FILIPINOS may have experienced slower inflation in November 2024 due to cheaper rice prices, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
for vegetables, fish and meat due to unfavorable weather conditions, higher electricity rates, and petroleum prices.
“These are expected to be offset in part by lower prices of rice. Going forward, the Monetary Board will continue to take a measured approach in ensuring price stability conducive to balanced and sustainable growth of the economy and employment,” BSP said. On Friday, National Econom-
ic and Development Authority (Neda) Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan also said November inflation will remain within the BSP’s target of 2 to 4 percent.
Balisacan added, however, that
it was hard to say whether inflation increased or decreased. Nonetheless, the Interagency Committee on Inflation and Market Outlook (IAC-IMO) did not observe any major disruptions.
On Thursday, Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Maria Cristina Aldeguer-Roque said there will be no price increase on basic necessities until the end of 2024, while prices of most Noche Buena items will remain unchanged from last year.
Roque clarified that the minor adjustments, which are already being implemented, reflect the first price changes since last year and were necessary to account for rising costs, especially for imported
DOE eyeing more deals with foreign groups in climate, energy innovations
By Lenie Lectura
THE Department of Energy
(DOE) is committed to pursuing more agreements with other countries in a bid to further strengthen sustainable innovations to mitigate climate change effects.
“The Philippines reiterates its commitment to collaboration and capacity-building to deliver measurable and verifiable emissions reductions, reflecting its dedication to achieving a just, inclusive, and effective global climate response,” DOE Secretary Raphael Lotilla said in a speech delivered by Undersecretary Rowena Christina Guevara during BusinessMirror ’s Envoys & Expats Night of Appreciation held Thursday.
The Night of Appreciation was organized by the BusinessMirror as part of the ALC Group’s continuing advocacy in providing a platform for diplomatic engagement among the Philippines and the foreign missions and expatriate business, while providing cutting-edge diplomatic reporting.
The DOE recently signed bilateral agreements with Indonesia, Singapore, South Korea, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to accelerate the Philippines’ clean energy transitions. “This year, we have successfully solidified our international energy partnerships through key bilateral agreements and reaffirmed our commitment to international energy and climate goals with the signing of four
Santanina Rasul, 1st Muslim woman in the Senate, dies
FBy
ENERGY Undersecretary Rowena Cristina L. Guevara delivers Secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla’s speech at the BusinessMirror Envoys & Expats Appreciation Night at the Hilton Manila on Thursday. BERNARD TESTA
Michael L. Ricafort, Chief Economist, RCBC: “Loans net of RRPs as of October 2024 were still among the fastest/best in more than 1.5 years—a good sign for the economy as a bright spot and growth driver.”
DTI Secretary Maria Cristina AldeguerRoque: “There will be no price increase on basic necessities until the end of 2024.”
BOOSTING SUPPLY AND PRODUCTION President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. inaugurated the new Universal Robina Corporation (URC) flour milling plant in Sariaya, Quezon, on Friday, November 29, 2024. The event, attended by key government officials and URC executives, marks a significant step in boosting local production and ensuring a stable supply of flour in the country. Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., URC Chairman Lance Y. Gokongwei, URC President and CEO Irwin C. Lee, and Flour Division Managing Director Ellison Dean C. Lee joined the President at the ceremony. NONIE REYES
Butch Fernandez
ORMER Senator Santanina Tillah Rasul, the first Muslim woman to serve as senator in the Philippines, has died, the Senate announced on Friday. Described as a trailblazer, legislator, educator, and beloved mother and grandmother, Nina Rasul, as she was fondly called, was also the first Muslim senator to win reelection.
“It is with deep sadness that I join the nation in mourning the passing of former Senator Santanina Tillah Rasul, a trailblazer and
Bicam panel affirms Senate nixing of House’s ₧39-B AKAP cash aid
By Manuel T. Cayon
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—The Congressional bicameral committee maintained the position of the Senate to remove the P39-billion allocation as cash aid to workers, which the Senate earlier rejected despite the bid of Speaker Martin Romualdez’s allies to insert the amount in the 2025 national budget.
Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, chairman of the Senate Committee on Economic Affairs, told participants of the 2024 Textile Congress here that the bicameral committee has not restored the Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (Akap), a pet project of Romualdez, who included it in the House budget version with P39 billion, an amount that is three times more than last year’s allocation of P13 billion.
Textile congress participants greeted the news with applause, especially after Zubiri also disclosed that the bicameral committee approved the increase in the budget of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) spread across its agencies and offices. He said the increase amounted to almost P1 billion.
Zubiri told reporters later that Sen. Imee Marcos transferred
the Akap allocation to Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS), which Zubiri said was a standing aid program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development. He said the House version had sought a separate allocation for Akap. Zubiri said Romualdez was present in the bicameral conference committee along with Rep. Zaldy Co, chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations. He declined to comment further on the fate of the Akap cash aid project, saying he would leave it to what transpired in the conversation between Romualdez and Senate President Chiz Escudero.
“What is important is that the scarce government resources must be used efficiently and effectively,” he said. Aside from the DOST, the bi-
cameral committee also restored the P10 billion that was stricken off from the modernization program of the Department of Defense.
Zubiri believed however, that there were no big insertions in the proposed P6.3.52-trillion budget for 2025, saying that “there may be deductions to one program or another.”
Earlier, the budget watchdog Social Watch Philippines (SWP) said the alleged “closed door” bicameral deliberations on the national budget have resulted in the “alarming trend” of budget transfers to the unprogrammed appropriations, for 2022, 2023, and 2024.
“The Executive’s proposed UAs were substantially increased by the legislators: slightly higher in 2022, it rose by P100 billion, then doubled to P219 billion in 2023, and once again doubled to P449.541 billion by 2024,” it said. In comparison, the SWP said, there was “an increase of only P50 billion incurred for Support to Calamity-Related Programs and Projects in 2010.”
SWP said this violates the constitutional provision that prohibits increases in appropriations beyond the amount proposed by the President to Congress, “as indicated in Article VI, Section 25(1) of the 1987 Constitution.”
Santanina Rasul, 1st Muslim woman in the Senate, dies
the first Muslim woman to serve in the Philippine Senate. She was a leader who broke the glass ceiling; more importantly, she shattered the glass ceiling for others, ensuring that the paths she tread would remain open for future generations of Filipino women,” Senate President Francis Escudero said in a statement.
Her legacy as a champion of women empowerment, literacy and peace remains strong to this day. As a senator, she was author of several laws, including RA 6949, which declares March 8 of every year as National Women’s Day in the Philippines, and RA 7192 or the Women in Development and Nation Building Act that sought to break all barriers for women and paved the way for the entry of women into the Philippine Military Academy. [Senator Nina Rasul truly gave the Senate a heart in her two terms of service as the only Muslim woman senator in the Senate’s history],” Escudero added. Her service to the nation did not end after her stint in the Sen -
ate, Escudero added. “She was part of the historic peace talks with the Moro National Liberation Front as a member of the government peace panel during the administration of the late former President Fidel V. Ramos. She continued to push for her advocacies with the establishment of the Magbassa Kita Foundation Inc., whose work in promoting literacy for peace and development continues to this day.” Her family requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the foundation.
Senator Rasul was also a key member of the first post-EDSA Senate, which played a critical role in restoring democratic institutions and laying the foundations of modern Philippine democracy, according to Escudero.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Ambassador Abraham Rasul Sr., with whom she had four children: Amina and her husband Romy Bernardo, Fatima Rasul-Borile, Amroussi and his wife Cecile Ann, Abraham Jr. and his wife Cecilia, Yusuf Rasul and his wife Emily, and Salma Pir.
“Yesterday during the interview in Malacañang, DTI [said it] is monitoring retail prices all over the country and they see some goods are showing decreases but some are also rising,” Balisacan said.
“But our official number is the one that is released by [PSA] and the one that is more representative because they use proper sampling to ensure that they capture what is actually happening in the country,” he added.
Meanwhile, Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) Senior Vice President and Lead Economist Emilio S. Neri Jr. said inflation in November may have averaged 2.5 percent.
This forecast is faster than the 2.3 percent average posted in Octo -
DOE
ber 2024, but slower than the 4.1 percent posted in November 2023. Neri said bad weather may have affected the supply of commodities such as vegetables. He added that the depreciation of the peso may have also been inflationary.
“[Meanwhile] a slower yearon-year increase in rice prices due to base effects and improving supply prospects may have tempered inflation. Stable oil prices in the global markets may have also prevented a sharper monthly increase in consumer prices,” Neri added.
Neri also expects inflation to remain stable in the next six months due to a slower increase in rice prices and the economic slowdown in major economies like China.
Nonetheless, weather disturbances and the further depreciation of the peso remain threats that could drive commodity prices upward.
“Looking
9.8 percent year-on-year in October from 9.6 percent in the previous month.
Claims on the private sector grew by 11.5 percent in October from 12.5 percent in September with the continued expansion in bank lending to non-financial private corporations and households.
“For the coming months, M3/domestic liquidity growth could pick up after the latest cut in banks’ reserve requirement ratio (RRR) announced on September 20, 2024 and effective October 25, 2024,” Ricafort said.
“But [it] could [also] spill over the coming months, that infused about P400 billion in additional peso liquidity into the banking system/financial system [from the BSP] that may allow banks to increase lending and other investing activities,” he added.
Net claims on the central government expanded by 8 percent, compared to 6.6 percent in the previous month, amid higher borrowings by the National Government.
Net foreign assets (NFA) in peso terms rose by 11.2 percent year-onyear in October from 8.6 percent in September.
The BSP’s NFA grew by 13.8 percent, reflecting the increase in gross international reserves. Meanwhile, the NFA of banks contracted, largely on account of higher bills and bonds payable.
eyeing more deals with foreign groups in climate, energy
significant Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with Indonesia, Singapore, South Korea, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” said Lotilla.
The MOU between the DOE and the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources of Indonesia focuses on coal, geothermal, hydrogen, bioenergy, energy efficiency, liquefied natural gas, human resources development, and critical minerals. The operationalization of the MOU is under way with the inaugural meeting of the senior-level joint working group held last August.
The MOU with Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, will pave the way for expanding opportunities and cooperation in petroleum, clean hydrogen, refining, petrochemicals, and renewable energy.
“On top of this, our efforts to expand international cooperation continue through several ongoing negotiations. These include an MOU on energy transition cooperation with the United Arab Emirates, which we expect to sign soon,” Lotilla said.
Negotiations with countries such as Lao PDR, Morocco, Papua New Guinea, Canada, Brazil and India are also under way. Lotilla said his office will seek various partnerships with these countries to help the Philippines address challenges in renewable energy, energy infrastructure, and technology transfer,
among others.
To facilitate the early retirement of coal-fired power plants in the country, two coal power plants are enrolled under the Transition Credits Coalition or TRACTION program formed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore. “The Philippines hosts the two pilot coalfired power plants that will test the high-integrity principles of transition credits,” Lotilla said. These plants are ACEN Corp.’s 246-megawatt (MW) South Luzon Thermal Corporation facility in Batangas and STEAG State Power Inc.’s 210MW Mindanao coal plant in Misamis Oriental.
Also recently, Singapore and the Philippines signed an MOU to outline the process for developing a legally binding Implementation Agreement and identifying potential Article 6-compliant mitigation activities under the Paris Agreement.
“There is also space for international collaboration to create a network of credible accounting entities and interoperable methodologies, and leverage learning and experiences from the Clean Development Mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol,” the secretary added.
On the regional front, Lotilla said the country has actively pursued agreements that reinforce Southeast Asia’s energy security and sustainability with the completion of the signing requirements from Asean Member States for the
innovations
Protocol to Amend and Extend the Trans-Asean Gas Pipeline and the ongoing finalization of the successor agreements and enhanced MOUs for the Asean Petroleum Security Agreement and the Asean Power Grid, respectively.
“We recognize the importance of addressing the key challenges in realizing the Asean Power Grid interconnection project and remain committed to enhancing our grid infrastructure to support regional power integration,” Lotilla said.
The country’s three major island grids are now physically connected and will allow the transmission of electricity generated from power plants located in the Mindanao region to power grids in the Visayas and Luzon and vice versa.
Also, the progress of the Lao PDR-Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore Power Integration Project provides encouragement to the Philippines to actively participate in the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-MalaysiaPhilippines Power Interconnection Project.
Lotilla stressed that these projects are pivotal for enhancing regional energy cooperation and addressing shared energy challenges. “Our partnership underscores our shared commitment to advancing clean, sustainable, and efficient energy systems, in alignment with global efforts to address the challenges of climate change and accelerate the transition to a low-carbon future,” the energy chief said.
www.businessmirror.com.ph
Marcos open to reconciliation with Duterte
By Samuel P. Medenilla
PRESIDENT Marcos on Friday said he is still open to a reconciliation with Vice President Sara Duterte despite her recent threat to have him killed. Marcos also called on lawmakers not to file an impeachment complaint against the Vice President saying it will just “waste the time” of Congress.
“Never say never,” Marcos told Palace reporters when asked if he has shut the possibility of working again with Duterte.
Last week, Duterte said he contracted a hitman to takedown the President, First Lady Liza A. Marcos, and Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez if she were killed. She made the remark amid the ongoing investigation of Congress on the unexplained utilization of the P625 million confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education during her incumbency as secretary.
The National Bureau of Investigation and Department of Justice is now looking into the possible legal liability of Duterte for making the controversial remark against the President.
Among the possible sanctions Duterte may face include criminal and administrative charges, disbarment, and even an impeachment complaint, which is expected to be filed in Congress next month.
The President confirmed he did sent the screenshot of a text message circulating online, where he urged lawmakers not to file an impeachment complaint against Duterte.
“What will happen if somebody files an impeachment case? It will tie down the House, it will tie down the Senate. It will just take up all our time and for what?,” Marcos said.
“For nothing, for nothing. None of these will help improve a single Filipino life. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a storm in a teacup,” he added.
‘VP may be liable under Anti-Terrorism
By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz
VICE President Sara Duterte may be held liable for violations of the AntiTerrorism Act that was signed into law by her father, former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte in 2020, for her death threats against President Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez.
VP Duterte’s latest meltdown included the death threats, which prompted the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to consider potential violations of the
Act’
Anti-Terrorism Act against her, said House Assistant Majority Leader Jay Khonghun.
The lawmaker also criticized Duterte’s recent claims that efforts to freeze her assets are part of a “grand scheme” against her, likening it to the “Arnie Teves playbook.”
He emphasized that Duterte’s current predicament results from her own actions and statements.
“This is the result of her actions and statements. We have seen the law they passed on terrorism, and it’s clear that she has violated it,” Khonghun, who represents Zambales, said.
Saturday, November 30, 2024
Groups call on Congress, other agencies to be fair in probes
ABy Andrea San Juan
TOTAL of 13 business organizations and rule of law advocacy groups have called on investigative agencies, including Congress, to conduct hearings fairly and free from political biases amid resolution of political disagreements.
On Friday, the groups issued a statement to remind government institutions and agencies to uphold the rule of law amid recent political disagreements.
The groups which issued the statement are: Management Association of the Philippines (MAP), Justice Reform Initiative (JRI), Ateneo De Manila Law Alumni Association, Energy Lawyers Association of the Philippines (ELAP), Filipina CEO Circle (FCC), Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (FINEX), Insitute for Solidarity in Asia (ISA), Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD), Integrity Initiative, INc. (III), Makati Business Club (MBC), Philippine
Duterte had previously alleged that moves to freeze her assets mirrored tactics used against former Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr., who faced terrorism charges. She described these actions as part of a “grand scheme” against her.
House Deputy Majority Leader Paolo Ortega V dismissed Duterte’s narrative, asserting that she is solely responsible for her actions.
Ortega, who represents La Union highlighted the unprecedented nature of Duterte’s alleged threats against high-ranking officials, including President Marcos.
The NBI has initiated an investigation into Duterte’s statements, considering
Women’s Economic Network (PHILWEN), Shareholders’ Association of the Philippines (SharePHIL), and The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS).
This developed as these groups expressed “profound” concern over recent statements and actions that “threaten the stability” of the constitutional order in the country.
“We call on investigative agencies, including Congress, to conduct their inquiries with impartiality. Ensuring public trust requires investigations to be conducted fairly, transparently, decently, and free from political biases and influence,” the groups said.
Ensuring public trust, the statement said, requires investigations to be conducted “fairly, transparently, decently, and free from political biases and influence.”
“Accountability must be pursued within the bounds of due process, ensuring that justice is not only done but is seen to be
possible violations of the Anti-Terrorism Act. The agency is scrutinizing whether her remarks constitute grave threats under the law.
Khonghun underscored the importance of due process, stating that agencies like the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the NBI should thoroughly investigate the Vice President’s actions.
Impeachment?
LEADERS of the House of Representatives reiterated on Friday that impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte are not part of the chamber’s current legislative agenda.
done,” the groups underscored.
The groups also “strongly urged” all public officials and political leaders to “demonstrate restraint, uphold the dignity of their offices, and prioritize the welfare of the Filipino people above political interests.”
They emphasized that the “resorting to threats, incendiary rhetoric, or any form of violence has no place in a nation founded on the rule of law.”
“To this end, we strongly urge public officials and political leaders to demonstrate restraint, uphold the dignity of their offices, and prioritize the welfare of the Filipino people above political interests,” the groups noted.
Further, the groups called on the Armed Forces (AFP) and all institutions to adhere to their respective constitutional mandates.
“The Armed Forces plays a vital role in safeguarding the Constitution and protecting our nation from threats, both
Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr., Deputy Speaker David Suarez, and House Majority Leader Manuel Jose M. Dalipe made a joint statement after the President dismissed the idea of filing impeachment complaints against the vice president, who publicly threatened to have him killed, stating that it would be a waste of Congress’ time.
“As we have repeatedly pointed out in media interviews, impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte are not on our agenda,” the lawmakers emphasized in a joint statement.
The House leaders assured the public of their commitment to transparency and
internal and external,” the statement said. They also called on AFP and all institutions in the country to ensure that all their actions are “grounded in the principles of legality, impartiality, and service to the nation.”
“Deviations from their mandate will definitely erode confidence in our country’s business environment and worse,it could endanger the very foundations of our democratic society,” the groups pointed out. As for the public, the business organization and law advocates reminded Filipinos to “remain vigilant and steadfast in upholding the rule of law amidst political tensions.”
The groups made this call as they highlighted that “the strength of our institutions and the resilience of our democracy depend on our collective resolve to remain loyal to the Constitution and reject efforts to erode public trust in good governance.”
accountability, particularly in investigating the use of confidential funds and alleged irregularities involving questionable businesses from the previous administration.
“Our institution is duty-bound to serve as a check and balance while safeguarding public trust. The Filipino people deserve answers regarding these serious matters, and we aim to fulfill this responsibility without political distractions or divisiveness,” they added.
While stressing that impeachment is not a priority, they acknowledged the constitutional duty of the House to act on
See “Anti-Terrorism Act,” A4
Security Bank buys into Home Credit
By Cai U. Ordinario
LOCAL publicly-listed universal bank Security Bank has purchased a 25 percent stake in HC Consumer Finance Philippines Inc. (Home Credit).
In a statement on Friday, Security Bank said the stake in Home Credit Philippines was previously held by Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc.
The stake, Security Bank said, was purchased for P11 billlion. The bank said this underscored its commitment to enhance its consumer financing capabilities.
“As we welcome Home Credit into the Security Bank family, we’re excited by the strategic benefits this acquisition brings,: Sanjiv Vohra, Security Bank President and chief executive officer said.
“This is a tremendous opportunity to leverage synergies, offer innovative lending solutions, and support financial inclusion. We look forward to driving growth and delivering value to our stakeholders together,” he added.
Under the agreement, Krungsri, the Bank of Ayudhya PCL and its business units, will continue to hold a 75 percent ownership stake in HCPH and remain the majority shareholder.
“We are delighted to enter into this agreement with Security Bank as we believe that Security Bank will complement Krungsri in Home Credit Phil -
ippines,” said Yasushi Itagaki, Group COO-I and Head of Global Commercial Banking Business.
“Security Bank’s on-theground presence and understanding of the local market will bring forth continued growth for Home Credit Philippines,” he added.
Home Credit is a leading consumer financing company in the Philippines, having served over 11 million customers with a comprehensive range of financial products, including pointof-sale (POS) loans, cash loans, revolving credit, and ancillary products such as insurance and warranty services.
Home Credit is a POS market leader with strong partnerships with top retailers and brands and a nationwide presence covering more than 15,000 POS locations.
This transaction marked eight years of the Security Bank and MUFG strategic alliance, which started in 2016. It also represented the second partnership between Security Bank and Krungsri, following their SB Finance, Inc. joint venture.
The acquisition aligned with Security Bank’s strategic vision to become the most customer-centric bank in the Philippines.
The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals, with target closing in the first quarter of 2025. AlphaPrimus Advisors acted as financial advisor and Picazo Law acted as legal counsel to Security Bank in this transaction.
Group says COP should focus on agrifood systems
By Ada Pelonia
THE 29th Conference of Parties (COP) presidency should tackle the “inequities” in the resource allocation of the current climate finance to help farmers cope with the aftermath of extreme weather conditions, the non government organization Rice Watch and Action Network (R1).
“The fight against climate change cannot emphasize enough the importance of agrifood systems. Ironically, this sector receives a meager share of the pie and it continues to decline,” R1 said in a statement.
The group said an analysis by the Climate Policy Initiative showed a mere 0.8 percent share of smallscale agrifood systems or $5.53
billion of the total climate finance across all sectors of $660.2 billion in 2019 to 2020.
The group also noted that according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 2021, climaterelated development finance contributions towards agrifood systems declined by $19 billion or 12 percent compared to 2020. Asia posted the
biggest decline, by 44 percent compared to 2020.
“The inequities in resource allocation and worse, its further decline have cost the most vulnerable smallscale farmers and agri-micro, small and medium enterprises [MSMEs] their remaining hope for resolution to their sad state,” R1 said.
The group shared that the Philippines recently experienced four strong typhoons, leaving Filipino farmers barely able to recover from the devastation of one extreme weather event to another.
“We join the united efforts of smallholder farmers, civil society, Indigenous Peoples (IPs), youth and women in seeking equitable share in climate financing,” R1 said.
“Only then can we truly uphold climate change resilience among our sectors that are most vulnerable to the devastation of climate change impact.”
The country has been grappling with successive typhoons recently that devastated agricultural farmlands and the fisheries sector, with damage reaching over P10 billion so far from typhoon Kristine to
typhoon Nika.
Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture (DA) earlier entered into a tripartite agreement for the $39.2 million climate change project set to benefit 1.25 million farmers in the climate-vulnerable regions of the country.
The department signed the Operational Partners Agreement together with the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) and the FAO.
The seven-year initiative aims to boost the resilience of rural communities reliant on agriculture. The project spans five regions, nine provinces, and 100 towns. The DA said a key outcome of the project is the adoption of climateresilient farming practices by farmers, empowering them to establish sustainable enterprises.
“The project also aims to strengthen regulatory frameworks, enhance market systems, and improve knowledge management to mainstream and scale up climate-resilient agriculture nationwide.”
PhilHealth includes oral care in benefits package
By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco
THE Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) Board of Directors (Board) has approved the preventive oral healthcare in its benefit package.
Health Secretary Teodoro J. Herbosa, who chairs the PhilHealth board, said the state health insurer will pay for annual routine preventive oral care services for every Filipino, such as mouth examinationoral screening, dental prophylaxis or cleaning, and fluoride varnish application.
The approval coincided with the country’s participation in the first ever World Health Organization (WHO) Global Oral Health Meeting (GOHM) in Bangkok, Thai -
land, running from November 26 to 29, 2024.
Rochelle Pambid, a dentist at the DOH’s Disease Prevention and Control Bureau represented the Philippines with Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo, who headed the delegation.
The PhilHealth Board approved a maximum payment of P1,000 per patient per year for preventive oral health services, to be paid as follows: P300 for the first visit, covering mouth examination-oral screening, oral prophylaxis (cleaning), and fluoride varnish application; another P 300 for a second visit at least four months apart from the first visit, for the same services; and P200 per tooth (maximum of two teeth per year) for pit and fissure sealant or a Class V procedure.
There will be no co-payment allowed for public dentists, while private dentists will be allowed maximum co-payment charges per visit of P1,500 for mouth examination and oral prophylaxis; P600 for pit and fissure sealant or Class V procedure; and P600 for emergency tooth extraction.
The PhilHealth Board approved the landmark expansion of primary care benefits to cover the mouth in line with the overall vision of “Ngiting 70-20” to ensure that more Filipinos will reach the age of 70 with 20 permanent teeth still in place.
WHO Member States from around the world listened to the Philippines present its oral health and public health journey through the decades, which includes multisectoral and inter-government agency collaboration with the Department of Education (DepEd) for the Fit for School advocacy for twice daily toothbrushing at school to prevent tooth decay; adoption of a life-course approach to the integration of public health guidelines; settings-based approaches like the healthy learning institutions; and most recently, the introduction of a PhilHealth benefit package for preventive oral health at primary care.
“The Philippine journey for
oral health care has been like a roller coaster with ups and downs in implementation. Under the administration of President Marcos and Health Secretary Teodoro J. Herbosa, we are now rising again to fulfill the mandate of Universal Health Care that includes oral health,” said Domingo who also joined the PhilHealth Board meeting via video call from Bangkok. “Universal health care must have oral health care, and the best way to make it sustainable and felt by all Filipinos is through primary care. The Board agreed on a preventive oral health benefit to be delivered by dentists working in PhilHealth Konsulta package providers, and also by stand-alone dentists based on referrals from the Konsulta providers,” said Herbosa. He added: “We want dentists to come together and join us for UHC. This new PhilHealth oral health benefit will help make that happen,” added Herbosa.
The next step will be for PhilHealth Management under its President and Chief Executive Officer to write and publish the details in a PhilHealth Circular, which will then lead to the development or enhancement of IT systems that will be used to capture data and facilitate payments.
“The House of Representatives has a constitutional duty to act on impeachment complaints filed by ordinary citizens against impeachable officials. This is not just the responsibility of the institution but also the individual duty of each congressman to up
“Should an
Editor: Angel R. Calso
Latest ‘massive’ Russian attack cuts power to 1 million homes in Ukraine
By Hanna Arhirova & Barry Hatton
The Associated Press
YIV, Ukraine—Russia con -
Kducted a “massive” attack against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure on Thursday, firing nearly 200 missiles and drones and leaving more than a million households without power, Ukrainian officials said.
Russia’s second major aerial attack on Ukraine’s power grid in less than two weeks amplified fears that the Kremlin aims to cripple the country’s power generation capacity before winter.
“Attacks on energy facilities are happening all over Ukraine,” Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said in a post on Facebook. He added that emergency power outages were implemented nationwide.
Russia in previous years has targeted Ukraine’s electricity generation, aiming to deny civilians critical heating and drinking water supplies during the bitter winter months and break Ukrainian spirits. The attacks also seek to hobble Ukraine’s defense industry that is now producing missiles, drones and armored vehicles, among other
military assets.
In some regions on Thursday, Kalibr cruise missiles with cluster munitions smashed into civilian targets, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, calling it “an insidious escalation.” Cluster munitions release numerous small bombs over a wide area, making them dangerous to civilians both during and after an attack.
Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed his forces struck 17 Ukrainian targets Thursday, including military facilities and their “support systems,” with 100 drones and 90 missiles.
It was the 11th massive combined attack by Russia on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure this year.
But the Ukrainian air force claimed to have shot down 76 cruise missiles and three other types of missile as well as 32 drones. It added that it lost track of 62 Russian drones, which most likely were jammed by electronic warfare. Neither side’s claims could be independently verified.
Ukrainian officials have warned recently that Russia was stockpiling cruise and ballistic missiles, presumably for another pre-winter aerial campaign against Ukraine’s
Devastation in Lebanon: Families return to ruins as Israel airstrikes destroy homes and livelihoods
By Bassem Mroue
The Associated Press
HANOUIYEH, Lebanon—During their 37 years of marriage, Mariam Kourani and her husband ran a butcher shop in southern Lebanon, started a business selling serving containers and opened a small restaurant.
An Israeli airstrike in late September destroyed it all.
Walking through the rubble of what used to be her house and restaurant in the village of Hanouiyeh, Kourani, 56, watched as her sonin-law picked up some of his young daughter’s clothes and toys from the ruins.
“This was my house, my dreams and my hard work,” she said, holding back tears. She pointed to one of the serving containers she used to sell, and estimated her family’s total losses at $120,000.
Kourani is among the tens of thousands of residents who have started streaming back into southern Lebanon to check on their homes after the US-mediated ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect early Wednesday. Intense Israeli airstrikes over the past two months leveled entire neighborhoods in eastern and southern Lebanon, and in the southern suburbs of Beirut, which are predominantly Shiite areas of Lebanon where Hezbollah has a strong base of support. Nearly 1.2 million people have been displaced.
Like Kourani, many are returning home to find that their homes are gone.
The World Bank said earlier this month that housing has been the hardest hit sector with almost 100,000 units partially or fully damaged during the 14-month war, which intensified in late September. It estimated the damage at $3.2 billion. Who will pay for the reconstruction is unclear. Iran has offered to help, but it’s under Western sanctions and its economy has suffered. Kourani said Hezbollah members have told her those who lost a house during the war will be given a place to stay until their homes are rebuilt. After spending thousands of dollars in rent for the two months the family was displaced in the village of Qarnayel in Mount Lebanon, Kourani said her priority is to fix their butcher shop across the street so they can start earning money.
“We are starting from below zero,” she said.
A history of loss
ALI SALEH lost his home in 2006, during the 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah. He was able to rebuild when the gulf nation of Qatar funded the reconstruction of several areas in southern Lebanon.
On Wednesday, Saleh drove to his hometown near the border with Israel, only to find that it had happened again: his two-story home was destroyed.
power grid. Ukrainian officials have in the past accused Russia of “weaponizing winter.” Such massive attacks have been a regular feature of the war.
Around half of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been destroyed during the almost three years of war with Russia, and rolling electricity blackouts are common. Kyiv’s Western allies have sought to help Ukraine protect power generation with air defense systems and funds for rebuilding.
Last March, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued arrest warrants for two high-ranking Russian military officers on war crimes charges linked to attacks on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, including power plants and electricity sub-stations.
The war has been going in Russia’s favor in recent months as its bigger army uses its advantages in manpower and equipment to push Ukrainian forces backward in eastern areas, though its offensive has been slow and costly.
Putin said that over the past two days Russia had fired 100 missiles and 466 drones at Ukraine, saying they were a response to Ukraine using American-made missiles to hit
targets on Russian soil after gaining permission to do so from President Joe Biden.
Speaking at a summit in Kazakhstan of a security alliance of former Soviet nations, Putin threatened to use a new intermediate-range ballistic missile, called Oreshnik, against “decision-making centers” in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital.
The missile launched for the first time at Ukraine last week has six warheads and flies at 10 times the speed of sound, according to Putin, who declared that it can’t be intercepted by any modern air defense systems.
Oreshnik can penetrate underground bunkers and releases dozens of submunitions that “turn everything to dust,” Putin said. The use of several Oreshnik missiles in one strike would be comparable in its devastating power to a nuclear weapon, he claimed.
Explosions in Thursday’s Russian attack were reported in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Rivne, Khmelnytskyi, Lutsk, and many other cities in central and western Ukraine.
Zelenskyy urged Western countries to accelerate delivery of promised air defense weaponry. Ukrainian officials in the past have
grumbled that military aid is slow to arrive.
“Each such attack proves that air defense systems are needed now in Ukraine, where they save lives, and not at storage bases,” Zelenskyy said on the Telegram messaging app. Russia uses large numbers of missiles and drones to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defenses and exploits weather conditions such as dense fog and cloud cover to make interceptions harder, the Ukrainian air force said.
The head of Ukraine’s presidential office, Andrii Yermak, said in a Telegram post that Russia had stockpiled missiles to strike Ukrainian infrastructure and wage war against civilians during the cold season. “They were helped by their crazy allies, including from North Korea,” he wrote. Western governments and South Korea say North Korea in recent months has intensified its military support for Russia.
The head of the Lviv region in western Ukraine, Maksym Kozytskyi, said the attack left more than half a million households without electricity.
Over 280,000 households in the northwestern Rivne region
were without electricity because of the attack, according to regional Gov. Oleksandr Koval. Running water supplies were also patchy in affected areas. Some schools in Rivne city switched to online classes.
There were also strikes on the bordering Volyn region, where 215,000 households had no electricity, regional head Ivan Rudnytskyi said. All critical infrastructures that lost power were switched to generators.
Energy infrastructure was also targeted in the western IvanoFrankivsk region, local officials said. Air defenses were activated there, and emergency power outages were introduced. Local officials ordered the opening of “points of invincibility”— shelter-type places where people can charge their phones and other electrical devices and get refreshments during blackouts. In Kyiv, where the air raid alert lasted over nine hours, missile debris fell in one neighborhood, local officials said. No casualties were reported.
Hatton reported from Lisbon, Portugal.
“All the memories are gone,” he said, as he smoked a cigarette.
The 59-year-old man drove back with his wife and three of his six children hoping to find a place to stay close to his hometown of Aita al-Shaab, a village that witnessed some of the most intense fighting.
“It is a disaster-stricken village,” he said. In the ancient city of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon, 34-year-old Souad al-Outa walked around what was left of her home, shocked.
She knew her neighborhood had been badly hit like many other parts of this city, a designated UNESCO World Heritage site famous for its ancient Roman ruins. She was not prepared for the devastation she saw when she went back on Thursday.
A strike earlier this month killed multiple people in the street nearby, she said, including several of her husband’s relatives.
“I feel like my heart has come out of its place,” she said as she looked around what used to be her children’s bedroom.
“We had a beautiful life here.”
Homes can be rebuilt
ABOUT 170 kilometers (105 miles) southwest of there, in the village of Qana near the port city of Tyre, Abu Ahmad Salameh stood in what was left of several buildings that belonged to his family. He was able to pull two carpets from under the rubble.
“All this damage can be rebuilt. This is our land and we will stay here no matter what,” Salameh said. “It is painful to see the destruction. These are the homes of my parents, grandparents, daughter and my house.”
He said that when the area was struck about two weeks ago, Hezbollah fighters found a safe full of jewelry and cash in the rubble of his house, and returned it to his family.
Back in Hanouiyeh, Kourani said the family left their home in the early afternoon on Sept. 23, the day the war intensified, and moved in with relatives a few miles away. Shortly after they got there, they received a call saying that their house had been destroyed.
As the Israeli airstrikes increased, they fled north to Qarnayel, where they rented an apartment for 1,000 a month in addition to $250 for electricity and water.
Once the ceasefire went into effect, she drove back home with her husband, son and her daughter’s family. They spent the night with relatives.
Despite everything, Kourani said she is embarrassed to speak about her material losses at a time when thousands of people have been killed, including friends and relatives and Hezbollah fighters among them.
“Israel has filled our land with blood. Our big loss is our men,” she said.
The Associated Press writer Lujain Jo in Baalbek, Lebanon, contributed reporting.
Australia passes groundbreaking law to ban social media for children under 16, sparking controversy
MBy Rod Mcguirk
The Associated Press
ELBOURNE, Australia—A social me -
dia ban for children under 16 passed the Australian Parliament on Friday in a world-first law.
The law will make platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram liable for fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) for systemic failures to prevent children younger than 16 from holding accounts.
The Senate passed the bill on Thursday 34 votes to 19. The House of Representatives on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved the legislation by 102 votes to 13. The House on Friday endorsed opposition amendments made in the Senate, making the bill law.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the law supported parents concerned by online harms to their children.
“Platforms now have a social responsibility to ensure the safety of our kids is a priority for them,” Albanese told reporters. The platforms have one year to work out
how they could implement the ban before penalties are enforced.
Meta Platforms, which owns Facebook and Instagram, said the legislation had been “rushed.”
Digital Industry Group Inc., an advocate for the platforms in Australia, said questions remain about the law’s impact on children, its technical foundations and scope.
“The social media ban legislation has been released and passed within a week and, as a result, no one can confidently explain how it will work in practice – the community and platforms are in the dark about what exactly is required of them,” DIGI managing director Sunita Bose said.
The amendments passed on Friday bolster privacy protections. Platforms would not be allowed to compel users to provide government-issued identity documents including passports or driver’s licenses, nor could they demand digital identification through a government system.
Critics of the legislation fear that banning young children from social media will impact the privacy of all users who must establish they are older than 16.
While the major parties support the ban, many child welfare and mental health advocates are concerned about unintended consequences.
Sen. David Shoebridge, from the minority Greens party, said mental health experts agreed that the ban could dangerously isolate many children who used social media to find support.
“This policy will hurt vulnerable young people the most, especially in regional communities and especially the LGBTQI community, by cutting them off,” Shoebridge told the Senate.
Exemptions will apply for health and education services including YouTube, Messenger Kids, WhatsApp, Kids Helpline and Google Classroom.
Opposition Sen. Maria Kovacic said the bill was not radical but necessary. “The core focus of this legislation is simple: It demands that social media companies take reasonable steps to identify and remove underage users from their platforms,” Kovacic told the Senate.
“This is a responsibility these companies should have been fulfilling long ago, but for too long they have shirked these responsibili -
ties in favor of profit,” she added.
Online safety campaigner Sonya Ryan, whose 15-year-old daughter Carly was murdered by a 50-year-old pedophile who pretended to be a teenager online, described the Senate vote as a “monumental moment in protecting our children from horrendous harms online.”
“It’s too late for my daughter, Carly, and the many other children who have suffered terribly and those who have lost their lives in Australia, but let us stand together on their behalf and embrace this together,” she said.
Wayne Holdsworth, whose teenage son Mac took his own life after falling victim to an online sextortion scam, had advocated for the age restriction and took pride in its passage.
“I have always been a proud Australian, but for me subsequent to today’s Senate decision, I am bursting with pride,” Holdsworth said.
Christopher Stone, executive director of Suicide Prevention Australia, the governing body for the suicide prevention sector, said the legislation failed to consider positive aspects of social media in supporting young people’s mental health and sense of connection.
“The government is running blindfolded into a brick wall by rushing this legislation.
Young Australians deserve evidence-based policies, not decisions made in haste,” Stone said.
The platforms had complained that the law would be unworkable and had urged the Senate to delay the vote until at least June 2025 when a government-commissioned evaluation of age assurance technologies will report on how young children could be excluded.
“Naturally, we respect the laws decided by the Australian Parliament,” Facebook and Instagram owner Meta Platforms said. “However, we are concerned about the process which rushed the legislation through while failing to properly consider the evidence, what industry already does to ensure ageappropriate experiences, and the voices of young people.”
Snapchat said it was also concerned by the law and would cooperate with the government regulator, the eSafety Commissioner.
“While there are many unanswered questions about how this law will be implemented in practice, we will engage closely with the Government and the eSafety Commissioner during the 12-month implementation period
to help develop an approach that balances privacy, safety and practicality. As always, Snap will comply with any applicable laws and regulations in Australia,” Snapchat said in a statement.
Critics argue the government is attempting to convince parents it is protecting their children ahead of a general election due by May. The government hopes that voters will reward it for responding to parents’ concerns about their children’s addiction to social media. Some argue the legislation could cause more harm than it prevents.
Criticisms include that the legislation was rushed through Parliament without adequate scrutiny, is ineffective, poses privacy risks for all users, and undermines the authority of parents to make decisions for their children. Opponents also argue the ban would isolate children, deprive them of the positive aspects of social media, drive them to the dark web, discourage children too young for social media to report harm, and reduce incentives for platforms to improve online safety.
AP Business Writer Kelvin Chan in London contributed to this report.
Tourism Editor: Edwin P. Sallan
THE BEATING HEART OF OLD BAKU Slowing down and gazing at Azerbaijan’s capital
Story & photos by Red Constantino
The error is understandable. Sometimes the first glance is like the first taste. One draws quick conclusions, but then texture kicks in and layers of senses correct the hasty mistake.
If Russia and Turkiye had a child, it would be something else, but not Azerbaijan; not Baku, its capital, and certainly not Ichari Shahar, the ancient Inner City, the Old Town.
There is likely a stereotype that one brings when meeting Baku for the first time. One might enjoy an occasional encounter with Brutalist buildings outside, but there’s no rigid Soviet architecture in Ichari Shahar and even astride the walls, and on the horizon no Stalinist structure impedes one’s view. Islamic influences clearly abound, but Ottoman sway is not alone what makes up what is Azerbaijani. Ask about the influence the
people of Azerbaijan exerted on the empire as well. There is much to peel, like a plump pomegranate.
But a few hours of a break day will never yield credible answers, not in the same place and not when one is only resting the senses after six days monitoring global jousting and dithering over the climate crisis and its solutions. The meet takes place over two weeks and in the middle is a break. Official negotiations cease.
Baku hosted the 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change or COP29, like shorthand for a 29th cop out, understandably the feeling of a constant short -
SunlighT in The Air Rising boutique airline flies high
SINCE its launch in 2019, Sunlight
and what customers can look forward to in 2025. Excerpts: Tell us something about Sunlight Air, the company’s history where you are today. I understand why some people may not know about Sunlight Air yet, because Sunlight Air is only a five-year-old company, but we’ve only been flying for the past four years. We started out as a purely charter airline flying out of a private lounge, initially serving Manila and Busuanga. Today, we focus on commercial flights, we are a boutique airline, and we fly to several routes already. We fly to about 11 routes, with our main hubs being Manila, Clark, and Cebu.
So from flying out of a hangar, Sunlight Air now has a presence at nAiA. Yes, we’re flying, initially from Terminal 4. But since November 6, we’re now in Terminal 2 along with all the domestic airlines as part of the NNIC infrastructure development.
Aside from the relatively affordable airfares, what do you think is the advantage of Sunlight Air over other domestic carriers?
We’re the only boutique airline in the country. And as one, we offer services that our passengers don’t get from other airlines. For example, in-flight snacks are a part of every fare category that we offer to our passengers. We also have larger leg rooms, on-ground services and yes, we do serve coffee on-ground. When there are disruptions, I would like to say that our assistance is more visible to our passengers. We also offer unique services like the integrated travel experience. We used to call it Travel Bubble during the pandemic, but today we call it Vacations, which is basically an all-in-one platform where you can book the hotel, the airline and the transfers with Sunlight Air alone.
We also have Passenger Perks, which is basically a selection of partner merchants that you can get discounts and other perks from. So, these are just very few of the unique services and offerings that Sunlight Air gives as compared to a more conventional airline.
So what would you say are your most popular routes, destinations and are there plans to further add more? Definitely, Manila-Busuanga is very, very popular. We also have Cebu to Siargao, it’s
fall given the size of the crisis the world has yet to truly confront. But because the meeting is in Azerbaijan, presided over by a designate chosen by what many call today a petro-state, conference proceedings tended to be more exhausting than usual. Hence the short-lived enjoyment of a few hours with nothing better to do but to take a break from human conceits and frailties and to putter instead inside the walls of old Baku.
There is something about walking on this old town’s cobblestones slowly, the geometric ground hardened and polished from centuries of footfall. The echoes linger in the mind because memory in this place goes way back, when Zoroastrianism configured the world of fire worshippers, predating or proceeding from this or that god while helping give shape to spiritual cosmologies today.
In Baku the streets are narrow and winding, curved like the long spout of a tall teapot, but also inclined, many with steep steps.
The blue sky is broken by shades of sandstone, marble, and granite, punctuated by trees that look weary and antedi
luvian even when young.
Baku’s walls are turreted and curved
and despite the proliferation of small shops, each giving you the best price in the entire world, something compels you to slow down and gaze. You see the doors, the awning grace to old dwellings. Residential portal. Gates.
And then you see the extensions. Left to right and back, from all angles. Mashrabiya everywhere you look.
It is a standout Islamic architectural element, projecting an oriel window, protruding like a balcony often enclosed with carved wood, many times with latticework on the upper floors of a building. My goodness they are beautiful.
Sometimes they overlook a courtyard, but from the streets one sees more of the extended loggia from where, behind curtains or filigreed windows a resident is provided privacy to survey public scenery below.
A mashrabiya is often cantilevered and many might seem a vernacular addition, but the rendering, the incredible craftsmanship of carpentry utilized to produce the balconies in old Baku give everything a generic, organic feel. If the apartment was a person’s face the mashrabiya would be the ridge of a nose. Or cheekbone. Not an artifice.
quite popular too. And from Clark, it’s Clark to Busuanga. So, I think we can see here that our leisure routes are really the most popular although we also have business routes such as Cebu-Iloilo, Cebu-Cagayan de Oro, ManilaCebu. For this year, at least 2024, our main focus is really to keep growing the current destinations or routes that we have. But for next year, I’m looking at some routes also. One in particular that I’m very excited to explore is Cebu to Siquijor. We’ve been in touch with the LGU
Every now and then, the place reminds you of the comets it hosted, through public sculptures that honor the best of its citizens. I saw many but I remember the names of two. Yusuf Heydar Mammadaliyev, scientist. Aliega Vahid, poet. Maybe it is a reminder, just before diving headlong once more into the climate negotiations, that for life to thrive it will require both kinds of mind and heart. Inside the Old City are tombs, one with kinky boots, that to the sensitive might raise notions of impermanence. There are minarets and arches and the 12th century Maiden Tower with its odd design. Some of the manholes here even feel timeless. And then it was time to head back. The Venetian traveler Marco Polo noted in the 14th century the oil Baku exported to other nations, and along the way to the conference venue on Istiqlal Aliyev, there is always a stretch that shows you the Caspian Sea and then briefly patches of nodding donkeys on the near side, oil wells and oil pumps with heads nodding and going down and pistol-pulling up and pumping new supplies of petrol to feed a global machine thirsty for more fossil capital, fueling affluence and wars and supercharging storms.
there and their airport is almost ready for ATR operations. So, I’m very excited to explore that.
What about other popular destinations like, say, Bacolod, Davao, maybe even l aoag or maybe even Baguio? Are you considering those areas?
As a fleet of ATRs, which is the turboprop, I’d like to keep our selection of routes mostly to smaller island destinations. So, for example, yung Bacolod, Davao, since these are flown by Airbuses, we tend to shy away from those routes. Instead, we focus on places like Busuanga, Siargao, Siquijor, the smaller island destinations that the bigger airlines do not fly to.
Do you also offer, say, after-flight services as some passengers may still need some assistance from you upon arrival?
If you look at our website, as the first touchpoint, there’s already a lot of information already about destinations. For example, in Coron, it says what to do, where to eat, what leisure activities you can do there. Like I said, we do a lot of partnerships also. We also have integrated travel services, so we partner with some tour organizations, restaurants, so that when they get to the destination, we get to offer them more. For example, for those want to eat in Siargao, we have a list of
restaurants they can get discounts from as a Sunlight Air passenger.
We also have the disruption tool management, which automates the service recovery options of our passengers. Apart from that, we have mobile and landline numbers as well as social media pages for our passengers to ask questions from. So, we’re always ready to assist. So what planes are you currently using in your fleet and their respective capacities? Currently, we have three ATR 72500s. By January, we will also be bringing in another ATR 72-600 so that would make it four. The capacity of each is 70 pax.
What else can we expect from Sunlight Air for 2025? Any promos, among others? Well, we always do promos especially when it’s 10.10, 11.11, the double digits. So, that’s something that customers can always look forward to. We also have Grand Travel Fest, Sunlight Air’s biggest travel event. So, we always invite hotel partners and other partners that are travel-related. So, for example, the likes of Hertz and Island Souvenirs. For 2025, aside from the new aircraft, we will have an updated logo, an updated livery and we will be launching a new tagline as we continue to respond more to our customers’ needs.
BusinessMirror
The Oppo Find X8 is here
BY PAULINE JOY M. GUTIERREZ
MONTHS of speculation and leaks hinted at the development of a new Oppo phone. Whispers about its features had tech enthusiasts buzzing long before its official unveiling. Now, the wait is over. On November 21, the Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer officially launched its Find X8 series globally, with the Find X8 marking its entry as a contender for smartphone supremacy in a competitive Philippine market.
But, what exactly makes it different?
The Oppo Find X8 enters the flagship fray with its Hasselblad Master Camera System, aiming to challenge the imaging capabilities and professionalgrade photography offered by competitors like Samsung and Apple.
With its triple 50-megapixel lenses for Ultra-Wide, Wide, and Telephoto shots, the Find X8 takes aim at the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s 200MP primary camera and the iPhone 16 Pro’s dual 48MP setup. Its AI-powered Telescope Zoom, offering up to 120x magnification, rivals Samsung’s Space Zoom while leaving Apple’s 5x optical zoom far behind in reach. Nevertheless, it remains uncertain whether it can deliver the same level of image clarity as Samsung and Apple at extreme zoom levels.
The Find X8 packs a few clever extras, too. Its HyperTone Image Engine, which Oppo claims addresses common challenges in traditional computational photography, combines multiple shots taken at different exposures and focal points to enhance dynamic range. Stage Mode enables users to capture distant performances with exceptional clarity, while Lightning Snap allows for freezing fast action with a burst rate of 7 frames per second. Oppo also bets on artificial intelligence, or AI, to give it an edge in post-processing. While Apple’s Photonic Engine and Samsung’s Expert RAW focus on manual control and, again, computational enhancements, Oppo’s AI suite automates photo optimization. Features like AI Clarity Enhancer, AI Unblur, and AI Reflection Remover aim to simplify advanced edits, catering to users who want polished images without the needed technical know-how.
In terms of design, the Find X8’s slim 7.85mm profile and lightweight 193g frame provide a comfortable feel. Its Cosmos Ring design setup also trims the camera bump, offering a sleeker aesthetic compared to the pronounced modules on both the Galaxy S24 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro.
The Find X8’s IP68 and IP69 certifications for dust and water resistance give it a durability advantage over the iPhone 16 Pro, which maintains an IP68
rating, while matching the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s rugged capabilities.
On the performance front, the Find X8’s 6.59inch display offers a peak brightness of 4500 nits, outshining both Samsung and Apple, whose flagship phones reach peak brightness levels of 2600 nits and 2000 nits, respectively.
www.businessmirror.com.ph
Is Outlook down? Thousands of Microsoft 365 users report outage issues
NEW YORK—Thousands of Microsoft 365 customers worldwide reported having issues with services like Outlook and Teams on Monday.
OPPO’S GLOBAL EXPANSION STRATEGY
Oppo’s latest flagship phone has officially arrived in the Philippines, featuring a cutting-edge Hasselblad Master Camera System and advanced AI features. The big question: Can it take on the big players? The
UNLESS you’re living under a rock or do not have a Facebook account, you know Home Buddies which is considered the biggest online community of Filipino home enthusiasts with over 3 million Kapitbahays (as members and followers of the community are called).
This amazing network was started by former advertising copywriter Frances Lim Cabatuando, who started Home Buddies during the pandemic when everyone was cooped up at home.
The community was born out of Frances’ own Instagram account Nobi Home, which also has a substantial following.
“I really enjoy decorating my own home. So during the pandemic when everyone was stuck in their own homes, I wanted to create a support group so
Powered by the new ColorOS 15, Oppo’s latest operating system, the Find X8 boasts faster touch response and up to 40 percent improved system stability, holding its own against the seamless user experiences of iOS 18 and Samsung’s One UI 6. Charging technology is another area where Oppo delivers. The Find X8’s 5630mAh silicon-carbon battery supports 80watts SUPERVOOC charging, bringing a full charge in just 48 minutes. By comparison, Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra features 65W wired charging, while the iPhone 16 Pro caps at around 20W. Oppo also debuts 50W AIRVOOC wireless charging, a step ahead of Samsung’s 45W wireless capability and Apple’s MagSafe system, which maxes out at 25W.
IN a statement, Oppo said that the recent launch of its Find X8 series highlights its continued efforts to strengthen its global presence.
According to Billy Zhang, president of overseas marketing, sales, and services, the company’s expansion is driven by its focus on understanding local markets and delivering quality products and services. “Our progress in globalization is built on Oppo’s commitment to understanding local communities and offering exceptional products,” he explained.
The biggest selling point of the Find X8, however, is the exceptional value it offers at its price point.
Priced at P54,999, and despite being the base model of the Find X8 series with the Pro variant currently unavailable in the country, it stands as one of the most affordable options among the latest smartphones available locally. It doesn’t compromise on quality, delivering features and capabilities comparable to more expensive flagship models.
With the Find X8, Oppo positions itself as a bold competitor to major industry players. Whether it can carve a niche in a market dominated by giants like Samsung and Apple remains to be seen, but the brand has made its intentions clear: it’s ready to challenge the best.
Oppo currently operates in over 70 countries and regions, with more than 300,000 retail locations worldwide. As the fourth-largest smartphone brand globally, the company continues to expand its reach. In Southeast Asia, Oppo remains a dominant player. The company has also witnessed significant growth in Latin America, with a 62 percent year-on-year increase in 2024 following its expansion into Brazil and Argentina.
The Oppo Find X8 is available on Oppo’s official Lazada page and will be available on Shopee and TikTok Shop starting November 29. All purchases from Oppo’s official e-commerce channels will include the following until November 30:
■ Free Oppo Enco Air3 Pro
■ Free shipping
■ P200 GCash cashback for product reviews
■ P2000 off with an Oppo voucher
of homebody is the woman they call
people can help each other improve their spaces,” said Frances, who is fondly called “Mayora” by members of the community.
So I asked Frances why she believes Home Buddies is something that many Filipinos can relate with.
Having a specific topic and being in a closed group I think helped people understand the role of Home Buddies in people’s lives. We’re not trying to be viral or popular for the sake of having lots of members; we’re really focused on providing a space where one can get quick and updated information on anything about home improvement,” she replied.
Home Buddies isn’t just Frances sharing her tips and tricks about home decorating and care. Members of the community also impart their own hacks for making the home more beautiful and safe and which appliances to buy to save on power, or to help people run their homes more efficiently.
Of course, it’s not always lollipops and roses. There are also disagreements among members themselves.
“So the challenge for me as the community founder is how to keep the group a safe space despite having millions of members. We still manually approve the posts and filter out the comments and people that do not belong in the community,” said Frances.
Now that the pandemic is a thing of the past, it’s interesting to note that Home Buddies is still growing rent to the Home of the Golden Gays. For the second
In social media posts and comments on platforms like outage tracker Downdetector, some impacted said that they were having trouble seeing their emails, loading calendars or opening other Microsoft 365 applications such as Powerpoint.
Microsoft acknowledged “an issue impacting users attempting to access Exchange Online or functionality within Microsoft Teams calendar” earlier in the day. In updates posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, the company’s status page said it identified a “recent change” that it believed to be behind the problem—and was working to revert it.
Microsoft shared that it was deploying a fix— which, as of shortly before noon ET, it said had reached about 98 percent of “affected environments.” Still, the company later noted that targeted restarts were taking slower than expected for the majority of affected users.
“We’re facing delays in our recovery efforts and are taking immediate action to address them,” Microsoft 365 status wrote on X Monday afternoon. “We understand the significant impact of this event to your businesses and are working to provide relief as soon as possible.” Data on Downdetector showed thousands of outage reports from users of Microsoft 365, particularly Outlook. AP
CONTINUED FROM A9 edits feel effortless. Unlike other AI erasers that just smudges it into pixels, the Magic V3 has the ability to intelligently replace the unwanted subject, blending the background seamlessly so the edit appears natural and unobtrusive. AI Falcon Camera meanwhile transforms action photography by locking onto moving subjects and
year, we renovated the SPED Classroom of Pasay City North High School. Last year we mounted a bazaar at Ayala Malls Manila Bay to support local kapitbahay businesses, and so this year we thought of making another community happy. It’s like sharing blessings from our community to their community. It’s also a fun way to bring our members together for a day they’ll never forget,” said Frances.
This year’s Home Buddies Fiesta was an outreach activity to benefit the families of the Gawad Kalinga Laguerta Village in Muntinlupa. During the event, Home Buddies had games and food for kids. Some community members did some repainting on the houses in the village. For Frances, it’s been a crazy four years. “Most days, it’s still just me thinking of ideas and bringing them to life. Through Home Buddies I’ve learned a lot— livestream production, graphic design, events management, hosting, finance, etc.,” said Frances.
She gets help with content moderation, for which she has a team of 10 all working part-time. She also gets extra help for events. With so many good things happening to Frances and Home Buddies, she continues to let the world know that they are not just a Facebook group.
“We are a real community with a real, meaningful impact in society.”
A8 Saturday, November 30, 2024 • Editor: Gerard S. Ramos
www.businessmirror.com.ph
PETPAL EMPOWERS FILIPINO VETS WITH EMR PORTAL
THE Philippines’ first all-in-one digital petcare platform from 917Ventures, PetPal is transforming the country’s veterinary landscape with its Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Portal. This latest innovation marks PetPal’s move in expanding its services to cater to not just pet owners but also Filipino veterinarians. The EMR Portal aims to help in streamlining patient management by linking pet owners’ information submitted through the PetPal app with veterinarians’ patient records—providing quick access to comprehensive profiles for faster, more accurate diagnoses and treatments.
Martin Luchangco, general manager of PetPal, highlighted that the integration of a digitized system can enhance overall clinic efficiency; guiding veterinarians through the entire process—from initial consultations and scheduling procedures to managing prescriptions.
“We see the Vet EMR Portal as a game-changer for Filipino veterinarians,” Luchangco said. He mentions how the platform’s real-time sync with the information submitted through the PetPal app is what sets it apart from other EMR service providers, making it easier for both vets and pet owners to keep track of their pets’ medical records.
He added, “Our goal is to help vets do what they do best—caring for animals. Through the EMR Portal, we are streamlining administrative tasks and enhancing the overall veterinary experience.” In the Philippines where 79 percent of households own pets, the veterinary sector faces considerable challenges. With only around 10,000 active veterinarians and fewer than 500 clinics nationwide, the ratio of pets to veterinarians is a staggering 2,000 to 1. This shortage highlights a substantial gap in the availability and accessibility of veterinary services, which PetPal seeks to bridge by empowering veterinarians using the EMR portal. For a limited time, vets are offered free access to PetPal’s EMR services. Those interested in exploring the benefits of the EMR Portal may visit org-portal.petpal.asia/login for more details.
PHL CAN BE KEY PLAYER IN DATA CENTER SPACE
BY RIZAL RAOUL S. REYES
REDWOOD,California-based global digital infrastructure
company Equinix considers the Philippines a key market and a prominent player in Southeast Asia in the digital economy.
Cyrus Adaggra, vice president of corporate development, Equinix Asia-Pacific, told BUSINESSMIRROR in an e-mail interview that the country’s massive potential in the digital economy will result in a huge demand, driven by a highly engaged digital population, a booming e-commerce adoption, and various government initiatives to promote digitization, such as the E-Government Masterplan 2022 and the Digi-Ed 2028 program.
“The country’s digital economy is expected to continue its upward climb toward $35 billion by 2025, growing at a compound annual growth rate [CAGR] of 20 percent. The country is seeing a surge in demand for digital infrastructure services,” Adaggra said.
Equinix recently acquired three data centers from Filipino technology solutions company Total Information Management (TIM) that will serve as its initial foray in entering the market and furthering the ongoing commitment to continuously extend Platform Equinix to support customers’ digital edge strategies.
“The expansion will position Equinix as a leading interconnection and data center provider in the Philippines and enhance our relationships with local enterprises and global players looking to expand,” Adaggra said. Asked about the acquisition cost, he said, “We are not announcing the purchase price at this time. The all-cash transaction represents a multiple of approximately 15 times the projected Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortisation [EBITDA] at full utilization.”
He said TIM’s data centers host leading network service providers with four of the major internet exchanges (IXs) in Manila. This robust network ecosystem offers a wide array of connectivity options for businesses that have a presence in the Philippines.
“Providing immediate capacity and additional expansion potential, this acquisition allows us to start addressing our global customer’s demand in the Philippines.”
He said the Philippines is a highly attractive location for their customers to expand their operations. Through this acquisition, Adaggra said Equnix can significantly expedite time to market and capitalize on the immense potential the region offers. Moreover, he said it allows the firm to tap into the country’s thriving business landscape promptly.
To ensure it will be running on sustainable energy, he said Equinix will have contracts with a local renewable energy supplier for its operations in the Philippine market. He added the Carmona sites will be 100 percent covered by renewable energy. Equinix strongly focuses on incorporating clean, renewable energy coverage sources throughout its worldwide operations. “This approach helps mitigate the impact of power rates and supports our commitment to sustainability and energy efficiency.”
This initiative extends to all facilities, whether newly constructed or recently integrated into the company’s portfolio. In 2023, Equinix achieved 96 percent renewable energy coverage across its global operations.
He said the move will support Equinix’s ongoing global expansion, strengthen its leadership position in the AsiaPacific region, and present opportunities to expand into new metros and market segments in the Philippines.
BusinessMirror
Honor Magic V3: The almost perfect foldable
I’LL admit, I was skeptical about foldable phones when they first arrived. Flashy? Sure. But practical? I wasn’t convinced. They felt like the tech world’s equivalent of concept cars—bold and eye-catching, but full of lofty promises that seemed unlikely to hold up in the real world.
I had the chance to try some of the early foldable phones, and they only reinforced my doubts. Folded, they felt too thick and awkward to handle, and the narrow screens made it difficult when typing. Making it worse, the crease running through the display was as distracting as the hefty price tag.
That skepticism began to waver earlier this year when I finally had the chance to try the Honor Magic V2. What started as mild curiosity quickly turned into genuine fascination. The convenience of enjoying a tablet-like experience in a device that easily fits in my pocket was a transformative experience. Suddenly, foldables weren’t just futuristic ideas—they had become practical tools designed for the demands of today’s work and lifestyles.
Months later, Honor has done it again. The Honor Magic V3 takes everything that made its predecessor great and refines it even further, making a strong case that the future might well be—foldable.
SLIMMER. STRONGER.
HONOR is undoubtedly the No.1 abuser of smartphones. They’ve made a name for themselves with drop/smash tests and, more recently, water torture. But if there’s any doubts about the durability of the Honor Magic V3, all you need to do is google “Honor Magic V3 washing machine test.”
The Honor Magic V3 pushes the boundaries of what foldable smartphones can achieve, combining exceptional durability with a sleek, lightweight design. At just 9.2mm thick when folded, it retains its title as the thinnest foldable smartphone on the market, almost the same thickness as my iPhone 15
Pro Max with a case. The refined side profile closely mirrors that of its predecessor, the Magic V2, but introduces a more polished look with a distinctive circular rear camera module.
Central to this durability is the Honor Super Steel Hinge, designed with a one-piece arch bridge structure made from steel with a strength exceeding 2100MPa. This hinge provides a seamless, smooth folding mechanism while remaining lightweight and robust. With a durability rating of 500,000 folds— more than double the standard for most foldables—it ensures the device remains as reliable as the day you unbox it, even after years of heavy use.
The Magic V3 takes durability further with its use of aerospace-grade fibers, a first in mobile phones. These advanced materials enhance impact resistance by up to 40 times without adding unnecessary weight, creating a device that feels solid yet comfortable in hand.
Honor’s commitment to durability extends to the displays. The external screen features the Honor Anti-scratch NanoCrystal Shield, offering 10 times the scratch resistance of conventional glass. On the inside, the Honor Super Armored Inner Screen boasts five times the scratch resistance of standard foldable displays, thanks to a nanoscale anti-scratch coating and impact-resistant silicon gel. This gel, with its “non-Newtonian fluid” properties, absorbs impacts effectively, ensuring the screen remains protected even during accidents.
The Magic V3 is SGS-certified for 10x scratch resistance and 10x drop resistance, making it the toughest foldable phone on the market.
DISPLAY AND SOUND
THE Honor Magic V3’s displays are a masterclass in versatility and visual quality, seamlessly adapting to the user’s needs. The outer display features a 6.43-inch OLED panel with a resolution of 2376 x 1060 pixels and a 120Hz refresh rate, delivering sharp visuals and
enabling users to capture elegant, artistic portraits.
smooth interactions for everyday tasks like checking notifications, responding to messages, or making calls. Its compact size and vibrant color reproduction make it feel like a premium smartphone in its own right.
Unfolding the device reveals a stunning 7.92-inch OLED inner display with a resolution of 2344 x 2156 pixels. The nearly square aspect ratio maximizes screen real estate, making it ideal for multitasking, reading, and enjoying immersive media experiences. I usually work on spreadsheets, and if you’ve tried editing those on a regular phone, you know how hellish the experience can be. But with the unfolded Magic V3, I can see more cells and work on a goodsized screen keyboard.
The 120Hz adaptive refresh rate ensures butterysmooth scrolling, whether you’re browsing the web or playing games. Both displays support HDR10+, ensuring rich colors and deep contrast which makes watching high-definition content a visual treat.
Honor has also paid special attention to brightness, with peak brightness levels reaching up to 1600 nits on the inner display. This ensures excellent visibility even in bright outdoor conditions, an essential feature for a device designed for productivity
‘FALCON’ CAMERA
AMONG the biggest improvements I noticed in the Honor Magic V3 are its cameras. The Magic V2 was good, but the ones on the V3 are on a different level.
The 50MP Periscope Telephoto Camera provides 3.5x optical zoom and up to 100x digital zoom, supported by a 1/2.51-inch sensor, an f/3.0 aperture, and Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), making it ideal for capturing detailed shots from a distance. The 50MP Wide Angle Camera with a 1/1.56-inch sensor, f/1.6 aperture, and OIS ensures crisp, vibrant shots, especially in low-light conditions. The 40MP UltraWide Angle Camera features a 112° field of view, an f/2.2 aperture, and macro capabilities with a 2.5cm focus distance, making it suitable for expansive landscapes and intricate close-ups.
The 20MP front camera, with its 90° wide-angle view and 4K video recording capabilities, delivers high-quality selfies and video calls. However, thanks to the foldable design, the rear cameras can also be used for selfies when the device is unfolded, giving users access to the professional-grade rear lenses for even higher-quality self-portraits. This is made even better by AI Harcourt Portrait mode. Originally introduced in the Honor 200 series, this mode offers three portrait-master styles inspired by studio
The Honor Magic V3 also integrates several AI-enhanced features to further elevate the photography experience.
Honor AI Motion Sensing Capture ensures sharp and clear action shots by locking onto moving subjects automatically. The camera system also supports AI Scene Recognition, which optimizes settings for different environments; and AI Night Mode, leveraging the wide-angle camera’s large aperture to capture vivid, detailed images in low-light conditions.
It even supports a staggering 100x digital zoom, and though it can struggle with clarity at extreme ranges—a limitation common to most smartphones—the overall camera performance is exceptional. I’ve been testing it during event coverages againt those LED screen backdrops and I was able to take better photos compared to the other phones I’ve tried.
FLAGSHIP TO ITS CORE
UNDER the hood, the Honor Magic V3 is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, a cuttingedge chipset that delivers top-tier performance. This is paired with an Adreno 750 GPU and 24GB of RAM (including 12GB Turbo RAM), ensuring the phone can handle everything from intensive multitasking to graphics-heavy gaming. The performance is buttery smooth, whether you’re editing 4K videos, running multiple apps simultaneously, or diving into high-end mobile games.
Battery life is equally impressive. The 5150mAh battery, powered by third-generation silicon-carbon technology, is designed to last all day, even with demanding use. The inclusion of 66W SuperCharge means you can go from 0% to 40% in just 15 minutes.
BEST
AI FOLDABLE
WHAT would a 2024 smartphone be without AI?
The Magic V3’s AI features elevate it from a mere smartphone to an indispensable personal assistant. Integrated into MagicOS 8.0.1, these tools are designed to simplify everyday tasks, enhance creativity and boost productivity.
During our first encounter with the Magic V3 last month, they demonstrated AI Face-to-Face Translation, a feature that could be very useful for travelers and professionals working in global environments. By listening and translating conversations in real-time, this feature breaks down language barriers with ease.
The AI Erase Tool is perfect for content creators and mobile photographers. It allows users to clean up their photos with minimal effort. Whether it’s a stray object or an unwanted passerby, the tool makes quick
A9
Editor: Gerard S. Ramos • Saturday, November 30, 2024
Our
Do we really give a hoot about our heroes?
WBy Nick Tayag
my sixty-zen’s WORtH
ITH all the unhappy developments we see in the top leadership of our country, we really need heroes. Or at least someone with inspiring qualities of a leader that we can look up to. It reminds me of a famous line from the play “Galileo” written by Bertolt Brecht, a German playwright: “Unhappy is the land that needs a hero.”
The yearly observance of National Heroes Day should remind us that our nation has bred many heroes. The problem is we don’t know our heroes fully well.
Ask any young Filipino student to enumerate names in our pantheon of heroes, he will probably stop after Rizal, Bonifacio, and maybe Tandang Sora. If you’re lucky he will probably remember General Luna and Gregorio del Pilar because he was required to watch their respective biopics as a school assignment.
Many of our streets bear the names of our heroes. But who was EDSA? P. Guevara? T.M. Kalaw? P. Paterno? Abad Santos? C.M. Recto? Adriatico? Legarda? Bonny Serrano? Escoda? Just to mention a few that appear on our Google maps.
Even if they can name names, do young Filipinos appreciate what makes them heroes? What exceptional deeds did they accomplish? What was so noble about the causes they died for? What is their relevance to us?
Look at our P1,000 bills. The portraits of national martyrs, namely, former Chief Justice José Abad Santos, Josefa Llanes Escoda, and Vicente Lim have been replaced by the “face of an eagle.” To me it is just an affirmation of the reality that we lack historical consciousness. We don’t have a deep sense of our past.
I remember that in our history subjects in high school and college, we had textbooks that we never bothered to read. Our teachers failed us by not being able to inspire us to be interested in history, much less our own Philippine history.
My theory is that part of the reason is that our culture is not a reading culture. We are more visual than textual. We prefer pictures. Give the student a booklet in comics form about Diego Silang or Apolinario Mabini and he will most likely read it from cover to cover.
The problem is compounded by the fact that members of Gen X and Gen Z are now immersed in what is called “digital space,” which is a dominantly visual world The digital screen is where they live, play and get their information. This is where the visual and performing arts must come in. We
need artists who can make history come alive through the technique of storytelling in the various digital art forms such as film, anime, and even video games. Let’s craft plays and musicals that will depict the lives of great Filipinos and significant turning points in our history.It must be a whole-of-country project, involving all regions. Let’s tell our budget allocators to set aside funds for grants to have special classes in history writing and spur young writers to compose well researched biographies of our heroes or even engrossing historical fiction as long as they are factual. These can later be adapted into popular TV drama series. Maybe we can hold a college festival of short plays on unknown regional heroes. For crying out loud, why not an exhibition of paintings portraying historical events and historic characters.
If we can join hands and contribute to a common fund to be solely used to produce professional digital videos—live action or anime format—of great historical events and persons and then put them on streaming and social media platforms, imagine what this will do in making our history come alive within the hearts and minds of the Filipino youth.
For heroes, I recommend giving special focus on heroes from Visayas and Mindanao who have been long overlooked. It’s time we bring them into the light. Off hand, I can name Leon Kilat, the Visayan hero of the Philippine Revolution and Apolinar Velez of Maguindanao who led Filipino natives to resist the invading American forces during the Phil-American war.
There’s nothing like the performing arts and cinema to breathe life into characters and situations. Every time a high school student or an ordinary Filipino watches a digital video about the life of a hero, it inculcates a deep love of country, patriotism, justice, freedom, and all the other values dramatically depicted through the power of sight and sound.
Perhaps, in this way, we will build a reservoir of respect and reverence so deep that we will avoid making thoughtless and ill-considered decisions to erase our heroes from our official money bills as well as public buildings or, God forbid, our textbooks.
We have to preserve whatever little cultural legacy we possess right now. Let’s harness the arts to awaken a new generation of Jose Rizals, Andres Bonifacios, Josefa Escodas, Macario Sakays and Sultan Kudarats!
Time
Angel R. Calso•
DICT exec highlights opportunities in teaching digital literacy to seniors
By Liza Agoot
BAGUIO CITY—Teaching senior citizens about technology and the Internet is challenging but possible, an official of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) in the Cordillera said Wednesday.
Enabling the sector become familiar with the use of technological innovations will provide them opportunities to have a source of livelihood even at an advanced age, said Jing Nino, of the DICTCAR Information Communications Technology (ICT) Literacy and Competency division, in a forum aired over social media.
“It’s difficult. It takes a lot of patience because most of them are first time users of the computer but, slowly, they will grasp it,” he said.
Senior citizens are taught what a computer is, how to turn it on, how to access the Internet, how to use digital payment, and how not
to be victimized by fraudulent sites or persons.
“We do not only teach them how to use it but also how not be a victim of fraud because they are among the vulnerable groups of people,” Nino said.
Nino pointed out that for senior citizens who are working in the government, the ability to be familiar with the use of computer is a productivity tool since they can easily get information using search engines like Google, use worksheets, and use the Microsoft Word.
For those who are no longer working and are just staying home, technological know-how will allow
World’s oldest man has died in England at 112
LONDON—For nearly nine months, John Alfred Tinniswood held the title of world’s oldest man, marking his 112th birthday during his reign.
His record-holding status ended Monday when Tinniswood died in a care home in northwest England near Liverpool, where he was born on August 26, 1912, his family said in a statement.
Tinniswood attributed his longevity to “pure luck.”
“You either live long or you live short, and you can’t do much about it,” the retired accountant and great-grandfather told the Guinness World Records when he earned the title in April.
If there was any secret to it, though, he said moderation was key to a healthy life. He never smoked, rarely drank and followed no special diet, apart from having fish and chips every Friday.
“If you drink too much or you eat too much or you walk too much—if you do too much of anything—you’re going to suffer eventually,” Tinniswood said.
Tinniswood was born a few months after the sinking of the Titanic. He lived through two world wars and served in the British Army Pay Corps in World War II.
Tinniswood was 111 this spring
when he claimed the record after Juan Vicente Pérez, of Venezuela, died at 114.
Guinness World Records did not name who would replace Tinniswood as the new record holder.
He is survived by his daughter Susan, four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. His wife of 44 years, Blodwen, died in 1986.
When Tinniswood turned 112 in August, he said he was taking it in stride—like everything else he did.
“I don’t feel that age, I don’t get excited over it,” he said. “That’s probably why I’ve reached it.”
The world’s oldest living woman, and oldest living person, is Japan’s 116-year-old Tomiko Itooka. AP
Over 4,000 elderly get social pension in Albay
LEGAZPI CITY—More than 4,000 indigent senior citizens from Albay province have received their social pensions from the provincial government covering the period from July to December this year.
In an interview on Tuesday, Maria Vivien Cea, Albay Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) chief, said the distribution will continue until the first week of December to serve 16,669 indigent senior citizens in the province.
“The beneficiaries from the towns
of Oas, Camalig, Guinobatan, Jovellar, and Daraga received their P500 per month or P3,000 for the six months of coverage,” Cea said.
She said the beneficiaries were the elders who do not receive any other pensions from government agencies.
“They are waitlisted by the Department of Social Welfare and Development [DSWD] since no slots for the national Albay government served them,” she said.
Cea said the provincial government of Albay allocates a P100million annual budget for the program. PNA
them to find anything they want to know online.
“For some, basic use of computer is sufficient but there are those who aspire to have digital careers thus, they are taught more advanced lessons,” Nino said.
DICT has a digital academy program where individuals aspiring to have a career in ICT can enroll.
Sy, DICT-Cordillera regional director, in the same press conference said they have transformation hubs where any group can request for ICT lectures or workshops for free. He disclosed that a senior citizen who attended one of their trainings in 2023 is now working as a virtual assistant. PNA
House approves measure on post-retirement work
TBy Jose Cielito Reganit
HE House of Representatives on Tuesday approved on the third and final reading a proposed measure allowing senior citizens to be employed even after reaching retirement age.
House Bill (HB) 10985 or the Employment Opportunities for Senior Citizens and Private Entities’ Incentives Act received 173 affirmative votes during the plenary session.
“Retired or elderly individuals should not just be left to fend for themselves or depend entirely on their monthly pension. It’s about time we help ensure automatic employment allocation for Filipinos aged 60 years old and above,” Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said in a statement.
“Senior citizens should also be given the opportunity to be given post-retirement careers, like for example doing menial jobs that are not physically strenuous. Let’s allow them to be still productive citizens of the country. If advanced economies can do it, why can’t we?”
Once enacted into law, HB 10985 will further amend Republic Act 7432, entitled “An Act to Maximize the Contribution of Senior Citizens to NationBuilding, Grant Benefits and Special Privileges” signed into law by the late President Cory Aquino in April 1992. HB 10985 mandates the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) through the Public Employment Service Offices (PESO) to provide information and matching services to senior citizens who have the capacity and desire to work or to be re-employed.
All government agencies and private entities shall institute an employment program that promotes the general well-being of senior citizens and ensure access to employment opportunities for those who have the qualifications, capacity, and interest to be employed.
The bill likewise made a list of possible employment for the elderly, which shall include clerical or secretarial works, consultancy, cleaning or janitorial services, event organizing, teaching, kitchen help, sales assistance, BPOs and other jobs or volunteer works.
Private entities that would employ senior citizens upon the effectivity of the law shall be entitled to an additional deduction from their gross income, equivalent to 25 percent of the total amount paid as salaries, wages, benefits, and training provided to senior citizens.
The proposed law likewise prohibits all government instrumentalities, including government-owned and controlled corporations, local government units, and government hospitals from charging fees to senior citizens for documents—such as birth certificate, police clearance, medical certificate—required for their employment.
“Nothing in this Act shall prevent government agencies and private entities from hiring qualified senior citizens for consultancy and other similar arrangements, or from initiating or providing greater benefits, or improving the working conditions, or terms of employment of senior citizens beyond the minimum requirements provided by applicable laws,” the bill stated. PNA
Reynaldo
ParticiPants of the Basic information and communications technology training conducted by the Department of information and communications technology-cordillera administrative region in Mountain Province in October 2024. Jing nino of
Photo courtesy of PIA-MountAIn
Maria ViVien cea, albay Provincial social Welfare and Development Office (PsWDO) chief, gives her message during the distribution of senior citizens’ social pensions at the covered court of Barangay
agpon in Daraga, albay, on november 26, 2024.
JOHn alfreD tinnisWOOD poses for a photo on april 4, 2024. the world’s oldest man has died in england at age 112. the family of John alfred tinniswood said he died Monday, november 25, 2024,
Editor: Mike Policarpio
DOST-Metals Ind. R&D Center holds training courses on MTSC’s 2nd year
By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes
THE Department of Science and Technology-Metals Industry Research and Development Center (DOST-MIRDC) is celebrating its anniversary by addressing the country’s unemployment dilemma.
This, as the agency’s Mold Technology Support Center (MTSC) launched a series of training and development
programs by conducting free training courses to provide skilled workers in the die and mold sector the chance to
FEU, Turnitin champion educators’ role in upholding academic integrity
FAR Eastern University (FEU), in collaboration with Turnitin, recently hosted an exclusive forum and roundtable discussion to explore challenges and opportunities presented by advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) technology. The event emphasized the role of educators in harnessing AI competence in improving teaching pedagogy and enhancing learning experiences.
Turnitin is a leading educational technology company that employs AI-writing detection solutions aimed at helping educators promote academic integrity. Currently, the technology is integrated into FEU’s Canvas Learning Management System and serves as an assistive tool in the overall learning journey.
“As teachers who promote learning, we should also learn [and] upgrade. AI is not here to replace us; humanity in education is still here, and should be here,” said FEU Education Technology coordinator Richmond Riyadhen Lim. “With all the frustrations and anxieties our students have, we should not remove the humanity in education—instead, we can embrace AI to help our students unlock their potential for their limitless opportunities of tomorrow. We are teachers—we should be the pioneers of change; we have the power to reshape, reinvent, and rethink education.”
Lim, along with FEU Education Technology director Catherine Catamora, other academic leaders and other faculty members from various schools, converged with Turnitin’s international team during the event and discussed best AI practices and limitations in assisting teaching and learning.
Recently, FEU released a set of guidelines on the responsible and ethical use of AI for both its faculty and students.
Personalized learning via feedback, assessment
WHILE AI can assist academic writing in various ways, a consensus emerged among event participants that learning to write on one’s own remains a critical skill. This is where faculty and teacher intervention and guidance becomes crucial, especially in providing feedback and assessment to students.
One of the ways Turnitin can assist teachers in providing feedback is by using the platform’s “Similarity Report” feature, which scans student outputs and compares it to a larger database
KodeGo,
of student work and materials. This tool not only helps detect academic misconduct, but also empowers educators to identify areas where students may need additional support through constructive feedback. Continuous evaluation and personalized instruction from educators play a vital role in helping students understand the value of their work and the importance of personal effort in their academic journey.
Empowerment via AI IN the Philippines, the ongoing conversation on teachers’ workload centers on the heavy volume of administrative tasks they are expected to perform. A paper published by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies highlighted that administrative workload takes away teachers’ focus on the actual job of teaching. While it cannot fully address the problem, AI adoption can alleviate the burden of tasks such as lesson planning and output assessment, enabling teachers to focus more on engaging with students and p roviding personalized instruction.
However, FEU cautions that educators must not forget the value of authentic assessment, which can only be provided when they have a personal understanding of their students’ skills and abilities. While AI can serve as a tool for assistance, educators are encouraged to use it prudently, with respect to data reliability and integrity.
The exclusive forum hosted by Turnitin and FEU marked a pivotal moment in the ongoing dialogue about AI’s ethical use within the academic community. As the said technology continues to influence the future of learning, FEU remains dedicated to fostering an environment where innovation coexists with academic integrity.
upskill or reskill.
The free face-to-face training programs covered Basic Technical Drawing, Advanced Technical Drawing, Mold Design, Injection Mold Assembly and Injection Machine Operation. Said training courses ran for one week in early November at the Mold Technology Support Center inside Pacific Avelex Realty Corp. within General Trias in the province of Cavite.
Exec. Dir. Robert O. Dizon of DOST-MIRDC commended the MTSC on its latest milestone, as he stated that “this facility has been one of the [agency’s latest offerings to the metals and engineering indus -
iPeople develop students’ digital skills for today’s
17VENTURES’ educationaltechnology platform “KodeGo” has entered into a partnership with higher education institutions under iPeople: a Yuchengco-Ayala Education collaboration equipping students with relevant, industry-ready skills in high-demand digital fields.
The initiative called “KodeGo EduConnect” convenes schools such as Mapúa Malayan Colleges-Mindanao, Mapúa Malayan Colleges-Laguna, and the University of Nueva Caceres to help bridge traditional academic learning and real-world digital skills needed by today’s employers.
“This strategic alliance underscores a mutual commitment to fostering educational excellence and
professional readiness,” said Mark Abalos, who heads iPeople’s Dual Transformation, Strategy and Business Development. “By merging KodeGo’s dynamic, tech-driven programs with iPeople’s rich academic tradition, the partnership not only enhances the student learning experience; it also contributes to developing a skilled and versatile workforce ready to meet the demands of an evolving job market.”
KodeGo facilitated the program with its 10-day Virtual Assistant and Virtual Bookkeeping courses. Conducted fully online, they were aided by a collaborative learning environment provided by iPeople’s network allowing them to engage in interactive lessons, complete case studies, and participate
CCA Manila
Ctry, where we address innovation needs of local die and mold firms]. It is exciting to see all of us working together to achieve a common goal.” DOST-MIRDC said it welcomes collaborations with companies in the metals and engineering industries interested in upskilling their workforce through the center’s regular and tailored training programs. The anniversary event underscored the latter’s ongoing commitment to strengthening the local workforce and supporting the local die and mold sector. Current government data projects the country’s unemployed at 2.4 million.
fast-growing tech careers
in practical assignments.
Real-world skills
THE Virtual Assistant course delves into key skills one may need in pursuing a career in this direction. They include the following: Cultural proficiency for working with United Statesbased clients; Advanced administrative management, which includes organizing clients’ multiple calendars and schedules, best practices for facilitating meetings and basic project management; Familiarity and use of basic social-media tools; Cryptocurrency fundamentals; as well as Strategies for professional development, client acquisition, and problem-solving.
Meanwhile, the Virtual Bookkeep -
BOOSTING TECH-VOC TRAINING
Sec. Bienvenido E. Laguesma of the Department of Labor and Employment (left) as well as Dir. Gen. Jose Francisco
“Kiko” B. Benitez of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority present the signed Joint Memorandum Circular aimed at further streamlining the department’s programs to address job-skills mismatch and upgrade the Filipino workforce’s competencies.
Through the JMC, DOLE aims to boost skills training and employment by fully integrating TESDA’s careerdevelopment support, training services, livelihood programs, and employment-facilitation services into the labor department’s system. The officials also signed a data-sharing agreement linking the PhilJob.Net: the DOLE’s automated job and applicant matching system, with TESDA’s databases to expand information sharing and streamline employment facilitation.
ing course enables students to manage financial records and use digital accounting tools effectively.
Certificates of Completion are given to students who finish their respective courses and are endorsed by KodeGo to their network of partners for potential work opportunities.
An initial batch of just under a dozen students, aged 28 to 46, already graduated from the program. Of the group, 63 percent have been hired, while 37 percent are actively seeking employment.
“In today’s digital age, the demand for virtual bookkeepers and virtual assistants is soaring,” shared CEO KodeGo Ina Gervasio. “As businesses increasingly operate online, the ability to efficiently manage financial records and administrative tasks remotely has become indispensable.”
According to a report by Google and Temasek, the Philippines continues to face a significant challenge in digital literacy, with only 30 percent of the population possessing adequate digital skills. This underlines the urgent need to equip Filipino students with practical knowledge that aligns with the demands of the modern workforce. Gervasio highlighted that “investing in training for these skills not only enhances career prospects, but also offers [key] advantages such as increased job flexibility, the potential for higher earnings, and ability to work with a diverse range of clients globally.”
For more details on KodeGo and available courses, visit www.kodego.ph.
hones culinary ambitions of students from all over the regions
ELEBRATING 28 years as one of the Philippines’ top culinary schools, the Center for Culinary Arts (CCA Manila) continues to set the benchmark for culinary education and innovation, with a strong emphasis on Filipino cuisine.
Through its new comprehensive, 16-day short course “Fundamentals of Filipino Cuisine Program (FFCP),” CCA Manila immerses students in the art of local gastronomy, culinary heritage and technique.
“This innovative program not only aligns with the government’s efforts to promote Filipino cuisine, but also solidifies CCA Manila’s commitment to showcasing the potential of our local ingredients and traditions on a global scale,” said Dr. Ma. Veritas F. Luna, who is the center’s chancellor. “We are proud to say that we have consistently celebrated and elevated Filipino food culture.”
FFCP offers a blend of theoretical and practical learning with a daily onehour lecture, followed by five hours of hands-on kitchen experience. Students are also given two field trips for realworld immersion, allowing them to experience first-hand the essence of Filipino culinary culture.
“Students gain insight into the diverse flavors across our 17 regions,
learning ingredient selection, preparation and the intricacies of cooking and plating regional dishes,” added Dr. Luna. “With students from across the Philippines, CCA Manila continues to cultivate culinary talent that will thrive locally and internationally.”
Students flock from regions CCA Manila’s flagship program: the
“Diploma in Culinary Arts and Technology Management (DCATM),” shapes students into future culinary leaders, equipping them with hands-on culinary skills and food service-management expertise. Through this holistic program, they develop entrepreneurial skills alongside culinary craftsmanship, setting them up for success in the global food industry.
Among the current batch of students are talented individuals from various regions. For one, Bianca Llanes from Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte, now at the DCATM program’s Level 3, shares her pride in being mentored by industryrenowned chefs at CCA: “I’m excited for my growth in culinary skills under the guidance of top chefs. Their support gives me confidence as I advance in my studies.”
Meinhard Godoy from Brooke’s Point, Palawan, who is in his first-year in DCATM, expresses his gratitude for CCA’s supportive environment during his adjustment to life away from home: “I am proud to be part of this world. Culinary education demands hard work, but CCA Manila’s mentors have shown me incredible support and inspired me to embrace the challenges.”
Another DCATM freshman, fellow Palaweño Excel McCouley Salazar aspires to make an impact in the
culinary field: “I want my food to not only bring joy but also convey culture and history. My education at CCA will help me achieve this vision as I explore my personal and professional culinary journey.”
Meanwhile, Level-10 pupil Vince Caabay from Puerto Princesa values his hands-on experiences from the center: “Being a CCA student has given me the opportunity to work alongside professional chefs; that exposure inspires me to strive for excellence.”
In the future, Caabay plans to work at a fine-dining restaurant or hotel: “I look forward to the many doors [that] will open for me, both locally and abroad. I know my CCA Manila education will help me achieve my goal to be a renowned chef someday.”
“CCA Manila continues to welcome culinary aspirants from all over the country. We are committed to transforming dreams into reality through a hands-on, industry-relevant education,” maintained Dr. Luna. “With guidance from seasoned chef-instructors, students are prepared to make their mark in the culinary world.” For inquiries about the DCATM program and FFCP course, call 09178408400, e-mail talktous@cca-manila.edu.ph ., or visit www.cca-manila. edu.ph.
VINCE CAABAY from Puerto Princesa, Palawan was impressed by the roster of successful chefs that CCA Manila has produced.
A12 Saturday, November 30, 2024
Alas puts up gallant fight against tough foreigners in Nuvali worlds
By Aldrin Quinto
ITY of Santa Rosa—Alas
CPilipinas again proved it has the potential to match some of the world, showing flashes of brilliance in the main draw of the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Challenge Nuvali on Friday.
“It’s just a matter of playing consistently,” James Buytrago said.
Alas Pilipinas pulled off sizzling performances on the showcourt, with the Buytrago-Rancel Varga pair dragging Mart Tiisaar and Dimitriy Korotkov of Estonia to an extended second set in scorching heat before fading, 8-21, 29-31.
“That tight finish shows we can keep in step with the high-rated players. We just didn’t do it right away, and we were left playing catchup,” said Buytrago, who with Varga earned silver in the BPT Futures Nuvali in April.
Buytrago and Varga fought with the same intensity under the floodlights, but were denied by the Sagstetter brothers Jonas and Benedikt from Germany, 21-10, 21-16.
The Estonians needed 42 minutes, the longest match so far in the tournament organized by the Philippine National Volleyball Federation under its president Ramon “Tats” Suzara, also chief of the Asian Volleyball Confederation and executive vice president of the Federation Internationale de Volleyball.
The tandem of Ran Abdilla and Lerry Francisco also came up with a sterling performance that gave the fans plenty to cheer about.
Just a smile from either twin Joaquin or Javier Bello from England
could get the girls and some boys here screaming, and their impressive plays—miscues rare and scoring almost certain when left with enough space above the net—earned the applause of the ardent volleyball fan.
Abdilla and Francisco, meanwhile, got the crowd going with their hustle play.
Still, the Bellos, ranked No. 17 worldwide, proved too strong and won, 21-9, 21-16, in 33 minutes.
Abdilla lauded Francisco, who is playing in only his second international tournament for Alas Pilipinas, for a fine job.
“He did well, and he seems to be enjoying the matches,” Abdilla said.
“We’re proud to perform. This could be a once-in-a-lifetime chance, us playing teams of this caliber.”
“It was a good experience and it was good that we were able to keep up with them. But they’re the top team and it showed, they don’t seem to feel pressure. They play so relaxed.”
Coming off a huge victory in the BPT Elite 16 in Rio de Janeiro and instant fan favorites in Nuvali, the Bello twins played cool under pressure.
“The Filipinos really pushed us and we had to try out best to win,” Joaquin said. “This win is important. We try to play every point like it was the final.”
Gen Eslapor and Kly Orillaneda also had a difficult opening match, losing to world No. 50 Ieva Dumbauskaite
Ieva Vasiliauskaite of Lithuania, 21-12, 21-8. Niina Ahtiainen and Taru Lahti of Finland dashed the Filipinas’ hopes with a 21-11, 21-15 victory in the evening session.
Abdilla and Francisco also were sent packing in the late matches by Austria’s Christoph Dressler and Tim Berger, who scored a 21-4, 21-14 victory.
Villacencio credits victory at TCC Match Play to daughter Gretchen
ARNOLD VILLACENCIO, on the verge of bowing out of the tournament, credits his daughter Gretchen for reigniting his determination to fight on.
In a storybook turnaround, the 55-year-old veteran outclassed Albin Engino, 4&3, to seize the International Container Terminal Services Inc. The Country Club Match Play Invitational crown at the TCC course in Santa Rosa City on Friday.
In a final matchup no one expected, Villacencio overcame exhaustion and fierce competition to claim an improbable victory. After a tentative front nine, he surged ahead by going 3-up at the 13th hole before sealing the win on the next.
The triumph ended a decade-long title drought for Villacencio, who could hardly believe his achievement.
“I still can’t believe that I won,” said Villacencio, whose victory came amid challenging conditions and a physically grueling tournament.
“But I’m proud of myself—I’m the oldest here, yet I managed to beat the younger players. Of course, it’s all
Super majority reelects Tolentino as POC head
By Josef Ramos
ABRAHAM “BAMBOL” TOLENTINO was overwhelmingly reelected on Friday as president of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) for a fresh opportunity to ride the momentum of the three gold medals the country won in two Olympics under his watch.
“The General Assembly has spoken,” said Tolentino, who garnered 45 votes that represent
Loyzaga, got 15 votes in the elections that almost got dragged down after Loyzaga’s group filed a Temporary Restraining Order to stop the elections that are held once every four years.
The TRO filed by self-withdrawn second vice presidential candidate Robert Bachmann (squash) in a Pasig City court never came and the elections proceeded without a hitch at the East Ocean Garden Restaurant in Parañaque City.
Tolentino was elected president first in 2019 when he beat the athletics head Dr. Philip Ella Juico to complete resigned president Ricky Vargas’s term.
and gymnast Carlos Yulo bagging two mints in Paris 2024.
“I think performance was the basis [of landslide victory],” Tolentino, 60, told reporters after the elections supervised by Atty. Teodoro Kalaw IV with Philippine Sports Commission commissioner Olivia “Bong” Coo and LetranCalamba Rector and President Fr. Napoleon Encarnacion, OP, as members.
Escollante
Not one from the opposition
“Together in Excellence” team headed by Bachmann put up a semblance of a tough fight in the proceedings that were completed in three hours.
thanks to the Lord.” The weather added drama to Villacencio’s campaign. While the final round was played under cooler conditions, the first three days were defined by punishing heat that almost forced him to withdraw from Thursday’s semifinal match against Hyun Ho Rho.
Despite trailing by three holes midway in that match, Villacencio staged a gritty comeback, eventually securing a 2-up victory with his daughter’s unwavering belief fueling his resolve.
“I’m also grateful to my daughter. During the semifinals, I wanted to give up because I was so exhausted, but they told me, ‘Keep fighting, finish the match,” said Villacencio said of Gretchen, who reminded him of his chances even in the most difficult moments.
Engino, meanwhile, had also pulled off an upset in the semis, edging past the more favored Jay Bayron, 1-up.
With momentum seemingly on his side and conventional wisdom
favoring him in the final, Engino looked poised for a breakthrough.
Yet, Villacencio’s unexpected run proved that, especially in golf’s unpredictable match-play format, no lead or advantage is ever secure.
When asked about the difference in his game back in 2014 at Summit Point, he said: The win, worth P280,000, capped off a remarkable seasonending championship sponsored by ICTSI and organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc. reaffirming Villacencio’s place among the sport’s most resilient competitors.
Engino pocketed P200,000, while Bayron outlasted Rho, 3&1, for third place honors worth P150,000, with the Korean settling for P120,000 fourth place prize.
He immediately made his presence felt at the POC as the brain behind the Philippines emerging as overall champion of the 30th Southeast Asian Games.
Tolentino then went even more big time after that with weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz winning the country’s first Olympic gold in Tokyo 2020
Basketball’s Al Panlilio ran unopposed and got 53 votes and his fellow “Working Team” bet Rep. Richard Gomez topped the race for second vice president, routing skateboarding’s Carl Sambrano, 37-22.
Dr. Jose Raul Canlas (surfing) was also unopposed as treasurer with 54 votes and Donaldo Caringal (volleyball) clinched 47 points, also beating by a mile Rodrigo Roque (12) for the “Working Team.”
Completing the Tolentino team’s lopsided victory were new Executive Board members Leonora
“It’s not for me, but for the country, for the POC, and for our athletes,” Tolentino, head of the PhilCycling whose national coaches for road were present to show their full support, said.
“For the athletes, athletes, athletes …,” Tolentino said. Of the 61 voters, 58 were national sports associations and two were from the Athletes Commission and one from International Olympic Committee representative Mikaela Cojuangco Jaworski. Rugby was a no show in the elections.
Bisera has dad Reynaldo to thank for capturing crown
FLORENCE BISERA mirrored Arnold Villacencio’s success in the men’s division of the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) The Country Club Match Play Invitational—although they won in contrasting fashion. While Villacencio drew strength
unwavering faith, Bisera leaned on the steady presence of her father, Reynaldo, who played a pivotal role as her caddie.
“My Papa was a big help because he helped me control my emotions. Whenever I got nervous, he was there to comfort me,” said Bisera, after edging Mikha Fortuna’s bid for a back-to-back championship with a hard-fought 2&1 victory in the City of Santa Rosa on Friday. “He’s also great at reading the greens.”
The Davaoeña, who bowed out in the first round here last year, seized control early in the final in overcast skies, winning three of the first five holes as Fortuna struggled to find her rhythm.
Despite calm conditions at the impeccably maintained TCC course, Bisera navigated its challenges masterfully, capitalizing on Fortuna’s tentative start to take an early lead in the high-stakes final.
Bisera stayed composed throughout, even as rain added a layer of difficulty mid-round. She thwarted every comeback attempt by the defending champion, delivering clutch pars at critical moments.
When Fortuna narrowed the gap to one hole on the 15th, Bisera responded with a brilliant approach shot on the challenging par-4 16th, leaving herself a birdie putt. She confidently sank it, regaining a twohole cushion.
On the par-three 17th, Bisera held her ground, matching Fortuna’s par to close out the match with a 2&1 victory and claim the championship title, along with the P280,000 prize.
Reflecting on her win, Bisera shared how this triumph felt the same from her maiden title at the South Pacific Classic in Davao
last year. However, this time, she prevailed in a far more unpredictable match-play format against the elite of the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour and on a demanding course.
“I’m even happier now because I proved to myself that I can win not just on my home course but also on other courses,” she said.
Ranked No. 5 in the 16-player field, Bisera’s path to the title was anything but easy. She dispatched Velinda Castil, 4&2, in the first round, dominated Rev Alcantara, 4&3, in the quarterfinals, and survived a tense 1-up semis battle against Daniella Uy. Fortuna, on the other hand, had a more grueling route to the finals. She edged Jiwon Lee on the 19th hole in her opening match, narrowly beat Kristine Fleetwood, 1-up, but showcased her readiness to defend her crown by defeating Marvi Monsalve, 3&1, in the semis. Their showdown in the 18-hole final started on equal footing, but Bisera’s ability to impose her will early, maintain momentum and deliver clutch shots secured her the win.
“I didn’t expect to control the match, kasi I know magaling si Mikha sa Match Play. Medyo nag -struggle lang siya sa putting, kaya nakalamang agad ako [because I know Mikha is good at Match Play. She just struggled a bit with her putting, which allowed me to take the lead early on],” said Bisera, who also dedicated her victory to her family and to God. Fortuna took home P200,000. Meanwhile, Monsalve and Uy turned their battle for third place into a tightly contested duel, with the former finally prevailing on the 22nd hole. She earned P150,000, while Uy settled for fourth and pocketed P120,000.
REELECTED president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino (fourth from left) with (from left) Olivia “Bong” Coo, Leonora Escollante, Rep. Richard Gomez, Atty. Teodoro Kalaw IV, Alvin Aguilar, Donaldo Caringal, Alexander Sulit, Dr. Jose Raul Canlas and Letran-Calamba Rector and President Fr. Napoleon Encarnacion, OP.
(canoe-kayak, 45 votes), Alvin Aguilar (wrestling, 44 votes, Ferdinand Agustin (jiu-jitsu, 41 votes), Alexander Sulit (judo, 41 votes) and Leah Gonzales (fencing, 40 votes).
FLORENCE BISERA’S dad is a big factor to her victory. BERNARD TESTA
ARNOLD VILLACENCIO almost gave up because of exhaustion. BERNARD TESTA
JAMES BUYTRAGO and Rancel Varga believe consistency could propel them to become elite athletes. NONIE REYES
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