’s influence over her premiership. “There’s certainly no such influence,” she told reporters last week. “I’m my own person.”
Political observers said the dinner talk showed that Thaksin wields significant influence in setting the course of action for his daughter’s government. “The speech was aimed at allaying concerns from Thai business elites about her leadership,” said Olarn Thinbangtieo, a deputy dean of Burapha University’s Faculty of Political Science and Law. Still, there is much for the Shinawatra clan to be cautious about. Paetongtarn’s cabinet formation has been delayed as officials pay close attention to the vetting of ministers after her predecessor Srettha Thavisin, from the same Pheu Thai party, was dismissed by a court for ethics violation for appointing a convicted lawyer as a cabinet minister.
Adding to the delays, Pheu Thai now plans to exclude a pro-military
Among those making a beeline to greet the 75-year-old politician were Thailand’s top billionaires Sarath Ratanavadi and Dhanin Chearavanont. The event organizer had to turn down requests for more invites to the dinner, which came less than a week after Thaksin’s daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra, 38, won a parliament vote to become Thailand’s youngest-ever prime minister.
conservative group from its coalition as Palang Pracharath’s leader Prawit Wongsuwan did not attend the parliament vote on Aug. 16 to select Paetongtarn as prime minister.
‘Thaksinomics’
T HAILA n D ’ S benchmark SET Index has bounced about 5.8 percent since Paetongtarn was nominated as the next prime minister on August 15. It gained 1 percent the day after Thaksin gave his dinner talk. The baht, now trading near the highest since July last year, has gained more than 7 percent since the beginning of last month.
“Thaksin’s words hold more weight in the eyes of financial markets,” said Burin Adulwattana, managing director and chief economist at Kasikorn Research Center. “Someone influential who can guide the government in the right direction would be seen as a welcome addition. Pheu Thai needs a wow factor to solve economic problems.”
There are concerns over how Paetongtarn, who has had no administrative experience, will navigate the challenges facing the $500-billion economy that’s the second largest in Southeast Asia. The new leader is likely to lean on her father for guidance, as the billionaire politician’s dual track policy approach— dubbed as “Thaksinomics”—was key in driving growth to 5.36 percent annually during his time in power from 2001 until 2006.
According to a survey published on Sunday by the national Institute of Development Administration, as many as 74.4 percent of the 1,310 respondents said it was “impossible” or “not likely” that Paetongtarn would not depend on Thaksin in governing the country.
“Paetongtarn is both lucky and unlucky to be Thaksin’s daughter,” Olarn of Burapha University said. “He must now be careful to not outshine his daughter and instead make his shine reflect on her.” Bloomberg
Chinese hackers breach US, India Internet firms, Lumen says
By Katrina Manson
The state-sponsored Chinese hacking campaign known as Volt Typhoon is exploiting a bug in a California-based startup to hack american and indian internet companies, according to security researchers.
Volt Typhoon has breached four US firms, including Internet service providers, and another in India through a vulnerability in a Versa networks server product, according to Lumen Technologies Inc.’s unit Black Lotus Labs. Their assessment, much of which was published in a blog post on Tuesday, found with “moderate confidence” that Volt Typhoon was behind the breaches of unpatched Versa systems and said exploitation was likely ongoing.
Versa, which makes software that manages network configurations and has attracted investment from Blackrock Inc. and Sequoia Capital, announced the bug last week and offered a patch and other mitigations.
The revelation will add to concerns over the susceptibility of US critical infrastructure to cyberattacks. The US this year accused Volt Typhoon of infiltrating networks that operate critical US services, including some of the country’s water facilities, power grid and communications sectors, in order to cause disruptions during a future crisis, such as an invasion of Taiwan.
Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said in an e-mail “that ‘Volt Typhoon’ is actually a ransomware cyber crimi-
nal group who calls itself the ‘Dark Power’ and is not sponsored by any state or region.”
He added that China sees signs that the US intelligence community has secretly collaborated with cybersecurity companies to falsely accuse China of supporting cyberattacks against the US as part of an effort to boost congressional budgets and government contracts. Bloomberg couldn’t verify those claims.
Lumen shared its findings with Versa in late June, according to Lumen and supporting documentation shared with Bloomberg.
Versa, which is based in Santa Clara, California, said it issued an emergency patch for the bug at the end of June, but only began flagging the issue widely to customers in July once it was notified by one that claimed to have been breached. Versa said that customer, which it didn’t identify, didn’t follow previously published guidelines on how to protect its systems via firewall rules and other measures.
Dan Maier, Versa’s chief marketing officer, said in an e-mail Monday that those 2015 guidelines include advising customers to close off Internet access to a specific port, which the customer had failed to follow. Since last year, he said, Versa
Volt Typhoon has breached four US firms, including Internet service providers, and another in India through a vulnerability in a Versa Networks server product, according to Lumen Technologies Inc.’s unit Black Lotus Labs. Their assessment, much of which was published in a blog post on Tuesday, found with “moderate confidence” that Volt Typhoon was behind the breaches of unpatched Versa systems and said exploitation was likely ongoing.
has now taken measures of its own to make the system “secure by default,” meaning customers will no longer be exposed to that risk even if they haven’t followed company guidelines.
The bug carries a “high” severity rating, according to the national Vulnerability Database. On Friday, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, known as CISA, ordered federal agencies to patch Versa products or stop using them by September 13.
The vulnerability has been exploited in at least one known instance by a sophisticated hacking group, Versa said in a blog post on Monday. The company didn’t identify the group, and on Friday, Versa told Bloomberg it didn’t know the identity.
Microsoft Corp. named and unveiled the Volt Typhoon campaign in May 2023. Since its discovery, US
officials have urged companies and utilities to improve their logging to help search for and eradicate the hackers, who use vulnerabilities to get into systems and then can remain undetected for long stretches of time.
The Chinese government has dismissed US accusations, saying the hacking attacks attributed to Volt Typhoon are the work of cyber criminals.
CISA Director Jen Easterly told Congress in January about the malicious cyber activity, warning the US has discovered only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to victims and that China’s aim is to be able to plunge the US into “societal panic.” US agencies, including CISA, the national Security Agency and the FBI, said in February that Volt Typhoon activity dates back at least five years and has targeted communications, energy, transportation systems, water and wastewater systems.
Lumen first identified the malicious code in June, according to Lumen researcher Michael Horka. A malware sample uploaded from Singapore on June 7 bore the hallmarks of Volt Typhoon, he said in an interview.
Horka, a former FBI cyber investigator who joined Lumen in 2023 after working on Volt Typhoon cases for the federal government, said the code was a web shell that allowed hackers to gain access to a customer’s network via legitimate credentials and then behave as if they were bona fide users. Bloomberg
Trump special counsel presses ahead with 2020 election case
By Zoe Tillman
The Us special counsel investigating donald Trump is pressing ahead with prosecuting the former president on charges of trying to overturn the 2020 election after facing a recent setback from the Us supreme Court.
Special Counsel Jack Smith on Tuesday filed an updated indictment that removes several pages of allegations following the high court’s blockbuster decision finding Trump at least partially immune from prosecution related to his official acts as president. Smith has decided against pursuing a major court hearing to present evidence before the november 5 election.
The new indictment cuts certain claims related to Trump’s communications with government officials— including the section alleging he tried to involve the Justice Department—but features the same four charges accusing him of conspiring to reverse his election loss to President Joe Biden.
The action by a new federal grand jury in Washington comes less than three months before the presidential election, as Trump makes another run for the White House. The move from Smith’s office is expected to kick off a fresh round of legal wrangling between prosecutors and Trump’s lawyers over whether the updated indictment can survive under the Supreme Court’s more expansive definition of presidential immunity
from criminal charges.
Trump said in a campaign post on X that Jack Smith “brought a ridiculous new indictment against me, which has all the problems of the old indictment and should be dismissed IMMEDIATELY.” He blamed Kamala Harris for pushing it rather than calling for it to be dismissed.
It wasn’t immediately clear how quickly US District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who has been overseeing the election case, would move to the next phase of the proceedings. In a notice filed with Chutkan on Tuesday afternoon, prosecutors said the revised indictment “reflects the government’s efforts to respect and implement the Supreme Court’s holdings.”
The parties are set to file a report with Chutkan later this week with proposals for next steps in the case.
Trump will have to be arraigned again on the new indictment, but prosecutors said they wouldn’t oppose him not appearing in person to do so.
Clark, Pence
T HE updated indictment removes one of the six unindicted co-con -
spirators who wasn’t named, but whose description matched former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark. It also has a new line noting that the remaining five co-conspirators were not government officials and “were acting in a private capacity.” An attorney for Clark did not immediately return a request for comment.
The indictment still includes an allegation about efforts to pressure Vice President Mike Pence to intervene on his behalf and stop or delay Congress from certifying Biden’s win. The justices had suggested Trump might have immunity from that allegation.
Other changes were more subtle. Smith attempts to shift the focus away from Trump’s role as president at the time. The original indictment began by describing Trump as “the forty-fifth President of the United States and a candidate for reelection in 2020.” The new indictment moves down the reference to his position, describing him first only as a candidate for office at the time. A later paragraph has new language calling him “a candidate and a citizen.”
The updated indictment also cut paragraphs that referenced highranking government officials and White House lawyers who repeatedly told Trump that there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election.
To prove that Trump knew the fraud claims were false, prosecutors
Zelenskyy will pitch to US a plan to force Russia to end war
By Olesia Safronova and Volodymyr Verbianyi
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will present a plan to force russia to halt its invasion of his country to Joe Biden just weeks before the Us holds presidential elections.
Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that he wants to discuss the blueprint with Biden during his trip to the United nations General Assembly meeting in new York in September. He will also present it to presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, he said.
The blueprint comprises a “powerful package to force Russia to end the war using diplomacy,” “economic” steps and Ukraine’s “place in the glob-
al security” architecture, Zelenskyy said. Kyiv’s surprise incursion into Kursk region earlier this month was part of what the president described as his “victory plan.” The announcement comes as the outcome of the november 5 election in the US remains uncertain and the two candidates differ significantly on a solution to the conflict in Ukraine, currently well into its third year. Meanwhile, Russian President
Vladimir Putin has given little indication that he’s ready to negotiate, except on his own terms.
“It would be fair to present the plan to the US president first, it depends on him whether the plan will be successful,” Zelenskyy said during a four and a quarter hour long press conference with his top officials in Kyiv on Tuesday. “And we do want to execute this plan.”
The attempt to coerce Russia to pull its troops is likely to face hurdles. Any such initiative from Kyiv will have to rely heavily on continued support from western allies at a time when war fatigue continues to grow.
While President Biden and Vice President Harris have pledged to
Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that he wants to discuss the blueprint with Biden during his trip to the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York in September. He will also present it to presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, he said.
back Kyiv for as long as needed, Trump has repeatedly raised doubts over US commitments to nATO. He’s also said he’ll bring the war to an end before his inauguration.
The Kremlin has continued to demand that Kyiv withdraw its forces from the four Ukrainian regions that
Russia partially occupies and abandon its bid to join nATO before it will agree to a ceasefire.
Zelenskyy on Tuesday dismissed any prospects of talks with Putin, calling them “empty and meaningless.”
But his attempt to win over key nations from the Global South, many of which have been sympathetic to Russia, for Ukraine’s current blueprint for peace largely faltered at a summit in Switzerland in June.
While the meeting included representatives from more than 90 countries, Russia wasn’t invited. Several states sent lower-level delegations and some declined to sign a final statement.
kept in references to statements made by his campaign staff and state officials and rulings from dozens of state and federal courts rejecting challenges to the vote counts in swing states. The indictment also still features allegations related to the slates of pro-Trump electors in swing states who signed certifications falsely certifying him as the winner and what prosecutors described as Trump’s efforts to exploit the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol by his supporters. As Smith presses ahead with the case in Washington, his team is separately fighting to revive a separate indictment in federal court in Florida accusing Trump of illegally keeping classified documents and obstruction. Trump is also facing state charges in Georgia related to the 2020 election, but that case has been on hold amid a controversy over the district attorney’s conduct. Meanwhile, Trump is due to be sentenced Sept. 18 in Manhattan in his hush money criminal case. Justice Juan Merchan is expected to rule soon on a last-ditch request by Trump to delay sentencing until after the election, in part because he wants more time to press his argument that the trial was tainted by testimony and other evidence that wouldn’t have been allowed under the Supreme Court’s new immunity standard. With assistance from Erik Larson and Stephanie Lai /Bloomberg
Speaking at the same conference as Zelenskyy on Tuesday, the president’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak reiterated a plan to hold a second summit in one of the countries of the Global South. Russia is unlikely to ignore the meeting if other members of the BRICS group of states that also includes Brazil, India, China and South Africa were to engage, he said. Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk region is also going to feature in the discussion with Biden, Zelenskyy said, calling the operation successful. It’s delivered “many necessary solutions,” he said. Kyiv’s allies have largely withheld judgment of the offensive. With assistance from Maxim Edwards and Kateryna Chursina /Bloomberg
2nd Front Page
Govt must invest P10B for energy management goals
AN official of the Department of Energy (DOE) said Wednesday that a total of P10 billion in financing for the next five years may be enough to achieve the goal set by the Government Energy Management Program (GEMP).
GEMP is a government-wide program aimed at reducing the government’s monthly consumption of electricity and petroleum products through efficient use and conservation of energy and fuel. It aims to reduce government-wide electricity and fuel consumption by at least 10 percent through strategic energy efficiency and conservation measures.
e aim of the GEMP is to reduce the government’s consumption of electricity and petroleum by 10 percent.
“We already have the strategies in place so what we’re working on is the fi nancing. So we’re trying to come up with a facility through the DOF [Department of Finance] in collaborating with our development partners. We are looking at around P2 billion expense a year
starting 2026 for five years,” said DOE Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella during the Energy Smart forum organized by the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines.
“We have spoken to ADB [Asian Development Bank] and then we will also talk with the others,” he added.
THe said the DOF will evaluate the best fi nancing scheme. “ e DOF is on top of it. It will determine the best blend, possibly with an ODA [official development assistance],” said Fuentebella.
Earlier, the DOE reported that the government saved around 31 gigawatt hours (GWh) in electricity usage equivalent to nearly P365 million in cost savings; while over half a billion liters of fuel have been conserved, resulting in al-
Sans approved route plans, DBP cautious on lending further to PUV co-ops
@reine_alberto
POOR planning and execu-
tion of the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP) left jeepney drivers unable to pay back their loan obligations to state-run Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), which has ceased further lending in Metro Manila and areas without approved route plans.
DBP President and Chief Executive Officer Michael O. de Jesus said in a Senate budget hearing of the Department of Finance (DOF) on Tuesday that DBP’s past due have gone up to about 25 percent. De Jesus said some public transport cooperatives, consisting of PUV drivers and operators, were unable to pay back their loan obligations for the modern jeepneys they purchased.
About P7 billion in loans to 98 cooperatives were released by the DBP under the Program Assistance to Support Alternative Driving Approaches (Pasada) Financing Program, de Jesus told the B-
“We continue to fund the Public Transport Modernization Program [PTMP] projects except in Metro Manila and in areas without approved route plans,” he added.
De Jesus said although it is the DBP’s mandate to support PUVMP and PTMP, it won’t be “sustainable” to continue lending, putting the program on hold. Before the DBP lends to cooperatives and operators, de Jesus said the route plans have to be approved by the local government unit (LGU) fi rst. e bank also requires a higher down payment and a 20 to 25 percent equity to “have more skin in the game.” e bank’s Pasada program provides loans to corporations and cooperatives registered with the Office of Transportation Cooperatives, PUVMP participants and those eligible for franchises from the Land Transportation Franchis-
ing and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) under the Omnibus Franchising Guidelines (OFG) of the PUVMP.
e loan will partially fi nance the purchase of brand new buses, mini-buses, public utility jeepneys, utility vehicle (UV) express units, combustion engines and other compliant transport technologies based on LTFRB, OFG and Department of Transportation (DOTr) standards.
e DBP provides loans up to 95 percent of the vehicle cost and a maximum of 75 percent of the cost of the support facilities, with a fi xed interest rate of 6 percent per annum to be paid within seven years with a maximum grace period of six months.
Glaring symptom–Poe
SEN. Grace Poe, chairperson of the Senate’s Committee on Finance, said in a separate statement on Wednesday that transport cooperatives falling behind in payment of their loans is a “glaring symptom” that the DOTr should consider in giving the PUVMP a second look. Poe noted at the hearing that 21 senators have signed a petition to halt the PUVMP.
“[ is is] not because we don’t believe in modernization. Of course, we do. Unfortunately, it’s not been planned out and executed properly,” Poe said in the hearing.
“ ere’s no specific routes yet and they keep changing the goalpost in the middle of the game. I don’t even know if we can call it the middle of the game. ey’ve barely really started,” she added. Poe called on the DOTr to vet the cooperatives they are accrediting.
“Some of them are just getting money from these poor drivers to be part of cooperatives. ey obtain a loan and then later they shut down,” the senator said.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has remained fi rm that the PUVMP will push through, given that 80 percent of public utility jeepneys have been consolidated.
most P35 million in savings for the fi rst quarter of the year.
In January, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. issued Administrative Order (AO) 15, directing government agencies to accelerate the GEMP. It also mandates comprehensive energy audits, inventories of current energy-consuming equipment, and clear timelines for upgrading to more energy-efficient alternatives.
AO 15 operationalizes the Energy Efficiency and Conservation (EE&C) Act for all government entities. e DOE leads the InterAgency Energy Efficiency and Conservation Committee.
Fuentebella said the proposed P2 billion yearly fi nancing could be utilized for demand-side management, electric vehicles, EE&C, among others. “ e details are still being negotiated,” he added.
HE liveweight price of pork declined by as much as P40 per kilo due to the scare caused by the African swine fever, according to the broad agriculture sector coalition Sinag.
“Our liveweight, unfortunately, saw a drop in farmgate of P30 to P40 pesos [per kilo],” Sinag executive director Jayson Cainglet told reporters on the sidelines of a poultry and livestock event in
“ e report we got showed many people are avoiding pork for now,” he added, partly in Fili-
According to Cainglet, the current liveweight price of pork ranged from P160 to P180 per
However, he hoped that the public’s concerns would be allayed through the government and stakeholders’ campaigns that ensured the safety of con-
“As has been said, with the activity we did today, we hope our countrymen won’t be scared, because Pinoy pork is safe to eat, and fresh and delicious,” Cainglet said.
He also noted that local pork will undergo a series of inspections and acquire a certificate that would ensure they are safe for pubic consumption.
Data from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) showed 458 barangays have active ASF cases as of August 21, thrice the number recorded on July 26 in 150 barangays.
e Department of Agriculture (DA) will begin the vaccination of hogs on Friday to protect them from the deadly swine disease. e government will begin the inoculation in Lobo, Batangas.
e DA said Batangas is currently ground zero in the latest resurgence of ASF, the virus that has devastated the local swine industry since its fi rst outbreak in 2019.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. also announced that a second batch of about 150,000 doses ASF vaccines would arrive this weekend. e department initially procured 10,000 doses of the vaccine.
“We also have a procurement of up to 150,000 doses in the next batch... it might arrive this weekend,” Laurel told reporters.
Meanwhile, Agriculture Assistant Secretary Constante Palabrica recently said that the price of pork would not increase due to the public’s hesitance to eat it.
“Hindi naman aakyat ang presyo ng baboy dahil nga ang nangyayari ngayon ay may scare to eat pork kaya tumaas ang presyo ng manok,” Palabrica said.
In terms of pork supply, Palabrica said there were many areas that could still supply this in the market.
“ e supply is not that acute as to affect our pork supply in the market,” he said, partly in Filipino.
De
Recto to Finance chiefs: Let’s unite on
FINANCE Secretary Ralph G. Recto called for a united and urgent commitment among fi nance ministers to integrate climate action and poverty eradication to achieve economic prosperity. A statement issued by the Department of Finance (DOF) on Wednesday quoted Recto as saying he urged the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action (CFMCA) in a regional meeting in Manila to balance economic development and climate action.
“As Finance Ministers, we understand better than most that these two vital agendas are not competing forces on a scale. When done right and contextualized in our own realities, they reinforce each other to ensure the welfare, security and prosperity of our peo-
ple,” Recto said in his speech. “For we know all too well, that we cannot achieve overall economic prosperity for Filipinos without boosting climate resilience.”
He noted that climate change is the “ultimate injustice,” which strikes hardest at the poorest and makes poverty worse.
“As climate impacts grow, so too will the difficulty and cost of eradicating poverty in the country,” Recto said. e DOF chief also noted that supporting regional neighbors is equally important “as climate change for it does not respect boundaries.”
With the recent approval of the Loss and Damage Fund (LDF) Board bill by both Houses of Representatives and Senate, Recto anticipates fulfi lling the country’s
hosting responsibilities and bringing the Fund to fruition.
“With your help, it is our hope that our LDF hosting will serve as the gold standard for climate finance and action, not just in Asia and the Pacific, but all over the world,” he added.
e LDF of the United Nations Climate Change Commission is a global fi nancial mechanism created to assist countries’ response and recovery from losses and damages caused by climate change.
e fund’s initial capitalization of US$726 million will help low-income developing countries recover the damage from natural disasters caused by climate change.
Recto exhorted his fellow Finance ministers: “Let us become the coalition
that worked hand in hand in steering the world faster and further on the road to a greener and more prosperous future that the next generations will proudly inherit.” e CFMCA is a global alliance of Finance Ministers in 92 countries to foster knowledge exchange and support climate action initiatives established in
photo
Francis “Chiz” Escudero, Sens. Joel Villanueva, Alan Peter Cayetano, Ramon Bong Revilla Jr., Mark Villar, Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, Juan Miguel “Migz” F. Zubiri, Majority Leader Francis “Tol” Tolentino, Pia Cayetano, Cynthia Villar, Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, Risa Hontiveros, Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa and
Venecia’s family led by his wife, Gina. SENATE PRIB PHOTO
DOE Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella
Editor: Jennifer A. Ng
B1 Thursday, August 29, 2024
SEC issues order revoking Lucky South 99 registration
By VG Cabuag @villygc
The Securities and exchange Commission (SeC) has revoked the incorporation papers of Lucky South 99 Corp. due to its illegal gaming operation in Pampanga.
SEC’s Enforcement and Investor Protection Department issued an order which mandated the revocation of the papers of Lucky South 99 for violating Section 44 of the Revised Corporation Code of the Philippines.
“As a registered entity with the primary purpose of engaging in a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Respondent’s act of engaging and/ or acting as a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator in the Philippines without first amending its corporate purpose as stated in its Articles of Incorporation is contrary to Section
44 of the Revised Corporation Code of the Philippines,” the SEC said. “Clearly, the...fraudulent activities of Lucky South 99 Corp. (formerly Lucky South 99 Outsourcing Inc.) intend to mislead or deceive the public into believing that it was authorized to conduct the aforesaid activities.”
The company was the owner and operator of Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) hub in Porac, Pampanga, which was raided by police last June.
The SEC noted that the company
received its certificate of registration in October 2019. Its incorporators are Michael Bryce B. Mascarenas, Stephanie B. Mascarenas, Rodrigo A. Bande, Xiang Tan and Jing Gu.
The company’s primary purpose was to engage in the export of services by the way of business process outsourcing, serving as an independent contractor performing and offering front and back office services.
Last February, however, it changed its name to Lucky South 99. It also amended its primary purpose, stating that it will “engage in the business of gaming, entertainment and content streaming of live
gaming action in conjunction with the operation of electronic games at gaming sites, except online sabong, catering to the local, regional and global market; and in relation thereto, establish thru joint ventures”.
The SEC said Lucky South has operated as a POGO years before it secured its government license.
“However, dealings which are entirely irrelevant to the purposes are unauthorized and called ultra vires. The purpose clause of the articles of incorporation indicates the extent as well as the limitations of the powers which a corporation may exercise,” the SEC said.
Smart aims to speed up 5G rollout
By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan
MART Communications Inc.
Splans to intensify its 5G rollout throughout 2024, recognizing the technology as an “emerging growth stream” for its business.
Alex O. Caeg, Head of Consumer Wireless Business at Smart, said the telco is seeing robust demand for mobile data across the country, and 5G is becoming a preference given the affordability of new devices.
“To accelerate our growth momentum, we must leverage on our site roll outs and capacity enhancements, continue to offer the best value-for-money packages, and deliver excellent customer service to delight our subscribers.”
At end-June, PLDT Inc.’s individual business posted revenues of P41.9 billion with mobile data accounting for 89 percent of total individual
wireless revenues.
“Increasingly, data users, including gamers, are beginning to appreciate the power of 5G. Moving forward, 5G will definitely play an important role as compatible smartphones become more affordable,” he added. “To drive 5G adoption, Smart is making available device financing for 5G phones through various bank partners.”
Smart reported having 40.5 million active mobile data users as of June 30, with an average monthly mobile data usage of 11.6 GB per subscriber. The total mobile data traffic on Smart’s network reached 2,641 petabytes.
Kristine A. Go, SVP for Smart
Lego CEO wants
LEGO A/S is on the hunt for new digital partnerships, following the success of its Fortnite venture with Epic Games, which already reached 83 million people since the introduction, according to the toymaker’s chief executive officer (CEO).
Lego needs to stay relevant for its users, which “are increasingly present digitally” to ensure they’ll continue to engage with the Lego brand decades down the line, niels B. Christiansen said in an interview.
With Lego Fortnite, the Danish company is trying to fend off competition from its two main rivals—Mattel Inc. and Hasbro Inc.—after both US companies enjoyed great success with recent ventures outside the world of physical toys. Hasbro’s app version of the board game Monopoly has become one of the top mobile games of all time, grossing billions of dollars in revenue, while Mattel’s Barbie movie was one of 2023’s biggest hits.
“We will continue to develop
TECH-E n ABLED express logistics firm n inja Van has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the local government of Quezon City to support the city’s local businesses, especially those in the ecommerce sector.
Under the terms of the MOU, n inja Van and the Quezon City Small Businesses and Cooperatives Development Promotions Office (SBCDPO) will collaborate on developing programs designed to enhance the capabilities of Quezon City’s micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
This initiative aims to strengthen local businesses by leveraging n inja Van’s expertise in e-commerce and logistics.
ninja Van recognizes the significant role of reliable and efficient logistics in nation-building. We are proud to have found a partner in the Quezon City government who shares the same commitment to empowering local businesses,” n inja Van Philippines Country Head Jose Alvin Perez said.
For her part, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said the local government is “eager” to implement digital solutions that can help improve the city’s economy.
according to the latest report by independent analytics firm Opensignal.
Consumer Wireless Business, said the move toward 5G entails a combination of having a strong 5G network in key areas, ensuring the availability of 5G devices, and recognizing the potential of premium subscriber benefits for those using the 5G network.
“Today, we can already see a mix of high-end and affordable devices in the market, and we want to be able to leverage that. Finally, we see the potential of premium subscriber benefits for those using the 5G network.”
Smart’s network currently covers 97 percent of the Philippine population, and its mobile network has been recognized for delivering the country’s Best 5G Coverage Experience,
PLDT reported a stable net income of P18.4 billion for the first half of 2024, as its consolidated service revenues increased by three percent to P96.9 billion.
Telco core income, excluding the impact of asset sales and losses from Maya Innovations Holdings, was also up by 3 percent at P18 billion.
The company aims to end 2024 with a telco core income of “north P35 billion.”
to copy Fortnite success
in the digital world,” the Lego CEO said. “It’s not new for the Lego Group to do partnerships and license agreements, and it’s clearly our ambition that we will do more.” Lego has been involved in video games since the 1990s but with varied fortunes. Lego Universe, a multi-player online game launched in 2010 at great cost and with much fanfare, was shut down in 2012 after it failed to generate enough revenue. Meanwhile, Lego has had more success with its licensed games, including those built around the Batman, Star Wars and the Harry Potter universes.
The maker of colorful toy bricks on Wednesday said operating profit for the first six months of the year jumped 26% to a record 8.1 billion kroner ($1.21 billion). Consumer sales grew 14% at a time when the overall market is struggling to expand. neither Hasbro nor Mattel reported rising sales in the same period, underlining that the Danish company cur-
rently has the upper hand.
Lego Fortnite, which was introduced in December, has been pegged as a competitor to Microsoft Corp.’s Minecraft and offers children a new way of playing the third-person shooter game by designing villages and focusing on longterm survival.
Lego has already introduced
several updates, including a Star Wars version in May, the CEO said, adding that the game will continue to expand. In October, Lego Fortnite miniature figures will go on sale, he said.
“Even though it’s a digital game, we also want to give our users the opportunity to make their own physical play around it,” the CEO said. Bloomberg News
“The Quezon City government recognizes the transformative power of interconnectivity and technology as drivers of a responsive government,” Belmonte said.
“We are excited to work with ninja Van Philippines to harness technology and innovation to serve our constituents better.”
Among the services that n inja Van will be offering to the local government are n inja Fulfillment and the recently launched n inja Restock.
n inja Fulfillment offers allin-one manpower, warehousing, and inventory management services, enabling online sellers and business owners to reduce operational costs.
Meanwhile, n inja Restock provides a business-to-business delivery solution that ensures the timely restocking of medium-sized businesses, eliminating exorbitant fees and long waiting times.
Last March, the company forged an MOU with the local government of Cabuyao.
“This partnership with the Cabuyao City local government is meaningful to us, as Cabuyao is the host city of n inja Van’s largest automated sorting hub not just in the Philippines, but across Southeast Asia,” Perez said.
“We have been present in the city since 2018, and in line with our thrust to support nationbuilding, we’re quite excited to look for more ways we can work with the city government in providing support for its constituents.” Lorenz S. Marasigan
Banking&Finance
Riding jeeps in Mandaue City and Cebu? Use Visa
By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario
TOURISTS and locals can now use their Visa cards to fa-
cilitate their transportation payments via modern jeepneys plying various routes in Cebu and Mandaue City.
This is made possible by a collaboration between Visa Inc., transportation provider Good Transport Solutions Inc. (GTSI) and software company GHL Systems Philippines Inc. (GHL). Visa card payments can now be used in 120 modern jeepneys in Cebu and 20 modern jeepneys in Mandaue City. These jeepneys are equipped with onboard terminals that accept Visa payments.
“As tourism in the Philippines rebounds, we have observed a growth in inbound tourism and this partnership will make the transit experience more seamless for tourists,” Visa Country Manager for the Philippines Jeffrey D. Navarro said.
“The future of transit, both globally and within the Philippines, is poised to create inclusivity through open-loop, contactless payment systems in public transit, and will be centered around providing commuters with seamless, convenient, and secure payment options,” Navarro added.
Citing data from the Department of Tourism, the local Visa office noted last February that Cebu experienced a 69 percent year-on-year increase in visitors, welcoming 104,439 tourists.
Meanwhile, Mandaue City, a popular tourist destination in Cebu, recorded 228,472 tourist arrivals between January and September 2022.
The rapid growth in tourism highlight the need to allow contactless digital transportation payments to be made possible in these locations in the country.
A study by Visa highlights this shift: 97 percent of Asia-Pacific travelers plan to use card payments (credit, debit, or prepaid) on their trips while only 17 percent intend to carry foreign currency (cash).
“This groundbreaking collaboration not only revolutionizes fare collection with enhanced efficiency and security but also redefines the commuter experience. By leading
MAKATI Mayor Mar-len
Abigail “Abby” S. Binay expressed confidence the city government would surpass its revenue target by yearend despite a 40-percent decrease in the National Tax Allotment (NTA) share of the city from the same period last year, owing to the transfer of Enlisted Men’s Barrios (EMBOs).
“The reduced share of Makati had minimal impact on our financial stability, and we are optimistic that we will again exceed this year’s revenue target. This means that we will be able to stay on track with the implementation of better programs and projects planned for the year until next year,” Binay said.
EMBOs refers to a collective term for ten barangays in Taguig City, the local government the Supreme Court judged with finality last year to have jurisdiction of these territories.
Binay noted that the city has nearly attained its revenue target from local sources in the first half of the year.
The Makati City government has reached 87 percent of its P18.42-billion full-year target after collecting P16 billion in revenue as of end-June. Binay added the city government was able to attain 94 percent of its target revenue from local sources.
According to the latest report from City Treasurer Jesusa E. Cuneta, the bulk of revenues came from business taxes amounting to P8.6 billion, followed by real property
the way in transport innovation, we are making every journey smoother, faster, and more convenient, setting a new standard for public transport in the country,” GTSI CEO Brezhnev Tero said.
This initiative is part of a pilot project that aims to signify Visa’s commitment to promoting transit acceptance in the Philippines with plans to expand to more modes of transit in coming years.
The initiative kicked off with an official launch ceremony at the Cebu IT Park Transport Terminal, with GTSI working in partnership with local transport operators Lahug Apas Transport Cooperative (Latransco) and Mandaue Transport Cooperative (MTC).
According to Visa, the rapid urbanization across Asia Pacific, with 120,000 people moving to cities daily, has underscored the need for efficient public transit systems. Governments, including the Philippines, are investing in these systems as part of their strategies to mitigate road congestion, with a focus on simplifying public transit payments and increasing digital payment options.
“These efficiencies drive social and economic change and we need to start with a focused approach, which I believe will eventually and inevitably be adapted across public transport systems nationwide,” GHL CEO Jesus Michael A. Tirona said.
Another survey by Visa found that 58 percent of commuters favor a unified payment method for all transport modes, as currently half of them use four or more different methods each month. Another poll by the American multinational payment card services corporation showed that implementing openloop, contactless payment systems in public transit agencies creates a faster, safer, and more hygienic payment experience.
Such a system promotes inclusivity and accessibility in public transit, even for those without access to traditional banking services, with modern payment systems simplifying fare processes for transit agencies, reducing costs and mitigating financial risks.
BIR exempts, deletes drugs from value-added tax list
By Reine Juvierre Alberto
AS government scrambles to meet revenue targets, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) exempted more than a dozen medicines from value-added tax (VAT).
The exemptive order is contained in Revenue Memorandum Circular 93-2024 issued by Internal Revenue Commissioner Romeo D. Lumagui Jr. on August 27, 2024. The order updates the published list of VAT-exempt medicines and include certain medicines for various diseases and delete medicines for hypertension.
According to Lumagui, the BIR has exempted from VAT an addi-
taxes with P5.5 billion. The attainment rates for these local sources are 85 percent and 112 percent, respectively.
From other local revenue sources, the city gained P648.8 million from fees and charges and P232.2 million from “Economic Enterprises,” or government entities created to generate fiscal revenues.
Earnings from interest income reached P317.8 million while income from external sources included the P503-million NTA and P164-million share from economic zones.
The city government’s Business Permit and Licensing Office also reported 4,043 new business establishments that had a combined capital investment worth over P26 billion. Meanwhile 35,290 businesses renewed their permits in the first semester. The gross sales of existing businesses reached P1.88 trillion in the same period.
According to a statement issued by the Makati City government, the sustained growth of the local economy “has supported the trailblazing social programs of the city government and the completion of new infrastructure.”
The latter includes the Makati Columbarium and the new police and fire central headquarters. These new facilities are aimed to improve quality of life and promote the safety and convenience of all stakeholders, while securing Makati’s stature as the premier investment destination in the country. Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco
tional 15 medicines for cancer, high cholesterol, hypertension and mental illness.
“[As] the BIR is now a serviceoriented agency, this includes the regular update of medicines that will fall under VAT-exempt products,” the BIR added.
Added to the list of VAT-exempt medicines are for cancer, such as Avelumab, Acalabrutinib, Olapa -
rib, Trastuzumab and Trastuzumab deruxtecan. For high cholesterol, medicines such as Rosuvastatin (as Calcium), Olmesartan medoxomil, Perindopril (as arginine) and Indapamide + Amlodipine (as besilate) are now exempted from VAT.
Sodium Valproate and Valproic Acid used to treat mental illnesses were also added to the list of VATexempt medicines.
Meanwhile, the medicines for maintaining high blood pressure, such as Trimetazidine, Trimetazidine Dihydrochloride and Trimetazidine Hydrochloride were deleted from the list of medicines exempted from VAT.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) justified in its endorsement letter to the BIR that the delisting of certain medicines for hypertension is intended for symptomatic treatment of stable angina pectoris
THE national government reached its programmed borrowing of P140 billion from the sale of long-term Treasury bonds (T-bonds) for the month of August.
Previously, the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) raised P30 billion each from the T-bonds issued on August 1, 8 and 15, and generated P25 billion from last week’s auction.
On Wednesday’s auction and the last for August, the Treasury made a full award of the reissued 20-year T-bonds and borrowed P25 billion from the domestic debt market.
With a tenor of 19 years and nine months, the T-bonds fetched an average rate of 6.198 percent with a coupon rate of 6.875 percent, according to the Treasury.
The average rate is higher than the comparable 20-year PHP BVAL yield at 6.178 percent as of August 27. However, the average yield is lower by 0.252 percent than the 6.430 percent average rate of the 20-year tenor T-bonds auctioned last July 23.
IInvestors’ asking yields ranged from a low of 6.174 percent to a high of 6.220 percent, according to the Treasury. The auction was 1.8 times oversubscribed with total tenders reaching P45.1 billion. The long-term reissued debt papers will mature on May 23, 2044.
Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) Chief Economist Michael L. Ricafort said the lower demand or bids for long-term T-bonds caused the 20-year T-bond average yield to be higher than the secondary benchmark rate. Ricafort addeded that shorter tenors are more attractive to investors since these are more liquid and more tradable in the market.
“[These are also more] manageable and also for estate planning and succession planning purposes,” Ricafort said adding that the 20-year T-bond maturity could be too long for some investors, especially the elderly. Reine Juvierre Alberto
By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM
THE evidence for moneylaundering against dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice L. Guo and her cohorts is solid and the chief of the Senate Ways and Means committee is frustrated by what he deems the slow pace at which authorities are moving on this.
Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian urged the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) last Wednesday to expedite the filing of anti-money laundering charges against Guo, who remains at large in a foreign country. She is facing cases in the Department of Justice, the Supreme Court and the Commission on Elections for her claim of Philippine citizenship and her role as mayor in hastening paper work for a controversial illegal Pogo hub in Tarlac.
“We’re getting impatient with the case because it’s obvious that there was money laundering involved in the establishment of a POGO hub in Bamban,” Gatchalian said at a recent Senate hearing, which launched an inquiry into how Guo and her cohorts managed to leave the country undetected.
Guo’s sister Shiela, along with Pogo executive Cassandra Li Ong, are now detained at the Senate and the House of Representatives, which issued warrants against them for skipping parallel investigations into crimes associated with Pogo.
(a type of chest pain) in patients inadequately controlled or intolerant to first-line therapies.
According to the BIR, it issued the circular in relation to that letter from the FDA referring to the updated list of VAT-exempt products under Republic Act (RA) 10963 (Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion, or Train, law) and RA 11534 (Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises, or Create, law). The Create law provides VAT exemption to certain health products and medical devices where the FDA is directed to identify the products and transmit the list to the BIR. The circular is also pursuant to the Train law.
“The BIR supports the government’s thrust in helping the public have access to more affordable healthcare and medicine,” Lumagui said.
While Philippine immigration officials failed to bag the dismissed mayor, they obtained custody from Indonesian authorities who apprehended her sister and Ong last week.
Gatchalian noted that AMLC Deputy Director for Investigation and Enforcement Department Adrian A. Arpon had told Senators the agency hopes to file the first money laundering case in relation to the Bamban Pogo within the week for preliminary investigation. As for the Porac, Pampanga Pogo case, Arpon said the AMLC investigation is still ongoing and they are still gathering information.
Given the direction of the investigation, Gatchalian asked whether it could lead to a hold-departure order against all the accused. In response, Justice Undersecretary Nicholas Felix L. Ty stated that one option is to request a precautionary hold-departure order from the court.
“Our aim is to ensure that no one else involved in these crimes can escape again, as with what happened in the Pogo incidents in Bamban and Porac,” said Gatchalian.
In the same hearing, the lawmaker urged Sheila Guo to cooperate with the government in uncovering the anomalies committed by the dismissed mayor and her family in relation to the Bamban Pogo hub. She was previously involved in the Guo family’s businesses, where she held a significant executive position.
By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes @brownindio
NSURANCE firms in the Philippines and the rest of Southeast Asia are facing a huge challenge in attracting members of Generation Z—people who are financial savvy and with a strong passion for financial security—to patronize their services.
“This disconnect is particularly evident in the Philippines, where despite a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.5 percent, which will see the country’s insurance industry’s value grow to P 209 billion in 2028, actual insurance penetration remains low at 1.6 percent,” according to Axinan Pte. Ltd., doing business as Igloo.
Nevertheless, management con-
sultancy firm Mckinsey & Co. said Gen-Zs have a huge potential as they will comprise a quarter of Asia Pacific’s population by 2025, including around 40 million Filipinos.
“Many Gen Z individuals feel that insurance is unnecessary at their age, preferring to focus on immediate experiences rather than long-term financial products,” the Singaporebased insuretech firm said through a statement.
Igloo cited a study that revealed nearly 40 percent of Gen-Zs are worried about making the wrong choices with their money. Further compounding the issue, another survey revealed that 52 percent of Gen-Zs in Southeast Asia do not trust traditional insurers, fearing hidden clauses and high premiums.
To bridge this gap, Igloo pointed
out insurers must adopt innovative strategies that resonate with Gen Z’s preferences. Igloo emphasized that insurance products must be simple and affordable as they are often seen as complex and confusing, which can turn off younger consumers.
“To counter this, insurers should focus on offering straightforward policies with clear terms and conditions,” according to the firm.
“Microinsurance, which provides affordable coverage for specific, smaller-scale risks, can be especially appealing to Gen Z. This generation may not have substantial financial resources but still needs protection,”
Igloo added.
The insurtech said microinsurance policies can be tailored to cover travel mishaps, gadget protection, or event cancellations at affordable
premiums. In the Philippines, Igloo offers products for travel enthusiasts and for pets.
By offering these targeted and relevant solutions, Igloo said insurers can demonstrate an understanding of Gen-Z’s priorities and financial constraints, fostering a stronger connection with this demographic.
The firm recommended that insurers must provide insurance within products or services that Gen Z already uses and trusts—such as offering gadget insurance at the point of purchase of a mobile phone or laptop, for example—insurers can streamline the purchase experience.
“Insurance then becomes more relevant to the consumer, making it a natural part of their purchasing decisions, rather than an afterthought,” the company added.
INSURING CEBU Photo shows (left to right) East West Ageas Life Insurance Corp. President and CEO Sjoerd Smeets, Chief Operating Officer Rowena J. Empalmado and Chief Distribution and Marketing Officer Gregory Martin during a media session in Cebu. The EWA announced its intentions to strengthen
reach in Cebu as Smeets views the province as an important market for insurance. CREDIT:
B4 Thursday, August 29, 2024
PHL to import ‘limited quantity’ of yellow onions
TBy Ada Pelonia @adapelonia
HE Philippines will import 16,000 metric tons (MT) of yellow onions as domestic supply is depleted, according to Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.
Laurel said he approved last Monday the purchase of imported yellow onions.
“The importation scheme is meant to ensure that the arrival of yellow onions from abroad will not affect (the prices) of the existing stocks of red onions.”
He said the Department of Agriculture (DA) wants all imported onions to arrive by December,
“I approved the importation because our stock of yellow onion is depleted. We will import a limited quantity which will stabilize prices. The volume will arrive in batches,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a poultry and livestock event held in Pasay City last Wednesday.
CA affirms ruling against Bt eggplant, Golden Rice
Tbefore farmers start harvesting local onions.
Data from the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) showed that the country’s yellow onion inventory as of August 9 was at 1,642 metric tons (MT). The inventory of red onion, however, was much higher at 99,512 MT. Laurel said the stocks of red onion would last until the first quarter of next year. “Our inventory of red onion is good until March of next year.”
The DA extended the import ban on red onions until August owing to ample supply.
With a monthly consumption of 17,000 MT, the country’s red onion stocks could last for months.
“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,” Agriculture Assistant
Secretary Arnel de Mesa said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Based on the DA’s latest price monitoring, the price of white onions in Metro Manila ranged from P80 to P150 per kilogram.
The Philippines has been consistently importing fresh onions since 1996 to be able to meet its annual demand for the commodity as local production remains insufficient, based on historical data from the Philippine Statistics Authority.
Last December 2023, the government authorized the importation of fresh onions to avert a repeat of the spike in prices seen in the latter part of 2022, when red onions skyrocketed to as much as P700 per kilogram due to a supply shortfall.
The Philippines suffered an onion “crisis” as the state limited the entry of imported stocks and prioritized domestic producers.
By Joel San Juan @jrsanjuan1573
HE Court of Appeals (CA) has upheld its April ruling which mandated the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) and the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) to cease and desist from the commercial propagation of Bt eggplant and Golden Rice.
The CA, however, granted the appeal of PhilRice through the Office of the Solicitor General to remove one item in the dispositive portion of its decision which enjoins any application for the contained use, field testing, direct use as food or feed, or processing, commercial propagation, and importation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
The appellate court said only the circumstances, facts, and issues covering Golden Rice and Bt eggplant were considered in rendering the April 17, 2024 decision. Other applicants for the contained use, field testing, direct use as food
or feed, or processing, commercial propagation, and importation of other GMOs were not impleaded in the petition and were not given the chance to be heard.
“Lest we be accused of violating a fundamental right, the deletion of Item (8) of the dispositive portion of the assailed decision is in order. Concomitantly, the petitioners’ prayer to modify Item (8) cannot be countenanced, given that a decision or judgment rendered without due process is void for lack of jurisdiction,” the CA said in the 33-page amended decision issued by the its Former Fourth Division through Associate Justice Jennifer Joy Ong.
The CA, however, reiterated that it found no valid reason to reverse its April decision granting the privilege of the writs of kalikasan and continuing mandamus in favor of petitioners led by Greenpeace Southeast Asia and the Magsasaka At Siyentipiko para sa Pag-Unlad ng Agrikultura (Masipag) against UPLB and PhilRice.
In its April ruling, the CA specifically directed UPLB “to cease and desist from commercially propagating and conducting activities relating to Bt Eggplant under the Biosafety Permit issued for such.”
It also revoked the Biosafety Permit for Commercial Propagation of Golden Rice of respondent Philippine Rice Research Institute.
The CA ordered PhilRice “to cease and desist from commercially propagating and conducting activities relating to Golden Rice under the Biosafety Permit issued in its favor.”
It directed the Department of Agriculture, Department of Environment and Natural Resource, Department of Health and the Bureau of Plant Industry to strengthen risk assessment procedures and promulgate mechanisms for the monitoring of all activities conducted under the rules governing applications involving GMOs.
In upholding its April ruling,
the CA insisted that the grant of the writs of kalikasan and continuing mandamus was proper.
“This Court stands by its earlier ruling that the precautionary principle applies to the instant case. We reiterate that the three (3) conditions for the precautionary principle to apply—uncertainty, the possibility of irreversible harm, and the possibility of serious harm—are present in this case,” the CA said.
The appellate court also held that there is a lack of “full scientific certainty” on the effects—good or bad—of GMO products and that evidence presented before it necessitates the application of the “precautionary principle.”
“There is no evidence that would show that GMOs do not pose greater risks than their conventional counterparts, especially considering that the respondent regulators fell short of conducting the risk management and monitoring mechanisms required under the JDCs [Joint Department Circulars].”
Govt sets aside ₧3.5B for coconut replanting, fertilization
By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla
THE government has allocated P3.5 billion for the replanting and fertilization program of the coconut industry for fiscal year 2025.
The additional funding was announced by President Ferdinand R. Marcos during a sectoral meeting in Malacañang last Tuesday.
The government will allot P1 billion for the planting of 100 million new coconut trees and P2.5 billion for fertilization initiatives.
Marcos said the country’s coconut trees are aging and have become less productive.
“And despite the fact that we are really working with very limited raw material because we are not replanting so our trees are already old. That is why replanting is important.”
The Philippine coconut industry contributed $3.22 billion to the country’s export earnings in 2022. Coconut exports contributed an average of 35 percent to the country’s total agricultural export earnings from 2013 to 2022. PCA Administrator Dexter Buted said the agency will start planting 8.5 million coconut seedlings this year. With the P1-billion budget, the PCA will plant 15.3 million seedlings in 2025.
The agency will work with the Cooperative Development Authority to consolidate farmers’ groups and associations to enable them to implement the government’s planting/replanting program.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) will also implement intercropping while farmers wait for the trees to become productive. Among the crops that will be planted are coffee, cacao, and bananas.
Last June, PCA said it expects a slight increase in coconut oil exports this year on strong demand.
“Yung ating oil ngayon ay nagagamit na sa biodiesel at yung aviation fuel malapit na [Our oil
now is being used in biodiesel, and we’re close to doing the same for aviation fuel],” PCA Administrator Dexter Buted told reporters in an interview. Despite the adverse impact of El Niño, Buted said coconut production may rise by 3 to 5 percent this year.
Data from the World Bank showed that coconut oil from January to December last year averaged $1,075 per metric ton (MT), lower than the $1,635 per MT recorded in 2022.
In the fourth quarter of 2023 alone, coconut oil averaged $1,090 per MT, down from the previous year’s $1,147 per MT.
Study: Children at risk of exposure to harmful pesticides in rice
FBy Bless Aubrey Ogerio
ILIPINOS , particularly children, are at risk of exposure to harmful pesticides in the rice they eat regularly, according to a study conducted by the Department of Science and Technology’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI). The study, titled “Dietary Exposure of Filipinos to Pesticide Residues in Rice (Oryza sativa) Using National Theoretical Maximum Daily Intake (NTMDI) Approach,” examined the dietary exposure of Filipinos to 71 approved pesticide-active ingredients in well-milled rice. The researchers found that exposure to
three pesticides—thiram, isoprocarb and carbofuran—exceeded the acceptable daily intake for all Filipino population groups. Children (3–5 years old) and infants (0–35 months) were shown to be especially sensitive because of their lower body weights and higher rice consumption with their body sizes. Thiram, a widely used fungicide in agriculture, was identified as the most dangerous due to its high exposure levels. The European Food Safety Authority has categorized it as a probable human carcinogen with neurotoxic effects; yet, still widely used globally. Isoprocarb and carbofuran, both insecticides, showed potentially hazardous levels.
Despite being outlawed or heavily restricted in many countries, including the United States and Europe, due to their potential to harm the nervous system, these are still used in the country. Despite the study’s analysis that most pesticides were mostly under safe levels, the results highlighted the need for more refined dietary exposure assessments and potential changes to present pesticide regulations in the Philippines.
The study’s authors, however, said the NTMDI approach may overestimate actual exposure, and the use of outdated food consumption data from 2013 could limit the study’s relevance to current conditions.
By using information from the 2013 National Nutrition Survey, which included almost 20,000 individuals and covered 17 regions, the researchers assessed the possible health hazards related to these pesticide residues.
Based on information on food consumption, maximum residue limits and body weight, the researchers computed the possible intake of pesticide residues using the NTDMI approach.
A 2015 FNRI survey found that the average Filipino consumes roughly 290 grams of rice daily. According to estimates from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, pests cause 20 to 40 percent of the world’s annual crop production loss.
Indonesian palm oil output set to fall on weather, old trees
THE outlook for Indonesia’s palm oil harvest has dimmed as dry weather and aging trees crimp production in the world’s top grower, which will likely tighten global supply and keep prices elevated.
Output of the tropical oil this year is expected to be flat or as much as 5 percent lower than 2023, according to forecasts from the Indonesian Palm Oil Association and the Indonesian Palm Oil Board. The industry groups, which represent producers and refiners, had both predicted an increase earlier this year.
The United States estimates global palm oil reserves are heading for the lowest level in three years, with the world’s secondlargest grower—Malaysia—also facing supply issues due to old trees and a labor shortage. The tropical oil is used in a wide range of products from soap to ice cream and fuels.
Indonesia produced a record 54.84 million tons of palm oil in 2023, according to data from the country’s palm oil association, following three years of declining output. The industry group, known as Gapki, estimated output this year of 52 million to 53 million tons.
About a third of Indonesia’s key palm oil growing regions have seen lower than normal rainfall in July, including Sumatra and parts of Kalimantan, said M. Hadi Sugeng, the secretary general of Gapki. The trend is expected to continue this month, he added. The group forecast production will be steady to 5 percent lower this year, compared
with a February projection for a 5-percentincrease. The US Foreign Agricultural Service forecast Indonesian palm oil output from January to June declined by 2 percent from the same period last year, according to a report earlier this month. Drought caused trees to develop more male flowers and decreased the volume of fresh fruit bunches, it said.
Benchmark palm oil futures were 1.1 percent higher at 3,966 ringgit at the midday break in Kuala Lumpur, extending gains for a fifth session—the longest rally since early July. Concerns about tight supply are supporting prices, said Paramalingam Supramaniam, a director at Selangor-based broker Pelindung Bestari.
Old plantations
MATURING trees continues to be a persistent problem for the industry. For many of the nation’s smallholders, their plantations are older than 25 years and they desperately need to be replenished to help boost output, said Sahat Sinaga, the acting chairman of the Indonesian Palm Oil Board.
Fresh fruit production has slipped to as low as 700 kilograms a hectare at some plantations, from 830 kilograms, Sinaga said. The board estimated Indonesian output this year would drop by 3 percent, compared with a January forecast for a gain.
“I am deeply concerned, Indonesia’s glory in palm oil could fade away if no one realizes this issue,” Sinaga said, referring to aging plantations. Bloomberg News
PHL and Singapore heighten collaboration on health care
THE Philippines and Singapore will partner on a wide spectrum of health-care matters: from deployment of overseas service providers, to improving local-service delivery.
Both governments’ leaders inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and the Republic of Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH) on the recruitment of Filipino health-care workers (HCWs).
The MOU was signed by Sec. Hans Leo Cacdac of DMW and MOH’s Min. Ong Ye-kung. Pres. Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Pres. Tharman Shanmugaratnam of Singapore witnessed the exchange of the signed document, which demonstrates the desire of both countries to provide a formal mechanism to govern and regulate the deployment of Filipino HCWs to the island-state, as well as provide support for their eventual reintegration to the Philippine economy and society.
During the joint press conference, Marcos Jr. highlighted that both sides “worked hard to draft an MOU” that strikes a balance between the needs of the two countries’ healthcare sectors, while considering Filipino HCWs’ personal development and growth.
For his part, Tharman recognized the invaluable contributions
of Filipinos working in his country, especially the health-care personnel who “stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Singaporeans during the fight against Covid-19.”
At the local front IN a bid to help improve access to and quality of health-service delivery in the Philippines, Sec. Teodoro Herbosa MD of the Department of Health (DOH) had a dialogue with Ong on August 16.
According to the DOH, their discussions focused on enhancing collaboration in key areas to strengthen primary care implementation, while improving the rollout of health services for Filipinos.
During the meeting, Dr. Herbosa extended his appreciation to the Singapore MOH for their support, which the secretary said “will significantly contribute to the Philippines’s health sector goals.”
These include, he said, “building stronger health systems, better health outcomes, and ensuring access to all levels of care tungo sa Bagong Pilipinas, kung saan Bawat Buhay Mahalaga [toward a New Phil-
ippines, where Every Life is Vital].”
Ong likewise witnessed the sealing of two landmark partnerships: First was the agreement forged with Singapore’s Temasek Foundation as well as the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, which aimed at developing collaborative programs to improve maternal and child care in Taguig city.
Second was the memorandum of agreement between the City of Taguig and CareSpan Asia Inc. It focuses on the integration and utilization of the latter’s electronic medical record systems that will simplify the application process of the city’s patients for claims with the Philippine Health Insurance or PhilHealth.
With a report from Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco
Embassy of Finland champions intl relations in academic forum
IPhilSA, Koica turn over air-quality monitoring tools to local operators
GOVERNMENTS of the Philippines and Korea marked a significant milestone in air-quality monitoring, forecasting, and research during Philippine Space Week.
The Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (Koica) held the ceremonial handover of Pandora instruments on August 12 at Heyden Hall of the Manila Observatory, as they commemorated the growing linkage between their countries on improving and advancing local airquality research.
The turnover stemmed from the formal signing of the “Record of Discussion” in August 2023 between PhilSA and Koica, with Dir. Gen. Dr. Joel Joseph Marciano Jr. of PhilSA, Amb. Lee Sang-hwa, and Country Dir. Kim Eun-sub of Koica present.
The PhilSA official was also grateful to Koica and the Korean Embassy for their stewardship and for entrusting the agency with this project.
“With this turnover, the initiative has entered the implementation phase. It aims to enhance the Philippines’s air-quality monitoring capabilities by integrating satellite and ground measurements, with Pandora instruments reading realtime, calibrated air quality data,” Lee highlighted in his message. “This will support evidence-based [and sciencebased policymaking, while strengthening] national capacity to address air pollution.”
The envoy furthered that strategic sites were chosen to cover varying pollutant concentrations, offering a comprehensive view of the country’s air quality.
The first Pandora instrument was installed at the Manila Observatory in Quezon City on July 19, with new ones scheduled by the end of September. The sites were strategically chosen to represent both urban air quality (Manila and Cebu) and rural or background air quality (Palawan and Ilocos Norte).
their establishment in 1946.
N an effort to explore interdisciplinary dialogue, Deputy Head of Mission Veera Kaarela of the Embassy of Finland shared insights on her country’s diplomatic and state relations with the Philippines in a symposium attended by General Academic Strand students and educators of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde Senior High School. Kaarela walked the participants through the history and background of the 74-year formal relationship between Finland and the Philippines. With this long-standing partnership, she expressed optimism that the bilateral ties between both territories have been in order since
Malaysian Embassy art expo’s ‘kaleidoscope’ to commemorate 60 years of mutual ties
MARKING the 60th year of Malaysia and the Philippines’s bilateral relations, the former’s embassy, One Ayala, Makati City Council, and Artemis Art are organizing an art exhibit from August 30 to September 1 at the Level 2 Concourse of One Ayala in Makati City.
Themed: “Celebrating Friendship Through Art: A Kaleidoscope of 60 Years of Diplomatic Relations between Malaysia and the Philippines,” the expo will feature artworks of Malaysian artists: Dato Prof. Tajuddin Ismail, SC Shekar, Juhari Said, Anniketyni Madian, and Syahbandi Samat, as well as their Filipino counterparts: Anthony Palomo, Ramon Orlina, Francisco Guerrero, Dennis Bato, and Niakie. Aside from the artworks, visitors will be treated to cultural performances by Malaysia’s Touché Production. They may also participate in the panel discussions on August 31, which will be participated by some of the featured artists themselves. It will delve around “Perspectives on Contemporary Southeast Asian Art,” while “Perspectives on Contemporary Photography from Two Generations” will be the focus on September 1.
The Art Expo is free and open to the public. The opening ceremony will be held on August 30. Amb. Dato’ Abdul Malik Melvin Castelino, Mayor Abigail S. Binay-Campos of Makati City, government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, and other dignitaries are expected to attend. Through the expo, the embassy expressed its hopes that visitors will be able to appreciate Malaysian and Filipino art, and that it “will open the door to more collaborations between [the two peoples] in the field of arts.”
To boost security cooperation, the diplomat cited the expansion of consular affairs offices and immigration services in the respective governments.
She highlighted both nations’ possible mutual priorities, such as creating carbon-neural and circular systems to foster sustainable growth in the future. The emissary also advised the adaptation of emerging technologies, which can further sustain innovation and investments.
The envoy added that Finland
collaborates multilaterally with the Philippines through international groups such as the European Union, the United Nations, and the Asian Development Bank.
Kaarela was appointed as an education advisor at the Embassy of Finland in Pristina, Kosovo as well as the Finn Church Aid in Ramallah, Palestine in 2019. She also served as analyst of Helsinki’s Center of Excellence in Countering Threats in March 2021. As an expert, she has been designated as attaché of Finland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs since August 2022.
Israel’s Mashav funds countryside livelihood
THE Embassy of Israel, through its Agency for International Development Cooperation or Mashav, has awarded a financial Development Grant to Nelsie Uy for her chosen project: the “Self-Help Group (SHeG) Community Enterprise” in the Diocese of Libmanan and the Apostolic Vicariate of Calapan, Oriental Mindoro.
“I congratulate Ms. Nelsie Uy through the help of our partner Caritas Philippines. I admire her commitment and support to improving the lives of rural women by opening job opportunities and income-generation initiatives for the women in marginalized communities,” Amb. Ilan Fluss commended Uy. “[With this project, we are contributing to poverty alleviation, and the United Nations’] Sustainable Development Goals.”
A Mashav alumna, Uy is a former head of Caritas Philippines Academy who participated in the program on “Combating Gender-based Violence: Effective Interventions and the Survivor-Centered
Approach” in August 2022 at The Golda Meir Mount Carmel International Training Center in Haifa, Israel. Her project is patterned after Caritas Philippines’ SHeG approach.
MASHAV’s microfinancial grant aims to support ongoing development projects selected by the agency’s alumni, complementing its capacity-building efforts while supporting grassroots-development initiatives.
Uy’s strategic focus areas include enhancing techniques for producing cranberry wine and juice in Libmanan, Camarines Sur; creating calamansi-ginger-lemongrass concentrate; and aiding Mangyan indigenous women’s handicraft weaving in Victoria, Oriental Mindoro. The project not only aims to boost economic empowerment among the women involved, but also preserve and promote local traditions and knowledge.
The financial grant amounting P580,000 was formally awarded to Uy at Caritas Philippines’s office in Intramuros, City of Manila.
A key component of the Pan-Asia Partnership for Geospatial Air Pollution Information and the Pandora Asia Network Philippines project is the nationwide air-quality monitoring by ground-based and satellite measurements. The project employs Pandora instruments that will continuously measure air quality within a 500-meter to 10-kilometer range during daylight hours.
Complementing these groundbased measurements is the Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer (GEMS) satellite launched by the Republic of Korea in February 2020, and the first of its kind dedicated to air-quality monitoring from a geostationary orbit. It provides hourly air-quality data on a wider scale, enhancing the Pandora instruments’ ground-based readings.
For Dr. Marciano, the Pandora instruments’ turnover is a “key milestone that embodies the spirit of collaboration, progress, and shared commitment.”
“By nurturing and harnessing yamang kalawakan [or ‘space resources’] and integrating the benefits of space into Filipino society and culture, we will reach our common destination of a nation bridged, uplifted, and empowered through the peaceful uses of outer space...with [global cooperation vital to achieving] this mission,” he added.
The tools will be operated by select institutional partners: the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau, Manila Observatory, University of San Carlos, and Mariano Marcos State University.
Once installed, local operators will be responsible for the maintenance and operation of the Pandora instruments, working in collaboration with the PhilSA. Their role will focus on interpreting the data and integrating it with satellite observations, particularly from the GEMS satellite.
By using Pandora data as validation points, the agency can develop a comprehensive nationwide air-quality map, which will be instrumental in shaping policies and plans to enhance air quality across the Philippines. Capacity-building for local partners and other relevant institutions on the utilization of Pandora and GEMS data is also for implementation this year. PhilSA will still oversee the tools’ sustainable operations, together with the local operators.
Phil. consular body hosts South, East Asian confab
HONORARY consuls all over the world recently converged in Manila for the World Federation of Consuls’ (FICAC) South and East Asian Regional Conference, which was hosted by Consular Corps of the Philippines.
Transportation secretary Jaime “Jimmy” Bautista served as keynote speaker.
The conference culminated with a black-tie gala at the Fairmont Hotel.
During dinner, dean of the Consular Corps Jesus “Susing” Pineda thanked the delegates who came from Greece, Türkiye, Cyprus, Italy, Honduras, Monaco and the United States for joining their counterparts from South Asia and East Asia regions.
In turn, FICAC president Nikolaos K. Margaropoulos thanked the Consular Corps of the Philippines for hosting the successful conference in Manila. In particular, he commended Pineda, as well as Organizing Committee chair Freddie Borromeo and adviser Committee Vicente “Vince” J. Carlos.
The delegates were one in expressing their appreciation for a wonderful three-day stay in Manila. Pineda also conveyed his profound gratitude to the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation or Pagcor for its generous sponsorship and support to the success of the FICAC Conference in Manila.
KAARELA
ALUMNA Nelsie Uy (from left), Amb. Ilan Fluss, and Most Rev. Jose Colin Bagaforo of Caritas Philippines
DEPUTY Dir. Gen. Dr. Gay Jane Perez (from left) and Dir. Gen. Dr. Joel Joseph Marciano Jr. of PhilSA, officials from institutional partners, Amb. Lee Sang-hwa and Country Dir. Kim Eun-sub of Koica.
HEALTH minister Ong Ye-kung (from left) and Pres. Tharman Shanmugaratnam of Singapore, Pres. Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Sec. for Migrant Workers Hans Leo Cacdac FB: PHIL. EMBASSY IN SINGAPORE
ONG (right) with Sec. Teodoro Herbosa DEPT. OF HEALTH
4PH in Isabela in full swing: NHMFC, DHSUD, LGUs, private sector seal partnership
THE National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation (NHMFC), Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), Local Government Units of Isabela and Uanjelle Land, Inc. (Uanjelle) concretized their partnership through the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement for the construction of three housing projects in the Municipalities of Gamu, Jones and San Mateo. This in support of the government’s Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Program or 4PH spearheaded by DHSUD Secretary Jose Rizalino “Jerry” Acuzar.
A total of 13,872 housing units will be constructed by Uanjelle Land, Inc. for Balai Isabeleño in the Municipality of Gamu, 1,200 housing for Casa de Jonesians in the Municipality of Jones, and 4,152 housing units for Don Felino Diego Heights in San Mateo, Isabela. Uanjelle also tapped other housing originators in the locality to work with them in finishing these housing projects on time.
Earlier this year, NHMFC and the Municipality of Roxas also signed a MOA for the now ongoing construction
of Green Valley Residences in the Municipality of Roxas. More than 4,000 families will be housed in this socialized condominium project.
DHSUD Assistant Secretary Daryl Bryan Villanueva expressed his appreciation to NHMFC. “I am extending my gratitude to the National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation headed by President Renato Tobias in your determination to support the goal of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to provide decent and affordable houses for
Entrepreneurship alive and well at 3M
our fellowmen,” he remarked.
“It is a big help that there is a government agency that is willing to help and support the developers so that we can speed up the construction of these homes so that more Filipinos will own their own homes,” Villanueva added.
NHMFC President Renato L. Tobias committed that the corporation stands firmly behind President Marcos and Secretary Acuzar’s initiative to reach zero informal settlers by 2028. “The role of National Home Mortgage is crucial in ensuring the accomplishment of this very challenging vision. We are mandated to ensure liquidity in the housing market, and that funds for housing projects are readily available for our housing originators,” he said.
Present during the signing ceremony were former Isabela Governor Faustino S. Dy, Jr. Municipality of Gamu Administrator Atty. Xian Al D. Galanza representing Mayor Timoteo Galanza, Jones Mayor Nhel Montano, San Mateo Mayor Gregorio Pua, Uanjelle Land Inc. President Engr. Alduane Alegria, and C.R. Domingo and Power Development Inc. President Engr. Rolando Domingo.
on Wheels Valenzuela
ENTREPRENEURSHIP remains vibrant in Valenzuela City as hundreds of active and aspiring Valenzuela entrepreneurs availed of the free mentoring service at Go Negosyo’s 3M on Wheels last August 17, 2024. SM City Valenzuela’s main atrium was filled with eager business owners who came to receive one-on-one coaching from Go Negosyo’s veteran entrepreneurship mentors comprising successful business owners, top executives and respected business consultants.
Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion gave a special message of support to the
McDonald’s
Aassembly, thanking Valenzuela City Mayor Wes Gatchalian and Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) Valenzuela president Helen Lising for supporting the city’s thriving entrepreneur community. Department of Trade and Industry Acting Secretary Cris Roque sent her message of support to the assembly. Content creator Kiko Matthew gave a short talk on how he used social media to market his business, Kape Prints.
Go Negosyo’s 3M on Wheels is held in shopping malls in large cities across the
country. The entrepreneurship roadshow has traveled to Cebu, Baguio, Bataan, Pampanga, Batangas, Laguna, and is expected in other urban areas, including Pangasinan, La Union, and Iloilo. Through these events, it reaches out to MSMEs from various industries like food, retail, agriculture, tourism, personal services, and more.
3M on Wheels is the on-ground, nationwide mentoring program started in 2018 and inspired by the growing number of Filipinos turning to entrepreneurship to lift themselves out of poverty. It aims to give MSMEs access to the three M’s essential to successful entrepreneurship – Mentorship, Money, and Market – reflecting its overarching mission of providing not just mentorship, but also access to capital and markets.
During 3M on Wheels, participants receive one-on-one coaching from veteran entrepreneurs and successful business executives. Finance service providers, meanwhile, introduce entrepreneurs to facilities for small-business lending, while specialists in different marketing channels are on hand to introduce solutions that cover everything from establishing physical stores and digital platforms, to logistics solutions and digital payment platforms. Participants can also inquire at booths from potential franchise or business opportunities. And to assist the entrepreneurs in their regulatory affairs, government agencies are on hand to answer questions on documentation, certifications, and applications.
Philippines Releases New Glass Collection Featuring Iconic Collabs
S music, art, and fashion from the ‘90s and 2000s have made a comeback and are experiencing a resurgence in popularity, McDonald’s Philippines releases new collectible glasses that are a timely tribute to these exciting and unforgettable decades. More than collector’s items, these glasses unlock some of our fans’ favorite McDonald’s memories. The glasses feature toy designs from its most iconic collaborations with CocaCola, Mattel, and Universal and its very own releases from years past. They include Shrek/Minions, Barbie/Hot Wheels, McDonald’s/Nanoblock, and McDonald’s/ Coca-Cola.
This unique collection is not just owning a piece of the past, but celebrating decades of McDonald’s history, with each glass capturing the essence of the earlier decades’ pop culture.
McDonald’s
twist, giving our fans a memory that they
can hold in their hands. These new collectible cups commemorate some of our most unforgettable designs and global collaborations over the years, allowing longtime fans to relive treasured moments and helping a new generation make their own lasting memories,” said Margot Torres, Managing Director for McDonald’s Philippines. Long time fans and new collectors alike can avail of the new collectibles via the McDonald’s App until September 2, 2024. They can be purchased via front counter dine-in, take-out, drive-thru and McDelivery starting September 3. With multiple ways to purchase, it is easier to get your hands on these exclusive items. With the release of its Collector’s Meal, McDonald’s invites everyone to take a sentimental journey and relive the magic of its iconic collaborations, all while enjoying your favorite McDonald’s meal. Make sure you don’t miss out on the opportunity to own a piece of McDonald’s history and relive the joy of simpler times.
BDO Foundation gives relief goods to over 12,000 Carina-affected families
BDO Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of BDO Unibank, took the frontline as it donated 12,350 relief packs to more than 36 Typhoon Carina-affected barangays across Luzon.
Last July, Carina struck the National Capital Region (NCR) and nearby cities, causing major flooding in various residential areas. The foundation, with the
help of Tanging Yaman Foundation, dioceses and parishes, local government units, and BDO and BDO Network Bank employees sent assistance to communities affected by flooding in Bulacan (Malolos, Calumpit, Bocaue, Hagonoy, Meycauayan, and Obando), Pampanga (Macabebe and Masantol), Ilocos Sur (Vigan), Rizal, and Metro Manila.
BDO Foundation donated food packs containing rice, canned goods, and drinking water.
“BDO Foundation hopes that through this simple act of kindness, we are able to show our solidarity to our kababayans and to help in giving them hope
as they bounce back from this calamity,” shared BDO Foundation president Mario Deriquito.
Apart from the relief packs, BDO Foundation, through BDO Network Bank, also delivered cleaning materials to 150 schools across NCR, region 3, and region 4A to help flooded school communities prepare their facilities for the opening of classes.
MaArte Fair all set at The Peninsula Manila
THE Museum Foundation of the Philippines, Inc. is mounting its annual flagship fundraising event called “MaArte Fair” at The Peninsula Manila Hotel in Makati, from until September 1, 2024, featuring creativity and passion in Filipino artisanal craftsmanship via innovative items that show Philippine culture, arts, and history. MaArte Fair 2024 Fab Finds seeks to give a spotlight to the country’s endangered fauna, such as the Philippine Eagle, Crocodile, Tamaraw, Sea Turtle, and Tarsier.
“This year is all about discovering Fab Finds with a purpose to be bearers of modernity and history,” said Museum Foundation President and MaArte Committee Chair Danny Jacinto. “More than bringing home beautiful and high-quality pieces, shoppers own badges of pride in sharing the awareness on heritage conservation, especially our endangered animals.”
Along with their support for the textile industry, the Foundation also backs up the threads and dye industries, according to Museum Foundation Vice President Gemma Cruz-Araneta.
“So when you come to the MaArte Fair bazaar, you not only buy beautiful items, but your contribution goes a long way. Just think that when you buy a beautiful piece of malong for a modernized one, you’re helping not only the vendor, but also the weaver,
SEATED from left are National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation President Renato L. Tobias, former Isabela Governor Faustino Dy Jr., DHSUD Assistant Secretary Daryl Bryan Villanueva. Standing from left are NHMFC Executive Vice President Livia Alicia Ramos, NHMFC Consultant Joel Macalincag, and Uanjelle Land Inc. President Engr. Alduane Alegria who sign a Memorandum of Agreement for the construction of three affordable housing projects in the Municipalities of Gamu, Jones and San Mateo in Isabela Province.
GO Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion together with Valenzuela City Mayor W Gatchalian at the 3M on Wheels entrepreneurship mentoring event at the SM City Valenzuela last August 17, 2024. Joining them at the event were PCCI Chairman George Barcelon (not in photo), PCCI North Regional Governor Yolly Dela Cruz, PCCI Valenzuela President Helen Lising, Womenbiz President Rhoda Caliwara, Tyremart Inc. President Chris Chillip, Standard Insurance President Patty Chillip, Uratex Valenzuela GM John Rosagas, Yovel East Agriventures President James Amparo, SM Mall Operations AVP Ana Datu, SM Mall Operations Senior AVP Johanna Rupisan.
DISTRIBUTION of relief packs through one of BDO Foundation’s partners, Caritas Manila. (Photo courtesy of Caritas Manila’s official Facebook page)
‘Hitting kids should never be allowed’: State bans corporal punishment in all schools
By John O’Connor The Associated Press
Braille learning kits assist visually impaired children
TO foster a better future for children with visual impairment, young Filipino designer Ruark Villegas created an assistive learning kit to promote braille literacy.
The Braillwise Kit was conceptualized following the advice from his mentor to “think outside of the box.” There was an innate urge to design a product to help underrepresented communities. “On my way home after class, I noticed the braille markings in the college elevator. I realized I did not see these anywhere else,” Villegas shared. “This led me into a rabbit hole of information.” As he researched, he noted 5 million out of 101 million Filipinos suffer from visual impairment—and 1 in 13 are kids. Brailleworks.com, one of the leading providers of reading materials for those with special needs, revealed that while 90 percent of employed people with blindness can read and write braille, 74 percent of the adults with visual impairment remain unemployed.
With this, the Industrial Design talent from the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) School of Environment and Design was inspired to push the significance of braille literacy in garnering life opportunities.
“It affects a person’s health, wellness and socioeconomic status. All of these are strong predictors of future life outcomes,” he stressed. “If it is important, how come the rate is so low?”
Fueled by the mission to promote skills development at an early age, Villegas decided to build a cost-efficient toy that fosters spatial awareness, mind-body connection, and social interaction.
“If visually impaired children are provided with a kit which incorporates multisensory features, sourced with easily available materials, and specifically designed to teach Grade 1 braille, then their proficiency in braille reading and writing will improve. This may result in better academic performance, higher self-esteem and increased independence,” he explained.
The Braillewise Kit includes 26 3D-printed braille blocks with a dual-sided design. The front is equipped with an embossed alphabetical letter in print and its corresponding braille at the bottom. The back part dons a bigger equivalent of the braille with an attached Velcro for an added tactile feel.
For more comfortable handling, there is a soft matting between these two sections. The pieces likewise incorporate differing audio feedback between vowels and consonants.
The set is inclusive of a practice Velcro board for individual learning, which can be used with the blocks for one-on-one or teacher-student activities. To integrate play into the process, it is also complete with a tactile life-size playmat with embossed wayfinders for a fun exercise for students. It is made from recycled materials such as PVC foam.
“The journey of learning braille starts with familiarizing oneself with the position of individual dots in a braille cell,” Villegas explained. “The playmat transforms this abstract world into a tangible and engaging encounter.”
The project was lauded with the Best Thesis Award, following the criteria of the World Design Organization, a globally recognized nongovernmental network that champions the power of industrial design in enhancing the economic, social, cultural, and environmental quality of life.
SPRINGFIELD, Illinois—This school year, Illinois will become just the fifth state in the nation to prohibit corporal punishment in all schools.
Legislation that Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law this month bans physical punishment in private schools while reiterating a prohibition on the practice in public schools implemented 30 years ago. When the ban takes effect in January, Illinois will join New Jersey, Iowa, Maryland and New York in prohibiting paddling, spanking or hitting in every school.
State Rep. Margaret Croke, a Chicago Democrat, was inspired to take up the issue after an updated call by the American Association of Pediatrics to end the practice, which it says can increase behavioral or mental health problems and impair cognitive development. The association found that it’s disproportionately administered to Black males and students with disabilities.
“It was an easy thing to do. I don’t want a child, whether they are in private school or public school, to have a situation in which corporal punishment is being used,” Croke said.
Croke was also disturbed by the Cassville School District in southwest Missouri. After dropping corporal punishment in 2001, it reinstated it two years ago as an opt-in for parents. Croke wanted to send a clear message that “it never was going to be OK to inflict harm or pain on a child.”
Much of the world agrees.
The World Health Organization has decreed the practice “a violation of children’s rights to respect for physical integrity and human dignity.” In 1990, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child established an obligation to “prohibit all corporal punishment of children.”
“The US was the convention’s lone holdout. Americans seemingly take a pragmatic view of the practice,” said Sarah A. Font, associate professor of sociology and public policy at Penn State University.
“Even though research pretty consistently shows that corporal punishment doesn’t improve kids’ behavior in the long run—and it might have some negative consequences—people don’t want to believe that,” Font said. “People kind of rely on their own experience of, ‘Well, I experienced corporal punishment. I turned out fine.’ They disregard the larger body of evidence.”
US Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat,
OUR pets at home have become more as real members of our families. My sister and I have a total of five dogs, who my kids treat as their cousins. My sister specially cares for their every health need whether it be skin rashes to preventive care.
It is great to know that Boehringer Ingelheim
Animal Health (Philippines) Inc. recently held its 8th Companion Animal Technical Forum at the Crimson Hotel, Alabang. The forum focused on advancing the standards of care in veterinary medicine, with a special emphasis on cardiology and respiratory emergencies in companion animals.
Dr. Sukje Sung, head of Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health Philippines, highlighted the growth of the pet care market in the country saying, “Pet owners see pets as members of the family which encourages us to invest in the advancement of pet care. As a leader in animal health, we make a difference for people, animals, and our society to provide continued delivery of innovation and access to products and services.”
Sung also highlighted the importance of collaborative learning: “This journey of continuous education and research allows us to develop better products that support [veterinary] practices.”
The forum featured expert-led sessions from Dr. Ta Li Lu and Dr. Kuan Hua Khor, renowned experts in veterinary cardiology from Taiwan and Malaysia,
last year introduced legislation, co-sponsored by Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois, to ban corporal punishment in any school receiving federal funds. It was assigned to a Senate committee for a public hearing in May 2023 but has seen no further action.
The US Supreme Court has also rejected constitutional claims against the practice. When junior high pupils in Dade County, Florida, filed a lawsuit challenging physical discipline, the court ruled in 1977 that Eighth Amendment protection against cruel and unusual punishment was reserved for people convicted of crimes; it did not apply to classroom discipline.
Today, 17 states technically allow corporal punishment in all schools, although four prohibit its use on students with disabilities. North Carolina state law doesn’t preclude it but every school district in the state blocked its use in 2018. Illinois lawmakers in
1994 stopped the practice in public schools. Ralph Rivera, who represents the Illinois Coalition of Nonpublic Schools, said he’s unaware of any member school that uses the practice. While the group usually opposes state meddling in its classrooms, Rivera said, objecting to a corporal punishment ban on principle is a tough sell.
“Even if they don’t do it, they told us to stay out of it, because it doesn’t look good when you say, ‘No, we want to be able to spank children,’” Rivera said.
The law does not apply to home schools. Homeschooled students are subject to the same rules during school hours as those they face after school.
Croke, whose school-age child attends Catholic school, said her intent was not to open the door to state regulation of private education but rather to “keep kids out of harm’s way.”
“There’s a red line there, that hitting kids should never be allowed,” Croke said. n
respectively.
Ta Li Lu’s presentation, Breath of Life: Rapid Assessment and Comprehensive Management of Respiratory Emergencies in Canine and Feline Patients, highlighted best practices for diagnosing and managing respiratory emergencies, emphasizing the critical nature of prompt intervention and the use of advanced diagnostic tools to ensure effective treatment.
Kuan, on the other hand, took the stage with her presentation on congestive heart failure. The session Congestive Heart Failure: Look out for ABC and then find the ‘D’ or the other way around? focused on the identification and management of congestive heart failure in companion animals.
“At Boehringer, we understand and cherish the deep connection that people and animals share. We believe that by working together, we can improve the lives of pets and pet parents,” said Dr. Ross Antonio Banayo, technical manager of the Companion Animal Business Segment.
“Continuous education and the adoption of best practices are crucial in ensuring that animal companions receive the best possible care,” he concluded.
The 8th Companion Animal Technical Forum is an annual educational forum held by Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health with the aim to provide veterinary professionals valuable learning opportunities and advanced knowledge
The forum is just one of Boehringer Ingelheim’s educational programs that signify a strong commitment in enhancing the quality of
care. In 2023, Boehringer Ingelheim Philippines launched the Animal Health Hub, an online learning portal designed for veterinarians to
PHOTO BY KENNY ELIASON ON UNSPLASH
PrototyPe of the Braillewise Kit by Benilde Industrial Design graduate ruark Villegas.
FroM left: Marcus with my sister’s dogs; Meagan with our dog Brad swimming in each of their Bestway pools; Meagan with my sister’s
PARIS—Let the games begin again.
The Paralympic Games are set to open Wednesday as some 4,400 athletes with disabilities, permanent injuries or impairments prepare to compete for 549 medals across 22 sports over 11 days in Paris.
The French capital, which just hosted the Olympics, again provides the backdrop for what promises to be another spectacle, with many of the same venues hosting Paralympic competitions.
Historic square Place de la Concorde, which hosted skateboarding, breaking and 3x3 basketball during the Olympics, will host the opening ceremony.
“We are at the heart of the city,” International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons told The Associated Press on Tuesday. “The symbolism behind this is like the city of Paris is giving our athletes a gigantic hug.” Equestrian returns to Château de Versailles, which will host para equestrian events. The Grand Palais transitions from fencing to wheelchair fencing. Archery venue Invalides will host para archery. The venue beside the Eiffel Tower, which hosted beach volleyball during the Olympics, will host blind soccer, an adaption of the game for visually impaired players in teams of five with a ball containing rattles.
“We’ve got some monstrous iconic sites, and we’re going to get an eyeful,” France’s para triathlon champion, Alexis Hanquinquant, said. “Paris is the most beautiful city in the world. I think we’re going to have some pretty exceptional Paralympic Games.”
Of the 22 Paralympic sports,
only
Paralympians seize spotlight Bantiloc opens PHL campaign in Paris Paralympics
B8
Thursday, augusT 29, 2024
mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph
Editor: Jun Lomibao
events, which would be the second highest ever total number of spectators at a Paralympics, behind the London Paralympics in 2012.
The Paralympic flame was lit Saturday in Stoke Mandeville, a village northwest of London widely considered the birthplace of the Paralympic Games, and was to make its way via a torch relay under the English Channel to cities all over France before lighting the cauldron during the opening ceremony on Wednesday.
Anticipation has been building with Parisians returning from their summer vacations—the city almost felt empty
By VG Cabuag
LISTED developer Century Properties Group Inc. and its horizontal housing brand Phirst celebrated National Heroes Day with a ceremonial handover of a house and lot package to Olympic double gold medalist Carlos Yulo. CPG and Phirst executives presented Yulo with the symbolic key to his new home at Phirst Editions Batulao in Batangas. Yulo’s new house, named Charles, the Spanish translation of Carlos, is a single-attached home with a 70 square meter floor area on a 136 square meter corner lot worth P6 million.
Expected to be completed by March 2025, the house will have three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a twocar carport.
UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS overcame Letran, 25-23, 25-12, 20-25, 25-18, Wednesday for its third straight win in the 2024 V-League Men’s Collegiate Challenge at the Paco Arena in Manila. The Golden Spikers saw five players in double figures led by 6-foot-5 rookie spiker Al-Bukharie Sali and middle blocker Trevor Valera with 14 points apiece. Sali was efficient in his attacks,
‘em up!
Yulo, the first Filipino and Southeast Asian to win two Olympic gold medals, attended the ceremony with his mentor, Gymnastics Association of the Philippines President Cynthia Carrion. Carrion has supported Yulo since his teens and throughout his Olympic journey. In addition to the house and lot package, CPG donated P500,000 to the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines.
“It is an honor for us at Century Properties and Phirst to celebrate this moment with Carlos and all of you. Winning gold in the Olympics is an extraordinary achievement for the Philippines, and a double gold is historic for us, Filipinos. Carlos, we are very proud of you,” CPG executive chairman Jose E.B. Antonio.
going 13-of-25, while Valera manned the net well with a matchleading six blocks. Popoy Colinares also delivered 13 points, Gboy De Vega scored 11 and JJ Macam added 10 as UST improved to 3-2, good for a tie with the National University Bulldogs for third
THE road to the opening days of both the 87th season of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) and the Centennial Season of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is paved with pep rallies. These raucous, festive, cheer-laden events are the traditional morale boosters and send-offs for the varsity teams that will compete in the upcoming tournament season. At pep rallies, expect varsity teams to appear and star in student-engaging activities. Expect athletes and cheerleaders to put on a show—usually unexpected numbers from athletes like dancing or singing or hilarious skits—to entertain the audience and make them laugh. Strangely this season, both the UAAP and the NCAA will have the same opening date: September 7. So as we write, each “Yuwap” or “Encee” school has been staging, or is about to stage, its own distinctive pep rally with students, faculty, fans and pep squads going all out to raise the
education
of
of
at the beginning of the month with many away at the coast. For locals who missed the Olympic action, the Paralympics are a second chance to catch some of the excitement.
The athletes—Paralympians— will be the focus of attention starting Thursday in the first day of competition, when there will be medals to be won in para taekwondo, para table tennis, para swimming and para cycling on the track.
As was the case for the Olympics, there will medals up for grabs on each of the 11 days of competition.
Battle
for
Many of the competing athletes have titles to defend. Para shooter Avani Lekhara, the first Indian woman to win a pair of medals at a single edition of the Paralympics, returns to defend her 10-meter air rifle gold in the SH1 category from Tokyo. The SH1 category is for rifle shooters with lower limb impairments like amputations or paraplegia who can hold their gun without difficulty and shoot from a standing or sitting position. AP
ON the eve of the actual competition of the 17th Paralympic Games, Philippine Sports Commission Chairman Richard Bachmann told the country’s six standard-bearers to be an inspiration to everyone.
“The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will soon commence and our Paralympians are all geared up to showcasing another history for the country. Your fight proves that everybody shares the same goals and successes for Philippine sports,” Bachmann said.
“The whole country extends our well wishes for the productive campaign of Ernie Gawilan, Cendy Asusano, Angel Mae Otom, Agustina Bantiloc, Jerrold Mangliwan, and Allain Ganapin,” said Bachmann, who arrived here just in time to witness the grand opening ceremony at the Place dela Concorde to the Champs-Élysées.
“This is the biggest squad in the Paralympic Games after 12 years. The Filipinos are more than excited to see your abilities shining on the international stage.”
Clad in their colorful ethnicinspired parade uniforms, all six para campaigners were among the crème dela crème of 4,350 athletes from 168 countries who took part in the festive evening rites between two iconic attractions in the City of Lights.
berths in season finale heats up in Junior PGT Mount Malarayat
UNIOR golfers prepare for a tough showdown for spots in the ICTSI JPGT Match Play Championship, aiming for a strong start and a dominant finish in the Luzon Series 6 at Mount Malarayat Golf and Country Club in Lipa City, Batangas. The penultimate leg of the sevenstage regional series kicks off on Monday at the Mount Malarayat GCC’s composite course, with competition set in four age divisions boys’ and girls’ categories. All participants are vying for
top honors and valuable ranking points to boost their standings. The eight champions from last week’s Series 5 at Luisita will be part of the action, each determined to secure repeat victories and solidify their bids for the national finals scheduled for October 1 to 4 at The Country Club in Laguna. These include Isonn Angheng and Venus delos Santos in the 8-9 age group, Aerin Chan in the girls’ 10-12 division, Jose Carlos Taruc and Precious Zaragosa in the 13-15 bracket,
and Mark Kobayashi and Lia Duque in the 16-18 category.
Vito Sarines, competing in the boys’ 10-12, has already secured his spot in the Match Play finals, having achieved a perfect score of 60 points from four leg victories. In the Luzon series, only the top four performances will count towards qualifying for the finals, which will also feature the top two players from each division of the Visayas and Mindanao series.
Obiena shut down for season due to back injury
By Josef T. Ramos
ORLD No. 3 pole vaulter
WErnest John “EJ” Obiena canceled his 2024 outdoor season after scans of his back revealed a stress fracture.
“I am sorry to announce that I must call a premature close to my 2024 season,” Obiena, 28, posted on Wednesday through his Facebook account. “I immediately went to my doctor in Italy, and the MRI [Magnetic Resonance Imaging] revealed what appeared to be a stress fracture in my spine.”
“Unfortunately, a later CAT
to fourth places.
Despite the win though, head coach Odjie Mamon was still looking for more as the Golden Spikers gave up the third set after committing 13 of their 33 errors there.
“Not the things I wanted to see. I have two days to review and
NC turns 100 this year. Originally composed of UP, Ateneo de Manila, De La Salle University, Far Eastern University, National University, University of Santo Tomas, San Beda University and University of Manila, the NCAA’s membership has evolved and changed through the decades, with UP, Ateneo, DLSU, FEU, NU and UST now in the other collegiate league that was founded in 1938. Still, the NCAA is set to honor 10 of its greatest players in the past 100 years, according to NCAA Season 100 management committee chairman Hercules Callanta. And that will include athletes who may have played for teams already now with the UAAP. “It’s history. You cannot change or erase history,” Callanta said.
[computerized axial tomography] scan confirmed the diagnosis. I have a fractured L5 vertebra.”
Obiena, Asia’s top pole vaulter, ended up fourth in the Paris Olympics after clearing 5.90 meters.
Armand Duplantis earned his second gold medal by clearing 6.25m followed by Sam Kendricks of the US (5.95m) and Emmanouil Karalis of Greece (5.90m).
Obiena, the 2023 World Athletics Championships silver medalist, will no longer compete in the Internationales Stadionfest Berlin, two Diamond League competitions in Zurich and the
make them focus again on what I’m trying to teach them,” said Mamon, who returned after missing the previous match due to Alas Pilipinas commitments. UST will look for an even better performance on Sunday when it faces Emilio Aguinaldo College at 12 p.m.
Diamond League Final in Brussels.
“I intended to compete more. However, during the Silesia Diamond League this past weekend, the same back pain that has bothered me all season flared up.
Due to the continual spasms, I could not finish my last few attempts,” Obiena added.
Obiena also canceled the Philippine Pole Vault competition set on September 20 in Manila.
Vince Himzon, the 2023 Spikers’ Turf Invitationals MVP, was the lone bright spot for the Knights with 16 points built on 15 attacks. Letran saw its two-match win run snapped and fall to 2-3 for sixth spot. Letran aims to rebound on Sunday against Far Eastern University at 2 p.m.
To give the PH para athletes a competitive edge, the PSC bankrolled a training camp in Nimes, France as early as August 11 for them to adjust to the conditions.
“Your mere appearance in the Paralympic Games completes everyone’s dream for an inclusive sporting community. Laban! Para sa bayan! Mabuhay ang mga bidang bayaning manlalaro,” Bachmann added.
The first athlete to go into action on Thursday at 1 p.m. (7 p.m. in Manila) is Bantiloc, who will compete in the women’s individual compound open ranking round at the archery range in Les Invalides.
Should she finish among the top 16, the 56-year-old native of Tanudan, Kalinga will be back at the range in the knockout round on Friday for a spot in the quarterfinals on Saturday. A former powerlifter, Bantiloc is the first para archer to represent the country in the quadrennial global sports showcase featuring the world’s best physicallychallenged athletes.
Meanwhile UAAP host school University of the Philippines is also riding on the energy of the pep rallies this year. Its goal: to deliver the season theme of Stronger, Better, Together with more meaning and significance. UP has introduced new elements to the pre-opening period with a Torch Turnover Ceremony and a joint creative activity of the eight schools called The Unity Wall. Called a Roadshow, UP athlete and official representatives will visit the seven other universities at their pep rallies to gift them with a symbolic, LED-lit torch as a keepsake and souvenir of Season 87. The Torch is meant to be displayed in the schools throughout Season 87 and will be taken off its perch at the end of the season, reminiscent of the extinguishing of the Olympic Flame at the end of The Games.
“This is not the traditional torch relay that heralds the beginning of the games. Instead we are passing on a torch to each of our member schools in a spirit of friendship and kinship. The torch will remind us of the harmony and cooperation that exists within the league. It also signifies the sharing of light, inspiration and goodwill from each university to all the other universities. It needs no cauldron because the flame burns in the mind, heart and spirit,” said Office of Athletics and Sports Development Director Bo Perasol. UP has also invited each school to interpret the season
OBIENA is
theme and express it through art on a large canvas. The eight different artworks will be gathered together to form a Unity Wall that will be displayed in the playing arenas of the UAAP this season.
“Although different, the artworks, like the league, will form a collective whole and deliver the same message. We are Stronger, Better, Together not because we are the same, but because we are different and we are stronger because of it,” Perasol explained. The NCAA pep rallies have already rolled out earlier this month, with the Red Lions holding theirs on August 16, the Mapua Cardinals following suit on August 18, the LPU Pirates partying on August 21 and the Arellano Chiefs whooping it up on August 27. The UAAP pep rallies should have started Wednesday, August 28 with University of the East (but classes were cancelled), followed by Ateneo de Manila and Far Eastern University on August 30, National University and UP, September 3; De La Salle University and University of Sto. Tomas, September 4 and Adamson University, September 5. What better way to pep up the teams, raise their morale and let them know that their communities got their backs than with pep rallies? The
OLYMPIC champion Carlos Yulo’s house in Batangas is expected to be completed by March 2025.
Health& Fitness
Editor: Anne Ruth Dela Cruz
Gov’t intensifies info, awareness campaign vs mpox
By Rory Visco Contributor
The World health Organization (WhO), through its Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced last August 14, 2024 that the outbreak of mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo plus other countries in Africa is already a public health emergency of international concern (PheIC).
The declaration was based on the advice of an i nternational Health Regulations ( i HR) Emergency Committee of independent experts who reviewed data presented by WHO experts and affected countries, which said that the “upsurge of mpox to be a PHE i C, with potential to spread further across countries in a frica and possibly outside the continent.”
a little over a week later, the WHO declared the launching of a “global s trategic Preparedness and Response Plan to stop outbreaks of human-tohuman transmission of mpox through coordinated global, regional, and national efforts.”
The plan, which builds on the temporary and standing recommendations issued by the WHO DirectorGeneral, and will be implemented from s eptember 2024 to February 2025, “focuses on implementing comprehensive surveillance, prevention,
readiness and response strategies; advancing research and equitable access to medical countermeasures like diagnostic tests and vaccines; minimizing animal-to-human transmission; and empowering communities to actively participate in outbreak prevention and control.”
Vaccination will be strategic, the WHO said, and will “focus on individuals at the highest risk, including close contacts of recent cases and healthcare workers, to interrupt transmission chains,” with “emphasis on strategic leadership, timely evidence-based guidance, and access to medical countermeasures for the most at-risk groups in affected countries” on a global level.
Some basic facts on mpox aCCORDin G to WHO, this viral illness, formerly known as monkeypox and caused by the monkeypox virus, a
species of the genus Orthopox virus, is classified as “zoonotic,” meaning it can be transmitted between animals and humans, and was discovered in 1958. it has two “clades” or group of organisms that includes a single ancestor and all of its descendants: clade i (with subclade i a and i b), which causes more severe illness and deaths, and clade ii said to be less severe, with subclades ii a and ii b. s ubclade ii b was the one that caused the global outbreak of mpox between 2022 to 2023. s ome of the more common symptoms of mpox include the showing of skin rash or mucosal lesions that can last for two to four weeks, together with fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy and swollen lymph nodes. i t is transmittable through close contact with someone
who has mpox, including sexual contact, contaminated materials, or infected animals. During pregnancy, the virus may be passed to the fetus, or to the newborn during or after birth, the WHO said.
it is treated with care for symptoms like pain and fever, with focus on nutrition, hydration, skin care, prevention of secondary infections and treatment of co-infections, including H i V where present. Present treatment modalities include vaccination, and the WHO recommends “the use of MVa -B n or LC16 vaccines, or the aC a M2000 vaccine when the others are not available” only for those who are at risk or who belong to a group at high risk of exposure.
a t present, there are a total of 12 mpox cases in the country since July
of 2022, according to the Department of Health (DOH). The agency already requested access from the WHO to secure around 2,000 doses of mpox vaccines.
Mpox situationer in the Philippines
DR. Rontgene s olante, immediate past president of the Philippine College of Physicians (PCP), said during the PCP-organized online forum titled “MPOX in Focus: What Everyone s hould Know” that the importance of the declaration of a PHE i C is to have a “coordinated response among countries in order to mitigate and control the infection.”
s ome of the high-risk populations, Dr. s olante pointed out, are children, pregnant women, and the immunosuppressed or those with weak immune systems.
He was glad to note that the current mpox cases in the Philippines are clade ii , which is the less severe form of mpox, with less overall risk posed by clade i , the more severe form, as long as surveillance and awareness in the detection of cases is enhanced.
He noted, however, that imported cases are where the risks can be very high because of the circulating clade i b in some countries, particularly in an a sian country like Thailand. But for the general population, Dr. s olante said, it is still very low provided that these imported cases “are diagnosed promptly and control measures are implemented.”
Is the country ready?
C an the Philippines deal with mpox?
Dr. s olante said the DOH has already intensified the information and awareness campaigns among government hospitals to enhance and intensify the epidemiological disease surveillance, using a different case definition that was initially used in a case that is a suspect and probable one in 2002. There is also the need, he emphasized, to enhance access to accurate diagnostic tests and continue with the genomic surveillance capability of the country’s different laboratory referral centers, and raise awareness among different clinicians, including laboratories.
“This is not a problem, primarily, of infectious diseases, but we need to engage the primary care, the other specialty care including s exually Transmitted Disease [ s TD] clinics, dermatology clinics, emergency department and pediatricians. Risk communications, which include community engagement that will be very crucial in raising awareness about this infection, how is it transmitted.”
He added that related prevention and protective measures, including signs and symptoms, particularly targeting the high-risk groups, plus vaccinations probably should be part of the plan of the government in the next few months. “But more importantly is the implementation of a good infection prevention and control plan not only in the hospitals but also in the community.”
Asian Hospital, Intellicare enter exclusive partnership; cataract program outreach marks Sight Saving Month
Asian Hospital and Medical Center ( a HMC) recently announced a significant partnership with i ntellicare, one of the leading HMOs in the country, to enhance patient care and comfort.
The month of a ugust also saw a HMC continue with a project it started three years ago. The project, tagged s ight s aving Month: Cataract Outreach Year 3,” has already benefited more than 30 patients.
Exclusive Wing
a HMC and i ntellicare inaugurated an exclusive wing dedicated to i ntellicare and avega HMO members last July 12, 2024. Located on the 10th floor of a HMC, the wing ensures that i ntellicare members requiring admission will have access to dedicated rooms.
a sian Hospital really want more patients to access our services because we do have the best doctors in the world practicing here,” said Dr. Beaver Tamesis, a HMC President and CEO.
“Our philosophy has really been let’s make sure we are accessible, that people get what they deserve. Hence, the tagline ‘a lagang Deserve, a lagang s ulit’ was born,” Dr. Tamesis added. Dr. Louie a gregado, i ntellicare’s aVP for Medical Group, pointed out that i ntellicare has had many firsts with a HMC. He mentioned that a HMC was the first hospital to agree to remove i ntellicare’s bond with the hospital. a HMC was also the site of i ntellicare’s first clinic. a nother first was the surgical packages developed with i ntellicare to bring affordability to patients. Dr. a gregado pointed out that “there is a stigma that a sian Hospital is very expensive, but when we packaged them, it becomes affordable to the common Filipino as well.”
“This is the first time that we will have a dedicated wing for our members. We have been toying with the idea for the longest time, even before the pandemic. We are very grateful to a sian Hospital for accepting the idea,” he said. For his part, Dr. Michael John Encarnacion, Medical Director of avega, said this exclusive wing would take
In the photo are, from Left, Dr. Michael John Encarnacion, Medical Director of Avega; Dr. Louie D. Agregado, Intellicare’s AVP
D R . Michael John Encarnacion, Medical Director of Avega; Dr. Louie D. Agregado, Intellicare’s
NIAID v IA AP
Asthma attacks, hospitalizations avoidable with correct and effective care, say doctors
Medical experts from various fields of specializations are calling urgent attention to the right care for asthma. Multiple studies show that the inadequacy in the treatment of the chronic lung disease, which afflicts people of all ages, is creating problems for Filipino families and the health sector.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that asthma is often underdiagnosed and undertreated in low- and middle-income countries like the Philippines. This is further proven by a study from The l ancet, which indicated that an estimated 98 percent of Filipinos do not have access to adequate outpatient asthma care. The same journal showed that nearly half of Filipinos with asthma have inadequately controlled disease, making them prone to attacks or hospitalizations.
With this inequity, it becomes more important that Filipinos get the right treatment every chance they get.
d r. Maria Janeth Samson, president of the Philippine c ollege of c hest Physicians, said that high use of short-acting beta 2 agonist (S a B a ) like salbutamol alone, indicates poor asthma control.
Uncontrolled cases
a ST udy published in the a cta Medica Philippina journal found that an estimated 69 percent of hospital admissions due to asthma are from uncontrolled or partly-controlled cases.
d r. Samson, a pulmonologist, also cited the c anadian S a B a i n a sthma (S a B i N a ) longitudinal study. The paper concluded that overuse of S a B a s is linked to an increased risk of severe attacks.
“Because of the quick sense of relief brought about by S a B a s, it makes patients over-rely on this medication,” she said. The solution, doctors advise, is the more balanced approach that is headlined by the use of inhaled corticosteroids ( ic S). The Global i nitiative for a sthma (Gi N a ) recommends the use of a combination ic S-formoterol inhaler as it both relieves symptoms and reduces the risk of asthma attacks. a s both a reliever and controller of asthma, ic S-formoterol is G i N a’s preferred option over S a B a , which is solely for symptom relief.
Long term management
d r. Guia l impoco, trustee of the Philippine a cademy of Family Physicians, and d r. a nna Marie Putulin, president of the Philippine a cademy of Pediatric Pulmonologists, echoed the call made by d r. Samson. These practices align with reaching the ultimate goal of longterm asthma management, which includes
In the photo are, from left:
Dr. Anna Marie Putulin, President of Philippine Academy of Pediatric Pulmonologists; Dr. Maria Janeth Samson, President of Philippine College of Chest Physicians; Dr. Guia Limpoco, Trustee of Philippine Academy of Family Physicians; and Dr. Cyril Tolosa, Medical Affairs Director, AstraZeneca Philippines.
preventing severe attacks and averting decline of lung function.
“Treating asthma is a family affair,” l impoco, a primary care physician, said as she emphasized the importance of a support system in dealing with asthma. “We have to check the techniques because there might be errors in carrying the treatment out which is why the symptoms cannot be controlled.”
d r. Putulin, a pediatric pulmonologist, meanwhile, expressed optimism as the science is already established to mitigate asthma. “We want to train children to address their asthma as early as now,” she explained while underscoring the importance of an active lifestyle among kids. “We encourage them to live a normal lifestyle, involve your children in sports.”
Asthma care equity
d r. c yril Tolosa, medical affairs director of a straZeneca Philippines, vowed to continue
4 ways to keep running as a habit
By Roderick L. Abad Contributor
ru NN i NG is becoming more popular among health-conscious Filipinos, being one of the best cardio exercises with many health benefits. it strengthens bones and muscles, lessens the risk of chronic diseases, and improves mental well-being. What’s more, it’s completely free. i f you have just started your running journey, give yourself a pat on the back, and follow these tips to keep on running.
Have targets a GOal in running can motivate you to keep going even on days when you just want to stay in bed and do nothing. i f you set big objectives like running a half marathon or finishing a 10K run in under 45 minutes, try identify -
ing smaller targets to help you achieve these. Start by increasing your weekly mileage one small step at a time, improving your pace, and building consistency.
Monitor your development G e TT i NG your desired outcome of your hard work is satisfying. it can boost your confidence to work even harder and, at the same time, helps you identify areas for improvement and adjustments you should make in your running routine. d ownload your preferred running app on your phone or invest in a good fitness tracker/watch to track your pace and distance, locate your routes, and give other features to enhance your runs.
Regular routine change
SOM e lose their desire to run because it has become repetitive and bland. To avoid this,
look for ways to add something exciting to your routine like buying a new pair of rubber shoes, running in a different spot or location from your usual, or elevating the difficulty of your runs.
Participate in running events
F u N runs and charity races are a great way to challenge yourself in a low-stakes environment. Through these, you can connect with other runners and even discover running groups that you can join. Some running events, like this year’s r un for Wellness, even have advocacies and causes that you can support via your participation.
Emerge as champions
SOu THSTar d rug and Maxicare are bringing the second leg of the 13th r un for Wellness to Naga c ity on September 15, 2024 to empower
helping spread asthma care equity, driven by its bold ambition to eliminate asthma attacks and achieve clinical remission for all asthma patients.
“ it will take the entire ecosystem of stakeholders in health to change the landscape of asthma care in the country—the government, the private sector, patient groups, and of course healthcare experts,” said d r. Tolosa.
To achieve this ambition, a straZeneca is championing respiratory health through programs like Breathe Better, a campaign that is building high consciousness among Filipinos regarding the risks and complications of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The campaign’s official page now has over 38,000 Facebook followers, helping answer the urgency to empower more Filipinos.
The global biopharmaceutical company partnered with Pa FP in advocating for the a sthma a ction Plan, a simple tool recommended by G i N a to help empower patients through guided self-management of asthma.
i n 2023, a straZeneca also worked with Pa FP, P cc P, and Mercury d rug to launch a sthma c are Hub, the first in-store end-to-end healthcare solution for patients with asthma. To date, there are now 14 hubs in Mega Manila.
a gham Kapihan is a series of media roundtable discussions that seek to bring into light matters of science and health and advocate for innovation that benefits Filipinos. The forum is supported by a straZeneca as part of its commitment to improving the lives of millions of patients together with its partners across the healthcare ecosystem.
Filipinos to become champions of their own and for others. The event promotes physical health and well-being through running and honors national athletes representing the country on the international stage.
Part of the proceeds from its first leg held recently at u P d iliman, Quezon c ity, with 6,624 participants, totaling P1 million was donated to partner athletes, which helped support their journey of bringing pride to the country in the recently concluded Paris 2024 Olympics.
One of the country’s largest and most established drugstore chains, Southstar d rug offers a wide range of affordable medicines, products, and services. Maxicare—the Philippines’ leading health maintenance organization—presently serves nearly 2 million members with a comprehensive range of healthcare plans for corporations, SM e s, individuals, and families.
i nterested participants for the Naga c ity leg of r un for Wellness can still register for the run.
Empowering Mind, Body: Jal Yoga expands to South Metro Manila
SBy John Eiron R. Francisco
ingapore-ba S ed Jal Yoga, a studio with a growing presence throughout Southeast and Western a sia, has launched its first branch in South Metro Manila, aiming to empower health and fitness education through its state-of-the-art facility and what it touts as an “authentic yoga” experience.
Co-founder and director of Jal Yoga Studio Jasmine Loh told the B usiness M irror that their global expansion is driven by a commitment to bring authentic yoga to communities, with education at the core of this mission.
She believes that for people to truly appreciate the value of practices like yoga, pilates, and barre, they must first be educated and understand the purpose behind what they are doing.
“We believe that there’s no point if you just come once a week or maybe twice a month. You’re not going to reap any benefit, and also you’re wasting your time and money as well,” Loh said. She emphasized that yoga is not just about stretching muscles but is a commitment to achieving better health and a healthier life.
Yoga for the modern age T o address local market needs, Loh noted that
regardless of the studio’s location—which was established in 2018 and has grown to include two branches and four additional studios in Singapore, three in Malaysia, and one each in i ndonesia and d ubai—common issues such as stiffness in the neck, back, shoulders, and hips persist due to modern lifestyles characterized by extended desk work and computer use. n response, the studio has tailored its classes to target these problems, offering sessions designed to alleviate discomfort.
Studies have shown that musculoskeletal disor-
ders (MS d s) significantly contribute to the disease burden in a sia, affecting individuals’ productivity, quality of life, financial stability, and work participation.
a ccording to the g lobal b urden of d iseases, i njuries, and r isk Factors Study, there were approximately 1,270,630 cases of MS d s, 652,005 new cases, and 137,832 years lived with disability (YL d s).
d epending on age and symptoms, musculoskeletal conditions impact individuals of all ages across the globe.
i n the local context, MS d s rank among the top ten causes of YL d s.
The studio, which features two large rooms and private rooms, offers a diverse range of classes suitable for all skill levels, including i nfra Hatha, Vinyasa, a shtanga, Kinetic Yoga, and a erial Yoga.
The b arre classes aim to help participants achieve a lean and toned physique through bodyweight exercises, while p ilates classes focus on enhancing overall strength, balance, mobility, and well-being.
Jal Yoga co-founder p ardeep Fogat noted that individuals of any age, fitness background, or body type are welcome to try their Yoga, b arre, or plates classes. The studio’s use of infrared technology is designed to make newcomers more comfortable during their workouts.
Parents’ group reiterates call for the youth to stop smoking, vaping
By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco
au G u ST is National l ung Month, the best time to reflect on how you are treating your lungs.
i f you smoke or vape, better kick the bad habit. Quitting smoking or vaping is one of the best things you can do for your health.
Health experts says that smoking harms nearly every organ in your body, including your heart. Nearly one-third of deaths from heart disease are the result of smoking and secondhand smoke. From smoking to vaping iS switching from smoking to vaping a good thing? Vaping is a lot less harmful than smoking according to the tobacco industry. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) says otherwise as nicotine is the primary agent in regular cigarettes and e-cigarettes, and it is highly addictive. e -cigarettes, WHO said, have also been linked to an episode of lung injury in the u nited States of a merica. This is described by the u nited States c enters for d isease c ontrol and Prevention (cdc ) as e-cigarette or vaping associated lung injury ( e Vali ), which led the cdc to activate an emergency investigation into e Vali on September 17, 2019. Meanwhile, Parents a gainst Vape (P a V) stressed that vaping is never a cessation tool for tobacco smokers as claimed by the vaping industry. PaV said that the purpose of vaping is not to induce smokers to quit, but rather to shift to a similar deadly product citing the first death documented in the Philippines due to e Vali early this year.
“We have studies from our FG d that show that a) some youth vapers have never smoked but went directly into vaping; and b) smokers who vape become dual users because they go back to using traditional cigarettes if they don’t have money to buy vape juice,” PaV said.
Proliferation of vape shops
T H e 2019 Global youth Tobacco Survey showed that one in every seven Filipino youth aged 13 to 15 vape. PaV said the number could be higher this year as indicated by the proliferation of vape shops across the country.
While PaV calls for strict implementation r epublic a ct ( ra ) No. 11900 or the Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products r egulation a ct, commonly known as the Vape l aw, the organization is also pushing for the amendment of the law.
“There are three things that should be done to keep our youth from vapes. First, increase access from 18 years old to 21. Second, limit flavors to menthol and tobacco. Flavors entice and get the youth addicted to vapes. a nd third, return regulatory power to the Food and d rug a dministration,” PaV stressed.
ra 11900 prohibits the sale and promotion of vape products within 100 meters of activity areas frequented by minors. it also bans flavor descriptors and cartoon characters in the packaging, labeling, and marketing of vapes that unduly appeal to minors.
Challenging journey
Stretching beyond expectations
Fur TH er M ore , Loh believes that these specially curated classes will benefit the local population and hopes that the increased participation, with regional membership exceeding 5,000, and the studio’s newest location in the p hilippines, which officially opened at o ne Trium Tower in a labang, Muntinlupa, on a ugust 8, 2024, and has already attracted around 1,000 members before its official launch, will encourage individuals to pay more attention to their diet.
i know Filipino cuisine is very heavy on meat.
i t’s okay for us to enjoy, but we also need to moderate what we eat,” she said.
She also observed that as individuals engage more in yoga, they often become more conscious of their dietary choices, which helps them fully reap the benefits of their practice.
Meanwhile, Fogat stated that surpassing 600 members in the country in such a short time exceeded their expectations. They had expected it would take about a year to reach this number. This rapid growth has prompted them to start seeking new locations within Metro Manila.
b ased on our plan, if we really go and look at all these locations, there is a potential of up to 15 to 16 locations we can open across the p hilippines,” Loh said.
T H e d epartment of Health ( d OH) said that quitting smoking and vaping is a challenging journey but through Brief Tobacco i ntervention (BT i ), it could be successfully done.
a ccording to d r. r onaldo Quintana, Medical Officer i V d isease Prevention and c ontrol Bureau of the d OH, BT i strengthens tobacco or vape users’ motivation to change their behavior and to carry out a cessation plan that will help them quit successfully.
d r. Quintana said: “We should all work together and aim for a future where smoking and vaping-related deaths are a thing of the past. e veryone’s commitment and dedication to this vital cause of saving lives should be sustained, sapagkat sa bagong Pilipinas, bawat buhay mahalaga!”
The d OH said that vape liquids and their emissions contain chemicals such as nicotine, propylene glycol, carbonyls, and carbon monoxide that are either addictive, toxic or can cause cancer. PaV, on the other hand, echoed the call of WHO to strengthen implementation of the ban the sale of e-cigarettes and continue monitoring and surveillance to support public health interventions and ensure strong enforcement.
“The dangers of vaping should be addressed for no tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, are safe, especially for teens and young adults,” PaV stressed.
The first Jal Yoga studio in the Philippines opened on August 8, 2024, at One Trium Tower in Alabang, Muntinlupa.
& Fitness
Metro Pacific Health ‘DeCoDes’ common myths on heart health and dementia
By Candy P. Dalizon
BeI ng skinny and exercising means no risk of heart attack. Heart disease is always associated with chest pain. Only older adults are at risk for heart diseases, and you have to feel symptoms to have heart disease. These are some of the common heart health myths debunked in the recent Metro Pacific Health’s educational docuseries, DeCODe
Metro Pacific h ealth (MP h ), the largest network of private hospitals in the Philippines, successfully hosted a media roundtable on August 22, 2024, to discuss and review key topics from previous D e COD e episodes, focusing on heart health and dementia— two critical health issues often misunderstood by the public.
Dr. Saturnino Javier, Co-President and C e O of Makati Medical Center, addressed the widespread misconception that heart disease only presents with obvious symptoms like chest pain or that being slim and active automatically protects against heart conditions.
“The truth is, heart disease can manifest in subtle ways, such as fatigue or shortness of breath. Less common symptoms might
even include abdominal pain, back pain, and vision problems. Additionally, emotional stress and genetics are significant contributors to heart health. This is why it’s crucial not to ignore any signs, no matter how minor they may seem, and to prioritize regular check-ups,” explained Dr. Javier.
Healthy lifestyle
Dr. Javier emphasized the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle through regular exercise, a balanced diet, and avoiding smoking, while also managing stress effectively to prevent emotional strain on the heart.
“There are many predisposing risk factors to develop heart disease, stroke and vascular diseases such as hypertension or high blood
pressure, high cholesterol in the blood. Stress is also a reason for developing cardiovascular disease, sedentary lifestyle, lack of exercise, being a couch potato.”
“Being skinny and exercising is of course a plus point, but it will absolutely not prevent us from developing heart disease,” added Dr. Javier.
h e likewise shared that “the absence of not feeling anything is not necessarily synonymous with the absence of disease.”
Dr. Javier said an e CG or electrocardiogram is a good screening test. An e CG is a simple, non-invasive test that can help diagnose certain heart conditions, including abnormal heart rhythms and coronary heart disease.
“But there again is a myth that would like to debunk. A normal e CG is not synonymous with a normal heart. A normal e CG is not necessarily equivalent to a normal heart,” said Dr. Javier.
“You can only declare with certainty that the heart is okay if you go through all the sequences of testing that the doctor or the cardiologist feels you should undergo based on what you are presenting or complaining about. What I was trying to cascade is that not because you have a normal e CG, everything stops there,” Dr. Javier pointed out.
To explain, he cited that experiencing chest pain and receiving a normal e CG does not necessarily indicate good health. Further tests, like stress tests, echocardiograms (2D echo), or angiograms, may be necessary to accurately assess heart health.
Adopting clean beauty products in your daily regimen
By Anne Ruth Dela Cruz
In recent years, a new trend has been emerging in the beauty industry. With growing awareness about the potential harm of certain chemicals both to our health and the planet, consumers are increasingly on the look out for products that are labeled as clean, natural or organic. When looking for clean beauty products, watch out for harmful chemicals like parabens, sulfates, and synthetic fragrances which have been linked to various health issues ranging from skin irritation to hormone disruption.
Clean beauty often goes hand in hand with sustainability. Brands may focus on sourcing ingredients ethically, ensuring that they are obtained without harming the environment. These products also come in recyclable or biodegradable packaging. Some brands even offer refill programs to minimize waste.
For clean beauty products, consumers don’t have to go far as they are available at SM Beauty in SM Store under the Green Finds label. For hair care, consider Watsons Algae Deep hydrating Shampoo which is made of certified organic algae from Portugal. Algae is known as the green gold in the mother ocean. These organisms not only contribute to the environment by generating oxygen and nourishing various creatures like fish and insects but also play a crucial role in combating climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide. The shampoo is designed to fortify and strengthen your hair strands, seal in precious moisture and deliver unparalleled hydration. The bottle is made with 100 percent recycled ocean bound plastic.
To keep your skin hydrated and moisturized throughout the day, get yourself the Luxe Organix Rosewater Soothing Gel with whitening pearls. The whitening pearls control oil production and reduces the appearance of enlarged pores for
understanding dementia
The discussion then shifted to dementia; a condition often mistaken as a normal part of aging.
Dr. Michelle Anlacan, h ead of the Dementia Center at Cardinal Santos Medical Center, debunked the myth that dementia is inevitable as one grows older.
“Dementia is a disease, not an unavoidable part of aging. e arly diagnosis and proper management are key to improving the quality of life for those affected,” said Dr. Anlacan.
She also addressed the myth that dementia solely affects memory, highlighting that the disease can also cause significant behavioral changes, disorientation, and speech difficulties. Dr. Anlacan emphasized the value and urgency of proper treatment when it comes to dementia.
While there is no cure, treatment focuses on managing symptoms, addressing reversible causes like strokes or hypothyroidism, and improving quality of life through medication and non-pharmacological methods, with the likes of cognitive rehabilitation and therapy.
Dr. Anlacan concluded by saying “intervention at the beginning stages and tackling risk factors, like chronic diseases, lifestyle choices, and social engagement, can help slow progression and generally just boost overall wellbeing.”
unveiling the truth about stroke
The latest D e COD e episode, which was premiered during the roundtable, focused on stroke—a leading cause of death and disability in the Philippines.
The episode featured expert insights from Dr. Jennifer Justice F. Manzano, Program Director for the Asian Brain Institute at Asian h ospital and Medical Center; Dr. Cymbeline B. Perez-Santiago, Chief of Neurology at Makati Medical Center, and Dr. Jessa Torrefranca-Castro, Stroke and Vascular Neurologist at West Metro Medical Center.
One of the most dangerous myths debunked in this episode is the belief that strokes are always painful or only affect older individuals.
“In reality, strokes can occur silently and can affect people of all ages, especially those with underlying conditions such as hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes,” said Dr. Manzano.
The episode also highlighted the importance of recognizing early signs of stroke and seeking immediate medical attention, as prompt treatment is crucial for better outcomes.
“Metro Pacific h ealth is committed to serving stroke cases with urgency and expertise through our network of 24 hospitals, including 10 stroke-ready facilities strategically located across the country to ensure immediate and effective care for those in need,” said Dr.
Quality-testing lab owners, vets push for safer animal feeds, FDA certification
By Francine M. Marquez
HEALTHY animals begin with good nutrition, which includes safe medicated feeds that can be ensured through certification by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
This was the call of the new Association of Veterinary and AgriQuality Assurance Laboratories (AVAQAL) consisting of feed mill producers, veterinarians, and quality testing lab owners. The group banded to address concerns in the agricultural and veterinarian community and to forward them to concerned government agencies for sustainable solutions.
Chemist Pinky Tobiano, AVAQAL president, said they aim to support government efforts and to uphold “harmonization” among the industry players. “In AVAQAL, we share our ideas in testing and we foster a spirit of camaraderie. We raise issues collectively as a group. Today, for instance, we’ve invited the FDA, BAI (Bureau of Animal Industry), and other experts for a discussion. Together, as one voice, we stand stronger as a group,” Tobiano said.
“Our vision is to be the leading association in the Philippines that serves as a vital bridge between veterinary and agriculture quality assurance laboratories and government agencies. We are committed to ensuring regulatory compliance and excellence in all quality control standards,” she added.
Check labels
L I k EWISE , the association is encouraging pet owners, and livestock and poultry raisers to check on the labels of the said products for FDA approval. In turn, ensuring that the drug animals ingest is safe and effective would also assure food safety among consumers of animal products such as meats, eggs, and milk among others.
“Before, it was the BAI that regulated all veterinary drugs,” Tobiano said. “ now, there’s a transition, with the FDA. It’s a big change in veterinary and feed quality assurance
Benjamin Co, MP h Group Chief Medical Officer.
The 10 stroke-ready hospitals—De Los Santos Medical Center, Cardinal Santos Medical Center, Manila Doctors h ospital, Our Lady of Lourdes h ospital, Marikina Valley Medical Center, Makati Medical Center, Asian h ospital and Medical Center, Calamba Medical Center, Davao Doctors h ospital, and St. e lizabeth h ospital Inc.—are currently fully equipped and ready to provide immediate and specialized care for all stroke patients.
sharing Helpful Health information through DeCoDe Thr O u G h O u T the roundtable, MP h emphasized its commitment to using D eCOD e as a platform for sharing essential health information that can empower Filipinos to take control of their health. By debunking myths and providing accurate, accessible information, D eCOD e aims to improve public health literacy and encourage proactive healthseeking behavior.
“D e COD e is our way of setting the record straight on health myths that many Filipinos still believe. By addressing these misconceptions head-on, we aim to empower our community with the knowledge they need to make informed health decisions,” said Jessica Abaya, MP h Group Chief Commercial Officer.
laboratories. With this association, we can help those who make medicines for pigs, chicken, dogs and animal feeds.”
BAI is mandated to study, report, and find ways to prevent communicable diseases among livestock. Generally, it aims to develop and advance the livestock industry. Among the roles of the FDA, on the other hand is to review animal food ingredients, approving safety of food additives, and checking the veracity of animal food labels and drugs, to name a few.
Dialogue initiated
T O clarify rules and standards regarding the FDA certification of animal feeds, the group initiated a dialogue between members and government representatives such as Samuel Zacate, FDA director general, Department of Agriculture
Undersecretary Deogracias Victor “DV” Savellano and Assistant Secretary Dante Palabrica.
“The FDA certification for agricultural and veterinary drugs is not new, we’ve been doing it since the FDA law has been passed. So, we’re here today to partner with AVAQAL and other similar organizations to further clarify the procedure in the submission and issuance of the FDA Administration certification,” said Zacate in an interview with BusinessMirror
“In the past, BAI has been issuing the certificate of feed registration, which we also require for the FDA registration. So, I do not see any economic hampering in the transition of the registration from BAI to FDA. We will still acknowledge the past certificates issued by BAI. Hopefully, in due time, animal feed and drugs manufacturers will see the need to register their products with the FDA.”
AVAQAL, on the other hand, is also working with both FDA and BAI against counterfeit animal pharmaceuticals listed by the two government agencies. Tobiano added, “Our association has quality control practices, so we monitor the fake medicines. “What is important is that the medicines or feeds that people buy
for the animals are registered with BAI and FDA.”
Besides the forum, the event also marked the oath-taking ceremony of new AVAQAL officers from various quality-testing laboratoies: Herbert Mendoza, vice president (Lipa Quality Control Center), Jessa Jane Mariano, secretary (Hoc Po Feeds Corporation), Chiqui Canlas, treasurer (Qualibet Testing Services Corporation), Leonardo Agoyaoy, auditor (Pilmico Animal nutrition Corporation) and Yehlen Salilid Borja, director (FAST Laboratories). active awareness
T HE association has lined up a series of monthly seminars to push their goal of uplifting veterinary and agricultural quality assurance laboratories in the country. This month, AVAQAL is pushing for regulatory compliance for veterinary laboratories and 3rd party testing laboratories by the FDA. In September, the association will hold a seminar on understanding the BAI regulatory compliance for feed testing laboratories.
In October, the group tackles proficiency testing for Vitamin A in veterinary feed premix and crude protein analysis for soya bean. november includes a training session to provide comprehensive guidance of adhering to the regulatory requirements set by the DE n R (Department of Environment and natural Resources) and LLDA (Laguna Lake Development Authority). This will ensure compliance for the regulations in the feeds and drug testing laboratories.
In December, the first AVAQAL awards night will recognize the best veterinary and agricultural laboratories in the Philippines.
Naturals By Watson Blue algae
Biote N Micellar Cleansing Gel Hydro x cell
Cal M i NG Blemish Madecassoside s erum
aVaQ al president Pinky tobiano with event host Bianca Valerio
Health& Fitness
DOH awards ₧560M to fund 1st 1,000 days interventions vs malnutrition
The Department of health (DOh) granted a total of P560 million to 235 Local Government Units (LGUs) across the country under the Philippine Multisectoral Nutrition Project (PMNP) to fund critical nutrition efforts, particularly the First 1,000 Days nutrition interventions, to address malnutrition. The PerformanceBased Grants (PBG) were awarded to LGUs for achieving 100 percent of their PBG Tranche 1 nutrition targets under the project.
The PMNP-PBG mechanism is a crucial financial and technical support provided by the DO h to its project municipalities to enable them to finance and implement interventions tailored to address the health and nutrition needs of pregnant women and children under five years old. Special attention is given to nutrition interventions in households with
children in their first 1,000 days to contribute to the reduction of stunting and malnutrition in the country.
The PBG amount to be received by the l GUs depends on their performance toward achieving their set nutrition goals and objectives under this sustainable multisectoral model for complementing internal revenue allotment for
health and nutrition at the local level. i n addition, it also provides financial flexibility for innovative measures, system strengthening, and service delivery, particularly for vulnerable populations, indigenous groups, and geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (G i DAs).
The Tranche 1 PBGs were awarded to the local chief executives of the 235 l GUs at the DO hconvened PMNP Mayors Forums held in July in Tacloban, Manila, and Davao, representing the Visayas, l uzon, and Mindanao clusters, respectively. At the events, municipal mayors showcased their engagements with their communities, targeted expenditures and strategic plans for allocation of resources for primary health care, nutrition, water, sanitation, and hygiene, and early childhood care and development, and their local
visions, and strategies for effective nutrition governance to serve the needs of women and children in their communities. These efforts will be further supported by PBG financing.
“ l ocal Chief e xecutives and representatives are in the best position to effect change and influence better health and nutrition practices. The radical change in nutrition leadership and governance at the grassroots. l et us envision our municipalities with significantly reduced malnutrition rates, raising children with great cognitive abilities and excellent school performance, striving to be productive citizens towards a Bagong Pilipinas, kung saan Bawat Buhay Mahalaga,” said health Secretary Teodoro J. h erbosa.
All 235 PMNP municipalities are eligible to receive two more tranches of PBG: Tranche 2 amounting to P1.8 billion and Tranche 3 amounting to P1.1 billion. Through the DO h component of the PMNP, partner municipalities are set to receive a total of 3.5 billion pesos in PBG to fund nutrition-specific and nutritionsensitive interventions as detailed in their respective Municipal Nutrition Action Plans (MNAPs).
SM Foundation strengthens mission on health, adds new mobile clinic
Sing area to ensure patient privacy. To help its doctors provide timely and accurate diagnosis, SM Foundation now also uses a blood analyzer machine and a urine analyzer machine in some of its medical missions. The other mobile clinics of the foundation are strategically located across the Philippines to serve various regions.
First of a kind antimicrobial paint now available in the PHL
By Anne Ruth Dela Cruz
While many companies strive to become number one in their field, this company wants to be known as a firm that listens and understands the wants and needs of their customers.
it is because of this mantra that Sinclair The New Generation Paints partnered with BASF, a global leader in chemical manufacturing, to launch the Philippines’ first antimicrobial paint. Dr. Paint is poised to revolutionize the local paint industry by offering advanced protection against viruses and bacteria, setting a new standard for safety and performance.
“When Covid-19 happened and as the owner of a chemical company, you think of how you can help the community. it happened that BASF had this technology to develop this paint, and we started talking to them probably two years ago,” related inventor Derrick A. Tan, President and C e O of Magna Prime Chemical Technologies, i nc. the maker of Sinclair the New Generation Paints.
Magna Prime Chemical Technologies i nc. (MPCT i ) is a premier Filipino chemical company known for pioneering and advocating for the right construction chemical products and methodologies. it is dedicated to advancing the standards of construction in the Philippines, aiming to achieve world-class quality through cuttingedge solutions.
Finalized talks
A CCO r D i NG to Tan, the talks between both parties were finalized in November 2023, where they agreed on the product would be promoted together with their brands. h e added that both parties are happy that this product will be able to help a lot of Filipinos.
“BASF told me that they would be more than happy to give this product to me on the condition that i had to make sure that Dr. Paint would be affordable to the people,” Tan said.
BASF is a global leader in chemical manufacturing, renowned for its commitment to innovation and sustainability. Together with Magna Prime and Sinclair The New Genera -
tion Pain, they are transforming the market with products that cater to the evolving needs of consumers.
Nicholas Chew, BASF’s AS e AN i ndustry Manager, noted that the Philippine market had been focusing on traditional paints and not much emphasis was placed on breakthrough paint products.
“Magna Prime is different in a way because they focus on differentiation and what the customer needs. So that is actually what we are doing. Magna Prime focuses on the customer and this is very aligned with our vision,” Chew said.
Water-based paint
Dr. Paint is a water-based antimicrobial paint that is engineered to denature the protein cells of viruses and bacteria, effectively eliminating harmful microorganisms on wall surfaces. it offers enhanced defense against diseases such as influenza A viruses, hand-foot-and-mouth disease, and Covid. i t is the ideal paint for hospitals and other healthcare settings, childcare facilities, food processing areas, salons, health and sport
facilities and other hygiene-critical environments.
“With Dr. Paint, we are not just adding color to walls; we are adding a layer of protection. We are offering our customers added value,” Tan said. “This partnership with BASF allows us to bring a product to the market that aligns with our vision of combining aesthetics with advanced functionality.”
Marian Tiemi Zanchetta-Sbragia, BASF Vice President for Dispersions Asia Pacific, added that while there are similar paint products that have been launched in other countries, Dr. Paint is the first of its kind to be launched in the country.
“We can mention that in the Philippines, Dr. Paint is the first of its kind in the market. We have launched this similar product in other countries and BASF is the one that knows a lot about this technology. This is something that we have been developing together with Magna Prime for the last few years,” she said.
Inorganic hybrid technology
Dr . Paint’s i norganic h ybrid Technology features an alkaline-enriched
micropore structure, courtesy of inorganic molecules, enabling in-can biocide free paints. These micropores also enhance the paint’s opacity, providing excellent coverage and stunning results.
Dr. Paint’s antimicrobial properties are designed to combat prevalent viruses and bacteria, including Covid with 99.41 percent efficacy, i nfluenza Virus with 99.93 percent efficacy and hand-foot-and-mouth disease with 99.11 percent efficacy rate. it is also APe O-free, ensuring that the paint is safe for individuals with sensitive skin, and provides peace of mind for families and businesses concerned about health and hygiene.
“This product is actually multifunctional. i n addition to being antimicrobial, the product can even give you extra brightness. The paint can also last for at least two years, so it is very cost-effective,” said Dr. l ingqing Peng, BASF’s Senior Manager for Product Development.
Company-owned store
The launch of Dr. Paint coincided with the opening of Magna Prime’s first company-owned store, the Build r ight h ub and Sinclair Pro Store which is located in 189 Del Monte, Barangay Manresa, Quezon City to bring unparalleled accessibility and availability directly to National Capital r egion consumers. The Build r ight h ub addresses common challenges faced by customers in acquiring high-quality construction materials, making it easier to purchase Build r ight products. The Sinclair Pro Store, on the other hand, offers a fresh and immersive experience in paint selection, going beyond color to emphasize textures and unique wall designs. i n
SM Foundation celebrates the launch of its sixth mobile clinic with a ribbon-cutting ceremony last August 7, 2024 at its headquarters in MOA Complex, Pasay. Leading the celebration is SM retail’s rose Siaco, SM Foundation’s executive director Debbie Sy, SM Group matriarch Felicidad Sy, health and medical programs executive director Connie Angeles, and trustee engr. ramon Gil Macapagal.
