BusinessMirror April 10, 2023

By Andrea E. San Juan

TTHE government is pinning its hopes on smartphone manufacturing companies considering the Philippines as assembler for their products, given its “strength” in semiconductor and electronics, a Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) official said.

... I think Apple is venturing with Vietnam already for the assembly of iPhone products, so again we hope that...other companies into smartphone manufacturing . . . can consider the Philippines because of our strength in electronics and semiconductor industry,” DTI Assistant Secretary for International Trade Policy and Trade Negotiation Allan B. Gepty said.

If the Philippines wants to position itself as a manufacturing hub, one area it should look at are highvalue technology products, he added.

High-value technology products in the sense that given that we already have a very strong semiconductor industry and electronic industry, why not attract companies to manufacture or at least assemble final products here in the Philippines?” Gepty told the recent Policy and Advocacy Committee Meeting hosted by the German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GPCCI).

Ph ilippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data showed the local semiconductor and electronics industry retained its position as the country’s top commodity exporter.

In 2022, it accounted for US$49.09 billion, a 6.88-percent annual growth from 2021. According to the Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation, Inc. (SEIPI), this was 62.27 percent of the US$78.84-billion total Philippine commodity exports.

A side from projecting itself as a manufacturing hub for high-value technology products, the Philippines can also engage in research and development for the said type of products, Gepty said.

“Computers, I mean we do not have an assembly on final products of computers or even cameras or smartphones. So, since all of the materials basically are here, why not enter into that?” the Trade official stressed.

A ccording to the SEIPI website, as of January 2023, Hong Kong ranks first among the countries of destination for Philippine electronics exports, accounting for 14.45 percent. The USA ranks second with 12.47 percent share and China ranks third with 11.78 percent. T he other destinations in the top 10 and their shares: Germany, 5.90 percent; Taiwan, 5.15 percent; Vietnam with 3.91 percent; Thailand with 3.82 percent; and South Korea with 3.63 percent.

Meanwhile, a Bloomberg report published in March 2023 said Apple Inc. partner Foxconn Technology Group plans to invest about $700 million on a new plant in India to ramp up local production.

See “Smartphones,” A2

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AMRO TO PHL, KOREA, SG: MAINTAIN TIGHT STANCE

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

I n its recently released ASEAN+3 Regional Economic Outlook (AREO 2023), the research arm said monetary policy should remain tight in economies in the region where inflation remains above target.

I nflation in the Philippines is still above 8 percent, significantly higher than the 2 to 4 percent medium-term inflation target. Core inflation also remains elevated and posted a 24-year high in March at 8 percent (full story here: https:// businessmirror

Durian exports to China seen to draw $260M revenue

com.ph/2023/04/06/pricesmay-stay-high-despite-easinginflation-in-march/).

In the Philippines, the central bank raised its policy rate to curb rising inflation and the emergence of second-round effects. Given these three economies’ mid- and late-cycle positions, AMRO staff recommends that their central banks maintain a tight monetary policy stance until inflation pressures subside,” AMRO said in its report.

DOES PHL TOURISM RELY UNDULY ON CHINA?

By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo @akosistellaBM Special to the BusinessMirror

IT may be time for the Department of Tourism (DOT) and stakeholders to review the source markets for travelers they are relying on for the recovery of the tourism sector.

L ike many countries around the world, the Philippines has been highly dependent on China for the bulk of its tourist arrivals. “The government and the pri-

vate sector really have to review the market mix because there have been so many changes in the global environment,” said Philippine Hotel Owners Association (PHOA) executive director Benito C. Bengzon Jr. in an interview with the BusinessMirror . “I mean, for the last several years, we were looking at Northeast Asia; the question is, will they go back to their percentage share prepandemic? So, this is also where creativity will come in on the part of the government.”

P rior to the pandemic, China placed second to South Korea among the Philippines’s source markets for tourists, accounting for some 21 percent or 1.74 million of the 8.3-million total foreign tourists in 2019. The DOT is now working with the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Justice on the issuance of evisas for tourists from China and India to help lift international arrivals.

See “PHL tourism,” A2

THE country shipped the first batch of durian to China on April 6 as part of the bilateral agreement in January, the Department of Agriculture reported.

I n a statement, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said the deal is expected to gain $260 million or P14.3 billion in revenue for the local durian industry.

T he 28-ton durian cargo, which approximately weighs 28,000 kilograms, was sourced from producers and processors in Mindanao, and passed the stringent requirements of the General Administration Customs of China (GACC).

“Another shipment of 28 tons was sent off via airfreight, while 10 container vans loaded with a total 7.2 tons was transported via sea vessel, on Saturday, April 8,” the DA said.

P rior to the first batch of export, the GACC released the list of qualified facilities and farms that received the “green light” from the Chinese government.

T his consists of five packaging facilities and 58 durian farms.

F ollowing the signing of the “Protocol of the Phytosanitary Requirements for Export of Fresh Durian from the Philippines to China” on January 4, the DA began preparatory measures including the support to durian growers and processors thus enabling them to meet the protocol requirements.

See “Durian,” A2

THE ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO) advised the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and the central banks of Korea and Singapore to maintain their tight monetary stance until inflation cools.

CAN THIS FORMER CEO FIX THE WORLD BANK AND SOLVE THE WORLD’S CLIMATE FINANCE AND DEBT CRISES AS THE INSTITUTION’S NEXT PRESIDENT?

EASTER RITES The Salubong, an Easter tradition in the Philippines that reenacts the meeting of the risen Jesus and his mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, on the first Easter morning, is performed at the National Shrine of Saint Padre Pio in San Pedro, Santo Tomas, Batangas, on Sunday, April 9, 2023. The celebration starts with two dawn processions: a group of men with the statue of the Risen Christ and a group of women with the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary covered in black veil coming from opposite directions and meeting (salubong) in front of the church, where the veil is removed by a child dressed as an angel while a host of other “angels” sing songs of praise. ROY DOMINGO

WorldRemit: More migrant workers take up 2nd jobs

By VG Cabuag @villygc

W orldRemit’s recent survey showed more than half or 54 percent of remittance senders have taken up a side hustle since the start of the pandemic.

A 2022 survey  showed that inflation has led to more people seek-

ing side hustles. With the boom of the gig economy, people have found more ways to earn extra income, as well as satisfy a greater appetite for work flexibility born from the Covid-19 pandemic, the company said.

P latform or app-based work, mostly involving delivery, ride-hailing, and short-term rental services, has become particularly popular among gig economy workers.

While workers get more independence from the gig economy, challenges can be even greater for overseas Filipino workers participating in it while in another country,” Earl Melivo, head of Asia Pacific of WorldRemit, said.

You either tighten your belt because you might have had the same income as you have had in the past years, or you take up another job or side hustles in order to make ends meet,” he said.

Several studies found that migrants doing gig economy work are often exposed to unsafe working conditions, low pay, limited job opportunities, and little legal protection.

an India expansion.”

Meanwhile,  WorldRemit’s data shows that 82 percent of senders feel the brunt of inflation; and 19 percent have taken on more jobs to continue supporting friends and family abroad.

S ome even stick to the jobs they had as students despite having degrees and professional careers, mainly at the expense of their time, lifestyle and health.

D espite migrant workers making more money, WorldRemit’s data also found that 45 percent of senders now remit to immediate relatives only due to rising inflation. In line with this, both OFWs advised fellow workers to limit their obligations and budget wisely.

WorldRemit operates in more than 5,000 money transfer corridors worldwide, and employs around 1,200 people globally.

“ That will be the subject of an interesting discussion among stakeholders, because a question we can pose is, ‘If China will not return in the next 12 months, where will we get our market?’ In fact, that is a question that should have been asked a year ago or two years ago, because it’s just been people who were saying, ‘you know, let’s wait [for China to reopen],’” said Bengzon, who was DOT Undersecretary for Tourism Development prior to his retirement in 2021.

T he Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, Exhibitions sector, for instance, continues to post slower growth, despite the reopening of the country’s borders, due to the lack of events and participants from China.

D ata gathered by Forward Keys, which collects global aviation data based on actual booked tickets, showed the Philippines among the lowest of destinations to which Chinese nationals would travel. (See, “Travel to PHL, Asia Pacific seen picking up in JulyDecember,” in the BusinessMirror , March 21, 2023.)

Hotel occupancy

The Taiwanese company, also known for its flagship unit Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., plans to build the plant to make iPhone parts on a 300-acre site close to the airport in Bengaluru, the capital of the southern Indian state of Karnataka, according to the people, who asked not to be named as the information is not public,” the

Bloomberg report said.

A s for the US tech giant’s plan to set up a hub in Vietnam, a Bloomberg report on February 28, 2023 quoted Deputy Chairman Kazuyoshi Yoshinaga telling a Bloomberg interviewer that “AirPods maker GoerTek is investing an initial $280 million in a new Vietnam plant while considering

Bloomberg said GoerTek is “one of the many manufacturers exploring locations beyond its native China, which today cranks out the bulk of the world’s gadgets from iPhones to PlayStations.”

A irPods is the wireless bluetooth earbuds designed by Apple Inc.

T he Bloomberg report pointed out that the conflict between the US and China began with a trade war, but has since expanded to “encompass sweeping bans on the

exchange of chips and capital, is spurring a rethink of the electronics industry’s decades-old supply chain.”

M eanwhile, according to a Nikkei Asia report published in December 2022, the US tech giant plans to move some MacBook production to Vietnam for the first time in 2023 as Apple “continues diversifying its production base away from China amid escalating tech tensions between Washington and Beijing.”

MEANWHILE , the PHOA believes the tourism industry will likely recover to prepandemic levels in 2024. “If your international clientele is still a fraction of 2019 then we’re not there yet,” said Bengzon. “We feel that full recovery will not happen until 2024 and that will be contingent on a lot of factors that the Secretary [Christina Garcia Frasco] has mentioned [when she presented the National Tourism Development Plan]. They’re

going to keep restoring flights to the other destinations outside of Manila. What’s going to be key to returning to prepandemic [levels] obviously, is getting the numbers back from the main markets in Northeast Asia, in particular to Korea, Japan, and China. If, as the Secretary mentioned, they can manage to relax the [visa] restrictions on China, that would be what would be a game changer.”

He noted that PHOA member hotels have been performing well, although still not at levels prior to the pandemic. “When you look at the performance of the hotels for 2023, and the latter part of 2022, not surprisingly it’s more than 2020, since we opened our borders only in April of last year. So in terms of occupancy, we’re getting good occupancy of 70 to 80 percent across the different categories. When you talk about revenue, it will vary from one hotel to another. On the matter of whether we are back to pre-pandemic levels, clearly we are not yet there.”

T he PHOA is working with the DOT on the Philippine Hotel Industry Strategic Action Plan (Phisap) for 2023 to 2028, expected to be in place by the second half of 2023.  Phisap will basically set the strategic direction for the Philippine hotel industry in the next five to 10 years,” he said. It will include “recommendations on the kind of facilities that we would need, and what star category, which locations,” explained Bengzon. He said hotels  want to “see more details on the incentives for greenfield projects and the expansion of hotel capacities” in the plan.

T he exposure index is based on four indicators including current reliance on fossil fuel–export revenues as a percentage of GDP, an indicator of current dependency on commodity exports.

T he indicators also include future reliance on expected resource rents from known fossil fuel reserves as a percentage of current gross national income, a forwardlooking indicator of dependency on commodity rents.

T he list also includes current carbon intensity of manufactured exports, an indicator of current dependency on carbon-intensive manufactured goods and services.

T he report said the index also considers the committed or future emissions from built capital in the power sector divided by current annual power generation, a forwardlooking indicator of dependency on carbon-intensive goods and services as a function of the age and emissions intensity of electricity generation.

Tripled mining sector

MEANWHILE , AMRO, citing reports, said the Philippines is also poised to triple the size of the mining sector by 2027 with the lifting of the nine-year moratorium on new mining agreements.

A MRO noted that an estimated 190 new mining projects could get under way in the next four years. A third of these projects are expected to be in nickel and openpit mines.

T he mining sector is crucial in the development of the electric vehicle industry. Nickel is also one of the biggest requirements for EV batteries.

T he Philippines is considered one of the world’s major producers of nickel, accounting for 13 percent of global production. The country is second only to Indonesia, which accounts for 31 percent.

T he country is followed by Russia which accounts for 11 percent; New Caledonia, 8 percent; Australia, 7 percent; Canada, 7 percent; China, 5 percent; and other countries that account for 18 percent of global production.

“ The Philippines is assessed to be in mid-cycle with a widening positive output gap following continued growth on multiple fronts, including manufacturing and domestic tourism,” the report also stated.

A report from Bloomberg on Sunday quoted BSP Governor Felipe M. Medalla saying that the monetary authorities may pause the increase in interest rates when the Monetary Board meets in May.

T he report stated “Medalla, in a mobile-phone message late Saturday, said [the BSP] could pause on rate hikes if April’s month-onmonth inflation ‘is low, like February and March’.”

Bloomberg said April inflation data is scheduled for release May 5, while the next monetary board meeting is set for May 18.

However, AMRO expects inflation to average 5.9 percent this year before slowing to 3.8 percent next year. This, however, will still not prevent the country from posting a growth of 6.2 percent this year and 6.5 percent next year.

High inflation and global economic slowdown weigh on growth prospects. High inflation caused by the Ukraine crisis and the influence of other supply factors could dampen domestic consumption.

High food and oil prices in particular have impacted households’ ability to afford other discretionary items,” AMRO said.

A MRO also noted other risks to their outlook for the Philippines, which includes a slower-than-expected recovery in China, one of the country’s major trade partners.

O ver the long-term, AMRO said, the Philippines should take strides to address the scarring effects of the pandemic which could affect the country’s productivity and growth potential.

T he report added that the country faces social and economic costs of natural disasters that are increasing due to global climate change. This is crucial since the Philippines is among the most susceptible to natural disasters. “ These points raise the urgency for the Philippines to take action to build resilient, sustainable, and inclusive long-term growth,” the AMRO report said.

ADB outlook

EARLIER , the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said high inflation, tight monetary policy and global headwinds are expected to slow the country’s economic performance this year and next year.

T he Manila-based multilateral development bank forecasts GDP growth to slow to 6 percent this year before growing to 6.2 percent next year. The country’s growth last year was 7.6 percent while the government’s GDP growth target is 6 percent this year.

However, the country’s inflation rate this year is expected to outpace GDP growth. Inflation is forecast to average 6.2 percent in 2023 before slowing to 4 percent in 2024.

Based on the Asian Development Outlook, the Philippines, Singapore, Lao PDR, Timor Leste, and Myanmar will see inflation outpace GDP growth this year. Lao PDR and Myanmar, however, will see inflation outpace growth until next year.

L ao PDR is expected to see a growth of 4 percent this year and next year but its inflation will be in double-digit at 16 percent this year and 5 percent next year.

Myanmar is expected to post a growth of 2.8 percent this year and 3.2 percent next year, and to register an inflation of 10.5 percent in 2023 and 8.2 percent in 2024.

T he DA’s Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) also assisted in the accreditation and Philippine Good Agricultural Practices (PhilGAP) certification of the industry players.

T he DA continues to provide assistance to durian growers including logistical and financial support under the Enhanced KADIWA Grant. Raadee S . Sausa

AS skilled workers are back in demand but the cost of living both in the Philippines and overseas is rising, more migrant workers are taking up another job, according to money transfer firm WorldRemit.

By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga

WITH the easing of the Covid-19 restrictions, tons of garbage, including single-use plastics, were left behind in various pilgrimage sites, the waste and pollution watchdog Ecological Waste Coalition of the Philippines Inc. (EcoWaste Coalition) reported.

Citing reports as a result of the monitoring it conducted, EcoWaste Coalition lamented that some pilgrims chose to ignore the oft-repeated reminder not to leave any trace of garbage as they perform timehonored practices among Catholic Filipinos during the Holy Week.

To recall, on the eve of Palm Sunday, the EcoWaste Coalition appealed to the faithful to keep the health and wellness of “’Mother Earth’ in mind as they carry out faith-inspired acts of prayer, atonement, and charity, stressing the need to avoid careless use and disposal of single-use plastics (SUPs) and littering in pilgrimage sites.”

Through a joint appeal with the EcoWaste Coalition, Antipolo City Mayor Casimiro A. Ynares III also invited pilgrims to join hands in keeping the penitential “AlayLakad” (procession) “free from all forms of garbage” in line with the local government’s “4M” campaign during the observance of the Holy Week. The four “Ms” represent: “Mapayapa” (peaceful); “Mataimtim” (solemn); “Maingat” (vigilant); and, “Malinis” (clean).

“While some opted to bring their discards home or dispose of them in available bins, many visitors, without remorse, threw or abandoned their trash along the streets and in pilgrimage sites, which are places for prayer and reflection, for cleaners or sweepers to pick up,” observed the EcoWaste Coalition. “Littering, which has become a tradition in itself,

By Rene Acosta @reneacostaBM

AT least 137 alleged members of the New People’s Army (NPA) and local terrorist groups have been neutralized by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in military operations across the country from January 1 to March 31, 2023, the AFP reported recently.

T he AFP said soldiers were able to kill 17 alleged regular members of the NPA, the armed wing of the

THE National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) branded as fake news the robbery incidents that recently circulated on social media involving a Japanese restaurant, a coffee shop and a Chinese eatery.

T hrough a statement issued last Sunday, the NCRPO said it immediately looked into the alleged crimes in Quezon City that trended on social media but which eventually turned out false or misleading.

“Please be informed that the

Gatchalian:

By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

ASSERTING the need to

ensure energy security, Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian is batting for the adoption of new technologies in the midst of expectations of stronger electricity and energy demand as the country transitions to “a cleaner energy future.”

“ We have to look at emerging

is truly appalling and unacceptable.

Grottos, shrines

AT the Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto in San Jose del Monte City, bins were found overflowing with mostly plastic garbage such as plastic bags and bottles, and food waste. Some visitors recklessly tossed their discards on the ground, creating minidumps on the hilly terrain featuring the 14 Stations of the Cross.

At the International Shrine of the Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage in Antipolo City, which has been attracting pilgrims for centuries, some visitors who spent the night outside the cathedral after a grueling walk did not bother to tidy up the area, leaving improvised sleeping materials, plastic bottles, and other litter behind, despite the gentle “clean as you go” reminder announced again and again over a megaphone. While the Stations of the Cross at the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Marilao, Bulacan was almost litter-free, some visitors left their trash at the site.

Also, the Plaza Miranda in front of the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, Manila was found relatively clean; but not the adjacent Carriedo Street and the side of the church on Quezon Boulevard.

Single-use plastics, particularly plastic bags, bottles, cups, food containers, and wrappers, are among the most littered items monitored by the group in pilgrimage sites, indicating the need for regulations that will control, if not ban and replace, disposables.

It’s high time to move away from disposable culture. Ecological conversion and solidarity is urgently needed amid the triple planetary emergencies involving climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss, which threaten human health and livelihoods and the ecosystems upon which we depend on,” the group concluded.

SC junks with finality ex-agri exec’s plea to junk graft case

By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

disposition of the case.

The SC, however, ruled that Palacpac’s motion for reconsideration lacks sufficient basis to warrant the reversal of its 2021 decision.

“The Court finds that the Sandiganbayan did not err in ruling that there is no inordinate delay in the disposition of the case,” the SC declared.

It noted that the Field Investigation Office filed the complaint before the Ombudsman on June 22, 2016.

Probable cause

I n a 6-page resolution, the Court’s Second Division affirmed its decision issued in November 2021 dismissing Palacpac’s petition seeking the reversal of the 2019 resolutions issued by the Sandiganbayan’s Fifth Division denying her motion to quash the criminal information filed against her.

Palacpac sought the quashal of the information against her for failure to state the approximate date of the commission of the offense charged. S he also alleged that her right to speedy disposition of the case was violated.

On July 24, 2019, the Sandiganbayan issued a resolution denying the petitioner’s motion, saying that it could not be considered as meritorious based on the Revised Guidelines for Continuous Trial of Criminal Cases (Revised Guidelines).

Lacks basis

THE anti-graft court also pointed

Holy S__t! Tons of trash mark end of Holy Week AFP cites gains in battle vs NPA, terrorist groups

Communist Party of the Philippines, during gunfights. The AFP said 20 were apprehended or captured and 45 surrendered to government forces.

T he AFP said it also gained 210 firearms during encounters and 109 through surrender. Moreover, the troops seized 87 anti-personnel mines (APMs) and discovered 51 encampments, it added.

Of the 22 remaining NPA Guerilla Fronts, only three remain active while 19 are considered weakened and nearing dismantling, according

NCRPO takes all reports seriously and after monitoring the said message circulating on several communication platforms, we immediately investigated and validated the said information.

As a result of our investigation, we categorically state that these alleged incidents are false and or misleading,” NCRPO chief Maj. Gen. Edgar Alan O. Okubo said Sunday.

He said the reported incident at a certain Japanese restaurant hap -

to AFP Public Affairs Office Chief Col. Jorry L. Baclor.

On the other hand, the terrorist Abu Sayyaf Group lost 30 members, with soldiers capturing six firearms during encounters and gaining 29 through surrender, according to the AFP.

Meanwhile, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) continue to suffer losses as three members were killed in combat operations while 18 surrendered to government troops. The BIFF also lost 64 firearms

pened about four years ago. The establishment has since strengthened security and no reports have been submitted since then.

The two other alleged crimes at a known coffee shop and a Chinese eatery were also found to be baseless and fake, Okubo said.

He advised the public to be responsible in sharing information.

“We understand the potential damage and alarm that can be caused by false news and misinformation, particularly when shared

out that the petitioner failed to offer plausible justification to establish that the delay was malicious, politically motivated, or unreasonable.

Palapac’s motion for reconsideration of the July 24, 2019 decision was also denied by the Sandiganbayan, prompting it to elevate the issue before the SC.

However, the Court dismissed her petition in a decision issued on November 10, 2021.

In her motion for reconsideration, the petitioner maintained that the failure of the information to state the approximate date of the commission of the offense charged violates her constitutional rights, thus, warranting the dismissal of the case.

Likewise, Palacpac insisted that the Court committed a reversible error in ruling that the Ombudsman still has the authority to file the information against her despite the violation of her right to a speedy

ON January 29, 2018, or in less than two years, the Ombudsman issued a resolution finding probable cause against several accused, including Palacpac, and charged them with violation of Section 3(e) of RA 3019. Palacpac then filed a motion for reconsideration dated May 9, 2018.

On August 30, 2018, the Ombudsman issued an order denying the motion, which paved the way for the filing of an information before the Sandiganbayan on March 15, 2019.

“In the case, petitioner failed to consider the complexity of the present case and the issues involved including the fact that there are 47 respondents implicated and charged under Section 3(e) of RA 3019.

Also, “there are voluminous documentary evidence and numerous counter- affidavits that the Ombudsman needed to study and evaluate,” the SC said.

“Still, petitioner failed to provide a plausible justification to establish that the alleged delay was malicious, politically motivated, or unreasonable,” it added.

The Ombudsman, in its January 29, 2018, resolution, found prob -

able cause against the petitioner and several accused of violation of Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. (RA) 3019 by giving unwarranted benefits to a selected group of garlic importers. Prior to the filing of the case, former Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Proceso Alcala created the National Garlic Action Team (NGAT).

The NGAT serves as a forum for consultations on issues and concerns affecting the garlic industry; it provides policy and/or program recommendations, including the validation of the report from the Task Force Allium (TFA), relative to the supply and production of garlic in the country and for submission to the DA as to whether the importation of the commodity is necessary.

With the appointment of BPI Director Clarita Barron (Barron) and Chairman Lilia Cruz (Cruz) as its members, Cruz was granted access to vital information which resulted in her group securing most of the import permits. Cruz was the one who established the Vegetable Importers, Experts and Vendors Association of the PHilippines (Vieva Philippines).

With Barron as the approving authority and with Luben Marasigan and Palacpac as the recommending officers, Cruz monopolized the supply of garlic in the country and allowed her to dictate the prices of garlic in the market.

By January to July 2014, the price of imported garlic soared from P260 per kilogram to P400 per kilogram. On the other hand, the prices of native garlic varied from P250 per kilogram to P450 per kilogram in the months of April to June 2014.

and nine APMs, the AFP said.

Also, three alleged members of the terrorist group Daulah Islamiyah were killed due to focused military operations while one surrendered.

The AFP also gained one firearm while three APMs were seized.

Baclor pinned the tactical victories against the NPA and other local terrorist groups on “the dedication and commitment of AFP troops with the support of local government units and law enforcement agencies.”

widely on social media platforms. We urge all members of the public to verify the information they receive before sharing it with others.

We also request that individuals refrain from spreading any false rumors or unverified information that could cause harm or panic to the people in our community,” Okubo said.

The NCRPO is working with the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group to go after the purveyors of the false reports. PNA

Solon cites ‘Fall of Bataan’ heroes to inspire Filipinos

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie

AS the country celebrates the 81st Araw ng Kagitingan, Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez said fallen heroes of the “Fall of Bataan,” are a reminder that Filipinos will always fight on, move forward and prevail with unity amid the global health crisis.

Romualdez was quoted in a statement his office issued last Sunday that Filipinos must never forget the sacrifices of Filipinos who stood up for the country.

“Today, as we commemorate the ‘Araw ng Kagitingan’ nationwide, we honor and recognize the gallantry of our fallen heroes, who willingly laid down their lives so that we can enjoy the blessings of freedom today. As we look back into the dark day that we now call the ‘Fall of Bataan,’ we must never forget the sacrifices of Filipino resistance fighters who stood up against the might of foreign invaders in World War II, which gave the rest of our nation the inspiration and strength to fight on,” Romualdez said.

“We suffered, we fought, and we prevailed,” he added.

Romualdez said the country’s latest bout with the Covid-19 pandemic is proof of Filipinos’ fortitude.

“Let this day remind us that we are strong as a nation that, faced even with seemingly insurmountable odds, we will always prevail as long as we are united, and as long as we continue to draw our strength from the virtues of our heroes. We do not give up, we press forward, and we overcome,” the House leader said.

“This day is a testament to Filipino courage and bravery, a fighting spirit that comes to the fore as we face adversity after adversity. This day reminds us of a priceless legacy: that the same courage and bravery our heroes displayed in the crucible of war“in the Fall of Bataan”run in our blood, through our veins,” he added.

“Araw ng Kagitingan” is a regular holiday celebrated every April 9 by virtue of Executive Order 203 (series of 1987) to remember the fall of Bataan to Japanese troops on April 9, 1942.

energy security

technologies such as batteries and other energy storage systems,” the senator suggested,” disclosing that “we are also in the midst of filing a bill to promote energy storage which includes batteries.”

Gatchalian added: “No matter how controversial, we should also look at new technologies for nuclear power such as smaller modular reactors and generation IV nuclear reactors.”

The senator stressed that “although this needs a little more time, we have to look at these emerging technologies since we also have no law or any single regulation on these. We can come up with a corresponding legislation.”

He noted that the country is “currently 50-percent self-sufficient in energy supply, imports 100 percent of its coal requirement to meet the rest of its electricity re -

quirement, and that the only source of natural gas is depleting.”

G atchalian said that “on top of that, the demand for electricity in the country increases by an average of 6.53 percent a year, in tandem with economic growth, which means the country needs to produce an additional 66,937 MW [megawatts] of additional power supply to sufficiently address electricity demand moving forward.”

Measures filed ACKNOWLEDGING that “because we import a huge chunk of fuel for our electricity supply, any disruption overseas such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict, usually impacts the electricity, fuel cost and livelihood of our poorest folks,” he reminds this is “why we need to continually look for all possible ways to improve energy security and supply of electricity

in our country.”

G atchalian recalled that he already filed several measures in a bid to ensure energy security in the long term, citing, for instance Senate Bill (SB) 152 or the proposed Midstream Natural Gas Development Act, envisioned to provide for third-party access to liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals and transmission pipelines.

THE Supreme Court (SC) has junked with finality the plea of the former chief of the Bureau of Plant Industry-National Plant Quarantine Services (BPI-NPQS) Merle B. Palacpac to junk the graft case filed against her along with several others for their alleged involvement in a cartel that pushed the prices of garlic up to 100 percent in 2014.

Adoption of new tech a must to ensure

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

Tourism sector upbeat as more Filipinos gripped by wanderlust

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie

According to the “Pahayag First Quarter” survey, most Filipinos are now ready to get moving again with three respondents in four respondents already feeling safe to travel around the country. The survey said Filipinos also agree to easing border restrictions to welcome visitors. They are also confident that Philippine tourism will go back to how it was pre-Covid.

Across all demographics, Filipinos will be traveling this summer with 71percent planning to travel between March to May 2023. Of those who have travel plans, 69 percent are traveling locally and 24 percent both locally and internationally.

Meanwhile, 76 percent agree to ease the border restrictions of the country to welcome visitors, with Visayas and the National Capital

Region supporting such easing the most. Only 11 percent disagree with easing border restriction while eight percent do not feel safe traveling around the country. About 29 percent do not plan to travel this summer.

The “Pahayag 2023 First Quarter” poll, held between March 2 and April 6, was executed by Publicus Asia Inc. It is an independent and non-commissioned national survey of 1,500 registered Filipino voters randomly sampled by PureSpectrum Inc., a US-based panel marketplace with multinational presence, from its national panel of more than 200,000 Filipinos.

The sample-wide margin of error is plus-minus three percent.

Before its Summer Recess last March, the Lower Chamber endorsed hundreds of bills declaring several areas in the country as tourism destinations.

Recently, the BusinessMirror reported that Millennials are having the time of their lives, post-pandem-

Prep for El Niño, private water utility firms urged

ic, thinking of traveling and booking vacations online.

According to the Philippines and Thailand office of Klook Travel Technology Ltd., Filipinos have been booking vacations to Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong, as well as domestic destinations like Boracay, Manila, Tagaytay, Cebu, Clark and Subic.

As per the “Klook Travel Pulse,” bookings to these domestic destinations grew by 87 percent last year versus pre pandemic 2019.

The Philippines has recorded 2.65 million (2.02 million foreign tourists and 628,445 Filipinos overseas) visitors from February to December 2022.

This figure is higher than the 2021 tourist arrivals of 163,879 but still significantly lower than the prepandemic level of 8.26 million.

This year, the Department of Tourism (DOT) targets to welcome 4.8 million visitors. The DOT expects revenue from their visit to hit P2.58 trillion.

THE vice chairman of the House Committee on Metro Manila Development urged Maynilad Water Services Inc. (MWSI) and Manila Water Co. (MWC) to prepare for the El Niño phenomenon that could potentially put Metro Manila and neighboring provinces at risk of another devastating water shortage.

Q uezon City Rep. Marvin D. Rillo issued a statement last Sunday as the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services (Pagasa) earlier warned that El Niño “will likely develop in the JulyAugust-September season and may persist until 2024.”

We do not want a repeat of the 2019 water crisis; so we would urge the two water concessionaires to prepare this early for the worst, should we have a full-scale El Niño event in the months ahead,” Rillo was quoted in the statement his office issued as saying.

Our worry is that even if the forthcoming El Niño would be less harsh than what we experienced in 2019, Metro Manila might still be vulnerable to a severe water scarcity simply because demand (for

water) has since increased,” the lawmaker added.

El Niño increases the likelihood of unusually low rainfall conditions that could cause the water hoard in dams to fall below functional levels. In the 2019 full-blown El Niño event, Angat Dam’s water level plunged to record lows, causing Metro Manila and surrounding provinces to reel from a brutal lack of water.

Angat supplies 90 percent of Metro Manila’s potable water and irrigates 25,000 hectares of farmland in Central Luzon.

Last week, Pagasa said Angat’s water level had dropped amid the dry season to 201 meters as of April 2 from 214 meters as of end-December 2022.

In the previous El Niño event that persisted from the last quarter of 2018 to the third quarter of 2019, up to 61 percent of the country endured a drought while the other 39 percent underwent a dry spell. A drought occurs after average rainfall is reduced by 60 percent in three consecutive months or 21 percent to 60 percent in five consecutive months. Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

Intellectual Property Office targets rise in filings by 10% Sarangani pursues plan for Maitum watershed

By Andrea San Juan @andreasanjuan

THE Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) recently announced its aim to engage in the global intellectual property (IP) community to grow intellectual property (IP) filings by up to 10 percent this year.

“Hopefully this year, the growth rate in terms of filings, we’re targeting at 10 percent. Actually we’re already happy with the 5-percent growth again this year from 48,000,” IPOPHL Director General Rowel S. Barba said during a news briefing last week.

The IPOPHL chief noted that the agency is setting an “internal” target of 10 percent despite generating the “usual” 4-percent to 5-percent growth in filings per year.

Last year, the IPOPHL registered a new record high with 48,259 IP filings, a 2-percent increase from the previous record-

high of 47,328 IP filings in 2019. The amount of IP filings in 2022 is 4-percent higher than the 46,558 IP filings recorded in 2021.

For this year, Barba said the IPOPHL is seeing an improvement in the IP filings compared to the volume booked in 2020 or at the start of the pandemic, when he said filings took a dive by 20 percent.

“The pandemic is still here but hopefully, we’re seeing… improving na naman ‘yung filings natin and we will expert more efforts, more programs to increase our filings in the Philippines,” Barba said.

Foreign missions

THE IPOPHL chief said a way to increase the amount of IP filings in the Philippines includes joining the foreign missions undertaken by the Board of Investments (BOI).

“Starting this year, we plan to join the missions of the BOI because IP is related to possible investments in the Philippines,” Barba said.

He cited that those who want to invest in the Philippines can file for IP “so they can protect their trademarks, their patents.”

They are also targeting foreign investors “who want to market their products in the Philippines.”

According to the IPOPHL chief, if the agency will be given the opportunity to join these foreign missions, it aims to discuss the IP system in the Philippines and to assure these investors that the country has a “robust and transparent” IP system.

IT infrastructure APART from joining missions or engaging in the global IP community, Barba said the IPOPHL will focus on improving its IT infrastructure to ensure the “consistent availability of our online services and smooth transactions.”

Moreover, the agency noted it aims to bring IP to more areas to ensure “regional inclusive growth.”

Generally, amid a “cautiously optimistic” outlook for this year, the

IPOPHL chief said that while some businesses may “tighten the belt” on spending, he remained hopeful that it does not come at the cost of “failing to sufficiently protect their high-value IP assets.”

Highlighting the long-term benefit of protecting intellectual property, Barba said those who bring IP to the center of their strategies “could have greater chances of survival as valuable IP assets can elevate companies to greater heights of innovation, creativity and brand identity—all critical determining factors in a company’s long-term growth and competitiveness.”

Further, Barba said the society can also benefit from strengthening IP protection.

“With the incentive of the IP system, we may even benefit as the returns they generate from their IP assets may not only help them weather the looming economic downturn but also create lasting effects that change society for the better,” the IPOPHL chief said.

Job-safety agency issues rules for first-aid competency creds

By Samuel Medenilla @sam_medenilla

THE Occupational Safety and Health Center (OHSC) has released new guidelines for the recognition of certificates and identification cards (ID) of graduates of first-aid training programs issued last year by establishments accredited by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda).

O HSC Executive Director Maria Teresita S. Cucueco said one of the requirements for recognition

is that the technical-vocational education and training (TVET) were conducted by the concerned Tesda-accredited technical-vocational institution (TVI) on a specific period.

Cucueco said in her Labor Advisory 2 (series of 2023) that the Tesda-accredited TVI must have applied for and been given an accreditation anytime from June 6, 2022 to December 6, 2022 as first aid training provider by the DOLE [Department of Labor and Employment].

Another condition for the recognition is for the concerned TVI

DHSUD ink agreements with 123 LGUs for 4PH

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

THE Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) has signed agreements with 123 local governments for the administration’s “Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Housing,” or “4PH,” program.

The DHSUD said the latest addition was the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by Housing Secretary Jose Rizalino L. Acuzar with Quezon Province and Puerto Gallera along with 31 other municipalities under the 4PH program. The signing of MOU is the initial step

in the 4PH program’s process of constructing and dispensing affordable, accessible, safe and resilient homes to targeted beneficiaries, especially the informal settler families and low-income earners.

It warms my heart that LGU leaders throughout the country have thrown their support to the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to truly provide our countrymen with homes they can safely and proudly live in,” Acuzar said.

Let the MOUs we have signed represent our unwavering determination to uplift the Filipinos’ quality of living and put an end to homelessness and poverty,” he added.

to offer any or all of the following first aid training courses for private establishments: “Emergency First Aid Training” course; “Occupational First Aid and Basic Life Support Training” course; and/or, “Standard First Aid and Basic Life Support Training” course.

These training courses should have been conducted by qualified training instructors with proper and valid certification from the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) and/or Tesda and with existing service or employment contracts with a Tesdaaccredited TVI.

Cucueco said the certificates and IDs from the said training program will be recognized by DOLE inspectors in compliance with the provisions of Republic Act 11058 or the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Act.

The said certificates and IDs will have a validity of three years from the time it was initially issued from June 6, 2022 to December 6, 2022.

Aside from Tesda, the OHSC also recognized the certificates and IDs issued by the PRC, the Department of Health and the Bureau of Fire Protection.

By Manuel T. Cayon @awimailbox Mindanao Bureau Chief

DAVAO CITY—The Sarangani provincial government is drawing up a rehabilitation and management plan for a watershed in the municipality of Maitum, whose degraded status has placed almost 2,000 households under risk of flooding and other climate hazards.

T he Sarangani Information Office said the Project Implementation and Monitoring Unit (PIMU) of the province started crafting last February the Saub Integrated Watershed Management Plan (SIWMP) to increase the resiliency and protection of its ecosystem.

The rehabilitation plan was headed by Governor Rogelio D. Pacquiao. The initiative was started during the tenure of the previous governor, Steve Chiongbian Solon.

The management plan would develop the watershed ecosystem and build up the capacities of the local governments of the barangays around the watershed area to adapt to flood risks and other impacts of climate change variability.

The plan would also seek to alleviate poverty of the families around the watershed area through agro-forestry projects to discourage them from destroying the forests to scrounge for livelihood. A riverbank protection would also be done along the Saub River.

The project costs P103 million with counterpart fund sharing of about P93.5 million from the People’s Survival Fund and P9.33 million from the province. Sarangani was the first province in the country to

access the People’s Survival Fund, amounting to P103 million for the flood control and watershed ecosystem rehabilitation project in the Saub River during the previous provincial administration.

The Sarangani Information Office said the Saub River Watershed situated in Maitum covers a total land area of 7,931.48 hectares, covering nine barangays. The latter includes the following: Kiayap, Malalag, Old Poblacion, Mabay and Sison; Zion; Kalaneg and Batian for Sub-Watershed 1; and, New La Union for Sub-Watershed 2. A total of 1,747 households are living in the watershed area. The watershed encompasses a total length of 24,132.86 kilometers and is placed at high risk of exposure to flooding and other climate hazards.

Cornelio M. Ramirez Jr., executive director of the Sarangani-based Environmental Conservation and Protection Center, said flooding is the most common hazard experienced in the area.

According to Ramirez, flood susceptibility in the area is computed to be 10,001 hectares for high, 5,881.65 hectares for moderate and 2,604.26 hectares for low.

He added that extreme flooding had caused destruction to agricultural and structural properties, including loss of lives since 2010.

The rehabilitation and management activities would be conducted with support from several nongovernment organizations like the Conrado and Ladislawa Alcantara Foundation Inc. and Mahintana Foundation Inc. and government agencies as well as the Mindanao State University.

DAR: Farm tractor to boost No. Cotabato farmers’ productivity

By Jonathan L Mayuga @jonlmayuga

MEMBERS of farmers’ cooperative in Alamada, North Cotabato, are expected to benefit from a farm tractor recently turned over by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), the agency announced.

T he farm tractor, a 90-horsepower 4-wheel drive “with implements like a disc plow, disc harrow and trailer” will provide farming activities in the area a big boost, Fe Odrunia, chairman of the Alamada Multi-Purpose Cooperative (AMPC), was

quoted in a statement issued by the DAR as saying.

We will assure the DAR that the AMPC will craft the policy in consonance with the agreement,” Odrunia said in a statement. “We also assure you that we will maintain and sustain the operation of the farm machine because we already have assigned personnel who will look into the farm and trucking services of the cooperative.”

T he farm machine worth P2.6 million will be an added asset for the income generation of the cooperative, having a total of 5,331 members to date.

T he AMPC will also serve

as the “big brother” of other agrarian reform beneficiary organizations (ARBOs) in Alamada, by providing them the support they provide to members.

Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II

Evangeline C. Bueno said in the statement that the farm machinery was provided by the DAR to improve the farm productivity and net income of the agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) through their organization.

“The tractor given to the AMPC is expected to boost the agricultural productivity of the ARBs and other farmers in the

area by increasing the efficiency of their farm activities, especially in land preparation,” Bueno said.

The project was implemented under the DAR’s “Climate Resilient Farm Productivity Support” program, which it said aims to enhance and sustain the agricultural productivity of agrarian reform communities as an adaptation measure towards climate change resiliency. The turn-over ceremony of the tractor was also attended by North Cotabato 1st District Rep. Joselito S. Sacdalan and other DAR and local government officials, according to the DAR.

AS the House of Representatives approved more than hundreds of bills seeking to declare several areas as tourism destinations, revenge travel is in the offing and more Filipinos are now ready to travel this summer season as seen in survey results.

Agriculture/Commodities

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng • Monday, April 10, 2023

DA: Manila, Paris to bolster agri cooperation

By Raadee S. Sausa @raadeeboy

THE Philippines and France have committed to enhance their cooperation in agriculture, particularly in the livestock and dairy industries, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).

Officials from Manila and Paris met during the 3rd PhilippinesFrance Joint Steering Committee (JSC) on Agricultural Cooperation held at the Philippine Coconut Authority last March 29.

T he JSC was co-chaired Assistant Secretary for Policy, Research and Development Noel A. Padre of the Philippine Department of

Durian

By Manuel T. Cayon @awimailbox

Mindanao Bureau Chief

DAVAO CITY—Durian of -

ficially became one of this city’s top fruit exports after local growers sent 28 tons of the fruit on a chartered cargo flight to Beijing, China last April 6.

TheDepartmentofAgriculture(DA) here said it would also be monitoring developments related to Manila’s direct export agreement with Beijing, which has brought relief to durian growers.

In the past, durian growers were easily persuaded to sell their farms to housing developers because of the seasonal income from the fruit and low farmgate prices.

T he first shipment was rushed on a Holy Thursday after the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China (GACC), the headquarters of China Customs, confirmed Beijing’s approval to receive the durian from the Philippines after a series of farm inspection here and business-to-business negotiations since December last year.

A bel James I. Monteagudo, director of the Davao regional office of the DA, said the initial shipment was bought at a farmgate price of between P65 and P80, already a big improvement from the much lower buying

By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga

THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has recently turned over a processing center to members of the Parag-Uma ngan Batad Association (PUBA) in Gandara, Samar Province to boost the group’s broom or “walis tambo” production.

L ocally called batad, “walis tambo” produced by the group is made of tiger grass which naturally grows in their area.

S usan Magaro, president of PUBA said the facility would benefit the 96 members of the group as it would help increase their income “while working comfortably” inside their new facility.

Prior to the new facility, Magaro said their processing center was a small makeshift building.

“ Whenever it rains, water drips from the ceiling.”

DAR Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer Alfonso

Catorce said PUBA is among the DAR-assisted agrarian reform beneficiary organizations (ARBOs) which availed the business development service with support facility under the Village Level Farm Focused Enterprise Development (VLFED) of the DAR.

The improvement of this P250,000 facility was made

Agriculture (DA) and Head of the International Affairs Division

Françoise Simon of the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty (MAFS). French Ambassador to the Philippines H.E. Michele Boccoz was also present to deliver opening remarks.

In an administrative arrangement signed between the government of the Philippines and the government of France in 2017, one of the implementation cooperation is the conduct of dialogues such as the Joint Steering Committee on Agricultural Cooperation every 2 years to strengthen areas of cooperation and open new doors for partnership.

During the meeting, both sides agreed upon the finalization and signing of the Implementation Agreement on the Promotion of Geographical Indications, confirmed the planned activities on strengthening the management of African swine fever (ASF), and to continue further discussions on ASF vaccine development.

In addition, France supports the proposal of the National Meat Inspection Service on the fellowship visits to reference labs specializing on the analyses of veterinary drug residues in pig meat. The Philippines also raised proposed scholarship grants and agricultural education. Both sides have agreed on fur-

thering dairy cooperation and on expediting existing projects.

T he Farm and Fisheries Consolidation and Clustering (F2C2) shared their priorities from the Agriculture Forum which transpired the previous day. There were also discussions about the exchange of experts.

T he DA said the possible areas of partnership with France include the development of wholesale markets, improvement of the Peking duck industry, and strengthening the seaweed industry. The possible creation of an SPS working group was also raised.

P adre said both the Philippines and France have always cherished

top export crops

price in the past, when prices could fall to as low as P20 during harvest.

The volume was accounted mainly by Eng Seng Group of Companies, one of the city’s biggest growers and consolidators. The rest came from the members of the Durian Industry Association of Davao City. Monteagudo said this was due to the wish of the GACC to talk to only one exporter to “avoid confusion.”

Emmanuel Belviz, president of the association, said the volume of shipment would increase.

D avao City growers produce 41,145 metric tons (MT) of durian annually, accounting for slightly half of the country’s annual output of 79,000 MT. However, Belviz said the other production areas are also in the Davao Region and in North Cotabato.

Before durian, the Davao Region is known for its banana exports to Japan, South Korea, the Middle East and China.

Durian growers stocked their container vans early this year, expecting an early confirmation of the export deal from China. However, some of them were forced to sell it locally and to Manila to avoid spoilage.

Some of the container vans were even sent to Bataan in one of the provincial trips of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

We have to make sure that the fruits that we send to China would

be fresh,” Monteagudo said.

A t the Eng Seng compound in Tugbok District, BusinessMirror observed the individual tagging of the durian. Belviz said the tags were assigned to each individual

farm that have passed the national quality standard of the Bureau of Plant Industry.

“ This will allow for easy tracking of each individual fruit from which farm it was raised and harvested.”

their friendship, as both recently celebrated 75 years of bilateral relations and that “transparency has always been an important value that both endeavor to practice in engagements.”

According to the website of the French embassy, France is the thirdlargest European customer of the Philippines, after Germany and the Netherlands. On the contrary, the Philippines ranks as the sixth customer and the seventh supplier of France in the Southeast Asian region.

A eronautic, pharmaceutical and agri-food products remain as France’s main exports to the Philippines. Other main French exports to

the Philippines were pharmaceutical preparations as well as agri-food products, such as meats, milk and dairy products, and cereals. French imports from the Philippines are still mainly composed of computer and electronic products. Imports of electronic products remain predominant and are mainly composed of electronic components, household appliances, and computers and peripherals. Other main Philippine exports to France are medical and dental instruments and materials (notably optical and eyewear products), as well as machines and office equipment and hydraulic and pneumatic equipment.

Govt aims to revitalize hog sector via programs

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) has launched two programs aimed at revitalizing the swine industry, which continues to reel from the devastation caused by African swine fever (ASF).

T he DA unveiled its Bantay ASF sa Barangay (BABay ASF) to strengthen monitoring and control against ASF at the barangay level as well as the Integrated National Swine Production Initiatives for Recovery and Expansion (INSPIRE) to hasten hog repopulation in ASF-affected areas, according to Bureau of Animal Industry Deputy Program Coordinator Samuel Joseph Castro.

Sammy Santos of the Parañaque City Veterinary Services Office expressed support for the DA’s efforts to prevent the spread of ASF and other communicable diseases.

“ We ensure that all the meat sold here in Parañaque City is safe,” he said during the “Ang Bagong Hamon kay Super Pig” Tour at the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX).

Besides dissuading travelers

from transporting pork and pork products, the tour also reminded the public to buy the said products from meat dealers with Meat Inspection Certificate (MIC) and from meat importers with Certificate of Meat Inspection (COMI)—both of which are issued by the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS).

Farmers and hog raisers were also urged to ensure cleanliness in their farm and to regularly monitor the health and condition of their pigs.

T he World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) described ASF as “a highly contagious viral disease of domestic and wild pigs” with no available vaccine, causing a 100 percent mortality rate. A lthough deemed not dangerous to humans, the virus can survive on surfaces, pork and pork products; hence, “human behaviors can play an important role in spreading this pig disease across borders if adequate measures are not taken,” it said.

Castro reported that there are currently 11 regions, 21 provinces, 54 municipalities and cities, and 137 barangays with active ASF cases. Raadee S. Sausa

possible through the joint efforts of several government agencies. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) provided training in tiger grass production, pricing and costing, quality control, and labeling. The local government unit of Gandara provided technical assistance support and extension services to the cooperative,” Catorce said.

N ilda Velasco, DAR Municipal Agrarian Reform Program Officer, said before DAR formally organized PUBA into an ARBO in 2017, its members were already into “batad” making.

S he said they sell their brooms at P100 each for the ordinary one, while the bigger one costs P200 each.

Velasco said this is the second processing center provided by the DAR to the ARBOs in this municipality.

According to her, the first processing center was provided to the Concepcion Farmers Association for their coco vinegar processing.

At the facility’s turnover, Municipal Agriculturist Lucas Rebay, committed to enable farmers to expand the supply of tiger grass.

D TI Samar Provincial Director, Meilou Macabare assured PUBA that the agency will promote their product.

GLOBAL food costs fell for a 12th straight month to reach the lowest level since July 2021, though there is still little sign the rout is actually feeding through to grocery shelves.

A United Nations’ index of foodcommodity prices eased 2.1 percent in March, capping the longest run of losses in data going back three decades. Last month’s decline was driven by grains, vegetable oils and dairy, which offset a rise in sugar and meat prices.

T he gauge has fallen 21 percent from a record set a year ago when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine disrupted grain exports, although it’s still up almost 40 percent from two years ago.

“ While prices dropped at the global level, they are still very high and continue to increase in domestic markets, posing additional challenges to food security,” Máximo Torero, chief economist at the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization said in a statement.

Food inflation has continued to climb in many countries, as cheaper commodities are offset by other costs like energy, labor, transport and processing. In many developing countries that rely heavily on food imports, the situation has been worsened by local currency weakness, Torero said. But prices continue to rise in wealthier countries as well, putting pressure on governments to respond.

Food price inflation is still a serious concern in many countries,” the Agricultural Market Information System, which tracks global food

markets, said Thursday.

A mix of ample supplies, subdued import demand and the extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative contributed to the drop in food commodity costs, the FAO said Friday.

Canola exports EXPORTS from the world’s top canola shipper could drop by nearly half in coming years as Canada’s biggest processors bet more of the oilseed will be used in renewable fuel to power trucks and farm equipment.

Canada’s shippers plan to boost the nation’s canola crush capacity by 50

percent as companies seek to meet rising demand for the oilseed in North America’s burgeoning renewable fuel market. It’s a seismic shift that is poised to slash exports by as much as 4 million tons in the next two to three years as more crush capacity comes online, said Chuck Penner, the owner of LeftField Commodity Research in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

A bout half of Canada’s 20 million tons of canola production currently is processed domestically and the other half slated for export.

I think it’s a generational shift,” said Chris Vervaet, executive direc-

tor of the Canadian Oilseed Processors Association. “I don’t think it’s hyperbole for me to say that people working in the industry for decades have never seen this type of enthusiasm and buildout of capacity.” Canola was invented by Canadian scientists in 1974 and is used in everything from cooking and deepfrying to salad dressings. Companies from Cargill Inc. to Viterra Inc. are working to expand their crush capacity just as new national regulations will require gasoline and diesel producers to reduce the carbon intensity of their fuels. Bloomberg News

house GOP chairman: US must take seriously China’s threat to Taiwan

By Lisa Mascaro AP Congressional Correspondent

WASHINGTON—The chairman of the House Select Committee on China said Saturday the US must take seriously the threat posed to Taiwan, as Beijing launched military drills around the island in the aftermath of the Taiwanese president’s meetings with American lawmakers.

Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., who attended the meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen in California last week, told The Associated Press that he plans to lead his committee in working to shore up the island government’s defenses, encouraging Congress to expedite military aid to Taiwan.

“I think it all just points to what is obvious,” Gallagher told the AP, arguing that Chinese President Xi Jinping is intent on reunifying Taiwan with the mainland.

“We need to be moving heaven and earth to enhance our deterrence and denial posture, so that Xi Jinping concludes that he just can’t do it,” Gallagher said.

China conducted drills with warships and dozens of fighter jets around Taiwan on Saturday, the Taiwanese government said, in what was viewed as retaliation for the meeting between the US lawmakers and the president of the self-ruled island democracy claimed by Beijing as part of its territory.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy hosted Tsai in a bipartisan session at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, with more than a dozen members of the US House for what was the most sensitive stop during her transit through the US.

China’s response to Tsai’s transit through the US has not, so far, been as intense as its reaction last year after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan.

While both McCarthy and Tsai spoke in

measured remarks after the meeting about maintaining the status quo between their countries, which have no formal diplomatic ties, the daylong meeting enraged China.

The Chinese military announced the start of three-day “combat readiness patrols” as a warning to Taiwanese who want to make the island’s de facto independence permanent.

Taiwan split with China in 1949 after a civil war, and the United States broke off official ties with Taiwan in 1979 while formally establishing diplomatic relations with the Beijing government.

The US acknowledges a “one China” policy in which Beijing lays claim to Taiwan, but it does not endorse China’s claim to the island and remains Taiwan’s key provider of military and defense assistance.

The ruling Communist Party says the island is obliged to rejoin the mainland, by force if necessary. Beijing says contact with foreign officials encourages Taiwanese who want formal independence, a step the ruling party says would lead to war.

Chinese officials condemned Tsai’s meetings with lawmakers and announced sanctions on two organizations that hosted her in the US, but its immediate response so far has been less forceful than its reaction to Pelosi’s August trip to Taiwan.

China had warned US lawmakers not to join the meeting with Tsai, Gallagher said. And after the meeting, China urged the US off what it called a “wrong and dangerous

China pushes back at WhO

criticism

over delayed Wuhan Covid-19 data

BEIJING u rged World Health Organization officials not to be used as p olitical tools after fresh accusations that Beijing delayed releasing key early data on Covid-19 considered by some scientists to be instrumental to understanding the virus’s genesis.

China shared all material that it had gathered on Covid’s origin when it conducted a joint mission with experts organized by the WHO in 2020 and early 2021 a nd has not withheld data on any cases, samples or testing results, Shen Hongbing, director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a briefing in Beijing on Saturday.

Recent remarks by some WHO officials that dismissed the joint mission’s effort were “a crude offense to the scientists around the world who participated in the initial-origin tracing work,” he said.

“We urge certain people at the WHO to come back to the position of science and impartiality, instead of becoming a tool for politicizing Covid’s origin by some country, whether voluntarily or forced,” Shen said.

Shen’s remarks come days after the WHO’s Covid-19 technical lead Maria D.

road”.

Gallagher, who served as a US Marine with tours in Iraq, said US lawmakers will not be intimidated by the Chinese.

“It’s an attempt to shift the ideological battle space and, again, an attempt to intimidate us, and make us feel like we’re changing the status quo and provoking them, when the opposite is true,” he said.

Gallagher said he wants Congress to work on stepping up its military commitments to Taiwan. He said the US should be more quickly sending weapon systems to Taiwan for its defense.

One idea that arose from the meeting, he said, was for the US to help Taiwan with technology to manufacture its own defense systems.

In 2022, China responded in the aftermath of Pelosi’s visit with its largest live-fire drills in decades, including firing a missile over the island.

Chinese officials gave no indication whether the drills underway now might include a repeat of previous exercises with missiles fired into the sea, which disrupted shipping and airline flights.

Pope returns to public eye for Easter vigil Mass

By Frances D’emilio The Associated Press

VATICAN CITY—Pope Francis returned to public view on Saturday, p residing over Easter vigil Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, a day after unseasonably chilly weather in Rome convinced the re cently ailing pontiff to skip Good Friday’s nighttime procession at the Colosseum.

The evening basilica service began in darkness. Then the basilica’s cavernous interior was suddenly bathed in light, reflecting t he Christian beliefs that Jesus rose from his death by crucifixion and that goodness can triumph over evil.

The 86-year-old pope is recuperating from bronchitis, which saw him hospitalized on March 29 for three days. On Sunday, t ens of thousands of faithful are expected to join the pope in St. Peter’s Square for Easter Mass at the end of Holy Week.

In his homily, Francis sought to spur Catholics to be renewed by Easter.

“At times, we may simply feel weary about our daily routine, tired of taking risks in a cold, hard world where only the clever and the strong seem to get ahead,’’ Francis said. “At other times, we may feel helpless and discouraged before the power of evil.”

He cited other sources of discouragement: “the attitudes of calculation and indifference that seem to prevail in society, t he cancer of corruption, the spread of injustice, the icy winds of war.”

B ut Easter “motivates us to move forward, to leave behind our sense of defeat, t o roll away the stone of the tombs in which we often imprison our hope,’’ Francis said.

“The power of Easter, brothers and sisters, summons you to roll away every stone of disappointment and mistrust,’’ the pope said.

His stamina appeared to hold during the vigil, which lasts more than two hours, although Francis at times coughed or cleared h is throat.

At the start of the Easter vigil, Francis, who arrived in a wheelchair he uses to cope with knee pain, incised in the wax of a tall candle a cross, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet — alpha and omega — and the numerals of this year. Then the lit candle was carried by a cleric up the basilica’s center aisle, past darkened pews filled with some 8,000 faithful. Dozens of cardinals and other prelates followed, each carrying a smaller, lit candle.

“The Church calls upon her sons and daughters, scattered throughout the world,

to come together to watch and pray,’’ Francis said, beginning the service. Later, the basilica bells tolled, resounding in the night.

T he basilica Mass during the vigil of Christianity’s most important day has become an occasion for pontiffs to baptize s everal adults from around the world. Selected to be baptized at this year’s vigil were e ight believers, from Albania, the United States, Nigeria, Italy and Venezuela, the Vatican said.

One by one, they approached the pope and told him that they wanted to be baptized. Then they leaned over a basin so F rancis could pour water over their heads as part of the sacrament’s ritual, formally welcoming them into the Catholic Church.

humans at the market.

Chinese researchers, led by the China CDC’s former director George Gao Fu, however, argued in their study of the specimens that the samples were insufficient to p rove the Covid outbreak started there as a result of the virus jumping from animals to humans.

Chinese officials at Saturday’s briefing reiterated that conclusion, saying there isn’t enough evidence to prove the virus originated from raccoon dogs and spilled over t o humans at the Wuhan market.

“Some experts suspect the animal genetic material present in these samples i ndicated the virus was passed on to humans from there but so far there’s no sign o f animals getting infected at the market based on all existing evidence,” Tong Yigang, a professor specializing in microbiology and bioinformatics who led research in environmental and animal samples during the WHO-China joint origin mission, said at the briefing.

‘ e v idence chain’

Van Kerkhove said in an editorial that the sharing of some viral samples from a food market in Wuhan three years after they were collected amounted to a lack of data disclosure that was “inexcusable.” She said the WHO-China joint mission early in the pandemic was heavily criticized for the lack of access to raw data on early cases in China, which still hasn’t been granted.

At the heart of the spat among officials between the WHO and China is a new set of data on specimens collected three years ago at the market in Wuhan that Chinese researchers uploaded to the global genomic database GISAID earlier this year. The data was uploaded to aid peer review of a study conducted by the China CDC but it was released to the public by GISAID staff “by mistake,” China CDC director Shen said at the briefing.

A group of international scientists found the data last month and their independent analysis showed evidence of the virus along with genetic material from several animals, including raccoon dogs, making it the strongest information yet backing the theory that it could have spilled over from animals to

“Many people hope to find such an evidence chain. We feel the same and very much hope to find out the source of the virus,” Tong told reporters, “but these data are insufficient and far from enough. It’s like we imagine something happened in certain ways and we constantly make conjectures based on that.”

Z hou Lei, a researcher from China CDC who also participated in the WHO-China joint mission, told reporters at the briefing that the Covid origin tracing effort should be expanded to other countries, as multiple studies, including the testing of blood donated before December 2019, and the tracing of animal trade supply chains and the t esting of bats in China have all failed to yield any traces of the coronavirus.

The lack of Covid antibodies in blood collected before December 2021 means there’s n o Covid before that time, Zhou said.

“WHO is very important, its professionalism globally recognized and its science, rigor and fairness beyond doubt, but g roundless accusations that seek to deny the achievements from our joint mission will only undermine trust in the agency.” Zhou said. With assistance from Jing Li and Kelly Li / Bloomberg

Ukraine’s coal miners dig deep to give power to a nation at war

By Vasilisa Stepanenko The Associated Press

DNIPROPETROVSK OBLAST,

Ukraine—In deep underground in southeastern Ukraine, miners work around the clock extracting coal to power the country’s war effort and to provide civilians with light and heat.

Coal is central to meeting Ukraine’s energy needs following the Russia’s military’s 6-month campaign to destroy power stations and other infrastructure, the chief engineer of a mining company in Dnipropetrovsk province said.

Elevators carry the company’s workers underground to the depths of the mine. From there, they operate heavy machinery that digs out the coal and moves the precious resource above ground. It is hard work, the miners said, but essential to keep the country going.

“Today, the country’s energy independence is more than a priority,” said Oleksandr, the chief engineer, who, like all the coal miners interviewed, spoke on the condition of giving only his first name for security reasons.

Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s nuclear, thermal and other power stations continue to disrupt electricity service as the war grinds on for a second year.

Negotiations to demilitarize the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which the Kremlin’s forces captured last year at the start of the full-scale invasion, are at an impasse. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy opposes any proposal that would legitimize Russian control of the plant, which is Europe’s largest nuclear energy facility.

At full capacity, the plant can produce 6,000 megawatts of electricity. The Ukrainian operators of the plant shut down the last reactor in September, saying it was too risky to run while Russia bombarded nearby areas.

Shelling has damaged the plant numerous times, raising fears of a possible nuclear meltdown. Russian missiles have also threatened the power lines needed to operate vital cooling equipment at Zaporizhzhia and Ukraine’s other nuclear plants.

Before the war, the Ukrainian government planned to reduce the country’s reliance on coal-fired power stations, which contribute to global warming, and to increase nuclear energy and natural gas production. But when Russian attacks damaged thermal plants in the middle of winter, it was coal that helped keep Ukrainian homes warm, Oleksandr said.

The work of the coal miners cannot fully compensate for the loss of energy from nuclear power plants, but every megawatt they had a role in generating reduced gaps.

“We come and work with optimism, trying not to think about what is going on outside the mine,” a miner named Serhii said. “We work with a smile and forget about it. And when we leave, then another life begins (for us), of survival and everything else.”

While many miners from the area joined the armed forces when Russian troops invaded and are now fighting at the front in eastern Ukraine, nearly 150 displaced workers from other coal-producing regions in the east joined the team in Dnipropetrovsk.

A man named Yurii left the embattled Donetsk province town of Vuhledar, where he worked as a coal miner for 20 years. “The war, of course, radically changed my life,” he said. “It is now impossible to live there and the mine where I used to work.”

“Life begins from scratch,” he said.

British military analysts reported Saturday that they think Russia’s campaign to degrade Ukraine’s energy grid over the winter through intense missile and drone strikes “highly likely failed,” and that the invaded country’s energy situation would improve as temperatures rise. Samya Kallab contributed to this story from Kyiv, Ukraine.

Chairman rep mike Gallagher, r-Wis., listens during a hearing of a special house committee dedicated to countering China, on Capitol hill, Feb. 28, 2023, in Washington. Gallagher, chairman of the house Select Committee on China said Saturday, april 8, that the US must take seriously the threat posed to Taiwan, as Beijing launched military drills around the island in the aftermath of the Taiwanese president’s meetings with american lawmakers. AP Photo/Alex Br A n don

P O Pe Francis presides over an easter vigil ceremony in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican on Saturday, april 8, 2023. The service Saturday night in St. Peter’s Basilica began in darkness, then dramatically was bathed in light, after a procession up the center aisle by candle-carrying cardinals and other churchmen. AP Photo/Gre G o rio Bor G i A

Israeli forces retaliate after six rockets fired from Syria

By Josef Federman The Associated Press

JERUSALEM—The

After the second barrage of three rockets, Israel initially said it responded with artillery fire into the a rea in Syria from where the rockets were fired. Later, the military said Israeli fighter jets attacked Syrian army sites, including a compound of Syria’s 4th Division and radar and artillery posts.

The rocket firings came after days of escalating violence on multiple fronts over tension in Jerusalem and an Israeli police raid on t he city’s most sensitive holy site.

In the second barrage, which was launched early Sunday, two of the rockets crossed the border into Israel, with one being intercepted and the second landing in an open area, the Israeli military said. In the first attack, on Saturday, one rocket landed in a field in the Israeli-annexed Golan he ights. Fragments of another destroyed missile fell into Jordanian territory near the Syrian border, Jordan’s military reported.

There were no reports of casualties.

A Damascus-based Palestinian group loyal to the Syrian regime claimed responsibility for launching the three missiles Saturday, re ported Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV.

T he report quoted Al-Quds Brigade, a militia different than the l arger Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s armed wing with a similar name, as saying it fired the rockets to retaliate for the police raid on AlAqsa Mosque.

In Syria, an adviser to President Bashar Assad described the rocket strikes as “part of the previous, present and continuing response to the brutal enemy.”

Israel, which has vowed to stop Iranian entrenchment in Syria, has carried out hundreds of strikes in government-controlled parts of that country in recent years, though it rarely acknowledges them. Before the latest strikes, Syrian officials had attributed 10 attacks to Israel

US deploys nuclear submarine in Mideast amid Iran tension

“THe submarine is being deployed in support of the us Fifth Fleet to ensure regional maritime security and stability,” said Commander Tim Hawkins, spokesman for the us Naval Forces Central Command. BlooMBerG Ph oto

By Sam Dagher

The US military revealed Sat -

urday that it has deployed a nuclear-powered submarine in the Middle e a st in a show of force amid rising tensions with Iran.

this year, some of which put the Damascus and Aleppo airports temporarily out of service and killed c ivilians as well as Syrian soldiers and Iranian military advisers.

In the occupied West Bank, Israeli security forces fatally shot a 2 0-year-old Palestinian in the town of Azzun, Palestinian health officials said, stirring protests in the area. The Israeli military said troops fired at Palestinians hurling stones and explosive devices.

T he Palestinian he alth Ministry identified the Palestinian killed as Ayed Salim.

h i s death came at a time of unusually heightened violence in the West Bank. Over 90 Palestinians and have been killed by Israeli fire so far this year, at least half of them affiliated with militant groups, according to a tally by The Associated Press.

P alestinian attacks on Israelis have killed 19 people in that t ime—including on Friday two British-Israelis shot to death near a settlement in the Jordan Valley and an Italian tourist killed by a suspected car-ramming in Tel Aviv. All but one were civilians.

The rocket fire from Syria comes against the backdrop of soaring Israeli-Palestinian tensions touched o ff by an Israeli police raid on Jerusalem’s most sensitive site, the s acred compound home to the AlAqsa mosque. That outraged Palestinians marking the holy fasting month of Ramadan and prompted militants in Lebanon— as well as Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip—to fire a heavy barrage of rockets into Israel.

In retaliation, Israeli warplanes struck sites allegedly linked to the Palestinian militant group h a mas in Gaza and southern Lebanon.

Late Saturday, tensions ran high in Jerusalem as a few hundred Palestinian worshippers barricaded t hemselves in the mosque, which sits on a hilltop in the heart of Je -

rusalem’s Old City sacred to both Muslims and Jews. Israeli police efforts to evict the worshippers locked in the mosque overnight with stockpiled firecrackers and stones spiraled into unrest in the holy site earlier this week.

The latest escalations prompted Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to extend a closure barring e ntrance to Israel for Palestinians from the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip for the duration of the Jewish holiday of Passover, while police beefed up forces in Jerusalem on the eve of sensitive religious c elebrations.

In a separate incident in the northern West Bank city of Nablus late Saturday, a leader of a local independent armed group known as t he Lion’s Den claimed the group executed an alleged Israeli collaborator who had tipped off the Israeli m ilitary to the locations and movements of the group’s members. Israeli security forces have targeted a nd killed several of the group’s key members in recent months.

The accused man’s killing could not be immediately confirmed, but videos in Palestinian media showed medics and residents gathered around his bloodied body in t he Old City, where the Lion’s Den holds sway. “Traitors have neither a country nor a people,” Lion’s Den commander Oday Azizi said in a statement.

The moves come at a time of heightened religious fervor—with Ramadan coinciding with Passover and e a ster celebrations. Jerusalem’s Old City, home to key Jewish, Muslim and Christian holy sites, has been teeming with visitors and religious pilgrims from around the world.

Gallant said that a closure imposed last Wednesday, on the eve

o f Passover, would remain in effect until the holiday ends on Wednesday night. The order prevents Palestinians from entering Israel for w ork or to pray in Jerusalem this week, though mass prayers were permitted at the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday. Gallant also ordered the Israeli military to be prepared to assist Israeli police. The army later announced that it was deploying additional troops around Jerusalem a nd in the West Bank.

Over 2,000 police were expected to be deployed in Jerusalem on Su nday—when tens of thousands of Jews are expected to gather at the Western Wall for the special Passover priestly blessing. The Western Wall is the holiest site where Jews can pray and sits next to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, where large c rowds gather each day for prayers during Ramadan.

Jerusalem police chief Doron Turgeman met with his commanders on Saturday for a security assessment. he a ccused the h a mas militant group, which rules the Gaza Strip, of trying to incite violence ahead of Sunday’s priestly blessing with false claims that Jews planned to storm the mosque.

“We will allow the freedom of worship and we will allow the arrival of Muslims to pray,” he said, a dding that police “will act with determination and sensitivity” to ensure that all faiths can celebrate safely.

The current round of violence erupted earlier in the week after Israeli police raided the mosque, firing tear gas and stun grenades to disperse hundreds of Palestinians who had barricaded themselves inside. Violent scenes from t he raid sparked unrest in the contested capital and outrage across t he Arab world.

Tens of thousands of doctors plan to walk off job again in England

LONDON—A four-day strike planned by tens of thousands of doctors in e n gland next week could lead to the postponement of a quarter-million medical appointments, a National h e alth Service official said Saturday.

Dr. Layla McCay, policy director at the N h S C onfederation, said the impact is expected to be far greater than a three-day walkout last month by doctors early in their career that led to 175,000 appointments and procedures being postponed.

“The impact is going to be so significant that this one is likely to have impact on patient safety, and that is a huge concern for every health care leader,” McCay told BBC Radio 4.

The strike planned for Tuesday by so-called junior doctors would be the latest in a wave of disruptive labor actions by public sector

The USS Florida—capable of carrying as many as 154 Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles—began transiting the Suez Canal from the Mediterranean Sea on Friday, according to the US Naval Forces Central Command, which is based in Bahrain in the Persian Gulf.

The submarine is being deployed in support of the US Fifth Fleet, which is also based in Bahrain, to “ensure regional maritime security and stability,” said Commander Tim h awkins, spokesman for the US Naval Forces Central Command.  h awkins declined to provide further details on the mission or its timing, or to specify whether the submarine was headed to the Persian Gulf.

It’s extremely rare for the US military to publicize movements of its nuclear-powered submarines. In October US Central Command (Centcom) announced a visit by its chief General Michael Kurilla to a ballistic missile submarine in the Arabian Sea. Before that it was a guided-missile submarine transiting the Strait of ho rmuz in late December 2020.

Iran’s capabilities

The latest US effort follows increased attacks in recent months on US troops and their allies in Iraq and Syria. US commanders have also warned about Iran’s expanded missile capabilities and nuclear enrichment activities, and the grave threat this poses to the interests of the US and its allies.

It also comes in the context of an escalation in Israel’s shadow war with Iran and major geopolitical shifts in the Middle e a st.

Worried that any of this might jeopardize its grand economic plans, Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter and Washington’s main Gulf Arab ally, is now seeking cooperation with Iran, pivoting toward China, and forging a closer alliance with Moscow, especially on oil policy. Meanwhile, the US and its Western allies have pressed on with their efforts to isolate and weaken Russia after it invaded Ukraine last year.

Muslim worshipers at Jerusalem’s AlAqsa mosque.

Days before, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps vowed to avenge the killing of two of its commanders in Syria in what it said were Israeli air strikes. And on March 23, an Iranianmade drone launched by groups tied to the IRGC hit a US military facility in h a sakah in northeast Syria, killing a US contractor and wounding five soldiers, prompting retaliatory US air strikes, according to the Pentagon.

The US has about 900 soldiers left in northeast Syria. The area is controlled by an allied Kurdish-led militia that constituted the bulk of the ground force in the US-led campaign to defeat the terror group known as Islamic State.

War-ravaged Syria is de facto partitioned. President Bashar Al-Assad holds the most territory, with the support of Iran, its allied militias, and Russian forces, while Turkey and allied rebel groups control sections of the north and northwest.

“Iran’s malign behavior has increased in the last two years,” Gen. Kurilla, the Centcom commander, said in testimony to the US Senate Armed Services Committee last month.

‘Diverse missile arsenal’ K U RILLA s aid “Iran of 2023 is not the Iran of 1983,” calling Tehran “exponentially more capable” of striking anywhere in the Middle e a st with the region’s “largest and most diverse missile arsenal.”

While the US has officially welcomed the “calming effect” a SaudiIran rapprochement could have on the region, it was said to have been taken aback by Riyadh’s decision to include China as guarantor, as well as its embrace of Assad, Iran’s main Arab ally, who is heavily sanctioned by the US over war atrocities.

have

fallen in real terms over the past decade.

Last week, passport office workers began a five-week strike and security officers at h e athrow Airport walked off the job for 10 days. Strikes by train and bus drivers, postal workers, ambulance drivers and nurses have created havoc for Britons.

Teachers who recently rejected a pay raise as unacceptable plan to stage strikes April 27 and May 2, further inconveniencing parents and pupils.

The British Medical Association said junior doctors have lost more than 26% in pay in real terms over the past 15 years. The union said the strikes could be avoided if the government makes a reasonable offer.

The Department of h e alth and Social Care has insisted that strikes be called off before negotiations can take place. AP

As the USS Florida headed for the Middle e a st, Israel on Friday bombarded sites in the Gaza Strip that it said belonged to the Iran-allied h a mas militant group. The smaller Palestinian Islamic Jihad, fully supported by Iran, claimed responsibility for a barrage of rockets fired the day before at northern Israel from neighboring Lebanon, which is dominated by the Iran-backed h e zbollah group. The latest wave of violence was triggered by clashes between Israeli police and

Further fueling Washington’s concerns was the decision by Saudi Arabia to join as “dialogue partner” the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a China-led security and defense bloc whose members include Iran and Russia. Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle e a st and North Africa program at the Chatham ho use think tank, says there’s nothing contradictory between Iran seeking to repair ties with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab powers, while at the same time escalating its covert war against the US and Israel.

“That’s right out of Iran’s playbook,” she said.

Vakil said there was “a lot of hubris” in Tehran at the moment, with many elements of the regime feeling triumphant that they have not only withstood the US policy of “encirclement and maximum pressure” but have actually now driven a wedge between the US and its main Arab ally Saudi Arabia. Bloomberg News

3 taken to hospital after delaware mall shooting

Ch RISTIANA, Del.—A Dela ware mall shooting left three people injured and forced shoppers to evacuate as police investigate.

Delaware State Police said authorities do not have a suspect in custody in the shooting at the Christiana Mall, in a northern community near Pennsylvania.

“We can confirm that there are 3 victims who were injured by gunfire and transported to an area hospital for medical treatment,” police said in a tweet. “There are currently no public safety concerns at Christiana Mall and the

surrounding area.”

The mall would remain closed Saturday evening, police said in a statement.

The three people were shot in the food court area, WPVI-TV reported. Police asked people to keep away as authorities investigate, but set up a reunification site at the north entrance for those trying to locate someone. Additional details were not immediately available.

“We appreciate everyone’s patience as we continue to gather more details on this shooting,” police said in a tweet. AP

Israeli military said its forces attacked targets in Syria early Sunday after six rockets were launched from Syrian territory in two batches toward Israel in a rare attack from Israel’s northeastern neighbor.

sharp food and energy price increases has left people struggling

as union wages

Israel I police escort Jewish visitors marking the holiday of Passover to the al-aqsa Mosque compound, known to Muslims as the Noble sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount, in the Old City of Jerusalem during the Muslim holy month of ramadan on sunday, april 9, 2023. AP Photo/M A h M oud Ille A n

editorial

Protecting 1.3 million small scale fisherfolk

The eU regulation to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing entered into force on January 1, 2010. This anti-IUU fishing trade rule applies to all landings and transhipments of eU and non-eU fishing vessels in eU ports.

As of May 2022, a total of 27 countries have been given a “yellow card” under the IUU regulation. This is a formal notice to a country to fulfill its commitment in deterring and preventing IUU fishing to avoid the possibility of being identified as a non-cooperating country in the international fight against Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing (IUUF).

In June 2014, the EU handed down a “yellow card” to the Philippines because of the country’s perceived shortcomings in its legal, administrative, and technical frameworks for ensuring sustainable fisheries.

The EU lifted the “yellow card” in April 2015 in recognition of the significant progress made by the Philippines in addressing IUUF.

Now comes an unexpected development: The Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) suspended the Vessel Monitoring Measures (VMM) for commercial fishing vessel, sparking a warning from concerned groups that this puts the Philippines at risk of another “yellow card” warning from the European Union. (Read, “Palace halts commercial fishing vessels monitoring,” in the BusinessMirror, April 5, 2023).

The suspension order from Malacañang was reportedly meant to strengthen the government’s response against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, according to DA-BFAR.

To comply with the order, the DA-BFAR, as the lead agency, will convene this month the Philippine Committee (PhilCom) against IUU fishing. Reports said the interagency group will be tasked to formulate more holistic approaches in fighting IUU fishing.

Environmental groups led by Oceana warned the government of a possible “yellow card” from the EU following the Malacañang order deferring the implementation of vessel monitoring for commercial fishing vessels in the country.

Oceana Vice President Gloria Estenzo-Ramos urged the Marcos administration to reconsider its decision to suspend the implementation of the rules that require vessel monitoring mechanism or VMM for all commercial fishing vessels under Fisheries Administrative Order (FAO) 266.

Ramos was referring to an order handed down by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on March 13, 2023 addressed to the DA-BFAR, Office of the Solicitor General, Department of Trade and Industry, and the National Telecommunications Commission.

The order stopped the implementation of FAO 266 using the principle of ex abundanti cautela or “from an abundance of care.” The reason behind the suspension: the principle of respect for the three branches of government since the Supreme Court has yet to issue its final resolution on the constitutionality of FAO 266.

This latest order reverses an earlier memorandum issued on February 2, 2023, in which the DA and the BFAR were ordered to implement FAO 266 nationwide in accordance with laws, rules, and regulations and in line with the OSG’s recommendations in its letter to the BFAR on September 28, 2022.

“Are we ready for another ‘yellow card’ warning and looming threat of losing access to our biggest market for fish and seafood products such as the EU?” Ramos asked.

Vessel monitoring devices or transponders are installed on every commercial fishing vessel in the Philippines to track their movement. This allows real-time monitoring of a particular boat’s location. Thus, authorities can see that commercial fishing vessels are fishing only in waters where they are allowed to do so.

“We urge the government to reconsider its decision to suspend the implementation of the rules requiring vessel monitoring mechanisms for all commercial fishing vessels and prioritize the sustainable management of our fisheries,” Ramos said.

The government, she added, needs to comply with the Constitution and the amended Fisheries Code to protect the country’s marine wealth, the livelihood of artisanal fisherfolk, and mainstream transparency, traceability, and accountability in ocean governance.

Ramos said the Palace directive is “regressive” and “brings us back to an open access system that has caused overfishing and illegal fishing to thrive for decades and a bane to some 1.3 million small scale fisherfolk who stand to suffer from the encroachment on our municipal waters by commercial fishing vessel operators.”

Commercial fishing can cause overfishing and damage to marine habitat. That’s why commercial fishing vessels are being monitored to prevent encroachment on our municipal waters. Dumping the technology that can help authorities pinpoint the whereabouts of commercial fishing vessels is disastrous and destroys efforts of ensuring sustainable fisheries.

Overfishing does not only impact the livelihood of millions of small-scale fisherfolk. It will also have huge consequences for the country’s food chain in the long-term.

Araw ng Kagitingan: Learning from war stories

RISING SUN

Today is a holiday to commemorate araw ng Kagitingan, usually celebrated on the 9th day of april. While we may just spend it to extend our holy Week vacation by a day, it would be right to remember the bravery and the sacrifices of Filipino and american soldiers who fought in the war, specifically in the Battle of Bataan. It is an important part of our country’s struggle for freedom and independence.

But more than honoring the war veterans, today is a good day to think about how our countrymen fought for independence throughout history, and what we are doing now to preserve their legacy and ensure that

the blessings we now enjoy as a nation are being treasured and protected. Do our actions contribute toward the growth of this nation or are we disrespecting the memory and legacy of our heroes?

What is obvious from our nation’s history and the story of our people is that patriotism, courage, and sacrifices are part of winning. We can’t have one without the other. If we do not learn how to sacrifice, to show courage in the face of difficulty, and to truly love our nation and our fellowmen, we may not achieve that which we dream of.

It’s fine that we start by educating ourselves and our youth about our history and heritage, but it must not stop there. May this occasion remind us that we need to make a commitment to promote peace, freedom, and justice and that we have to do our best to become agents of positive change so we can look toward to a brighter future for our children. This may seem like a vague or even empty statement, but we can take it as an invitation to meditate on what this really means to us.

Many of us have been hearing stories from our grandparents about how they—or our relatives—fought in the war. Some of us may be tired of hearing the same narrative over and over. At least on this occasion, may we find the time to sit down with them and really listen, ask questions, and offer our gratitude for their stories, their sacrifices, and the lives that were offered in the name of freedom. If we have friends or family who are related to war veterans, it would be the perfect time to show a gesture of gratitude. Finally, allow the children to hear their stories. We can even use social media to share information and personal experiences. We can also learn important historical details from oral narratives—on top of going to a museum or reading a textbook— precisely because it’s firsthand information with some level of emotional and personal investment.

From economic growth to human development strategy

EAGLE WATCH

IN my first article on February 24, 2023, I discussed shifting the development strategy focus from economic growth to human development. I said that industrialization was the strategy to achieve economic growth. Under the economic growth approach, countries are more concerned with monitoring their income (GdP). The approach emphasizes improving the economy where people live.

The goal of every economy under the economic-growth-focused development strategy is to increase the GDP per capita, the indicator of standard of living. GDP per capita adjusted in purchasing power parity (PPP) in international dollars is used to compare the life of the people in one country to other countries. The higher the GDP per capita in PPP international dollars, the more comfortable the citizens’ lives in that country compared to other economies.

On the other hand, the humandevelopment-focused approach concerns itself with bringing human life to a better condition. It considers income as a tool rather than a goal in itself. It emphasizes creating fair opportunities and choices for all people.

The fundamental concepts in the human development scheme are people, opportunities, and choices. The main goals of human development are to make people’s lives better, provide them more freedom and chances to live the lives they value, and help them develop their skills and put them to use. The fundamental elements of human development are health (to live a long and healthy life),

The connection that starts from economic growth to human development is part of the basic needs literature of the International Labor Organization and the World Bank. The basic idea in this linkage from income to human development is that income provides the resources to enhance human capital, giving the individual the opportunities and choices to live a better life.

the individual the opportunities and choices to live a better life. That is, income provides a fundamental means to achieve human development. Ranis, Stewart, and Ramirez (2000), Suri et al. (2011), Ranis and Stewart (2007), and Stewart, Ranis, and Samman (2018) present three channels through which income can affect economic growth. The channels include the activities of the household, government (both local and central), and civil society organizations (CSO).

education (knowledge), and income (a decent standard of living). Once attained, these essential components enhance the richness of the human life by promoting gender equality, participation in political and social affairs, environmental sustainability, and human security and rights.

Here, I discuss the relationship between the two development strategies: economic growth and human development. Piabuo and Tieguhong (2017), Hassan, Cooray, and Holmes (2016), Ranis, Stewart, and Ramirez (2000), Suri et al. (2011), Ranis and Stewart (2007), and Stewart, Ranis, and Samman (2018) suggest a twoway causal relationship between economic growth and human development. Two-way causality means two cause-and-effect relationships exist between economic growth and human development. One causality runs from human development to economic growth. This link expresses that human development is an indicator, a factor, or a determinant of economic growth. Mathematically, human development is an explanatory variable, while economic growth is the explained variable. The connection

that starts from human development to economic growth is part of human capital literature.

The extant literature suggests that improvement in human development raises the capacities of the individuals in terms of creativity and productivity, thus contributing to economic growth. The capacities of the individuals are in terms of human capital, which has five main elements: health, work experience, schooling, adult education, and migration (Teixeira 2014). This body of work suggests that a nation cannot maintain a state of continuous growth without a labor force with minimal levels of education and health.

The second causality is the reverse of the first. It operates from economic growth to human development.

Economic growth is considered the determinant or exogenous variable, while human development is the endogenous variable.

The connection that starts from economic growth to human development is part of the basic needs literature of the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the World Bank (WB). The basic idea in this linkage from income to human development is that income provides the resources to enhance human capital, giving

At the household level, the authors identified income level, income distribution, and the control of income allocation as determinants of the expenditure of human development-oriented goods such as food, potable water, education, health, and the like. The determinants of human development-oriented goods at the government level include the total public sector budget, the share of the human development sector on the total public spending, and the distribution of the human development sector’s resources.

Lastly, civil society is one of the channels through which income can impact human development because most of its goals are towards human development. NGOs and community organizations are considered civil society organization. The Building Resources Across Communities (BRAC), the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, the Harambee Schools in Kenya, and the Self-employed Women’s Association in India are civil society organizations that significantly promote human development.

Ms. Lady Lou M. D’Lonsod is a graduate student at the Department of Economics of Ateneo de Manila University and a faculty member of the Department of Economics of Mindanao State UniversityIligan Institute of Technology.

Atty. Jose Ferdinand M. Rojas II

Lady Lou M. D’Lonsod

Joel L. Tan-Torres

DEBIT CREDIT

Part four

In my previous articles, I chronicled two characters and introduced another in the “Official Receipt (OR) for sale” scam cum tele-tax-novela. the first two are the scapegoats and the Masterminds, and the third, the l aw enforcers, were also discussed in passing.

I continue with my chronicle of this tele-novela. The Partners of the Masterminds are the persons that deviously connive with the Masterminds to deprive the government of billions of pesos of tax revenues for their personal benefit. These Partners may have been approached by the Masterminds or they may have been the ones who initiated the contact with them. The intent of the Partners is clear…they want to mininimize the payment of their taxes by illegal means by buying fictitious ORs to support their claims for business deductions and value-added tax (VAT) credits. The Masterminds, who have been operating their nefarious business for years, are all too willing to sell these fake ORs to their Partners for a fee. A case of a willing buyer and a willing seller.

From my “Marites” sources, I was informed that the transaction price for these valuable fake receipts is about 2 percent of the peso value indicated in the ORs. Thus, a Partner is happy to pay P20,000 to the Mastermind to get fictitious ORs with face values amounting to P1 million that the Partner can use to evade payment of income tax of P250,000 (at an income tax rate of 25 percent) and VAT of P120,000 (at a VAT rate of 12 percent). In this example, the Mastermind and Partner are both willing to enter into this unholy alliance for the enormous financial benefits that both derive. Alas, it is the government and us, honest taxpayers, who suffer the billions of pesos arising from this crime.

The Law enforcers, led by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), are hot on the trail of some of these perpetrators of the OR for sale scam. The BIR has filed criminal cases with the Department of Justice against four Scapegoats in March 2023. These Scapegoats were accused of their participation in the fake ORs crime. As I have discussed in my previous articles, I sense that the government prosecutors will have a difficult chore pursuing their case in the DOJ and the courts due to the circumstances and evidences against these Scapegoats.

I believe the Masterminds and Partners should be the key and priority targets of investigation and prosecution.

To the credit of the BIR, they have been aggressive in running after those involved in these fake transactions. In March 2023, BIR

Commissioner Romeo Lumagui issued Revenue Memorandum Circular (RMC) 38-23 that stipulates the priority programs of the agency for 2023. Embedded in the RMC is an enforcement and audit

From my “Marites” sources, I was informed that the transaction price for these valuable fake receipts is about 2 percent of the peso value indicated in the ORs. Thus, a Partner is happy to pay P20,000 to the Mastermind to get fictitious ORs with face values amounting to P1 million that the Partner can use to evade payment of income tax of P250,000 (at an income tax rate of 25 percent) and VAT of P120,000 (at a VAT rate of 12 percent). In this example, the Mastermind and Partner are both willing to enter into this unholy alliance for the enormous financial benefits that both derive. Alas, it is the government and us, honest taxpayers, who suffer the billions of pesos arising from this crime.

program entitled “Run after fake transactions.” The RUFT provides the following:

1. Identify and file civil, criminal and administrative cases against sellers and users of commercial invoices/receipts used to support fake transactions to evade payment of internal revenue taxes.

2. Collect tax revenue from fake transactions.

3. Suspend or cancel the Certificate of Accreditation of Tax practitioners and initiate administrative complaints for the suspension or revocation of the professional license of Certified Public Accountants involved in fake transactions.

Nice to know that after the long running “Run after Tax Evaders” program of the BIR, this much needed RUFT program was initiated by the BIR. This shift from RATE to RUFT is a welcome development.

I wait with bated breath what will be the outcomes of these RUFT enforcement program of the BIR. Will there be more concrete results of its investigation of the ORs for sale episode of this teletax-novela? Will this come sooner or later?

To be continued.

Joel L. Tan-Torres was the former Dean of the University of the Philippines Virata School of Business. Previously, he was the Commissioner of the Bureau of Internal Revenue, the chairman of the Professional Regulatory Board of Accountancy, and partner of Reyes Tacandong & Co. and the SyCip Gorres and Velayo & Co. He is a Certified Public Accountant who garnered No. 1 in the CPA Board Examination of May 1979. He is now back to his tax practice with his firm JL2T Consulting. He can be contacted at joeltantorress@yahoo.com.

We in akbayan Party condemn the actions of Myanmar’s military junta. the wanton acts of violence, successive executions, and especially the forced disqualification of the country’s opposition pro-democracy political parties—the national league for Democracy (nlD), shan nationalities league for Democracy (snlD), Democratic Party for a new society (DPns), to name a few.

This is not only an attack on democracy. It is a gross violation of the rights of the people of Myanmar. Instead of protecting their freedoms, the military has stripped them of

their voice, killed innocent lives, and corrupted the institutions that are meant to serve the will of the people. The international community has done precious little. It cannot

Siegfred Bueno Mison, Esq.

THE PATRIOT

Pets bring us such an inexplicable joy almost equally as they cause tremendous grief. the relationship naturally forged between a dog and its master can be too poignant that no words in the english language can account for. I have been thrust into such a kind of affiliation with six canines in my family. I might have had one too many as the recent demise of Buckaroo aka Bucky or Buck has summoned all forms of both delight and sorrow into my heart’s storehouse of memory.

I can vividly recall all those blissful moments spent with him inasmuch as I ache with despondency at the thought that today and onwards, I will live with a one-minus in our familial setting.

As my very first companion at the condo, Buck “demanded” for both a schedule and a line of perks. I had to take him out on walks every morning before office hours and every evening after work. Otherwise, he will run amok and raze anything in his way to destruction.

We did dog training—“sit” and “stay” as part of our daily interactions. I was told that dogs need discipline, exercise, and affection, in that order. Over time, Buck contracted a venereal disease when he escaped from the confines of my farm to roam the barrio streets in Silang. I was aghast when the first vet suggested to put him down since the chemotherapy required to cure him will cost more than the value of the dog! Other family members got the same disease as Buck, but all were treated with the proper yet expen-

sive medical attention.

Our journey together was accentuated by the fact that on many trying occasions in my life, and especially during the holidays, Bucky’s presence was enough to nurture my sanity. My happiest day with Buck was when he learned how to “fetch” and “jump” during his prime, but the worst day has come freshly for me with his passing due to heatstroke compounded by his old age of 12 years.

Perchance all dog lovers will agree that losing such a type of “family member” could reduce us into soliloquy. I could practically see Buck in almost any place I went during this Easter break. Hearts can be dense with pain and mouths barren with speech with each untimely passing. Almost often, we are unprepared for the passing of any loved one no matter how much we “know” that at any point we will lose them.

A graduating student’s untimely demise is seen as a tormenting event for the family left behind. A victim

of a politically-motivated crime succumbing to an untimely death (yet scheduled on the part of the assassin) could be a deplorable act, and a former President’s passing (alone in his residence) is woeful at most. Such news is grippingly distressing.

While I cannot speak for all who have lost a loved one in terms of the degree of pain and suffering, I can humbly share though, through this modest writing, that with every passing there are really no goodbyes. This is in fact a promise for every believer of Jesus Christ as ensconced in the Bible particularly Romans 6:22-23 which states, “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the fruit you reap leads to holiness, and the outcome is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (emphasis supplied)

Again, it is one’s belief in and acceptance of Jesus that triggers God’s gift of everlasting life. And because Christ is risen, in flesh and in spirit, believers hold the same privilege of rising with and like him in God’s perfect time.

One writer curiously inquired of what we will look like in heaven, whether we will be donned in white robes or even recognize each other, including our beloved pets. Pursuant to what is written in Scriptures, in Heaven, we will have new and perfect bodies, one that is not beset with any disease or weakness, because we will be like Christ’s glorious body after His resurrection. Sickness and death and sin are all behind us because of Jesus’ perfect work on the Cross. The Bible says that in heaven, Christ “will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” (Philippians 3:21).

PBBM trains sights on water crisis

LITO GAGNI

FInally, President Marcos has trained his sights on the country’s water security, which loomed large with the onset of the summer months. the dry months usually meant rationing of the resource. the fact that he is pushing Congress to craft a law to set up a government agency tasked with addressing what he termed as the “debilitating effect” of a water crisis on the economy is a step in the right direction.

The President’s take on addressing this looming water crisis is part of his administration’s agenda to concentrate on putting vigor to the economy with the gargantuan debt (P13 trillion) the government is faced with, plus the pandemic’s crippling effects on businesses such as restaurants and hotels that have taken big hits. Water, after all, as PBBM emphasized, is an integral part in boosting the economy.

For instance, the Philippine Statistics Authority cited that the semiconductor industry, which accounts for P639 billion out of the P5.8 trillion contribution of the manufacturing sector, requires water security. The semiconductors are very much needed to manufacture various gadgets and technology, such as mobile phones. And here, we host semiconductor needs of

We call for the immediate release of Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners detained by the junta. We further call for an immediate end to the senseless violence that will scar the nation for years to come.

remain idle, especially Myanmar’s Asean neighbors. Because continued inaction threatens Myanmar’s future. In Akbayan Party’s solidarity mission with our sister political

foreign tech firms.

However, semiconductors are also heavily reliant on water. To produce a single mobile phone, 3,000 gallons of ultra-pure water (UPW) is needed. And to have that kind of special water, between 1,400 and 1,600 gallons of tap water is needed to produce 1,000 gallons of UPW. Thus, with the President acknowledging the need for water security, the gnawing fear of water supply challenges that the manufacturing sector is facing will go away.

This also means that the agriculture sector will be able to have the irrigation that farmers require, aside from the potable water that residents in Metro Manila and beyond need.

As of now, Angat Dam is already deficient in the water needs of the metropolis plus parts of Rizal, Cavite and Laguna or the Calabarzon area,

party DPNS, our International Secretary, Aimee Santos, heard the following demands from DPNS Chair Aung Moe Zaw: Pressure should be increased against the junta, and the economic sources of its power should be brought to justice to prevent further harm. Bold actions such as freezing the bank accounts of junta members and all their supporters, and placing sanctions on those who will supply them arms to murder their own people are only a few interventions that governments

If there is one thing that enables me to move forward after a loved one’s loss, no matter how tough or incomprehensible, it is this promise that someday, because of my love for Jesus, I shall be with Him in paradise with a new and glorious body, along with my loved ones, Bucky included. The Bible tells me so. And Jesus’ resurrection proves it to be so. A conversation supposedly between Dr. Billy Graham and one Mrs. S.J. provides one interesting illumination. Mrs. S.J. asks: “Dear Dr. Graham—You probably get asked this question a lot, but do you think we will be reunited with our dogs in Heaven? I just cannot imagine being happy in Heaven unless he is with us.” To this, Dr. Graham replied: “Mrs. S.J.—God will provide us with everything we need to be happy in heaven—and if animals are necessary to make us completely happy there, you can be confident He will arrange for them to be with us.”

Not only will we be reunited with our loved ones in heaven someday, but God will ensure that we shall live there in joy in eternity!

So to our dearly departed friends, my buddy Bucky included, forever is waiting. Let us all be confident that by Jesus’ resurrection, we have been pledged to be with them forevermore.

A former infantry and intelligence officer in the Army, Siegfred Mison showcased his servant leadership philosophy in organizations such as the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, Malcolm Law Offices, Infogix Inc., University of the East, Bureau of Immigration, and Philippine Airlines. He is a graduate of West Point in New York, Ateneo Law School, and University of Southern California. A corporate lawyer by profession, he is an inspirational teacher and a Spirit-filled writer with a mission.

For questions and comments, please e-mail me at sbmison@gmail.com.

We understand that the MWSS has already obtained from the elders of the Dumagat-Remontados tribe the free, prior and informed consent that the National Commission on Indigenous People required. Also, the agency has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the tribal leaders in the affected tribes in Rizal and Quezon who will receive P160 million in disturbance fees plus yearly benefits of P46 million for the IPs in General Nakar, Quezon and those in Tanay, Rizal.

which hosts various semiconductor companies. This is the reason for the rotating water service currently being implemented.

And so with the law that will take care of the water security, the construction of the Kaliwa Dam, which can supply 600 million liters per day plus a 2,400 million liters more via tunnels, will be finished on schedule in 2026. According to the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System, the dam, which suspended construction for two years due to the pandemic, is now 22 percent complete. And it is a good thing that the MWSS has already inked the thumbsup from the affected IP communities in the area.

We understand that the MWSS has already obtained from the elders of the Dumagat-Remontados tribe the free, prior and informed consent that the National Commission on Indigenous People required. Also, the

of conscience can do. In the way that

the Philippines has also demonstrated to great effect, opposition parties can charge the junta with crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court.

Akbayan Party also calls on the Biden administration to maximize the assistance provisions in the BURMA Act. The US can provide food supplies, livelihood support and medical equipment and supplies to more than 100,000 political refugees who have fled Myanmar for the Thai

agency has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the tribal leaders in the affected tribes in Rizal and Quezon who will receive P160 million in disturbance fees plus yearly benefits of P46 million for the IPs in General Nakar, Quezon and those in Tanay, Rizal.

Hopefully, the bill mandating the creation of a water agency under the Office of the President will have smooth sailing in Congress. It is what the country needs to address the water crisis now.

And it is essential for the recovery of our economy. We need all hands on deck for boosting the economy, as it is the only way by which the government can create more jobs, reduce the number of poor families and assure water security on top of food security.

As PBBM said, “there are many agencies that are involved in water supply and water management and it has just evolved that way. But what we are going to try to do is to make it a more cohesive policy so that there is planning at the national level and in that way we can maximize the management of what water we have.”

“When they say water is life, it’s not just a cliché, it’s a truism,” the President said during a water conference recently held in Pasay City. That water conference discussed other ways of addressing water security that the contemplated law will make rotating water interruption a thing of the past.

border towns. We call for the immediate release of Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners detained by the junta. We further call for an immediate end to the senseless violence that will scar the nation for years to come. The arc of the universe will bend to justice only if there are people who will lend their strength and fight. We stand with the people of Myanmar, and with all democratic nations around the world. The junta cannot be allowed to continue.

Akbayan Party: ‘We stand with the people of Myanmar’

PHL ‘potentially ready’ for advanced nuke devt by ’30

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

possibility of restarting the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant which was built but was never operated. The plant was completed in 1984.

Part of these efforts, according to the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028, is the drafting of the Comprehensive Atomic Energy Regulatory Framework.

T he PDP stated that this will create a nuclear regulatory body for the peaceful uses and application of nuclear energy. The framework is being drafted by the Department of Energy and the Department of Science and Technology.

HONOR HEROES’ SACRIFICES BY SPEAKING UP, HELPING OUT

are at low risk for stranded assets among ASEAN+3 economies.

T he report explained that stranded assets would include natural resources such as fossil fuel reserves left in the ground and investments in infrastructure or properties that would never be fully utilized due to the transition to net zero.

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. urged Filipinos to honor the sacrifices of the country’s past and modernday heroes by speaking against discrimination and extending help to those in need.

I n his message for the commemoration of Araw ng Kagitingan or Day of Valor on Sunday, Marcos said such patriotic acts aim to preserve the legacy made by the heroes to ensure the country will enjoy justice, truth, and democracy.

sionate patriotism will be necessary as the country is now faced with new pressing issues.   “ May we also learn to make wise and sound decisions so that we may address our country’s pressing problems with compassion and concern for others,” Marcos said.

I n the ASEAN+3 Regional Economic Outlook (AREO 2023), the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand are potentially ready to tap nuclear power in seven years.

Countries such as China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam are ready to use nuclear energy by 2030 while Cambodia and Malaysia are “potentially ready” by 2050. Lao PDR and Singapore are considered “unlikely ready by 2050.”

After declining in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima accident, the region’s interest in nuclear energy is picking up again. The Plus-3

economies account for more than a quarter of the world’s nuclear capacity,” AMRO said.

Within ASEAN, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam have declared intentions to pursue or restart nuclear power projects to reduce fossil fuel dependence, and Singapore is also considering it as part of its 2050 energy mix,” it added.

I n the Philippines, AMRO noted that in February 2022, the government issued an executive order to incorporate nuclear power into its energy mix.

T his, AMRO said, opens the

“ Nuclear energy is not renewable by most definitions, but nuclear energy production does not release GHGs [greenhouse gases], so it is a clean fuel,” the report stated.

Nuclear energy is produced when atoms are split apart during nuclear fission. The most common fuel used for nuclear fission in nuclear power plants is uranium, which is a non-renewable resource,” the report added.

Stranded assets

MEANWHILE , AMRO said the Philippines is among the countries that

A MRO said these will no longer be utilized due to government regulation, technological change, or evolving societal norms and consumer behavior to respond to a country’s aim to shift to clean energy. “ In macroeconomic terms, when a price—explicit or implicit—is suddenly put on carbon emissions that used to be free, this will trigger an accelerated obsolescence of existing capital stock associated with high emissions, especially in the energy, transportation, manufacturing, and building sectors,” AMRO explained.

B ased on data from the Degree of Exposure to Stranded-Asset Risk index for 2019, the Philippines’s index score is 0.3, which is lower than most ASEAN+3 economies and higher than Japan at 0.29 and Singapore at 0.15.

A MRO explained that the index indicator ranges from 0 to 1, where 0 is the lowest exposure and 1 is the highest exposure.

A mong such heroes, he said, are the Filipino troops who fought during World War II and against the country’s current insurgent forces.

As we recollect the sacrifices of our forebears who fought long and hard to defend our nation’s freedom, let us also bear in mind that our actions today determine the future of our country, including the succeeding generations,” Marcos said.

T he Federation of Free Workers (FFW) also echoed the President’s recognition of the members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) who continue to ensure the country’s security.

“ The FFW recognizes the crucial role of our military personnel in safeguarding our territorial integrity and preserving our sovereignty,” FFW Women Network President Ma. Victoria Garzon Bellosillo said.

Together, let us strive towards developing a more humane, fair, and progressive society that allows our citizenry to relish their liberty and achieve their individual and collective aspirations,” he added.

Opportunity for renewal

In another development, Marcos also issued a message at the weekend to show solidarity with  Filipino Christians, who celebrated Easter Sunday.  H e said the event, which teaches renewal and recovery, is an opportunity for Filipinos to achieve “genuine unity and progress for all.” Easter teaches us that, as long as we live our life in Christ, love and hope will remain ever so boundless and will be the cornerstones for the positive transformation of our society,” Marcos said.

“As we celebrate the magnificent glory of our risen Savior, let us all take to heart this Christian foundation as we work for and welcome better days for ourselves, our families, and our neighbors as well,” he added.

Samuel P. Medenilla See “PHL,” A2

M arcos noted such compas -

Ex-SBMA chief Eisma handling of Covid crisis gets her a Stevie

By Henry Empeño Correspondent

OLONGAPO CITY—For her proactive program that steered the Subic Bay Freeport through the Covid-19 pandemic, former Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) chairman and administrator Wilma “Amy” T. Eisma won a silver award in this year’s edition of the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, which recognizes innovation in business throughout the entire Asia-Pacific region.

E isma, who left the Subic agency in March last year only to be appointed director at the state-owned Development Bank of the Philippines, took the silver Stevie for “Thought Leader of the Year.”

T his is given to those with innovative ideas who demonstrate the confidence to promote or share those ideas as actionable, distilled insights.

T he winners in the 2023 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards were announced on Thursday from more than 800 nominations for innovative achievements in the 29-nation Asia-Pacific region.

G old, silver, and bronze Stevie Award winners were determined by the average scores of more than 150 professionals around the world, organizers said.

T he winners will be celebrated at a virtual ceremony on June 27.

T he former SBMA chief was cited for crafting “a roadmap to survival,” thus saving jobs and investments in the Subic Bay Freeport during the health crisis that crippled businesses worldwide.

T his roadmap was a series of innovations: business teleconferencing; disinfection

protocols and mass testing; emergency isolation facilities; online bidding for products and services; virtual job fairs; online medical consultation; and a “bubble” concept for sports tournaments, seminars and workshops, and other events to boost local business operations.

E isma was also described in the competition entry “Wilma T. Eisma: Foresight and Fortitude in the Time of Covid-19” to have successfully steered Subic out of the pandemic “without any playbook to base her decisions on when Covid-19 was wreaking havoc on the global economy.”

Her battle cry of “Malasakit” rallied Subic stakeholders to purposive action, the citation said.

T he proactive measures not only sustained jobs and investments in Subic, but also led to significant economic growth during the worst period of the pandemic: P3.2-billion revenue, P1.3-billion new

committed investments, 682 new jobs, and US$1.12-billion imports and US$1.03-billion exports in 2020, the first year of the pandemic.

T hese records were even eclipsed in 2021 with a P3.47billion revenue, or an 8-percent income growth; 142,177 workers, or an employment increase of 2.31 percent; 1,737 business locators; and P17.29-billion new investments that topped the 2020 record by P15.74 billion or 1,011 percent.

T his was the second time that Eisma received a Stevie award.

In 2018, a year after becoming SBMA’s first female CEO, Eisma also won a silver Stevie as “Female Executive of the Year for Government or Non-profit” under the individual women awards category.

I n a social media post, Eisma said she was “humbled and honored” with the recent recognition and thanked the public for their continuing support.

THE Philippines is consi-dered to be among the ASEAN economies that are “potentially ready” for advanced nuclear development by 2030, according to a report recently released by the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO).

ATTY. WILMA EISMA

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng

Companies

BusinessMirror

Monday, April 10, 2023

Petron begins construction of ₧1.2-B CME plant–Ang

By Lenie Lectura @llectura

Petron Corp. has commenced the construction of its cocomethyl ester (CMe) plant at its Bataan refinery facility.

“Nagsimula na,” Petron President Ramon S. Ang replied when asked if construction has already started. “Matagal din ‘yun siguro bago matapos ‘yun, (mga) dalawang taon din ‘yun.”

The CME plant, which cost an estimated P1.2 billion, will have a production capacity of 182 tons per day or 66,430 tons per year, based on Petron’s Environmental Impact

Statement.

“The capacity is 180,000 tons per year. It can handle up to 5 percent of the requirement of the future. Mas reliable ngayon ang supply,” added Ang.

The CME plant will eliminate dependence on third-party suppliers and provide higher margins for diesel. This is aligned with Petron’s long-term vision to increase

its resilience and further cut down its environmental impact.

Ang had said Petron has been consistent in its recovery, with profits already at pre-pandemic levels over the past two years.

“We continue to note an increased and growing demand for our products even as we contend with pricing challenges, heavy competition, and the lingering effects of the pandemic. With our full recovery within our reach, we’ve returned our focus on growing the business and beefing up our operational framework to ensure our continued success and sustainability.”

The oil firm reported P6.7 billion in net income last year, up by 9 percent than 2021’s P6.1 billion as sales volume from its local and

international operations increased for the second straight year to 112.81 million barrels, 37 percent higher than last year’s 82.24 million barrels. In the Philippines, the company sold 68.53 million barrels, higher than 2021’s 47.9 million barrels.

Service station volumes in the Philippines and Malaysia posted a 26 percent growth as Petron’s gasoline and diesel products remained in high demand; while combined commercial sales grew by 30 percent fueled by the continued recovery of the industrial and aviation sectors. Notable increases were recorded in the company’s sales of jet fuel, LPG, and in particular, polypropylene products with the resumption of Petron’s polypropylene production in 2022.

Balai ni Fruitas buys QC property

By VG Cabuag @villygc

Th E board of listed firm Balai Ni Fruitas Inc., a 75 percent-owned subsidiary of Fruitas h o ldings Inc., approved the acquisition of the land, building and improvements on a 484-square meter property in Quezon City.

The company said it executed a deed of absolute sale of assets with the total consideration price of P111.3 million, exclusive of the 12 percent value added tax.

The company already secured a bank loan worth P28.4 million for the said acquisition and the remaining amount will be paid in cash using

Levi falls most on record

LEv I Strauss & Co. shares fell the most on record after firstquarter gross margin fell short of expectations due to increased promotions.

The retailer reported gross margin of 55.8 percent in the threemonth period ended February 26, below the 59.3 percent reported a year ago and less than the average analyst estimate of 56.9 percent. Retailer margins have been strained in recent quarters by higher transportation costs, as well as increased promotions used to offload excess inventory that piled up last year. Levi said inventories rose 33 percent last quarter. Levi also recognized a net restructuring charge of $11.4 million tied to job-cut-related severance benefits and $18.2 million related to discontinued technology projects. The plan aims to reduce costs and streamline operations.

The shares closed down 16 percent on Thursday, the largest drop since the company’s 2019 initial public offering. The drop erased the stock’s advance in 2023 through Wednesday’s close. “We did get rid of inventory to the extent we could — that did hurt margins,” Chief Financial Officer ha rmit Singh said on a call with analysts. “Promotional levels were slightly higher than anticipated.” Bloomberg News

the initial public offering proceeds allocated for commissary set up and its internal cash.

Balai said it continues to expand its distribution channels through new Balai Pandesal stores, product placements in other Fruitas holdings community stores and third-party partnerships.

“Balai eyes to enlarge its overall capacity to meet the increasing demand through the acquisition of the property which will be used as a warehouse and commissary. The property will be acquired from Lush Properties Inc.”

The company said it commissioned Tan-Gatue Appraisal Associates Inc. as third-party property appraiser to assess the fair market

value of the property and set the acquisition price at 90 percent of the appraised value.

The company earlier said it is expanding the distribution of Balai Pandesal baked goods in Cebu by tapping supermarkets and convenience stores.

Supermarkets in Cebu that will carry Balai Pandesal baked goods include Gaisano Country Mall, Gaisano Main Colon and Gaisano Market Square. Balai Pandesal baked goods are also available in two branches of 24 Summit Pharmacy in Cebu.

Additional Metro Gaisano supermarkets are expected to carry Balai Pandesal products soon, the company said. These include branches

in Ayala Center Cebu and Super Metro Colon.

“We reiterate our vision for Balai to be part of each Filipino household’s daily habit. We have further expanded the distribution of our baked goods outside our stores and we see great prospects in this initiative. We are further exploring opportunities to make Balai Pandesal more accessible to Filipinos across the nation,” Lester Yu, the company’s president and CEO, said.

Balai’s revenues in January to September 2022 amounted to P234 million, 164 percent higher than the same period in 2021. Net income in the 9-month period reached P23 million, which translates to a net margin of 10 percent.

Hermes boosts bag output with new facility

B1

Last week Share prices fell last week, with the main index sliding to the 6,400-point level, as trading thinned ahead of the holy Week holidays.

The benchmark Philippine Stock exchange index dipped 11.17 points to close at 6,488.51 points.

It was only a three-day trading week as Maundy Thursday and Good Friday were both declared as public holidays.

as investors were in holiday mood, the average volume of trade dropped, and reached only P3.57 billion. Foreigners took half of the trades and were net sellers at P292.86 million.

Most of the sub-indices ended in the red, led by the broader all Shares index that fell 6.63 points to close at 3,486.74, the Financials index declined 29.56 to 1,781.03, the Industrial index shed 110.34 to 9,290.89, the holding Firms index gained 92.62 to 6,350.39, the Property index rose 65.61 to 2,743.97, the Services index lost 50.89 to 1,612.66 and the Mining and Oil index plunged 348.88 to 10,674.15.

For the week, gainers managed to edge losers 106 to 99 while 36 shares were unchanged.

Top gainers were Primex Corp., Vivant Corp., Centro escolar University, PXP energy Corp., easycall Communications Philippines Inc., TKC Metals Corp. and Del Monte Pacific Ltd.

Top losers, meanwhile, were newly-listed Upson International Corp., house of Investments Inc., PLDT Inc., anglo Philippine holdings Corp., asiabest Group International Inc., Semirara Mining and Power Corp. and LBC express holdings Inc.

this week

Share prices may still go down this week as no major economic data will be released this month.

It will be another shortened trading week, as Monday is a public holiday. Broker 2Tradeasia said fund managers may withhold their disbursement this month as first quarter economic data will be released on May 11, about a week after the United States Federal reserve’s meeting on May 2 to 3 and the Monetary Board of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas on May 18.

Such events will pressure fund managers to “keep more dry powder until the broader picture becomes more conducive for bolder plays. Speculatives and corporate-specific stores might take the spotlight until then,” the broker said.

as the broader market confronts the possibility of more stress in the coming quarters, seek positively asymmetric opportunities in sunrise sectors.”

Immediate support for the main index is seen at 6,400 points and resistance is seen at up to 6,750 points.

stock picks

MayBanK Investment Banking Group gave a sell rating on the stock of JG Summit holdings Inc. after it booked a net loss of P2.5 billion last year, excluding the gains from the sale of some shares in Manila electric Co. This was much worse than the analysts expectation of a P2 billion loss for the year.

“Considering the external challenges that CeB [Cebu Pacific] and JGS Olefins will continue to face over the medium term, we reiterate our preference for direct exposures to UrC [Universal robina Corp.], TeL [PLDT Inc.] and Mer [Meralco], which we think have upward earnings trajectories. We raise our target price to P46 to factor in the higher market values of CeB and rLC [robinsons Land Inc.], as well as the parent’s improved cash position.”

JG Summit shares closed last week at P50.70 apiece.

Meanwhile, the bank maintained a buy rating on the stock of Union Bank of the Philippines as its acquisition of Citi’s credit card operations in the country affected them positively.

net interest income grew 30.5 percent year on year as a result of the 41 percent growth in its loan book, which, in turn, was due to the consolidation of Citi’s assets and the strong growth in salary loans. Our 2023/2024 earnings forecasts and target price of P93 are largely unchanged and reiterate buy given still attractive upside.”

Union Bank shares closed last week at P85.05 apiece. VG Cabuag

HERMES inaugurated a leather-goods manufacturing facility in Normandy as the luxury brand seeks to meet rising demand for Kelly and Constance handbags.

The facility in the town of Louviers has 140 leather workers and aims to double that within four years to produce bags, saddles and small leather goods. The facility in Louviers is making €7,700 ($8,400) Kelly bags in 25 centimeter size and will eventually churn out another model called Constance mini. One Kelly bag takes between 14 and 20 hours to be made and is produced by a single leather-worker.

hermes aims to grow its volumes of leather goods by about 7 percent a year, adding about one leather plant a year, Executive Chairman Axel Du-

mas told reporters Friday. The luxurygoods company’s production increase is limited by the need for savoir-faire.

“Training takes time,” Dumas said. “We take our best artisans, and they become trainers so they’re no longer in production.” That’s why one opening a year is “optimal not to disrupt what we do while still growing.”

hermes has 21 leather manufacturing plants across France. The Louviers facility spreads over 6,200 square meters (67,000 square feet) and was conceived by the architect Lina Ghotmeh. hermes has another leather manufacturing site as well as a fragrance plant in the region of Normandy. About a quarter of the company’s almost 20,000 workers globally are leather-goods artisans. This week, hermes crossed the

200 billion-euro valuation milestone as investors rush to buy luxury names they see as resilient to inflation pressures on consumers’ budgets. Luxury stocks have so far been relatively unscathed by the market volatility with hermes shares rising 30 percent so far this year.

Some analysts consider hermes to be in a category of its own as far as pricing power is concerned. Demand for its handbags typically surpasses its production capacity. Many bags also enjoy a higher resale value. hermes reports first-quarter sales on April 14.

While all of its bags are made in the company’s home market, the label’s watches are manufactured in Switzerland and the company also has some shoe manufacturing activities in Italy. Bloomberg News

ThE foundation arm of the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) has energized a 3-kilowatt portable solar photovoltaic system in Norzagaray, Bulacan.

One Meralco Foundation (OMF) said over 100 families of the Dumagat Tribe are now reaping the benefits of the community’s integrated water system, which provides access to potable supply that can be used for drinking, bathing, washing, and cooking.

Following the electrification, the water facility, built by the Manila Water Foundation, can now filter, store, and distribute up to 10,000 liters of potable water through strategically placed communal faucets 24/7.

With no access to a water system, members of the Dumagat Tribe previously relied solely on water that flows from the stream (sapa) and spring

(bukal) for their daily needs even if their community is situated within the confines of the Ipo Watershed-which supplies nearly all of Metro Manila’s water needs.

The energization of the integrated water facility in Sitio Sapang Munti is the first initiative of OMF for its Electrification for Water Access program, which aims to provide underserved communities with safe, clean, and reliable water source.

“While having access to potable water is a basic need and right, this still remains elusive for many Filipinos. To help bridge the gap, OMF has taken steps to help bring basic needs such as water and electricity closer to as many underserved communities as possible,” OMF President and Meralco Chief Corporate Social Responsibility Officer Jeffrey Tarayao said. Lenie Lectura

A MOdEL holds a Hermes leather Kelly bag in Berlin, Germany. PhotograPher: Jeremy moeller/getty Images/BloomBerg News

First commercial bank in Albay town opens

BACACAY, Albay—The Land Bank of the Philippines (LandBank) announced on April 9 that it has established the first-ever commercial bank in this second-class municipality last March 27.

The state-run lender said its Bacacay Branch-Lite would cater to the banking needs of residents in the town’s 56 barangays, as well as the nearby municipalities of Malilipot and Santo Domingo.

Bacacay Mayor Armando B. Romano and Landbank Senior Vice President Althon C. Ferolino led the opening of the Branch-Lite, together with Malilipot Mayor Cenon B. Volante and other local government officials, the statement from the LandBank read. They were joined by LandBank Bacacay Branch-Lite Head Vincent Villar, current and former Tabaco Branch Heads, Marivic R. Nuñez and Emmanuel B. Hizola, respectively, and Legazpi Branch Head Assistant Vice President Cesar A. Ramirez.

Romano was quoted in the statement as saying he hopes the LandBank branch would encourage his constituents “to open formal bank accounts and establish a savings fund for their future.”

To set an example for his constituents,

the mayor opened his personal piggy bank during the inauguration and deposited his savings to a LandBank account, becoming the very first depositor of the Branch-Lite.

The newly-inaugurated branch houses one automated teller machine (ATM) and one cash deposit machine (CDM) to cater to the cash requirements of local residents, including more than 7,600 beneficiaries of the “Conditional and Unconditional Cash Transfer” programs of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, as well as government employees and students, among others. To help simplify the account enrolment process and reduce the account opening time of customers, the LandBank Bacacay Branch-Lite also features a “Digital Corner” where customers can open a deposit account using the bank’s Digital Onboarding System, the LandBank statement read.

With the opening of its Branch-Lite in Bacacay, LandBank now has seven branch-unit and Branch-Lite units in the Province of Albay: two in Legazpi City and one each in the cities of Ligao and Tabaco and the municipalities of Daraga and Polangui, complemented by 43 ATMs and four CDMs.

Perspectives

Mobile-money operators urged to bring down remittance costs

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie

Makati City Rep. Luis N. Campos Jr. wants mobile-money operators to aggressively compete with banks in the remittance market to put a downward pressure on transaction costs. Mobile money allows users to receive, store and transfer funds using

their handheld devices.

Citing the World Bank’s “Remittance Prices Worldwide” report, Campos said OFWs currently pay an average of 6.3 percent (of the amount sent) in fees to send $200 home to their families.

Building trust in AI is a shared responsibility

BREAKTHROUGHS like Chat-

GPT are taking off, but accuracy is a two-way street.

Can a ground-breaking artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot gain instant celebrity status? It’s an intriguing question amid the soaring popularity of a new chatbot, ChatGPT, from AI research company OpenAI.

Designed for natural-language processing, such as text generation and language translation, ChatGPT is useful for a range of applications, like creating customer-service bots, drafting social media posts, conducting research, responding to online queries, and even writing basic code or poetry. ChatGPT’s ability to simulate human conversation has sparked a remarkable wave of attention and use since its launch.

Consider the numbers among some of the hottest online startups of recent times. Netflix needed about three years to hit the revered million-user milestone. Facebook needed just 10 months and Instagram a mere 2.5 months. ChatGPT?

Designed using one of the largest and most-advanced language models currently available, ChatGPT needed just five days to reach the million-user mark.

Impressive indeed. But as the numbers climb skyward, ChatGPT’s explosive popularity raises another interesting question that has sparked wide online debate— Can ChatGPT be trusted? The answer to this question isn’t simple and depends on the context and application.

The AI industry in the Philippines is still in its early stages but is already showing promising growth and potential. Several start-ups and companies have made their attempts in penetrating the market using their AI-enabled products and services, assuring optimal data analytics and processing.

However, such innovation in technology is not free from issues and concerns. KPMG in the Philippines Technology Consulting Head Jallain Marcel S. Manrique shared that “AI services like ChatGPT, if not backed by credible and trusted data sources and strong data protection features, could pose a great risk to companies through inaccuracies and the potential of breaches and cyberattacks. This is a major consideration, especially for businesses that handle confidential financial information and customer data.”

Manrique further explained that “since ChatGPT is still in development, extensive and thorough research must be done to examine the accuracy, safety and security of the

AI service in handling various kinds of data. In the end, the pros can outweigh the cons once the needed walls of protection are well planned and rigorously laid out.”

What could go wrong?

THERE’S no doubt that ChatGPT provides immense opportunities for businesses and individuals, and it has enormous potential to expand its capabilities. While some excited users seem to be anticipating emerging superpowers for ChatGPT, we’re also witnessing some disappointment in user dialogue online. The AI platform is trained on publicly available information, and here are some examples of where ChatGPT’s responses seem inappropriate or clearly off the mark:

n Unintended bias. Some ChatGPT responses may exhibit bias. A few examples on Twitter show that users have managed to bypass ChatGPT’s filters and provide responses that may be biased. Since ChatGPT has been trained on publicly available information, some responses may likely carry an unintended bias.

n Incorrect information.

The internet is full of incorrect information and fake news, and controversial information is often more likely to go viral than factual information. As a result, ChatGPT can provide incorrect results if the underlying knowledge base is flawed.

n Logical errors. ChatGPT has failed to correctly answer simple, logical questions and riddles. For example, even a fifth grader could likely answer this question: “If my sister was half my age when I was six years old, how old would she be when I am 70?” Surprisingly, ChatGPT is not able to deduct a correct answer.

n Dated information. ChatGPT will sometimes provide incorrect information even though new facts disprove or supersede earlier information. The current model is trained using information available up to 2021. Even though the model highlights this fact, in some scenarios, incorrect information may be provided.

Accurate AI responses demand appropriate queries

SO, why is ChatGPT having issues— and does it mean we can’t rely on its capabilities? The answers lie in knowing its limitations.

First and foremost, it’s important to note that ChatGPT is an example of Artificial Narrow Intelligence and not Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). ANI systems are very good at performing one type of task

for which they have been trained, but they are not suitable for tasks in which they have not been trained, however simple. For example, an ANI system designed to generate images will likely not be able to solve a simple mathematical question such as What is five plus seven?

Secondly, ChatGPT is a generative AI model—designed to generate new content based on a clear set of inputs and rules. Its primary application is to generate humanlike responses. However, ChatGPT lacks human-like reasoning skills. In ChatGPT’s own words: “I am designed to be able to generate human-like text by predicting the next word in a sequence based on the context of the words that come before it.”

Therefore, for ChatGPT to be considered trusted, it’s the responsibility of each user to apply its AI capabilities to a suitable use case. Equally important, the developers should use reliable data sets to train the AI model and apply relevant bias and content filters. In the case of classical computing, the concept of “GIGO,” or “garbage in, garbage out,” is pervasive and holds to be true. But when it comes to AI, it’s “GISGO,” or “Garbage in, Super garbage out,” making it critical that developers use reliable data to train the AI model.

The good news is that ChatGPT is quite aware of its limitations and can appropriately respond to users. Also, ChatGPT combines a supervised and reinforcement learning model, which provides the benefits of faster learning through a reward system and the ability to learn based on human inputs.

Establish guardrails to maximize the benefits of AI

AS organizations explore use cases for powerful new AI solutions like ChatGPT and others, it’s crucial that cyber and risk teams set guardrails for secure implementation. The following are some steps to help get ahead of the hype. This is a nonexhaustive list and merely initial steps to consider as AI continues to emerge:

n Set expectations for how ChatGPT and similar solutions should be used in an enterprise context. Develop acceptable use policies, define a list of all approved solutions, use cases, and data that staff can rely on, and require that checks be established to validate the accuracy of responses.

n Establish internal processes to review the implications and evolution of regulations regarding the use of cognitive automation solutions, particularly the management

“Lower remittance fees will mean higher disposable income for Filipino households dependent on cash from abroad and more money flowing into our economy,” Campos said.

At present, banks dominate 87 percent of the remittance market and they also collect the highest fees at an average of 11.69 percent of the amount sent, according to Campos.

The Social Development Goals set by the United Nations (UN) include the target to slash remittance costs to an average of 3 percent globally by 2030, Campos said.

Campos said the UN estimates that remittance-receiving families around the world would save an additional $20 billion annually once fees are reduced to an average 3 percent.

Citing Bangko Sentral ng Pilipi-

nas statistics, Campos said OFWs sent home via the banking system a total of $32.5 billion in cash remittances in 2022, up 3.6 percent from $31.4 billion in 2021.

He added that the World Bank estimates the Philippines received up to $38 billion in remittances from all channels in 2022, making the country the world’s fourth-largest recipient of money from overseas workers, after India, Mexico and China.

Campos cited as an example GCash-payment system operator G-Xchange Inc., which obtained regulatory approval to offer its services abroad to users even without a Philippine-registered Subscriber Identity Module (SIM).

Once they are fully verified, the lawmaker said overseas Filipinos will soon be able to access GCash services using a non-Philippines SIM.

KPMG, Goldman Sachs, sued for SVB collapse

of intellectual property, personal data, and inclusion and diversity where appropriate.

n Educate your people on the benefits and risks of using these AI solutions, as well as how to get the most out of them, including suitable use cases and the importance of training the model with reliable datasets.

n Implement technical cyber controls, paying special attention to testing code for operational resilience and scanning for malicious payloads. Other controls include, but are not limited to:

n Multifactor authentication and enabling access only to authorized users;

n Application of data loss-prevention solutions;

n Processes to ensure all code produced by the tool undergoes standard reviews and cannot be directly copied into production environments;

n Configuration of web filtering to provide alerts when staff accesses non-approved solutions.

Generative AI is here for the long run–let’s ensure smart use

THE benefits of ChatGPT are clear, and its introduction will accelerate the adoption of AI in business and society. But to maximize its benefits, accelerate the growth of your business, and maintain digital trust, responsible use of ChatGPT and other generative AI models is critical.

The information contained herein is of a general nature and is not intended to address the circumstances of any particular individual or entity. Although we endeavor to provide accurate and timely information, there can be no guarantee that such information is accurate as of the date it is received or that it will continue to be accurate in the future. No one should act upon such information without appropriate professional advice after a thorough examination of the particular situation.

The excerpt was taken from the KPMG Thought Leadership publication: https://advisory. kpmg.us/blog/2023/building-trust-ai-sharedresponsibility.html.

© 2023 KPMG Intl Ltd., a private English company limited by guarantee, has Philippine partnership R.G. Manabat & Co. as a member-firm. All rights reserved.

more information, e-mail ph-kpmgmla@ kpmg.com or visit www.home.kpmg/ph.

KPMG LLP was sued as Silicon Valley Bank’s auditor, along with underwriters including Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Bank of America Corp. and Morgan Stanley & Co. in an investor lawsuit based on alleged misstatements leading to the bank’s collapse.

Similar to previous suits, a complaint filed last Friday in the federal court in San Francisco names Silicon Valley Bank CEO Greg Becker and other bank directors and officers as defendants. The complaint appears to be the first to target the bank’s auditors and underwriters.

Collectively, the defendants “misrepresented the strength of the company’s balance sheet, liquidity, and position in the market,” according to the lawsuit. The executives, auditor and underwriters “understated and concealed the magnitude of the risks” facing the bank, which undermined the value of its own securities portfolio, it said.

KPMG, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Morgan Stanley and Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Inc., which is named as an underwriter defendant, didn’t return emails late Friday seeking comment on the lawsuit.

SVB collapsed last month following bets on bonds that lost value as interest rates rose. Its venture capital clients began drawing down deposits en masse, forcing the lender to sell assets at losses and setting off a panicked run on the bank. SVB’s parent company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Friday’s lawsuit claims the underwriters issued misleading registration statements on the bank’s stock offerings that contained “untrue statements of material facts.”

‘Substantial doubt’

KPMG’s alleged liability, explained in greater detail, is based in part on the fact that it signed off on SVB’s 2022 annual report two weeks before the March 8 market close, according to the suit. That was when the bank said it was seeking to raise $2.25 billion to address its liquidity problems, and announced an approximately $1.8 billion loss on the sale of its own securities.

“Even though SVB’s deposits began to decline in 2022, falling $25 billion during the final nine months of 2022 and reducing SVB’s liquidity, KPMG did not identify risks associated with SVB’s declining deposits or SVB’s ability to hold debt securities to maturity in its report,” according to the suit.

Additionally, KPMG’s audit report “was silent” about whether there was “substantial doubt” about the bank’s ability “to continue as a going concern for a reasonable period of time,” it said.

The Justice Department, Securities and Exchange Commission and Federal Reserve are examining issues around SVB’s collapse, including share sales by officers and the absence of a risk officer at the bank for much of 2022, according to people familiar with the matter. No one at the bank has been accused of wrongdoing and the investigations could end without charges or lawsuits being brought.

The case is City of Hialeah Employees Retirement System et al v. Becker, 23-cv-01697, US District Court for the Northern District of California (San Francisco).

Japan Inc. sells record

short

bonds amid BOJ’s moves

JAPANESE companies are selling record amounts of shortterm bonds, a sign they’re bracing for the likelihood that the central bank will dismantle its ultralow interest rate policy.

Issuance of yen corporate notes due in five years or less reached an unprecedented 7.4 trillion yen ($56 billion) in the fiscal year ended March 31, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. That came as sales of Japanese debt maturing in longer than five years during the period fell to 5.4 trillion yen, the least since fiscal 2015. The rush to issue shorter notes reflects market speculation that the Bank of Japan under new governor Kazuo Ueda will put an end to a decade of super-easy policy, a move that will likely hit longer debt especially hard. If the BOJ tightens credit, it would be joining central banks around the world that have

pushed up interest rates to try to tame rapid inflation.

Sales of corporate bonds due in five years or less globally decreased 16 percent in the year to March 31. But that’s a slower pace of decline than the 28 percent reduction in overall company note sales worldwide, as accelerating inflation and higher interest rates triggered routs in debt markets.

In Japan, issuance of shorter company notes jumped 179 percent in the January-March quarter as the government announced the surprise nomination of Ueda as BOJ governor. Companies including internet firm Rakuten Group Inc. and automaker Nissan Motor Co. hurried to raise yen funds. The Nikkei newspaper reported the jump in yen company note sales earlier Sunday, citing data from I-N Information Systems Ltd. Bloomberg News

AlAwm A k er on Sunday challenged Philippine-based mobile-money operators to go global and help drive down high remittance charges that have been a burden to overseas Filipino workers (OFws).

Can this former CEO fix the World Bank and solve the world’s climate finance and debt crises as the institution’s next president?

By Rachel Kyte, Tufts University

for meeting the world’s development and climate adaptation and mitigation needs.

Banga will need to set clear goals for each part of the World Bank Group and get them working more effectively to help the world achieve its goals.

2. Assume the mantle of collaborator in chief to take on the debt and climate crises.

Many of the World Bank Group’s client countries are facing both mounting debt and rising costs from climate change.

Many low- and middle-income countries—the population the World Bank is tasked with helping—are falling deeper into debt and facing growing costs as the impacts of climate change increase in severity. A chorus of critics accuse the World Bank of failing to evolve to meet the crises.

The job of leading that reform is now almost certain to fall to Ajay Banga, an Indian American businessman and former CEO of Mastercard who was nominated by President Joe Biden to replace resigning World Bank President David Malpass. Nominations closed on March 29, 2023, with Banga the only candidate.

There is no shortage of advice for what Banga and the World Bank need to do.

The G-20 recently issued a report urging the World Bank and the other multilateral development banks to loosen their lending restrictions to get more money flowing to countries in need. A commission led by economists Nicholas Stern and Vera Songwe called for a rapid, sustained investment push that prioritizes transitioning to cleaner energy, achieving the UN sustainable development goals and meeting the needs of increasingly vulnerable countries.

African ministers of finance will soon come out with their own “to

do” list for the World Bank, and India’s minister of finance just pulled together an expert group to consider World Bank reform.

Banga will walk into the job with these and many other to-do lists. Yet he will inherit a corporate culture that makes the World Bank Group too inwardly focused and too slow to respond.

I have worked for the World Bank Group and with it from the outside. I see four key roles—four “C’s”—that Banga will need to master from the outset. From his track record and his reputation for deep thoughtfulness, I am confident that he can.

1. Act as a CEO and get the entire World Bank Group house in order. The World Bank Group is a conglomerate with four balance sheets, three cultures and four executive boards, plus a dispute resolution arm.

Lending to low- and middleincome countries is just part of its role. The World Bank Group also provides technical assistance across all areas of economic development and invests in and provides risk insurance to encourage companies to invest in projects and places they might otherwise consider too risky. Its ability to mobilize private-sector finance and stretch every dollar is crucial

The high cost of borrowing can hamper developing countries’ ability to invest in needed infrastructure to grow and protect their economies, and they fear being locked out of global trade as the United States’ green subsidies in the Inflation Reduction Act and Europe’s border carbon tax may make it more difficult for them to compete.

The solutions to cascading problems like these cannot be managed by one institution. However, the current multilateral development bank system—the World Bank Group and the regional development banks—is disjointed at best and competitive at worst.

In the past, the leaders of the development banks, the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organization have cooperated, more or less, depending on crises and personalities, and can move fast when they need to.

During the global financial crisis of 2008 and 2009, for example, the then-heads of the World Bank and the WTO hurried to develop trade finance facilities to support banks in developing countries as capital fled to the US and Europe. It took intense diplomacy to push wealthy countries and institutions to get money out the door to shore up businesses and trade. Success was measured not in months but in days.

3. Be a convener.

The new president of the World Bank will need to support more radical collaboration among development financial institutions, including pooling capital and talent, to help respond quickly to countries’ needs.

It won’t be easy. Institutional rivalries run deep. But with budgets tight, there is growing clarity that there is no choice – the capital that is already in the system is the closest at hand and can be deployed to better effect if the institutions are willing to adapt.

Overhauling how international finance works will require everyone to be on board—development banks, central banks, regulators, investment banks, pension funds, insurance companies and private equity.

Banga and International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva can settle institutional differences and present a coordinated face to private investors and the major lending countries, including China—which

has emerged as the biggest holder of developing country debt—to speed up support to struggling countries.

On other issues, such as naturebased solutions to climate change, building resilience and economic inclusion, the World Bank Group can bring its significant resources and skills, including data analysis, to global conversations that it has been painfully absent from for the past four years.

4. Be a champion for the most vulnerable.

The world’s most vulnerable people are the World Bank Group’s ultimate beneficiaries. For those living on the front line of biodiversity loss and climate impacts, such as extreme heat, drought and flooding, the current international financial system is proving inadequate.

The World Bank Group’s management incentives are still too oriented to lending approved by the board, not the outcomes of that lending, advice and assistance.

Throughout its history, World Bank leaders have been able to make rapid changes to better help vulnerable countries when they stay close to the needs of their ultimate beneficiaries and the goals that the world has set.

The next president faces turbulent times. Banga’s careful listening on his campaign tour signals that he understands the complexity. It’s an extraordinary moment in the history of the institution, with sky-high expectations of what one leader needs to do.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/can-this-former-ceofix-the-world-bank-and-solvethe-worlds-climate-finance-anddebt-crises-as-the-institutionsnext-president-202900.

The Conversation

Over the past two years, a drumbeat of calls for reforming the World Bank has pushed its way onto the front pages of major newspapers and the agenda of heads of state.

A s T ErC Ard President and CEO Ajay Banga speaks on a panel at the White House summit on Cybersecurity and Consumer Protection in stanford, California, February 13, 2015. AP/Jeff Chiu

Local makeup brand celebrates 40th anniversary

Do you remember the first time you fell in love with makeup? Perhaps you were a child who used to play with your mother’s beauty kit as you pretend to be a model in front of the mirror.

As it celebrates its four decades in the local beauty scene, Ever Bilena continues to touch the lives of many Filipinos from all walks of life and be a part of their milestones in life. This year, the brand is unveiling for all its avid supporters exciting treats and surprises, along with new brand ambassadors.

“It is such an honor to be part of the makeup routines of beauty enthusiast across generations in the last 40 years. We are excited for them to discover more of what Ever Bilena has to offer this year and the coming years,” enthuses Ever Bilena Cosmetics chief sales and marketing officer Denice Sy.

To keep fans of the brand even more excited, it recently announced its partnership with RiSE Media to bring the South Korean actor Kim Min Gue to the Philippines.

Also joining the Ever Bilena family is Filipino comedienne, model, actress, beauty pageant titleholder, and vlogger Herlene Nicole “Hipon Girl” Budol. She transformed from being an avid customer of Ever Bilena to becoming its direct sales dealer, then modeling for the brand as a beauty queen, and now as one of its newest endorsers. Joining her is Filipina beauty queen Chelsea Fernandez. Ever Bilena also recently launched the newest addition to its liquid foundation product line, the EB Pillow Pop Cream Blushes.

As the brand celebrates its 40th anniversary, bigger surprises await beauty enthusiasts. They can purchase of Ever Bilena products at a regular price at any SM Beauty Department Store and Watsons branch, then get a second item for only P40. Ever Bilena products can be purchased on their official Shopee and Lazada stores, and Watsons branches nationwide.

Japanese beauty brand opens 1st standalone store in the Philippines

expanded its business to include silk manufacturing and exporting. In 1936, the company released Savon de Soie, a luxurious soap developed through years of study in silk technology, followed by the launch of its cosmetics business a year later. Today, Kanebo Cosmetics offers a wide and diverse portfolio of skin-care and makeup brands sold through multiple distribution channels in over 50 countries and regions in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

exclusive Light Reflection Technology to revitalize, regenerate and restore a lasting vital glow. Of course, this cream is also known for its price (around P60,000).

More information about Kanebo Cosmetics is available at www.kanebo.com.

SOMETHING NEW FROM THE JUJU CLUB

AS someone who loves Japanese beauty, I appreciate how makeup and skin-care products are meticulously made. It’s as if each one was crafted with you in mind.

Kanebo is one of the most popular luxury Japanese beauty brands. It combines advanced skin science technology with Japanese sensibilities and timeproven beauty traditions.

In 2020, Kanebo’s launched its “I Hope” campaign to help empower women to “channel emotions, harness energy, and stay strong.”

At the newly opened Kanebo Cosmetics at the ground floor of Mitsukoshi BGC, you’ll see a video of actress Sena Nakajima in a vivid-colored lipstick.

The “I Hope” campaign, launched at a time when the world was mostly immobilized because of the Covid-19 pandemic, encouraged women to “step up their beauty and care routine to look good and remain resilient.”

Founded in 1887 as a trader of cotton, Kanebo

The launch of Kanebo Cosmetics’ flagship store in the Philippines marks the company’s commitment to expanding its global reach by strengthening its brand portfolio and stepping up investment in markets with outstanding growth prospects. Kanebo Cosmetics is also dedicated to fulfilling its corporate mission in a social and sustainable way by practicing strict environmental policies, nurturing diversity and development in the workforce, and harnessing its accumulated beauty knowledge for the benefit of society.

One of Kanebo’s most popular products is the Kanebo Suisai Beauty Clear Powder, which look like Nespresso capsules. The capsules actually contain an enzyme-spiked cleansing powder that exfoliate, hydrate with hyaluronic acid, and brighten with tofu extract and royal jelly. All you need to do is add a splash of water to the powder. This is very travel friendly. Of course, you can’t mention Kanebo without talking about Kanebo The Cream. This formula is known for its rich and creamy texture that melts seamlessly to the skin. It also contains the brand’s

Michael Kors channels ’70s new York chic

NEW YoRK—Michael Kors channeled classic 1970s style for his latest collection, drawing inspiration from powerful women of the era like Tina Turner, Jane Fonda, Gloria Steinem and even his mother.

Steinem sat front row Wednesday during Kors’ New York Fashion Week show, which featured models sporting a variety of classic New York looks from the decade, including overcoats and thick leather belts and bell sleeves and dramatic bell bottom trousers, oversized sunglasses, suede boots and fringe. “They never gave up on looking fabulous,” the designer said of his mother and Steinem. “That’s timeless.”

The show was packed with elite guests: actors Mindy Kaling, Katie Holmes, Kate Hudson sat front row, as did New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Vogue

editor in chief Anna Wintour.

West Side Story star Rachel Zegler said the show’s appeal was obvious because “nobody dresses women like Michael Kors.”

Keeping with his love of New York city style, Kors relied on neutral colors while still incorporating his signature black and adding brown tones.

Fringe was woven throughout the pieces onto scarfs, clutches and mini dresses. Kors also drew inspiration from Greenwich Village and what the designer called its “blend of the urban and bohemian.”

“There is this polish that is very big city but definitely [with] a warmth and earthiness,” he said.

Kors’ looks weren’t just on the runway. Actor and dancer Maddie Ziegler wore a Kors suit—one of several stars wearing Kors pieces—and said the

designer had a knack for designing a power suit tailormade for women.

“It’s so sexy when a woman wears a suit,” she said. This collection, Kors took a twist with the women’s blazer by adding slits to the sides of each arm, giving the jacket sleeves more movement.

Kors didn’t shy away from adding sparkle despite the neutral tones throughout the collection. He balanced a sparkly silver bell bottom jumpsuit with a grey overcoat that hung off the shoulders.

The designer closed the show with an eye-catching shimmering black cape that actor Molly Ringwald adored. Ringwald said she appreciated how Kors’ clothes could be worn by any body type.

“I really feel like it’s really classic American in the best way,” she said of his collection. AP

JuLiA BARRETTo’S The Juju Club has just launched a line swimwear pieces called Juju Swim. If you don’t know yet, The Juju Club is the actress’ line of accessories and they’ve apparently now expanded. Juju Swim’s launch collection includes Made in the Philippines pieces with square neck and shoulder cuts, along with the classic one-piece sporty swimsuit, high-waist bottoms, and more. The tops and bottoms come in black, white, and brown hues with sizes ranging from XS to XL. These can be bought separately, so you can mix and match. The prices of the one-piece swimsuits range from P2,950 to P3,200, while the separate pieces start at P1,250.

“Each design and style is very well-thought of, and I made sure it’s something that everybody can wear. It’s meant to empower whoever’s wearing it, it’s meant to make them feel good,” said Barretto. “it’s also our way of saying The Juju Club is a club that anybody can be part of and everybody feels like they belong. We’re a part of your journey, we’re with you, and we’re your partner in every season in your life.” In addition to the official store in Shopee, The Juju Club will also be available in Lazada and through the newly launched official web site at www.thejujuclub.co. n

Mondelez Philippines aims for Plastic Neutrality through partnership with PCX

THE Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Act of 2022, passed in July of the previous year, is a law which mandates companies to participate in waste management programs. Simply put, certain companies who produce and use plastic are obligated to collect an equivalent volume back through diversion programs like recovery and recycling. In support of this new law, snacks maker Mondelez Philippines has partnered with Plastic Credit Exchange (PCX) to recover and divert the equivalent of 100 percent of its plastic packaging footprint used for its food products sold in the market.

Mondelez Philippines is the maker of beloved heritage snack brands like Oreo, Tang, Toblerone, Cadbury Dairy Milk, Eden Cheese, and Cheez Whiz. The company’s purpose is to empower people to snack right with a mission to lead the future of snacking by offering the right snack, for the right moment, made the right way. Snacking made right means focusing where the company can make a bigger difference and deliver greater longterm and positive impact. The company’s strategy and goals in addressing these key focus areas are central to supporting growth around the world, including reducing the company’s environmental footprint. To this end, the company aims to use less packaging, better packaging, and support waste collection systems.

In 2022, ahead of the implementation of the EPR law, the company was able to collect 243,000 kilos of plastic waste, which is equivalent to the weight of two blue whales.

Under the EPR Law, identified companies are required to collect back 20 percent of their plastic output by the end of 2023. To support the passing of the law and to reduce its impact on the planet, Mondelez Philippines is partnering with PCX for the recovery and diversion of 100 percent of the equivalent of its yearly plastic packaging output. This means that for the year 2023, the company aims to ensure that 100% of the amount of

plastic packaging used for their products and sold in the market are part of resource recovery programs. This commitment comes ahead of the requirements of the EPR law and is something the Company will uphold moving forward.

“We fully support and laud the passing of the Extended Producer Responsibility act,” shares Aleli Arcilla, Mondelez Philippines Managing Director. “We share the belief of our lawmakers that optimal EPR laws are a practical and efficient contribution for waste management systems. We intend to go above and beyond compliance as early as this year by ensuring we are 100% plastic neutral by the end of 2023. To this end, we thank our partner PCX for providing us with the capability to carry out our commitments and transform them into concrete actions.”

PCX partners with organizations who collect and divert post-consumer plastic waste within a credible, traceable, transparent, environmentally sound, and socially responsible framework. The organization is geared towards promoting various solution sets that aim to remove plastic away from nature, and effective reduction and disposal of plastic waste in the Philippines. By working with waste collectors, recyclers, and diverters in the

country, the organization is able to help companies like Mondelez Philippines achieve their sustainability goals and ensure fewer plastic ends up in oceans, waterways, and landfills. Most importantly, PCX is able to channel investment to grow and strengthen the circular plastic economy in the country. A circular plastic economy means that plastic is not treated as waste, but rather is viewed as a resource that can be reused and repurposed. This model aims to eventually eliminate plastic waste and pollution.

“It is wonderful to welcome Mondelez Philippines to the PCX community of passionate and committed private sector partners who together aim to deliver meaningful change to this urgent and important issue,” says Nanette Medved Po, Founder of PCX.

Adds Atty. Joseph Fabul, former Country Manager for Corporate and Government Affairs of Mondelez Philippines, “Through this commitment, we are showing support for the EPR Law and encouraging other companies and industries to do the same. Plastic waste reduction and collection is everyone’s responsibility. Let us work to create a cleaner and waste-free Philippines as our legacy to future generations.”

SHERA: Revolutionizing construction with innovative, sustainable, high-quality products and solutions

SHERA Building Solution Philippines, and Isabelo Dingal, Head of Commercial, SHERA Building Solution Philippines Corp. Famous TV Host of Metro Home Anton Barreto also visited the booth.

SHERA’s vision for the next few years is to become the number one player in the industry, leveraging emerging technologies and innovative strategies to enhance its products and services, streamline operations, and expand the customer base to serve all kinds of residential and commercial buildings from mass-scale affordable to high-end premium segments.

“We believe that by staying ahead of the curve and continuously adapting to changing market dynamics, we can establish ourselves as the leader in our field. Our commitment to delivering exceptional quality, value, and customer experience will be the driving force behind our success” Thunnop said.

STATE health insurer Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) recently reminded all its accredited health care providers in the country that the filing of claims for reimbursements returns to the usual 60 calendar days from a patient’s discharge.

The return to the 60-day filing period will cover all claims for patients with admission date starting January 1, 2023.

The reminder was issued after the Declaration of State of Calamity due the Covid-19 pandemic ended on December 31, 2022, which consequently ended certain special privileges being granted to health care facilities during fortuitous events under PhilHealth Circular 2020-0007 such as extended submission of claims from 60 to 120 calendar days.

With the said discontinuance of State of Calamity, the 45-day limit and single period of confinement rule are likewise reinstated starting 2023 in accordance with PhilHealth Advisory No. 2023-0012.

“We urge all our partner hospitals to start submitting their claims within the usual 60 calendar days as provided for in Section 46, Rule II of Republic Act 7875, as amended by RA 9241 and RA 10606 as amended for their

admitted patients starting January 1 of this year,” PhilHealth Chief Emmanuel R. Ledesma, Jr. said, adding that the state agency remains committed to process and pay the claims within the 60 day period as required under the law.

“Para maiwasan naman ang mga claims na denied o bumabalik sa ospital, patataasin natin ang kaalaman ng mga providers at billing personnel patungkol sa ating mga polisiya para maiwasan ang mga depektibong claims at ang pabalik-balik na proseso,” Ledesma assured the hospitals.

Mahalaga na maayos ang claims ng ating partner hospitals para mabayaran ang mga ito batay sa mga aplikableng batas at regulations na sinusunod ng PhilHealth bilang isang government agency,” he added.

Ledesma also urged the hospitals to coordinate with their respective PhilHealth Regional Offices to continue with reconciling claims data and for other assistance that they may need to best serve PhilHealth members and their families.

In 2022, PhilHealth recorded an average turnaround time of 29 days in paying claims. It also reported benefit payouts amounting to P129.6 billion as of December 31, 2022.

Countdown begins for PSMEX 2023 back-toback with I-MTAP 2023 at World Trade Center

THE countdown begins for the muchawaited event of the year! Well supported by the icons of the metal and its allied industries, the 2nd Philippine Subcon and Manufacturers Exhibition 2023 or PSMex 2023 themed as “Make it in the Philippines” back-to-back with International Machinery Tools & Accessories Philippines or I-MTAP 2023, will be held from April 2629, 2023, Hall B & C of World Trade Center Metro Manila. Entrance is free to the public.

PSMEX 2023 caters to the needs of the Aerospace, Automotive, Electronics and Motorcycle manufacturing industries, while I-MTAP will showcase stateof-the-art products from the metal and its allied industries from leading manufacturers, subcontracting companies, services,

local distributors as well as foreign suppliers. Take advantage of over 20 free technical seminars to enhance your knowledge and awareness about the latest technology and the industry.

For more information, email mai_mgt@ compass.com.ph or contact them at 0969477-5259. See you there!

Toyota Motor Philippines receives Bureau of Customs, Laguna province recognitions for tax contributions

TOYOTA Motor Philippines Corporation (TMP) received recognition from the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Provincial Government of Laguna as the country’s third top importer and revenue contributor for the year 2022 and Laguna’s “Outstanding Taxpayer 2023,” respectively. The largest automotive and mobility company in the Philippines remitted a total of P34.59 billion in duties and taxes, contributing to the BOC’s positive collection performance for the period January to December 2022.

TMP also has notable business operations with the BOC-Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) where it is recently certified as a “Flagship Elite” member by International Container Services, Inc., one of MICT’s operators.

SHERA has introduced a game-changing construction method that enhances efficiency and quality for residential and commercial buildings. As a leading brand in green innovative fiber cement products, SHERA has showcased its range of products at the recent Worldbex event in Manila, offering an array of solutions for ceiling, walling, and flooring applications.

SHERA’s products are renowned for their durability, water and fire resistance, fast-built and low maintenance requirements, making them an ideal choice for construction projects worldwide. At the Worldbex event, the company’s highlighted products include the SHERA Deco Board, SHERA Wood Plank, SHERA Splendid Plank and Deline series, SHERA Strip, and

SHERA Floor Plank. These innovative products feature embossed textures, mixed and matched grooving-line wall patterns, and ventilated ceiling and wall screening, offering the most exceptional product variety of any other fiber cement players in the market.

SHERA’s products conform to global green standards such as LEED, green labels, and carbon credit, emphasizing green sustainability. The company’s strong commitment to the Philippines market has led to the continuous launch of new products, aiming to solve customers’ pain points and enhance Filipinos’ better living through aesthetics and superior quality.

The opening ceremonies were graced by Thunnop Jumpasri, Country Head of

“As a leading brand in building materials for residential and commercial use, SHERA plans to support architects, construction companies, and interior designers by providing seminars, training, and joining trade events to showcase our products,” Dingal shared.

Investing in SHERA building materials is a wise decision for anyone looking for long-lasting products.

SHERA’s sustainable and high-quality products have received numerous awards, making them popular among builders, architects, and homeowners who are looking for eco-friendly building materials that require minimal upkeep and save time and money in the long run. Experience the efficiency and quality that SHERA building materials can offer for your construction needs and be a part of the green revolution in the building and construction industry.

TMP operates with the BOC-Port of Batangas for the importation of automotive products including various Toyota and Lexus vehicle models, multi-sourced parts for production, and service parts from the Asia Pacific region. While the POB is the primary channel for completely built-up (CBU) vehicle units, it also serves as a gateway for the export of OEM parts and components produced by Toyota export parts suppliers, making it an important link to Toyota’s global supply chain.

On the provincial level, TMP was nominated by the City Government of Santa Rosa as the “City’s Exceptional Taxpayer” for the Laguna “Outstanding Taxpayer Award 2023.” Laguna Governor Ramil L. Hernandez conferred TMP this award, recognizing the Company’s “diligent and responsible tax payments” during the Laguna Business Stakeholders Convention and Innovation Summit held at the Laguna Provincial Capitol. TMP is engaged in the production of local Toyota vehicle models, Vios and Innova, at its manufacturing plant in Santa Rosa City, Laguna. The company is also engaged in wholesale distribution of Toyota and Lexus vehicles through its 73 dealers (including Lexus Manila) across the country.

PhilHealth reminds accredited health care providers to file all patient claims within 60 days starting this year

VEERASAK Kittinanthakool - Vice President of Marketing, Anton Barreto, TV Host of Metro Home, and Thunnop Jumpasri, Country Head

MONDELEZ PHILIPPINES AND PLASTIC CREDIT EXCHANGE ARE PARTNERING IN SUPPORT OF THE EPR

LAW. In the picture to mark this collaboration are (L-R) Mondelez Philippines’ past Corporate and Government Affairs Country Manager Atty. Joseph Fabul, Mondelez Philippines VP and Managing Director Aleli Arcilla, and Plastic Credit Exchange Founder Nanette Medved Po.

Ben-Hur Escuro, TMP First Vice President for Vehicle Logistics Aimee Josephine Lopez, TMP First Vice President for Manufacturing Michael Angelo Antonio and Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno during the BOC Stakeholders’ Night held at Rizal Park Hotel, Manila.

mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph | Editor: Jun Lomibao

Filipinas going unblemished in Paris qualifier

THE World Cup-bound national team made mincemeat of home team Tajikistan, 8-0, to go unscathed in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament played over the weekend at the Hisor Central Stadium in Tajikistan.

It was the second shutout victory by the Filipinas—they blanked Pakistan, 4-0, last Wednesday—who are bound for a historic appearance in the Women’s World Cup in July in New Zealand and Australia.

At 2-0 won-lost, the Philippines is tied with Hong Kong atop Group E with 6.0 points, but the Filipinas are ahead by seven with a superior goal difference of 12.

The Filipinas can afford to draw with Hong Kong on Tuesday to remail leader of the bracket at the end of the group stage. “ First half, we were a lot better, second half we took our foot off the pedal a bit, but we are on top of the table now and look forward to a tough game against Hong Kong,” said the Filipinas’ Australian coach Alen Stajcic said.

Sofia Harrison broke the ice for the Filipinas’ first goal in the 26th minute from close range and only two minutes later, Tahnai Annis made it a 2-0 cushion.

C arleigh Frilles scored on a Meryll Serrano pass in the the 31st minute, Quinley Quezada got in at the 35th minute mark off two defenders inside the penalty box for a 4-0 score.

Th ree minutes later,  Serrano headed the Philippines’s fifth goal and Maya Alcantara’s corner kick made it 6-0 three minutes into the added time of the first half.

C handler McDaniel capped the lopsided win with goals in the 60th minute and 89th minutes.

The Philippines-Hong Kong match is set 7 p.m. Tuesday. Josef Ramos

THE all-Filipino crew of Standard Insurance Centennial 5 celebrate as they enter Subic Bay on Saturday.

AUGUSTA, Georgia—It even sounds odd to say it: Tiger Woods is last among those still playing at the Masters.

But after Woods made the cut at Augusta National on Saturday, it all went downhill from there. Slogging through a rain-drenched, 49-degree day proved too much for the aching five-time champion to overcome.

T he 47-year-old Woods, who is still recovering from a 2021 car accident that nearly cost him his right leg, looked miserable as he limped through a dreadfully long, exhausting day in obvious discomfort, playing seven holes in the morning to make the cut and then seven more in a steady downpour before the tournament was postponed until Sunday.

By the time the horn blew ending play at 3:15 p.m., Woods was alone in

By Josef Ramos

THE Philippines has a third world champion as Marlon Tapales shocked Murodjon Akhmadaliev via split decision to grab the Uzbekistan fighter’s World Boxing Association (WBA) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) super bantamweight belts Sunday at the Boeing Center in Tech Port in San Antonio, Texas.

Tapales, called the “Nightmare” for his ability to mentally and physically distract his opponents, became the third Filipino to own a world championship belt after World Boxing Organization minimum weight champion Melvin Jerusalem and International Boxing Organization (IBO) flyweight titlist Dave Apolinar.

Easy fight … easy,” the 31-year-old Tapales jokingly told BusinessMirror in a video call before getting an ice treatment with coaches Sugar Ting Ariosa and Arnel Fontanilla on Sunday.

Tapales was in tip top shape to convince judges Sergio Cadiz of the US and Jose Roberto Torres of Puerto Rico to similar scores of 115-113 in his favor.

A merican Javier Alvarez saw it otherwise and gave the fight to the 28-year-old Uzbek, 118-110.

The 36-year-old Tapales—who held the WBO bantamweight crown in 2016—improved to 37-3 win-loss record with 19 knockouts, while

TIGER MAKES MASTERS CUT

last place at 9-over, 22 shots behind third-round leader Brooks Koepka.

At 6 over through seven holes for round three, Woods is on pace for the worst 18 holes of his illustrious Masters career—topping the backto-back 78s he posted in the third and fourth rounds at last year’s tournament, where he finished 47th at 13-over 301.

Yes, making the cut for a 23rd straight time at the Masters as a professional was a major accomplishment for Woods. It matched a streak set by two other golf greats in Gary Player and Fred Couples.

But a break of more than twoand-a-half hours between rounds

and yet another horrible weather day seemed to take its toll on Woods.

Players teed off in threesomes from both the front and back nine as tournament officials looked to squeeze in as much golf as possible.

Woods’s third round started with a bogey on the 10th hole, then progressively got worse. He bogeyed again at No. 14, then had back-toback double bogeys after finding the water on both No. 15 and 16. It marked the first time he’s ever had consecutive double bogeys at the Masters. He was just off the green in two shots on the par-four 17th hole when the horn sounded, but he still had the

formidable task of completing the front nine ahead of him.

T his obviously wasn’t the 15time major champion the world has come to know.

I n the past he’s feasted on “moving day,” playing the third round at the Masters in a combined 45-under par during his 22 appearances as a professional. In fact only three times has Woods not shot par or better on Saturday at Augusta National prior to this year. AP

TIGER WOODS reacts after missing a putt on the 18th hole during the weather delayed second round of the Masters Saturday. AP

TAPALES WORLD BOXING CHAMP

Akhmadaliev absorbed his first loss against 11 victories he marked with eight knockouts.

Marlon [Tapales] proved what I always said that if you have a good jab, you can win a fight with a jab alone and that’s what he did,” International matchmaker and MP Promotions president Sean Gibbons told BusinessMirror also on Sunday.

A khmadaliev couldn’t solve Tapales’s jabs from the onset and was unable to unleash his killer punches. He hit mostly air and lost power as a result.

V incent Astrolabio, meanwhile, will be up next for a crack at the vacant World Boxing Organization bantamweight title when he faces Australian Jason Moloney on May 13 in a still to be determined venue.

The International Boxing Federation earlier arranged a title for Astrolabio against Puerto Rico’s Emmanuel Rodriguez but his handler, MP Promotions president Sean Gibbons, confirmed to BusinessMirror that the 25-yearold fighter from General Santos City will fight Rodriguez instead.

Standard Insurance Centennial 5 in historic China Sea Race victory

ERNESTO “JUDE” ECHAUZ captained Standard Insurance Centennial 5 to line honors in historic fashion as the Rolex China Sea Race returned after a five-year absence.

A t otal of 18 international boats took off from Hong Kong last Wednesday with Centennial V immediately taking the pace and got to the finish at the Subic Freeport Saturday.

E chauz’s boat clocked 12 hours, 45 minutes and 47 seconds to become the first Philippine boat to win line honors in the 61-year-old race.

It’s very historic! It’s the first time that a Philippine boat has won line honors at the Rolex China Sea Race,” Echauz said. “It’s such a prestigious race for us.” Centennial 5 crossed the start

What’s a little competition

I HAVE been following with great interest the developments between the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) and the DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour) versus the LIV Tour.

I w ill quote from an article in Golf Digest by Joel Beall and Dan Rapaport that sums up the schism perfectly, “The emergence of the Saudi-backed circuit has resulted in breakups and alliances, and caused suspensions and lawsuits. It has made a game known for its civility become uncivil and brought politics and human-rights issues into a space

supposedly reserved for sport. It has spurred reactions that span the emotional spectrum, from intrigue and excitement to existential angst and dread and everything in between.”

The response of the two golf associations was to suspend the players who competed under the LIV banner and to fine them.

The DP Tour won in arbitration against the players who defected to the Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Tour and the court of arbitration upheld the rulings and the players will have to pay a 100,000 fine. In pounds sterling.

O uch.

Th at the PGA has increased the financial rewards and more of their events demonstrates the veracity—at the least to some point—of LIV.

So the solution has been to throw more money and to take LIV to court?

L ike most of the time, the entity with the most money as well as the ruling body will win.

W hile I can understand that the players wanted to secure their future while playing fewer events and rounds of golf, think about it. Another organization provided the platform to succeed and become household names, then they are ditched in favor of the new league that dropped a lot of money onto their collective laps.

Th is is no different from when the European Super League tried to break away from the UEFA Champions

line first to lead the fleet out of Hong Kong’s iconic skyline at Victoria Harbour and maintained a comfortable lead throughout the The Rolex China which Race is organized by the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club in cooperation with the Manila Yacht Club and with the finish hosted this year by the Subic Bay Yacht Club.

The event—the oldest blue water race in Asia—took the boats over 565-nautical miles (1,046 kilometers) across the South China Sea to Subic Bay, considered a real test of sailing skill, energy, persistence and team spirit.

E chauz’s Rachel Pugh 75 Standard Insurance Centennial 5 is no stranger to flagship offshore races having participated in nine editions of the race and having his name engraved twice on the China Sea Race Trophy

League. The backlash was terrible against these top clubs. Thus, they lost.

Domestically, it is different. When all these clubs from the old MICAA broke away from the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP) to form the Philippine Basketball Association. Or when these schools left the National Collegiate Athletic Association of the Philippines Philippines to form the University Athletic Association of the Philippines.

A nd there’s the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas that formed a different group from the existing BAP.  Volleyball? Come on. How many federations are there?

I u nderstand why there is a need to protect the existing establishment. You need to protect it because some other entity with more money can come in and take away everything that took a long time to build. And that is how the PGA and the European Tour believe when encroached by LIV.

It could also be a difference in opinion or vision that can cause a rift. But if that is the case, then anyone with serious beef can just pull out and put up his own. Doing so could leave the entire body fragmented beyond repair.

O n the other hand, having one lead organization might not have the appropriate checks and balances and could turn out to be dictatorial and too powerful.

Well, since the anti-LIV people have called out the

Gibbons didn’t state a reason for the change in opponent.

A strolabio holds an 18-3 win-loss record with 13 knockouts. He scored his latest victory over Russia’s Nikolai Potapov via a sixth-round knockout last December 17 in Las Vegas.  He also beat former world champion Guillermo Rigondeaux of Cuba via unanimous decision February last year in Dubai.

Moloney, on the other hand, 25-2 won-lost with 19 knockouts.

The Astrolabio-Moloney bout is an ESPN co-feature for the Janibek Alimkhanuly-Steven Butler main event for the WBO middleweight belt.

in 1998 and 2008.

E chauz captained an all-Filipino crew composed of current and former members of the national sailing team most of whom are from the Philippine Navy. Two of the crew are women—laser sailors Alaisa Belmonte and Paula Bombeo.

The competitors navigated traditional and modern sea traffic before facing South China Sea’s demanding conditions.

The final approach to the Philippines, Echauz said, was characterized by lighter winds and the infamous “Luzon hole,” which often compresses any fleet that passes through.

The next to arrive in Subic was new participant Happy Go of Hong Kong, which was loaded with talented and experienced offshore sailors, including Tiger Mok, the only Hong Kong Volvo Ocean Race sailor, along with 2014 Incheon Asian Games Hong Kong Team sailors Owen Wong and Dominic Law.

Saudi backers for their human rights abuses—thus, politics entering this sport, then maybe we can call out these lawmakers of the land.

O n one hand, they are supposed to represent the people. But do they really? They pass rules and laws that at times are not equitable, just, or even representative of the majority.

It is easy to say that in the case of golf, the players— or even in football, the clubs—have gotten greedy. It is especially hard to fathom that Brooks Koepka is trying to secure his family’s future when he makes millions and millions of dollars every year when most people will not earn what he does in one won tournament as opposed to their lifetime of toiling in crap jobs.

I believe people should be rewarded for their worth. Now, where worth and contributions end and where greed sets in is a gray line that is tough to determine.

I a m all for allowing LIV or even the European Super League. A little competition will not hurt. Maybe, it will trouble the existing powers. But that is good because it keeps them on their toes.

B esides, if they were ardent students of history, they will know that the upstart league doesn’t always last (because they too aren’t students of history).

Still have the popcorn. Am waiting for more fireworks between the PGA/DP World Tour versus LIV.

MARLON TAPALES poses with his belts with American referee Rafael Ramos (left) and MP Promotions head Sean Gibbons. Behind is trainer Arnel Fontanilla. PHOTO BY JHAY OH OTAMIAS

By Anne Ruth Dela Cruz

The pandemic prevented us from expanding the number of stations as much as we would have wanted to. This left us with a backlog on the number of stations that we had to construct. Because of that, I am now focused full time in trying to make up for lost time,” Suntay said.

Import depots, storage tanks

IN addition to building more stations, Suntay said he was also busy trying to secure more import depots and larger storage tanks for their fuel importation. He is also busy constructing a second resort on Siargao island.

“The first resort we have is called the Bayud Boutique Resort and the island is really beautiful. So when I had the chance to buy another property, I did. We could not start construction because of the pandemic, then Typhoon Odette struck and it devastated the entire island. I went back to the island a couple of months ago and I believe this is the perfect time to pursue our planned development,” he said.

So far, Cleanfuel has more or less 134 stations, including those that are currently in different stages of construction. All Cleanfuel stations are company owned and operated.

He added that while he had received numerous inquiries about franchising, Cleanfuel is not entertaining any franchising proposals for now. According to Suntay, “Cleanfuel is still a relatively new brand and at the moment we are focused on growing the market first and making sure that once we decide to franchise, our franchisees would have a strong brand.”

“For me, when a company decides to franchise out, there is also an obligation to ensure that the franchisee would be making a good investment and earn from that investment. So for now, we are focused on establishing our brand and our place in the retail business. Our increasing volume and continued growth have indicated that we are reaching our goal of being one of the major players in the fuel industry.”

Suntay said.

Biggest market

FOR Suntay, Luzon is the biggest market in the Philippines followed by the Visayas and Mindanao. Luzon’s economic growth, Suntay explained, could have been faster had the government continued the infrastructure program of Former President Marcos specifically in building highways and roads outside Metro Manila.

Under the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte, numerous diversion roads “which connect Metro Manila to outside provinces and from one province to another were built.” These new roads provide an opportunity for businesses to expand outside Metro Manila.

The advantage of Cleanfuel is that the majority of the property that we build on is owned by Klean Land Property Ventures Corp., a sister company of Cleanfuel. So we are invested not only in the fuel business but also in the real estate business,” Suntay said, adding that every time a road is developed, the value of the property goes up.

Now, Suntay said he is ready to expand to Mindanao, specifically in Surigao province. The target for this is in the third quarter of 2023. For now, Suntay

said that they are looking for properties because the plan is to build five stations so that it will be “logistically viable.”

Untapped province

When asked why he chose to expand in Mindanao, Suntay said many people have already entered the Visayan market. Mindanao, he said, “is a beautiful, untapped province with huge growth potential. It is just saddled with a bad reputation.”

When you talk about Mindanao, everyone thinks that it is unsafe and war torn. It’s not. Mindanao is big and the strife is only present in some areas, not the entire region,” Suntay explained.

Cleanfuel has come a long way since it started as a one product fuel station. It started by selling only Auto LPG. This came about because Suntay, who is one of the largest taxi operators in the country, was looking for an alternative cheaper source of fuel because of the constantly increasing cost of fuel.

I decided to invest in auto LPG when I realized that it was 40 percent cheaper compared to gasoline. We became very successful in selling Auto LPG in Metro Manila which made us want to expand to the provinces however there was no market for Auto LPG,” he said.

“That was when I decided to include diesel and gasoline to our product range and turn ourselves into a full service fuel retail station, we were lucky because at that time we already had a lot of regular customers like taxi drivers, commercial vehicle drivers and the like,” Suntay added.

Loyal customers

MORE loyal customers meant that Suntay had to invest on upgrading their services and the facility, adding that Cleanfuel became known for selling quality fuel for less and having probably the best toilet facilities when compared to other gasoline stations.

I think we have the best toilet facilities among all the existing fuel stations. We actually became very popular on Tiktok because of that,” he said.

While he has also ventured into the health care business with CleanMed, Suntay said he is concentrating on fields that are related to each other, explaining that it is easier that way.

“While we are involved in fuel retail, importation, and storage, we are also developing commercial establishments, rentable spaces and eventually we want to build small community malls. This is the reason why we are investing heavily in property acquisition,” Suntay said, adding that he also has Basic Hauling, the logistics arm of Cleanfuel which provides logistical services not only for Cleanfuel but also for other companies as well.

Public office

When asked if he would consider running again for public office, Suntay said politics was something that he wanted to do when he was still young. In fact, he is still maintaining his District Office and extending whatever assistance he could in his private capacity.

You know went into public service because I wanted to help people in need and believed that I can develop my district and make people’s lives better. That desire to help was never lost even if I am not in office, the capacity to help is still there that is why I continue to help people who are in need. The only difference now is when you help, it is no longer seen as an obligation on my part,” he said.

For now, Suntay is reaping what he has sown in the company. He also has more time to spend with his family, a luxury he never got to enjoy when he was in public office.

“My wife and my kids are so happy because I now spend more time with them. In fact, we just came home from a vacation in Japan. We celebrated the holidays in Europe. Things that I was unable to do before because of my responsibilities to the people in my district, can do them now,” he said.

Five years from now, Suntay said he still sees himself working and that he would have surpassed the target of 200 company owned Cleanfuel stations.

“Hopefully, by that time, we will start offering franchising to those individuals who have always wanted to be a Cleanfuel franchisee. That is what I see happening in the future,” he said.