BusinessMirror August 17, 2023

By Andrea E. San Juan

SALES of electric vehicles in the Philippines reached

2,536 units in the first quarter of 2023, a 500-percent jump compared to the 426 units sold for the entire year of 2022, according to the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP).

Data from EVAP showed that in January, electric vehicles sold reached 452 units; 760 in February and 1,324 units in March.

From 2010 to 2022, EVAP noted that local electric vehicles sold reached 14,357 units.

M eanwhile, EVAP cited data from the Land Transportation Office (LTO) showing that from 2014 to 2022, there are already 9,666

electric vehicles registered.

O ut of the total EVs registered, 8,105 are motorcycles and tricycles;

1,168 are sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and utility vehicles (UVs); 346 are cars/sedans; 44 are buses and two are classified as trucks and trailers.

Moving forward, EVAP said the total projected electric vehicle stock by 2030 would reach 6,616,750 units.  O f the 6,616,750 units expected to be sold, 83.12 percent of 5,500,000 are two-wheelers; 5.29 percent or 350,000 are passenger cars; 4.53 percent or 300,000 units are three-wheelers; 4.53 percent or 300,000 units are other Utility Vehicles; 1.09 percent or 72,250 units would be Public Utility Jeepneys; 1.06 percent

or 70,000 units would be trucks and 0.37 percent or 24,500 units would be buses.

A t a media briefing on Wednesday held in Taguig City, EVAP President Edmund Araga revealed that “Implementation remains a big challenge as it involves extensive output and promotion.”

“

The EV industry is still making necessary adjustments in terms of supplies and infrastructures. Transitions are on the way in terms of regulations being set by different government agencies involved,” the EVAP president noted.

A raga pointed out that currently, the Department of Energy (DOE) is “setting the pace” in the government sector by rolling out programs especially those aligned

with the law pertaining to renewable energy sources.

“ Such initiatives are related to the development of local EV infrastructure. One I can cite is the e-App program that maps out locations of active EV charging stations across the country,” Araga explained in a statement on Wednesday.

H e also cited the Energy department for the ongoing development of the Comprehensive Roadmap for the Electric Vehicle Industry (CREVI), which comes with interagency support. The department is also facilitating public consultations regarding the Vehicle Fuel Economy Labeling Program (VFELP) and the Fuel Economy Performance Rating (FEPR).

BusinessMirror

PHL’S FOCUS: BILATERAL TRADE DEALS IN ASEAN

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

PHL ENTERPRISES TOLD: TAP A.I. TO DRIVE BIZ GROWTH

By Roderick L. Abad @rodrik_28

PHILIPPINE enterprises are encouraged to leverage on artificial intelligence (AI) built on confidence and transparency that can bring real value to their entities.  B usinesses, especially small-scale ones, are still quite afraid of AI without knowing that they will be left behind their competitors who have already embraced this cuttingedge technology, according to IBM Philippines President and Technology Leader Aileen Judan-Jiao.

“ They would need to put AI to work at the strategic core of their business to meet tomorrow’s elevated customer expectations. At the same time, it is critical for organizations to use AI that is explainable,

fair, robust, transparent, and prioritize and safeguard consumers’ privacy and data rights to engender trust,” she told reporters in a briefing prior to the staging of IBM’s flagship Tech Innovation Forum 2023 at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig on Wednesday. A s a catchup, companies ought to adopt the hottest technology trend today called the generative AI that has been quickly gaining traction amongst the businesses, professionals and consumers. In a nutshell, this type of AI refers to machine learning systems that can create text, images, code or other kinds of content usually in response to a prompt entered by a user.  Unlike the traditional machine learning or deep learning that is like “the realm of data

I n a Senate hearing on the proposed national budget for 2024, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan said the Philippines has not been as aggressive in terms of crafting bilaterals and must endeavor to fast-track these agreements.

B alisacan said this is a strategy employed by Viet Nam which led to its current position as “the center of the world in terms of investment” given its aggressive efforts in forging bilateral trade agreements with various countries.

“ The [priority] is to speed up negotiations with many countries, not only the US [United States] or EU [European Union] but even our neighbors because there is so much limitation with Asean,” Balisacan said.

B alisacan earlier said this will increase the opportunities to generate more jobs for the country’s rapidly growing labor force.

He also said attracting more investments and maximizing trade opportunities with various markets globally through bilateral

DBM: ₧16.95B set for ’24 govt pay hike

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

THE Marcos Jr. administra -

tion is setting aside at least P16.95 billion for the salary increase of government employees next year, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said.

T he DBM said the allocation is in line with the provisions of the Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund (MPBF).

DBM Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman said the funding allows the national government to pursue compensation adjustment starting next year.

T he DBM added that about P1.368 billion is included in the 2024 National Expenditure Program (NEP) to bankroll the additional P1,000 in uniform or clothing allowance of over 1.3 million government employees.

The DBM has likewise been conducting a parallel review of the various benefits received across dif -

ferent ranks of the civil service to determine the need to adjust them,” it said in a statement on Wednesday.

T he DBM noted that the last tranche of salary hikes for government employees as mandated by the Salary Standardization Law was implemented last January.

T he DBM said a P48-million budget has been allocated to the Governance Commission for GOCCs this year for the conduct of a comprehensive review of the Compensation and Position Classification System for the government sector.

P angandaman said President Marcos Jr. has instructed the DBM to conduct a study to determine if the compensation that civilian government personnel are receiving is “competitive” compared to those working in the private sector.

“ The final cost requirement [of the increase] shall be determined once the results of the study have been presented and finalized,” Pangandaman added.

THE Philippines intends to prioritize forging trade agreements with its neighbors in Southeast Asia in order to circumvent limitations in the Asean free trade agreement, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda).

Investment missions cited behind 1,000% hike in OP travel expense

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

T he bulk or P367 million of the travel cost of OP last year were from the trips of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to Singapore, Indonesia, United States of America (USA), Cambodia, Thailand, and Belgium during the first six months of his term.

As everyone knows, 2021 was the height of the pandemic when mobility was restricted, with lockdowns implemented all throughout the country,” the OP said.

hope to elevate our position in the international community through stronger bilateral ties and improved relations with multilateral or international organizations,” it added.

T he Office of the President (OP) issued the statement after state auditors reported its local and over -

seas travel expenses rose to P403 million last year from just P36.8 million in 2021.

Continued from A1

trade agreements will also elevate the country’s growth potential to 6.5 to 8 percent from the current 6 percent.

B alisacan noted that without quality jobs, the Philippines will have a difficult time reducing poverty. The aim of the current administration is to bring poverty incidence down to single-digit lev-

els by 2028. He added that increasing investments and quality jobs also supports the goal of the Philippines to become a first world economy by 2040. This can be attained if the country consistently posts a GDP growth of 6.5 to 8 percent.

L ast February, Neda expressed its strong support for the Regional

It noted Marcos decided to accept the “huge volume of invitations for international events, conferences, high-level meetings, and state visits,” since it will serve the public’s interest.  We reiterate that the Administration, guided by its 8-point socioeconomic agenda, has opportunities to generate more foreign investments in our post-pandemic recovery initiatives,” OP said.

“At the same time, we also

Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP).

Neda said that based on the 2021 trade data from the International Trade Center, under the RCEP, only 15 agricultural commodity groups corresponding to 33 tariff lines will have lower tariff rates compared to some Asean+1 FTAs.

T his is equivalent to only 1.9 percent of the total 1,718 agricultural lines and only 0.8 percent of the total agricultural imports. Of

T he Office of the Presidential Assistant on Investment and Economic Affairs (OPAIEA) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said Marcos was able to secure US$62.926 billion, which is equivalent to P4.48 trillion, worth of foreign investment commitments from his trips to Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, USA, and Belgium.

T he Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said it will propose for the travel budget of OP to be raised from its current P893.87 million travel budget to P1.08 billion next year so the President can continue promoting the country as a top investment destination abroad.

these 33 tariff lines, 17 are raw materials, 8 are intermediate products, while only 8 are final goods. T he remaining agricultural tariff lines will have equal or higher rates compared to other Asean+1 FTAs, or are excluded from import tariff concessions under the RCEP.

T he Philippines is currently exporting a number of products for which concessions were secured (e.g., preserved pineapples, pineapple juice, chocolate) and securing better market access for these products through RCEP opens the possibility to further widen the market base in these countries.

Teves...

Continued from A14

I n order to constitute abandonment of office, it must be total and under such circumstance as clearly to indicate an absolute relinquishment. There must be a complete abandonment of duties of such continuance that the law will infer a relinquishment. Abandonment of duties is a voluntary act; it springs from and is accompanied by deliberation and freedom of choice. There are, therefore, two essential elements of abandonment: first, an intention to abandon and, second, an overt or ‘external’ act by which the intention is carried into effect,” the committee pointed out.

T he Ethics Committee considered the designation of Teves as a terrorist by duly-constituted authorities a grave matter.

Such a designation for a sitting House member reportedly brings disrepute to the institution and its members. It also casts doubt on Congress’s commitment to the welfare of the nation and creates a negative impression, both domestically and internationally, said the committee.

When a Member of the House of Representatives is designated as a terrorist, it poses a significant threat to the integrity and dignity of the institution. It is a serious and unprecedented matter,” the panel explained.

Pursuant to the Constitution, the provisions of the Rules of the House of Representatives, and the Committee Rules of Procedure for the 19th Congress, the Committee finds that the acts of Rep. A. Teves Jr. constitute disorderly behavior and violate Section 141 (a) and (b), Rule XX of the Code of Conduct of the House of Representatives, and such acts are so grave as to merit the most severe form of disciplinary action allowed by the Constitution in order to protect the institutional integrity of the House of Representatives,” the Committee added. See “Teves,” A4

science,” generative AI “is almost predictive in a sense,” per IBM Technology ASEANZK (Asean, Australia and New Zealand, Korea) Principal Technical Sales Leader for Data, AI and Automation Kieran Hagan. It changes the way you build the app now. You don’t have to label the data, and it has changed the supervised learning. So it’s creating a new content based on available data and prompting, which based on the IBM research, it’s 70 percent more efficient than classic deep learning and machine learning,” he explained.

G enerative AI has crucial applications for the Philippines given its potential impact on all industries.

S ome of the classic use cases of generative AI would be around automation, virtual assistance, digitalization of workflows, among other applications, Hagan elaborated.

D igiteer Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Cofounder Fatima Yambao, on the other hand, noted that this could affect the customer service industry since it has certain tasks that can be enhanced or passed on to the AI, without replacing the people but just need upskilling or reskilling for competence.

A dditionally, it can be of use for the agriculture and transport sectors. Yambao said: “The Philippines is an agricultural country and we haven’t really utilized that. So now we can check up the crops, the yield, even irrigation and fertilization, [through AI drones]. For the traffic that is really a big problem here, with the help of AI, we can actually have maybe solutions for that in the near future.”

Meanwhile, AI can help address the pressing problem of climate change and dealing with natural disaster preparedness, among other environmental issues.

T he Department of Finance reported that climate-related hazards led to P506.1 billion in economic losses and damage in the Philippines over the past 10 years.

“ The World Bank forecasts economic damage to reach up to 7.6 percent of the GDP [gross domestic product] by 2030 and 13.6 percent by 2040 if no action is taken to address climate change in the Philippines,” Komunidad Founder and CEO Felix Ayque cited.

W ith this in mind, he stressed the need for enterprises to take advantage of the AI like what their startup company did to help their customers make better business decisions and implement effective business continuity planning (BCP) strategies that reduce risks of environmental changes.

Market response

WHILE generative AI has just been recently creating a buzz, it has already earned the trust of the business sector.

I n fact, the IBM Institute for Business Value’s global CEO study showed that three-fourths or 75

percent of global CEOs surveyed think that enterprises armed with the most advanced generative AI will have a big competitive edge in the market. About half or 43 percent of them have already implemented generative AI to inform strategic decisions, 36 percent tap it for operational decisions, and 50 percent are incorporating it into their products and services.

H alf of Southest Asian CEOs, including those from the Philippines, pinpoint technology modernization as a top priority for their organization; followed by enhancing productivity and customer experience—both at 48 percent—as their second prime concern among their top challenges.

What’s on IBM in PHL

TO bring AI for real in the country, IBM officially launched during the forum its newest enterprise-ready AI and data platform Watsonx which provides self-service access and everything businesses need— tools, technology, infrastructure and consulting expertise at scale in one place.

T his channel comprises of the  studio for new foundation models, generative AI and machine learning (now available); the watsonx.data data store, built on an open lakehouse architecture (now available), and the watsonx.governance toolkit to help allow AI workflows to be built with responsibility, transparency and explainability (coming soon).

I BM was guided by five fundamental properties in developing it to ensure trust: explainability, fairness, robustness, transparency and privacy. Watsonx uses the power of foundational models pretrained on massive amounts of unlabeled data, making it less expensive to prepare, and thereby reducing the cost of scaling AI workloads across cloud and on-premises environments through a single point of entry.

A part from the business process outsourcing companies, the company also wants to partner with smaller firms for this new offering. Industry-wise, Watsonx works for human resourceS, financial technology or fintech, and education.

“AI is here. It can be used for business, but we need to make sure it is responsible AI. It needs to be trusted, explainable. And what’s good is that technologies such as Watsonx allows you now to actually do that. Let’s use AI for the good. It has more real life applications in the Philippines. You have IBM to help, you as we have our ecosystem of partners. So let’s not be afraid of AI. AI is there to augment human intelligence and it belongs to the creator—creators like all of us. And of course, it’s all about trust and transparency, be at the core of any AI strategy for business,” Judan-Jiao said.

Continued from A1

M eanwhile, EVAP said the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is still preparing its Electric Vehicle Incentive Strategy (EVIS) and the Department of Transportation (DoTr) is keeping its focus on public utility vehicles (PUVs) modernization, with EV as the priority.

“Other government agencies are taking their share by including EVs into their fleets (the Department of Public Works and Highways or DPWH is leading the pack in terms of compliance with this commitment),” EVAP said in a statement on Wednesday.

For its part, the association noted the private sector is “actively investing” in putting up more charging stations in strategic locations nationwide and using the latest innovative EV charging technology.

M any private companies are also taking the initiative to procure EVs for enhancing their own fleets, highlighting their efforts to lower carbon emissions and lower energy dependence on gasoline, EVAP also noted.

A raga, meanwhile, revealed that the establishment of the Philippine Battery Consortium will be launched during the Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit (PEVS) 2023 to be held from October 19 to 21.

It is aimed at addressing the important concerns and issues about battery supplies and costs. Of course, the three-day event will be a bigger venue for networking as well as for plenary and moderated discussions, which everyone would surely find helpful,” Araga said.

MALACAÑANG on Wednesday said the almost 1,000 percent increase in its travel expenses last year was “expected” with the easing of travel restrictions and the goal of the Marcos administration to secure more investments abroad.

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

AFP-Nolcom conducts 60 air, 30 surface patrols in line with territorial defense

THE Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) announced that it has conducted a total of 60 air and 30 surface patrols as part of its territorial defense missions.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Nolcom spokesperson Maj. Al Anthony Pueblas said these patrol missions are from the first quarter of this year up to the present. He added that these milestones were made possible under the leadership of Nolcom chief Lt. Gen. Fernyl Buca.

“From 1st quarter 2023 to present, Nolcom, in conjunction with the Area Task Force-North, an inter-agency coordinating body operating under the umbrella of the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea, headed by the ComNolcom [Commander Nolcom], has undertaken a total of 60 successful air patrols and 30 surface patrols, ensuring the nation’s territorial security,” Pueblas said.

Aside from this, Nolcom also helped in monitoring the Philippines’ vast waters through its comprehensive maritime surveillance efforts.

“The Command’s Littoral Monitoring Detachment strategically positioned in Bani, Zambales; Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte; Batan and Mavulis both of Batanes monitored a total of 22,474 foreign and domestic vessels in the Nolcom Maritime Areas, playing a crucial role in safeguarding the Philippines’ maritime borders,” Pueblas said.

“Nolcom will continue to launch maritime patrols [MarPat] in collaboration with key government agencies such as the Philippine Coast Guard and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to ensure the safety of our fellow Filipinos, specially our fishermen and protect our marine resources for the benefit of current and future generations,” Buca said

in the same statement.

MarPat is a Nolcom routine security patrol, which covers three maritime areas; the vast, resource-rich maritime area includes the Bajo De Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal) in the West Philippine Sea, the uncontested Philippine Rise (Benham Rise) and the Batanes Strait.

As this developed, Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr., AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. and Buca paid a visit to three Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites located in Camp Melchor F. Dela Cruz, Upi, Gamu, Isabela on August 15.

The EDCA sites inspected include a warehouse, command-and-control fusion center, and the 5th Division Training School of the 5th Infantry Division, Philippine Army.

“The successful completion of this visit reinforces the commitments made by both nations to bolster their defense cooperation and regional stability through the EDCA framework. The visit provided the country’s top defense officials with an invaluable firsthand experience of the progress achieved through collaborative efforts,” Buca said.

He also said EDCA is key to the country’s national interests, as it modernizes its alliance with the US, enhancing our disaster preparedness and response capabilities.

“It strengthens our maritime domain awareness and security while providing basing for our current and future assets. The EDCA sites play a crucial role in facilitating joint operations during natural or man-made emergencies. The urgent need to fast-track the construction of facilities within the EDCA sites is in response to the exigencies of HADR [humanitarian assistance disaster relief] requirements,” Buca noted.

Rex Anthony Naval

SC issues writ of kalikasan vs mining ops at Mt. Mantalingahan in Palawan

By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

THE Supreme Court (SC) has issued a writ of kalikasan against the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and two mining firms in a bid to stop further environmental damage to Mt. Mantalingahan and its surrounding municipalities in Palawan caused by their continued mining operations and excavation of nickel minerals.

In a statement, the SC-Public Information Office (SC-PIO) said the writ was issued during the regular en banc session of the magistrates last Tuesday.

A writ of kalikasan is a legal remedy for the protection of one’s right to “a balanced and healthful ecology in accord with the rhythm and harmony of nature,” under Section 16, Article II of the Constitution.

The Court’s issuance of the writ stemmed from the petition filed by the Indigenous Cultural Communities (ICCs) of BICAMM Ancestral Domain, Brooke’s Point, Palawan against respondents DENR, Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), Ipilan Nickel

Corporation (INC) and Celestial Nickel Mining and Exploration Corporation (Celestial Mining).

The petitioners argued that the Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) entered into by the government and Celestial Mining in 1993 covering 2,835.06 hectares of land located in Brooke’s Point, Palawan, with INC as the designated mining operator, overlaps a protected area not open for mining operations.

T he ICCs, who are indigenous people (IP) with ancestral domains in the areas of Barangay Barongbarong, Uoulan, Clasaguen, Aribungos, Mambalot, and Maasin in Brooke’s Point, Palawan, said the MPSA covered areas within the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) particularly the area within the Mt. Mantalingahan Mountain Range.

The petitioners claimed that despite the expiration of their Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) in October 2015, INC and Celestial continued with their tree-cutting activities, which have caused the deforestation of Mt. Mantalingahan.

The ICCs also told the Court that the MPSA had a term of 25 years, but this was

illegally extended until 2025 when then

DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu issued an order reckoning the effectivity date of the MPSA to the year it was amended in 2000, and not the year it was originally executed in 1993.

The ICCs also accused INC and Celestial Mining of doing illegal mining operations since they lack a Certificate Precondition from the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) for the renewal of the MPSA.

The SC noted that among the requisites necessary for the grant of a writ of kalikasan are: petitioner must sufficiently allege and prove the actual or threatened violation of the constitutional right to a balanced and healthful ecology; the actual or threatened violation should stem from the unlawful act or omission of a public official or employee, or private individual or entity; and the actual or threatened violation should be shown to lead to an environmental damage of such magnitude as to prejudice the life, health, or property of inhabitants in two or more cities or provinces.

In the present case, the SC declared, “all the requisites are present,” which warrant the issuance of a writ of kalikasan.

The SC noted that the mining operations by INC and Celestial Mining may cause irreparable environmental damage to the Mt. Mantalingahan protected area and the ICC’s ancestral domain.

It added that mining operations of INC and Celestial, aggravated by the lack of action on the part of the DENR and MGC, place the residents of Brooke’s Point in peril.

Lastly, the Court said Mt. Mantalingahan covers several municipalities such as Bataraza, Brooke’s Point, Sofronio Española, Quezon and Rizal, and the continued mining operations and excavation lead to environmental damage in the said mountain ranges, as shown by extreme flooding and contamination of fishing areas.

“In the present case, the Court found that there is a possibility of serious irreversible harm on the environment and the inhabitants of Brooke’s Point located in the Mt. Mantalingahan Mountain Range. Thus, with the Court’s issuance of a writ of kalikasan, the project proponents, INC and Celestial, are required to provide evidence to dispel concerns regarding potential harmful impact of a project to the environment,” the SC said.

“ The same applies to the DENR and Mines Geoscience Bureau, whose inaction over the strong pleas of the residents of Brooke’s Point shows their indifference to the rights of the ICCs to a balanced and healthful ecology,” the Court added.

CBCP to electorate: Start change by choosing ‘right’ village leaders

AN official from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) urged voters to initiate change by choosing the rightful candidate for the upcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE).

For CBCP Office on Stewardship chairperson Bishop Broderick Pabillo, the upcoming

BSKE is the right opportunity to start social change by choosing the right people to lead the community.

“Sadaratingnaeleksyon,maypagkakataontayongbaguhinangpamamahala,mula sabarangay.Gamitinnatinangpagkakataong ito na umpisahan ang tunay na pagbabago mula sa barangay. [In the coming election,

we have the opportunity to change the management, starting in the barangay. Let’s use this opportunity to start the real change from the barangay],” said Bishop Pabillo in a Radio Veritas report.

According to Pabillo, voters can choose great leaders as long as there are candidates with good intention to serve the country.

“S erving the people is a call from God. I encourage people of goodwill and righteous people to run to serve the barangay and the SK,” he added.

According to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) calendar of activities, the filing of Certificate of Candidacy will be from August 28 to September 2. Patrick V. Miguel

Thursday, August 17, 2023

DTI freezes review of price hike petitions for basic goods for now

By Andrea E. San Juan @andreasanjuan

THE review of requested adjustments on prices of basic goods is currently on hold as the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is still monitoring the movements of the oil prices and all other inputs to basic goods, according to Trade Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual.

“Well we’ve reached a decision the other week when convened my team to hold muna. That was the decision,” Pascual said at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum on Wednesday.

The trade chief stressed that the agency is monitoring the movements of oil prices and all other important inputs to the manufacturing of basic goods. He added, “If we detect that there is a basis, then we will again sit down and decide, which requests for price adjustments

DENR eyes ₧24-B budget for 2024

we will consider.”

Pascual noted that the agency is adopting real-time monitoring on the factors that may influence price adjustments, such as oil prices, wheat prices, and the prices of packaging materials, among others.

He revealed there are pending requests for increases but “we’re trying to see whether there’s a real basis for the request for adjustments in the SRP [Suggested Retail Price] bulletin.”

“S o I asked my people to check the price of oil and the price of oil a year ago when we made adjustment to the SRP and the findings are that the price of oil now is even cheaper than the price of oil a year ago,” Pascual explained, adding that he’s unsure if there’s a new round of increases that might change the view that they had earlier.

Last week, DTI-Consumer Protection Group (CPG) Undersecretary Ruth B. Castelo said that

at least 13 manufacturers are seeking price hikes on basic goods such as canned sardines, instant noodles, canned meat, among others, amid rise in raw material prices.

She revealed that out of the 218 stockkeeping units (SKUs) in the SRP Bulletin, manufacturers of 43 SKUs have requested for price adjustments.

“ These products are canned sardines, condensed milk, evaporated milk, powdered milk, coffee, instant noodles, bottled water, canned meat and toilet soap,” Castelo said in a televised interview last week.

According to Castelo, the proposed price increase ranges from P0.10 to P7.27 or by 1 to 5 percent for food items, while non-food manufacturers are seeking price increase, which ranges from P1.50 to P9.75, or by 6 percent to 10 percent.

The trade official cited the reasons behind the manufacturers’ request for price increases

Cashless tollways system shifts to full blast in Sept

THE Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) has ordered tollway operators to conduct a “dry-run” of contactless payments on select toll plazas for two months starting in September.

A ccording to the regulatory body, the directive was in response to the call of the House Committee on Transportation to re-implement the Contactless Program, which was first introduced at the height of the pandemic.

The dry-run is a necessary procedure to ascertain the readiness of the Tollway Concessionaires and Operators for the smooth and efficient re-implementation of the Contactless Program,” the TRB said.

In A ugust 2020, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) issued Department Order No. 2020-12, which required cashless transactions for all vehicles passing

through expressways.

Initially, the measure was implemented to mitigate the transmission of Covid-19. It was also seen to lessen wait times on toll plazas by making payments more efficient.

H owever, due to numerous complaints received during the implementation of the said program way back in November 2020 brought about by various constraints and glitches in the electronic toll collection (ETC) systems, the DOTr issued an addendum dated January 29, 2021 allowing vehicles with no RFID stickers and requiring cash lanes in all toll plazas.

T his addendum remains effective as of this time.

According to the TRB, its audit team has assessed 717 out of the 852 ETC-ready toll lanes in the country. The remaining 16 percent “are currently being operated as cash

lanes and will be tested once converted to ETC lanes.”

In determining the implementation of cashless transactions, the TRB considered a “readability rate [of] at least 98 percent,” and “account management [that has] almost real-time transmission of data, accurate charging of toll fees, crediting of load to the account, updating of account balance information and accurate Toll Fare Indicator information during lane passage.”

Alr eady, the regulator said “several toll plazas and toll lanes passed the 98 percent Readability Rate, while some expressways passed the parameters on Account Management.”

W ith this, the TRB has directed the two-month dry run for select toll plazas on the North Luzon, Subic-Clark Tarlac, Cavite-Laguna, Manila-Cavite, Naia,

Sen. Go pushes countryside devt in Catbalogan event

SENATOR Christopher Lawrence

“Bong” Go has initiated several key infrastructure projects in Catbalogan City, in line with his commitment to help pave the way for development and progress in the area through continued collaboration with the local government led by Gov. Sharee Ann Tan.

The senator’s support in these initiatives as vice chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance was highlighted by his presence during the Adlaw han Barangay 2023, a significant part of the Samar Day Celebration,

Continued from A2

Kangaroo court’

REP. Teves reacted to the House vote by

on Friday, August 11.

One of these activities is the opening of the Tandaya Hall in Catbalogan City where Go participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony together with Governor Tan, Vice Governor Arnold Tan, BHW (Barangay Health Worker) Party-list Rep. Natasha Co, Catbalogan City Mayor Dexter Uy and other local officials. The inauguration was also witnessed by 24 mayors and vice mayors together with their councilors, and 951 barangay captains and their kagawads.

“Alam n’yo, parati ko kasing naririnig,

describing the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges proceedings as “nothing but that of a kangaroo court, to use a wornout phrase.”

In a statement, Teves through Ferdinand Topacio, his lead legal counsel, said: “Today is a

‘salamatSenador Bong Go’samgaproyekto... perokamipoangdapatmagpasalamatsainyo dahilbinigyann’yokamingpagkakataonna makapagserbisyo sa inyo,”Go said.

“Kahit saang sulok kayo sa Pilipinas, pupuntahan ko kayo at magseserbisyo basta kaya ng aking katawan at panahon. Sanay ako sa trabaho. Umaga, tanghali, hapunan,kahitsapanaginip,nagtatrabaho ako,” he added.

Moreover, Go was also instrumental in the construction of the New Catbalogan City Hall, a new Sports Complex, and the Lagundi-

dark day for the Rule of Law and the dawning of a new age of the tyranny of the majority, where might is right and the prevailing principle is the Law of Force rather than the Force of Law.”

Topacio added: “From the start of the

on their products. Among the reasons are rising cost of raw materials such as the tamban or the fish that’s being used for canned sardines, the flour in the instant noodles which she said is also imported, the mechanically deboned meat used for canned meat, processed milk which contains ingredients such as skimmed milk, palm oil, buttermilk, and the potassium used in iodized salt.

Lik e the trade Chief, Castelo also emphasized that the DTI adopts its own mechanism in verifying price increase requests from manufacturers, taking into consideration the increase in the cost of their packaging materials, transportation costs and their acquisition cost for toll packing.

The last time DTI allowed incremental increases in the SRP of some SKUs was last February 2023 when the agency approved the price increase requests of manufacturers of bread, sardines, and luncheon meat.

Skyway, South Luzon, Muntinlupa-Cavite, Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union, and Star Expressways.

As agreed between TRB and the Toll Concessionaires and Operators, a first batch of qualified toll plazas will initially form part of the dry-run to ensure a smooth and efficient implementation. Other qualified toll plazas will gradually be included during the dry-run period,” the TRB said.

T he TRB advised motorists that the first batch of qualified toll plazas that will be included in the dry run would be posted on signages and banners at the expressways, and on the websites of TRB and the Tollway Concessionaires and Operators.

“The TRB strongly encourages tollway users to switch from cash to RFID. For those with existing RFID stickers, they are advised to have their RFID sticker checked if it needs replacement, and that they have sufficient load before they enter the expressway,” the TRB said.

Lorenz S. Marasigan

San Andres Access Road. These projects, all under construction, are poised to bring in unprecedented benefits to Samar.

The new city hall will provide a modern hub for governance, streamlining public service and administrative functions. The sports complex will offer recreational and athletic opportunities, fostering community engagement and youth development.

The Lagundi-San Andres Access Road, once completed, will significantly improve connectivity within the region, reducing travel time, boosting local trade, and enhancing the transportation of goods and services.

proceedings, it bore all the hallmarks of an inquisition: the Committee was the motu proprio Complainant, making it both the accuser and the judge; Rep. Teves was never allowed to participate in the proceedings by himself, but only through letters of his

THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is proposing a total budget of P24,571,827,000 for 2024 on top of the P1.1 billion automatic appropriations for the agency under the National Expenditure Program (NEP) prepared by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

The proposed budget of the DENR for 2024 is almost the same level of budget it got this year at P24 billion.

In her budget presentation during the hearing of the committee on appropriations of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga said proposed environmental financing is directed towards addressing the complex policy area composed of several subsectors, including forest, biodiversity, coastal and marine resource, minerals, lands, air, and water.

“The proposed budget incorporates a geospatial approach in identifying accounting and valuing our natural resource and the strategic planning required to de-risk development decisions,” she said.

Further, she said the proposed investment in environmental and climate resilient ecosystems supports the nexus governance needed to deliver multiple social, economic, and environmental benefits from a single action that requires decision support systems that consider cascading risk across time horizons and the need for circularity in resource management.

Of the P24.57 billion, almost half, or P11.27 billion is allotted for maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE), P9 billion for personnel expenses, and P3.3 billion for capital outlay.

The Office of the Secretary, which includes the Central Office, 4 staff bureaus, 16 Regional offices, 76 Provincial Environment and Natural Resource Offices (PENROs), and 146 Community Environment and Natural Resource Offices (CENROs), will have the lion’s share P18.6 billion. T he other offices are the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) which will receive P2.5 billion, Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), P1.47 billion, NAMRIA, P1.6 billion, National Water Resources Board (NWRB) P210 million, and the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD), P94 million.

Yulo-Loyzaga said the proposed budget of the DENR is aligned with the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028.

For the forestry sector, which includes targets to increase forest cover, employment generated from resource-based enterprises, and establishment of livable communities, the proposed budget is P2.49 billion.

To recall, from 2010 to 2020, the DENR chief reported in a video presentation played during the hearing that the country’s forest cover increased by 5.65 percent, through the implementation of the National Greening Program (NGP).

Under the NGP, over 2.2 million hectares of plantation forests were established,

counsel, who were never even allowed to present; the hearings, although impressed with public interest, was kept secret, like a medieval Court of the Star Chamber; and the final recommendation shows that there was never a bona fide intention to consider the evidence in favor of Mr. Teves. To make matters worse, while the Committee was overly strict in not allowing Rep. Teves to participate in the proceedings, it chose to disregard Section 2 of its own rules which provides that proceedings in the Committee shall be deferred if any matter under discussion is before a judicial, quasijudicial or administrative body, until after final judgment therein,” Topacio added.

The lawyer said the committee has refused to heed this rule even after incontrovertible proof was adduced showing that the issue of Teves’ designation as “terrorist” is still under review by the Anti-Terrorism Council and that

employing more than 889,895 individuals and generating jobs of 6,142,396.

For 2024, the proposed budget is allocated for forest development, rehabilitation, maintenance, and protection for the NGP.

T he target is to develop 31,992 hectares of new forest plantation, production of 19 million seedlings, maintain and protect 95,406 hectares of NGP sites, and assessment of 42,265 hectares of graduated NGP sites. For soil conservation and water management, including river basin management, the proposed budget is P370 million.

This will be used for the preparation of 27 Integrated Watershed Management Plans and the construction of waterimpounding facilities.

For the operation of the River Basin Control Office (RBCO), the proposed budget is P68 million, which includes targets of updating and implementing 3 Integrated River Basin Management and Development Masterplan; Strengthening 15 river basin offices and river basin governance; and populating, maintain and update 3 river basin integrated information management systems.

For the natural resource management agreement/agreement and permit issuance for forest protection for 2024, the targets include the conduct of patrol over 81,048 kilometers and the hiring of 1,660 forest protection officers. The proposed budget is P952 million.

To combat illegal logging through the operationalization of 43 regional anti-illegallogging task forces, the proposed budget is P109 million.

For the biodiversity sector, to increase green spaces, expand marine protected areas, and for the effective management of inland wetlands, and caves and establishment of biodiversity-friendly enterprises, the proposed budget is P 1 billion. The targets are the conduct of 9 protected area suitability assessment, monitoring of 2,063 monuments and signages in 21 legislated Protected Areas, a survey of 29 barangays in 9 Pas for survey and registration of PA occupants, assess and classify 55 caves outside Pas and profile of 21 inland wetland.

For the DENR’s urban biodiversity program which is being implemented in 5 major cities, the targets are to monitor and protect 17 priority species, establish 4 critical habitats for threatened species in varying stages of implementation, mobilize 218 wildlife traffic monitoring units covering 36 airports and 131 seaports, and train 725 volunteers as wildlife enforcement officers. The proposed budget is P86.3 million.

The proposed budget for coastal and marine resource management is P216.6 million, the target of which includes establishing 6 marine protected area networks and strengthening the existing 17 MPA networks. It will also fund activities to monitor 90,244 has of coastal and marine habitats, and water quality in 35 MPAs in partnership with people’s organizations. Jonathan L. Mayuga

his supposed continued absences are the subject of a complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman.

As t o his so-called “indecent behavior,”

Topacio said the committee has chosen to ignore jurisprudence enumerating what may constitute “disorderly conduct,” under which Teves’ social media posts clearly do not fall.

“Just like the indictments from the Department of Justice, whose neutrality has been severely compromised by its secretary’s reckless disregard of the law, the action of the committee, and the validation thereof by the plenary under the iron grip of a Speaker hell-bent on destroying perceived political opponents, the outcome is hardly unexpected. Having been liberated from the procedural and legal monstrosities of both the DOJ and the HOR, we can now shift the battle to a place where, it is hoped, we will get fairness and due process,” he said.

Teves.

Q2 data show double-digit dip in construction permits, value

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

D ata from the Approved Building Permits Second Quarter 2023 showed the number of construction permits contracted 14.9 percent; floor area, 20.4 percent; and the value, 17.2 percent.

P SA said during the period, there were a total of 36,136 approved building permits; 7.24 million square meters of floor area; and a value of P87.83 billion.

T he bulk of these construction permits were for residential build -

ings, which posted a 20 percent decline in terms of number; 25.6 percent in terms of floor area; and 20.7 percent in terms of value.

T he PSA said by type of construction, residential buildings still reported the highest number of 24,175 constructions in the second quarter of 2023 or 66.9 percent of the total number of constructions during the quarter.

D ata showed majority of the total residential constructions were

single-type houses with 21,942 or 90.8 percent of the total.

T he report also showed that non-residential type of constructions was the second highest in terms of number of constructions at 7,928 or 21.9 percent of the total number of constructions during the quarter.

T his type of construction, PSA said, increased in number during the period at an annual rate of 10.1 percent. Most of the nonresidential constructions were commercial buildings with 5,645 or 71.2 percent of the total.

D ata also showed that the addition, which refers to any new construction that increases the height or area of an existing building, and alteration and repair of existing structure contributed 4.3 percent and 6.9 percent to the total number of constructions, respectively.

Compared with their respective numbers in the same period of the previous year, addition-type of construction expanded by 14.7

PAF and key allies hone skills in low altitude cargo airdrop

percent, while alteration and repair posted an annual decrease of 33 percent.

E arlier, the PSA reported that in the second quarter, the country’s Gross Capital Formation (GCF) contracted 0.04 percent in the second quarter of 2023 due to the slowdown in Construction.

C onstruction grew by 2.1 percent in the second quarter of 2023. Financial and nonfinancial corporations and General government both recorded positive growths with 10.2 percent and 0.8 percent, respectively. However, Households and NPISHs1 declined 3.9 percent in the second quarter of 2023.

D urable equipment, Breeding stocks and orchard development, Intellectual property products, and Valuables recorded growths of 10.8 percent, 0.02 percent, 3.6 percent, and 94.9 percent, respectively.

C hanges in inventories posted withdrawals of P31.96 billion during the second quarter of 2023.

PBBM: PHL eyes to deepen ties with Peru and Ethiopia

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos

Jr. said he is open to more “mutually beneficial” collaborations on trade and technology with Ethiopia and Peru amid the emerging new opportunities in both countries.

The Chief Executive issued the statement during the separate presentation of credentials of non-resident ambassador-designate Ethiopian Ambassador Dessie Dalkie Dukamo and Peruvian nonresident ambassador Cecilia Zunilda Galarreta Bazán in Malacañang last Tuesday.

Marcos said the country would

wildfires

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday assured the government will provide assistance to Filipinos affected by the wildfires in Hawaii last week.

I n a post in his official X account, the Chief Executive said the Philippine Consulate in Honolulu, Hawaii is ready to provide the needs of the wildfire victims.

“ They can call the 24/7 emergency hotline at +1808 2530-9446 or send a message at the email address honolulu.pcg@dfa.gov.ph for whatever needs of our affected citizens,” said Marcos in Filipino in a brief post.

The President tasked the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) to closely monitor the status of all Filipinos in Hawaii following the devastating wildfire, which engulfed the Western part of Maui island on August 8, 2023.

The incident killed at least 106 people as of Wednesday making it the deadliest wildfire in the United States in over a century.

The death toll can still rise as authorities continue their search in the fire-hit areas.

“ The Philippine Consul General in Hawaii with the local authorities and Filipino community for any information about the incident,” Marcos said.

DFA said among the thousands affected by the deadly wildfires were 50 Filipino teachers. Samuel P. Medenilla

explore possible trade and technology transfer exchanges with Ethiopia, which he said is one the rising economies in Africa.

“ I think the whole world is very excited about—how most of Africa is positioned in terms of—now coming and emerging…as a major economy, as they already are,” the President said.

For his part, Dukamo said he hopes Filipino businessmen will consider investing in Ethiopia, particularly in electronics manufacturing if they want to gain access to the African market.

It’s geographically located bridging the Middle East and the rest of Africa and also Western

countries. So, if Filipino businessmen come and invest in Ethiopia, it’s possible to take advantage of Africa market,” the Ethiopian diplomat said.

Marcos said he is also interested in entering into new partnerships with Peru to help address the country’s supply chain vulnerabilities.

He noted the pandemic has disrupted the country’s supply chain for food and other essential commodities.

“ We can continue to do what we did before but we still have to find new ways. And I know that these partnerships that we build with our friends around the world will always benefit both—mutually beneficial

to our countries. And I hope that’s what we can do now,” Marcos told Bazán.

Bazán agreed with the President and said Peru is now eyeing to increase its agriculture exports to the country, particularly grapes.

The Peruvian diplomat said they consider the country not only as an important trade partner, but also a model in their efforts to improve the processing for their exports.

T he country has maintained diplomatic relations with Ethiopia and Peru since the 1970s as well as economic ties.

L ast year, its total trade with Ethiopia reached $3.38 million, while for Peru it was at $39.2 million.

Sweden supports PHL stance in WPS

SWEDEN has expressed support for the country’s position in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) and called for rules-based order in the sea.

T his was stressed by Ambassador of Sweden to the Philippines Annika Thunborg during her courtesy call to Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. on Monday, August 14.

“ Exchanging regional security situation updates, Ambassador Thunborg noted the developments in the South China Sea [SCS]/WPS and conveyed Sweden’s support for the Philippines’ position and upholding the rules-based international order,” DND spokesperson Arsenio “Popong” Andolong said in a statement Wednesday.

E xpressing his thanks to Swedish support and other like-minded partners, Teodoro hoped for a global consensus on the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling on the SCS and underscored the impor -

tance of the Philippines’ enforcement of its sovereign rights over its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

“ On modernizing the Armed Forces of the Philippines [AFP] to more effectively protect the country’s territorial integrity and interests in its EEZ, Secretary Teodoro emphasized that whatever defense acquisition the Philippines will pursue must be sustainable, interoperable, and supportable,” Andolong said.

I n line with this, Thunborg highlighted Sweden’s offer of its flagship multirole fighter aircraft, the Saab JAS-39 “Gripen” for the Philippine Air Force (PAF), which is now searching for a multi-role fighter to augment its fleet.

“ Recognizing the Philippines’ need for a modern PAF, Ambassador Thunborg highlighted Sweden’s offer of its flagship multirole fighter aircraft, the Saab JAS-39 ‘Gripen,’” Andolong said.

H e added both nations are looking forward to the ratifica -

THE Philippine Air Force’s (PAF) capability to do pinpoint aerial delivery was boosted as it exchanged best practices on the so-called “low-cost, low altitude” (LCLA) airdrops with the air forces of its four closest military allies last Tuesday, August 15.

Taking part aside from the PAF are the United States Air Force, Royal Malaysian Air Force, Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Udara, and Japan Air Self-Defense Force.

I n line with this, an actual LCLA also took place on the same day, PAF spokesperson Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo said in a statement issued on Wednesday.

This activity is one of the flying training exercises of the Pacific Airlift Rally 2023 [PAR-23], which aims to expand the participants’ capability in delivering bundle cargoes for humanitarian aid and disaster relief operations, increase participating air forces’ interoperability, and improve logistics capabilities,” she added.

A n LCLA airdrop is a method of delivering supplies from an aircraft.

The term “low cost” is used since the pre-packed expendable parachutes being utilized for the airdrop are relatively cheaper.

W hile low altitude refers to the height of the aircraft during the actual drop, dropping cargo from a such altitude has been proven to be more accurate.

“ The LCLA serves as an opportunity for the PAF and other international counterparts to share knowledge and expertise on critical airdrop techniques. The exchange of best practices will help contingent air forces to improve their capabilities and be better prepared to respond to natural disasters and other humanitarian emergencies,” Castillo said. She added an LCLA capability would train PAF airlifters to quickly deliver resupply to ground operating troops and provide relief goods to areas inaccessible by land after the onslaught of calamities and disasters. PAR-23 will take place from August 14 to 18 with a total of 779 participants coming from the PAF, Philippine Army, as well as their counterparts from United States, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Canada, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Timor-Leste are set to take part in flying training, table top exercises and subject matter expert. Rex Anthony Naval

By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco @claudethmc3

WHILE awaiting further instructions from the Supreme Court (SC), Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. on Tuesday said they are already working with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to prepare Taguig City’s new barangays for the upcoming barangay elections scheduled on October 30, 2023.

C ayetano also said that following the SC decision, coordination with the Department of Education (DepEd), DILG, and the Department of Health had gone smoothly.

A s the SC has yet to give instructions, Abalos said the DILG had already activated transition teams to deal with the territorial change.

tion and implementation of the memorandum of understanding concerning Cooperation in the Acquisition of Defense Materiel, which was signed between the Philippines and Sweden last June 3 in Singapore.

T he Philippine and Swedish sides noted the fruitful cooperation between the two countries and reaffirmed their common commitment to a long-term partnership.

Both sides also stressed the need to further advance defense cooperation in light of today’s challenges.

“ In anticipation of possible projects in the future, the Swedish Ambassador proposed to facilitate the exchange of information on the two countries’ differing financial systems and financing packages that Sweden could offer,” Andolong stressed.

A lso, both nations are also looking at possible cooperation or capacity-building on disaster resilience and management.

Rex Anthony Naval

A balos noted that on May 3, 2023, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) had written to the SC requesting guidance in the implementation of the case of Makati v. Taguig, confirming the “Fort Bonifacio Military Reservation, consisting of Parcels 3 and 4, Psu-2031,” as part of Taguig City, rather than Makati City, with respect to the affected barangays.

Th is as Taguig City Mayor Maria Laarni Cayetano stressed that there is no need for a writ of execution to effect the transfer of jurisdiction of over 10 barangays from Makati City to Taguig City.

C ayetano also called the claim of Makati as “delaying tactic” and part of their “game plan.”

C ayetano said that the writ of execution is no longer needed since the coordination will be between “government to government.”

“ Their intention really is to delay and to distract us so that we could no longer focus. Look what is happening now...they are eating our time...that is really their game plan,” Cayetano said in an interview with reporters when she visited the Tibagan National High School on Tuesday afternoon.

“Comelec Chairman George Garcia and I agreed that it’s imperative to take action because there’s not much time left before the elections. We respect the Supreme Court’s definition of the cities’ territorial boundaries and are coordinating accordingly,” Abalos said.

W ith respect to the DILG’s attached agencies, Abalos added, “We’re working with the Chiefs of the Philippine National Police [PNP], Bureau of Jail Management and Penology [BJMP] and Bureau of Fire Protection [BFP] to revise the areas of responsibility and reporting lines of their affected local offices, in light of the decided boundaries.”

A balos clarified that the abovementioned actions would cover only matters of territorial supervision.

As for specific rights or obligations over affected property, these will be dealt with in accordance with the procedure provided by law. We will also respect any further court orders in this regard,” he said.

A balos said that he understood the position of mayors Cayetano and Abigail Binay of Makati on the matter.

“

My impression is that they both care deeply for their constituency. We share the same paramount consideration—the best interest of the affected people,” he said.

IAS-PNP recommends filing of raps, sacking of Navotas police chief for alleged cover up

“ Upon further investigation of the IAS, it has been discovered that the Navotas Chief of Police instructed the team leader of the operatives to exclude from their reports 11 police officers who were also involved in the fatal shooting of the 17-year-old Jerhode Jemboy

Baltazar,” IAS said in its Facebook post Tuesday.

A s a result of this finding IAS Inspector General, lawyer Alfegar M. Triambulo, has directed the filing of the above-mentioned charges against Umipig. Atty. Triambulo has also sent a directive to the National Capital

Region Police Office Director to have the Navotas Chief of Police relieved,” IAS added.

The IAS will also file charges against the 11 police officers whose identities were initially concealed.

T hey will be charged for abandoning the victim and other possible violations of police opera -

tional procedures.

Meanwhile, the first case against six police officers for grave charges is already at the summary dismissal stage. Baltazar was shot dead by policemen who mistook him for a robber during a follow-up operation in Barangay NBBS Kaunlaran in Navotas City. Rex Anthony Naval

THE number of construction permits and their corresponding value posted double-digit contractions in the second quarter of 2023, according to the latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

DILG and Comelec prepare electoral shift of former Makati barangays to Taguig

37.

the company in the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission, and long-term goals.

PAN, HAIBO Mandarin Cruise Director

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin cruise director will be a strategist and a leader able to steer the company in the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission, and long-term goals.

YAN, CHUANCHENG Mandarin Cruise Director

Basic Qualification: Proven experience as a Mandarin cruise director, familiarity, knowledge, and awareness of Machinery and heavy equipment used by the company. Demonstrable experience in developing strategic business plans.

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

Basic Qualification:

Proven experience as a Mandarin cruise director, familiarity, knowledge, and awareness of Machinery and heavy equipment used by the company. Demonstrable experience in developing strategic business plans.

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

Basic Qualification:

38.

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin cruise director will be a strategist and a leader able to steer the company in the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission, and long-term goals.

FUMING

Job

Marine Operations Supervisor

The Mandarin marine operations supervisor will be a strategist and a leader able to steer the company in the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission, and long-term goals.

Proven experience as a Mandarin cruise director, familiarity, knowledge, and awareness of Machinery and heavy equipment used by the company. Demonstrable experience in developing strategic business plans.

Basic Qualification:

Proven experience as a Mandarin marine operations supervisor, familiarity, knowledge, and awareness of Machinery and heavy equipment used by the company. Demonstrable experience in developing strategic business plans.

Basic Qualification:

Mandarin marine operations supervisor will be a strategist and a leader able to steer the company in the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission, and long-term goals.

QI Mandarin Quality Inspector Brief Job Description: The Mandarin quality inspector will be a strategist and a leader able to steer the company in the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission, and long-term goals.

Proven experience as a Mandarin marine operations supervisor, familiarity, knowledge, and awareness of Machinery and heavy equipment used by the company. Demonstrable experience in developing strategic business plans.

Basic Qualification:

Proven experience as a Mandarin quality inspector, familiarity, knowledge, and awareness of Machinery and heavy equipment used by the company. Demonstrable experience in developing strategic business plans.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 42.

TAN, QITA Mandarin Safety Officer Brief Job Description: The Mandarin safety officer will be a strategist and a leader able to steer the company in the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission, and long-term goals.

Basic Qualification:

Proven experience as a Mandarin safety officer, familiarity, knowledge, and awareness of Machinery and heavy equipment used by the company. Demonstrable experience in developing strategic business plans.

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

Basic Qualification:

43.

ZHANG, QINGLAI Mandarin Safety Officer Brief Job Description: The Mandarin safety officer will be a strategist and a leader able to steer the company in the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission, and long-term goals.

Proven experience as a Mandarin safety officer, familiarity, knowledge, and awareness of Machinery and heavy equipment used by the company. Demonstrable experience in developing strategic business plans.

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

The Mandarin security supervisor will be a strategist and a leader able to steer the company in the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission, and long-term goals.

Qualification: Proven experience as a Mandarin security supervisor, familiarity, knowledge, and awareness of Machinery and heavy equipment used by the company. Demonstrable experience in developing strategic business plans.

Mandarin security supervisor will be a strategist and a leader able to steer

135.

manager will be a strategist and a leader able to steer the company in the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission, and long-term goals.

KETARO HOSHI Marketing Manager Brief Job Description:

The Marketing manager will be a strategist and a leader able to steer the company in the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission, and long-term goals.

experience as human resources supervisor, familiarity, knowledge and awareness on machinery and heavy equipment use by company. Demonstrable experience in developing strategic business plan.

Basic Qualification:

Proven experience as a Marketing manager, excellent communication, interpersonal and presentation skills.

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

Basic Qualification:

Proven experience as a Marketing manager, excellent communication, interpersonal and presentation skills.

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

*Date Generated: Aug 16, 2023

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 National Capital Region located at DOLE-NCR Building, 967 Maligaya St., Malate Manila, within 30 days after this publication.

Please inform DOLE National Capital Region if you have any information on criminal offense committed by the foreign nationals.

‘Liberal import policy to kill PHL sugar sector’

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie

Rep. Jose Francisco Benitez of the Third District of Negros Occidental led his colleagues in filing House Resolution No. 1199, expressing “strong opposition” to Diokno’s recent statement that food and beverage manufacturers will be allowed to directly import sugar as part of the Department of Finance’s plan to increase the tax rate of sugar-sweetened beverages.

The authors of the resolution are Reps. Joseph Stephen S. Paduano, Greg G. Gasataya, Gerardo P. Valmayor Jr., Alfredo D. Marañon III, Juliet Marie de Leon Ferrer, Emilio Bernardino L. Yulo, Mercedes K. Alvarez, Michael B. Gorriceta, Jocelyn Sy Limkaichong, and Manuel T. Sagarbarria.

Explaining his position, Benitez expressed the fear that

FAO champions 12 projects backed by The Pandemic Fund

The Food and Agriculture o rganization of the United Nations (FAo ) will co-lead the implementation of 12 projects worth $264 million aimed to boost local and global health security as part of The Pandemic Fund’s first round of financing.

As one of the Implementing e n tities, FAo will be at the forefront of driving change and progress with the o n e he alth approach, which aims to optimize the health of people, animals and ecosystems, recognizing that they are closely linked and interdependent.

The 12 projects involve FAo ’s participation in partnership with governments and other agencies, including the wo rld h e alth o r ganization ( w ho ) , the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNIC e F ), the wo rld Bank ( w B ), and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Directly under FA o s oversight, approximately $60 million will be utilized over three years. The initiatives will benefit Burkina Faso, e t hiopia, Togo, Zambia, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Nepal, Paraguay and Yemen, as well as the w e st Bank and g a za.

Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan are also part of a regional project specifically for Central Asia. w thin the framework of o n e h e alth for better prevention, preparedness and response to public health emergencies, the projects focus on three priority areas: collaborative surveillance, laboratory capacity, and workforce development. These include actions such as reinforcing disease prevention; combating antimicrobial resistance; strengthening early warnings, detection and response capabilities; improving collaboration between human, animal and environmental laboratories; and staff training.

“FA o welcomes the first round of financing from the Pandemic Fund and we are committed to supporting nations to be better prepared for future health crises.

Under FA o s o n e h e alth initiative—a holistic, integrated, collective approach— we will continue to work to effectively maintain and enhance the well-being of humans, animals, and the environment in a sustainable manner,” said Deputy Directorg e neral, m a ria h e lena s e medo.

e s tablished in s e ptember 2022 and officially launched during a g 2 0 meeting, the fund, hosted by the wo rld Bank, is the first multilateral financing mechanism dedicated to providing multiyear grants to help low- and middle-income countries better prepare for future pandemics.

After receiving 179 applications from 133 countries for its first call for proposals, the fund’s g o verning Board met in July and agreed on finance allocations for 19 projects worth $338 million that will support 37 countries.

o v erall, the selected projects for this first round will play a vital role in supporting the Pandemic Fund’s objectives, bringing in additional resources for pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response.

moreover, they will incentivize countries to increase their investments in health security, enhance coordination among partners, and serve as a platform for advocacy.

Notably, 30 percent of the grants allocated are for projects in sub- s a haran Africa—a region with the highest demand for support.

The $338 million of grants awarded are also expected to mobilize over $2 billion in additional resources, adding $6 for each $1 coming from the fund.

liberalizing sugar importation, without adequate support for our local sugarcane farmers, would weaken the domestic sugar industry.

“Sugar production this year is projected to fall due to El Niño and our limited milling capacity. But instead of helping our sugar producers, flooding our market with imported sugar will kill our domes-

tic sugar industry,” Benitez said. “Sugar-exporting countries can sell to us their surplus sugar at prices below production cost because of massive subsidies and protectionist policies. Tayo, ano ang ginagawa natin sa industriya ng kalamay natin?”

The Department of Finance has taxed sweetened beverages through Republic Act (RA) 10963

or the TRAIN Law. Based on data from the Bureau of Internal Revenue, total tax revenue from sweetened beverages between 2018 and 2022 was P174.5 billion. But only P3.92 billion was allocated for programs for the sugar industry for 2018 to 2023. This is in spite of the provision of RA 10659 or the Sugarcane Industry Development Act that mandates an annual allocation of at least P2 billion for programs to strengthen the sugar industry.

“Instead of assuring us of ploughing back revenues from tax on sweetened beverages to strengthen the sugar industry, Secretary Diokno is offering liberalization of sugar importation,” said Benitez.

“He seems to be supporting liberalization to sweeten the deal with food and beverage manufacturers and counteract additional costs from higher taxes. But what about our sugarcane farmers?

What is our deal with them?”

Last June, Diokno told local manufacturers who will be affected by the expanded taxes on sugar sweetened beverages (SSB) that they could gain wider access to sugar imports.

Diokno said he is willing to grant manufacturers more access to sugar supplies from abroad to cushion the impact of a higher SSB tax base.

He said he is aware that producers and sellers of sugary products subjected to the tax would object as “it will raise the selling price of their products.”

“But knowing the big difference between the world price and the domestic price of sugar [a major input in the industry] then allowing the industry to import their own sugar requirement would reduce their cost of production,” he said.

“This is the ‘sweetener’ or incentive for producers of sugary products to accept the broader, simpler tax on sugary products.”

Local farms need suitable equipment, technologies—Neda

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

THE use of large agriculture equipment may not be ideal for the Philippines given the smaller landholdings of local planters, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda).

In a Senate hearing on the proposed national budget for 2024, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan said large tractors could not be used in smaller farms, such as those in his hometown in Ilocos.

Balisacan also said government must invest in technologies that are appropriate for local conditions. These technologies do not just refer to machines but also to seeds and fertilizers.

“We have a penchant for im-

porting machines, tractors that would be appropriate for haciendas but would not be appropriate for most farms in my region where the sizes of paddies are so small. We just have to develop technologies that are appropriate [to local conditions].”

In terms of seeds, for example, Balisacan said there is no sufficient investment being made on the development of local varieties that would fit local conditions, thus the need to import varieties that would be better suited for certain areas.

He said this can also be seen in terms of the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) efforts to provide just one type of fertilizer recommendation to all farms nationwide which “doesn’t work because the conditions are so different” in various regions and localities in the country.

To improve the productivity of farms, Balisacan said the construction of a soil laboratory was included in the budget of the DA for next year.

Previously, he said samples from areas suffering soil nutrition deficiency are brought to Manila for testing.

“The system was then not so responsive to the actual situation that farmers face across the land. And so our appeal is we provide more resources to our agencies to use technologies, appropriate technologies for various areas in the country,” Balisacan said.

Unfortunately, he said, these technologies are “not manna from heaven” and will cost the government as well as local institutions.

One way to address this is for local universities and colleges to focus their research and other

initiatives on their own locales. He said they should strive to create solutions that can be used in their regions or provinces.

In the second quarter of the year, the Agriculture, forestry, and fishing (AFF) grew by a measly 0.2 percent. AFF accounted for 8 percent of the country’s total GDP and only 0.01 percentage point of the 4.3 percent GDP growth in April to June.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said the fisheries subsector pulled down AFF during the period, as it declined by 13.7 percent. Other sub-industries which recorded declines during the period were: sugarcane including muscovado sugar-making in the farm, 6 percent; rubber, 8.5 percent; corn, 0.8 percent; forestry and logging, 16.8 percent; and abaca, 1 percent.

Rice farmers to get cash aid from tariff collections–DA

RIc E farmers are assured of cash assistance from tariffs slapped on imports, an official of the Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Wednesday.

“The 2022 tariff collection is P22.7 billion, so that means we are now preparing to distribute P12 billion for rice financial assistance to the farmers that have been enlisted in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture [RSBSA], with 2 hectares and below,” Agriculture

Undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian told lawmakers during a public hearing at the House of Representatives.

“So we will just have to wait for the approval of the President [Ferdinand Marcos Jr.] to start the distribution.”

As for the cash assistance for 2024, Sebastian said this will depend on the excess tariff collection this year.

Earlier, the DA in Ilocos Region

Myanmar eyes surge in rice exports after India curbs supply

MYANMAR expects rice exports to surge in coming months as curbs on Indian sales and a spike in Thai and Vietnamese prices force buyers to hunt for other origins.

The tightening in global supply should help revive the Southeast Asian nation’s rice shipments, which slumped 56 percent in the first four months of the fiscal year, and bring it closer to its annual goal of earning $1 billion from exports of the grain, Ye Min Aung, president of the Myanmar Rice Federation, said in an interview last week.

Myanmar exported about 320,000 tons from April to July, earning just $138 million, according to data from the federation, after the government decided to prioritize selling highergrade rice. But prospects improved last month when India, the world’s top exporter, banned a substantial portion of its overseas sales to keep a lid on domestic prices ahead of a

general election due early next year. That’s pushed up prices in some of Myanmar’s regional competitors.

“We hope to take advantage, even though we’ll maintain our focus on exporting only higher-quality varieties,” Ye Min Aung said.

Myanmar is another nation troubled by food insecurity, a situation worsened by political instability since a military coup in 2021, and its export policy is designed to conserve domestic supplies. While sales of better-quality grain can reap as much as $700 a ton compared to $300 or $400 a ton for lower grades, according to Ye Min Aung, it also limits customers to relatively wealthy countries.

Myanmar earned over $800 million from rice sales in each of the two previous fiscal years, according to the federation, and its biggest buyers include c hina, the Philippines and Belgium. The United States Department of Agriculture ranked it as

the world’s sixth-biggest exporter last year.

Argentina beef ban

A RGENTINE officials walked back a temporary ban on beef exports on Tuesday just hours after rolling it out as the fallout from an abrupt currency devaluation is zigzagging emergency policy decisions.

The policy uncertainty comes after a stunning primary election Sunday night when outsider candidate Javier Milei won the race, becoming the frontrunner before the October 22 general vote. In Argentina, one of the world’s largest beef exporters, policies that affect beef prices quickly touch a social nerve as its a key part of the local diet.

After the country’s customs office announced a 15-day beef ban midday Tuesday, Argentine Agriculture Secretary Juan Jose Bahillo denied the measure. Hours later, he released a joint statement

with Guillermo Michel, the head of Argentina’s customs agency, saying they were negotiating an agreement with beef producers on volumes and prices for the domestic market that would allow them to continue exporting. No other details were provided.

Beef industry advocates were immediately skeptical about a price agreement cooling prices anytime soon.

“This won’t control meat price increases for all consumers,” says Miguel Schiariti, head of Argentine beef industry group c i ccra. “These agreements with the export sector are only about 6 percent to 7 percent of all the meat consumed in Argentina.”

Argentina is bracing for rampant inflation to accelerate even further after the cash-starved government ran out of dollars to defend the peso and let it plunge 18 percent overnight, as Milei sprang a surprise in a

has called on farmers to have their names listed in the RSBSA to be able to avail of various agricultural programs from the government.

“To ensure that you will get assistance from the government, you must be registered in the RSBSA,” the DA-Ilocos said.

Nearly 1,000 participants attended the event where government efforts to help farmers and fishers boost their productivity.

Meanwhile, Marcos ordered the

DA and the Department of Trade and Industry on Wednesday to closely monitor the prices of rice.

The government said it is working with the private sector to rationalize the prices and make available affordable rice in the market and in Kadiwa.

“The President will go after hoarders and price manipulators who take advantage of the lean months before harvest season.”

Raadee S. Sausa

key primary vote. That prompted 20-percent overnight price hikes including in the local cattle market where a kilo of meat went from 664 pesos last week to 783 by Tuesday.

The government is now scrambling to stop the devaluation from rapidly and fully passing through to all types of local food and fuel prices.

Argentines vie with their neighbors in Uruguay as the world’s biggest consumers of red meat, so politicians closely watch prices. The government already has a longtime ban on exports of seven beef cuts most popular with locals.

Even before the devaluation, increases to domestic beef prices were expected over the next few months. Bloomberg News

Lawmakers from Negros Island and other sugar-producing areas on wednesday opposed the proposal of Finance secretary Benjamin Diokno liberalizing sugar importation, saying it will kill the domestic sugar industry.

A l Aborer unloads sacks of rice from a ship along a jetty in Yangon on June 28, 2023. sAI AUNg mAIN/AFP/geTTY ImAges/BloomBerg News

Russia unleashes countrywide missile barrage on Ukraine as Putin addresses security confab

By Illia Novikov & Dasha Litvinova The Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine—Russian forces

unleashed missiles across Ukraine early on Tuesday, killing and wounding civilians and damaging infrastructure. The barrage came just hours before top Russian military officials and their counterparts from allied countries in Asia, the Middle East and Africa gathered outside Moscow for a security conference.

Missiles struck cities from the east to west of Ukraine, including far behind front lines where Ukraine is fighting deeply entrenched Russian forces to regain territory occupied by Moscow

almost 18 months into the war. Russia has built heavily fortified defenses along the more than 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line where Ukraine has only made incremental gains since

launching a counteroffensive in early June.

“Deliberate large-scale attacks on civilians. Solely for the sake of killing and psychological pressure,” presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on X, formerly known as Twitter,

commenting on the latest Russian attacks.

Six Russian-launched missiles hit the western region of Lviv, wounding 19 people, including a 10-year-old child, Lviv Gov. Maksym Kozytskyi said. According to city authorities, the power

India, China pledge to maintain ‘peace and tranquility’ along disputed border

BEIJING—Chinese and In -

dian military commanders pledged to “maintain the peace and tranquility” along their disputed border, China’s Defense Ministry said, in an apparent effort by the sides to stabilize the situation after a rise in tensions.

China’s Defense Ministry issued a joint statement on social media late Tuesday saying the 19th round of commander-level talks between the sides held on Sunday and Monday had produced a “positive, constructive and indepth discussion” centered on resolving issues related to the Line of Actual Control in the border’s western sector.

The statement said they “agreed to resolve the remaining issues in an expeditious manner,” but there is no indication that either side is willing to offer concessions. However, both appear eager to avoid the sort of clashes between their troops that have led to bloodshed in recent years.

“In the interim, the two sides agreed to maintain the peace and tranquility on the ground in the border areas,” the statement said.

The Line of Actual Control separates Chinese and Indian-held territories from Ladakh in the west to India’s eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims in its

INDIAN army vehicles move in a convoy in the cold desert region of Ladakh, India on September 18, 2022. Chinese and Indian military commanders have pledged to “maintain the peace and tranquility” along their disputed border in an apparent effort to stabilize the situation following a rise in tensions. China’s Defense Ministry issued a joint press release on social media saying the 19th round of commander-level talks between the sides had produced a “positive, constructive and in-depth discussion” centered on resolving issues related to the Line of Actual Control in the border’s western sector. AP/MUKHTAR KHAN

entirety. India and China fought a war over their border in 1962. As its name suggests, it divides the areas of physical control rather than territorial claims.

According to India, the de facto border is 3,488 kilometers (2,167 miles) long, but China promotes a considerably shorter figure.

In all, China claims some 90,000 square kilometers (35,000 square miles) of territory in India’s northeast, including Arunachal Pradesh with its mainly Buddhist population.

India says China occupies 38,000 square kilometers (15,000 square miles) of its territory in the Aksai Chin Plateau, which India considers part of Ladakh, where the current faceoff is happening.

China, in the meantime, began cementing relations with India’s archrival Pakistan and backing it on the issue of disputed Kashmir. Firefights broke out again in 1967 and 1975, leading to more deaths on both sides. They’ve since adopted protocols, including an agreement not to use firearms,

but those protocols have fractured.

A clash three years ago in the Ladakh region killed 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese. It turned into a long-running standoff in the rugged mountainous area, where each side has stationed tens of thousands of military personnel backed by artillery, tanks and fighter jets.

Both India and China have withdrawn troops from some areas on the northern and southern banks of Pangong Tso, Gogra and Galwan Valley, but continue to maintain extra troops as part of a multitier deployment.

In April, India’s defense minister accused China of eroding the “entire basis” of ties between the countries by violating bilateral agreements, during talks with his Chinese counterpart Gen. Li Shangfu.

India says the deployment of a large number of Chinese troops, their aggressive behavior and attempts to unilaterally alter the border status quo violate agreements between the countries.

Li was visiting New Delhi to attend a meeting of the defense chiefs of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which consists of China, India, Pakistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Krgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. AP

Death toll from Maui fire reaches 106, as county begins identifying victims

where to get water and supplies.

grid and nearly 120 residential buildings were damaged.

The Swedish bearings maker SKF confirmed three employees were killed overnight after its factory in Lutsk, north of Lviv, was hit by a missile strike. One person was killed in the east of Ukraine in Kramatorsk after Russian forces hit a food warehouse. In central Ukraine, a strike left parts of the city of Smila without access to water and also damaged a medical facility.

The barrage came a day after Russian forces unleashed a wave of missile and drone strikes on Odesa in the country’s southwest.

Russian forces have pummeled Odesa, hitting facilities that transport Ukraine’s crucial grain exports and also wrecking cherished Ukrainian historical sites. The repeated attacks on Odesa follow Moscow’s decision to break off a landmark agreement that had allowed grain to flow from Ukraine to countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia and help reduce the

threat of hunger.

In Russia on Tuesday, Vladimir Putin addressed a security conference outside Moscow in a pre-recorded video statement, accusing the West of fueling the conflict “by pumping billions of dollars” into Kyiv and “supplying it with equipment, weapons, ammunition, sending their military advisers and mercenaries.”

“Everything is being done to ignite the conflict even more, to draw other states into it,” Putin said.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu sought to downplay the significance of the West’s support for Ukraine, saying that despite that, Kyiv’s forces “fail to achieve results on the battlefield.”

On Thursday, Sweden announced a 3.4 billion-kronor ($314 million) aid package consisting of ammunition for equipment from previous Swedish military assistance.

Litvinova reported from Tallinn, Estonia. Associated Press writer Emma Burrows in London contributed to this report.

Deadly clashes between rival militias in Libya leave 27 dead, authorities say

By Jack Jeffery The Associated Press

CAIRO—Deadly clashes between rival militias in Libya’s capital killed at least 27 people and left residents trapped in their homes on Tuesday, unable to escape the violence, medical authorities said.

The fighting appears to be the most intense to shake Tripoli this year. There were at least four people dead but it was not immediately clear if they were militiamen or civilians, an official said.

By Claire Rush, Jennifer Sinco Kelleher & Christopher Weber

The Associated Press

LAHAINA, Hawaii—A mobile morgue

unit arrived Tuesday to help Hawaii officials working painstakingly to identify remains, as Maui County released the first names of people killed in the wildfire that all but incinerated the historic town of Lahaina a week ago and raised the death toll to 106.

The county named two victims, Lahaina residents Robert Dyckman, 74, and Buddy Jantoc, 79, adding in a statement that a further three victims have been identified. Those names will be released once the county has identified their next of kin.

The US Department of Health and Human Services deployed a team of coroners, pathologists and technicians along with exam tables, X-ray units and other equipment to identify victims and process remains, said Jonathan Greene, the agency’s deputy assistant secretary for response.

“It’s going to be a very, very difficult mission,” Greene said. “And patience will be incredibly important because of the number of victims.”

The county said in a statement that the first people so named were among the dead. A week after a blaze tore through historic Lahaina, many survivors started moving into hundreds of hotel rooms set aside for displaced locals, while donations of food, ice, water and other essentials poured in.

Crews using cadaver dogs have scoured about 32 percent of the area, the County of Maui said in a statement Tuesday. The governor asked for patience as authorities became overwhelmed with requests to visit the burn area.

Maui Police Chief John Pelletier renewed an appeal for families with missing relatives to provide DNA samples. So far 41 samples have been submitted, the county statement said, and 13 DNA profiles have been obtained from remains.

The governor warned that scores more bodies could be found. The wildfires, some of

which have not yet been fully contained, are already the deadliest in the US in more than a century. Their cause was under investigation.

When asked by Hawaii News Now if children are among the missing, Green said Tuesday: “Tragically, yes.... When the bodies are smaller, we know it’s a child.”

He described some of the sites being searched as “too much to share or see from just a human perspective.”

Another complicating factor, Green said, is that storms with rain and high winds were forecast for the weekend. Officials are mulling whether to “preemptively power down or not for a short period of time, because right now all of the infrastructure is weaker.”

A week after the fires started, some residents remained with intermittent power, unreliable cellphone service and uncertainty over where to get assistance.

Some people walked periodically to a seawall, where phone connections were strongest, to make calls. Flying low off the coast, a single-prop airplane used a loudspeaker to blare information about

Victoria Martocci, who lost her scuba business and a boat, planned to travel to her storage unit in Kahalui from her Kahana home Wednesday to stash documents and keepsakes given to her by a friend whose house burned. “These are things she grabbed, the only things she could grab, and I want to keep them safe for her,” Martocci said. The local power utility has already faced criticism for not shutting off power as strong winds buffeted a parched area under high risk for fire. It’s not clear whether the utility’s equipment played any role in igniting the flames.

Kelleher reported from Honolulu and Weber from Los Angeles. Associated Press journalists Bobby Caina Calvan in Kihei, Hawaii; Haven Daley in Kalapua, Hawaii; Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; Heather Hollingsworth in Kansas City, Missouri; and Darlene Superville and Seth Borenstein in Washington contributed.

The clashes erupted late on Monday between militiamen from the 444 brigade and the Special Deterrence Force, according to local media reports. Tensions flared after Mahmoud Hamza, a senior commander of the 444 brigade, was allegedly detained by the rival group at an airport in Tripoli earlier in the day, the reports said.

Over 100 people were injured in the fighting, Libya’s Emergency Medicine and Support Center, a medical body that is deployed during humanitarian disasters and wars, said early Wednesday.

It is unclear how many of the dead were militiamen or civilians. The Red Crescent did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Throughout the fighting Tuesday, the Health Ministry urged the warring sides to allow ambulance and emergency teams to enter the affected areas, primarily in the south of the city, and for blood to be sent to nearby hospitals.

OPSGroup, an organization for the aviation industry, said late Monday that a large number of aircraft departed from Tripoli due to the

clashes. Inbound flights were being diverted to the nearby city of Misrata, it said.

The escalation follows months of relative peace after nearly a decade of civil war in Libya, where two rival sets of authorities are locked in a political stalemate. Longstanding divisions have sparked several incidents of violence in Tripoli in recent years, although most have been over in a matter of hours.

In a statement Tuesday, the U.N. mission in Libya said it was following with concern “the security incidents and developments” and called for an immediate end to the ongoing clashes.

Both of Libya’s rival administrations also condemned the fighting in separate statements Tuesday. The House of Representatives, which is based in the eastern city of Benghazi, blamed its rival, the Tripolibased government, for the violence.

The US and British embassies in Libya issued statements expressing concerns over the violence. The United States called for an “immediate de-escalation in order to sustain recent Libyan gains toward stability and elections,” the American Embassy said.

The oil-rich country has been divided since 2014 between rival administrations in the east and the west, each supported by an array of well-armed militias and different foreign governments. The North African nation has been in a state of upheaval since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising toppled and later killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

LILIA CHUMAK , 4, fixes her dress after she steps out of the ambulance operated by Ukrainian

Red Cross volunteers in Kupyansk, Ukraine on Monday, August 14, 2023. Ukrainian Red Cross teams continued to respond to evacuation requests from civilians living close to the northeast frontline where Russia has recently stepped up attacks. AP/BRAM JANSSEN

Deterrence Force late Monday evening. AP/YOUSEF MURAD

The World

Thailand court rejects petition against parliament vote denying Pita’s PM shot

By Patpicha Tanakasempipat

THAILAND’S constitutional court rejected a petition challenging a parliament decision last month to deny prodemocracy leader Pita Limjaroenrat a second shot at prime minister’s job, clearing the way for lawmakers to hold a fresh vote.

The judges unanimously rejected the petition, saying the petitioners were not eligible to challenge the parliament resolution as the issue did not concern them directly. The court also turned down a request to delay the next premier vote.

The Office of the Ombudsman had petitioned the charter court against a July 19 parliament resolution to bar Pita from seeking renomination as prime minister after his first bid was thwarted by senators opposed to his party’s pledge to amend a law protecting the controversial royal insult law.

UNITED Nations Secretary-General

Antonio Guterres addresses the assembly during the opening session of a three-day UN Food and Agriculture Agency’s summit on food systems in Rome, July 24, 2023. The UN chief urged the international community on Tuesday, August 15, to deploy a multinational force comprising “police special forces and military support units” to Haiti to combat gangs with sophisticated weapons and restore security to the impoverished Caribbean nation.

AP/ANDREW MEDICHINI

By Edith M. Lederer The Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS—The United Nations chief urged the international community on Tuesday to deploy a multinational force comprising “police special forces and military support units” to Haiti to combat gangs with sophisticated weapons and restore security to the impoverished Caribbean nation.

Secretary-General António Guterres said in a 12-page letter to the U.N. Security Council obtained by The Associated Press that “addressing the security situation in Haiti requires a range of coercive law enforcement measures, including active use of force in targeted police operations against heavily armed gangs.”

The letter was a response to a Security Council resolution adopted on July 14 asking Guterres to come up with “a full range of options” within 30 days to help combat Haiti’s armed gangs including a non-UN multinational force.

Guterres welcomed Kenya’s offer to lead an international force as well as renewed pledges of support from the Bahamas and Jamaica, and the announcement by Antigua and Barbuda that it is considering contributing to the force. He urged more countries, especially from the Americas, to contribute and “build on this new momentum.”

Gangs have overpowered Haiti’s police, with experts estimating they now control some 80% of the capital, Port-au-Prince. There are only about 10,000 police officers for the country’s more than 11 million people, and more than 30 were killed from January to June, according to Human Rights Watch.

Guterres said the gangs have encircled the capital, effectively cutting roads from the north, south and east of the country, and violence is spreading to the Artibonite region in central Haiti and other areas, blocking the delivery of aid and goods.

He cited reports of gangs shooting people in public spaces and their homes, burning people alive in public transportation vehicles, mutilating and executing perceived opponents, recruiting children and using sexual violence and rape against women and girls.

“Gangs have become more structured, federated, and autonomous in their efforts to confront state authority, weakening state institutions, and consolidating control over the population,” the secretary-general said. “They target police stations, courts, prisons, schools, hospitals, and strategic

The rejection of the petition allows House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha now to set a fresh date to select the prime minister.

Srettha Thavisin, a property tycoon, is set to seek parliamentary approval as the prime ministerial candidate of a new coalition headed by Pheu Thai, a party linked to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The party has tied up with some conservative parties and erstwhile members of Pita-led coalition.

The bloc is backed by 238 lawmakers in the House of Representatives. Srettha will need the support of the majority of 750 lawmakers in the joint National Assembly, which combines the elected lower house and the Senate that’s stacked with allies of the pro-military royalist establishment. With assistance from Pathom Sangwongwanich and Suttinee Yuvejwattana/Bloomberg

China calls Taiwan frontrunner ‘troublemaker’ risking conflict

By Bloomberg News

Lai used a recent stop in the US to encourage “separatism,” Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office said in a statement late Tuesday. It called a recent pledge Lai made in an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek that he would maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait “a complete lie.”

“Such a person will only bring risks of fierce war,” the office that handles Beijing’s relations with Taipei said.

The comments are the clearest signal yet that if Lai becomes Taiwan’s next president, the crossstrait relationship is set for more challenges. Lai has been leading polls for months and has signaled

that if he wins, he’ll continue policies that President Tsai Ing-wen has pursued since starting the first of her two terms in 2016.

Tsai’s fostering of closer ties with Washington, including stepping up weapons deals, has frustrated Beijing. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has ratcheted up military, economic and diplomatic pressure on Tsai over her refusal to accept Beijing’s position that both sides belong to “one China.” China has used similar rhetoric about war with Taiwan in the past, such as after Tsai’s stops in the US in the spring. Those travels included a visit to Los Angeles, where she met House

LAI CHING-TE I-HWA CHENG/BLOOMBERG

Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other US officials and lawmakers. It has also referred to figures in the Democratic Progressive Party that Tsai and Lai belong to as troublemakers before.

Twice since August last year the People’s Liberation Army has held major military exercises around Taiwan—one that involved sending missiles over the democracy of 23 million people. Those drills followed the Tsai talks with McCarthy and a meeting with then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi in Taipei in August.

China has pledged to bring Taiwan under its control someday as part of its “rejuvenation” project, by force if that is what’s required.

Last weekend, Lai stopped in

New York on his way to Paraguay’s presidential inauguration. He’s kept the journey low profile to avoid upsetting Beijing and show voters he can be a steady hand in cross-strait issues. Lai met with officials from the US’s de facto embassy and members of the Taiwanese community in the US.

Just before his trip, China said it would hold military drills in the East China Sea, though it didn’t explicitly link the two. Lai will stop in San Francisco on Wednesday and Thursday on his return leg, opening the door to further responses from China.

Lai said in the exclusive interview with Bloomberg Businessweek in Taipei on July 27 that “we must work to maintain the peaceful status quo.”

“We are willing to cooperate with China to advance peace and prosperity,” he said. “However, until China renounces the use of force against Taiwan, we must strengthen our military capacity and stand shoulder to shoulder with democracies to effectively deter the threats from China and secure stability in the Indo-Pacific region.” With assistance from Jing Li and Joel Weber/Bloomberg

Poland showcases military might in parade as war rages in Ukraine

installations such as ports, oil terminals and major roadways.”

Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry sent an urgent appeal last October for “the immediate deployment of a specialized armed force, in sufficient quantity” to stop the gangs. However, no country stepped up to lead such a force until Kenya’s offer in late July.

US Ambassador Linda ThomasGreenfield said on Aug. 1 that the United States would introduce a UN Security Council resolution authorizing Kenya to lead a multinational police force to fight the gangs and provide 1,000 officers. However, she gave no timetable.

Since its offer, Kenya’s police force has come under scrutiny especially by human rights watchdogs, for alleged killings and torture, including gunning down civilians during the country’s Covid-19 curfew.

As the US was considering Kenya to lead the force, it was also openly warning Kenyan police officers against violent abuses.

Guterres said the Haitian National Police “most concerningly” face persistent reports of gang infiltration.

The force lost 774 officers during the first half of the year—“a staggering loss compared to an average attrition of around 400 police per year in the past,” he said. And the state of police infrastructure is “dire,” with around 40 of its 412 premises nationwide unusable “due to gang territorial control.”

Guterres made clear in the letter that “Haiti’s current context is not conducive to peacekeeping” by the United Nations.

He said law and order must be restored and human rights abuses and violence reduced “by deterring, neutralizing, and disarming heavily armed gangs capable of mounting robust resistance to anti-gang police operations.”

Guterres stressed that securing strategic installations and major roadways to restore freedom of movement and re-establishing the government’s presence to restore services requires “the robust use of force” by a specialized multinational police force.

In parallel to deploying such a force, he said there are two potential options for the UN—to provide logistical support to the multinational force and the national police, and to strengthen the UN political mission in Haiti to expand its mandate to train and advise the national police and create “an enabling environment” for long-delayed elections and the restoration of democratic institutions.

Given the dire situation in Haiti and the need for security, Guterres said both options may be required to maximize the impact of a multinational police force.

By Monika Scislowska The Associated Press

WARSAW, Poland—Nato member Poland displayed its state-of-theart weapons and defense systems at a massive military parade Tuesday, as war rages in neighboring Ukraine and ahead of parliamentary elections in two months.

President Andrzej Duda, the chief commander of the armed forces, said in his opening speech that the protection of Poland’s eastern border is a key element of state policy. He also noted that Poland is supporting Ukraine in its struggle against Russia’s aggression of almost 18 months.

“The defense of our eastern border, the border of the European Union and of Nato is today a key element of Poland’s state interest,” Duda said.

Crowds waving national whiteand-red flags gathered in scorching temperatures that reached 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) to see US-made Abrams tanks, HIMARS mobile artillery systems and Patriot missile systems. Also on display were F-16 fighter planes, South Korean FA50 fighters and K9 howitzers. A US Air Force F-35 roared overhead, in a sign that Poland was also purchasing these advanced fighter planes.

Polish-made equipment including Krab tracked gun-howitzers and Rosomak armored transporters were also featured. Some 2,000 troops, 200 vehicles and almost 100 aircraft took part. Poland’s armed forces have more than 175,000 troops, up from some 100,000 eight years ago, Duda said.

Since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Poland’s conservative government has focused on strengthening the armed forces and has spent more than $16 billion on tanks, missile

AP/CZAREK

interceptor systems and fighter jets, many purchased from the US and South Korea.

Duda said Poland’s defense budget this year will be a record 137 billion zlotys ($34 billion) or some 4% of the gross domestic product, the highest proportion in all of Nato.

“The goal of this huge modernization is to equip Poland’s armed forces and create such a defense system that no one ever dares attack us, that Polish soldiers will never need to fight,” Duda said.

Responding to criticism that

Poland, a nation of some 37 million, was taking out huge loans to make the purchases, Duda said:

“We cannot afford to be idle this is why we are strengthening our armed forces here and now.”

Poland borders on the east with the Russian city of Kaliningrad; with Lithuania, a fellow Nato member; with Russia’s key ally Belarus and with Ukraine.

The parade was held in Poland’s capital, which was vastly destroyed during World War II, on the anniversary of the 1920 Battle of Warsaw, in which Polish troops defeated Bolshevik forces advancing on Europe.

The military upgrades have bolstered Poland’s defense capabilities and some items replaced Soviet- and Russian-made equipment that Poland gave to Ukraine.

Poland is building one of Europe’s strongest armies to beef up deterrence against potential aggressors and has increased the number of troops to some 10,000 along its border with Belarus, where it has also built a wall to stop migrants arriving from that direction.

Showing off its military might is also a way for Poland’s government to attract voter support ahead of October 15 elections, in which the populist ruling Law and Justice party will seek to win an unprecedented third term.

Indonesia’s $20 billion climate deal with Joe Biden hits delay

By Norman Harsono & Eko Listiyorini

INDONESIA has pushed back the launch of a much-anticipated investment plan underpinning a landmark $20 billion climate financing deal struck with US President Joe Biden last year.

Efforts to hammer out the specifics of the Just Energy Transition Partnership, or JETP—which is intended to provide affordable financing to clean up the Southeast Asian nation’s coal-dependent power grid—have been hampered by disagreements over the cost of funds, and by legal and policy tangles. Half of the $20 billion intended to be mobilized was supposed to come from

wealthy nations and the other half via large financial institutions like HSBC Holdings Plc and Citigroup Inc., under the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero.

A draft investment plan has been submitted to Indonesia’s government and JETP partner, but the comprehensive strategy will now not be launched until later this year, as unspecified “additional data” needs to be included, Indonesia’s JETP secretariat said in a statement on Wednesday.

The new timeline will also allow for more public feedback, the secretariat said.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Biden made headlines last November when they agreed on the historic package that’s also intended to promote renewable energy,

invest in infrastructure and support local populations through the transition.

The setback is a potential embarrassment for an Indonesian president who has made economic diplomacy and this green deal a key part of his legacy, hoping to produce a model for others.

It ’s also an indication of just how hard it is to work through the pioneering financing deals the world needs to avoid disastrous climate outcomes. Emerging economies do not want to take on the cost of transition alone and wealthy nations and financial heavyweights have struggled to step up. Domestic concerns intervene, as they did in South Africa.

“The delay in the Indonesia JETP investment plan, while unfortunate, is

not unexpected,” said Ali Izadi-Najafabadi, BloombergNEF’s head of Asia-Pacific. “There have been fundamental differences among the stakeholders with regards to areas to prioritize for investment as well as the financing structure.”

F or months, Indonesian officials have expressed concern over just how much JETP funding would be made up of grants, as opposed to loans, and where cheaper funding would be allocated. Banks and financial institutions have wrestled with internal and other constraints.

Indonesia said it remains committed to the energy transition, adding that JETP aims to accelerate this process for the global good. With assistance from Faris Mokhtar and David Stringer/Bloomberg

CHINA called Taiwan’s vice president a “troublemaker” whose views risk sparking a conflict, a sign that Lai Ching-te will likely have testy relations with Beijing if he becomes the island’s next leader.

UN chief urges deployment of police special forces, military support to combat Haiti gangs

POLISH troops take part in a massive military parade to celebrate the Polish Army Day, commemorating the 1920 battle in which Polish troops defeated advancing Bolshevik forces, in Warsaw, Poland on Tuesday, August 15, 2023. Poland is holding a military parade to showcase its state-of-the-art weapons and defense systems, as war rages across its southeastern border in neighboring Ukraine and ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for October 15.

SOKOLOWSKI

editorial I

A most useful weapon against disinformation

N the age of social media, many people form their beliefs by digesting online posts. With so many sources of information on these platforms, it has become difficult to determine content that is based on fact, half-truth or outright lie. By sharing things we believe to be true when they may not be, we create a powerful ripple effect, influencing others to see them as fact. Once those beliefs are formed, they can become difficult to alter.

A lot of online stories masquerading as “news” are fake, created by people seeking to push bias or disinformation to deliberately cause harm. This is dangerous for young people who can be persuaded to accept distorted views as the truth. Fake social media accounts and trolls help make misinformation viral. The problem gets worse when real journalists report it as fact. When misinformation becomes the news, the line between fact and fiction gets blurred.

Fake news presents strong, often prejudiced opinion, as fact. Unfortunately, social media platforms routinely direct these opinions to those most likely to agree to reinforce them. This so-called “echo-chamber” effect is made worse by algorithms that encourage you to read material similar to what you are already sharing on social media.

“Know your sources and fight for the truth.” This was the advice of President Marcos to the public as he led the launching of the government’s new Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Campaign on Monday. He stressed the importance of giving people the “tools” to discern factual information from what is misinformation or disinformation by checking its source. (Read the BusinessMirror report: “Media, info literacy drive reels off to help people seeking truth,” August 15, 2023).

Marcos said that “information from the Internet is raw, unedited, curated and unexamined information. People have to learn to be able to discern for themselves what is real and what is not, what is propaganda, what is fact, and what is speculation.” The advent of artificial intelligence (AI), which allows machines to create information, complicates the situation. The youth, Marcos said, are the most at risk to “misguided and sinister activities” to twist the truth online since they have the biggest exposure to the Internet.

Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Cheloy VelicariaGarafil said they will address this issue by prioritizing the youth in their new MIL campaign, where the PCO partnered with the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education to develop the educators’ and learners’ MIL manual and incorporate it into the school curriculum.

“We will start with the youth since they are the most exposed to the digital landscape and to its dangers. Through the Media and Information Literacy Campaign, we will give them the tools to conduct critical assessment, and validate the source of information,” she said.

Garafil said they will also roll out the MIL campaign in communities so it can reach local leaders and ordinary citizens. The PCO also tapped social media giants like Meta, Google, Tiktok and X for their information campaign.

“Our formidable alliance is committed to ensuring that truth and accuracy prevail in a society where every voice contributes to the chorus of truth,” she said.

In an article published by brookings.com—How to combat fake news and disinformation—Darrell M. West said “fake news and sophisticated disinformation campaigns are especially problematic in democratic systems, and there is growing debate on how to address these issues without undermining the benefits of digital media.”

West offered a comprehensive solution: “In order to maintain an open, democratic system, it is important that government, business, and consumers work together to solve these problems. Governments should promote news literacy and strong professional journalism in their societies. The news industry must provide high-quality journalism in order to build public trust and correct fake news and disinformation without legitimizing them. Technology companies should invest in tools that identify fake news, reduce financial incentives for those who profit from disinformation, and improve online accountability. Educational institutions should make informing people about news literacy a high priority. Finally, individuals should follow a diversity of news sources, and be skeptical of what they read and watch.”

Critical thinking is one of the most useful weapons we have against online disinformation. As author W. Somerset Maugham said: “The fact that a great many people believe something is no guarantee of its truth.”

‘A former tantric sex coach’

John Mangun

OUTSIDE THE BOX

ThIs person is the 52-year-old son of a bus driver who holds a Licentiate in Economics and two master’s degrees in economics. For more than 20 years, he has been a University Professor of Macroeconomics, having written over 50 academic papers and nine books.

He is adviser to his national government for the World Bank’s International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes. Also, he is an “Adviser and Member, Group of Economic Policy” for the Group of 20 nations (G-20) and its Business Twenty (B20) official community forum. Formally, he was a Senior Economist at HSBC and Head Economist for a private pension company and a financial advising company for sovereign wealth funds.

Currently, he is Head Economist at Corporación América, the largest private airport operator in the world by number of airports. He believes Ben Bernanke was the greatest central banker ever.

His country, Argentina, has since independence in 1816 defaulted on its debt nine times, the latest in 2020. The annual inflation rate was 115 percent in June. The benchmark interest rate is 118 percent. The GDP Annual Growth Rate was 1.3 percent year-on-year in the first

quarter of 2023.

Needless to say, the S&P sovereign credit rating is “CCC/currently vulnerable to nonpayment” (again) with a “Negative” outlook. Industrial production contracted by 2.3 percent year-on-year in June. Since 2013, the US dollar has appreciated 5,600 percent against the Argentine peso; by comparison the dollar is up 30 percent against the Philippine peso.

Javier Milei is also an elected member of the lower house of the Argentine National Congress.

The current President of Argentina, Alberto Fernández, had an approval rating—last polled in June 2022—of less than 20 percent as did his Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. Fernández decided not to seek re-election.

On August 13, the “Simultaneous and Mandatory Open Primaries” were conducted in preparation for the October general election. Voters choose a “political alliance” of two or more parties and also vote for a presi-

Carousel out, circus back

T.

Lourdes

Jennifer

Vittorio

Thomas M. Orbos

STREET TALK

TWO pandemic initiatives that benefitted our transportstarved commuters—the bike lanes and the Edsa Bus Carousel—are now facing real threats of being taken out of our urban landscape.

With mobility demands hitting more than pre-pandemic levels, these two transport programs are being forced out, and worse, casting them as obstructions to better traffic flow and transport supply. Are our memories too short? Do we really want to go back to the road chaos we had before?

It was only two years ago when we were all praises for these two initiatives. Take the bike lanes. With very few mass transport options at that time, commuters shifted to micro-mobility modes with bi-

dential candidate from their chosen “alliance.” Milei’s party, without an alliance partner, garnered 30 percent of the vote with the number two alliance gaining 28 percent and number three at 27 percent. However, as a single candidate for president, he won 30 percent with number two getting 21 percent and third place finishing at 17 percent. Milei won 16 of Argentina’s 24 regions. Preelection polls advised Milei would finish no higher than third.

The global news headlines: Reuters, August 14: “Radical right-wing candidate shakes up Argentina presidential election.” BBC, August 15: “Trump admirer leads race for Argentina presidency.” El País (Spain): “Ultra-conservative Javier Milei capitalizes on the protest vote and wins.” Financial Times: “Argentina radical right-winger with primary win.” The Week: “Far-right candidate who wants to legalize organ sales wins Argentina’s presidential primary.”

Those sources described the winner this way. “Milei, a former television personality and one-term congressional representative.” “The firebrand economist, whose boisterous campaign rallies draw comparisons to Donald Trump.” Euractiv: “A rock-singing libertarian outsider candidate.” The Guardian: “A former tantric sex coach.”

Here are some of his “radical” economic agenda ideas called “unfeasible” by Bloomberg. “Sharply cut state spending, privatizing deficitmaking public companies, reducing labor taxes, reducing the number of public workers, eliminating export

Government needs to step in and be the guardians of long-term solutions. Our temporal glance is a signal to government that there is something wrong right now and that it is up to them to bring us back to what is right. Otherwise, we might as well accept the circus that we now have on our roads.

infrastructures some two years ago.

taxes, and exploration of natural resources through a system of royalties.” He also wants to eventually eliminate the Argentine central bank. Note the last point.

After the election results: ABCNews: “Argentine peso plunges after rightist who admires Trump comes first.” Except it was the Central Bank of Argentina, the one Milei wants to abolish, that raised the benchmark interest rate to 118 percent from the previous 97 percent and “devalued the local currency by 20 percent early Monday morning after the surprising Sunday showing.” Just a happy coincidence, no doubt.

Perhaps the reason Milei is considered “radical” is that he thinks climate change is a hoax, has skepticism about the Covid-19 vaccines, is opposed to abortion, rejects sexual education in schools, and endorses free possession of firearms by the civilian population.

If you are keeping score, Milei checks almost all the boxes for “ultraright libertarian and anarcho-capitalist.” Also, Milei said that, while he does not necessarily advocate it as a national currency like El Salvador, “Bitcoin represents the return of money to its original creator, the private sector.”

Milei might be wise to hire a food taster and to decline any private late-night meetings at the World Economic Forum.

E-mail me at mangun@gmail.com. Follow me on Twitter @mangunonmarkets. PSE stock-market information and technical analysis provided by AAA Southeast Equities Inc.

tive effort to enforce protection of these lanes. In the crowded noise of our Metro Manila roads, the hapless bicyclist is now practically left on his own.

cycles as the preference because of its affordability, not to mention its health benefits and benefits to the environment. The government responded by providing the needed infrastructure with both the national and local governments competing on setting up bike lanes, some hastily and unplanned, but nevertheless with much enthusiasm and support. In Metro Manila alone, around 439 kilometers were built, out of the total of 1,778 kilometers nationwide. Close to P 2.2 billion was allocated for the construction of these bike

But looking at our roads right now, it seems that these once heralded bike lanes are like remnants of a past civilization. Motorized vehicles, both the 4- and the 2-wheeled kind, fighting for every space on the congested roads, brazenly violate these lanes, the bollards gone or torn apart. There were efforts by private organizations to protect these lanes, somewhat successfully; but as a whole, the bike lane advocates are losing the battle. Two main causes: no new government allocation for its maintenance—just a mere P7 million for 2024; and no more ac-

The Edsa bus carousel is another story. Unlike the bicycle lanes that motorists readily disrespect for sheer survival to traverse our now congested roads, the Edsa bus carousel is a welcome sight by all motorists who remember vividly the chaos when the buses operated on the curbside. Pre-pandemic, the buses lorded it over, stopping anywhere at their whim and occupying any lane they would want to. Enforcement was a cat and mouse game, and took out much effort and resources. During my stint at the MMDA, we had specific rules that would not be appreciated now—the “closed door policy,” a deterrent for bus drivers to stop anywhere; and the “nose in, nose out violation” preventing buses to use the roads to maneuver, thus practically blocking the flow of traffic. With the Edsa carousel, there is now a semblance of order. Bus

UN envoy says ICC should prosecute Taliban for crimes against humanity for denying girls education

By Edith M. Lederer | The Associated Press

UNITED NATIoNS—The International Criminal Court should prosecute Taliban leaders for a crime against humanity for denying education and employment to Afghan girls and women, the UN special envoy for global education said.

Gordon Brown told a virtual UN press conference on the second anniversary of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan on Tuesday that its rulers are responsible for “the most egregious, vicious and indefensible violation of women’s rights and girls’ rights in the world today.”

The former British prime minister said he has sent a legal opinion to ICC prosecutor Karim Khan that shows the denial of education and employment is “gender discrimination, which should count as a crime against humanity, and it should be prosecuted by the International Criminal Court.”

The Taliban took power in August 2021, during the final weeks of the US and NATO forces’ pullout after 20 years of war. As they did during their previous rule of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, the Taliban gradually reimposed their harsh interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia, barring girls from school beyond the sixth grade and women from most jobs, public spaces and gyms and recently closing beauty salons.

Brown urged major Muslim countries to send a delegation of clerics to Afghanistan’s southern city of Kandahar, the home of Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, to make the case that bans on women’s education and employment have “no basis in the Quran or the Islamic religion”—and to lift them.

He said he believes “there’s a split within the regime,” with many people in the education ministry and around the government in the capital, Kabul, who want to see the rights of girls to education restored.

“And I believe that the clerics in Kandahar have stood firmly against that, and indeed continue to issue instructions.”

The Taliban’s chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, brushed aside questions about restrictions on girls and women in an Associated Press interview late Monday in Kabul, saying the status quo will remain. He also said the Taliban view their rule of Afghanistan as open-ended, drawing legitimacy from Islamic law and facing no significant threat.

Brown said the Taliban should be told that if girls are allowed to go to secondary school and university again, education aid to Afghanistan, which was cut after the bans were announced, will be restored.

He also called for monitoring and reporting on abuses and violations of the rights of women and girls, sanctions against those directly responsible for the bans including

Orbos

continued from A12

operations happen at the left side, leaving the rest of the lanes to all other forms of vehicles. Travel time, for mass transport—the buses, as well as generally for the private motorists—became faster despite the increased number of vehicles.

Now, here comes a move to bring the old model of the buses on the curbside. Bus operators are saying they are losing money for not being allowed to go back to their normal ways. I do understand the predicament of these operators, who, after being asked to invest in modernizing their fleets, are now being given fewer roads to traverse. But bringing them back to Edsa’s curbside will not solve their problem; it’s only a temporal solution. It is a good thing that MMDA Chairman Romando Artes

Brown urged major Muslim countries to send a delegation of clerics to Afghanistan’s southern city of Kandahar, the home of Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, to make the case that bans on women’s education and employment have “no basis in the Quran or the Islamic religion” —and to lift them.

by the United States and United Kingdom, and the release of those imprisoned for defending women’s and girls’ rights.

Brown said 54 of the 80 edicts issued by the Taliban explicitly target women and girls and dismantle their rights, most recently banning them from taking university exams and visiting public places including cemeteries to pay respects to loved ones.

He announced that the UN and other organizations will sponsor and fund internet learning for girls and support underground schools as well as education for Afghan girls forced to leave the country who need help to go to school.

“The international community must show that education can get through to the people of Afghanistan, in spite of the Afghan government’s bans,” he said.

Brown said there are a number of organizations supporting underground schools and there is a new initiative in the last few weeks to provide curriculum through mobile phones, which are popular in Afghanistan.

He wouldn’t discuss details over concerns for the safety of students and teachers, “but there is no doubt that girls are still trying to learn, sometimes risking a lot to be able to do so.”

During the 20 years the Taliban were out of power, Brown said 6 million girls got an education, becoming doctors, lawyers, judges, members of parliament and cabinet ministers.

Today, he said, 2.5 million girls are being denied education, and 3 million more will leave primary school in the next few years, “so we’re losing the talents of a whole generation.”

Brown urged global action and pressure—not just words—to convince the Taliban to restore the rights of women and girls.

“We have not done enough in the last two years,” he said. “I don’t want another year to go by when girls in Afghanistan and women there feel that they are powerless because we have not done enough to support them.”

stopped them dead on their tracks, knowing first-hand the congestion they will cause.

It is human nature to worry about the here and now, regardless of our experiences of the past and knowing full well of its effect on our future. Such is the case of how generally we are confronting these two transport initiatives. We know their benefits, but given present realities, we cannot help but look again at the harmful shortcuts. Government needs to step in and be the guardians of long-term solutions. Our temporal glance is a signal to government that there is something wrong right now and that it is up to them to bring us back to what is right. Otherwise, we might as well accept the circus that we now have on our roads.

The author may be reached at: thomas_orbos@ sloan.mit.edu

Human rights film ‘Duyan ng Magiting’ bags Cinemalaya’s Best Ensemble Performance Award

Kuwentong Peyups atbp

For the third time in the history of the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival, an acting award is given to an ensemble this year for the socio-political film “Duyan ng Magiting” by Dustin Celestino.

The film was given an award for Best Ensemble Performance for its powerful cast of well-respected and veteran actors: Dolly de Leon, Bituin Escalante, Agot Isidro, Miggy Jimenez, Jojit Lorenzo, Frances MakilIgnacio, Paolo O’Hara, Joel Saracho, and Dylan Ray Talon.

In 2012, the Best Actress Award was given in the Director’s showcase to an ensemble—Judy Ann Santos, Iza Calzado, Agot Isidro, and Janice de Belen of Mga Mumunting Lihim The Tribu cast grabbed the Best Actor Award also as an ensemble in New Breed in 2007.

The film was also awarded Special Jury Prize for “its trenchant portrait of the wages of political violence, for its highly discursive and dialectical take on the culture of impunity that seems to have entrenched itself in Philippine politics, and for arousing among audiences awareness on the need to come to grips with the country’s escalating political violence.”

Director Celestino described the film as “a symbol of our continued resistance.” It is about the corruption within the government system and the police. It was written at the height of red-tagging and extrajudicial killings (EJK) that provides a perspective on the socio-political climate in the Philippines.

It is an anthology of interwoven narratives on life and terrorism in the

country following a college professor, university chancellor, social worker, police chief, lawyer, two mothers, and two students.

It revolves around the journey of a young activist student named Jose, who was detained as a suspect for the church bombing.

“We have been through some of the darkest moments in our country’s history, but in this darkness we would also like to remind everyone that there is still beauty to be found; there is beauty in courage held in the face of overwhelming odds, there is beauty in the collective effort of artists to ennoble the Filipino experience, and there is beauty in our continued survival and resistance,” Celestino said in his speech.

The movie touched on the issue of red-tagging, which is a pernicious practice as part of the government’s counterinsurgency efforts that target individuals or organizations critical or not fully supportive of the actions of a sitting administration.

This includes publicly accusing activists, journalists, politicians, and organizations as either communists or terrorists or both, regardless of their actual political beliefs or affiliations.

Civil society groups working on human rights issues have been demonized and vilified under the Duterte administration and

reported increased surveillance, intimidation, threats, and other acts of harassment by the authorities.

On July 3, 2020, President Duterte signed into law the “Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020,” which human rights groups criticized for containing dangerous provisions, further undermining human rights in the country.

“It is a story of what our country recently went through and the recognition of the victims’ experiences,” says Dolly de Leon who portrays a social worker tasked to assist the detained students.

A good friend, Redentor Constantino, said in his column: “There are no easy conclusions in this movie, where Martin Luther King is paraphrased numerous times to frame many of its chapters. Yes, only in darkness can one see the stars, but when the stars are veiled, how can you overcome darkness with more darkness?”

Celestino stressed in his speech: “May our film remind us all not just of the darkness around us, but also of the remaining light—the remaining love, passion, and hope—within us all.”

Three films on gay and lesbian issues also bagged major awards.

“ITI MAPUKPUKAW” (The Missing) won Best Film (full

length) and NETPAC Award, while Dolly de Leon won as Best Supporting Actress. It is Cinemalaya’s first full-length rotoscope animation that follows Eric’s life as a mouthless young animator at the intersections of grief and trauma.

“HULING PALABAS” won Best Director for Ryan Machado, while Bon Andrew Lentejas won Best Supporting Actor. It is a coming-of-age movie that tackled themes of identity formation, abandonment, friendship and folklore.

“ROOKIE” won Best Actress for Pat Tingjuy as well as Audience Choice Awards and Best Editing. It is a romantic comedy about young queer love and volleyball.

The other films with citations in the full length section include “Tether” for Mikoy Morales as Best Actor and Sound Design; “When This Is All Over” for Cinematography, Production Design and Original Music Score; and “Gitling” for Screenplay.

The 19th Cinemalaya was held from August 4 to 13, 2023 at the PICC.

Peyups is the moniker of University of the Philippines. Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho heads the seafarers’ division of the Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan law offices. For comments, e-mail info@sapalovelez.com, or call 0917-5025808 or 0908-8665786.

Georgia case against Trump presents problems from the start, from jury selection to a big courtroom

By Kate Brumback | The Associated Press

ATLANTA—Putting

The sprawling racketeering indictment returned this week by a grand jury in Atlanta presents a wide range of challenges. A big one is political: Finding jurors who don’t have unshakeable opinions about Donald Trump and others in his orbit.

Beyond that, with so many defendants, prosecutors and defense lawyers will labor to keep the names and conflicting stories straight for those jurors over weeks or months. There will be countless legal details and basic logistics to argue or work out—even down to finding a courtroom big enough to fit everyone.

In an early example of the lengthy litigation ahead, lawyers for former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows filed a quick motion Tuesday to transfer the case from state to federal court. They said all the actions he took were in service to his White House role, foreshadowing an argument that the Constitution makes him immune from prosecution.

Trump himself tried a similar tack in New York—to move to federal court a state case charging him with falsifying business records. That bid was denied.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has brought 10 other state racketeering cases since taking office in January 2021. As an assistant D.A., she used the racketeering law to successfully prosecute Atlanta public school educators in a test-cheating scandal. But in one of Willis’ current cases, involving the rapper Young Thug, jury selection began in January and is still going more than seven

months later.

This is bigger, unprecedented. Her office now takes on the huge challenge of pursuing 13 felony counts against a former president who is fighting three other criminal cases and leading the Republican field in the fight for the 2024 presidential nomination.

“Just because they have experience with it doesn’t mean that it’s easy,” said Robert James, a former district attorney in neighboring DeKalb County who’s now a defense attorney. “It’s going to be slow, it’s going to be methodical, laborious.”

After investigating for more than two years, Willis used Georgia’s racketeering law to charge Trump and 18 of his allies, alleging a wide-ranging conspiracy to keep him in power after his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden. Lawyers, aides and Republican Party activists are accused along with the former president.

Several of the defendants on Tuesday accused Willis of playing politics with the indictment.

“The Democrats and the Fulton County D.A. are criminalizing the practice of law,” one of the defendants, lawyer Jenna Ellis, wrote Tuesday on Facebook. “I am resolved to trust the Lord and I will simply continue to honor, praise, and serve Him. I deeply appreciate all of my friends who have reached out offering encouragement and support.”

Trump said he would release a report next Monday that would demonstrate “irrefutable” election fraud in Georgia, despite years of investi-

gations and lawsuits not producing such evidence. Responded Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican: “The 2020 election in Georgia was not stolen. For nearly three years now, anyone with evidence of fraud has failed to come forward—under oath—and prove anything in a court of law.”

In the indictment, Willis used Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act to weave a complex narrative that implicates multiple people accused of committing separate crimes in pursuit of a common goal. Some of the actions alleged are not necessarily crimes in themselves but are portrayed as helping to further an overall illegal scheme.

The grand jury issued arrest warrants and Willis has given the defendants until August 25 at noon to surrender. Each of the 19 defendants will also have an arraignment scheduled in the coming weeks.

Willis’ RICO case in which rapper Young Thug is a defendant gives some insight into the challenges that can arise.

Some delays have been specific to that trial—transporting defendants housed in different jails to court each day, bringing contraband to court, the arrest of a defense attorney and a courtroom deputy. But jury selection, which began in January, is still going. That’s partially because the trial is expected to last six to nine months, meaning a lot of prospective jurors have legitimate excuses for saying no.

Trying large racketeering cases like the Trump one tends to be more challenging for the defense than the prosecution since defense lawyers have to take care to disentangle their clients from other defendants who might be seen as more guilty.

“The government is presenting a big picture,” said Barry Zone, a New

York criminal defense lawyer who has been involved in multiple cases with large numbers of defendants. “So even if one person is less culpable than another, they’ll be able to tell the story because they’re telling the story as to multiple people.”

It’s easy for jurors to see defendants at a table as one group rather than as individuals, he said, so “the optics when you’re trying multiple defendants is that they’re all working together.”

Though Fulton County prosecutors have painted the 19 defendants as jointly engaged in a criminal conspiracy, there’s no question that those charged don’t see themselves as a unified team. In the years since Trump and his allies sought to overturn the election results, some Trump associates have sought to disavow their past connections.

When Rudy Giuliani, a defendant in the Georgia case, met with Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith’s team, he spoke in detail about fellow defendant Sidney Powell, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a private meeting.

Some defendants may try to be tried separately from the former president.

“They don’t want the evidentiary spillover from other people, which could tarnish them, and they won’t want to be in the same courtroom as Trump because he’ll be a polarizing figure with the jury,” said Bostonbased attorney Brian Kelly, who tried a number of RICO cases as a federal prosecutor.

And while a RICO conspiracy case may have advantages for the prosecution, it can also be unwieldy.

19 people on trial at the same time is a difficult assignment for any prosecutor—whether or not one of those defendants is a former president of the United States running to reclaim his old office.

Dennis Gorecho

A14 Thursday, August 17, 2023

LOCSIN NAMED PBBM’S ENVOY TO CHINA FOR ‘SPECIAL CONCERNS’

AMID fresh tension between Manila and Bei -

jing over the BRP Sierra Madre in the Ayungin Shoal, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. has designated former Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. as his special envoy to China for “special concerns.”

T he Presidential Communication Office (PCO) announced on Wednesday the new appointment of Locsin, who is currently serving as the Philippine Ambassador to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

He [Locsin] is in a concurrent capacity,” PCO Secretary Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil told reporters in a Viber message, referring to Locsin’s dual roles as the President’s envoy to China for “special concerns” and his post in London.

S he noted the President decided to give the new assignment to Locsin to boost Philippine-China bilateral relations.

During Locsin’s term as DFA chief of former President Rodrigo R. Duterte, the country terminated its joint oil and gas exploration talks with China due to constitutional issues of such collaboration.

With 265-0-3 vote, House expels Negros Rep. Teves

W hile he led DFA, Locsin stressed the country did not surrender a single inch of its territory to China since every intrusion by Chinese forces within Philippine territory was met with protest.

He said the Philippines will file a protest for every single day the swarm of Chinese militia boats remain in Philippine waters, and as of last week, over 400 protests were tallied, nearly half during Locsin’s watch. However, Locsin was known to have earned a healthy respect from his counterpart, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, with both sides praising each other amid tough discussions.

T he appointment of Locsin comes days after the President belied the claim by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the country committed to tow away BRP Sierra Madre, which serves as a military outpost. If any such commitment were made by any of his predecessors, Marcos said, he would rescind it.

T he remark stemmed from the August 5 incident, wherein the Chinese Coast Guard fired water cannons at Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessels, which escorted supply ships bound for BRP Sierra

Madre. Samuel P. Medenilla

Is it time to abandon SCS code of conduct talks? Experts asked

By Malou Talosig-Bartolome @maloutalosig

SECURITY and geopolitical analysts have questioned the need for the Philippines to continue negotiating for a code of conduct in the South China Sea / West Philippine Sea (SCS/WPS) amid China’s continued encroachment and harassment in the area.

K arla Cruz, AIF International Fellow-Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Prof. Dindo Manhit, president of Stratbase ADR Institute, said the Philippines, other Asean countries and China have been negotiating for a code of conduct in the SCS/WPS for 21 years.

“ It’s been 21 years,” Cruz said. “Think of somebody who has lived for 21 years, graduated for a college degree. 21 years is a long time to be patient and to wait for somebody to come to the negotiating table for a common interest.”

T he fellow from US-based think tank believes China has not been showing “respect” to the Philippines, with repeated harassment of fishermen and firing water canons of ships supplying food to soldiers in Ayungin Shoal.

“ How can you establish a code of conduct if there is no respect between both parties?” Cruz said.

M anhit said China has used the past 21 years to “strengthen its position in the region, including encroaching on Philippine waters.”

“Our marine resources are being exploited. We have less access to our marine resources,” Manhit added.

He called the negotiations for a code of conduct in the SCS/WPS as more of a talk shop or “dialogue.”

Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said despite challenges in maintaining peace instability in the West Philippine Sea, the solution lies with engaging China to commit to a rules of behavior in the seas.

A Code of Conduct which finds its moorings on Unclos [United

Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea] is part of the diplomatic solution for the management and resolution of disputes in the South China Sea,” Manalo said in his speech at the opening of the Maritime Dialogue in the South China Sea.

He said Manila “advocates for an effective and substantive code of conduct that adheres to Unclos and takes into account the interests of all stakeholders, even extending beyond Asean and China.”

“ This approach is crucial if we are to maintain an open, inclusive and free Indo Pacific region and its momentum as the engine of global economic growth and transformation and in effect, the upliftment of the lives of millions of Asian citizens yet in the threshold of much improved well-being,” Manalo said.

Manila hosting talks

THE Philippines is the host of this month’s round of talks among midranking diplomats and maritime experts who will hammer out activities that would prevent the escalation of the tension in the South China Sea.

T he Joint Working Group will be held on August 22-24 in an undisclosed place in Manila.

M anhit said while the Philippines continue to play along with the “dialogue,” it should assert the 2016 arbitral ruling, which invalidated China’s claims in the SCS citing the nine-dash line in their ancient maps.

C ruz said it’s time for the Philippines to align with other likeminded countries such as the Palau, Papua New Guinea and other Pacific countries to also protect the eastern seaboard. We’ve long sacrificed, been the nicer people, power in between –friends to all but enemy to none. But has it gotten us anywhere Or has it gotten a few somewhere?” Cruz asked.

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie

Voting 265 affirmative, 0 negative, and 3 absentions, lawmakers voted to adopt the unanimous recommendation of the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges to impose the maximum penalty of expulsion on Teves.

In their report to the plenary, the Committee on Ethics and Privileges laid out clear and undeniable evidence that Teves violated his Oath of Office and displayed disorderly behavior.

T he most glaring of these violations is his continuous attempt to seek political asylum in Timor-

Leste and his prolonged, unjustified absence, which is tantamount to the abandonment of his office, said the ethics panel.

T his, the committee noted, has directly affected the constituents of the 3rd District of Negros Oriental, depriving them of the representation they rightfully deserve from someone they elected into office.

The prolonged unauthorized absence of Rep. A. Teves Jr. deprives the 3rd District of Negros Oriental of proper representation and undermines the efficiency of

the legislative process. Instead of actively participating in deliberations on important legislative measures pending in the House, the representative refuses to return to the country and perform his duties as House Member. All these actuations of a legislative district representative weaken the institution’s effectiveness in serving the public and tarnishes the integrity and reputation of the House,” the committee explained.

T he panel said Teves’ continuous absence in the House of Representatives, taken together with his continuous pursuit of his application for political asylum in Timor-Leste, effectively shows intent to abandon his public office, undermining public service.

I n its Committee Report No. 660, the committee confirmed that Teves applied for political asylum in Timor-Leste, which was denied because “no facts are known to confirm the existence of any kind of persecution or serious threat to his citizen’s rights, freedom, and guarantees.”

I n light of two repeated denials of asylum, Teves’ actions reportedly show a clear intention of relinquishing his duties as a representative. Such behavior, when combined with his persistent absence, demonstrates a definitive intent to abandon his public office.

“Abandonment of an office is the voluntary relinquishment of an office by the holder with the intention of terminating his possession and control thereof.

‘Long-, short-term fix to boost rice supply vital’

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie

HOUSE Committee on Ways and Means Chairman

Joey Sarte Salceda said on Wednesday that both immediate and long-term solutions to increase rice supply, including reviewing programs under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), are needed to address hunger in non-rice-producing communities in the Philippines.

S alceda made the statement as the DA warned that imported rice is set to become more expensive than retail prices in the coming weeks.

That is 700,000 more people who were hungry, because NCR is very sensitive to higher import prices. They do not produce any

rice,” he said.

C iting Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, Salceda said the National Capital Region’s (NCR) self-reported hunger has increased from 10.7 percent in March to 15.7 percent in June 2023.

Salceda warned during the briefing of the Department of Agriculture to the House Committee on Food and Agriculture that “the issue here is hunger,” and called on the DA to provide “immediate and long-term solutions” to the country’s rice supply.

Salceda also asked DA Undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian whether he considers “a 12-percent rice supply deficit as food security,” to which Sebastian responded in the negative.

T he DA official said they are

pushing for a “shift in focus of the planting season from the wet season to the dry season,” which starts in November.

S alceda then told the DA to propose “the government support needed” to make the shift.

S alceda added that this might require “more irrigation facilities as just around 8 percent of our total land area, out of 18 percent arable land, is actually irrigated.”

Review

SALCEDA also suggested that, “since the six-year period for the mandatory review of the Rice Tariffication Law takes place next year, we may need to review the programs under the RCEF.”

S alceda thinks “the review is timely,” as Sebastian said that boost-

ing farmer incomes through higher farmgate prices could also incentivize farmers to make the right investments in fertilizers, seeds, machinery, and other factors.

Salceda said he will push for the conduct of the review of RCEF programs by the Congressional Oversight Committee on Agricultural and Fisheries Modernization (COCAFM) earlier “since there are obviously areas where we allocated more, such as machinery, but can be adjusted already given emerging needs.”

“ The RCEF programs are very supply-side. So, we might even consider shifting the RCEF monies towards a price support for domestic rice produced. That way, the incentive is behavioral. If you produce more, we buy more from you,” he added.

IN an unprecedented move, the House of Representatives expelled Rep. Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr., for disorderly behavior and for violating the Code of Conduct of the lower chamber.

FOOD STAMPS The government launched its food stamp program on Wednesday, August 16, 2023, starting with 50 families at the covered court of Barangay Pritil in Tondo, Manila, along with several other barangays in Tondo as part of the pilot phase. Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian made the announcement, introducing the initiative called "Walang Gutom 2027: Food Provision through Strategic Transfer and Alternative Measures Program" (Food Stamp). The Department of Social Welfare and Development will carry out the pilot program over six months, targeting the poorest food-insecure families, specifically those earning less than P8,000 per month. ROY DOMINGO

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng

Companies

B1

Thursday, August 17, 2023

Villar: PAVI wants to extend LRT-1 up to Silang in Cavite

By VG Cabuag @villygc

Manuel B. Villar Jr. said his group wants to further extend LRT-1, initially by an additional seven stations. Villar said the project is “doable” as right-of-way acquisition “will not be a problem.”

The LRT-1 extension project currently being developed by Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC) will end at niog in Bacoor, Cavite.

Villar noted that Metro Pacific

Investments Corp. (MPIC) and Ayala Corp. may find it difficult to extend it further into Cavite because of right-of-way issues. MPIC and Ayala are joint venture partners in LRMC.

“I can get the right of way since I own the land where the railway will traverse. Real estate is really important,” he said, adding that he intends to develop the areas around those

stations and build retail outlets.

n e gotiations are ongoing for PAVI, which is led by Villar’s son Manuel Paolo, to take over the further extension of LRT-1. The result could be a joint venture with LRMC or a new partner of PAVI.

Villar said PAVI plans to extend LRT-1 by seven stations, from niog to Government’s Drive. In between are stations in nomo and Bacoor Government Centre. The train will pass through Molino.

“What I really want is to extend it all the way to Silang, closer to Tagaytay, but this will come later as Ayala and Manny [Pangilinan, chairman of MPIC] is not keen on it. They are supposed to extend all the way to Zapote but they might stop at Sucat.”

Villar said it will be expensive for LRMC to continue and it will take a

Globe closes sale of cellular towers to Frontier, MIDC

long time to acquire the right of way it does not own land.

“If they give it up and we take over, we will extend it. But the alignment will change so we can use land we already own to reduce the need for right-of-way acquisition.”

Villar said he may tap a partner for the project as many are interested in pursuing it.

He noted that the extension project will be more viable if PAVI is involved and that “everyone will benefit” since LRT will have more passengers if it is extended or connected to the Cavite extension.

Villar said PAVI made the proposal this year and that it is serious about pursuing the project, which will be undertaken at no cost of the government.

“As long as they give us more leeway as far as the fare is concerned.”

REDC H1 net income up 255%

By Lenie Lectura @llectura

Repowe R Energy Development Corp. (REDC), a subsidiary of Pure Energy Holdings Corp., saw its net income jump by 255 percent year-on-year to P95.7 million in the first half, mainly due to the full commercial operations of its additional power plants. In the second quarter, earnings surged by 293 percent to P42.9 million from P11.1 million in the same period a year ago. The company’s

first-quarter earnings also grew by 229 percent to P52.8 million from P16.2 million.

The strong quarterly performance was mainly due to the consistent performance of run-of-theriver hydropower plants.

For the first half, REDC’s revenue grew by 65 percent to P226.3 million from P137.6 million a year ago. On a year-to-date basis, REDC’s generation went up by 58 percent to 35.2 gigawatt hour (GWh) from 22.3 GWh.

REDC said it expects its bot-

By Andrea E. San Juan @andreasanjuan

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has entered into an agreement with Philippines AirAsia Inc. for a Go Lokal! project that will benefit micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

tomline will continue to grow with the commissioning of the 5.8 megawatt (MW) Tibag run-of-the-river hydropower plant and the Lower Labayat plant, which is undergoing testing and commissioning.

The company has six operating power plants in Laguna, Quezon, and Camarines Sur provinces.

It intends to expand its installed energy capacity by one gigawatt in the next 5 years.

In June, the company announced that it partnered with Austria-based Gugler Water Turbines GMBH (Gugler) to develop

seawater pumped storage projects. It signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Gugler to bring this proprietary technology to the country, allowing REDC to be the first energy developer to have seawater pumped storage projects in its portfolio. The first project will be a 320-megawatt seawater-pumped storage facility in Luzon. The elevation of this project will be around 300 meters above sea level, and the lower reservoir will utilize the coastline for unlimited seawater intake.

By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

GLOBE Telecom Inc. said on Wednesday it has achieved the fourth closing of 113 towers sold to Frontier Tower Associates Philippines Inc. and another 100 towers to Miescor Infrastructure Development Corp. (MIDC) for a total consideration of P2.6 billion.

The company said the latest transaction with Frontier involved 77 percent ground-based towers and 23 precent rooftop towers in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, while that for MIDC was composed of 64 percent ground-based towers and 36 percent rooftop towers.

“Through our core business and numerous ventures we are developing, it is clear that we have always been big on how to bring practical solutions to every Filipino across the country," Globe President and CEO Ernest L. Cu said.

"By focusing on strengthening our network and expanding our capacity, which our partnership with Frontier Towers and MIDC enable us to do, we hope to revolutionize the digital landscape and be a leading enabler of technology in the country.”

To date, Globe has received about P26.6 billion from Frontier, representing 2,094 towers out of the 3,529 ordered assets, and with the closing with MIDC, Globe has raised P26 billion, which involves 1,120 towers of the 2,180 ordered towers.

In total, Globe already closed 54

percent of the tower deal transferring ownership of 4,039 out of 7,506 towers for P51.9 billion.

“The business of Globe is a capital intensive one and this transaction that we initiated with tower companies has proven to be a great complement to our roll out of critical infrastructures to achieve wider coverage and consistency of service across the country,” Globe CFO Rizza Maniego-Eala said.

“We continue to collaborate with Frontier Towers and MIDC towards the acceleration and maintenance of a modern and effective network in order to serve millions of Filipinos who are reliant on connectivity and online platforms for their daily activities.”

Subsequent closings will happen as and when closing conditions are met, she added.

“The handover of this fourth batch of towers is another important step in our journey towards delivering stronger connectivity and sustainable, inclusive economic growth to the people of the Philippines,” Frontier Towers’ Chairman and CEO Patrick Tangney said.

For her part, MIDC President and CEO said: “We are excited about this milestone and the continuous progress we are achieving with Globe. Each transitioned tower signifies a step toward building a robust and widespread digital ecosystem. Our journey is a collective effort, and our commitment to advancement remains steadfast, one tower at a time.”

In T ER n A TIO n A L Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI)

said on Wednesday the Mindanao Container Terminal (MCT) has restarted serving Wan Hai Lines’ Mindanao-Hong Kong–Taiwan (MHT).

With the arrival of Wan Hai 231, MHT resumed calls to MCT, operating services that connect Subic, Cebu, and Mindanao to Hong Kong and Taiwan every Saturday.

“The return of the MHT service is a significant development in our efforts to strengthen regional trade connectivity and support the growing Mindanao economy. We are thrilled to reestablish this crucial link that makes international trade more efficient and accessible to businesses in Mindanao,” MCT CEO Aurelio Garcia said.

The resumption of the service rotation was triggered by the “increasing market demand and economic activity in Mindanao, which has seen an 18 percent increase in export volume.”

A total of 237 containers were handled during the call and majority of the commodities transported included coconut byproducts, falcata lumber and wastepaper. Lorenz S. Marasigan

The DTI and AirAsia signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) last July 28 which will make AirAsia the first international airline to carry Go Lokal products and showcase the Philippines’s finest products in both domestic and global flights.

Under the agreement, the DTI will provide a list of 800 Go Lokal MSMEs which have been “vetted and certified” to have passed the quality standards set by the DTI.

The MOA also mandated DTI to provide “ad boosting” in social media for contents including,among others, partnership teaser, formal launch announcement, and tactical promotions about the AirAsia Totally Local campaign together with partners acquired from DTI Go Lokal on Go Lokal’s social media accounts.

The DTI will monitor monthly sales reports on products marketed inflight. Moreover, the MOA stated that the DTI will “grant AirAsia during the term of this Agreement and subject to rules on brand usage and application the use of the Go Lokal! Trademark, subject to the guidelines of the Go Lokal! Corporate Identity Manual, in their joint marketing and promotional activities for MSME products.”

The DTI will conduct regular dedicated marketing and promotional activities for the promotion of the partnership between AirAsia and Go Lokal, AirAsia’s profile, and the AirAsia Totally Local campaign and its Filipino brand partners.

As for AirAsia, the airline will provide cart spaces for the display of Go Lokal! MSME products and include Go Lokal products in the AirAsia Inflight Catalog at no cost to the DTI and the MSMEs.

Under the agreement, the airline will “support the DTI’s Buy Local, Go Lokal campaign which includes the adoption of Buy Local, Go Lokal campaign seals in AirAsia marketing collaterals and inflight catalog.”

AirAsia is also responsible for selling at least 10 Go Lokal suppliers for the contract duration.

The airline will set the retail price based on the terms agreed upon by AirAsia, DTI, and Go Lo-

kal! suppliers. The mark-up on all products should not 40 percent.

AirAsia will monitor and report non-moving items and return the same immediately to the suppliers at the end of every quarter regardless of expiration date.

The airline will waive the usual listing fees, enlistment fees, stockroom charges, and manpower requirements for all Go Lokal! suppliers whose products will be selected for the Go Lokal!x AirAsia.

AirAsia is tasked to submit monthly sales report of the previous month every 10th day of the current month to the Trade department for “project monitoring purposes.”

The MOA took effect on July 28 and will run until May 1, 2025 or “until the complete performance and delivery of all deliverables/obligations of the parties, whichever comes first.”

VInFA ST Auto Ltd. soared in its first day of trading as the Vietnamese electric-vehicle (EV) maker looks to raise its profile and take on established car manufacturers.

The company’s shares gained an eye-popping 255 percent Tuesday in new York, giving it a market value in excess of $85 billion. That’s well above US auto giants such as Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Co.

VinFast debuted on the nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol VFS after completing a merger with blank-check company Black Spade Acquisition Co. that valued it at $23 billion. The company is backed by Vietnam’s richest man, who added tens of billions of dollars to his net worth with VinFast’s first-day gains.

The listing caps VinFast’s yearslong efforts to become a publicly traded company and puts it in the same arena as Tesla Inc., Lucid Group Inc. and Rivian Automotive Inc. A listed status may also pave the way for VinFast to raise more capital as it looks to expand in the US.

VinFast Chief Executive Officer Le Thuy said the listing isn’t a publicity stunt to introduce the still-niche

brand to American car buyers, but rather a necessary step in expanding beyond its home country.

“It’s just a milestone that we want to achieve on a path to becoming a global company,” she told Bloomberg Television in an interview.

The Southeast Asian carmaker— one of the few Vietnamese firms to list in the US—broke ground on its north Carolina factory last month. The plant is expected to have an initial capacity of 150,000 vehicles a year, and the company plans to begin production in 2025.

VinFast has gotten off to a shaky start in the US. In May, the company recalled all the electric sport utility vehicles it had shipped to the country over a software defect. It’s expecting more operating and net losses in the near term as it scales vehicle production.

While EV makers have a particularly patchy record when it comes to blank-check mergers, VinFast is optimistic about its equity appraisal for the SPAC listing. The company said in a written statement to Bloomberg ne ws last week that it saw potential for upside in its valuation. Bloomberg News

Banking&Finance

Manila-Paris blended financing mode OK’d

By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

tH e Department of Justice

(D o J ) has given its legal backing for the proposed government-to-government (G2G) arrangement between the Philippines (GPH) and France (GFr), including on the validity of the blended financing mechanisms and procurement guidelines that allow limited competitive bidding to be incorporated in the agreement.

in a 13-page legal opinion dated August 10, 2023, the Justice Department advised the Department of Finance (DoF) that the proposed blended financing mechanisms to be incorporated in the G2G agreement may be considered valid and binding between the parties.

in the blended financing being proposed by the GFr , the G2G arrangement will be preparatory to the financing to be extended by the GFr through a loan from a private bank to be appointed by the latter with an export credit insurance from the ex port credit Agency Bpifrance Assurance ex port, the official export credit agency of GFr and through a sovereign loan from French treasury.

in her letter to the DoJ requesting for a legal opinion, Finance Undersecretary Maria ed ita Z. tan, head of DoF-international Finance Group head, said the finance department is proposing to have both the private bank and the GFr , or its adjunct, as signatories to the loan agreement.

on this, Justice secretary Jesus cr ispin c remulla reiterated the october 13, 2020 legal opinion of the DoJ, which held that “a contract between a putative commercial entity and another state may, under certain conditions, be considered a contract between states.”

t he DoJ also expressed belief that the suggested procurement guidelines under the proposed G2G arrangement—similar to the limited competitive bidding upheld by the supreme court (sc) for the procurement of certain foreign-assisted projects—are “valid and consistent with the Philippine procurement laws and rules.” t he DoJ emphasized that the general rule for the procurement of infrastructure projects, goods and services, regardless of source of funds, whether local or foreign, is that this must be done through competitive bidding pursuant to republic Act (r A) 9184 (Government Procurement reform law).

However, an exception to the general rule is provided under section 4 of r A 9184, which states: “Any treaty or international or executive agreement affecting the subject matter of this Act to which the Philippine government is a signatory shall be

observed.”

in this case, for instance, item 8 of the Procurement Guidelines specifically provides that limited source bidding under the Philippine Procurement Law shall be undertaken, if possible. t hus, it is our position that the proposed G2G arrangement may still fall within the scope and applicability of r A 9184 and its 2016 r irr (revised implementing ru les and regulations),” the DoJ said.

Furthermore, the DoJ noted that under the Foreign Borrowings Act and the of ficial Development Act, the President, has the limited power to waive certain aspects of public bidding such as on the existing rules on preferences on the nationality of bidders and to modify methods or procedures in the evaluation or comparison of bids.

But, the DoJ said, the President does not have the absolute right or privilege to waive the requirement of public bidding itself.

remulla also noted that the justice department nary see any legal issue over GFr s proposal to change the form of the instrument from a memorandum of understanding between the GPH and GFr to “Bilateral Agreement” or “Framework Agreement.”

“on whether a G2G Arrangement in the form of a ‘Bilateral Agreement’ or a ‘Framework Agreement” is acceptable to this Department: we answer in the affirmative,” remulla said.

“GFr s proposal to change the form of the instrument to explore the possibility of executing a stronger legally-binding instrument is thus permissible,” the Justice secretary said.

remulla explained that a G2G arrangement may still be established despite changing the form of the instrument from ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ to ‘Bilateral Agreement’ or ‘Framework Agreement’.

However, remulla said it is not within the jurisdiction of the justice department to determine whether the proposed Bilateral Agreement” or “Framework Agreement” would require senate ratification and Presidential concurrence.

He said it is the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), pursuant to section 9 of executive order 459 series of 1997, which has the power to determine whether an agreement is to be considered as a treaty or as an executive agreement. t hus, as a matter of official courtesy, therefore, we respectfully refrain from further expressing our views on this issue. For us to rule on it would be tantamount to an intrusion into the jurisdiction of the DFA, whose decisions and determinations are not subject to the revisory authority of this Department,” the DoJ c hief pointed out.

DICT, DMW flagged by DBM for low budget optimization

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

Department of

DBM secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman disclosed this during the senate committee on Finance hearing on the proposed 2024 nat ional ex penditure Program (neP) attended by the Development Budget coordination committee (DBcc) Pangandaman said the obligation rate of the Dict as of end-June stood at 9.2 percent while the DMW posted an obligation rate of 14.3 percent. t he obligation rate measures the obligations made by a state agency

as a share of its budget allotment, according to the DBM. the DBM defines obligation as the payments committed by government agencies for their contracts of goods and services.

Pangandaman said the c o mmission on elections posted a 26.1 percent of obligation rate while the Department of Agrarian reform recorded a 28.9 percent obligation rate as of end-June.

Pangandaman also disclosed the obligation rates of the following

agencies: Department of social Welfare and Development (34.2 percent), Department of energy (34 percent), of fice of the Press secretary (34 percent), and Department of tourism (35 percent).

t he other executive offices of the national government posted an 18.4 percent obligation rate as of end-June.

t he low obligation rates of certain state agencies have been flagged by economic officials as one of the reasons for the slower-than-expected economic performance in the second quarter.

in fact, the DBM has given state agencies and corporations until september 15 to submit their catch-up plans to accelerate spending and address the government’s “underperforming” expenditure level as the economy shows signs of slowing down.

t he national government’s spending as of end-June is below the P2.582-trillion disbursement program for the first semester by P170.5 billion or 6.6 percent. (Related story: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2023/08/11/govern-

ment-units-firms-told-to-hastenspending/) t h e DBM explained that the reasons behind the first semester underspending were the following: some government agencies experienced procurement problems, lower interest payments, some outstanding checks that have not been converted to cash, and some unimplemented social programs of certain agencies. Finance secretary Benjamin e Diokno earlier disclosed that he remains confident that the country would still achieve a 6-percent fullyear economic expansion this year on the back of an anticipated ramped-up government spending despite a tepid second quarter GDP growth.

Diokno emphasized that an “aggressive” catch-up plan for government infrastructure projects coupled with “deliberate spending” by government agencies are “essential” in helping the country’s economy meet the 6 percent to 7 percent growth target for 2023. (Related story: https://businessmirror. com.ph/2023/08/14/meetinggdp-goal-needs-catchup-spending-boost-2/)

Fortune Life Insurance backs 2023 ‘Brigada Eskwela’

tHe Fortune Life insurance co inc. expressed its support to the 2023 Brigada eskwela national Kick-off ceremony on August 7, 2023 at tarlac national High school, san roque, tarlac c ity by donating corporate giveaways, big books, and workbooks in coordination with Marylindbert i n ternational.

Fortune Life said the event was spearheaded by the Department of e ducation (Depe d ) e x ternal Partnerships s e rvice ( e P s ) with the theme “Bayanihan Para sa Matatag na Paaralan ” (solidarity for sturdy schools). t h is aims to awaken the Bayanihan spirit and encourage communities to help prepare schools for the opening of classes for the school year 2023-2024, the insurer said.

“it is just making our schools functional, clean and orderly inside and outside the classrooms and within the school sites,” vice President and education secretary sara Z. Duterte remarked during the kick-off ceremony emphasizing how Deped issued a simpler and more comprehensible Department order on “Brigada Eskwela.” in her written message, Duterte explained the importance

of this annual activity: “ together, we can lay the groundwork for collaboration and collectively create an environment that fosters unity, academic excellence, character development and a strong sense of nationhood in our learners.”

US ‘dark money’ donor groups trade accusations

AconservAt ive group accused the founder of a liberal “dark money” network of abusing tax-exempt status to steer more than $228 million in fees to his for-profit consulting firm, echoing allegations made against a rightwing activist in April.

Americans for Public trust on tuesday sent a letter to the internal revenue service, asking it to investigate Arabella Advisors founder eric Kessler for improperly taking for his and his firm’s benefit money donated to nonprofit groups Kessler founded. According to the letter, which was shared with Bloomberg News, the amount paid to Arabella over nearly two decades exceeded the market value of any services the firm may have provided.

A spokesperson for Arabella called the accusations “meritless” and said its fees were fair. Kessler couldn’t be reached for comment.

t he letter comes a few months after campaign for Accountability, a watchdog group launched by one of the funds in Kessler’s network, likewise called for the irs to investigate conservative activist Leonard Leo, a key architect of the right-leaning

supreme court majority, over his receipt of $73 million from nonprofits in his network between 2016 and 2021. At the time, Leo said the fees were justified and said the irs should be investigating Arabella.

t he irs didn’t respond to requests for comment on Leo and didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Kessler.

t hough the allegations about Leo and Kessler are partisan, legal experts say the concerns they raise have been taken seriously by the irs in the past.

Jeffrey tenenbaum, a lawyer specializing in representing nonprofits, declined to comment on the specific allegations but said the irs has a history of cracking down on abuse of tax-exempt status for “personal inurement” and “personal benefit.”

Administrative services

AMeric A ns for Public trust is largely funded by Donorstr ust, a conservative donor-advised fund that gave $17 million to Leo-founded group in 2021, and also pays consulting fees to Leo’s firm, crc Advisors, which Leo has said was modeled after Arabella. But caitlin sutherland, executive di-

rector of Americans for Public tr ust, said the group is completely independent. campaign for Accountability became independent in 2017.

According to Americans for Public tr ust, two Kessler-founded nonprofits – the si xteen t hirty Fund and the new venture Fund—said in tax filings that they would rely on Arabella for administrative services only until they raised enough money to stand on their own. But those nonprofits continued to pay Arabella significant amounts of money, according to Americans for Public tr ust.

Americans for Public tr ust called on the irs to revoke the nonprofit status of Kessler-affiliated entities if it found they paid above market value for advisory services.

“Dark money” refers to the unlimited and anonymous donations political nonprofits can use to influence elections. Dark money networks have ballooned over the last few years as Democrats and republicans take advantage of a 2010 supreme court decision that enabled corporations — including political nonprofits — to spend money to influence elections as long as they don’t coordinate with

candidates. Groups funded by dark money on the right and the left have increasingly accused one another of financial impropriety.

Kessler founded Arabella in 2006 and has become perhaps the leading figure in Democratic “dark money” circles. t he si xteen t h irty Fund, a nonprofit created by Arabella, financed 2020 attack ads against thenPresident Donald tr ump and, before that, his supreme court nominees. t he group was also the second-largest donor to 2020 super PAcs backing Joe Biden and senate Democrats, and an Arabella-affiliated nonprofit, the Windward Fund, gave millions to voting-rights groups, including one led by stacey Abrams in Georgia.

t he new venture Fund has ballooned into one of the most important dark-money nonprofits funding liberal causes, raising nearly $1 billion in 2020 and again in 2021. According to the complaint, it paid Arabella over $166 million from 2006 to 2021. t he si xteen t hirty Fund, which raised nearly $400 million in 2020, allegedly paid Arabella over $24 million from 2009 to 2021. Bloomberg News

regional offices and schools division offices would have held their own kick-off ceremonies and advocacy activities in their respective areas. Fortune Life sales force will be joining various schools nationwide in the annual implementation of the

Brigada eskwela program or sc hools

Maintenance Week from August 14 to August 19.

Fortune Life belongs to the umbrella of the ALc Group of companies, founded by the late Ambassador Antonio L. cabangon chua.

Bitcoin’s extreme volatility vanishes amid ‘exhaustion’

AsK anyone to name a typical characteristic exhibited by Bitcoin and they might mention that it’s volatile. But it turns out that of late, the most popular digital token has been anything but.

Gauges that measure the price swings of the original cryptocurrency, which is trading at around $29,000, have been trending down— 90-day volatility is at its lowest since 2016, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Meanwhile, three-month implied volatility sits at 35, according to researcher K33. For comparison, consider what happened in october 2020: it hit a then-all-time-low of 56, after having gone 47 days without a 5-percent move.

“ t he deafening silence from the market throughout the summer of 2023 has pushed implied volatilities well below former all-time lows,” wrote the firm’s Bendik schei and vetle Lunde.

it ’s an unusual stretch of calm for the token, which has over the years

garnered attention for its wild price swings. in the past, it’s not been abnormal for it to see 5 percent or 10 percent swings one day that are then reversed the next session.

t hat’s why its recent lassitude hasn’t gone unnoticed and any number of other volatility measures show similar listlessness.

Bitcoin has been “trading within a historically low-volatility regime, with several metrics indicating extreme apathy and exhaustion,” according to analysts at Glassnode. For one, they refer to what’s known as upper and lower Bollinger Bands, which are right now separated by just 2.9 percent. A tighter spread’s only been seen on two prior occasions.

While the price action was a bit more exciting in June — when Blackrock inc. shocked markets after filing for a spot-Bitcoin et F — things have calmed down since. Bitcoin has hovered around $29,000 every trading session in August so far, data compiled by Bloomberg shows. Bloomberg News

THE

Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) lead the state agencies with the lowest obligation rate as of end-June, according to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

Vice President and education Secretary Sara Z. Duterte (third from left) was warmly welcomed by the team from Fortune Life insurance co inc. headed by Assistant Vice-President for corporate communications Floreda c constantino (fourth from left) together with North Luzon and central Luzon Regional Sales Manager Marifi Breis (third from right), Branch Manager Victor A. Taguines (rightmost), and Tarlac Branch Agency Manager Anatoly Taguines (leftmost). Also present were Tarlac insurance Specialists Marizza Taguines, Rowena Padilla and Zymic Andrea Franco. CREDIT: FoRTunE LIFE InsuR anCE Co. InC

Thursday, August 17, 2023

Health& Fitness BusinessMirror

PATAS, a breakthrough drug seen to revolutionize treatment for Type 2 diabetes

By Rory Visco Contributor

IN a study published on The Lancet ( www.thelancet.com ) titled “Global, regional, and national burden of diabetes from 1990 to 2021, with projections of prevalence to 2050: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021” published a little less than two months ago, it saw that from 529 million diabetes cases around the world in 2021, this is seen to balloon to a staggering 1.3 billion cases by the year 2050.

For Type 2 diabetes, which is present in 96 percent of all global cases, the primary risk factor was high body mass index (BMI) which accounted for 52.2 percent in terms of disability and mortality. This is followed by dietary risks, environmental or occupation, low physical activity or sedentary lifestyle, and tobacco and alcohol consumption.

In the Philippines, the study showed that the DALY (disability-adjusted life year, a measure of overall disease burden or number of years lost due to ill-health, disability or early death) rates per 100,000 population was at 1,190, second only to Indonesia’s 2,570.

Risks of diabetes in the Philippines

TH E International Diabetes Federation is alarmed by the rapid increase of adults diagnosed with diabetes in the Philippines, which is seen to further soar to 5.4 million cases by 2030 and up to 7.5 million by 2045. This disease is currently the fourth

By Roderick L. Abad Contributor

TO address the pressing Human r e source for Health (H r H ) shortage in the Philippines, the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) Healthcare and Jobs Sectors, Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and Department of Health (DOH) have banded together to formulate innovative strategies and solutions to this issue.

Guided by the vision of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s administration, the PSAC Healthcare Sector led by AC Health President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Paolo Borromeo has taken a multifaceted approach, rallying various stakeholders to tackle this concern head-on.

After rigorous consultations and deliberations, the Nurse Workforce Complementation and Upskilling Program came into being. This transformative

leading cause of mortality in the Philippines. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported in January 2023 that 26,774 Filipinos died due to diabetes mellitus the previous year.

Lifestyle changes and regular intake of diabetes medications are recommended by experts. The Department of Health, on the other hand, continues to develop and evaluate add-on treatments for people with diabetes mellitus, as patients and medical practitioners alike continue to find better ways to manage diabetes treatments.

Diabetes medication breakthrough

THE diabetes study breakthrough emerged following research into Alstrom Syndrome, an ultra-rare genetic disease in children. It is associated with obesity and severe insulin resistance that leads to type 2 diabetes and an accelerated form of liver steatosis and fibrosis. The researchers found that insulin resistance was linked to the dysfunctional protein, ALMS1.

Building on this previous research, the multinational team next discovered that in normal fat cells and upon insulin signaling, a protein called PKC alpha is released from ALMS1 to trigger glucose uptake. With insulin resistance, PKC alpha is no longer released from ALMS1 and hence glucose is no longer absorbed by the fat cells to be utilized.

Monash University, Australia’s largest and most global university, together with a team of internation -

al researchers, decoded what causes insulin resistance in fat tissue cells, which has been a major stumbling block in treating and preventing type 2 diabetes. This research gave birth to the development of a breakthrough peptide drug called PATAS, a new drug that “reboots” how fat cells use insulin to revolutionize type 2 diabetes treatment and improve the outlook of hundreds of millions of patients globally.

Injection or patch

Dr. Vincent Marion, the study coordinator of Inserm, France’s National Institute of Health and Medical r e search, and deputy director at the Laboratory of Medical Genetics in Strasbourg, France, along with his team, designed PATAS and has shown that it was able to fix this problem by enabling glucose to be used in fat cells.

PATAS, which is being developed by AdipoPharma, a French biotech company, could be delivered by simple injection and possibly a patch. It may also have the potential to prevent type 2 diabetes, a major global epidemic, largely driven by obesity.

Dr. Marion shared that in cultured human adipocytes as well as in most relevant animal models, PATAS was able to separate the proteins and restore normal function of glucose uptake and utilization in the fat cells.

On the other hand, co-researcher Paul Zimmet AO (Officer of the Order of Australia), a Professor of Diabetes at Monash University, said the

discovery could improve metabolic control of diabetes and reduce the risk of the serious complications of diabetes including heart, kidney, liver, and eye disease.

Abnormality in fat cells

H E s aid PATAS corrects an abnormality in fat cells by separating two proteins, ALMS1 and PKC alpha, that are associated with insulin resistance by blocking insulin from initiating glucose uptake. In rodent studies, PATAS reduced insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, and fat buildup in the liver (steatosis). Beneficial effects were also observed in glucose-intolerant animal models. Similarly, when used on cultured human fat cells in the laboratory and independent contract research organizations, the drug reactivated glucose uptake in the fat cells.

Professor Zimmet said the discovery was potentially one of the most important he had seen in his 45 years of diabetes research. “This is a very exciting discovery that could have enormous health benefits, not just for people with type 2 diabetes, but also for patients with other chronic medical disorders caused by insulin resistance including cardiac diseases, and fatty liver and the Metabolic Syndrome,” he explained.

The research was led by Inserm, France’s National Institute of Health and Medical r e search, in collaboration with the University of Birmingham (UK) and Monash University. Human clinical trials are likely to start within this year.

Editor: Anne Ruth Dela Cruz

Childhood pneumonia cases on the rise in the PHL, say infectious disease experts

By John Eiron R. Francisco

CHILDHOOD p neumonia cases are on the rise and infectious disease experts warned that this trend will continue unless steps are taken to address this health concern.

Dr. Ana Ong-Lim, Section Chief, Infectious and Tropical Disease in Pediatrics of UP-PGH, said during a media briefing organized by GlaxoSmithKline Philippines, said that the loosening of quarantine restrictions and the “return to normal” will contribute to the uptick in respiratory diseases.

“We have to exercise extra vigilance, pay more attention to how we can prevent this condition, particularly pneumonia,” she added. r e ports reveal that childhood pneumonia claimed the lives of 60,500 Filipino children in 2022. The same reports added that a significant number of those who died were under the age of five.

“I have observed that pneumonia is taken for granted but if you really look into this, it is a very significant health problem,” said Dr. Maria Z. Capeding, Head, Medical r e search Unit of the Tropical Disease Foundation and President of the Philippine Foundation for Vaccination.

Childhood pneumonia is an infectious disease that manifests with symptoms in a child’s lungs which causes complications in breathing. These complications may further lead to lung abscess, sepsis, bactermia or bacteria in the bloodstream, respiratory failure, and death.

In 2019, some 740,180 children under five years old died of pneumonia, accounting for 14 percent of all deaths under five years old. However, this accounted for 22 percent of all deaths in children aged one to five years old.

According to the Department of Health, pneumonia is one of the leading causes of child mortality in the Philippines. Several factors contribute to the prevalence of pneumonia among children in the Philippines.

Poor living conditions, limited access to clean water, inadequate nutrition and overcrowded urban areas are some of the key factor that increase the vulnerability of children to respiratory infections.

Capeding emphasized the importance of continuing pandemic related practices such as the wearing of masks as this has been scientifically proven to effectively prevent respiratory illnesses such as Covid-19 and pneumonia.

She added that vaccination against bacterial infections like Streptococcus pneumoniae can help prevent a significant proportion of pneumonia cases. It also shields them from other associated diseases.

Other measures that can help reduce childhood pneumonia include proper frequent handwashing, maintaining cleanliness in the households, breastfeeding and seeking prompt medical care if a child is suspected of having pneumonia.

initiative empowers Clinical Care Associates (CCAs) with vital training and the chance to contribute to essential noncore functions under the mentorship of registered nurses.

Capacity building

TO capacitate further the healthcare workers in the country, CHED Chairman Prospero De Vera III and DOH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa signed the Joint Administrative Order (JAO) on Implementing Guidelines for the Nurse Workforce Complementation and Upskilling Program for CCAs.

This initiative, crafted in line with PSAC Healthcare’s recommendations to the chief executive, leap frogged the quest to solve the critical lack of H r H nationwide.

“I commend the Department of Health and the Commission on Higher Education for co-creating this program with us, which institutionalizes and de -

velops Clinical Care Associates to receive training in healthcare facilities and assume vital non-core functions. This comp lements the required staffing in both public and private hospitals,” said PSAC Healthcare Sector Member and MediCard Philippines President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Nicanor Montoya.

Onboarding the underboard

THE JAO’s provisions are designed to boost and support underboard BS Nursing graduates in the country.

Such measure paves the way for these aspiring healthcare professionals to be employed while also allowing them to prepare for their nursing licensure examination via review programs in participating Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).

This impressive move sets the stage for the seamless integration of these graduates into the nursing workforce, filling the gaps and guaranteeing a well-

rounded and dynamic healthcare system.

“What sets this program apart and makes it commendable is that it not only offers training and employment opportunities to underboard BS Nursing graduates but also establishes a mechanism for them to transition into a review program. This prepares them for the licensure exam and ultimately paves the way for them to become fully qualified nurses in the future,” said Dr. Montoya.

The ceremonial signing of the JAO was graced by DOH Undersecretary Dr. Kenneth r onquillo, DOH Health Human r e source Development Bureau Director Johanna Banzon, representatives from PSAC Jobs Sector, HEIs, and both public and private healthcare institutions.

This event highlighted the commitment of all stakeholders to forge a healthcare landscape that is resilient, compassionate, and equipped to meet the nation’s healthcare requirements with relentless efficiency.

DOH to adopt 90-70-90 strategy in fight against cervical cancer

By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes Contributor

THE Department of Health (DOH)

will implement a 90-70-90 strategy to eliminate cervical cancer in the country.

In her message read by Dr. Jan Llevado, Chief, Cancer Control Division, Department of Health (DOH), Health Undersecretary Maria r o sario Vergeire said the first part of the plan is to vaccinate 90 percent of nine to 15-year-old girls vaccinated against HPV.

“We will target 70 percent of the women to undergo high quality screening while we aim to hit 90 percent of diagnosed women to receive timely and appropriate care,” Vergeire said in her presentation during the recently concluded 12th HPV Summit, themed “One Community Against HPV” held in Araneta City.

Vergeire said the DOH has been implementing several forms of intervention through the Core Continuum to assist

Filipinas to develop a proactive stance against HPV and cervical cancer. The first step involves health promotion by spreading awareness to the population to stop the development of cervical cancer in the initial stage. She added screening and early detection will be important to ensure that challenges will be addressed at the early stage of the cancer. The fourth part is the treatment and palliation.

Cancer specialty centers

TH r O UGHOUT the Care Continuum program, Vergeire said cervical cancer patients will be treated at the Cancer Specialty Centers. As of 2023, the country has seven Cancer Specialty Centers. “We plan to put up 25 more centers to address the needs of the Filipinos,” she said. The specialized centers will manage the advanced and highly-complex conditions of patients. In order to reach out to many patients, the DOH will ensure a strategic and equitable distribution of facilities. Moreover, highly-specialized

services will be offered to a small percentage of the population.

In the National Demographic Survey of 2022, Vergeire highlighted the cervical cancer risk factors. According to the study, one percent of women aged 15 to 24 had sex by age 15 years old. In the 18 to 24 bracket, the study showed women had sex by age 18. Five percent of young women aged 15 to 24 “engaged in sex with a person who was neither their husband or lived with them.” Moreover, the study showed that seven percent of women aged 15 to 49 years old who have had sex reported having sexually transmitted infections (STI) or having their symptoms.

Cause of death

ACCOr DING to the Institut de Cancérologie de l’Ouest (ICO) study in 2022, 37.8 million Filipinas were at risk for dying from cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death among fe -

males in the country.

The summit had three key objectives:

n To increase awareness of the benefits of HPV vaccination and screening as protection against cervical cancer among all stakeholders;

n To encourage major stakeholders, especially local government units, as well as the private sector to expand HPV vaccination across age groups and beyond the current targets; and

n To unite the community by creating a strong alliance against the disease, to inspire stakeholders to contribute to their best practices, innovative solutions, and renewed commitment to advocacy.

The event was jointly organized by the Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association of the Philippines and MSD in the Philippines, in partnership with the DOH, AC Health, Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society and the Society of Adolescent Medicine of the Philippines and the Cancer Warriors Foundation.

This infectious disease poses a greater risk to infants and children under two years old because their immune systems are still developing.

“Through a combination of preventive measures, community engagement, and improved healthcare access, the country can work towards significantly reducing the burden on its youngest citizens,” said Dr. Capeding.

5 Things You Should Know Before Using Retinol

rETINOL , a p owerful anti-aging ingredient, is widely used to address various skin concerns. Luxe Organix recently launched its r etinol line, featuring products that combine the benefits of r e tinol and Bakuchiol to reduce wrinkles, lines, scars, sun spots, and other imperfections. Before incorporating retinol into your skincare routine, it’s important to understand a few key things to ensure safe and effective usage.

Pea-sized Amount Application: r e tinol is a potent active ingredient. Even a small amount can provide significant benefits for the skin. Using more that needed may lead to unnecessary irritation or sensitivity especially if you are new to retinol or have a sensitive skin.

Best to use at night because of its sensitivity to sunlight. Overnight Treatment for Glowing

Skin: The Advanced r e tinol + Bakuchiol Overnight Glow Gentle Treatment Cream is designed to be used overnight. It contains a combination of r e tinol, Bakuchiol, 5X Hyaluronic Acid, Peptides, and Ceramides. This cream erases fine lines, promotes collagen production, deeply moisturizes, and boosts skin hydration while you sleep, leaving you with a radiant and youthful glow.

Look for Gentle and Safe For -

mula: Luxe Organix’s Advanced r e tinol + Bakuchiol products have been formulated to be safe and non-irritating. The combination of r e tinol and Bakuchiol provides powerful anti-aging properties without harsh side ef -

fects. This makes it suitable for those with sensitive skin as well.

Targeted Eye Care: The Advanced r e tinol + Bakuchiol Deep Wrinkle Eye Contour Overnight Cream specifically targets the delicate skin around the eyes. With a blend of r e tinol, Bakuchiol, Botaniceutical Plus-10, Peptides, and Ceramides, it helps prevent wrinkles, reduce dark circles and puffiness, and keep the eye area hydrated and nourished.

Don’t forget to use retinol on our body, too! For that Comprehensive Anti-Aging Solution: For the ultimate anti-aging experience, Luxe Organix offers the Niacinamide + r e tinol Cloud Soap.

Before using retinol, it is essential to choose products that are gentle, safe, and effective. Luxe Organix’s Advanced r et inol + Bakuchiol line offers a range of options to address specific skin concerns while providing hydration and anti-aging benefits. By understanding these key points, you can confidently incorporate retinol into your skincare routine and enjoy its remarkable effects on your skin.

Clinical Care Associates program launched to address nurse shortage in Philippines

Millions of kids missing weeks of school as attendance tanks across the US

By Bianca Vázquez Toness

The Associated Press

SPRINGFIELD, Mass.—When in-person school resumed after pandemic closures, Rousmery Negrón and her 11-yearold son both noticed a change: School seemed less welcoming.

Parents were no longer allowed in the building without appointments, she said, and punishments were more severe. Everyone seemed less tolerant, more angry. Negrón’s son told her he overheard a teacher mocking his learning disabilities, calling him an ugly name.

Her son didn’t want to go to school anymore.

And she didn’t feel he was safe there. He would end up missing more than five months of sixth grade.

Across the US, students have been absent at record rates since schools reopened during the pandemic. More than a quarter of students missed at least 10 percent of the 2021-22 school year, making them chronically absent, according to the most recent data available.

Before the pandemic, only 15 percent of students missed that much school.

All told, an estimated 6.5 million additional students became chronically absent, according to the data, which was compiled by Stanford University education professor Thomas Dee in partnership with The Associated Press. Taken together, the data from 40 states and Washington, D.C., provides the most comprehensive accounting of absenteeism nationwide. Absences were more prevalent among Latino, Black and low-income students, according to Dee’s analysis.

‘Devastating’

THE absences come on top of time students missed during school closures and pandemic disruptions. They cost crucial classroom time as schools work to recover from massive learning setbacks.

Absent students miss out not only on instruction but also on all the other things schools provide— meals, counseling, socialization. In the end, students who are chronically absent—missing 18 or more days a year, in most places—are at higher risk of not learning to read and eventually dropping out.

The long-term consequences of disengaging from school are devastating. And the pandemic has absolutely made things worse and for more students,” said Hedy Chang, executive director of Attendance Works, a nonprofit addressing chronic absenteeism.

In seven states, the rate of chronically absent kids doubled for the 2021-22 school year, from 2018-19, before the pandemic. Absences worsened in every state with available data—notably, the analysis found growth in chronic absenteeism did not correlate strongly with state COVID rates.

Kids are staying home for myriad reasons—finances, housing instability, illness, transportation issues, school staffing shortages, anxiety, depression, bullying, and generally feeling unwelcome at school.

And the effects of online learning linger: School

relationships have frayed, and after months at home, many parents and students don’t see the point of regular attendance.

For almost two years, we told families that school can look different and that schoolwork could be accomplished in times outside of the traditional 8-to-3 day. Families got used to that,” said Elmer Roldan, of Communities in Schools of Los Angeles, which helps schools follow up with absent students.

Unwelcome and unsafe

WHEN classrooms closed in March 2020, Negrón in some ways felt relieved her two sons were home in Springfield. Since the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, Negrón, who grew up in Puerto Rico, had become convinced mainland American schools were dangerous.

A year after in-person instruction resumed, she said, staff placed her son in a class for students with disabilities, citing hyperactive and distracted behavior. He felt unwelcome and unsafe. Now, it seemed to Negrón, there was danger inside school, too.

He needs to learn,” said Negrón, a single mom

who works as a cook at another school. “He’s very intelligent. But I’m not going to waste my time, my money on uniforms, for him to go to a school where he’s just going to fail.”

Some students had chronic absences because of medical and staffing issues. Juan Ballina, 17, has epilepsy; a trained staff member must be nearby to administer medication in case of a seizure. But post-Covid-19, many school nurses retired or sought better pay in hospitals, exacerbating a nationwide shortage.

Last year, Juan’s nurse was on medical leave. His school couldn’t find a substitute. He missed more than 90 days at his Chula Vista, California, high school.

I was lonely,” Ballina said. “I missed my friends.”

Last month, school started again. So far, Juan’s been there, with his nurse. But his mom, Carmen Ballina, said the effects of his absence persist: “He used to read a lot more. I don’t think he’s motivated anymore.”

A change in mindset

ANOTHER lasting effect from the pandemic:

Let’s support breastfeeding moms more

those caused by stiches, episiotomy, general birth discomfort and C section—impacted their ability to breastfeed. Around 40 percent of moms continued to breastfeed despite the pain, but said it negatively impacted their mental health. But 26 percent stopped breastfeeding completely.

AN empty elementary school classroom in the Bronx borough in New York on August 17, 2021. Across the US, students have been absent at record rates since schools reopened after COVID-forced closures. AP

I HAVE always been inspired by the many breastfeeding advocates in our country, which celebrates this August the National Breastfeeding Awareness Month. I have had many encounters with moms and admire their unique, and, at times, difficult, breastfeeding journeys.

I myself have two children who were breastfed for nearly a year. I loved that I was able to bond with my babies and contribute to their strong immune systems today. However, I also encountered some of the most common breastfeeding struggles like low milk supply in the beginning as well as cracked and bleeding nipples. This is why I am very empathetic to moms who share their struggles with me. I would always wish that more support can be given to them to make this journey more encouraging and comfortable, especially after the pains of childbirth.

According to a 2020 research published on britishjournalofmidwifery.com, one in four women reported that pain directly relating to birth—

I am glad that there are many products now that support moms for a comfortable and less stressful breastfeeding journey. The growing list includes Lansinoh, a US brand founded by Resheda Hagen 35 years ago. One of Lanisoh’s many products is the Hot & Cold Postpartum Therapy packs, which are slim, reusable pads that provide comfort and relief in two ways. Convenient to use right out of the freezer, cold pads relieve perineal pain caused by labor, birth, hemorrhoids, and C-sections. Or microwave these multi-taskers for soothing relief from uterine cramping. Then there’s the Lansinoh Postpartum Wash Bottle that provides a soothing stream of water to gently cleanse sore, tender areas after birth.

During breastfeeding, one of my sister’s friends relayed to me that her two main comfort products are Lansinoh’s Lanolin Nipple Cream and TheraPearl®. The Lanolin Nipple Cream soothed and protected her sore nipples. It is good that this is free from any petroleum, parabens, additives, or preservatives, so there’s no need to remove before breastfeeding. It is also ethically sourced and certified climate neutral. The TheraPearl® 3-in-1 Breast Therapy Packs provide hot or cold pain relief again and again for tender, overworked breasts.

It is recommended to use the hot therapy before breastfeeding or during pumping because it reduces pumping time. It also relieves clogged ducts and mastitis. Cold Therapy can be used after to relive engorgement, swelling and pain.

Lansinoh .com provides so many resources to support and encourage breastfeeding. I particularly found the tips on Managing Stress and Increasing Milk Supply very relevant and practical, which I will share here.

Below are some steps that you can start working on now so that you have plans in place to overcome any challenges with stress and breastmilk supply:

1. Stay up to date with your healthcare team . Work more with your OBGYN, pediatrician and hospital staff on information that will help you on information and put together a plan that is doable and safe.

2. Be kind to yourself. With all that’s going on in the world today, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the constant “what-ifs” and “to-dos.” This can leave you feeling drained and discouraged. Be kind to yourself and remember…you just grew and delivered a brand-new human being.

3. Find relaxation methods that work for you . Selfcare needs to be part of everyone’s routine, and that is especially true for new moms. On a daily basis you can do things like taking a short nap, watching a favorite show, or meditating for a few minutes. To be continued...

Educators and experts say some parents and students have been conditioned to stay home at the slightest sign of sickness.

Renee Slater’s daughter rarely missed school before the pandemic. But last school year, the straight-A middle schooler insisted on staying home 20 days, saying she just didn’t feel well.

As they get older, you can’t physically pick them up into the car—you can only take away privileges, and that doesn’t always work,” said Slater, who teaches in the rural California district her daughter attends. “She doesn’t dislike school, it’s just a change in mindset.”

Sip into a delicious kind of healthy

PERFECT for those looking for a healthier milk alternative for their coffee, Seattle’s Best Coffee’s new Black Sesame Oat Series features the creamy taste of Oatside oat milk further enhanced with the delicate flavor of black sesame.

The latest innovation with Oatside is made with oats that contains beta glucans, which is good for the heart, reduces cholesterol, boosts immunity, and is low in saturated fats.

Make your day extra refreshing with the Iced Black Sesame Oat, an over ice creation made with black sesame, espresso, and oat milk, an irresistibly feel-good flavor in a cup. For Javakula lovers, Seattle’s Best Coffee offers the Black Sesame Oat Javakula, an ice blended drink made with black sesame, espresso, and oat milk topped with whipped cream for that extra rich texture.

Lastly, indulge in the Black Sesame Oat Javanilla, a velvety blended drink made with black sesame ice cream, espresso, oat milk and garnished with soft whipped cream on top.

Try the wonderful combination of the rich and creamy taste of oat with the distinct flavor of black sesame with the Black Sesame Oat Series at Seattle’s Best Coffee branches nationwide, available to order for dine-in, take-out, pick-up, and delivery thru Grabfood, Foodpanda & FB Messenger.

A New Hope: Rotary Club of Manila Magic and Rotaract Club’s Joint Handover and Induction

By Russel Palubon

Newport World Resorts opens the doors to The Whisky Library

WHISKIES, cigars, and intrigue await at the intimate ambience of The Whisky Library. Last month, Newport World Resorts’ officially opens its newest signature bar, The Whisky Library. This haven of luxury, tucked within the heart of the bustling metropolis, hosts the largest collection of whisky in Manila along with cosmopolitan liquors that taste of its global origins. Behind the russet brick and mortar facade, the bar and lounge invites the connoisseurs and the curious for evenings without inhibitions.

Fine aged Scottish and international single malt whiskies from leading producers dominate the exemplary selection. The collection is highlighted by the renowned Dalmore Constellation Series that can be enjoyed exclusively at The Whisky Library.

Sought-after brands such as the warm and tangy Tamnavulin and an assortment of liquors from brandy and Moutai to wine and beer are carefully curated to satisfy diverse palates. An expansive range of premium Old and New World cigars are perfect partners to The Whisky Library’s list of over 240+ selected whiskies.

From Cuban puros to robust Nicaraguan and Dominican tobacco, these cigars lie in elegant tailormade German humidors for a fullbodied experience of its spectrum of flavors. The cigar bar also presents an assortment of gentler beverages and gourmet options for pairing including a USDA Beef Sirloin cooked sous vide garnished with dehydrated mushrooms and dark beer pear chutney.

The Whisky Library’s visionary mixologist team offers a bespoke cocktail menu of expertly crafted

concoctions that reflect the essence of notable contemporary personalities. Shaken not Stirred, memorably cited from its decades in cinematic espionage, is a classic cocktail refashioned by a mix of Tarsier Southeast Asian Gin, maraschino, blue curacao, and egg white, perfected with lime and lavender. These unique choices, also available in non-alcoholic options, lead to interesting conversations between pleasure seekers under the cozy alcove of the 45-seater bar.

Furnished with modern-Eurocentric sophistication, The Whisky Library radiates the allure of pleasure and exploration. High crystalline chandeliers illuminate the two-story lounge with a bright, warm glow. Prismatic bottles line the statement bar, surrounded by chestnut wood-paneled walls and brick pillars. Dark velvet cigar boxes boast expensive history within their cases, displayed beside inviting leather seats and cast-iron tables. A spiral staircase leads to the overlooking private nooks for intimate gatherings and important

conversations among the freethinkers and decision makers. It is the perfect place to savor a glass of the world’s finest whisky as powerful players celebrate wins and life’s greatest pleasures.

The Whisky Library celebrates its grand launch with a toast among an exclusive crowd of industry icons and whisky enthusiasts before opening its doors to the greater public. The Whisky Library is open daily from 5 pm to 2 am, located at the 2F Grand Wing, Newport World Resorts. Escape the ordinary at Newport World Resorts, you know you want to. For more information on The Whisky Library, visit www.newportworldresorts. com and follow @newportworldresorts on Facebook and @thewhiskylibrary_ on Instagram, and @nwresorts on Twitter. Check out #DiscoverNWR on social media. Make the most of your visit and sign up for an Epic Membership or download the Newport World Resorts Mobile App for free at the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

ZIPAIR now offers budget-friendly Manila-Tokyo flights just in time for your next Japan discovery!

the serenity in the middle of the city, anime lovers’ haven Akihabara, and newly established Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo - The Making of Harry Potter, to name a few.

From the busy capital of Tokyo, Filipinos can jump to other prefectures given Japan’s efficient public transportation. For the second half of 2023 alone, Filipinos can still catch Niigata prefecture’s art festival Echigo Tsumari Art Field 2023 with hundreds of artworks—making it the world’s largest outdoor exhibition.

Toyama, meanwhile, is thrilled to welcome visitors for its centuriesold Owara Kaze-no-Bon Festival, where spectators can witness the prefecture’s traditional folk dances parading through Yatsuo’s historic streets. The festival is scheduled on September 1 to 3.

ANIGHT of hope and excitement

unfolded at Manila Hotel's Centennial Hall A last July 8 as the Rotary Club of Manila Magic and Rotaract Club of Manila held a joint Handover and Induction event. Hosted by Dr. Lee Roi Buenaventura of the Rotary Club of Manila Magic and Andrea Cuevas from the Rotaract Club of Manila, the event was attended by more than one hundred Rotarians, Rotaractors, and distinguished guests.

With the theme "A Galaxy Far, Far Away," attendees wore Star Wars-inspired fashion for the event that started at 6pm with dinner. The Opening Ceremonies were led by James Que, President of the Rotary Club of Manila Magic, and Arvin Reyes, President of the Rotaract Club of Manila, as they called the meeting to order.

In his welcome remarks, Rotary Club of Manila Magic Treasurer and Charter President, Charlie Chua, connected the theme to hope, reminding everyone that we could inspire positive change in the world.

The keynote speaker, former DILG Secretary and current President of the Rotary Club of Manila Raffy Alunan III, shed light on the campaign against malnutrition and child stunting, which requires immediate attention. He emphasized the need to address this issue, as over 3 million undernourished children are yet to receive support, especially within their crucial first 1,000 days of life. The areas of focus to combat child stunting include maternal and childcare, prevention and treatment, as well as sanitation and hygiene. Eradicating malnutrition will not only provide hope to countless families living in desperate situations but also empower the nation to build a brighter future by raising the level of functional knowledge and productive energies. Love, he asserted, was the catalyst for creating hope, as Rotary Club and its members found ways to spread love and hope every day.

Following the keynote speech, Rotary Club of Manila Magic Club Past President Atty. Gem Alegado delivered her valedictory address. She recalled Atty. Chel Diokno's inspiring keynote speech from the 2022 induction, which urged them to be servant leaders in their community. She thanked the people who played pivotal roles in making the past year a phenomenal success and shared the club's remarkable milestones.

She shared the club's achievements, including being awarded gold for "Most Outstanding President Phenomenal Leadership" and "Most Outstanding Club" at the recent district awards. She highlighted Project Edukada, focusing on women empowerment. The club raised over P100,000, supporting 10 scholars through the ERDA Foundation for their senior high school education.

The invaluable partnership with Young Focus, dating back to 2014, resulted in numerous initiatives throughout the Rotary year, including Global Dignity Day, Mental Health and Safe Spaces Awareness, Christmas gift-giving, and Tulong Abogada, a legal mission. After the

two inspiring speeches, the new presidents and officers of the two clubs were charged by Rotary International District 3810 District Governor-Elect Joaquin “Jackie” Rodriguez and subsequently inducted to their respective clubs. The two presidents then gave their inaugural speeches.

Rotary Club of Manila Magic President James Que encouraged everyone to bring forth the passion, expertise, and dedication to serve while pushing the boundaries of what is possible and leave an indelible mark on our communities. Together, he said, we can innovate, collaborate, and target the seven areas of focus of Rotary International with unwavering commitment, while uplifting the lives of the youth and the needy communities of Young Focus and ERDA Foundation. As club president, he vowed to champion these organizations and rally the club to provide resources, funding, and volunteer support. Addressing the immediate needs of these communities and empowering them for long-term sustainability can make a profound difference in the lives of countless individuals, he said.

Rotaract Club of Manila President Arvin Reyes, in his speech, acknowledged the club's challenging journey, as they were on the verge of closing their doors just a year ago, left with only three members. However, against all odds, they decided to carry on their legacy. He thanked the "most awesome team ever," including three past presidents, whose dedication allowed the club to rise again. He also thanked their adviser, Rotary International District 3810 Assistant Governor Oliver Alvarez. He extended his appreciation to Rotaract Club of Manila’s sister and friendship clubs, Rotaract District Committee, and their parent clubs, Rotary Club of Manila Magic and Rotary Club of Manila, for their support. Despite being dormant for seven months, the club experienced a resurgence in the last three months, reaping awards and distinctions. He also unveiled the club's programs, including classroom renovation and expansion, provision of equipment, installation of water fountains/dispensers, and Project CREATE, Creating Resources by Embracing Arts Towards Entrepreneurship, for Rotaract Club of Manila’s community partner and beneficiary, Young Focus.

Following the inaugural speeches was the traditional fundraising segment called “Happy Money”, where guests were encouraged to share something that recently made them happy and then pledge amounts for the previously mentioned projects. Fifty-six thousand pesos were raised then and there. Presidents Arvin Reyes and James Que jointly adjourned the event, signaling the end of a magical evening filled with hope, friendship, and dedication. Although the event has ended, this was just the start of both clubs. More than anything else, the joint induction and handover ceremony commemorates the extraordinary gathering of like-minded individuals committed to making a positive impact in the world, leaving a trail of hope and inspiration that would continue to light the way for years to come.

STARTING July 1, 2023, Japan’s lowcost airline ZIPAIR has expanded its network to include the ManilaTokyo route, with daily direct flights between the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and Narita Airport, giving more Filipinos a new convenient way to explore every corner of Japan brimming with culture and tradition.

ZIPAIR, which operates under Japan Airlines, offers attractive flight tickets while making sure that every passenger experiences quality services while onboard its eco-friendly aircraft. Its planes are equipped with free internet service, extensive in-flight entertainment options, and onboard shopping experiences.

Seating options are also being offered to travelers as its aircraft have full flat

seats, giving more room for passengers to lie down completely. Manila is the latest destination to be included in ZIPAIR’s growing network. Aside from the Philippines, the airline also links Narita in Tokyo to Singapore, and key cities in Thailand, South Korea, and the USA.

Japan is home to unique and interesting customs, traditions perfectly blended with modernity and mouthwatering dishes that have become popular globally.

Just in the heart of Japan, Tokyo offers a rich mix of modern appearance, nature spots, arts, and historical sites— including the famous intersection Shibuya Crossing, Shibuya Sky, an observatory that offers the panoramic view of Tokyo, Meiji Jingu Shrine where you can feel

Filipino basketball fans are also in for a treat when they travel to Okinawa as they will have the opportunity to watch the FIBA Basketball World Cup live from August 25 to September 10. Aside from the international basketball competition, Filipinos can also enjoy exploring Okinawa’s nature adventures, local cuisine, traditional crafts like Ryukyu glass, music, and among others.

The number of Filipinos traveling to Japan has reached 277,100 from January-June 2023, which is almost 94 percent of the travelers in 2019 during the same period. Since Japan resumed welcoming inbound travelers for tourism purposes in October 2022, the number of tourists has been recovering.

ZIPAIR is committed to growing its international network, promising foreign travelers, including Filipinos, seamless air travel to the wonders of Japan.

GARFIELD MARKS 45TH YEAR . Garfield garments for kids continues to join in the celebration of the funny feline’s 45th anniversary at the Block, SM North Edsa with its presence in the activity on August 13, 2023. The event is a gathering of various artists and their Garfield toy creations and 45 memorable Garfield moments found in enlarged comic strips hung within the confines of the exhibit place. Also found at the exhibit are various Garfield items and merchandise including the Garfield garments for kids collection, solely manufactured and distributed by Canary Enterprises, Inc. The children’s clothing brand has released new designs of stylish and colorful clothes that are great for the finicky taste of trendy kids. The new collections include many variations of fashionable boutique clothes that can be used for special occasions or as an everyday wear and the athletic collection that comes in either pair of jersey shorts and sleeveless tops, set of perspirer shirts and jogging pants. Garfield garments for kids are available at all SM supermarkets and Garfield Botiques nationwide. Available also for online shopping through Shoppee and Lazada.

KEVIN Tan, CEO of Alliance Global Group, parent company of Megaworld Corporation, grace the opening of The Whisky Library’s second branch at Newport World Resorts.

Philippines, Ireland ink MOU on bilateral consultations

On August 11, Ambassador William Carlos joined Secretary Enrique A. Manalo for the signing of a memorandum of understanding that will bring closer linkages at a senior-official level on issues of mutual priority. The consultation framework will provide a forum for alignment on issues of global importance, while also focusing on specific actions to strengthen the bilateral relations between the two countries.

Carlos noted in his remarks that this is a “timely agreement,” as connections between Ireland and the

Philippines have greatly strengthened in recent years.

The Embassy of Ireland to the Philippines opened in November 2021, which opened new channels for business, education cooperation, cultural exchange, and political dialogue. The Philippine side has also announced its intention to open an embassy in the said European nation in the near future.

Meanwhile, the embassy disclosed that the number of Filipinos living in Ireland is still growing, and is already among the 10-largest diaspora groups there.

The establishment of the bilateral consultations mechanism marks a further deepening of this relationship and further dimension that strengthens the political cooperation between Ireland and

the Philippines. After agreement signing, the deputation will be working closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs on the preparation of the inaugural consultations.

Japan activates disaster-contingency grant, satellite-comms system, new AI platform

ON August 8, Ambassador Kazuhiko Koshikawa of Japan signed the exchange of notes with Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo to formalize a loan facility and a grant project under Japan’s official development assistance, or ODA: the Post Disaster Stand-by Loan Phase 3 (PDSL 3) and the Philippine Coast Guard’s (PCG) Satellite Data Communication System (SDCS).

PDSL 3: This ¥30-billion loan seeks to support swift recovery in the aftermath of natural and health-related disasters by providing a quick-disbursing budgetary grant for the Philippines’s calamity-response programs. Under highly concessional terms, the loan’s repayment period is set at 30 years after a grace period of 10 years, with a fixed interest rate of 0.01 percent per annum.

The Japanese government started this budgetary support in 2013, as it helped Filipino families recover lost income and rebuild their lives from the devastating effects of Ty-

MANILA Economic and Cultural Office chairperson Silvestre H. Bello urged the government to provide a sizable piece of land to graduates of Agriculture studies from universities overseas.

This took special relevance, as the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office recently feted Filipino scholars who recently finished their graduate and postgraduate courses in Taiwan. Immediately after, Bello suggested that they should be allocated some 3 hectares to 5 hectares of agricultural area, so that they could transfer and apply their learning at the home front.

The Meco chair made this appeal as he revealed that out of 122 Filipino agriculture studies scholars produced by the Republic of Taiwan from the past years, only two returned to the Philippines. Farming in the former, he observed, is powered by machine and equipment, and is hardly a manual endeavor. Compared locally where a hectare’s output is between 80 to 100 cavans, Taiwan can come up with thrice as much, or about 280.

He even described the fisheries sector centered in Kaohsiung

Norway sees potential in fresh salmon trade

THE Royal Norwegian Embassy in Manila joined the World Food Exposition (WOFEX) from August 2 to 5 and presented the Norwegian Seafood Pavilion, which featured fresh catch from the cold waters of the Scandinavian country.

Norway is the second-largest seafood exporter in the world, known for prime quality seafood from the Atlantic Ocean. It implements strict rules and regulations in handling seafood, while ensuring that the produce is from a clean, healthy environment, and in compliance to the sustainable standards of fish farming.

The Philippines, though, lags seafood trade, compared with its peers in the region such as Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, and Taiwan, according to the embassy. However, Ambassador Christian Halaas Lyster shared the potential for growth for this segment: “We see further increase of…salmon exports in the Philippine market; we want to take the opportunity of the growing consumer demand for fresh-market ingredients here.”

The Asian market is showing a rebound in salmon exports to the Philippines after its government lifted restrictions after the pandemic. The country has also posted a 39-percent increase year-on-year in salmon exports versus 2022.

With that, the said market is seeing a gradual hike in demand for fresh salmonids compared with processed

seafood, based on a “Seafood from Norway” May 2023 report. Norway is also looking at further utilizing the existing free-trade agreement or FTA with the Philippines, which entered into force in 2018, and includes tariff-free entry of goods from member-states including Norway, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Iceland.

At the WOFEX, the embassy also hosted a business-matching session. It saw some 50 industry players expand networks and business opportunities for seafood.

The embassy likewise shared that some 37 million meals are produced daily from Norway’s fisheries industry. Lyster seconded that “our seafood industry has one of the most advanced technologies, and we make sure that most of our seafood is based on sustainable practices. This is why Norwegian seafood is the best in the world.”

phoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan). In 2020, Japan extended anew this financial support to augment government coffers, as the Philippines rolled out its pandemicrecovery efforts.

SDCS: This ¥1.1-billion grant aid seeks to procure the PCG’s stateof-the-art Satellite Data Communication System. Once completed, it is expected to improve the coast

as “excellent,” as Taiwanese technology is able to yield 3-kilogram groupers (or “lapu-lapu”), and that it is being brought southward by way of a former politician-businessman to local enterprises.

In Filipino, he revealed that this is the reality of the situation, as the said graduates are more inclined to stay in the island-state because of the attractiveness of benefits and compensation there.

The prospects of professional life post-graduation there are promising to say the least, as can be seen in the series of scholarships extended by the Taiwanese government to its Philippine counterpart. In fact, Bello shared that he has already attended three graduation ceremonies from May to June.

He said that in the last three years, some 200 foreigners tossed their mortarboards after they successfully finished their courses in the republic.

Such is the vast horizon opening up for a privileged Filipino scholar. The various educational grants, Bello imparted, are part of Taiwan’s “humanitarian relations with Philippines.” Aspirants, he said, need not be the top of their

guard’s maritime-domain awareness and maritime law-enforcement capabilities, thereby contributing to the economic and social development of the Philippines, strengthening cooperation in the Sulu-Celebes Sea and its surrounding areas, as well as realizing a “free and open Indo-Pacific.”

Spectee: ‘Next-gen news gathering’ SPEAKING of disaster risk-reduction and management (DRRM) as well as resilience, the Embassy of Japan and the Japan International Cooperation Agency-Phils. (Jica) formally launched “Spectee”—an artificial intelligence or AI-powered platform that seeks to provide local government units as well as media organizations with data-gathered alert system using crowd-sourced information.

Jica Phils.’ chief representative Takema Sakamoto said Spectee’s innovative nature of news gathering will soon be concept-tested through a collaboration agreement with the Department of the Interior and Lo-

class or school, but those with keen interest in furthering their education. Not only are tuition fees covered, but their allowances and resources for daily living are also subsidized.

Double taxation debacle

BEYOND the educational aspect, the Meco executive is actively pitching for Taiwanese enterprises to set-up their operations in the Philippines. Aside from positively influencing the countryside, he believes that the country can be a major supplier of microchips for its neighbor up north.

In relation, he shared he was scheduled to meet with the secretary of finance, as well as leaders of Congress to discuss the matter of double taxation, which is considered a major hindrance for foreign businesses to open shop in the Philippines.

Asian countries, he said, have signed a memorandum of understanding with Taiwan’s government that eliminates the said practice—save for the Philippines. This is because the Lower House, according to him, has yet to ratify such.

cal Government. The platform, Sakamoto shared, will be activated in the country’s key cities and disaster-prone areas to assist their local government units’ DRRM response mechanisms, and to ultimately “save lives in times of disasters and crisis events.”

Meanwhile, Spectee Inc.’s Global Business Group head Negoro Satoshi disclosed that about 90 percent of Japan’s news organizations have been using the platform’s paid version “Spectee Pro” in delivering up-to-the minute reports, especially on emergencies and calamities using “cutting-edge technologies.”

“We want to help Philippine media visualize crisis situations in real time, just like in Japan,” Satoshi pointed out. “With AI-backed algorithms and human-vetted information, Spectee Pro can help in releasing timely and engaging news coverages, which we hope to bring into the local setting.”

With a report from Mike Policarpio

Bello also disclosed that Taiwan is currently in need of about 28,000 foreign workers to complement its labor force: 6,000 factory workers, 14,000 caregivers, 8,000 agricultural workers. Filipinos, he said, are almost shoo-ins for the first category, as they have “good hands [ magagaling ang mga kamay];” while Indonesians are more preferred as care professionals.

‘Threat not imminent’

SPEAKING of sourcing overseas workers, Bello allayed fears from potential workers of a possible invasion from nearby, as he sees “no imminent threat” of any such kind in the near future.

The Meco chair said that the Taiwanese and their government are well-prepared and have “contingency plans in the event of any emergencies.”

“Taiwan has 89,000 shelters that can accommodate thrice [the number of] its population of 21 million, plus overseas workers,” he claimed. “They are trained and will be informed through their cell phones on what to do [and which shelter to go] in case of an attack or invasion.” Mike

Policarpio

(Exclusive to Envoys&Expats)

BUTUAN CITY—Without birth certificates, children are more vulnerable to poverty and exclusion. They are unable to access public education, nor are they eligible to avail of the government’s social-welfare programs such as “4Ps,” which are intended to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty in the Philippines.

Through a grant from the European Union’s “Governance in Justice (GOJUST)” program, the Father Saturnino Urios University (FSUU) has been able to provide legal-aid services to the local indigenous community. Support was focused on notarizing birth certificates, so Manobo children can acquire legal identity to access their rights.

The university’s team, composed of law students and professors, also equipped villagers with knowledge about their rights under the law, and provided legal advice to tribal leaders regarding disputes between communities.

“We are grateful to FSUU, because whenever they came to our community, they helped everyone,” said Bae Avelyn Makigod, another Manobo tribal leader. “They never chose one group over another. Our children have birth certificates—thanks to them.”

Makigod added that the legal advice FSUU provided has also allowed them to reconcile both mainstream law and customary indigenous law in arbitrating disputes: “We feel empowered with the rights and laws we’ve learned as a community, and it really motivates us now more than ever to want to empower our young people.”

Meanwhile, Joy Pentaso—currently an 18-year-old Caraga State University student who is majoring in Mining Engineering—is hopeful that more of the youth in her community will be able to attend university as well. With their newly acquired birth certificates, more Manobo children may have that chance someday.

GOJUST Grant Facility

SINCE the grant facility’s launch a year ago, about 2,300 women, children, and men have been provided with legalaid services, as well as knowledge and training on their rights.

EU Delegation to the Philippines’s head of Cooperation Christoph Wagner explained the reason for their support

to initiatives such as this one: “Access to justice is fundamental to building a fair, inclusive, prosperous and peaceful society. The EU has been a committed partner to the Philippines’s justice sector reform since 2006, and our engagement stems from the importance we attach to democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.”

The FSUU is one of GOJUST’s 12 grantee-universities that implement the “Clinical Legal Education Program,” or CLEP, of the Supreme Court as a pathway to promote access to justice for indigenous people, women, and other people in vulnerable situations. A credit-earning teaching course, its goal is to provide law students with knowledge for the application of the law, delivery of legal services, and promotion of social justice, especially to marginalized communities.

World IP day

AUGUST 9 was the “International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples,” which recognized the critical need to protect and promote IPs’ rights. The importance of having a legal identity to access rights is recognized in “Agenda 2030,” which includes “providing legal identity for all, including free birth registration by 2030,” as one of its Sustainable Development Goals’ targets.

The ultimate objective is to ensure no one is left behind in the progress of countries towards building sustainable development.

With a total grant of €19 million, or P1.1 billion over a period of four years, GOJUST supports the Philippine government’s efforts to improve access to justice for all Filipinos and thus, contribute to inclusive and sustainable socioeconomic development.

GOJUST works with the Supreme Court, the Department of Justice, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government to develop more responsive and accountable justice services in the country.

In addition, the program aims at strengthening the Commission on Human Rights to help carry out its constitutional mandate of civil and political rights protection, while enhancing human-rights promotion in the Philippines.

This component is jointly funded with the Spanish Agency for Development Cooperation or AECID, with €1 million, or P59.47 million, as additional grant.

THE secretary of foreign affairs and the envoy of Ireland have just formalized an agreement to further their countries’ bilateral consultations.

SECRETARY Manalo and Ambassador Carlos DFA

Meco chair to Phil. govt: Secure land as training ground for overseas agri grads

AMBASSADOR Christian Halaas Lyster (third from right) and the Norwegian Embassy team at the WOFEX Norwegian Pavilion

EU aids indigenous peoples nationwide to access justice

SPECTEE INC.’s Negoro Satoshi presents the potential of the AI-powered platform. MIKE POLICARPIO

LET’S GO MATILDAS! A young fan arrives in earnest at the Stadium Australia in Sydney and waves a flag to show his support for Australia in its semifinal match with England in the Women’s World Cup on Wednesday. AP

Inaugural Asean youth archery tournament opens in Cebu City

WORLD Archery Philippines (WAP) is hosting  the inaugural Asean Youth Archery Championships starting on Thursday at the Dynamic Herb Sports Complex in Cebu City.

More than 200 archers from Chinese Taipei, Iran, India, Singapore, Thailand and host Philippines will see action in the three-day age group tournament supported by the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, Cebu City Government and Cebu City Sports Commission.

Considered a world powerhouse, the Taiwanese have  the largest foreign contingent with five teams, according to WAP secretary general Dondon Sombrio, who cited WAP president Atty. Clint Aranas for giving his all-out support for the international tourney.

We are focusing on Olympic recurve and compound target

By Samuel P. Medenilla

PRESIDENT Ferdinand

R. Marcos Jr. suspended work in government offices and classes in public schools in Metro Manila and Bulacan on August 25—

Day 1 of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) 2023 World Cup.

In his Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 27 issued Tuesday through Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin, the Chief Executive said the suspension will take effect on August 25, 2023, “to help in the successful conduct of the opening ceremonies of the international sporting event, which will be held in Bocaue, Bulacan.”

The Philippines faces the Dominican Republic at 8 p.m. of August 25 and organizers intend to fill the 50,000-seat Philippine Arena to set a FIBA World Cup record as the one single game with the biggest crowd attendance.

The suspension of work for private companies and classes in private schools is left to the discretion of their respective heads,” the memorandum circular said.

The suspension will also not cover government agencies involved

THE organizing Ironman Group is pulling out all the stops to guarantee not only a record draw but also a highly successful Century Tuna Ironman Philippines and IM 70.3

Subic on June 9 in Subic Bay.

R egistration for the two premier endurance races will Wednesday with the twin races expected to attract athletes and their respective families from all over the world. For registration and details, log on to  www.ironman.com/imphilippines-register.

“Century Tuna has been in the forefront of triathlon in the Philippines with small sprint races for more than 10 years to the pinnacle of racing, that is the Century Tuna Ironman in the Philippines for four years counting,” said Century Pacific’s executive vice president and COO Greg Banzon.

LEYTE Colleges (LTC) recovered from a sluggish start to beat Salazar Colleges of Science and Institute of Technology (SCSIT), 19-25, 25-22, 25-23, 25-16, to advance to the women’s volleyball semifinals of the inaugural Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) Games Visayas Leg at the University of San Agustin Gymnasium on Wednesday in Iloilo City.

PALACE ORDERS ‘PARTIAL’ HOLIDAY FOR WORLD CUP

in the delivery of basic and health services, preparedness/response to disasters and calamities, and/or the performance of other vital services.

T he President said  he hopes the public will participate in the FIBA opening ceremony, which will feature the matches between Italy and Angola at 4 p.m. preceding Gilas Pilipinas’s campaign.

P resident Marcos has agreed to grace the opening ceremony of the World Cup that also has Japan and Indonesia as co-hosts.

The FIBA record stands at 32,616 set in the 1994 world championship

final in Toronto, Canada, where the United States beat Russia.

TWO MORE TUNE-UP

GAMES FOR GILAS

SAMAHANG Basketbol ng Pilipinas

president Al Panlilio said that Gilas Pilipinas will have two more tune-up games besides the national team’s exhibition match against Ivory Coast this Friday at the PhilSports Arena.

A fter those games, Panlilio said the coaching staff will announce the team’s final 12.

A fter the Ivory Coast, the Philippines will battle two more

The Courtyard

countries as part of its preparations for next week’s International Basketball Federation (FIBA) World Cup hosting that will also determine the composition of the final 12.

“Based on those [tune-up] games, I think the coaches will solidify their minds on who’re to be in the final 12,” Panlilio said. “It’s very hard for the coaches to make the decision for now.”

Gilas Pilipinas will face Montenegro on Sunday and 31 Mexico on Monday in the same venue in Pasig City. All games are closed to the public.

P anlilio thanked the 16 players who’ve religiously joining practice,

including naturalized player Justin Brownlee who hardly missed training camp, including those in Europe and China.

Brownlee is expected to be dropped in favor of Utah Jazz star Jordan Clarkson, a certified National Basketball Association star. I have to say thank you to everybody in the pool who sacrificed a lot for Gilas despite not being guaranteed a spot,” he said. “Also Justin Brownlee, thank you very much for what he has done and contributed to this journey.”

With Josef Ramos

Ironman PHL 70.3 Subic in June ‘24 expected to set attendance record

“ Supporting these events have enabled us to see the rise in participation and excellence of the Filipinos in the sport, including SEA Games gold medalist Nikko Huelgas, a product of Century Tuna’s youth development program, to giving access for triathlon to be a venue for health and fitness for the wider community,” said Carlo Endaya, vice president and general manager for the Domestic Tuna Business of Century Pacific.

A lso on tap is the Ironkids triathlon.

Subic officials are also ensuring the smooth conduct of the event in one of the country’s major economic hubs known for its resorts, golf

courses, water sports and other recreational activities.

Subic Bay has also been a popular tourist and leisure destination for years with eco-adventure, safari and marine parks among its top draws, including canopy walks, zip-lining and hiking for adventure seekers.

We are always excited to host the Ironman PH here at Subic Bay. More than a sports tourism destination, it offers an exhilarating experience to immerse yourself with nature, given our pristine sea waters and green mountains – all in one place,” said Jonathan Tan, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority chairman and administrator, during Monday’s ceremonial photo-op of the event.

Leyte gals unbeaten in ROTC Games volleyball

L ooking invincible in the first two matches with straight-set victories, the Tacloban spikers were initially caught off guard by the Cebuanas who got off to an inspiring start behind Ronamie Capuras.

But the LTC girls regained their

composure with Sig Dacillo carrying the fight for the squad which remained unbeaten in three matches to move one win away from earning a ticket to the national finals set in October in Metro Manila.

Be in control, be ready and

D esigned by homegrown artist KiefSix (Kiefer Indiongco), the Courtyard’s design draws inspiration from the vibrant festivities of the Philippines and the Pinoy love for the game. It features traditional patterns weaved together with basketball symbols to celebrate the everyday baller in Manila.

N ike inaugurated its new basketball hub two weeks ago at the corner of 7th and 25th in the heart of Bonifacio Global Center (BGC) and did some awesome things with it.

C alled The Courtyard by Nike, its opening was a celebration of basketball and a fitting lead-up to the opening of FIBA World Cup 2023 later this month.

alert, these are what I always tell the players,” LTC head coach Bob Montejo said.

D acillo again finished in double figures for LTC with 13 points with Capuras registering a match-high 16 points for SCSIT.

“ This is an opportune time for us to foster a strong sense of community in promoting a healthy lifestyle for everyone. We will continue to support advocacies exemplified by the Ironman triathlon and encourage the advancement of physical fitness, mental resilience and discipline for everyone here at the Freeport,” Tan added.

archery,” Sombrio said. “There will be competition in the Under-10, Under-15, Under-18 and Under-21 age groups in both boys and girls divisions.”

This tournament fills a gap for much needed foreign exposure not only for our young archers but also for others in  the region,” explained national youth coach Nino Sinco for organizing the event also backed by Dynamic Herb Sports and E.R. Sevilla Industrial and Development Corp.

The only major international youth events we have are the biannual World Archery Youth Championships and the Youth Olympic Games,” added Sinco of the competition also supported by  Benel Archery, Post Science Corp., Tangent and Fair Deal Enterprises. Sinco  said the members of the national youth team who saw action in the  world youth competition held in Limerick, Ireland last July will be vying under their respective clubs.

Hoping to excel against their Asian counterparts are  recurve archer Jonathan Reaport and compound campaigners Alon Jucutan and Gwyneth Garcia, who all  competed in the world meet.

A lso aiming for honors are Nueva Ecija’s Miel Cipriano and Dumaguete City’s Naina Tagle, who were the standouts in secondary boys and girls divisions, respectively, of the recent Palarong Pambansa.

Thursday and Friday will be the qualifying and elimination rounds with the  finals in all age groups set on Saturday.

E-Painters beat Iranians in 2OT

ANTON ASISTIO finished what

Ange Kouame started as Rain or Shine pulled off a nailbiting 98-90 double-overtime victory over Iran to pick up its first win in the William Jones Cup at the Taipei Heping Gymnasium in Chinese Taipei on Wednesday.

A sistio had nerves of steel in nailing a booming triple with a minute and 17 seconds remaining in the second overtime to give the Elasto Painters a 93-88 lead and avert another fourth quarter collapse.

Gabe Norwoord, reinserted for defensive purposes, completed a stop before Asistio found Kouame underneath to seal the deal for Rain or Shine.

K ouame, who kept Rain or Shine afloat in the first extra period after the team squandered a 14-point lead in the final five minutes of regulation, finished with 20 points, 14 he made in the two overtime period. He also had nine rebounds and nine blocks. ndrei Caracut added 19 points while Santi Santillan chalked up 17 points as they led the assault for a 7258 lead in the fourth period. e Iranians, however, refused to wilt easily and unleashed a blistering 16-2 run to end regulation and force the extra periods.

Amir Azari paced Iran with 16 points while Amir Yazarloo and Ali Reza Sharifi added 15 apiece  Rain or Shine go for back-to-back wins when it faces Anyang KGC on Thursday before taking a break Friday.

ANDREI CARACUT escapes two Iranian defenders.

THE first thing that gets you are the colors. Blazing sunset hues of coral, orange, brave peach and yellow with accents of sea green, deep blue and friendly purple.

Then you feel a Filipino vibe in the vibrant designs and realize they are a modern interpretation of Philippine culture and heritage—a visual portrayal of Filipino ballers and their unique swag. A re we in an art gallery? Nope. We’re in a basketball court.

The Courtyard takes up an area of 2,182 square meters and has two FIBA-regulation-sized basketball courts, plus a half-court training zone intended for practice shooting. It has locker rooms, restrooms, showers, a green room and a deck/rooftop that can be used as an open area for training, dancing, and other activities.

L ook a bit closer at the court details and you’ll see.

Beyond the exciting colors that make you play inspired, happy basketball, there’s a deeper message for all. The two full-sized courts’ surfaces are sustainable—made with Nike Grind rubber from the outsoles of about 30,000 pairs of recycled shoes.

Scrap, unused materials and end-of-life shoes were transformed into recycled, high-performance materials designed to maximize a baller’s performance and experience on court.

“ Nike’s Courtyard is an opportunity to bring the younger generation into sport, help protect the future of sport through Nike’s first and long-standing circularity program—Nike Grind—and leverage this safe space as the launchpad for growing the love for basketball in the Philippines and creating community.

We want to take action to create a better world, but also push boundaries through innovation, while employing art, science, and the magic of Nike. Nike Grind is our commitment to the sport, to the communities who will play here and to the planet. It is our pledge to the next generation of players and to lead with purpose,” said Jino Ferrer, Nike Philippines Country Marketing Manager.

Nike knows that in the Philippines, the basketball court is the beating heart of the community. Not only does it represent the game, it also brings people together.

As the country prepares for the FIBA World Cup, Nike has unlocked this new hoops playground for athletes and everyone who loves basketball. It’s open all year round, it’s got a lot of activities and everyone can play.

But there’s more. To help continue to grow the

community of basketball, Nike has partnered with Girls Got Game, a local nonprofit organization that aims to empower young women through sports, and other community partners to bring access to sport for female athletes.

T here are weekly pickup runs, female-only games, and regular basketball camps led by Nike athletes and coaches for ballers of all levels to challenge themselves all year round. Beyond just pushing basketball, The Courtyard by Nike wants to play an active part in giving female ballers not just a safe space, but a place to grow, get better and excel.

Having this court here in the heart of Metro Manila is huge. It’s different when you play alone in your barangay. Playing here gives you the primetime feeling, that you’re part of the Filipino culture in basketball,” said Coach Xavier Nunag, University Athletic Association of the Philippines Commissioner and mentor to the next generation of ballers. We believe basketball is more than just a game. It’s an opportunity to break barriers, bring people together, build communities and expand sport for a new generation,” added Jino Ferrer.

I forgot to mention one great thing about The Courtyard that we know you’ll like. It is absolutely free. All you have to do is get on the Nike App to book your target time and schedule. Happy booking!

SUBIC Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) chairman Jonathan Tan and Ironman Group PHL regional director Princess Galura, (second and third from left) hold the Ironman M-Dot. With them are SBMA senior deputy administrator Atty. Ramon Agregado (left) and SBMA director Raul Marcelo.