BusinessMirror June 17, 2024

BSP: PHL EXTERNAL

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

BILLIONS of dollars worth of loans were added to the country’s total external debt on the back of higher debts incurred by the private sector, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

The country’s total external debt (EDT) stood at $128.7 billion as of end-March 2024, $3.3 billion or 2.6 percent higher than the $125.4billion level as of end-December 2023.

Private sector debt rose to $49.8 billion at the end of the January to March period in 2024. This was $2.2 billion more, or a 4.7-percent increase, from the end-2023 level of $47.6 billion.

“[The increase in private sector debt] was due mainly to bond issuances by local private banks amounting to $1.8 billion,” BSP said in a statement. “Its share to total debt [increased] to 38.7 percent from 37.9 percent last quarter.”

Nonetheless, the bulk of the country’s EDT was due to government loans which amounted to $78.9 billion or 61.3 percent of the total country’s external loans.

The BSP said public sector loans increased $1.1 billion or 1.4 percent in the first quarter of 2024 from the $77.8 billion posted in the last quarter of 2023. The data showed the increase in public sector external loans were

driven by the net acquisition by non-residents of public sector debt securities aggregating to $1.6 billion, and the $331 million loans for national government projects/ programs.   “About $72.3 billion—or 91.6 percent—of public sector obligations are attributed to the NG, while the remaining $6.6 billion—or 8.4 percent±pertained to borrowings by government-owned and controlled corporations, government financial institutions and the BSP,” the data showed.

In terms of loan sources, the BSP listed the major creditor countries: Japan with $15.2 billion worth of debts, followed by the United Kingdom at $4.6 billion; and the Netherlands at $3.9 billion. BSP said loans from official sources accounted for the largest share, or $50.7 billion or 39.4 percent of the total outstanding debt. The data showed these loans

Oxford poll: Little chance of global recession in ’24, ’25

DESPITE expectations that global growth will be slower than in the past decade, businesses see little chance of a global recession occurring this year or next year, according to Oxford Economics.

In its latest economic brief, the UK-based think tank said global growth is expected to grow 2.25 percent throughout the remainder of 2024 and early 2025.

However, Oxford Economics said, only 1 in 10 businesses believe there is a chance of a global recession, in the magnitude of the 2009 Global Financial Crisis, this year or next year.

“The latest data also confirm that businesses have become less concerned about downside risks to the global economy,” Oxford Economics said.

“They continue to see only a

minimal chance of an economic slump on the scale experienced in 2009 during the global financial crisis,” it added.

The think tank said the expected growth rate of the global economy, at 2.2 percent in the first quarter of next year, remains 0.5 percentage points lower than the pace of growth in the past 10 years.

“Overall, businesses expect global growth to remain relatively stable in the year ahead,” the think tank said. “The probability of growth surprising significantly to the downside is seen as contained in the near term.”

Oxford Economics said the estimates are based on its Global Business Sentiment Index. It said businesses expect stable growth in 2025 and “worries over tail risks have receded further since April.”

See “Oxford,” A2

SANS CHINA, PHL MUST LURE OTHER ASIANS, EUROPEANS

By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo

ITH the China arrivals market still sluggish, efforts must be made to attract more tourists from other Asian countries and Europe to fill up hotel rooms in the Philippines. In a recent press briefing, Philippine Hotel Owners Association (PHOA) president Arthur Lopez said, “China is not moving. They’re not traveling the way they used to. So we have to start looking again at Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, and India. We need to invite them to come. The DFA [Department of Foreign Affairs] is already working on making it easier for Indian nationals to get a tour -

ist visa.” India was the second largest source of outbound travelers in Asia in 2022. They also spend  about $1,200 per capita on a holiday, versus Americans ($700), and Europeans, ($500). Lopez added that hotel rates in the country must also be “comparable” to the hotels in other Southeast Asian countries. “We want Europeans to come and take an extended trip to the Philippines once they are in Thailand.”

Data from the Department of Tourism (DOT) showed arrivals from China  reached 164,065 from January 1 to May 25, 2024, accounting for just 6.63 percent of the 2.47 million in total arrivals for the period. In 2019, arrivals from China reached 1.74 million, making it the second largest tourist market for the Philippines.

See “China,” A2

BSP: Peso decline temporary, won’t impact the BOP much

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

THE depreciation of the Philippine peso may only be temporary and will not have a significant impact on the country’s balance of payments (BOP), according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

In a recent briefing, BSP estimated that the Philippine peso in the first quarter of 2024 depreciated by 2 percent compared to last year, but appreciated 0.2 percent compared to the fourth quarter of 2023.

BSP Monetary Policy Sub-Sector

Senior Assistant Governor Iluminada T. Sicat said the central bank still expects the BOP to post a surplus of $1.6 billion this year despite the depreciation of the peso.

China

Aging local hotels

WHILE China’s outbound tourism has been gradually growing, the Chinese are flocking to countries with more relaxed visa-entry poli -

“We view it as temporary given the monetary policy stance of the US, particularly delaying the reduction in policy rate of the US. We believe that the peso will be largely influenced by the foreign exchange supply and demand,” Sicat said.

Sicat explained that the depreciation of the peso means it will require more of the local current to purchase imports and could lead to more dollar outflow. Nonethe -

less, she said, the more foreign exchange supplies are expected in 2025. “The current depreciation of the peso is merely sentimentdriven. But mainly the direction or path of the FX rate will be determined largely by what will be based on the fundamental developments,” Sicat said.

In a report, BSP Department of Economic Statistics Senior Director Redentor Paolo M. Alegre Jr. said the peso averaged P55.96 to the dollar in the first quarter of 2024.

This was a depreciation from the P54.86 per US dollar average in the first quarter of 2023 and an appreciation from the average of P56.06 to the greenback in the fourth quarter of 2023.

“So for the first quarter of 2024, the peso appreciated against a basket of currencies of major trading partners and trading partners in advanced and developing economies in

both nominal and real terms,” Alegre said.

“The peso appreciation was supported by improving domestic inflation environment, sustained FOREX inflows from OFW remittances, BPO and tourist receipts and adequate level of international reserves; and lastly, a robust economic growth prospect for 2024,” he added.

Earlier, BSP said improving global economic activity is expected to boost the country’s BOP this year and next year. On Friday, BSP said the country’s overall BOP is expected to post a surplus of 1.6 percent this year and 1.5 percent next year.

These were upgraded outlooks compared to the surplus of 0.7 percent and deficit of 0.5 percent projected in the first quarter of the year.

(See: https:// businessmirror .com.ph/2024/06/15/4month-bop-gap-is-401-millionbsp-sees-2024-2025-surplus/).

The World Bank earlier said global growth is projected to hold steady at 2.6 percent in 2024 before edging up to an average of 2.7 percent in 2025-26.

This, the World Bank said, is still well below the 3.1-percent average in the decade before Covid-19.

Given this, the Washingtonbased lender said over the course of 2024-26 countries that collectively account for more than 80 percent of the world’s population and global GDP would still be growing more slowly than they did in the decade before Covid-19.

Apart from loans from official sources, the BSP said external borrowings included bonds/notes amounting to $42.2 billion or 32.8 percent of the total.

The list also included obligations to foreign banks and other financial institutions worth $28.5 billion or 22.1 percent of the total, while the rest, worth $7.3 billion or 5.6 percent, were owed to other creditors such as suppliers/exporters.

The World Bank said developing economies are projected to grow 4 percent on average over 202425, slightly slower than in 2023. Growth in low-income economies is expected to accelerate to 5 percent in 2024 from 3.8 percent in 2023. However, the forecasts for 2024 growth reflect downgrades in three out of every four low-income economies since January. In advanced economies, growth is set to remain steady at 1.5 percent in 2024 before rising to 1.7 percent in 2025.   Cai U. Ordinario

debt remained predominantly medium to long term in nature or those with original maturities longer than one year; with its share to total at 86.7 percent or $111.6 billion.

cies, such as Kazakhstan, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia. The Philippines, however, has been tightening its visa policies in China due to the growing number of applicants submitting fake documents, as well as recent arrests of Chinese citizens engaged in illicit activities in the country.  (See, “Balancing Act,” in the BusinessMirror , May 18, 2024.)

Lopez also expressed concern on the aging of many hotels in the country. “We need to update and upgrade the old hotels. We cannot compete with Thailand and Malaysia. A hotel first attracts visitors to a destination before the beaches, resorts, everything.

[Aging hotels] is a big disadvantage to us. They have to be redone and re-engineered.”

Lawyer Karen Mae SarinasBaydo, Assistant Chief Operating Officer of the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (Tieza), said tax incentives are extended to new hotels and those planning to expand. But there are no incentives to assist hotels such as Sofitel Philippine Plaza, for instance, to undergo much needed renovations. The iconic hotel by the bay will be closed at the end of business hours on June 30 for safety reasons, even as its owners are also studying other options aside from investing in its renovation.  (See, “Can Sofitel still be saved? Options eyed,” in the BusinessMirror , June 7, 2024.)

Tourism, Hotel Investment Summit

PHOA, which has 217 memberhotels with a room inventory of 40,000 keys, will be holding The Philippine Tourism and Hotel Investment Summit 2024 on June 21, 2024 at The Ballroom, New World Makati Hotel, Makati City. Considered the first of its kind, the event aims to promote tourism and hotel investments and advocate for sustainable tourism in the Philippines.

PHOA Executive Director Benito C. Bengzon Jr. said Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia, who will be keynote speaker at the summit, is expected to unveil the Philippine Hotel Industry Strategic Action Plan, a roadmap on developing hotels, the incentives and infrastructure needed by investors, categories, and locations for new properties. The action plan was created in partnership between the DOT and PHOA.

Around 250 delegates are projected to attend the summit, which will feature panel discussions on emerging trends and investment opportunities in the tourism industry. An exhibition with 30 companies showcasing a wide range of tourism-related products and services is also part of the summit.

“We are excited to see the industry come together and explore the future of tourism and hospitality. The exhibition will not only offer a glimpse into the latest trends and innovations but also foster partnerships essential for the sector’s evolution,” said Tieza COO Mark Lapid. “We hope that this event will help us promote tourism investments and increase our capacity to accommodate inbound tourists,” he added. Tieza is co-presenting the summit.

In terms of currency mix, the country’s external debt stock remained largely denominated in US dollars, worth $97.8 billion or 76 percent of total; followed by the Japanese yen, $11.1 billion or 8.6 percent of total.

The rest, amounting to $19.8 billion or 15.4 percent, were in 17 other currencies, including the Philippine peso at $9.3 billion or 7.2 percent; the Euro, $5.9 billion or 4.6 percent; and Special Drawing Rights, $3.8 billion or 2.9 percent.

As of end-March 2024, the maturity profile of the country’s external

He noted that the 2016 Award on the South China Sea Arbitration “confirmed the Philippines’ maritime entitlements and rejected those that exceeded geographic and substantive limits under Unclos.”

“Incidents in the waters tend to overshadow the importance of what lies beneath.

“The seabed and the subsoil extending from our archipelago up to the maximum extent allowed by Unclos hold significant potential resources that will benefit our nation and our people for generations to come. Today we secure our future by making a manifestation of our exclusive right to explore and exploit natural resources in our ECS entitlement,” Alferez said.

Overlapping continental shelf claims

ASSISTANT Secretary Alferez added that the Philippine submission does not prejudice discussions with relevant coastal States that may have legitimate ECS claims measured from their respective lawful

On the other hand, goods covered by the Istanbul Convention but are not accepted in the Philippines are:  ATA Carnet for postal traffic; Packings and articles that by their nature are unsuitable for any purpose other than advertising for specific articles or publicity for a specific purpose.

While scientific and pedagogic material is accepted, submission of Customs document is required, said Philexport. Meanwhile, other prohibited goods in the Philippines are: tourist publicity materials; Goods imported as frontier traffic; Means of transport and Animals for transhumance or grazing or for performance of work or transport.

Philexport unveiled the advantages of having the ATA Carnet

Relative to the previous quarter, the weighted average maturity for all MLT accounts increased to 16.8 years from 16.7 years, with public sector borrowings having longer average tenor of 20.1 years versus 7.6 years for the private sector. Meanwhile, short-term liabilities or those with original maturities of up to one year stood at $17.1 billion, or 13.3 percent of the total external debt.

The BSP said this comprised mainly bank liabilities worth $13.1 billion; trade credits, $2.7 billion; and other liabilities, $1.3 billion. Of the MLT accounts, $59.9 billion or 53.7 percent have fixed interest rates and $48.9 billion or 43.8 percent carry variable rates. The remaining $2.8 billion or 2.5 percent are non-interest bearing.

baselines under UNCLOS.

“We consider our submission as a step in discussing delimitation matters and other forms of cooperation moving forward. What is important is the Philippines puts on record the maximum extent of our entitlement.”

The Philippines is the third claimant country in the South China Sea which submitted an extension of the continental shelf in the disputed sea. Malaysia and Vietnam have earlier submitted information on their respective claims for the extension of the continental shelf in the South China Sea.

“This submission can reinvigorate efforts of States to demonstrate their readiness to pursue UNCLOS processes in the determination of maritime entitlements and promote a rules-based international order,” Ambassador Antonio Lagdameo, Permanent Representative of the Philippine Mission to the United Nations in New York, said.

system in the country.

“Salesmen, exhibitors, and other business travellers can make advance customs arrangements at a predetermined cost, visit several countries, use the ATA Carnet for several trips during its one-year validity, and return to their home country with their goods without problems or delays,” the umbrella organization of Philippine exporters said.  The business group said the Philippines also benefits from being part of the ATA Carnet chain, as importers will be allowed to bring in goods covered under the Istanbul Convention conditionally duty- and tax-free.  For its part, the BOC saves time and resources to process the temporary admission of scientific, professional and other goods and equipment.

Siling labuyo as dengue cure? No way says Garin

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie

THE vaccine advocate in the House of Representatives on Sunday cautioned the public against believing online claims that  siling labuyo  can cure dengue, emphasizing that such information is not based on scientific research.

House Deputy Majority Leader Janette Garin, in a statement addressed these misconceptions after several posts circulated online, suggesting that siling labuyo  could cure dengue, a claim also debunked by the Department of Health (DOH).

“This siling labuyo story is not true. With the onset of the rainy season and warmer weather, various misleading marketing strategies emerge,” said Garin, who is also a medical doctor and former health secretary. She stressed that no medication currently exists to cure dengue.

She also clarified that tawa-tawa  and virgin coconut oil are not medicines for dengue, saying “they only have anti-viral properties that can help a dengue patient.”

During her watch as health secretary, Garin spearheaded the anti-dengue vaccination program that saw some 1 million children innoculated against the mosquitoborne disease with the new vaccine called Dengvaxia that was manufactured by the French company

Sanofi.

I was found out later that the vaccine could actully exacerbate dengue symptoms in individuals who never had dengue before being vaccinated.

“In the Philippines, herbal products with anti-viral properties are often mistakenly] generalized as cures for dengue, human immunodeficiency virus [HIV], and other illnesses, misleading the public,” Garin explained.

Garin explained what happens to one’s body when bitten by a dengue mosquito.

She said: “Dengue, like other viruses, is a self-limiting illness, meaning it resolves on its own in one to two weeks. The first week is critical. During this time, some patients do not survive and experience bleeding.”

The lawmaker advised the public to drink plenty of water if they have a fever, especially if they have been experiencing symptoms of dengue, to keep hydrated, and to immediately seek medical attention if symptoms persist.

Gordon to PRC’s med school scholars: We need the best doctors in the country

‘THE University of the Philippines must always show the way and lead, step up the plate...put your mind where your mouth is,” said former senator Richard Gordon, Philippine Red Cross (PRC) chairman at the signing of the memorandum of agreement between humanitarian organization and the UP College of Medicine (UPCM) for the second batch of scholars under PRC’s Medical Scholarship Program.

Eight medical students of UPCM have availed themselves of the program, which is the university’s biggest full scholarship grant. PRC is currently supporting 16 scholars at UPCM.

Some of the new scholars are enrolled in the Doctor of Medicine-Master of Public Health double degree program. This new program aims to equip the emerging generation of physicians with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to manage many concerns in the setting of the Universal Health Care Law. These concerns include prevalent health issues in the Philippines, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory and kidney diseases, cancers and mental health disorder; emerging and reemerging infectious diseases, outbreaks and pandemics; disasters; regional health security; aging; and climate change.

The proposed program will produce competent physicians with expert training in public health who are highly valuable assets for any health institution, and for any nation for sustainable development.

At the MOA signing ceremony, Gordon exhorted the scholars: “I pushed for this scholarship program because I believe that we need the best doctors in the country. To our scholars, dare to be extraordinary citizens.”

He added: “Sa dami ng problemang kinakaharap ng bayan, kailangan nating pag-igihin ang ating pagmamahal sa kapwa—that’s the commonality of UP and PRC, we share the same goal.”

Present at the MOA signing were UP College of Medicine Dean Charlotte Chiong, UPCM Chancellor Michael Tee, Dean of the College of Public Health Fernando Garcia, PRC Vice Chairperson Cora Alma de Leon, SecretaryGeneral Gwen Pang, and Board of Governors members Presy Ramos and Andrew Nocon.

The eight new PRC-UPCM scholars are Pauline Angela F. Abu, Charmaine Khaye D. Alba, Ceidy Joyce A. Balubal, Czariss Dale Grace A. Bedoya, Haggai Elisha L. Facon, Mary Hazel B. Florita, Rona Angela Grindulo, and Wade Montgomery Rosales.

RP, US marines conduct live fire exercises in Luzon

THE on going RP-US Marine Aviation Support Activity

(Masa) saw Filipino and US forces conduct a live fire exercise off the coast of Zambales and Ilocos Norte.

The 1st Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF) in a statement on Sunday said units from the US Marine Corps (USMC) and the Philippine military conducted a live-fire exercise off the coast of Camp Bojeador in Ilocos Norte and in waters to the west of Naval Education, Training and Doctrine Command (NETDC) in Zambales. Masa, a joint RP-US military exercise in the Philippines, is focused on “mutual defense, strengthening relationships, and rehearsing emerging aviation concepts,” the statement said.

This year’s Masa will end on June 21. During the exercise, Filipino

Philippines one with G7 in opposing Chinese aggressive actions in SCS

By Rex Anthony Naval

THE Philippines is one with G7 nations in opposing China’s aggressive actions in the South China Sea, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said, even as he lauded the group for calling out Chinese dangerous actions using its coast guard and maritime militia in the vital waterway.

“Indeed, there is no legal basis for China’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea. We stand with the G7 in opposing China’s militarization, coercive actions, and intimidation activities in the region,” Año said in a statement late Saturday night.

G7 is composed of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. The European Union (EU) is a “non-enumerated member” of the group.

Año was reacting to the recent G7 statement, earlier delivered

in Apulia, Italy, that expressed the group’s serious concerns and strong opposition to any unilateral attempt to change the status quo in the East and South China Seas by force or coercion.

“The resolute stance of the G7 nations against the dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia in the South China Sea, particularly the obstruction of high seas freedom of navigation, is a significant affirmation of the principles of international law and the rules-based international order,” he added.

Año added that the principles enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea must be respected, and its role as the legal framework governing all activities in the oceans and seas must be upheld universally.

“Furthermore, the G7’s reiteration of the significance of the 2016 Arbitral Award is a vital reminder that this ruling is legally binding. It serves as a crucial basis for the peaceful resolution of disputes,” he added.

In addition, he maintained that the Philippines remains committed to working with the international community to ensure peace, stability, and security in the region.

“We look forward to continued collaboration with the G7 and the international community in general in upholding maritime law and ensuring that the South China Sea remains a zone of peace, freedom, and cooperation,” Año said.

SC nixes new allowances for PhilHealth employees

TMarines used ground-based artillery to engage staged maritime targets made of wood and concrete in waters four nautical miles west of Camp Bojeador.

US Marines provided fire coordination support to the Filipino troops forces as they engaged the targets “to increase bilateral coordination and proficiency among US-Philippine forces.”

In Zambales, USMC F-35B Lightning II multi-role stealth fighters operating out of Clark Air Base in Pampanga conducted air strikes on simulated maritime targets in waters three nautical miles west of NETDC.

“Philippine unmanned aerial systems supported both livefire events to increase maritime domain awareness capabilities and to ensure the safe execution of the training events,” I MEF said.

By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

HE Supreme Court (SC) has unanimously reminded the government-run Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) of its obligation to ensure the availability of funds for universal and affordable health care for Filipinos.

Thus, in a 15-page en banc ruling penned by Associate Justice Maria Filomena D. Singh, the Court upheld the notices of disallowance (NDs) issued by the Commission on Audit on PhilHealth’s grant of new allowances for its employees amounting to P43.8 million without the approval of the President in 2010.

The Court’s ruling denied the petition filed by PhilHealth seeking to set aside the said COA’s decision issued on December 28, 2016 and resolution issued on January 31, 2020 denying PhilHealth’s petition for review with respect to the NDs for lack of merit.

The COA, according to the

SC, did not commit grave abuse of discretion when it dismissed PhilHealth’s petition for review and that it correctly ruled that the state-run insurance firm’s authority to fix the compensation of its employees is regulated by law.

“As the manager of the State’s National Health Insurance Fund, PHIC must ensure the availability of funds and must carry out its fiduciary responsibility through effective stewardship, proper management, and maintenance of reserves,” the SC stressed.

“Hence, it is only proper if not imperative, for PHIC [PhilHealth] to be more circumspect in utilizing the funds for the salaries and allowances of its employees,” it added.

In its petition, PhilHealth insisted that it is granted fiscal autonomy under Republic Act 7875, the law that created the agency.

It particularly cited Article IV, Section 16(n) of RA 7875 which states: “The Corporation shall have the following powers and functions:…n) to organize its office, fix the compensation of

and appoint personnel as may be deemed necessary and upon the recommendation of the president of the Corporation.”

PhilHealth further argued that its authority provided by Section 16(n) of Republic Act 7875 was confirmed by former President Gloria Arroyo in two separate documents: the letter of former Health Secretary Francisco Duque III dated September 18, 2006, requesting for the early approval of the PhilHealth’s Rationalization Plan (which Arroyo approved in her marginal note) and the letter of Duque to Arroyo dated March 7, 2008, seeking the confirmation of the approval of the PhilHealth’s Rationalization Plan.

It insisted that the confirmation given by Arroyo in these two communications was tantamount to presidential approval of the disbursed benefits and recognition of PhilHealth’s fiscal authority and independence.

However, the SC found PhilHealth’s arguments “untenable.”

It pointed out that the issue on

Go delivers aid to Parañaque fire victims

SEN . Christopher Go dispatched his Malasakit Team in Parañaque City on Thursday to extend immediate assistance to affected families by a recent fire.

Go’s Malasakit Team handed over aid packages to 323 families such as snacks, grocery packs, food supplements, masks, shirts, basketballs, and volleyballs, while some individuals also received shoes and a mobile phone.

Through a video message, Go offered words of encouragement to the victims, urging them not to lose hope despite the tragedy.

“Huwag po kayong mawalan ng pag-asa, ang importante ay buhay kayo. Ang gamit po ay napapalitan, ang pera ay kikitain pero ang pera ay hindi nabibili ang buhay. A lost life is a lost life forever. Kaya pangalagaan natin ang buhay na binigay sa atin ng Panginoon,” Go said. Go also lauded the swift response of the local government officials, including narangay Sto. Niño Chairman Johnny Co and barangay councilors, commending them for their immediate assistance to the affected households. The affected families likewise expressed their gratitude

for the support and the senator’s commitment to their welfare.

“Kami po ay nagpapasalamat sa ating Senato r Bong Go. Thank you, Senator Go sa malaking tulong na binigay niyo sa amin. Lalo na yung Malasakit Center. Thank you very much at mabuhay ka, Senator. God bless po sa inyo,” Brgy. Capt. Co expressed.

Senator Go then emphasized the importance of implementing robust fire prevention measures within the community to ensure the safety and efficiency of emergency responses in the future.

Makati council suspends barangay chief

THE Sangguniang Panlungsod of Makati has unanimously passed a resolution imposing 12 months suspension on the chairman of barangay Magallanes.

Authored by Councilors Rene A.Q. Saguisag Jr., Dennis .B. Almario, Benedict B. Baniqed and Virgilio V. Hilario Jr., the resolution consolidated allegations of abuse of authority from two separate administrative cases against barangay Chairman Jose

Mari A. Alzona.

Sarah Jane M. Cama lodged the initial complaint on December 5, 2023. Following this, a second complaint was filed by Robert P. Sunga on January 12, 2024. Both complaints accused Alzona of abuse of authority as Punong Barangay, prompting an official investigation by the Sangguniang Panlungsod. The two cases were consolidated for efficiency and to maintain procedural integrity.

The consolidated hearing was scheduled and took place on February 21, 2024. During the hearing, evidence was submitted, and testimonies were heard from the complainants and the respondent. Following the presentation of evidence and deliberation by the Committee on Laws, Rules, and Ethics, the Sangguniang Panlungsod adopted the resolution recommending the 12-month suspension of Alzona.

PhilHealth’s fiscal independence has long been settled in the case of PhilHealth v. COA where the Court ruled in 2016 that R.A. 7875 does not give the agency unbridled authority to fix the compensation of its employees and unilaterally provide allowances. The Court said it adopted the same position in the 2018 case of PhilHealth v. COA. “Simply put, the Court has consistently ruled that the fiscal autonomy provision under PHIC’s charter is not without limitations and should be read in conjunction with applicable laws ‘and regulations,” the SC declared. In addition, the SC held that PhilHealth cannot seek refuge behind its argument that the disbursement of allowances was coupled with the approval of Arroyo. It noted that while the letters were indeed signed by Arroyo, the letters referred to the approval of the PhilHealth’s Rationalization Plan, not the disbursement of the disallowed benefits and allowances.

TWENTY one of the 22 Filipino seamen aboard the missile-hit M/V Tut or will arrive in the country this afternoon, the Department of Migrant Workers said. President Marcos on Friday ordered the repatriation of the 21 Filipino mariners, who were rescued from the missile-hit M/V Tut or in the Red S ea last week.

“The President ordered all concerned government agencies to bring the Filipino seamen to safety, resulting in the successful rescue of the 21. One remains missing aboard the vessel,” DMW said in a statement issued during the weekend.

The affected sailors were among the 22 Filipino crew of M/V Tu tor, that was subjected to a missile attack by Houthi rebels based in Yemen.

The search for the missing Filipino sailor is still ongoing. The 21 Filipino sailors were rescued and were transported by a

Migrant

Following the incident, the DMW said it is now reviewing its policy, when it comes to the protection of Filipino seamen on board ships transiting areas, which have been declared by the International Bargaining Forum as “high-risk and warlike zones.” Filipino sailors can refuse to sail in areas with the said classification, however the Filipino crew of M/V Tut or ha ve agreed to sail in the dangerous waters of the Red Sea. Samuel P. Medenilla Pinoy seamen from missilehit ship arrive Monday

HOUSE Deputy Majority Leader Janette Garin

NATIONAL Security Advisor Eduardo Año

Meralco rates reduced this month

By Lenie Lectura @llectura

THE Manila Electric

Company (Meralco) announced Sunday that power rates will go down by P1.9623 per kilowatt hour (kWh) this month after the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) ordered the staggered collection of generation costs from the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM).

The power distribution company earlier projected a rate hike of P0.6436 per kWh in June.

In its order promulgated on June 13, the ERC ordered all distribution utilities and electric cooperatives in the country, including

Meralco, to stagger the collection of charges covering WESM purchases in the May supply month in four equal monthly installments starting this billing month until September 2024. The P1.9623 per kWh rate

reduction will result in an overall rate of P9.4516 per kWh for a typical household from the previous month’s P11.4139 per kWh. For residential customers consuming 200 kWh, the adjustment is equivalent to a decrease of around P392 in their total electricity bill.

The adjusted rate for June reflects a P1.8308 per kWh decrease in generation charge.

The increases in transmission charge and feed-in tariff allowance are retained at P0.1450 per kWh and P0.0474 per kWh, respectively. Taxes and other charges, meanwhile, have a net reduction of P0.3239 per kWh.

“We ask for the understanding of our customers over the delayed bills as we implement the newly issued order of the ERC. Rest assured that Meralco will implement adjusted due dates to give our customers enough time to pay their bills,” Meralco Vice President and Head of Corporate Communications Joe R. Zaldarriaga said.

However, Meralco warned that generation charges are likely to go up in the next three months. “We would like to advise this early that our customers can expect generation charge to increase in succeeding months as we collect the deferred amounts on staggered basis as result of the recent developments,” Zaldarriaga said.

As earlier announced, Meralco, Quezon Power (Philippines) Ltd., San Buenaventura Power Ltd. Co., and South Premiere Power Corporation, deferred P500 million in generation costs to cushion the impact of higher pass-through charges to Meralco’s customers. These will be collected over the next three billing periods, as cleared by the ERC.

“With these already deferred costs, and the recent order of the ERC to also stagger the collection of WESM charges, around P0.77 per kWh will be added every month to the generation charge in the July to September bills,” Zaldarriaga said.

DOE simplifies application process for RE development

TBy Lenie Lectura @llectura

HE Department of Energy (DOE) has moved to simplify the application process for renewable energy (RE) development.

RE developers are now allowed to start permit processing, conduct survey and other feasibility activities before the official 25year contract terms begins.

The DOE will issue a Certificate of Authority (COA) to developers which grants them authority to proceed with these activities that were previously

only permitted after contract approval and signing by the Energy Secretary.

“The implementation of these new guidelines marks a significant step towards facilitating faster RE project implementation, fostering

innovation and attracting investments across the archipelago,” Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla said.

The validity period of the COA varies by project type: three years for biomass, geothermal, hydropower, ocean and onshore and offshore wind projects; two years for floating solar; and one year for land-based solar projects.

Additionally, the DOE has streamlined the process for dutyfree importation incentives.It said that developers of certain projects may now receive a Certificate of Registration (COR) upon signing of the contract or proof of financial closing, providing them flexibility

Groups score of sale of ‘toxic’ cosmetic products

WATCHDOG groups on Sunday expressed dismay over the continued sale of cosmetic products in Quezon City and Mandaluyong City that contain harmful chemicals that pose health risks to consumers.

In separate statements, BAN Toxics and Ecowaste Coalition urged local officials to take immediate action against the sale of these skin-whitening creams to protect public health.

In Quezon City, Ban Toxics urged the Quezon City Health Department (QCHD), to take regulatory action against the unwarranted sale of skin whitening creams that have mercury as ingredient.

In its recent market monitoring, the group purchased and photo documented the sale of FDA-banned cosmetics, namely: Goree Beauty Cream with Lycopene Avocado & Aloe vera, Goree Day & Night Beauty Cream Oil Free Total Fairness System, and 88 Total White Underarm Cream in beauty shops (kiosks) inside Ever Gotesco Mall in Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City. These products have been banned by the Food and

Drug Administration (FDA). The Quezon City enacted QC Ordinance 2767, s 2018, which bans the manufacture, distribution, and sale of mercury-containing skin whitening cosmetics in Quezon City.

“We call the attention of beauty shop owners to abide by the existing regulation in the country, and specifically in Quezon City, regarding the prohibited skin whitening products that have been proven to contain mercury, a health-damaging toxic chemical,” said Thony Dizon, Toxics Campaigner of BAN Toxics.

The ordinance mandates all manufacturers, importers, distributors, wholesalers, and retailers, including street vendors, or “tiangge,” and online vendors in Quezon City, to cease from engaging in business activities involving the production or trade of mercury-laden cosmetics or both.

Mercury is among the World Health Organization’s top 10 chemicals of major public health concern. It lightens the skin by suppressing the production of melanin and can also remove age spots, freckles, blemishes, and wrinkles.

However, its use can lead to rashes, skin discoloration, and blotching. Mercury can enter the body through absorption, inhalation, or ingestion.

The group wrote to the QCHD requesting urgent enforcement action and confiscation of the prohibited beauty products to halt the illegal sale of non-compliant cosmetic products.

Meanwhile, in a letter to Mandaluyong City Mayor Benjamin Abalos, Ecowaste Coalition reported the illegal sale of FDAbanned mercury-containing facial creams.

During the market monitoring conducted by the EcoWaste Coalition in Mandaluyong City from June 9 to 13, 2024, the group discovered that 12 retail stores (including a pharmacy) openly sell imported cosmetics banned by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for lacking market authorization and/or for containing mercury over the one part per million (ppm) limit.

The group listed stores found selling FDA-banned cosmetics, including three variants of Goree Beauty Cream (Goree Beauty Cream with Lycopene, Goree Day &

in availing of duty-free importation incentives in the project development stage.

To facilitate this transition, the DOE said the Energy Virtual One-Stop Shop (Evoss) System will undergo enhancements for five months from the effectivity of the new guidelines or starting June 25, 2024.

During this period, the processing of Letters of Intent (LOI) and RE applications will be temporarily paused. However, RE applications submitted before said date will continue to be processed by the DOE-Renewable Energy Management Bureau (DOE-REMB).

Night Beauty Cream, and Goree Gold 24K Beauty Cream), 88 Total White Underarm Cream, and Jiaoli Miraculous Cream. The FDA banned Goree through multiple advisories issued between 2017 to 2023. It banned 88 Total White Underarm Cream in 2021 and Jiaoli Miraculous Cream in 2010.

“The unrelenting sale of mercurycontaining cosmetics goes against the objective of the Minamata Convention, a legally-binding treaty that aims “to protect the human health and the environment from anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and mercury compounds.” It also contravenes the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Cosmetic Directive, which lists mercury among the substances that must not form part of the composition of cosmetic products,” the group said in its letter to Abalos.

The sale of such products violates national laws such as the Consumer Act of the Philippines (RA 7394) which prohibits adulterated cosmetics or those containing any poisonous or deleterious substance) and the Food and Drug Administration Act (RA 9711 prohibits health products, including cosmetics, that are adulterated, unregistered, or misbranded). Jonathan L. Mayuga

Laguna de Bay fishermen, aquaculture operators express alarm over floating solar power project

By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga

ANATIONAL group of fishermen on Sunday expressed concern on the adverse impace on their livelihood by the planned 2,000-heactare solar power project on Laguna de Bay.

Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) said more than 800 small fishermen in the town of Bay, Laguna, alone stand to be affected by the planned construction of the floating solar project. In other areas, the project could potentially affect 10,000 fishermen and fish trap or “baklad” and aquaculture operators.

Pamalakaya’s local chapter in Bay held on Sunday a community consultation during which the fishermen raised fears that the solar project would effectively deny them access to their fishing ground and block their boats.

They also fear that their makeshift docks will be demolished once the project begins construction.

“We learned from the local government that the solar panels would not only block our routes; the project would also affect our docks. There’s no alternative or

option for affected fisherfolk on Laguna de Bay,” Alejandro Alcones, Pamalakaya-Bay president said in a statement.

“We are dismayed that we were not even consulted before they planned the project that will be constructed in our fishing ground,” he added.

The floating solar project, which has already been auctioned off by the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA), will cover around 2, 000 hectares of the country’s largest inland brackish lake in its southern and eastern areas, namely, the cities of Calamba, Cabuyao, and Santa Rosa, and the towns of Bay, and Victoria, in Laguna province. Pamalakaya said that the project will adversely affect the livelihood of at least 8,500 registered fishermen and more than 2,000 individuals involved in aquaculture in the province of Laguna.

“While we recognize the need for energy transition from usual unsustainable sources to a renewable one, it should not trample on the socioeconomic rights of the fishermen and coastal communities,” Ronnel Arambulo, Pamalakaya vice chairman said in a statement.

to host largest offshore wind farm

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie

THE government has approved the establishment of at least 16 wind energy facilities in Camarines Sur, including a P163 billion project funded by Denmark, a senior lawmaker said on Sunday.

Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte said the project promises to become the first and largest offshore wind (OSW) farm in the Philippines, with a capacity of one gigawatt (GW).

“This pioneering wind farm to be built by Danish infrastructure investment firm Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners [CIP] on San Miguel Bay, along with 15 more offshore wind projects [OSW], will help the Marcos administration accelerate its planned transition from fossil fuels to renewables for the radical reduction of the Philippines’ carbon footprint,” he added.

The offshore facility on San Miguel Bay is designed to harness wind power as a variable renewable energy (VRE) source.

“Once the CIP-funded clean energy project costing a whopping P162.9 billion is built on San Miguel Bay in Camarines Sur, hopefully by 2028, it will become the first and single biggest OSW farm in the Philippines,” Villafuerte added.

Villafuerte said that the 16 offshore wind power projects in his province will significantly contribute to the VRE power in the Philippines, supporting the Marcos administration’s goal of increasing the share of indigenous sources like wind and solar in the country’s energy mix. These projects have a total potential capacity of 7,668 megawatts (MW).

Aside from helping the DOE meet the government’s long-term target of generating 35 percent of the domestic electricity requirements from renewables by 2030 and an even higher 50 percent by 2040, Villafuerte noted that these wind farms in Camarines Sur will further stimulate economic activity and tourism in the province and create several thousand jobs.

Villafuerte said the Danishfunded one gigawatt (GW) wind farm at San Miguel Bay is located in an ideal site because of: (1) excellent wind speed of 7.33 m/s (meters per second); (2) no overlapping with any protected natural area; (3) proximity to the Naga substation of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP); and (4) low likelihood of being hit by typhoons because of its in-bay location.

Offshore wind farms, using turbines built in the water to capture sea winds, are more efficient due to higher wind speeds in the ocean. In contrast, onshore wind farms use land-based turbines. Both types, along with other VRE sources like solar power, are crucial for transitioning from non-renewable fossil fuels to a zero-carbon electricity system.

Villafuerte said the Copenhagen-based CIP is building its San Miguel Bay wind farm through its local affiliate, Copenhagen Infrastructure New Markets Fund Corp. (CINMF), which secured various wind energy service contracts from the DOE in March 2023 as the country’s first 100 percent foreign developer in this energy sector. The Board of Investment (BOI) also granted Green Lane Certificates of Endorsement for CINMF projects to expedite the processing of their permits, he said.

Villafuerte announced that the San Miguel Bay wind farm is projected to create 2,500

Camarines Sur

ENERGY Secretary Raphael Lotilla

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng

‘House, Senate close to deal on amending RTL’

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie

SPEAKER Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez has announced that the House of Representatives and the Senate are nearing an agreement on the amendments to the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL).

This development follows Romualdez’s first official meeting with Senate President Francis Escudero last week.

program of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

As guest of honor and keynote speaker during the event organized by Deputy Speaker David Suarez, Romualdez cited the ongoing efforts to amend the RTL to provide further support to farmers and relief to consumers grappling with high rice prices.

He reiterated the chamber’s support for the National Food Authority (NFA) and its initiative to sell rice purchased directly from farmers to the public.

Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s vision of revitalizing the agricultural sector and uplifting the lives of Filipino farmers.

The discussion on RTL amendments was a focal point in Romualdez’s first official meeting with Senate President Escudero at the Aguado Residence in Malacañang last Thursday.

The amendments aim to ensure food security and economic stability for farmers by providing affordable, quality rice to Filipinos and increasing farmers’ incomes.

reading, the amendments to the RTL under House Bill (HB) 10381.

The bill seeks to enhance the government’s buffer stocking capabilities and authorize market interventions to stabilize rice prices during emergency situations, ultimately easing the burden on consumers.

Under the bill, the NFA is tasked with registering and monitoring all grain warehouses, ensuring compliance with rice quality and supply standards, and maintaining a national database.

factors, such as a shortage in rice supply or a sustained increase in rice prices.

The bill also strengthens the regulatory powers of the Bureau of Plant Industry, allowing inspection of warehouses to ensure compliance with sanitary, phytosanitary, and food safety standards.

“Ongoing, and it seems that the House and Senate are nearing an agreement. It will be completed soon, and we will have a good resolution,” said Romualdez at the sidelines of the recent Agriculture Convergence Event in Tiaong, Quezon.

The event marked the district launch of the Farmers Assistance for Recovery and Modernization (FARM) program and the payout of assistance under the Tulong Panghanapbuhay Para sa Ating Disadvantaged/ Displaced Workers (TUPAD)

IFAD urges nations to invest in rural development

THE International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) appealed to member-states to invest in rural development to address global hunger, poverty, and climate change.

Ifad made the pronouncement after Canada committed to contribute CA$100 million to its 13th replenishment to support its program of work for the rural poor in 2025 to 2027.

The UN agency also confirmed a CA$100million contribution to its private sector financing program (PFSP).

“I am extremely grateful for Canada’s generous contribution, which enables vital investments in rural development to address global hunger, poverty, and climate change. I urge other countries to follow suit. We know the solutions but we cannot implement them without more support like Canada’s,” IFAD President Alvaro Lario said in a statement.

“I extend my deepest gratitude to Canada for its vital investment in millions of courageous rural women men and youth who tirelessly produce food and nourish their communities, often in the face of challenging conditions. I urge all IFAD Member States that have not yet pledged to join Canada to invest in rural people, as they are invaluable assets for the future of our world,” said Sabrina Dhowre Elba, Ifad Goodwill Ambassador.

Canada’s contribution to Ifad core resources will support millions of rural women, men and youth, small-scale farmers and indigenous people in developing countries grow and diversify their food

production, better adapt to climate change, and earn a better income by accessing food value chains and markets. The contribution to the Ifad PFSP will support micro, small and mediumsize enterprises (MSMEs) and local intermediaries servicing small scale farmers by providing financial services, inputs, fertilizers, agricultural advice and knowledge.

Ifad said these small agrifood businesses and entrepreneurs are the backbone of rural economies and drive economic growth and job creation. Its investments in MSMEs attract additional private sector investors, a crucial source to complement existing donor resources, are currently not enough to achieve the Sustainable Development and climate goals.

So far, 80 member states have pledged $1.37 billion to replenish Ifad core resources for the period 2025-2027, making the Ifad 13th replenishment. Its ambition is to mobilize $2 billion in new funding to support a $10-billion program of work and impact over 100 million rural people.

About 80 percent of the world’s poorest people live in the rural areas of developing countries. Despite being on the frontlines of climate change and hunger, rural populations and small-scale farmers produce one third of the world’s food.

“Yet, they receive less than 1 percent of global climate finance. Official Development Assistance [ODA] to agriculture has been stagnating at about 5-6 percent of ODA for years. The $10 billion reached in 2021 are falling short of global needs.”

“We have many allies in our goal to develop our agricultural sector. The NFA is there, and we in the House of Representatives are helping to sell rice they bought from you directly to our fellow citizens,” the Speaker said.

He said these efforts, including the proposed amendments to the RTL, reflect the “unwavering commitment” to support President

“Amending the Rice Tariffication Law is a crucial step towards ensuring food security and economic stability for our farmers,” Romualdez said.

“We are committed to making quality rice affordable for all Filipinos while boosting the livelihoods of our local farmers.”

On May 21, the House approved, on the third and final

The NFA is mandated to maintain sufficient buffer stock requirements sourced from local farmers or farmer organizations.

If necessary, the NFA can purchase local milled rice or import rice with explicit authorization from the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA).

The DA Secretary can declare a food security emergency due to

The validity of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) will be extended for six years, with an increased annual allocation at P15 billion from the current P10 billion. This boost supports a range of initiatives, including farm mechanization, seed development, credit assistance, extension services, and soil health improvement.

A Rice Industry Development Program Management Office will be established to oversee the effective implementation of rice programs.

Rice stockpile of government good for 4 days, says NFA

TBy Ada Pelonia @adapelonia

HE rice inventory of the government can feed the nation for four days, according to the National Food Authority (NFA).

The NFA said its palay procurement reached nearly 3.37 million 50-kilo bags as of June 13, exceeding its target of 3.36 million bags. This translates to about 168,262 metric tons (MT) of palay.

“The total inventory is now sufficient to cover four days of national consumption in case of emergencies or disasters,” the state-run food agency said in a statement.

The National Food Authority (NFA) said it exceeded its palay procurement target for the first half due to the increase in its buying prices.

Despite the increase in buying prices, the agency said it still has around P12 billion for the procurement of unmilled rice in the second half. The NFA has a budget of P17 billion for its procurement this year, including rollover funds from the previous year.

The NFA Council earlier approved raising the buying price per kilo of palay to as much as P30 per kilo for clean and dry palay and as

much as P23 per kilo for wet and fresh palay.

“We continue to scour the countryside for additional palay that we could buy to bolster the national buffer stock,” NFA Acting Administrator Larry Lacson said. He also affirmed the agency’s commitment to continue procuring palay at higher than traders’ prices, responding to farmers’ calls for sustained support.

Meanwhile, Agriculture Secretary Franciso Tiu Laurel Jr. said farmers are reaping the benefits of the NFA Council’s decision to hike buying prices.

The UK’s muddy fields are latest climate threat to food

FROM tractors stuck in muddy paddocks to raw sewage washing up from clogged waterways, extreme rain and flooding have wreaked havoc on British farmers this year. The soggy and turbulent weather—exacerbated by climate change—has stunted their ability to provide homegrown crops for bread, beer and nearly every grocery aisle.

Britain has seen its sixth wettest spring since records began in 1836, according to the Met Office. The outcome has devastated fields for growing grains like wheat and barley, which the UK usually produces to levels that can mostly meet domestic needs. The unseasonable conditions have also delayed supplies of British strawberries and even led to the death of livestock.

As a result, the United Kingdom will become 8 percent less self-sufficient for food this year—meaning it will need to ramp up imports, according to the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit think tank. The potential for this adding to food price inflation is a reminder of the growing threat climate change poses to the UK economy. For crops like potatoes, “we are seeing shrinkflation in the supermarkets as they try and keep pricing the same,” says Harry Campbell, a fruit and vegetable analyst at commodity data firm Mintec. Campbell says procurement companies are looking elsewhere to shore up supplies of impacted

crops and using contracts to mitigate risk, but their goal is to “make a profit and so it will eventually be passed down to the consumer if the situation is not improved with the weather.”

After volatile commodity prices in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine fueled a cost-of-living crisis across the world, countries have begun to assess how to limit their exposure to global supply chains. The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs last month introduced the UK’s first ever food security index, finding food supply was “broadly stable” but wet weather had “potentially significant impacts” on the domestic production of some crops. Around 60 percent of the food eaten by Britons is grown domestically, a number that the government is desperately seeking to boost.

The UK’s ruling Conservative party, which is polling dismally ahead of a general election in July, has been looking to avoid more bad news and gain support among voters—including those in agricultural communities. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak launched a £50 million ($64 million) flood support scheme for farmers in April, but for many of them the relief won’t help with this year’s crops.

Flooded farms

FARMER Henry Ward was only able to begin work on his farm in Lincoln, England on June 4—after its fields were destroyed by

floods that hit twice in six months.

Ward’s Short Ferry Farm usually supplies wheat for breadmaker Warburtons and spring barley to brewers Coors and Budweiser. Ward missed out on planting in March because the fields didn’t dry in time.

“We are then losing out on over a £100,000 worth of revenue from crops that we should be harvesting,” he says from inside the grain store whose supplies are slowly running out.

Across the 200 acres of Short Ferry Farm, only one survived the floodwater: a green patch in a field with a cracked surface that looks as though it experienced a drought. Ironically, however, the thick crust was created by water pressure. It smells rotten, and Ward compares its appearance to a crème brûlée. Underneath there is a gooey, oxygen-starved mess that will struggle to grow crops without cultivation.

It’s not just grains being hit by unseasonable weather. British-grown strawberries appeared in supermarkets two weeks later than usual due to dull and cool weather and Scottish-grown broccoli may materialize later than expected too.

Livestock has also struggled with the weather. Around 15 percent of Ward’s lambs were stillborn after Short Ferry Farm had to evacuate heavily pregnant ewes.

This year’s heavy rains are the latest climate twist for British agriculture. In 2022, the UK experienced its worst period

security

of drought in almost 50 years. Reservoirs ran dry, while crops shriveled.

Globally, extreme weather events— from floods to droughts—are becoming more frequent and intense as the planet warms and greenhouse gas emissions rise. Last month was Earth’s 12th consecutive month of record-breaking temperatures. When air heats up, the amount of water vapor it can contain also increases. This means more precipitation in many places.

Helen Hooker, a research scientist in the Department of Meteorology at the University of Reading, says the UK will be hit particularly hard by these trends. “Our winters are likely to continue to become wetter,” she says. “And in the summer we’ll see more of these very heavy showers.”

Problems compounded BRITAIN will have imported 60 percent more wheat this season than the year before to shore up supplies, according to forecasts from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board.

Still, it is a challenge to find a supplier in Europe that isn’t being impacted by extreme conditions. Soggy fields are limiting crop planting in France. Unseasonable cold snaps and droughts have hit Black Sea grain growth. Germany flooded earlier this month.

It may leave the country having to look

“We are very pleased with the outcome of the NFA Council’s decision to raise palay procurement price. We will continue with this program to ensure our rice farmers enjoy the fruits of their hardwork,” Laurel said in a statement.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) also offers various assistance programs to enhance rice production, including support from the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) under the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL).

“The concerted efforts of the government aim to uplift the

further afield to Canada for quality wheat, says Tom Molnar the CEO of London-based bakery Gail’s, which has primarily sourced from British producers in the past six years. UK prices for wheat have continued to climb even as the costs of the crops elsewhere have been rolling back from this year’s peak.

Molnar says companies that produce bread on a large scale may be hit harder by rising grain costs than more upscale shops like Gail’s.

Other risks faced by the UK supply chain may lie in the hands of private companies controlling the nation’s creaking water infrastructure. Storm overflows designed to help cope with intense periods of rain are old and increasingly flooded by water companies with sewage, resulting in public health warnings to avoid swimming in streams and even boil water before use in one area.

“The sewage companies are getting away with murder,” says Ben Cooper, a farmer in Wiltshire who saw human waste flowing into his front yard. Cooper also planted crops later than usual, and in rushing to do work trapped a tractor in a muddy field. The flooding at Short Ferry Farm was exacerbated by clogged natural waterways, which need debris dredged from the riverbed. While the Environment Agency paid £3 million to repair the riverbank on the border of the property after a 2019 flood, it unfortunately did not prevent the latest round of destruction.

livelihoods of rice farmers, ensuring they receive fair compensation for their hard work and dedication to agricultural production,” the NFA said.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that the country’s unmilled rice production in January to March slid by 1.96 percent to 4.69 million metric tons (MMT) from the 4.78 MMT recorded in the same period in 2023.

The production of irrigated farms fell by 2.34 percent to 3.6 MMT from last year’s 3.69 MMT. Rainfed farms, which depend solely on rainfall, produced 1.086 MMT, slightly lower than the 1.094 MMT recorded in 2023. Meanwhile, the palay output of Central Luzon, the country’s rice granary, declined by 10.55 percent to 775,644 MT from last year’s 867,084 MT. Central Luzon remained as the country’s top rice-producing region during the period.

Cagayan Valley, another top rice producer, had 754,833 MT or nearly 15 percent higher than last year’s 657,636 MT.

Based on the PSA’s data, palay or unmilled rice production in 2023 reached a record 20.06 MMT. The figure is 1.56 percent higher than the 19.76 MMT recorded in 2022.

The future of food HENRY WARD expects it will take up to four years for the land on his farm to recover enough to produce the yields they did before flooding. The sole acre of wheat, underdeveloped and filled with weeds after they couldn’t be treated with herbicides, will be removed and replaced with a mix of kale, sunflower and triticale for winter bird feed. Ward says he won’t be able to begin producing food until at least March 2025.

British arable farmers have begun a campaign to highlight the plight of this year’s harvest, asking the next government to introduce new policies aimed at domestic production and environmental protection. Some farming communities, meanwhile, are considering their own climate hacks to handle extreme weather. After surviving two major floods since he took over the land in 2019, Ward and his neighbors have now proposed to the environment agency and ministers that they use their land to help manage the water system in Lincoln, rather than battling the unpredictable elements each year.

“We could sacrifice this land to store flood water on it and turn it into a nature reserve,” Ward says. “By sacrificing, I don’t know, 500 acres here, we could hopefully protect a lot of people’s houses and maybe protect thousands of acres further downstream to produce food.” Bloomberg News

FRESHLY harvested rice in the Philippines is shown in this file photo. BLOOMBERG NEWS

June 17, 2024

June 03, 2024

NOTICE OF FILING OF APPLICATION FOR ALIEN EMPLOYMENT PERMIT (AEP/S)

NOTICE OF FILING OF APPLICATION/S FOR ALIEN EMPLOYMENT PERMIT/S (AEP/S)

Notice is hereby given that the following employers have filed with this Regional Office application/s for Alien Employment Permit/s.

Notice is hereby given that the following companies/employers have filed with this Regional Office application/s for Alien Employment Permit/s:

1

NO.ESTABLISHMENT

1 BANDAI NAMCO PHILIPPINES INC.

Covelandia Road, Binakayan, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

Phase 2A, Block 1, Lot 2, JP Rizal Ave., Lima Technology Center, San Lucas, City of Lipa, Batangas

2 MERIT LEGEND SOLUTIONS INC.

WEN,

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL, POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Chinese -

QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

Basic Qualification:

TANAKA, HIROTAKA

Service Representative

Manager

Brief

Brief Job Description:

Ensure continuous operation of parts production department

ZHONG, SHENG

Must have a bachelor’s degree in any course and must be fluent in Nihongo

Salary Range:

Php 90,000 - Php 149,999

Covelandia Road, Binakayan, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

Chinese - Customer Service Representative

CHOI, SANG GIL

2 DONG-AH GEOLOGICAL ENGINEERING CO., LTD.

Unit 1, The Junction Strip Mall, Carmelray Industrial Park 1, Canlubang, City of Calamba, Laguna

3 MERIT LEGEND SOLUTIONS INC.

Covelandia Road, Binakayan, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

3 DONG-AH GEOLOGICAL ENGINEERING CO., LTD.

Unit 1, The Junction Strip Mall, Carmelray Industrial Park 1, Canlubang, City of Calamba, Laguna

4 MERIT LEGEND SOLUTIONS INC.

Covelandia Road, Binakayan, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

4 HONGTAI TECHNOLOGY INC.

Bldg. B, CCMC Compound, Carmelray Industrial Park II, Punta, City of Calamba, Laguna

5 MERIT LEGEND SOLUTIONS INC.

Covelandia Road, Binakayan, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

5 KIM JOY FISH AND AQUA FARM CORPORATION

No. 88, Purok 1, Tulay Buhangin, Padre Burgos, Quezon

6 MERIT LEGEND SOLUTIONS INC.

Covelandia Road, Binakayan, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

6 LITTLE V MOBILE TECH INC.

7 MERIT LEGEND SOLUTIONS INC.

Construction Manager

Brief Job Description:

LI, JIANWEI

Monitor of Compliance for Construction and Safety regulations

Chinese - Customer Service Representative

JEONG, GYEYOUNG

Construction Manager

Basic Qualification:

With a minimum of (10) years of experience in railway constructions

Salary Range:

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries Basic Qualification:

Brief Job Description:

LIN, YI

Monitor Compliance for Construction and Safety regulations

Chinese - Customer Service Representative

LIANG, YONG

Brief Job Description:

Injection Molding Engineer

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Brief Job Description:

PAN, XUESHAN

Chinese - Customer Service Representative

Responsible to validate the production process and hand over to production department.

QIN, RUIQING

Brief Job Description:

Farm Technical Officer

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

QIU, KUNYAN

Brief Job Description:

Chinese - Customer Service Representative

Support the farm supervisor in coordinating the development and implementation to support agriculture

Brief Job Description:

Unit-lower Basement, Andenson Building 3, National Road, Parian, City of Calamba, Laguna CHENG, HAOQI

Covelandia Road, Binakayan, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

7 MERIT LEGEND SOLUTIONS INC.

8 MERIT LEGEND SOLUTIONS INC.

Covelandia Road, Binakayan, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

Covelandia Road, Binakayan, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

8 MERIT LEGEND SOLUTIONS INC.

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Chinese Business Consultant

RAN, YANG

Chinese - Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

Help business to improve their performance, solve problems and achieve their goals.

Brief Job Description:

LI, ERJUN

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Chinese Customer Service Representative

SHI, HAIOU

Chinese - Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Brief Job Description:

Covelandia Road, Binakayan, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite WANG, SENYANG

incoming calls and customer

Chinese Customer Service Representative

9 MERIT LEGEND SOLUTIONS INC.

Covelandia Road, Binakayan, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite TANG, DAOCHU

Brief Job Description:

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

LING HOU SHYANG

9 MERIT LEGEND SOLUTIONS INC.

Covelandia Road, Binakayan, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

Malaysian Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Covelandia Road, Binakayan,

10 MERIT LEGEND SOLUTIONS INC.

Covelandia Road, Binakayan, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite PEH BOON YEH Malaysian Customer Service Representative

Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

to speak, read and write Chinese language

Basic Qualification:

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

With a minimum of (10) years of experience in railway constructions

Basic Qualification:

Covelandia Road, Binakayan, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

Covelandia Road, Binakayan, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

Basic Qualification:

Salary Range:

16 MERIT LEGEND SOLUTIONS INC.

Covelandia Road, Binakayan, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

NGUYEN, THI NHIEN

Vietnamese

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Graduate of any technical course

Salary Range:

Basic Qualification:

Job Description:

NGUYEN, VAN LUONG

MERIT LEGEND SOLUTIONS INC.

Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification:

Salary Range:

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification:

Can be able to speak and write in Chinese and proven working experience in a farm, ranch or similar agricultural operation

Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

Salary Range:

Covelandia Road, Binakayan, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

18 MERIT LEGEND SOLUTIONS INC.

Covelandia Road, Binakayan, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

Covelandia Road, Binakayan, Pulvorista, Kawit,

NONG, VAN THAN

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Salary Range:

Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description:

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification:

Basic Qualification:

Can speak mandarin, able to work independently and as part of a team.

Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

Salary Range:

Salary Range:

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification:

Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

Salary Range:

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification:

Able to speak, read and write Chinese language

Salary Range:

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification:

Able to speak, read and write Chinese and

19 MERIT LEGEND SOLUTIONS INC.

Covelandia Road, Binakayan, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

20 MERIT LEGEND SOLUTIONS INC.

Covelandia Road, Binakayan, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

MERIT LEGEND SOLUTIONS INC.

Covelandia Road, Binakayan, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

PHAM, THI THU HIEN

Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description:

TRAN VAN TIEN Vietnamese

Covelandia

Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

22 MERIT LEGEND SOLUTIONS INC.

Covelandia Road, Binakayan, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

23 MERIT LEGEND SOLUTIONS INC.

Covelandia Road, Binakayan, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

24 MERIT LEGEND SOLUTIONS INC.

Covelandia Road, Binakayan, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

25 MERIT LEGEND SOLUTIONS INC.

Covelandia Road, Binakayan, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

26 MERIT LEGEND SOLUTIONS INC.

Covelandia Road, Binakayan, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

27

Covelandia Road, Binakayan, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

28 MERIT LEGEND SOLUTIONS INC.

Covelandia Road, Binakayan, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

29 MERIT LEGEND SOLUTIONS INC.

Covelandia Road, Binakayan, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

PHYU PHYU WIN

Myanmari - Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

SAI AUNG SEIN

Myanmari - Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

DUONG HAI DOAN

Vietnamese - Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

NGUYEN DUC THAI

Vietnamese - Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

NGUYEN PHI HUNG

Vietnamese - Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

and

NGUYEN THI THUY LINH

Vietnamese - Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

NGUYEN TRONG TOAI

Vietnamese - Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

NGUYEN VIET TAM

Vietnamese - Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Basic Qualification:

Able to speak, read and write Chinese and Myanmari language

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

Basic Qualification:

Able to speak, read and write Chinese and Myanmari language

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

Basic Qualification:

Able to speak, read and write Chinese and Vietnamese language

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

Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese and Vietnamese language

Salary Range:

Covelandia

Covelandia Road, Binakayan, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

Covelandia Road,

Representative

Brief

Basic Qualification:

Able to speak, read and write Chinese and Vietnamese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification:

Able to speak, read and write Chinese and Vietnamese language

Salary Range:

30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification:

Covelandia Road, Binakayan, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

44

6th, 7th, 9th-12th Floor, Southwoods Office Tower 2, San Francisco, City of Biñan, Laguna

LAM SHEUE QI

Foreign Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

Field incoming help requests from foreign end users via both telephone and work orders in a courteous manner, consistent with company standards.

LAM SHEUE YING

Foreign Customer Service Representative

6th, 7th, 9th-12th Floor, Southwoods Office Tower 2, San Francisco, City of Biñan, Laguna

45

6th, 7th, 9th-12th Floor, Southwoods Office Tower 2, San Francisco, City of Biñan, Laguna

Brief Job Description:

Field incoming help requests from foreign end users via both telephone and work orders in a courteous manner, consistent with company standards.

ANDRE VAN HALEN

Foreign Marketing

Brief Job Description:

Plan sales and advertising campaigns, collect and analyze market research data

Basic Qualification:

Computer literate and having finished at least Secondary Education and must be able to speak, write and read Chinese, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Indonesian or Indian language.

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

Basic Qualification:

Computer literate and having finished at least Secondary Education and must be able to speak, write and read Chinese, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Indonesian or Indian language.

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

Basic Qualification:

Computer literate and having finished at least Secondary Education, College Grad/Under Grad and must be able to speak, write and read Chinese, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Indonesian or Indian language

50 NEW WAVE INFOTECH

6th, 7th, 9th-12th Floor, Southwoods Office Tower 2, San Francisco, City of Biñan, Laguna

Foreign Marketing

Brief Job Description:

research data

Basic Qualification:

Computer literate and having finished at least Secondary Education, College Grad/Under Grad and must be able to speak, write and read Chinese, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Indonesian or Indian language

Salary Range:

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

51 NEW WAVE INFOTECH LIMITED PHILIPPINES, INC.

6th, 7th, 9th-12th Floor, Southwoods Office Tower 2, San Francisco, City of Biñan, Laguna

6th, 7th, 9th-12th Floor, Southwoods Office Tower 2, San Francisco, City of Biñan, Laguna IQBAL CHAIRUL ROJUL

Foreign Marketing

Job Description:

sales and advertising campaigns, collect

53 NEW WAVE

Basic Qualification:

ANITA BONITA HARAHAP

46

6th, 7th, 9th-12th Floor, Southwoods Office Tower 2, San Francisco, City of Biñan, Laguna

Foreign Marketing

Brief Job Description:

Plan sales and advertising campaigns, collect and analyze market research data

Computer literate and having finished at least Secondary Education, College Grad/Under Grad and must be able to speak, write and read Chinese, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Indonesian or Indian language

Salary Range:

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification:

BRIAN JUSUF TAROREH

47 NEW WAVE INFOTECH LIMITED PHILIPPINES, INC.

6th, 7th, 9th-12th Floor, Southwoods Office Tower 2, San Francisco, City of Biñan, Laguna

Foreign Marketing

Brief Job Description:

Plan sales and advertising campaigns, collect and analyze market research data

Computer literate and having finished at least Secondary Education, College Grad/Under Grad and must be able to speak, write and read Chinese, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Indonesian or Indian language

Salary Range:

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification:

CINDY MELINA

48 NEW WAVE INFOTECH LIMITED PHILIPPINES,

6th,

Foreign Marketing

Brief Job Description:

Plan sales and advertising campaigns, collect and analyze market research data

Computer literate and having finished at least Secondary Education, College Grad/Under Grad and must be able to speak, write and read Chinese, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Indonesian or Indian language

Salary Range:

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification:

6th, 7th, 9th-12th Floor, Southwoods Office Tower 2, San Francisco, City of Biñan, Laguna

SANCHA SUSANTO SOEMALIANTO

Foreign Marketing Brief Job Description:

TOMOTHY JHOSUA IROTH

6th, 7th, 9th-12th Floor, Southwoods Office Tower 2, San Francisco, City of Biñan, Laguna

Foreign Marketing Brief Job Description:

sales and advertising campaigns, collect and analyze market research data

Qualification:

literate and having finished at least Secondary Education, College Grad/Under Grad and must be able to speak, write and read Chinese, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Indonesian or Indian language

Salary Range: Php 30,000

WIHALDIMAN Foreign Marketing

6th, 7th, 9th-12th Floor, Southwoods Office Tower 2, San Francisco, City of Biñan, Laguna

49 NEW WAVE INFOTECH LIMITED PHILIPPINES,

6th,

DEBORA CAROLINE DALOPE Foreign Marketing

Brief Job Description:

Plan sales and advertising campaigns, collect and analyze market research data

Computer literate and having finished at least Secondary Education, College Grad/Under Grad and must be able to speak, write and read Chinese, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Indonesian or Indian language

Salary Range:

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

6th, 7th, 9th-12th Floor, Southwoods Office Tower 2, San Francisco, City of Biñan, Laguna

JAZZY WILLYO JOHANIS WOROTIKAN

Foreign Marketing

7th, 9th-12th Floor, Southwoods Office Tower 2, San Francisco, City of Biñan, Laguna

7th, 9th-12th Floor, Southwoods Office Tower 2, San Francisco, City of Biñan, Laguna

Editor: Angel R. Calso

8 Israeli soldiers killed in south Gaza explosion, deadliest attack in months

By Jack Jeffery The Associated Press

JERUSALEM— An explosion in southern Gaza killed eight Israeli soldiers, the military said Saturday, making it the deadliest attack on Israeli forces in months.

The attack, coming more than eight months into a grinding war that shows few signs of ending soon, was likely to fuel new calls for a cease-fire by Israeli protesters. It also came as the government confronts widespread anger over exemptions from military service for young ultra-Orthodox men.

Israel launched an air and ground invasion of Gaza in response to an October 7 cross-border attack by Hamas and other militants that killed some 1,200 people and took 250 others hostage. The Israeli offensive has killed over 37,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, who do not differentiate between civilians and combatants. It also has unleashed a humanitarian disaster in Gaza, where over 80 percent of the population has been displaced and Israeli restrictions and ongoing fighting have hindered efforts to bring in humanitarian aid, fueling widespread hunger.

Saturday’s explosion took place in Rafah, a southern city that Israel has identified as Hamas’ last major stronghold. It sent in ground troops to the city in early May and has given no indication when the operation will end.

“They knew they might have to sacrifice their lives, but they did it so we could live in this country. I salute them and hug their families,” said Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

The military said the explosion happened just after 5 a.m. in the Tal al-Sultan area of Rafah. Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, an Israeli military spokesman, said it was caused either by an explosive placed by Hamas or by an anti-tank missile.

“We need to defeat the Rafah Brigade of Hamas and we are doing this with determination,” he said.

In January, 21 Israeli troops were killed in a single attack by Palestinian militants in Gaza.

President Joe Biden earlier this month unveiled a new cease-fire proposal that seeks the release of the roughly 120 hostages who remain in Gaza and an end to the fighting. While the international community has broadly embraced the plan, both Israel and Hamas have expressed misgivings. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will not halt the war until he achieves the twin goals of destroying Hamas’ military and governing capabilities.

“Today we paid another heartbreaking price in our just war for the defense of the homeland,” Netanyahu said Saturday.

“With deep sorrow, in heavy mourning, I bow my head together with all the citizens of Israel and mourn the fall of our heroic warriors.”

The inconclusive war has divided the Israeli public, with tens of thousands of people taking to the streets each Saturday night to call on the government to reach a deal that would bring the hostages home.

The Israeli government has already pronounced over 40 of the hostages held by Hamas to be dead, and officials fear that number could grow the longer they remain in captivity.

At a rally Saturday evening, participants watched a video message from Andrey Kozlov, who was rescued from Hamas captivity a week ago.

“More than 120 hostages are still there, and I can’t feel all the happiness from this situation because I was rescued and they were not,” he said, according to The Hostages Families Forum Headquarters. “I ask to bring them home as soon as possible. Israel, world, Hamas, I ask you to make a deal as soon as possible.”

Speaking at the weekly gathering of relatives of hostages in Tel Aviv, Rotem Kalderon, son of hostage Ofer Kalderon, said he isn’t ready “to live in a world full of death.”

“I am not ready to live in a country with a government that sends us to settle in the borders and fight in wars and in the end abandons us,” he said. “I’m not ready to live without a father.”

The deadly explosion also comes days after Netanyahu’s coalition voted in favor of extending the controversial exemptions from the military draft given to ultraOrthodox men.

Although the vote was only procedural, it caused an uproar at a time when Israel continues to fight Hamas militants in Gaza and Hezbollah militants along the country’s northern border with Lebanon and

the death toll continues to climb. Over 600 soldiers have been killed in fighting since Oct. 7, according to the military.

Last month, Israel’s Supreme Court ordered an end to government subsidies for ultra-Orthodox men who don’t serve in the army. But Netanyahu’s government, which includes politically powerful ultraOrthodox parties, has found ways to keep money flowing to religious institutions.

The government is still under orders to pass a new draft law.

Most Jewish men and women are required to serve in the military from the age of 18. The exemptions granted to religious men have long been a source of contention among the broader public.

Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, was the only member of Netanyahu’s coalition to vote against this week’s legislation. Gallant, a member of the country’s War Cabinet, has insisted that all sectors of Israeli society contribute equally during its war against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.

If Netanyahu’s ultra-Orthodox partners leave the government, the country would be forced into new elections at a time when Netanyahu’s popularity is low and his reelection prospects are questionable.

At an anti-government demonstration Saturday, thousands of people demanded new elections and the release of the hostages.

“The fact that eight soldiers got killed today just emphasizes the fact that we need a change,” said Amir Schnabel, one of the demonstrators. “We can’t live this reality for a long time. If today eight soldiers were killed, more will get killed the next day and the day after. And the only way to make a change is just to protest and bring the government down, and we have to do it as soon as possible. “

Months of cease-fire negotiations have failed to find common ground between Israeli and Hamas.

DBy Jon Gambrell The Associated Press

UBAI, United Arab Emirates—The US military unleashed a wave of attacks targeting radar sites operated by Yemen’s Houthi rebels after one merchant sailor went missing and the vessel he was on caught fire in the latest Houthi strike on shipping in the crucial Red Sea corridor, authorities said Saturday.

The attacks come as the US Navy faces the most intense combat it has seen since World War II in trying to counter the Houthi campaign—attacks the rebels say are meant to halt the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

However, the Iranian-backed rebel assaults often see the Houthis target ships and sailors who have nothing to do with the war while traffic remains halved through a corridor vital for cargo and energy shipments between Asia, Europe and the Mideast.

US strikes destroyed seven radars within Houthi-controlled territory, the military’s Central Command said. It did not elaborate on how the sites were destroyed and did not immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press.

“These radars allow the Houthis to target maritime vessels and endanger commercial shipping,” Central Command

said in a statement.

The US separately destroyed two bomb-laden drone boats in the Red Sea, as well as a drone launched by the Houthis over the waterway, it said. The Houthis, who have held Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, since 2014, did not acknowledge the strikes, nor any military losses.

That’s been typical since the US began launching airstrikes targeting the rebels.

The Central Command said one commercial sailor from the Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned bulk cargo carrier Tutor remained missing after an attack Wednesday by the Houthis that used a bomb-carrying drone boat to strike the vessel.

“The crew abandoned ship and were rescued by USS Philippine Sea and partner forces,” Central Command said. The “Tutor remains in the Red Sea and is slowly taking on water.”

The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said Saturday afternoon that the Tutor was “still on fire and sinking.”

The missing sailor is Filipino, according to the state-run Philippine News Agency, which cited Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac. He said most of the Tutor’s 22 mariners were from the Philippines.

“We’re trying to account for the particular seafarer in the ship and are praying that we could find him,” he said

Friday night. Also on Saturday, Central Command said the vessel M/V Anna Meta rescued crewmembers from the cargo carrier M/V Verbena, which was struck Thursday in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Yemen in two separate missile attacks by the Houthis.

Chinese premier offers more pandas, pursues improved ties with Australia

By Rod Mcguirk The Associated Press

MELBOURNE, Australia—Chinese

Premier Li Qiang’s visit to Australia on Sunday focused on positive aspects of the bilateral relationship including shared giant pandas and a rebounding wine trade as he promised a new breeding pair of the rare bears and urged both countries to put aside their differences.

China’s most powerful leader after President Xi Jinping arrived late Saturday in Adelaide, the capital of South Australia state, which has produced most of the Australian wine entering China since crippling tariffs were lifted in March that had effectively ended a 1.2 billion Australian dollar ($790 million) a year trade since 2020.

Li visited Adelaide Zoo, which has been home to China-born giant pandas Wang Wang and Fu Ni since 2009, before he was to have lunch at a restaurant at Adelaide winery Penfolds Magill Estate.

He announced that the zoo would be loaned another two pandas after the pair are due to return to China in

November.

“China will soon provide another pair of pandas that are equally beautiful, lively, cute and younger to the Adelaide Zoo, and continue the cooperation on giant pandas between China and Australia,” Li said in Mandarin, adding that zoo staff would be invited to “pick a pair.”

Li was impressed by the 18-year-old male Wang Wang’s appetite and indifference to his high-ranking visitors.

“The panda is very obsessed with eating and doesn’t pay attention to us even when we are the people from its hometown visiting,” Li said at the panda enclosure.

“It has completely treated here as its

second hometown,” Li said. “Very pretty, adorable, with charming naivety.”

The pair is the only pandas in the Southern Hemisphere and failed to produce offspring in Australia.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong thanked Li for ensuring that pandas would remain the zoo’s star attraction.

“It’s good for the economy, it’s good for South Australian jobs, it’s good for tourism, and it is a signal of goodwill, and we thank you,” Wong said.

Tom King, the managing director of Penfolds, one of Australia’s oldest wineries, told Chinese state media ahead of Li’s arrival that such visits helped strengthen economic and cultural ties.

“It’s pleasing to see the stabilizing of relations between the Australian and Chinese governments, including regular high-level visits between the two countries,” King was quoted as saying by the Global Times newspaper last week.

Li’s visit is the first to Australia by a Chinese premier in seven years and marks an improvement in relations since Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor Party was elected in 2022.

Li noted that Albanese in November was the first Australian prime minister to visit China since 2016.

“China-Australia relations were back on track after a period of twists and turns, generating tangible benefits to the people of both countries,” Li said, according to a translation released by the Chinese Embassy in Australia on Sunday.

“History has proven that mutual respect, seeking common ground while shelving differences and mutually beneficial cooperation are the valuable experience in growing China-Australia relations, and must be upheld and carried forward,” Li added.

Hundreds of pro-China demonstrators, human rights protesters and democracy activists gathered

Weather

outside the zoo before Li’s visit.

Among the protesters was former Hong Kong lawmaker Ted Hui, who fled to Australia three years ago to avoid a prison sentence for his activism. He said the panda offer was a cynical move to soften China’s image and to distract from the government’s human rights failings.

“It’s a public relations move by the Chinese regime and, disappointingly, the Australian government is reciprocating by welcoming him and shaking hands,” Hui said. Hui said Li showed cowardice by entering the zoo by a rear entrance while most of the protesters and China supporters had gathered at the main entrance. But Hui and other protesters were able to shout slogans at Li from a distance inside the zoo.

China initiated a reset of the relationship after the previous conservative administration’s nine years in power ended.

Relations collapsed over legislation that banned covert foreign interference in Australian politics, the exclusion of Chinese-owned telecommunications giant Huawei from rolling out the national 5G network due to security concerns, and Australia’s call for an independent investigation into the causes of and responses to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Beijing imposed an array of official and unofficial trade blocks in 2020 on a range of Australian exports including coal, wine, beef, barley and wood that cost up to AU$20 billion ($13 billion) a year.

All the trade bans have now been lifted except for Australian live lobster exports. Trade Minister Don Farrell predicted that impediment would also be lifted soon after Li’s visit with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao.

Wong said Li’s visit was the result of “two years of very deliberate, very patient work by this government to bring about a stabilization of the relationship and to work towards the removal of trade impediments.”

“We will cooperate where we can, we will disagree where we must and we will engage in our national interest,” Wong told Australian Broadcasting Corp. before joining Li for lunch. AP video producer Caroline Chen and journalist Ken Moritsugu contributed from Beijing.

Oil spill threatens marine wildlife, stains singapore’s sentosa island

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia— An oil spill caused by a dredger boat hitting a stationary cargo tanker has blackened part of Singapore’s southern coastline, including the popular resort island of Sentosa, and sparked concerns it may threaten marine wildlife as a clean-up operation was underway Sunday. The Netherlands-flagged dredger Vox Maxima struck the Singaporean fuel supply ship Marine Honor on Friday. It damaged the cargo tank on Marine Honor, which leaked oil into the sea.

Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority said in a statement late Saturday the oil leak from the vessel had been contained, and that the oil that escaped from the damaged tanker had been treated with dispersants. But due to the tidal current, it said the treated oil had landed along shorelines including at Sentosa and other southern islands, a nature reserve and a public beach park. Sentosa, which attracts millions of visitors annually, houses one of Singapore’s two casinos, golf courses and Southeast Asia’s only Universal Studios theme park. Part of the beachfront at the public park and at the nature reserve have been closed to facilitate clean-up efforts, it said. The Sentosa beach will remain open to the public but sea activities and swimming are prohibited. On Sunday, workers in orange suit were seen scooping up sand in a clean-up operation at an empty beach in Sentosa. Black water washed up on the oil-stained shore. Authorities have deployed 18 crafts for the clean-up efforts and laid close to 1,500 meters of container booms, temporary floating barriers to trap the oil spill.

“More will be laid over the next few days to prevent further spread of oil onto the shore, and facilitate the recovery of the trapped oil off the affected shorelines and lagoons to prevent them from going back to sea,” the statement said.

Conservationists and biologists are monitoring the full extent of the damage on marine and wildlife. Local conservation group Marine Stewards reportedly said there were photos of dead fish, otters and kingfishers covered in oil slick.

Group founder Sue Ye told Singapore Straits Times that oil spills smother and suffocate fish, birds and marine animals that have to go to the surface for air, such as turtles and dolphins. AP

chaos: After Florida floods, heat wave hits many states, cold and snow expected in northwest and Rockies

By The Associated Press

After days of intense flooding in Florida, that state and many others are bracing for an intense heat wave, while the Pacific Northwest will experience unseasonably cold weather and there is a potential for late-season snow in the Rocky Mountains early next week.

The chaotic weather map includes the possibility of severe thunderstorms developing in between hot and cold fronts. Forecasters said the colliding fronts could lead to areas of flash flooding between eastern Nebraska and northern Wisconsin on Saturday night, as well as strong storms across parts of eastern Montana into North and South Dakota.

Meanwhile a plume of tropical moisture will reach the central Gulf Coast during the next couple of days, with heavy rain expected to start Monday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

“They’re all related,” said David Roth, a forecaster with the National Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland. “This heat that’s going to be building over the Midwest and the Northeast is because we have an unusually amplified weather pattern for June.”

A trough of low pressure in the Northwest brought scattered thunderstorms and hail to Seattle and other cities in western

Washington in the afternoon, and frost warnings prompted gardeners in northern Idaho to cover delicate plants for the weekend.

In Phoenix, temperatures reached 111 degrees Fahrenheit by 5 p.m. and were predicted to climb a few degrees higher. Lee Franklin, a spokesperson for the Phoenix Public Library, said more than 5,000 visitors had sought respite at library cooling centers so far, including a new, 24-hour one at the Burton Barr Library.

“We definitely see a need and a use of our heat relief effort on these high-heat days,” Franklin said.

Forecasters said the threat of heavy rains in Florida continues to dissipate, but some thunderstorms could cause local flooding given the already saturated soil. Some areas between Miami and Fort Lauderdale were left underwater in recent days as storms dumped up to 20 inches (50 centimeters) in southern parts of the state.

The damaging no-name storm system coincided with the early June start of hurricane season, which this year is forecast to be among the most active in recent memory amid concerns that climate change is increasing storm intensity. Across much of the southern parts of the country, temperatures were rising Saturday.

In Atlanta, where highs were forecast

to near 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) both weekend days, city officials opened a cooling center to provide relief. The city also postponed a “Family and Friends Field Day” due to the heat. And in the west Texas city of El Paso, Saturday highs were expected to approach 105 F (40.6 C),

Though

be understated how unusual this is,” Roth said. The last time the state tallied that much precipitation in one event was in 2008, he said.

Austr AliA s Foreign Minister Penny Wong, left, shakes hands with China’s Premier li Qiang, right, as south Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas watches, at the Adelaide Zoo in Australia, sunday, June 16, 2024. li is on a relations-mending mission with panda diplomacy, rock lobsters and China’s global dominance in the critical minerals sector high on the agenda during his four-day visit to Australia.

G7 nations pledge $50 billion in loans to support Ukraine; Meloni rejects Putin’s ceasefire proposal as ‘propaganda’

By Elena Becatoros & Paolo Santalucia The Associated Press

BORGO EGNAZIA, Italy—Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni on Saturday dismissed a cease-fire offer for Ukraine by Russian President Vladimir Putin as “propaganda,” as she wrapped up a Group of Seven summit that saw a deal reached for a $50 billion loan to Ukraine.

The loan will be provided by the US, U.K., Canada and possibly Japan, Meloni said. The frozen Russian assets to be used as collateral are mainly in Europe, “so Europe is already contributing by identifying the guarantee mechanism,” she added.

The loan agreement was reached at the opening Thursday of the twoday annual meeting of leaders from the G7 countries of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States

in southern Italy’s Puglia region. Asked about Putin’s cease-fire proposal, Meloni said it “seems to me more like a propaganda move than a real one.”

The Russian president said Friday he would “immediately” order a cease-fire in Ukraine and start negotiations if Kyiv begins withdrawing troops from the four regions Moscow annexed in 2022 and renounces plans to join NATO.

oni was asked about the Israel-Hamas war and why the G7 had not condemned Israel over the civilian deaths resulting from its offensives in Gaza.

“I think we need to remember who started all this and it wasn’t Israel, but someone who killed civilians, women and children,” Meloni said, referring to the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas in southern Israel that left around 1,200 people dead and sparked the war. Israel’s bombardment and ground attacks in Gaza have killed more than 37,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian health officials, who don’t give the breakdown of civilians and fighters.

its safety … and this is exactly what Italy is doing.”

The Italian premier also expressed satisfaction that “the G7 spoke for the first time about migratory flows and the fight against human traffickers.”

“If President Putin’s proposal is: We are willing to have a peace negotiation if Ukraine recognizes the invasion of Ukraine and gives up the occupied parts ... doesn’t seem particularly effective to me as a proposal,” Meloni said.

ed the G7 as a guest, has rejected what he called an ultimatum by Putin to surrender more territory.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was one of several world leaders who attend -

World leaders seek Ukraine peace roadmap at Swiss summit, despite Russia’s absence

By Jamey Keaten & Aamer Madhani

The Associated Press

oBBÜ r G en , Switzerland— d oze ns of world leaders converged on a Swiss resort Saturday to discuss how to bring peace to war-ravaged Ukraine, though any hopes of a real breakthrough were muted by the absence of r us sia. More than two years into the war, the combatants remain as far apart as they’ve ever been, with Kyiv sticking to its demands that r us sia leave all Ukrainian territory it has seized and Moscow pressing on with its grinding offensive that has already taken large swaths of eastern and southern Ukraine.

d esp ite r us sia’s absence from the conference at the Bürgenstock resort overlooking Lake Lucerne, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested that one measure of the two-day event’s success was “bringing back to the world the idea that joint efforts can stop war and establish a just peace.”

Attendees faced a tricky balancing act, with many chastising r us sia for breaking international law while hedging their positions to leave the door open for Moscow to join future peace talks that might bring about an end to the conflict one day.

“ h er e, there are representatives from Latin America, Africa, e ur ope, the Middle e as t and Asia, the Pacific, n or th America and religious leaders,” Zelenskyy said. “ n ow, there is no r us sia here. w hy? Because if r us sia was interested in peace, there would be no war.” we mu st decide together what a just peace means for the world and how it can be achieved in a truly lasting way,” he said. “At the first peace summit, we must determine how to achieve a just peace, so that at the second, we can already settle on a real end to the war.”

About half of the roughly 100 delegations were led by heads of state and government. Analysts said turnout would be a key indicator about how much pull Ukraine and its staunch wes tern backers have with the broader international community.

r us sian President Vladimir Putin on Friday sought to cast a shadow over the Swiss-Ukrainian initiative for the conference. Some countries such as i n dia, tur key and Saudi Arabia that have retained ties, at times lucrative, with Moscow—unlike wes tern powers that have sanctioned r us sia over the war—were also on hand.

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, told the conference that credible peace talks will need r us sia’s participation and require “difficult compromise.”

tur key’s foreign minister, h ak an Fidan, acknowledged the mistrust between r ussia an d Ukraine, saying “each side regards the other party’s steps (in floating proposals) as an extension of broader war effort.”

e xc ellencies, i m ust also note that this summit could have been more results-oriented if the other party to the conflict— r ussia —was present in the room,” he added.

e n tering the venue, President Gitanas n au seda of Lithuania, a n Ato m ember country that has been one of the most stalwart supporters of fellow former Soviet republic Ukraine, said r us sian troops must leave Ukraine, and that Moscow must be held accountable for crimes there and pay reparations for the war damage.

r ig ht now it seems unrealistic, but i t hink we have to stay united, and if international society will push the r us sian Federation, everything is possible,” he told t he A ssociated Press. “ i t hink the situation is very clear: Ukraine has to seek territorial integrity.”

US Vice President Kamala h ar ris, representing the United States while President Joe Biden attended a fundraiser in c al ifornia, reiterated America’s full backing for Ukraine and announced $1.5 billion in new US assistance for an array of projects such as energy infrastructure and civilian security.

c hi na, which backs r us sia, joined scores of countries that sat out the event. Beijing has said any peace process would require the participation of r us sia and Ukraine, and has floated its own ideas for peace.

i n a separate initiative last month, c hi na and Brazil agreed to six “common understandings” toward a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, asking other countries to play a role in promoting peace talks to be held “at a proper time” with both r us sia and Ukraine involved.

t he s tandoff over Ukraine is steeped in security for e ur ope—it is the continent’s deadliest conflict since wor ld war i i —an d big-power geopolitics.

US intelligence officials say c hi na has increased sales of machine tools, microelectronics and other technology to r us sia that Moscow is using to produce missiles, tanks, aircraft and other weaponry to fuel its war effort.

“ w hat is c lear is that c hi na is not here,

and i p resume they’re not here because Putin asked them not to come and they obliged Putin,” said Biden’s top foreign policy advisor, Jake Sullivan. “And i t hink that says something about where c hi na stands with respect to r us sia’s war in Ukraine. i t hink countries should take notice of that.”

h ar ris and Sullivan both acknowledged that not all participants were on the same page about an eventual peace settlement.

r us sian troops who control nearly a quarter of Ukraine have made territorial gains in recent months. w he n talk of the Swiss-hosted peace summit began last summer, Ukrainian forces had recently regained large tracts of territory, notably near the southern city of Kherson and the northern city of Kharkiv.

t he c onference centers on three agenda items—seen as the least controversial bits of a 10-point peace “formula” laid out by Zelenskyy: n uc lear safety, including at the r us sian-occupied Zaporizhzhia power plant; possible prisoner of war exchanges; and global food security. t he w ar has disrupted shipments of food and fertilizer through the Black Sea.

Zelenskyy’s plan also called for the withdrawal of r us sian troops from occupied Ukrainian territory, the cessation of hostilities and the restoration of Ukraine’s original borders with r u ssia, including r uss ia’s withdrawal from occupied c r imea. w it h Ukrainian mostly on the defensive these days, those appear to be increasingly distant hopes.

Putin wants any peace deal to be built around a draft agreement negotiated in the early phases of the war that included provisions for Ukraine’s neutral status and limits on its armed forces, while delaying talks about r u ssian-occupied areas. Ukraine’s push to join n Ato o ver the years has rankled Moscow.

h e wan ts Ukraine to drop its bid to join n Ato and pull its forces out of regions that r us sia illegally annexed in 2022. Ken Moritsugu in Beijing and Joanna Kozlowska in London contributed to this report.

Switzerland was hosting a peace conference for Ukraine Saturday, although with Russia staying away, it was doubtful whether any major breakthroughs could be reached.

During the news conference, Mel -

By Samya Kullab The Associated Press

Y i V, Ukraine—Ukrainian firepower

Kha s been improving since US lawmakers approved a much-needed military aid package this spring, though not quickly enough to halt the r us sian offensive in eastern Ukraine.

Although the influx of wes tern munitions has shrunk Kyiv’s glaring artillery disadvantage, Moscow’s forces are still gaining ground along the snaking front line and will likely continue to do so through the summer, when the drier ground and longer days will only aid their push.

Ukraine is still on the defensive in the d on etsk region, enabling Moscow’s forces to inflict heavy losses during Ukrainian troop rotations and bringing them closer to crucial Ukrainian supply routes.

Kyiv has turned to a bend-but-don’tbreak strategy to buy time until it can get more wes tern weapons and ammunition to the front. By ceding some territory, Ukraine has been able to fight from better-defended positions, according to interviews with senior Ukrainian military leaders, soldiers and officers in the field, and analysts.

r us sia’s shrinking munitions advantagen ew w eapons and ammunition have been trickling to the front line since US President Joe Biden signed off on the massive aid package in April. But it will take weeks, if not months, for Ukraine to fully replenish its depleted stocks.

i t t akes time to load ships that must then cross the Atlantic,” i van h av ryliuk, Ukraine’s first deputy minister of defense, told t he A ssociated Press. “But we’re already seeing the (results). r us sia’s artillery advantage was 7-to-1 at the start of the year, but is down to 5-to-1 now.”

h av ryliuk said that to neutralize r u ssian airpower, Ukraine needs at least 130 F-16 fighter jets, which he expects to arrive later this year and early next.

w it h time, when we set everything up, we will reach an advantage in our airspace,” he said.

t he 110th Brigade, which has been fighting near the r us sian-occupied village of o ch eretyne, began receiving a trickle of new shells less than a month ago, said i van Sekach, a brigade press officer.

t he n ew arrivals have improved the unit’s stocks by 75% compared to last winter, when supplies were so low that the military had no choice but to give up ground to save soldiers’ lives, he said.

But they aren’t nearly enough to hold off r us sia’s advances and often aren’t the large calibers that are most needed, said Sekach. “ w e ne ed four times this amount to operate without counting each shell and prioritizing what to hit,” he said.

“Now we must work for peace, which means dialogue, recognizing Israel’s right to be safe, to live in peace, and the right of the Palestinians to have their own state in which to live peacefully,” she said. “It is the only way to address this problem, our job is to dialogue with everyone.”

However, she said, Israel was falling into a trap in its response to Oct. 7.

“It looks like Israel is jumping into a trap. For the trap of Hamas was to isolate it. It seems it is working,” Meloni said, adding that Israel’s friends “need to give clear words to Israel, for

“We must guarantee to everyone the right not to emigrate and to leave one’s home”, she said. Known for her hardline stance on migration, Meloni had introduced the subject as the summit’s host and has been eager to increase investment and funding for African nations as a means of reducing migratory pressure on Europe. Italy is one of the main entry points into the European Union for people fleeing poverty and conflict in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. In their final summit communiqué, the G7 announced a coalition to counter the smuggling of migrants, noting the seven nations would “focus on the root causes of irregular migration, efforts to enhance border management and curb transnational organized crime, and safe and regular pathways for migration.” Becatoros reported from Bari, Italy. Associated Press writer Giada Zampano in Rome contributed to this report.

o le ksandr, a deputy battalion commander for 47th Brigade who spoke on the condition that only his first name be used in line with his unit’s protocols, said the brigade needs more anti-tank and antiaircraft missiles.

we can ’t take all the ammunition our partners give us at once—we receive it in portions. And right now, we can’t accumulate what we need,” said o le ksandr, whose brigade has been fighting on the outskirts of Avdiivka, a city in the d on etsk region that r us sian troops overwhelmed in February after a grueling campaign.

Ukraine’s “elastic band” strategyUkraine has deployed an elastic defensive strategy to buy time until it’s better armed and provisioned. By making painful choices to pull back to better-defended positions, Ukrainian troops are able to fight more efficiently and save personnel, military officials said.

“ t im e is in the favor of Ukraine and thus the rationale of an elastic band: You can cede a little territory and gain a little time. And then by the end of this year, Ukraine will have advantages that it’s never had before,” said d yl an Lee Lehrke, an analyst with military intelligence think tank i h S J ane’s.

t he s trategy stands in contrast to the nine-month-long battle for the salt-mining city of Bakhmut, where Ukrainian troops suffered heavy casualties in an ultimately fu tile attempt to not cede ground.

Sekach said the improved flexibility has helped Ukrainian forces combat the r us sian offensive. we had t o spread out our positions and our logistics, too. we ar e doing it a lot smarter now,” he said before adding, “But don’t jinx it,” reflecting Ukraine’s anxiety about r us sia’s current battlefield advantage.

r us sia’s main offensive in the d on etsk region is focused on the areas around the captured Avdiivka and the town of c hasiv Yar, and it is making small but steady

gains. Should c hasi v Yar fall, it would put nearby cities in jeopardy, compromise critical Ukrainian supply routes and bring r us sia closer to its stated aim of seizing the entire d on etsk region.

r us sia now has about 650,000 troops in Ukraine, which is nearly five times the 140,000 it had there two years ago. And r us sian tactical changes have proven effective, sending waves of soldiers from different directions to force Ukrainian forces to expend more shells, attacking more frequently at night to exploit Ukraine’s weaknesses and inability to effectively counterattack, and even having soldiers don blue-striped Ukrainian helmets to confuse enemy drone operators. d en se r u ssian signal jamming along the front line has reduced the effectiveness of Ukrainian strike drones, Ukrainian commanders said, blaming superior r us sian capabilities but also poor communication between Ukrainian electronic warfare and drone units. r us sians will definitely continue to have minor successes in the next while,” said Sekach. the perils of resupplying the front rUSS i A S improved targeting of Ukrainian s upply routes is having its intended

ItalIan Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni speaks during a final media conference at the G7 in Borgo Egnazia, near Bari in southern Italy on Saturday, June 15, 2024. AP

Photo/Andrew Medichini

Hajj pilgrims symbolically stone the devil amidst scorching heat and global conflict

By Samy Magdy The Associated Press

MINA, Saudi Arabia—Masses of pilgrims on Sunday embarked on a symbolic stoning of the devil in Saudi Arabia. The ritual marks the final days of the Hajj, or Islamic pilgrimage, and the start of the Eid al-Adha celebrations for Muslims around the world.

The stoning is among the final rites of the Hajj, which is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. It came a day after more than 1.8 million pilgrims congregated at a sacred hill, known as Mount Ararat, outside the holy city of Mecca, which Muslim pilgrims visit to perform the annual five-day rituals of Hajj.

The pilgrims left Mount Arafat on Saturday evening to spend their night in a nearby site known as Muzdalifa, where they collected pebbles to use in the symbolic stoning of pillars representing the devil.

The pillars are in another sacred place in Mecca, called Mina, where Muslims believe Ibrahim’s faith was tested when God commanded him to sacrifice his only son Ismail. Ibrahim was prepared to submit to the command, but then God stayed his hand, sparing his son. In the Christian and Jewish versions of the story, Abraham is ordered to kill his other son, Isaac.

On Sunday morning, crowds headed on foot to the stoning areas. Some were seen pushing disabled pilgrims on wheelchairs on a multi-lane road leading to the complex housing the large pillars. Most pilgrims were seen sweltering and carrying umbrellas to protect them against the burning summer sun.

An Associated Press reporter saw many pilgrims, especially old ones, collapsing on the road to the pillars because of the burning heat. Security forces and medics were deployed to help, carrying those who fainted

on gurneys out of the heat to ambulances or field hospitals.

Many pilgrims will spend up to three days in Mina, each casting seven pebbles at three pillars in a ritual to symbolize the casting away of evil and sin.

While in Mina, they will visit Mecca to perform their final “tawaf,” or circumambulation, which is circling the Kaaba in the Grand Mosque counterclockwise seven times. The Farewell Tawaf marks the end of Hajj as pilgrims prepare to leave the holy city.

The rites coincide with the fourday Eid al-Adha, which means “Feast of Sacrifice,” when Muslims with financial means commentate Ibrahim’s test of faith through slaughtering livestock and animals and distributing the meat to the poor.

Most countries marked Eid alAdha on Sunday, others, like Indonesia, will celebrate it Monday.

Once the Hajj is over, men are expected to shave their heads and remove the shroud-like white garments worn during the pilgrimage, and women to snip a lock of hair in a sign of renewal and rebirth.

Most of the pilgrims then leave Mecca for the city of Medina, about 340 kilometers (210 miles) away, to pray in Prophet Muhammad’s tomb, the SacredChamber. The tomb is part of the prophet’s mosque, one of the three holiest sites in Islam, along with the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the Al Aqsa Mosque in

Jerusalem.

All Muslims are required to make the Hajj once in their lives if they are physically and financially able to do so. Many wealthy Muslims make the pilgrimage more than once. The rituals largely commemorate the accounts of Prophet Ibrahim and his son Prophet Ismail, Ismail’s mother Hajar and Prophet Muhammad, according to the Quran, Islam’s holy book.

More than 1.83 million Muslims performed Hajj in 2024, Saudi Hajj and Umrah Minister Tawfiq bin Fawzan al-Rabiah said in a briefing, slightly less than last year’s figures when 1.84 million made the rituals.

Most of the Hajj rituals are held outdoors with little if any shade. It is set for the second week of Dhu al-Hijjah, the last month in the Islamic lunar calendar, so its time of the year varies. And this year the pilgrimage fell in the burning summer of Saudi Arabia. The heat soared to 47 C (116.6 F) at Mount Arafat on Saturday.

This year’s Hajj came against the backdrop of the devastating IsraelHamas war, which has pushed the Middle East to the brink of a regional conflict.

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip weren’t able to travel to Mecca for Hajj this year because of the closure

Brazilian women stage protests against bill that equates late abortions with homicide

By Eléonore Hughes & Gabriela Sá Pessoa

The Associated Press

Ao PAulo t housands of demonstra -

St ors took to the streets of Sao Paulo on Saturday as protests sweep across b ra zil in opposition to a bill that would further criminalize abortions. i f pa ssed, the law would equate the termination of a pregnancy after 22 weeks with homicide. t he bill, proposed by conservative lawmakers and heading for a vote in the lower house, would also apply in cases of rape. c ri tics say those who seek an abortion so late are mostly child rape victims, as their pregnancies tend to be detected later.

to ra lly opposition, rights’ groups created the ‘A child is not a mother’ campaign that has flooded social media. Placards, stickers and banners emblazoned with the slogan have abounded during demonstrations. And viral visuals depicting women in red cloaks compare b ra zil to Gilead, the theocratic patriarchy Margaret Atwood created in her dystopian novel, “ t he h an dmaid’s tale.”

About 10,000 people, mostly women, filled several blocks of Sao Paulo’s main boulevard on Saturday afternoon, organizers estimated. i t w as the biggest demonstration yet, following events in Rio de Janeiro, b ra silia, f lo rianopolis, Recife, Manaus, and other cities. Many wore green clothes and scarves, a common sight in women’s rights mobilizations across l at in America.

Marli Gavioli, 65, has mostly refrained from protesting since demonstrations in the

1980s that called for the end of the military dictatorship, but she told t he A ssociated Press she’s too outraged to remain home.

“ i c ouldn’t stay out of this, or i w ould regret it too much. We are being whipped from all sides, us women. i t ’s past time we do something,” she said.

b ra zil only permits abortion in cases of rape if there is an evident risk to the mother’s life or if the fetus has no functioning brain. Aside from those exceptions, b ra zil’s penal code imposes between one and three years jail time for women who end a pregnancy. Some b ra zilian women fly abroad in order to obtain abortions.

i f th e bill becomes law, the sentence would rise to between six and 20 years when an abortion is performed after 22 weeks. c ri tics have highlighted that would mean convicted rapists could receive lesser sentences than their victims.

e xp erts say that late access to abortion reflects inequalities in health care. c hild ren, poor women, b la ck women and those living in rural areas are particularly at risk.

“We cannot be sentenced to prison for having suffered a rape and not receiving support and care,” talita Rodrigues, a member of rights’ group National fro nt against the c ri minalization of Women and for the l eg alization of Abortion, said by phone.

o f th e 74,930 people who were victims of rape in b ra zil in 2022, 61.4% were under 14 years old, according to a 2023 study of the b ra zilian f or um on Public Safety, an independent group that tracks crimes. “ f or c hildren, it is common for a pregnancy to be discovered only after 22 weeks,”

i v anilda f ig ueiredo, a professor of law at the State u ni versity of Rio de Janeiro, said by phone. f or e xample, they might not know that periods—a sign women aren’t pregnant—are monthly, she said.

Among the protesters in downtown Rio on t hu rsday was Graziela Souza, a 25-yearold student who was sexually assaulted as a child.

i t hink it’s very important for victims to be present, as much as it hurts,” Souza said. “We must speak out and fight against it, because if we stay at home we are going to lose.”

Defenders of the bill have argued that abortions at a later stage were unimaginable when b ra zil’s penal code was adopted in 1940, which explains why there is currently no time limit. h ad it b een envisioned, they argue, it would be considered infanticide.

t he bill’s author, lawmaker and e va ngelical pastor Sóstenes c avalcante, declined an interview request from the AP.

o n We dnesday, the lower house Speaker Arthur l ir a rushed through a procedure to fast-track the bill in under 30 seconds, with many lawmakers reportedly unaware it was taking place. t he ma neuver allows the plenary to vote without the bill first clearing committees. l ir a has been a top target for protesters’ ire. Signs on Saturday read “What if it happened to your daughter, l ira?” and simply “ l ira out.”

c on servative lawmakers proposing the bill — who protesters have dubbed ‘the rape caucus’ — are playing politics, hoping to boost turnout and support from e va ngelical voters in o ct ober municipal

of the Rafah crossing in May when Israel extended its ground offensive to the city on the border with Egypt. And they will not be able to celebrate the Eid al-Adha as they used to do in previous years.

Dozens of Palestinians gathered Sunday morning near a destroyed mosque in Gaza’s southern city of Khan Younis to perform the Eid prayers. They were surrounded by debris and rubble of collapsed houses. In the nearby town of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, Muslims held their prayers in a school-turned shelter. Some, including women and children, went to cemeteries to visit the graves of loved ones.

“Today, after the ninth month, more than 37 thousand martyrs, more than 87 thousand wounded, and hundreds of thousands of homes were destroyed,” Abdulhalim Abu Samra, a displaced Palestinian, told the AP after wrapping up the prayers in Khan Younis. “Our people live in difficult circumstances.”

There is also the conflict between rival generals in Sudan that has raged unabated for 14 months.

The conflict killed thousands and created the world’s largest displacement crisis with over 10 million forced to flee their homes. Associated Press journalist Wafaa Shurafa contributed from the Gaza Strip.

elections, f ernanda b ar ros dos Santos, a political scientist at the f ed eral u ni versity of Rio de Janeiro, said by phone. Abortion is a topic of high concern for c hris tians, who make up a majority of voters in b ra zil.

“ t he b ill puts people who are progressive in a very difficult situation, because they lose votes by defending abortion rights,” said f ig ueiredo, the law professor. President l ui z i ná cio l ul a da Silva’s government has been seeking inroads with e va ngelicals, a key voting bloc for far-right former president Jair b ol sonaro. l ul a beat b olsonaro in the 2022 presidential election.

“ t he p resident sent a letter to e va ngelicals in the campaign saying he was against abortion. We want to see if he will veto it. l et ’s test l ul a,” c av alcante, the bill’s author, told local news outlet G1 on tue sday.

f ir st lady Rosângela da Silva, known as Janja, slammed the proposal on social media fri day, saying women and girls who are raped need to be protected, not revictimized. l ul a finally weighed in on Saturday, speaking at the G7 in i t aly.

i h ad five kids, eight grandchildren and a great-grandchild. i ’m ag ainst abortion. h owever, since abortion is a reality, we need to treat abortion as a public health issue,” he said in a news conference. “And i t hink it’s insanity that someone wants to punish a woman with a sentence that’s longer than the criminal who committed the rape.”

Although strict abortion laws have long been the norm across the predominantly Roman c at holic region of l at in America, feminist movements have gained momentum in recent years and delivered successive victories for abortion-rights campaigners. c ol ombia’s Supreme c our t decriminalized abortion in 2022, following a similar breakthrough ruling by Mexico. Argentina’s cong ress legalized abortion in 2020, and a few years earlier c hile rolled back a strict ban. Hughes reported from Rio de Janeiro.

French protesters are standing up to the far right ahead of the country’s snap elections

By Jade Le Deley & Elise Morton The Associated Press

PARIS—Anti-racism groups joined French unions and a brand-new left-wing coalition in protests in Paris and across France on Saturday against the surging nationalist far right as frenzied campaigning is underway ahead of snap parliamentary elections.

The French Interior Ministry said 250,000 people turned out to protest, 75,000 of them in Paris.

Despite rainy and windy weather, those who fear that the elections will produce France’s first far-right government since World War II gathered at Place de la Republique before marching through eastern Paris. Up to 21,000 police and gendarmes were deployed.

The protesters held placards reading “Liberty for all, Equality for all and Fraternity with all”— a reference to France’s national motto—and “Let’s break frontiers, documents for all, no to the immigration bill.” Some chanted “Free Palestine, viva Palestina,” and wore keffiyeh scarves.

Among them was Nour Cekar, a 16 year-old high school student from the Paris region, who has French and Algerian parents and wears the hijab.

“To me, the extreme right is a danger because it supports an ideology based on the fear of the other, whereas we are all French citizens despite our differences,” she told The Associated Press.

Cekar said she will vote for the left-wing coalition because “it is the only political party that addresses racism and Islamophobia.”

“I fear the rise of the National Rally because I am afraid that they will ban the hijab in name of women’s liberty. I am a woman and I should be able to decide what I want to wear. I am a free woman,” she said, adding that she is insulted on social media and in the streets on a daily basis because of her headscarf.

Against the backdrop of music of French-Malian singer Aya Nakamura, the crowd chanted “Everyone hates racism.”

“France is made up of people of different origins. It is its strength. The National Rally wants to break that,” 68-year-old Mohamed Benammar, a French doctor with Tunisian roots who works in a Paris public hospital, told AP.

“We provide medical care to everyone, without worrying about their nationality, the color of their skin or their religion, unlike the fascists (extreme-right leaders) that single out Black, Arabs or Muslim people,” he said.

Although his son told him that it was useless to protest, Bennamar said he’s convinced that it is important to make his voice heard. “I am here to send a strong signal to politicians. We won’t stay silent in the face of the far right,” he said.

Police in Paris reported “numerous attempts at damage” by protesters. They said that nine protesters were arrested and three officers were injured. An AP journalist said police used tear gas against demonstrators who tried to vandalize a bus stop and advertising boards. In the French Riviera city of Nice, protesters marched down Jean Médecin Avenue, the city’s main shopping street, chanting against the National Rally, its leader Jordan Bardella as well as against President Emmanuel Macron. Local police said 2,500 people took part. Nice is traditionally a conservative stronghold, but has over the past decade turned firmly in favor of Marine Le Pen’s National Rally and her far-right rival Eric Zemmour. Crowds have been gathering daily ever since the anti-immigration National Rally made historic gains in the European Parliament elections on Sunday, crushing Macron’s probusiness moderates and prompting him to dissolve the National Assembly.

New elections for the lower house of parliament were set in two rounds, for June 30 and July 7. Macron remains president until 2027 and in charge of foreign policy and defense, but his presidency would be weakened if the National Rally wins and takes power of the government and domestic policy.

“We need a democratic and social upsurge—if not the extreme right will take power,’’ French unions said in a statement Friday. “Our Republic and our democracy are in danger.’’ They noted that in Europe and across the world, extreme-right leaders have passed laws detrimental to women, the LGBTQ+ community, and people of color.

To prevent the National Rally party from winning the upcoming elections, left-wing parties finally agreed Friday to set aside differences over the wars in Gaza and Ukraine and form a coalition. They urged French citizens to defeat the far right.

French opinion polls suggest the National Rally—whose founder has been repeatedly convicted of racism and antisemitism—is expected to be ahead in the first round of the parliamentary elections. The party came out on top in the European elections, garnering more than 30% of the vote cast in France, almost twice as many votes as Macron’s party Renaissance.

Macron’s term is still on for three more years, and he would retain control over foreign affairs and defense regardless of the result of the French parliamentary elections. But his presidency would be weakened if the National Rally wins, which could put its 28-year-old party leader Bardella on track to become the next prime minister, with au

Musli M pilgrims gather at top of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage, near the holy city of Mecca, saudi Arabia on saturday, June 15, 2024. AP Photo/R

hold an anti-far right banner during a rally in Paris on saturday, June 15, 2024. Anti-racism groups joined French unions and

How private developers can help municipalities foster economic growth editorial

THe recent Sandari’s Investors Night event hosted by Citystate Properties and Management Corporation (CPMC) sheds light on the significant impact private property developers can have on municipalities and entire communities. The exclusive event, held at Azumi Boutique Hotel in Alabang, Muntinlupa City, showcased CPMC’s newest development, Sandari Calatagan, and highlighted the potential for economic growth and prosperity in the area. (Read the BusinessMirror story: “Citystate Properties and Management Corporation hosts Investors Night,” June 15, 2024).

One of the key takeaways from the event was the importance of credible developers in ensuring long-term development for municipalities. Mayor Peter Oliver Palacio emphasized this point, expressing his satisfaction with having a reputable developer like CPMC in Calatagan. The presence of a credible developer not only brings expertise and resources to the table but also instills confidence in investors and stakeholders, attracting further investment and driving economic progress.

Calatagan itself has seen a remarkable surge in tourism, becoming an increasingly attractive destination for visitors and investors. The improving infrastructure and growing popularity of the area have contributed to this uptick in tourism, creating a ripe environment for economic opportunities. Private property developers like CPMC play a crucial role in capitalizing on this potential by creating developments that cater to the needs and desires of both short-term visitors and long-term investors.

By introducing Sandari Calatagan, a beachfront property known for its focus on holistic wellness, CPMC demonstrates the power of integrating wellness with nature to attract discerning investors and residents. The development’s emphasis on holistic well-being, encompassing physical, mental, social, spiritual, and financial aspects, sets it apart and aligns with the evolving priorities and lifestyles of modern communities. Sandari Calatagan not only provides exceptional living spaces but also cultivates a lifestyle centered on holistic wellness, catering to the growing demand for such offerings.

Moreover, the event showcased the commitment of private property developers to collaborate with local governments and the community. The presence of government officials and property consultants at the event highlights the collaborative nature of these partnerships.

D. Edgard A. Cabangon, chairman of the ALC Group of Companies, has reaffirmed his commitment to supporting the community’s progress, vowing to elevate Calatagan to new levels of success. This pledge echoes the vision of the late Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua, founder of the ALC Group of Companies, which includes the Citystate Properties and Management Corporation. Strong partnerships between private developers and local authorities are essential for ensuring sustainable and inclusive development that benefits both the community and investors.

Private property developers also play a vital role in wealth management and investment strategies. Citystate Savings Bank’s Home Loan Unit Head, Vannesa May D. Salazar, provided valuable insights to help investors maximize their returns. These efforts go beyond the development of properties and demonstrate a holistic approach to driving economic prosperity. By empowering investors with the knowledge and tools to make informed financial decisions, private property developers contribute to the overall economic wellbeing of the community.

The Sandari’s Investors Night event serves as a testament to CPMC’s mission to create exceptional living spaces and prioritize wellness and sustainable living. It exemplifies the transformative potential of private property developers to drive economic growth, attract investments, and uplift communities. As private developers continue to collaborate with local authorities, prioritize holistic well-being, and provide valuable investment opportunities, they become catalysts for economic prosperity, propelling municipalities and communities towards a brighter future.

BusinessMirror

Three years on: The lasting impact of President Aquino’s governance

ORISING SUN

N Sunday we remember the life and contributions of former president Benigno Aquino III as we commemorate his passing on June 23. As a nation, we must never fail to remember and pay tribute to our leaders who have passed on, for many of them have sacrificed so much, even their own lives, for the benefit of the country and its citizens.

The 15th president of the country, the honorable Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III served the Philippines as its president for six years from 2010 to 2016. His administration delivered many landmark achievements, among them the economic recovery of the country. We transitioned from being the “Sick Man of Asia” to the “Rising Tiger”

under President PNoy’s governance. After many decades of poor performance, we were the second-fastestgrowing Asian country in 2014. President PNoy was serious about uplifting the lives of his countrymen and eradicating poverty among the people. He continued and added more funding to the cash transfer program, Pantawid Pamilyang Pili-

pino Program (4Ps), even in the face of harsh criticisms from those who believed it did not really empower the poor.

President Aquino signed the Sin Tax Law in 2012, which was seen to help fund the Universal Health Care program of the government at the time. It simplified the existing excise tax system on alcohol and tobacco products and addressed public health issues related to alcohol and tobacco consumption. Who could forget President PNoy’s campaign/admin by-words: “Daang Matuwid,” “Kung Walang Kurap, Walang Mahirap,” and “Kayo Ang Boss Ko”? All of which spoke of his deep belief in truth, honesty, and accountability. He exposed the scandal involving the misuse of government funds and the multi-billionpeso pork barrel scam.

In 2012, President PNoy signed the RH Bill into law despite strong opposition from the Catholic Church. He supported the bill when

he was still a senator and signed it into law on December 21, 2012 to provide Filipinos universal access to reproductive health care services and information. He firmly stood his ground on the territorial issue between the Philippines and China, dragging the latter to court to clarify the maritime boundaries involving the West Philippine Sea and South China Sea. Because of President PNoy’s legacy, there were clearer state rights and obligations pertaining to the dispute and we could all have moved forward as a global community were it not for events that transpired after China appealed the tribunal ruling. These are just some of the numerous highlights during President PNoy’s six-year term. Three years after his death, we remember his deeds and sacrifices as a way of giving thanks and paying our respects to a respectable and devoted leader.

PBBM’s bayanihan initiative shows in DENR project

PreSIdeNT Marcos’ push for the spirit of bayanihan in the crafting of programs for his administration is very much alive in a project of the department of environment and Natural resources (deNr) that involves the local government units (LGUs) in tackling the vagaries of climate change.

Dubbed Project TRANSFORM (Transdisciplinary Approach for Resilient and Sustainable Communities), it is a multi-stakeholder partnership that empowers LGUs to increase their capacity for environment and natural resource management, climate and disaster resilience, and socio-economic development.

This is a commendable move as it provides a solution to the suffocating heat, the heavy rains and floods and massive damage to ecosystems that climate change inflicts on us all. And what is noteworthy in the DENR project is the public-private sector partnership in mitigating the economic costs of climate change.

Big business has already come up with their own CSR projects that serve to accentuate this partnership in battling extreme weather disturbances. Businesses have raised their own stake for the effort.

DENR Secretary Ma. Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga has put together a

template that identifies the best practices from the government and private sector in delivering an inclusive, science-based, and data-driven push that all stakeholders, partners, and LGUs can use in fighting the accelerating climate emergency.

And from last month’s crippling heat index and vanishing streams, the country will now have to brace for the effects of the looming La Niña phenomenon that brings to mind the catastrophic effects of Typhoon Yolanda in Leyte, and Typhoon Ondoy in Metro Manila.

There is no doubt about the colossal effects of climate change. For many households, extreme heat requires more electricity expenditures for cooling that dent household income; floods submerge vehicles and home appliances, and affect many businesses.

Climate change poses urgent physical dangers to the leisure industry, which hits far-flung communities affecting their income stream.

Weather-related interruptions also impact food security and the way the DENR has crafted an LGU-led initiative with the spirit of bayanihan ever-present speaks volumes about the successful trajectory of Project TRANSFORM.

The transformation in the way the government addresses climate change, which will be tackled at its very root, is a testament to the new ways of thinking in the bureaucracy in addressing problems. And the entry of the concept of bayanihan in the government mandate is a welcome move.

After all, the core essence of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s Bagong Pilipinas (New Philippines) is the spirit of “bayanihan.”

For the whole country, he is pushing for a “whole-of-society” approach in dealing with the adverse effects of climate change.

In fact, the President convened a three-day forum that led to the birth of Project TRANSFORM to combat the omnipresent danger of weather changes that lead to baked lands, missing tributaries, low dam water levels, rising seas, dislocations in the food chain, and record-shattering heat.

The President has emphasized the importance of unity in mitigating the effects of global warming and climate change, stating, “We all have a role to play in this mission. So, we must work together, take a stance in support of our planet. Let us be involved in creating solutions to mitigate the effects of global warming and climate change.”

Project TRANSFORM involves a ridge-to-reef approach, the strategy that ensures the managing of forests, coastal and marine habitats, land use, solid waste, and water. It solidifies the country’s commitment to work together to achieve the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction targets, the Paris Agreement, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028.

Climate change is the latest buzz that all nations are zeroing in for its devastating effects. There was the flood that hit Dubai, with rains of apocalyptic proportions, the violent cyclones that hit the United States, and closer to home, the recent Typhoon Aghon.

Last year, Environment Secretary Loyzaga told United Nations delegates to COP28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates that the Philippines is “a living testament to the effects of climate change.”

Every year, our country deals with accelerating climate emergencies and the question that is uppermost in our mind is whether the LGUs’ TRANSFORM implementation is now open and doing serious business. Hopefully, the so-called “ningas-cogon” malady has vanished in this worthy undertaking.

The probability of back-to-back weather extremes wreaking havoc will make community resilience a very relevant leadership agenda. And for now, LGU constituents look up to their sitting leader’s stewardship in environmental matters and resilience-building efforts.

Atty. Jose Ferdinand M. Rojas II

Principles-based tax planning

LThe prodigal Abba

Joel L. Tan-Torres

DEBIT CREDIT

Ast May 15, 2024, the Philippine institute of Certified Public Accountants issued a call for public comments on the Guidelines of tax planning and related services revisions to the international Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (“Guidelines”) https://www.ethicsboard.org/publications/final-pronouncement-revisions-code-addressing-tax-planning-and-related-services). these Guidelines were drafted by the international Ethics standards Board for Accountants (iEsBA) of the international Federation of Accountants. the iFAC is the global governing body of 180-member professional accounting organizations in about 135 countries. PiCPA, being a member of the iFAC, is duty-bound to implement pronouncements from the iFAC. nearly 200,000 Filipino CPAs are either members or are required to be members of the Accredited integrated Professional Organization of PiCPA under the Accountancy Law.

The PICPA will review for minor tweaking, if any, of the Guidelines for the adoption in the Code of ethics for Professional Accountants in the Philippines (Philippine Code) (https://www.prc.gov.ph/uploaded/ documents/Board%20of%20Accountancy-CE.pdf). Thereafter, these will be submitted to the Professional Regulatory Board of Accountancy (BOA), which shall then issue a resolution to implement these before the June 30, 2025 target date set by I e SB A and IFAC. I fully support and endorse this important development in the accountancy sector that profoundly impacts the field of taxation. I have been following the evolution of the work on these I e SB A Guidelines of the Code since IFAC started in September 2019. I appreciated then the motivation enunciated of the need to address the “ethical implications of aggressive tax planning of professional accountants, both in business and in public practice.”

I have been in tax practice for over four decades and was the Bureau of Internal Revenue Commissioner from 2009 to 2010. All through these years, I have had a keen knowledge of the risks and adverse implications of such aggressive tax planning in terms of cutting revenue collections of the BIR and the reputational as well as economic and legal damages that can impact the erring taxpayers, accountants, and tax practitioners. Aggressive tax planning and compliance arise locally and globally. The leak of data from the Panama Papers in 2016, the Paradise Papers in 2017, the Pandora Box Papers in 2021, and the Hong Kong Shanghai Bank Corporation in Switzerland case in 2019, disclosed irregular practices of rampant global tax evasion and money laundering.

In the Philippines, the crusade of BIR Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. against fake “ghost” receipts under his “Run After Fake Transactions” program, the raiding of warehouses and establishments containing untaxed excisable articles, the continuous filing of tax evasion cases at the Department of Justice and the courts, the campaign on taxing jurisdiction of offshore transactions, and the Pharmally Pharmaceuticals case revealed that accountants and tax advisors were abetting the commission of these various tax irregularities.

The objective of the I e SB A’s Tax Planning Standards is to provide a “principles-based framework and a global ethical benchmark applicable to tax planning services and activities” rather than the often abused purely mechanical and legalistic approach. The guidelines “establish a consistent point of reference for all professional accountants, as well as other tax professionals, who are strongly encouraged to use the standards, when dealing

The objective of the IESBA’s Tax Planning Standards is to provide a “principles-based framework and a global ethical benchmark applicable to tax planning services and activities” rather than the often abused purely mechanical and legalistic approach. The guidelines “establish a consistent point of reference for all professional accountants, as well as other tax professionals, who are strongly encouraged to use the standards, when dealing with tax planning, to ensure due consideration of public interest as well as potential reputational, commercial, and wider economic consequences for their clients or employing organizations.”

with tax planning, to ensure due consideration of public interest as well as potential reputational, commercial, and wider economic consequences for their clients or employing organizations.”

The coverage and implications of the Guidelines are covered separately for professional accountants in business (Section 280) and in public practice (Section 3). The Guidelines cite the threats that might arise in performing tax planning activities by organizations and persons, including selfinterest, self-review, advocacy, or intimidation threats. It is provided that a “professional accountant shall recommend or otherwise advise on a tax planning arrangement for an employing organization only if the accountant has determined that there is a credible basis in laws and regulations for the arrangement.” There is also a “stand-back test” to be applied that requires the professional accountant to consider reputational, commercial, and wider economic consequences that could arise from the tax planning arrangement. These measures are key in determining whether the tax planning arrangement is “ethical” or “aggressive” from the Guidelines’ perspective.

The BOA and PICPA should assess how to integrate these Guidelines into the Code of eth ics for Professional Accountants to maintain its spirit and intent.

To be continued

Joel L. Tan-Torres was a former Commissioner of the Bureau of Internal Revenue. He has also held the various positions of Dean of the University of the Philippines Virata School of Business, Chairman of the Professional Regulatory Board of Accountancy, Tax partner of Reyes Tacandong & Co. and the SyCip Gorres and Velayo & Co., and director of various corporate boards. 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 and consultancy practice and can be contacted at joeltantorress@yahoo.com and his firm JL2T Consultancy.

Siegfred Bueno Mison, Esq.

THE PATRIOT

WE have often heard of wayward sons, even of errant daughters. Many a time, we associate their defiance to the grief of their mothers, but rarely do we conceive the anguish equally suffered by the fathers of these “prodigal” children. Anguish, to the best of intentions, takes on a plethora of (mis)interpretations and forms.

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte (Digong) may very well fall within the ambit of the misinterpreted anguish-stricken father figure. He is dad to four children (3 with his first wife and 1 with his current partner). Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, his youngest with his first wife, is touted to be the “wayward” son, not because he is a squanderer of some sort, but merely on account of the different career path that he chose to tread: surfing and television entertainment, until recently. Compared with his elder siblings Cong. Paolo and VP Sara, little information was known about Baste until a public spat broke loose early in his father’s presidential term. “My youngest son is a jerk,” the fiercely candid Digong once said during an event for a government tax campaign. The former president referred Sebastian as a “lover boy” and called him out for not spending ample time with his own family. Digong’s heart as a father may be tormented by Sebastian’s personal decisions with the way he lashed out at his son in public. Yet, we are still certain that to such an enormous degree, his love for this youngest son far outweighs his barrage of unpleasant tirades. After all, he is first a father before he is a politician.

Most of us can speak of many others like Duterte’s tough love. Other dads sustain a level of pain in much sundry ways. Perhaps no form of torment can equal that of losing one’s child to death. I recall the story relayed by a soldier’s father to GMA’s “24 Oras” relative to the sacrifice

of his son who defended the city of Marawi from the ISIS-motivated Maute group. Sgt. Larry Bayot narrated, with extreme sorrow, how his son, Private First Class Dhan Ryan Bayot and his team were surrounded by Maute group members, and how the younger Bayot disclosed his position so the Philippine Army can bomb the area even if it could cost him his life too. Fighting the enemy of the state while hoping for reinforcements that never came, PFC Bayot was killed on the third day of the Marawi siege. The young Bayot is far from being wayward, most definitely, as his gallantry in action was one of his father’s proudest moments. Yet the grief of the father of Sgt. Larry might never be quantified or appeased.

The emotions experienced by fathers whose children they lost, literally and figuratively speaking, seems unquantifiable and runs deep down any humanly-conceived well of sentiments. This fact summons a host of personal memories. On one Sunday afternoon, I was working on a legal pleading whose deadline fell the next day. Seeing my toddler son Jason crawling to and fro inside the house instead outdoors, I swore to myself that I will never ever bring work home again. On that particular Sunday, the genuine heart of a father impelled me to drop all paperwork and to play with Jason (and his sister Nica). “Work can wait; work never ends,” I told myself. I somehow got to beat the deadline, but the product was definitely not my best due to time constraints. Looking back, had I opted to ignore Jason on ac-

The parable of the prodigal son in the Bible (as found in Luke 15:11-32) is as much the story of his father. My pastor friend taught me his version of “The Prodigal Father.” I remember a lot about this unnamed dad in the Bible as I gained immensely important lessons from this prodigal father whose heart was broken since his other son chose to leave the family dwelling and squandered his fortune.

count of my work, perhaps I would be grief-stricken even to this day. Days and years after, I knew that my children will take center stage whenever a similar dilemma (work vs. family) took place. Truth be told, I am not sure if my children Nica, Jason, and elena remember my overwhelming love for them, especially during those early years, despite a tumultuous relationship with their mother. Throughout the years, I had my share of frustrations and disappointment over the actions of my children. I think all fathers do. At any given instance, responding to a wayward or prodigal child could be distressing for a father. No remedy from this world could be available. But there is such an assurance as what open-handed faith provides. As one writer puts it, the solution is the recognition to trust fully and completely in God’s ultimate plan knowing that He is our child’s Creator. As believers, our responsibility as a parent is not to follow some perfectly formulated equation to ensure success. “We do not own them, we never have, nor are we the puppet master in our child’s life, though we try to maneuver the strings.”

The parable of the prodigal son in the Bible (as found in Luke 15:11-32) is as much the story of his father. My pastor friend taught me his version of “The Prodigal Father.” I remember a lot about this unnamed dad in the Bible as I gained immensely important lessons from this prodigal father whose heart was broken since his other son chose to leave the

Why Russia’s bond with North Korea is a danger to the world

By Jon Herskovitz & Soo-Hyang Choi

RussiAn President Vladimir Putin is preparing to make his first trip to north Korea in 24 years to warm up a newfound bond with its leader, Kim Jong un, that has helped boost Russia’s firepower in its grinding war on ukraine. As the us and its partners have tried to put Russia and north Korea deeper into isolation, the two countries have stepped up their trade in commodities and arms. Russia’s forces have been able to blast thousands of artillery shells a day at ukraine thanks to supplies sent by Kim. north Korea has likely received military aid in return that has increased the threat it poses to the us and its allies in East Asia.

Why is Putin meeting Kim in Pyongyang?

Pu TIN still needs North Korea’s help and to show gratitude to the leader who’s provided weapons for his war on u kra ine—beyond the top-of-the line luxury sedan he gave the limousine-loving Kim earlier this year. Kim invited Putin to North Korea when the two met in Russia in September. Satellite imagery shows arms transfers from North Korea to Russia took off after that. North Korea holds some of the largest stores of munitions and spare parts that are interoperable with weapons Russia has on the front lines in u kra ine. The two can trade with almost no threat of interdiction on a rail link across their border and through nearby ports between which ships can shuttle without leaving either’s territorial waters. Putin will be in North Korea on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to South Korea’s Dong-A Ilbo newspaper.

What does Russia want?

A RTILLeRY shells, artillery rockets, short-range ballistic missiles and

spare parts for some of the Sovietera weapons systems employed by Russia in u kra ine such as the T-54 and T-62 tanks. Russia is especially motivated to seek more weapons from North Korea given that ukraine is now taking delivery of billions of dollars worth of fresh arms from its uS and european partners.

What does North Korea want?

A LOT. It needs cash, commodities and technology to help with submarine and spy satellite projects, among endeavors. Small infusions of aid take on large significance in North Korea. Its economy was estimated to have been worth about $24.5 billion in 2022, with per capita income about 3.4 percent that of South Korea. Russia has so far provided North Korea with food, raw materials and parts used in weapons manufacturing, South Korean Defense Minister Shin Wonsik has said.

If the arms transfers grow, Russia will likely send more military technology, increasing Pyongyang’s threat to the region, Shin added. The value of munitions so far supplied

family dwelling and squandered his fortune. eventually coming to his senses in the midst of a pigpen, this unnamed son decided to return home to beg for his father’s forgiveness and permission to work as a servant. The biblical account states, in the most beautiful of ways I should say, “While he (prodigal son) was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him.” ( Luke15:20). The prodigal father rushed to embrace his lost son, placing his head on the wayward child’s shoulder, welcoming him back with so much love that he asked his servant to put the best robe, ring, and sandals to his son and even ordered the fattest calf to be slaughtered for a “welcome party.”

The prodigal’s father reminds us of God’s unconditional love. This truth is cemented in the scriptural verse that “Though we were sinners, God gave His own son to die on our behalf, that we may be forgiven and spend eternity with Him” (Romans 5:1; John 3:16). Believers in the Son would know fully well that the greatest name that Jesus came to reveal is the name “Daddy God,”—“Abba,” in the Bible (Romans 8:15-17 ). “Abba” is the defining term for “Father” in the Aramaic language, spoken by Jesus and the apostle Paul as an intimate term to illustrate their personal relationship with God. Gleaned from another biblical reference, “Abba” is a colloquial form of address used by little Jewish children toward their fathers and best translated “Papa” or “Daddy.”

Yes, it is personal, in the sense that our Abba Father draws near to us as we draw near to Him (James 4:8). He is not only the Almighty God, but He is our Daddy God!

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.

More North Korean arms transfers to Russia would increase Ukraine’s need for US as well as European military assistance. And the more aid Kim receives from Russia, the easier it becomes for him to keep ignoring US requests to sit down for nuclear disarmament talks. Any weapons technology North Korea receives increases its ability to deliver lethal strikes on Japan and South Korea, which host the bulk of US troops in the region, and perhaps successfully deliver a nuclear warhead to the US mainland.

to Russia could be worth billions of dollars, and the aid Kim has received likely represents one of the biggest boosts to the North Korean economy since he took power in 2011 upon the death of his father and predecessor.

A visit by Putin would also have “political value to Kim, demonstrating a strong global standing” to his domestic audience, said Jenny Town, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center, a foreign affairs think tank.

How might the meeting affect the war on Ukraine?

IN recent months, Kim has visited plants making munitions, while overseeing tests of weapons that South Korea has said he could send to Russia. These include a 240-millimeter multiple rocket launcher, which weapons experts said is a guided missile system with an estimated range of between 40 kilometers and 60 kilometers (25 miles to 37 miles).

North Korea has also tested a closerange ballistic missile with an estimated range of about 110 kilometers. u kra ine’s military is being bolstered by resumed aid from the uS that includes longer-range Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS. Weapons expert Joost Oliemans, co-author of The Armed Forces of North Korea, said the North Korean systems could compensate for u kra ine’s increased use of ATACMS and Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS), “which have been exacting a heavy toll.” But he adds that the North Korean weapons may not be as robust as some uS systems.  There have been questions generally about the quality of North Korea’s arms. Still, just having a large volume of artillery shells allows Russian forces to pin the u kra inians down while North Korean ballistic missiles allow the Russians to deplete stores of uS interceptors meant to protect u kra ine’s biggest cities. What are the implications for the US?

MOR e North Korean arms transfers to Russia would increase u kra ine’s need for uS as well as european military assistance. And the more aid Kim receives from Russia, the easier it becomes for him to keep ignoring uS requests to sit down for nuclear disarmament talks. Any weapons technology North Korea receives increases its ability to deliver lethal strikes on Japan and South Korea, which host the bulk of uS troops in the region, and perhaps successfully deliver a nuclear warhead to the uS mainland. With assistance from Tony Halpin /Bloomberg

GOVT RAMPS UP CALAMITY FUND RELEASE, MAY PAYOUTS UP 73%

By Reine Juvierre S. Alberto

HE

Tby 73.45 percent year-onyear, according to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

Latest data on the status of National Disaster Risk Reduction Management (NDRRM) fund showed the DBM disbursed P8.508 billion from January to May this year to earmark various calamity-related operations.

The P8.5 billion amount is higher by 73.45 percent, or P3.598 billion, than the P4.905 billion in calamity funds recorded in the same period a year ago. The bulk of the fund was allotted to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), or P4.697 billion as of end-May.

Of the amount, P97.338 million was released in May to cover the implementation of calamity-related projects in Cagayan damaged by Typhoon Egay in 2023, and P861.269 billion for various slope protection structures in Tarlac damaged by Typhoon Dodong in 2023. Meanwhile, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) was allocated P2.885 billion in calamity funds as of end-May.

The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) was also allotted P374.970 million for the five-month period.

DBM released a total of P272.070 million in May to provide financial as-

sistance for 25,649 households in Abra and Mountain Province, for houses partially and totally damaged by the Northwestern Luzon Earthquake in 2022.

Moreover, the Department of National Defense (DND) was allotted P100 million to replenish the Office of Civil Defense’s Quick Response Fund, a stand-by fund used to cover relief and rehabilitation in case of disasters and calamities.

The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) was given P450 million as a government subsidy for the major rehabilitation and improvement of the Mahayag Dam Salug River Irrigation System (Saris), which was damaged by heavy flooding in 2022.

For the month of May, the DBM released P1.781 billion in calamity funds, lower by 44.63 percent than the P3.217 billion distributed in the same month in 2023. The DBM is yet to release P14.227 billion in calamity funds out of the P22.753 billion in calamity funds for 2024.

The NDRRM fund shall be utilized for aid, relief, and rehabilitation services to communities and areas. It may also be used for the repair, rehabilitation and reconstruction work related to the occurrence of natural or human-induced calamities in the current or two preceding years, subject to the President’s approval.

The fund also serves as another funding source for agencies whose budgets include provisions for QRF when the balance has reached 50 percent, subject to DBM’s approval.

Philexport reminds bizmen of rules ahead of ATA Carnet

By Andrea E. San Juan @andreasanjuan

RULES on import and export of goods have been laid down ahead of the launch in the Philippines of the ATA Carnet system or “passport for goods,” which will allow movement of goods, conditionally free from duties and taxes, according to the Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (Philexport).

With the launch of the ATA Carnet System in the country on July 15,2024, Philexport said it is important for those planning to apply for an ATA Carnet to know the guidelines on the implementation of the system in the Philippines.

“In general, importations into the Philippines are subject to duties and taxes. However, some goods may be allowed temporary admission with relief from the payment of duties and taxes under certain conditions,” Philexport said in a statement on Friday.

The umbrella organization of Philippine exporters said the rules and regulations on the importation or exportation of conditionally

duty- and- tax-free goods using ATA Carnets are enclosed in the Customs Administrative Order (CAO) No. 02-2022 of the Bureau of Customs (BOC).

The ATA Carnet system allows the passage or free movement of goods temporarily admitted into a customs territory and conditionally free from duties and taxes, said Philexport.

The goods are covered by temporary admission papers called the ATA Carnet or “passport for goods.”

The Philippines acceded to the Istanbul Convention on April 28, 2021 and became a contracting party in January 2022, the Convention taking effect in the Philippines

on April 17, 2022.

The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) will be the authorized national issuing and guaranteeing association (NIGA) for the country when the system is rolled out next month.

For the importation of goods into the Philippines, the NIGA is authorized to issue temporary admission papers from the country of supply or exportation. Hence, the ATA Carnet application must be filed with the issuing association of the country where the subject goods will come from, said Philexport.

For the exportation of goods from the Philippines, the PCCI will issue the ATA Carnet. The chamber can also “co-guarantee” the importation of goods for temporary admission to the Philippines, the Philexport also noted.

“The PCCI shall have the authority to issue the ATA Carnet, which will be valid for one year. Once the ATA Carnet has been issued, no more extra items can be added to the list of goods enumerated,” said Philexport.

Section 11 of CAO 02-2022 enumerates the goods eligible for temporary admission in the Philippines.

These include: goods for display or use at exhibitions or fairs, meetings or similar events; professional

equipment for the media/press or cinematographic equipment; Containers, pallets, packings, samples and other goods for commercial operation; Goods in connection with a manufacturing operation such as matrices, blocks, plates, measuring and checking instruments, and special tools and instruments.

Also eligible for temporary admission in the Philippines are Goods for educational, scientific, cultural, sports, medical, and humanitarian purposes, among others; Travelers personal effects and goods imported for sports purposes; Goods for humanitarian purposes such as medical, surgical and laboratory equipment and relief consignments; Animals in relation to dressage, training, breeding, veterinary treatment, testing, rescue operations, and entertainment, among others.

As for the conditions that must be complied with for the enumerated goods to be granted temporary admission in the country, Philexport listed these requirements: the goods must be  imported for a specific purpose; the goods must be intended for re-exportation within the minimum period specified under the Istanbul Convention; and the goods shall not undergo any change except normal depreciation due to their use.

THE Philippines has asserted before a United Nations body that it has maritime rights over the seabed of the potentially oil-rich South China Sea beyond 200 nautical miles west of Palawan.

This is the second time the Philippines has asked the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) to extend its continental shelf limits. The first time was in 2009 when it submitted information on the Benham Rise, east of Luzon.

However, this submission is expected to be more complicated as it overlaps five other countries –China, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Taiwan – that are also claiming the islands, waters, and continental shelves of the South China Sea, CLCS submission THE Department of Foreign Affairs has submitted information to the CLCS requesting recognition that its continental shelf west of Palawan extends beyond 200 nautical miles. A continental shelf comprises

the seabed and subsoil of the submarine areas. Coastal states can explore oil and gas found in their respective continental shelf.

Under the UN Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS), coastal states can have maritime rights of up to 200 nautical miles over a continental shelf.

In cases where the continental shelf is elongated beyond 200 nautical miles from the baseline, the coastal state can request the UN to extend its maritime entitlements to a maximum of 350 nautical miles.

The CLCS, whose members are experts in geology, geophysics, and hydrography, approves the application of UNCLOS members who requested extended continental limits.

In 2012, the CLCS validated the Philippine claim for an extended continental shelf in Benham Rise, resulting in an additional 135,506 square kilometers of seabed area for the Philippines.

It took 15 years for the Extended Continental Shelf Technical Working Group (ECS-TWG), led by the state mapping agency National Mapping and Resource Information Agency (Namria), to put together

geodetic and hydrographic information, and geophysical and geological information to prove the country’s claim for the West Philippine Sea extended continental shelf. Aside from DFA and Namria, the other members of the ECS-TWG are: the Department of Justice, Department of Energy, National Security Council, Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Mines and Geosciences Bureau, University of the Philippines (UP) Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, UP National Institute of Geological Sciences, the former National Coast Watch Council Secretariat, Department of National Defense, Office of the Solicitor General and Philippine Coast Guard.

Why is this important DFA Assistant Secretary for Maritime and Ocean Affairs Marshall Louis M. Alferez asserted that this latest submission “is a declaration not only of the Philippines’ maritime entitlements under Unclos but also of the country’s commitment to the responsible application of its processes.”

By Malou Talosig-Bartolome

@maloutalosig

BEAMING AFFECTION On this radiant Father’s Day morning, June 16, 2024, a father and child bask in the warm sunshine along Parola Street in Barangay San Roque, Cainta, Rizal, creating a timeless moment of connection and joy. BERNARD TESTA

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng

B1 Monday, June 17, 2024

DOE: Foreign firms want to bid for hydrogen contracts

By Lenie Lectura @llectura

Several foreign firms are keen to participate in the public auction for hydrogen exploration in Central luzon, according to the Department of energy (DOe).

“We were pleasantly surprised at the level of interest with our areas that we are bidding out for hydrogen exploration. There were numerous companies from Australia, Europe and North America that have expressed their interest to participate in bidding for these hydrogen contracts. These hydrogen contracts are in fact novel in today’s world because apparently, it’s only the Philippines that has bid an area purposely for hydrogen exploration,” said DOE

Undersecretary Alessandro Sales during an online news conference last Friday.

Under the Philippine Bid Round, the DOE offered two pre-determined areas (PDAs) for the exploration of native hydrogen exploration in the Zambales-Pangasinan area. PDAPH-1 and PDA-PH-2 cover 134,096 and 96,439 hectares, respectively. Drilling a well may cost anywhere from P1.1 billion to P5 billion, depending on the depth and the area it covers.

“The naturally occurring hydrogen has been discovered in Mali and in France so that explains also the high interest on the part of the Europeans. I am sure that even our East Asian neighbors will also be looking at the opportunities in this area,” said DOE Secretary Raphael Lotilla.

The bid round is a governmentled process that invites oil and gas companies to participate in competitive bidding for the right to explore and develop specific acreage within the country. This initiative aims to facilitate efficient oil and gas exploration, promote economic growth, and ensure responsible resource management within the nation, the DOE said.

“The bid round actually opened sometime at the end of February. Initially, we are offering two areas for hydrogen exploration. The bid areas will close on August 27,” said Sales.

Foreign firms can participate 100 percent in petroleum and natural hydrogen explorations in the country, according to the agency.

The DOE also offered in February this year two PDAs for the development and production of petroleum with confirmed resources in Northwest Palawan and Southern Cebu basins.

These are PDA-DP-1, which is 60 kilometers from the north coast of Busuanga Island, while PDA-DP-2 covers 8,638 hectares in southern Cebu.

The DOE said PDA-DP-1 has an estimated reserve of 5.5 to 6.1 million barrels of oil (MMbbls) while PDA-DP-2 has an estimated resource of 26.3 to 31.9MMbbls of oil and favorable amounts of gas appearing in other exploratory wells.

The two PDAs for natural hydrogen exploration, the PDA-PH-1 and PDA-PH-2, cover 134,096 and 96,439 hectares, respectively.

Globe network reaches remote sites

By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

GLOBE Telecom Inc. said on Sunday its network has now reached more than 500 Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAs).

Ernest Cu, Globe president and CEO, said this enables remote communities to access essential online services, educational resources, and economic opportunities.

“At the heart of our mission is connecting the unconnected to build an inclusive, sustainable, and digitallyenabled nation. By dismantling barriers and unlocking opportunities, we are driving economic and social progress for all,” he said.

Over the past three years, Globe has invested P265 billion in capital expenditure and P236 billion in operational expenses to bolster its network capabilities.

Cu said this investment program is part of Globe’s push for inclusive connectivity, recognizing that ac-

Meralco gets offers for clean power CSP

THE Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) has received offers to supply its 500-megawatt (MW) capacity requirement.

“The BAC [Bids and Awards Committee] received three Expressions of Interest to participate in the 500MW RE [renewable energy] CSP [Competitive Selection Process],” Meralco Utility Economics head Lawrence Fernandez said in a Viber message. He did not disclose the identities of the interested power firms.

The 10-year Power Supply Agreement (PSA) resulting from this CSP will cover Meralco’s 350-MW midmerit requirement starting February 2025, which will increase by 150-MW beginning February 2026.

The conduct of this CSP is in compliance with the Department of Energy’s (DOE) policy on Renewable Portfolio Standards and forms part of Meralco’s commitment to source an increasing portion of its supply requirements from RE sources. Lenie Lectura

ERC junks petitions against 2022 ruling on Meralco rates

THE Energy Regulatory C ommission (ERC) has denied the petitions that sought the reconsideration of the agency’s 2022 decision affirming the Manila Electric Co.’s (Meralco) average rate and refund scheme.

The petitions were filed by the National Association of Electricity Consumers for Reforms Inc. (Nasecore), a former ERC commissioner, and a consumer advocate.

In an order released last June 14, the ERC denied the motions for reconsideration (MRs) filed in July 2022 by Nasecore, Romeo Junia, as well as the motion for partial reconsideration and clarificatory judgment filed by former ERC Commissioner Alfredo J. Non Jr.

The motions sought the reconsideration of the June 2022 decision and the dismissal of the case, arguing that it was contrary to the aims and purposes of the ERC’s Rules for Setting Distribution Wheeling Rates (RDWR) and the intents of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA).

cess to the internet has become a “life-enabler.”

He said Globe is actively working with the government to bolster its goal of “bridging the digital divide,” citing the creation of the Connectivity Plan Task Force (CPTF).

Led by Cu and established under the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) by President Marcos Jr., the CPTF aims to complement the Department of Information and Com-

munications Technology’s rollout of internet infrastructure in GIDAs. The task force is also advocating for policies essential to the development of telecommunications infrastructure.

“Bringing connectivity to the entire Philippines, including remote areas across the country, requires collaboration between the private sector and the government. Through this Task Force, we hope to synergize our efforts so that every corner of the country is connected, and Filipinos are able to enjoy the benefits of digital connectivity in an equitable way.”

PSAC has urged the government to allocate at least P240 billion to enhance internet infrastructure, emphasizing the necessity of commercial partnerships to build 35,000 new cell sites.

Additionally, the council has requested an annual allocation of at least P60 billion for DICT to lease towers, build last-mile facilities, and optimize existing telco infrastruc-

ture. This, the council earlier said, is vital for providing internet access to 125,000 public facilities, including schools, hospitals, and health centers, over the next four years.

Moreover, PSAC has highlighted the importance of implementing Executive Order No. 32 to streamline and expedite the permitting process for telecom infrastructure, a critical step in overcoming obstacles to network expansion. Cu called on local government units to support connectivity enhancement by reducing bureaucratic barriers that delay builds.

“We are very grateful that the President issued Executive Order No. 32 in July last year to streamline the permitting process for ICT infrastructure. But nearly a year since, we still experience barriers on the ground. We hope that LGUs [local government units] will honor the President’s order to the letter and enable, instead of hinder, the enhancement and expansion of connectivity across the country.”

Casino junket operator faces SEC complaint

By VG Cabuag @villygc

THE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed a criminal complaint against the group of casino junket operator Hector Aldwin Liao Pantollana for engaging in unlawful activities linked to money laundering.

In a complaint filed before the Department of Justice, the SEC charged Philippine National ESports League, Horizon Players Club and Team Z, all headed by Pantollana, with violations of the Securities Regulation Code (SRC) and the Anti-Money Laundering Act.

The SRC prohibits the sale or distribution of securities without a registration statement filed and approved by the SEC. Brokers and dealers of securities must likewise secure the necessary licenses from the SEC. Any violation of the provisions of the SRC is considered an unlawful activity or a predicate offense for money laundering under the AMLA.

The SEC implicated the alleged leaders of the casino junket operations (CJO) Zeus Liao Pantollana, Reymond Lacsamana Galang, Quar-

ry Quieng and Erwin L. Bangalan.

Also implicated were those who participated in the investmenttaking activities of the Pantollana group, including Den Abad, Daniel Agbisit, JM Almodiente, Rhoda Andrada Casuga, Avegail Namoc Cruz, Maricel Raposon Cesumision, Stephen Cecilia Dorog, Jennilyn Galletes Delos Santos Floresca, Raffy Palangdan Floresca, Heinn Carreon Humilde, Zen Carreon Humilde, Ariel Ramos Katigbak, Vanessa Mendoza Magboo, Paul Tolentino Maranan, Gumba Martinada, Kim Mejica, Christian Jerome Quizon, Neshema Rock Lorico Renta, Ronaldo Embing Renta, James Christopher Tan Roxas, Mikhaela Damasco Ty, Maria Cecilia Tabano Vizcayano, and Joseph Junia Zabala.

The complaint was filed after the SEC Enforcement and Investor Protection Department found the group to be soliciting investments from the public to finance their casino junket operation and casino financing activities.

The group allegedly issued loan contracts to investors with a promise of guaranteed profit ranging

from 60 percent to 111 percent per annum, with the payment of profits and return of capital guaranteed by postdated checks.

“Hector Pantollana’s CJO scheme masquerading as a mere Contract of Loan and secured by postdated checks is clearly an investment contract and undoubtedly, further an evidence of indebtedness. Therefore, a security within the purview of (the SRC),” the complaint read.

The SEC said Hector Pantollana’s operations has the characteristics of a Ponzi scheme, which lures investors with the promise of big profits and are actually repaid only with the investments coming from the new investors joining the scheme and tends to collapse soon after investors stop joining it.

Philippine National ESports League, Horizon Players Club and Team Z are not registered as corporations with the SEC.

In addition to a prayer for the filing of criminal information for violations of the SRC, the agency has prayed that the DOJ run after the proceeds of the group’s crime and any property used as a means of committing such offenses.

They questioned the decision of the ERC that granted Meralco’s instant application confirming the true-up calculation of its Average Tariff (AWAT), and approved the final refund scheme to account for those years.

The commission found no merit in the contentions made in the motions. The ERC, it said, exercised its general rate-setting authority and power to act on applications under the EPIRA in approving Meralco’s AWAT application. Without any definite rate-setting rules to govern the subsequent regulatory period for all entry groups under the Performance Based Regulation (PBR), the lapsed regulatory years continue to expand for all Private Distribution Utilities (PDUs), where no applicable rate was set, for approximately 7 years for the First Entry Group in which Meralco is included.

“When Meralco filed its AWAT Application with the Commission, it had to act and decide on the said application,” the ERC said.

With its decision, the Commission was able to address the long-drawn-out lapsed period of Meralco’s regulatory reset, cognizant of its intricacies and the need to ultimately put the lapsed period to a closure.

Dissenting the majority’s deci-

sion, ERC Chairperson Monalisa Dimalanta argued that dismissing the motions prevents the ERC from correcting mistakes and deprives consumers of their right to transparent and reasonable pricing. ERC Commissioner Catherine P. Maceda, also dissenting, said the ERC as a regulator has the obligation to ensure full transparency, due process and due diligence by involving the public in determining and setting electricity rates.

To recall, Meralco implemented in July 2015 an Interim Average Rate (IAR) of P1.3810 per kWh after filing an application and securing provisional approval from the ERC.

Thereafter, in February 2021, the ERC provisionally approved Meralco’s proposal to implement a Distribution Rate True-Up (DRTU) refund of P13.9 billion, representing the difference between IAR and AWAT covering the lapsed period from July 2015 to November 2020. This was equivalent to an average of P0.1528 per kWh refund rate over a period of 24 months or until the amount is fully refunded.

In March 2022, Meralco received and implemented an ERC Order dated February 23, 2022, expanding the coverage of its DRTU refund to include the December 2020 to December 2021 period, amounting to an additional P 4.8 billion or an average of P0.1064 per kWh, to be implemented over a period of 12 months or until the amount is fully refunded.

In May 2022, Meralco received an ERC order dated March 8, 2022, directing Meralco to refund P7.8 billion or an average of P0.2583 per kWh following the downward tariff adjustment resulting from the true-up of the Regulatory Asset Base for the 3rd Regulatory Period covering the period July 2011 to June 2015. In July 2022, Meralco received and implemented the ERC decision dated June 16, 2022, which set the final IAR for the entire lapsed period of July 2015 to June 2022 to P1.3522 per kWh and recalculated the difference between this final IAR and AWAT. This resulted in an additional DRTU refund totaling P21.8 billion or an average of P0.4790 per kWh for a period of 12 months starting July. Lenie Lectura

Photo from www.adb.org

Perspectives

Cybersecurity considerations 2024: Financial services sector

In today’s rapidly evolving landscape, financial services organizations are facing unprecedented challenges amid a backdrop of geopolitical tensions, regulatory shifts and emerging technologies like generative AI and embedded finance. As the global economy gains momentum, it’s crucial for financial services leaders to explore innovative avenues for value creation while managing cybersecurity risks and privacy concerns.

This article explores cybersecurity considerations in the financial services (FS) sector and provides a roadmap for navigating these challenges successfully and responsibly in an evolving threat and regulatory landscape.

Consideration 1: Navigate blurring global boundaries/ regulatory environment

AS the FS sector continues to scale technology innovations, regulators are responding with new cybersecurity standards to balance growth with governance. The daunting task for today’s security professionals is to calibrate their regulatory reporting for an increasingly borderless world while maintaining security controls that can be tailored to local requirements.

A central consideration for the FS sector is how to most effectively navigate the current business landscape to ensure resilience and business continuity. While multinational companies often lead the way in adopting emerging trends, smaller firms may often be less prepared to tackle these complexities. Through partnerships, firms can benefit from shared knowledge and enhance their security posture in response to evolving global regulatory demands without having to reinvent the wheel.

Consideration 2: Supercharge security with automation

DIGITA l agendas are proliferating at a massive rate. With the increasing shift to cloud-based systems and remote work, the volume of data that needs protection is skyrocketing. As a result, the cyberattack surface is expanding, creating more alerts and triage events for FS cybersecurity leaders to manage. So, how can security teams keep detecting threat after threat and identify what to prioritize? One of the most efficient ways to do that is through automation.

As operating models digitize, SOCs should automate and upgrade their processes to keep pace. With security automation, FS institutions can secure the third-party ecosystem, assess vulnerabilities, and expose weak links within vendor and supplier ecosystems. using AI and Ml , the sector can centralize critical security processes for high-

risk areas, enabling security teams to pursue more agile and efficient response times.

Consideration 3: Make identity individual not institutional TODAY, the line between businessto-consumer (B2C) and businessto-business (B2B) security has blurred considerably. Driven by intersecting business models, it’s vital that FS organizations now view identity not in isolation but from a holistic perspective. That’s an important driver toward an identity and access management (IAM) model that encompasses a new level of resilience suitable for federated, private, public, or multi-cloud computing environments.

While the FS sector actively embraces advanced cybersecurity and IM measures, there is a pressing need to accelerate the adoption and preparedness level to keep pace with change. Evolving to a model where a digital identity with a high level of assurance is a reality will enable businesses to collect, store and process less personally identifiable information, which would be a decidedly positive outcome for consumers.

How this connects to what we do In addition to assessing your cybersecurity program and helping you to ensure it aligns with your business priorities, KPMG professionals can assist financial services organizations develop advanced digital solutions, advice on the implementation and monitoring of ongoing risks and advice on the design of appropriate response to cyber incidents.

KPMG professionals are adept at applying leading thinking to financial services firms’ most pressing cybersecurity needs and developing custom strategies that are fit for purpose. KPMG professionals offer a broad array of technology solutions including cyber cloud assessments, privacy automation, third-party security optimization, AI security, managed detection and response.

This excerpt was taken from the KPMG Thought Leadership publication: https://kpmg. com/xx/en/home/insights/2024/05/cybersecurityconsiderations-2024-financial-services-sector. html.

© 2024 R.G. Manabat & Co., a Philippine partnership and a member-irm of the KPMG global organization of independent memberfirms affiliated with KPMG International Limited, a private English company limited by guarantee. All rights reserved. For more information, you may reach out through ph-kpmgmla@kpmg.com, social media 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 KPMG International or KPMG in the Philippines.

BIR wants QR code on vape products, unhealthy drinks

By Reine Juvierre Alberto

Aside from the proposed QR codes on cigarettes, the Bureau of internal Revenue (BiR) is also planning to use it for vape products, alcohol and sweetened beverages.

BIR Assistant Commissioner Jethro M. Sabaria told reporters that the agency will shift from a stampsbased system to a digital track-andtrace system starting with tobacco products in the second half of 2025.

Sabariaga said the internal revenue stamps affixed to cigarettes and vape products to ensure tax compliance are just “a stopgap measure” of the government because of its existing contract with the stamp provider.

“It’s just a simple qR system. You can have limited data just to verify whether the goods that you are procuring came from legitimate sources,” he said.

The digital system will be applied on a staggered basis, which will start with tobacco, followed by a “sin product” every six months, such as alcohol, sugar-sweetened beverages and vape products.

“It’s a pay-as-you-use system so it’s tacked on every product that you buy,” Sabariaga said, adding that the cost is passed on to the consumer. He noted that the qR code system will be a public-private partnership (PPP) project which the government will inherit after 6 to 12 years or after the end of the term of its contract with provider.

unl ike the tax stamp system in which the government only obtains data, the qR code system will enable the government to inherit the system so it could further improve and address the problems it might encounter during the life cycle of the market, Sabariaga said. With the qR system in place, he expects manufacturers of sin products will ensure that their products will go through BIR before putting it out in the market.

Sabariaga, however, did not give an estimate as to the contribution of the initiative to the revenues of the BIR. He said revenues will “grow further” if consumers trust the products they are buying.

“I think the most important thing about it is that the consumers will have a greater degree of reliability and authenticity of the products that they are purchasing,” he said.

Sabariaga said the government should be concerned about the exercise of its policy---the power to prevent public harm or injuries to public health.

“The main objective in imposing these excise taxes is to deter con-

sumption. So you should not be expecting bigger revenues,” he added. The BIR targets to collect P2.848 trillion in revenues this year, which was revised downward by the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC), from its initial goal of P3.055 trillion. Excise tax collection of the BIR amounted to P291.661 billion in 2023, which was 12.95 percent lower than its target of P335.04 billion. Sabariaga said the gap between the BIR’s current excise tax take from its target collection could further widen this year due to changes in the consumption habits of Filipinos.

Govt issues regulation for invoicing requirements

THE government issued a new regulation that prescribed the deadlines for compliance with the new invoicing requirements under Republic Act (RA) 11976, or the Ease of Paying Taxes (EOPT) Act. Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Romeo D. lumagui Jr. and Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto issued Revenue Regulation (RR) no. 11-2024 to amend the transitory provisions of RR no. 7-2024. under RR 11-2024, taxpayers may now convert and use their remaining Official Receipts as Invoice as well as convert the Billing Statement/ Statement of Account/Statement of Charges into Billing Invoice until fully consumed.

lumagui said in a news program last Thursday that taxpayers are allowed to strikethrough the word “Official Receipt” or “Billing Statement” and stamp “Invoice,” “Cash Invoice,” “Charge Invoice,” “Credit Invoice,” “Billing Invoice,” “Service Invoice,” or any name describing the transaction.

Kayo na po ang magtatatak noon. Basta po ang importante, nakapagsubmit po kayo ng imbentaryo ng iko -convert po na Official Receipt to Invoice [The taxpayers will stamp

it themselves. What is important is that they have submitted an inventory that they will convert the Official Receipt to Invoice],” lumagui said. The inventory must be submitted on or before July 31, 2024.

The BIR noted that the converted “Official Receipt” or “Billing Statement” must contain the required information provided under Section 6(B) of RR no. 7-2024, including the quantity, unit cost and description or nature of service pursuant to Section 237 of the national Internal Revenue Code (Tax Code).

“The above documents shall be considered valid for claiming of input tax by the buyer/purchaser and can serve as proof of both sales transaction and payment at the same time for the period issued from April 27, 2024 until they are fully consumed,” the BIR said.

This, as long as the converted Invoice/Billing Invoice to be issued bears the stamped “Invoice/Billing Invoice” and there is no missing information, such as the amount of sales, value-added tax amount, registered name and tax identification number, description of goods or nature of services and date of transaction.

The BIR added that any issued manual or loose leaf “Official Receipts” without a stamped “Invoice” will be considered supplementary documents and ineligible for input tax claims.

Further, the BIR said taxpayers using CRM/POS/E-receipting/Einvoicing may change the word “Official Receipt” to “Invoice” or any name describing the transaction without informing the Revenue District Office having jurisdiction over their place of business of such sales machines.

For taxpayers using duly registered Computerized Accounting System (CAS) or Computerized Books of Accounts (CBA) with Accounting Records (AR), the BIR said their system registration must be updated and enhanced until December 31, 2024.

The BIR said Official Receipts issued by CRM/POS machines, ereceipting or electronic invoicing software, CAS or CBA with AR are considered valid for claiming of input tax by the buyer until December 31, 2024 or until the completion of machine/system configuration.

Moreover, the BIR warned that the issuance of Official Receipts, with or without strikethrough,

generated by CRM/POS machines, e-receipting or electronic invoicing software, CAS or CBA with AR after December 31, 2024, without converting them to “Invoice” starting April 27, 2024, will not be considered as evidence of sales. Such failure will be with not less than P1,000 but not more than P50,000 and imprisonment of not less than two years but not more than four years, according to the BIR. “ Ito pong EOPT, para mas simple po at walang magiging kalituhan ay ginawa na lang pong invoice whether involved po kayo sa pagbibenta ng serbisyo o ng mga produkto [u nd er the EOPT, to make it simpler and eliminate confusion, the receipts are turned into invoice, whether the taxpayer is involved in the sales of services or goods],” l um agui said.

The EOPT Act was signed by the president with a veto message on January 5 with effectivity on January 22 as a priority legislation that will support the administration’s 8-Point Socioeconomic Agenda through the collection of more taxes to enhance economic and social development.

Reine Juvierre Alberto

New tax law offers reprieve to delinquent property owners, says solon

By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

DE l I nqu E n T t axpayers will get a reprieve with the enactment of the Real Property Valuation and Assessment Reform Act (RPVARA), according to the chairman of the Senate Ways and Means committee. This means that delinquent taxpayers would not have to pay interest or penalty for any outstanding real property tax payments, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said over the weekend. Specifically, he noted, the new law sets a two-year amnesty on interests and penalties for taxpayers with unpaid real property tax.

“We hope that the passage of this law would eventually encourage compliance among taxpayers

of real property tax as they get to enjoy nonpayment of interest and penalties when they pay their outstanding real property taxes,” said Gatchalian, the principal author of the RPVARA. According to him, the new legislation is also expected to hasten the automation of services provided by local government units (lGus), and in turn help enhance the efficiency of tax collection of lGus; and consequently, the delivery of services to their constituents.

He noted that the creation of the Real Property Information system will provide an up-to-date electronic database of the sale, exchange, lease, mortgage, donation, transfer, and all other real property transactions and declarations in the country. “The enactment of RPVARA

gives us a remarkable opportunity not only to modernize our processes but also to reaffirm our commitment to progress, efficiency, and fairness in property valuation,” Gatchalian said, emphasizing that the RPVARA would bring about a uniform valuation standard for real property assets.

He said adopting a better valuation system ensures that more people benefit from their land and properties, promoting development and boosting wealth for the country.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signed the RPVARA into law last week, as Republic Act 12001, a priority legislation that is included in the Common l eg islative Agenda of the Marcos administration.

In signing it, Marcos said the government’s 8-Point Socioeconomic Agenda puts primacy on the

pursuit of bureaucratic efficiency driven by transparency, digitalization, and the practice of innovative work processes in the service.

The law, according to the President, streamlines and enhances the real property valuation and assessment system through a uniform real property appraisal that is compliant with international standards.

The RPVARA adopts the prevailing market value as the single real property valuation base for the assessment of real property tax and complements the government’s efforts to modernize services in the local government units through the Real Property Information System.

under RPVARA, real property tax increases are capped at 6 percent in the first year, and a real property tax amnesty is granted

for penalties, surcharges, and interests on unpaid taxes, available within two years of the law’s effectivity.

A key aspect of the reform is the separation of the technical valuation process from the political local taxation process, which enhances objectivity and accuracy.

The RPVARA also addresses several issues in the current system, including overregulation and overlapping policies that result in inconsistent property valuations.

It introduces several key provisions aimed at improving the property valuation system. The law mandates the adoption of the Philippine Valuation Standards (PVS) based on International Valuation Standards (IVS) to ensure consistency, and it transfers the approval of the Schedule of Market Values (SMVs) from local Sanggunians to

the Secretary of Finance to protect the process from political influence.

The RPVARA also promotes full automation of real property systems with assistance from the Department of Information and Communications Technology and incorporates compliance with updated SMVs as a criterion for the Seal of Good l oc al Governance. Additionally, the Real Property Tax Administration Fund was created to facilitate the updating of SMVs and property tax administration. The law reorganizes the Bureau of l oc al Government Finance by establishing the Real Property Valuation Service under it, along with Real Property Valuation units in each l Gu, ma king the Bl GF t he primary body for maintaining the PVS.

BusinessMirror file photo

Explainer

DEMOCRACY IN CRISIS: Examining rising voter discontent in global elections

By Nicholas Riccardi, Isabel Debre & Danica Kirka The Associated Press

In a community center in East London, about 20 men gathered for their regular lunch meeting, sipping coffee and tea from mismatched mugs and engaging in an increasingly popular pastime in the world’s democracies: Complaining about their government.

They feel estranged from the country’s leadership—its wealthy prime minister and their members of parliament.

“It feels like you are second-class people. Our MPs don’t represent us people. Political leaders don’t understand what we go through,” said Barrie Stradling, 65. “Do they listen to people? I don’t think they do.’’

In a coffee shop in Jakarta, Ni Wayan Suryatini, 46, bemoaned the results of the recent election, in which the son of Indonesia’s former president ascended to the country’s vice presidency and the opposition parties seemed to do little to stop him.

“It is difficult to trust them since they only want to reach their goals. As long as they achieve their goals, they will forget everything else,” Suryatini said of politicians.

And inside her cheerfully cluttered craft shop in Greeley, Colorado, Sally Otto, 58, contemplated with dread the upcoming U.S. presidential election between President Joe Biden and the man he defeated in 2020, former President Donald Trump: “I feel like we’re back where we were, with the same two poor choices,” Otto said.

As half the world’s population votes in elections this year, voters are in a foul mood. From South Korea to Poland to Argentina, incumbents have been ousted in election after election. In just the last week, voters in South Africa who are reeling from deep poverty, inequality and unemployment handed a historic defeat to the African National Congress, which lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since apartheid ended 30 years ago. In Latin America alone, leaders and their parties had lost 20 elections in a row until this past weekend's presidential election in Mexico, according to a tally by Steven Levitsky, a Harvard professor of government.

The dynamic is likely to repeat itself as the European Union launches its legislative elections this week, where conservative populist parties are expected to register gains across the continent. EU parliamentary elections are usually an opportunity for voters in individual countries to vent their frustrations because the candidates they elect will have power in Brussels rather than their own national capitals. In the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called elections for later this summer in which his party is expected to struggle.

“In many ways we’ve never had it so good, objectively speaking, and yet people are so unsatisfied,” said Matthias Matthijs, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, D.C.

reasons for the dissatisfaction are m any, from social media’s ability to magnify problems to the painful recovery from the coronavirus pandemic to the backlash toward economic and cultural changes sparked by globalization and mass immigration.

Though in places like Europe, the populist right has notched several gains and is expected to make more, there is little ideological consistency globally to the unhappiness. In a recent Pew poll across 24 democracies, a median of 74 percent of respondents said they didn’t think politicians cared what people like them think, and 42 percent said no political party represented their viewpoint.

“It's about economics and culture, but it's also about the functioning of politics itself,” said Richard Wike, managing director of Pew's Global Attitudes Research, citing polarization of voters into warring camps. “It can lead to a situation where politics is seen as a zero-sum game. People see more of an existential threat from the other side, and that makes people unhappy about democracy.”

Experts say there is one notable exception to the trend of global anger with elected leaders—places where the leaders are anti-establishment, populist strongmen of all ideological persuasions.

“Antisystem outsider, populist figures are winning more than in the past,” Levitsky said. “Whether they constitute any movement is unclear to me.”

In Mexico, leftist President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is termed out but broke the streak of losses for Latin American leaders’ parties as his handpicked successor, Claudia Sheinbaum, won Sunday’s presidential election. In Argentina, newly elected president Javier Milei, a self-described “anarcho-capitalist” dubbed “the madman” by admirers, remains popular despite the country’s crippling economic problems that have persisted following his austerity and deregulation reforms.

“I was never interested in politics because nothing ever changed,” said Sebastian Sproviero, a 37-year-old engineer at a Buenos Aires concert that featured Milei belting out rock anthems. “Now it has.”

In India, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been criticized for eroding the world’s most populous democracy, the Pew poll found the country had the highest support among all surveyed countries for a more authoritarian form of government, with two-thirds of respondents there backing a strong leader system of government.

WAR n I n G SIG nS F OR d e MO CRACY

S TILL , even some of the more authorit arian governments such as Modi’s have had to deal with dissatisfaction with the status quo. Modi won his third term as India’s prime minister in national elections that wrapped up Tuesday, but his conservative Hindu nationalist party had an underwhelming showing and will likely need to join a coalition to form a government.

In Hungary, where Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has stocked the judiciary and media with loyalists and revised the country's constitution to favor his party, a former member of his Fidesz party, Péter Magyar, has emerged as a new, increasingly popular critic and challenger.

“More and more people in Hungary are increasingly feeling this antiestablishment desire,” said Péter Ember as he attended one of Magyar’s recent demonstrations in Budapest. “We really want to reform this existing political culture, from the opposition to the ruling party. We want a new one, and we want people that work for us.”

The global anti-incumbent mood, coupled with the success of antiestablishment populists, comes amid several warning signs for the health of democracy. The Pew poll found democracy’s appeal slipping, even as it remained the preferred system of government around the world. Freedom House, a Washington-based organization that promotes democracy, said its “Free -

dom Index” measuring democratic health globally has declined for 18 straight years.

Adrian Shahbaz, a vice president at Freedom House, attributed the erosion of support to a series of crises since the turn of the century, including the September 11, 2001, terror attacks in the US, the 2008-09 global recession and the coronavirus pandemic. Adding to the stress, he said, is the increasing focus on identity issues such as transgender policies and immigration in democratic politics, especially in Europe and the US.

“The key cleavages in democracies tend to be around identity issues rather than economic ones,” Shahbaz said. “That in itself can be very risky because democracy depends on a civil identity that goes beyond tribal identifications.”

Still, the picture is not all gloom for democracy. The anti-incumbent fervor also helped spur some victories for people’s rights to choose their own leaders.

In Senegal in March, voters selected a new president after the incumbent unsuccessfully tried to postpone the election. In Guatemala last year, Bernardo Arévalo, a sociologist and anticorruption crusader, won the country’s presidential election despite efforts by the incumbent party to block certification of his victory.

d ISCO ntent R unS d ee P I n t H e u.S

ONE of the greatest tests comes in the US in November when voters will decide whether to stay with Biden or return Trump to the White House. The former president unsuccessfully tried to overturn his 2020 election loss, leading to the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, and two of the four criminal cases he's currently facing. Biden, meanwhile, is hampered by an unenthusiastic public—61 percent of adults did not approve of his performance in office in an AP-NORC poll taken in March.

A CNN poll found 53 percent of registered voters were unhappy with the choice between Biden and Trump.

The low poll numbers frustrate many Biden advisers given the US economy's relatively strong recent performance

compared with the rest of the world. But international pollsters say the US shows particularly stark signs of polarization and unhappiness. The Pew poll identified sharper levels of polarization in the US than in most other democracies. The Gallup Organization found that the US ranks at or near the bottom in confidence in its institutions among the wealthy G7 countries.

One of the few things that unites US voters is frustration over their choices in this fall's presidential contest, a relic of the country's winner-take-all constitutional system, which naturally devolves into competitions between two major political parties fought in the few states where the Electoral College votes are up for grabs.

“I’m angry, but it’s like, what is the solution to my anger? Who am I going to vote for is a great question because the answer is I really don’t know, to be quite honest,” said Kenji Takada-Dill, a 30-year-old video editor in Seattle. “We’ve known for a long time that the two-party system doesn’t work. None of the candidates represent my beliefs or my values.”

In Greeley, a city of 112,000 that lies on Colorado's plains 60 miles northeast of Denver, Otto, the craft store owner, said she probably leans conservative but has long tried to ignore politics. That's proved harder since she started using social media to promote her business, where the country's nasty partisan feuds have leaked into her feeds as she promotes ceramics classes and youth programs.

Stepping into the store with her two children, Kristina McGuffey, 41, also bemoaned the increasing toxicity of US politics.

“I just love the way America was founded, one nation under God,” McGuffey said. “We've become people who, when we don't get our way, we throw a hissy fit.”

Riccardi reported from Denver, DeBre from Buenos Aires and Kirka from London. Associated Press writers Gary Fields in Washington, Justin Spike in Budapest and Edna Tarigan in Jakarta contributed to this report.

Student S protest for more

TernoCon 2024: Culture, couture, courage

‘TERNOCON 2024: Kasarinlan, Kultura, Kasuotan, held on June 10, 2024, was a fashionable prelude to the 126th Philippine Independence Day.

Part of the #LoveLocal campaign of Bench and the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the venue was at the massive Museo del Galeón at the SM Mall of Asia. An exhibit at the SM Mall of Asia Main Mall Atrium is ongoing until June 23, 2024.

This year’s TernoCon is a special celebration of Philippine Independence, as threats to our sovereignty abound. Using fashion as a platform, it features the Philippine Dress as interpreted by three fashion designers.

Jaggy Glarino, from General Santos City in Mindanao, was one of the winners of the Bench Design Awards 2017 and TernoCon 2020. Cary Santiago, from Cebu City in the Visayas, was the grand winner of the Philippine Young Designers Competition in 2004. Jesus “Jojie” Lloren, from Pateros In Luzon, was the winner of the Philippine Young Designers Competition as well as the Concours International des Jeunes Creatures de Mode in Paris in 1998.

This edition follows Paskong TernoCon at SM Aura Premier last year. Halloween next, perhaps?

“Isang mundo, isang awit...a trite yet timely message voiced in design, movement, music, and space at TernoCon 2024. A million thanks to the SM Supermalls and to its president, Steven Tan, for the trust and determination to realize a vision,” shares Gino Gonzales, the creative director, “and the CCP and Bench for their unwavering commitment to propagate the Philippine terno and Filipino design.”

JAGGY GLARINO:

MINDANAO’S GOLDEN CHILD

THE fashion disruptor and enfant terrible presented a collection, titled “Lemlunay”—a recollection of his childhood memories growing up in a Mindanao that was idyllic and intriguing for an imaginative gay boy. The T’bolis and Lake Sebu served as his focal points. Glarino shares his gigil and kilig of joining the Big Leagues:

“I was stunned [when I asked to be part of TernoCon 2024], to say the least. I have looked up to Cary and Jojie, they are masters and they’ve both inspired me

Of shades and salons

PEOPLE with curly hair used to have three options when it came to hair styling. They either had to have it rebonded, wear their hair in a bun or ponytail, or use a straightening iron everyday. None of these options are easy nor hair- and scalp-friendly.

If they did go to a salon for a haircut, hairstylists would usually recommend a rebond, a Brazilian blowout, and other chemical treatments, after which the hair would be styled into a long or short bob.

That has changed now. Salons like Ulo Salon Studio and stylists like Tish Mahtani are helping change the way those with curly hair look at themselves.

I talked to Tish via email about all things hair and she very kindly answered some of my questions.

“For me, it’s asking the client to rebond/chemically straighten their hair instead of embracing the natural pattern,” said Tish, when asked what the most common mistake hairstylists make.

Ulo Salon started in Siargao in June 2020 but the flagship Manila branch (at 187 N. Averila Street, San Juan) just marked its first year anniversary.

It’s not surprising that Ulo Salon’s popularity started online.

“Our curly community started when our friend and curly hair advocate Tiff Kang posted a viral video of her Ulo Salon experience on TikTok and Instagram. We were also reviewed in some Reddit and Facebook groups, such as Best of the Best Manila and CGM Philippines,” said Tish.

Ulo Salon is a three-seater so it’s really better to make an appointment.

“What we are most proud of is our unspoken rule to overcommunicate with our client. Before every service, you will know what to expect, how much you will pay exactly,

industry. I grew up watching Project Runway, where Jojie was a mentor. I have long desired to be mentored by him, which is why I enrolled in his school.

“Cary is a champion of young, upcoming fashion design talents. Ma Cary is never shy about liking and commenting on young designers’ posts, giving us the moral boost we need. I knew it was a huge role to fill, but I also knew it was an opportunity I would regret

what step we are in the process and why it is important. We are your hair’s friend and we like to extend our service beyond the salon walls. This means you can ask us questions about your hair anytime,” said Tish.

Ulo Salon is very popular among Gen Z and young millennials but if you’re older than that age range, do not be intimidated as they also get a lot of older clients.

For those who have curly, wavy, or textured hair, Tish has this advice: Develop a good working relationship with your stylist, and together you can figure out the right cut, color, tools, products and process that are personalized for you. We asked Tish for some tips on hair care and what she shared were quite interesting.

On shampooing everyday:

“I cannot generalize this answer. Some people will benefit from everyday washing and others do not. My advice is to listen to the cues your body gives you. You will know when your hair and scalp need washing. A good indicator is if your scalp looks visibly oily, starts to itch, starts to smell. Then it’s time to shampoo. If these three signals happen daily and everyday washing does not fix it, you might have a scalp microbiome imbalance and it’s time to seek professional help.”

On shampooing and combing for those with curly hair:

“Shampoo goes on the scalp only [unless your hair is really dirty or oily]. Brush your hair with a wide tooth comb or detangler brush in the shower during conditioning not shampooing. Wet hair is more fragile than dry hair, Conditioner will lessen the friction and breakage you experience. For curlies, your goal will always be to increase the hydration levels and decrease friction when managing your hair.”

We also asked her about her favorite products. Tish said the list changes all the time but for now, these are her favorites:

n A good quality silk or satin pillowcase

n Curlico Creme gel (“a Filipino-owned cult fave among curlies!”)

n K18 hair mask for super damaged and sensitized hair

n Aveda Scalp Solutions Treatment to balance the scalp’s microbiome

n Ulo Salon Overnight Scalp Massage Oil to strengthen and moisturize hair and prevent breakage and split ends

n Vodana 34mm Curling Iron (“Korean brand, best quality!”)

n Lakme BioArgan Oil is best for everyday use for all hair

“The project brief? Mindanao. My goal was to interpret it respectfully through my own perspective and express it through my fashion. I remember [TernoCon creative director] Gino Gonzales and [head stylist] Noel Manapat telling me that we are not only tasked with showcasing our work but also with educating others. Balancing those aspects was a bit challenging.

“I hope we can continue learning about Mindanao. Creating this collection inspired me to delve deeper into my roots and reflect on why I love home in the first place. I’ve done my best to incorporate these elements into my design DNA, and I hope clients will appreciate its beauty and choose to wear more of it.”

JESUS ‘JOJIE’ LLOREN:

LUZON’S DESIGN SAVIOR

LOSING a mother is one of life’s most painful experiences. In a heart-tugging presentation, Lloren paid homage to his beloved mother, Herminia Tuazon Lloren, as well as a patriotic tribute to our Motherland.

In Lullaby for My Mother, he used brocade, faux suede, silk shantung, silk dupion, cotton muslin, printed satin and cotton shirtings, with treatments such as handpainting, lamination, tufting, and gilting.

The lyrical collection showed Lloren’s strength as a designer: Genius. Nuanced. Cerebral. Still grieving but fast recovering, he shares his sentimental thoughts:

“Mommy’s death intensified my emotions and pushed me further to make a collection that in my mind would make her happy. I wanted to transform those ugly things she went through into something beautiful.

“She was the driving force behind my desire to make good of my career. I wanted to repay her with something she can be proud of for all that she sacrificed and did for my sister and myself.

As someone who has brought honor to the Motherland, what does it take for one to become a world-class designer?

“Not that I consider myself one, but I think it’s a designer’s creativity, dedication and fortitude.”

CARY SANTIAGO: THE VISIONARY FROM THE VISAYAS

AS the best Filipino fashion designer practicing the craft today, Santiago’s Ikonograpiya celebrates our national symbols, such as the jeepney, sampaguita, anahaw leaf, Philippine eagle, carabao, and mangoes.

Santiago’s opening ensemble had our National Hero, José Rizal, and his books Noli Me Tángere and El Fiibusterismo on a red crepe dress worn by supermodel Ria Bolivar. The finale, meanwhile, featured the tet of our national anthem, “Lupang Hinirang,” on an asymmetric gazar skirt worn by Michelle Dee.

The collection is quintessentially Cary—distinct, unique, incomparable.

“I said yes to present a collection at TernoCon for a second time] because I know Bench and the CCP make a fabulous production. The team of Bench—Gino and Noel—they are the best in their field. And TernoCon is always a well-attended event.

“With the limited time, I had to make use of my old techniques. What I am thankful to the Lord for is that finally, TernoCon 2024 has culminated.” n

types n Diptyque Eau De Sens Hair Mist leaves a fresh smelling trail that turns heads

n “Our Sacred Moon Enerhiya Herbal Coffee blend [it has Chinese herb Hè Shôu Wū] that helps prevent premature graying and increase hair growth. This is a healthier coffee alternative for non-coffee drinkers.”

n All Lakme shampoos. “My top three on rotation are: Relief, BioArgan, Organic Balance.”

UNLOCKING THE ART OF NAIL TRANSFORMATION CND, a nail care line distributed by New Summit Colors Distribution Inc. in the Philippines, is hosting a transformative training and launch, dubbed Unlocking the Art of Nail Transformation, on June 18 and 19. The event will take place at the New Summit Colors Distribution Inc. training center in Parañaque City on June 18 and the Sequoia Hotel in Quezon City on June 19. What’s

and CND Brisa Gel, as well as understanding how to improve salon profits with additional spa services like CND Pro Skincare. Nataliya Al-ta’ai, who has over 18 years in the nail industry, began her journey as a CND Education Ambassador in 2011 and ascended to

TERNOCON 2024 Marina Benipayo in Jaggy Glarino; Jesus Lloren with Maine Mendoza and Jo Ann Bitagcol: Cary Santiago; Michelle Dee; and Jaggy Glarino.

DENR pio NE ER s BakaJua N , a c T iv E

The Department of e nv ironment and Natural Resources (D e NR ) is pioneering disaster risk reduction by rolling out a citizen science program.

Spearheaded by D e NR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga, this program aims to manage and protect the Philippines’ vital mangrove cover as part of the BakaJuan project, with volunteers and stakeholders actively implementing it.

The agency reported a reduction of the Philippine mangrove forests from 450,000 hectares in 1918 to 303,373 in 2015. Recognizing the urgency, the D e NR and the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) established the Nationwide Mangrove Mapping initiative, which utilizes the National Mangrove Map 2023, a satellite-derived map designed to detect and validate mangrove cover in the country.

Yulo-Loyzaga has emphasized the power of citizen science in the initiative, urging public participation in tracking and protecting mangroves. Individuals can use the ODK Collect app to verify the presence of mangroves in coastal barangays and send drone-taken photographs to PhilSA.

Citizen scientists called “BakaJuan” volunteers are critical to the project’s success. “Amid the climate emergency and destruc-

tion of mangroves, everyone has the ability to make a difference by tracking and protecting our natural resources,” YuloLoyzaga said.

As of May 22, 2024, 81 percent of the soft target—4,955 out of 6,110 validation points—has been met, rising to 95 percent on May 26, 2024, with 5,828 entries. D e NR h opes to finish the field validation of over 600 sites and 30,000 validation points around the country by June 2024.

But days shy of the target schedule, the Department, through a post on its official Facebook page, has announced a 100 percent completion rate of its 6,000 soft target. The milestone is only Phase One of the campaign. Further announcements shall be made by the Department to kick off the campaign’s Phase Two.

According to the De NR , validating the National Mangrove Map is critical for appropriately assessing the country’s natural resources, which contribute to climate resilience and sustainable development. This endeavor is consistent with Yulo-Loyzaga’s appeal to “measure what we treasure,” and the government’s dedication to protecting vital ecosystems is in line with this endeavor.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. himself recognizes the importance of mangrove

preservation, describing it as a “very big” issue. “It is a very important point for the Philippines because of all the waterways that we have,” he said.

The Philippines’ coastlines thrive with a unique ecosystem: mangroves. The country has 35 kinds of these salt-tolerant trees, mostly located in Palawan and Sulu, according to state think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS). But mangroves are more than just coastal flora; they are the Philippines’ natural protection against typhoons.

This archipelago is frequently battered by storms. In 2013 alone, Super Typhoon Yolanda killed over 6,000 people and cost $2 billion in damages.

h er e’s where mangroves come in: World Bank’s WAV e S Program report emphasized its importance in reducing flood threats. According to the report, mangroves provide communities with protection from the worst of storm surges and typhoons, with its trunks and canopies lessening the effects of waves and storm surges, reducing floods; its aerial roots stabilizing sediments, avoiding erosion.

With the possibility of a La Niña phenomenon looming in the country, foreseen to bring stronger winds and heavy rainfall, healthy mangrove forests become even more crucial. State weather bureau Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration predicts a 62 percent possibility of La Niña emerging between June and August this year.

To address the diminishing coverage of the country’s mangrove forests, the BakaJuan campaign requires the feasible and relevant participation of the people to help arrest the decline, an endeavor that reflects the Marcos administration’s “whole-of-society” paradigm in nation-building.

The D e NR , led by Yulo-Secretary Loyzaga, spearheads the mindset for building the country’s resilience to climate change’s extreme weather impacts. The Department encourages more volunteers to join the campaign.

This BakaJuan project complements existing science-based projects led by the D e NR to improve disaster resilience and management throughout the country.

Toyota breaks ground for new dealership in Tugbok, Davao

it is completed and will serve the motorists of the biggest city in Mindanao and other nearby communities.

During the groundbreaking ceremony, TMP President Masando Hashimoto said, “Davao City is one of the most progressive and promising areas in the Philippines sustaining elevated levels of economic growth. The presence of service, manufacturing, and agriculture sectors shows that this city will continue to boost the economy and create livelihood.”

“With this positive outlook, Toyota Motor Philippines would like to provide the community with the improved mobility of people, goods and services by establishing another Toyota dealership in Davao City,” he added.

Toyota Tugbok, Davao will be a 3S dealership offering sales of Toyota vehicles, after-sales services, and spare parts. The dealership will feature a modern design that will create an inviting atmosphere and provide the best quality service.

For the latest updates on Toyota products, services, events, and promos, follow Toyota Motor Philippines on Facebook and Instagram, ToyotaMotorPH on X, and join the ToyotaPH community on Viber.

a Female Leader and Healer: Dr. Jamilla Cecilia Llanes Gomez

BRE a KING new ground in nuclear medicine, D r. Jamilla Cecilia Llanes Gomez exemplifies balanced leadership inspired by service and fueled by passion. Dr. Gomez believes in healing both mind and body and ventures into new advances to adapt to the changing times.

Dr. Gomez is one of the identical twin daughters of Cesar Zuno Gomez and Milagros Llanes Gomez. Her twin sister, Regina, is an international lawyer based in the Netherlands. Inspired by her mother, who was also a Thomasian doctor, Dr. Gomez began her medical journey at the University of Santo Tomas.

a ft er graduating cum laude with a B.S. in

Psychology, she then earned her Doctor of Medicine degree in 2006. She completed her Nuclear Medicine residency at St. Luke’s Medical Center and a one-year fellowship at Seoul National University Hospital. She passed the a si an Nuclear Medicine Board Exam in yok ohama, Japan. Dr. Gomez put her MB a n Health from the a te neo Graduate School of Business in Rockwell to good use. Her visionary leadership has transformed nuclear medicine departments in the country. She is the head of the Nuclear Medicine Division at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute, the first government hospital in the country to have a PET-CT machine.

Heading the PET center at both the Chinese General Hospital and Medical Center in Manila and Prime Health Imaging in Quezon City, Dr. Gomez brings her expertise in Radioactive Iodine for thyroid diseases and Lutetium therapy for prostate cancer to St. Luke’s Medical Center, Global City. For the latter, she honed her theranostics acumen at the world-renowned Peter MacCallum Cancer Center in Melbourne. a si de from participating in various medical missions, Dr. Gomez joined the Rotary Club of Makati Edsa to further cement and experience its motto “service above self.” She recounts fulfilling medical missions with hundreds of patients in

Level Up your Play with Toy Kingdom Kiddie Crew

leading toy s tore, is excited to bring back the TK Kiddie Crew program.   This exciting initiative is a unique opportunity for children, ages five to 10, to step into the wondrous world of toys and develop valuable skills. Over the five-day program, kids will embark on a funfilled journey to which they will gain knowledge in customer greeting, gift wrapping, selling and cashiering.

The program understands that play is essential for a child’s development. a s such, it is designed to foster important social and personal development in a fun and supportive environment where children can build confidence, enhance their communication skills and make lasting friendships.

a ra celi, Palawan, and intimate outreach missions to grandfather and grandmother beneficiaries. Dr. Gomez practices what she preaches. Meditation, or the practice of being still or silencing the mind, is an ongoing practice Dr. Gomez prioritizes. She has joined groups for meditation and led guided meditation sessions for NKTI and CGHMC hospital staff. She also dances in her free time, including group classes and social dancing, as dancing is one of her passions.

Dr. Gomez exhausts all means to optimize her health. She has been taking Celergen, an FDGapproved oral cell therapy made in Switzerland.

Dr. Gomez is a staunch believer in its super antioxidants: patented biomarine cell technology, collagen, and hydro MN Peptide, which decreases glycemic index. She shares this to help others also

This year, the TK Kiddie Crew program takes inclusivity to a whole new level together with its partner, Make- a -Wish Philippines. Not only will a select group of enthusiastic applicants be chosen for the activity, but also brave kids from Make- a -Wish Philippines will have the chance to join the fun alongside their peers to experience an unforgettable summer. Catch the TK Kiddie Crew this June at Toy Kingdom SM Megamall!   For more info on our upcoming activities and promos, follow Toy KingdomPH on social media (Facebook, Instagram and TikTok) and website (https://www.toykingdom.com.ph/) for more info.

reap its benefits.

Dr. Gomez is a testament to what can be achieved with passion and dedication. Her vision for the future of nuclear medicine in the Philippines is both inspiring and hopeful, aiming to push the boundaries of medical science and enhance patient care through innovation, compassion, and service. Dr. Jamilla Cecilia Llanes Gomez remains an inspiration in the world of nuclear medicine, both as a healer and a female leader.

Dr. Gomez cell phone number for patients and Celergen inquiries: +63917-50-200-11, Prime Health Imaging Quezon City +6390-60029-461, Chinese General Hospital and Medical Center PETCT +63917-144-5090, and NKTI PETCT +63917-329-7812.

Saving the country’s mangrove through BakaJuan. PHOTO CREDIT: DENR

BusinessMirror Marketing

Rules fRom the eQ toolkit that can change youR life

EMOTIONS are great. They make us human. But they can also cause us to say and do things we later regret.

Justin Bariso of EQ Applied has spent thousands of hours over the past decade studying emotional intelligence, the ability to understand and manage emotions.

Over time, he has “built a toolkit of psychological hacks, a series of frameworks that help make better decisions in emotional moments,” which he calls The Rules of Emotional Intelligence. Here, in the article Emotionally Intelligent People Swear by These 10 Simple Rules, from Inc.com, he shares with us 10 frameworks that have changed his life. He is confident they will change ours, too.

n The Three Question Rule

While Craig Ferguson is known as a comedian, he is amazingly also capable of jokes that can be insightful.

“There are three things you must always ask yourself before you say anything,” he is quoted as saying.

“Does this need to be said?

Does this need to be said by me?

Does this need to be said by

me, now?’”

He added that it took him three marriages to learn this lesson. Bariso says that all jokes aside, “I use this rule every day, and it’s saved my marriage, my business, and my relationships more times I can count.”

n The Blue Dolphin Rule

Unwanted thoughts were developed as a “white bear problem” by Harvard psychologist Daniel Wegner who was inspired by a quote by Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky:

“Try to pose yourself to this task: not to think of a polar bear, and you will see that cursed thing will come to mind every minute.”

Over time, psychologists identified that one of the most effective solutions to the white bear problem is to replace unwanted thoughts with desired thoughts, which Bariso calls “blue dolphins.”

Here’s how it goes if you’re about to make a big presentation:

White bear: “I’m so nervous.

I’m so nervous. I’m so nervous.”

Blue dolphin: “I’m so excited. I’ve prepared well.

This is going to go great.”

n The Rule of Awkward Silence

At a time when sound

bites—the quicker, the wittier—abound, Bariso assures us there’s nothing wrong with pausing when faced with a challenging question.

“Instead of answering, you pause and think deeply about what you want to answer,” he says.

While this may seem awkward at first, “it helps you to shift from a response driven by your amygdala, to one using more of your brain.”

With this, “you’ll find that you’re giving more thoughtful answers, as opposed to the first thing that comes to your mind or simply telling others what they want to hear.”

n The Tom Hanks Rule

In an interview, award-winning actor Tom Hanks said that one of the greatest lessons he learned in his career was to master the word “No.”

“Saying no means you made the choice of the kind of story you want to tell and the type of character you want to play.”

Learning to say No led Hanks to more serious roles that allowed him to focus on work that brought him joy and satisfaction.

While it’s easy to get caught up in the moment, and say yes to well, everything, when you use what Bariso calls the Tom Hanks Rule, “you gain the emotional fortitude to say no to the things that don’t align with your goals and principles, so you have more time for the things that do.”

n The Golden Question

When you need to make a decision, but feel your emotions taking over, Bariso advises: ask yourself how you will feel about this in A day?

A week?

A month?

A year?

Five years?

We can get tempted making a permanent decision based on a temporary emotion. In contrast, the Golden Question gives you some perspective... to make a better decision you won’t regret.

n Disagree and Commit

This popular management principle begins by encouraging both open discussion and healthy debate when trying to make a decision.

Once a decision has been made, though, even those who disagree should “commit,” fully supporting that decision and trying their best to make it work. No complaining, no silently undermining the decision, no hoping the decision fails.

According to Bariso, Disagree and Commit “strengthens relationships—because when you build a habit of going all in people you trust, they’ll do the same for you.”

n The Rule of Recognition

It is unfortunate that most managers and business leaders “are in the habit of correcting what people do wrong, but they never praise them for what they’re doing right.”

The Rule of Recognition instead focuses on the opposite, “focusing on what a person does well and making it a point of commending them for those positive actions, sincerely and specifically.”

When you do this, Bariso says, “you encourage people to do positive behaviors. You build trust and psychological safety. And it makes it easier

for the person to receive constructive criticism when the time comes.”

n Turn Critical into Constructive When giving feedback, there is a delicate line between being critical and being constructive. Of course, nothing is perfect and we can ruffle a few feathers with what we say. But it doesn’t have to be that way, Bariso suggests making three small tweaks that can completely change the way your feedback is received:

“First, make sure you’re praising and helping the person at other appropriate times—it’s just the way it is. Next, when the time comes to offer critical feedback, instead of coming out with it, turn it into a question—like asking for permission. Finally, insert the word “constructive”—something like Can I share some constructive feedback with you?” That way your comments become helpful rather than harmful.

n The Milk Carton Rule

The Milk Carton Rule is based on a problem in a psychology textbook about a husband who gets repeatedly upset when his wife forgets to put the milk back in the fridge, leaving him with warm milk for his cereal. It’s about what is known in psychology as “demandingness”, which is causing unnecessary frustration when he continues to demand that reality be different from what it is. Here’s how to overcome this: Instead of dwelling on what you can’t change, focus on what you can. Look for other solutions like buying two cartons of milk.

“When you follow this rule, you transform frustration and paralysis into productive thoughts and actions, allowing you to look forward,” says Bariso.

n The Help First Rule

This rule is simple: If you’re in a difficult situation, and you notice someone else is too, try helping first. When we’re struggling, we tend to focus on ourselves, but Bariso says that when we help others first, a couple of interesting things happen:

1.You usually feel good about it. This transforms negative feelings into something positive.

2.Usually, the other person reciprocates. Often with a thank you, other times with an offer to help you.

When you follow the rule of Help First, others follow, building a Culture based on trust and teamwork.

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.

Russians, Belarusians play as neutrals in Paris Games

Ubas, Ramirez grab gold medals in Thai track and field open

SOUTHEAST Asian Games long jump king Janry Ubas and Frederick Ramirez made the country and their native La Union proud after winning gold medals in the Thailand Open 2024 Track and Field Open Championships over the weekend at the National Athletics Center Association in Pathum Thani, Thailand. Ubas topped the men’s long jump with 7.51 meters, beating in the process Chinese-Taipei’s Hua Yu Wen (7.41) and Hong Kong’s Pak Hang Won (7.37), but was still nine notches outside of the Paris Olympics qualifying world ranking at No. 39. He h as until June 30 to climb to No. 32—the cut for Paris.

Ra mirez, 26, meanwhile, clocked 46.58 seconds for a new meet record in the men’s 400 meters. Michael Carl del Prado made it a 1-2 finish for the Philippines with his silver medal-clinching time of 46.82 seconds, with Indonesia’s Muhammad Ramdhan settling for the bronze (47.43).

“It was a good win for Frederick— he broke the Thai Open record,” national coach Jojo Posadas told BusinessMirror on Sunday. “I believe he can do more in the future.” Posadas was in Thailand not as part of the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association coaching staff but to personally monitor the athletes’ performance.

“I a rrived from the US in Manila after attending to my son’s graduation,” he said. “But I felt I needed to be here to personally oversee the team’s performance.” Posadas and former long jump queen Elma Muros-Posadas’s 20-yearold son, George Michael Jr., graduated cum laude with a degree in Marketing (major) and Psychology (minor) from the Kentucky Campbellsville University. He took both courses for only three

Magsayo books methodical victory in Vegas

By Josef Ramos

ARK “MAGNIFICO” MAGSAYO started clearing his way back to a potential world title following a unanimous decision victory over Mexico’s Eduardo Ramirez that earned him the World Boxing Association (WBA) international super featherweight belt on Sunday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. “I d idn’t rely only on my knockout prowess and power but also on my tactical approach,” Magsayo told BusinessMirror via internet call

before feasting on beef broth and tocino. “He [Ramirez] adjusted so well that’s why I needed to fight very well.” Fi ghting for only the second time as a super featherweight (130 pounds), the Tagbilaran City warrior was the judges’ unanimous choice after the 10-round fight—97-92, 97-92 and 99-90.

Ra mirez, three years older at 31, was obviously hurt by Magsayo’s constant pounding and tried to rally in the last three rounds but was already too far behind the scorecards and allowed the Filipino to improve to 26-2 won-lost with 17 knockouts.

The Mexican fell to 28-4-3 winloss-draw record with 13 knockouts.

Ma gsayo, a former World Boxing Council featherweight (126 lbs) champion, started to dictate the tempo when he knocked down Ramirez in the third round knockdown with a right uppercutright straight combination.

He w as also as dominant in the fifth round when he landed a straight left on Ramirez’s jaw causing the Mexican to lose his mouthpiece.

“I feel so comfortable and stronger at 130 lbs,” Magsayo said. “I fought 10 years at 126 lbs until March last year when I opted to fight a super featherweight. I got drained in the lighter weight class.”

Ma gsayo debuted as a super featherweight last December in Long Beach, California, where he knocked out cold American Isaac Avelar in the third round.

Hi s defense and counterpunching have also improved under trainer Marvin Somodio.

“It’s really a great boxing clinic tonight and Magsayo thoroughly outboxed his opponent,” MP Promotions president Sean Gibbons said. “We can now look forward to his next fight.”

YTOUNG golfers from Iloilo City and surrounding areas are set to showcase their talents in the Junior Philippine Golf Tour (JPGT) Visayas Series I starting Monday at the Iloilo Golf Club in Santa Barbara.

Ti ffany Bernardino is expected to deliver a strong performance but she faces a tough three-day competition in the girls’ 13-15 division against talented players Alexie Gabi, Zoie Bagaloyos, and Rane Chiu.

“I ’m excited to play at Iloilo’s historic golf course. My focus will be hitting the fairways and making GIRs,” said Bernardino, 13. “I need to trust my game and play as best as I can. Hopefully I’ll be able to figure how to conquer the long fairways.”

The d ivision is one of four categories featured in the second regional swing of the nationwide series established by the International Container Terminal Services Inc. to elevate junior golf in the Visayas and Mindanao.

The organizing Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc. adjusted the competition format to level the playing field across the 14-leg, fivemonth-long nationwide circuit.

There are now four age categories—8-9, 10-12, 13-15 and 16-18—following a three-division tournament structure in the first part of the Luzon series.

Titles and rankings are staked in each category—players earn points based on their performance in each tournament, with no limit on the number of events they can enter in a series.

However, only their best results

will count towards the final rankings for the 72 spots in the JPGT Match Play Championships at The Country Club in Laguna in October. For the Luzon Series, the best four results will count, while the best two results will matter for the Visayas and Mindanao Series. Players competing in multiple series will have their best three results considered. The top four players in each category from the Luzon series will advance to the head-to-head national finals, along with the top two from each category in the Visayas and Mindanao series. Additionally, the top player in each division who competes across various series will earn a spot in the Match Play finals.

Collegiate leagues’ outstanding athletes, coaches honored

THE stage is set as the Collegiate Press Corps (CPC) honors the best and the brightest athletes and coaches of the 2023-2024 season in its Annual Awards Night presented by San Miguel Corp. on Monday at the Discovery Suites Manila at the Ortigas Center in Pasig City. Thi s year’s awards night will recognize the stellar student-athletes of University Athletic Association

of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Season 99 with Collegiate Men’s Basketball Player of the Year Kevin Quiambao of La Salle headlining a roster of 23 awardees.

UA AP Season 86 MVP and Finals MVP Quiambao steered the Green Archers to the men’s basketball throne to snap a seven-year title drought following a thrilling three-

game series against the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons. Joining him is Kent Pastrana of University of Santo Tomas as the inaugural recipient of the Collegiate Women’s Basketball Player of the Year in the ceremony also backed by the Philippine Sports Commission. Pa strana, who was also named Player of the Year for team events by the UAAP in the Season 86 closing ceremony, played a vital role in the Growling Tigresses’ stunning upset of “seven-peat” champion National University (NU) to end a 17-year title drought. With Quiambao in the Men’s Mythical Five are NCAA Rookie-MVP Clint Escamis of Mapua, Malick Diouf of UP, Enoch Valdez of Lyceum of the Philippines University and Jacob Cortez of San Beda University.

TIFFANY BERNARDINO is excited to

at Iloilo’s historic

DeChambeau on course Bryson DeChambeau lies flat on his back in the woods as trainers work on his hips that went tight. Moments later, he unleashes a swing that sends his drive 347 yards, leaving a wedge to set up birdie and another fist pump and delivers power, birdies and endless entertainment to turn Pinehurst No. 2 into a one-man show with a three-under 67 and a three-shot lead for another potential US Open title on Saturday in North Carolina. AP

MARK “MAGNIFICO” MAGSAYO lands a solid punch on Mexico’s Eduardo Ramirez.

GOLD medalist Frederick Ramirez (left) with coach Jojo Posadas.