BusinessMirror August 02, 2023

Rising demand for PHL goods boosts July PMI

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

THE country’s manufacturing performance improved on the back of increased foreign demand for Filipino goods, among others, according to Standard & Poor’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI).

PMI picked up to 51.9 in July from 50.9 in June. S&P Global Market Intelligence economist Maryam Baluch said this marked a stronger improvement in operating conditions at the beginning of the third quarter.

S&P Global Market Intelligence said there was anecdotal evidence that the customer base for Filipino goods increased and led to new

export orders that helped PMI accelerate to a three-month high.

“[The] continued improvement in the underlying demand picture helped drive the latest upturn, with both production and new orders recording stronger rates of expansion. New export orders also increased during July,” Baluch said.

“Moreover, though July data reported a slight intensification of price pressures, rates of both input price and output charge inflation have eased considerably from the highs seen over the last three years. The latest data adds to our current forecast that the central bank will abstain from further tightening its monetary policy in the near-term,” she added.

Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) Chief Economist Michael L. Ricafort also said the latest PMI level means the index has been expanding or was above 50 for 23 straight months since September 2021.

This, Ricafort added, was also the fastest in two months and was an improvement from the 50.8 level posted in July 2022.

He said the PMI is expected to continue expanding, especially now that President Marcos lifted the Covid-19 state of public health emergency throughout the country. This leads to more business and economic activities, as well as faster expansion in manufacturing.

“For the coming months, other

positive factors include the economic reopening narrative in China [Covid restrictions eased since December 2022], which is the world’s second largest economy and among the biggest trading partners and export markets of the Philippines,” Ricafort said.

Earlier, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said the Volume of Production Index (VoPI) registered a year-on-year increment of 8.1 percent in May 2023. This rate is faster than the annual increase of 7.7 percent in the previous month. In May 2022, however, VoPI contracted by 0.6 percent.

PHL END-JUNE DEBT UP

P14.1T

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

THE Philippines’s outstanding debt as of end-June rose by 10.6 percent year-on-year to P14.15 trillion, a new record high for the country, from last year’s P12.791 trillion, according to the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr).

The outstanding debt stock was P51.31 billion higher than May’s P14.095 trillion level due to net issuance of domestic securities, the Treasury said.

On an annual basis, the latest debt figure was P1.356 trillion higher than the P12.791 trillion recorded outstanding debt by the government in June of last year, Treasury data showed.

The country’s debt has grown by P730 billion since end-December 2022 when it was estimated at P13.42 trillion.

The latest debt figure is already 96.72 percent of the anticipated P14.63-trillion outstanding debt of the national government by the end of the year.

The Treasury explained that 68.6 percent of the country’s outstanding debt were domestic borrowings while the remaining 31.4 percent were sourced externally.

The national government’s (NG) domestic debt reached P9.7 trillion at the end of the first half. The figure was 1.2 percent higher than the P9.588 trillion recorded in May and was 10.7 percent over last year’s P8.767 trillion, according to the Treasury.

“For the month, domestic debt growth amounted to P114.32 billion due to the net issuance of government bonds driven by the NG’s financing requirements.

Year-to-Date, domestic debt has an increment of P494.44 billion or 5.4 percent,” the Treasury said.

Meanwhile, the NG’s external debt rose by 10.4 percent on an annual basis to P4.445 trillion from P4.024 trillion recorded in June 2022.

However, on a monthly basis, the external debt was lower by P63 billion than the P4.508 trillion recorded in May.

“The reduction in foreign debt was driven by the impact of currency adjustments affecting both

‘QUADRUPLE WHAMMY’ TO HIT PINOYS’ GUT

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie

INDIA’S rice export ban, Vietnam’s move to halve its exports, typhoons like Egay, and the scuttling of the Ukraine grain deal are “the quadruple whammy” that will hurt the Philippines, the world’s second and sixth biggest rice and wheat

importer, said Deputy Speaker Ralph Recto on Tuesday.

Recto said the government should look into experts’ suggestions to address “the quadruple whammy.”

“Ito ang suntok sa sikmura na dapat paghandaan nating lahat.  [This is the punch in the stomach that we should all prepare for]. These developments are

the sound of empty pots clanging,” Recto said in a statement.

President Marcos’s warning that rice prices could go up is the refreshing honesty of telling the truth to the people that should spur a whole-of-nation action on how to meet the crisis ahead, he added.

DTI sets eye on finishing EU FTA negotiations before 2028

By Andrea E. San Juan @andreasanjuan

TRADE and Industry Sec -

retary Alfredo E. Pascual said the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will exert “all efforts possible” to finish the formal negotiations on the trade agreement between

the Philippines and the European Union before the end of the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

“We will really exert all efforts possible to get it done before the end of the Marcos Jr. administration,” Pascual said on the sidelines

‘CATCH TO CAN’ Employees at Mega Prime Foods Inc. in Santo Tomas, Batangas, carefully sort fresh fish at their newly opened processing plant to be canned as Mega Sardines. The plant’s inauguration coincides with the launch of the Mega Sardines Museum, aiming to attract 5,000 monthly visitors for an immersive “catch-to-can” experience. This endeavor reflects the company’s legacy of promoting food sustainability by demonstrating affordable, nutritious, and safely packaged seafood products, educating people about responsible choices in seafood consumption and environmental impact. BERNARD TESTA

T

The US Embassy complex is situated along Roxas Boulevard, fronting the Manila Bay.

“The US Embassy is in regular discussions with the government regarding ongoing reclamation projects in Manila Bay.  We have expressed concerns about the potential negative longterm and irreversible impacts to the environment, the resilience to natural hazards of Manila and nearby areas, and to commerce,” US

Embassy spokesman Kanishka Gangopadhyay said in a text

message to BusinessMirror Gangopadhyay said the Embassy is also “concerned” that the reclamation project is being financed by China Communications Construction Co.

There are 32 reclamation projects under way in Manila Bay, according to the Philippine Reclamation Authority.

One of the projects was awarded to China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd., a subsidiary of China Communications Co.

The project involves backfilling to form three

HE United States Embassy in Manila is worried over the negative environmental impact of a massive reclamation project in Manila Bay and the involvement of a Chinese stateowned construction company.artificial islands and foundation treatment.

“We are also concerned that the projects have ties to the China Communications Construction Co., which has been added to the US Department of Commerce’s Entity List for its role in helping the Chinese military construct and militarize artificial islands in the South China Sea.  The company has also been cited by the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank for engaging in fraudulent business practices,” the US Embassy spokesman said.

A ranking source from the Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed that this concern was communicated to them. However, the Embassy did not file any demarche or note verbale to this effect.

“We continue to support high-quality, sustainable, and transparent investments to benefit the Filipino people and will continue to engage with the appropriate authorities on this matter,” Gangopadhyay said.

Debt. . .

Continued from A1

USD- and third-currency equivalents leading to a decrease in the peso value of the debt, amounting to P69.98 billion and P8.28 billion, respectively,” the Treasury said.

“These more than offset the availment of foreign loans amounting to P15.25 billion,” it added.

The NG’s outstanding guaranteed obligations fell by 10.7 percent to P396.7 billion in June from P413.9 billion in the same month last year. It was also lower by 2.6 percent on a monthly basis from May’s P379.7 billion.

“For the month, the decline in guaranteed debt was attributed to the net repayment of both domestic and external guarantees amounting to P4.36 billion and P0.89 billion, respectively,” the Treasury said.

“This was further trimmed because of the effect of currency adjustments on both USD- and third currencydenominated guarantees amounting to P2.78 billion and P1.95 billion, respectively,” the Treasury added.

DTI. . .

of the media briefing for the resumption of trade negotiations on a free trade agreement between EU and the Philippines.

The Trade chief based his confidence on the fact that there had already been past negotiations between the EU and the Philippines on the trade deal.

Pascual said DTI will start with the scoping discussion sometime in September, with a target to complete this before the end of the year.

“So that the formal negotiation of the FTA could follow suit hopefully by the start of the new calendar year 2024,” Pascual told reporters on the sidelines of the official visit of European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen in Makati City.

On Monday, the EU and the Philippines announced their intention to explore the relaunch of negotiations for an ambitious, modern, and balanced free trade agreement (FTA)—with sustainability at its core, according to the EU website.

Pascual illustrated how the Philippines can benefit from a free trade agreement with the EU.

“This FTA will result in investments because,” he cited as an example, if a  manufacturing enterprise operating in Europe “can produce its products or their products here in the Philippines at a lower loss or lower production cost on export to Europe, which is enjoying preferential tariffs then that will be a big boost to their profitability.”

A trade agreement, he added, “would normally be followed by investment companies that will make full use of the preferential trade arrangements.”

Meanwhile, Pascual also divulged that under the leadership of President Marcos Jr., the interagency negotiating team will work closely with its European counterparts to ensure the success of this scoping exercise.

“Our mutual objective is to officially resume the PH-EU FTA negotiations at the most reasonable time, bolstering our economic cooperation for the benefit of our people,” Pascual said in his speech during the media briefing.

“This endeavor is not just a priority for our government but also strongly supported by the business sector. Entities such as the German Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry [GPCCI], the EU-AseanBusiness Council, and the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines [ECCP] have led the call to resume the FTA negotiations. The backing from European companies, as reflected in ECCP’s survey, further reinforces the importance of this strategic partnership,” Pascual also noted.

The expansion in the annual growth of VoPI in May 2023 was mainly contributed by the annual upturn in manufacture of electrical equipment with 53.7 percent during the period from 19.2 percent in April 2023. The manufacture of electrical equipment shared 27.3 percent to the annual acceleration of VoPI of the manufacturing sector in May 2023.

Quadruple

whammy.

Among the measures experts are suggesting is ramping up production “of rice and substitute crops” in areas like Mindanao, which are not on the usual typhoon path, Recto said.

Recto said flooding caused by typhoons Egay and Falcon would impact rice and corn supplies as the three affected regions—Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, and Central Luzon—account for 44 percent of national rice production and 79 percent of corn.

“These are agricultural powerhouses that not only serve as our grain granaries but are also major suppliers of poultry, pork, and other livestock,” he said.

However, the easy solution of importation when local production dips “is not as straightforward anymore due to convulsions in the world market.”

“It is no longer easy to order rice. The only thing other countries give up is their surplus production. They prioritize local demand. And this is where grain nationalism comes in. Because if there is no rice on the table, people will rise up in protest,” he said.

India, the number one rice exporter with a 40-percent world market share, has imposed a ban on the export of non-Basmati rice.

Ripple effect

“YOU don’t need a Nobel to sagely predict that it will have a ripple effect on all grain prices considering the big hole it will cause,” Recto said.

But what could hit us “directly and painfully,” Recto warned, is Vietnam’s decision to slash its rice exports a year to 4 million tons by 2030 from 7.1 million tons in 2022.

The Philippines, he said, sourced 2.5 million metric tons, or 85 percent, of its rice imports from Vietnam in 2021; “that’s why the painful joke is that Vietnam is said to be the biggest riceproducing province in the Philippines.”

But, Recto added, “the flipside is, can we leverage our being the No. 1 customer into a favored recipient status? Do we have that diplomatic gravitas?”

Even the failure to free embargoed Ukraine wheat, after Russia bombed grain stores in Ukraine and pulled out of a deal that would have allowed safe passage of food exports through the Black Sea, “will shrink Pinoy pan de sal sizes while boosting its price.”

“What most people don’t know is that we are not only the champion rice importer, but we are also the sixth placer in importing wheat because noodles are our national food,” Recto said.

Recto, a former director general of the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda), said the country is about 81 percent riceself-sufficient.

One “interesting data” that Recto discovered is the jump in rice utilization.

“If you look at 2022 rice utilization data, it was 135 kilos per capita for that year, up from 118 kilos per Pinoy prepandemic. What is the reason for this?” he wondered aloud.

‘Department of Rice Importation?’

MEANWHILE , Gabriela Rep. Arlene D. Brosas criticized the proposed government-togovernment importation of rice.

In a statement, Brosas highlighted the need to repeal RA 11203, or the Rice Liberalization Law, and prioritize strengthening the Philippine rice industry instead.

“While we acknowledge the need to address the current shortage of rice stocks, we believe that the solution lies in supporting our local farmers and improving our domestic rice production. The President must be reminded that he is running the Department of Agriculture and not the Department of Rice Importation,” Brosas stated.

“The increasing prices of rice and dwindling stocks are proof that the Rice Liberalization Law was never the solution in the first place as it allowed the influx of imported rice and consequently depressed the farm gate prices of palay,” she added. Brosas is the author of House Bill 405 or the Rice Industry Development Act (RIDA), which proposes a massive overhaul of the rice industry, with the government paving the way with adequate public investment, support, mechanisms, and infrastructure.

Mla Bay reclamation, role of Chinese firm, worries US

Marina vows to address safety violations, enforce regulations after boat tragedy

By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

THE Maritime Industry Authority

(Marina) assured on Tuesday that it is “actively working to address safety violations and enforce regulations” following the tragic incident involving MB Aya Express last week in Binangonan.

A ccording to Marina, investigations revealed that the boat captain involved in the tragedy did not possess a valid license, citing its own record.

“The authority is committed to taking strict actions against such safety violations,” the Marina said.

It added tha t it unearthed “challenges in securing financial assistance for the victims and survivors,” saying that the insurance provider of MB Aya Express has yet to take action on the incident.

“As of this writing, there is no showing that the insurance provider has accepted or assessed any claim or has settled reasonable claims,” Marina said.

Last week, the ill-fated vessel left Barangay Kalinawan, Talim Island in Binangonan on its way to Barangay Gulod, also Talim Island and part of Binangonan, when it capsized just 10 minutes after sailing.

The motorized banca was reportedly struck by a strong wind gust and a huge wave whipped up by typhoon “Egay,” which

forced its passengers to panic and dashed to its left side, causing the vessel to flip over.

It was also reported that MB Aya Express carried 70 passengers—almost twice its capacity of 42 passengers.

S enators over the weekend called for a committee investigation on the matter, with Senator Grace Poe saying that it has “revealed serious maritime safety compliance lapses that need to be revisited to determine whether the regulations are insufficient to provide and ensure safe voyage of individuals at sea or whether there is simply complacency in the implementation.”

T he Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has already relieved two of its personnel that were stationed in Binangonan, Rizal, pending the agency’s internal investigation.

Mean while, the Marina said it has coordinated with the Talim Island Passenger Motorboat and Patron Association, which also raised “concerns regarding the passenger rate arranged by the local government unit (LGU), stating that it falls short in covering their operational costs.”

The Marina will verify and look into said concern to ensure that despite such financial strain, passenger safety is not compromised,”

Marina said.

T he PCG earlier said that there were at least 30 passengers who died due to the incident, while 40 survived.

PAF’s ‘Black Hawk’ chopper brings relief goods to two Cagayan towns

ONE of the newly-acquired S-70i “Black Hawk” combat utility helicopters of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) was deployed to transport some 500 boxes of “family food packs” to two towns in Cagayan over the weekend.

PAF spokesperson Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo, in a statement issued late Monday, said the S-70i conducted relief operations for the municipalities of Calayan and Aparri.

“This activity is in cooperation with the Office of the Civil Defense Region 2, and Department of Social Welfare and Development Regional Office 2. A total of 500 boxes [4,250 kgs] of Family Food Packs were delivered to the communities affected by the onslaught of Supertyphoon Egay,” she added.

The Black Hawk was deployed for this mission through the Tactical Operations Group 2 of Tactical Operations Wing Northern Luzon, Castillo said.

As this developed, the National Disaster

Government tags suspended Rep. Teves Jr., 12 others as terrorists

By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573 & Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie

THE Anti-Terrorism Council has found probable cause to designate suspended Negros Oriental 3rd District Rep. Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr., his brother Pryde Henry Teves and 11 other individuals as terrorists belonging to the so-called “Teves Terrorist Group (TTG).”

A 10-page resolution signed by Executive Secretary and former Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin said the Teveses and the other members of their group violated Sections 4, 6, 10 and 12 of Republic Act 11479 or the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) of 2020.

Aside from the siblings, also declared as terrorists for being members of TTG were the lawmaker’s former bodyguard Marvin Miranda, Rogelio Antipola, Rommel, Pattaguan, Winrich Isturis, John Louie Ganyon, Dahniel Lora, Eulogio Gonyon, Tomasino Aledro, Nigel Electona, Jomarie Catubay and Hannah Mae Sumero Oray.

Not surprised

THE lawmaker’s camp, however, said the move was not a surprise anymore, and criticized the government resolution for using the ATA as a weapon against the Teveses and their coaccused.

Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) in its Tuesday bulletin said that the government has sent P153,900,517.13 worth of assistance to communities severely affected by the southwest monsoon and Egay.

Aid provided so far to Regions 1, 2, 3, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Regions 5, 6, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and Cordillera Administrative Region include family food packs, family and hygiene kits, tents, various medicines, to name a few.

In the same NDRRMC update, families affected by the southwest monsoon and Egay now totaled 668,974 families, which is equivalent to 2,452,738 persons residing in 4,164 barangays in 13 regions in the country.

Of this number, 13,718 families or 50,467 individuals are now being helped in 736 evacuation centers while another 63,086 families or 262,008 persons are being assisted outside the evacuation centers.

Rex Anthony Naval

Groups underscore WPS’s potential for food security

AFOOD security advocacy group and fisheries stakeholders cited the potential of the West Philippine Sea (WPS) as producer of the country’s food security requirements.

“I would like to emphasize the potential of the West Philippine Sea in leading the country’s food security requirements,” Norbert Chingcuanco, co-convenor of Tugon Kabuhayan and vice president for Corporate Planning of Feedmix, said in a statement.

“Besides capture fisheries, an increase in aquaculture intervention can spur further economic growth in the area,” he added.

Tugon Kabuhayan and other fisheries stakeholders also expressed their support behind the holding of the WPS national summit entitled “Tugon ng Lokal at Sambayanan: Buhay at Kabuhayan, Isang Pagsasama-sama para sa Kanlurang Dagat ng Pilipinas” to be held on August 2 to 4, 2023 in Pasay City.

“In this endeavor, all that the government needs to do is to provide the policy that will encourage aquaculture investments,” Chingcuanco said.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that from 2018 to 2022, total fisheries production in the WPS averaged 304,586 metric tons (MT), 124,000 MT of which came from Commercial Fisheries Sector and 180,000 MT from the Marine Municipal Fisheries Sector.

This is the combined production for marine capture fisheries of both municipal and commercial fisheries sectors of Regions 1, 3, National Capital Region, 4A, and MIMAROPA with provinces facing the WPS.

Furthermore, WPS production contributes an average of 7.19 percent to the total fisheries production and 10.74 percent to the total food fish production in the Philippines from 2018 to 2022, it said.

Mario Balazon, director of Taal Lake Aquaculture Alliance Inc. welcomed the

initiatives of the group to hold the timely summit.

“It’s about time that the nation works together to plan for the protection and sustainable utilization of the West Philippine Sea. The WPS should exceedingly be used by Filipinos,” he said.

For his part, Pablo Rosales of PANGISDA, a national organization of small-scale fisherfolk, lamented that for a long time the government has overlooked the fishery sector.

This initiative has long been awaited by members of our federation and we hope that this time, our government will strongly support the utilization of the fishermen fishing in the West Philippine Sea,” he said.

The fisheries industry is a major food source, data from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) showed, with a total of 178 million tons of fisheries production in 2020, 90 million tons or 51 percent from captured fish and 88 million tons or 49 percent from aquaculture.

Meanwhile, Department of the Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Juan Victor Llamas said “the national summit for WPS aims to build a national constituency composed of all agencies, sectors, groups, and organizations that have a stake in WPS that will move and act for the protection and sustainable management of WPS.”

“Specifically, at the end of the summit, participants will have a consensus on the state of the environment in WPS, agree on a common vision, and develop a plan of action for the protection of WPS,” Llamas said.

“Food security and livelihood is a vital part of the advocacy of Tugon Kabuhayan, not just for our resilient and hardworking farmers and fishermen but for all stakeholders such as the 385,300 fisherfolk in the provinces facing the West Philippine Sea,” Tugon Kabuhayan Convenor

Perez said. Sausa Raadee

with immediately tagging Mr. Teves as the mastermind thereof without investigation, conducting illegal searches on his properties, laying siege to his powers and prerogatives as a member of the House, embarking on a massive media campaign to discredit him and prejudice the minds of the public against him, among others—all in an obsessive attempt to blame him for a crime at the expense of his Constitutional rights,” he said.

“It is thus a sad day for the Rule of Law in this country and a shocking reminder that even under constitutional and republican regimes, the return to a government of men and not of laws can always ensue, especially for those targeted for destruction by the present dispensation,” Topacio said.

“This development should send shivers down the spine of every citizen, for the liberties of none are safe unless the liberties of all are protected,” he said.

Teves has been tagged as the alleged mastermind in the killing of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo and 10 others last March 4, 2023.

The DOJ has already submitted for resolution the preliminary investigation into multiple murder charges filed against him.

Pryde, on the other hand, is a known political rival of Degamo.

that the 49,953 votes obtained by Grego be credited in favor of Degamo, bringing the latter’s total votes to 331,727 and was subsequently declared as the provincial governor.

The Comelec eventually annulled Teves’ proclamation as provincial governor since his total votes of 301,000 was lower than Degamo’s votes.

The ATC resolution tagged Teves as the leader of the terrorist group that was allegedly responsible for the killing of Degamo and 10 others.

The council, on the other hand, said Pryde and Electona provided material support for the group, while Oray handled the operational funds for the alleged terrorist activities of the group.

“Whereas, based on relevant facts and pieces of evidence gathered, it was established that several killings/harassments occurred in the province of Negros Oriental with the purpose of intimidating the general public that resulted in an atmosphere of fear that affected the personal life and liberty of the residents therein...,” the resolution stated.

“The numerous killings and harassments in Negros Oriental, which culminated in the assassination of Gov. Degamo must not be taken as isolated and random incidents of violence,” it added.

ing Degamo’s assassination, various news footage showing the immediate arrest of the suspects, Senate inquiry in aid of legislation and other pieces of evidence gathered by various law enforcement agencies in declaring Teves’ group as terrorists.

‘Shocked’

INTERVIEWED over CNN Philippines, Pryde said he was “shocked” when he learned about the ATC resolution tagging him as a terrorist.

“We just celebrated my wife’s birthday, all my kids are here. I’m starting to absorb it, the effect of it not only on me but also my family. I feel sorry for my family. I’m living a private life, I’m sure this will affect me a lot,” the former Negros Oriental governor said.

He added that he and his lawyers are still studying how to appeal the ATC resolution.

Pryde reiterated that he has no involvement in the killing of Degamo and the other victims.

He also pointed out that he has already opened his bank account and his private communications for scrutiny by authorities to prove his innocence.

Atty. Ferdinand Topacio, Teves’ lawyer, said this latest act on the part of the government against his client “comes as no surprise.”

“Since day one of the Degamo killing, the government has mobilized all the resources at its disposal—starting

Prior to Degamo’s killing, Pryde lost in his petition filed before the Supreme Court seeking to reverse the September 1, 2022 ruling of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), which declared a certain Grego Ruel Degamo as a nuisance candidate in the gubernatorial race in Negros Oriental in the May 2022 elections.

As a result, the poll body ordered

The ATC said the filing of numerous charges before the courts and the DOJ against Teves and the other members of the group does not preclude the council from designating them as terrorists.

It pointed out that the designation “is executive in nature [and] that it is distinct and separate from available judicial recourse.”

The ATC took into consideration all sworn statements, CCTV footage show-

“When the issue started and after that I’m here, I didn’t run away. It’s very sad because I need to continue living. This will affect my dealings, my image, I might lose clients,” he said.

Pryde’s lawyer Raymund Fortun noted that his client was a victim of terroristic act in 2005, thus, “he would be the last person to embrace acts which almost cost him his life.”

“We will avail of all legal remedies for delisting under the Anti-Terror law. We are hopeful that the reasons we provide will be favorably considered,” he added.

598 Zambales families evacuated as ‘Falcon’ destroys ₧18.5 million worth of rice crop

By Henry Empeño

IBA, Zambales—Heavy rains spawned by typhoon “Falcon” damaged more than P18.5 million in rice crops and other agricultural products, destroyed portions of dikes and triggered landslides, and forced 598 families to evacuate their homes amid rising floodwaters in Zambales since Friday.

Governor Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. on Tuesday urged residents to be extraordinarily alert as Falcon (international code name: Khanun) was expected to further intensify, enhance the southwest monsoon or “habagat” and further bring about heavy rainfall of from 100 to 200 mm.

“Maraming tubig ito [This is a lot of rain]. Because 150 mm is about 6 inches using the rain gauge. So, even as we are ready with all the equipment for rescue and all the foodstuff for relief operations, kailangan pa ring mag-ingat ang lahat [Everybody still needs to keep safe],” Ebdane pointed out.

As Falcon pummeled Western Luzon over the weekend, the governor went around the province to assess the condition of crucial infrastructure like dikes and bridges, and instructed the various provincial government offices to maintain services to residents even during bad weather conditions.

“Everything’s under control, as it is

right now, because we have prepared for all contingencies as early as when typhoon ‘Egay’ [Doksuri] began causing flooding in several areas,” Ebdane said on Tuesday.

He also noted that strong river current has damaged parts of protective dikes in the municipalities of San Felipe, Cabangan and San Narciso, minor landslides in Masinloc and Subic, damaged roads in San Marcelino, as well as a bridge and spillway in San Antonio.

But he assured the public that these will be repaired within just a few days. “Right

now, some of the damaged infra are already being repaired,” Ebdane said.

Residents in flooded areas, however, remain in evacuation centers in 33 barangays in the province as of Tuesday.

The Zambales Provincial Disaster RiskReduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) said that 78 barangays in the 13 towns of Zambales were impacted by the typhoon, with 3,390 families and 10,544 persons adversely affected.

Floods also resulted in the pre-emptive evacuation of residents in 33 barangays, with

Visayas Reds sustain major losses to AFP

THE Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Visayas Command (VISCOM) announced that Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPPNPA) rebels took another heavy defeat after 25 of its members were neutralized last July.

This success was the result of “focused military operations” and “localized peace engagements,” which continue to gain ground versus the CPP-NPA and its allies, VISCOM public information office chief Lt. Col. Israel O. Galorio said in a statement sent to reporters Tuesday.

Aside from this, 38 assorted firearms were captured by VISCOM units during engagements with the communist insurgents last month. Eight of 25 NPAs reported neutralized died during encounters with VISCOM forces

while the remaining 17 “returned to the folds of the law.”

And of the 38 firearms seized, 22 were classified as high-powered with the 16 remaining considered as low power weapons.

“Our focused military operations and localized peace engagements will always remain as the bread and butter of our campaign in defeating the CPP-NPA in the Visayas region. For these will significantly degrade both their manpower and armed capability, which will eventually lead to the fall of the terrorist group,”VISCOM commander Lt. Gen. Benedict M. Arevalo said.

It can be recalled that on July 16, members of the 42nd Infantry Battalion delivered a huge blow against the CPPNPA as their incessant localized peace

engagement resulted to the recovery of an arms cache, containing four M-16 rifles; five M-14 rifles; one M-79 grenade launcher; one shotgun; three anti-personnel mines; and several other war materials in Barangay Boco, Can-avid, Eastern Samar.

This was followed with another stinging blow on July 22, as two NPA leaders were neutralized and three high-powered firearms were recovered by the members of the 4th Scout Ranger Battalion and 19th Infantry Battalion in an encounter in Barangay Cagbigajo, Pambuhan, Northern Samar.

The most recent setback of the terrorist group occurred in Western Visayas on July 29, as two NPA terrorists and four firearms were seized by the members of the 61st Infantry Battalion following an encounter with the terrorist group in Barangay

542 families or 1,908 persons temporarily staying in evacuation centers and 56 families or 399 persons sheltering outside the centers, the PDRRMC said.

Meanwhile, about 200 workers of Santa Cruz Solar Energy Inc., a firm putting up a 283-megawatt solar plant in San Marcelino town, had been evacuated to the town’s covered court because of heavy rains.

Zambales PDRRMO head Rolex Estella, however, noted that some of the evacuees have returned home, pointing out that from 609 families at 2:00 pm on Monday, the number dwindled to 583 that same night and to 542 on Tuesday morning.

Estella added that while Gov. Ebdane has not declared a state of calamity over the province, the provincial government already suspended classes in all school levels and work in both public and private offices.

It has also activated the provincial Emergency Operations Center, coordinated with various agencies concerned with public health and safety, brought Water Search and Rescue (WASAR) teams on standby, provided sand bags to Botolan and San Marcelino towns, and distributed relief food packs to affected and evacuated families. Ebdane’s office and the PDRRMO also continue to monitor the situation closely, Estella added.

Ayabang, Leon, Iloilo.

“The losses suffered by the CPP-NPA in the Visayas region have caused irreparable damages to the terrorist group. The continued support of our people coupled with the active collaboration of our local government units and the different government agencies through the Task Force ELCAC, have kept us highly motivated and placed us in a better position to end the local communist armed conflict in the region,” Arevalo said.

He also urged CPP-NPA remnants in the Visayas to lay down their arms and return to the folds of the law.

“We know that you are tired and weary. Lay down your arms now and embrace our government’s call for you to return to the folds of the law. We assure you of our support and ensure that you will live a peaceful and progressive lives with your families,” Arevalo pointed out. Rex Anthony Naval

Congress pressed to allot ample budget for WASH

WITH millions of families still without access to clean water and practicing open defecation, Social Watch Philippines (SWP) said Congress should ensure the 2024 national budget has ample allocation for water, sanitation, and hygiene next year.

In a news statement, SWP said 11 million Filipino families still do not have access to clean water and 905,000 families still practice open defecation due to lack of access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities.

It added that the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) revealed that the 11 million families still relied on “unprotected” deep wells, springs, rivers, lakes, and rainwater.

“There is a water-crisis as far as the poor and socially excluded groups are concerned. The Philippines is an archipelagic country. There is so much water and yet many still do not have access to satisfy their basic WASH needs. Equitable access to WASH facilities needs to be ensured,” SWP Co-Convenor Ma.

Victoria Raquiza said.

SWP urged the House of Representatives to support an equitable WASH budget during the budget hearings. The group reiterated its proposed package of WASH policies and budget measures amounting to P6.3 billion.

The budget proposal, the group said, is an investment in strengthening the capacity of the government to have a WASH system that consists of human resource, infrastructure, service delivery, and public financing.

It particularly covers projects by four key national government agencies that cater to poor communities, namely, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Health, Department of Education, and the Local Water Utilities Administration.

SWP said affordability is seen as a big factor

in ensuring that majority of families still do not have access to piped water in their homes.

Local government-run and private water utilities require houses to pay about P4,000-P7,000 to be connected. This may still go up depending on the location of the house.

“Water providers from the private sector, while they often provide good quality service, may not always be affordable for more economically disadvantaged groups. The government needs to step in and undertake their developmental duty to enhance the welfare, well-being and dignity of these groups,”

Raquiza said.

Last year, the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) said investments needed by the Philippines to attain the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 on water and sanitation may already exceed P100 billion a year.

Neda OIC Undersecretary Roderick M. Planta told the B usiness M irror that the P100 billion budget was estimated using 2015 data. This, he said, needs to be adjusted for population and urbanization estimates.

Planta also warned that the costs may continue to increase if the government does not make the necessary investments in water and sanitation annually.

Planta said the Philippine Water Supply and Sanitation Master Plan (PWSSMP) estimate was to have an indicative investment requirement of P1.1 trillion between 2019 and 2030. This translates to about P100 billion annually.

Annually, Planta earlier said, the government is only able to invest P5 billion annually for water and sanitation. This means the funding gap is about P95 billion every year. Cai U. Ordinario

1st in PHL: Floating solar energy project in Laguna de Bay gets DENR’s chief okay

By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga

THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has put in place “stringent” rules for the issuance of environmental compliance certificates (ECC) under the Philippine Environmental Impact Statement System (PEISS) for floating photovoltaic (FPV) plants in Laguna de Bay.

DENR Undersecretary for Policy, Planning, and International Affairs Jonas R. Leones confirmed that the much-awaited guidelines for floating solar projects in Laguna de Bay were finally signed by DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga.

“We already have guidelines for the floating solar. It is already signed and it is up for publication,” Leones said.

Leones, who also acts as spokesman of the DENR chief said, said the guidelines would make sure that the implications of floating solar projects would be thoroughly studied, and was a result of the collaborative effort of the DENR and the Department of Energy (DOE), which approves energy generation projects.

“There must be studies and baseline data,” he said.

T he department administrative order (DAO) was handed down six months after Yulo-Loyzaga issued an order in January this year halting the acceptance and processing of ECC applications for floating solar and

offshore wind energy projects, and to put in place a robust regulatory framework to address potential social, economic, and environmental impacts of such projects in Laguna de Bay.

A separate DAO putting in place the guideline for offshore wind energy projects is still being reviewed by the Department of Energy (DOE), Leones said.

One of the major considerations in coming up with the guidelines for floating solar projects is to ensure the protection and conservation of the lake’s biodiversity, and the lake as an ecosystem, Leones added. He said the implications of putting solar panels on the surface of the lake for fisheries, navigation, and other uses, including water for irrigation and drinking, would be thoroughly researched.

“The lake has many uses—we have fish pens, and Maynilad and Manila Water also draw water from the lake,” Leones noted.

DENR Undersecretary for Finance, Information System and Climate Change Analiza R. Teh, said while the government promotes the shift to renewable energy (RE) harnessing natural resources such as wind, hydro, ocean current, and solar, it is imperative that economic, social, and environmental safety measures are also put in place.

“The guidelines we have developed are very thorough. We have put in place rules, to be followed in developing floating solar projects,” she explained.

Villafuerte seeks to scrutinize coconut industry budgetary outlay in ’24 NEP

WITH the expected transmittal of the 2024 national expenditure program (NEP) to the House today, a senior lawmaker is calling for a scrutiny of the budgetary outlays for the coconut industry with the end in view of restoring the country as a top coconut exporter.

Camarines Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte issued the statement amid the coconut industry’s shrinking output, softening global prices, and increasingly extensive damages wrought by pests and climate change.

“An overwhelming majority of our 2.5 million coconut farmers are already living below the poverty threshold, and many more will join them there in the years ahead without any hope of salvation unless we in Congress ensure ample funds for intervention programs to reverse in the long term the economic slump hounding this once sunrise industry,” Villafuerte said.

“Hence, sustained higher public spending is crucial to finally lift coconut farmers from poverty and revitalize this industry to achieve its true export potentials through such intervention programs as a massive replanting program using high-yielding varieties and modern farming technologies, provision of access to processing facilities and marketing outlets for exports of value-added products, and farmers’ income augmentation

via multi-cropping and animal-raising in their lands,” he said.

First on this must-do list, Villafuerte said, is for the government to set aside sufficient funds for an intensive replanting program to replace standing trees, millions of which are already old or senile, below the prime of their productivity, and producing fewer and fewer nuts over the years.

“These farmers cannot rely on coconut production alone to make both ends meet and will have to be assisted by the government with more and better programs that will let them use the wide spaces between their coconut trees for planting other crops and raising animals to generate supplemental income,” he said.

Also, there should be an aggressive government effort to help them process and improve their products, the lawmaker said, “so our farmers can cash in on the ever-growing global trend toward a healthy or ‘green’ lifestyle by way of an aggressive promotion and marketing strategy, with a focus on the medicinal, nutritional, and therapeutic value of our processed coconut products.”

Villafuerte added that this can be achieved through more and better intervention programs designed to facilitate the processing of coconuts into value-added products like virgin coconut oil (VCO), upgrading the quality

of such healthier products to world-class standards, and promoting and selling them in overseas markets.

Villafuerte said the Congress and the Executive department need to exert joint efforts in lifting coconut farmers, who make up a sizable part of the farm population, out of poverty, given President Marcos’ goal, as stated in his second State of the Nation Address (SONA), to uplift the plight of every Filipino.

Villafuerte said that in CamSur, for instance, investors are most welcome to partner with local entrepreneurs in the processing and export of high-value coconut products.

During a presidential visit to the province last March, the former governor recalled that President Marcos visited CamSur’s P230 million Sustainable Agriculture and Fishery Enterprises (SAFE) Innovation Hub for the processing and marketing of value-added coconut products for export.

According to separate data from different official sources—the Department of Agriculture (DA) and its attached Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA); the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Research and Development (PCAARRD); and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the total area planted to coconut trees is 3.7 million hectares (ha), covering 69 of

the country’s 82 provinces and giving the Philippines the distinction of having the world’s largest area devoted to this crop, said Villafuerte.

He added that this total land area, representing a fourth of all our country’s arable lands, is planted with 347 million fruit-bearing coconut trees tilled by 2.5 million farmers as of 2019—of whom 49 percent own their lots and 51 percent are landless tenants—and with a combined production of 14.5 million metric tons (MMT) of nuts.

About 75 percent of our coconut farmers till 2 hectares each or below; 98 percent of our farms are planted to native tall trees with 10 percent senility; and 50 percent of coconut areas are rainfed, without fertilizers, and without pest disease monitoring and control efforts.

Our top coconut-producing areas include the Davao region, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, and the subregion of Calabarzon (Cavite-Laguna-Batangas-RizalQuezon).

As of 2019, about 90 percent of coconut farmers live below the annual poverty threshold of P125,775; a majority of these tillers listed in the National Coconut Farmers Registry are food insecure and without social protection.

Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

The guidelines, which are contained in DENR Administrative Order No. 202308 signed on July 17 aim to ensure that “FPV development adheres to the highest standards.”

The guidelines promote the efficient use of available water resources in Laguna de Bay while maximizing clean energy generation.

With the guidelines in place, the cumulative assessment impact of all development projects within the lake would be assessed.

It also aims to foster collaboration among stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of FPVs and promotes comprehensive water use planning with robust national assessment on the carrying capacity of the lake.

More importantly, the guidelines support continuous research and innovation to improve the environmental performance and resilience of FPV plants in the face of climate change and other challenges.

The order also covers FPV projects with ECCs issued prior to the signing of the guidelines, FPV projects within the initial pre-determined area of not more than 2,000 hectares within Laguna de Bay allocated for Renewable Energy Utilization as indicated in Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) Memorandum Circular No. 2022-02.

All other projects shall be subject to appropriate guidelines to be issued, which shall consider emerging technologies that may evolve and other considerations based on

THE Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Plant Industry (DA-BPI) and Nestlé Philippines, through the Maggi Sarap Sustansya Advocacy, announced a collaboration that will advance efforts to promote urban agriculture to help Filipino communities achieve food selfsufficiency, while improving their access to and consumption of more plant-based food.

Through a memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed earlier this year, the three-year partnership will enable DA-BPI and Maggi to jointly conduct skills-building activities that demonstrate sustainable ways of growing vegetables in the home, or underutilized areas of communities, schools and other urban spaces, Maggi said in a statement on Tuesday.

Through this partnership, Director Glenn Panganiban of DA-BPI, said “we can teach more Filipinos to grow their own food by providing proper mentoring and assistance, as well as other forms of support from the government and private partners like Maggi.”

Magg said it would be responsible for creating programs to engage with communities, which include on-ground and online workshops featuring expert agriculturists from DA-BPI who will teach science-based methods of vegetable crop production in limited spaces.

Mean while, the Maggi culinary team will coach participants on how to use their vegetable harvest in making “Sarap Sustansya” dishes that are “delicious, nutritious, budget-friendly.”

For Nestlé’s part, Joey Uy, Corporate Affairs Head of Nestlé Philippines said it believes that “food security is key to the health of all, and

experience from the implementation of FPVs with ECCs prior to floating solar guidelines and LLDA Memorandum Circular No. 2022-02. Specifically crafted for the Laguna de Bay, the guidelines are the first for RE projects that would harness the power of the sun to generate electricity.

Laguna de Bay, which has a catchment area of 90,000 hectares, presents a unique opportunity for the implementation of FPV due to its geographical location and the increasing demand for power and electricity in the region.

Unlike most solar farms that were built on land, however, FPV plants this time would be constructed atop a vast body of water.

Laguna de Bay, the country’s largest freshwater lake, is one of the most economically important and productive lakes in the country. It has multiple uses and ecosystem services.

Aside from being one of the largest aquaculture hubs in the country where bangus and tilapia are cultured, Laguna de Bay is also a fishing ground for small fisherfolk. It is also used for transportation using motorized bancas and its water is used for irrigation. The private water concessionaires of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS)-Maynilad Water Services Inc. and Manila Water Company also extract raw water from the lake to augment the supply coming from Angat Dam for their respective water customers.

that there’s no better way to build a strong nation than by ensuring that healthy food is accessible to everyone.”

Under the agreement, MAGGI will produce and distribute learning materials on vegetable production and affordable plant-based recipes, as well as starter kits that contain planting essentials, such as seed trays or basic implements; along with compost and various vegetable seeds produced by DA-BPI.

Mean while, Maggi said a “significant” part of the partnership is the relocation of the Maggi Sarap Sustansya Garden to the DA-BPI center of excellence in Los Baños.

With the garden now fully established, it will serve as a demo farm and learning facility to share best practices in vegetable production, particularly for entrepreneurial individuals and communities who are interested in generating income from growing and selling their produce,” Maggi said.

Moreover, Maggi said opportunities to replicate the Maggi Sarap Sustansya garden in the different satellite offices of the DA-BPI nationwide are being “explored” to serve as a venue for gardening, agripreneurship and cooking workshops for communities surrounding the satellite offices.

The 2023 Maggi Sarap Sustansya Advocacy kicked off this July, as part of the brand’s celebration of Nutrition Month. “The advocacy emphasized the accessibility of good nutrition, beginning with the Nestlé Kasambuhay for Good Festival at the Quezon City Memorial Circle where DA-BPI conducted an urban gardening lecture and Maggi held a live cooking demo,” the Maggi statement added. Andrea E. San Juan

Advocacy program pushes crop farming in urban communities

Japanese parliamentarian seeks stronger Manila and Tokyo defense, economic ties

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

ARANKING Japanese lawmaker sought stronger defense partnership with the Philippines during a

meeting with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Tuesday.

Tariffs from H1 rice imports up, but timing costly to govt

Continued from A16

This is significant since rice is the country’s staple and the Philippines is one of the largest importers of rice in the world.

Efforts to wean the country away from its dependence on rice imports, Lanzona said, requires greater market participation by Filipino farmers.

L anzona said he is not pertaining to Kadiwa in these terms but to the available opportunities presented by digital technology to allow farmers to reach more buyers without the help of middle men.

The only way is to put resources into the hands of farmers and to create a distribution system that allows farmers to transact directly with the consumers. Keeping middle men away from the product can reduce transaction costs. The more hands that touch the product before it reaches the consumers, the greater is the cost,” Lanzona said.

I am not talking about Kadiwa. I am talking about reviving the pre-pandemic market of small retailers and allowing greater empowerment of farmers to market their product. This is now feasible given the digital technology if we have the creativity to harness its potential,” he stressed.

Earlier, National Statistician Claire Dennis S. Mapa said rice prices have been climbing since January 2023.

Rice inflation reached 2.7 percent in January 2023; 2.2 percent in February; 2.6 percent in March; 2.9 percent in April; 3.4 percent in May; and 3.6 percent in June.

Mapa also said all rice categories, regularand well-milled as well as special rice prices in June 2023, all increased. Rice, the country’s food staple, is a water-loving crop.

Rice has a weight of 8.87 percent of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) of the All Households and 17.87 percent weight in the CPI of the Bottom 30 percent of Households.

1.3-MMT RICE IMPORTS PUSHING THROUGH–DA

Continued from A16

He said the incentive will be in the form of seeds, fertilizers, machinery, and drying fee.

NFA can provide an additional incentive of about 250 pesos for the drying. So, buying price could range from 21 to 22 [per kilogram] especially for the upcoming harvest for the wet season,” De Mesa said.

Global situation

DA wants to ramp up the country’s supply and other food commodities as it monitors three global events, which could affect the country’s international food supply and prices.

These factors include the withdrawal of Russia in the Black Sea Grain Initiative; India’s ban on non-bashmati white rice exports, and El Niño.

She said Black Sea Grain issue may affect the price of fertilizers, which is one of the main input expenses by local farmers.

Meanwhile, the ban by India can indirectly affect the country through the response of other rice exporters like Vietnam and Thailand.  Marcos and DA are also wary of the negative impact of severe and strong El Niño on agriculture, particularly on rice and corn production.

“So we have a schedule where we will get the [food production]; where we will buy locally and when we will import,” Marcos said in Filipino.

Japan-Philippines Parliamentarians Friendship League (JPPFL) chairman Moriyama Hiroshi said the Japanese government is impressed with country’s performance in its joint military training exercises with other countries in the past months.

T his includes maritime exercises held by the United States, Japan and the Philippines in the South China Sea last June.

We’d also like to see govern-

ment-to-government [G2G] cooperation on strengthening the defense industry, which is a priority. That’s why regarding the OSA, Official Security Assistance, the Philippines is one of the first candidate countries for OSA,” Hiroshi said.

F or his part, the President welcomed the existing support provided by Japan to the country through defense and security arrangements.

The support that we are receiv -

ing from Japan in this regard, in terms of our equipment, in terms of our interoperability operations, are valuable, I think, for both our countries and I believe that we should strengthen that.  We should continue that and continue to be in partnership as we face the different, volatile situations that we have in our region,” Marcos said.

T he Chief Executive said the country’s trilateral agreement with US and Japan helps ensure

its territorial rights and sovereignty as well as the safety of its shipping lanes.

H e also thanked the JPPFL official for Japan’s technology transfer in agriculture, which helped Filipino farmers, and financial support for the country’s infrastructure projects.

T he JPPFL is a parliamentary friendship association composed of members of the Japanese Diet across party lines.

CONWEP touts economic ‘windfall’ from PHL, EU FTA implementation

THE garments sector will benefit from the implementation of the free trade agreement (FTA) between the Philippines and the European Union (EU), such as being able to employ about 120,000 to 250,000 new jobs within two years of the implementation of the trade deal,  the Confederation of Wearable Exporters of the Philippines (CONWEP) said.

We can employ about 120,000 to 250,000 new jobs. So if I’m 286,000 now, I can go back to half a million jobs, like in the old times,” CONWEP Executive Director Maritess Jocson-Agoncillo said at a media briefing regarding the

resumption of the PhilippinesEuropean Union (EU) free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations.

Jocson-Agoncillo emphasized that being a labor-intensive industry, the garments sector can train workers even if students are still in high school level.

“ Pwede sila ma absorb ng factory because I have a very labor intensive industry. Saan ko sila ilalagay ? Girls are on machines, pwede sila ’yung sewing babae normally ang machines but ang mga lalaki meron laundry at ironing so it cuts across kaya sometimes our factories are your whole family,” the CONWEP official said.

For his part, Trade and Industry Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual underscored during the same briefing how the trade deal between the Philippines and EU will benefit the ordinary Filipinos.

Increases in exports by Philippine companies means expansion of production capacity and to expand capacity, you need to create jobs so that’s one benefit for ordinary Filipinos,” Pascual said, adding that even Filipinos who are not exporters will be provided new jobs.

Once the said trade deal is implemented, Trade Undersecretary Ceferino S. Rodolfo said the garments sector is among the local sectors that

will benefit from the FTA.  “ The average tariff for wearables is 12 percent. So medyo mataas. That’s why we foresee that under an FTA, with a more liberalized rules of origin, one of the sectors which will have a surge... primary sector would be garments and wearables,” Rodolfo said.

Jocson-Agoncillo explained, “So if an FTA happens and the market issue for some restrictive manufacturing sectors, like our end, which is still under a GSP and the Rules of Origin coverage, we can immediately see that’s a 12 percent advantage.”

Fu rther, she explained, “Because at the moment even if there

is a GSP if I produce the goods, my jacket here, I’m still not entitled to a straight 12 percent. So the surge will be coming from us from the industry.”

M eanwhile, the CONWEP official revealed, “We’re seeing about $600 million worth of exports in the first two to three years of the negotiation and then it can go, it can push to $800 to $1 billion performance in the first two years of actual implementation.”

Jocson-Agoncillo emphasized that there could be “movement” already even at the start of the formal negotiations for the FTA.

Andrea E. San Juan

Japan firms keen on expanding Philippine business operations

By Andrea E. San Juan @andreasanjuan

A GOVERNMENT investment mission to Japan resulted in new and expansion project applications, particularly in the areas of home building, chemical, rare earth magnets, among others, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) reported on Tuesday.

According to PEZA Director General Tereso O. Panga, PEZA received interest both from Japanese big-ticket investors and small and micro enterprises (SMEs).

“ Most noteworthy would be the commitment of Ichijo Corporation to finalize its expansion plans in 2024, along with possible expansion plans of the ShinEtsu Corporation, OB Kogyo, Ltd., and NEC Networks & System Integration Corporation,” Panga said in a news statement issued on Tuesday.

Panga said Ichijo Corporation plans to increase its annual housing delivery capacity from 15,000 units to 20,000 units in 2024. The PEZA chief said Ichijo is poised to contribute

significantly to local employment with an estimated additional 3,000 to 4,000 jobs to its current 23,000-manpower complement.

OB Kogyo,Ltd., a die and mold company, also expressed its interest to “reinvest” $3 million in their Philippine plant over the next three years to bolster local manufacturing capabilities.

Meanwhile, PEZA said ShinEtsu Corporation, one of the global industry leaders in the production and research of high-performance rare earth magnets, informed the investment promotion agency of its possible expansion plans which are dependent on the growth of the global electronic vehicle (EV) sector.

A side from the investment pledges garnered during the outbound mission to Japan held last July 16 to 22, 2023, PEZA said it has also approved last January and February three big-ticket Japanese investments for this year.

Th ese three big-ticket investments are Green Energy with Torrefaction Technology Inc., Asian Transmission Corporation, and Pricon Microelectronics Inc. PEZA noted that

DA gets 4,000 MT sugar from BOC

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) has formally received 4,000 metric tons (MT) of white refined sugar from the Bureau of Customs (BOC) to be sold at various Kadiwa stores on Tuesday.

The BOC donated 4,000 MT (80,000 bags) of forfeited Thailand White Sugar to the DA.

T he sugar, which was shipped from Thailand and later rendered as forfeited by the Port of Batangas in April, was cleared for donation and consumption based on the guidelines specified in the DA-Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) Memorandum Circular 4, series of 2022-2023 as

Continued from A16

Likewise, he noted the development of the Nationally Determined 2030 Targets for the SDGs to create a supporting accountability mechanism and monitor the country’s progress in achieving the SDGs.

Only 1 SDG

LAST year, in a forum of the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines (EJAP) and the Aboitiz Group of Companies, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said the country is on track to meet only one SDG.

PSA Chief Statistical Specialist Bernadette B. Balamban said the country was on track to meet Goal 14 on Life Below Water. Based on the 247 indicators that the country is

well as the Republic Act (RA) 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.

T he donation is in compliance to address the rising prices of basic commodities—particularly sugar—and achieve national food security.

A s per the latest Supply and Demand Situation of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), the current sugar supply is more than enough to sustain existing demand.

T he report noted a physical stock of 262,328.30 metric tons (MT) raw sugar, 448,106.45 MT refined sugar, and 148,264.29 MT molasses as of July 16. Raadee S. Sausa

monitoring locally, this goal only has one indicator.

However, the country is also on track to attain another indicator under Goal 17 on Partnerships but this is not enough to make the country on track to meet the entire SDG 17.

In order to track the country’s SDG progress, the PSA used the Current Status Index to determine how much progress the Philippines made since 2000 when it first signed the Millennium Declaration. Balamban said the index measures progress at the goal level and requires two data points since 2000 and the 2030 numerical target.

The index is represented by a bar with the length indicating the progress of the country since 2000. If the bar reaches or crosses the 2022 mark in the bar, the country has made the expected progress on the goal.

collectively, these three investments bring in P20.591 billion worth of investments, which is seen to employ 1,973 direct workers.

PEZA added the Philippine-Japan Investment Fora in Osaka and Tokyo was co-organized with the Aboitiz InfraCapital (AIC) Economic Estates and the Philippine Trade and Investment Centers in Osaka and Tokyo, Japan.

Th is investment mission, PEZA noted, offered the prospects of investing in the Philippines to several sectors such as manufac-

turing, IT and Business Process Management (IT-BPM), agro-processing, and the academe. A ccording to PEZA, Japan remains to be one of the Philippines’s “largest and longesttenured investment partners.”

I n fact, Panga said, “To date, 881 Japanese companies are registered with PEZA, bringing in P766.550 billion worth of investments in the country, with exports of $5.362 billion and generating up to 340,601 direct jobs for Filipinos.”

PHL committed to meet SDGs despite global challenges

Kawit, Cavite

30 MOA CLOUDZONE CORP.

Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

- Php59,999

31 NEWLY EVER RISE ELECTRONICS-PHILIPPINE BRANCH

Block 4, Lot 4, Phase 2, Cavite Economic Zone, Tejeros Convention, Rosario, Cavite

32 SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC.

4th-12th Floors, Southwoods Mall Tower 2, Halang Street, San Francisco, City of Biñan, Laguna

GUO, ZHIHUI

Production Manager

Brief Job Description: Over-all in charge in production operation and management

Basic Qualification: Must be fluent in Chinese and English language and with transformer manufacturing knowledge

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

33 STAR SOUND ELECTRONICS PHILS., INC.

Block 15, Lot 12, Phase 3, Cavite

Economic Zone, Tejeros Convention, Rosario, Cavite

34 STAR SOUND ELECTRONICS PHILS., INC.

Block 15, Lot 12, Phase 3, Cavite Economic Zone, Tejeros Convention, Rosario, Cavite

XU, XIANYAO

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Field incoming help request from end-users from the People’s Republic of China via booth, telephone and work order in courteous manner

SONG, YOUNG KOO

President/Chairman

Brief Job Description: Check and oversee overall activities of the company

CHOI, EUN SEOK

Treasurer / Operations Manager

Brief Job Description:

Lead and guide production, maintain everyday operations of the company

Basic Qualification: Must be able to fluently speak, write and read Mandarin and other local dialects spoken in other parts of China like Cantonese and Fukien

Salary Range:

Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification: College graduate with relevant experience

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification: College graduate with relevant experience

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

Any person in the Philippines who is competent, able and willing to perform the services for which the foreign national is desired may file an objection at DOLE Regional Office IV-A located at 3rd and 4th Floors, Andenson Building II, Parian, Calamba City, Laguna, within 30 days after this publication.

Please inform DOLE Regional Office IV-A if you have any information on criminal offense committed by the foreign nationals.

23.

large and complex projects.

Basic Qualification: Must have a bachelor’s degree in relevant fields from a recognized accredited program. Master’s degree in relevant fields or local equivalent preferred.12 plus years of experience with at least 5 years in power generating plant or related industries. With advanced communication, interpersonal, computer and planning skills.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

ZHANG, XIAOLONG Project Field Technical Manager

Brief Job Description: Responsible for the coordination and supervision with the subcontractors of the corporation and for providing the direction information of the project in line with the contract specifications of its clients. To interpret technical requirements and provide solutions and expert analysis. To handle the administration and negotiation of subcontractor contracts, and provide direction as to commercial matters.

Basic Qualification: Must have a bachelor’s degree in relevant fields with at least 15 years of extensive experience including at least 3 years of international experience as a field technical manager or similar roles on medium to large size power plant projects under a construction management role. Having master’s degree or local equivalent in engineering or construction management is an advantage. Experience with power plant projects, lng, and renewable energy domains will be highly preferred.

The World Russia accuses Ukraine of drone attack that hit Moscow for 2nd time in 3 days

By Dasha Litvinova The Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia—Russian authorities early Tuesday accused Kyiv of yet another attack on Moscow and its surroundings with drones, one of which hit a building in the capital that was damaged by a drone just days ago in a similar attack early Sunday.

Russian officials have claimed that the intensified attacks on the capital region reflect failures in Ukraine’s counteroffensive, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said over the weekend that “the war is gradually coming back to Russian territory,” but stopped short of taking responsibility of the attacks.

The repeated drone strikes underscore Moscow’s vulnerability as

Russia’s war in Ukraine drags into its 18th month.

The Russian Defense Ministry said in the early hours of Tuesday that it shot down two Ukrainian drones outside Moscow and jammed another, sending it crashing into a skyscraper in the Moscow City business district and damaging the building’s facade.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the drone crashed into the same building that was damaged in a similar attack early Sunday. IQ-Quarter, located 7.2 kms (4.5 miles) from the Kremlin, houses a number of government agencies, including the headquarters of the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Digital Development and Communications, and the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Aung San Suu Kyi has some prison sentences reduced by military junta

BANGKOK—Myanmar’s military-led government has reduced the prison sentences of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a clemency connected to a religious holiday in the Buddhist-majority country, state media said Tuesday.

Former President Win Myint also had his sentence reduced as part of the clemency granted to more than 7,000 prisoners.

But Suu Kyi, 78, still must serve a total of 27 years out of the 33 she was originally imprisoned for.

The head of Myanmar’s military council, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, granted the clemency order to reduce the sentences in five cases against Suu Kyi in which she was convicted for violating coronavirus restrictions, illegally importing and possessing walkietalkies and sedition, according to a report on state MRTV.

She was initially sentenced for 19 offenses that her supporters and rights group say were attempts to discredit her and legitimize the 2021 army takeover while preventing her return to politics.

The clemency was announced a day after Myanmar’s military extended the state of emergency it imposed when it seized power from Suu Kyi’s elected government 2 1/2 years ago, forcing a further delay in elections it promised when it took over.

Several of Suu Kyi’s cases are awaiting final appeals.

Min Aung Hlaing pardoned a total of 7,749 prisoners and commuted the death sentences of others to commemorate the day the Buddha gave his first sermon, the MRTV report said.

The army leader also granted amnesty to 125 foreign prisoners and 22 members of ethnic armed groups, it added. The

announcement said he dropped cases against 72 people connected to ethnic armed groups.

It wasn’t immediately clear if any of the released prisoners included the thousands of political detainees locked up for opposing army rule.

According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a rights monitoring organization, 24,123 people have been arrested in Myanmar since the army takeover.

Security forces have killed at least 3,857 civilians in the same period, the group says.

MRTV said it was necessary to extend the state of emergency for another six months because there is still a lot of work to be done to return the country to normalcy and time is needed to prepare for an election.

The United Nations on Monday called on Myanmar to return to democratic rule.

The clemency also came three weeks after Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai met Suu Kyi in prison, becoming the first foreign visitor to be granted access to her since she was detained. Don told journalists she was in good health and conveyed her willingness to engage in talks to resolve the crisis gripping her strife-torn nation.

Suu Kyi has been unable to give her version of the July 9 meeting, said to have lasted about an hour-and-a-half. Myanmar’s military confirmed the meeting had been held, but said it had no details because its was one-on-one between the ousted leader and the Thai diplomat.

Don revealed the event when he was attending a meeting in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. ASEAN has been seeking to mediate an end to the violent conflict in Myanmar, which some members believe destabilizes the region.

Pope Francis adds an overnight visit to France to his busy travel schedule

By Frances D’emilio

The Associated Press

ROME—Pope Francis will make a twoday trip to Marseille, France, in late September, adding to a flurry of trips the 86-year-old pontiff will soon be making only weeks after leaving hospital following abdominal surgery.

Early this year, Francis had said that he would go to the port city to participate in a meeting of Mediterranean-area Catholic bishops, but until the Vatican released his schedule on Saturday for the September 22-23 pilgrimage, it wasn’t clear how long he would stay.

On his second day in Marseille, Francis will meet with the bishops and in late afternoon preside at Mass in the city’s soccer stadium.

Francis heads on Aug. 2 to Lisbon, Portugal, on a five-day trip centered around a Catholic youth jamboree. While in Portugal, he’ll make

Sobyanin said the Tuesday attack didn’t result in any casualties. It wasn’t clear why the same

building was hit twice in a row. In both incidents, the Russian military said the drones that hit the

skyscraper were jammed before crashing.

Sobyanin said the drone that struck the building Tuesday hit the 21st floor, one of the floors housing the Economic Development ministry. Photos from the site of the crash showed several panels of glass missing, exposing charred insides of the building, and about a dozen more damaged. According to the mayor, 150 square meters of the building’s glass facade was damaged.

Zelenskyy’s advisor Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted that Moscow “is rapidly getting used to a full-fledged war, which, in turn, will soon move to the territory of the ‘authors of the war’ to collect all their debts,” without confirming or denying Kyiv’s involvement in the attack.

The Russian military also said that Kyiv’s forces tried to attack

two of its warships in the Black Sea overnight, using maritime drones. Three drones targeted two patrol vessels, Sergei Kotov and Vasily Bykov, 340 kilometers southwest of the Russian-controlled city of Sevastopol on the annexed Crimean peninsula, the Defense Ministry reported. All three drones were destroyed, the report said.

The attacks on Moscow and Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014, follow a deadly Russian missile strike on Kryvyi Rih, a city in central Ukraine and Zelenskyy’s hometown. Monday’s strike partially destroyed a residential building and killed at least six people, wounding dozens more.

T he Associated Press writer Hanna Arhirova contributed from Kyiv, Ukraine.

11 dead and 27 missing in flooding around Beijing after days of rain–Chinese media

BEIJING—Chinese state media report 11 people have died and 27 are missing amid flooding in the mountains surrounding the capital Beijing.

Days of heavy rains have prompted authorities to close train stations and evacuate people in vulnerable communities to school gyms, state broadcaster CCTV reported Tuesday. Homes have been flooded, roads torn apart and cars piled into stacks.

The level of rainfall is highly unusual for Beijing, which generally enjoys a moderate, dry climate. Flooding in other parts of northern China that rarely see such large amounts of rain have led to scores of deaths.

Seasonal flooding hits large parts

of China every summer, particularly in the semitropical south. However, some northern regions this year

have reported the worst floods in 50 years.

In early July, at least 15 people

were killed by floods in the southwestern region of Chongqing, and some 5,590 people in the far northwestern province of Liaoning had to be evacuated. In the central province of Hubei, rainstorms have trapped residents in their vehicles and homes.

China’s deadliest and most destructive floods in recent history were in 1998, when 4,150 people died, most of them along the Yangtze River. In 2021, more than 300 people died in flooding in the central province of Henan. Record rainfall inundated the provincial capital of Zhengzhou on July 20 that year, turning streets into rushing rivers and flooding at least part of a subway line. AP

IS claims responsibility for bombing that killed 54 at pro-Taliban rally in Pakistan

By Anwarullah Khan & Riaz Khan Associated Press

KHAR, Pakistan—An Afghan branch of the Islamic State group on Monday claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in Pakistan that killed at least 54 people at a pro-Taliban party’s election rally, in one of the region’s worst attacks in recent years.

Islamic State in Khorasan Province made the claim in a statement posted on its Amaq website. It said the attacker detonated an explosive vest, and that the bombing Sunday in the northwestern town of Bajur was part of the group’s continuing war against forms of democracy it deems to be against Islam.

a helicopter trip to Fatima, site of a popular shrine to the Virgin Mary.

Then on Aug. 31, he is scheduled to fly to Mongolia for the first-ever visit by a pontiff to that Asian country, which has a tiny Catholic community.

Three trips in a span of two months will test how well Francis has rebounded from abdominal surgery in June to repair a hernia and remove painful scarring from previous surgeries. In 2021, Francis underwent in Rome surgery to receive a section of his bowel that had narrowed. Earlier this year, Francis was hospitalized to receive antibiotics intravenously to treat bronchitis. His pilgrimage to Marseille begins in the afternoon on Sept. 22. Upon arrival at Marseille’s airport, Francis will be officially welcomed by French President Emmanuel Macron, according to the official Vatican schedule.

Hours earlier, hundreds of mourners in Bajur carried caskets draped in colorful cloths to burial sites following the previous day’s attack at the election rally for the Jamiat Ulema Islam party. Officials said the bombing killed 54 people, including at least five children, and wounded nearly 200.

The attack appeared to reflect divisions between Islamist groups, which have a strong presence in the district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that borders Afghanistan. The Jamiat Ulema Islam party has ties to the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban.

At least 1,000 people were crowded into a tent near a market for the rally ahead of fall elections, according to police.

“People were chanting God is Great as the leaders arrived,” said Khan Mohammad, a local resident who said he was standing outside the tent, “and that was when I heard the deafening sound of the bomb.”

Mohammad said he heard people crying for help, and minutes later ambulances arrived and began taking the wounded away.

Police had suggested in their initial investigation that Islamic State in Khorasan Province was a suspect. The group is based in neighboring Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province and is a rival of the Afghan Taliban and al-Qaida.

Pakistan security analyst Mahmood Shah also previously had said that breakaway factions of the Pakistani Taliban could be possible suspects, though the group distanced itself from the attack.

The Pakistani military spent years fighting the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehreeke-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, in Bajur before declaring the district clear of militants in 2016. But the Jamiat Ulema Islam party, headed by hardline cleric and politician Fazlur Rehman, has remained a potent political force.

On Monday, police recorded statements from some of the wounded at a hospital in Khar, the district’s principal town. Female relatives and children wailed and beat their chests at family homes Monday as

the dead were taken for funerals, following local customs. Hundreds of men followed the caskets to mosques and open areas for special funeral prayers and then into the hills for burial.

As condolences continued to pour in from across the country, dozens of people who had lesser injuries were discharged from hospital, while the critically wounded were taken to the provincial capital of Peshawar by army helicopters. The death toll continued to rise as some critically wounded people died in hospital, physician Gul Naseeb said.

Gul Akbar, the father of an 11-year-old boy who was wounded in the attack, told The Associated Press that his entire family was in a state of shock after hearing about the bombing Sunday. He said he first went to the scene of the attack, and later found his son Taslim Khan being treated in a hospital in Khar.

“What would I have done if he had also been martyred? Five children died in this

barbaric attack, and we want to know what our children did wrong,” he said.

Rehman’s party is preparing to contest elections, which are expected in October or November. Abdul Rasheed, one of the party’s senior leaders, said the bombing was aimed at weakening the party but that “such attacks cannot deter our resolve.”

Rehman’s party is part of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s coalition government, which came to power in April 2022 by ousting former Prime Minister Imran Khan through a noconfidence vote in the legislature.

Sharif called Rehman to express his condolences and assure the cleric that those who orchestrated the attack would be punished. Khan condemned the bombing Sunday, as did the US and Russian embassies in Islamabad.

The Pakistani Taliban also distanced themselves from the bombing, saying that it was intended to set Islamists against each other. Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesman for the Afghan Taliban, wrote in a tweet that “such crimes cannot be justified in any way.”

The bombing came hours before Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng arrived in Islamabad, where he signed new agreements to boost trade and economic ties to mark a decade of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a sprawling package under which China has invested $10 billion in Pakistan over 10 years, according to Sharif.

“We will not tolerate any obstacles in the way of friendship with China,” Sharif said, as he stood next to He.

The Associated Press writer Munir Ahmed

this story from Islamabad.

A traditional gate is seen inundated by floodwaters in the Miaofengshan area on the outskirts of Beijing on Tuesday, August 1, 2023. Chinese state

media report some have died and others are missing amid flooding in the mountains surrounding the capital Beijing. AP/NG HAN GUAN

contributed to

INVESTIGATORS examine an area next to damaged building in the “Moscow City” business district after a reported drone attack in Moscow, Russia, early Tuesday, August 1, 2023. Ukrainian drones again targeted Moscow and its surroundings early Tuesday morning, the Russian military reported. Two of three launched were shot down outside Moscow, while one crashed into a skyscraper in the Moscow City business district, damaging the building’s facade. AP

RELATIVES and mourners carry the casket of a victim who was killed in Sunday’s suicide bomber attack in the Bajur district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan on Monday, July 31, 2023. Pakistan held funerals on Monday for victims of a massive suicide bombing that targeted a rally of a pro-Taliban cleric the previous day. AP/MOHAMMAD SAJJAD

Editor: Angel R. Calso

Local restaurants need to step up to the plate

Four out of 10 Filipinos age 19 to 59 are out-ofhome eaters, according to a survey conducted by the Department of Science and Technology’s Food and Nutrition research Institute prior to the pandemic. Additional data from the DoST-FNrI Food Establishments Survey (FES), conducted from 2016 to 2017, also indicated that a majority of these out-of-home eaters were younger adults age 19 to 29 years old. These adults mostly belong to the workforce.

These out-of-home eaters have supported the growth of restaurants and convenience stores offering ready-to-eat meals, prior to the pandemic. Now that quarantine and mobility restrictions have been eased and economic activity is gradually returning to pre-pandemic levels, workers who eat out are also going back to their favorite restaurants or eateries. The financial performance of top companies operating restaurants in recent months would attest to their booming business.

Customers mostly patronize well-established restaurants because they are confident of that these eateries observe the necessary health and safety protocols. These protocols were designed to ensure that the food from these establishments are suitable for consumption and will not make people sick. The Covid-19 pandemic has also prompted governments around the world to encourage food handlers to observe good hygiene habits regularly.

When patrons dine in at any restaurant or eatery, they trust that cooks and food handlers have taken the necessary steps to make their meals nourishing and enjoyable. They expect their meal to fill their stomachs and fortify their bodies.

That’s why finding unsavory stuff in the food bought from established restaurants and fast food chains causes distress and anxiety to customers. Things like human hair, pieces of metal, dead flies and small cockroaches should never be found in their meals. And yet there are unfortunate customers in the Philippines who have at one point experienced this, and they worry about falling ill because of the contaminated food.

According to the World Health Organization, eating food contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances such as heavy metals causes over 200 diseases. WHO said foodborne diseases encompass a wide range of illnesses from diarrhea to cancer. Every year, WHO said nearly one in 10 people around the world fall ill after eating contaminated food, leading to over 420,000 deaths.

WHO noted that children are disproportionately affected, with 125,000 deaths every year in people under five years of age. Diarrheal diseases cause the majority of these cases. Other serious consequences of foodborne diseases include kidney and liver failure, brain and neural disorders, reactive arthritis, cancer, and death.

As the economy continues to reopen and more and more people eat out, it would do well for establishments serving food items to be more conscientious about meal preparation. We urge restaurant owners to constantly remind their team members to be meticulous about handling food. While lawsuits involving restaurants serving contaminated food are rare in the Philippines, their reputation and their bottom line could suffer as a result of their negligence.

Analysis: Buildup of American forces in Persian Gulf a new signal of worsening US-Iran conflict

By Jon Gambrell | The Associated Press

DuBAI, united Arab Emirates—Thousands of Marines backed by advanced uS fighter jets and warships are slowly building up a presence in the Persian Gulf. It’s a sign that while America’s wars in the region may be finished, its conflict with Iran over its advancing nuclear program continues to worsen, with no solutions in sight.

The dispatch of the troop-and-aircraft-carrying USS Bataan to the Gulf, alongside stealth F-35 fighters and other warplanes, comes as America wants to focus on China and Russia.

But Washington is seeing once again that while it’s easy to get into the Middle East militarily, it’s difficult to ever get fully out—particularly as Iran now enriches uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels after the collapse of its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

There is no sign that diplomacy will revive the deal soon, and Iran in recent weeks has resumed harassing and seizing ships trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Some 20 percent of the world’s oil passes through the narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to the wider world.

For hard-liners in Tehran’s theocracy, the move projects power to surrounding nations as part of a wave of assaults attributed to Iran since 2019. It also serves as a warning to the US and its allies that the Islamic Republic

has the means to retaliate, particularly as American sanctions result in the seizure of ships carrying Iranian crude oil. Worries over another seizure likely has left a ship allegedly carrying Iranian oil stranded off Texas as no company has yet to unload it.

For the US, keeping the Strait of Hormuz open to shipping remains a priority to ensure global energy prices don’t spike, particularly as Russia’s war on Ukraine pressures markets. Gulf Arab nations need the waterway to get their oil to market and worry about Iran’s intentions in the wider region.

Those fears have cemented the longtime American presence in the Persian Gulf. In the two decades that followed the September 11, 2001, attacks, there were at times two different American aircraft carriers patrolling the Gulf to provide fighter jets for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and later for the battle against the Islamic State group.

But slowly, the Pentagon began to wind down the naval presence,

leaving a gap of months that brought gasps from Gulf Arab states and commentators worried about Iran. The USS Nimitz sailed out of the Strait of Hormuz in November 2020 as the last American carrier in the Persian Gulf. The last Marine expeditionary unit—an armada carrying Marines, aircraft and vehicles prepared for an amphibious assault — came through in November 2021.

Washington’s worries have changed since then. Russia’s war on Ukraine shifted some of the American focus back to Europe. China continues its push to control more of the South China Sea, and the US Navy has responded with increased patrols.

In recent months, the US military has again begun dialing up its Mideast presence. It conducted a Strait of Hormuz patrol with the top US, British and French naval commanders in the region on board. In late March, A-10 Thunderbolt II warplanes arrived at Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates. The Pentagon ordered F-16 fighters, as well as the destroyer USS Thomas Hudner, to the region. Stealth F-35A Lightning II fighter jets arrived last week.

Now, America will have part of a Marine expeditionary unit in the region for the first time in nearly two years. The deployment of thousands of Marines and sailors consists of both the USS Bataan and the USS Carter Hall, a landing ship.

Those vessels left Norfolk, Virginia, on July 10 on a mission the Pentagon described as being “in response to recent attempts by Iran to threaten the free flow of commerce in the Strait of Hormuz and its surrounding waters.” The Bataan passed through the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea last week on its way to the Mideast.

While the US military hasn’t discussed precisely what it will be doing with the increased presence in the region, the movements have gotten Iran’s attention. In recent days, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian called his counterparts in both Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates to say that “we can have peace, stability and progress in the region without the presence of foreigners.”

Iran’s army chief, Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, said the US deployment would bring only “insecurity and damage” to the region.

“For years, Americans have been in and out of the region with pipe dreams, but the security of the region will only endure with the participation of the regional nations,” Mousavi said, according to Iranian state television. Jon Gambrell, the news director for the Gulf and Iran for The associated Press, has reported from each of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Iran and other locations across the world since joining the aP in 2006.

Niger crisis deepens as France plans evacuation and coup leaders get support from neighboring juntas

By Sam Mednick | The Associated Press

NIAMEY, Niger—France announced a planned evacuation from Niger on Tuesday for French and European nationals after a military coup there won backing from two other West African nations ruled by mutinous soldiers.

The French Foreign Ministry in Paris cited recent violence that targeted the French Embassy in Niamey, the capital, as one of the reasons for the decision.

The closure of Niger’s airspace also “leaves our compatriots unable to leave the country by their own means,” the ministry said.

The evacuation was starting Tuesday for French and European citizens who wish to leave, it said in a statement. It gave no other details.

The French decision to evacuate comes amid a deepening crisis sparked by the coup last week against Niger’s democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum.

The West African regional body known as ECOWAS announced travel and economic sanctions against

Niger on Sunday and said it would use force if the coup leaders don’t reinstate Bazoum within one week. Bazoum’s government was one of the West’s last democratic partners against West African extremists.

In a joint statement, the military governments of Mali and Burkina Faso said that “any military intervention against Niger will be considered as a declaration of war against Burkina Faso and Mali.”

Col. Abdoulaye Maiga, Mali’s state minister for territorial administration and decentralization, read the statement on Malian state TV Monday evening. The two countries also denounced the ECOWAS economic sanctions as “illegal, illegitimate and inhumane” and refused to apply them.

ECOWAS suspended all commercial and financial transactions between its member states and Niger, as well as freezing Nigerien assets held in regional central banks. Niger relies heavily on foreign aid, and sanctions could further impoverish its more than 25 million people.

Mali and Burkina Faso have each undergone two coups since 2020, as soldiers overthrew governments claiming they could do a better job fighting increasing jihadi violence linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. ECOWAS has sanctioned both countries and suspended them from the bloc, but never threatened to use force.

Also on Sunday, Guinea, another country under military rule since 2021, issued a statement in support of Niger’s junta and urged ECOWAS to “come to its senses.”

“The sanctions measures advocated by ECOWAS, including military intervention, are an option that would not be a solution to the current problem, but would lead to a human disaster whose consequences could

extend beyond Niger’s borders,” said Ibrahima Sory Bangoura, general of the brigade, in a statement from the ruling party. He added the Guinea would not apply the sanctions.

In anticipation of the ECOWAS decision Sunday, thousands of projunta supporters took to the streets in Niamey, denouncing France, waving Russian flags along with signs reading “Down with France” and supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin and telling the international community to stay away.

There has been no clear explanation of the Russian symbols, but the country seems to symbolize anti-Western feelings for the demonstrators.

Protesters also burned down a door and smashed windows at the French Embassy before the Nigerien army dispersed them.

Niger could be following in the same footsteps as Mali and Burkina Faso, both of which saw protesters waving Russian flags after their respective coups, analysts say. After

Ambassador

the second coup in Burkina Faso in September, protesters also attacked the French Embassy in the capital, Ouagadougou, and damaged and ransacked the Institut Francais, France’s international cultural promotion organization.

If ECOWAS uses force, it could also trigger violence between civilians supporting the coup and those against it, Niger analysts say.

While unlikely, “the consequences on civilians of such an approach if putschists chose confrontation would be catastrophic,” said Rida Lyammouri, senior fellow at the Policy Center for the New South, a Morocco-based think tank. Lyammouri does not see a “military intervention happening because of the violence that could trigger,” he said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday commended the resolve of the ECOWAS leadership to “defend constitutional order in Niger” after the sanctions announcement, and joined the bloc in calling for the immediate release of Bazoum and his family.

Also Sunday, junta spokesman Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane banned the use of social media to put out messages he described as harmful to state security. He also claimed without evidence that Bazoum’s government had authorized the French to carry out strikes to free Bazoum.

Observers believe Bazoum is being held at his house in Niamey. The first photos of him since the coup appeared Sunday evening, sitting on a couch smiling beside Chad President Mahamat Deby, who had flown in to mediate between the government and the junta.

Both the United States and France have sent troops and hundreds of millions of dollars of military and humanitarian aid in recent years to Niger, which was a French colony until 1960. The country was seen as the last working with the West against extremism in a Francophone region where anti-French sentiment opened the way for the Russian private military group Wagner.

After neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso ousted the French military and began working with Wagner mercenaries, Blinken visited Niger in March to strengthen ties and announce $150 million in direct assistance, calling the country “a model of democracy.”

The US will consider cutting aid if the coup is successful, the State Department said Monday. Aid is “very much in the balance depending on the outcome of the actions in the country,” said department spokesman Matt Miller. “US assistance hinges on continued democratic governance in Niger.”

The sanctions could be disastrous and Niger needs to find a solution to avoid them, Prime Minister Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou told French media outlet Radio France Internationale on Sunday.

“When people say there’s an embargo, land borders are closed, air borders are closed, it’s extremely difficult for people.... Niger is a country that relies heavily on the international community,” he said.

In the capital, many people live in makeshift shelters tied together with slats of wood, sheets and plastic tarps because they can’t pay rent. They scramble daily to make enough money to feed their children.

Since the 1990s, the 15-nation ECOWAS has tried to protect democracies against the threat of coups, with mixed success.

Four nations are run by military governments in West and Central Africa, where there have been nine successful or attempted coups since 2020.

In the 1990s, ECOWAS intervened in Liberia during its civil war, one of the bloodiest conflicts in Africa and one that left many wary of intervening in internal conflicts. In 2017, ECOWAS intervened in Gambia to prevent the new president’s predecessor, Yahya Jammeh, from disrupting the handover of power.

Around 7,000 troops from Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal entered the country, according to the Global Observatory, which provides analysis on peace and security issues. The intervention was largely seen as accomplishing its mission. AP journalist John Leicester in Paris contributed to this report.

Calling on DENR, DOLE: The illegal lead smelters are back

Dr. Jesus Lim Arranza MAKE

SENSE

Last april, we went to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) after we got data from the Philippine statistics authority (Psa) showing that a sizeable amount of lead scraps derived from used lead acid batteries (ULaBs) that are considered hazardous waste have been exiting the country annually.

It turned out that the DENR Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) was also puzzled by this because the office did not issue any permit to export scrap lead, as this goes against Republic Act 6969 and our commitment to the Basel Convention. We commend the DENR-EMB for being firm in implementing the law on the scrap lead shipment.

Our recent discovery, however, also deserves a firmer and immediate action from the DENR: the unregulated and illegal ULAB recyclers and lead smelters are back and mushrooming in several areas of the country.

Why do I say they are back?

It’s because in 2011, the DENR conducted operations against these illegal smelters and some were padlocked, with cases filed against their operators.

We could not be sure if all the illegal smelters then were stopped; maybe some still probably operated clandestinely. Today, however, we can say with certainty that they are operating again.

These are probably the sources of those traders that are illegally shipping scrap lead outside of the country.

Reports we gathered from our field operators showed the presence of illegal lead smelters in Valenzuela, Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac, Cavite, Cebu, Bacolod, and Davao.

They do not have the necessary permits from concerned agencies like the DENR, and probably even from

We could not be sure if all the illegal smelters then were stopped; maybe some still probably operated clandestinely. Today, however, we can say with certainty that they are operating again.

unlicensed recyclers can only attain recovery rates of around 40 percent to 45 percent, with much of the recoverable materials being lost in the waste streams and the environment.

Certificate (ECC) as a lead scrap recycler, issued by the DENR-EMB,

2. TSD Registration Certificate as lead scrap recycler, issued by the DENR-EMB,

3. Permit to Operate Air Pollution Source and Control Installations, issued by the DENR-EMB, and

4. Wastewater Discharge Permit for the Acid Treatment Plant, issued by the DENR-EMB and/or LLDA.

the local government units (LGUs).   Photos and videos provided to us were really disturbing. The facilities are really shabby and ill equipped to be able to handle the hazardous materials where they derive their secondary lead. They do not have adequate antipollution systems and we don’t know how they are disposing the acids and other chemicals.

On the labor aspect—which makes this a Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) concern as well—the workers were not using proper protective gears. There were even those that were working half-naked.

Note that at the end of its life, a used lead-acid battery such as automotive batteries, motorcycle batteries and UPS, may be simply thrown away, or they can also be handed in for recycling.

In the first case, material and energy values will be lost, leading to new demands on environmental resources.

On the other hand, proper recycling avoids disposal in landfills and dumps while promoting the recovery and reuse of non-renewable resources, such as lead and plastics, thereby preventing destruction to the environment.

ULAB recycling rate can go as high as 99 percent for licensed recyclers due to the state-of-the-art recycling technologies they employ.

On the other hand, unregulated/

A battery that has been improperly disposed of (that is, it has not been properly recycled) also presents serious ecological and health problems due to the toxic and corrosive substances it contains. A junk battery contains lead, which when absorbed by the human body can cause health effects. It also contains battery acid, which, when illegally dumped on the ground or drainage canals can lead to contamination of the groundwater or rivers and creeks.

Unregulated/unlicensed recycling industries and informal methods of recovering lead also pose a great danger to the environment and on humans as these are usually done in homes or backyards.

These unlicensed industries usually are without proper environmental controls such as air emissions management facilities and acid treatment plant, to name a few.

Lack of safety programs, such as the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) for workers in these unlicensed industries also place their workers in direct danger.

Institutional sources such as ULAB-generating companies and collectors, and the general population should not patronize these unlicensed recyclers due to the dangers they pose. To ensure that ULAB end up being properly recycled by government licensed recyclers, at a minimum one has to ask for a copy of the recycler’s permits listed below:

1. Environmental Compliance

In this regard, Motolite, in partnership with a DENR-EMB licensed lead recycler in Evergreen Environmental Resources Inc. (EERI) has setup the Balik Baterya Program, which is aimed at collecting the junk automotive, motorcycle and UPS batteries in the country while disseminating information about responsible waste management. The Balik Baterya Program utilizes the sales and distribution network of Motolite to retrieve back the used batteries of individual consumers and/or companies. Through the program, partnerships with industries have been established for the proper collection and recycling of their junk batteries. The promotion of the Balik Baterya program have likewise benefited the government in terms of advocacy on proper management of hazardous wastes. Many have been given awareness on the dangers and hazards of hazardous domestic wastes and of the importance of recycling.

The Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI) is a Balik-Baterya partner.

We are calling on concerned agencies like the DENR and DOLE, and even the LGUs, to take immediate action against these illegal ULAB recyclers and lead smelters.

The FPI is ready to coordinate and work with you in putting an end to this.

Dr. Jesus Lim Arranza is the chairman of the Federation of Philippine Industries and Fight Illicit Trade; a broad-based, multisectoral movement intended to protect consumers, safeguard government revenues and shield legitimate industries from the ill effects of smuggling.

The Crimean Peninsula is both a playground and a battleground, coveted by Ukraine and Russia

By Dasha Litvinova | The Associated Press

taLLINN, Estonia—Its balmy beaches have been vacation spots for Russian czars and soviet general secretaries. It has hosted history-shaking meetings of world leaders and boasts a strategic naval base. and it has been the site of ethnic persecutions, forced deportations and political repression.

Now, as Russia’s war in Ukraine enters its 18th month, the Crimean Peninsula is again both a playground and a battleground, with drone attacks and bombs seeking to dislodge Moscow’s hold on the territory and bring it back under Kyiv’s authority, no matter how loudly the Kremlin proclaims its ownership.

Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy has vowed to retake the diamondshaped peninsula that Russia’s Vladimir Putin illegally annexed in 2014.

For both presidents, backing off Crimea is hardly an option.

Moscow deployed troops and weapons there, allowing Russian forces to quickly seize large parts of southern Ukraine when the war began in 2022. Kyiv says the militarization of Crimea threatens all countries in the Black Sea region.

‘Crimea is ours!’

PU TIN S annexation in 2014 was quick and bloodless. While Ukraine was still grappling with the aftermath of the uprising that forced pro-Moscow President Victor Yanukovich from office, men in military uniforms without insignia took control of Crimea.

They helped orchestrate a referendum on the peninsula, and pro-Kremlin authorities said the results showed an almost unanimous desire of its residents to become part of Russia.

Putin’s popularity soared. His approval ratings, which had been declining, soared from 65 percent in January of that year to 86 percent in June, according to the Levada Center, an independent Russian pollster.

“Krym nash!”—or “Crimea is ours!”—became a rallying cry in Russia. But only a handful of countries, such as North Korea and Sudan, recognized the move.

Putin has called Crimea “a sacred place,” and has prosecuted those who publicly argue it is part of Ukraine. Zelenskyy has repeatedly said that “Russia won’t be able to steal” the peninsula.

A strategic asset

C R IMEA S unique position in the Black Sea makes it a strategically important asset for whoever controls it, and Russia has spent centuries fighting for it.

Crimea was home to Turkicspeaking Tatars when the Russian empire first annexed it in the 18th century. It briefly regained independence as a Tatar republic two centuries later before becoming swallowed by the Soviet Union.

In 1944, Soviet dictator Josef Stalin deported nearly 200,000 Tatars, or about a third of Crimea’s population, to Central Asia, 3,200 kilometers (2,000 miles) to the east.

Stalin had accused them of collaborating with Nazi Germany—a claim widely dismissed by historians.

An estimated half of them died in the next 18 months of hunger and harsh conditions.

Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev transferred it to Ukraine in 1954 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the unification of Moscow and Kyiv. But that symbolic move backfired in 1991 when the USSR collapsed and the peninsula became part of newly independent Ukraine.

“For the majority of Russians, as well as for the Russian political elite, Crimea has always been perceived as given to Ukraine unfairly. Crimea has always been perceived as Russian,” Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, told The Associated Press.

Russia kept a foot in the door, however: Its Black Sea Fleet had a base in the city of Sevastopol, and Crimea—as part of Ukraine—continued to host it.

The base was of major military value to Moscow, and that was likely a key factor for the Kremlin’s decision to annex the peninsula in 2014, according to Graeme Robertson of the University of North CarolinaChapel Hill.

“Sevastopol really matters for the Russian fleet and for access to the Mediterranean, and for Russia to be a power that’s able to close the Black Sea and exercise control over Ukraine’s economic viability and political viability,” Robertson said in an interview. “I think that is, at the end of the day, why the annexation took place.”

Repressions against the Crimean Tatars continued under Putin, despite Moscow’s denials of discrimination. They strongly opposed the annexation, and an estimated 30,000 of them fled the peninsula between 2014 and 2021.

Some who stayed faced a relentless crackdown, who reject accusations of discrimination but nevertheless have banned the Tatars’ main representative body and some religious groups. About 80 Tatars have been convicted in the crackdown, Amnesty International reported in 2021, and 15 activists have gone missing.

Crimea’s emotional value

BE YOND its strategic value, Crimea has a special resonance for Russians—“an emotional and almost sort of quasi-religious kind of thing,” said Sam Greene, a professor of Russian politics at King’s College London.

Some of it may be based on its history.

Sevastopol was a preferred holiday destination for Nicholas II, the last Russian czar, and his family.

The southern town of Yalta was the prime holiday destination during Soviet times, with many sanatoriums built in and around it. It drew worldwide attention when Stalin, US President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill met there in 1945 to discuss the fate of Germany and Europe after World War II.

Foros, another resort town near Sevastopol, held the state dachas of Soviet leaders. President Mikhail Gorbachev was vacationing there in 1991 when hard-liners opposed to his rule put him under house arrest during a failed coup d’etat.

When Greene and Robertson conducted a survey of Russians both before and after Putin seized Crimea in 2014, they noted a change in the respondents’ demeanor.

“All of a sudden, they felt that

corruption was less of an issue in the country,” Greene said. “And they were optimistic about the economy, both personally, in terms of their own welfare, and how the country as a whole was likely to do in the future. And their memories of the 1990s have improved.”

This optimism held for four years but began deflating in 2018. Putin’s popularity fell to under 70 percent in summer 2018, after he was re-elected and made unpopular economic moves such as raising the retirement age.

The full-scale war in Ukraine in 2022 reinstated that rallying effect to a degree, Greene says, but if the Kremlin loses Crimea or requires a significant effort to keep it, people “might come to the conclusion that Putin is not the man for the job.”

Stanovaya, the political analyst, says few in Moscow believe Ukraine is capable of retaking Crimea, even with the increased attacks that include those on Putin’s prized asset —the Kerch Bridge linking Crimea to Russia, which was struck in October 2022 and again last month— and other targets, such as an ammunition depot on July 22.

“It is, of course, irritating, but it is viewed as political investments directed at [Ukraine’s] domestic audience and at the West,” she said.

Some ordinary Russians seem unbothered as well—many still flocked to Crimea’s resorts this summer. After July’s attack on the bridge, Russian media found multiple vacationers undeterred by authorities telling them to travel to the peninsula through the occupied parts of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions of Ukraine, even though all three are on the front line of the fighting.

Still, tourism has suffered, with some of the peninsula’s beaches turned into fortifications and some hotels and guest houses reporting vacancies.

Ukraine’s stake in Crimea

B Y the time of the 2014 Russian annexation, Crimea had been part of Ukraine for 60 years. Leonid Kravchuk, the first president of independent Ukraine, said Kyiv had invested some $100 billion into the peninsula between 1991 and 2014.

It also has become part of Ukraine’s identity as well.

Before the invasion, Zelenskyy was focused on diplomatic efforts to get Crimea back, but after Russian troops rolled across the border, Kyiv started publicly contemplating retaking the peninsula by force.

It won’t be easy, as “Russia seeks to deploy the maximum number of different types of weapons there,” military analyst Roman Svytan told AP, because its position between the Black Sea and the Azov Sea gives Moscow “the military key to the entire region.”

From a security perspective, Ukraine needs Crimea to be fully independent and have control over activities in the Black Sea, Robertson said.

“Any deal that would cede Crimea to the Russians as part of a peace settlement would be very hard to sell in Ukraine,” he added.

So it’s very important for Kyiv “to signal to the West that this is a war about getting all of Ukraine back,” Robertson said. “This is not about getting eastern Ukraine and southern Ukraine and then cutting a deal.” Associated Press writer Yuras Karmanau in Tallinn, Estonia, contributed.

A16

August

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

Customs data

T

T here is a flipside to that robust revenue, though: The national government’s resources are being depleted in favor of rice imports at a time when the peso is weak, according to a local economist.

Based on data culled by BusinessMirror , Ateneo de Manila University economist Leonardo Lanzona Jr. saw that the decline in rice imports reached 14 percent in January and as much as 45 percent in June.

“ In January, a 9-percent increase in foreign exchange caused a 14-percent decline in rice imports. In June, a 7- percent increase in foreign exchange resulted in a 45-percent decline in imports.

This only means that the government resources are being depleted by too much reliance on imported rice,” Lanzona said.

Ph ilippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) Senior Research Fellow Roehlano M. Briones said, however, there is usually a time lag when it comes to the impact of weaker currencies on internationally traded commodities.

The unit value is rising in 2023 because of increased world price. So far, importers have not reacted in terms of quantity but that’s because there is a lag. Peso indeed weaker on semester basis,” Briones said, partly in Filipino.

HE national government raked in more tariff collections from rice imports in the first half, driven by weaker currency, higher import volume and elevated world market prices.BUREAU of Customs (BOC) data published on its website showed that its rice tariff collections from January to June reached P13.583 billion, about 24 percent over the P10.976 billion it collected in the same period of last year.

Given the latest rice tariff collections, rice farmers are now assured of at least P3.583 billion in cash transfer as mandated by existing laws.

Under Republic Act 11598, rice tariffs collected in excess of P10 billion shall fund the state’s Rice Farmers Financial Assistance that provides cash assistance to eligible Filipino rice farmers.

B OC data analyzed by the BusinessMirror showed that the increase in rice tariff collections was driven by higher import volume and weaker peso. BOC data also showed that the higher rice prices in the world market contributed to the uptick in collections.

R ice import volume during the six-month period rose by 13 percent to 1.848 billion kilograms from 1.636 billion kilograms recorded in the first half of last year, based on BOC data.

B OC data showed the country’s

currency weakened by 6.5 percent on an annual basis against the greenback.

For the first half, the exchange rate of the Philippine peso against the US dollar averaged at P55.28 from the P51.9 recorded exchange rate in the same period of last year, based on BOC data.

B OC data indicated that the value of rice shipments increased this year.

O n a per metric ton basis, the average rice import value was estimated at P21,000 from P19,000 recorded last year. This means that a kilogram of imported rice was valued at an average of P21 in the first half compared to last year’s P19.17 average price.

T he Customs bureau earlier cited the depreciation of the Philippine peso against the US dollar in increasing its overall tariff collections amid a drop in import volume of certain key commodities and items.

D

T he DA made the pronouncement amid global supply chain concerns and the “low” rice buffer stock of the National Food Authority (NFA).

Meeting with agriculture officials on Tuesday, Marcos, the concurrent Secretary of DA, said he was informed that rice production for the third quarter of the year is expected to reach 5.47 million metric tons (MMT) of rice, exceeding the 3.79 MMT demand for the food staple.

T he 1.69 MMT excess rice is enough to last 45 days at present consumption, according to the DA. “It appears our supply is okay for now,” Marcos said in a video message.

Rice importation

HOWEVER , in a press briefing in

ESPITE assurances by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. that the country has sufficient buffer stock of rice in the aftermath of typhoon Egay (international name: Doksuri), the Department of Agriculture (DA) will still push through with importing 1.3 million metric tons of the staple to ensure the food supply until the end of the year.Malacañang, Agriculture Undersecretary Mercedita A. Sombilla said they will still encourage the private sector to push through with their rice importation to help sustain the NFA’s buffer stock, which is used during times of emergencies.  “ Their stock really is very low. They really need to beef up their stocks,”  the DA official said.  S he said 1.3 MMT volume of rice are set to be imported based on their pending Sanitary and Phytosanitary Import Clearances (SPSIC) applications.

I think the President will really have to do some discussions/ consultations with the private sector so that, you know, for them to help us,” Sombilla said. The importation, she said, will help ensure the country’s rice supply until the next harvest season by the end of September or early October.

Contract growing

ASIDE from importation, DA is also eyeing to use contract growing to boost the NFA rice buffer stock.

Under that scheme, the government will provide incentives to farmers so they will directly sell their rice to the NFA, DA Assistant Secretary for Operations Arnel V. de Mesa said.

Continued on A5

Continued on A5

PHL committed to meet SDGs despite global challenges

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

DESPITE the challenges faced by the Philippines in meeting the global goals, the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) reiterated the country’s commitment to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

T hese challenges, Neda said, pertain to the volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world. However, the socioeconomic planning agency said meeting the SDGs are aligned with the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028; AmBisyon2040; and the national budget.

A ccording to Neda Director General Arsenio M. Balisacan, the VUCA world, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic, exposed numerous inequalities in the Philippine economy and society, as well as weaknesses in the country’s systems, leading to challenges in attaining the SDGs.

The SDGs find themselves firmly integrated into both our immediate goals and medium-term strategies towards achieving the country’s long-term vision,” Balisacan said.

N eda said a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach was used in crafting the PDP, with careful consideration of the lessons learned from the pandemic; the lessons learned from implementing the PDP 2017-2022; emerging global and regional trends; the Marcos Administration’s 8-Point Socioeconomic Agenda; and the AmBisyon Natin 2040, the country’s long-term vision.

B alisacan also cited the various initiatives of the Philippines toward achieving the SDGs in a VUCA world. Notably, he discussed how the country actively engages with international associations and practitioners and created the Stakeholders’ Chamber on the SDGs as part of the country’s efforts to collaborate with various sectors of society.

B alisacan said the government has included programs focused on the SDGs in its expenditure program and has explored different modes of financing interventions.

T he country’s chief economist also highlighted the PDP’s focus on social and economic transformation to empower Filipinos, enhance the resilience of the poor and near poor, and reduce inequalities. The country will achieve this transformation by developing and protecting Filipino capabilities and creating high-quality jobs.

“ While we have undertaken several initiatives to accelerate progress, the country still has some ways to achieve the SDGs. Now that we only have seven years left, we urgently need to accelerate our actions and mobilize resources in a multisectoral approach, ensuring that we include all local governments and stakeholders,” Balisacan said.

T he Neda chief also cited the creation of a subcommittee on the SDGs under the Development Budget Coordination Committee, with a clear responsibility for planning, policy, monitoring, and reporting of various dimensions of sustainable development through the various technical working groups.

Senate adopts reso calling out China on WPS bullying

THE Senate on Tuesday adopted a resolution denouncing China’s continued harassment of Philippine forces and fishermen in the West Philippine Sea, but opened the option for the next course of action to the Executive.

S enate Resolution 718, based on two drafts introduced by Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros, was adopted a day after senators were briefed behind closed doors by the Department of Foreign Affairs and the National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea. I n a statement after the resolution hurdled the Senate vote, Hontiveros thanked colleagues “for this concerted effort to not only make the West Philippine Sea issue a part of our national conversation, but for ensuring that the Philippine government take the necessary steps to consolidate global support over our historic 2016 Arbitral Award.”

Moreover, the senator affirmed “this bipartisan effort tells the Filipino people that when it comes to matters of national sovereignty, we will never be bullied into submission.”

A kbayan, her party, lauded the Senate for the unanimous approval of Resolution No. 718, which consolidates Senate Resolution No. 659 authored by Hontiveros and SR No. 707 authored by Zubiri.

T he measure condemns the continued harassment of Filipino fisherfolk and the persistent incursions in the West Philippine Sea by the Chinese Coast Guard and militia vessels. It also urges the Philippine government to take action in asserting and securing the country’s sovereign righs over its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.

T he resolution urges China to cease its illegal activities and comply with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos)— to which Beijing is signatory—and the 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague in favor of the Philippines, but which China rejects.

“ This bipartisan effort tells the Filipino people that when it comes to matters of national sovereignty, we will never be bullied into submission. In the face of relentless China propaganda since last week, we held our ground. Amid the fake news and lies to stop the adoption of the resolution, we stood firm,” Hontiveros said in her manifestation after the measure was adopted.

I would especially like to thank my Minority Leader Senator Koko Pimentel for his advice and support, and I would also like to especially thank Senate President Migz Zubiri for helping us...reach a consensus on a resolution that strongly captures the anger and frustration of the Filipino people.”

Tariffs from H1 rice imports up, but timing costly to govt 1.3-MMT RICE IMPORTS PUSHING THROUGH–DA

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng

Wednesday, August 2, 2023

Meralco in talks with SMC unit for power supply deal

By Lenie Lectura @llectura

august 25, to look for replacement emergency power supply to protect its customers from exposure to volatile prices at the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market.

SPI gave Meralco until July 23. It then ceased supplying Meralco 330MW starting July 24.

Meanwhile, Valles said the utility firm will proceed to conduct a competitive auction for 1800MW of capacity as soon as the ERc allows the units of San Miguel Global Power to terminate their PSa s with Meralco.

ber 23, 2021 and September 17, 2021, respectively.

B1

Filinvest shopping malls host outdoor food parks

FIlIn V EST land Inc., the property development arm of the Gotianun Group, has partnered with Mercato centrale, an outdoor food market operator, for the operation of a food park in two of its shopping malls.

offers a unique dining experience at Festival Mall with live music performances. The food booths are located at the mall’s Water Garden Park. The food market features 15 to 20 food booths offering diverse cuisines including Korean, Japanese, Indian, and Middle Eastern.

If it is approved by the Energy Regulatory commission (ERc), the offer will take effect on august 26 and will run until March 25, 2024.

Both firms, however, would have to wait for ERc guidelines on benchmark rate for liquefied natural gas (lnG) plant since power that will be supplied by SPPc will come from the Ilijan power plant, which now runs on lnG. SPPc is a subsidiary of San Miguel corp. (SMc)

“We reported earlier that the 330 MW that is being supplied by Sual power plant was already terminated effective midnight of July 24, after they sent a notice of termination last July 17. We immediately looked for a replacement capacity from different power suppliers and we’ve written several power suppliers. only one responded, that is San Miguel.

San Miguel made an offer. It’s the one on the table, that is Ilijan for the 330 MW. If we are able to sign that and are able to get approval from the ERc then we can implement that immediately and add that to the 480 MW that we are already implementing and that will add a term of until March 25, 2024,” said Meralco Head of Regulatory Management office Jose Ronald V. Valles.

It can be recalled that SPPc and Sual Power Inc. (SPI), formerly San Miguel Energy corp. (SMEc), sent notices of termination of their PSa s w ith Meralco last month after the court of appeals (c a) made permanent the writ of preliminary injunction issued to the units of San Miguel Global Power Holdings corp.

Meralco requested SPI to allow it a reasonable period, not earlier than

“For the 1,800 MW that was being supplied by Excellent Energy for 1,200MW and 600MW by Masinloc, both of those contracts have been terminated by San Miguel, both on the lapse of the six-month period under the PSa ,” he said.

“They sent us a notice of termination. We are waiting for the ERc to act on the termination of these contracts because the ERc has advised us to await their approval of the termination. The moment we receive that approval from the ERc, we will proceed with the cSP for the 1,800 MW, the ToR [terms of reference] is ready for publication.”

The PSa between Meralco and Excellent Energy Resources Inc. (EERI) involving 1,200MW of gas-generated capacity starting December 2024 and another PSa between Meralco and Masinloc Power Partners co ltd. (MPPcl) involving 600MW of capacity for delivery starting May 2025 were terminated on the ground that the longstop dates lapsed on Septem-

The longstop date exists in all PSa s. This serves as a security for all power generators. It is a period in which the ERc is supposed to approve or disapprove the application of the distribution utility and the power supplier for the implementation of their PSa once the longstop date is over, the power supplier has the right to terminate the PSa by providing a written notice of such termination to the DU. neither of them will be held liable. Based on ERc records, the longstop dates for both PSa s have lapsed and the ERc has not issued a final approval on their joint applications seeking approval of their PSa s. Meralco and EERI filed their joint application last March 24, 2021 while the joint application of Meralco and MPPcl was filed on March 18, 2021.

The ERc reminded Meralco, EERI, and MPPcl that any termination of PSa which the ERc said is “a contract imbued with public interest,” could not take effect without its prior approval.

CLI: Davao City project sold out

By VG Cabuag @villygc

Local property developer c e bu

l a ndmasters Inc. (c l I ) on Tues-

day said its development in Davao c i ty was sold out less than a week after its launch.

The company said its P2.5-billion development, two-tower Mindara Residences was sold out days after its launch. The property is integrated within l PU Town Davao, a university township, located a few meters away from Davao International a i rport and is part of the company’s garden series offerings.

“Mindara Residences’ remarkable sales reflect the invaluable trust of end-users and investors in c l I projects, inspiring us to uphold our commitment to serve our markets by providing them with quality developments,” c l I c h airman and c E o Jose R. Soberano III said.

The development is envisioned as an urban community, the company said.

Featuring garden-inspired features and amenities, the development promises what the company called a unique and inspired living experience. The two-tower development is designed with landscaped roof decks, pocket gardens on several floors, a leisure pool and a shared podium for retail spaces and basement parking.

The north and south Towers of Mindara Residences cover a 3,698-square meter lot. The development also has sustainable features, such as cross ventilation and natural lighting in the hallways and corridors.

Mindara Residences has a total of 546 studio and one-bedroom units. The floor areas range between 22 square meters and 43 square meters, while the price goes from P3.1 million to P8.8 million.

c l I , which celebrates its 20th year, has more than 100 projects in different

stages of development in 16 key cities in the Visayas and Mindanao.

The company has launched the opening of its third tower called c o sta Mira Beachtown Panglao.

The said development, a joint ven-

ture with l i te Properties c o rp, is part of a P5.3-billion tropical beach community located on a 4.05-hectare lot at Totolan town in Dauis, Panglao Island, Bohol, which is known for its greenery and clear waters.

The two food parks are in Festival Mall a labang in Muntinlupa and Filinvest’s Fora Mall Tagaytay. Mercato centrale at Festival Mall a labang operates from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Thursdays to Sundays through end of the year, while its food park in Tagaytay will start on September 4 through March 31 next year. RJ ledesma, founder of Mercato centrale, said the alliance was envisioned to make Mercato centrale a staple presence across all shopping malls of Filinvest. lifemalls by Filinvest have consistently shown strong support for both business growth and community development, which is why we’re delighted to collaborate with them. This provides us with an opportunity to continue our advocacy of supporting micro and small food enterprises,” ledesma said.

Food festival by Mercato centrale

Established in 2010, Mercato centrale has since served as an incubator for micro and small food business enterprises, helping them navigate the business environment in the new normal. Mercato centrale said it has provided support to small food businesses from both private entities and local government cooperatives. Filinvest’s shopping malls are in Festival Mall in a labang, Main Square in Bacoor, Fora in Tagaytay and Il corso in cebu.

The company said it continues to aggressively expand its retail portfolio with new and upcoming developments such as a lifestyle mall and retail strip in Filinvest Mimosa+ leisure city in clark, Pampanga and malls within mixed-use developments such as 100 West in Makati and Studio 7 and activa in Quezon city. VG Cabuag

The Manila electric Co. (Meralco) and South Premiere Power Corp. (SPPC) are negotiating for a 330-megawatt (MW) emergency power supply agreement (ePSA), the only offer received by the power distribution utility (DU) firm after sending a request for proposal to several suppliers.

A decade of ‘entrepvolution’: KalyeNegosyo introduces Batch ’23 street vendor-trainees

By Roderick L. Abad @rodrik_28 Contributor

Now on its 10th year, KalyeNegosyo launched Batch 2023 in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and DadBudPh.

Participants are comprised of mentees recommended by DTINational Capital Region (NCR), entrepreneur-members of DadBudPH, and KalyeNegosyo followers and applicants—a first-ever collaboration of such magnitude.

“We aimed to level-up the lives of street entrepreneurs, legitimize their businesses and make these more sustainable through education and guidance,” KalyeNegosyo Founder and President Jorge Wieneke said during the event held at the Max’s Restaurant in Forbes Town, Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, with around 80 VIP guests, previous and current mentees in

Romualdez vows ‘firm’ House support for MSME growth

attendance.

The long-time food entrepreneur, GoNegosyo Angelpreneur, Agora awardee, MSME Academy Faculty, professor and business consultant explained how it started as a mentorship program for the street vendors in Makati in 2013.

“It all emerged from a dream, wanting to give back to the community and sharing the little that God

had blessed me and my wife, Jenny, with,” recalled Wieneke.

“My eyes were opened to the need to create a country of entrepreneurs. With poverty being the country’s major problem, I felt that the solution would be to create an “entrepvolution” where even people from the grassroots level become entrepreneurs in their own right,” he added.

Being a GoNegosyo Angelpreneur has inspired him to pursue this dream, with the assistance of his core Angelpreneur friends who all volunteer for and support KalyeNegosyo.

From educating members of the Barangay Sembo community during its first year, the program has so far reached as far as Pangasinan, Pampanga, Laguna and Cagayan de Oro, coaching entrepreneurs from all walks of life.     As one of the pioneer entrepreneurship programs in the country, it has helped participants learn from inspirational and experiential anecdotes of actual entrepreneurs through realizations that even successful people were once ordinary beings but eventually thrived.

“The idea is to inspire them to realize their dreams, legitimize their businesses and level up their lives,” said the founder and president of KalyeNegosyo.

During the event, Wieneke welcomed the organization’s new Board of Trustees, namely, former DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez, former DTI Re-

gional Director (RD) Clarke Nebrao, and financial expert Irene Oloris. DTI-NCR Office RD Marcy Alcantara expressed how the agency has appreciated the efforts of KalyeNegosyo in helping micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) improve their businesses.

On the other hand, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez gave inspirational thoughts and led the mentees of Batch 2023 as they pledged their commitment to the entrepreneurship program.

Meanwhile, KalyeNegosyo graduate Nini Bacani and Jaypee Morales, president of the Association of Filipino Franchisers, Inc., shared their experiences on businesses and franchising. DadBudPh Founder Joey Ong talked about the role of dads as entrepreneurs. KalyeNegosyo is supported by long-time entrepreneurs and MSME advocates. Its other Board of Trustees are Dean Fransisco Lapid, Jorge Wieneke, Jennifer Wieneke, Armand Bengco, Carlo Calimon, Victor Madlangbayan, and Chef Lowell Cauilan.

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie

THE House of Representatives

r emains firmly committed to the effort of helping micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) grow to create job and income opportunities for the people, as it recognizes the crucial contribution of small businesses to the economy, Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez said.

The Speaker issued the statement following his remarks at the recent opening ceremony of the National Food Fair (Philippine Cuisine and Ingredients Show), spearheaded by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Mandaluyong City.

“Dear friends, our mission in the House of Representatives is clear: to equip every Filipino entrepreneur with the necessary tools and conducive environment for success,” Romualdez said.

“As the Speaker of the House, I pledge my commitment to this mission, confident that our collective efforts, our entrepreneurs’ resilience, and the Filipino people’s support will ensure its realization,” he said.

“Let’s celebrate the invaluable contributions of our MSMEs and envisage a future where they stand at the helm of our nation’s prosperity,” he said.

The Speaker said the legislative agenda of the lower chamber is geared towards MSME empowerment and growth, working relentlessly to create a level playing field for all businesses.

“Our initiatives—simplified business registration, tax reform, affordable financing, and digital infrastructure investment—reflect this commitment. We are convinced that reducing these barriers will unlock our MSMEs’ full potential, fostering their growth and furthering national progress,” he added.

The House leader pointed out that the House has passed several mea-

sures, and is considering the approval of other proposals meant to help small businesses such as the Government Financial Institutions Unified Initiatives to Distressed Enterprises for Economic Recovery (GUIDE) Act and House Bill No. 1171, or the One Town, One Product (OTOP) Act

He said these are aligned with the policy of the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., noting that the Chief Executive has allocated P1.2 billion in the 2023 national budget to support programs for MSMEs.

The GUIDE Act, of which Speaker Romualdez is one of the principal authors, obligates government financial institutions like the Land Bank of the Philippines (LandBank) and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) to assist small businesses and “strategic” companies.

For this purpose, the bill seeks to increase DBP’s capitalization from P35 billion to P100 billion, and allocates P7.5 billion to LandBank and P2.5 billion to DBP for lending to small enterprises.

On the other hand, Speaker Romualdez said the OTOP Act aims to “assist MSMEs in developing innovative products, enhancing quality, design, packaging, compliance, marketability, production, and brand development.”

“The OTOP program incorporates a broad range of products and skillbased services native to specific localities. It mirrors the rich fabric of our cultural heritage and entrepreneurial vigor,” he said.

He thanked the National Food Fair organizers for inviting him to the event as he also encouraged efforts to kindle the entrepreneurial spirit of Filipinos.

“As we indulge in the diverse offerings of this event, let us acknowledge that it is the entrepreneurial spirit and resilience of these enterprises that truly enrich our nation,” Romualdez said.

MEXICO CITY—A streetfood salesgirl who became a tech entrepreneur and senator is shaking up the contest to succeed Mexico’s popular president and offering many voters the first real alternative to her country’s dominant party.

Xóchitl Gálvez, 60, helped her family as a girl by selling tamales on the street. Today the straighttalking opposition senator is a long shot against Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s Morena party, which holds Congress and 22 of Mexico’s 32 states.

Despite her slim chances, Gálvez seems to have shaken the President so badly that he’s been insulting her almost daily during his morning briefings. The opposition senator comfortably sits in the national spotlight nearly a year ahead of the June 2, 2024 national election.

“She fills a space that was completely empty,” said Roy Campos, president of polling firm Mitofsky Group. “All of the opposition population starts to see her and it generates hope.”

Next year’s election is López Obrador’s chance to show if he has built a political movement that can outlast his charismatic leadership. Whoever his successor is, they will have to tackle persistently high levels of violence,

heavily armed drug cartels and migration across the nearly 2,000-mile border with the United States.

Campos’s group has not conducted an opposition candidate survey but that doesn’t prevent him from feeling comfortable declaring Gálvez a “political phenomenon.”

A political independent who initially set her sights on competing to be Mexico City mayor and often

travels the sprawling capital on a bicycle, Gálvez entered the Senate chamber in December dressed as a dinosaur, an allusion to party leaders known for their archaic, unmovable practices. At the time,

López Obrador had proposed electoral reforms that critics said would weaken the country’s National Electoral Institute. The Senate passed them earlier this year, but the Su-

preme Court later blocked them from taking effect.

Gálvez never shies from conflict with López Obrador. She went to a judge in December asking for an order to let her speak at the President’s daily news briefing. She was granted the order, but the President rejected it.

Gálvez’s fluid use of profanity, contrasting with her comfort moving in political circles, is an advantage with much of the working class, and with many young Mexicans. She registered this month to compete for the presidential nomination of a broad opposition coalition—the historically leftist Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), the conservative National Action Party (PAN) and Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) that ruled Mexico for 70 years— joking that López Obrador was her campaign manager.

López Obrador remains highly popular, and while he cannot run for another six-year term, several high-profile members of his Morena party have been jockeying fiercely for months. They include Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, Foreign Affairs Secretary Marcelo Ebrard and Interior Secretary Adan Augusto, who all agreed to resign their positions last month to campaign in earnest. AP

Grab promotes growth of allied merchants with Fan Faves 2023

SUPERAPP Grab has unveiled the third version of the Fan Faves Awards, a highly anticipated event in the food and beverage calendar, that celebrates the country’s most in-demand dishes on its platform and, at the same time, promotes further growth and success of its merchant-partners.

More than just a campaign, the launch of Fan Faves 2023 at the recent GrabNext Conference 2023 is also a proof of Grab’s commitment to its allied sellers, showcasing the platform’s dedication to extending their reach, boosting their businesses, and showcasing culinary offerings that cater to the Filipino palate.

All merchants onboard the platform are invited to join the awards by nominating their items on the menu. Those garnering the highest number of votes equivalent to

sold offerings will be declared as winners.

Nomination is ongoing until August 4. The voting will commence in September. Winning menu items are set to enjoy increased visibility and sales uplift.

This honorary event will have 15 different categories, including Burgers, Fried Chicken, Pasta, and Cold Desserts, and extends its reach beyond the capital to feature regional favorites.

Such broad coverage reaffirms Grab’s commitment to cultivating a diverse platform, giving every seller a chance to have their culinary offerings be recognized.

With millions of monthly active users on its platform, Fan Faves 2023 stands as an unparalleled opportunity for merchants, especially small-scale enterprises, to bolster their businesses, improve their vis-

ibility, and widen their reach to a bigger audience.

“GrabFood has always distinguished itself with its widest selection of merchant-partners, catering to diverse palates and businesses of all sizes. Fan Faves is an embodiment of our long-standing commitment to our merchant-partners,” said Anton Bautista, senior director for deliveries of Grab Philippines.

“By amplifying their visibility and enhancing the consumer experience, we are nurturing their growth while helping them showcase the unique gastronomic experience they offer—a commitment that can only be delivered by Grab. We’re blessed to be collaborating with merchants who make our platform vibrant and diverse, and we’re excited to help shine a light on their exceptional contributions,” he added.

Winners of Fan Faves will be feted in four categories—Platinum, Gold, the Hot 100, and Regional Faves— commending not only the nation’s ultimate favorites, but also acknowledging those who have shown significant growth and potential.

Beyond the recognition, they will also receive a multitude of visibility-enhancing benefits, including TV features, coverage in premium lifestyle media, social media spotlights, dedicated app features, and a segment on the GrabFood vlog hosted by Erwan Heussaff, celebrity chef and James Beard Foundation media awardee.

For more updates on Fan Faves 2023, stay tuned on Grab’s official social media platforms. Seller-partners are encouraged to engage with their account managers to fully harness the potential of this growthcentric initiative. Roderick L. Abad

ANEW group of beneficiaries of a multilateral entrepreneurial initiative has been introduced recently to empower the informal economy players in the country, specifically peddlers of goods and services in public spaces, such as sidewalks, parks and markets.

As a child entrep she sold street tamales; a senator now, she’s shaking up Mexico’s presidential race

KALYENEGOSYO Batch 2023 strikes a pose with Former Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez (rightmost) and Mr. and Mrs. Wieneke (leftmost) during their presentation.

SENATOR Xóchitl Gálvez, an opposition presidential hopeful, speaks to the press after registering her name as a candidate in Mexico City, July 4, 2023. The street saleswoman turned tech entrepreneur is shaking up the contest to succeed Mexico’s popular president, offering an alternative to Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s dominant party. AP

HOuSE Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez

BPI vows focus on RE, to drop financing coal energy projects

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

During a media roundtable in Makati City last Tuesday, executives told reporters they are also building up BPI’s renewable energy-financing pipeline, particularly focused on solar and wind projects.

BPI President and CEO Jose Teodoro K. Limcaoco said the bank is also bent on keeping its commitment not to finance coal-energy ventures.

“Let’s be clear: Our commitment was we would bring our current coal exposure down to zero by the end of 2030. And we also made the commitment that we would not finance new greenfield going forward. We should be able to meet those commitments easily,” Limcauco said during the briefing. “In the meantime, we continue to push very hard to increase the percentage of renewable financing (in our) portfolio.”

To elaborate on these efforts, Juan Carlos L. Syquia told reporters the lender’s focus on solar and wind is driven by the fact that most large projects in the renewable space, particularly in geothermal and hydro-

power, have already been used up.

Floating solar, wind SYQUIA said given this, BPI is discussing with its clients undertaking floating solar and wind projects. These kinds of projects are now possible given the development of new technology and research and development (R&D).

He added that BPI is also entertaining projects that seek to enhance or expand existing RE projects, particularly in geothermal and hydropower, including mini-hydropower projects.

“In the natural gas area, there’s still talk of resources that may be in Malampaya, near Malampaya. We cannot participate in the equity risk there but we’re staying close,” Syquia said.

“If you’re asking if we’re building up our pipeline, yes. So we have several deals in the pipeline that relate directly to green financing. So in this case we are really green minded,” he stressed.

BPI’s green financing for big and small projects is its longstanding commitment to sustainability.

“Moving forward in the second half of 2023, our commitment to contribute to the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals (UN SDGs) remains as we continue to champion projects related to renewable energy (RE), energy efficiency and climate resilience,” Limcaoco said.

‘Perfect condition’

BUILDING up its green portfolio is only one of the efforts that BPI intends to undertake this year. These efforts include those that allow it to maximize the “perfect condition” for banks which is now.

“The BSP seems to be in no hurry to cut rates so that is actually positive for the bank. For as long as they’re not in the mood to raise rates, I think it’s also positive for the economy. So that helps both sides. I think that’s a perfect condition for the banking industry in general,” Limcauco said.

BPI Wealth President and CEO Maria Theresa D. Marcial said the softening inflation rate indicates that “we are nearing the peak of the hiking cycle which offers a lot of opportunities to invest across all asset classes.”

Marcial said for fixed income investments, as interest rates peak, there is a strong argument in favor of longer duration in portfolios that could lead to significant returns.

Apart from this, the bank will continue to boost its digitization efforts in transforming customer interaction and experience. As of

Tackle next steps in MUPs pension reform–Estrada

By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

SENATOR Jose Pimentel Ejerci-

December 2022, 5.8 million clients were enrolled in the bank’s digital channels.

As of May this year, that number grew to 6.2 million, as BPI continues to build and improve customer engagement platforms that are specifically designed to fulfill the banking needs of a particular client segment.

Nice values

THE lender also launched a new and future-ready mobile app, which provides innovative features and services that help Filipinos achieve financial well-being.

“The investment in our digitalization program is geared toward transforming BPI for the future as we keep with our goal to empower our customers,” Limcaoco noted.

BPI’s customer obsession strategy will continue to put the customer at the center of all its activities. The bank’s customer obsession strategy is underpinned by its “Nice” core values: being nurturing; acting with integrity; staying customer-obsessed; and, pursuing excellence.

“We will carry on strengthening our coverage of the various client segments that we serve. We will continue to support them through our continued efforts to provide relevant financial solutions to the retail market, large corporations, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and self-employed micro entrepreneurs (SEMEs),” Limcaoco said.

BPI earlier reported that for the first half of 2023, it posted a 23 percent increase in net income to P25.1 billion, with revenues growing by 13.8 percent to P65.6 billion.

Rate of return Higher yields sought for re-issued T-bonds

WHEN you think of making an investment, ideally you would like to have a rate of return that is higher than the inflation rate. You certainly don’t want to have your savings eroded by inflation.

For example, if the inflation rate is running at 6 percent and the net placement interest rate is only 4 percent your money is actually shrinking. This means that, as time goes by, the purchasing power of your money becomes less.

Have you ever thought about other options you can explore when the available rate of return is lower than the inflation rate? Consider this: What if you converted your pesos to US dollars? If the US inflation rate is running at 3.5 percent and the interest rate on dollar notes is at 5 percent, would this be a better option for you? If you lived in the US and the only currency you use is the US dollar, you would be okay since your money is able to keep ahead of inflation.

However, for us in the Philippines, where we spend and buy things in pesos, a little more analysis is needed. The answer would depend on the future exchange rate of the peso versus the dollar. If the current exchange is at P54.50 to a greenback and the exchange rate one year from now will be P59.95, is that good for you? What if the exchange rate becomes P49.55?

If you kept P54.50 in pesos and earned a 4-percent interest rate, you would only have P56.68 after one year. In the event that the peso depreciates by 10 percent to P59.95 and you had converted your pesos into dollars, you hit the jackpot. And while you earned a dollarinterest rate of 5 percent, you will have P62.95 after one year. On the other hand, if the peso appreciated by 10 percent and you unfortunately changed your pesos into dollars, you will only have P52.03: a worst case scenario.

Of course, no one has a crystal ball telling you what the future

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

outstanding volume for the series to P126.8 billion,” the Treasury said in a statement after the auction.

to Jr. is prodding the economic team of President Marcos and the Department of National Defense (DND) to discuss at length the next steps in reforming the pension system for military and uniformed personnel (MUP) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), now the subject of several bills in Congress and described as the “bloodiest” measure on the agenda of their Second Regular Session.

Sen. Jinggoy Estrada made the call on learning that the AFP wants to have its own pension system, following a push by the economic team to set a formula whereby active-duty MUPs will now have to contribute to a fund for their pensions.

The economic managers warned that failing to do this will inevitably lead to a fiscal crisis as taxpayers can no longer sustain the present setup of shouldering via the national budget the payouts for retired MUPs.

Earlier, Senate President Juan Miguel F. Zubiri said Defense Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. laid out a report that the AFP prefers to have their own pension system and plan to propose tapping funding sources from the sale or rental of AFP realty assets. Should it be adopted, its proponents said there would be enough funds and no need to deduct such from soldiers’ monthly salaries.

The latter is part of the proposal cited by the economic team during a meeting of the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, which is chaired by Estrada. The proposal particularly eyes deducting from the salaries of AFP personnel, as well as those still active in uniformed services, including soldiers, policemen, jail guards and firemen.

As committee chairman, Estrada assured that the panel members will study all proposals forwarded by the DND and the economic team, especially in case there are oppositors to their respective proposals.

AUB wary on headwinds from hawkish MB stance

IMPROVING consumer and business sentiment gives Asia United Bank (AUB) confidence that it will be able to sustain the gains it booked in the first six months of the year.

A statement by the AUB read that the lender’s net income grew 42 percent to P4.1 billion in the first six months of the year. The bank noted this growth is among the highest so far reported among the country’s publicly-listed privately owned universal banks.

With this, AUB said its first-half income translated to higher profitability ratios, with return on equity (ROE) at 20.3 percent and return on assets (ROA) at 2.6 percent.

gains and foreign exchange gains came from AUB’s operating activities such as remittance, credit cards, trust, AUB PayMate, and trading businesses,” AUB said.

Total deposits stood at P269.9 billion, with low-cost CASA (current account/savings account) deposits comprising 72.5 percent of its total deposit base while its loan-to-deposit ratio stood at 70.57 percent.

rates are; so there is an element of risk involved. There are also other currencies you can consider such as the yen, the euro or even the yuan (renminbi), which have different characteristics that may be more suitable for you. The investment options outside of keeping your money in cash or negotiable instruments are limitless and, indeed, some of them can earn a much higher rate of return.

While interest rate curves are typically upward sloping—meaning that interest rates are higher the longer the tenor is—it is possible that sometimes we get an inverted curve. This is the case when shorter maturities get a higher rate of return than longer maturities. Sometimes you can take advantage of this situation to improve your rate of return.

Knowing the available options, the trends in inflation, interest and exchange rates is a must so you can make better decisions on what to do with your money. While it is true that the higher the risk the higher the return, you need to find a balance that is suitable for your risk profile.

And you certainly don’t want to invest all your money on the lottery!

The views and comments of Dr. George S. Chua are his own and not of the BusinessMirror or Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (Finex). The author was 2016 Finex president, 2010 to 2020 FPI president and currently an active entrepreneur with investments in fintech, broadcast, media, telecommunications, properties and is a regular member of the National Press Club. Dr. Chua is also a professorial lecturer at the Univer-

THE national government was unable to fully borrow P30 billion from the domestic market as investors demanded higher yield for the latest Treasury bonds (Tbonds) auctioned by the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr).

The Treasury made a partial award of the reissued T-bonds, which had a remaining life of almost five years, raising P26.606 billion for the national government.

The average yield for the government securities settled at 6.337 percent, above the 6.287 percent secondary market benchmark yield for the debt paper.

Investors sought yields from a low of 6.25 percent to a high of 6.35 percent.

This marks the second consecutive week that the Treasury was unable to make a full award of T-bonds due to elevated yield.

Despite this, the tender remained oversubscribed as total offers reached P47.787 billion, based on BTr data.

“With its decision, the Committee raised P26.6 billion out of the P30.0 billion offering, bringing the total

Tuesday’s auction results slightly dented the national government’s plan to fully raise P225 billion from the local market this month through the tender of Treasury bills and T-bonds. (Related story: https://businessmirror.com. ph/2023/07/25/governmenteyes-raising-%e2%82%a7225bin-august-from-gs-sale/)

Tuesday’s auction was the second auction held by the Treasury this month, following a full award of P15 billion in T-bills tender last Monday.

The national government is also planning to borrow a total of P150 billion from the sale of five T-bonds this month.

The Treasury will be auctioning off 5-year, 6-year, 10-year, and 15year T-bonds.

The national government missed its domestic borrowing program for the months of June and July as rising yield sought by investors hounded much of the state’s auction for government securities.

For the whole year, the national government plans to borrow P2.207 trillion with a 75:25 mix in favor of domestic sources.

“While we see continuous improvement in consumer and business confidence, we remain on the lookout for potential headwinds as monetary policy remains hawkish,” AUB President Manuel A. Gomez was quoted in the statement as saying.

“However, we see plenty of opportunities in greater collaboration within and outside the organization, particularly in digital transformation, and this gives us confidence in sustaining our gains,” Gomez added.

AUB reported that its total operating income for the first half rose 30 percent YOY to P8.9 billion. This was on the back of a 28 percent increase in net interest income to P7.4 billion attributable to business volume growth and increased yields. Non-interest income rose 41 percent to P1.5 billion.

Total loan volume increased by 9 percent to P190.5 billion, boosted by growth from corporate and consumer loans as confidence in the economy further improved in the first half. This led to a wider net interest margin of 5 percent from the previous year’s 3.8 percent.

“Strong contributions to the increases in service charges, fees and commissions, securities trading

Operating expenses for the first six months of the year rose 13 percent to P3.1 billion, primarily from the compensation increases and transaction volume-related expenses. Despite the increase, AUB’s cost-toincome ratio stood at 34.8 percent, lower than the previous year’s 40 percent.

While loans increased, the group was able to maintain its asset quality, with a non-performing loans (NPL) ratio of 0.85 percent, significantly below the banking industry’s overall NPL ratio of 3.46 percent in May according to the latest data released by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

AUB recognized provisions of P952 million year-to-date, 86 percent above the P510.8 million in the same period last year, strengthening its NPL coverage ratio to 114.8 percent as of June 30, 2023, from 79.8 percent the previous year.

In the second quarter (April to June) of the year alone, the group booked a quarterly net income of P2.1 billion, up 32 percent year-onyear. Total operating income reached P4.4 billion for the quarter, up 26 percent, owing to the increase in both net interest income and noninterest income.

Total assets reached P327.7 billion as of the first half. Total equity was at P43.8 billion, with an indicative common equity tier-1 ratio of 15.42 percent and a capital adequacy ratio of 16 percent, both well above regulatory requirements. Cai U. Ordinario

GCG reminds GOCCs on employee incentives

THE Governance Commission for GOCCs (GCG) on Tuesday reminded government owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) to abide by the state’s auditing rules and existing regulations in giving away incentives to their employees.

The GCG reiterated that the granting of the “Program on Awards and Incentives for Service Excellence,” or “Praise,” by GOCCs are governed by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and is subject to audit by the Commission on Audit (COA).

A statement by the GCG read that

under Executive Order 150 (s.2021), or the “Compensation and Position Classification System for the GOCC Sector,” “Praise” is one of the incentives that may be granted to the officers and employees of GOCCs provided that the GOCCs follow CSC guidelines. The GCG, which serves as the oversight agency of GOCCs nationwide, issued the statement amid a recent string of reports that the COA flagged certain state agencies for their “Praise” incentives that lacked justification and proper documentation.

The GCG explained the individual “Praise” guidelines by each GOCC

require approval by the CSC prior to implementation. The GCG cited CSC Memorandum Circular 1 (series of 2001) as the overall guidelines for the grant of incentives and awards under “Praise.”

The GCG said through a statement that it defers to the Civil Service Commission, being the constitutional body serving as the central personnel agency of the government, on matters pertaining to “Praise.”

The GCG added that Under existing guidelines, an agency must achieve at least 80-percent performance accomplishment of its targets for it to

be eligible to grant incentives to its employees.

The GCG also emphasized that the PRAISE is subject to oversight of both the CSC and COA to ensure “prudent and transparent use of public funds to recognize excellent performance of government employees.”

“The GCG, for its part, requires GOCCs to submit COA findings in order that GCG may call the attention of the concerned GOCC for any unresolved COA findings which may include those relating to grants of incentives and bonuses,” it added. Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

THE oldest bank in Southeast Asia is keen on meeting its commitment to end its coal financing by 2030, executives of the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) said during the celebration of the lender’s 172nd anniversary.

George

Image

Redefining banking, Maya emerges as Southeast Asia’s Best Digital Bank

MAYA has made its mark in the global stage by winning the coveted Best Digital Bank at the World Digital Bank (WDB) Awards 2023, underscoring its position as the leading force in digital banking across Southeast Asia.

Maya bested other players and won the competition’s country and Southeast Asia leg, organized by The Digital Banker.

For its leading-edge product innovations, nextlevel customer experience, and undisputed market leadership, Maya landed 8th in the Top 10 best global digital banks based on The Digital Banker’s assessment of all participating banks, joining the ranks of Starling Bank, Kakaobank, Revolut, WeBank, NuBank, and MOX Bank, among others.

In its citation, The Digital Banker said:

“Philippine-based Maya has combined the power of its e-wallet proposition to offer savings, instant credit, and cryptocurrency services under a seamless experience. It’s one of the best examples of how digital banks are reimagining the digital process to drive customer interaction and usage.”

“We’ve broken industry records with our gamechanging innovations as we rapidly scale our digital banking services across our comprehensive consumer and enterprise ecosystem. The recognition is a welcome vote of confidence, and we thank our customers and partners for the continuous trust,” said Maya Bank president Angelo Madrid.

As of end-June 2023, Maya attracted 2.3 million depositors with nearly Php25 billion in deposit balance. Cumulative loan disbursements reached Php10 billion as of end-June 2023 while on inviteaccess mode. Today, Maya is the #1 highest-rated local consumer finance app on Google Play and Apple Store.

“We’re honored to receive this distinction as it’s a testament to our world-class team’s hard work and talent. It also highlights the Philippines as an incubator of top fintech and digital banking companies,” said Shailesh Baidwan, Maya Group president and Maya Bank cofounder.

This latest honor follows Maya’s recognition in Forbes Magazine’s World’s Best Banks, CB Insight’s Fintech 250, and the Digital Bank of the Year at the Future Digital Awards for Fintech and Payments in 2022.

For more information, visit www.maya. ph and www.mayabank.ph.

Time to disconnect

ONE of the most irritating things for me is seeing people glued to their mobile screens while walking. Even more disturbing are people who use their phones while driving. While it is good that technology has made us more connected, it has also kept us apart because we have learned to build an image that is acceptable to our virtual audience. Social media has helped us reconnect with old friends and distant relatives, but it has also created a community of impostors who are more concerned with their simulated image than

Even at work, because of the alternative work arrangements, new technology has made employees more available even beyond office hours. It has created an “always on” culture, where employees respond to whatever notification begs their attention. Software applications have made it easier to communicate, but it has not necessarily made our

In an age where everyone is connected to everything else, the cacophony of voices and perspectives can be deafening and confusing. There is great value in disconnecting from your mobile phones or laptops especially if you find yourself getting pulled in all directions and your attention is divided among things that do not concern you. If you want to make up for lost time and focus on what truly matters, One of the valuable benefits of disconnecting is

How to motivate yourself to learn a language

ARE you thinking about learning a language? Perhaps you’ve decided that it’s time to dust off your classroom French. Maybe you’re planning a trip to Japan and feel like you should make the effort to learn the basics, or work is sending you to the Cairo office for a year and you’ll need Arabic. Learning a language is a hugely worthwhile endeavor, but two things are certain: it will take a while, and motivation will be crucial.

Used to measure motivation, including that of language learners’, is the selfdetermination theory, which proposes that there is a continuum of motivation.

The continuum starts from the least motivated—“amotivation”—where you might resist doing a task, perhaps because you couldn’t see its value.

The highest form of motivation is “intrinsic motivation,” which means you do something because you find it fun.

This implies you are more likely to persevere and to do better if this is your

motivation to learn, than if you are doing something for a more controlled, external reason, for example, because your boss expects it. It’s likely to make you feel happier, too.

As well as feeling that you’re studying for your own goals, other important factors can keep you motivated on your language journey. One of which is relatedness. This means having positive relationships with those around you–your teacher, your classmates, your friends and family–helps you thrive and find meaning in what you’re doing. If your partner supports your language learning and encourages you, you’ll be more likely to find that you’re keen to continue.

Another factor is competence. This is not about being the best at everything, but about feeling capable. So even if you’re a beginner, you can feel a sense of competence if you take your learning step by step and feel confident in your ability before moving on.

time spent on self-reflection. Rather than mindlessly scrolling through pictures, memes, or videos, you can use the time to evaluate where you are in your life and the goals you want to achieve. It does not always have to be a life-changing kind of self-reflection, but it can be as simple as assessing how to improve your day. As much as I can, I do my self-reflection in the morning after waking up so that I can plan through my day and make mental notes of what I need to accomplish. This way, I can mentally prepare for the day and its challenges. I do another one in the evening to evaluate what happened during the day so I know what I have accomplished and what I can do the next day. These quiet times help me assess where I am and help me plan where I want to go next.

Another benefit of disconnecting from your gadgets is being mindful. Mindfulness is being fully aware of what is happening around you and being responsive to the people we interact with. This means that in a meeting, especially in a virtual one, you listen to the discussion and contribute meaningfully to it. Instead of checking messages or scrolling through someone’s feed, you are actively listening and contributing to the discussion.

When people say they can multitask, they are actually just switching focus from one task to another. The same thing happens when you are doing a report, and then somebody talks to you or asks something from you. You get derailed and it takes more time to go back to focus.

On a personal level, disconnecting helps you become more involved in the lives of your family and friends. I have seen it too often when eating out—a table with everyone glued to their mobile devices and not talking to each other, or direct messaging when they are just beside each other. I think we have lost the art of conversation where we keep the chat going or even pick nonverbal cues from the people we talk to. Just the other day, I overheard a kid respond “LOL” and he was not even laughing out loud. Because of social media, we have reduced conversations to acronyms. Disconnecting can help us become more attuned to

the people around us and converse in a genuine way. Needless to say, disconnecting can help you concentrate on your work and get more things done. If you count the number of hours in a day you spend looking at posts, you will be surprised to discover how much time is wasted on mindless scrolling. I am not saying for you to stop all social media activity, I am just saying that you need to regulate it especially if it is taking too much of your time. One of the ways you can regulate time on your phone while at work is to turn off non-work-related notifications. This way, you will not be distracted by the incessant alerts while at work or when you are talking to family and friends.

In terms of safeguarding your mental health, disconnecting helps you avoid “FOMO” or “fear of missing out,” especially if you have plenty of friends. You cannot go to every social gathering that you get invited to, but an overabundance of notifications when your friends get together can make you feel lonely and even anxious. Disconnecting helps you become more comfortable with not being invited or choosing not to go.

Checking the social media posts of your friends can also lead to comparing yourself with other people, making you feel jealous, or even feel less about yourself. We often forget that people post the highlights in their life, but we think that they have always been that way. It creates an impression that they will always be as successful, as good-looking, or as happy as they are in their posts. Disconnecting helps you focus on yourself and how you can be the best version of yourself every day. Once you disconnect and free up some time, you can fill them with a new hobby or self-improvement activities.

When you disconnect, you are doing yourself a favor by taking the time to reset and focus on the most important person in your life—you. Like what they say, you cannot pour from an empty cup. Disconnecting gives you the opportunity to recharge your batteries so you can face the challenges of the day and live your life according to whatever makes you happy. n

If language learning app Duolingo, for instance, has been telling you you’re “amazing” and the lesson is “no match for you,” you may well feel enthused to continue.

Duolingo has been incredibly popular as a way to learn a language, either instead of or alongside traditional methods such as books and lessons. Part of the model of this and other language learning apps is to reward users at every turn–for using the app on consecutive days, for completing a certain number of exercises, and even for engaging at certain times of the day.

But self-determination theory research tells us that rewards can also be demotivating. When life gets in the way or you find a lesson particularly hard and the rewards stop, you may feel adrift. The best way to find the will to keep going is to find that personal reason to learn—and remind yourself of it when the going is tough. The ConversaTion

PHL, MALAYSIA PRIVATE SECTOR EXPLORE AGRI COOPERATION, MSME DEVELOPMENT

TWO private sector groups representing Malaysia and the Philippines signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Kuala Lumpur last July 27, 2023 to explore joint efforts in agriculture development, focusing on palm oil, rubber and other agricultural commodities that may thrive in the Philippines and Malaysia.

The MOU was signed on behalf of ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN BAC) Malaysia and ASEAN BAC Philippines by their respective Chairs, Tan Sri Nazir Razak and Joey Concepcion. The signing was witnessed by Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during his meeting with Malaysian business leaders as part of his three-day State Visit to Malaysia.

The initiative will aim to replicate an agri model similar to Kapatid Angat Lahat sa Agri Program (KALAP) to achieve inclusive and sustainable agriculture through the integration of small farmers into the value chain of large companies and allowing them to benefit from the transfer of technologies and economies of scale. KALAP is an initiative of Go Negosyo, the non-profit founded by Concepcion to promote entrepreneurship and advocate for the development of Filipino MSMEs.

“Public-private partnerships are essential as we move toward regional economic integration and make our agriculture industries productive and competitive,” said Concepcion. “We have already several of these big-brother models in the Philippines covering prime commodities like tobacco, coconut and rice, with large Philippine companies like Universal Leaf, Lionheart Farms and Yovel East successfully implementing their inclusive models in the communities where they operate,” he added.

Concepcion said they are aiming to encourage more big-brother companies to participate.

The MOU between the Philippines and Malaysia concerned specifically the possibility of jointly conducting studies and mentorship channels for potential

agriculture, agriculture technology, food security, agripreneurship business models, and value chain development.

Also present during the private sector meet were Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Alfredo Pascual, and ASEAN Business Advisory Council members Antony Fernandes Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry President George Barcelon and Air Asia CEO Anthony Fernandes.

The MOU will also aim to identify the business requirements to develop trade and investment opportunities in palm oil, rubber, fruits, poultry, agricultural technology, and other agricultural products and services of Malaysia and the Philippines. “We are confident, that with this partnership with ASEAN BAC Malaysia and the leadership of Chairman Nazir Razak, that both our countries will benefit from sharing our experiences in these areas,” said Concepcion.

Razak said that ASEAN-BAC Malaysia is happy to facilitate potential partnerships between prominent players in relevant fields from the two countries. “Food security is a major challenge for Malaysia, with imports of food accumulated to RM482.8 billion while our food export was only RM39

Iloilo City mulls creation of Housing Board to lead govt housing projects

THE Iloilo City Government is set to create a Housing Board to put in place the housing projects that are being implemented, including proper identification of beneficiaries.

“Next year, we will be creating a Housing Board which will be a department with a department head.

All the functions of the Iloilo City Urban Poor Affairs Office (ICUPAO) will be included in the Board,” Mayor Jerry P. Treñas said.

It w ill be composed of the ICUPAO, City Legal Office, City Assessor’s Office, the Mayor’s Chief of Staff, Assistant City Administrator, Task Force Anti-Squatting and Illegal Structure, and barangay from where the applicant comes from.

They will approve all applications on housing and relocation to ensure there are no anomalies in the approval.

This stemmed from allegations of wrongdoings in

ICUPAO that resulted to the immediate termination of services of two casual employees.

“The process of allocation of lots will be reevaluated in order to prevent wrongdoings. An Executive Order, which will already include the Housing Board members, will be in place,” Treñas said.

All allocation of lots and housing units for the past four years will be reviewed in view of the allegations that ICUPAO personnel are selling them for a fee.

After verification, the Board will submit a recommendation to the Mayor who will approve the same.

An investigating committee composed of Atty. GV Cuñada as chairman, and members Atty. Jose Gelacio Lira and Atty. Joseph Edward Areño will be created. All awards which are inappropriate or without basis will be cancelled and annulled and proper criminal and administrative cases will be filed as may be warranted.

Batangas Port boosts trade with more int’l ship callers

billion between 2012 to 2022,” said Razak. “Malaysia needs to not only reduce our food import bills but also become competitive in food agriculture,” he said.

Concepcion said he was elated that President Marcos was present to witness the signing and vowed to continue in various efforts for MSMEs in the Philippines and in the region. Already, the ASEAN Mentorship for Entrepreneurs Network (AMEN), which is the Philippines’s legacy project from its chairmanship, has already been rolled out to the ten ASEAN member-states after securing funding from the JapanASEAN Integration Fund.

“With AMEN now ongoing and successful, we want to move a step further. We need to scale up our farmers, fix the land issues so that we achieve the minimum viable point of 24 hectares to achieve scale, and help farmers use technology and incorporate them into the value chain of big corporations while making sure they receive their equitable share,” he said.

Concepcion said that similar agreements will be explored with countries that have a strong agriculture industry, such as Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and possibly Myanmar.

DENR, SM Prime call on cities to innovate and invest in water-saving technologies

THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SM Prime), one of the leading real estate developers in Southeast Asia, recently called on local public officials to avoid the extraction of groundwater and, instead, invest in rainwater collection for recycling and impoundment, as well as explore new technologies such as modular desalination and modular sewage treatment plants, to manage the effects of climate change on the country’s water resources.

At the multi-stakeholder forum, “Towards a Greener Footprint”, in Iloilo City recently, Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga shared solutionsfocused guidelines to help the local government reduce carbon footprint, with emphasis on water conservation to address the looming water crisis and increase access to safe water and sanitation.

“We need to invest in the appropriate engineering and infrastructure to deliver water from the source,” Loyzaga said. “We must avoid, if not reduce drastically, the extraction of groundwater which in lowlying coastal areas causes subsidence and increases flooding.”

“Rainwater catchments will not only provide additional supply for household use but will also help ensure the availability of surface water through the maintenance of watershed cover when impounded,” Loyzaga said.

Based on the latest report of the Philippine Statistics Authority, water abstracted for own use increased from 215.2 billion cubic meters (bcm) in 2020 to 217.8 bcm in 2021 countrywide. From 2010 to 2021, the largest amount of self-abstracted water is for the power sector (58.7 percent). This was followed by agriculture

(33.5 percent); mining and quarrying, manufacturing, and construction (5.3 percent); and services sector and households

(2.6 percent).

Earlier this month, the DENR said the country still has enough water supply, but proper management is needed to prevent a possible water crisis by the end of the year.

The call was met with a resounding response from the private sector, particularly, SM Prime. In the same forum, SM Supermalls Vice President for Corporate Compliance Engr. Liza B. Silerio shared how SM Prime has stepped up the sustainability programs that it has been doing since SM Supermalls started recycling water in the 1990s.

From rainwater catchment to help deter flooding in communities where its malls are located, SM Prime also pioneered the mall-based rainwater filtration system that converts the collected rainwater to

be potable enough for washing, cleaning and even drinking. Launched at SM City Baguio, the facility will supply mall tenants with enough potable water to help reduce sourcing from the communities’ water table.

“As an integrated property developer, we have seen the first-hand effects of natural hazards that are caused by the change in weather patterns in the Philippines,” Silerio explained. “El Nino and La Nina are two phenomena resulting from climate change. Our country ranks number one in the World Risk Index 2022 report as the most vulnerable among 193 nations.” Faced with this challenge, Silerio shared that SM Prime will continue to find innovative ways to address the climate challenges. “We continue to evolve and adapt technology to improve our resource consumption as part of our climate action,” she concluded.

THE modern Batangas Container Terminal (BCT), operated by listed trade enabler Asian Terminals Inc. (ATI), welcomed more international carriers into its shores in July, providing smarter market connectivity and faster cargo deliveries for locators and major industries located in CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) and surrounding environs.

BCT recently received ships operated by Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) and Regional Container Lines (RCL) as the global carriers officially began their regular sailings to Southern Luzon’s premier trade gateway.

The terminal marked the historic maiden voyage of MSC’s MV IDA II and RCL’s MV Lalit Bhum on July 7 and 8, respectively, and shortly followed by MSC’s MV Tiphaine on July 10 with traditional exchange of commemorative plaques witnessed by ship officials and owners’ representatives.

MSC’s Lang Co weekly service covers Singapore, Jakarta, Batangas, Manila South, Nansha, Shekou, Quinhon, Danang, Yantian, Shekou, Ho Chi Minh, Vungtau and Tanjung Pepalas. RCL, meanwhile, deploys a vessel and joins the VTX4 service loop covering Batangas, Manila North, Nansha, Hongkong, Sihanoukville, Laem Chabang, and Ho Chi Minh in its weekly port rotation.

The two new services effectively shore up BCT’s trade services to nine from seven previously, offering industrial locators in Batangas and nearby businesses with direct and more competitive trade connectivity options that best fit their production and shipping cycles.

“We are very pleased to facilitate faster and smarter trade opportunities via our modern gateway ports in collaboration with our shipping line partners. These trade services add testament to the sustainable growth of Batangas Port as a regional trade enabler and its readiness to handle more CALABARZON volumes as the country sustains its post-pandemic economic recovery,” said William Khoury, ATI director and DP World head for Ports & Terminals in Southeast Asia.

BCT is the biggest and most technologically advanced container terminal south of Manila. It is located within a 60-kilometer radius from major export and industrial zones with unrestricted road connectivity 24/7 via modern highways. Complemented by expansive berths and yards, modern equipment, and pioneering technologies, BCT can handle over 500,000 teus (twenty-foot equivalent units) of foreign containers annually. Moreover, BCT customers can deliver and pick-up containers within an hour of truck entry behind an industry-leading auto-gate system.

Threats or Opportunities? Why the ‘Heart of CX’ is Beating More Stable than Ever

THE “Heart of Customer Experience” is pumping healthily, keeping the right pace to flex its muscles more strongly than ever amid rising global economic challenges. The Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP) is confident that the Philippine contact center and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry will continue to break positive records, aligned with targets in the 2028 information technology and business process management (IT-BPM) roadmap.

The local contact center sector has set a yearly annual revenue target of $59 billion by 2028, about $49 billion of which is expected from CCAP-member organizations. As an indication of its strength, the sector posted actual revenues totaling $27 billion, accounting for 84 percent of overall IT-BPM industry revenue of $32 billion.

CCAP Managing Director Rosario CajucomBradbury underlines the forecast workforce growth of the sector—2.3 million full-time employees (to be accounted for by CCAP-member firms) out of the 2.5 million employment target of the entire IT-BPM industry by 2028. She shares key insights on how major issues are posing positive impact to the sector and industry.

“We are confident that the target employment figure will be achieved even with the emergence of generative AI (artificial intelligence). Contrary to common assumptions, our group believes that the new technology will bolster the sector’s productivity instead of threaten jobs. Generative AI can enhance the strengths of our Filipino agents who can then focus on active listening and become more empathetic and engaging when rendering service to our customers,” she explained.

Cajucom-Bradbury also points out that agents are continuously being upskilled to further equip them with the right knowledge and skills amid the evolving nature of jobs across the sector and the industry. “Agents can be redeployed and upskilled to make them always relevant to the future business model.”

The IT-BPM industry is also undergoing changes on how companies operate especially in the new normal. In 2022, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has allowed transfer of registration of industry firms from the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) to the agency’s Board of Investments (BOI) to allow 100 percent work-fromhome arrangements with employees.

“The hybrid business model is becoming popular within the IT-BPM industry. But it is a constantly changing setup. At the end of the day, the working setup will still depend on clientele preferences. Some clients are fine with the work-from-home setup of agents, while others require working at the office to ensure confidentiality and data privacy. There’s room for flexibility.”

Another issue the sector is facing pertains to possible wage increases, which some analysts see as a pending threat to the industry’s cost-effective advantage. Cajucom-Bradbury emphasizes that labor cost is just one of the many factors that clients look at when signing up for contact center or BPO services across the globe.

“The Philippines is no longer just a labor arbitrage. Clients look at the quality of experience and work that is rendered. Customer experience covers the quality of care and assistance delivered. Thus, Filipino agents always stand out. They are outstandingly customercentric. Their empathy enables them to go the extra mile when serving customers. This is why the Philippines has always been the ‘heart of CX.’”

Lastly, the IT-BPM industry, particularly the contact center sector has been aiming to help decongest Metro Manila and bring equally promising opportunities to agents in key digital cities nationwide. “We make sure the 2028 roadmap facilitates inclusive growth into the provinces,” Cajucom-Bradbury said.

The DICT has identified 31 digital cities across the country that contact center firms are eyeing for their next investments. Based on a survey among CCAP-member companies, Metro Cavite tops the list of cities for nationwide expansion. Also in the list are Metro Rizal, Puerto Princesa, Batangas, Iloilo, Calamba (in Laguna), General Santos City, Tarlac, Zamboanga, Dagupan, and Cagayan de Oro, among others. Cebu and Davao are still among the favorites.

“There are more interesting issues and insights that we are sharing starting today. Those are being identified and analyzed in the Contact Islands 2023, with the theme ‘The Philippines, the Heart of CX.’ This three-day conference in Cebu City facilitated a world-class delegate experience and an excellent venue for exchange of views, coaching, networking and benchmarking for the sector’s leaders and decision-makers,” Cajucom-Bradbury concluded.

PHILIPPINES President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. joined ASEAN Business Advisory Council (BAC) Philippines Chair and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion as they met with Malaysian business leaders in a roundtable meeting and business forum last July 27, 2023 during the President’s State Visit to Malaysia. In the photo are (from left) ASEAN BAC Malaysia Chair Tan Sri Nazir Razak, Concepcion, President Marcos, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry President George Barcelon, and Air Asia CEO Tony Fernandes.

President for Corporate Compliance Liza Silerio. PHOTO CREDITS TO ARNOLD ALMACEN/ILOILO CITY OFFICE OF THE MAYOR.

Editor: Tet Andolong

BusinessMirror

Cebu’s property sector bounces back

By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes

In its latest report, entitled The Cebu Report, the property management company said the office sector showed sustained demand in the first half of 2023. Meanwhile, the residential market achieved a 90 percent overall absorption.

Rick Santos, chairman and CEO of Santos Knight Frank pointed out that Metro Cebu’s office occupancy has moved up from 77 percent in the second half of 2022 to 80 percent in the first half of this year, while weighted average lease rates increased from P614 to P 641 in the same comparative period. Santos said this indicated sustained demand by occupiers who are either expanding or returning to the office.

Signs of recovery are shining on the horizon as manifested in the major improvements in infrastructure, such as the recent opening of the 8.9-kilometer Cebu-Cordova

Link Expressway. Santos Knight Frank be -

lieves that the infrastructure developments in Cebu are driving the rise of new business hubs, such as the Cebu South Road Properties and the North Reclamation Area. At least 87,700 sq m of aggregate new office supply are in the construction pipeline in these two areas.

“Cebu is coming out of the pandemic with a great promise of long-term sustained growth. Emerging hubs, such as the Cebu South Road Properties and the North Reclamation Area, are offering new opportunities for real estate expansion and will drive economic activities in Metro Cebu,” Santos said in a press statement.

On a regional level, Santos said the Central Visayas region’s gross domestic product

grew by 7.6 percent in 2022, at par with the national growth rate. He also cited the rebound of local tourism, resumed business activities, outsourcing growth, and booming infrastructure as its growth drivers.

Cebu remains a top choice for investors coming into the Visayas region, with several locators choosing Cebu as their base of operations. Santos noted that even Cebu is at par with Bangalore, one of India’s most popular office markets for IT-BPM companies.

“One of the reasons cities like Cebu attract employee-intensive occupiers is because of the total effective cost of real estate. With multinational occupiers rationalizing their Western operations, this becomes an important advantage for Cebu,” said Ankur Maheshwari, Senior Associate Director for

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Occupier Strategy and Solutions at Santos Knight Frank. Cebu attracts locators to Cebu because it offers more value for money owing to a better net usable area ratio (~85-90 percent vs ~70-75 percent in India). Combined with newer and more energy-efficient LEEDcertified buildings, this translates into not just lower overall cost but also better efficiencies and experience.

Santos Knight Frank also identified five key themes shaping Cebu’s real estate sector. They are developers venture outside the city core; rise in rents indicate sustained demand for office; residential unit scarcity drives higher prices; retail developments in F&B drive demand for space and tourism influx to ring growth for Cebu’s hotel industry.

Baguio-based firm continues to build ‘dream’ homes for Pinoys

By Roderick L. Abad

AMID the dismissal of fraud allegations

hurled against it, Ray Casa Group of Companies continuously stands firm on the ground and even ready to build and deliver more projects in the pipeline to fulfill its mission of helping Filipinos build their dream homes.

The company made this announcement during a press conference held simultaneously online and in-person at the RNJ Hotel Vera Hills in Baguio City last July 21 to answer the allegations and case filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), represented by Atty. Regina Cajucom-De Guzman, Atty. Lester Bautista, and Aldrin Cabungcal for Violation of Sections 8, 26, and 28 of the Securities Regulation Code (SRC) and Section 3(f) of Financial Products and Services Consumer Protection Act of 2022 in relation to Section 6 of Cybercrime Prevention Act.

According to Atty. Benny Bomogao, the personnel of the SEC Enforcement and Investor Protection Department (EIPD) conducted an entrapment operation when they attended the seminar conducted by Ray Casa at The Orchard Hotel Baguio last June 10 in the guise of a prospective buyer-investor or a partner financier.

After seeing the presentation of the Group’s officers and incorporators, as well as the act of accepting money of its employees from one of the attendees, the counsel said that the SEC EIPD conducted a warrantless arrest and seized the belongings of Ray Casa Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jennylyn Floresca and 23 employees and individuals.

“Per the complainant, which is the SEC, Ray Casa is engaged in the selling of securities without any license from it. That’s their allegation based on a complaint of a certain Atty. Francis Ray Camtugan,” Atty. Bomogao told reporters. Such allegation, however, was vehemently denied by Floresca, who emphasized that

Ray Casa Group has been in the business for 11 years.

Currently, it has primary licenses which are Brokerage, Appraisal, and Consultancy & Development via its real-estate units Casa Infini Properties & Development Corp. and Casa Infini Builders & Realty Co Ltd.

Its other subsidiary, Ray International Philippines Corp., is comprised of Ray Education Directions Consultancy Services, which provides international programs to Asian clients linking them from a third to a first world country diploma and global competent credentials, as well as into creatives through Be Unrivaled Productions and Sine Cordillera.

“We are not selling securities at all because we are into real-estate properties,” Floresca pointed out. “The business model of our realestate company is more on credential building of clients so that a person who has only P1 million can buy a P10 million worth of property. It’s actually an altruistic program that would help a Filipino to buy his home using only his or her credentials.”

After further investigations, the Baguio City Prosecution Office issued on July 20 the dismissal resolution on the SEC complaint.

“Before a warrantless arrest can be executed, there must be a criminal act being, has been, or is to be committed by any of the arrested persons. But in this particular case, the Prosecutor’s Office found out that there is no such act committed by the respondents.

It did not fall under Section 5 of Rule 113 of the Revised Rules of Criminal Procedure, especially in the case of the flagrante delicto,” Atty. Dante Bagsan noted.

“We welcome the Resolution of the Office of the City Prosecutor of Baguio City, which dismissed the complaint against our company, its management and employees on the ground that the complaint was baseless. This dismissal is a testament to the fact that Casa Infini has always adhered to the highest standards of compliance with all relevant rules, laws and regulations to operate our business with integrity, transparency, and good faith,” said the statement of the Villaraza & Angangco Law Firm read by Atty. Kimberly Joy P. Chilagan.

Damages

THE SEC’s cease and desist order (CDO), per Floresca, gave their firm grueling financial management and project based operations setbacks because of the “public trial” the company had undergone on social media.

“Statistics-wise, the capacity of Ray Casa Group of Companies right now is P500 million to P1 billion worth of project approvals,” the CEO said of the amount of loans from commercial banks and other institutions that are pending and on hold due to the case that stemmed from the petition filed against her by Atty. Camtugan, whom she claimed has a “personal vendetta” for suing him for cyber libel and disbarment complaints. “Excruciatingly, most of our banks closed and were

restricted that paralyzed our sound system of our operations.”

She added that their license to sell their luxury condominium project in Baguio City and membership to Chamber of Real Estate & Builders’ Association Inc. were suspended until the resolve of the matter.

“There are more corporate damages that have transpired not only me as a CEO, but including my employees and family,” Floresca said.

Business as usual

WITH the dismissal of the case, the CEO bared that the following business developments will resume: Turnover ceremony of Alapang, La Trinidad Benguet Property on July 25; Groundbreaking of Outlook Drive, Baguio City Property, July 28; Open House at RNJ Hotel Vera Hills, 2nd Road Quezon Hill, Baguio City, August 5; Mr. BFC, Benguet Fitness Center’s muscle showdown for-a-cause competition, Baguio Convention Center, August 19; Saleng Spa and Wellness Towers actual groundbreaking by end of 2023; and Casa Infini Builders & Realty Co. Ltd 10th year and 11th year celebrations on August 26 and November, respectively, in Baguio City.

Moving on, Ray Casa’s real-estate arms plan to build three commercial buildings, focus on land reclassification and develop AirBnB type vacation villas all over Northern Luzon; accenting on the high education of owning a self-liquidating asset that enables a simple Filipino to buy an asset or a property without cashout.

“We will be maximizing our licenses to the betterment of the community and to deliver our mission vision which is to build wealth to Filipino people by giving them happy homes,” Floresca said, while citing their next legal move against their accusers. “Since the constitutional rights of 24 individuals were glaringly abused as decided by the prosecution, we reserve the right to file charges criminally, civilly, and administratively to liable personnels and actors.”

LG Electronics unveils its latest innovation in refrigeration technology with the launch of the all-new LG Top Mount Freezer. This cutting-edge appliance combines style, convenience, and advanced features to transform your kitchen into a hub of modern living. With the RVT-L149BS model leading the pack, this Top Mount No Frost Ref is a game changer in the market. It boasts an array of features that make your life easier and more enjoyable. Let’s take a closer look at what sets this refrigerator apart.

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Sealing in Farm Freshness Longer with LinearCooling. Say goodbye to food waste! The LinearCooling technology in our new LG Top Mount Freezer reduces temperature fluctuations, preserving the flavor of your fresh produce for up to 7 days. Enjoy the taste of farm-fresh ingredients, as our refrigerator keeps them at the optimal temperature.

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Energy Efficient & Durable with Smart Inverter Compressor. Save more on your energy bills while enjoying peace of mind. The LG Smart Inverter Compressor takes energy efficiency to the next level, ensuring efficient operation and longevity. With a 10-year warranty on the Smart Inverter Compressor, you can trust in its durability and reliability.

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Led by the office sector, Cebu’s real-estate sector is back on track showing signs of recovery to prepandemic levels.

B8 | Wednesday, august 2, 2023

mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph

Editor: Jun Lomibao

Guiao, Elasto Painters add tall American for Jones Cup

RAIN OR SHINE will be reinforced by 6-foot-10

American Nick Evans in the 42nd Jones Cup in Taipei, head coach

Yeng Guiao told Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum.

Evans, according to Guiao, will team up with naturalized player Ange Kouame, who’s also 6-foot-10, in the August 12 to 20 Jones Cup that’s returning after a three-year hiatus from the pandemic.

Guiao said the team needs height to contend strongly in Taipei.

“ When we saw the rosters of the other teams in Taipei, I asked management for reinforcement,” Guiao told the forum at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex Conference Hall.

He said Evans will be flying in this weekend.

Evans, a veteran big man toured Japan, Colombia, Thailand and Lebanon, will start practicing with Rain or Shine on Monday. The team leaves for Taiwan on August 11.

We’re cramming,” said Guiao, a former congressman and vice governor of Pampanga who’s in his third Jones Cup stint.

Nine teams are seeing action in the Jones Cup and Guaio said that the national teams of Iran, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Taipei (Teams A and B) are tough opponents.

A lso competing are Japan’s U-20 team, a US team represented by the University of California-Irvine and reigning Korean Basketball League and East Asia Super League champion

Anyang KGC bannered by former National Basketball Association player Omari Spellman.

“ We’ll represent the country the best way we can,” Guiao told session presented by San Miguel Corp., Philippine Sports Commission, Milo, Philippine Olympic Committee and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.

The Philippines won two of the last four editions—both by Mighty Sports—of the annual tournament before the pandemic struck. Those teams had imports Eugene Phelps, Renaldo Balkman and McKenzie Moore, along with Filipino-Americans Jeremiah Gray, Jason Brickman and Roosevelt Adams.

STAJCIC LEAVES FILIPINAS

THE Philippine Football Federation (PFF) said Tuesday from Sydney that Alen Stajcic has decided not to continue as head coach of its national team just two days after the Filipinas played their final group game at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The federation said the Australian coach is set to “explore other options” after he was recently linked with the vacant role with Perth Glory’s A-League men’s side.

The federation and the Philippine women’s national team are pleased to have Coach Alen Stajcic as mentor,

coach and trainer of the team,” said Atty. Edwin Gastanes, PFF secretary-general. “He came at a time when opportunities beckoned and he delivered, showing that the Filipinas has the potential to do well in international competitions.” His journey with the team was successful, resulting in World Cup qualification and having the first goal and win in its maiden World Cup campaign,” Gastanes added. “We thank Coach Alen for his outstanding services rendered. His legacy as coach will be in the annals of Philippine football history.” S tajcic is a former coach of the

Australian women’s team who was removed from his position just before the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France. No official reason was given by Australian officials.

The Philippine federation praised Stajcic for “changing the landscape of Philippine football forever” after taking the country to its first World Cup.

H is side upset co-hosts New Zealand in a historic 1-0 win but lost matches to Switzerland, 0-1, and Norway, a 6-0 defeat Sunday that meant the Philippines would not qualify for the knockout stage. P reviously, Stajcic led the

Philippines to the semifinals of the Asian Cup and helped the team achieve its best world ranking of 46.

“

Beating New Zealand on home soil and scoring our first World Cup goal and getting our first win was the things that dreams are made of,” Stajcic, 49, said in a statement.

And despite the score line, the last match against Norway, where 34,000 patrons attended, with 30,000 singing for the Filipinas, brought shivers down our spine. It showed that football does belong in the Philippines, and that legacy is something we are all proud of.” AP and Josef Ramos

Talosig in harness for SEA age group, wins event with plenty to spare

By Josef Ramos

MIKAELA TALOSIG was too classy in the pool she was high and almost dry when her closest opponent finished swimming the girls’ 13-18 400 meters freestyle at the Palarong Pambansa on Tuesday. Talosig, 17, and one of the

country’s top young swimmers, easily won the gold medal in four minutes and 38.98 seconds, in the process showing she’s ready to don the Philippine colors in the Southeast Asian Age Group Championships set in three weeks’ time in Jakarta.

Shannessa Athena Chang touched almost eight seconds later to claim silver and Iliazel Fei Doliante was some four seconds further back for the bronze. Both are from the National Capital Region (NCR).

“ I never thought I could win here because I didn’t actually prepare for this Palaro,” said the 17-year-old Talosig, the pride of Midsayap (Cotabato) who gave

Rebranded Ironman 70.3 back in Cebu in 2024

THE Ironman 70.3 Philippines returns to Cebu next year for a milestone 10th year staging while focusing on Lapu-Lapu City as a top sporting and adventure destination.

T he April 21, 2024, event, now billed as the Ironman 70.3 LapuLapu, will also serve as part of The Ironman Group’s 2023-2024 Season Pass and Flex90offerings, giving the athletes opportunities to participate in multiple Ironman and 70.3 races across Oceania and Asia to save on every entry.

The Flex90 gives registrants the capacity to change race dates without the penalties of withdrawals.

Lapu-Lapu has been an integral part of the Ironman 70.3 in Cebu which has attracted participants from around the world the last 10 years,” LapuLapu City Mayor Junard “Ahong” Quirante Chan said. “This time,

Big games set at ‘Big Dome’ in World Cup

THE historic Smart Araneta Coliseum will yet again make history from August 26 to September 3 as one of the venues for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.

Story of firsts

we are very happy to host the event and showcase Lapu-Lapu’s beautiful locations and adventures that can only be experienced on our shores.”

R egistration is now open. For details, log on to ironman.com/im703cebu-philippines-register

Billed as the Crown Jewel of Asia, Ironman 70.3 Lapu-Lapu has grown in prestige over the years. In previous editions, slots for the race have been sold out within minutes of its opening as a testament to its ever-growing popularity and the remarkable experience and atmosphere it provides the participants.

“

This race has grown immensely over the last decade. Last year, we had close to 2,000 participants, which is a very high attendance rate for an event here in the Philippines, while still in soft lockdown,” said Princess Galura, Regional Director of the Ironman Group Philippines. “This year, we look

forward to staging a full comeback to the festivities. The women’s field is growing, and we are looking forward to more participation from them [women].”

The host city has also guaranteed smooth and successful staging of the challenging 1.9-km ocean swim, 90km bike and 21.1-km run event while putting premium on the safety of all participants in relation to the city’s health measures.

“ We are working closely with the organizers of IRONMAN events along with the traffic management, emergency services, medical facilities, and other necessary arrangements to ensure the safety and success of the races,” Chan.

The support of our local communities has been the epitome of Philippine hospitality and we look forward to a festive yet smooth positive experience for participants and spectators alike,” the mayor added.

W hen we upset Chinese-Taipei in a pulsating eliminator, it gave the Philippines its first ever stint in the Fifa World Cup now being co-hosted by New Zealand and Australia.  It came by way of a victorious penalty shootout, the Filipinas prevailing, 4-3, after a 1-1 draw.

A ll that drama unfolded in Pune, India, on January 31 in the 2022 AFC (Asian Football Confederation) semifinals, triggered by the match’s first goal scored by Maldita Quinley Quezada.  (The Filipinas were then known as the “Malditas.”)

But Quezada’s historic shot in the 49th minute got seriously threatened when Taipei’s Zhou Li-Ping made it 1-1 in the 83rd.

Then came to the rescue Sarina Bolden and goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel.

the SOCCSKSARGEN its second swimming gold medal. “I’m really preparing for Jakarta.” alosig will still compete in the 100, 200, 800 and 1,500 freestyle and two more relays, making her a potential most successful athlete of the Palaro’s 63rd edition.

wenty-two student athletes swam in Talosig’s event staged at the Marikina Sports Center pool, where Peter Cyrus Dean added another title to his conquest in last December’s Batang Pinoy Nationals in Vigan ean booked a new personal best of 1:00.69 in winning the boys’ secondary 13-18 100m backstroke for Lucena City and Southern Tagalog. “ I felt great today despite the [rainy] weather and the [pool] water seemed heavy, but everything’s fine,” said the 16-yearold Dean, who beat  Western Visayas’s Jennuel Booh de Leon by a hair and Lance Rafael Cruz (1:01.17)of NCR.

n athletics also at the Marikina Sports Center, Marjorie Ragudos of Ilocos Region jumped 1.53 meters for the girls secondary high jump gold medal, beating Evita Ruth Belloso of Southern Tagalog who got the silver at 1.50 meters via count back over Nikki Dalnay

Ervin Dugue of Central Luzon needed only one attempt at 1.59 meters to rule the boys’ elementary high jump. Laurenz Mane of Southern Luzon needed two tries at 1.59 for the silver.

C agayan Valley’s Baby Jane Santos threw the javelin to 31.27 meters to pocket the girls elementary gold medal, while Zamboanga Peninsula’s Julie Ann Cuarto clinched silver at 29.17 and Bicol’s Jeanne Epino bagged bronze with 28.44.

Western Visayas’s Joshua Patorara leapt to 6.57 meters for the boys’ secondary long jump, winning by a mere centimeter over Jasper Bedonio of Ilocos Region.

L oraine Audrey Battala topped the secondary girls’ 3,000 meters in 10:49.70, pushing Asia Paraase of Central Visayas to silver with 10.50.3, while Ana Espenilla (Bicol Region) won the secondary girls’ javelin with 42.81 meters, Jumel Dichosa (Western Visayas) conquered the elementary boys long jump with 5.28m.

I n archery at the STI Gold Toe Archery Center, Central Visayas’s Naina Dominque Tagle won the girls’ 30 meters with 338 points,

The 63-year-old Big Dome that served as the setting for the first FIBA World Cup in Asia in 1978 and before that the “Thrilla in Manila” between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in 1975 will once more play host to a major sporting event.

The Big Dome welcomes Gilas Pilipinas along with Group A rivals Angola, Dominican Republic and Italy, as well as Group B squads South Sudan, China, Serbia and Puerto Rico.

The maiden game day at the coliseum in Quezon City on August 26 will pit debuting South Sudan against Puerto Rico at 4 p.m., ahead of a heavyweight bout between Serbia and China at 8 p.m.

T he next day will see the Philippine national team facing 2019 tormentor Angola at 8 p.m. before the hometown bets take on powerhouse Italy, which could field a number of National Basketball Association players, on August 29 at 8 p.m.

G ilas Pilipinas hopes to jump off its enviable home court advantage to leap into the next group phase—a much-welcome step forward after the world meet in China four years ago.

A nother matchup to watch out for on August 27 is the Dominican Republic—with NBA big man KarlAnthony Towns—game against Italy at 4 p.m.

P uerto Rico—led by talented trio of Tremont Waters, Ismael Romero and Christopher Ortiz—in Group B will get back-to-back tough tests against Serbia and China on August 28 and 30, respectively.

Even without recent NBA champion and two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, the Serbians remain a force thanks to Atlanta Hawks sixth man Bogdan Bogdanovic, as well as Euro League star Marko Guduric.

C hina has Minnesota Timberwolves versatile forward Kyle Anderson, who recently formalized his Chinese citizenship.

Fans can take part in making history with big games at the Big Dome by availing themselves of tickets via ticketnet.com.ph

Tickets for games at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, on the other hand, are on sale at smtickets.com

IT would ultimately boil down to a story of firsts. The Filipinas’ omnipotent odyssey in the Fifa (Federation Internationale de Football Association) Women’s World Cup began with a first and ended with a first.

B olden, whose mother is from Pangasinan married to an American, hit the winning penalty while McDaniel made two heart-pounding saves and holed one of the winning spot kicks.

B olden and McDaniel also starred in the Filipinas’ first win in the ongoing Fifa World Cup.

The 28-year-old Bolden scored the marginal goal against New Zealand on a header after a perfectly-timed pass from right by Sara Eggesvik, whose Norwegian father is married to a Filipina from Davao.

Then McDaniel, whose mother (Lindy Isip) has Pampanga roots and whose American father is a football coach, preserved the 1-0 margin with at least two spectacular saves, doing her goal-tending chore in a manner as though her life depended on it.

Ne ver mind that we next bowed to Norway in a humbling 6-0 loss, denying us a slot in the Round of 16.  Norway was simply too hot to handle, its world-class savvy on display all throughout.

Well, Norway was in all nine World Cups since the 1991 inaugurals in Guangdong, China.  And, after finishing second to the United States that year, Norway would come back to win the next 1995 edition with a 2-0 win over Germany in Sweden.

Sadly, we groped for form against Norway, our inexperience proving to be the deadweight in the end.

But still, lost was not the burnish of our first ever win—

against New Zealand—in a Fifa World Cup in either men’s or women’s competition, sparking hoopla for our underrated but gallant Filipinas, whose feat was bannered in news headlines worldwide.

A nd, speaking of firsts, we also have the team’s Hali Long to salute as she became the first Filipino athlete— footballer or otherwise—to cry each time she hears the national anthem played in the pitch.

C an someone ever top that?

THAT’S IT With their heart-warming achievement in the Fifa World Cup, our women’s football team doesn’t only deserve praise but continuous financial support as well from both the private and government sectors.  That’s the only way to keep our program strong and sustainable…Japan is the only Asian country to have won the quadrennial Fifa World Cup since 1991, doing it in 2011 via a penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw against the US in Germany.  The US won the World Cup four times in 1991, 1999, 2015 and 2019, Germany twice in 2003 and 2007 and Norway in 1995.

THE Philippine Football Federation says Alen Stajcic is set to “explore other options” after he’s recently linked with the vacant role with Perth Glory’s A-League men’s side. AP

SARAH EBERO, running out of Alguera in Leyte, makes Eastern Visayas proud, and so does Misamis Oriental’s Kate Saligan of Northern Mindanao in the hurdles competitions of the 63rd Palarong Pambansa at the Marikina City Sports Center on Tuesday. ROY DOMINGO