BusinessMirror June 05, 2023

DOF sees MIC operational before yearend

THE Finance Department expects the Maharlika Investment Corp. (MIC) to be operational before the end of the year as President Marcos Jr. is on track to sign into law the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) before his second State of the Nation  Address (SONA).

F inance Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno said the MIC would have at least P75 billion in paid-up capital within the year, all coming from the Land Bank of the Philippines (LandBank) and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP).

D iokno added that the Executive branch would ensure timely

preparation and completion of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the proposed MIF law.

M arcos is expected to sign the MIF bill into law before his 2nd SONA in July, Diokno disclosed.

However, he revealed that the bicameral conference committeeapproved and ratified version of bill has not yet been transmitted to the President for his signature.

National Treasurer Rosalia V. De Leon said the national government would be “very aggressive” in generating global attention to generate more funding for the MIF.

D e Leon explained that at its initial fund of P75 billion, the MIC

would not be able to bankroll projects on its own.

However, De Leon emphasized that the MIC would enter into joint ventures and co-financing in its early stages to be able to initiate investments and eventually profits.

GSIS, SSS, can still invest?

DIOKNO revealed that the state pension funds like the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and the Social Security System (SSS) can still invest directly in projects where the MIC is involved.

He emphasized that the investments must be made by GSIS or SSS directly into the projects and not into the equity of the MIF.

De Leon concurred with Diokno, noting that the GSIS and SSS can be co-financers or enter into joint ventures with the MIC. They cannot increase equity, but joint ventures are okay. They can invest at the project level,” she said.

S enators explicitly included a provision in the MIF bill that state pension funds like GSIS and SSS— as well as the Philippine Health Insurance Corp., Home Development Mutual Fund, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration and Philippine Veterans Affairs Office—cannot invest directly or indirectly in the MIF and MIC.

BusinessMirror

PHL COULD BAG ELUSIVE

RATING BY

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

THEPhilippines could achieve the coveted “A” credit rating before President Marcos Jr. steps down from office, according to projections by Finance Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno.

D iokno said the Philippines has been on the right path to an “A” credit rating until the Covid-19 pandemic happened, halting economic growth and development.

H owever, he expressed optimism that the country has regained its footing and is on track toward getting the elusive A credit rating that would enable the Philippines to borrow at lower costs.

We are getting there. It is possible within this administration,” he told reporters in a recent press briefing.

D iokno noted that the Philippines already has an A- credit rating from the Japan Credit Rating Agency  and an AAA rating from China Lianhe Credit Rating Co. (Related story: https://businessmirror com.ph/2023/03/10/japan-credit-rater-affirms-phls-ratingcites-economic-resilience/)

However, the Philippines has yet to achieve an A rating from Fitch Solutions, Moody’s and Standard & Poors (S&P).

At present, the Philippines has a BBB rating from Fitch Solutions, a Baa2 from Moody’s and a BBB+ from S&P.

D iokno pointed out that the Philippine economy is doing well in achieving its A target, as it recently received an outlook upgrade from Fitch while noting that a third of the world was downgraded.

See “‘A’ Rating,” A2

PHL, 7TH AMONG TOP NON-OIC DESTINATIONS FOR MUSLIMS

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

THE Philippines stepped up to seventh place as an attractive destination for Muslim travelers, tying with other non-members  of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (non-OIC) like Germany, South Africa and Spain.

T he country’s ranking was included in the Mastercard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2023, and showed an improvement from the eighth place it received in 2021 and 2022. Singapore once more topped the list of non-OIC destinations. CrescentRating is the world’s leading authority on halalfriendly travel.

I n the global ranking of 138 coun -

tries, the Philippines ranked number 36, an improvement by one place, with an overall performance score of 46 on access, communications, environment, and service. Indonesia regained its first-place ranking, which it lost after 2019. For this year’s GMTI, as in 2022, Ukraine and Russia were not included due to their ongoing war.

See “PHL” A2

China vows cooperation as RCEP fully in effect

CHINA has reiterated its commitment to give full cooperation on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement, which took effect on Friday for the Philippines—confirming that the RCEP agreement is now in effect for all 15 members.

T he full RCEP implementation reflects the determination and actions of its 15 members—10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia and New Zealand—in supporting an open, free, fair, inclusive and rules-based multilateral trading system, China’s commerce ministry commented.

T he RCEP agreement was signed in November 2020 by the 15 AsiaPacific countries after eight years of negotiations. It entered into force on the first day of 2022, creating the world’s largest trade bloc.

T he full implementation will inject strong momentum into regional economic integration, comprehensively enhance the level of trade and investment liberalization and facilitation in East Asia, and contribute to the long-term stable development of the regional and global economy, said the commerce ministry.

I n 2022, trade between China and other RCEP members increased 7.5 percent year on year to 12.95 trillion yuan (about 1.82 trillion US dollars), while their investment in China, in actual use, went up 23.1 percent to 23.53 billion US dollars, data showed.

See “China,” A2

Immerse in the vibrant tapestry of Philippine literature at the Philippine Book Festival, the grandest mobile Pinoy book fair. Celebrating our unique voice, language, and narratives, the event unveils a treasure trove of rare books from the

Library of the Philippines. Among the dazzling highlights is a 1961 replica of Noli

Tangere and El Filibusterismo, enchanting visitors at the World Trade Center.

Finally, DTI to launch export devt plan for PHL mid-June

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said it is set to launch the Philippine Exports Development Plan (PEDP) 2023-2028 on June 15,2023.

Trade Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual said the PEDP will be formally launched on June 15 but “I hope we discuss it with the President earlier.”

T he Trade chief unveiled some of the features of the Plan, saying “it will identify gaps both on the demand side and supply side and [the] solutions.”

Essentially, what the Export Development Plan has done is to identify the promising sectors or industry clusters that can generate significant increases in exports to the Philippines,” Pascual told reporters on the sidelines of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) media briefing in Makati City on Friday.

Pascual cited the industry clusters which he said are “export-ori-

Escrow...

But House Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs Chairman Ron

ented”: the Industrial, Manufacturing, Transport (IMT) cluster; Technology, Media, and Telecommunication (TMT) cluster; and the Health and Life Science (HLS) cluster.

H e underscored the need to grow these industries as these are the ones, apart from the country’s agricultural output, that generate exports for the country.

Meanwhile, the Trade chief said the DTI is expected to increase or adjust its exports target if there is a “dramatic shift” globally.

These clusters were identified on the basis of a reconfiguration of the global value chains arising from the impact of the pandemic, the geopolitical developments, recent geopolitical developments—factors like that,”

Salo quickly assured seafarers that this provision is designed to protect the seafarers from becoming prey to ambulance chasers who take advantage of their unfortunate situation and jack up the amounts

Pascual said, partly in Filipino.

For instance, he cited the United States’s move to diversify sources of their imports especially for electronics and semiconductors. Pascual said the Philippines aims to gain from this move, saying “We want to grab that opportunity.”

W ith such global developments, Pascual said achieving a higher export target rests on the Philippines’s ability to attract international companies as these firms will develop the country’s capability in these sectors.

Of course [there are] Philippine companies, for instance, aerospace, who are the players? Lufthansa Teknik. For aircraft exterior, Boeing. Those are the big ones with access to the global value chain,” the Trade chief noted.

R epublic Act 7844 series of 2004 mandates DTI to craft the Philippine Export Development Plan (PEDP). In 2022, the Export Development Council (EDC) lowered its target to US$105.3 billion from its initial target of $122 billion-$130 billion.

I n September 2022, DTI said it

being sought with the intention of profiting from the amount awarded to the seafarers.

Still, Gorecho said the reversal rates in the Court of Appeals (28 percent) and Supreme Court (30

is targeting to raise earnings from the exports of goods and services to $110 billion for 2023 despite a 10-percent cut in its budget.

A t the budget plenary debate at the House of Representatives in September 2022, Pangasinan 4th District Rep. Christopher V.P. De Venecia, speaking as sponsor of the DTI, said “In terms of exports, the DTI hopes to increase the current amount to about $110 billion.”

T his, despite the agency’s budget being slashed by P2.4 billion or 10 percent lower than the previous budget.

I n November 2022, Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (Philexport) President Sergio R. OrtizLuis Jr. said the next Philippine Export Development Plan will be “more aggressive” to combat issues such as rising business costs and supply chain disruptions.

T he launch of the PEDP for 20232028 was initially set in December 2022. However, Ortiz-Luis said the DTI was still reviewing it. After the review is completed, he said the Export Development Council will give its final approval.

percent) cannot overshadow the fact that almost 70 percent of decisions of the appealed voluntary arbitration cases are affirmed in favor of labor.

The numbers contradict the sweeping allegations that most cases are ‘frivolous’ and are associated with ‘ambulance chasers’ or lawyers who go to lengths to push seafarers to file labor cases against their foreign employers,” he told BusinessMirror in a Viber message.

G orecho said data from the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) reveal that in a span of 20 years, or from 2002 to 2022, there were 5,985 maritime cases that availed of the voluntary arbitration (VA) process, mostly filed before the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB).

From 2018 to 2022, he said 81.5 percent (3,582 cases) are for disability benefits, 7.1 percent (501 cases) for death benefits, and 1.1percent (313 cases) for other monetary benefits.

From 2016 to 2022, out of the 2,031 decided voluntary arbitration cases, 1,618 were appealed to the Court of Appeals; and 98 cases were later brought up from the Court of Appeals to the Supreme Court. A total of 2,795 cases were settled. A t the Supreme Court, Gorecho said 79 cases were decided with 40 affirmations, 19 affirmations with modifications, 23 reversals and 2 remanded to the CA. The affirmation rate is 70 percent (53 cases) wherein 96 percent (51 cases) are in favor of labor while only 4 percent (2 cases) are in favor of management.

T he reversal rate is 30 percent (23 cases) wherein 96 percent (22 cases) are in favor of management while 4 percent (1 case) for labor.

A ccording to the GMTI performance matrix (GPM), the Philippines scored very high at 100 on Faith Restrictions, i.e., it has little or no restrictions on Muslims practicing their faith; visa requirements (85); and general safety (77). The country, however, scored very poorly on visitor arrivals (4), heritage attractions (10), and connectivity (20).

230-M Muslim travelers by 2028

THERE were 110 million Muslim international arrivals in 2022, just 68 percent of the 2019 prepandemic levels. “This indicates a strong rebound and shows the willingness and ability of Muslim travelers to resume international travel as conditions permit,” said the GMTI report. This year, arrivals are projected to rise to 140 million, with a full recovery seen in 2024 at 160 million, matching 2019 levels. Looking further into the future, the outlook remains positive. By 2028, the Muslim travel market is projected to reach unprecedented heights, with Muslim arrivals expected to hit 230 million. This represents a significant increase from the 2019 levels, indicating that the growth of the Muslim travel market is not just a recovery but an expansion,” the report added. “Moreover, the expenditure by Muslim travelers is projected to be US$225 billion by 2028. This underlines the economic significance of this market segment and its potential to contribute to the global travel industry’s recovery and growth.”

T he Department of Tourism (DOT), as far back as 2016, recognized the importance of Muslim travelers, launching a market -

ing strategy to improve visitor arrivals, which included certifying halal  restaurants in the country.  (See, “DOT launches halal marketing strategy to boost arrivals,” in the BusinessMirror , April 7, 2016.)

Emerging destination award

THIS , including marketing efforts by succeeding administrations, have finally earned the Philippines an award as the Emerging Muslim-friendly Destination of the Year at the Halal in Travel Global Summit 2023 on June 1 in Singapore.

I n a news statement, Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco said, “This award is an affirmation of our collaborative efforts towards positioning the Philippines as a preferred destination for Muslim travelers, and strategically developing our Halal Tourism portfolio across our regions. This global recognition also opens up enormous opportunities for our country to introduce our rich and diverse culture and heritage evident in our Muslim communities, and our immensely beautiful destinations, including Mindanao.”

S he noted that DOT continues to focus on developing the Philippines’s halal tourism portfolio, including it as a priority in the just-approved National Tourism Development Plan for 20232028.

F orwardKeys, which tracks global flight bookings, showed a decrease in Ramadan travel bookings to the Philippines this year, but pricier travel choices.  (See, “Ramadan travelers to Philippines choose premium airline cabins,” in the BusinessMirror , April 19, 2023.)

“ We have a road to A strategy,” he said.

Pa rt of that strategy, Diokno explained, is maintaining the government’s fiscal consolidation plan and ramping up infrastructure spending, which he said would make the “big” difference.

Our energy costs are too expensive. In the last 50 years before the [Duterte administration], our infrastructure spending was only 2 percent of GDP. Now it is at 5 percent to 6 percent,” he said.

“ These will lift [the credit rating of the country],” he added.

L ast month, Fitch Ratings reaffirmed its BBB credit rating for the

Finance Undersecretary Catherine L. Fong explained that GSIS has been in the business of conducting joint ventures, especially in infrastructure.

Fong cited the Philippine Investment Alliance for Infrastructure (PI-

Philippines and improved its economic outlook for the country as it projected a “return” to “strong” medium-term growth after the Covid-19 pandemic.

I n its report, the credit rating agency revised its outlook on the Philippines’s long-term foreign currency issuer default rating (IDR) to stable from negative.

Fitch Ratings explained that the revision “reflects” its “confidence” that the Philippines is now “returning” to strong economic growth post-pandemic. (Related story: https:// businessmirror com.ph/2023/05/23/fitch-seesphl-return-to-strong-growth/)

nAI) fund as an example where GSIS has a P16.764-billion investment. D e Leon reiterated that one of the advantages of the MIF is that it allows the national government to fund its budget through equity. J asper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

C hina will continue to ensure solid RCEP implementation to give full play to its role in facilitating supply chain and industrial chain cooperation, as well as promoting high-standard opening up and highquality development, the Chinese foreign ministry said.

C hina will also work with other parties to fulfill its obligations, strengthen the RCEP mechanism, enhance the overall implementation of the agreement, and provide a strong guarantee for the steady development of RCEP cooperation, it said. Lito U. Gagni

R odolfo emphasized that the chunk of foreign capital being poured into the country is increasing, compared to local investments. Before, the BOI managing head said, around 80 percent of the investments would usually come from local companies and 20 percent from foreign firms.

T his time, majority or an estimated 60 percent of investments now come from foreign companies while 40 percent originate from local firms.

I n April 2023, Trade Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual, who is also the BOI Chairman, said “we aim to attract more RE players globally as full foreign ownership is now allowed under the amended implementing rules and regulations of

the Renewable Energy Act.”

Buoyed by a “robust” pipeline of investment leads, Pascual in February 2023 revised the investment approvals target for 2023 from P1 trillion to P1.5 trillion.  I n a statement issued by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), BOI’s mother agency, in February 2023, Pascual expressed confidence that the 80 percent to 90 percent of the initial P1-trillion target of BOI could be achieved even before mid-year. Computations by the BusinessMirror showed that the P532.27billion investment approvals of the BOI from January to May 2023 or in the first five months of the year is 53.23 percent of the initial P1trillion target.

One Meralco Foundation Takes an Active Role in Enhancing Disaster Response and Recovery Planning of LGUs

risk reduction and management officers, planning officers, and other technical staff involved in disaster rehabilitation and recovery programs.

by OMF to innovate and further enhance the capacity of LGUs to respond to disasters and build resilience given the continuing impact of climate change.

This extreme susceptibility of the country to life-threatening natural events prompted the One Meralco Foundation (OMF), the social development arm of the Manila Electric Company (Meralco), to take on a more active role in helping the government enhance disaster response planning of cities and municipalities across the country.

Through its support to the rollout of the web application PlanSmart Ready to Rebuild, OMF and Meralco aim to contribute to the government’s agenda of utilizing research and innovation, science-based decision making, and multi-sector collaboration to enhance disaster risk reduction and management.

In addition, this will help local government units (LGUs) to attain the national government’s agenda to establish livable and sustainable

communities by fostering resiliency against natural disasters.

“The PlanSmart Ready to Rebuild is an investment for the safety and survival of our people and the livelihoods and communities we have built. PlanSmart is a very important downpayment. It is now our responsibility to pay for the balance by learning to utilize this for the good of the country and its future,” OMF President Jeffrey O. Tarayao said.

Developed by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, in collaboration with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, Office of Civil Defense, supported by the Government of Japan, Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, and the World Bank, the PlanSmart Ready to Rebuild web app speeds up the development of rehabilitation and recovery programs and supports evidence-based decision-making and planning for pre- and postdisaster events.

It is also envisioned to revolutionize disaster risk reduction and management planning processes in the country by helping LGUs efficiently plan for disasters.

Empowering LGUs

SINCE November 2022, OMF has been supporting a series of regional training sessions designed to enhance the disaster response capabilities of LGUs with the help of the PlanSmart Ready to Rebuild app.

Capacity-building activities were provided to over 180 participants from 52 LGUs in Metro Manila, the Southern Tagalog Region, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. These include data managers, disaster

“This training is an opportunity for all of us to learn and be able to use innovations in our communities. The PlanSmart Ready to Rebuild app is born out of science, experience, and collaboration for the benefit, not only of your organizations, but most importantly of our kababayans, our fellow Filipinos,” DOST Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. said during one of the training sessions.

Through these activities, LGUs are equipped to come up with their respective rehabilitation and recovery plans even before disasters happen using the PlanSmart Ready to Rebuild app.

“This app proves the saying ‘prevention is better than cure’. We cannot prevent natural disasters from occurring. But through this app, it is easier for us to input and generate comprehensive data and help us generate real-time output so we can prevent the bigger destructive effects of disasters,” shared Marlon Lopez, Local Disaster Risk Reduction Management Officer 1 from Pasay City.

Noting its advocacy of inclusive disaster preparedness, the World Bank hailed the development of the PlanSmart Ready to Rebuild web app as it reaffirmed its support to the Philippine government.

“The World Bank is always ready to support the Philippine Government as it advocates a culture of preparedness and resilience. We are happy to share this commitment with private sector partners, such as the One Meralco Foundation, because inclusive disaster preparedness, response, and recovery is best achieved when all stakeholders are all hands-on deck,” World Bank Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist Lesley Y. Cordero said.

“We supported the development of this innovative platform to help government, especially the LGUs, to plan for disaster and climate risks more efficiently and rebuild resiliently,” Cordero added.

Digital tools such as the PlanSmart Ready to Rebuild app are part of the continuous efforts of the national government supported

“Aside from actively implementing emergency preparedness and disaster

response operations, OMF believes in the need to maximize technology and build capacities of local governments to strengthen stakeholder ownership and accountability in planning for and responding to disasters,” Tarayao said.

Beyond disaster response,

Meralco, through OMF, has been actively supporting underserved communities with electrification programs and through grassroot partnerships to deliver truly sustainable solutions that bring lasting change.

LOCATED along the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Philippines is highly vulnerable to natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, as well as typhoons.

BUILDING RESILIENCE. Participants from different local government units navigate the PlanSmart Ready to Rebuild web app during a training session.

ONE Meralco Foundation President Jeffrey O. Tarayao delivers his message during the opening ceremony of a training session for the use of the PlanSmart Ready to Rebuild web app attended by local government unit representatives.

CAPACITATING LGUS. One Meralco Foundation supports the conduct of regional training sessions designed to enhance the disaster response and recovery capabilities of LGUs with the help of the PlanSmart Ready to Rebuild app. Seen in the photo are (L-R) Office of Civil Defense Rehabilitation and Recovery Management Services Director Harold Cabreros, DOST-PHIVOLCS Director Teresito Bacolcol, Former OCD Region 4-A Director Maria Theresa Escolano, DOST Secretary Renato Solidum, Jr., World Bank Operations Manager for Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand Achim Fock, One Meralco Foundation President Jeffrey O. Tarayao and World Bank Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist Marilyn Tolosa-Martinez.

Solon confident Marcos to sign bill writing off ₧57.5B in farmers’ debt

By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

Villar said that Senate Bill (SB) 1850, to be known as the New Agrarian Emancipation Act, will benefit 610,054 ARBs. The latter were granted lands under Presidential Decree 27, Republic Act (RA) 6657 (as amended by RA 9700) and who have outstanding loan balance as of the effectivity of the Act.

The bill, already passed by both houses of Congress, emanated from the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform that

Villar steers as chairman. The bill includes a key provision to condone all principal and interests of loans from the award of agricultural lands under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.

Villar expects that once enacted into law, P57.5-billion principal debt of 610,054 ARBs, tilling a total of 1,173,101.57 hectares of agrarian reform lands would be written off. The principal loan of P14.5 billion, including interests, penalties and

surcharges are owed by 263,622 ARBs tilling 409,206.91 hectares of agrarian reform lands. The names of these ARBs and other loan details were already submitted by the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) to Congress. Villar believes these loans shall be condoned outright.

The inclusion of the remaining P43.057-billion loan would take effect upon submission by the LBP and the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) of details of the indebtedness to government of the 346,432 ARBs, tilling 763,894.66 hectares of agrarian reform lands.

Moreover, the senator affirmed the enabling bill also provides that all cases related to the nonpayment of loans of ARBs with the DAR shall be dismissed motu proprio and that ARBs will be exempted from payment of estate tax. It also mandates the inclusion of ARBs to the Department of Agriculture’s “Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture” and will be provided with all support services for farmers.

PHL receives 390,000 doses of Covid vax from Lithuania

“This bill seeks to help alleviate the plight of ARBs, who are farmers; for them to recover and overcome the fallout of the Covid-19 crisis, the devastating African swine fever, the ongoing avian influenza, the increasing cost of fertilizer, fuel and other farm inputs and climate change,” Villar added.

The lawmaker noted that farmers and farmworkers are waiting for the enactment of the enabling legislation that will “make possible their dream of receiving their land titles.”

“Without the land in their name, our farmers cannot access credit as they lack collateral to secure the same,” the solon said.

She also clarified that condoning farmers’ amortization “will provide them much-needed financial resources that shall help them develop their farms, increase their productivity and advance an agriculturedriven economy, improve the lives and that of their families, reduce poverty, accelerate rural development and promote food security.”

Salceda: Food stamps program needs to be integrated

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie

ALEADER of the House of Representatives urged the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) last Sunday to integrate a proposed food stamps program with the efforts of the Department of Agriculture (DA).

House Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Jose Ma. Clemente S. Salceda said economic managers should also consider earmarking junk-food taxes for nutrition programs.

“Food stamps, as envisioned and implemented in other countries, are really agricultural programs. They aim to bridge rural surpluses with food-poor urban communities. That way, we address both urban poverty and rural poverty,” Salceda said.

The lawmaker noted that around 30 percent of farmers are poor.

“So, if you want to make this

Dialogue, rule of law seen ensuring regional stability

DEPARTMENT of National Defense (DND) Officer-inCharge Carlito G. Galvez Jr. has pushed for a dialogue and adherence to the rule of law in order to ensure peace and stability in Southeast Asia and in the whole Indo-Pacific region.

Galvez issued the call as he joined defense leaders around the world at the Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD) held in Singapore over the weekend wherein US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III was reported to have been snubbed by his Chinese counterpart.

The SLD, dubbed as “Asia’s premier defense summit,” is an annual gathering of defense ministers, senior military officials, diplomats, security experts and practitioners where the region’s pressing security issues are discussed and debated.

This year’s dialogue was held on Friday until Sunday where Galvez joined United Kingdom Secretary of State for Defense Ben Wallace and Canada Minister of National Defense Anita Anand in leading the discussions on the topic “Building a Stable and Balanced Asia-Pacific.”

In his statement, Galvez underscored rule of law, dialogue and multilaterism as key points in upholding peace and stability in the region amid increasing strains on the security environment. Rene Acosta

program sustainable, you link it with boosting farmer incomes,” Salceda added.

The lawmaker is commenting on the food stamp program proposed by the DSWD, which has so far met some opposition from economic managers due to costs.

“As it was originally implemented in the US, where the food stamp program is most prevalent and arguably most successful, you can have a specific amount for general food items, and you can have a special stamp or voucher for surplus produce,” Salceda said.

“What the farmers can get for surplus produce are food stamps for the general program. So, you help solve their food insecurity issues. You take out the surplus, helping manage prices. And you provide free surplus food to those who need it.

It’s a great synergy,” he added. Salceda, hence, believes the DSWD “should really team up with

the DA on this program.”

Earmarking THE lawmaker also said that the government should consider using revenues from the sweetened beverage tax to fund the food stamp program.

Salceda explained that the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion law, which introduced sweetened beverage taxes, earmarks around 30 percent of its revenues to social measures, including, very specifically, social mitigating measures and investments in education, health, targeted nutrition and anti-hunger programs for mothers, infants and young children.

“We were also not able to earmark programs for sugar farmers under the law; and we should have. That was part of the deal,” the solon said. “So, I strongly suggest that if we are going to do this, let’s pilot it for poor sugar farmers,” Salceda added.

If the government will earmark the revenues entirely for this program, Salceda believes the proposal to tax junk food also stands a chance in Congress.

“So, it has to be a DOH-DA-DSWD effort, with the economic managers guiding us about funding,” Salceda added.

Earlier, the economic managers called for the passage of increases in the sweetened beverage taxes.

“If we are going to discuss new taxes on any junk food, funding nutritional programs should be part of the mix,” Salceda said.

The lawmaker, however, said he hasn’t received an official request from the Department of Finance to take up the measure “they said they want my committee to take up.”

“But if they send a draft bill for me to file and take up, funding nutritional programs with a hard earmark has to be part of the mix,” Salceda added.

BSP leads financial stability monitoring body for Asia

THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) announced recently that BSP Governor Felipe M. Medalla successfully led the 23rd Financial Stability Board Regional Consultative Group for Asia (FSBRCGA) Meeting in Cebu on May 16 and May 17, 2023. FSB Chairman and President of De Nederlandsche

Bank Klaas Knot, FSB Secretary General John Schindler and FSB-RCGA co-chair and Reserve Bank of India Deputy Governor M. Rajeshwar Rao, together with 14 Asian jurisdictions and 23 institutions, participated in the meeting, a statement issued by the BSP last Sunday read.

The BSP said the RCGA members

MORE than 390,000 doses of bivalent Covid-19 vaccines were received by the Philippine Government, through the Department of Health (DOH), from the Lithuanian government on Saturday night.

The DOH explained through a statement that the negotiation for the vaccines started as early as August last year. Six months later, it was finally offered last January by the Lithuanian government.

The DOH said the Philippine government expedited the processes and issuance of permits for the vaccines.

“It is with great pleasure that we have received such generous donations from the Lithuanian Government and our sincerest gratitude to our partner agencies for being one with the DOH in seeing that within our reach is a bountiful future, one that is most achievable starting with ensuring that we have sufficient protection against the Covid-19 virus,”

DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario S. Vergeire said.

Vergeire also encouraged every eligible Filipino to get the opportunity to gain longer and stronger protection by getting vaccinated against Covid-19.

According to the US Food and Drug Administration a bivalent Covid-19 vaccine provides broad protection against the virus and is expected to provide better protection against Covid-19 caused by currently circulating variants.

Health officials who received the vaccines at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 in Pasay City were led by Management Services Team (MST) Assistant Secretary Leonita P. Gorgolon. Also in attendance were the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Lithuania Julia Netta Vildzius Peña and the Deputy Head of Mission of the European Union to the Philippines Ana-Isabel Sanchez-Ruiz. Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

Group sees PUV modernization opportunity for manufacturers

THE Automotive Body Manufacturers Association of the Philippines (Abmap) believes the government’s Public Utility Vehicle (PUV) modernization program provides an “opportunity” for the local automotive industry to showcase capabilities in producing modern vehicle bodies, among others.

In a statement issued last Satur-

day, the Abmap said it also sees the PUV modernization program as an opportunity to promote sustainable transportation in the country. By replacing the “old and inefficient” jeepneys with “modern and eco-friendly” vehicles, the program can contribute to reducing carbon emissions and promoting a cleaner environment, the group’s statement read. Andrea San Juan

tackled the work program of the FSB for 2023 onwards, building on how key timely risk issues impact on Asia. Discussions focused on the financial stability outlook for Asia, vulnerabilities arising from non-bank financial intermediation and work to address risks from crypto assets, the BSP said through the statement.

Court denies miner’s petition for tax credit

THE Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) has denied gold mining company the petition of Oceanagold Philippines Inc. for a refund or tax credit amounting to P142.2 million representing excise taxes allegedly collected wrongfully by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) for the period July to December 2017. In a 31-page ruling, the CTA’s Special First Division held that Oceanagold failed to prove that it is entitled to the refund claimed despite its excise tax exemption during the recovery period pursuant to the Financial or Technical Assistance Agreement (FTAA) dated June 20, 1994, to Section 81 of Republic Act (RA) 7942 (Philippine Mining Act) and to Section 236 of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Administrative Order 95-23. The CTA noted that during the so-called “recovery-period” or the

five contract years beginning from the date of commencement of commercial production, the government cannot collect excise tax from the petitioner. But, the tax court explained that despite its excise-tax exemption, Oceanagold failed to prove that it is entitled to the refund claimed.

It noted that the FTAA states that all taxes, including excise tax, collected during the recovery period is recoverable during the years they were incurred, provided that the amount collected is detrimental to petitioner’s recovery of pre-operating and property expenses.

“Petitioner, however, failed to prove that the payments of the subject excise taxes, during the said 5-year period, were detrimental to its recovery of the said pre-operating and property expenses. There is no specific evidence which shows such fact,” the CTA said in a decision penned by Associate Justice Cath-

erine T. Manahan. “In sum, we see no valid ground to grant the present claim,” the CTA said.

Prior to the filing of a case, Oceanagold made a formal claim for refund or tax credit with the BIR for the excise taxes it paid for 2017 and the first quarter of 2018, on its removal of copper concentrates and gold bars amounting to P455.4 million.

In October 2019, the petitioner received a letter from the BIR dated October 10, 2019, denying its claim for refund of excise tax in the amount of P455.4 million paid for the period from February 6, 2017, to March 23, 2019. Citing the BIR’s alleged inaction, Oceanagold decided to file a petition for review with the CTA, asking to direct the BIR to grant a refund or tax credit in the amount of P69.38 million, representing excise taxes that the firm said the BIR “wrongfully collected” from July to September 2017. Joel R. San Juan

SENATOR Cynthia A. Villar is banking on President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to frontload signing into law a Congress-approved bill condoning loans of farmers and agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs).

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Escrow fund in seafarers’ bill anti-labor, says lawyer

A

I n a statement, Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho, head of the seafarers’ division of the Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan law offices, said the escrow provision of the proposed law wrongly penalizes seafarers instead of its supposed target: ambulance chasers.

“ The escrow provision will put the benefits won by seafarers to an escrow account and can only be released upon final decision of appeal before the Court of Appeals or Supreme Court, which takes 7 years or more,” said Gorecho.

A ccording to Gorecho, the claim of protecting seafarers seems to be off tangent.

“

First, holding seafarers’ death or disability benefits for even 1 or 2 years after being final and executory is undeniably unfair and not protection to seafarers. The benefits won is for their welfare. It is life or death for them finance-wise,” he said.

Denying, it is clearly not in protection of their welfare. The escrow provision should not be used to address ambulance chasers as it ultimately penalizes seafarers thru hostage-taking their benefits. It punishes not the ambulance chasers but our modern heroes,” added Gorecho.

U nder the House-approved House Bill 7325, any monetary award by the arbitrator to the seafarer, or the seafarer’s successors-in-interest, made whether in a voluntary or mandatory arbitration, or by the National Labor Relations Commissions, shall be placed in escrow, if the employer or manning agency has raised or intends to raise the decision for judicial review in accordance with the Rules of Court.

T he amount in escrow shall not include claims for salaries, statutory monetary benefits, or those originally determined by the employer or manning agency to be legally due to the seafarer.

T he amount shall remain in escrow until the issuance of any entry of judgment by the appropriate reviewing court or when the employer or manning agency fails to perfect the appeal or petition for review. The fees in obtaining or maintaining the escrow account shall be paid by the employer or the manning agency.

T he interest earned by the amount in escrow shall insure to the benefit of the prevailing party.  However, the seafarer or the seafarer’s successors-in-interest may, in accordance with the Rules of Court, move for the execution of the monetary award pending appeal upon posting of a bond, the amount of which shall be determined by the appropriate court.

E arlier, groups of seafarers called on Congress to delete the escrow provision in Magna Carta of Seafarers bill, which they described  to be “anti-seaman, antilabor and pro-manning contrary to the intent of the bill which is to protect seafarers.”

I nstead, Gorecho said local manning firms and foreign shipowners should urge the government to strictly implement and apply the existing law on Ambulance Chasing (RA 10706).

All it needs is an implementing rule from the Department of Labor and Employment,” he added.

BusinessMirror

Foreign RE investments drive BOI approvals surge

By Andrea E. San Juan

LAWYER said the escrow provision of the proposed magna carta law for seafarers pending in Congress is “undeniably unfair and not protection” to seafarers.A

The surge was mainly driven by foreign investments in the renewable energy sector.

the P5.63 billion in the same period in 2022.

PPROVED investments from January to May 2023 reached P532.27 billion, a 158.72-percent increase from the P205.73 billion investment approvals recorded in the same period in 2022, the Board of Investments (BOI) has reported.M eanwhile, there were P128.41 billion worth of approved Filipino investments from Januaryto May 2023. This is 35.83 percent lower than the P200.11 billion recorded in the same period in 2022, BOI noted.

A ccording to BOI, the P532.27 billion worth of investment approvals from January to May 2023 are seen to generate around 18,883 jobs from 106 projects it approved in the same period.

Solon: Energy woes more vital than nuke politics

By Roderick L. Abad @rodrik_28

tal will be poured into the Renewable Energy sector.

“ You can see clearly what drove it—when the President instructed and the [Department of Energy] DOE removed the ceiling on foreign equity participation in Renewable Energy,” Rodolfo told reporters on the sidelines of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) media briefing, which took effect on Friday.

H said around 80 percent of the secured foreign investments in the same period are in the renewable energy sector.

ACONSUMER group has asked the government agencies to get the most out of a two-year low on the world food index as announced by the United Nations (UN), an official said on Sunday.

T he Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN earlier has revealed that the world food price index, tracking the most internationally-traded food products, fell from April’s 127.7 to May’s 124.3 points, marking the lowest since April 2021.

“ This two-year record low is happening even as the global price for sugar, rice, and meat is increasing. It is because of an apparent decline in prices of vegetable oils and dairy products,” Bantay Palengke Convenor Lester Codog said in a statement.

“ We suggest that our government [Department of Agriculture] and the [Department of Trade and Industry] do everything to take advantage of this situation to provide relief to our fellow Filipinos who are still suffering from high local food prices,” he said.

Data from FAO indicated that the vegetable price index decreased by about 9 percent while world dairy prices slid over 3 percent.

It was noted that world vegetable oil prices eased because of an increased supply of oilseed in the midst of low demand for palm oil, while the global dairy price index is reflecting the seasonal upsurge of milk output in the northern hemisphere.

We know for a fact that our country imports cooking oil and milk as our local production cannot catch up with consumer demand. We should look for ways to benefit from this global slump in the prices of food products that Filipinos consume on a daily basis,” the convenor said.

If we cannot do it for rice, sugar and meat for now, at least we can help them balance their household food budget by making affordable cooking oil and dairy products available,” Codog added.

O n June 2, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) took effect, but Alaska Milk

B OI Managing Head and Trade Undersecretary Ceferino S. Rodolfo said the bulk of foreign capi -

P

ANGASINAN SecondDistrict Congressman Mark O. Cojuangco is hopeful that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. will overcome politics surrounding his planned recommissioning of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP), which has been mothballed for 38 years.

D uring a media tour on Saturday of the first nuclear power facility built in the country, the lawmaker said that the chief executive must be determined in making a decision, stressing it is time to explore reviving the BNPP amid the looming energy crisis in the Philippines.

A s early as last year, the government has served warnings that the country will experience possible power supply challenges as Malampaya gas fields, supplying 30 percent of Luzon’s energy needs, are expected to be depleted by 2024. The country’s increasing population and electricity costs, which are among the highest in Southeast Asia, add up to the present energy woes.

For Cojuangco, exploring nuclear energy can help diversify energy sources to meet the demands for clean and reliable energy, particularly amid the skyrocketing energy prices and demands, increasing population, and the local and global push to decelerate climate change.

A ccording to him, the most immediate action to be taken is the recommissioning of the BNPP since it is already existing.

Corp. (AMC) is not asking for a price increase in its milk products to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and true to its mission of providing affordable nutrition for every Filipino home.

Tarang Gupta, AMC managing director, said that their company is striking a sort of balance on the nutrition needed by Filipinos against the present inflationary headwinds happening in the country.

We are seeing the consumption going up again and that’s driven by affordability and that is driving the growth. At this stage, we are not submitting any petition to the DTI, although there will always be a need [in the coming years],” he said.

At Alaska, if we want to live with our purpose of nourishing Filipinos, then we have to keep a balance,” Gupta said during the World Milk Day celebration.

A nd with the RCEP Agreement taking effect, the major trade bloc agreement is not seen to impact the milk industry.

Local production of milk is always a factor of scale,” he explained,

noting that “the scale here is so small compared to other countries, for example, Thailand which is 35 percent.”

Gupta said that with Alaska, “we are very clear that we will support the local farmers and help them increase the quality and quantity and I think we can do it within five years.”

W ithout RCEP, the current tariff on milk is at 3 percent, with concentrated milk at 0 to 1 percent, while with RCEP, milk will be zero tariffs until the 20th year of the implementation of the RCEP.

RCEP offers opportunities in trade and investment for the Philippines, especially in deepening economic integration among the 15 RCEP members and bringing healthy competition to industries in the country.

A study by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies estimated that the Philippines’s GDP (gross domestic product) would increase by 2.02 percent through its participation in RCEP.

COFFEE EXPO Young artists paint using diluted coffee at the Philippine Coffee Expo (PCE) 2023, a three-day event that features the newest industry products, exciting trends, international coffee experts, and a world-class exhibition of Philippine and foreign coffee companies. PCE 2023 draws over 1,000 people to the plenary sessions, as well as over 70 booths, dozens of concessionaires, and over 6,000 visitors over the course of three days. NONIE REYES See “Foreign ,” A2 B OI data showed that of the approved 5-month investments of P532,268,380,000, the BOI recorded P403.86 billion of approved foreign investments, a 7,075.86-percent increase from See “Escrow ,” A2 COJUANGCO

He noted that it is more than feasible due to its highquality structure. With its electrical capacity of 623 megawatts, BNPP could provide more than 10 percent of the Luzon grid’s requirement. He added that it could help lower the cost of energy in the country, making it affordable especially for impoverished Filipinos.

C ojuangco was one of the members of the House of Representatives who filed a bill in the 19th Congress to push for the use of such power source, which was later adopted as the consolidated bill discussed by the Special Committee on Nuclear Energy.

I f this passeds the Act will be known as the Philippine National Nuclear Energy Safety Act. This aims to create the Philippine Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (PhilATOM) and form a legal framework for the safe utilization of nuclear power.

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie

The World

Editor: Angel R. Calso

Biden signs debt ceiling bill that pulls US back from brink of unprecedented default

By Chris Megerian | The Associated Press

It was a decidedly low-key denouement to a months long drama that unnerved financial markets at home and abroad and caused anxious retirees and social service organizations to make contingency plans in case the country was unable to pay all its bills.

Instead of holding a public ceremony with lawmakers from both parties— showcasing the bipartisanship that Biden had cited in an Oval Office address on Friday evening—the president signed the legislation in private in a reflection of the tight deadline facing the nation’s leaders.

The Treasury Department had warned that the country would start running short of cash on Monday,

which would have sent shockwaves through the US and global economies.

The White House released a picture of the president signing the legislation at the Resolute Desk. In a brief statement, Biden thanked Democratic and Republican congressional leaders for their partnership, a cordial message that contrasted with the rancor that initially characterized the debt debate.

“No matter how tough our politics gets, we need to see each other not as adversaries, but as fellow Americans,” Biden said in a video message released after the signing. He said it was important to “stop shouting, lower the temperature, and work together to pursue progress, secure prosperity

and keep the promise of America for everybody.”

The standoff began when Republicans refused to raise the country’s borrowing limit unless Democrats agreed to cut spending. Eventually, the White House began weeks of intense negotiations with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., to reach a deal.

The final agreement, passed by the House on Wednesday and the Senate on Thursday, suspends the debt limit until 2025—after the next presidential election—and restricts governm ent spending. It gives lawmakers budget targets for the next two years in hopes of assuring fiscal stability as the political season heats up.

Raising the nation’s debt limit, now at $31.4 trillion, will ensure that the government can borrow to pay debts already incurred.

After Congress passed the legislation, Biden used the occasion to deliver his first speech from the Oval Office as president on Friday.

“No one got everything they wanted but the American people got what they needed,” he said, highlighting the “compromise and consensus” in the deal. “We averted an economic crisis

and an economic collapse.”

Biden touted the achievements of his first term as he runs for reelection, including support for high-tech manufacturing, infrastructure investments and financial incentives for fighting climate change. He also highlighted ways he blunted Republican efforts to roll back his agenda and achieve deeper cuts.

“We’re cutting spending and bringing deficits down at the same time,” Biden said. “We’re protecting important priorities from Social Security to Medicare to Medicaid to veterans to our transformational investments in infrastructure and clean energy.”

Biden’s remarks were the most detailed comments from the Democratic president on the compromise he and his staff negotiated. He largely remained quiet publicly during the high-stakes talks, a decision that frustrated some members of his party but was intended to give space for both sides to reach a deal and for lawmakers to vote it to his desk.

Biden praised McCarthy and his negotiators for operating in good faith, and all congressional leaders for ensuring swift passage of the legislation. “They acted responsibly, and put the good of the country ahead of politics,” he said.

In addition to restrictions on spending, the 99page bill changes some policies, including imposing new work requirements for older Americans receiving food aid and greenlighting an Appalachian natural gas pipeline that many Democrats oppose. Some environmental rules were modified to help streamline approvals for infrastructure and energy projects—a move long sought by moderates in Congress.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates the legislation could actually expand total eligibility for federal food assistance, with the elimination of work requirements for veterans, homeless people and young people leaving foster care.

The legislation also bolsters funds for defense and veterans, cuts back some new money for the Internal Revenue Service and rejects Biden’s call to roll back Trump-era tax breaks on corporations and the wealthy to help cover the nation’s deficits. But the White House said the IRS’ plans to step up enforcement of tax laws for high-income earners and corporations would continue.

The agreement imposes an automatic overall 1% cut to spending programs if Congress fails to approve its annual spending bills—a measure designed to pressure lawmakers of both parties to reach consensus before the end of the fiscal year in September.

In both chambers, more Democrats backed the legislation than Republicans, but both parties were critical to its passage. In the Senate the tally was 63-36 including 46 Democrats and independents and 17 Republicans in favor, 31 Republicans along with four Democrats and one independent who caucuses with the Democrats opposed.

The vote in the House was 314-117. AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.

By Rafiq Maqbool & Ashok Sharma

The Associated Press

BALASORE, India—With res -

cue work finished, authorities began clearing the mangled wreckage of two passenger trains that derailed in eastern India, killing more than 300 people and injuring hundreds in one of the country’s deadliest rail accidents in decades, officials said Sunday.

Investigators are looking into possible causes behind Friday night’s crash in Balasore district of eastern Odisha state, including whether human error or signal failure played a role.

Fifteen bodies were recovered on Saturday evening and efforts continued overnight as heavy cranes were used to remove an engine that had settled on top of a rail car. No bodies were found in the engine and the work was completed on Sunday morning, said Sudhanshu Sarangi, directorgeneral of fire and emergency services in Odisha.

The accident occurred at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is focusing on the modernization of the British colonial-era railroad network in India, which has become the world’s most populous country with 1.42 billion people. Despite government efforts to improve rail safety, several hundred accidents occur every year on India’s railways, the largest train networks under one management in the world.

Preliminary investigations revealed that a signal was given to the Coromandel Express to enter the main track line but the signal was later taken off. The train entered another line, known as the loop line, and crashed into a goods train parked there, the

By Sangmi Cha

NORTH K orea says advance notice of its satellite launches is “no longer necessary,” hitting out after international criticism of Pyongyang’s recent attempt to put a spy satellite in orbit.

The dispatch, published via the official Korean Central News Agency, comes after North Korea notified the International Maritime Organization of its plan to launch a satellite between May 31 and June 11. After a failed launch last week, the country promised to revive efforts soon, drawing condemnation from the US, Japan and South Korea.

“As IMO responded to the DPRK’s advance notice on its satellite launch with the adoption of an anti-DPRK ‘resolution,’ we will regard this as its official manifestation of stand that the DPRK’s advance notice is no longer necessary,” according to the commentary written by an international affairs analyst, Kim Myong Chol, referring to North Korea by its formal name.

Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said in a separate statement

Press Trust of India news agency reported. When asked about the cause of the accident and preliminary findings, India’s Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, “Let the inquiry report come out. It won’t be appropriate to comment.”

Chaotic scenes erupted on Friday night as rescuers climbed atop the wrecked trains to break open doors and windows using cutting torches to try to save people who were trapped inside the rail cars.

Modi visited the crash site on Saturday to examine the relief effort and talk to rescue officials. He also visited a hospital where he asked doctors about the treatments being given to the injured, and spoke to some of them.

Modi told reporters he felt the pain of those who suffered in the accident. He said the government would do its utmost to help them and strictly punish anyone found responsible.

Ten to 12 coaches of one train derailed, and debris from some of the mangled coaches fell onto a nearby track. The debris was hit by another passenger train coming from the opposite direction, causing up to three coaches of the second train to also derail, said Amitabh Sharma, a Railroad Ministry spokesperson.

In 1995, two trains collided near New Delhi, killing 358 people in one of the worst train accidents in India.

In 2016, a passenger train slid off the tracks between the cities of Indore and Patna, killing 146 people.

Most train accidents in India are blamed on human error or outdated signaling equipment.

More than 12 million people ride 14,000 trains across India every day, traveling on 64,000 kilometers (40,000 miles) of track. Sharma reported from New Delhi.

carried by KCNA that Pyongyang’s military reconnaissance satellite is no different from the thousands put in orbit by other nations. There was no reason for the countries to stand up against North Korea or be concerned about its satellite, she said.    “I’d like to make it clear once again that the launch of a military reconnaissance satellite by the DPRK is a legal countermeasure to cope with the US and its vassal forces’ military threats that have already crossed the red line, and an exercise of the right to self defense aimed at safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Kim said.

Last week, she warned no country can deny Pyongyang’s right to put a spy satellite into space and vowed to put one in orbit soon following last Wednesday’s failed launch. North Korea’s rocket crashed into the Yellow Sea after losing propulsion in the second stage of the ascent, according to KCNA.

The US and its allies South Korea and Japan on Saturday agreed to link up real-time “warning data” on North Korean missiles within this year, to further enhance the level of security cooperation among the three countries. Bloomberg News

WASHINGTON—With just two days to spare, President Joe Biden signed legislation on Saturday that lifts the nation’s debt ceiling, averting an unprecedented default on the federal government’s debt.

RescueR s carry the body of a victim at the site of passenger trains that derailed in Balasore district, in the eastern Indian state of Orissa on saturday, June 3, 2023. Rescuers in India have found no more survivors in the overturned and mangled wreckage of two passenger trains that derailed, killing more than 300 people and injuring hundreds in one of the country’s deadliest rail crashes in decades. AP Photo/R

Indian officials end rescue work for 2 wrecked passenger trains that killed over 300 people

North Korea warns it may not give notice of satellite launch

Austin says Washington won’t stand for ‘coercion and bullying’ from China

By David Rising The Associated Press

China accuses US of provoking Beijing

By David Rising The Associated Press

Li, who became China’s defense minister in March, declined Austin’s invitation to talk on the sidelines of the conference, though the two did shake hands before sitting down at opposite sides of the same table together as the forum opened Friday.

Austin said this was not enough.

“A cordial handshake over dinner is no substitute for a substantive engagement,” he said.

SINGAPORE—China’s defense minister defended sailing a warship across the path of an American destroyer and Canadian frigate transiting the Taiwan Strait, telling a gathering of some of the world’s top defense officials in Singapore on Sunday that such so-called “freedom of navigation” patrols are a provocation to China.

Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual forum bringing together top defense officials, diplomats and leaders in Singapore, Austin lobbied for support for Washington’s vision of a “free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific within a world of rules and rights” as the best course to counter increasing Chinese assertiveness in the region.

The US has been expanding its own activities around the Indo-Pacific to counter sweeping territorial claims from China, including regularly sailing through and flying over the Taiwan Strait and in the South China Sea.

“We are committed to ensuring that every country can fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows,” he said at the forum hosted by the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank. “And every country, large or small, must remain free to conduct lawful maritime activities.”

Austin noted that the US had provided millions of doses of the Covid-19 vaccine during the height of the pandemic and is regularly involved in disaster relief and humanitarian assistance efforts in the region. He said it is working to combat climate change, illegal fishing and ensure that supply chains do not suffer disruptions—ticking off many issues of importance to Asia-Pacific nations.

“We’re doubling down on our alliances and partnerships,” he said.

He said the US is also committed to deterring North Korea’s missile

threat and China’s claims on Taiwan, a self-governing island democracy that Beijing says is its territory, and said Washington has been stepping up defense planning, coordination and training with partner nations in the region.

“To be clear, we do not seek conflict or confrontation,” he said. “But we will not flinch in the face of bullying or coercion.”

Underscoring Austin’s words, a US guided-missile destroyer and a Canadian frigate sailed Saturday through the Taiwan Strait, “waters where high-seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law,” the US 7th Fleet said. There was no immediate word of a Chinese response.

In Singapore, Chinese Lt. Gen. Jing Jianfeng, a senior member of the delegation accompanying Defense Minister Gen. Li Shangfu, accused Austin of “overtly or covertly making false accusations against China” in his address.

Speaking with reporters after Austin spoke, Jing alleged the US has been “deceiving and exploiting” AsiaPacific nations to advance its own selfinterests to preserve “its dominant position” in the region.

He suggested that Washington has been holding on to alliances that are “remnants of the Cold War” and establishing new pacts, like the AUKUS agreement with Britain and Australia and the “Quad” grouping with Australia, India and Japan “to divide the

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III smiles as he speaks during the 20th International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s annual defense and security forum in Singapore on Saturday, June 3, 2023.

world into ideologically-driven camps and provoke confrontation.”

Jing, who took no questions, said that by contrast, “China is committed to the region’s development and prosperity.”

Austin sought to assure China that the US remained “deeply committed” to the longstanding one-China policy, which recognizes Beijing as the government of China but allows informal relations with Taiwan, and continues to “categorically oppose unilateral changes to the status quo from either side.”

He added that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had served to underline how dangerous the world would be if big countries were able to “just invade their peaceful neighbors with impunity.”

“Conflict is neither imminent nor inevitable,” Austin said. “Deterrence is strong today — and it’s our job to keep it that way. The whole world has a stake in maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”

But Jing accused the US of hollowing out the one-China policy, accusing Washington of supporting Taiwanese separatists without citing any evidence, and reiterating Beijing’s claim that “Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s sovereign territory.”

“There’s no room for us to concede or compromise,” he said.

He added that “China has indisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea islands and the adjacent waters.”

Li, who was named defense minister in March, is under American sanctions that are part of a broad package of measures against Russia— but predate its invasion of Ukraine— that were imposed in 2018 over Li’s involvement in China’s purchase of combat aircraft and anti-aircraft missiles from Moscow.

The sanctions, which broadly prevent Li from doing business in the United States, do not prevent him from holding official talks, American defense officials have said.

It was not clear whether Li, who is to address the forum Sunday morning, was in the room while Austin talked. He did join the American defense secretary and others later for a ministerial roundtable.

Austin reiterated calls that Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made in his opening address at the forum for China to engage in regular, direct communications to help prevent any possible conflict.

“For responsible defense leaders, the right time to talk is anytime,” Austin said. “The right time to talk is every time. And the right time to talk is now.”

Jing said, however, that lines of communication needed to be based upon “mutual respect.”

“But the US has been calling for communications on one hand and undermining China’s interests and concerns on the other,” he said.

The US has noted that since 2021—well before Li became defense minister—China has declined or failed to respond to more than a dozen requests from the US Defense Department to talk with senior leaders, as well as multiple requests for standing dialogues and working-level engagements.

Ukraine keeps up pressure following Russian claims of victory in Bakhmut

By Mstyslav Chernov & Jamey Keaten

Press

Associated

The

OUTSIDE BAKHMUT, Ukraine—Watching imagery from a drone camera overhead, Ukrainian battalion commander Oleg Shiryaev warned his men in nearby trenches that Russian forces were advancing across a field toward a patch of trees outside the city of Bakhmut.

The leader of the 228th Battalion of the 127th Kharkiv Territorial Defense Brigade then ordered a mortar team to get ready. A target was locked. A mortar tube popped out a loud orange blast, and an explosion cut a new crater in an already pockmarked hillside.

“We are moving forward,” Shiryaev said after at least one drone image showed a Russian fighter struck down. “We fight for every tree, every trench, every dugout.”

Russian forces declared victory in the eastern city last month after the longest, deadliest battle since their full-scale invasion of Ukraine began 15 months ago. But Ukrainian defenders like Shiryaev aren’t retreating. Instead, they are keeping up the pressure and continuing the fight from positions on the western fringes of Bakhmut.

The pushback gives commanders in Moscow another thing to think about ahead of a much-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive that appears to be taking shape.

Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said Russia sought to create the impression of calm around

Bakhmut, but in fact, artillery shelling still goes on at levels similar to those at the height of the battle to take the city. The fight, she said, is evolving into a new phase.

“The battle for the Bakhmut area hasn’t stopped; it is ongoing, just taking different forms,” said Maliar, dressed in her characteristic fatigues in an interview from a military media center in Kyiv. Russian forces are now trying—but failing—to oust Ukrainian fighters from the “dominant heights” overlooking Bakhmut.

“We are holding them very firmly,” she said.

From the Kremlin’s perspective, the area around Bakhmut is just part of the more than 1,000-kilometer (621-mile) front line that the Russian military must hold. That task could be made more difficult by the withdrawal of the mercenaries from private military contractor Wagner Group who helped take control of the city. They will be replaced with Russian soldiers.

For Ukrainian forces, recent work has been opportunistic—trying to wrest small gains from the enemy and taking strategic positions, notably from two flanks on the northwest and southwest, where the Ukrainian 3rd Separate Assault Brigade has been active, officials said.

Russia had envisioned the capture of Bakhmut as partial fulfillment of its ambition to seize control of the eastern Donbas region, Ukraine’s industrial heartland. Now, its forces have been compelled to regroup, rotate fighters and rearm just to hold the city. Wagner’s owner announced a pullout

after acknowledging the loss of more than 20,000 of his men.

Maliar described the nine-month struggle against Wagner forces in nearly existential terms: “If they had not been destroyed during the defense of Bakhmut, one can imagine that all these tens of thousands would have advanced deeper into Ukrainian territory.”

The fate of Bakhmut, which lays largely in ruins, has been overshadowed in recent days by near-nightly attacks on Kyiv, a series of unclaimed drone strikes near Moscow and the growing anticipation that Ukraine’s government will try to regain ground.

But the battle for the city could still have a lingering impact. Moscow has made the most of its capture, epitomized by triumphalism in Russian media. Any slippage of Russia’s grip would be a political embarrassment for President Vladimir Putin.

Michael Kofman of the Center for Naval Analyses, a US research group, noted in a podcast this week that the victory brings new challenges in holding Bakhmut.

With Wagner fighters withdrawing, Russian forces are “going to be increasingly fixed to Bakhmut ... and will find it difficult to defend,” Kofman told “War on the Rocks” in an interview posted Tuesday.

“And so they may not hold on to Bakhmut, and the whole thing may have ended up being for nothing for them down the line,” he added.

A Western official who spoke on condition of anonymity said Russian airborne forces are heavily involved in replacing the departing Wagner

In his first international public address since becoming defense minister in March, Gen. Li Shangfu told the Shangri-La Dialogue that China doesn’t have any problems with “innocent passage” but that “we must prevent attempts that try to use those freedom of navigation (patrols), that innocent passage, to exercise hegemony of navigation.”

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told the same forum Saturday that Washington would not “flinch in the face of bullying or coercion” from China and would continue regularly sailing through and flying over the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea to emphasize they are international waters, countering Beijing’s sweeping territorial claims.

That same day, as a US guided missile destroyer and a Canadian frigate were intercepted by a Chinese warship as they transited the strait between the self-governed island of Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, and mainland China. The Chinese vessel overtook the American ship and then veered across its bow at a distance of 150 yards (about 140 meters) in an “unsafe manner,” according to the US Indo-Pacific Command.

Additionally, the US has said a Chinese J-16 fighter late last month “performed an unnecessarily aggressive maneuver” while intercepting a US Air Force reconnaissance aircraft over the South China Sea, flying directly in front of the plane’s nose.

Those and previous incidents have raised concerns of a possible accident occurring that could lead to an escalation between the two nations at a time when tensions are already high.

Li suggested the US and its allies had created the danger, and should instead focus on taking “good care of your own territorial airspace and waters.”

“The best way is for the countries, especially the naval vessels and fighter jets of countries, not to do closing actions around other countries’ territories,” he said through an interpreter. “What’s the point of going there? In China we always say, ‘Mind your own business.’”

Francis warns of risk of corruption in missionary fundraising after AP report

By Nicole Winfield The Associated Press

VATICAN CITY—Pope Francis warned the Vatican’s missionary fundraisers on Saturday not to allow financial corruption to creep into their work, insisting that spirituality and spreading the Gospel must drive their operations, not mere entrepreneurship.

tor, Monsignor Kieran Harrington, suggested the former head may have omitted information, or glossed over Vatican concerns, in his presentations to the board that ultimately approved the transfers, officials said.

troops—a step that is “likely to antagonize” the airborne leadership, who see the duty as a further erosion of their “previously elite status” in the military.

Ukrainian forces have clawed back slivers of territory on the flanks—a few hundred meters (yards) per day— to solidify defensive lines and seek opportunities to retake some urban parts of the city, said one Ukrainian analyst.

“The goal in Bakhmut is not Bakhmut itself, which has been turned into ruins,” military analyst Roman Svitan said by phone. The goal for the Ukrainians is to hold on to the western heights and maintain a defensive arc outside the city.

More broadly, Ukraine wants to weigh down Russian forces and capture the initiative ahead of the counteroffensive—part of what military analysts call “shaping operations” to set the terms of the battle environment and put an enemy in a defensive, reactive posture.

Serhiy Cherevatyi, a spokesman for Ukrainian forces in the east, said the strategic goal in the Bakhmut area was “to restrain the enemy and destroy as much personnel and equipment as possible” while preventing a Russian breakthrough or outflanking maneuver.

Analyst Mathieu Boulègue questioned whether Bakhmut would hold lessons or importance for the war ahead. Keaten reported from Kyiv, Ukraine. Associated Press writers Hanna Arhirova and Illia Novikov in Kyiv, Yuras Karmanau in Tallinn, Estonia, and Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.

Francis made the comments in a speech to the national directors of the Vatican’s Pontifical Mission Societies, which raise money for the Catholic Church’s missionary work in the developing world, building churches and funding training programs for priests and nuns. Deviating from his prepared remarks, Francis appeared to refer to a recent Associated Press investigation into financial transfers at the US branch of the Pontifical Mission Societies: The former head oversaw the transfer of at least $17 million from a quasi-endowment fund and donations into a nonprofit and private equity fund that he created and now heads. The initiatives provide low-interest loans to churchrun agribusinesses in Africa.

“Please don’t reduce POM to money,” Francis said, referring to the Italian acronym of the Pontifical Mission Societies. “This is a medium, a means. Does it require money?

Yes, but don’t reduce it, it is bigger than money.”

He said if spirituality isn’t driving the Catholic Church’s missionary efforts, there is a risk of corruption.

“Because if spirituality is lacking and it’s only a matter of entrepreneurship, corruption comes in immediately,” Francis said. “And we have seen that even today: In the newspapers, you see so many stories of alleged corruption in the name of the missionary nature of the church.”

The Vatican has said it is seeking clarity on the transfers at the US branch, which appear to be fully legal since the previous board approved them. The AP investigation uncovered no evidence of corruption, though a legal investigation commissioned by the branch’s new national direc -

The legal review determined that the transfers were approved in ways consistent with the board’s powers and bylaws at the time, the society said in a statement to AP. After the review, Harrington replaced the staff and board of directors who approved the transfers, and overhauled its bylaws and statutes, to make sure nothing like it ever happens again.

In e-mailed comments responding to questions from AP, the former head of The Pontifical Mission Societies in the US, the Rev. Andrew Small, strongly defended the transfers and investments as fully approved and consistent with the mission of the church and the organization.

He acknowledged Harrington’s new administration reflected the Vatican’s “skepticism” about the social justice nature of his nonprofit Missio Corp., and private equity fund, in that they focused on food security, as opposed to the traditional idea of evangelization” that is the primary and stated mission of The Pontifical Mission Societies.

“I didn’t agree with the apartheid between pastoral and humanitarian work of the church then and I don’t in my current position,” Small said in an email response April 26. “On the ground in Africa, these distinctions aren’t relevant as they try to find income to survive.”

Small is now the No. 2 at the Vatican’s child protection advisory board, which Francis created to provide a response to the clergy sexual abuse scandal. He did not respond to further questions from AP on Saturday about Francis’ comments.

Small’s boss as head of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley, also did not respond to questions from AP about the transfers or the implications for the commission, which is itself raising money for its child protection programs.

SINGAPORE—US Secretary of Defense

Lloyd Austin vowed Saturday that Washington would not stand for any “coercion and bullying” of its allies and partners by China, while assuring Beijing that the United States remains committed to maintaining the status quo on Taiwan and would prefer dialogue over conflict.

Pope

ASF vaxx subjected to pre-assessment–FDA

By Raadee S. Sausa

“If acceptable, the FDA shall facilitate the evaluation of the submitted dossier to determine the quality, safety and efficacy of the ASF vaccine,” Job Aguzar, FDA spokesperson, said.

“At the same time, [there’s] a re-

quest for permit to import additional doses of the vaccine to support the on-going phase 2 clinical trial being conducted by the applicant with Bureau of Animal Industry [BAI],” Aguzar added.

The FDA is citing the request of

the BAI for the issuance of Certificate of Product Registration (CPR) to the vaccine for its immediate distribution in the country.

BAI Assistant Director Arlene Vytiaco said over the weekend they are pushing for the AVAC vaccine after the 100-percent success of the field trial was recorded on pigs by producing antibodies.

“We have endorsed it to the FDA for the issuance of Certificate of Product Registration,” she said.

The BAI official noted that the issuance of the CPR, besides being one of the requirements of the manufacturer, will certify the commercial release of the vaccine in the country. She also revealed the positive result of the testing held from March to May in six areas in Luzon.

“The safety and efficacy trials in Luzon showed that the hogs

that have been injected produced 100 percent antibodies and [there is] no side effects on animals,” Vytiaco added.

The BAI official hopes the FDA will immediately issue the CPR as many counties are also waiting for supplies.

The manufacturer is ready to supply 600,000 vaccines to the Philippines.

Vytiaco, however, said they have yet to determine the price of each vaccine dose from the manufacturer.

The successful trial was the third testing conducted after the other two testing activities, where they partnered with the US and Thailand, she added.

“I cannot discuss anything about the trials, they are confidential,” Vytiaco said. The pigs given the shots are aged four to 10 weeks old.

BJMP, DAR renew marketing pact for agri items supply

THE Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) has recently renewed its partnership with the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) for the steady supply of agricultural products to persons deprived of liberty (PDL) in various BJMP-managed jails nationwide.

The partnership will enable the members of agrarian reform beneficiary organizations (ARBOs) to have sure buyers for their various agricultural products.

Atty. Milagros Isabel Cristobal, DAR Undersecretary for Support Services Office, who led the signing of the marketing agreement, said the activity is implemented under the Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty (PAHP), a government initiative that aims to promote food

security, lessen poverty and mitigate hunger by 2030.

Cristobal said the PHAP’s objectives include an increase in farm productivity income, ensuring food security, and mitigating levels of malnourishment in rural communities.

The project, which started in 2016, converges the essential services of the DAR, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and Department of Agriculture (DA) to benefit the poor, with technical support from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Food Programme (WFP).

On December 9, 2019, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed by the DAR with other government agencies, including the BJMP. Through the expanded PHAP,

the project was able to ensure stable markets for the products of agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) and their organizations as it facilitated partnerships in terms of marketing the ARBs and ARBOs products and services to various institutional buyers like the BJMP.

“This move of inviting other government agencies to partner with the DAR is aligned with President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s national goal of improving the lives of the farmers,” she said.

She said that from 2019 to the 1st quarter of 2023, the ARBOs under PAHP were able to generate a total gross sales of P1,515,744,785.34 nationwide.

“For the 1st quarter of 2023, the PAHP Program has involved a total

of 239 ARBOs which contributed to the total sales of P77,706,627.32,” she said.

Because of the success of this program, the DAR decided to continue implementing it under the Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Development and Sustainability Program (ARBDSP).

“The PAHP will continue to link ARBs and ARBOs to direct buyers, as DAR maintains and continues to establish good relationships with its existing institutional partners, such as the BJMP,” Cristobal said.

Ruel S. Rivera, Acting Chief, BJMP Jail Chief Superintendent (JCSUPT) said: “This activity is a manifestation of our continuous commitment to achieve inclusive growth and poverty reduction by supporting our local farmers.”

Jonathan L. Mayuga

BFAR warns of red tide threat in some coastal areas

THE Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has warned the public against the continued presence of red tide in coastal waters in Bohol, Samar, Zamboanga del Sur and Surigao del Sur provinces.

In its latest bulletin over the weekend, the BFAR cautioned against collecting and eating shellfish from the coastal waters of Dauis and Tagbilaran City in Bohol; San Pedro Bay in Samar; Dumanquilas Bay in Zamboanga del Sur; and Lianga Bay in Surigao del Sur, as samples indicated they are still positive for paralytic shellfish poison (PSP) or the toxic red tide that is beyond the regulatory limits.

“All types of shellfish and Acetes sp. or alamang gathered from the areas are not safe for human consumption,” it said.

Other marine species such as fish, squids, shrimps, and

By Carolynn Look Bloomberg News

FOR about two decades, a meat plant in the northwest German town of Vörden has helped produce a bear-shaped cold cut known as Bärchenwurst, beloved by children across the country. But rising production costs and waning demand for pork—even in a nation that once had some of the highest per capita consumption rates—forced the factory’s operator to declare a few weeks ago that it would shut down.

The announcement reflects the embattled state of Germany’s pork industry, which is struggling with a huge drop-off in demand, the aftermath of African Swine Fever, and a raft of economic challenges and domestic animal welfare provi-

crabs are safe for human consumption but should be washed thoroughly and internal organs, such as gills and intestines, removed before cooking.

Earlier, the BFAR allowed fishing activities in three-oil spill hit towns in Oriental Mindoro.

The BFAR said the waters off the areas of Calapan, Bansud and Gloria are now well within the standards for fishing activities.

The bureau’s analyses also showed that the fishing waters of Bongabong, Bulalacao, Mansalay, Roxas, Baco, Puerto Galera and San Teodoro, also in Oriental Mindoro, remained safe for fishing activities.

The BFAR has recommended keeping the fishing ban in Pola, Pinamalayan and Naujan because of the risk of contamination from traces of oil spill in these areas.

Raadee S. Sausa

sions that have made it especially difficult to raise pigs.

As consumers go, so does industry. While the average German ate some 40 kilograms of pork per year in 2007, that dropped to 29 kilograms in 2022—even as beef and chicken consumption remained more or less steady.

The country’s pig population shrunk by nearly a fifth in the two years leading up to last November, as did the number of pig farms. The Family Butchers, which owns the Vörden plant and is Germany’s second-largest sausage maker, is only the latest to end up under the knife.

Alongside disappearing demand, soaring energy, fertilizer and feed prices are also putting pressure on smaller businesses like his, says Eckhart Neun, a butcher from the town of Gedern, about an

hour northeast of Frankfurt. “It’s like dominoes, one thing leads to another,” said Neun, who is also vice president of the German Butchers Association.

Pork is losing its luster in various parts of the world, but the trend is especially pronounced in Europe.

EU pork consumption is expected to drop to the lowest level in more than two decades this year and within two years production will shrink by roughly a tenth.

Producers in the US are also grappling with shrinking profits, waning demand, rising costs and more regulation. Even in China, which accounts for more than half of the world’s pork consumption, the meat is falling out of favor with a rising middle class that views beef as a healthier option, according to McKinsey research.

Meanwhile, the BAI official added that acquiring the ASF vaccine is not mandatory.

“It’s a first come, first serve basis,” Vytiaco said.For her part, Janice Garcia, cluster coordinator of the National ASF Prevention and Control Program of the BAI, reported that as of June 1, at least 15 provinces have active ASF cases.

“This data is from May 15 up to June 1. In the last two weeks, the cases are only confined in the Visayas. In Luzon and Mindanao, there were only few detections,” she added.

Sinag weighs in EV EN as it welcomed “all efforts in developing vaccines against ASF in commercial scale,” the country’s largest agricultural alliance Sinag cautioned, however, against promoting “a particular vaccine brand without

the proper protocol, testing procedure and prescribed guidelines.”

Jayson Cainglet, Sinag Executive Director, said in a statement sent to BusinessMirror: “As with our battle with Covid-19, we let science and precautionary principles take precedence over haste and commercial profit.”

The group also urged “the BAI to release in details the field trials so a proper assessment can be done by experts and the industry itself on the efficacy of the said vaccine.”

Noting that the hog industry “remains predominantly backyard and small-scale,” Sinag stressed that “the cost of vaccines should at least be subsidized by the government so that backyard hog raisers are given the same chance of recovering lost incomes and destroyed livelihoods for the past four years.”

LTA Foods to market DAR-assisted farmers’ bananas in N. Cotabato

LTA Foods Manufacturing has recently sealed a marketing agreement with a group of banana farmers in North Cotabato.

With a sure buyer in LTA Foods, the farmers are expected to generate more income from their cardava banana production. Locally known as saba, cardava is a triploid hybrid banana cultivar originating from the Philippines. It is primarily a cooking banana but it can also be eaten raw. It is commonly used to make banana cue or turon, but it is sometimes processed into banana chips.

The undertaking is a partnership between the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to fast-track the commercialization of smallholder farmers’ products in the area.

Evangeline Bueno, Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II, said the DAR is continuously looking for steady markets for the agrarian reform beneficiaries’ (ARBs) agricultural products and helps their organizations in acquiring marketing contracts for a secure and sustainable market of their produce.

“The forging of marketing agreement was made possible through the Rural Agro-Industrial Partnership for Inclusive Development and Growth of DTI,” she said in a statement.

The 11 recipient DAR-assisted ARB organizations in the various towns of the province include: Upper Pacao Farmers Association, Paruayan Agrarian Reform Beneficiary Organization, Camansi Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Association, and

Malitubog ARB Organization of Alamada; Kitubod Farmers Association, and Kiloyao Consortium of MRDP-CFAD Beneficiaries Association of Libungan; Kimagango Farmers Association of Midsayap; Bato Farmers Association of Makilala; Lawili Farmers Multipurpose Cooperative of Aleosan; New Alimodian Integrated FA of Matalam; and Kisupaan Agrarian Reform Organization of Pres. Roxas.

At the signing ceremony, Walter Calibara, president of Camansi Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Association, thanked the DAR and DTI and acknowledged the positive impact of the initiative.

“We are thankful for this opportunity to be linked to a bigger market. It would really benefit us farmers because we are assured of a good price and we can minimize the transportation expenses since our products will be picked up in our area,” he said. Calibara said they look forward to more opportunities that the partnership would bring to the farmers.

LTA Foods Manufacturing Quality Assurance Manager Wilfred Abenza said they are not only committed to helping the farmers buy their produce at a competitive price, but they will also provide technical assistance to improve the quality of their produce.

“Through this partnership, we also intend to optimize and enhance the quality of cardava bananas by educating them to improve their yield,” Abenza said.

The signing of the marketing partnership agreement was attended by the top officials and employees of DAR and DTI in the Soccsksargen region.

Jonathan L. Mayuga

Still, the situation in Germany stands out, as pork producers are weathering a perfect storm of tough economic trends, broader demographic and cultural shifts, and the aftermath of public health crises that decimated both production and demand.

According to Frank Greshake of the North Rhine-Westphalia Chamber of Agriculture, the federal state with the highest number of pig farms, Germans are generally choosing less meat-intensive diets. The number of people in Germany identifying as vegetarian has grown since 2020, and according to a 2022 nutrition report by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, 44 percent say they follow a “flexitarian” diet that limits meat consumption. Health concerns are one reason

for the shift: the World Health Organization has warned that eating processed meats like sausages and ham can be carcinogenic. Environmental concerns are another. The ecological costs of raising and eating meat have been a particular focus of Germany’s Green Party, which joined the ruling coalition in 2021.

In addition, Muslims, many of whom do not eat pork for religious reasons, are now estimated to make up nearly 7 percent of Germany’s population.

It was last year’s soaring energy prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that hit German pig farmers especially hard. Piglets, unlike cows, need to have their stalls heated in the winter, which is one reason why pork producers were disproportionately hit by the crisis.

Government efforts to tighten rules around animal welfare is another aggravating factor. For farmers, such regulation can require costly investment in features like outdoor access for animals and more spacious stalls. With fewer people seeking out schnitzel, however, it’s difficult for meat producers to pass these higher costs along to consumers. Moreover, with many farmers nearing retirement age and struggling to find successors, plenty don’t see the point.

“If you’re 55 years old—probably the age of your average pig farmer—you’re no longer going to build” new infrastructure, said Greshake of the North Rhine-Westphalia Chamber of Agriculture. “And in recent years we’ve had massive amounts of new obligations,” he added.

THE Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received the application to certify the African swine fever (ASF) Vietnam-made AVAC vaccine and shall be subjected to pre-assessment, a high official said over the weekend.

editorial

Super app helps prevent corruption in government

ASuper app is an application that provides end users—customers, employees, or constituents—with a set of core features that allow them access to independently created online services. For governments that are building services on the Internet, a super app is like a Swiss army knife that offers a range of component tools that the citizens can use to transact business with government agencies.

President Marcos on Friday said the newly launched eGov Super App will strengthen the government’s campaign in fighting corruption and boost the economy. In his speech after leading the ceremonial activation of the super app and kick-off ceremony of the National Information Communication Technology Month in Malacañang, he stressed the importance of the new initiative to make the government’s services more accessible. The simplified online government transactions from the app, the President said, will help prevent incidents of corruption. (Read, “PBBM leads launch of eGov Super App,” in the BusinessMirror, June 2, 2023).

The super app, which can be downloaded for free at both Google Play and Apple App Store, will allow users to access several government services online, including the subscriber identity module (SIM) card registration, local government unit services, job application, tourism information, start-up empowerment, health-care information, and a people’s feedback mechanism.

The President stressed the importance of digitalizing government services, saying it would be useful, easy and convenient for ordinary Filipino citizens. He said maximizing the use of new technologies would also get rid of “fixers” who ask for money in exchange for facilitating transactions with government agencies. “In that way, it simplifies the process especially for the citizens and there is no discretion being exercised by anyone,” Marcos said. “We should not allow the people to continue to suffer from these antiquated, corrupt, and inefficient system.”

The President said the super app initiative is expected to attract more investments in the country resulting in more business and employment opportunities. “If we are to look at our neighboring countries, for example, to Europe, to the United States, then we can see that you cannot compete on an even basis unless you are highly digitalized, both in the private sector and in the public sector,” he added.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan admitted that transacting even among government agencies is already a big challenge. “By forcing us to have a common platform, then it will be easier for us to communicate among the different agencies. The public will have a better way of experiencing public service. They can reduce their cost of transacting with the government because you have an efficient app platform for transacting with different agencies. For example, if you are from Bulacan, you don’t have to go to Makati or to Pasig, just to transact with a government agency,” Balisacan said.

Department of Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan E. Uy said they plan to expand the available services from the super app in its future updates. “This will be a continuing process as we continually improve the system and bring together all the different government agencies,” Uy said.

The Philippine population as of June 3, 2023 is 113,827,651, based on Worldometer elaboration of the latest United Nations data. There were 85.16 million Internet users in the country in January 2023, or about 73 percent of the population. About 31.30 million Filipinos have no Internet connection at the start of the year, suggesting that 27 percent of the population remained offline.

The launching of the eGov Super App is a step in the right direction. But we can’t attain universal digital inclusion and change the lives of many Filipinos until we bridge a significant digital divide that hinders the adoption of information and communication technology in certain areas of the country. It would do well for the Marcos administration to accelerate the deployment of the National Broadband Plan to improve overall Internet speed and affordability, which will have profound effects on Philippine households and the country’s economy. As former US president Barack Obama said: “The Internet is not a luxury, it is a necessity.”

June destinations

RISING SUN

TwIce a week, Juliana goes to Silang, cavite to oversee the business that she is co-managing—a 2-hectare estate consisting of a european restaurant, a coffee and pineapple plantation, an events venue, and a 5-cottage bed and breakfast. On other days, she goes to school in Metro Manila as a junior college student taking up Business Management.

She also handles the business’s customer inquiries, spends time in the kitchen and even helps with serving diners, and manages the social media space and website of the estate. Juliana Zehethofer is just 19, and yet it’s pretty obvious that she will be going places given her admirable ability to manage her time, complete her tasks with grace and efficiency,

and co-direct a full-blown business toward a brighter landscape.

The huge estate in Silang is called Chez 1967. Juliana said they changed the old name (Chateau Hestia) to pay homage to her mom, lawyer Maria Flora Falcon, after she passed on last year. They did some renovations and re-launched the business in December 2022 as Chez 1967, which is a

European restaurant, events place, and a bed and breakfast. Aside from great-tasting dishes, the place is known for its raw and lush greenery (complete with loud cicada chorus and sightings of wild tropical birds), rustic accommodations, Instagrammable indoor/outdoor event spaces, and museum-worthy antiques straight from Europe, specifically Austria, where Juliana’s family is from. Chez 1967 welcomes collaborations and business ideas from possible partners. The overall thrust is to be able to build a close-knit creative and cooperative community within the estate. The pet-friendly restaurant is open from Wednesday to Monday. You may visit their web site for more information: www. chez1967.com n n n R ENOWNED playwright and visual artist Tony Perez will be having an art exhibit this June. “Ambiguous” features 14 of his latest works, specifically, the following: “Portrait of

Putin gains influence in oil-rich Libya as US struggles to oust Wagner Group

By Bloomberg News

whIle the uS ponders whether to reopen its embassy in libya, Vladimir putin’s new ambassador is preparing to take up his post in the capital, extending russian influence across an oil-producing nation on the doorstep of europe.

Russia’s Wagner Group, a private military company controlled by Putin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin, already has access to key oil facilities and supported last year’s months long blockade that hit exports at the height of the energy crisis triggered by the invasion of Ukraine.

Moscow’s decision to reestablish its diplomatic presence in Tripoli— western seat of the United Nationsbacked government—is the clearest sign yet that Putin is looking to make inroads beyond his traditional support for military commander Khalifa Haftar in the east.

The developments have prompted concern in the US, which has dispatched a slew of senior officials to counter Putin’s advances in an Opec member that European governments are courting as a potential alternative to Russian energy.

They include CIA chief William Burns, who visited Libya in January, speaking to rival governments in east and west and later meeting officials in neighboring Egypt, which has also supported Haftar.  Top of the US agenda is a bid to oust an estimated 2,000 Wagner mercenaries who supported Haftar’s failed 2019-2020 campaign to capture Tripoli and have since helped bolster his grip on oil supplies in a

Top of the US agenda is a bid to

country that’s home to 40 percent of Africa’s reserves.

“The status quo is inherently unstable,” US Special Envoy to Libya, Richard Norland, said in a phone interview, warning of unspecified efforts to exploit internal divisions and thwart UN efforts to hold elections. “Our message is you’re only going to get legitimacy through elections.”

But the US is at a disadvantage in Libya, where it has no troops and no diplomatic presence. Though US officials say they’re working to reestablish their own embassy, the decision remains politically fraught for Joe Biden, who was vice president during the Nato-backed rebellion that ousted longtime dictator Muammar Qaddafi in 2011—and Libya’s subsequent descent into chaos.

The US embassy was closed in 2014 as Libya slid into civil war. An attack on the US consulate in the eastern city of Benghazi had already killed ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans in 2012, fueling a domestic political uproar that complicates any potential decision to return.

That’s left the US with waning leverage as it tries to manage the situation from afar.   The renewed international rival-

oust an estimated 2,000 Wagner mercenaries who supported Haftar’s failed 2019-2020 campaign to capture Tripoli and have since helped bolster his grip on oil supplies in a country that’s home to 40 percent of Africa’s reserves.

ry in Libya comes as Russia makes other gains in the Middle East at the expense of the United States. Traditional Arab allies have refused to comply with US efforts to isolate Putin, going so far as to restore their ties with Syria’s Kremlin-allied President Bashar al-Assad. Saudi Arabia riled the White House late last year when Opec+—a cartel of oil producers led by Riyadh and Moscow—pushed up global fuel prices by cutting crude production Meanwhile, China’s role in brokering a rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran has highlighted the broader erosion of US authority.

Oil hostage

T HOUGH their numbers have dwindled since the invasion of Ukraine from highs above 4,000, Wagner forces are present at four military bases in Libya, according to the Libyabased Sadeq Institute think-tank and the Navanti Group, which advises private clients and US government agencies. The paramilitaries also have access to some of the country’s most important energy facilities including the biggest oilfield, Sharara, and Es Sider crude export terminal, their on-the-ground research shows.

Joel Cruz as The Magician (from the Rider-Waite Tarot Deck),” “That Evening, in the Professor’s Study,” “Night Ocean (Diptych),” “Night Train Passing Through (Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?),” “Night Shift,” “Night Classes,” “Sleepwalker,” “The Caretaker’s Child,” “Self-Portrait as Gorgon,” “Kumanthong Cabinet,” “The Constellations of Men,” “Rain,” “Bernardo Carpio,” “The Copse,” and “The Builders.” Tony Perez is known for his Cubao series (Cacho Publishing House), the musicals Florante at Laura and Sa Pugad ng Adarna, and Anvil’s transpersonal psychology series (“The Calling: A Transpersonal Adventure,” “Mga Panibagong Kulam,” and “Mga Panibagong Tawas”), among others. The art exhibit opens on June 23 in two separate galleries: Gallery 928 in Shangri-La Plaza Mall in Mandaluyong (5:00 p.m.) and Gallery 928 on P. Tuazon Boulevard in Cubao (7:00 p.m.). It will run until June 30.

Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov didn’t respond to a request for comment on Russia’s Libya policy or the role of Wagner forces in the North African country.

Mustafa Sanalla, the former head of Libya’s National Oil Company, or NOC, accused Wagner and the United Arab Emirates of involvement in Haftar’s 2020 oil blockade. A subsequent blockade in 2022 ended with Sanalla’s ouster in favor of a more eastern-friendly figure.

“The shutdown was of course mainly due to the domestic politics of oil revenue distribution,” said Navanti’s senior Libya analyst, Robert Uniacke. “But I do not believe that it could have unfolded in the way it did without Wagner’s role in propping up [Haftar’s forces] and projecting military power in the areas around the oil facilities.”

Moscow’s efforts to restore the influence that it lost with Qaddafi’s demise haven’t always gone smoothly. Both Haftar’s assault on Tripoli and efforts to elevate the late dictator’s son, Saif al-Islam, to the presidency have failed.

Putin now appears to have settled for a policy of supporting the status quo, a situation that potentially leaves Libya’s oil exports hostage to Russia, which is feeling the squeeze from sanctions on its own crude sales.

In an interview with Bloomberg, the new NOC chief, Farhat Bengdara, praised Haftar’s forces for their “great efforts in securing” the oil fields. He said Libya plans to open See “Putin,” A11

Atty. Jose Ferdinand M. Rojas II

Joel L. Tan-Torres

DEBIT CREDIT

MY tele-tax–novela on the Official Receipt (OR) for sale crime, also called the ghost transactions episode is now on its conclusion.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has aggressively filed criminal and civil cases against the erring participants in the OR scam that was discovered in the Eastwood City raid of the National Bureau of Investigation last November 2022. Cases have been filed by the BIR in the Department of Justice against the Masterminds and sellers of the ghost ORs, the companies indicated in these ORs, and the external Certified Public Accountants auditors of the Masterminds. The BIR also filed a complaint with the Professional Regulatory Board of Accountancy for the revocation of the professional license of the same CPA. I hope that these cases will proceed expeditiously so that the guilty perpetrators will be prosecuted the soonest time possible. The adjudicators, including the Department of Justice, the BOA, and the judicial courts, should act and decide with dispatch.

This first set of respondents to the cases is only the tip of the iceberg.

There are other parties involved in these ghost transactions. Aside from the company based in Eastwood City, there are other Masterminds of this crime operating in various parts of the country. While they may not be as big as the Eastwood City Mastermind, they are equally guilty of defrauding the government of substantial amounts of unpaid taxes.

There will not be any OR for sale racket if there are no willing buyers of these fake receipts. These entities and persons should also be investigated and prosecuted. Their accounting records bearing these ghost receipts clearly indicate their tax evasion intent.

The CPAs of these companies, both internal and external, should also face the brunt of sanctions by the BIR and BoA. These CPAs have violated their Professional Code of Ethics and mandate, in addition to the Tax Code for abetting the tax evasion practices of their clients or employers.

Finally, an internal cleansing within the BIR should be conducted to investigate if there are BIR personnel involved. It is likely that this syndicate of fake transactions that have been in place for decades has the connivance or participation of some BIR personnel.

The BIR is the main character in this tele-tax-novela. It has the main role of safeguarding the coffers of the country and making sure that any and all attempts to defraud the government of taxes should be nipped in the bud. The BIR has to utilize its full arsenal of tools to combat any tax fraud and evasion infractions.

It has its “Reconciliation of Listings for Enforcement” (RELIEF) system. The RELIEF relies on a crossreferencing and matching function of third-party data coming from the submissions of summary sales and purchase information of taxpayers.

technology that can use artificial intelligence in the process.

The forthcoming implementation of the electronic invoicing (einvoicing) system will serve as a deterrent to these ghost transactions. The e-invoicing system mandates the taxpayer to adopt the use of a digital platform and system in issuing its business documents, such as invoices and official receipts. This system shall be inter-connected with the BIR such that this will allow real-time access of the BIR to these records and transactions. This capacity will be a signal to taxpayers of a more-efficient capacity of the BIR to track tax payments and business transactions.

Another way to deter and detect these fraudulent practices of ghost transactions is by integrating appropriate measures into the audit program conducted on taxpayers. From the initial phase of audit selection to the investigation of taxpayers, BIR officials and examiners should assess the risk factors of fake ORs and transactions. For taxpayers who have been verified to have engaged in these ghost transactions, they should be subjected to a fraud audit of multiple back years. The audit of these erring taxpayers should also include the simultaneous investigation of their external auditors to verify their culpability in this financial scam. Said investigation will not only result in the collection and assessment of deficiency taxes but also will be the source of information to follow the trail of these fake transactions.

The BIR has started the verification of taxpayers who are involved in the buying of these fake receipts. This campaign is led by a Task Force under the Office of the Commissioner and comprised of various BIR examiners coming from different Revenue District Offices. There have been a number of persons who have been visited by these examiners who have asked my advice on what to do. My foremost advice was for them to “examine their conscience” and be ready to bite the bullet for any misdeeds.

It is not too clear at this point what is the main direction of the BIR regarding violations ascertained from these ghost transactions. Will the BIR mandate the criminal prosecution of these taxpayers for their fraudulent acts? Or, will the BIR be more lenient and allow the payment of deficiency taxes and penalties while avoiding criminal sanctions?

Tough choice for BIR Commissioner Romeo Lumagui who heads this campaign against these ghost transactions.

Meanwhile, we, the observers of this tele-tax-novela, are all watching and hoping that there will be a good ending for this real life drama.

Extending the extension

Siegfred Bueno Mison, Esq.

THE PATRIOT

Recent news portals are resplendent with our legislators’ efforts to extend the term for claiming the estate tax amnesty by a fresh period of two years. the complications anent estate tax constitute one befuddling story for a layman, yet the conditions pervading our estate taxation years are more confounding.

As I was reading up on the latest developments regarding a possible second extension, I could not help but recall how estates were settled not too long ago, particularly prior to the enactment of the TRAIN Law.

In 2021, the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) released a “Situationer” wherein the country was still following a progressive tax rate for estate tax— meaning, an increase in the tax base automatically subjects the taxpayer to a higher tax rate. Section 84 of the Tax Code previously determined the tax on the value of a decedent’s net estate using a schedule where an estate valued at P200,000 or more was taxed at a rate ranging from 5 percent to 20 percent. According to that PIDS study, the estate tax in such form was weak from the perspective of “efficiency, equity, administrative simplicity and transparency, revenue adequacy and stability.”

Simply put, the estate tax in the past consisted of complicated procedures warranting reforms both for the simplification of the tax administration process and for better tax compliance. CPA certificates were required for estate tax filing with a gross value of more than P2 million. Back then, the BIR took notice of the minimal number of estate tax returns filed vis-à-vis the number of registered deaths. More and more

families appeared to place their compliance with estate tax payments to a standstill and, in the process, are plagued with a surmounting debt in penalties and surcharges. Amidst this scenario, certain proposals were necessary including adjustments in the allowable deductions, particularly in the areas of maximum deductible medical expenses as well as the value of the family home. This, and more, was intended to improve or restructure our estate tax system in the hopes of spurring better compliance and collecting more revenues.

Responding to the call, Republic Act 11213 or the Tax Amnesty Act was enacted in February 2019 to allow taxpayers to settle their overdue tax payments without incurring penalties. Permitting heirs to settle any unpaid estate taxes on or before June 15, 2021, the amnesty applies to estates of decedents who died on or before December 31, 2017 and whose estate taxes remained unpaid as of that date. On June 30, 2021, RA 11569 extended the estate tax amnesty by two years from June 15, 2021 to June 14, 2023. By law, “those who take advantage of the amnesty within the time limit will pay either the reduced estate tax amnesty rate of 6 percent of the decedent’s entire net taxable estate [down from 20 percent before] or the

Responding to the call, RA 11213 or the Tax Amnesty Act was enacted in February 2019 to allow taxpayers to settle their overdue tax payments without incurring penalties. Permitting heirs to settle any unpaid estate taxes on or before June 15, 2021, the amnesty applies to estates of decedents who died on or before December 31, 2017 and whose estate taxes remained unpaid as of that date. On June 30, 2021, Republic Act 11569 extended the estate tax amnesty by two years from June 15, 2021 to June 14, 2023.

minimum amnesty tax of P5,000 if there is a negative net estate.” The current bill sponsored and approved in the two houses of the present Congress stipulates an extension of claiming the estate tax amnesty for another 2-year period, or until June 2025 and cover unsettled estates of persons who died on or before May 31, 2023. Should this bill become a law, errant taxpayers will be provided with relief, yet again, and will “enable the government to collect additional revenues and strengthen tax compliance,” per Finance Chief Benjamin Diokno. If taxpayers were burdened by the seemingly onerous process of paying the estate tax back then, they are now accorded with an almost effortless method specifically devised for their benefit, time and again!

Interestingly, such “extending the extension” brings to mind how we were before the salvation offered to us by Jesus Christ. “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ,” as John 1:17 of the Bible declares. Back then, we were under the covenant of Law, for which a “demand” to do this and to do that was made. But under the new covenant of Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross, a

“supply” of abounding grace was determined and continues to be poured for us. And all that is required is for us to accept Jesus as the Master of our lives. For it is stated in Romans 10:9-10, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Akin therefore to “taking advantage” of the time extension in paying estate taxes, we should also “take advantage” of the chance to have new lives by accepting the gift of salvation. Realizing that there’s a time limit to these open-ended offers, we should act with dispatch lest we miss the opportunity. Just as availing of the tax amnesty makes the taxpayer unblemished of previously owed tax debts, so are we made righteous in the eyes of our Almighty Father by acknowledging one man’s sacrifice for our salvation. As attested to in Romans 5:19, “For as by one man’s (Adam) disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s (Jesus) obedience many will be made righteous,” such is our amnesty, our reprieve, our absolution (at the risk of redundancy) from our sins. No matter how many years ago we look back, no matter how long or how often any reprieve or amnesty will be extended, our decision now will most certainly define us.

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

With oil prices slumping, Opec+ producers weigh more production cuts

By David Mchugh | AP Business Writer

FRAnKFURt, Germany—the major oil-producing countries led by Saudi Arabia and Russia are wrestling with whether to make another cut in supply to the global economy as the Opec+ alliance struggles to prop up sagging oil prices that have been a boon to US drivers and helped ease inflation worldwide.

The 23-member group is meeting Sunday at Opec headquarters in Vienna after sending mixed signals about possible moves. Saudi Arabia, dominant among the oil cartel’s members, has warned speculators that they might get burned by betting on lower prices. Russia, the leader of the non-Opec allies, has indicated no change to output is expected.

The decision comes amid uncertainty about when the slow-growing global economy will regain its thirst for fuel for travel and industry, and with producers counting on oil profits to bolster their coffers.

has dipped below $70.

Those lower prices have helped US drivers as the summer travel season kicks off, with prices at the pump averaging $3.55, down $1.02 from a year ago, according to auto club AAA. Falling energy prices also helped inflation in the 20 European countries that use the euro drop to the lowest level since before Russia invaded Ukraine.

laziz bin Salman’s warning to speculators that they will be “ouching” if they keep betting on lower oil prices.

Bin Salman’s pointed comment isn’t necessarily a prelude to a cut at Sunday’s meeting, said James Swanston, Middle East and North Africa economist at Capital Economics.

“Our expectation is that Opec+ will stick with current output quotas,” he said, adding that “there have been signs that the government may be readying to live with lower oil prices and running budget deficits.”

ship to ship to disguise its origin. An Opec+ “production cut could push the price of Russian oil above the G-7 price cap of $60 per barrel, which would make it difficult to transport and thus to sell the oil,” commodity analyst Carsten Fritsch at Commerzbank wrote in a research note. “Russia appears to be doing good business at the current price level.”

The International Energy Agency said in its April oil market report that Russia has not completely followed through on its announcement to extend a voluntary cut of 500,000 barrels per day through the end of the year.

The RELIEF conceptually can detect instances of ghost transactions. But in practice, the RELIEF may be unable to optimally do this due to incomplete or limited data being submitted and processed. The BIR should be able to improve on this Big Data analytics system by adopting newer

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

Oil prices have fallen even after Opec+ slashed 2 million barrels per day in October, angering US President Joe Biden by threatening higher gasoline prices a month before the midterm elections. Then, several Opec members led by the Saudis made a surprise cut of 1.16 million barrels a day in April.

The US recently replenished its Strategic Petroleum Reserve—after Biden announced the largest release from the national reserve in American history last year—in an indicator that US officials may be less worried about Opec cuts than in months past.

The Saudis, on the other hand, need sustained high oil revenue to fund ambitious development projects aimed at diversifying the country’s economy. The International Monetary Fund estimates the kingdom needs $80.90 per barrel to meet its envisioned spending commitments, which include a planned $500 billion futuristic desert city project called Neom.

On top of that, Russia may find current prices to its liking because its oil is finding eager new customers in India, China and Turkey. Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine have forced Russian oil to sell at discounts of around $53 to $57 per barrel. At those prices, Moscow’s shipments avoid triggering the $60 price cap imposed by the Group of Seven major democracies to try to limit oil profits flowing into Russia’s war chest. The price ceiling allows the world’s No. 3 oil producer to keep supplying non-Western customers to avoid a global shortage that would drive up prices for everyone.

In fact, Russia’s total exports of oil and refined products such as diesel fuel rose in April to a post-invasion high of 8.3 million barrels per day. That is in spite of a near-total boycott from the European Union, formerly Russia’s biggest customer. Analysts say Opec+ faces conflicting pressures. A cut could support prices or send them higher, with demand expected to pick up later this year.

continued from A10

“Our impression is that the West

is trying to achieve stability in Libya to ensure that more oil and gas supplies from that country reach European markets,” said Elena Suponina, a Middle East analyst based in Moscow. “The Kremlin understands that the US wants to use any means to weaken Russia’s influence in Libya and one of our tasks is not to allow this to happen.”

Wagner’s possession of war-

International benchmark Brent crude climbed as high as $87 per barrel but has given up its post-cut gains and been loitering below $75 per barrel in recent days. US crude

planes and air defense systems also complicates US efforts to counter the group. Haftar relies on them to protect him and fend off opposing Libyan militia. Gleb Irisov, a former Russian air force officer who served in 2019-2020 in Syria’s Khmeimim air base, used by Moscow to supply Wagner forces in Libya, said he personally saw up to 20 Soviet-built MiG-29 fighter jets as well as attack

That may have been one motivation behind Energy Minister Abdu-

helicopters delivered to Libya.

As Wagner’s influence spreads to Sudan, where the US says they’ve delivered surface-to-air missiles to the Rapid Support Forces waging war against the army, the Biden administration is stepping up pressure.

Last month, the US imposed sanctions on a man accused of overseeing Wagner’s operations in Mali. It alleges the group is running guns

Insurers and shipping companies largely based in Western countries are barred from handling Russian oil if it is priced above the cap. Russia has found ways to evade the limits through “dark fleet” tankers, which tamper with transponders showing their locations or transfer oil from

through Africa to support Putin’s campaign in Ukraine—where the paramilitaries have also fought.

The US has repeatedly imposed sanctions on Wagner and its leadership structure, including Prigozhin. Those efforts have so far made little dent in the group’s operations, including its push to deepen a toehold in several African and Middle Eastern nations. Absent military

intervention, it’s not clear what will.

“The impact of higher oil prices on the global economy will weigh heavily on the ministers’ minds,” said Jorge Leon, senior vice president of oil market research at Rystad Energy. “High oil prices would fuel inflation in the West right when central banks are starting to see inflation gradually recede.” AP reporter Fatima Hussein contributed from Washington. up new blocs to international companies in 2024 and raise output from 1.2 million to 2 million barrels a day within five years. Most oil analysts doubt that the NOC can pull that off without more political stability.

“These have been proclaimed as US objectives: No. 1 expel Wagner and No. 2 make sure the elections happen in 2023,” said Jalel Harchaoui, a Libya expert at the Londonbased Royal United Services Institute. “Neither thing is going to materialize, mainly because the US is not really going to try.” With assistance from Demetrios Pogkas and Tom Hall / Bloomberg

45th CATHOLIC MASS MEDIA AWARDS

WHO CAN NOMINATE?

PROFESSIONAL LEVEL :

Entries may be submitted by any person or organization wishing to direct the attention of the CMMA to a meritorious program, series, article, material and the like. A person or a company may submit more than one entry in each category. Entries need not be Christian and nominees need not be Catholics. All entries must be those media works released from May 2022 to April 2023.

STUDENT LEVEL:

All bona fide students enrolled in any of the participating schools, colleges and universities within the school year 2022-2023.

ADVERTISING

Best TV Ad-Branded

Best TV Ad-Public Service

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MUSIC

Best Inspirational Song-Religious

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Best Children’s Magazine

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TELEVISION

Best Adult Educational / Cultural Program

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SERVIAM AWARD

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ST. JOHN PAUL II AWARD

Companies

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng

Monday, June 5, 2023

PLDT digital evolution to enhance eGov app, EODB, govt transactions

By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

Its president Alfredo Panlilio said on Sunday that the group “lauds” the launch of the eGovPH Super App—a one-stop-shop platform for local and national services enabling transactions such as registration for subscriber identity modules or SIMs, services for local government units, job applications, health-care assistance, e-payments and banking services, among many others.

“We echo the sentiments of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. about maximizing use of the technologies available to us, with the eGovPH Super App expected to improve ease of doing business [or EODB] and interactions with the government,” Panlilio added.

On Friday Marcos Jr. led the launch of the aforementioned “super app,” which provides access to

“simplified” government services.

Department of Information and Communications Technology chief Ivan Uy said the agency will continue to expand the available services in the all-inclusive application: “This will be a continuing process as we continually improve the system and bring together…different government agencies.”

Panlilio noted that PLDT’s digitalevolution efforts bodes well with the super app, citing the continuous expansion of its fixed-line and wireless networks: “This aligns with how we at PLDT are committed to evolving with our customers’ increasingly digital lifestyles, [while] delivering innovation to achieve our ambition of a completely connected and future-ready Philippines.”

By the end of March 2023 PLDT disclosed it had expanded its total fiber footprint to more than 1.1 million kilometers consisting of

231,000-plus kms. of international fiber and over 874,000 kms. of domestic fiber. Said fiber infrastructure also supports Smart’s 2G, 3G, 4G/ LTE and 5G networks, which cover 97 percent of the country’s population.

Panlilio—a founding member of the Digital Infrastructure Group of the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC)—said PLDT will continue to invest in further developing its network to provide greater access to the Internet to more Filipinos.

This year, the telco giant has allotted between P80 billion to P85 billion in capital expenditures for its network expansion.

“Our PSAC seat permits us to provide regular policy recommendations to President Marcos, and we are grateful that he has been very engaging in initiatives specific to the nationwide expansion of internet connectivity and digitalization,” Panlilio pointed out.

Cebu Landmasters to break ground in Luzon come 2024

By VG Cabuag @villygc

CEBU LANDMASTERS INC.

(CLI), a regional property developer in the Visayas and Mindanao (Vis-Min), has solidified its plans on a breakthrough project in Luzon next year by bringing its own economic housing brand “Casa Mira” for its expansion push.

COO Jose Franco B. Soberano said the company expects major demand for inexpensive housing projects in the northern part of the country. As such, they will be offering “the best amenities [and property management, along with the widest possible roads,] among others.”

“I feel that our type of affordability with quality will create a very new fan base over there [in

Luzon],” Soberano stated in a briefing after CLI’s stockholders’ meeting last week. “So let’s start there.”

The official shared his sentiments that “it is easy for us to do condos as well, or high rise. But we like the mission of housing. And that is the need right now also in the Philippines.”

Meanwhile, CLI’s chair, president and CEO Jose R. Soberano III imparted their strategy when they ventured into a new location in the Visayas and Mindanao: They started with affordable housing, then grew from there.

“In the case of Luzon, while we may look at the southern corridor as more of an opportunity for all of these housing products to push, we can also move farther toward the center in [the Calabarzon Region, as it] definitely provides more oppor-

tunities,” the older Soberano said.

“To be honest about it, the options are quite open for us. And we do have very serious offers from property owners—even from those [whom] we have dealt with in VisMin,” the CEO explained. “They [have shown us their land banks, and we have to evaluate such very carefully: how we would like to start this new thrust of coming into Luzon,] and how it will move forward.”

The firm will start meeting brokers and property owners for the possible project launch by next year, according to its officials. Its first site in Luzon, however, is yet to be finalized.

CLI said it is expected to launch P29.75 billion worth of pipeline projects this year, which totals to 19 projects in Vis-Min.

Moreover, there will be 477 new keys from its three new hospitality

projects such as the “The Pad,” “lyf Cebu City” at BaseLine Center, and Citadines in Bacolod City.

There will also be 50,000 square meters of new additional gross leasable area, as CLI is also targeting substantial growth in its leasing business with the addition of 4,000 sq.m worth of gross leasable area largely from Davao Global Township retail pads and a convention center.

Last year the company launched close to 5,000 units across 16 projects worth P19.36 billion collectively.

CLI’s business portfolio also surpassed the century mark with a total 109 projects built around 80 residential projects, six offices, 10 hotels, 10 mixed-use projects and three township developments spread across 16 key cities in Central and Southern Philippines.

Krungsri, Mitsubishi UFJ acquire Home Credit

HC Consumer Finance Phils.

Inc., operator of the brand Home Credit with its parent firm PPF Group based in the Czech Republic, has sealed the deal to sell the company to Krungsri or Bank of Ayudhya PCL—the fifthlargest financial group in Thailand and to Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG)—a global financial leader from Japan.

Krungsri will hold the majority

STOCK-MARKET OUTLOOK

stake in Home Credit at 75 percent, and MUFG the remaining 25 percent.

The deal was consummated with a base value of €406 million, or about P24.4 billion. The final consideration is subject to oneto-one adjustment based on the equity book value at closing of the transaction.

“We are pleased to announce the handover of Home Credit Phils. to

Top gainers were Boulevard holdings Inc., Ph resorts Group holdings Inc., Vulcan Industrial and Mining Corp., Top Frontier Investment holdings Inc., DITO CMe holdings Corp., roxas holdings Inc. and LMG Corp.

Top losers, meanwhile, were Petron Corp., Mabuhay holdings Corp., Keppel Phils. holdings Inc.-B shares, Dizon Coppers lver Mines Inc., Monde Nissin Corp., Vivant Corp. and Premiere horizon alliance Corp.

ThiS week

share prices may rise, as the passing of the Us debt ceiling bill may continue to give the local market an upward boost.

Japhet Louis O. Tantiangco, senior research analyst at Philstocks Financials Inc., said investors are also expected to take cues from the Philippines’s upcoming May inflation data: “a further slowdown in our inflation may also strengthen the positive sentiment.” The market may also take cues from upcoming labor market and foreign trade data, as Tantiangco forecasts: “The market’s chart

our new shareholders Krungsri and MUFG—both market leaders in the financial industry,” Home Credit Phils. CEO David Minol said. “Together with our new shareholders, we are opening the next chapter for [the firm, building on its] high performance that we have set over the past nine years. We are optimistic [about] our future together.”

Minol added that the acquisition of Home Credit Phils. is a

remains bearishly biased, with the bourse posting losses for the second straight week. also, the market remains below its 10-day, 50-day, and 200-day exponential moving averages. Finally, value turnover remains thin, implying that many are still out of the market.”

Juan Paolo Colet, managing director at China Bank Capital Corp., said that after last week’s volatility and large foreign outflows, the market will try to find its footing in the 6,400 to 6,600 zone: “The lifting of the Us debt limit for two years removes a major overhang on equity markets, and gives a temporary shot of optimism.”

Colet added that investors will also weigh the outlook for Us interest rates, in view of mixed signals on whether the Federal reserve will skip a policy rate hike this month: “We are also mindful of data out of China where the postpandemic economic recovery seems to be losing steam, which could have spillover effects on southeast asian economies.”

The local bourse’s trading range is seen

testament to the strong business it has established in the country, and “the growth opportunity that Krungsri and MUFG have seen for the company to further expand and maintain its dominance in the local consumer finance market.”

“I want to put on record: Our congratulations to our colleagues at Home Credit Phils. for an incredible job well done,” Home Credit group CEO Radek Pluhar stated.

from 6,400 to 6,600.

SToCk PiCkS BrOKer regina Capital Development Corp. gave a buy when its support price held on the stock of ayala Land Inc., as its share price was back at its support when it fell down to P25.85.

a l indicators are showing bearishness,” it said. “however, this can still be played by bargain hunters, as this area is where the stock is known to bounce back toward P27 levels.” ayala Land’s shares were last traded at P25.95 apiece.

Meanwhile, the broker gave the same rating on the stock of s M Prime h o ldings Inc. after its share price was down almost 5 percent the past two days, with indicators suddenly turning bearish: “This can also be traded by bargain hunters, as this area is where the stock is known to bounce back toward P34 levels.”

sM Prime shares closed Friday at P32.85. VG Cabuag

B1

By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes @brownindio

EMPLOYERS nowadays should muster a huge degree of flexibility to arrest attrition and ensure employees will stay with them.

“To minimize attrition risk and retain talent, flexibility is key,” said Mitzi Blancaflor who is the associate director of Office Services-Tenant Representation at property-management consultant Colliers Phils.

According to Mercer’s 20222023 Global Talent Trends, seven out of 10 employees in the Philippines said that not being able to work remotely or hybrid permanently is a “deal-breaker” when considering whether to join or stay with an organization.

“In the same study, 74 percent of companies surveyed are providing flexible working options; this is significantly higher than the Asian [50 percent] and global [56 percent] averages,” Mercer mentioned.

On top of the flexible work setup, Blancaflor stressed that companies should also implement compensation adjustments, mental-health initiatives, as well as learning and development programs to improve their employees’ overall well-being.

Moreover, Colliers Phils. cited various companies that have taken creative steps to address the roadblocks to their returnto-office (RTO) initiatives. For instance, a financial-data and analytics firm in Taguig initiated a shuttle service for their workers to help them save on commuting time and cost.

An information-technology and consulting firm, on the other hand, has placed their workers on odd time shifts that are meant to not only sync their work hours

with that of their clients. It also ensures that their workers avoid the morning and evening rush hours.

Other alternatives could likewise be learned from the fast-food industry, where workers are given either free meals or discounts. Furthermore, providing space in the office elements that workers seek outside of their work hours, such as gyms or leisure rooms, may further incentivize an RTO setup.

“Aside from transportation measures, many companies have accepted that the workplace needs to address employee needs more than ever,” said Blancaflor. “They have invested in newer, refreshed [spaces] that are not only aesthetic and appealing, but also more conducive to more collaboration and productivity.”

She said workers have started to prefer a work-from-home setup (WFH). It not only provides more personal time and financial savings, but also allows them the freedom and independence to manage their workday schedules.

“It is easy to see why there is an intense pushback from workers against RTO initiatives,” Blancaflor explained. “There are plenty of benefits provided by the WFH or work-from-anywhere [or WFA] setup—one of which is that workers do not have to worry about the hassle of commuting.”

According to Cisco’s 2022 Global Hybrid Work Study, 66 percent of Filipino survey-respondents said overall well-being improved because they spent less time commuting.

“In addition, 74 percent of [them said they have saved more than] 4 hours per week from what would have been spent sitting in traffic, while 37 percent saved over 8 hours per week,” said Blancaflor.

PSE pauses SPNEC’s trading; lifts DFNN

trading suspension

SHARES of SP New Energy Corp. (SPNEC) were suspended for trading at the Philippine Stock Exchange starting on Friday after it fell below the minimum public float of 20 percent, while the bourse will lift its trading suspension on the shares of information-technology management services company DFNN beginning today, as the latter has submitted its annual financial statement for 2022.

For SPNEC, its public ownership went down after the Securities and Exchange Commission approved the increase of its authorized capital stock to P5 billion, divided into 50 billion common shares from the previous P1 billion.

On February 24 the company’s board approved the acquisition of 100 percent of the outstanding shares of Solar Phils. Power Project Holdings Inc. in various entities through an asset-for-share swap. It has subscribed to 24.37 billion SPNEC shares at P2.50 per share in exchange for assets.

On May 8 and 16 SPNEC’s board approved the execution of the Contract to Sell to obtain 100 percent of Solar Phils.’ assets. The acquisition will be paid in cash from the proceeds of the latter’s subscription to SPNEC shares to be sourced from the increase in SPNEC’s capital stock, in lieu of a tax-free share swap.

As a result of these deals, SPNEC’s shares owned by the pub-

lic—previously at 47.52 percent— fell below the 20-percent minimum public float.

“Given the foregoing and pursuant to the Amended Minimum Public Ownership Rule and the relevant guidelines, the trading of SPNEC shares will be suspended effective June 2, 2023,” the Philippine Stock Exchange said. “Further, should the company remain noncompliant with the MPO requirement after the lapse of the six-month period from June 2, 2023, SPNEC shall be automatically delisted from the Official Registry of the Exchange.” Meanwhile, for DFNN, its shares will resume trading at 10:30 a.m. starting today (Monday, June 5), confirmed the PSE.

Shares of DFNN—formerly known as Diversified Financial Network Inc.—has been held from trading since May 18 after it failed to file its 2022 annual financial statement to the PSE. Its shares were last traded on May 16 and closed at P2.92 each.

“With the adoption of modern forward-looking business strategies which are aimed to serve our clients better, DFNN has sometimes outpaced financial and accounting standards which [are not yet updated with new Philippine laws that have been passed on newer financial-technology] processes which require further regional assessment consequently caused the delay in the submission of our audited financial statement,” the company said in a statement.

PLDT Inc. affirmed its position as the “best to support the government’s holistic digitalization agenda,” with its digital transformation initiatives complementing the eGovPH Super App.

Colliers Phils.: Flexible work setups significant in addressing attrition

DOF offers 3 options in pension of MUPs

FINANCE officials announced through a statement that government’s economists are introducing changes to proposed reforms in the pension of military and uniformed personnel following a meeting with defense and security officials.

Under a revised proposal, military and uniformed personnel who avail of optional retirement are given the prerogative to choose among three options in claiming pension benefits, a statement from the Department of Finance (DOF) read.

One option is for the personnel to receive all pension benefits in one lump sum upon retirement.

The second option is for the personnel to receive in advance pension equivalent to 60 months, followed by receipt of payment of monthly pension benefits after five years.

The third option is for the personnel to receive benefits at the age of 57.

According to the DOF, the new options were proposed in consideration of varying financial situations among military and uniformed per-

Preferential tariff rates allowed for countries under RCEP–BOC

sonnel and will be applied on a caseto-case basis.

Finance Undersecretary Maria Cielo D. Magno reportedly said during a meeting last Friday that the economic team was given a directive to study the current pension systems of other government branches.

That meeting, according to the DOF, was attended by those under the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Philippine Air Force (PAF) and the Presidential Security Group (PSG).

At least 250 participants from the AFP Health Service Command were present in the meeting, the DOF said.

It would be the fourth meeting on the issue, according to the DOF. The fifth, it said, would be with members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) on Wednesday at Camp Crame, Quezon City. “The economic team will continue to gather sentiments of the MUPs and introduce necessary improvements to the proposal in order to craft a well-balanced solution,” the DOF’s statement read.

Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

Perspectives

The potential impact of ChatGPT and the new AI on business

ASK a question on almost any topic and ChatGPT has a reasonable answer ready.

You can ask it to write a song or give you a 5-part framework for a corporate digital strategy. On most general topics, like the one in our example, the output will likely be sensible. But on more specific questions, it might get a fair amount of detail wrong.

People have used generative AI to negotiate discounts on phone bills, dispense therapy to real-life patients, write Python code, poems, songs or novels and to take (or cheat in) exams. Generally, large language models (LLMs) produce good results that appear amazing. As such, they could signal a shift in the way communications and businesses work. But it would be all too easy to assume that it’s time to make room for our AI overlords.

Several writers have, with some irony, written about how AI will likely put them out of business. That sort of panic is a mistake. To understand the potential, let’s look at how AI tools like ChatGPT work, what they’re capable of and how businesses can use them.

What’s behind the interface?

THE most recent generation of AI is based on LLMs. Interestingly, ChatGPT combines an LLM with an interaction layer that uses reinforcement learning.

An LLM is a neural network model that uses unsupervised learning to predict outcomes. Among the many AI models developed, LLMs are uniquely unexplainable.

Language models (as distinct from large language models) have existed for a while and can predict the next word or phrase in a sentence. They use different techniques than LLMs and have different applications—auto-correct is a common use.

Adding the “large” element involves training the models on a large collection of publicly accessible electronic documents. That collection (or “corpus” in AI terminology) comprises many petabytes of data —one petabyte being a million gigabytes. Training a model on such massive amounts of data allows it to learn about many topics, as well as language patterns.

So LLMs are “large” partly because of the amount of data they’re trained on. But also due to the size of the models themselves. A few years ago, a complex model might have had a couple of hundred parameters; LLMs have billions. ChatGPT’s underlying LLM has 175 billion parameters and is training on something like 500 billion “tokens” (words or word fragments).

The advances we’ve seen so far are largely a result of efforts to answer a single question: how can a model with that many parameters do something useful?

In the Philippines, AI is also being integrated in business operations with these advanced AI technologies used for a wide range of applications, including natural language processing, predictive analytics and machine learning.

However, it’s important to note that the use of AI also raises ethical and privacy concerns, particularly around the use of personal data. Hence, KPMG in the Philippines Technology Consulting Head Jallain Marcel S. Manrique suggests that “it is of paramount importance that businesses embrace a mindset that places transparency, responsibility and ethics at the core of their decision-making processes when it comes to harnessing the power of artificial intelligence.

“By doing so, businesses can navigate the complexities and potential pitfalls associated with AI adoption as well as foster an environment of trust and accountability among stakeholders,” he added.

The excerpt was taken from the KPMG Thought Leadership publication: https://kpmg. com/xx/en/home/insights/2023/02/the-potential-impact-of-chatgpt-and-the-new-ai-onbusiness.html.

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

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

This article is for general information purposes only and should not be considered as professional advice to a specific issue or entity. The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the BusinessMirror, KPMG International or KPMG in the Philippines. E-mail ph-kpmgmla@kpmg.com.

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner Bienvenido Y. Rubio issued Customs Memorandum Order (CMO) 12-2023 that outlined the guidelines on the issuance of proof of origin, granting of preferential tariff treatment and verification procedures under the RCEP agreement.

The CMO was dated May 26 but took effect last June 2, when the RCEP agreement entered into force in the Philippines.

The latest CMO emphasized that only imported goods originating from the 15 member-countries of the RCEP agreement are eligible to claim the preferential tariff rates.

Vital to the claiming of preferential tariff rates is the securing of a certificate of origin that would certify that the imported goods indeed came from the RCEP signatory-country.

“As part of the RCEP agreement, certificates of origin have been mandated to accompany goods as they are transported between member countries. This official document attests to the country of origin of the goods, allowing customs authorities, importers, and exporters to monitor the movement of goods within the RCEP trading bloc,” read a statement issued last Sunday by the BOC.

The Customs bureau explained

that to qualify for the RCEP tariff rates, importers must obtain this certification along with a declaration of origin from exporters who have been authorized by the Philippines, as specified by the BOC.

The BOC has instructed its Export Coordination Division (ECD) “to scrutinize all submitted certificates of origin and applications for Approved Exporter status.”

The agency added the ECD shall carry out verifications of the originating status of the goods upon request of the RCEP-importing party or based on risk analysis criteria.

“Verification can be made based on documents requested from the exporter or producer or by inspections at the exporter’s or producer’s premises,” the CMO read.

The bureau emphasized that the final determination on the rate of duty shall be based on the assessment of the submitted documents from the importers.

On the other hand, exporters are required to submit an application with the ECD for the issuance of a certification of origin for RCEP, the BOC added.

“The application should include the necessary supporting docu-

PALENG-QR IN CAMILING

This undated photo shows Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Deputy Governor Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, together with Tarlac Vice Governor Carlito C. David, looked on as Camiling Mayor Erlon C. Agustin buys chicharrón (crackling) from vendor Edna Cacabelos Duldulao using QR Ph during the launch of the “Paleng-QR Ph Plus” in Camiling, Tarlac on May 19, 2023. “The BSP extends its full support to the government of Tarlac in making the PalengQR Ph Plus program a success,” Romulo-Puyat said. The Tarlac Provincial Government has passed a resolution urging its cities and municipalities to adopt the program. The BSP also conducted its “Piso Caravan” to enable Tarlaqueños to replace their unfit money with either fit currency or digital cash. CREDIT: Bangko SEnTR al ng PIlIPInaS

Maharlika fund proponents told to obey Constitution

By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

SENATOR Francis Joseph “Chiz”

G. Escudero is urging proponents of the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) to comply with the Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines. That constitutional requirement, according to the lawmaker, is to provide a solid report complying with the test of economic viability before creating a new government corporation, such as the Maharlika Investment Corp. being formed by the impending law.

“That is a document proving that the contemplated state corporation will make money,” as a way of protecting the funds to be invested in it, Escudero explained during a radio interview last Sunday.

The lawmaker said the basis for that test as required in the 1987 Constitution was the findings by the Charter framers that “so many GOCCs had been run to the ground and taxpayers ended up shouldering their liabilities.”

In particular, he cited the observation of then Commissioner Blas F. Ople (of the 1987 Constitutional Commission) that the government budget in 1986 was P117 billion. The debt of GOCCs reached as much as P26 to P27 billion at that time.

According to Escudero, that

amount is roughly 20 percent of the budget of the entire government. So, he said, “we should be cautious in creating new GOCCs...that was the basis of the constitutional requirement.”

Hence, he added, they inserted that requirement for a test of economic viability, which must be submitted to Congress, which shall then study it well before giving its nod to the creation of a new state corporation.

“As I see it, the business proposal that was submitted to Congress [during hearings on the MIF] does not respond to this requirement.”

During interpellations of the MIF’s main sponsor Sen. Mark A. Villar, Escudero had stressed that the 3-page document submitted to the Senate by the Bureau of Treasury— not even the National Economic and Development Authority, he pointed out—had provided very flimsy justifications for the MIF and did not detail well the basis for saying it could provide a good return on investment.

Escudero conceded, though, that the Constitutional Commission was not too clear on the definition of economic viability, or whether the report required partook of a feasibility study.

A legal challenge to the MIF in the Supreme Court could, he added, provide the courts a venue for clarifying this, among others.

ments, such as an export declaration, commercial invoice, bill of lading/ airway bill, and other relevant permits,” it said.

The goal of the RCEP is to eliminate tariffs on a minimum of 90 percent of the commodities traded between member countries, while also strengthening regulations for non-tariff measures, according to the BOC. The BOC noted that within the trade agreement the Philippines retained its existing preferential tariff rates for 98.1 percent of the 1,718 agricultural tariff lines, as well as for 82.7 percent of the 8,102 industrial tariff lines.

Out of the 1,685 agricultural tariff lines that are being preserved at present rates, 1,426 will be maintained at a zero rate, while 154 will continue to be charged at their existing most favored nation rates, and will therefore not be included in any form of tariff concessions, according to the BOC.

“In cases where the RCEP preferential tariff rate is higher than the applied rate at the time of importation, the importer shall be allowed to apply for a refund of any excess duties and taxes paid for originating goods,” BOC said.

Maharlika fund bill seen to lure investment funds

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie

CAMARINES Sur Rep. LRay

F. Villafuerte considers the legislative approval of the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) as opening gates to a “potentiallyhuge” source of investment funds that would let the national government (NG) spend bigger on its bigticket programs.

Villafuerte said the MIF bill is envisioned to provide a new funding stream for investments other than the traditional sources of funds, namely, the General Appropriations Act (GAA) or national budget, “official development assistance [ODA] from our overseas partners and the business sector via the public-private partnership [PPP] mode.”

“As another, potentially immense, funding instrument for priority investments of the NG, the MIF has the makings of a prime source of fresh capital for accelerated infrastructure development, agricultural modernization and food security, climate action, energy development and other big-ticket projects that the Marcos administration needs to carry out to shore up the President’s ‘Agenda for Peace and Prosperity,” said Villafuerte, who is a co-author of the House version—House Bill (HB) 6608—of the approved consolidated MIF bill.

The final version of the MIF bill was approved last week by the House of Representatives and the Senate on the eve of Congress’s sine die adjournment.

Two drawbacks

VILLAFUERTE said that in becoming a new investment fund source for high-impact, economically-viable programs and projects, “the MIF would help the NG prevail over two drawbacks that threaten to handicap the Marcos administration’s agenda to sustain the robust economic growth path postpandemic, create jobs and attack poverty, and keep the Philippines on its path of becoming a prosperous middle-class society in less than two decades.”

He cited one of two main challenges to high and inclusive growth as “government’s presently limited fiscal space.” The latter, Villafuerte said, is “a consequence of the immense public spending on Covid-19

response that the preceding Administration have had to resort to.”

The second challenge, according to the lawmaker, is the “economic slowdown across the world resulting from, among others, the intertwined factors of persistent elevated inflation, international oil price shock, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that continues to impact global supply chain logistics.”

As pointed out by the government’s economic team, Villafuerte said the MIF could partly bankroll the pipeline of 194 flagship projects approved by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and requiring total funding of P9 trillion.

‘Doubting Thomases’ ACCORDING to Villafuerte, these projects are those on physical and digital connectivity, irrigation and water supply, flood management, health, energy, agriculture, climate change mitigation and other major infrastructure.

Villafuerte said the “doubting Thomases” have no reason to worry about possible fund misuse as the MIF bill has assorted safeguards in place. The latter includes the required internal and external audits by the board of the Maharlika Investment Corp. (MIC), the periodic review by a Congressional oversight committee, scrutiny by the Commission on Audit (COA) and its adherence to the government procurement law.

Unlike other state-run corporations, he said the MIC can maximize use of government assets through its would-be investments in projects that generate bigger returns.

Under the bill, the MIC is the corporate body to be created upon enactment of the measure into law, and it shall have an authorized capital stock of P500 billion.

Villafuerte noted that the final congressional version explicitly prohibits state-run pension funds from investing in the MIF.

These pension funds that will no longer provide seed money—as originally proposed—for the MIF are those managed by the Government Service Insurance System, Social Security System, Philippine Health Insurance Corp., Home Development Mutual Fund, Overseas Welfare Workers Association and Philippine Veterans Affairs Office.

THE Customs bureau has issued guidelines that would oversee the implementation of preferential tariffs on imported goods coming from member-countries of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement.

What Greek mythology teaches us about women’s resistance and rebellion

By Marie-Claire Beaulieu, Tufts University The Conversation

After some hard-fought victories, women’s rights are threatened again in many parts of the world. In the United States, the Supreme Court overturned women’s right to abortion in June 2022; women have also been leaving the workforce since the Covid-19 pandemic, in many cases to care for children and elderly relatives. In other parts of the world, especially in developing countries, women are disproportionately affected by climate change.

As a scholar of ancient mythology, I’m aware of many female characters in Greek mythology who offer us models for today’s challenges. This may be a little surprising, because ancient Greece was under strict patriarchal rules: Women were considered minors under the guardianship of their fathers or husbands for their whole lives and not allowed to vote. Yet women in these myths spoke truth to power and fiercely resisted injustice and oppression.

Rebel goddesses

Fem A l e rebellion is at the heart of the Greek story about the creation of the world. Gaia, the e a rth goddess, rebels against her husband Ouranos, the Sky, who smothers her and refuses to let her children be free. She orders her son Kronos to castrate his father and take his throne. Once Kronos comes to power, however, he becomes afraid of being dethroned by his children, so he swallows all the babies his wife Rhea gives birth to.

Rhea rebels against this horrific act.

She gives Kronos a stone wrapped in a

blanket to trick him into thinking that he is going to devour this baby as well. Rhea then hides her child, the god Zeus, who grows up and throws his father down into the depths of the Underworld. But history repeats itself, and the new leader of the gods again fears that his wife may plot to overthrow him. As the king of the gods, Zeus is forever afraid of his wife Hera, who exacts vengeance for all his transgressions, especially his innumerable affairs.

Similarly, the story of Demeter and her daughter Persephone shows a powerful goddess holding her ground in the face of male deities. When Persephone is abducted by Hades, the king of the Underworld, Demeter, the goddess of agriculture, refuses to let the crops grow until Persephone is returned. Despite Zeus’ pleading, Demeter does not relent. The entire world is barren of fruit, and humans starve.

ev entually Zeus is forced to negotiate, and Persephone rises from the Underworld to be with her mother for a part of each year. During the months when Persephone is with Hades, Demeter holds back vegeta -

tion and it is winter on the e a rth.

Mortal women

G R e e K culture, however, was suspicious of strong-willed women and portrayed them as villains.

Classical scholar m a ry Beard explains that women are characterized in this way by male writers to justify women’s exclusion from power. She argues that the Western definition of power applies intrinsically to males. Therefore, Beard explains, “[Women] are, for the most part, portrayed as abusers rather than users of power. They take it illegitimately, in a way that leads to the fracture of the state, to death and destruction. … In fact, it is the unquestionable mess that women make of power that justifies their exclusion from it in real life.”

Beard uses the stories of Clytemnestra and me dea, among others, to illustrate her point. Clytemnestra punishes her husband, Agamemnon, for sacrificing their daughter Iphigenia at the beginning of the Trojan War. She seizes power in his kingdom of my cenae while Agamemnon is still at war, and when he returns, she murders him in cold blood.

me dea makes her husband, Jason, pay the ultimate price for deserting her—she kills their children.

me dea, as a foreign princess in the Greek city of Corinth, a powerful sorceress, and a Black individual, is marginalized in multiple ways. Yet she refuses to back down.

Classical scholar and Black feminist intellectual Shelley Haley stresses that m e dea is proud, a characteristic that is viewed as typically masculine in Greek culture.

Haley sees me dea’s actions as a way to assert her individuality in the face of Greek societal expectations. me dea is not willing to give Jason the freedom to start a relationship with another woman, and she negotiates asylum on her own terms with the king of Athens. According to Haley, me dea “resists the cultural norms that inscribe child-bearing as the only

raison d'être of female existence. me dea loves her children, but like a man, her pride comes first.”

Comedy and tragedy

In a more humorous way, in “ ly sistrata,” the playwright Aristophanes imagines the women of Athens protesting the destructive Peloponnesian War by going on a sex strike. Under such dire pressure, their husbands quickly give in and peace is negotiated with Sparta.

ly sistrata, the leader of the striking women, explains that women suffer doubly in war, even though they have no say in the decision to enter warfare. They suffer first by bearing children and then by seeing them sent out as soldiers. They can be widowed and enslaved as well as a consequence of war.

Finally, in a famous tragedy by Sophocles, Antigone fights for human decency in the face of autocracy. When Antigone’s brothers e t eocles and Polyneices fight for the throne of Thebes and ultimately kill one another, the new king, Creon, orders that only e t eocles, whom he considers to have been the rightful king, be buried with honor. Antigone revolts and says that she must uphold divine law rather than Creon’s tyrannical human law. She sprinkles Polyneices’ body with a little dust, a symbolic gesture that allows the dead man to move on to the afterlife.

Antigone takes action knowing full well that Creon will kill her to enforce his edict. Yet she is prepared to offer the ultimate sacrifice for her beliefs.

Women and moral justice

T H ROUGHOUT t hese stories, female figures stand for moral justice and as an embodiment of the resistance of disempowered people. Perhaps for this reason the figure of m e dusa, traditionally viewed as a terrifying female monster defeated by the male hero Perseus, has recently been reinterpreted as a symbol of strength and resilience.

Acknowledging that the mythological me dusa was turned into a monster as a result of her rape by Poseidon, many survivors of sexual assault have adopted the image of me dusa as an image of resilience.

Sculptor l u ciano Garbati turned the myth on its head. In a new take on the traditional image of the victorious Perseus with the head of m e dusa, Garbati gave m e dusa a powerful new stance with his statue m e dusa with the Head of Perseus. m e dusa’s thoughtful and determined demeanor became a symbol for the # m eToo movement when the statue was set up outside the courtroom where Harvey Weinstein and many others accused of sexual assault stood trial.

What does this mean in today’s world?

eCHO e S o f all these stories resonate strongly today in the words of fearless young female activists.

m a lala Yousafzai spoke up for girls’ education in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan although she knew the potential repercussions could be dire. In an interview for a podcast, she said: “We knew that nothing would change if we remained quiet. Change comes when somebody is willing to step up and speak out.”

Greta Thunberg, addressing world leaders at the United nations Climate Action Summit in 2019, did not miss a beat: “You are failing us. But the young people are starting to understand your betrayal. The eyes of all future generations are upon you. And if you choose to fail us, I say: We will never forgive you. We will not let you get away with this. Right here, right now is where we draw the line.”

For the women who continue to fight against oppression, it can be both a comfort and a catalyst for action to know that they have been doing so for millennia.

The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. The Conversation is wholly responsible for the content.

Levi’s 501 is 150

ON May 20, the most iconic jeans of all time—the Levi’s 501—celebrated its 150th birthday. This milestone in clothing history is being marked in San Francisco, the birth city of the pants, as well as in Tokyo, Paris and London.

FENDI BY MARC JACOBS: A COLLABORATION FOR THE AGES

MARC JACOBS’ interpretation of FENDI is a collection exploring the brand’s iconic silhouettes and bags such as Baguette and Peekaboo that utilizes the spirit of friendship and fun, where sincerity is paramount and always more meaningful than strategy. Marc Jacobs is a longtime friend and mentor to Kim Jones and this collection reflects both that personal relationship and the respect he holds for FENDI as a house and the birthplace of an iconic item of pop: the Baguette and the FENDI icons.

Rarely does a fashion item go beyond its realm to occupy a space in the wider culture—but the Baguette has done just that. The FENDI by Marc Jacobs collection is at once an interpretation and a celebration of the Baguette in its 25th anniversary together with the city in which its place in pop culture history was sealed: New York.

Taking inspiration from the object itself, a conflation of moments in time, as well as the spirit and geography of a place, the Baguette is realized in multiple ways, both in terms of clothing and accessories. Reflecting the maker as much as the iconic item, the collection never neglects the enjoyment and sense of celebration for the wearer.

In this rough-cut romance between uptown and downtown, luxury and utility, excess and reality, the Baguette and the clothing and accessories it inspires are at once defined as a moment in history and part of

For Jacobs, grand dimensions from another time are contrasted with the humble origins of today, and in so doing banish notions of costume in his collection. A reflection of the glittering and gritty New York cityscape, the casual is made formal in parachute train skirts, balloon-backed broken denim jackets, rustling cellophane opera capes and fluoro recycled fur stoles and hats. The glitter of rhinestones, silver, and fluorescent yellow pervades, becoming an almost literal example of “local color,” inspired by the glass frontages and workman’s hi-vis vests to be found on the city’s streets. Exaggerated, platformed and oversized, the take on the Baguette itself also shares something of these silhouettes’ grand gestures— elongated and gleaming, replete with multiple mini versions of itself attached.

The new FENDI by Marc Jacobs collection is available in FENDI Boutiques worldwide and on www.

fendi.com.

Concessionaire Maynilad to replace 477.2 km of old pipelines in five years

WEST Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services, Inc. (Maynilad) is replacing a total of 477.2 kilometers of old, leaky pipes over the next five years, in line with its program

to upgrade the distribution system and reduce water losses.

Maynilad is allotting over P10 billion for pipe replacement projects from 2023 to 2027 to be done in various portions of

Sunshine Place relaunches Little Sunshine, a series of workshops for kids in ballet and Hawiian dance

its concession area.

Once completed, this will bring the total length of pipes replaced within the West Zone to 3,643 kilometers, which is 78 percent of the distribution system that the company inherited from the government upon reprivatization in 2007.

“When we took over Maynilad in 2007, the pipe network we inherited included the oldest water system in Asia. We are committed to upgrading our network for the benefit of our customers,” said Maynilad Chief Operating Officer Randolph T. Estrellado.

From January to April 2023, pipe replacements completed were in North and South Caloocan, Quezon City, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela, Manila, Pasay, Parañaque, Imus, and Muntinlupa. These activities are being fast-tracked so the company can recover more water supply in preparation for El Niño.

For this year alone, Maynilad earmarked almost P4 billion for its NonRevenue Water (NRW) Management Program, which is a 25 percent increase from its NRW capital expenditure of P3.2 billion last year.

SUNSHINE Place relaunches Little Sunshine, a series of workshops curated for kids ages 15 and below. These workshops aim to develop the dancing, creativity, and cognitive skills of children, at a formative time when their bodies and minds are capable of easily learning.

Dance workshops such as Ballet for Kids ages five to eight years old and Hawaiian dancing “Hula” for kids ages six to 11 years old will be held starting June 16, 2023, then on June 23, 30, July 7, 14, 21, 28, and August 4.

Both classes will be conducted by Alice

Sangco-Ledesma, an experienced dance teacher who was trained under notable mentors in the industry. In these Little Sunshine dancing classes that she will be conducting, students will learn the fundamentals of ballet and Hawaiian dancing, along with interacting with other kids their age. At the end of the eight-week program is a recital to showcase their talents and the skills they learned throughout the course.

Sangco-Ledesma began her dance training at the age of five starting with Hawaiian Dancing under Naty Bass and Carmen Garcia. She later took Classical Ballet, Modern Jazz, Tap Dance, Ballroom Dancing, and Spanish Dancing. She underwent training with Julie Borromeo, Nicolas Pacana, Nida Onglengco-

Pangan, Jimmy Mateo, Maricar Aragon, Annamarie Aragon, Teta Sugay, Senor Guillermo Gomez and Rose Borromeo.

As a teacher, she trained under Jurgen Schnieder, Jacqui Dumont for RAD and with Christine Walsh for Russian [Vaganova] Method. Sangco-Ledesma recently did a teacher seminar for ballet with Valerie Bayley – Logan, a dual Examiner of Royal Academy of Dancing. She also handled dance classes before at Dance Arts, Pink Toes, Brent School, Greenhills Preschool, Tabernacle of Faith Christian School, APA Studio, Healthy Tykes and Satin Slippers.

Little Sunshine dance workshops on ballet and hula are open for beginners who are interested to learn something new, and for kids who just want to have fun this season.

For more details and to enroll, please contact M. (0917) 801-6440 or email: hello@ sunshineplaceph.com. Follow Sunshine Place: http://www.sunshineplaceph.com/; FB @ SunshinePlace56Jupiter;IG@sunshineplaceph; YouTube Sunshine Place: Senior Recreation Center; & Hashtags #sunshineplacephonline, #sunshineneverstopshining #SunshineBelieveinYourself, #SunshineDontGiveUp #SunshineIamFittoFight #SunshineHealthyAlltheWay.

SINCE the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, e-commerce has been gaining weight in a traditionally off-premise-weighted drinks market in the Philippines. Globally, more people are growing accustomed to buying alcohol online, with forecasts projecting that online alcohol sales will grow by over 74 percent in 20 key markets by next year.

With the ease and convenience of online shopping in the post-Covid context, putting in place safeguards to prevent minors from buying drinks on online platforms and having them delivered, deserves unprecedented attention and action.

What can be done so that sellers and e-commerce businesses can ensure success while preventing minors from underage drinking?

In response to the rising challenge of preventing alcohol sales to minors and intoxicated individuals, the world’s leading alcohol producers and major e-commerce platforms signed a joint initiative by the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD) in 2020 to commit to implementing global standards for online alcohol sales and delivery. These include ensuring that safeguards are in place to prevent minors and harmful drinkers from buying alcohol online.

International wine and spirits producers in the Alcoholic Beverages Alliance of the Philippines (ABAPI), together with local e-commerce platforms in the Philippines followed suit by signing a local pledge in 2021.

This year, alcohol producers and e-commerce platforms in the country reinforced their commitment to prevent alcohol from ending up in the hands of underaged drinkers. In a

seminar co-organized by the Asia Pacific International Spirits & Wines Alliance (APISWA) and ABAPI on May 25, 2023, stakeholders from the private sector and government agencies shared best practices on how they can work together to promote responsible online alcohol sales and delivery, further a supportive legal framework around e-commerce sales, and additionally, tackle challenges such as the proliferation of illicit alcohol on online platforms.

In a panel discussion on the current alcohol e-commerce landscape and the development of a responsible sales environment, representatives from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) provided perspectives contributing to a holistic view on tackling both underage drinking and counterfeit alcohol sold online.

DTI Assistant Secretary Mary Jean Pacheco presented DTI’s outlook towards fostering a responsible e-commerce environment and consumer protection in the digital economy.

Beyond the commitment by alcohol producers, the seminar shed light on the role e-commerce platforms can play in the fight to prevent minors from accessing alcohol.

At the event, IPOPHL invited ABAPI to sign the IPOPHL Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between IP owners, brand owners and e-commerce players to strengthen the fight against the sale of counterfeit goods over the internet.

The IPOPHL also established the local guidelines among the online marketplaces to intensify the fight against the sale of counterfeit goods on the internet.

Unrecorded alcohol is an effect of the growing problem of illicit alcohol

trade around Southeast Asia. It refers to alcoholic products not accounted for in a country’s official sales. This is because those products are either produced, distributed, or sold outside governmentlicensed channels. Overall alcohol consumption in ASEAN is expected to grow by 16 to 18 percent by 2025.

If the illicit trade in alcohol is left unchecked and unregulated by governments, the challenge and risk to consumer health and safety will continue to grow in tandem with trends of increased alcohol consumption in markets.

In a statement, APISWA Chairman Sanjit Randhawa elaborated on the need for concerted efforts across sectors to combat harmful consumption of alcohol and curb the illicit alcohol trade, highlighting the renewed call on industry players to act now.

“Producers and retailers of the world’s leading alcohol brands across the world have committed to work in solidarity to protect minors from online alcohol sales and deliveries. The re-launch of our pledge originally signed in 2020 is our way of showing the world that the Philippines continues to be in step towards the goal of creating a responsible e-retailing environment for alcohol,” said Randhawa.

“Improper sale and distribution of alcohol brings a wide range of negative impacts. It poses significant health risks and undermines the rule of law. To improve how alcoholic products are sold and enjoyed across the country, we look forward to working with the government and other relevant stakeholders to eliminate the sale of alcoholic products to minors and to combat the harmful use of alcohol in all its forms.”

DURING the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Conference recently at Novotel Manila, Quezon City, Rex Education bared its “Bawat Paaralan Edukampyon (BPE) Continuum” for strengthening drug-abuse prevention.

UNODC’s Conference gathered organizations, policymakers, and prevention implementers for discussions on addressing drug-related problems in the country.

Under the theme “Prevention Digest: Strengthening the prevention strategy and family-based initiatives in the Philippines,” UNODC encouraged individuals and groups to share drug-abuse prevention responses that are health-centered and based on family intervention. The agenda tackled the healthcare system, evidence-based programs, and Philippine experiences in familycentered interventions.

Rex Education was among the government and non-government organizations who shared their experiences with prevention programming, as well as the impact and influence of these initiatives.

BPE was officially launched during the January 2021 Annual Educators’ Congress, where 400 private and public schools expressed interest and intent in pilot implementing the framework. In March 2021, pilot implementation for BPE began with 13 schools completing one implementation cycle.

The program is grounded in the Edukampyon advocacy to engage dutybearers and build their capacities for respecting, protecting, and fulfilling the right to quality education. Pursuant to BEDP (Basic Education Development Plan) 2030, REX advocates a whole school approach that entails the collaboration of all members in a school community. This framework is meant to advance agendas on global education and reform initiatives such as health awareness, eradication of violence, and drug-abuse prevention.

Based on the standards of UNODC, drugabuse prevention is a significant motivator

for children, young adults, and adults to contribute positively to their families, schools, workplace, and communities. Drugabuse prevention at the school level focuses on the health and safety of children and youth, in a bid to encourage self-actualization that can lead to the realization of their full potential, prompting them to become productive members of society.

UNODC has found that developing a student’s personal and social skills can prevent drug use and alcohol abuse. For children aged 10 and below, programs centered on improving resistance skills and self-control have been shown to reduce general problem behaviors in and out of the classroom. Several other factors can also influence discouragement of substance abuse, such as students’ academic performance, commitment to school, and social opportunities.

To achieve these benchmarks, REX designed BPE as a three-tier implementation framework that will allow schools to conduct systematic assessments of their progress in the UNODC’s domains. BPE encourages schools to work with their stakeholders, students, parents, and community members in the planning and implementation of activities and interventions that are relevant to UNODC’s standards.

The BPE’s pilot implementation allowed learners to learn about drug-abuse prevention through the collaborative efforts of their teachers, administrators, parents, and other stakeholders. In particular, parents reported feeling more engaged and knowledgeable of their children’s school activities and priorities after participating in the BPE process.

In doing so, REX was able to complement UNODC’s standards on drug-use prevention. Placing value in partnership, emphasizing the importance of effective parenting, and delivering evidence-based prevention strategies proved to be the pillars that drove the success of BPE’s initial launch. REX is committed to pushing BPE at a wider scale, in a bid to ensure children and youth become invulnerable and more resilient to drug use.

Alcoholic beverage brands, e-commerce platforms pledge to create responsible environment for online sale of alcoholic beverages

Rex Education’s program to strengthen drug abuse prevention recognized at UNODC meet

How to make meetings matter today

gestions in her article Want More Happiness and Productivity? Cancel 4 of Every 5 Meetings, Study Shows.

to-one chats can be quicker and more efficient than holding up the whole group by involving them in things that don’t necessarily concern them.

3. Let people opt out

M A ny m eetings have good intentions at their root—so that everyone will be informed and no one will be left out.

CALIFOR n IA, USA—Creative film company Farm League welcomes filmmaker Cameron Goold for US representation. With wideeyed curiosity, Cameron aims to create films that both explore and

MOST of us believe that meetings—whether virtual or face to face—are a necessary evil. Without them, author Minda Zetlin says in an article in Inc.com, “communication would break down, important information would get missed, there would be less collaboration, and your team would stop feeling like a team.”

At the same time, she notes that “it’s no secret most people dislike having to attend meetings.” In a research assembled by the transcription site Otter.ai, 67 percent of employees complained that meetings were hindering their productivity, and 35 percent said they sent up to five hours a week in meetings that did little to advance the work or the company’s success.

Finding middle ground, a team led by Benjamin Laker, professor of leadership at the University of Reading in England, surveyed 76

inspire. He specializes in stunning, energetic automotive work and tempers his projects with a true respect for the people and locations.

Based in Salt Lake City, Cameron first found his passion for film as a child, making backyard movies with his friends. He firmly believes that authentic storytelling is paramount above all else, and he keenly recognizes the value of stunning, purposeful visuals to elevate a story.

Mixing sweeping landscapes, dynamic camera work, and cine -

companies that had deliberately reduced their number of meetings, eliminating some, most, or even all of them.

Zetlin says that researchers found that “every company that lessened its meeting burden saw benefits.” In every case, “researchers found increases in productivity, cooperation, communication and job satisfaction.”

But, she says, “the sweet spot seemed to be reducing meetings by 40 percent or four out of five meetings.” Companies that did saw an average 74 percent increase in productivity, 44 percent in employee engagement, job satisfaction at 62 percent. Stress, interestingly, went down a whopping 63 percent.

Researchers explained in Harvard Business Review that “team interactions are important for collaboration, but meetings are no longer the best way to interact. In fact, there are more effective ways to develop bonds.”

Here are some of Zetlin’s sug -

matic style with nuanced emotional beats that bring viewers close into the minds and hearts of his characters, Cameron brings a real eye and passion for stories of journey and adventure. With a portfolio of work that breaks convention and spans multiple formats, he has worked for a slew of high profile brands, ranging from Subaru, Land Rover, Toyota, Visa, Aston Martin, Audi, GMC and beyond.

Established as a trusted storyteller in the motorcycle space, Cameron has creative relationships with both Deus Ex Machina

1. Replace your morning check-in meeting with a check-in message “DA ILy huddles are the most frequently held meetings, and often, they are the most difficult to give up,” the researchers write. They add that managers, especially if they are inexperienced, may want to get everyone together to make sure all team members are on track with their work and aware of what everyone else is doing.

While it is important to share information, the researchers say, but check-in meetings aren’t the best way to do it.

They have another suggestion: Set up a Slack or Teams channel specifically for this purpose. This means every weekday, schedule a message to go out at 9:00am: “@ here What’s on your plate today?”

Let everyone know you’d like an answer within one hour.

Research shows that 83 percent of employees prefer this method of checking in as this doesn’t interrupt their workflow.

More than that, if someone forgets what another person is working on or didn’t take adequate notes, they can always review the conversation to find the missing info.

And anyone who has followup questions or needs to discuss anything can do it by sending a message to the appropriate person or persons. That way, one-

USA and Zero Motorcycles which span many years. Creating a wide array of short films, commercials, and other types of branded content, his short film “Painted in Dust” for Deus Ex was a Vimeo Staff Pick and set a new standard for mesmerising and heartfelt motorcycle work.

In his personal pursuits, Cameron is currently developing narrative work with the goal of talking about the serious, deeply human questions and issues we all have, but from a place that is approachable and doesn’t take itself so seri -

2. Only hold meetings when necessary.

A R E there any guidelines on the best time to hold meetings? There are several schools of thought.

Zetlin quotes Wharton psychologist and author Adam Grant as saying that there are only four good reasons people should meet—to learn something, to decide something together, to actually accomplish a task together, or to bond. That is, she says, “very good advice but very broad.”

On the other hand, Laker and the researchers have a slightly different point of view. They say that in most cases, the only good reasons to meet are to review the past work and learn from it; to clarify and support something, such as a policy or a goal; or to distribute work within a team.

Whichever any of these standards—or something else— makes sense to you—Zetlin’s advice is to be “extremely picky about the meetings you hold.”

She adds that “some economists say that the financial factor most people fail to consider is opportunity costs.” All meetings have opportunity costs, so ask yourself what work isn’t getting done because the people who would be doing it are in a meeting instead. And of course, “the more people in the meeting, the greater the opportunity cost.”

ously. Keen to expand on narrative and emotional storytelling, both within and outside of the automotive world, Cameron is working on a new series for Type 7 (Porsche’s Magazine), which is currently in post-production. With Farm League, Cameron is looking forward to honing his storytelling and craft to create branded content and commercial work that really embodies the production company’s creative standard.

Cameron Goold, director at Farm League, commented, “I’ve been a surf film nut ever since I was

But researchers note that “the less important a topic is to someone’s specific job, the likelier they are to be answering their email— or playing online solitaire—while the meeting goes on.”

Zetlin suggests one solution— “make meetings as optional for as many team members as you can. That way, they can attend if a topic seems important to them or skip it if not.”

Researchers also say it’s best “to encourage your team to flag or cancel meetings if they aren’t the best use of their time.” It is also important to make it clear that, as their manager, you encourage it, and won’t judge or punish them.”

After all, “staying away from a meeting may boost an employee’s productivity, and why would you punish them for that?

PR Matters is a roundtable column by members of the local chapter of the United Kingdom-based International Public Relations Association (Ipra), the world’s premier association for senior professionals around the world. Millie Dizon, the senior vice president for Marketing and Communications of SM, is the former local chairman.

We are devoting a special column each month to answer the reader’s questions about public relations. Please send your comments and questions to askipraphil@gmail.com.

a kid, and I can vividly remember seeing ‘Thicker Than Water’ [from Farm League’s Chris Malloy] and listening to the soundtrack nonstop in middle school. I began to follow Chris and Tim Lynch’s careers from then on. Adventure filmmaking is something I’ve always been passionate about, and Farm League’s adventure pedigree is a huge reason I feel honored to be part of the team. Just to have my name on a list next to some of these directors is surreal. The 13-year-old version of me would be losing his mind.”

Sports

B8 Monday, June 5, 2023

mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph

Editor: Jun Lomibao

GAWILAN, BEJINO POWER TEAM PHL GOLDEN HAUL

PARALYMPICS veterans Gary Bejino and Ernie Gawilan reigned in the pool, Cendy Asusano dominated in shotput and Marydol Pamati-an put on a show in powerlifting to fuel the Philippine campaign in the 12th Asean Para Games in Phnom Penh on Sunday.

B ejino won the men’s S7 400 meters freestyle with a record time of four minutes and 58.78 seconds, while Gawilan made it two golds in swimming by ruling the S6 class also at 400 meters in 5:38.26.

The 27-year-old Bejino shattered the six-year-old record of 6:07.99 owned by Myanmar’s Aung Myint Myat, who had to settle with the silver medal this time with 6:04.17.

I’m happy because I gave Team Philippines its first gold medal,” said Bejino, a native of Tabaco (Albay) who will still compete in the 200, 100 and 50 freestyle, 50 butterfly and the 4x100m medley relay with Gawilan.

A susano, meanwhile, left her mark at the Morodok Techno National Stadium with her gold

IN POLAND, NORWAY

By Josef Ramos

ERNEST JOHN “EJ”

OBIENA plunges into a 10-day, three-tournament swing in Poland and Norway as the world No. 3 warms up toward his goal of returning to the Olympics in Paris 2024.

“ I just need to be ready by July and prepare myself for this year’s

POC’s Hangzhou Asiad Fun Run set in Tagaytay City

THE Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) will host the Hangzhou Asian Games Fun Run on Monday in Tagaytay City as part of the Olympic Council of Asia’s (OCA) campaign to engage the whole continent in the build-up to the 19th edition of the games in September.

T he fun run is part of the OCA’s “Asian Games for All” and will be staged starting at 6 a.m. along Bacolod-De los Reyes Street with the Tagaytay City BMX and Skateboard Park as staging area.

POC President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said the country’s top athletes and sports officials are joining the fun run which are being staged 109 days ahead of the Hangzhou games set from September 23 to October 8.

medal-clinching 5.77 meters throw in women’s F54 of shotput, where Marites Burce (4.84) made it a 1-3 finish. Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Ngoc Thuy clinched silver with 5.48. The 33-year-old Asusano vowed to add two more mints in javelin on Monday and discus throw on Wednesday.

I’m eyeing three golds,” said Asusano, who hiked his gold to six, three he won in Kuala Lumpur 2017 and two in Surakarta 2022.

Pamati-an, meanwhile, finally hit it big in the women’s 41-kg division in powerlifting at the National Paralympic Committee Hall.

A chelle Guion, also a Paralympics veteran, chipped in a two powerlifting silvers in women’s 45kg division, while Ariel Joseph Alegarbes, the flag-bearer and a triple gold winner in Surakarta, pocketed silver in the 100 breaststroke SB14 with a clocking of 1:13.59.

M alaysian Mohd Adib Igbal Abdullah captured gold in 1:09.54 while Singapore’s Darren Wei Siang Chan clinched bronze in 1:18.82.

Talion, Tambalque tops in Malarayat

LEVONE TALION scored 48 points while Patrick Tambalque produced a 56-point output as they crowned themselves champions in the 13-14 age category of the Junior Philippine Golf Tour (JPGT) Series at Mount Malarayat Golf and Country Club in Lipa City Friday.

T he two rising stars from the ranks subdued a pair of gutsy rivals to prevail with Talion edging Rafa Anciano, who scored 47 points, by one in the girls’ division, and Tambalque holding off Tristan Padilla in the boys’ class after the latter pooled 53 points under the

Modified Stableford scoring system. A lexander Crisostomo placed third with 45 points at  the composite Mt. Makulot and Mt. Lobo nines. The one-day event, organized by the Philippine Golf Tour under the International Container Terminal Services Inc. golf program, served as the third part of a series of tournaments aimed at providing the youngsters a venue to hone, develop and sharpen their skills at various championships courses.

It kicked off at The Country Club in Laguna last January with the drivechip-and-putt competition with those

LEVONE TALION and Patrick Tambalque pose with their medals.

in the 9-10 and 11-12 age groupers taking the spotlight at Caliraya Springs in Laguna last month.

The series goes back to Caliraya Springs on June 12 with the 18-hole hostilities up in the premier 15-18 category. Mt. Malarayat will stage the next stop again on June 25.

Full Ironman in Subic gets full support

THE full Ironman Philippines girds for another grueling jaunt on June 11 in Subic Bay with Century Tuna back as spearhead of the everpopular endurance racing while championing in healthy and active lifestyle in general. K ept out of the waters and roads during the

When politics creeps into sports

THE war in Ukraine has cast its shadow even in the French Open. Well, it has in many sporting events where Russian and Belarusian athletes have been banned from participation.  The exception has been the UFC that makes no

pandemic, the full Ironman marked its return last year with Czech Petr Lukosz and Filipina Ines Santiago sharing top honors after the lung-busting 3.8-km swim, 180-km bike and 42-km run (full Ironman) race at the country’s top triathlon hub.

W ith everything else returning to normalcy, the

distinction about nationalities or even politics; just pure mixed martial arts action. And there’s tennis that has opened its doors to athletes from these pariahs of a country.

A fter Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk was ousted by Aryna Sabalenka in Day 1 of this major tennis event at Roland Garos, the former who the crowd rooted for her during the match, turned on her when she refused to shake hands with the latter after the loss.

It’s a profound and striking moment that the American audience supported Kostyuk then booed for her lack of sportsmanship.

Then following a tense post-match moment—this time with a Ukrainian journalist who posed questions about Sabalenka’s support for Belarusian president Aleksandr Lukashenko who is an ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin and his war in Ukraine—Sabalenka skipped a post-match press conference citing watching over her mental health.

W hile I am openly against Russian aggression in Ukraine, I do draw the line of this confrontational questioning during a sporting event. I thought that Daria Meshcheriakova, a journalist from Ukraine, was wrong as she took away from the tennis event with her line of questioning.

Sports are already hotly contested events and we have seen sour and testy comments after painful losses.

championships and [Olympic] qualifying tournaments,” Obiena told BusinessMirror through internet call from Formia, Italy, Sunday.

Obiena will compete at the Memorial Ireny Szewińskiej on Tuesday in Bydgoszcz, Poland, followed by the Bergen Jump Challenge on Saturday in Bergen, Norway, and Oslo Bislett Games also in the Norwegian capital on June 15. The qualification window starts on July 1 and ends June 30 next year with Obiena setting his sight at the men’s pole vault standard of 5.94 meters.

The goal is to qualify outright,” he said.

T he 27-year-old who obliterated the field in the recent Cambodia Southeast Asian Games intends to break that ceiling either at the Asian Outdoor Athletics Championships in Pattaya from July 12 to 16, the World Athletics Championships from August 19 to 27 in Antwerp, Belgium, or the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, from September 23 to October 8.

The big tournaments haven’t

started yet but the buildup and the European circuits have already just begun,” he said. “Good thing now is I am physically healthy.”

My drive of winning remains to be an important thing, and I have to keep myself that way,” said Obiena, who’s become the apple of the eye of legendary pole vault coach, Ukrainain Vitaly Petrov.

O biena broke the SEA Games record thrice in the rain early last month in Phnom Penh and wound up with the gold at 5.40 meters— still off the Asian record of 5.94 meters which he owns.

Petrov, he said, was satisfied with his Cambodian stint.

Vitaly [Petrov] was very happy with my performance in Cambodia,” he said. “Despite winning gold at 5.40, I’m still determined to achieve greater heights despite the weather there.”

Obiena cleared 5.94 meters that earned him bronze behind legendary Armand Duplantis (6.21) of Sweden and Chris Nelson (5.94) of the US at the world championships last year in Eugene, Oregon.

As part of the OCA Family, the POC together with the national sports associations are one in celebrating and promoting the forthcoming Asian Games,” Tolentino said.

The OCA’s “Asian Games for All” campaign started in April and is three-pronged—the National Olympic Committees: Hangzhou Asian Games Fun Run, Asian Games Youth Reporter Project and Hangzhou Asian Games Children’s Art Competition.

We want all National Olympic Committees to get into the spirit of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou this September and participate in our promotional campaign,” OCA Director General Husain Al Musallam said.

The ‘Asian Games for All’ campaign will engage Asian society all over the continent and give everyone the chance to be involved in Hangzhou Asian Games,” Musallam said. “Through this project, the OCA will help develop sport, culture and education among the youth of Asia and help to promote the values of respect, friendship, goodwill, peace and a clean environment.”

Go, Fortuna lead amateurs charge in LPGT Valley golf

LOIS KAYE GO and Mikha Fortuna anchor a crack roster of amateurs challenging the cream of the women’s pro crop in the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) Valley Golf Challenge beginning Tuesday at the Valley Golf Club in Antipolo City.

Go has had shots at a breakthrough in her previous Ladies Philippine Golf Tour (LPGT) stints with the many-time national player bullish on her chances at the rolling and challenging Valley South the way Fortuna does with the 54hole championship serving as a qualifier for the Oklahoma U mainstay’s pro bid.

The duo will be joined by 2022 World Amateurs teammate Mafy Singson, who beat pros Chanelle Avaricio, Harmie Constantino and Sunshine Baraquiel by one to snatch the Splendido Taal crown last year. Singson also clinched another low amateur honors in the recent ICTSI Villamor Philippine Masters.

Koreans Minyeong Ki, Jiwon Lee and Eunhua Nam are the other amateurs in the event put up by ICTSI while jungolfers Levone Talion and Rafa Anciano join the fray to gain exposure and experience coming off the Junior PGT Series at Mount Malarayat.

But they will all need to outdo themselves to steal the show and put one over the pros with Constantino all prepped for a third straight victory after snaring the Luisita crown through a playoff over Daniella Uy and reigning at Villamor again via a two-shot victory over Chihiro Ikeda.

Go, a University of South Carolina product, and Fortuna, however, are coming into the event armed to the teeth and ready to mix it up with the best in a three-day test of will and

country’s leading canned tuna brand is back at the helm of the premier swim, bike and run event as part of its continuing commitment to inspire Filipinos and the rest of the world to live a healthier lifestyle.

This is to me why it is important to do yet another staging of the Century Tuna Ironman Philippines—to help re-shape the world that was hit by a severe health crisis to become stronger and healthier,” said Greg Banzon, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of the sponsoring Century Pacific Food Inc. (CPFI).

I do not agree with everyone’s politics but each to his own and there are proper venues to address these opinions.

I a m aware of sporting venues with thousands in attendance and many more watching either on television or on streaming. That makes for a huge and captured audience. Hence, people want to make statements.

You have those fighting for certain rights or political stands. What happens when that stand is contrary to most? Whether he is right or wrong in their thinking is their own. You take the consequences of your actions and thoughts, good and bad.

That is why I am against all these political statements regardless of what spectrum it is during sporting events. It is a slippery slope. If you allow one, you have to allow others.

It is unfortunate that this war—I disagree that it is a special military operation as what the Russian dictator— has disrupted and affected all of life. It has put the world on the brink of a frightening Third World War. While politics affects all of life, it need not permeate itself into every fabric of life.

There is nothing more annoying or upsetting when you are watching a film or a sporting event and something comes out from left field that has nothing to do with it.

My heart goes to the people of Ukraine and even Taiwan. But in sports, let’s just play ball.

character at the one of the country’s toughest courses. Meanwhile, Uy and Ikeda try to put up a big bounceback with the former hoping to finally deliver in the clutch following a couple of stretch-run breakdowns and the latter seeking to ride on her runner-up finish the last time out.

SOLOMON PADIZ JR. (left) and Julius Villabrille are proud winners.

Padiz, Diaz bag doubles title in Kazakhstan meet

SOLOMON PADIZ JR. and Julius Villabrille clinched the men’s doubles title at the 2023 APACS Kazakhstan Future Series on Saturday at the Center of Badminton in Shymkent.

The up-and-coming Smash Pilipinas duo defeated India’s Abhyuday Choudhary and Zhakuo Seyie, with a lopsided final score of 21-3, 21-8, in just 26 minutes.

This victory not only secured the championship but also awarded them the 1,700 Badminton World Federation (NWF) World Ranking points associated with the tournament.

The event is part of the BWF Future Series, which is the third grade of the third-level Continental Circuit. It provides World Ranking points for qualification into higherlevel tournaments such as the World Championships and the Olympics.

Padiz and Villabrille, the top-seeded duo in the tournament, collected their second title for Smash Pilipinas this year.

E arlier in February, Alvin Morada and Christian Bernardo had opened the year with a victory at the 31st Fajr International Challenge.

The two National University student-athletes capped their domination the way they began the tournament—dominant wins against local favorites Artur Niyazov and Yevgeniy Yevseyev, 21-7, 21-10, as well as against Uzbekistan’s Amrullo Bakhshullaev and Artyom Savatyugin, 21-8, 21-11.

Jewel Angelo Albo, Mark Velasco and Lance Vargas also participated in the men’s singles event. The fourth-seeded Albo and Velasco reached the third round, while Vargas exited in the preceding round.

M ikaela De Guzman contributed to the Smash Pilipinas campaign by reaching the second round before concluding her participation in the women’s singles draw.

ERNIE GAWILAN with (from left) Philippine Paralympic Committee secretary-general Goody Custodio and president Mike Barredo and Philippine Sports Commission chairman Richard Bachmann. Inset is Gary Bejino.