BusinessMirror January 16, 2025

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AFTER declaring a remarkable feat in its tax collection drive for 2024, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is all too aware of the challenges it faces in raising revenues for the government this year. Internal Revenue Commissioner Romeo D. Lumagui Jr. told the BM on Wednesday that excise tax collections and capturing online transactions will be among the challenges for the agency in 2025.

THE Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) has identified its top 7 concerns for 2025, including Corruption, Education, and Ease of Doing Business, among others.

At the 77th MAP Inaugural Meeting and Induction on Wednesday, 2025 MAP President Alfredo S. Panlilio said the business group will “certainly address the top 7 concerns of MAP members for 2025” which were generated through a survey in the 4th quarter of 2024.

e seven concerns of the business group’s members for this year are: corruption, education, economy, ease of doing business, climate change, cybersecurity, and dealing with LGUs.

To address corruption and ease of doing business, Panlilio said “we will continue to participate actively in the programs of the Anti-Red Tape Authority.”

e MAP President said these concerns will be “directly” addressed by the business group’s four thrusts.

MORE than a quarter of Filipino families experienced hunger in the past three months, with 25.9 percent reporting involuntary hunger in December 2024, according to the Social Weather Survey. is was a three-point rise from September’s 22.9 percent, and the highest since the Covid-19 lockdowns’ 30.7 percent in September 2020. e figure also marks a 16.1-point increase from September 2023, following five consecutive quarters of rising hunger rates.

e 2024 annual hunger average was at 20.2 percent, nearly double the 10.7 percent in 2023, and is 0.9 points shy of the record high 21.1 percent in 2020.

December’s hunger breakdown includes 18.7 percent experiencing moderate hunger (those who faced hunger “once” or “a few times” in the last three months)

than the P185.3-billion target collection for the year, thus resulting in a shortfall of P51.3

e challenge does not stop there, however, as the rampant illicit tobacco trade and misdeclaration of vapor products could cost the government P240.3 billion in excise tax leakages over the next three years. (See: https:// businessmirror.com.ph/2025/01/10/ illicit-tobacco-trade-vapor-fraudspell-p240-b-tax-loss/).

Taxing online transactions could also pose a problem for the

“To continue and sustain the noteworthy projects that were initiated or implemented by last year’s Board, MAP will continue to pursue the following four thrusts: Member Engagement, Country Competitiveness, ESG and Shared Prosperity, and Investing in the Youth,” Panlilio said. On member engagement, Panlilio said MAP will continue to ensure the “relevance” of the topics and issues covered in the MAP general membership meetings or GMMs in order to engage the membership in a more meaningful way.

“We will cover relevant topics and developments so as to benefit the members, their companies and the economy. We will hold 1 to 2 GMMs outside Metro Manila, so we can engage our members in the

and 7.2 percent severe hunger (those who faced hunger “frequently” or “constantly” in the last three months).

Moderate hunger rose by 1.9 points, while severe hunger increased by 1.1 points compared to September 2024. Additionally, about 51 percent of families self-rated as food-poor, the highest in over 20 years, and up from 46 percent in September. (See: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2025/01/10/63of-pinoy-families-rate-themselvespoor-highest-level-since-2003/)

Regional hunger rates climb ACCORDING to SWS, the threepoint rise in hunger between September and December last year was driven by increases in Balance Luzon and Metro Manila, coupled with a slight decline in Visayas and minimal change in Mindanao. In Balance Luzon, hunger rose

SOME Filipinos abroad may have reserved more money to send home for Christmas, as remittance flows dropped in November 2024, data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed.

Cash remittances grew to $2.81 billion in November 2024, higher by 3.3 percent from $2.72 billion in November a year ago.

However, cash remittances dropped in November 2024 from $3.079 billion in October 2024.

Institute for Migration and Development Issues (IMDI) Executive Director Jeremaiah M. Opiniano told the BusinessMirror that cash remittances went down in November due to the series of typhoons that swept the country in October.

“But apparently, some compa-

triots abroad saved remitting some amounts—perhaps for Christmas,” Opiniano said, noting that Filipinos wired more money to their dependents in October. With the peso depreciating to near P59 per dollar in November, remittances may have also surged, “giving more bang to overseas Filipinos’ buck,” Opiniano added.

Although this could be beneficial to Filipinos receiving money from abroad as the value of the peso would increase, Opiniano warned that this could be bad for importers.

During the 11-month period, cash remittances went up by 3 percent to $31.11

from $30.21

period in 2023.

e BSP said the growth in cash remittances from the United States (US), Saudi Arabia, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) drove the increase in remittances from January to November 2024.

e US made up the largest share of overall cash remittances during the 11-month period at 40.9 percent, followed by Singapore (7.1 percent) and Saudi Arabia (6.3 percent) in terms of country sources. Meanwhile, personal remittances from overseas Filipinos increased by 3.5 percent to $3.12 billion in November 2024 from $3.02 billion in November 2023. Cumulative remittances reached $34.61 billion in January to November 2024, higher by 3 percent than the $33.59 billion recorded during the same period in 2023.

“ e increase in remittances is in line with the full-year projected growth of 3.0 percent in 2024,” the BSP said.

In December, Opiniano expects cash remittances to further increase as Filipinos abroad make a spree of remitting more money. With excess remittances, Opiniano said the government and the private fi nancial sector had long known about what to do to it. Be it fi nancial literacy programs, entrepreneurship, or investment products, Opiniano pondered if the usage of remittances for such “productive” purposes had plateaued.

Banks’ Nov bad loans hit P520B; NPL ratio at 3.54%

BAD loans held by the Philippine banking system eased to P520.530 billion in November 2024, according to Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

Data from the BSP showed gross non-performing loans (NPLs) ratio settled at 3.54 percent. is went down from 3.60 percent in October 2024 but is higher than the NPL ratio of 3.41 percent in November 2023.

ter debt management by banks slightly eased the NPL ratio in November, according to Reyes Tacandong & Co. senior adviser Jonathan L. Ravelas.

month and P3382.161 billion in November last year.

Moreover, the NPL ratio of thrift banks was at 6.85 percent in November 2024. is is lower than the 6.84 percent posted in October 2024 and 7.05 percent recorded in November last year. Gross NPLs were at P54.180 billion in November 2024, lower than the P54.336 billion posted in October 2024 but higher than the P49.032 billion recorded in November 2023.

Meanwhile, the total loan portfolio (TLP) of the Philippine banking system was valued at P14.719 trillion in November 2024.

e TLP was at P14.549 trillion in October this year and P13.336 trillion in November last year, based on BSP data. Improved loan quality and bet-

As such, gross NPL reached P520.530 billion in November 2024. e gross NPL was at P524.311 billion in October 2024 and P454.280 billion in November last year.

“However, the year-on-year increase suggests that economic challenges and higher interest rates might have impacted borrowers’ ability to repay loans,” Ravelas added. Universal banks and commercial banks (UKBs) posted a gross NPL ratio of 3.28 percent in November 2024. e gross NPLs of universal banks amounted to P431.428 billion, while the total loan portfolio of these major banks reached P13.144 trillion in November 2024.

In comparison, the bad loans ratio of UKBs was 3.31 percent in October 2024 and 3.09 percent in November 2023. ese amounted to P444.903 billion in the previous

Meanwhile, for digital banks (DGBs), the gross NPL ratio averaged 10.30 percent in November 2024. e gross NPL ratio of DGBs was 10.57 percent in October 2024 and 20.25 percent in October 2023.

BSP data showed gross NPLs of these banks reached P3.893 billion while its TLP reached P37.804 billion in November 2024.

EODB, CORRUPTION TOP MAP’S 2025 CONCERNS

Visayas and Mindanao,” the MAP president noted.

On country competitiveness, Panlilio said MAP will continue to push for “vital policy reforms” through executive or legislative ac-

tion that will eliminate corruption, improve ease of doing business, ensure food security through agricultural productivity, and sustain an enabling business environment for local and foreign investors.

“ e aspiration is to attract greater and more diverse job-creating investments for more Filipinos to be gainfully employed,” the MAP head noted.

On ESG and Shared Prosperity, Panlilio assured the public that MAP will continue advancing environmental, social and governance principles and “fostering Shared Prosperity” as a key strategic thrust for the year.

“By integrating sustainable practices, promoting ethical leadership, and driving inclusive growth, we aim to create long-term value for MAP members and all

other stakeholders. We will continue pushing for the discourse and activities to champion responsible business, uplift communities, and contribute to a resilient and equitable future for the Philippines,” Panlilio added.

As MAP also aims to invest in the youth, Panlilio said the business group will continue the campaign against malnutrition and child stunting.

“We will continue advocating for government and the private sector to pursue relevant education, health and wellness programs, particularly for the youth,” he said.

“ e objective is for the youth to become productive members of society, with competitive skills and capacity that will ensure a progressive economy of the future,” added Panlilio.

AFTER ’24 FEAT, BIR READY FOR ’25 CHALLENGES

BIR as it starts to regulate e-marketplaces.

Under Revenue Regulation No. 15-2024, those selling goods and services on digital platforms are mandated to register with the BIR. is means the sale and/or lease of goods and services through digital platforms; digital content creation and streaming, such as online advertising, blogging/vlogging, subscription or commission; e-retailing of goods and services; sale of creative or professional services, on-demand or freelance services supplied over the internet; and other forms of businesses conducted online will be regulated.

20-year drought ends

ON Tuesday, Lumagui Jr. announced that BIR has reached the 2024 collection target of P2.848 trillion which the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) approved on March 22, 2024.

“After 20 long years, the BIR has fi nally reached its full collection target. e BIR has collected at least P2.848 trillion for 2024. All credit belongs to the men and women of the BIR. Mabuhay po kayong lahat!”

Although the numbers are still being fi nalized, the BIR confi rmed that they have reached the P2.848-trillion mark for 2024. e numbers will be fi nalized by mid-February 2025, and by then, the collection figures will only increase.

Lumagui hailed the revenue officers’ commitment to the different

by 7.2 points, from 18.1 percent to 25.3 percent, while Metro Manila saw a slight increase from 21.7 percent to 22.2 percent. Visayas experienced a 1.6-point drop, from 26 percent to 24.4 percent, while Mindanao moved from 30.7 percent to 30.3 percent. In Metro Manila, the proportion of families experiencing occasional hunger jumped from 13.3 percent to 17.8 percent, while those facing severe hunger decreased from 8.3 percent to 4.4 percent. e Balance Luzon showed an increase in moderate hunger from 13 percent to 16.6 percent, while frequent hunger went up from 5.1 percent to 8.7 percent. In Visayas, occasional hunger dropped from 20 percent to 18.3 percent, while frequent hunger remained almost unchanged from 6 percent to 6.1 percent. In Mindanao, on the other hand, he figures for families facing short-term hunger dropped slightly from 24 percent to 23.6 percent, while those struggling with intense hunger remained at 6.7 percent.

e SWS survey was conducted nationwide from December 12 to 18, 2024 and interviewed 2,160 adults through face-to-face sessions: 1,080 in Balance Luzon, and 360 each in Metro Manila, the Visayas and Mindanao. Face-to-face interviews resumed in November 2020 after pandemic restrictions, with sampling error margins of ±2 percent nationally, ±3 percent for Balance Luzon, and ±5 percent apiece for Metro Manila, Visayas and Mindanao.

reforms he initiated, as the foundation upon which this achievement is built on.

“Our dedication to Good Governance reforms, manifested by our shift to a taxpayer-oriented agency, has increased the voluntary compliance of taxpayers. is goes to show that if government agencies improve their services, processes, and programs, our countrymen will do the right thing and pay their proper share of taxes,” Lumagui stated.

Lumagui’s reforms are embodied in the Four Pillars of Good Governance. is is comprised of 1.) Fearless and Aggressive Enforcement Activities, 2.) Excellent Taxpayer Service, 3.) Integrity and Professionalism of the Institution and its Employees, and 4.) Digitalization.

e agency also pioneered the fight against Ghost Receipts, through the creation of the Run After Fake Transactions (RAFT) task-force. He also leveled the playing field between retail and online stores by implementing a withholding tax system against the latter.

Online sellers

MEANWHILE, with the imposition of creditable withholding taxes to online sellers in place, Lumagui said earlier the government will stand to gain billions, not indicating figures. “We don’t know the universe of the entire online transactions or online selling industry. at’s why one of the primary reasons of imposing this is so that we will have the visibility on online transactions,” Lumagui said.

Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, this Murang Pagkain Supercommittee brings together five key committees to identify gaps in government programs and hold accountable those responsible for market abuses.

e joint panel is composed of the Committees on Ways and Means, Trade and Industry, Agriculture and Food, Social Services, and the Special Committee on Food Security. on May 12 will proceed as scheduled, ruling out any possibility of reverting to manual elections. “ e Comelec is in control...We are not thinking of any postponement. e Comelec will do everything,” he assured. e commission aims to resume the printing of ballots on January 20. e new ballot face templates will be made available to the public once the EMS adjustments are completed.

optimized energy and reserve in the WESM due to concerns on the implementation of the Price Determination Methodology (PDM). e ERC then lifted in July 2024 the suspension and allowed the resumption of full operations of trading of reserves in the WESM for contracted and merchant plants.

e Commission directed the Iemop to recalculate the resulting reserve trading amounts for the billing periods of February 2024 and March 2024 and adjust the value for the remaining 70 percent for the March billing month. is amount will be collected over a staggered period of three months for trading participants in the Luzon and Mindanao WESM, and six months for those in the Visayas.

Slump in Chinese arrivals slows down Manila’s casinos

MOST licensed casino operators in the Philippines are registering lower gaming revenues owing to the sluggish arrivals of Chinese tourists, previously the bread and butter of VIP junket operators.

Junket operators are individuals or companies which tie up with casinos to bring in wealthy individuals providing the latter with incentives to play in these establishments.

In a news statement published on its website, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) reported that in the third quarter of 2024, licensed casinos contributed some P50.72 billion in revenue, 2.3 percent less than the

same period in 2023. Licensed casinos account for some 54 percent of Pagcor’s total gaming revenues. While the percentage decline doesn’t seem so alarming, the lower contributions can only mean reduced gaming revenues by these casinos, even as non-gaming activities such as hotel bookings and MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions, exhibitions) events appear to be buoying their overall income, especially in the case

of integrated resorts.

Travellers International Hotel Group Inc., which operates Newport Resorts World, registered gross gaming revenues (GGR) of P24.32 billion from January to September 2024, down 6.3 percent from the same period in 2023. However, total revenues were up almost one percent to P23.63 billion, owing to the “sustained rise in tourism and MICE activities, which have allowed hotel and other revenues to grow by 9 percent yearon-year, to P5.4 billion.”

VIP, mass market games suffer declines

WHILE Bloomberry Resorts Corp., which runs Solaire Resort and Casino, reported a total GGR of P16.3 billion in the third quarter of 2024, up 22 percent from the previous year, this includes its newly opened Quezon City casino, Solaire North. Still, the company’s VIP rolling chip volume (RCV) fell 23 percent to P112 billion in the third quarter, and VIP revenue slipped by 10.6 percent to P3.6 billion. RCV is the total amount of bets placed by high-end gamers in a specific period. Writing to its clients, Maybank Securities cut its 2025 net earn -

ings forecast for Bloomberry by some 16 percent to P40.43 billion, due to “the shrinking GGR contribution of casinos located in Entertainment City driven by the slump in fly-in VIP punters and fewer domestic Chinese players for mass tables.”

Data from the Department of Tourism showed that tourists from China slumped to 312,222 last year, from 1.7 million in 2019. Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco blamed the poor arrivals on the suspension of the electronic-visa platform of the Department of Foreign Affairs. The e-visa platform, however, didn’t exist prior to the pandemic, with Chinese travelers applying for visas through DOT-accredited Chinese tour operators.

Gambling is outlawed in China, the reason many Chinese entrepreneurs set up offshore gaming operations in the Philippines. Its Chinese employees were also patrons of the land-based casinos. Malacañang has banned Pogos starting this year.

Another integrated resort casino, City of Dreams Manila, likewise reported reduced adjusted earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation, and amorti -

Navy welcomes more exercises with allies

THE Navy (PN) is open to having more exercises with the country’s allies in its maritime domains, a ranking naval officer said Tuesday.

“The approach of the Navy and the Armed Forces [AFP] when it comes to our treaty allies and other partner nations is to have more activities in the maritime domain, covering not only the Pacific but also the Northern Islands, the Eastern Seaboard and the West Philippine Sea [WPS],” the Navy’s spokesman for the WPS, Rear

Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad, said when asked asked on whether the country’s allies could show their presence more in the Philippine’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ)in a bid to deter illegal incursions

He added that in 2024, the PN had “10 multilateral maritime activities” with its allies and that it expects more for this year.

“We expect more for the year 2025. These are geared towards developing our capabilities and showing us what are the modern technologies that we could

be aspiring for,” Trinidad said.

During previous exercises, Trinidad said, the Armed Forces has been able to perform very well.

“We were able to plug and play with modern navies and modern air forces and land forces. So the thrust is generally all over the vast expanse of our Philippine economic zone,” he added.

Relatedly, Trinidad said the country will not allow any construction or reclamation activities to be conducted in Bajo de Masinloc.

Naval officer thanks fishermen for retrieving underwater drone

ARANKING Navy (PN) officer on Wednesday expressed gratitude to the fishermen who retrieved a submersible drone and turned it over to authorities.

The Navy’s spokesman for the West Philippine Sea, Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad at the same time urged other Filipino fishermen to immediately report to authorities should they spot similar devices during their fishing expeditions.

“We are giving this the proper attention [ongoing forensic inves -

tigation of the submersible drone] and we are thanking our fishermen for their help in monitoring our seas and urging them to immediately report to authorities should they sight similar equipment while fishing,” he said in Filipino.

On December 30, fishermen detected and retrieved from the waters off San Pascual, Masbate, the submersible drone now being examined by the Navy. Trinidad, however, declined to comment on the possible origin of the drone as investigation is still ongoing.

The Navy earlier said that it needs between six to eight weeks to complete the forensic investigation.

Trinidad described the drone as an “underwater glider” and capable of recording depth, salinity and other information about the ocean.

He is also not discounting the possibility of the drone having military use.

Meanwhile, Sen. Robinhood Padilla on Wednesday pushed for a commendation for the fishermen who recovered the suspected

CSE inappropriate–Atienza

FORMER deputy speaker and Buhay Rep. Lito

Atienza has strongly opposed Senate Bill 1979, which aims to address the increasing number of teenage pregnancies.

The bill proposes the inclusion of Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) in the school curriculum, which Atienza claims “is inappropriate and undermines traditional Filipino values.”

The bill, titled “An Act

Providing for a National Policy in Preventing Adolescent Pregnancies, Institutionalizing Social Protection for Adolescent Parents, and Providing Funds Therefore.” would mandate CSE as a standardized part of education for children in public and private schools.

Atienza raised concerns over reported aspects of the CSE curriculum, including lessons on childhood masturbation for children as

young as four years old and discussions on bodily pleasure and sexual rights for children as young as six and nine years old, respectively.

Atienza also highlighted Section 5 of the bill, which allows adolescents access to health services, including reproductive health goods, without requiring parental consent.

“This essentially takes away the parents’ rights to help and guide their children,” Atienza said.

zation (Ebitda) to US$46 million in the three months to September 2024 from $49 million in the same period in 2023, attributing it to “softer performance in rolling chip and mass market table games segments.” Slot machines are an example of a mass market table game.

Similarly, Okada Manila recorded a 33.4 percent GGR decline P8.23 billion in the third quarter of 2024, due to substantial declines in the VIP and mass market table games. Revenue from VIP table games fell 44 percent to P2.47 billion, while those from mass table games dropped by 40 percent to P2.46 billion, with slot machines, specifically, registering a 13 percent dip i revenues to P3.31 billion.

What the Philippines can do

ANALYST and senior advisor to Reyes Tacandong & Co. Jonathan Ravelas told the BusinessMirror the return of Chinese tourists in the volumes received in 2019 “hinges on resolving diplomatic issues and reinstating e-visas.

Until these issues are addressed, it might take some time for tourism numbers to rebound to prepandemic levels.”

In the meantime, the Philip -

He said that such activity is considered a “red line” by the Philippine government.

“There are four red lines given by the government. One of these is the no reclamation on Bajo de Masinloc. The AFP, the PN, has appropriate contingency plans in place in the event that this will be violated,” Trinidad said.

He added that such activity is “non-negotiable” and that appropriate contingency plans are in place should this be done.

Rex Anthony Naval

spy drone.

Padilla made the motion to that effect during a hearing of the Senate’s Special Committee on Philippine Maritime and Admiralty Zones.

“I wish to move for giving our fishermen a commendation for their courage and love of country,” he said in Filipino, and addressing the fishermen, “I salute you. It is only fitting that you are commended.”

Meanwhile, Padilla appealed to the public not to spread false information about the drone, especially as the authorities are still analyzing it.

“This has something to do with our national security. But let us not jump into conclusions based on fake news and speculation,” he said. Butch Fernandez and Rex Naval

“This bill will purportedly address the alarming rise in teen pregnancies, but it is not the solution. It will just create more problems. The rise in teen pregnancies is not due to the lack of knowledge about sexuality, but rather the over-exposure and easy access of our children and youth to adult content and materials on the internet and social media,” he said.

He urged lawmakers to focus on teaching values such as patriotism, good manners, Filipino traditions, and the sanctity of marriage and family. Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz

pines could drive gaming demand from other countries, following in the footsteps of Las Vegas and Macau, “which have diversified their offerings beyond just gambling. They include world-class entertainment, dining, shopping, and cultural experiences. The Philippines could enhance its appeal by developing similar attractions.” Also, he suggested that the Philippines invest in marketing campaigns “to promote its gaming and entertainment options to international tourists,” similar to the strong global branding of Las Vegas and Macau. Ravelas also said the improvement of infrastructure—in terms of transporation and accommodation establishments— will be able to encourage more international travelers to visit.

“Combining the country’s unique cultural and natural attractions with gaming and entertainment can create a unique destination,” he added. In 2024, only 5.95 million tourists visited the Philippines, significantly less than the government’s 7. million target.

“A supportive regulatory environment,” he noted, can likewise attract international gaming operators and investors.

NPA no longer election threat

THE Army on Tuesday said that the New People’s Army (NPA) is no longer capable of disrupting the 2025 mid-term elections owing to its weakened condition.

“With the current state of the NPA, it no longer has any capability to influence this year’s elections,” the Army spokesman, Col. Louie Dema-ala, said in Filipino.

Earlier reports said 88 NPA guerilla fronts have been dismantled by joint military and civilian efforts in the past years.

Records showed that the NPA used to have 89 guerilla fronts but this is now reduced to only one degraded guerilla front.

But despite the weakened NPA, Dema-ala said all Army units are still on alert and will conduct

internal security operations to ensure that this year’s elections will be peaceful and orderly. Earlier reports said that the government security forces are more concerned about private armies that are maintained by politicians and their supporters. Dema-ala added that there will be no let-up in operations aimed at arresting NPA leaders still active.

“Along this note, we also call on those remaining members of the CPP-NPA [Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army] rebels to lay down their arms and surrender to the government so that they can join in peaceful initiatives aimed at fostering development for the country and its people,” Dema-ala added. Rex Anthony Naval

Arrest warrant out for 29 cops in bungled illegal drugs case

HE Regional Trial Court (RTC) in the City of Manila has issued an arrest warrant against 29 policemen who were charged with violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 for allegedly bungling the prosecution of drug cases in connection with the seizure of 990 kilos of methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu worth P6.7 billion in 2022.

Since the “delay and bungling in the prosecution of drug cases” under Section 92 of RA 9165 is a bailable offense, the court fixed the bail for the temporary freedom of the policemen at P200,000 each. Section 92 specifically provides: “Any government officer or employee tasked with the prosecution of drug-related cases under this Act, who, through patent laxity, inexcusable neglect, unreasonable delay or deliberately causes the unsuccessful prosecution and/or dismissal of the said drug cases, shall suffer the penalty of imprisonment ranging from 12 years and one day to 20 years without prejudice to his/ her prosecution under the pertinent provisions of the Revised Penal Code.”

“You are hereby required to use at least one body-worn camera and one alternative recording device, or a minimum of two devices, or such number as may

be necessary, to capture and record the relevant incidents in the execution of this warrant pursuant to the Rules on the Use of Body-Worn Cameras in the Execution of Warrants…issued by the Supreme Court and which became effective on August 1, 2021,” Judge Gwyn Calina, presiding judge of Branc 44 of the RTC in Manila said in the arrest order dated January 14, 2025. Of the 30 implicated personnel, the National Police (PNP) said 22 remain in active service while the others have either retired, resigned or dismissed.

Aside from bungling of the prosecution of the drug case, the policemen are also facing planting of evidence charges under Section 29 of RA 9165 also in connection with the October 8, 2022 drug operations which led to the arrest of Police Master Sergeant Rodolfo Mayo and Nely Saligumba Atadero and the seizure of the 990 kilos of shabu.

A subsequent operation also resulted in the arrest of Police Master Sergeant Rodolfo Mayo on October 9, 2022 in Quezon Bridge, Quiapo Manila. However, the Department of Justice (DOJ) held that the indictment of Mayo and Atadero “were predicated on the simulated operations” that the accused policemen conducted.

The testimonies of the policemen, according to the DOJ, were completely inconsistent with what actually transpired during the operations.

Marcos signs gas development law

DESPITE opposition from environmental groups, President Marcos signed Republic Act 12120 or the Philippine Natural Gas Industry Development Act, which aims to make the country into a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) trading and transshipment hub in the Asia-Pacific region.

Marcos signed RA 12120 on January 8 to help ensure the country’s energy security with the projected depletion of the Malampaya gas field by 2027, which can lead to a surge in local energy prices, particularly in Luzon.

Under the new law, the state will promote natural gas as a “safe, efficient and cost-effective source of energy” for the country with the creation of the Philippine Downstream Natural Gas Industry (PDNGI) to help it transition to a “low carbon future,” wherein renewable energy will have an increased share of its energy mix.

To facilitate the development of PDNGI, the government will establish the Philippine Natural Standards (PNS) for its implementation as well as promote and hasten the exploration and development of indigenous natural gas resources and facilities with the help of foreign investments.

It will also help in the development of the necessary technical expertise and skills in the public and private sector to support the PDNGI and guarantee “transparent and low-cost pricing of natural gas pursuant to Republic Act 7638.”

Development plan

THE Department of Energy (DOE) was tasked to create the Philippine Downstream Natural Gas Development Plan (PNDG Dev Plan) within two years from the passage of RA 12120.

The comprehensive plan, which will contain the programs and policies to establish the efficient operations of the PDNGI Facilities and the proper management of natural gas demand, will be reviewed every three years after its adoption.

DOE together with Department of Trade and Industry-Bureau of Philippine Standards will both chair the technical committee (TC), which will develop and promulgate the PNS for the PDNGI.

The TC will be composed of representatives from academe; trade/industry; consumer; professional associations; research institutions; government agencies; testing institutions; and other relevant actors.

An Interagency Health, Safety, Security, and Environment Inspection and Monitoring Team (IA-HSSE IMT), which will also be chaired by DOE with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), will

also be created to monitor and enforce the necessary standards for the PNDGI.

The IA-HSSE IMT will include representatives from the Maritime Industry Authority; Coast Guard; Department of Labor and Employment; Bureau of Fire Protection; Department of Health; and other relevant government agencies.

Fiscal incentives

DOE was also given the power and responsibility to evaluate, approve, and issue the permits necessary for the siting, construction, operations, and maintenance, expansion, modifications, rehabilitation, decommissioning, and abandonment of any PDNGI facility or activity.

It can suspend or revoke the said permits and also impose fines to permit holders ranging from P50,000 to P5 million per violation of the provisions of RA 12120. The schedule of fines can be increased by the DOE every five years.

The agency is also allowed to provide certification to PNDGI facilities, which can qualify for fiscal incentives under the Strategic Investment Priority Plan (SIPP).

The incentive aims to bring in substantial investments for the development, construction, lease, operation and/or maintenance of, and conversion of existing structures to PDNGI facilities.

RA 12120 also grants valueadded tax exemption to the purchase and sale of indigenous natural gas, aggregated gas, and power generated by generation facilities using indigenous natural gas and aggregate gas.

DOE will issue the implementing rules (IRR) for RA 12120 within six months after the new law’s effectivity.

Necessity and opposition

RA 12120 is expected to enhance government efforts to look for new indigenous gas sources with the dwindling supply from the Malampaya gas field, which supplies 20 percent of Luzon’s power requirements.

The President said the measure aims to reduce the country’s dependence on oil imports by providing it with “stable cleaner energy from an indigenous local source.”

The environmental groups Power for People Coalition (P4P) and the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ) urged Marcos to veto RA 12120 since they argued gas production will lead to the release of more methane, which is 80 percent more effective than carbon dioxide in trapping heat in the atmosphere.

They noted that gas is also a fossil fuel and its usage should be reduced to help the country to cut down its greenhouse emission targets. The groups said that rather than using gas, the government should prioritize increasing local

renewable energy sources.

Senate Energy Committee Chief hails Palace signing of Natural Gas Industry Law.

Senator hails law’s signing THE chairman of the Senate Energy Committee on Wednesday hailed the signing of a landmark law promoting the development of the country’s natural gas industry.

Sen. Pia S. Cayetano, the new law’s chief sponsor, said the Philippine Natural Gas Industry Development Act will enhance energy security for future generations by creating an investor-friendly environment that encourages the exploration of indigenous natural gas resources.

The new law, she said, positions natural gas as a transition fuel toward renewable energy while addressing the country’s longterm power supply challenges. It also includes provisions ensuring transparency and fair pricing for consumers, effectively balancing energy security and consumer welfare.

Citing the stability and generally lower prices of indigenous natural gas compared to the volatility of imported sources, Sen. Cayetano emphasized that securing a steadier, more reliable local supply will reduce our vulnerability to global disruptions and address future energy demands.

“With more than half of our energy requirements being imported, we are clearly vulnerable to geopolitical conflicts,” the Senator said, stressing the need to address our country’s energy security.”

To illustrate this vulnerability, Cayetano highlighted records showing the volatility of imported natural gas, noting its price fluctuations over the past 14 years, which surged significantly during the Ukraine war.

“Also based on the Energy Department’s 2022 Primary Energy Mix, 63.2 percent of our energy comes from oil and coal. As the country moves towards renewable energy sources, we need to find additional baseload resources, aside from oil and coal, which are less harmful to the environment,” she added.

“That is the question we all must face right now: how important is energy security to us,” she further raised, noting the decline in natural gas exploration activities over the past decades - from more than 150 wells drilled in the 1970s to zero since 2019while neighboring countries like Indonesia continue to significantly produce more indigenous natural gas.

“Malampaya was supposed to be the first of many producing gas fields in the Philippines, but it turned out to be the only one. The country needs more Malampayas: we barely have one left,” she added.

House okays Neda reorganization bill

THE House of Representatives has unanimously approved on third and final reading House Bill 11199, which seeks to reorganize the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) into the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (Depdev) and convert the Neda Board into the Economy and Development Council (ED Council).

The measure, which passed with 178 affirmative votes on Tuesday, designates Depdev as the government’s primary policy, planning, coordinating, and monitoring agency on matters of national economic development. It will be responsible for formulating integrated policies, plans, and programs for national development for approval by the ED Council.

Under the bill, Depdev will also ensure the vertical and horizontal alignment of national and subnational policies, plans, and

programs to optimize the use of financial and economic resources. Additionally, it will oversee the country’s public investment program and provide impartial, objective, and evidence-based socioeconomic analyses and recommendations.

The Depdev shall be headed by a Secretary to be appointed by the President, subject to confirmation by the Commission on Appointments, who will serve as the country’s Chief Economist, advising the President and the Cabinet on national and subnational economic and social development matters. Regular reports on the state of the economy and its challenges will also be provided. The bill repeals Executive Order 230, series of 1987, and amends EO 292, series of 1987.

Among its authors are Tarlac Rep. Christian Tell Yap, Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, Marikina City Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo, and Camarines Norte Reps. Luis Raymund Villafuerte and Miguel Luis Villafuerte.

Group hits delay in Manila Bay reclamation assessment

MILITANT fishermen’s group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) on Wednesday slammed the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for the delay in releasing the result of the cumulative impact assessment of reclamation projects in Manila Bay.

In a statement, Pamalakaya vice chairman Ronnel Arambulo said the agency’s “slow verdict is tantamount to failure” to address the damage of said projects in the water body.

Pamalakaya said that small fishermen at Manila Bay are bearing the brunt of the adverse impacts of reclamation and seabed quarrying through the drastic decrease in fish catch.

“It’s been more than one year since the DENR has brushed aside the studies conducted by experts on the long-term effect to fishermen the destruction brought about by reclamation,” says Arambulo. Arambulo said it is time for the

DENR to render its verdict and stop the reclamation in Manila Bay to pave the way for the rehabilitation of the damaged fishing and coastal areas.

Moreover, he said those responsible for the damaged environment in Manila Bay should be held accountable.

Pamalakaya, along with environmental activist Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment, sought Writs of Kalikasan and Continuing Mandamus against all reclamation and seabed quarrying projects at Manila Bay.

The petition aims to declare the said projects null and void owing to their cumulative and long-term impacts on the livelihood of over 300,000 fishermen and Manila Bay’s marine ecosystem.

“With the petition filed with the Supreme Court, the DENR should expedite the study to address the ongoing debate.  We will continue to ask the government not only to stop these destructive projects but to compensate the fishermen who were affected by them,” Arambulo also said.

CPD closely monitoring trend of live births of adolescent mothers under 15 years old

HE Commission on Population and Development (CPD) said it is closely monitoring the “alarming trend” among Filipino girls, particularly concerning the hike in the number of adolescent mothers under 15.

This, af ter the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported recently that the number of children born to mothers who were 15 years old and younger grew by 6.6 percent from 3,135 in 2022 to 3,343 in 2023.

Data from PSA sho wed the five-year trend of the number of registered live births of adolescent mothers under 15 wherein it

hit 2,411 in 2019, slowed to 2,113 in 2020, then rose to 2,320 in 2021.

From 2021 t o 2022, however, the number of registered live births spiked up from 2,320 to 3,135, then slightly rose to 3,343 in 2023.

With this, the CPD is ur ging the country to take a “stronger and broader” approach including “intensified age- and development and culturally-sensitive comprehensive sexuality education [CSE], as a strategy of the Philippine Population and Development Plan of Action [PPD-POA].”

Undersecretary for Population and Development (POPDEV) Lisa Grace S. Bersales said, “Our emphasis is even on protection

from abuse and developing the life skills of adolescents to make informed decisions.”

CPD also emphasized that r epeat pregnancies also remain a “major issue.” In 2023, 38 young girls under 15 had repeat pregnancies. Data also show that 17 women have had five and more livebirths before they turned 20 years old.

Adolescen t pregnancies are more common in larger population areas, such as NCR, Central Luzon, and CALABARZON, CPD also noted.

Meanwhile, CPD noted that livebirths among minors with particular concern among 10 to 14 is at an “alarming state” that needs a more responsive policy.

Given the significant incr ease of live

births among adolescent girls aged 10 to 14 and the life-long and serious implications on their wellbeing and to the country, the C PD is also calling on the Senate of the Philippines to pass the Adolescent Pregnance Prevention Bill, Senate Bill 1979, which it said is currently under interpellation.

“We call for ur gent action on this issue given that it affects the health and wellbeing of this segment of the population, who will be the future workforce of the country,” Bersales said.

“Significantly impact on the gains fr om demographic dividend, a condition where the country gains traction for economic growth, since the population is mostly made up of working ages 15-64.”

NGCP: 4 Chinese board members not a threat

CHINA’S 40-percent stake in the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) does not mean that it has control over the transmission network in the Philippines, an official of the NGCP said on Wednesday. “Is the chairman of the board more important? Is his vote heavier than the others? No. In fact, he just needs to be the presiding officer. So, on the board, even if the chairman is a foreigner, it’s still a numbers game, meaning when voting on the decision, the one with the most wins. And I just emphasize that there are six Filipino stockholders,” said NGCP spokesperson Atty. Cynthia Alabanza during a news briefing.

Stat e Grid Corporation of China’s (SGCC ) 40% stake in NGCP fully complies with the Constitution, which allows foreign ownership of up to 40% of the capital stock of a corporation operating a public utility. She pointed out that SGCC’s stake cannot and does not amount to control of the company because Filipinos own 60% of NGCP. Control over the company is vested in the Filipino shareholders, as envisioned by the Constitution.

The 60% is held by c ompanies led by Henry Sy, Jr. and Robert Coyiuto Jr. The NGCP, which holds the 25-year concession contract and the 50-year franchise to operate the power transmission network, is comprised of Monte Oro Grid Resources Corp. led by Sy, Calaca High P ower Corporation led by

Coyiuto, and the SGCC as technical par tner.

The NGCP board is chair ed by Zhu Guangchao. The three other Chinese nationals in the board are Yao Yousheng, Wang Lijin, and Liu Xinhua. T he remaining six board members are Filipino, including Sy, Coyiuto Jr., Anthony Almeda, Jose Pardo, Francis Chua, and Paul Sagayo Jr.

“The r ole of the chairman on the board of the NGCP is within the bounds of law because he is only the presiding officer,” Alabanza stressed.

The NGCP has once again caugh t the ire of most lawmakers who have raised concerns that the grid is vulnerable as a result of foreign participation in NGCP.

Alabanza, how ever, refuted this, saying all control centers, substations, and

command centers are operated and manned by Filipinos.

She also stressed that these non-Filipino NGCP board members are not a threat to national security simply because they are “not the one sitting and dispatching,” referring to the grid operations inside the control room.

Besides, she said “the system is isolated.”

“The sitting dispatcher is all Filipino. understand, I am also a Filipino, the WPS (West Philippine Sea) issue is also worrying, I can say that there is no such threat within the NGCP... In terms of being able to assert control over the transmission system of the Philippines under NGCP, there is none,” added Alabanza. Territorial disputes between the Philippines and China have been in the spotlight for years.

DOJ finds basis to prosecute Guo, et al for money laundering

in vestment fraud.

TBiden administration urges Marcos to strengthen trilateral ties with Japan and US amid transition

WITH the looming end of the Biden administration, President Ferdinand Marcos on Wednesday received calls from Washington and Tokyo for the continuation of the PhilippinesJapan-United States trilateral partnership.

In her phone call with Marcos last Tuesday evening, Vice President Kamala Harris highlighted the importance of sustaining the partnership for the economic growth and security of the three countries.

“As we discussed with [US] President [Joe] Biden on Sunday, the trilateral cooperation with Japan is a very important way to deepen our economic cooperation and build secured supply chains as well as promote security across the region,” she said. The out going US Vice President advised Marcos on the importance of securing “bipartisan support” within the US Congress and Washington to help sustain the trilateral partnership.

“And I echo the President’s [Biden] conversation with you about the work that you will do with the next administration in terms of reinforcing the importance of that trilateral cooperation and the critical nature of it to maintain security in the South China Sea,” Kamala said.

Last Monday, President Marcos held a trilateral video phone call with US President Joe Biden and Japan Prime Minist er Ishiba Shigeru, the achievements of the trilateral partnerships when it comes to maritime security, economic security, technology cooperation, and high-quality infrastructure investments.

Both Biden and Harris will end their term on 20 January 2025 with the inauguration of US president-elect Donald Trump.

Japan Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi also asked Marcos to continue the trilateral partnership during their meeting in

Malacañang last Wednesday.

“In order to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific, I would like to ask for your continued support in strengthening cooperation between Japan and the Philippines on security issues and other global affairs,” Iwaya said.

He said Japan wants to remain a strategic partner of the Philippines amid increasing divisions in the global community.

“The Philippines is a strategic partner of Japan as we share fundamental values and principles. In today’s international community where divisions and conflicts are becoming more serious, the cooperation of like-minded countries is becoming increasingly important,” Iwaya said. Marcos has vowed to maintain close relations with the US and Japan. He told Harris he hopes to improve upon the country’s close ties with the US as its “oldest and only trea ty ally.”

“And the progress that we have made is terribly encouraging and we just hope to build on that and continue to work on what we have begun and continue to stand for our shared values and the rule of international law,” Marcos told Harris. For Iwaya, he said hopes to be able to discuss the updates in the achievements of the trilateral partnership.

“I think that it is good that we continue these discussions and also I hope that we would be able to have a chance for the Philippines to explain and to show what has been done in terms of agreement since the signing of the tripartite agreement,” Marcos told Iwaya.

Launched in April 2024, the PhilippinesJapan-US trilateral partnership aims to enhance the economic and and defense cooperations among the three countries amid the growing influence of China in the Indo-Pacific region. Samuel P. Medenilla

2 dead, 20 injured in modern jeepney accident in Bulacan

MALFUNCTIONING

HE Department of Justice (DOJ) has recommended the filing of money laundering charges against dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo and several others for their involvement in POGO companies that yielded proceeds from scamming and other unlawful activities.

In a 48-page resolution, the DOJ panel of prosecutors recommended 26 counts of money laundering under Section 4(a) of R.A. 9160 which hold liable “any person knowing that any monetary instrument or property, involves, or relates to, the proceeds of any unlawful activity, transacts, or attempts to transacts said monetary instrument or property.”

Guo is also facing five coun ts of money laundering under Section 4 (b) which states that “ any person knowing that any monetary instrument or property involves the proceeds of any unlawful activity, performs or fails to perform any act as a result of which he facilitates the offense of money laundering…”

On the other hand, 31 counts of money laundering under Section 4 (d) will be filed

AVAO CITY—The airstrip in Davao Oriental’s capital city is going to re-live the glory days of air travel in this former copra-rich province, when government and business leaders are pulling strings together to rev up air connectivity to boost its tourism potential, its Boracay-like beach facing the Pacific Ocean and world-recognized serene bays among them.

The 1,628 meter-long airstrip that was once called Imelda Marcos Airport when it was constructed and operated in the 1980’s and later renamed Mati Airport. It will be back on tract after a long lull and will operate beginning in November this year, Mayor Michelle Nakpil Rabat said. Rabat led “collaborative efforts” with the Department of Transportation [DOTr], contractors, and local government officials to accelerate the development of the Mati Airport, “a vital infrastructure project aimed at boosting the city’s accessibility and economic

against Guo and 30 others including her parents, siblings and officials of companies involved in illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) activities inside Baofu compound owned by Guo’s real estate company.

The DOJ said the elemen ts of money laundering -- exist ence of unlawful activity, money instrument that represents proceeds of the unlawful activity, performance of acts pertaining to the proceeds and property and knowledge of the unlawful activity – were present in the case.

It noted tha t the premises of Baofu had been the subject of three search warrants due to illegal activities being conducted by Hongsheng, a POGO operator, such as online gambling, internet fraud and other cybercrime operations.

The opera tion resulted in the arrest of more than 300 foreign nationals, mostly Chinese nationals.

Baofu compound w as raided anew on February 1, 2023 pursuant to a warrant issued against Honsheng officials.

Another raid was c onducted on March 13, 2024 against Zun Yuan, which took over Baofu operations after Hongsheng, due to its alleged involvement in labor trafficking, cryptocurrency scam, love scam and

potential”, the Mati City information office said in a statement on Tuesday. She said a functioning airport will make Mati City more accessible to investors. “This airport will not only open up our city to the world but also provide our people with access to opportunities that were previously out of reach,” Rabat said.

The DOTr and the provincial government announced they will be signing an agreement on the expansion and development of the airport runway. The approved construction scope of the DOTr includes the terminal, fire station, and parking area. Contractors O.G. Santos Construction and Rakki Corporation reaffirmed their commitment to delivering the project on schedule. Rabat also emphasized the importance of incorporating the Mandaya cultural identity into the airport’s architecture and design, ensuring that the project reflects the rich heritage of the city and its people. Engr. Zenaida Loon, head of the Office of the Building Official (OBO), will oversee the electric plan and coordinate with Davao

“Notew orthy, there were no financial documents indicating specific remittance or receipt of money or other monetary instruments by either Baofu, Hongsheng, or Zun Yuan arising from the unlawful investment or love scamming activities conducted inside Baofu compound,” the resolution said.

“Nonetheless, this does not defea t or negate the fact that respondents actually derived proceeds from their unlawful activities. Obviously, the respondents are too keen and crafty as to leave any trail or evidence of dirty money that would easily give them away,” it added.

“It is interesting to note, however, that this case involves several corporations that tried to conceal the true nature of their businesses and sow public perception of conducting legitimate activities. With the machinations of the respondents, chiefly by Alice Leal Guo, layers of corporations were incorporated one after another to make it appear that these were engaged in independent, profitable and legitimate businesses,” the DOJ said.

While there w as no direct and specific financial document showing proceeds from unlawful activities being conducted inside

Oriental Electric Cooperative (Doreco). Joseph Progatorio, head of the City Planning and Development Office (CPDO), will handle the zoning requirements to ensure the project’s seamless integration into the city’s master plan.

The expansion works has a budget of P90 million, to be taken from the P100 million budget previously secured in 2019 by former Tourism Secretary Wanda TulfoTeo and her brother, Congressman Erwin Tulfo. This money jumpstarted the airport development, the information office said, although it was halted when the Covid 19-pandemic set in the following year.

Rabat said the airport is expected to be operational by November 2025 for smaller aircraft, “marking a significant milestone for the city”. The DOTr said it was optimistic that by the fourth quarter of next year 2026, the airport will be ready to accommodate larger propeller-driven aircraft, enabling airline companies to operate in Mati.

“This airport is more than just an infrastructure project—it is a gateway to progress

Baofu, the DOJ claimed that “it is very apparent that proceeds from unlawful ac tivity were diverted and channeled through Guo’s other businesses“ such as QJJ Farm and QSeed Genetics.

“In this case, Alice , through QJJ Farm and QSeed Genetics as transit accounts, paid for the electric bills and other operating expenses of Baofu, Hongsheng, and Zun Yuan,” the resolution read.

“Doubtless, these case and check pa yments relating to the utility and other operating expenses of Baofu, Hongsheng, and Zun Yuan, represented or constituted the proceeds generated from the unlawful activities by Hongsheng and later, by Zun Yuan,” it added.

The DOJ , however, dropped the charges against Katherine C assandra Li Ong, Guo’s friend and co -accused in the money laundering cases.

The panel of prosec utors said it found no evidence linking Ong to the criminal activities of the companies involved in Bamban POGO operations.

Ho wever, Ong is still facing qualified human trafficking charges before the DOJ in connection with POGO operations in Porac, Pampanga.

for our city and our region. Together, we are building a future that connects Mati to opportunities, markets, and the rest of the world,” Rabat said.

She said Mati City’s export-quality tuna, a prized commodity, will gain a significant logistical advantage once the airport is fully operational.

“Our fisherfolks’ ability to export highquality tuna will flourish when this project is completed, bringing prosperity to our fishing communities,” she said.

She ackno wledged the vital roles played by the late Governor Cora Malanyaon during her term as chairman of the Regional Development Council when she endorsed the airport for funding. “The groundwork ensured that the project became a regional priority, securing its place in the national agenda for infrastructure development.”

The Mati airpor t began with a regular Cessna-plane services in the 1980’s linking it with Davao airport in a 15-minute flight, and facilitating the sale and marketing of coconut products, mainly copra and coconut oil.

Ben Tesiorna, the city information officer, said he could recall his parents talking about the flight that cost then P250.

Abrake on a modern jeepney

caused an accident in Bu -

lacan on January 14, that claimed the lives of two persons and injured 20, the Calumpit, Bulacan, police said.

Police identified the two fatalities as Johnny Reyes, 44, tricycle driver, of barangay Caniogan, Calumpit and his passenger Angelica Esguerra, 27.

The driver of the  modern jeep, Orlando Manayag Jr., 53, of Sto. Tomas, Pampanga, was on MacArthur Highway on the way to Apalit when his brakes failed.

Manayag swerved to the left to avoid rear-ending the vehicle ahead but struck the tricycle in the process. The modern jeepney then plunged into a cliff near the

bridge, the police report said. The incident, which occurred around 1:40 p.m. in barangay Iba Este, was reported to the local police only two hours later.

Jhen Mark Eleogo, 19, student, a passenger of the jeepney said the jeepney had just overtaken another vehicle when the driver lost control.

Nawalan ng preno Mabilis din magpatakbo yung  driver. Then  bigla nang nawalan ng preno Nagovertake  siya  [driver]  bago mawalan ng preno,” Eleogo told police investigators.

The victims were taken to the Bulacan Medical Center and other nearby hospitals.

The attending physician later declared both Reyes and Esguerra dead. Ashey Manabat

Mati airport to resurrect glory days of air travel in Davao Oriental

South Korea’s impeached president detained after weeks-long standoff at Seoul residence

SEOUL, South Korea—South Korea’s impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol was detained in a massive law enforcement operation at the presidential compound Wednesday, defiantly insisting the anti-corruption agency didn’t have the authority to investigate his actions but saying he complied to prevent violence.

In a video message recorded before he was escorted to the headquarters of the anti-corruption agency, Yoon lamented the “rule of law has completely collapsed in this country.”

Yoon, the country’s first sitting president to be apprehended, had been holed up in the Hannam-dong residence in the capital, Seoul, for weeks while vowing to “fight to the end” the efforts to oust him. He has justified his declaration of martial law December 3 as a legitimate act of governance against an “anti-state” opposition employing its legislative majority to thwart his agenda.

The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials said Yoon was brought into custody about five hours after investigators arrived at the presidential compound and about three hours after they successfully entered the residence, in their second attempt to detain him over his imposition of martial law.

A series of black SUVs, some equipped with sirens, were seen leaving the presidential compound with police escorts. Yoon was later seen stepping out of a vehicle after arriving at the agency’s office in the nearby city of Gwacheon. Following the questioning, Yoon was expected to be sent to a detention center in Uiwang, near Seoul. What’s next?

YOON could be held in custody for weeks.

The anti-corruption agency, which is leading a joint investigation with the police and the military over whether Yoon’s martial law declaration amounted to an attempted rebellion, has 48 hours to request a court order for a formal arrest on a charge of attempting a rebellion, and if it fails to do so, Yoon will be released. If Yoon is formally arrested, investigators can extend his detention to 20 days before transferring the case to public prosecutors for indictment.

The anti-corruption agency told reporters that Yoon, during his first two hours of questioning, exercised his right to remain silent.

The detainment warrant for Yoon, issued by the Seoul Western District Court, said there were substantial reasons to suspect that he committed crimes as a “ringleader of a rebellion.”

Yoon’s presidential powers were suspended when parliament impeached him on December 14. The impeachment case now rests with the Constitutional Court, which could formally remove Yoon from office or reject the case and reinstate him.

position that was exercising “legislative dictatorship by blocking laws and budgets” and “paralyzing” state affairs. He denied the rebellion accusations, describing his impeachment as “fraud.”

The scene at the compound AS they began the detention operation in the early morning, the anticorruption investigators and police officers engaged in an hourslong standoff at the compound’s gate with presidential security forces but otherwise encountered no meaningful resistance.

Police officers were seen using wire cutters to remove the barbed wire placed by the presidential security service on the perimeter of the compound to block their entry. Some police officers used ladders to climb over rows of buses placed by the presidential security service near the compound’s entrance, and then the investigators began moving up the hilly compound. The investigators and police later arrived in front of a metal gate with a gold presidential mark that’s near Yoon’s residential building. Some officers were seen entering a security door on the side of the metal gate, joined by one of Yoon’s lawyers and his chief of staff. The presidential security service later removed a bus and other vehicles that had been parked tightly inside the gate as a barricade.

Despite a court warrant for Yoon’s detention, the presidential security service had insisted it’s obligated to protect the impeached president and fortified the compound with barbed wire and rows of buses blocking paths.

The preparations and the concerns SOUTH KOREA’S acting leader, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, issued a statement early Wednesday urging law enforcement and the presidential security service to ensure there are no “physical clashes.”

the United States, Japan, Britain and Germany, as well as the representative of the European Union, to reassure them that the government was functioning stably.

Park Chan-dae, floor leader of the liberal opposition Democratic Party, which drove the legislative campaign that led to Yoon’s impeachment on December 14, said Yoon’s detention is the “first step toward restoring constitutional order, democracy, and realizing the rule of law.”

As investigators moved up the hillside compound, lawmakers from Yoon’s People Power Party held a rally in nearby streets, decrying the efforts to detain him as unlawful.

sued by the Seoul Western District Court was invalid. They cited a law that protects locations potentially linked to military secrets from search without the consent of the person in charge—which would be Yoon. They also claimed that the anti-corruption agency had no legal authority to investigate rebellion allegations.

“I am truly appalled to see illegalities upon illegalities upon illegalities being carried out and procedures being forcefully conducted under an invalid warrant,” Yoon said in the video released before his detention. “I do not acknowledge the investigation by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials. As the president, who is responsible for upholding the constitution and legal system of the Republic of Korea, my decision to comply with such illegal and invalid procedures is not an acknowledgment of them, but rather a willingness to prevent unfortunate and bloody incidents.”

sands of police officers in yellow jackets closely monitored the tense situation.

What led to this YOON declared martial law and deployed troops around the National Assembly on December 3. It lasted only hours before lawmakers managed to get through the blockade and vote to lift the measure. The opposition-led assembly voted to impeach him on rebellion charges December 14.

The National Police Agency met with field commanders in Seoul and nearby Gyeonggi province in recent days to plan their detainment efforts, and the size of those forces fueled speculation that more than a thousand officers could be deployed. The agency and police had openly warned that presidential bodyguards obstructing the execution of the warrant could be arrested.

The White House National Security Council issued a statement saying that the United States stands by its support for the Korean people and “our shared commitment to the rule of law.” It said Washington remains committed to working with the government led by Seoul’s acting leader, Choi, and reaffirms the strength of the countries’ alliance. Thursday, January 16, 2025

In a separate message posted on his Facebook account after his detainment, Yoon claimed that “martial law is not a crime,” saying his declaration was necessary to raise awareness about an op -

Following Yoon’s detainment, Choi met with diplomats from the Group of Seven nations, including

Yoon’s lawyers have claimed that the detainment warrant is -

The Constitutional Court held its first formal hearing in the impeachment case on Tuesday, but the session lasted less than five minutes because Yoon refused to attend. The next hearing is set for Thursday, and the court will then proceed with the trial whether or not Yoon is there.

Yoon’s supporters and critics have held competing protests near the residence—one side vowing to protect him, the other calling for his imprisonment—while thou -

Biden to lift Cuba terror designation, facilitate prisoner release in deal with Catholic Church

WASHINGTON—President Joe Biden notified Congress of his intent to lift the US designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, the White House announced, as part of a deal facilitated by the Catholic Church to free political prisoners on the island.

Senior US administration officials, who previewed the announcement on the condition of anonymity, said “many dozens” of political prisoners and others considered by the US to be unjustly detained would be released by the end of the Biden administration at noon on Jan. 20.

The US would also ease some economic pressure on Cuba, as well as a 2017 memorandum issued by then-President Donald Trump toughening US posture toward Cuba.

“In taking these steps to bolster the ongoing dialogue between the government of Cuba and the Catholic Church, President Biden is also honoring the wisdom and counsel that has been provided to him by many world leaders, especially in Latin America, who have encouraged him to take these actions, on how best to advance the human rights of the Cuban people,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

The Cuban foreign ministry on Tuesday said that the government informed Pope Francis it will release 553 people who had been convicted of different crimes. It said that they will be gradually released, as the authorities analyze the legal and humanitarian ways to make it happen.

The foreign ministry didn’t link the release of the prisoners to the US decision of lifting the designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, but “in the spirit of the Ordinary Jubilee of the year 2025 declared by His Holiness.” In a statement, the foreign minister condemned the ongoing US sanctions on the country as “economic warfare” and acknowledged that the Biden decision could well be reversed by Trump.

The Cuban authorities didn’t say who is among the 553 people who will be released.

The determination by the outgoing one-term Democrat is likely to be reversed as early as next week after Trump, the Republican who is now president-elect, takes office and Secretary of State-designate Marco Rubio assumes the position of America’s top diplomat. Rubio, whose family left Cuba in the 1950s before the communist revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power, has long been a proponent of sanctions on the communist island. Rubio will appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday for his confirmation hearing and is expected to address his Cuban

roots in his testimony. Trump has also appointed Mauricio ClaverCarone, a former White House National Security Council aide and strong supporter of sanctions against Cuba, to be his special envoy to Latin America.

The US officials said the Trump transition team had been informed of the action before it was announced by the Biden White House. Rep. Mike Waltz, Trump’s pick to serve as national security adviser, previewed a snap back to the previous US policy, but signaled approval for the arrangement.

“Look. anything that they’re doing right now we can do back, and no one should be under any illusion in terms of a change in Cuba policy,” Waltz told Fox News on Tuesday. “We don’t like it, but again, if people are going free, then that’s what it is for now.”

In the final days of Trump’s first administration, on January 11, 2021, the White House reinstated the designation, which had been reversed during the period of rapprochement between Cuba and the United States during President Barack Obama’s second term in office. In doing so, the Trump administration cited Cuba’s support for Venezuela’s leader, Nicolas Maduro, and its refusal to extradite Colombian rebels to Colombia, among other issues, including its continued harboring of wanted Americans.

The move to designate Cuba by Trump was one of several foreign policy moves he made in the final days of his first term.

AP writer Andrea Rodríguez in Havana, Cuba, contributed reporting.

INVESTIGATORS from the state anticorruption agency and police officers make their way to the residence of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol to execute a warrant to detain Yoon in Seoul, South Korea on Wednesday, January 15, 2025. AP/AHN YOUNG-JOON

Millions on edge as Southern California wildfires threaten renewed devastation

LOS ANGELES—Millions of Southern Californians were on edge as a final round of dangerous fire weather was forecast for the region on Wednesday, along with a rare warning of a “Particularly Dangerous Situation” for an area near where two massive blazes have killed at least 25 and destroyed thousands of homes.

Firefighters got a reprieve Tuesday when winds were unexpectedly light and they were able to make progress battling the two huge Los Angeles area fires and quickly snuff out several new fires.

The Eaton Fire burning just north of Los Angeles and the Palisades Fire that destroyed much of the seaside LA neighborhood of Pacific Palisades broke out Jan. 7 in conditions similar to what’s expected Wednesday. High winds last week pushed flames at remarkable speed and carried fire-sparking embers sometimes miles away.

The National Weather Service issued red flag warnings – done when temperatures are warm, humidity is low and strong winds are expected – from 3 a.m. to 3 p.m. from the Central Coast 275 miles (443 kilometers) south to the border with Mexico. The “Particularly Dangerous Situation” was in effect for an area that includes parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

“Key message: We are not out of the woods yet,” the weather service

said in a post late Tuesday. “The winds underperformed today, but one more enhancement could happen tonight-tomorrow.”

More than 77,000 households were without electricity as utilities shut off power to prevent their lines from sparking new blazes.

A state of alert

WEARY and anxious residents were told to be ready to flee at a moment’s notice. They remained vigilant, keeping an eye on the skies and on each other: Police announced roughly 50 arrests, for looting, flying drones in fire zones, violating curfew and other crimes. Of those, three people were arrested on suspicion of arson after being seen setting small fires that were immediately extinguished, LA Police Chief Jim McDonnell said. One was using a barbecue lighter, another ignited brush and a third tried to light a trash can, he said. All were far outside the disaster zones. Authorities have not determined a cause for any of

the major fires.

Among nine people charged with looting was a group that stole an Emmy award from an evacuated house, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said.

The biggest worry remained the threat from intense winds. Now backed by firefighters from other states, Canada and Mexico, crews were deployed to attack flareups or new blazes. The firefighting force was much bigger than a week ago, when the first wave of fires began destroying thousands of homes in what could become the nation’s costliest fire disaster.

Kaylin Johnson and her family planned to spend the night at their home, one of the few left standing in Altadena, near Pasadena. They intended to keep watch to ward off looting and to hose down the house and her neighbors’ properties to prevent flareups.

“Our lives have been put on hold indefinitely,” Johnson said via text message, adding that they cannot freely come and go because of restrictions on entering the burn areas. “But I would rather be here and not leave than to not be allowed back at all.”

Packed and ready to go RESIDENTS said they were ready to make a hasty escape.

Javier Vega, who said he feels like he has been “sleeping with one eye open,” and his girlfriend have planned out how they can quickly pack up their two cats, eight fish and leopard gecko if they get orders to evacuate.

“Typically on any other night, hearing helicopters flying overhead from midnight to 4:00 in the morning, that would drive anyone crazy,” Vega said. But figuring they were helping firefighters to keep the flames from threatening their neighborhood, he explained, “it was actually soothing for me to

go to sleep.”

Preparing for another outbreak

PLANES doused homes and hillsides with bright pink fire-retardant chemicals, while crews and fire engines deployed to particularly vulnerable spots with dry brush.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and other officials who were criticized over their initial response expressed confidence that the region is ready to face the new threat. The mayor said she was able to fly over the disaster areas, which she described as resembling the aftermath of a “dry hurricane.”

Winds this time were not expected to reach the same fierce speeds seen last week but they could ground firefighting aircraft, LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said.

He urged homeless people to avoid starting fires for warmth and to seek shelter.

Wildfires on the rise across LA

With almost no rain in more than eight months, the brushfilled region has had more than a dozen wildfires this year, mostly in the greater Los Angeles area.

Firefighters have jumped on small blazes that popped up, quickly smothering several in Los Angeles county, including a blaze Tuesday evening in the Angeles National Forest.

The four largest fires around the nation’s second-biggest city have scorched more than 63 square miles (163 square kilometers), roughly three times the size of Manhattan. Of these, the Eaton Fire near Pasadena was roughly one-third contained, while the largest blaze, in Pacific Palisades on the coast, was far less contained.

Searching for victims

THE death toll is likely to rise,

according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna. Nearly 30 people were still missing, he said Tuesday. Some people reported as missing earlier have been found. Just under 90,000 people in the county remained under evacuation orders, half the number from last week.

Hollywood on hold HOLLYWOOD’S awards season has been put on hiatus because of the crisis. The Oscar nominations have been delayed twice, and some organizations postponed their awards shows and announcements without rescheduling.

Watson reported from San Diego, and Seewer from Toledo, Ohio. Associated Press journalists Christopher Weber and Lindsey Bahr in Los Angeles, Lisa Baumann and Hallie Golden in Seattle and Julie Walker in New York contributed.

LA utilities warn of unsafe drinking water amid ongoing wildfires and toxic contamination risks

AS fires continue to burn across Los Angeles, several utilities have declared their drinking water unsafe until extensive testing can prove otherwise.

A warmer, drier climate means wildfires are getting worse, and encroaching on cities—with devastating impact. Toxic chemicals from those burns can get into damaged drinking water systems, and even filtering or boiling won’t help, experts say. Last week, Pasadena Water and Power issued a “Do Not Drink” notice to about a third of its customers for the first time since it began distributing water more than a century ago. With at least one burned pump, several damaged storage tanks, and burned homes, they knew there was a chance toxic chemicals had entered their pipes.

“Out of the abundance of caution, you kind of have to assume the worst,” said Stacie Takeguchi, chief assistant general manager for the utility. This week, they lifted the notice for most of the area after testing.

Why urban fires are a risk to drinking water

WHEN large fires burn in towns and cities, rather than forests and grasslands, infrastructure can be heavily damaged. When drinking water systems are damaged in a fire, “we can have ash, smoke, soot, other debris and gases get sucked into the water piping network,” said Andrew Whelton, a Purdue University engineering professor who researches water contamination in communities hit by fire.

Those elements can be particularly toxic because chemically engineered synthetics in building materials and households are heating, burning and releasing particles and gases, he said. Some of those chemicals are harmful even at low concentrations, experts say.

How chemicals get into the pipes

WATER systems typically are under enough internal pressure to keep harmful elements out. But that critical pressure can be lost in many ways during a fire, which means toxins can get in.

There’s normal demand on the water system from people who didn’t need to evacuate. Firefighters use a lot of water. Pipes in burned buildings can be damaged, spewing water.

Power loss can also cause pressure loss when pumps stop working, said Greg Pierce, professor of urban environmental policy at the University of California. This happened during the 2023 Maui fires.

“It’s really hard, if not impossible, to keep up the power supply to the whole water system in the event of a fire, because you’re either shutting off the power, because power can contribute to the fire, or it just goes out,” Pierce said. “And then you’re relying on generators at best in spots.”

The loss of pressure can affect not only water quality but also water availability for firefighting. Hydrants ran dry in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood as surrounding homes burned. The utility says it was from high demand and the pumps were working, but California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state will investigate.

What’s the health risk?

TOXIC chemicals in drinking water after a fire pose risks ranging from temporary nausea to cancer, experts say.

“In Paradise (California), there were benzene levels high enough to acutely give a child a blood disorder” said Dr. Lynn Goldman, dean of the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University, referring to the 2018 Camp Fire that burned most of the city.

Even very low levels of some chemicals can be a concern. In California, state regulators say only one part per billion of benzene—a known

carcinogen—is considered a safe level in drinking water, calculating for 70 years of exposure. The national recommendation is no more than five parts per billion.

“In terms of cancer risk, what we’re really interested in is the cumulative amount that you’re exposed to over your entire lifetime,” Goldman said. “And if a short-term exposure adds a lot to that, that is a real risk.”

Benzene and similar compounds are known as volatile because they tend to become airborne, like gasoline that turns to vapor when it drips from the pump onto your car. A group of heavier compounds, called semi-volatile organic compounds, or SVOCs, were found in water pipes in Louisville, Colorado after the 2021 Marshall Fire, even when benzene and other better-known chemicals weren’t. Whelton says it’s critical to test for both.

What’s next?

Vast Los Angeles County has more than 200 water service providers, but so far only a handful believe that damage or loss of pressure may have resulted in chemical contamination and have issued “Do Not Drink” notices. Utilities are focused on ensuring there’s enough water for fighting fires, though some are beginning to test for contaminants. It can take weeks to months of testing before water can be declared safe for drinking in areas with minimal damage. That is sometimes a best-case scenario.

In the Paradise Fire, most buildings burned. The city rebuilt a reservoir and is working to replace 10,000 service lines. It expects to spend the next decade and $50 million to replace roughly 17 of 172 miles of main lines that were contaminated.

Whelton doesn’t recommend people pay for expensive water testing in their homes until their utility has declared the public water system safe.

WORKERS pull a burnt car out of the wreckage of a home destroyed by the Palisades Fire on Tuesday, January 14, 2025, in Malibu, California. AP/ETHAN SWOPE

Hamas OKs draft agreement of Gaza ceasefire and the release of some hostages, officials say

CAIRO—Hamas has accepted a draft agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of dozens of hostages, two officials involved in the talks said Tuesday. Mediators from the United States and Qatar said Israel and the Palestinian militant group were at the closest point yet to sealing a deal to bring them a step closer to ending 15 months of war.

The Associated Press obtained a copy of the proposed agreement, and an Egyptian official and a Hamas official confirmed its authenticity. An Israeli official said progress has been made, but the details are being finalized. All three officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the talks.

“I believe we will get a ceasefire,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a speech Tuesday, asserting it was up to Hamas. “It’s right on the brink. It’s closer than it’s ever been before,” and word could come within hours, or days.

The United States, Egypt and Qatar have spent the past year trying to mediate an end to the war and secure the release of dozens of hostages captured in Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack that triggered it. Nearly 100 people are still captive inside Gaza, and the military believes at least a third are dead.

Any deal is expected to pause the fighting and bring hopes for winding down the most deadly and destructive war Israel and Hamas have ever fought, a conflict that has destabilized the Middle East and sparked worldwide protests. It would bring relief to the hardhit Gaza Strip, where Israel’s offensive has reduced large areas to rubble and displaced around 90% of the population of 2.3 million, many at risk of famine.

If a deal is reached, it would not go into effect immediately. The plan would need approval from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Security Cabinet and then his full Cabinet. Both are dominated by Netanyahu allies and are likely to approve any proposal he presents.

Officials have expressed optimism before, only for negotiations to stall while the warring sides blamed each other. But they now suggest they can conclude an agreement ahead of the Jan. 20 inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump, whose Mideast envoy has joined the negotiations. Hamas said in a statement that negotiations had reached their “final stage.”

In the October 7 attack, Hamasled militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted another 250. Around half those hostages were freed during a brief ceasefire in November 2023. Of those remaining, families say, two are children, 13 are women and 83 are men.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed over 46,000 Palestin -

ians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were combatants.

Israeli airstrikes on two homes in central Gaza killed at least 17 Palestinians late Tuesday and wounded seven more, hospital officials said, adding that some of the corpses had been dismembered. Earlier strikes killed at least 18 people, including two women and four children, according to local health officials, who said one woman was pregnant and the baby died as well.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. Israel says it only targets militants and accuses them of hiding among civilians.

A three-phase agreement

THE three-phase agreement— based on a framework laid out by US President Joe Biden and endorsed by the UN Security Council—would begin with the release of 33 hostages over a six-week period, including women, children, older adults and wounded civilians in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian women and children imprisoned by Israel.

Among the 33 would be five female Israeli soldiers, each to be released in exchange for 50 Palestinian prisoners, including 30 militants who are serving life sentences.

The Israeli official said Israel assumes most of the 33 are alive.

During this 42-day phase, Israeli forces would withdraw from population centers, Palestinians could start returning to what remains of their homes in northern Gaza and there would be a surge of humanitarian aid, with some 600

trucks entering each day.

Details of the second phase still must be negotiated during the first. Those details remain difficult to resolve—and the deal does not include written guarantees that the ceasefire will continue until a deal is reached. That means Israel could resume its military campaign after the first phase ends.

The Israeli official said “detailed negotiations” on the second phase will begin during the first. He said Israel will retain some “assets” throughout negotiations, referring to a military presence, and would not leave the Gaza Strip until all hostages are home.

The three mediators have given Hamas verbal guarantees that negotiations will continue as planned and that they will press for a deal to implement the second and third phases before the end of the first, the Egyptian official said.

The deal would allow Israel throughout the first phase to remain in control of the Philadelphi corridor, the band of territory along Gaza’s border with Egypt, which Hamas had initially demanded Israel withdraw from. Israel would withdraw from the Netzarim corridor, a belt across central Gaza where it had sought a mechanism for searching Palestinians for arms when they return to the territory’s north.

In the second phase, Hamas would release the remaining living captives, mainly male soldiers, in exchange for more prisoners and the “complete withdrawal” of Israeli forces from Gaza, according to the draft agreement.

Hamas has said it will not free the remaining hostages without an end to the war and a complete

Israeli withdrawal, while Netanyahu has vowed in the past to resume fighting until Hamas’ military and governing capabilities are eliminated.

Unless an alternative government for Gaza is worked out in those talks, it could leave Hamas in charge of the territory.

In a third phase, the bodies of remaining hostages would be returned in exchange for a three- to five-year reconstruction plan for Gaza under international supervision.

Blinken on Tuesday was making a last-minute case for a proposal for Gaza’s postwar reconstruction and governance that outlines how it could be run without Hamas in charge.

Growing pressure ahead of Trump’s inauguration ISRAEL and Hamas have come under renewed pressure to halt the war before Trump’s inauguration. Trump said late Monday a ceasefire was “very close.”

Thousands of Israelis rallied in Tel Aviv on Tuesday night in support of a deal they have long encouraged.

“This is not about politics or strategy. It’s about humanity and the shared belief that no one should be left behind in darkness,” said a hostage released earlier from Gaza, Moran Stella Yanai. But in Jerusalem, hundreds of hardliners marched against a deal, some chanting, “You don’t make a deal with the devil,” a reference to Hamas.

In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, families of Palestinian prisoners gathered as well. “I tell the mothers of the prisoners to put their trust in the Almighty and that relief is near, God willing,” said the mother of one prisoner, Intisar Bayoud.

And inside Gaza, an exhausted Oday al-Halimy expressed hope from a tent camp for the displaced.

“Certainly, Hamas will comply with the ceasefire, and Israel is not interested in opposing Trump or angering him,” he said. A child born in Gaza on the first day of the war, Massa Zaqout, sat in pink pajamas in another tent camp, playing with toys. “We’re eagerly waiting for a truce to happen so we can live in safety and stability,” her mother, Rola Saqer, said.

Shurafa reported from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip. Associated Press writers Josef Federman in Jerusalem, Fatma Khaled in Cairo, Matthew Lee in Washington and Natalie Melzer in Nahariya, Israel, contributed to this report.

Blinken advocates for post-war Gaza governance and reconstruction plans amid ceasefire hopes

WAntony Blinken made a lastminute case Tuesday for a plan for the post-war reconstruction and governance of Gaza as a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas appears tantalizingly close to completion.

Blinken touted the proposal, which has been in the works for a year, and discussed the importance of ensuring its success after the Biden administration leaves office in a speech to the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank.

“We have a responsibility to ensure that the strategic gains of the last 15 months endure and lay the foundation for a better future,” Blinken said. “All too often, in the Middle East, we’ve seen how the shoes of one dictator can be filled by another, or give way to conflict and chaos.”

Blinken said the plan, which he has referenced in the past, envisions the Palestinian Authority inviting “international partners” to stand up an interim governing authority to run critical services and oversee the territory. Other partners, notably Arab states, would provide forces to ensure security in the short term, he said.

That security mission would depend on a pathway to an independent Palestinian state unifying Gaza and the West Bank and would be tasked with creating “a secure environment for humanitarian and reconstruction efforts and ensuring border security,” Blinken said. A Palestinian state, which Israel has refused, has been a sticking point.

At the same time, the US would lead a new initiative to train, equip and vet a Palestinian-led security force for Gaza to focus on law and order that would take over from the interim mission, he said.

Blinken and his top aides have

spent months trying to sell Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Gulf Arab nations on the plan, which outlines how Gaza would be run without Hamas in charge of the territory that has been devastated by a war that began in October 2023 after the militant group’s attack inside Israel.

Those efforts initially met with resistance, with Israel objecting to calls for its complete withdrawal from Gaza and the Palestinian Authority taking a lead role in governance as well as Arab nations insisting that a ceasefire had to be sealed before discussion of a “day after” plan.

But during multiple trips to the region since last January, Blinken managed to get the Gulf Arab states, many of which would be asked to pay for reconstruction, on board with preparing the proposal.

Blinken’s speech Tuesday was interrupted several times by protesters, who

shouted that he was complicit in what they alleged were Israeli war crimes, calling him “secretary of genocide” and vowing that he would be held accountable for signing off on weapons shipments to Israel. The protests were brief and Blinken appeared unfazed. America’s top diplomat criticized Israel for not doing enough to rein in anti-Palestinian violence in the West Bank, withholding tax revenue from the Palestinian Authority and opposing any significant future role for the West Bank leadership in Gaza. He also took the PA to task for resisting longstanding demands for reforms that it has only recently begun to embrace.

“The PA will need to carry out swift, farreaching reform to build more transparent, accountable governance, continuing a process that it began last year. Israel will have to accept reuniting Gaza in the West Bank under the leadership of a reformed PA,” he said.

A PALESTINIAN man carries a wounded girl, following an Israeli bombardment on the Gaza Strip, as they arrive at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir al-Balah on Tuesday, January 14, 2025. AP/ABDEL KAREEM HANA

Pope Francis is introspective and self-critical in his autobiography, at least about his youth

OME—An introspective Pope

RFrancis has divulged some of the behind-the-scenes dynamics of the secret 2013 conclave that elected him pope and the resistance he has encountered ever since, in his autobiography being released Tuesday that also doubles down on some of his more controversial decisions as pontiff.

“Hope: The Autobiography” was only supposed to be published after Francis’ death. But at his own request, the book is hitting bookshelves now in more than 80 countries to coincide with the start of the church’s Holy Year. Its publishers say it’s the first autobiography ever written by a sitting pope, though Francis has collaborated with plenty of other memoir-type books before, and much of his papacy and personal backstory are already well known.

But “Hope” does provide personal insights into how history’s first Latin American pope interprets his childhood in Buenos Aires and how it has informed his priorities as pope. Drawn from conversations over six years with Italian journalist Carlo Musso,

“Hope” offers Francis’ own sometimes unflattering assessments of decisions he made or things he regrets—at least before he became pope.

It’s almost confessional at times, an 88-year-old Jesuit performing the Ignatian examination of his conscience at the end of his life to identify things he said or did that he now realizes could have been done better.

Whether it’s the time when he insisted that a schoolmate pay to repair a bike he had broken, or knocked another schoolmate nearly unconscious, he seems deeply ashamed of his younger self and says he still doesn’t believe himself worthy of the papacy.

“If I consider what is the greatest gift that I desire from the Lord, and have experienced, it is the gift of shame,” he writes at one point.

Curiously, two periods of Bergoglio’s past which have remained somewhat mysterious to outsiders are once again avoided in “Hope.” One concerns his stint in Córdoba, Argentina from 1990-1992. Francis has never really explained the internal Jesuit dynamics that resulted in him being exiled to work as a confessor at the Jesuit church more than a decade after he was provincial of the order in Argentina. The period is mentioned only in passing when Francis refers simply to

“the dark night at Córdoba.”

The other period of unknown in Bergoglio’s backstory concerns the time he spent in Germany doing research on the theologian Romano Guardini for a dissertation he never finished.

Also given short shrift was the impact of the clergy sexual abuse scandal, which convulsed his papacy for several years. The scandal exploded during Francis’ 2018 trip to Chile and the pope mentions the scandal briefly in the book. But he spends far more time recalling a more heart-warming memory from the Chile trip, when he married a pair of flight attendants on board the papal plane during the flight to Iquique.

The second half of the book, focusing on the papacy, is far less selfcritical and in fact is strident in defending his sometimes controversial decisions. It is here that Francis provides further details of his emotions as the votes started going his way on the second day of balloting during the March 2013 conclave that elected him pope.

Francis reveals that he was among those cardinals receiving “stopgap votes” in the first rounds, when cardinals toss out votes to see which way the balloting winds are heading. He

says he wasn’t keeping count in the early rounds but realized that his fate was sealed once he got 69 votes on the fourth ballot, out of the 77 needed for a two-thirds majority of the 115 cardinals.

The fifth ballot – the one that made him pope – actually had to be done twice. An extra ballot paper got stuck to one that a cardinal had filled out, so that when the papers were counted there were 116 rather than 115. The papers were burned without having even been opened and a new fifth ballot called.

“When my name was pronounced for the seventy-seventh time, there was a burst of applause, while the reading of the votes went on,” he writes. “I don’t know exactly how many votes there were in the end, I was no longer listening, the noise covered the voice of the scrutineer.”

One of the first things he did after the vote was to embrace Cardinal Angelo Scola, the archbishop of Milan who had been such a favorite going into the conclave that the Italian bishops conference had dummied up a press release announcing his election. “He deserved that embrace,” Francis writes.

Once in the sacristy, known as the “Room of Tears,” to be outfitted with the papal garb, Francis reveals that

he had in his pocket his old episcopal ring which he used, suggesting that he had an intuition getting dressed in the morning that he would indeed be elected.

“The red shoes? No, I have orthopedic shoes. I’m rather flat-footed,” he writes of his sartorial choices that night. Nor did he want the red velvet cape, known as a mozzetta, favored by his predecessor. “They were not for me. Two days later they told me I would have to change my trousers, wear white ones. They made me laugh. I don’t want to be an ice cream seller, I said. And I kept my own.”

Those looking for current Vatican gossip in “Hope” will be somewhat disappointed, as Francis only fleetingly touches on the more controversial parts of his papacy. He is far more certain of his decisions made as pope, even doubling down on blasting traditionalist Catholic priests as rigid and mentally unstable.

“This rigidity is often accompanied by elegant and costly tailoring, lace, fancy trimmings, rochets. Not a taste for tradition but clerical ostentation,” he writes. “These ways of dressing up sometimes conceal mental imbalance, emotional deviation, behavioral difficulties, a personal problem that may be exploited.”

He writes that the reform of the Vatican bureaucracy, particularly the effort to impose international accounting and budgeting standards on its finances, have been the most difficult task of his papacy and one that generated “the greatest resistance to change.”

“I have been summoned to a battle,” he writes.

He strongly defends his decision to authorize a sweeping trial of 10 people, including a cardinal, accused of alleged financial misconduct related to an investment in a London property. The trial resulted in several convictions, but also cost the Holy See reputational harm, given questions about whether the defendants received a fair trial and Francis’ own role in the saga.

“The decisions that I made in that respect were not easy, I was sure there would be problems, but I also know that the truth must never be hidden and being opaque is always the worst choice,” he writes.

After African bishops unanimously rejected his approval of gay blessings, Francis stands by his decision and insists that the blessing is for the people, not the relationship. “Homosexuality is not a crime,” he writes, repeating a statement he first made in a 2023 interview with The Associated Press.

PHL’s quest for UMIC status: An ambitious goal amid the reality of widespread poverty

PresIdent Marcos’ recent statement about the Philippines potentially achieving upper middle-income status in 2025 is both ambitious and inspiring. His remarks at the Malacañang Vin d’Honneur signaled a government ready to restore the nation’s prominence on the global stage, with a focus on attracting foreign investments and enhancing national competitiveness. However, this optimism must be tempered with a candid acknowledgment of the pressing socio-economic realities facing millions of Filipinos. (Read the BusinessMirror story: “We’ll become UMIC in ’25, says Marcos,” January 13, 2025).

The aspiration to achieve a gross national income (GNI) per capita of $4,466 to $13,845 is indeed within reach, particularly following the reported GNI of $4,335 in 2023. Yet, the journey towards this goal is fraught with significant challenges. A recent Social Weather Survey reveals that a staggering 63 percent of Filipino families identify as “poor,” the highest level since 2003. This figure raises an essential issue: Is it possible for the Philippines to significantly improve its economic standing if a large segment of its population remains mired in poverty?

The government’s strategy to stimulate economic growth through increased infrastructure investments and improved ease of doing business is commendable. The President’s intent to boost government revenue collection and practice prudent debt management further demonstrates a commitment to sustainable economic policies. However, these measures must translate into tangible benefits for the average Filipino. The disconnect between macroeconomic indicators and the lived experiences of citizens cannot be overstated. As food poverty reaches alarming levels—with over half of Filipino families identifying as food-poor—there is an urgent need for policies that directly address the basic needs of the population.

Moreover, the President’s call for Filipinos to embrace discipline and patriotism as part of a collective effort towards national progress, while noble, seems insufficient in tackling the immediate economic hardships faced by many. Encouraging families to engage in community improvement efforts is admirable, yet it must be paired with systemic changes that foster real economic security. The notion of personal resolutions, including the President’s own commitment to health, is a reminder that leadership involves personal accountability. However, the wider structural issues at play cannot be resolved through individual efforts alone.

As the Marcos administration aims for upper middle-income status, it must prioritize addressing the acute poverty that afflicts a majority of Filipinos. This includes implementing effective social safety nets, enhancing food security, and creating job opportunities that pay a living wage. The path to economic growth must be inclusive, ensuring that progress is not merely measured by GNI but also by improvements in the quality of life for all citizens.

While the ambition to elevate the Philippines to UMIC status is commendable, it must not overshadow the pressing need to address poverty and socioeconomic disparities. The government’s success will ultimately depend on its ability to translate economic growth into meaningful change for the millions who continue to struggle. True progress will be realized when every Filipino can feel the benefits of the nation’s economic aspirations, rather than merely witnessing them from afar.

BusinessMirror

T. Anthony C. Cabangon

Lourdes M. Fernandez

Jennifer A. Ng Vittorio V. Vitug

Lorenzo M. Lomibao Jr., Gerard S. Ramos Lyn B. Resurreccion, Dennis D. Estopace

Angel R. Calso, Dionisio L. Pelayo

Ruben M. Cruz Jr.

Eduardo A. Davad Nonilon G. Reyes

D. Edgard A. Cabangon

Benjamin V. Ramos

Aldwin Maralit Tolosa

Rolando M. Manangan

Using Overton with Pareto

tJohn Mangun

OUTSIDE THE BOX

Here are two concepts that have shaped my thinking. Joseph M. Juran, a romanian-born American engineer, who in 1941 read the work of Italian polymath Vilfredo Pareto. While conducting research in Italy in the 1890s, Pareto noticed that around 80 percent of the land in Italy was owned by 20 percent of the population. He found similar patterns in other areas of economic activity. the Pareto Principle was born.

Juran went on to apply that observation as a pioneer of Management Theory with studies showing that 80 percent of problems in business were due to 20 percent of causes, now a cornerstone of quality management where you do not have to fix “everything” just the “problem causers.”

Twenty percent of government officials probably cause 80 percent of the waste and corruption. Conversely, 20 percent of your employees are responsible for 80 percent of your company’s success.

The Mackinac Center for Public Policy, founded in 1987, is a nonpartisan, fiscally free market think tank. Until his death at 43 in 2003, American political scientist Joseph Overton was a vice president at Mackinac.

Overton studied free-market principles and to explain what think tanks do, in the 1990s he illustrated

the range of policies politically acceptable to the mainstream public. That idea eventually became known as the Overton Window.

The Overton Window refers to the range of policy ideas that are considered acceptable or mainstream at any given time. Political commentator Joshua Treviño wrote that the six degrees of acceptance of ideas are roughly in a time frame as first unthinkable, then radical, going up the scale to “acceptable, sensible, and popular,” which then becomes public policy.

How do these influence my thinking in a world where it is complicated to know who and what to believe and when complete information is scarce?

The Overton window and the Pareto principle are separate but can intersect in interesting ways within the context of individual decision making and give strategic focus within

The Pareto principle suggests that roughly 80 percent of outcomes come from 20 percent of factors. In decision-making, this means identifying which decisions or actions will yield the most significant results with the least amount of effort or resources. You might find that a small number of decisions significantly impact your health or career. Once you have identified these key decisions, consider where they fall within your personal Overton window. Are you making a decision that will prove to be unthinkable or “popular” in your own mind?

my comfort zone.

The Pareto principle suggests that roughly 80 percent of outcomes come from 20 percent of factors. In decision-making, this means identifying which decisions or actions will yield the most significant results with the least amount of effort or resources. You might find that a small number of decisions significantly impact your health or career. Once you have identified these key decisions, consider where they fall within your personal Overton window. Are you making a decision that will prove to be unthinkable or “popular” in your own mind?

Quitting smoking cigarettes was a “popular” decision for me. However, as weird as it may seem, the “unthink-

able” part has been the difficulty I have being around people that do smoke, like at parties and such. The cigarette smell takes my breath away. If you have time management problems, Pareto thinking can give you increased efficiency by focusing on the tasks that provide the most significant improvements and create better priorities. Then you can ensure these priorities align with what you currently find manageable, reflecting your personal Overton window. Likewise, when setting personal goals, consider what is within your Overton window now but use the Pareto principle to focus on goals where small steps can yield significant results. As you achieve smaller goals, your Overton window might expand, allowing you to set more ambitious goals.

When it comes to risk management, integrating the Overton window with the Pareto principle can provide a structured approach to identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks in a way that focuses on the most impactful areas. You might discover for yourself that 80 percent of your gains come from 20 percent of your “buys”, found best in keeping losing in amounts smaller than your profitable trades. If your stock picks are making you uncomfortable, find the sweet spot in your Overton window.

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.

EU considers gradual ban on Russian LNG and aluminum

tHe european Union is considering import restrictions on russian aluminum and phasing out liquefied natural gas from the nation as part of a new package of sanctions targeting Moscow for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to people familiar with the matter.

The draft measures, which would be part of the bloc’s 16th package of sanctions, include restrictions on dozens more vessels that are part of Moscow’s shadow fleet of tankers transporting Russian oil and further export controls on goods used for military purposes. The move would also see more banks cut off the international payments systems SWIFT, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Restrictions on aluminum would be gradual with a timeframe and scope still to be determined, the people said. Exiting LNG could be done either as a sanction or as part of a road map that the bloc’s execu-

tive arm is set to present next month, they said. Reuters earlier reported the discussion on aluminum.

The draft proposals are still being discussed between member states and could change before they’re formally presented.

While a ban on imports of Russian gas has been urged by several nations, the EU still needs to decide whether it should rely on sanctions to make it legally binding, regulations as part of a road map, or a mix of those two, according to officials and diplomats with knowledge of the talks.

Sanctions may offer the strongest argument for terminating con-

While a ban on imports of Russian gas has been urged by several nations, the EU still needs to decide whether it should rely on sanctions to make it legally binding, regulations as part of a road map, or a mix of those two, according to officials and diplomats with knowledge of the talks.

tracts with Russian suppliers, but they require unanimous approval from member states and are limited in time.

Supply shifts

EUROPEAN governments, which had previously been reluctant to give up Russian LNG, are watching nervously as gas prices creep up because of cold weather and new US sanctions on Russian energy. The US and EU have been gradually sanctioning some Russian LNG projects to curb Moscow’s export

expansion plans, but those efforts have done little to reduce the region’s appetite for Russian supplies that haven’t been hit with restrictions. Deliveries to Europe rose to a record high last year.

Russia was a key supplier to the European aluminum market prior to the invasion of Ukraine, but shipments have fallen due to widespread self-sanctioning by manufacturers, and a gradual reordering of global supply chains.

Russia accounts for about 6% of European imports, with shipments halving from levels seen in 2022, Morgan Stanley analyst Amy Gower said in a note. China has been buying Russian metal in greater volumes since the start of the war, and if an import ban is imposed, the market impact will depend on whether additional volumes can be re-routed, she said.

Musk accused by SEC of bilking Twitter investors out of millions

ELOn Musk cheated Twitter shareholders out of more than $150 million by waiting too long to disclose his growing stake in the company as he prepared a takeover bid, the us securities and Exchange Commission claimed in a lawsuit filed days before the Trump administration takes over.

The agency’s complaint, which was immediately disputed by a lawyer for Musk, accuses the billionaire of failing to promptly report that he had amassed more than 5 percent of the social-media platform’s stock in early 2022—a revelation that would have sent the stock’s price up.

“Because Musk failed to timely disclose his beneficial ownership, he was able to make these purchases from the unsuspecting public at artificially low prices,” the regulator said in its civil suit filed in federal court in Washington, DC. “Investors who sold Twitter common stock during this period did so at artificially low prices and thus suffered substantial economic harm.”

Alex Spiro, a lawyer for Musk, said the action is “an admission” that the SEC cannot bring an “actual case,” because Musk “has done nothing wrong and everyone sees this sham for what it is.”

“The SEC’s multi-year campaign of harassment against Mr. Musk culminated in the filing of a singlecount ticky tak complaint against Mr. Musk under Section 13(d) for an alleged administrative failure to file a single form—an offense that, even if proven, carries a nominal penalty,” Spiro said in a statement.

Trump supporter

MUSK , the world’s richest person, has become one of Donald Trump’s biggest supporters and closest advisers in recent months. The presidentelect has tasked Musk, along with Vivek Ramaswamy, with a broad government cost-cutting initiative. Musk has also joined the presidentelect in conversations with foreign officials.

The regulator has been probing Musk’s investment in Twitter since 2022, pressing him to explain why he hadn’t disclosed his stake in Twitter within the correct timeline.  SEC attorneys in December asked Musk to pay more than $200 million to settle the allegations that he failed to properly disclose his Twitter investment, according to a letter by his lawyers sent to the agency last month reviewed by Bloomberg News.

In the letter, Spiro said the SEC is seeking the relief but isn’t accusing Musk of acting willfully or with the intent to mislead investors.

The SEC declined to comment.

‘Improper and punitive’

SPIRO called the penalty he said t he SEC proposed “inherently improper and punitive.” Spiro said in cases of similar violations by other individuals, the SEC has sought a “reasonable” penalty of typically $100,000 or less.

Musk in December had publicly previewed that regulators were investigating him, posting a letter by Spiro on X that said the agency had

gas is not viable because a group of nations including hungary and Slovakia still rely on supplies from Russian gas supplier Gazprom PJSC, some of the officials said.

Banning LNG, whose imports reached record levels last year, is more feasible because the three countries that bring in the biggest share of the fuel—Spain, Belgium and France —are not expected to block punitive measures against Russia, according to the officials.

The bloc is also weighing proposals to list more companies in

LA rental hits $40,000 a month as fires

LThe regulator has been probing Musk’s investment in Twitter since 2022, pressing him to explain why he hadn’t disclosed his stake in Twitter within the correct timeline. SEC attorneys in December asked Musk to pay more than $200 million to settle the allegations that he failed to properly disclose his Twitter investment, according to a letter by his lawyers sent to the agency last month reviewed by Bloomberg News.

“reopened” a probe into his braincomputer interface company, Neuralink Corp.

The letter also said the agency was getting ready to take action against him over his investment in Twitter. It said SEC staff the day before had issued a “settlement demand that required Mr. Musk within 48 hours to either accept a monetary payment or face charges on numerous accounts.”

Musk has had a strained relationship with the SEC, which sued him for securities fraud in 2018 after he tweeted that he had “funding secured” to take electric carmaker Tesla Inc. private, leading to a surge in the company’s shares. Musk agreed to a settlement in the case, with the billionaire and Tesla each paying a $20 million penalty and Musk stepping down as the company’s chairman.

‘Twitter sitter’

ThE Supreme Court later rejected a n appeal from Musk in his “Twitter sitter” case, leaving in place a deal to have an in-house attorney pre-approve social media posts about Tesla.

By March 2022, Musk had acquired beneficial ownership of more than 9 percent of Twitter’s outstanding common stock. This triggered reporting requirements due within 10 days of the purchase. Musk filed the report 11 days later, making the company’s stock price surge by 27% from the day before, according to the lawsuit.

The complaint alleges that Musk repeatedly ignored advice to disclose his stake, after he passed the 5 percent threshold.

The SEC asked the court to direct Musk to pay a civil penalty and return profits, which the agency claims he reaped unjustly from his stock purchases.  Musk also faces investor litigation accusing him of hiding his acquisition of Twitter shares.

The case is Securities and Exchange Commission v. Musk, 25-cv00105, US District Court, District of Columbia (Washington). With assistance from Malathi Nayak /Bloomberg

third countries, including China and the United Arab Emirates, that are helping Russia get its hands on technologies used in weapons as well as restrictions on the Russian transportation sector.

Separately, the EU aims to close more loopholes that allow Moscow to evade existing restrictions as well as introduce higher tariffs on agricultural goods and fertilizers in parallel to a new sanctions package.

The bloc aims to adopt the new package of measures next month to mark three years since Russia’s invasion of its neighbor. With assistance from Stephen Stapczynski, Mark Burton and Andrew Janes /Bloomberg

Os angeles already had a housing affordability crisis before devastating wildfires burned entire neighborhoods to the ground. The disaster is making it worse.

Incoming calls at LA Estate Rentals, which manages and leases homes in some of the area’s costliest neighborhoods, have jumped to 500 a day, more than 10 times the number before the fires, said owner Patrick Michael.

he recently arranged for a tenant to pay $35,000 a month for a place in Beverly hills with a 12-month lease. After the fires but before the deal closed, the owner raised the rent to $40,000.

“What’s going on in the real estate market is disgusting,” Michael said by phone. “People are price gouging. It’s become like the eBay of homes, a bidding war.”

The nation’s second-largest metro area has long been one of the least affordable US markets to buy or rent. Now the pressure is intensifying because the fires that killed at least 24 people also destroyed more than 12,000 structures, many of them homes. That’s creating a large new group of people up and down the income scale who suddenly have nowhere to live.

“Anybody that would take advantage of that desperation is shameful,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said Tuesday, adding that she’s discussed price gouging with the district attorneys for the county and city. “Both of them are very clear that they’re going to be on the lookout for this type of thing.”

Only about 5 percent of Los Angeles apartments were vacant before the fires, with a median rent of $2,299, real estate service CoStar Group Inc. reported. The market was even tighter in the areas affected by the fires. The vacancy rate was 3.8 percent in Pasadena, near the Eaton fire, and 2.1 percent in western Los Angeles County, where the Palisades fire is burning.

Since evacuees are naturally looking for residences close to their burned properties, the competition is fiercest in areas that were already tight. Demand for furnished properties, which cost more, has soared because many prospective tenants lost all their belongings in the blazes.

“There’s so much demand,” said Aaron Kirman, chief executive officer of Christie’s International Real Estate Southern California. “I have two leases that each got 20 applications.”

Zillow Group Inc. has pulled down hundreds of listings that appear to violate price-gouging rules since the fires began, said Alex Lacter, a representative of the company. Zillow is exploring new processes to identify gouging, but for now, it’s assigning workers to investigate listings that have been flagged by users.

Ads for rental homes are popping up on the web, posted as bait by people who claim to represent properties, said Michael at LA Estate Rentals. Callers are often told the properties have already been taken. Then they’re offered a completely different house at a steeper price.

At his own firm, Michael had 200 listings before the fires. Now he’s running out of inventory.

“There’s nothing of good quality in the $10,000 to $20,000 range in Santa Monica or Brentwood,” he said.

The effect is if anything more painful for people in less rarefied parts of the market. Many Angelenos at lower or mid-income levels have lost their homes and most possessions, and often lack deep savings accounts they can tap into to compete in an increasingly expensive housing market.

Prices typically spike following natural disasters, at least briefly, said Jay Lybik, CoStar’s national director

roil housing market

The nation’s second-largest metro area has long been one of the least affordable US markets to buy or rent. Now the pressure is intensifying because the fires that killed at least 24 people also destroyed more than 12,000 structures, many of them homes. That’s creating a large new group of people up and down the income scale who suddenly have nowhere to live.

of multifamily analytics. Two prominent examples: hurr icane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005 and houston’s hurr icane harvey in 2017.

One big difference now, however, is that flooded houses in Gulf Coast areas could be restored more easily than the Los Angeles homes that burned to the ground and need total rebuilding, Lybik said. In New Orleans, much of the population never returned after Katrina. In houston, new construction costs less and faces fewer regulatory hurdles than in Southern California.

“The market is already very tight” in Los Angeles, Lybik said. “The absorption of displaced households will have a bigger impact on the overall market.”

That impact will unfold across a city that already places big financial stresses on buyers and renters. In the third quarter, only 15 percent of households could afford the area’s median priced home of $827,000, according to the California Association of Realtors. Buying a house at that price would require a minimum annual income of $207,600, almost double the US average, the association said.

It’s a similar story for renter households in Los Angeles. About 56 percent of them are considered to be rent burdened, meaning they spend more than 30 percent of their income on shelter, according to Redfin Corp. Renters displaced by natural disasters often face more challenges relocating because they may lack insurance and the thousands of

dollars required to make deposits for a new lease.

It’s still too soon to see a measurable change in housing data, according to Stuart Paul, US economist for Bloomberg Economics.

“At this point it looks like it’s upper-end, Westside landlords that are experimenting with aggressive price hikes,” he said. he cited the example of a listing for a four-bedroom home in Santa Monica that went from $8,750 in November to $12,500 after the fires and then dropped to $9,950 on Tuesday.  California law prohibits raising the price of consumer goods, including housing, by more than 10% after an emergency, which Governor Gavin Newsom declared last week for the Los Angeles area. Violators of anti-gouging laws can face up to a year in prison and $10,000 in fines plus civil penalties.

“The California Department of Justice takes seriously all reports of price gouging and is working with our law enforcement partners to investigate all leads stemming from the Southern California fire,” a spokesperson for state Attorney General Rob Bonta said in an e-mail. A law on the books is no guarantee of enforcement, however. Los Angeles passed an ordinance in 2019 restricting short-term rentals, such as Airbnbs, but it has been frequently ignored.

homeowners with a mortgage are required to have insurance, though their policies may not cover all the costs of rebuilding and replacing possessions as post-disaster prices spiral upwards. The state-backed FAIR Plan, an insurer of last resort for homeowners in high-fire risk zones, limits coverage to $3 million for a residence.

Amid the fierce competition, many owners of homes burned in the Palisades fire are paying out of pocket to secure rentals rather than wait for insurance payments, Michael said.

“Whoever pays the most—and has the cleanest deal—gets it,” he said. With assistance from Kate Seaman / Bloomberg

Push to stamp out Russian influence in Europe leaves scars

Larysa has lived in Estonia most of her life, but struggles with the language. One of the Baltic nation’s nearly 400,000 native russian speakers, she taught at a kindergarten catering to the minority for almost two decades.

That was until September, when the government required more than four dozen Russian schools to change their language of instruction to Estonian as part of a wide-ranging campaign to stamp out the Kremlin’s influence since the invasion of Ukraine. Larysa is among some 670 teachers who lost their jobs.

“I felt hurt,” she said by phone in the Estonian capital, Tallinn, declining to be identified by her last name because of the sensitivity around the Russian community.

“But I love Tallinn. This is my home.”

Estonia has long warned of aggression from Russia, which has unleashed a disinformation campaign and outright threats, and its approach is backed by a public wary of what Vladimir Putin might do next. But the concern is that the measures risk increasing support for Russia and playing into the Kremlin narrative that Russophobia is being fomented by Western capitals.

The country has shuttered Russian schools, targeted the Russian Orthodox Church, seized guns from Russian nationals and sought to revoke the right to vote in municipal elections for citizens of “hostile states.” The moves were condemned by the United Nations as at least partly discriminatory and questions have been raised by some in the Estonian government and security establishment.

“I have very deep hesitations and doubts whether we would solve problems or create new ones,” Arnold Sinisalu, a former national security and intelligence chief, told

local news outlet Delfi after the proposed changes to voting rights.

“Under certain adverse conditions, Russia is capable of creating a security threat from this.”

Estonia, like its Baltic neighbors Latvia and Lithuania, has taken a tough stance against Moscow’s aggression, but some measures have also been hard for the large Russian-speaking minority, a legacy of mass migration into the region, which was swallowed by the Soviet Union during World War II. Russophones make up more than a quarter of Estonia’s population of 1.3 million.

The three countries declared independence at the beginning of the 1990s and since then have regularly been on the receiving end of Kremlin threats. In 1993, Moscow temporarily shut off gas supplies and threatened to suspend the withdrawal of troops in response to what it called Estonia’s discriminatory citizenship laws.

More recently, former Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, now responsible for the European Union’s foreign policy, was placed on the Kremlin’s wanted list last year.

Underpinning much of the vitriol from Moscow are allegations of rights violations against Russian speakers. Estonian officials have noted that similar accusations undergirded Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with charges that Russian speakers in the eastern regions were being discriminated against.  Security services have pointed to risks. In 2007, Russian speakers rioted on the streets of Tallinn

over the removal of a Soviet statue, a sudden outbreak of violence that the government said was stoked by Moscow. Tension arose on a smaller scale in 2022 when the government oversaw the removal of a Soviet-era tank in the predominantly Russianspeaking city of Narva.

“Of course Russia has constantly made attempts to create various organizations and political movements here,” Margo Palloson, the head of Estonia’s domestic intelligence agency, said on a panel discussion in Tallinn on Nov. 29. “There have been few elections in Estonia where Russia has not made any attempt to influence them.”

The accusation has become a common refrain in recent years.

Most recently, Romania’s highest court ordered a rerun of the presidential election after the security services alleged Russian meddling. Next door in Moldova, a vote on future European Union membership was far tighter than polls predicted and the authorities also accused Russia of bribing voters.

The Kremlin has rejected accusations of election meddling – including in Romania and Moldova – and has regularly denied influence operations in the Baltic region.

Estonian Interior Minister Lauri Laanemets warned that the plan to revoke voting rights, which is still subject to parliamentary approval, could fuel more anger within the Russian community.

The move would affect more than 70,000 Russian nationals currently able to cast ballots in local elections. Laanemets helped soften parts of the new policy by sparing another 60,000 stateless Russian speakers—a legacy of many who didn’t acquire citizenship of the Baltic state after independence—from having their voting rights stripped.

“If you want to have a say, then you can pursue Estonian citizen-

ship,” Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said in November. That’s proved difficult for many whose mother tongue is Russian. They’re required to learn basic Estonian, which is related to Finnish but not to Slavic or the other Baltic languages.

Applicants are also generally required to renounce their current citizenship, a tall order in the current geopolitical environment, since it could require a trip to Russia. Nationals traveling there risk being conscripted.

Nikolai, a 47-year-old construction worker who lives in Tallinn with his wife and two children, also speaks little Estonian and has a Russian passport. “I was born here and have lived here all my life, what other home do I have?” he said.

Estonia and Latvia still have the biggest portion of Russian speakers of any NATO member state, and many have lived in the region for generations. But for their governments, the question of what would happen in a conflict with Moscow still arises.

Estonia’s national security agency has played down the worry, saying there is no “fifth column” of potential traitors. Sinisalu, the former security chief, made a point to call the narrative an oversimplification, speaking of the Russianspeaking community as a varied group.

For Mihhail Kolvart, a former mayor of Tallinn and a native Russian speaker, the potential for creating social division is greater than the perceived security risk.

“We are talking about our people,” Kolvart told a local broadcaster in late November.

“These people were born here, lived here, fell in love here, gave birth here, worked here, and pay taxes here.”  With assistance from Maxim Edwards, Yuliya Fedorinova and Aaron Eglitis /Bloomberg

THE Commission on Elections is grappling with a staggering loss of around P150 million after the temporary suspension of ballot printing due to last-minute changes in the candidates’ list.

With just months left to prepare, the poll body now faces challenges in terms of reprinting ballots and adjusting its already tight election timeline.

Comelec Chairman George Erwin M. Garcia said on Wednesday that the reprinting became necessary after the Supreme Court ordered the reinstatement of senatorial aspirant Subair Mustapha and several local candidates who had previously been disqualified or declared nuisance candidates.

“’ Yung isang balota kasi more or less P22, that’s how much we pay theNational Printing Office. at does not include the cost of paper, ink, and of course, the many people in the [NPO] who render overtime. We have a day shift and night shift whom we must pay,” Garcia explained.

On Tuesday evening, the Comelec halted ballot printing following the Supreme Court’s issuance of temporary restraining orders (TROs) for five aspirants.

Aside from Mustapha, the High Court also reinstated Edgar Erice (for second district representative of Caloocan City), Charles Savellano (for fi rst district representative of Ilocos Sur), Chito Bulatao (for governor of Zambales), and Florendo Ritualo Jr. (for fi rst district representative of San Juan City), allowing their names to be included in the official ballots.

“We have no problem with local positions because we have not printed ballots for local. But we have a big problem in the commis-

sion because there’s one seeking a Senate seat who obtained a TRO,” Garcia said, partly in Filipino.

While local ballots remain unaffected, Garcia noted that the issuance of TROs also meant significant updates to the Election Management System (EMS) to incorporate the new names securely.

“We will revise the EMS. is time we will change the feature where we can add or put in something,” Garcia said, adding that the Comelec is preparing contingency plans in case additional TROs are issued in the coming days.

He explained that the current EMS cannot simply be adjusted due to its strict security protocols.

e adjustments may also affect the order of senatorial candidates on the ballot, especially those with surnames starting with the letter M onward, where Mustapha will be inserted.

Realignment of budget

DESPITE the P150-million loss, the Comelec has decided not to request additional funding from Congress, as this could further delay its preparations. Instead, the poll body plans to realign items within its 2025 budget to cover the cost of reprinting ballots. “ e Comelec has the power to realign the budget...what’s important is that we don’t have to struggle with a budget problem. What’s important is we can print promptly the ballots at all cost,” Garcia said.

Garcia clarified that Miru Systems, the country’s election system

T

HE Philippines faces a high credit exposure stemming from its vulnerability to physical climate risks as these would require emergency and recovery spending, according to Moody’s Ratings.

In its outlook, Moody’s Ratings provided a physical climate risks category score of 4 to the Philippines.

A physical climate risks issuer profi le category score of 5 indicates very high credit exposure to associated risks, while a score of 1 signals exposure to material credit benefits.

“[ e Philippines] frequently experiences typhoons, causing widespread damage and necessitating emergency funds for recovery,” Moody’s Ratings said. In 2025, Moody’s Ratings said debt affordability for the Philippines will deteriorate due to higher interest rates than prepandemic, despite revenue mobilization measures. It noted that general government interest payments increased to around 13.5 percent of general

government revenue.

Moody’s Ratings said higher interest rates in the Philippines, compared to prepandemic levels, could hinder the government’s efforts to improve its fi scal consolidation.

It noted that budget deficits in several large Southeast Asian economies have narrowed significantly since the pandemic.

e prevailing interests are currently at 5.75 percent as interest rates on the overnight deposit and lending facilities were at 5.25 percent and 6.25 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, Moody’s Ratings lowered its outlook on the Philippines’s gross domestic product, projecting an expansion of 6 percent in 2025.

is is slightly lower than the previous estimate of 6.2 percent.

“Rising employment and higher remittance inflows will support household spending,” it said. Public investment is also expected to underpin growth, while reforms such as market liberalization and measures to attract foreign investment are anticipated to drive private-sector activity.

e Philippines is aiming for economic growth of 6 to 8 percent this year.

Tthis is the fi rst and last time we have to reprint ballots. Again, with all due respect to the SC...the schedule is so tight,” Garcia said. e Comelec chief added that the suspension has set back their timeline by nearly two weeks.

To catch up, the commission is exploring the use of four additional printing machines at the National Printing Office, on top of

the two currently in use, to speed up the process. Tests and printing trials are ongoing to ensure that all machines can handle the reprinting of ballots efficiently.

Despite the delays, Garcia assured the public that election day

HE National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) on Wednesday warned of higher overall transmission rates that may be reflected in the February electricity bills of consumers mainly due to the settlement of the remaining 70-percent ancillary service (AS) cost for the March 2024 billing period.

“In the next billing statement of NGCP that will be given to customers, we will see the billing of 70 percent of the AS charge— that was not billed by the generator from March 2024 billing period—will now be collected from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

For Luzon, Mindanao will be three months, and for Visayas this is within six months. is will be on top of the current AS,” said NGCP spokesperson Atty. Cynthia Alabanza during a news briefi ng on Wednesday.

Transmission wheeling rates are what NGCP charges for its primary service of delivering power. Meanwhile, AS charges pertain to the cost for AS sourced from the AS Reserve Market and those for AS providers with bilateral contracts with NGCP.

e grid operator does not earn from AS and does not benefit from the increase in prices. It is a pass-through cost and NGCP said power generating companies benefit from this. NGCP contracts 50 percent of its AS requirement from fi rm agreements and 50 percent from the AS Reserve Market.

e settlement of the 30 percent AS cost was already reflected in the September 2024 bills. NGCP has yet to calculate the AS cost resulting from the 70 percent AS cost. “We are still waiting for the computation of the IEMOP [Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines]. We have not yet received a billing statement from IEMOP to compute for that rate impact,” added Alabanza.

e reserve market allows the system operator to procure power reserves from the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market, the trading floor of electricity, to meet the reserve requirements of the energy system. It may be recalled that in March 2024, the ERC suspended the implementation of the billing and settlement in the co-

ALEADER of the House of Representatives on Wednesday criticized the Department of Agriculture (DA) for setting the maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) for rice at P58 per kilo, calling the figure “unrealistic” and “a disservice to consumers.”

During the Murang Pagkain Supercommittee hearing, Deputy Majority Leader Janette Garin of Iloilo accused the DA of failing to address key issues in the rice supply chain that have driven up prices.

With this, the panel, headed by Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda, decided to invite Secretary Francisco “Kiko” P. Tiu Laurel Jr. to the next hearing.

“Why does DA have an MSRP of P58? Which planet does it come from, Mr. Chair?” Garin said during her interpellation. MSRP should

have been lower after the price of regular milled rice dropped, she said.

e DA will impose a maximum suggested retail price of P58 per kilo for imported rice starting January 20. Laurel said the MSRP aims to have a balance between business sustainability and the welfare of consumers and farmers.

Moreover, Salceda questioned DA Undersecretary Asis Perez, who attended the hearing, on the basis of the P58 per kilo MSRP.

Diyos ko, ang taas nun [My God, that’s too high],” said Salceda, noting that the cost of imported rice has gone down to between P44 and P47, while the buying price for palay (unmilled rice) has fallen, as well.

Perez, for his part, justified the P58 MSRP as part of a pilot program in Metro Manila, where rice prices reportedly hover between P62 and P64 per kilo. Perez explained that the figure

considered the landed cost of imported rice plus distribution chain markups.

Perez said the P58 price “is based on the landed cost of imported rice, plus a reasonable markup for all those involved in the distribution chain; that chain is long.”

Garin rejected this defense, saying rice prices in Mindanao ranged from P37 to P45 per kilo, with premium varieties capped at P50.

Garin said that in an inspection and consultation with the wholesalers in Bulacan, “it was announced in the media by no other than Sec. Kiko Tiu Laurel, together with the DA family, that they will bring down the price of rice to P45 to P49.”

But, Garin stressed, such did not happen.

“How can we control the price of rice when the agency that is supposed to guide us is pegging it at a high price?” Garin asked. Garin cited reports showing

that the landed cost of imported rice ranged from P35 to P39 per kilo, significantly lower than the DA’s MSRP.

Even with logistics and markups, she argued, rice should not exceed P45 to P49 per kilo at retail. e Iloilo lawmaker criticized DA’s method for setting the MSRP, arguing that it was based on infl ated market prices rather than actual production costs and reasonable margins.

Garin also accused the DA of neglecting its responsibility to monitor and regulate the supply chain, alleging that collusion among traders and monopolistic practices among retailers were infl ating prices. She reiterated her call for the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to probe the

COMELEC Chairman George Erwin M. Garcia

New tenants boost leasing activity of Filreit in 2024

Filinvest R eit Corp. (Filreit), the real estate investment trust of the Gotianun Group, on Wednesday said it saw a 13-percent increase in new leases in January to september 2024.

The company said the hike was driven by the new lease accounts and expansions of multinational companies within Northgate Cyberzone in Alabang.

“The proactive efforts of Filreit management to swiftly address pre-termination challenges have spurred the arrival of new tenants, reinforcing the area’s status as a prime business hub in the South,” the company said.

Maynilad

AYNILAD Water Services

MInc., the West Zone concessionaire, is in discussions with banks for its initial public offering (IPO) at the Philippine Stock Exchange, while prioritizing the fundraising activity for its tollways business.

“They’re (Maynilad) busy talking to the banks because (they are required to list by 2027). So we’ll try to put it away this year or next year,” Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) Chairman and President Manuel V. Pangilinan said at the sidelines of the general membership meeting of the Management Association of the Philippines.

CEB ferries 1M fliers from Clark

BUDGET carrier Cebu Pacific (CEB) transported more than one million passengers through Clark International Airport in 2024, a 36-percent increase from the year prior.

Cebu Pacific’s average monthly seat count rose by 102 percent, from 79,000 in January 2024 to 161,000 in December. Concurrently, flights nearly doubled from 441 to 872 per month during the same period.

According to Cebu Pacific Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer Candice Iyog, the growth reflects the airline’s commitment to expanding connectivity for travelers in central and northern Luzon, including provinces such as Pampanga, Bulacan, Tarlac, and Nueva Ecija.

“We are delighted by the strong growth we achieved in 2024, which highlights the growing demand for accessible air travel among our passengers from central and northern Luzon. Cebu Pacific remains steadfast in its commitment to offering affordable and convenient flights, ensuring we meet the evolving needs of our customers.” The airline currently operates 11 domestic and international routes from Clark, with popular destinations such as Boracay (21 weekly flights), Hong Kong (14 weekly flights), and Narita (8 weekly flights). Lorenz S. Marasigan

“This strategic approach continues to attract global enterprises seeking to expand within a masterplanned, strategically located environment.”

It said the NASDAQ-listed EXLService Holdings Inc., a New York-based leader in data and artificial intelligence, has strengthened its partnership with Filreit by expanding its lease with an additional 1,750 square meters.

New Zealand-based Building Engineering and Design Co., a top engineering and architectural solutions firm, has expanded its offices in Filinvest Two by securing an additional 1,724 square meters on another floor.

Meanwhile, one of Filreit’s longest tenant-partners, Genpact Services LLC (Philippine Branch), a global professional services firm, also leased additional space in the iHub 1 Building, marking the company’s sixth expansion with the company. Genpact’s growing presence in Northgate Cyberzone—with over 24,400 square meters of leased space across Plaza A, Vector Two, and 5132 Buildings.

The company also welcomed Gear Inc., a global Business Process Outsourcing company founded in 2007 and headquartered in Singapore. This partnership is a significant milestone for both parties, as it marks Gear Inc.’s first permanent office in the Philippines. Gear Inc.

will lease 1,993.1 square meters of premium office space within Filreit’s Filinvest One Building.

Located in the prime, central area of Alabang, Muntinlupa, Northgate Cyberzone is a Peza-accredited, campus-style development consisting of 16 Grade A office buildings that offer businesses a vibrant and wellconnected workspace.

“Its proximity to residential neighborhoods, top schools, and commercial hubs fosters a balanced work-life environment, while access to a dynamic talent pool from Calabarzon supports industries seeking innovation.”

The company’s office properties use 100 percent renewable energy with seven EDGE-certified and two LEED-certified buildings. Its sustainability focus aligns with the sustainability goals of global brands and offers an attractive option for companies focused on reducing their environmental footprint.

in talks with banks for IPO

Ramoncito S. Fernandez, the company’s president and CEO, said last November that the company has already appointed its financial advisors for the deal who will handle the valuation of the company.

He said, however, that it’s “too early to talk about the valuation,” as the company is still in the initial stages of preparation.

The advisors are HSBC, Morgan Stanley and UBS, he said. “Yes, we are poised to list (in 2025). Our target is to be prepared for two possible dates: one is before the elections—April or after the elections—July. So our plan is to be pushbutton ready so we are now pushing

our team to apply already by the first quarter of (2025),” Fernandez told reporters in a briefing in November.

The valuation will determine how much the company will raise.

“This is a major listing that will not be funded only by local investors. We really need a portion (for foreign investors),” Fernandez said. “Up to (30 percent of outstanding balance) is required for the franchise but we will be happy if it will be bigger.”

The issue, however, is how much of the shares held by current investors will be diluted.

MPIC owns 52.8 percent of Maynilad, the Consunji Group con-

trols 25 percent and Japan’s Marubeni Corp. accounts for 20 percent. The remaining shares are owned by other investors.

Meanwhile, Pangilinan said Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. is currently conducting its own fundraising.

He said the holding company for the tollways is raising P30 billion to P50 billion from private placement of new shares.

Pangilinan said the company is prioritizing the fundraising activity, than its merger with San Miguel Corp’s tollway business.

“That (merger) is much more complicated. Hopefully, within the year, or next year.” VG Cabuag

Aboitiz unit acquires CEDI shares from MRP

ABOITIZ Renewables Inc., a subsidiary of Aboitiz Power Corp., has acquired the shares of Mainstream Renewable Power Philippines Holdings B.V. (MRP) in Cornerstone Energy Development Inc. (C EDI).

In a disclosure Tuesday, Aboitiz Power said ARI and MRP reached an agreement last January 10 for the transfer of the latter’s shares in CEDI via a share purchase agreement, in favor of ARI. CEDI was the local partner of MRP in the wind farm project.

“The closing of the agreement effectively terminates the agreements previously entered into by the parties for the development of an onshore wind project in Libmanan, Camarines Sur,” AboitizPower said. The parties did not report the reason for the termination of their 2022 joint venture agreement to build a 90-megawatt (MW) onshore wind project.

The joint venture supposedly marked AboitizPower’s first foray into wind energy. Back then, ARI proposed to acquire a 60-percent stake in the Libmanan onshore wind project, which Mainstream, headquartered in Dublin, has been developing since 2017. The commercial operation of the wind power project was originally set to take place this year. Meanwhile, Aboitiz Upgrade So -

JOLLIBEE Foods Corp. on Wednesday said it opened its first Tiong Bahru Bakery branch in the Philippines, its first foray into the baked bread sector.

Its first store in the Philippines is located at the Verve Residences Tower 2, Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. Originally hailing from Singapore, Tiong Bahru Bakery is known for its croissant and other handmade pastries. It now has 21 branches in Singapore.

“Introducing Tiong Bahru Bakery to the Philippine market aligns with our commitment to providing Filipinos with exciting, world-class dining experiences,” Ernesto Tanmantiong, Jollibee’s president and CEO, said.

“This marks the first international branch of Tiong Bahru Bakery, and we are proud to open it here in the Philippines. We deeply appreciate the support of our exceptional partners—Titan Dining, Ayala Malls, and Bonifacio Global City—who have been instrumental in bringing this vision to life.”

Its offerings include the signature croissant, Pain Au Chocolat, the Kouign Amann, the Za’atar Miso Eggplant Sandwich and lemon tart. Completing customers’ Tiong Bahru Bakery dining experience is the good coffee from sustainably sourced beans produced by Common

“For years, the Tiong Bahru Bakery has been synonymous with serving the epitome of croissants and an array of delectably unique creations. Now, with its arrival in the Philippines, we want the location to be the people’s go-to spot where they can indulge in freshly baked products while soaking in the store’s inviting ambiance,” Joseph Tanbuntiong, CEO of Jollibee Group Philippines, said.

“Our signature croissants take three whole days to perfect—a process that involves careful fermentation, layering, proofing, and baking to achieve that golden, flaky finish that we and our customers love. These techniques are a testament to the skill and dedication of our bakers and our belief that great food is worth the time and effort,” Tiong Bahru Bakery’s general manager Matt McLauchlan, said. VG Cabuag

lar Inc. (AUSI), a joint venture between Aboitiz Power and Upgrade Energy Philippines (UGEP), signed a long-term solar power purchase agreement (PPA) with Republic Cement & Building Materials Inc. (RCBM).

Under the PPA, AUSI will develop, build and operate a ground-mounted solar project in RCBM’s facility in San Mateo, Norzagaray, Bulacan, while RCBM will purchase the clean energy generated.

With AUSI shouldering the upfront capital investment and the operations of the project, it will exclusively sell the produced power to RCBM’s cement plant, enabling the latter to achieve long-term operational savings and reduce its carbon footprint. The ground-mounted solar project is slated for completion by the second half of 2025.

“This project sets a new benchmark for solar adoption in the industrial sector. By bridging AUSI’s expertise in delivering innovative energy solutions and Republic Ce -

ment’s sustainability goals, we are creating a blueprint for how renewable energy solutions can power the Philippines’ industrial future,” said AboitizPower’s First Vice President and Head of Retail James Yu.

AUSI develops, builds and operates distributed solar solutions for large commercial and industrial consumers.

AUSI Chairman Ruth Yu-Owen said the partnership is “a major milestone” in their shared vision of utilizing renewable energy to fuel industrial development.

For RCBM’s part, company CEO Roman Menz emphasized the importance of renewable energy for the cement industry. “This partnership reflects Republic Cement’s dedication to sustainability in terms of addressing the pressing need for cleaner energy solutions. By integrating solar energy into our operations, we take a decisive step toward reducing emissions and contributing to a more sustainable Philippines,” he said.

EIGHT in 10 organizations in the Philippines were negatively affected by cybersecurity breaches within their supply chain in the past year, according to BlueVoyant, a cyber defense company.

Based on BlueVoyant’s research findings from its fifth annual global survey into supply chain cyber risk management, the Philippines’s results show that reducing supply chain cyber risk is a major problem with more than 84 percent of organizations reporting an average of 3.13 breaches which affected operations in 2024.

The results revealed that “critical gaps” in third-party cyber security risk management among Philippine organizations with almost a third or 32 percent of respondents reported having no way to detect cyber security incidents within their supply chains, surpassing the global average of 30 percent and highlighting “significant visibility challenges.”

Further, the survey noted that 65 percent of the respondents acknowledged that third-party cyber security risk management is either not a priority or only somewhat of a priority.

William Oh, interim head of Asia-Pacific at BlueVoyant, said these findings highlight that Philippine businesses continue to tackle the “critical challenge of mitigating supply chain and third-party cyber risks.”

“Despite the rising frequency of breaches, awareness and prioritization of these issues remain alarmingly low compared to global counterparts.”

He said the importance of managing risk across the supply chain cannot be “under-

stated,” especially as the Philippines remains a “prevalent target for cyber attacks like phishing, scam calls, and data breaches.”

Meanwhile, the survey noted that there are areas for improvement for Philippine organizations with 32 percent reporting they have no way of knowing if a cyber breach occurs and are less likely to report using “autonomous transparency tools.”

“Fifty-five percent of Philippines’ respondents reported no autonomous transparency into their supply chain compared to 39 percent globally.”

BlueVoyant noted that almost 45 percent of Philippine organizations indicated the news of breaches over the past 12 months are likely to lead to an increase in budget for additional internal and external resources to help protect against supply chain cyber security issues.

“The good news is that 90 percent of the Philippine organizations are reporting budget increases with their third-party cyber security risk management programs which reflects greater importance on cyber risk compared to 86 percent globally.” Andrea E. San Juan

Man Coffee Roasters.
Contributed photo

US inflation data to stay firm, feeding rates fears

F

ORECASTERS expect a monthly report on US consumer prices to show a fifth month of firm increases, bolstering the case for an extended pause in Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts.

The so-called core consumer price index, which excludes food and energy, is seen rising 0.3 percent in December alongside a 0.4 percent advance in the overall index, according to the median estimates in a Bloomberg survey. The CPI report is scheduled to be published Wednesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Wednesday’s figures come at a critical time for investors and policymakers, with the yield on 10-year Treasury notes up more than half a percentage point amid renewed inflation fears since last month’s CPI release on Dec. 11. And the median expectation for a 0.3 percent increase in the core measure conceals a more contentious split among forecasters, with 39 in Bloomberg’s survey at the median and 32 projecting a more benign 0.2 percent rise.

“December’s CPI report will likely feed concern that progress on disinflation has stalled,” Bloomberg economists Anna Wong and Chris G. Collins said in a Jan. 14 preview of the numbers. “Market chatter is focused on whether the 10-year Treasury yield could breach 5 percent. The combination of a firm CPI print and other macro data we expect this week suggest that’s a real possibility.”

Here are the key components to watch in the report:

Rents

TWO of the most important components of the CPI—owners’ equivalent rent and rent of primary residence—rose in November at the slowest pace since early 2021, feeding anticipation that a long-awaited deceleration is finally well under way. The numbers have been volatile throughout 2024, and most analysts have penciled in somewhat higher readings for December, but the magnitude could ultimately decide where the broader core index lands.

“We expect both rents of primary residence and OER to accelerate, but to remain below the underlying trend this year,” economists at Morgan Stanley led by Diego Anzoategui

DURING a great year for cryptocurrencies, hedge funds focused on digital assets unsurprisingly did very well, too. It’s just that many didn’t do as well as the industry’s most famous token: Bitcoin.

Last year, a number of crypto hedge funds logged double-digit returns, with the VisionTrack Composite Index, which tracks the performance of 130 cryptodedicated hedge funds, jumping 40 percent, according to data provided by Galaxy’s VisionTrack. But those gains are paltry when compared with the advanced notched by Bitcoin, which surged 120 percent to above $100,000 for the first time.

Many hedge funds bend over backwards to differentiate themselves via proprietary or innovative investment strategies that may not always include buying the largest digital coin, meaning that those that didn’t invest in Bitcoin missed out on its banner returns. But investors looking for crypto exposure also last year gravitated toward easy-to-trade, low-fee exchange-traded funds that hold Bitcoin, which allowed them to gain access to the market without having to buy into higher-charging strategies.

“2024 was a challenging year for a lot of crypto funds because it was a Bitcoin and memecoins year—those were the best assets, and everything else trailed be-

said in a Jan. 8 note previewing the report. “It is not our modal forecast, but December’s core CPI print could round to 0.2 percent. A weaker rebound in rents or car insurance could easily move core CPI below 0.25 percent.”

Travel

CATEGORIES associated with travel—like lodging away from home, airline fares and food away from home—are often viewed as proxies for underlying consumer demand and have generally logged robust price increases in recent months.

Analysts are split on the outlook for hotel rates in particular after the lodging away from home category rose 3.2 percent in November, the fastest monthly pace in over two years. Some expect outright declines in December and others, like Pantheon Macroeconomics Chief US Economist Samuel Tombs, are penciling in another solid increase.

“Travel hit record highs over the holidays; December airline passenger numbers were 10 percent above their 2019 level,” Tombs said in a Jan. 14 note. “In addition, average rates for hotel rooms rose by 2.8 percent in unadjusted terms in December, well above the 0.3 percent average increase in the previous three Decembers, according to STR Inc data.”

Furnishings

FOLLOWING outsize price declines near the end of 2023, the pace of deflation in commodities less food, energy and used cars and trucks— so-called “core goods”—slowed in 2024. In November, they rose by 0.1 percent, thanks in particular to a 0.7-percent jump in household furnishings and supplies.

Fed officials will probably be looking at core goods for clues about the broader inflation trajectory amid concerns about the impact of the incoming Trump administration’s policy proposals, according to Skanda Amarnath, the executive director of Employ America. “To the extent tariff uncertainties manifest through anticipatory behavior, it’s plausible that price increases emerge ahead of policy announcements,” Amarnath said in a Jan. 13 note. “If core goods upside from November replicates, we will be highly cautious about the outlook for further rate cuts.”

hind,” said David Kalk, founder and chief investment officer of Reflexive Capital, which runs its own hedge fund that invests in Bitcoin, among other investments. Beating Bitcoin’s performance is challenging for crypto hedge funds because “it’s really hard to time these things,” said David Jeong, CEO of Tread.fi, an algorithmic crypto trading platform for institutional traders. “In the hedge fund world, drawdowns are quite sensitive and so you can’t just always be fully exposed long. And investors have alternative pathways to get exposure to crypto.” Still, hedge funds focusing on directional and quantitative strategies in the digital-asset industry notched the best average performance last year, based on data from VisionTrack. The VisionTrack Quant Directional Index gained 53.7 percent, while the VisionTrack Fundamental Index grew 40.4 percent in the same period.

The VisionTrack Market Neutral Index added about 18.5 percent. Galaxy Digital’s own Alpha Liquid Fund was up 76.6 percent in 2024, according to a person familiar with the performance. A representative of Galaxy declined to comment about the returns because the information was not public.

David Tawil’s ProChain Master Fund, a multi-strategy crypto vehicle he launched in 2018, added roughly 70 percent last year–af-

Govt released nearly ₧23B for managing disaster risks

THE government released a total of P22.598 billion from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (NDRRMF) in 2024 for relief and rehabilitation services caused by disasters.

Data from the Department of Budget and Management showed 99.39 percent of the P22.735 billion appropriated amount for calamity funds has been disbursed as of end-December 2024. The amount is higher than the P19.739 billion

Tin calamity funds released in 2023 when the appropriated amount was P23.205 billion.

Calamity funds may be used for aid, relief and rehabilitation efforts to communities, as well as to repair and reconstruct damages

HE Department of Finance (DOF) announced last Wednesday that Secretary Ralph G. Recto resolved concerns on the computation of the national tax allotment (NTA) shares for local government units (LGUs) in a dialogue with city mayors on January 15.

During the meeting, the DOF said Recto provided a “detailed line-by-line briefing to the city mayors on the NTA computations, ensuring full alignment with the principles of the 2019 Mandanas-Garcia Supreme Court (SC) ruling and relevant laws.” Present during the briefing were Baguio City Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong, Quezon City Mayor Joy G. Belmonte, and Dumaguete City Mayor Felipe Antonio B. Remollo.

“We did not change or amend anything. This is based on the SC ruling and a Development Budget Coordination Committee resolution, which was made in consultation with the LGUs. We are very transparent,” Recto was quoted in the statement as saying.

Meanwhile, a comparison of the computations between the LGUs and the DOF was also discussed, revealing that the calculations and deductions under various laws were more or less aligned.

The city mayors expressed their gratitude to the DOF for the dialogue and its openness to listening and addressing concerns. Magalong, in particular, expressed his apologies to

ter having surged 80 percent in 2023–thanks to sizable positions in bigger tokens including Bitcoin.

“We’re trying to get the best risk-adjusted returns and, frankly, in this past year, we clearly came out on top because those large-cap tokens mightily beat the crypto market overall,” said Tawil. “So if you owned altcoins, you did not perform as well.”

Fundamental research and macro funds, which have high conviction in crypto assets based on fundamental research in the token or the blockchain, in general performed well. San Francisco-based Reflexive Capital, which runs a long-biased fundamental crypto hedge fund, was up 106 percent in net returns in 2024, according to a person familiar with the performance. Reflexive’s Kalk declined to comment about his fund’s performance.

The Tephra Digital Asset Fund LP, run by former Wall Street veterans Ryan Price and Raghav Chopra, rose about 100 percent in gross returns at the end of December, compared to 41 percent in the year before, according to the fund’s December letter to investors dated Jan. 6, which was viewed by Bloomberg News. Price and Chopra declined to comment about their fund’s performance.

“It was a volatile year for crypto funds, seeing significant 2030 percent drawdowns through spring and summer, but ending

from natural or human-induced calamities within the current or past two years. As such, P22.078 billion and P520.135 million were distributed to national government agencies and state-run corporations, respectively.

Broken down, the Department of Public Works and Highways received a total of P12.090 billion in calamity funds or 53.17 percent of the allotted fund. This covered the implementation of various calamity-related infrastructure projects.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development obtained the second-highest allocation with P8.135 billion or nearly 36 percent of the calamity funds.

The Department of National Defense (DND), Department of Agriculture, Human Settlements and Urban

Recto for his earlier remarks suggesting that LGUs were being shortchanged in their NTAs. Recto assured the mayors that he is just “one call away” and that the DOF “is always open to having continued dialogues with LGUs to help them strengthen their fiscal capacities and optimize resource utilization to deliver more and better services to Filipinos.”

Mandanas ruling

THE 2019 Mandanas-Garcia ruling of the High Tribunal, which took effect in 2022, increased the NTA shares of LGUs to 40 percent of all national taxes beyond those collected by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR). This adjustment was intended to enhance the fiscal autonomy of LGUs by granting them a more substantial share of the national tax base.

In its decision, the SC ordered the Secretary of the DOF, the Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management, the Commissioners of the BIR and the Bureau of Customs and the National Treasury, to include all national tax collections in the computation of the NTA base, “except those accruing to special purpose funds and special allotments for the utilization and development of the national wealth.”

In determining the deductions, the DOF is guided by the SC decision including Section 29 (3), Article VI and Section 7, Article X of the 1987 Constitution.

the year with a strong run,” Galaxy Research’s team said in an emailed statement. “The distribution of returns was wide, with the laggards not well positioned for the November run-up, and only the top cohort of funds outperforming BTC for the year.”

Most of the gains for the crypto hedge funds came in the last quarter of 2024, according to Galaxy’s data, as president-elect Donald Trump, once a crypto skeptic, turned into the industry’s biggest cheerleader. His victory in the US presidential election has sent Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to fresh highs. Adding to Bitcoin’s outstanding year is also the successful launch of exchange-traded funds in the US that invest in Bitcoin directly. BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF, the iShares Bitcoin Trust, smashed industry records with its launch at the start of 2024. In just 11 months, it grew its assets to more than $50 billion.

The positive returns are raising optimism among those looking to raise fresh capital, especially with an embrace of the industry by the incoming Trump administration.

“There’s been a real shift in investor enthusiasm around the space on the back of this catalyst,” Reflexive’s Kalk said. “It seems like the characterization of fundraising has been really challenging over the last couple of years and that’s likely going to change in 2025.” Bloomberg News

Development were also allocated P557.341 million, P500 million and P374.970 million, respectively. Moreover, the Department of Finance received P345.164 million while the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) was given P25 million. For December 2024 alone, the government released P119.841 million in calamity funds.

The NDRRMF was tapped by the DND and DILG, obtaining P69.841 million and P50 million, respectively. For this year, the NDRRMF was set at P31 billion, 51.22-percent higher than the P20.500-billion allocation in the 2024 General Appropriations Act. As of the end of December 2024, some P136.899 million remains in the calamity funds.

THAILAND may permit Bitcoin exchange-traded funds to list on local exchanges for the first time as the country vies to nurture a digital-assets hub.

The Securities and Exchange Commission is considering allowing individuals and institutions to invest in local Bitcoin ETFs, Secretary-General Pornanong Budsaratragoon said. Thailand’s One Asset Management launched a fund-of-funds offering exposure to overseas Bitcoin ETFs in June 2024, but the country hasn’t yet given the green light to vehicles that invest directly in the original cryptocurrency.

The potential shift in stance comes as the race to establish a digital-assets center in the Asia-Pacific region heats up.

Singapore and Hong Kong have installed supportive regimes.

Further afield, President-elect Donald Trump said on the campaign trail that he intends to make the US the world’s crypto capital.

“Like it or not, we have to move along with more adoption of cryptocurrenices worldwide,” Pornanong said in an interview at her office on Tuesday. “We have to adapt and ensure that our investors have more options in crypto assets with proper protection.” Binance Holdings Ltd. and oth-

er digital-assets firms have earmarked Thailand as a key growth market as the country eases restrictions. Thaksin Shinawatra, the ruling Pheu Thai Party party’s de facto chief, is a crypto advocate.

Thaksin recently said Thailand should consider issuing stablecoins backed by government bonds to retail and institutional investors as well as exploring other avenues for digital currencies. Authorities are also weighing a sandbox in Phuket for Bitcoin transactions in tourism-related services, he said.

The SEC will consider allowing local firms with strong credit ratings to issue new stablecoins backed by their own bonds in the hope of widening access to corporate debt markets and lowering costs, Pornanong said.

Digital-asset trading activity in Thailand is picking up in line with a wider rally that pushed Bitcoin to a record high of $108,315 in December, but remains well short of its pandemic-era peak, after a string of crypto bankruptcies in 2022 hollowed out the market.

There were about 270,000 active crypto trading accounts in Thailand as of Nov. 30,

according to the latest SEC data. Bloomberg News
This January 15, 2025, photo shows (from left) Dumaguete City Mayor Felipe Antonio B. Remollo, Baguio City Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong, Finance secretary Ralph G. Recto and Quezon City Mayor Joy G. Belmonte after a meeting on tax allotment shares. CREDIT: DEpaRTmEnT of fInanCE

PHL consumers seen paying more for coffee

ILIPINO consumers may eventually feel the pinch of elevated global coffee prices in each cup of their favorite caffeine fix.

BMI, a unit of Fitch Solutions, recently reported that the market sentiment for coffee prices is still bullish, owing to supply-related concerns in Vietnam and Brazil, the world’s two largest coffee producers.

tic demand, and domestic production has stagnated over the past decade, with forecasted production for 2024/25 below quantities reached a decade prior.”

BMI said unfavorable weather conditions in Vietnam weighed on its domestic robusta coffee harvest while Brazil experienced “deteriorations” in its supply outlook for robusta and arabica output.

“Elevated coffee prices due to supply-side concerns in Brazil and Vietnam, two of the largest producing markets, will impact consumers in the Philippines as we expect retailers to increase their prices to offset the higher costs they are facing,” Cogliati told the BusinessMirror via email.

“This is exacerbated by the fact that the Philippines rely heavily on imports of coffee to satisfy domes -

Lucrezia Cogliati, commodities analyst at BMI, said that since the Philippines imports most of its coffee requirements as production could not meet demand, local retailers may have to pass on higher raw material costs to consumers.

However, she noted that the price increase of coffee in the world market could be an “upside risk” for the Philippines that would urge the government to boost selfsufficiency and “embolden” farmers to plant more, given potential higher returns.

“We see elevated prices as an upside risk in this sense, and expect them to highlight the importance of boosting self-sufficiency for the government as well as encourage farmers to increase engagement in the industry due to the possibility of higher returns,” she said.

“The higher prices earned by farmers also means that they can more easily re-invest in their operations in order to boost productivity.”

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that the country’s self-sufficiency

DA: Pork supply may fall short as ASF crimps hog output

THE Department of Agricul -

ture (DA) said the Philippines could face a shortfall in pork supply until the end of March this year.

Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa issued the statement after the DA’s latest monitoring report showed that the retail prices of pork sold in Metro Manila registered increases.

“It is possible that we will have a deficit in pork supply until the first quarter,” De Mesa told reporters in an interview in Quezon City on Wednesday.

The DA noted that prices of pork kasim and pork liempo in Metro Manila markets ranged from P320 to P390 per kilo and P360 to P450 per kilo, respectively. These figures are higher than the P310 to P370 per kilo of pork kasim and P350 to P420 per kilo of pork liempo recorded two weeks ago.

Frozen kasim was priced at P230 to P280 per kilo, bigger than the previous range of P230 to P260 per kilo.

Based on the livestock department’s report, the spike in prices could be attributed to lower supply from production areas struck by African swine fever (ASF), costly imports, and preference for local pork, especially during the holiday season.

“The outbreak of ASF in Southern Luzon in the third quarter and fourth quarter of last year led to lower supply, but the sector will eventually recover.”

He also noted Filipinos gravitated toward local pork, particularly during the holiday season and that imports were “quite expensive.”

“The retail price of imported pork is higher by P10 to P20 a kilo.”

Revitalization

MEANWHILE , the DA will try to revitalize the hog sector through its P1.25 billion swine industry recovery project (SIRP).

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. signed Special Order

(59) which created a project steering committee, project management office, and technical working group for the recovery project that aims to restore and strengthen the country’s swine industry that has grappled with ASF.

“This project involves a broad range of stakeholders, including smallholder farmers, cooperatives, commercial breeders, and at-risk agricultural communities, providing tailored assistance to restore, modernize, and sustain swine production across the country,” the order read.

It added that the allocated funds would be distributed to various livestock agencies and operational units under the guidance of the agency’s livestock undersecretary.

The steering committee will be led by DA Undersecretary-Designate for Livestock Constante Palabrica with DA Assistant Secretary for Ruminant Livestock Benjamin Albarece as the vice-chairperson.

The committee’s tasks include conducting the monitoring of the project’s implementation and coordinating with relevant offices for the dissemination of information about the SIRP, among others.

It stated that the project management office would be chaired by National Livestock Program (NLP) Director Jonathan Sabiniano with NLP Deputy Director Alvin Paul Dirain and Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) OIC Assistant Director Oscar Jhan Cabayanan as the vice chairpersons.

The management office is tasked with overseeing the entire implementation process of the project.

Among the technical working group’s responsibilities are facilitating the delivery of interventions to the beneficiaries, communicating with applicants regarding the project processes, and undertaking administrative management of the project. Ada Pelonia

Govt distributes ASF vaccines to commercial, backyard hog raisers

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) on Wednesday said the government has secured 500,000 doses of the African swine fever (ASF) vaccine, manufactured by Vietnam’s AVAC, and they are currently being given away for free to commercial and backyard farmers.

In a Murang Pagkain Supercommitte hearing, Agriculture Assistant Secretary for Livestock Constante Palabrica said with production capacity reduced by over 50 percent due to the disease, the DA is implementing repopulation programs and deploying a limited supply of ASF vaccines to mitigate further losses and encourage recovery. According to Palabrica, each

dose, costing over P400, is funded by the government and monitored by the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI).

“These vaccines are primarily targeted at breeder sows and nursing pigs to ensure repopulation efforts. We are prioritizing breeders to maximize the impact on production,” Palabrica said.

The rollout is under a monitored release permit granted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), he said.

“The initial 500,000 doses are expected to be depleted by yearend. We’re working diligently to vaccinate swine populations across provinces despite vaccine skeptics, ensuring that farmers understand its benefits.”

To sustain repopulation, Palabrica said the DA is focusing on breeder pigs rather than fatteners, saying this approach aims

to rebuild long-term production capacity.

Additionally, checkpoints to prevent ASF spread are strictly implemented. Palabrica revealed that 1,000 ASF-infected pigs have already been intercepted and condemned.

However, Agap Rep. Nicanor Briones highlighted the scale of the challenge, stating that 6.3 million pigs need vaccination, requiring 12.6 million doses for two cycles. “ASF will persist unless we reach this target population,” Briones added.

Moreover, Palabrica said the AVAC vaccine provides protection lasting four to five months when administered to pigs as young as four weeks.

Palabrica assured farmers of the vaccine’s efficacy based on trials conducted, including those in collaboration with Universal

Robina Corp.

He said the DA aims to expedite the process for full-scale commercial use once robust safety and efficacy data are provided to the DFA.

“Once vaccinated, pigs have a high survival rate, ensuring they reach a market weight of 110 kilos by 25 weeks,” he said.

Meanwhile, Palabrica said the layer and broiler industries remain stable.

He reported no significant price surges in eggs despite a slight decline in parent stock imports.

To address avian influenza (AI), he said the DA has allocated P300 million for vaccine procurement, which is expected to arrive by April or May 2025.

“Our priority is to rebuild swine production, protect poultry, and ensure food security. The ASF and AI vaccines are critical steps in achieving these goals.”

ratio (SSR) in coffee stood at 38.1 percent in 2022, lower than the 44.4 percent recorded in the previous year.

Meanwhile, Cogliati noted the Philippine government’s efforts to enhance the domestic output of the crop amid increasing demand.

“Over recent years, we have seen the government, increasingly focus on the coffee sector in the face of increasing domestic demand,” she said.

“For instance...the Coffee Industry Roadmap published by the Department of Agriculture in 2021...aims to boost domestic production and vitalize the sector over the coming decades.”

Despite the increase in coffee quotations in the global market brought about by supply concerns from Vietnam and Brazil, BMI projected that prices would ease throughout the year with the annual average settling below the record prices last month.

“Although bullish sentiment remains in the market, we expect prices to ease from their recent highs throughout 2025, leading us to believe that the yearly average will be below the record prices reached in December 2024.”

CHINA IS SCOURING THE GLOBE IN SEARCH OF NEW FOOD SUPPLIERS

CHINA’S quest to feed itself has taken it as far as Kenya’s macadamia nut groves and Bolivia’s cattle ranches, as part of a push in recent years to diversify food sources away from traditional Western suppliers.

The market-share loss for US-allied nations is a win for countries from the Global South, which Beijing has sought to court as geopolitics increasingly cleaves the world into distinct blocs. There are obvious beneficiaries like crop powerhouse Brazil, which has clawed market share in corn and soybean exports from the US, while Russia is selling more grains, edible oils and meat to China.

The range of products and suppliers includes those that are not usually in the spotlight, underscoring Beijing’s determination to cultivate new trade partners and safeguard food security since US Presidentelect Donald Trump’s trade war exposed China’s dependence on the US and its allies.

That all matters because the country is the world’s top agricultural importer, and tariffs have been an obvious weapon for China to deploy in retaliation. As Trump returns as president this month and will likely escalate trade conflict, China is in better shape to weather trade shocks.

“Slowly but surely, it seems like China’s finding a path that allows it to rely on international markets, allows it to rely on trade partners, but doesn’t create insecurity,” said Even Pay, an agriculture analyst at Trivium China, a policy research consultancy.

While in most cases the volume is still too minuscule compared with the well established exports, the efforts do mean that China now has a web of suppliers it can call in should it need to switch sources.

China’s campaign to shift away from Western legacy suppliers is also set to further shake up the over $1 trillion global agricultural trade, creating long-lasting consequences for countries and producers increasingly pulled into its web.

Lobsters: Change in fortunes

He clarified that it is sustainable plastics and not biodegradable, and manufacturing it will not be cheap.

“The technology to properly process abaca fibers at scale did not exist at the time, given its extraordinary strength known as the world’s

environmentally friendly complementary material or alternative to plastics.”

and allowed them to chop up abaca fibers without the use of metal blades. Meanwhile, even though DLPC has initially used abaca fiber as the base material, the technology has proven flexible enough to use other locally-available fibers, such those from pineapple, spider-lily or bakong, and vetiver.

The resulting natural fiber composites can

replace up to 40 percent of polymers in the formulation of the various consumer and industrial products that are traditionally made of plastics.

This is expected to minimize plastic usage.

“Natural fiber composites have inherent properties that can complement or enhance plastic’s natural mechanical and chemical properties while making it more sustainable at the same time. These composites are stronger and more resilient while being lightweight enough to float in water.”

Given these extraordinary properties, he noted that, natural fiber composites have a

Take the northeastern town of Song Cau, where about 90 percent of its lobster output gets shipped to China. On an early morning in November, Van Phuoc port was jammed with vehicles loaded with lobsters, so crowded that sometimes farmers had to line up to weigh their goods before loading them on trucks for the 1,350-kilometer (840-mile) journey to the Chinese border. Farmers were bracing for even busier times as China is expected to import more seafood ahead of the Lunar New Year.

“We depend entirely on China, from A to Z,” said Tran Van Thom, who farms some 15,000 lobsters. Since he started farming lobsters in 1996, he’s gone from poverty to now owning two houses, one scooter and making enough to support five children. And it’s not just lobsters. Beijing has vowed to take steps to open its market to a slew of Vietnamese agriculture products, align standards for farm products and build designated passages to clear cargoes at borders. These measures have pushed bilateral trade between Vietnam and China last year up by 19.3 percent from a year earlier to about $205 billion, according to Vietnam Customs.

Nuts: Eyeing Africa

AFRICA is emerging as the frontier of China’s trade diversification push.

Typically a supplier of metals, minerals and fuel to China, the continent is growing in importance as a source of agrifood ingredients, from more established trades like sesame seeds and cashews to fruit and meat. In the past 18 months, China has opened up to South African and Zimbabwean avocados, Tanzanian honey and Madagascan mutton. American nuts were among a list of products Beijing targeted with higher tariffs in 2018, and the hefty duties pushed Chinese importers to seek alternative suppliers. This comes as demand for nuts is surging in China as the growing middle class splurge on health foods. Nuts are also popular as gifts during festivals like the Lunar New Year, in place of traditional items like sweets and baijiu, a spirit.

“We call macadamia ‘green gold,’” said David Gitonga, a macadamia trader from Embu, a key growing region some 130 kilometers from Nairobi. “Chinese business is working so well for us.” Bloomberg News

THE benefits of the trade are rippling across Vietnam’s coastal towns, sources of lobster for China’s growing middle classes. Though Vietnam has been exporting lobsters to China since at least 2000, the trade peaked in 2020 when Beijing banned imports from Australia. And even though the ban was lifted last month, Australia will need to work hard to claw back its market share —Vietnam is now the No. 1 supplier of lobsters to China.

wide array of potential applications ranging from everyday consumer durables to industrial applications in the construction and automotive industries, among others.

“At the end of their normal life cycle, products made from natural fiber composites can be recycled or diverted using the typical waste systems. It can also be made compostable for better circularity,” Lao said Following the breakthrough in turning the concept into a working technology, DLPC is currently doing the groundwork to make it scalable.

BLOOMBERG NEWS

Health& Fitness

St. Luke’s Medical Center is first hospital in SEA to conduct robot-assisted cardiac surgery procedures

While everyone else was busy preparing for Christmas and attending parties last month, St. l uke ’s Medical Center launched its robotic cardiac surgery program through the first robotic cardiac procedure in Southeast Asia.

This was achieved through the collaborative efforts of St. l uke ’s multidisciplinary team spearheaded by Dr. Marvin Martinez, Section head at St. l uke ’s Minimally i nvas ive and Robotic Cardiac Surgery at the Structural h eart and Robotic Cardiac Surgery at the S tructural h ear t and Vascular i nst itute, Dr. Ramiro Pablo, h ead o f Cardiovascular Operating Room, h B Cal leja h ear t and Vascular i nstitute at St. l uke ’s Medical Cetner Quezon City, along with a seasoned team from the West Virginia University (WVU) h osp ital’s h ear t and Vascular i nst itute Drs. Vinay Badwar, l awre nce Wei and h era ld Fe, physician assist.

The first procedure was conducted on December 11, 2024 on a 40-year-old male with se v ere mitral regurgitation, a serious condition that occurs when the mitral valve in t he he a rt leaks severely, preventing enough blood flow from flowing through the heart. Robotics was also deployed on other cardiology-related procedures such as:

n Robotic M i DCA B or Minimally i nvas ive Direct Coronary Artery Bypass

n Robotic bileaflet mitral valve repair for a patient with bileaflet myxomatous disease (a type of mitral valve prolapse that involves the bileaflets of the mitral valve that is caused by a buildup of collagen and elastin) and severe mitral regurgitation

n Robotic mitral valve repair for endocarditis, including anterior mitral leaflet

(A M l ) per foration

n Robotic adult congenital atrial septal reconstruction using a bovine patch for a patient with a common atrium

n Robotic aortic valve replacement (AVR) for a patient from Papual New Guinea da Vinci Surgical System

S T l uke’s introduced the da Vinci X i Surg ical System at its hospitals in Bonifacio

Gl o bal City and Quezon City last year. i t be gan offering robotic assisted surgeries

he Department of h eal th (DO h )

ha s expressed its support for the public-private partnership between The Medical City (TMC) and Rizal Medical Center (RMC), which seeks to improve Fil i pinos’ access to liver transplant services while addressing the critical challenges in organ donation.

TMC and RMC representatives officially signed the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to establish the Joint TMC-RMC l ive r Transplant Program covering adult and pediatric pat ients last January 9, 2025 at TMC Ortigas, Pasig City. This collaboration leverages TMC’s established expertise in liver transplantation and RMC’s commitment to expanding hep atobiliary services to develop a comprehensive program for liver transplants and o r g an donation.

“The current state of liver transplantation in the Philippines highlights the issue of li mited access,” said h eal th Secretary Dr. Teodoro h erb osa.

“ i co mmend this partnership for taking steps to address this challenge. We have the capability and capacity to perform this complex procedure locally and consistently deliver excellent results,” he added.

Transformative potential

DR Stuart Bennett, President and Group C e O of T MC e nte rprise, expressed enthusiasm for the partnership and highlighted the transformative potential of collaboration between the gove rnment and the private sector. he emphasized that such synergies could pave the way f or groundbreaking advancements, including the establishment of a national referral center for liver transplantation.

“There are many things which the government sector brings, and there are many t h i ngs which the private sector brings. When you combine these efforts, we will have a

fantastic and phenomenal powerhouse. i ’m v ery happy about this partnership. i am v ery excited to become a referral center for liver transplants,” Dr. Bennett shared.

Dr. h erb osa commended Dr. Bennett for understanding the fact that public-private partnership does work, adding that “that’s what i ’m rea lly actually espousing. The government doesn’t have to do everything.”

T he he a lth secretary said they have a request for funds to start the liver transplant re g i stry so that they will know the demand and the pool of available organs. h e lik ewise asked TMC and RMC leaders to develop the costing for liver transplantation for charity patients. This costing will serve as the basis for possible DO h and P hil h eal th subsidies or benefits for liver transplant patients.

“Don’t depend on Phil h eal th and the government alone. Create the foundations that wi l l help liver transplantation,” he also said. Liver transplant in the Philippines h e RBOSA lik ewise pointed out that “it is very important that people know liver transplant is done here and it’s done successfully.”

D r. M aria Vanessa de Villa, Director of TMC’s l ive r Center, shared that their first liver transplant at TMC Ortigas was performed on January 7, 2011. Since then, the li v er transplant program at TMC has grown, successfully performing 26 liver transplants in both adult and pediatric recipients with acceptable outcomes.

“The math is easy, since 26 cases in 14 years is only about 2 cases per year. Much as we have the expertise and established the program, it was difficult to grow because of several problems, but mainly of two things: lack of financial support and the lack of organ donors in this country,” said Dr. de Villa.

T he re is no commensurate field health coverage for liver transplant in the country and patients pay out of pocket. This is why we have been losing our patients to other countries where it is cheaper, like i ndia ,”

in 2011 which was primarily used for obstetric gynecological and urologic surgery pro c edures at that time.

“Technically, the robot was initially invented for cardiac procedures. h owe ver, it did not take off. Only some institutions in the United States were initially doing it,” related Dr. Martinez, adding that he and Dr. Pab lo started working on the robotic cardiac surgery program two years ago.

Cardiac surgical procedures have come a long way. Dr. Martinez related that when cardiac surgeons were starting out, they had to perform a sternotomy, a procedure that separates the sternum or breastbone, in order to access the heart. They would then literally take the heart out with their hands in order to “repair” it.

Minimally invasive surgery was then introduced where small incisions were made on

the c he st so that surgeons could place their long instruments into it to reach the heart and perform the surgery. h owe ver, Dr. Martinez said they had “some technical difficulties” when manipulating the instruments.

B u t with the robot, we have a much smaller incision, around three to four centimeters on the right chest and we don’t need to bre ak any ribs. We can introduce the robotic arms as we go through the muscles. The v i d eoscope that we use is 10 times clearer so that enables us to do complex cases,” he said.

More procedures

A FT e R performing the procedures last mo nth, Dr. Pablo said he has already spoken to a number of patients who are willing to undergo robot assisted cardiac surgery. They opted to undergo the procedures after the holiday season.

h owe ver, both doctors said that not everyone is a candidate for robot assisted surgery. The decision is made after consulting a g rou p o f specialists including cardiologists, interventional cardiologists, surgeons, p hy s iologists.

“So we discuss each patient’s case and most of our decisions are based on international guidelines that we use. i n com plex cases, each of the specialists has a say so that’s how we decide which is best for the patient,” Dr. Martinez said.

A likely candidate for robot assisted cardiac surgery is a patient who needs to under -

go open heart surgery or patient who needs th re e stents or more and is diabetic. Those who do undergo robotic surgery experience faster recovery, less blood to no blood loss and less pain.

Patient request

B OT h doctors see an increasing demand for rob ot assisted surgery, adding that patients do their research and are the ones who request minimally invasive procedures.

“We e xpect the number will increase as it is not yet being done in Southeast Asia. We are hoping that our patients don’t have to go to the United States to have this procedure because we can do it safely and do it v e r y well,” Dr. Martinez said.

As for the cost of robot assisted cardiac surgery, Virginia M. Flores. St. l uke ’s Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Of f icer, said the hospital is in the process of developing a package with the help of Drs. Martinez and Pablo. The goal is to get a 15 to 20 percent discount through the package.

“We are coming up with a package to make it more affordable. The cost is definitely higher when compared with other surgical procedures because of the technology. But studies from abroad show the cost will be equal because of the recovery. i f it ’s covered by insurance, the insurance covers it up to recovery. With the shorter stay at the i CU a nd faster recovery, it becomes cost neutral,” Flores explained.

added Dr. de Villa.

Significant step forward

TMC and RMC leaders believe that their collaboration marks a significant step forward in a d dressing the growing burden of liver diseases in the Philippines, providing hope for patients in need of advanced care without leaving the country.

i nit ially, transplants will be conducted at TMC while RMC develops the necessary infrastructure. Once completed, procedures will be pe rformed at either hospital, depending on patient preference and available resources.

“When our program started in 2008, we did envision this not just for TMC, or the rich who can easily afford it, but for all Filipinos and every Filipino in need so that they need not travel abroad to avail of liver transplantation,” shared Dr. de Villa

We h ope to see this program through to success so that we can eventually be selfsufficient in liver transplantation and no longer lag behind as we move forward to help our countrymen with end-stage liver disease bounce back to health,” she added.

Drive organ donation awareness

F OR her part, Dr. Maria Rica M. l uma gue, Medical Center Chief ii of Ri zal Medical Center, emphasized the partnership’s potential to drive organ donation awareness and sa ve lives.

“This partnership will significantly contribute to promoting organ donation awareness across our communities, saving countless lives,” Dr. l uma gue said.

By initiating this partnership with TMC, RMC aims to become the country’s preferred government facility for liver transplantation.

“We pledge to work hand-in-hand with TMC, our healthcare partners, and stakeholders to build a robust and sustainable liver tr a nsplant program,” added Dr. l uma gue.

“Our battle cry is ‘for the Filipinos, by Filipinos, in the Philippines,’” said Dr. de Villa.

ow important is decision making in healthcare for doctors and patients? Some say the decision-making process when it comes to dealing with a certain ailment is definitely complex since a lot has to be considered before deciding on the patient’s course of treatment.

In an article published in www.merckmanuals. com, one of the most widely used and comprehensive medical resources for professionals and consumers, it said that people and their doctors must make many decisions about medical issues. “People must decide whether and when to see a doctor. Healthcare professionals must decide what to advise people to do in order to stay well or become well. They both must make decisions about which tests, if any, should be done and which treatment, if any, should be done.” It continued that medical testing and medical treatment decisions can be complex, and they require that doctors balance their knowledge of diseases, tests, treatments, and the individual person’s desires to help people meet their health-related goals. “Making decisions about medical care is most effective when doctors and patients work together. The best and most appropriate decisions are reached when the doctor’s experience and knowledge of medicine are combined with the patient’s knowledge, wishes, and values.”

Here comes Artificial Intelligence Re P o RTS indicate that the field of artificial inte lligence (AI) may have begun in 1956 at the Dartmouth Summer Research Project on Artificial Intelligence, a term originated in 1955 by John McCarthy, a professor at the New Hampshire, US-based Dartmouth College.

These days, AI’s tremendous benefits in so many industries and sectors have fueled talk that AI will be replacing humans soon, a notion belied by many who have said that there’s nothing to be afraid about AI. It is simply a tool, they said, that will only assist humans when it comes to addressing challenges and problems that confront humans every day.

o ne pa rticular area where AI is also thriving is in the medical or healthcare industry, particularly in healthcare service delivery and more importantly, in the decision-making process, where AI is seen to be altering the way decisions are made by clinical providers. AI is perceived as a tool that can assist healthcare professionals in diagnosing diseases, planning treatments, predicting outcomes, and managing population health, as well as improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare decision making and the satisfaction and involvement of users.

However, many think that information about this emerg ing field is still largely scattered and fragmented, sometimes confusing, as to how it can help in enhancing the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of healthcare decisions.

AI-driven solutions

IN a conference on AI in health and wellness held at the University of the Philippines-Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City, it said that AI-driven solutions are changing the way people get and stay healthy in terms of molecular diagnostics and genetics, to radiology and orthopedics, even mental wellness. AI is revolutionizing healthcare services in ways that are never seen before. In the Philippine healthcare system, AI continues to grow as medical services are pushed to be better and more accessible to Filipinos. In his talk titled “Artificial Intelligence in Medical Decision Making,” Dr. Antonio Miguel Dans, Professor e me ritus of the University of the Philippines Manila’s College of Medicine and an Academician of the National Academy of Science and Technology and Vice President of the Health e qui ty Research Foundation of St. Luke’s Medical Center, mentioned first the realms of AI in healthcare, which involves diagnosis and management. “The three strong areas for AI involve Imaging Analysis, Risk Prediction, and Decision Support, which is about helping provide support to healthcare professionals in making decisions on behalf of the patient.”

Dr. Dans said they came up with a framework for research on AI in medical decision making where they came up with common research questions such as diagnosis (if the patient has an ailment or not), prognosis (what will happen to the patient in the future), and effectiveness (what can be done to change the prognosis of the ailment). “There are three essential components involved here: population, the exposure or AI tech being evaluated, and the outcome being targeted.”

In his study and in the context of the medical field, Dr. Dans said he found two of the most common questions about AI: Can it replace healthcare workers? Is technological singularity in health possible?

He said the process of conducting a study to a clinical decision involves so much, and includes removing false data from true data, something which AI is still very poor at doing. That entails systematic reviews, then coming up with summaries or practice guidelines. These guidelines need to become algorithms for decision support systems. “But in the end, you need to talk to the patient and find out their own preferences to come up with a decision.”

He said that with AI, we’re still far from using it as the single tool for medical decision making. AI, Dr. Dans said, can be seen as less Artificial Intelligence but more of Augmented or Assisted Intelligence where it can help healthcare professionals improve the quality of care they give to patients.

“AI is a 1,000-mile journey, and the first step is the development of a Healthcare Information System, which the country still doesn’t have even after talking about it for the past 15 years. In my opinion, the Healthcare Information System is the

and

January 16,

DBP bags citations for corporate governance

STATE-OWNED

Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) was honored by the chief regulator of governmentowned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) for its consistent adherence to good corporate governance principles, top officials said.

DBP President and Chief Executive Officer Michael O. de Jesus said that the Bank scored the second highest ranking in the Corporate Governance Scorecard (CGS) ratings of the Governance Commission for GOCCs (GCG) with an above ceiling score of 102.67 percent.

“DBP’s consistent outstanding performance in the CGS is a result of our firm commitment in upholding the highest standards of good governance to further optimize Bank operations and enable it to further advance inclusive economic growth in the country,” de Jesus said.

DBP is the 10th largest bank in the country in terms of assets and provides credit support to four strategic sectors of the economy: infrastructure and logistics; micro, small, and medium enterprises; environment; social services and community development.

GCG is the primary regulatory

institution of GOCCs and was established by virtue of Republic Act No. 10149 or the GOCC Governance Act of 2011, which standardized the implementation of CGS, a quantitatively-driven performance evaluation tool that serves as an instrument in assessing the corporate governance initiatives and practices of GOCCs.

DBP Chairman Philip G. Lo said the Bank was likewise recognized with special awards such as the GOCCs for Sustainability Award, Special Recognitions for consistent high scores in CGS ratings under the categories of Responsibilities of the Board

and Stakeholder Relationships for 2021 to 2023, and Special Recognition for adherence to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).

He said these accolades serve as an inspiration for the Bank to continuously innovate and actively pursue excellence in our banking operations while ensuring that DBP contribute positively to the fulfilment of its mandate under the banner “Bagong Pilipinas” of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. “DBP shall continue to be a paragon of good corporate governance among our peers in the public sector, which shall serve as the hallmark of our commitment to excellent service to our stakeholders,” Lo said.

Berberabe-Martinez.

PDRF starts 2025 with $4.5M in grants, highlights milestones at Board Meeting

THE Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF) has secured an estimated US$4.5 million in grants from international organizations. PDRF executives presented this significant accomplishment and other milestones during the recent PDRF Board Meeting.

New grants from the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Canadian International Development Agency, the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center, and PepsiCo will support initiatives in disaster preparedness, recovery, private sector engagement in disaster risk reduction (DRR), and gender-inclusive DRR.

At the meeting, led by Co-Chairmen Manuel V. Pangilinan and Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, PDRF President Butch Meily highlighted PDRF’s numerous achievements in 2024.

Over the past year, PDRF’s disaster response

initiatives have reached more than 500,000 individuals in 12 regions, mobilizing P47 million in cash and inkind aid. In addition, Meily shared progress and significant milestones in its flagship programs, including airport readiness, energy security, area-wide business continuity, forecast-based early action, and emergency communications. Under the Climate Resilient Cities Project, PDRF has installed six Emergency Operations Center (EOC) packages and launched the first-of-its-kind Private Sector Engagement Playbook. Meily also announced new partnerships with organizations and government agencies like UNICEF, Deloitte, GSMA, Direct Relief, and PDRF’s international recognition through participation in forums and benchmarking visits at the EOC. One notable visit was in August 2024, when the Ecuadorian delegation

visited PDRF to learn how the organization engages the private sector in disaster management and how they can replicate it in their own country. Moreover, Meily emphasized their report on DRR strategies to the Private Sector Advisory Council of President Bongbong Marcos.

PDRF Chief Resilience Officer Guillermo Luz also highlighted the renewal of the PDRF EOC lease in Clark, Pampanga, with plans to upgrade its facilities. This milestone signifies a strengthened partnership between PDRF, Clark Development Corporation, and Bases Conversion Development Authority, as well as more impactful programs towards disaster resilience.

Board members acknowledged these developments as part of PDRF’s commitment to strengthening disaster resilience and fostering collaboration across sectors.

Fortune, Flavor Await: Celebrate Chinese New Year at Taal Vista Hotel

P100 Bet At Casino Plus Changes Mom’s Fate

WHAT started as a small act of leisure at Casino Plus turned into an extraordinary turn of fate for a single mother. Here’s her true story about resilience, luck, and hope for a brighter future.

In a quiet neighborhood, a devoted mother poured her heart into raising her son, navigating the challenges of single parenthood. Her priority was unwavering: her son’s education would never be compromised, no matter the cost. After diligently setting aside every peso for his school fees, she was left with just P100 pesos which she chose to bet at Casino Plus.

Instead of succumbing to her worries, she turned to a simple source of enjoyment—a game she occasionally played to unwind: the Color Game on Casino Plus. Betting a small portion of her remaining money, she had no lofty aspirations of winning big. All she wanted was a brief escape from the demands of her daily life.

It was a typical night filled with hope for a moment of peace. To her surprise, the game announced her as the winner. Thinking she had won P10,000, she was overjoyed at the unexpected relief it brought.

As she attempted to claim her winnings, a technical issue arose. She called on her son to help, and their lighthearted attempts to solve the problem bonded them even more.

Eventually, she sought help from her brother. What followed was a revelation that left her speechless. Her supposed P10,000 win was off by several zeroes. She had actually won P10 million. The news hit like a thunderbolt. Overcome with emotion, she realized this wasn’t just a win; it was a turning point in her life.

TIn an emotional statement during a press gathering, she shared how this win wasn’t just a financial blessing but a reminder of the unpredictable beauty of life. Her story showcased how even the smallest moments of joy could lead to the greatest surprises. The newfound wealth has given her the chance to secure her family’s future and fulfill long-held dreams. Far from seeing her win as mere luck, she viewed it as a divine blessing, a chance to give back and make a difference in her community. While there is a lot of criticism surrounding gambling, this story reminds us that games of chance can also bring blessings when approached with responsibility. For this mother, Casino Plus wasn’t a reckless indulgence but a moment of reprieve during a stressful time. Gambling, when done in moderation and with clear boundaries, can provide not only entertainment but also a spark of hope and opportunities for those who need it most. Stories like hers illuminate the positive side of gambling, challenging the notion that it’s solely a vice. It becomes a blessing when it transforms lives for the better.

Casino Plus, the platform behind this life-changing event, expressed their pride in being part of stories like hers. They emphasized their commitment to fair play, transparency, and offering a safe space for players to find enjoyment and possibility. This mother’s journey from hardship to triumph is a powerful reminder that life is full of surprises, often hidden in the most unexpected places. Her experience underscores the value of resilience, a leap of faith, and embracing joy—even in the smallest of moments.

Sometimes, with just a little courage and a willingness to take a chance, life delivers miracles beyond our imagination.

Sweet Twist to Cold Brew

IN the photo, standing from left, are Chris Dalupan, PDRF; Trina Aspuria PDRF; Marc Anthony Cox, Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines; Marisa Conde, PLDT; Arnel Capili, PDRF; Edgardo Amistad, UCPB-CIIF Foundation; Jose Victor Emmanuel De Dios Manila Water; Gareth McGeown, Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines; Ronnie Aperocho, Meralco; Guillermo Luz, PDRF; and Atty. Mark Martinez, PDRF. Sitting from left are Veronica Gabaldon, PDRF; June Cheryl Cabal-Revilla, PDRF; Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, Ayala Group; Manny V. Pangilinan, MVP Group; Butch Meily, PDRF; Lorelie Quiambao Osial, Shell and Atty. Rita Pena Antonio, PDRF.

Starting the year with Nature Play

ANXIETY is a reality that touches the lives of both adults and children, often in ways we don’t immediately recognize. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health challenges globally, affecting approximately 4 percent of the world’s population. For children, the numbers are just as startling. According to a CDC article, Data and Statistics on Children’s Mental Health, 10 percent of children ages 3 to 17 have current diagnosed anxiety (9 percent of males and 11 percent of females) based on US data from 20212022.

Like many parents, I’ve had my fair share of anxious moments. Between balancing work, parenting, and life’s endless to-do lists, I would often find myself overwhelmed. Our children are also incredibly perceptive. They pick up on our emotions and, in turn, may develop their own worries about school, friendships, or the world around them. Anxiety, left unchecked, can affect sleep, concentration and overall well-being.

Late last year, my husband and I were lucky to attend the Nature Play & Eco-Sensory Therapy Workshop organized by Kaleidoscope Therapy and Learning Center, CreateCATT Developmental Play, and Dr. Francis Dimalanta’s A Child’s Dream Foundation. I discovered the good news: we can prevent anxiety and improve our overall well-being through nature.

We learned from two remarkable speakers, Caroline Essame and Erica Neve, both from the UK, concepts and practical tips on how our natural environment can improve our mental and physical health. Caroline Essame is the CEO of the social enterprise CreateCATT (Singapore and the UK) that supports children’s learning through play, nature, nurture and creativity. She is also an associate lecturer at Singapore University of Social Sciences and an award-winning adult educator with the Social Service Institute.

Erica Neve has a background in education, design thinking and bio-leadership, and runs consultancies that bring diverse people together to understand and act upon our biggest challenge—the climate and nature emergency. Erica serves on the board of The Eden Project, a global organization that promotes public education about the natural world, rebuilding healthy connections of understanding. It’s great to visit Caroline’s YouTube channel, CreateCATT, to

learn more about Nature Play.

The workshop exposed me to new concepts outlined below that are definitely important to look into both as a parent and an educator: 1. Nature connection— to and experience nature, and can be described as a psychological construct. It’s more than just being in nature, but rather actively engaging with the natural world.

2. Eco-sensory therapy— pioneering therapy that uses nature to improve human well-being.

3. Forest schools— approach that uses the outdoors as a classroom to help children develop through play, risk-taking, and self-discovery.

4. Nature therapy— the natural environment to improve mental and physical health. It’s also known as ecotherapy, green therapy, or green care.

5. Climate anxiety— about the effects of climate change on the planet and human existence. It can manifest as: intrusive thoughts; feelings of sadness or longing; panic attacks; insomnia; obsessive thinking; loss of appetite; irritability; weakness; sleeplessness.

I learned practical tips, like how spending just 10-20 minutes in a natural setting can significantly lower cortisol levels, the hormone responsible for stress. They call it the Green Prescription. For children, the impact is just as profound. They shared 10 ways nature supports development and well-being: nature is relaxing. Just being in natural environments releases the “happy hormone” serotonin which balances out the “stress hormone” cortisol.

1. Nature stops short sightedness. Playing outdoors in natural daylight for at least 1.5 hours a day helps prevent myopia. Playing in nature builds language skills in children by strengthening the neuron pathways for complex thought.

3. Nature lowers the heartbeat—another reason why it is an antidote for stress.

2. Playing in nature gives us big spaces where we can express big emotions—and nature just absorbs them.

4. Being away from urban pollutants improves memory, focus and regulation.

5. Playing in nature builds stronger bodies and helps build our brains through integrating all our sensory processing skills.

6. Nature play builds balance and dexterity as we walk on uneven surfaces.

7. Nature builds our social brain by lighting up the areas associated with empathy and caring.

8. Playing in nature gives us a soul that cares for the environment for future generations.

The beauty of nature play is its simplicity. It doesn’t require expensive equipment—just a willingness to step outside and let curiosity take over. Nature play is a lifestyle shift that brings families closer together. Here’s to a calmer, happier, and more connected family this 2025—one step into nature at a time. n

COCA-COLA Foodmarks officially opened its doors in Vigan City last December 10, 2024, marking the final launch of its regional epicenters for this year. Following the resounding success of the Binondo and Iloilo launches, this launch in Vigan, a Unesco World Heritage City, celebrates the rich and diverse showcase of Ilocano flavors, blending indigenous taste with Spanish colonial influences.

The city is renowned for its iconic dishes such as bagnet (crispy pork belly), Vigan longganisa (garlicky sausage), and the unique Ilocos empanada, which features a crispy orange wrapper filled with unripe papaya, egg, and longganisa. Beyond these staples, local markets and eateries serve lesser-known specialties, like sinanglao (a hearty beef organ soup), pipian (a chicken stew with rice and annatto), and the vegan-friendly dinengdeng (a vegetable stew flavored with fermented fish or shrimp paste). Traditional recipes often highlight the use of local ingredients, like sukang Iloko (Ilocano vinegar) and seasonal vegetables, embodying the resourcefulness and creativity of Ilocano cooks. These dishes reflect the region’s emphasis on simplicity and authenticity, making Vigan a must-visit culinary destination

Coca-Cola Foodmarks is poised to continue its journey of celebrating food, culture, and connection across the Philippines. More information and updates can be found at cocacolafoodmarks.timeout.com.

Doctors worry that iodine deficiency—a dietary problem from the past—is coming back

NEW YORK—The 13-year-old boy came to the clinic with a rapidly ballooning neck. Doctors were puzzled.

Testing ruled out their first suspicion. But further tests pinpointed what they— and the boy—had been missing: iodine. A century ago, iodine deficiency affected kids across large swaths of the country. It essentially disappeared after some food makers started adding it to table salt, bread and some other foods, in one of the great public health success stories of the 20th century.

But today, people are getting less iodine because of changes in diet and food manufacturing.

Although most people are still getting enough, researchers have increasingly been reporting low levels of iodine in pregnant women and other people, raising concerns about an impact on their newborns. And there is also a very small, but growing, number of reports of iodine deficiency in kids.

“This needs to be on people’s radar,” said Dr. Monica Serrano-Gonzalez, a Brown University doctor who treated the boy in 2021 in Providence, Rhode Island.

Iodine is a trace element found in seawater and in some soils—mostly in coastal areas. A French chemist accidentally discovered it in 1811 when

an experiment with seaweed ash created a purple puff of vapor. The name iodine comes from a Greek word meaning violetcolored.

Later that century, scientists began to understand that people need certain amounts of iodine to regulate their metabolism and stay healthy, and that it’s crucial in the development of brain function in children. One sign of insufficient iodine is a swelling of the neck, known as a goiter. The thyroid gland in the neck uses iodine to produce hormones that regulate the heart rate and other body functions.

When there’s not enough iodine, the thyroid gland enlarges as it goes into overdrive to make up for the lack of iodine. At the beginning of the 20th century, goiter was very common in children in certain inland parts of the United States, especially in a “goiter belt” that stretched from Appalachia and the Great Lakes to the northwest United States. Some of the kids were unusually short, deaf, intellectually stunted and had other symptoms of a syndrome once known as “cretinism.” Public health experts realized they

couldn’t solve the problem by feeding everyone seaweed and seafood, but they learned that iodine can essentially be sprayed on table salt. Iodized salt first became available in 1924.

By the 1950s, more than 70 percent of US households used iodized table salt. Bread and some other foods also were fortified with iodine, and iodine deficiency became rare. But diets changed. Processed foods now make up a large part of the American diet, and though they contain a lot of salt, it’s not iodized. Leading bread brands no longer add iodine. In the case of the 13-year-old boy, he has mild autism and was a fussy eater, mostly only eating specific brands of bread and peanut butter.

And for people who do salt their food, the fashion now is to use kosher salt, Himalayan rock salt or other noniodized products.

“People have forgotten why there’s iodine in salt,” said Dr. Elizabeth Pearce of Boston Medical Center. She is a leader in the Iodine Global Network, a nongovernmental agency working to eliminate iodine deficiency disorders.

She noted a reported 50 percent drop in US iodine levels in surveyed Americans between the 1970s and the 1990s.

Though iodine consumption is falling overall, most Americans are still getting

enough through their diet, experts say. But doctors worry that’s not the case for women and children, who are most vulnerable to iodine deficiency.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical societies recommend that all pregnant and breastfeeding women get 150 micrograms of iodine each day. You can get that from one-half to three-quarters of a teaspoon of iodized table salt.

In the last 15 years or so, US researchers have increasingly reported seeing mild iodine deficiency in pregnant women. A Michigan State University study of about 460 pregnant women in the city of Lansing found about a quarter of them were not getting enough.

Some studies have linked even mild iodine deficiency to lower IQs and language delay in children, although there is debate about at exactly what levels problems start, Pearce said. Experts say there hasn’t been enough research to establish what impact that iodine deficiency has actually been having on the US population in recent years.

Serrano-Gonzalez said she and her colleagues have seen four other cases in children in their clinic in Providence.

“We’re concerned this may be increasing, especially in patients with restricted diets,” she said.

PHOTOS from the Nature Play and Eco-Sensory Therapy Workshop my husband and I attended with experts Caroline Essame, Erica Neve, Dr. Francis Dimalanta and dedicated educators and school owners.

Key appointments made by POC–Tolentino

HILIPPINE Olympic Committee

P(POC) president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino announced on Wednesday the appointments of Ricky Vargas as chef de mission to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics and Al Panlilio to the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games.

“Th e objective is to prepare our teams—and athletes—in earnest for the international competitions, that’s why the chefs de mission were appointed,” said Tolentino after the POC General Assembly had its first meeting for 2025 at the East Ocean Seafood Restaurant in Parañaque City.

“If we prepare early, there will be no excuses,” Tolentino added. Also a ppointed, according to Tolentino, were Rep. Richard Gomez for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Dr. Jose Raul Canlas for the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand and Stephen Arapoc for the Chengdu 2025 World  Games.

Richard Lim of karate is chef de mission to the Asian Winter Games in Harbin that starts February 7 to 14 while the a ched de mission has yet to be named for the Third Asian Youth Olympics Games from October 22 to 31 in Bahrain.

Vargas is a former POC president and currently chairman of the boxing federation, Panlilio (basketball) and Gomez (modern pentathlon) are the incumbent first and second vice presidents, respectively, and Canlas (surfing) treasurer of the organization, while Arapoc heads the muay association.

The SEA Games will be played December 9 to 20 this year in Chonburi, Songkhla and Bangkok, and the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics are set February 6 to 22, Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games from September 19 to October 4 in 2026. The Los Angeles Olympics are from July 14 to 30, 2028.

Former football president Mariano “Nonong” Araneta was appointed as ethics committee chairman while Atty. Daniel Hofileña, a non-POC member, will head the arbitration committee.

Tol entino said the POC General Assembly also approved the 2025 working budget of P35 million which is P8 million less than last year’s because of the Paris Olympics preparations and participation.

Tol entino and his secretarygeneral Atty. Wharton Chan also announced that the POC made a P15 million savings last year.

Djokovic looking great with one more record

MELBOURNE, Australia—Novak Djokovic added yet another record to his lengthy list, breaking a tie with Roger Federer for the most Grand Slam matches played in tennis history by reaching 430 on Wednesday at the Australian Open in what was a tougher-than-expected second-round victory.

Djokovic improved to 379-51 for his career at major tournaments, a .881 winning percentage, by defeating 21-yearold Portuguese qualifier Jaime Faria 6-1, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-2 in a match briefly interrupted by light rain before Rod Laver Arena’s retractable roof was shut.

“Grand Slams, of course, they are the pillars of our sport. They mean everything for the history of the sport.… Definitely the most important tournaments,” Djokovic said. “I’m just blessed to be making another record, I guess, today.”

Oh, yes, Djokovic already holds so many marks, many of which used to belong to Federer—who went 369-60 during his 429 Slam matches, a .860 winning percentage—and there are more on the horizon.

As it is, Djokovic has won the most Grand Slam singles titles of any man, 24, ahead of Rafael Nadal’s

22 and Federer’s 20 (those other two members of the Big Three are now retired).

The 37-year-old Serb has spent more weeks at No. 1 in

the rankings than any other player. He›s played in 37 Slam finals, six more than Federer›s old record. And so on and so on. Consider, too, what could possibly await for Djokovic.

A title at the end of the 15 days at Melbourne Park would be his 25th at a major, a number never reached by any man or woman. It would also be his 11th at the Australian Open, equaling Margaret Court for the most. It would make him the oldest man in the Open era—which began in 1968—to collect a Grand Slam singles trophy (Ken Rosewall was about six months younger when he won the 1972 Australian Open). And it would be Djokovic’s 100th tour-level tournament title, a nice round number behind only Jimmy Connors’ 109 and Federer’s 103 in the Open era among men. Not everything has gone perfectly this week in Australia for Djokovic in his first tournament working with former on-court rival Andy Murray as his coach. Both of Djokovic’s matches so far came against a young player

making his Grand Slam debut. And both times, he was pushed to four sets. In the first round, it was against Nishesh Basavareddy, a 19-year-old American who turned pro only last month and is ranked 107th. In the second, it was Faria, who is ranked 125th, giving him a bit of a hard time, especially during a four-game run in the second set.

“He was playing lights-out tennis.… I had to weather the storm,” Djokovic said. “I think I responded very well in the third and, particularly fourth, [sets].”

OLYMPIC champ Zheng shown door by 97th-ranked opponent DISTRACTED by a time penalty and unable to counteract No. 97-ranked Laura Siegemund’s aggressive approach, Zheng Qinwen’s loss in the second round Wednesday fell a long way short of last year’s run to the Australian Open final.

Zheng lost the 2024 decider at Melbourne Park to Aryna Sabalenka and went on to win the Olympic gold medal in Paris and finish runner-up at the Women’s Tennis Association Finals in a breakout season.

But her first tournament of the year ended in a 7-6 (3), 6-3 loss on John Cain Arena against 36-year-old Siegemund, who attacked from the first point and put Zheng off her game.

Zheng ne eded a change of shoes early in the second set, got a time warning on her serve from the chair umpire—she said she couldn’t clearly see the clock—and was worried about some minor issues which sidelined her before the Australian Open.

Of a weak serve that bounced before the net, Zheng said the time warning from the umpire “obviously that one really distracted me from the match.”

“I feel maybe today is not my day. There’s a lot of details in the important points. I didn’t do the right choice,” Zheng said.

EYES will be on Miguel Tabuena— who was seventh on the Order of Merit last season-as former Asian Tour top earners Sihwan

Kim of the United States and Jazz

Janewattananond of Thailand vie for honors in the Philippine Open set next week at the Manila Southwoods. Angelo Que is the other Asian Tour veteran tipped to contend in the season-opening event offering $500,000 (around P29 million), while the entry list of the January 23 to 26 tournament set also has Thailand’s Suteepat Prateeptienchai, twice winner last year and fifth on the Order of Merit.

Que— champion of the 2008 Philippine Open and owner of two other Asian Tour titles—hopes to get back into the Asian Tour winners’ circle—but he knows it’s no easy task.

“This is my fourth year in the tour, and never happen that to me.” Sabalenka, the two-time defending champion, extended her run to 16 wins at Melbourne Park by winning the last five games to beat No. 54-ranked Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, 6-3, 7-5. Nao mi Osaka, another two-time Australian Open champion, reached the third round of a major for the first time since 2022 when she weathered an early barrage from US Open semifinalist Karolina Muchova before rallying to win, 1-6, 6-1, 6-3. 7-ranked Laura Siegemund’s aggressive approach, Zheng Qinwen’s loss in the second round Wednesday fell a long way short of last year’s run to the Australian Open final. Zheng lo st the 2024 decider at Melbourne Park to Aryna Sabalenka and went on to win the Olympic gold medal in Paris and finish runner-up at the Women’s Tennis Association Finals in a breakout season. But her first tournament of the year ended in a 7-6 (3), 6-3 loss on John Cain Arena against 36-year-old Siegemund, who attacked from the first point and put Zheng off her game. AP

The Masters layout of the Manila Southwoods is set up as a par-70 at 7,200 yards for the Philippine Open, but Que still sees low scores as some of the top shotmakers of the tour see action.

“It’s going to be a tough tournament, especially if the winds blow,” the 46-year-old Que said. “If it’s windy on Open week, we can see something like 15-under winning it. If it’s calm, then we are looking at 20-under or maybe more.”

Suteepat won the Taiwan Glass Taifong Open with a 22-under total, Steve Lewton of England topped the Indonesia Open at 16 under and Spain’s David Puig ruled the Malaysian Open at 21 under.

Tabuena is also hoping to end a title drought, with the last of his three Asian Tour wins coming at Delhi Golf Club in India in 2023 when he rallied from six shots down at the start of the final round by shooting a seven-under-par 65 to beat

“It’s going to be a wide-open Open,” Que said. “A lot of good players are coming over and there will be a lot of them with legitimate chances to win.”

hometown bet Rashid Khan by a stroke.

Jane wattananond, who reached No. 38 in the world rankings in 2020, has 11 Asian Tour wins aside from experience playing on the Professional Golfers Association (PGA), Europe and the Japan Tour.

The 29-year-old has also seen action in the four golf majors, placing joint 14th in the 2019 PGA Championship.

Kim ha s two wins to his credit, all of them in the 2022 season when he won his OOM title. He also joined the LIV Golf League that year, stayed until the end of 2023 before failing to make a team last year.

Southwoods completed its 18-hole qualifying tournament on Sunday, with former junior world champion Kristoffer Arevalo, Leandro Bagtas and Gab Manotoc advancing to the main draw.

The 24-player field was also made to play the Jack Nicklaus-designed course as a par-70 for the first time, with Nos. 4 and 15 playing as long par-4s.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC —shown being congratulated by Jaime Faria—breaks a tie with Roger Federer for the most Grand Slam matches played in tennis history. AP
ZHENG QINWEN is distracted by a time penalty and an opponent
CHRIS
JOSHUA MUNZON makes a statement.

Envoys&Expats

AMB. MARYKAY CARLSON:

Envoy, collector, designer extraordinaire

EIGHT Christmas trees adorned with trinkets and hundreds of Santa Claus mugs from different countries... Skeletons sunbathing in the pool and playing piano on Halloween...

Those are just a few of the thousands of holiday décor collections that were on display inside the residence of diplomat MaryKay Carlson—the ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Philippines.

Call her the “Martha Stewart of the local diplomatic corps” who can make Marie Kondo leave the room.

“Some people love to play golf, some are artists, some go to choir practice... I’m not talented in any of those ways. But my hobby is holiday decorating,” Carlson beamed.

Covering the American envoy requires very strict protocols and security from the US Embassy. But since she assumed her post in 2022, Carlson opened her abode in Makati City— perhaps much to the chagrin of her close-in security—to the members of the (adoring) local media.

Every ornament or décor displayed has a story to tell about her assignments overseas. Before her Manila assignment, she previously served

as deputy chief of mission and chargé d’affaires at the American deputations in Buenos Aires, Argentina and in New Delhi, India. As junior and mid-rank foreign service officer, she was posted twice at the US missions in China, Ukraine, Hong Kong, Mozambique, Kenya and Dominican Republic.

Aside from Carlson, her two daughters and husband Aubrey (who also served in the US foreign service) contributed to her vast collection of decors from the world over.

Diplomats often amass mementos from their respective assignments. But it appears Carlson has the eye for the collectibles and the creative instincts on placing them together—much like an expert interior decorator.

She recalled that there was also a time when the staff of the US Embassy was about to dispose of some old Christmas décor.

“They think it’s enough. So I said, ‘it’s never enough,’” she insisted. “If

you have ornaments, they should go up on the tree.”

This is the very reason she was excited to be assigned in Manila because she can start decorating as early as September, when Filipinos start hanging Christmas lights and playing Yuletide songs.

“This is the greatest place in the world to be an ambassador during Christmas time, particularly because I love holiday decorating. Some people resist that. They don’t decorate until the first week of December. I said, ‘Why?’” she asked rhetorically. “You have an excuse to start decorating on September 1. Why wait?”

Christmas decorating had to wait though at the US ambassador’s residence, as Carlson is also a great fan of American Halloween tradition. She had a truckload of trinkets with an entire cast of ghouls and goblins, skeletons, witches, spiders and cobwebs.

Good thing, Filipinos also are into Halloween, and she can proudly showcase her decorating prowess.

“I love the tradition here. I love the music. I love the festivity. I just don’t love the extra traffic,” which drew laughter from the diplomatic press corps.

How Carlson was able to squeeze her time decorating and the myriad of diplomatic engagements that she had to deal with as head of one of the biggest US embassies in the world might feel overwhelming. But she finds decorating as equally fulfilling as keeping the Philippine-US alliance.

Banner year for PHL-US relations

CARLSON presented her credentials in Malacañang on July 22, 2022— almost two months after Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. took oath as Philippine president. The US Embassy was without an ambassador for two years since August 2020 at the height of the pandemic.

Bilateral relations between Manila and Washington D.C. were at one of its lowest points during the Duterte administration. Thus, when Marcos Jr. was elected, President Joe Biden immediately took the opportunity to congratulate him and make up for lost time.

Carlson had no time to cozy up to meet Philippine officials and acclimatize to her role as the new ambassador. Her boss, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, was scheduled to fly to Manila in two weeks to meet the new Philippine president and his counterpart, Sec. Enrique A. Manalo of the Department of Foreign Affairs. Then, before they could breathe and rest, she had to coordinate and lay the ground for the September meeting of the two heads of state in the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

A flurry of activities and visits followed from government officials, including those with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in 2023, US Trade secretary Gina Raimondo in 2024, congressional leaders and CEOs, as well as leaders of US-based corporations.

The “pinnacle point” in her stint as ambassador so far was the historic “Trilateral Leaders’ Summit” among Biden, Marcos, and former Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida at the White House in April 2024.

Then, Blinken and Austin returned to the Philippines twice in 2024 for the first-ever “2+2 Ministerial Dialogue” in Manila. Scheduling both Blinken and Austin together in one place, even in Washington DC, was in itself already a major feat.

“There came a point when our embassy staff pleaded: ‘Make them stop, ambassador,’” she shared. “But there is simply no way of slowing down.”

She believes that 2024 was the banner year not only for her career, but for the overall Philippine-US relations.

During the Trilateral Summit, Biden and Kishida committed to capacitating the Philippines to defend its maritime zones in the West Philippines Sea. The Luzon Economic Corridor was also created to help spruce up infrastructure developments and trigger economic activities in Manila, Subic, Clark and Batangas.

The US has also allocated $500 million in foreign military financing to augment the Philippine armed forces’ modernization budget. That was by far the largest single FMF disbursement in the history of Philippine-US alliance.

Both countries’ defense departments also finalized the “Philippines

Security Sector Assistance Roadmap [PSSAR]” and signed a “General Security of Military Information Agreement [GSOMIA]” during Austin’s visits. The latter allows both militaries to share classified information—one of the crucial steps for the Philippines to easily acquire US defense equipment.

On the economic and business front, 27 trade delegations visited the Philippines last year. One of them was the Raimondo-led delegation of 22 businesses including tech giants Meta and Google, which pledged P55 billion in US investments. Another group of 700 business and government leaders also attended the Indo-Pacific Business Forum.

Sixteen US companies and organizations likewise joined the nuclear supply chain forum hosted by the Department of Energy in Manila. On humanitarian assistance, the US prepositioned supplies in Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement or EDCA facilities were also tapped as the US Agency for International Development (USAID) extended more than P420 million worth of assistance to the most vulnerable communities struck by the series of six typhoons in October and November 2024.

USAID has also launched new initiatives with the Department of Health to assist the Philippines in fighting infectious diseases like tuberculosis and HIV.

PHL embassy: Pardon of 220 Filipinos reaffirms growing relations with UAE

THE United Arab Emirates’ granting of royal clemency to 220 Filipinos convicted of various offenses reflects of the growing relations between the two states.

In a joint statement, the Philippine Embassy in UAE and the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai said this act of clemency on the occasion of the 53rd Eid Al Etihad (National Day, Festival of the Union) reflects the “values of compassion, justice and mercy that guide the leadership of the UAE.”

“We are deeply appreciative of the continued generosity and understanding shown by the government and people of the UAE toward Filipinos,” the statement read. “The pardon granted reaffirms the strong and growing relationship between our two nations built on mutual respect, cooperation and shared values. It is a testament to the commitment

to foster peace, reconciliation, and human dignity.”

The embassy and the consulate said the Philippines would remember this act as a “significant expression of our enduring and growing bilateral relationship.”

The government is currently coordinating with UAE authorities, and vowed to provide necessary assistance for the repatriation of the Filipinos who will be released from their incarceration.

In a text message to the Philippine News Agency, Usec. for Migration Eduardo Jose de Vega of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the government has no timeline or information as of the moment as to when the pardoned Filipinos will be released or repatriated. The UAE government first relayed the grant of pardon to the

DFA, which Malacañang formally announced on January 6.

Manila-Acapulco Galleon items take center stage in Mexican museum

ANILA-ACAPULCO

MGalleon objects are in full display at the Franz Mayer Museum in Mexico, which emphasized the shared history and enduring relations between the Philippines and the Latin American nation.

The collection, made ready for viewing in November 2020, showcases a myriad of pieces from nautical and cartographic instruments, ceramics and furniture. A Spanish colonial-era Manton de Manila (Manila shawl) was the newest addition to the permanent exhibit, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said. Its installation this month will add to the growing number of galleon trade-related objects in the museum, which already includes Philippine wooden trunks, ivory crucifix, and Chinese porcelain.

Philippine ambassador to Mexico Lilybeth Deapera earlier toured the museum and delivered a talk on the “Manton” and the galleon trade as part of the parallel activities in support of the installation of the shawl.

The “Galleon Talk” is among the many collaborations the Philippine Embassy in Mexico and the museum committed to conduct in the coming months.

Said museum is known for housing Latin America’s largest collection of decorative arts, and primarily holds the collection of the German-born collector Franz Mayer whose interests in furniture, porcelain and objects of the galleon trade are prominently dis -

played in its permanent exhibits. The museum also houses other collections from well-known personalities that add diversity to the museum’s overall collection. It loaned objects to the Manila Galleon Exhibition held at the Asian Civilizations Museum in Singapore from

November 2023 to March 17, 2024. Apart from trade cooperation, the Philippines and Mexico are linked through shared faiths. In 1593, the Mexican saint San Felipe de Jesús entered the convent of the Franciscan fathers in Manila, and was ordained in Mexico

three years after. Earlier, Deapera spoke of similarities regarding the Filipino and Mexican languages as well as gastronomy—both of which have generated what she referred to as a “solid and natural” brotherhood between both nations. Joyce Ann L. Rocamora/PNA

GPCCI, German Emb. Sustainability Forum positions climate action front and center

THE German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GPCCI), in collaboration with the German Embassy, will stage the “2025 Sustainability Forum: The Green Economies of Tomorrow” on January 31 in Manila.

The event will convene industry leaders, government officials and sustainability advocates who will tackle critical climate issues and uncover opportunities for sustainable growth in the Philippines.

“We are delighted to provide this platform for innovation and collaboration,” said GPCCI president Marie

Antoniette Mariano. “The event will explore opportunities in the Philippines not only in key sectors, but also in creating green jobs that will drive our sustainable future.”

The forum will address key topics such as climate action, which will focus on the Philippines’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs); Green Infrastructure that will highlight sustainable business solutions; and Green Jobs that will explore workforce development in a green economy. According to the German Embassy, Sustainability Forum 2025

is aligned with “Climate Talks Manila:” a series of meetings that will foster climate-justice collaboration and unite stakeholders in addressing global challenges. This year’s edition will review outcomes of the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP29.

“Germany remains steadfast in its commitment to climate action,” said Dr. David Klebs, who is the embassy’s economic counsellor. “I look forward to hearing diverse insights from the forum’s esteemed panelists and exploring actionable solutions to

ICRC president in Syria: ‘This is a huge task for us’

INTERNATIONAL Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) president Mirjana Spoljaric has concluded her three-day visit to Syria, where she emphasized that respect for international humanitarian law (IHL) and providing answers for families of the missing are crucial in fostering reconciliation and long-term stability.

“There are potentially tens of thousands of missing people that we have not yet identified, but we are already following up on over 40,000 cases,” stated the ICRC head. “This is a huge task ahead of us. And it’s another proof of why compliance with the Geneva Conventions, and why the fundamental rights enshrined in international humanitarian law have to be protected at all times.”

During her visit, Spoljaric met the caretaker prime minister of the new Syrian administration Mohamad al-Basheer, Syrian Arab Red Crescent Society (SARC) president Hazem Bakleh, Political Affairs Office (Aleppo) head Saa’d Naassan, and members of the Association of Detainees and Missing Persons of Sednaya Prison.

Said Spoljaric: “Thousands of families are looking for their relatives. This is an agony that no one wants to go through. We are working with our partners to be able to inform them as quickly as possible.

But it’s been years since the ICRC has had access to all detainees and we see the consequences of it. It proves why it is important that the ICRC has access to detention in times of

Continued from C1

On top of these accomplishments, the most impactful for most Filipinos would be the issuance of US visas.

Carlson was pleased to announce that they broke records on processing the hundreds of thousands of visa applications processed by the US Embassy in Manila. Though she did not say how many were approved, they have certainly endorsed 4,100 applications for student visas—the highest in 15 years.

The US Peace Corps also accepted 118 volunteers to the Philippines— higher than pre-pandemic numbers.

“Personal connections between our two peoples form the bedrock of our ties,” she averred.

our shared challenges.”

Key sessions include a keynote on the Philippines’ commitment to NDCs, with panelists from the Climate Change Commission, Planet 2050, United Nations Global Compact and the Asian Development Bank. The Green Page Infrastructure panel will feature representatives from the Department of Energy, Palafox Associates, and Siemens Inc., while the Green Jobs discussion will bring insights from the Department of Labor and Employment, Humble Sustainability, as well as other organizations.

Positivity over uncertainty

DESPITE uncertainties on the prospects of the new administration of incoming president Donald J. Trump, Carlson believes that the positive trajectory of the bilateral relations will remain.

“There is very strong bipartisan support for the US-Philippine bilateral relationship for security and economic relationship,” she imparted.

“Part of that foundation is our strong people-to-people ties. That is not something that suddenly happened… it grows organically.”

conflict and after the conflict, so that we can record the names of the people and after identifying them, we can notify the families. If this had been done in the past, we wouldn’t see all these families now looking for their loved ones.”

She visited Aleppo and Idlib: two cities facing overwhelming humanitarian needs. In the former, she saw ICRC efforts to support essential services like water supply and healthcare, both of which have been heavily impacted by years of conflict.

She also urged all parties to do their utmost to protect critical infrastructure located in areas of ongoing hostilities along the Euphrates River, as millions of people depend on them for drinkable water and power supply: “If anything happens to the power or the water supply coming from these two plants, it can potentially affect millions of people. So I’m calling on all the parties and everybody who has an influence to protect the sites, to protect, at all times, critical infrastructure, especially in the health sector, in the water sector, and in the energy sector.” The ICRC has worked in Syria since 1967 supporting people affected by armed conflict. Today, it has more than 700 staff members working throughout the said country with offices in Damascus, Aleppo, Deir Ezzor, Hassakeh and Homs governorates, delivering humanitarian assistance to meet the needs of civilians affected by hostilities and violence.

There are 4.5 million FilipinoAmericans living in the US, while the latter’s citizens residing in the Philippines number about 700,000—more than the said country’s expatriates in South Korea and Japan combined.

“It’s the people-to-people ties, our shared history and shared values that propel this relationship forward… That’s why I’m so confident that there’s bipartisan support. Because the American [and Filipino voters] want this engagement. As two strong maritime democracies, our governments are accountable to our people,” the US envoy confirmed. “That’s what makes us such great partners.” The ambassador has been on her tour of duty for two-and-a-half years. Normally, she said, it is only good for 36 months. It is not yet known if Trump would allow Carlson to maintain her post. (Career diplomats like her usually keep their respective posting during the transition period of the transfer of power from one administration to another.)

Regardless, she is confident that with their bilateral relations on a “hyperdrive,” this year promises to be a great one for both the Philippines and the US. Hopefully, she gets more time to see other provinces of the country and collect more mementos to boost the 2025 edition of “MaryKay’s holiday collection.”

Joyce Ann L. Rocamora/PNA
AMB. Lilybeth Deapera (right) gazes at an ivory crucifix from the Philippines in this undated photo. PHILIPPINE EMBASSY IN MEXICO/PNA
SPOLJARIC (center)
AMB. MARYKAY CARLSON: Envoy, collector, designer extraordinaire

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‘E&E’ - EDUc ATION cROssOVER

French Embassy, Benilde tie up for international opportunities

THE Embassy of France and the Alliance Française de Manille (AFM) has forged a partnership with the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) School of Diplomacy and Governance (SDG) to offer opportunities for interested students who would like to enhance their career paths in this ever-changing world.

This linkage was conceptualized amid the growing significant number of global openings that emerged from learning the French language and pursuing graduate studies in France.

France Philippines-Le Service de Coopération et d’Action Culturelle, Folléas also lauded the European country’s excellent quality of education and encouraging environment for innovative pursuits and research: “The reasonably-priced [and] state-funded education allots scholarships for foreigners. They offer support services and access to over 1,600 programs taught in English.”

He underscored, however, the significance of speaking French—one of the most widely spoken languages in the world—for career advancement, especially in the fields of diplomacy, governance, business, hospitality and art.

Benilde SDG’s dean Dr. Gary Ador Dionisio shared that the activity is an important milestone to further collaborate and internationalize with other international higher education institutions, particularly in the European nation.

THE Taiwan-Philippines Educational Development Foundation held its fourth and fifth Board of Directors inauguration ceremony on January 12, which marked a key milestone in its ongoing mission of supporting underprivileged Filipino-Chinese (“Fil-Chi”) students pursuing higher education in Taiwan.

The event featured the Taiwanese Association of the Philippines’ 19th and 20th leadership handover ceremony. Chair Su Kuo-fang, who is the president of Song Yue Construction, was re-elected as head of the foundation.

The ceremony featured the presentation of certificates to board members by Taiwan’s representative to the Philippines Wallace Minn-Gan Chow. The event also welcomed dignitaries from Taiwan, who included Min. Hsu Chia-ching, Min. Lin You-chang of the Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC), Sec.-Gen. Lin You-chang of the Democratic Progressive Party, and legislator Lee Kuen-cheng.

Su, who arrived in the Philippines in 1994 and transitioned from the restaurant industry to construction, emphasized the foundation’s role in providing airfare sponsorships to financially disadvantaged Fil-Chi students. They are given opportunities to enroll in technical and vocational programs in Taiwan, with pathways to further their education at technology universities. The minister noted that many of these students not only improve their families’ economic situations, but also contribute to the Taiwanese and Philippine workforce after completing their studies.

For his part, Chow highlighted the OCAC’s initiatives, such as the “3+4 Vocational Education Program” and the “4-Year Overseas Youth Vocational Training Program (OYVTP).” These offer students the option to

The Embassy of France to the Philippines and Micronesia’s officer for Higher Education and Linguistics Adam Folléas discussed his country as among the best academic destinations for global learners’ further studies and training sessions. As concurrent head of Campus

remain in Taiwan for work or return to the Philippines to serve local businesses. Last year, more than 2,000 Fil-Chi students applied, and 792 were selected—a three-fold increase from the previous year.

Chow acknowledged that airfare costs pose a significant burden for some families. Thanks to the Taiwan-Philippines Educational Development Foundation’s support, the students can pursue brighter futures without financial barriers.

Hsu also praised the foundation’s remarkable contribution in assisting more than 200 students in 2023 alone, and expressed her optimism about its impact on both local industries and Taiwanese business development. She also bared plans to collaborate with the foundation to enhance students’ Mandarin proficiency through workshops and courses that will prepare them for academic and cultural adaptation in Taiwan.

Established in November 2019, the TaiwanPhilippines Educational Development Foundation has overcome challenges. It experienced a temporary halt during the Covid-19 pandemic. Since its revitalization, the foundation has supported approximately 1,400 Fil-Chi students in pursuing education in Taiwan.

Exec. Dir. Allan Lin explained the foundation’s mission, which is to preserve traditional culture, encourage Fil-Chi youth to study in Taiwan, strengthen grassroots diplomacy between the two nations, and cultivate qualified Mandarin educators for sustainable development of overseas compatriot schools.

According to OCAC, the Taiwan-Philippines Educational Development Foundation continues to serve as a bridge for educational and cultural exchange, fostering

For his part, AFM’s deputy and academic director Victor Petit delved on practical ways Filipinos can learn the French language and culture in the Philippines through the local institution.

In the question-and-answer portion, the resource speakers explored the possibility of engaging in parttime work while attending school in France, and the required level of fluency in the language.

Apart from the Diplomacy program attendees, interested participants from other schools of the college also joined the session.

The opening event was graced by the embassy’s Political project officer Noémie Berthier, AFM Education consultant Julien Friedel, Benilde Center for External Linkages director Sherlo Reyes, and Linkages specialist Jane Paula Roxas.

opportunities for Fil-Chi youth while promoting Taiwan’s values and strengthening bilateral ties.

Strengthening ties

DURING the inauguration and turnover ceremony, the Taiwanese Association of the Philippines underscored organizational efforts in fostering stronger bonds among Taiwanese expatriates, while supporting the advancement of Philippine relations.

The event welcomed Pai Shih-jung, who is a prominent Taiwanese business leader, as the new president. He highlighted in his inaugural speech his vision to

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bers.

Under Pai’s leadership, the association plans to

its

to “serving fellow countrymen and caring for the disadvantaged.” The association aims to give back to Philippine society through charitable activities such as disaster relief, medical missions, poverty alleviation, and computer donations. Additionally, the organization reaffirms its support for Taiwan’s foreign policy and will continue

REGIONAL FORUM Sec. Enrique A. Manalo of the Department of Foreign Affairs (fifth from right) delivered the keynote address at the 2025 Regional Outlook Forum: the flagship event of the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute on January 9 at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Singapore. His keynote addressed the topic: “Can the spirit of cooperation shine through turbulent
EMBASSY of France’s Higher Education and Linguistics officer Adam Folléas
ALLIANCE Française de Manille deputy and academic director Victor Petit BENILDE SDG dean Dr. Gary Ador Dionisio
FRENCH Higher Education and Language Learning Opportunities event participants
REP. Wallace Minn-Gan Chow, Sec. Gen. Lin You-chang (fourth and fifth from the left), legislator Lee Kuen-cheng and Min. Hsu Chia-Ching (fifth and sixth from right).
HSU (second from the right) presents congratulatory certificates to supervisor Wu Kuo-jen and
chair Su Kuo-fang (from left).

Phil. Embassy in Türkiye stages ‘friendship concert’

THE Philippine Embassy in Ankara and Philippine Consulate General in Istanbul organized the “SPARK*CONNECT*EMPOWER: A Friendship Concert” to celebrate the 75th year of establishment of the country’s diplomatic relations with Türkiye.

The Philippines’ National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab headlined the event, as he was joined by international concert pianist Dr. Abelardo Galang II and conductor Toma Cayabyab. Conductor Maestro Kemal Günüç, the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality City Orchestra and Turkish musicians collaborated with the Filipino artists. In his welcome message, Amb. Henry S. Bensurto Jr. said that the Philippines is proud to be Türkiye’s oldest diplomatic partner in Southeast Asia, with relations formally established on June 13, 1949 with the signing of the “Treaty of Friendship.”

On behalf of the Turkish government, Deputy Director General Mehmet Günay of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Overseas Promotion and Cultural Affairs remarked that “cultural events such as the evening’s concert play a key role in bringing Filipino and Turkish peoples even closer.”

Mayor Mansur Yavaş of Ankara Metropolitan Municipality graced the event, as he congratulated the ambassador on the event and the milestone between their two countries.

He expressed Ankara’s willingness to continue collaborating in projects to enhance relations between the Philippines and Türkiye. Deputy Mayor Cağdaș Sariaslan delivered the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality’s message. The concert began with an overture from the orchestra with Maestro Günüç composed by Nevit Kodalli: Telli Turna Süiti. The next performance featured Ryan Cayabyab and Dr. Galang, who wowed the audience with their powerful rendition of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, op. 18. The third part of the program featured the former, who conducted and arranged six Filipino folk songs: Atin Cu Pung Singsing, Si Filemon, Usahay, Wala Angay, Ilocandia, and No Te Vayas. They continued with a Filipino Christmas song: Kumukutikutitap. For the event finale, the artists played a Turkish folk song: Fidayda, conducted and arranged by Maestro Günüç; and piano, four-hands by Cayabyab and Dr. Galang. After the concert, audience mem-

bers were invited to a “meet-andgreet” with the artists. More than 400 people, who included diplomats, Turkish government officials, Filipino community members, and friends of the Philippines joined the event that celebrated the milestone year of Philippine-Turkish relations. The friendship concert was made

possible through the partnership of the Philippine Embassy and the Philippine Consulate General with the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Migrant Workers, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, the Ankara Büyükşehir Belediyesi, Turkish Airlines, and Hilton AnkaraSA.

‘Team Sweden’ releases report on the Phil. market

SWEDISH business leaders, government representatives and key stakeholders boosted partnerships and explored new avenues for growth and cooperation with the launch of the “2024 Philippine Market Report.”

The report provides an in-depth analysis of the dynamic economic landscape in the Philippines, highlighting opportunities for Swedish companies and further enhancing bilateral trade relations between the two nations.

Said report uncovers opportunities across critical sectors such as infrastructure, renewable energy, digital transformation, sustainable mining, and health-care innovations, the Embassy of Sweden said.

It also highlights the vibrant and fast-growing consumer goods sector, alongside BPO and manufacturing. These sectors are poised to play

THE Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands recently announced that LILAK (Purple Action for Indigenous Women’s Rights) is the recipient of the “2024 Embassy Tulip Award.”

With the citation, LILAK was celebrated for its tireless work in empowering indigenous women and advocating for their communities in the Philippines.

The Human Rights Tulip is an award given by the Dutch government to individuals and organizations making exceptional contributions to human rights. The Embassy Tulip—a local version introduced in 2019—celebrates the work of local defenders and aims to raise their visibility, underlining the importance of their efforts in protecting human rights.

According to LILAK, its work has been essential in breaking down the barriers faced by indigenous women, amplifying their voices, and advocat-

a central role in driving the Philippines’ continued economic growth, offering Swedish companies the chance to leverage their innovative solutions, cutting-edge technology and sustainability expertise to meet evolving demands. According to the embassy, the Philippine government’s support in driving investment and economic development has been integral in creating a robust environment for Swedish businesses to thrive.

CONSUL Gen. Shirlene C. Mananquil (from left), Mayor Mansur Yavaş and Amb. Henry S. Bensurto Jr. FB: PHILIPPINE EMBASSY IN TÜRKIYE/BÜNYAMIN ÇIÇEK
RYAN CAYABYAB (from left), Toma Cayabyab, Dr. Abelardo Galang II, and Maestro Kemal Günüç FB: PHILIPPINE EMBASSY IN TÜRKIYE/BÜNYAMIN ÇIÇEK
AMB. Harald Fries
AMB. Marielle Geraedts and Overall Coordinator Judy Pasimio of LILAK

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