BusinessMirror June 21, 2024

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

THE country’s Balance of Payments

(BOP) posted in May 2024 its highest surplus since January last year, according to the latest data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

BSP data showed the BOP surplus reached $1.997 billion in May 2024, the highest since the surplus of $3.081 billion in January 2023.

The data also showed the BOP posted a deficit of $639 million in April 2024 and $439 million in May 2023. The figure in May is the second time the BOP was in surplus this year.

“The BOP surplus in May 2024 reflected inflows arising mainly from the National Government’s [NG] net foreign currency deposits with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas [BSP], which include proceeds from its issuance of ROP Global

THE Philippine economy is expected to encounter “structural tailwinds” as consumption recovers in the second semester of the year and is sustained in the coming years, according to HSBC.

In a statement, HSBC Global Private Banking and Wealth Southeast Asia and India Chief Investment Officer James Cheo said the economy is drawing its strength from the country’s demographic dividend.

By Reine Juvierre

agency

and Investment Information Inc. (R&I) as part of the Philippine Economic Briefing in Tokyo on Thursday. The Department of Finance (DOF) said the economic team, composed of Socioeconomic and Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan and Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman, met with senior officials of the R&I to give updates on the Philippines’ “promising growth story” and other key developments. The economic team was also

joined by Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Deputy Governor Francisco G. Dakila, Jr., National Treasurer Sharon P. Almanza and Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs Secretary Frederick D. Go in the meeting.

R&I upgraded its outlook on the Philippines from stable to positive outlook and affirmed the country’s BBB+ credit rating due to its improving economic performance despite global “uncertainty.”

“This rating reflects confidence in the country’s sound economic policies. It also means more accessible financing for the government’s development programs, benefiting all Filipinos,” the DOF said.

Meeting with jica I N a nother development, the DOF also met with senior officials of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) on Thursday, to discuss key cooperation projects in railways, maritime security and development in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao ( B A RMM ). R ecto reported at the meeting that a bill to amend right-of-way rules is under way. This will facilitate the government’s acquisition of land for transportation and road projects, as well as address Japan’s concern about land acquisition for infrastructure projects backed by Japan. Furthermore, in an effort to speed up the land acquisition

process, the government recently formed an interagency commission to supervise right-of-way operations for railway projects.

The DOF said Jica welcomed these developments, expressing reassurance in the government’s efforts to address the issue.

Jica Senior Vice President Mikio Hataeda commended the Philippine economic managers for their macroeconomic management, noting the Philippines’s outstanding economic performance among its peers in Southeast Asia, according to the DOF. Recto thanked Jica for supporting the development of the country’s railway sector through

Cheo said consumption spending will recover in the second semester of the year due to the latest jobs data and “strong wage growth.”

“Notwithstanding the recent moderation in consumer spending, Philippines has one of the most favorable demographics in the region and is expected to enjoy the structural tailwinds of its demographic dividends in the years ahead,” Cheo said.

TBy Ada Pelonia @adapelonia

HE Department of Agriculture (DA) assured that it will craft guidelines for a government program that aims to give the poor access to cheap rice.

Agriculture Assistant Secretary and Spokesperson Arnel De Mesa told reporters on Thursday that the guidelines would ensure that Bigas 29 would benefit the vulnerable sectors of society. This includes the members of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PWD), and solo parents which comprise 6.9 million

households or 34 million Filipinos and accounts for 30 percent of the country’s total population.

Under the program, which the government intends to formally launch next month, the department would require every beneficiary to present an ID. He said the guidelines would be released prior to the launch of Bigas 29.

“That will be included in the guidelines later on...to require an ID which will show that the indigent has already purchased rice. The ID has to be signed,” De Mesa said in a mix of English and

Filipino.

axES, MachEtES, MaYhEM at SEa In these handout photos provided by the armed Forces of the Philippines, the aftermath of an alleged chinese coast guard assault is shown: the windshield, communications, and navigational equipment on a Philippine navy rigid hull Inflatable boat are seen destroyed, and chinese coast guard personnel are depicted approaching Philippine troops with axes, knives, and machetes during a resupply mission to the Second thomas Shoal in the disputed South china Sea on june 17, 2024. armed Forces of the Philippines chief romeo brawner has demanded that china return seized rifles and equipment and compensate for the damage, likening the incident to an act of piracy. ARMED FORCES OF THE PHILIPPINES VIA AP

OFW-pilgrim succumbs to heat stroke in Mecca–DFA

By Malou Talosig-Bartolome

AFILIPINO worker died of heat stroke while performing hajj in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah said.

Consul General Gary Auxilian said the Filipina was a dental assistant based in Riyadh.

“She died of natural death due to heat stroke,” Auxilian told BusinessMirror

Govt…

“Everything will be put into proper perspective and consideration when we roll out the program,” he added.

The National Food Authority (NFA) Council recently approved the sale of aging, but good NFA rice stocks at P29 per kilo for a limited period through the Kadiwa stores. Under the Bigas 29 program,

She was identified as Darwina Eridani, 37 years old, from Maluso Basilan. Her remains were buried in Makkah on Wednesday, June 19 at past 4 PM. “Jeddah PCG had extended assis -

every beneficiary household is entitled to purchase 10 kilos per month. This would require the program to have a monthly rice supply of 69,000 metric tons (MT).

“The 10 kilos allocated to each beneficiary is not meant to displace their consumption for an entire month. The primary aim of the program is to reduce their expenses,” De Mesa said.

“The savings they will incur from the purchase of cheap government rice, they can spend on their other needs,” he added.

tance, particularly in the issuance of necessary documentary requirements such as the No Objection Certificate (NOC) needed for the burial and report of death. The family was also advised to seek assistance from MWO for other possible benefits available for the family,” the consul general said.

Eridani’s mother and siblings in Basilan were already informed about her death and burial by her friends who were with her during the Hajj pilgrimage.

More than 5,000 Filipino Muslims are attending the hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

Wire agencies have been quoting

Agriculture Secretary Franciso Tiu Laurel Jr. said the cheaper rice program would address the minimum basic needs of individuals below the poverty threshold.

“This program primarily aims to provide rice at an affordable price of P29 per kilo for the vulnerable sectors of society,” Laurel said in a statement.

He said a dry run of the said rice program is already underway in select Kadiwa stores, and “has been well-received by potential beneficiaries.”

sources as saying that Egypt had 323 deaths, Indonesia with 138, Jordan had 41 and Tunisia with 35. Related story in World, page A12.

It is not known whether these deaths were related to the heat wave.

At one point, temperature in Mecca rose to 51.8 degrees Celsius

There were around 1.8 million hajj pilgrims this year.

Auxilian said representatives from the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos are accompanying and assisting the Filipino pilgrims to Mecca.

“Before they left for Mecca, the NCMF and the Embassy reminded them to stay hydrated and be safe,” Auxilian said.

Import plan

Meanwhile, farmers’ groups lamented the DA’s plan to import 363,697 MT of rice for Bigas 29.

“We should criticize the government for again resorting to importation just so it could sell rice at P29 per kilo,” Bantay Bigas Spokesperson Cathy Estavillo said via SMS.

De Mesa said, however, that the government will prioritize the NFA's stocks which will come from local farmers. The food agency plans to purchase 559,535 MT of local unmilled rice.

“(Importation is just a plan) and a possible option to sustain the operation of Bigas 29,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.

However, the Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) said the food agency’s current inventory would not be enough for buffer stocking and for Bigas 29.

FFF National Manager Raul Montemayor said that in the meantime, the government could buy a portion of the private sector’s imports or local rice from farmer organizations or traders.

“For the government to import rice and sell it legally, the RTL needs to be amended,” Montemayor told the BusinessMirror

Jayson Cainglet, executive director of Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (Sinag), also urged the department to purchase palay from farmers who suffered the brunt of low farmgate prices.

“There were farmers who lost money because they were forced to sell their crops at P17 to P18 per kilo as millers have stopped buying palay at P30 per kilo, which was the farmgate price prior to the announcement of (Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio) Balisacan that rice tariffs will be cut,” he said via SMS.

“We all want rice prices to go down. We just hope that it will not cause harm to certain sectors,” he added.

Economic…

Continued from A1

knowledge-sharing and technology transfer, and encouraged more Japanese investments in the Philippines.

Jica also affirmed its support to the Barmm region to ensure peace, security and development and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

Other key Jica officials present included Deputy Director General for Southeast Asia and Pacific Department Yuko Tanaka, Director Takehiro Kido, Deputy Director Kota Murakami and Assistant Director Takeshi Suzuki.

The DOF officials include Undersecretaries Maria Luwalhati Dorotan-Tiuseco, Charlito Martin Mendoza, Catherine L. Fong, Rolando G. Tungpalan, and Domini S. Velasquez as well as Philippine Ambassador to Japan Mylene Garcia-Albano.

Continued from A1

Bonds, and net income from the BSP’s investments abroad,” BSP said.

BSP said the BOP surplus in May 2024 brought the current year-to-date BOP level to a $1.6-billion surplus, lower than the $2.9 billion surplus recorded in January-May 2023.

“Based on preliminary data, this cumulative BOP surplus reflected mainly the narrowing trade in goods deficit alongside the continued net inflows from personal remittances, net foreign borrowings by the NG, foreign direct investments, foreign portfolio investments, and trade in services,” BSP said.

Given this BOP position, the country's Gross International Reserves (GIR) reached $105 billion, the highest since April 2022 when it reached $105.4 billion. The data showed the GIR as of end-May 2024 was 2.34 percent higher than the $102.6 billion recorded as of the end of April 2024.

“The latest GIR level represents a more than adequate external liquidity buffer equivalent to 7.7 months’ worth of imports of goods and payments of services and primary income,” BSP said.

“It is also about 6.1 times the country’s short-term external debt based on original maturity and 3.8 times based on residual maturity,” it added.

Earlier, the 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.

Risks to outlook

I N a b riefing on the data, BSP Monetary Policy Sub-Sector Senior Assistant Governor Iluminada T. Sicat said risks to this outlook include the continuation of the geopolitical tensions, such as those in the Middle East.

These could have spillover effects not just on the domestic price of oil but also on global growth, according to Sicat. The Philippines is a net oil importer.

The risk of trade restrictions such as the one imposed on the export or import of commodities was also cited. Last year, India imposed an export ban on rice as it suffered from the El Niño phenomenon.

Sicat added that disruptions in the global supply chain would also have an impact on the country’s overall BOP position. These disruptions can prevent the free flow of goods, leading to higher costs and limiting economic activities. Climate change, she said, is another risk to the outlook as this would affect food production here and abroad, affecting global trade and local food prices. Meanwhile, the persistent inflation pressures in the domestic market must be reckoned with. This also includes domestic conditions such as rice production and combating animal diseases such as the African Swine Fever (ASF).

Demographic…

Continued from A1

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) earlier said there were 2.04 million unemployed Filipinos in April 2024 and 7.04 million underemployed during the period. (See: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2024/06/07/el-ninoimports-tack-seen-in-agri-jobs-loss/)

Apart from the labor market, HSBC also expects investments in infrastructure and reforms to boost consumption and ensure fast economic growth in the second semester.

“Compared to other Asean markets, the Philippine equity market has done reasonably well from a year-to-date perspective, compared to the other Asean markets. Earnings growth is still robust, and valuation is undemanding,” Cheo said.

“The strength was driven by earnings surprising to the upside could continue to support the market. We are neutral on Philippines equity market, as we think a consolidating market is likely in the near-term,” he added.

HSBC said Asia remains the key growth engine for the global economy. GDP growth for Asia, except Japan, is expected to average 4.6 percent while private earnings growth is expected to reach 23 percent.

Part of the continent's growth story that is shared by India and countries in Southeast Asia is the young demographics and the rising middle-class consumer.

HSBC said the working age population, aged 15-64, in India and ASEAN are expected to grow from now to 2050 and make up nearly 70 percent of their populations.

It also said India and the Asean experience robust FDI and domestic investment spending, technological innovation, and green transformation.

“We find promising secular growth opportunities in India and ASEAN, riding on the secular tailwinds from the young demographics, rising middle-class consumers, robust FDI and domestic investment spending, technological innovation and green transformation,” Cheo said.

In the first quarter, the Phil -

ippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said the economy posted a growth of 5.7 percent. This was higher than the 5.5 percent posted in the last quarter of 2023 but slower than the 6.4 percent posted in the first quarter last year. However, economists earlier said Filipinos struggling with high commodity prices are expected to continue cutting back on their spending, limiting the growth of the Philippine economy in the coming quarters.

The economists projected this scenario after the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported that the country’s GDP growth averaged 5.7 percent, slower than the 6.4 percent in the first quarter but faster than the 5.5 percent posted in the last quarter of 2023. (See: https://businessmirror. com.ph/2024/05/09/phl-economyposts-5-7-growth-in-q1-of-2024-psa/). National Statistician Claire Dennis S. Mapa said household consumption spending, which posted growth of 4.6 percent, was the slowest in 14 years, sans the pandemic years. Consumption spending accounted for 74.5 percent of the country’s GDP in the January to March period this year.

Based on PSA data, Household Final Consumption Expenditure (HFCE) for food and non-alcoholic beverages slowed to 0.5 percent from 0.6 percent in the fourth quarter and 9.9 percent in the first quarter of 2023.

The data showed consumption for education slowed to 3.8 percent in the first quarter of 2024 from 8.3 percent and 11.5 percent in the fourth and first quarters of 2023, respectively.

Spending for restaurants and hotels, the PSA said, slowed to 11.9 percent in the first quarter of 2024 from 15.6 percent in the fourth quarter and 20.2 percent in the first quarter of 2023. Spending for vices—alcoholic beverages and tobacco—contracted 2.7 percent in the first quarter of 2024. In the last quarter of 2023, spending for these items posted a growth of 0.6 percent and in the first quarter

FMJr delivers ₧160-million aid to drought-hit Caraga

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

PRESIDENT Marcos on Thursday distributed financial aid amounting to P160 million to farmers and fishermen who are reeling from the effects of the El Niño phenomenon in the Caraga region.

Aside from the assistance from the Office of the President, other government agencies like the Departments of Social Welfare and

Lawyers’ group raps DOJ ‘credit-grabbing’

AD evelopment (DSWD), of Labor and Employment (DOLE), of Trade and Industry (DTI) and of Agriculture (DA) also brought aid to the beleaguered farmers and fishermen.

M arcos said the financial aid is expected to benefit the 12,000 farmers and fishermen, whose livelihoods suffered from the dry spell a nd the accompanying drought.

Agusan del Sur received the highest allocation with P50 million followed by Butuan City with P46.84 m illion. The other local governments that received aid from the O P are Agusan del Norte (P28.26 million); Surigao del Sur (P12.48),

Surigao del Norte (P10.57 million), and Dinagat Islands (P10 million).

“May this help we bring today, alleviate the hardship [that] you are [going through] in your daily search for a living,” Marcos said in Filipino in his speech during the distribution of Presidential aid to farmers and fishermen in Tandag City, Surigao del Sur on Thursday.

He also visited Butuan City in Agusan Del Norte, where he led a similar distribution aid initiative.

The assistance provided to the affected agricultural workers include the P10,000 cash aid distributed by DSWD through its Ayuda

s a Kapos ang Kita (Akap).

They were also provided livelihood assistance through DOLE’s I ntegrated Livelihood Program (DILP) and emergency employment under the agency’s Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/ Displaced Workers (Tupad).

T he DTI provided them with capital to help them start their businesses, while the DA gave them farm m achinery, equipment and credit assistance.

The President said the assistance also aims to help the affected agricultural workers to prepare for p rojected above normal rainfall by

October. This after the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration ( Pagasa) projected the country could feel the impact of La Niña by the last quarter of the year. Last week, the OP extended P190 million worth of aid to El Niñoaffected areas in Cagayan Valley. As of June 13, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management C ouncil (NDRRMC) estimated the cost of the destruction wrought by the dry spell on agriculture at P9.89 billion. The agency said a total of 183,455 f armers and fishermen were affected.

Congressman seeks stricter rules for investor’s visas

By Jovee Marie dela Cruz @joveemarie

By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

GROUP of militant lawyers on Thursday assailed the Department of Justice for “taking credit” for the successful prosecution of four policemen who were found guilty by a trial court for the death of a father and his son eight years ago during the anti-illegal drug war of the Duterte administration.

In a statement, NUPL-National Capital Region (NUPL-NCR) chairman Julian Oliva Jr. said the group a cted as private prosecutor for the case of Luis Bonifacio and his son Gabriel.

Oliva added that it was the NUPLNCR that built-up and prosecuted the cases without any material assistance from the government, “contrary to the posturing of the Department of Justice.”

With due respect to Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla and government lawyers, no real credit is due to t hem. The public prosecutor did not actively par ticipate in the prosecution of the case. He even testified for t he accused,” the NUPL pointed out.

In a statement quoting Remulla, the DOJ called the conviction of four policemen for homicide in connection with the killing of the father and s on as “a milestone in our criminal justice [system]” and “a testament of the government’s unwavering efforts to safeguarding human rights.”

R emulla also highly-commended the DOJ prosecutors for securing the conviction of the four policemen identified as Police Msgt. Virgilio Q. Servantes and Cpls. Arnel de Guzman, Johnston M. Alacre and Argemio Saguros Jr.

“By some cruel twist of fate, when this case got to court in 2021 he was the assigned trial prosecutor,” the group said.

Thus, it asked the court and was granted authority as private prosecutors to try the case on its own.

T he NUPL noted that it sought the assistance of the Commission on Human Rights and forensic pathologist D r. Raquel Fortun during the trial.

“Mary Ann Domingo and the Bonifacio family were only able to access the Philippine legal system because of their tenacity, the support they received, and the wisdom o f the judge,” Oliva said.

The four policemen were sentenced to a maximum of 10 years o f imprisonment for homicide and were also ordered to solidarily pay the heirs of the victims the amount of P400,000 in damages.

In convicting the policemen, the Regional Trial Court of Caloocan City gave weight to the testimony of Domingo, Bonifacio’s live-in-partner.

D omingo testified that on September 14, 2016, she, her husband a nd their three minor children were about to sleep when her son Gabriel arrived.

A few minutes later, Domingo said a family friend arrived and asked her daughter if Luis was in the house.

A group of armed policemen then barged into their home, went to the second floor and she and her children were forced at gunpoint to go d ownstairs, according to Domingo.

Domingo added that she heard gunshots after, prompting her to run to the nearest barangay hall for help. Village officials told her they could not interfere because it was an anti-drug operation.

T he NUPL, however, recountedthat Caloocan Deputy City Prosecutor Darwin Cañete had been s ummoned to the site in 2016 and then issued a report stating that “the family of the deceased are unwilling to cooperate in the filing of a complaint.”

COA finds ₧392-million discrepancy in Malabon’s books, bank accounts

THE Commission on Audit (COA) has recently discovered a significant discrepancy amounting to over P392 million in the financial books and bank accounts of Malabon City. This finding was highlighted in COA’s Annual Audit Report for Malabon for the year 2023.

COA flagged the local government for submitting an “unreliable” Cash in Bank (CIB) figure. The state auditor’s letter to Malabon Mayor Jeannie Sandoval said: “The accuracy, existence, and validity of the yearend balance of the Cash in Bank account totaling P2.183 billion was unreliable.” The discrepancy of P392.859 million was found when comparing the balances per Malabon’s cash book. A cash book is a financial journal that records all cash receipts and disbursements, including bank deposits and withdrawals. Additionally, a discrepancy of P24.877 million was noted when the COA asked the bank to confirm Malabon’s CIB.

According to COA, these discrepancies were due to the “absence of reconciliation between the subsidiary ledger (SL) and cash book.” There was also a “significant

delay in the preparation and submission of bank reconciliation statements (BRS),” which is contrary to Section 74, Chapter 3 of Presidential Decree 1445, Section 181.c of the Government Accounting and Auditing Manual (GAAM), Volume 1, and COA Circular 96-011.

Sandoval was told by COA to require the City Accounting Department (CAD) to properly document and adjust in the books the derecognition of three bank accounts declared as closed by the Philippine National Bank.

The state auditor also told Sandoval to require the CAD to regularly prepare and submit the BRS to COA within the prescribed period pursuant to COA Circular No. 96-011 dated October 2, 1996.

Further, the COA told Sandoval to require the City Treasury Department (CTD) to record in the cash book the two bank accounts maintained with the Land Bank of the Philippines with a combined book balance of P1,087,657.71 and recognize in the cash book the time deposit maintained with LBP amounting to P1,547,515.39. Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz

ALAWMAKER from Mindanao has urged Congress to amend and update the outdated Special Investor’s Resident Visa (SIRV) program, which is being exploited by foreign drug syndicates, money launderers, and other criminal elements to establish their operations in the Philippines.

Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said the SIRV program, managed by the Board of Investments (BOI), is now being used as a “ticket” by unscrupulous foreign individuals, turning the country into a haven for their illegal activities.

Under Book V of the Omnibus Investment Code (Executive Order 226, as amended), the SIRV program requires investors to remit at least US$75,000 into the country and invest

in viable economic activities.

“For just P4.8 million [P58.51 to US$1], a member of a criminal syndicate can enter, stay, and conduct illegal activities in our country using the SIRV program as a cover,” Barbers stated. “For foreign syndicates, particularly Chinese drug syndicates and money launderers, P4.8 million is a small amount compared to their illegal earnings.”

Barbers, chairman of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Dangerous Drugs, noted that many Chinese are using the SIRV program to run retail stores in Metro Manila and other parts of the country, selling smuggled, cheap goods from China.

“This has led to complaints from our Filipino-Chinese locals in the retail business, many of whom have suffered losses or closed down. These Chinese nationals can no longer be considered investors as they now compete directly with our Filipino-Chinese retailers,” he said.

The Lower House is currently investigating the influx of Chinese working in illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogo) establishments; involvement in drugs smuggling; acquiring Filipino citizenship using spurious documents; money laundering, fraud, kidnap-for-ransom, and other criminal activities.

Hopes for recovery of missing seaman dim as MV Tutor sinks

THE Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Thursday confirmed MV Tutor has sunk close to the coast of Eritrea, “complicating” the search operation for the missing Filipino crew member of the ill-fated ship.

“The MV Tutor, based on reports, was lost at sea. The last time it was seen was June 17,”

Migrant Workers Secretary Hans J. Cacdac said in an online press briefing on Thursday.

Cacdac noted this will make the search for the missing Filipino sailor, who was working in the engine room of MV Tutor when it was attacked by Houthi rebels, more difficult.

The Greek-owned and Liberian registered coal carrier suffered serious damage when

it was hit by an unmanned surface vehicle laden with explosives and missiles launched by Houthi forces while it was passing near Yemen last week.

Twenty-one of the 22 Filipino crew members were rescued and already repatriated.

The ship continued to drift until it sank near the coast of Eritrea.

Cacdac said they already informed the family of the missing seama about said development and assured they will be provided the necessary aid by the government.

DMW is currently investigating if MV Tutor and other ships with Filipino sailors, which passed through the Red Sea have violated its policies.

Cacdac said their probe on MV Tutor is expected to be concluded in the coming days.

“We are looking closely whether they [ships which passed through the Red Sea] have faithfully complied with the regulations and under our regulations. There are corresponding penalties with respect to the violation of our regulations as applicable in accordance with the rules,” the DMW head said.

Citing previous DMW directives, he said ships with Filipino seamen are directed to divert their routes from the Red Sea and have maritime security escorts and have armed guards onboard, when passing through the dangerous waterway. Samuel P. Medenilla

Gatchalian seeks inquiry on fake birth certificates

By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

SEN. Sherwin Gatchalian wants the Senate to investigate the proliferation of fake birth certificates which enable unscrupulous individuals including foreigners to secure government-issued identification, evade immigration laws, and perpetrate crimes.

“Syndicates may be behind the proliferation of fake birth certificates as well as the apparent abuse of the late birth registration system,” Gatchalian said, as he filed Senate Resolution 1053.

Gatchalian’s resolution follows findings of discrepancies in the birth certificate of Bamban (Tarlac) Mayor Alice Guo, citing specifically the absence of government records proving the existence of one Amelia Leal, the named mother in Guo’s birth certificate. A Senate fact-finding investigation revealed that Amelia Leal does not have any birth or marriage certificate.

Guo is being linked to the operations of a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (Pogo) hub in Bamban, Tarlac, which was recently raided by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) for violation of human trafficking laws and serious illegal detention.

Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, pointed out that investigations conducted by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Bureau of Immigration (BI), and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) have brought to light the alarming proliferation of fake or spurious birth certificates, which some foreign nationals use to secure government identification and evade the country’s immigration laws.

During the Senate deliberations on the PSA’s 2024 budget, the agency disclosed that at least 308 fake birth certificates were used for Philippine passport applications from January

Go supports indigents in Davao Oriental

ON Wednesday Sen. Christopher Go personally provided assistance to beneficiaries in Governor Generoso, Davao Oriental.

In his speech, Go underscored the importance of continued government support for Filipinos, particularly those belonging in vulnerable sectors.

to September last year, he said. Six of these birth certificates belonged to foreign nationals who were issued Philippine passports.

The PSA is currently investigating the ongoing proliferation of fake birth certificates, including around 300 incidents involving Filipinos and 65 cases involving foreigners, the senator disclosed.

The DFA, on the other hand, has prevented over a hundred attempts of foreigners in applying for Philippine passports using spurious documents, with over 55 active cases referred to law enforcement agencies.

According to the DFA, foreign nationals pose as Filipinos by presenting authentic and genuine PSA-issued birth certificates, along with valid government-issued ID.

The BI, for its part, has expressed alarm over incidents involving overstaying foreigners who misrepresent themselves to secure Philippine documents and evade immigration inspection, Gatchalian said.

One of these Chinese, Barbers said, was identified as Willie Ong who is believed to be the brains behind the importation of 530 kilos of shabu worth P3.6 billion stashed in his warehouse in Mexico, Pampanga, in September last year. Ong, who possesses forged Filipino passports and other documents, together with his Chinese cohorts, established the Empire 999 real estate company, which has anomalously been able to buy 320 titled lots in various parts of Central Luzon and Metro Manila.

The government, through the Office of the Solicitor General and the Land Registration Authority, is out to conduct forfeiture proceedings against Ong’s acquired real estate properties worth several billion pesos.

Another Teves falls

THE Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday confirmed the arrest of businessman and former Negros Oriental governor Pryde Henry A. Teves, who is facing financing terrorism charges before the Regional Trial Court in Cebu City. In a statement, the DOJ said the 50-year-old Teves was arrested by virtue of an arrest warrant issued by Cebu RTC Branch 74 on May 13, 2024 for alleged violations of The Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012. He was arrested at Dr. Vicente Locsin Street, barangay Taclobo, Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, by National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CID) operatives. Teves is the brother ofexpelled Negros Oriental congressman Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr. who is facing multiple murder charges in connection with the killing of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo and nine others on March 4, 2023. Arnolfo and Pryde Henry along with 11 other individuals were designated by the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) as terrorists belonging to the so-called Teves Terrorist Group (TTG) in July 2023. The ATC took into consideration all sworn statements, closed-circuit camera footage showing Degamo’s assassination, various news footage showing the immediate arrest of the suspects, Senate inquiry in aid of legislation and other pieces of evidence gathered by various law government agencies in declaring Teves’s group as terrorists. Arnolfo is currently in Timor Leste awaiting the decision of Timor-Leste’s Court of Appeals in connection with the extradition request filed by the Philippine government. He left the country prior to Degamo’s killing and refused to return after being implicated as the mastermind in the Degamo killing.

Arnolfo has sought political asylum in Timor-Leste, claiming that he is a victim of political persecution under the Marcos administration.

Go and his Malasakit Team distributed grocery packs, snacks, vitamins, masks, shirts, bags, basketballs, and volleyball to 3,166 beneficiaries. Select recipients also received bikes, mobile phones, shoes, and watches. Furthermore, through the efforts of Go, concerned agencies and the local officials led by Mayor Juanito Inojales, the qualified beneficiaries received financial support from the government.

He praised the efforts of local officials, led by Reps. Nelson Dayanghirang and

Cheeno Alamario, former Rep. Mayo Almario, Mayor Juanito Inojales, Board Member Daud Linsag, Board Member Rotchie Ravelo, Councilors, and barangay chairmen, among others, for their commitment to ensuring their constituents are well-supported. Mayor Angel Go of San Isidro and Mayor Ian Larcia of Banaybanay, Davao Oriental, were also present during the said initiative. Go then encouraged them to sustain their efforts for the continued growth and development of Governor Generoso and the entire province of Davao Oriental.

“The arrest of Pryde Henry Alipit Teves demonstrates our resolute commitment to fighting terrorism and upholding the rule of law,” the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a statement quoting Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla. The court has set Teves’ bail at P200,000 for his temporary liberty.

“This arrest underscores the government’s commitment to upholding the law and bringing terrorism suspects to justice,” Remulla said. Joel R. San Juan

SURIGAO del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers

A4

Friday, June 21, 2024

Economy

DENR to mines bureau: Brace for La Niña

TBy Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga

H E Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Thursday ordered the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) as well as its field offices to prepare all mitigation measures for the potential effects of La Niña.

Weather forecasters predict heavier than usual rains in the months of July to September, mak-

ing mines and host communities highly vulnerable to geological hazards like flashfloods, landslides or mudslides.

DENR Undersecretaries for Field Operations Juan Miguel Cuna and Joselin Marcus Fragada directed MGB regional directors to activate their Operation Centers and to assist in the conduct of PreDisaster Risk Assessments in close collaboration with their respective Office of Civil Defense (OCD) regional office counterparts.

The MGB was also advised to equip concerned local governments with updated geohazard maps and conduct information, education, and communication (IEC) activities in anticipation of La Niña.

The DENR has long set strict safety rules and regulations on large-scale mining operations.

DENR Administrative Order No. 2000-98 or the Mine Safety and Health Standard specifically provides for the mine safety and

health standards in mining operations. It provides for the creation of a multi-partite monitoring team composed of representatives from the MGB, concerned local government units, the operating mining company, Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) and other concerned agencies and entities, tasked to regularly conduct inspection to check on environment and safety measures in the mines site.

Meanwhile mining operators are likewise mandated to employ

DTI, MDA set to use free trade agreements

By Andrea San Juan @andreasanjuan

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), in partnership with the Mindanao Development Authority launched a trade education and advocacy campaign which aims to leverage the benefits offered by the country’s free trade agreements (FTAs). With the theme “Empowering Philippine Export Industries of Northeastern Mindanao,” DTI said the campaign aims to “optimize” the benefits offered by the country’s free trade agreements such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement, PhilippineEuropean Free Trade Association (Efta), Philippine Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (Pjepa) and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) trade agreements.

DTI in a statement said the international trade forum gathered around 200 representatives from local industries, including

micro,small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and beneficiaries of the Rural Agro-industrial Partnership for Inclusive Development and Growth Project, business associations, universities, and other government agencies from the region.

In addition, the engagement provided an “avenue” for participants to attend sessions to access information and seek guidance from key government agencies,such as the DTI’s Bureau of International Trade Relations, Export Marketing Bureau, Bureau of Import Services, Strategic Trade Management Office, the Bureau of Customs, and the Tariff Commission.

For his part, Undersecretary for International Trade Allan B. Gepty underscored the importance of making the country’s regions competitive, saying the country’s strength in international trade is “anchored on the strength of ou regions.”

“These agreements not only provide market access for goods

DOH expands jobs fair

By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco @claudethmc3

MOR e than 2,800 jobs are up for grabs as the Department of Health (DOH) expanded its job fair as part of its 126th anniversary celebration. th e nationwide job fair which started only with 2,600 vacant positions on June 18, has been getting larger as more units of the DOH listed for immediate application at the job fair.

a s we continue to celebrate our 126th anniversary, we are adding more to our Job Fair and offering more opportunities for professionals to join the DOH. th ese additional positions reflect our commitment to enhancing healthcare services across the country,” Health Secretary te odoro Herbosa said. In just two days, the DOH has received almost 900 applications and the number is expected to grow as the job fair continues. Herbosa said that through the job fair,

and services but also create an attractive environment for investments and establish a stable and predictable trade framework,” Gepty said in his keynote message during the forum.

DTI said the trade education and advocacy campaign aligns with the agency’s “broader mission” to develop local industries by fostering economic growth through attracting investments and expanding exports.

For his part, Trade and Industry Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual stressed that FTAs are “tools” for Philippine exporters to integrate into global and regional markets and tap new markets for Philippine goods and services.

“These strategic alliances, complemented by persistent efforts to enhance the quality of Filipino products and services, strengthen the resilience of the Philippine economy and elevate our brands internationally,” said Pascual.

The DTI said it aims to “elevate” enterprises and entrepreneurs by

the department aims to recruit more health workers for its 76 operating units, which include the Central Office, Centers for Health Development (CHDs), DOH Hospitals, and treatment and Rehabilitation Centers ( t R Cs) nationwide.

On-the-spot interviews and immediate hiring were conducted to streamline the recruitment process.

Interested applicants are encouraged to attend the job fair in person to explore available positions and engage directly with recruitment teams.

a p plicants can also apply online through vacant positions on the CSC website, on the

promoting and supporting them to develop a “solid” domestic market base and eventually expand into the export market.

“By implementing programs to build a start-up ecosystem across developing industries, the DTI helps domestic enterprises produce diverse and sophisticated products and services that can compete in the global market,” said the agency in its statement on Thursday. According to DTI, the TEA campaign is a series of information sessions forming part of the DTI’s plan to enhance the export capabilities of local industries.

“The effort complements the implementation of the Philippine Development Plan 20232028 and the Philippine Export Development Plan 2023-2028, which aim to develop the country as an agile export powerhouse,” DTI noted.

Another pillar of the campaign, it noted, is to establish “FTA Clinics” to build the capacity of regions to provide expertise to businesses.

website DOH e j obs for Health, and other designated platforms.

a igned with the Seventh ac tion ag enda item, “Kapakanan at karapatan ng health workers,” the Job Fair presents a unique opportunity for qualified Filipinos to contribute to the nation’s healthcare system. Positions span various multiple salary grades, disciplines, and levels, offering competitive benefits and opportunities for professional growth within one of the country’s vital government agencies.

“We encourage all qualified individuals to partake in this important initiative—dahil sa Bagong Pilipinas, Bawat Buhay Mahalaga,” Herbosa said.

at least one full time safety engineer and safety inspector to oversee the implementation of safety measures in the mines site.

To recall, in June 4, the Department of Science and Technology Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) announced the end of El Niño in the tropical Pacific Ocean and said La Niña generally tends to follow strong El Niño events. It added that there is a 69 percent chance of La Niña

developing in the months of July, August and September. Pagasa said, La Niña increases the likelihood of having abovenormal rainfall conditions in some areas of the country. Its adverse impacts such as floods and landslides are likely to occur over vulnerable areas and communities. Pagasa also recently advised government agencies and the public to stay vigilant and undertake necessary precautions to address the potential impacts of La Niña.

Tax relief for pharmas eyed to lower price of medicines

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

Healt H care stakeholders on Wednesday proposed tax relief for pharmaceutical operations, from formulation to manufacturing, as well as ways to increase the pool of nurses to meet the increasing population.

In a meeting with the private health sector, President Marcos was appraised of the health situation and the stakeholders aired proposed measures to ease the delivery of services.

a m ong the measures proposed were to increase the country’s access to essential medicine and pool of licensed nurses.

t h e Private Sector a d visory CouncilHealthcare Sector Group (PS aC -HSG) also proposed measures to raise the local supply of essential medicine by providing tax reliefs for certain pharmaceutical operations such as drugs on patients programs and clinical trial operations, which can lead to the development of life-saving drugs and vaccines.

It noted that the said taxes add significantly to the operational cost of the pharmaceutical business, which discourages them from running such programs in the country.

th e council also recommended providing capacity building to the Health te chnology a s sessment Council (H taC) so they add more essential medicines in the Philippine National Formulary (PNF).

th e H ta process currently takes 128 week which is significantly longer compared to the ideal 24 to 36 weeks.

th e PNF includes medicines that satisfy priority healthcare needs. a s of 2023 only 501 of the 5,067 drugs registered with the Food and Drug ad ministration are part of the PNF.

th e PS aC-HSG also wants to make the country a Center of e xcellence for clinical trials with the President certifying as urgent the passage of House Bill 9867 or the Pharmaceutical Innovation Bill.

l a st March, Marcos called for the stockpiling of basic medicines, which includes anti-tuberculosis drugs so the country can be prepared during emergencies.

PS aC-HSG members also gave updates on its efforts to increase the number of licensed nurses through the Clinical Care a s sociates (CC a ) Program, which was launched last year. th e CC a aims to allow the thousands of underboard nurses or those, who have nursing degrees, but have yet to pass the board exams to perform certain tasks reserved for nurses. Of the 1,000 slots allocated for the inauguration of the CC a program, 457 have been awarded to qualified underboard nurses who have been matched to seven higher educational institutions (H e I s) for board reviews to enable them to pass the licensure examinations.

PS aC-HSG le ad Paolo Borromeo reported the first batch of CC a s are set to take the Nurses l i censure e x amination (N l e ) in November. while the recruitment for the second batch of CC a s, who will take the May 2025 N l e , s ongoing.

a s ide from the CC a PS a C -HSG said another initiative for the country to increase the number of its skilled nurses is the launch of the e n hanced Master’s Degree in Nursing Program in 17 H e I s ,which aims to produce more teaching personnel in nursing, this a u gust. th e Department of Foreign af fairs (DFa ) a nd the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) are also forging bilateral labor agreements with countries, which are willing to subsidize the education of Filipino nursing students that they can eventually hire in the future.

a so discussed at the PS aC-HSG meeting were the Balik Nurse Program, and te chnical ed ucation and Skills Development a u thorityCommission on Higher e d ucation Credit tr ansfer and the digitization efforts of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation.

Newly-built motorboats, bancas must be registered June 28

By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

THE Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) on Thursday announced a firm June 28 deadline for the registration of all newly constructed motorboats and bancas.

In a media advisory, the Marina said it has issued Advisory 202424, which require vessel owners to ensure their undocumented watercraft are registered before the deadline. Marina said this is part of its ongoing efforts to enhance maritime safety and maintain proper documentation of vessels operating within Philippine waters.

To comply with the new directive, owners must submit their registration applications to the nearest Marina Regional Office, along with the following required documents: Post-construction plan/as-built plan or skeleton plan; duly notarized builder’s certificate or certification from the coastal barangay; duly notarized affidavit of ownership or deed of sale; and a copy of valid

government IDs of the owner. Marina regional offices will conduct mobile admeasurement and registration activities to streamline the registration process, “ensuring coverage of all newly constructed, undocumented motorboats and bancas prior to the deadline.”

Marina has also announced the launch of the Marina Blockchain-Enabled Automated Certification System (Marina-BEST) starting July 1. This new system will integrate the registration process and require full compliance with all documentation and procedural requirements, including plans approval before construction, progress inspections during construction, and admeasurement prior to registration.

Any vessel that does not meet these requirements will not be eligible for registration under the new system.

“The said initiative underscores the agency’s commitment to improving the safety standards of maritime operations in the Philippines,” the Marina said.

Blinken: Ironclad commitment to PHL stays as China injures Filipino soldier

By Malou Talosig-Bartolome @maloutalosig

US State Secretary Antony

Blinken and Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo spoke over the phone to discuss the recent “escalatory, dangerous and irresponsible actions” of the China Coast Guard in the West Philippine Sea.

Matthew Miller, spokesman of the US State Department, said the call was made in relation to China’s “den(ial) of the Philippines from executing a lawful maritime operation in the South China Sea on June 17, 2024.”

Groups want non-politician to be new head of DepEd

FOLLOWING the resignation of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte as Education Secretary, the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should appoint a non-politician or a non-partisan figure as the new head of the Department of Education (DepEd). This, the TDC said, it would ensure that DepEd is “spared from political bickering and being dragged into divisive political fighting.”

In a statement on Thursday, the group said, “We call on our president to ensure that the next DepEd secretary appointed is not a politician or actively involved in partisan politics.”

I t added: “Aside from this, the next secretary should be an excellent manager since that person will be managing the largest bureaucracy in the country, with the most personnel, the most geographically dispersed, and the greatest resources.”

T hey added that they also hope that the next secretary comes from the academe, or at the very least, has experience teaching in a public school.

“Someone who has lived through the daily experiences of teachers and students, grasps the situation on the ground, and whose heart is truly a teacher’s. We expect the president to consider the opinions and sentiments of teachers and the public education sector,” the group added.

The TDC said that they were not surprised by Duterte’s resignation as DepEd Secretary, “given the country’s political climate.”

What we did not expect was for the resignation to happen today (June 19),they said.

The DepEd employees’union, meanwhile, has expressed worries that the resignation of Duterte comes at a critical juncture for the agency.

While Duterte’s decision is respected, the DepEd National Employees Union (DepEd-NEU) said, her resignation “inevitably brings about concerns and uncertainties among educators, learners, and parents.”

“I t is crucial to address these concerns promptly to maintain the stability and integrity of our educational system,” the group said.

Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

“ Secretary Blinken emphasized that the PRC’s actions undermine regional peace and stability and underscored the United States’ ironclad commitments to the Philippines under our Mutual Defense Treaty,” Miller said in a press readout.

In a separate tweet, Miller said both foreign ministers “reaffirmed the importance of the US-Philippines alliance to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.” Manila and Washington have a 72-year old defense treaty, that obliges one to defend another when one is attacked by a foreign aggressor. This specific treaty obligation has never been operationalized and analysts be-

lieve the South China Sea can become a testing ground on this “ironclad” commitment by the Americans to its weakest military ally in the region.

On June 17, 2024, a Philippine Navy sailor was injured while one military inflatable was damaged in a scuffle with the China Coast Guard near the Ayungin Shoal.

T he AFP released a video close to Thursday midnight of the violent confrontation between the Philippine Navy and CCG. The AFP showed the “brazen act of aggression” of CCG with its “physical attacks, bladed weapons, blaring sirens, and blinding strobe lights” directed against Filipino soldiers.

C hina insisted that the CCG action was “restrained and professional” as well as “in accordance with the law.”

The Philippine DFA has yet to issue another statement on the BlinkenManalo call, and whether Manalo has invoked the MDT this time.

But apparently, the situation has reached a critical stage for the highest foreign policy leaders of both countries to make a call.

Manalo is in Athens for an official bilateral visit.

On June 17, US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and Philippine DFA Undersecretary Maria Theresa Lazaro discussed and “shared con-

Taiwan to PHL, China : Refrain from use of force in maritime altercations

TAIWAN, one of the six claimants of the South China Sea, joined the chorus of some members of the international community in calling for restraint and peaceful settlement in the disputed yet strategic waterway.  Taiwan is a renegade province of China, and since it is not a recognized sovereign state, it is not a party to any multilateral agreements on matters related to South China Sea.

H owever, Taiwan occupies the largest island in the Spratlys—Itu Aba. It is also the only rock feature occupied by Taiwan.

H ere is the full statement of Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs: T he China Coast Guard (CCG) on June 15 announced the implementation of the Provisions on Administrative Law Enforcement Procedures of Coast Guard Agencies. Formulated in line with China’s Coast

Guard Law, the provisions authorize the CCG to board, inspect, and detain foreign vessels and persons suspected of violating exit and entry procedures in waters that China considers to be under its jurisdiction. This has provoked a high degree of international concern.

O n June 17, a collision occurred between a CCG vessel and a Philippine supply ship in waters near the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, marking the first maritime confrontation since the new provisions took effect. A number of Philippine soldiers were reported to be injured, further increasing tension in the South China Sea. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of the Republic of China (Taiwan) calls on both parties to resolve the dispute peacefully, refrain from using military force, and avoid

escalating regional tensions.

M OFA reiterates that freedom of navigation in the South China Sea is vital to regional peace and stability and a matter of high concern to the international community. Taiwan opposes any unilateral attempts or actions to alter the status quo through force. The continuing increase in gray-zone activities and coercive military behavior in the South China Sea is not only damaging to regional peace and stability but also undermines the international maritime order, which is based on international law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Taiwan will continue to work with regional partners and like-minded countries to jointly safeguard a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Malou Talosig-Bartolome

Investments for green lane hit P2.32T

By Andrea E. San Juan @andreasanjuan

THE amount of investment projects certified under the green lane scheme, most of which are renewable energy (RE) projects, reached P2.32 trillion as of June 20, according to the Board of Investments (BOI).

“As of June 20, 2024, OneStop Action Center for Strategic Investments [OSACSI] has certified a total of 74 projects worth P2.321 trillion,” the investment promotion agency attached to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said in a statement on Thursday.

The BOI said this is equivalent to 74 projects certified under the green lane program.

O f the figure, 65 are RE projects

worth P1.9 trillion while 5 are digital infrastructure projects costing P338.23 billion. The figure also includes 2 projects under the food security sector and 2 under the manufacturing sector.

For the month of June alone, the BOI said it certified P265.47-billion worth of strategic investments, the highest of which is a P183.21-billion solar power project in Luzon.

O ut of the 74 projects, BOI said 32 are already registered with BOI with a total project cost of P1.31 trillion while 42 projects are still being eyed for registration or considered as investment leads worth P1.02 trillion.

O f the 32 projects registered with the BOI, 25 are RE, 3 are related to digital infrastructure, 2 are under food security and 2 are

under manufacturing.

M eanwhile, the investment promotion agency said 59 applications are in the pipeline, as these still need to complete requirements.

T he “Green Lane for Strategic Investments” scheme was established through Executive Order (EO) 18, which was approved by the Office of the President last February 24.

The BOI noted that green lanes aim to expedite, simplify, and automate the permit and license application processes for strategic investments.

EO 18 o rdered local government units (LGUs) to establish green lane units to facilitate strategic investments.

O SACSI endorses certified projects to the relevant LGUs for the issuance of endorsements or Certificates of Non-Objection.

MARRIOTT INT’L HEADS FOR PROVINCIAL SITES

Continued from A16

He expressed a “positive” outlook for Marriott’s properties in the country with the general recovery of tourist arrivals. The Department of Tourism (DOT) has projected inbound arrivals to reach 7.7 million this year, 41.3-percent up from the 5.45 million recorded last year. “The intent and the desire to grow the tourism  industry as a main pillar of the Philippine economy… and DOT’s projection of 12 million arrivals by 2028—I don’t know how many markets around  Asia Pacific  are projecting a 50-percent growth in tourism over the next three years—so that’s definitely got Marriott International’s attention.”

He noted that Marriott’s properties, particularly in Metro Manila, have already exceeded prepandemic records, with revenue per average room (RevPAR) “growing by 20 per-

cent from 2019. He attributed the strong performance to the return of corporate travel, and normalization of leisure travel. RevPAR is an important indicator of the financial performance of a hotel, and assesses its ability to fill its available rooms at an average rate.

‘Blooming Iloilo’ BUT other properties have also been benefiting from the lift in  business travel, said Winton. “In Iloilo, for instance, there have been a number of conferences there. So it’s blooming,” compared to before the pandemic, when corporate travel was still sluggish in that city, he explained. “Iloilo is now a corporate travel destination.” The hospitality chain manages the Courtyard by Marriott at the Iloilo business park.

S eparately, Sophia Hilario-Altamirano, Market Director for Sales

an d Distribution and Director for National Sales Marriott Philippines, told the BusinessMirror the volume of guests in its Metro Manila hotels is still coming from “very strong d omestic [market] and inbound [arrivals] from the United States—you’ll s ee a lot of mainstream Americans, Canadians, and also balikbayans [homecoming Filipinos].”

Although the foreign guests are corporate travelers, she noted the uptick in the “Bleisure (Business-Leisure) market. They will come here for business, after that they will extend over the weekend for leisure in our destinations. So business travel is back.”  For th eir properties in Newport City,  in particular, weekend stays were usually low in the past, because most o f the guests were corporate travelers. “But now, it’s bouncing back b ecause these corporate guests are

now extending their stays into the weekend,” she explained.

W hile guests from North America have been strong, Altamirano said the hospitality chain is also looking at expanding its target markets to Australia, Europe, Taiwan, and Singapore.

The hotel management company held its first Philippine Business Exchange with local travel agencies and destination management companies over two days at the Manila Marriott Ballroom, which ended on Thursday. A side from the Manila Marriott and Courtyard by Marriott in Iloilo, other Marriott properties in the Philippines include: Sheraton Manila B ay, Sheraton Manila Hotel, Clark Marriott, Four Points by Sheraton in Boracay and in Puerto Princesa, The Westin Manila, Sheraton Cebu Mactan Resort, and Fairfield by Marriott Cebu (Mandaue). Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo

cerns” over the incident. Campbell “reaffirmed” to Lazaro that the Article IV of the MDT “extends to armed attacks on Philippine armed forces, public officials, or aircraft—including those of its Coast Guard—anywhere in the South China Sea.”

“The Deputy Secretary and Undersecretary agreed that the PRC’s dangerous actions threatened regional peace and stability,” Miller said in a separate statement issued immediately after their call last June 17.

“Deputy Secretary Campbell and Undersecretary Lazaro further reiterated the critical importance of the United States-Philippines alliance to maintain-

ing our shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific region,” he added. In a tweet, Manalo said, “Spoke with US State Secretary @SecBlinken to discuss PH-US cooperation following the most recent developments in the WPS/SCS and in this regard, possible ways forward.” W hen BusinessMirror clarifed if he invoked the MDT with Blinken during the call, Manalo replied, “we discussed ways to move together.” He said this issue will be discussed further with Blinken, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. during their upcoming 2+2 meeting in July.

DOJ, FFCCCII sign MOU on deportation of Chinese nationals

By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

THE Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Federation of FilipinoChinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII) for the immediate facilitation of the deportation of Chinese nationals detained in immigration detention facilities in the country. Under the MOU, the FFCCCII will assist the DOJ by providing air transportation arrangements for the detained Chinese nationals who are already cleared for deportation, so they may answer for their offenses in their home country.

O n the other hand, the DOJ will ensure full compliance by the detained Chinese nationals with the justice department’s relevant procedures and processes on deportation back to the People’s Republic of China.

A lthough normally the government of the person under distress in a different country is the one that takes the initiative to bring back home its own national, the Chinese government has not offered to shoulder the responsibility in the case of its nationals detained at BI facilities, according to DOJ Undersecretary Jesse Hermogenes Andres.

A ndres added that there are more than 500 individuals who are already up for deportation but the government cannot shoulder all the expenses.

“ So it is a good initiative for the Filipino-Chinese community to establish or bring back better rapport between the Filipino government, the Chinese government and the Filipino-Chinese community because of this effort,” Andres said.

“ They are mostly people who are also facing charges and they have to be repatriated to China to face charges. And this is a win-win situation for everyone,” he added.

For its part, FFCCCII president

Dr. Pedro Cecilio Pedro will discuss with flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) the expense and arrangement for the deportation of the Chinese nationals detained at the BI facilities.

“The details will be discussed in the coming days for us to finalize what is the most ideal way to send them back,” Pedro said.

A side from helping in the deportation of detained Chinese nationals, Pedro said the FilipinoChinese community will also discuss with the DOJ the possible assistance it can offer over other issues involving Chinese nationals in the country.

One of these issues is the illegal acquisition of Filipino citizenship by unqualified Chinese nationals.

Pedro stressed that the group is trying to help streamline the

processes to ensure that the FilipinoChinese nationals staying in the country or even Chinese nationals will comply with Philippine laws. We want to make sure that all those illegitimate will be cleaned up or will be given the opportunity to legitimize their stay as Filipino citizen here in this country,” Pedro stressed.

“ We can find ways and means to legitimize all of these illegals if ever. But illegals are illegals. Very hard to explain how to legitimize them,” he added.

Pedro, however, suggested that the issues be looked into by Congress so that a law that would address the problem can be legislated.

Amnesty?

HE also brought up the possibility of the grant of amnesty by the government to Chinese nationals illegally staying in the country.

A ndres, on the other hand, said that the MOU will greatly aid in the decongestion of Philippine Immigration detention facilities, and expedite the deportation of individuals who are considered undesirable aliens.

A ndres also expressed his appreciation to FFCCCII, as their initiative contributes to the strengthening of ties between Filipinos and Chinese in the Philippines, and serves as a testament to the organization’s involvement with not only economic, but also sociocivic matters.

New road in WB agri program links Davao S. fruit producers to markets

By Manuel T. Cayon @awimailbox Mindanao Bureau Chief

DAVAO CITY—Remote fruit production areas of Davao del Sur are expected to be more accessible to the markets after the World Bank-funded agriculture program turned over the 5.99-kilometer farm road to the local government.

T he Department of Agriculture XI-Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP XI) disclosed it just finished and turned over the farm-to-market road in Malalag town to local authorities.

It said this should provide farmers better market access and reduce the transportation cost of their produce.

The farm road cost P110.9 million and was turned over to the provincial government on Wednesday.

It said the 5.99-km rehabilitated road under the PRDP I-BUILD subproject traverses the mango production areas, including the coconut, cardava, lakatan, and Cavendish bananas, corn and cacao production areas in the four barangays of Ibo, Bulacan, Pitu, and Bolton, all in the municipality of Malalag.

In a turnover ceremony on June 19 in Malalag, Marc Adrian Baddongon, head of the I-Build component of DAPRDP Regional Project Coordination Office XI, said the success of the project “is a result of the collective effort and active collaboration.”

“The rehabilitation of Ibo-Pitu, Malalag FMR is funded under the World Bank’s second additional financing and European Union cofinancing grant with the Provincial Local Government Unit of Davao del Sur, and the Municipal LGU of Malalag,” Baddongon said.

DA Regional Director Macario D. Gonzaga said farm roads “allow farmers to transport their produce more efficiently and reach a wider customer base.”

With this subproject, we are expecting an increased trading

activity of farm products in the communities as it will reduce the travel time from 26 minutes to 16 minutes per trip. We are also expecting an increased income among farmers as it will reduce the hauling cost of commodities and inputs from P40 to P30 per sack, and transport losses from an average of four percent to one percent,” Gonzaga said. He said the subproject will also improve access to social services because it will be easier for people in rural communities to access essential services like education, healthcare, and government assistance.

Representing the Davao del Sur Provincial Governor Yvonne R.

the people

in

and

Cagas, Marc Douglas IV C. Cagas thanked DA-PRDP “for pooling resources for the people of Davao del Sur, particularly to the 11,040 beneficiaries of the said subproject.” “ We hope that this strengthened partnership will continue to benefit

of Davao del Sur especially

increasing farmers’ productivity

income as well as their quality of living,” Cagas said. Malalag Municipal Mayor Peter Paul T. Valentin, Provincial Project Engineer Gina Chua, Pitu Brgy. Captain Yolando Amboc, and Kudos Peers Construction Corporation President Josue Bacolod also witnessed the turnover.

OFFICIALS led by Malalag Municipal Mayor Peter Paul T. Valentin, Provincial Project Engineer Gina Chua, Pitu Brgy. Captain Yolando Amboc grace the turnover ceremony for the new road that has boosted the hopes of fruit-producing areas in Davao del Sur.

Gaza cease-fire negotiations stall as Netanyahu and Sinwar dig in

By Tia Goldenberg The Associated Press

TEL AVIV, Israel—The fate of the proposed cease-fire deal for Gaza hinges in many ways on two men: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas’ leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar.

a

Each leader faces significant political and personal pressures that may be influencing their decisionmaking. And neither seems to be in a rush to make concessions to end the devastating eight-monthlong war and free hostages taken by Hamas in its October 7 attack.

Hamas has accepted the broad outline of the plan but requested “amendments.” Netanyahu has publicly disputed aspects of it, even though the US has framed it as an Israeli plan.

Among the major sticking points is how to move from an initial temporary truce in the deal’s first phase to a permanent ceasefire that includes an end to the fighting and full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.

Here is a look at what may be driving the two leaders:

Netanyahu is ‘buying time’ THROUGHOUT the war, the longserving Israeli leader has been criticized for letting political considerations get in the way of his decision-making.

His government is buoyed by two ultranationalist parties that oppose cease-fire deals. Instead, they prefer continuous military pressure to try to defeat Hamas and free the hostages. They also talk about “encouraging” Palestin -

ians to leave and reestablishing Israeli settlements, which were dismantled when Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005 after a 38-year occupation.

Netanyahu himself has taken a tough line on the cease-fire, saying he will not end the war until Hamas’ military and governing capabilities are destroyed. But with his hardline partners pledging to topple the government if a cease-fire is struck, Netanyahu has been pushed even farther into the corner. His reliance on them to remain in power recently intensified after a centrist member of his war Cabinet, former military chief Benny Gantz, quit over frustrations with Netanyahu’s handling of the conflict.

Netanyahu has had to balance internal pressures against demands from the Biden administration, which is promoting the latest cease-fire proposal, and from families of hostages who believe only a deal can set their loved ones free. Tens of thousands of Israelis have joined mass protests in support of the hostage families.

Netanyahu appears to be siding with his far-right governing partners for the moment, knowing they hold the key to his immediate political survival, although

he says he has the country’s best interests in mind.

Their departure from the government could lead to new elections, which would open him up to a vote that could end his rule and likely the start of investigations into the failures of October 7.

Netanyahu is also on trial for corruption, proceedings that have continued throughout the war yet have faded from the public consciousness. A cease-fire deal could refocus attention on the charges, which have dogged the Israeli leader for years and which he adamantly denies.

Netanyahu’s political fortunes appear to have improved over the course of the war. His public support plummeted in the aftermath of Hamas’ surprise attack on southern Israel. But over time it has gradually ticked up. While he would still face a tough path toward reelection, he isn’t a write-off.

“He runs the war as he wants, which means very slowly. He’s buying time,” said Gideon Rahat, a senior fellow at the Israeli Democracy Institute, a Jerusalem think thank, and chairman of the political science department at Jerusalem’s Hebrew University.

Rahat said Netanyahu is also keen to push on with the war in the hopes that former US President Donald Trump returns to office, possibly giving Israel more leeway in its fight against Hamas.

“I don’t see any cease-fire that really comes close to being something he adopts,” Rahat said. “But he’s not the only one that controls reality.”

Sinwar’s mission is to survive HAMAS ’ leader in Gaza also appears to be in no rush to sign on to a deal.

The militant group’s exiled leadership is somewhat varied in its opinion on how to approach a cease-fire agreement. But Sinwar—the mastermind of the October 7 attacks—has particular weight on the matter.

As a Hamas stalwart who spent decades in Israeli prisons, he has incentives to keep the war going.

On a personal level, his life may be on the line. Israel vowed to kill him in response to the October assault, and Sinwar is believed to be hiding deep within Gaza’s underground tunnels surrounded by Israeli hostages.

Japan and New Zealand agree on intel sharing pact amid growing regional security concerns

By mari yamaguchi

The Associated press

TOKYO—Japan and New Zealand agreed Wednesday in principle on an intelligence-sharing pact as their leaders shared concerns over the increasingly challenging security environment in the region, including closer ties between Russia and North Korea.

In a joint statement, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon expressed concern about rising tension in the South China Sea, where China has become increasingly assertive in pressing its territorial claims.

Kishida and Luxon “welcomed the agreement in principle of an information security agreement” to facilitate classified information sharing, according to the statement released by Japan’s Foreign Ministry.

If a cease-fire takes hold, Sinwar will be taking a great risk stepping out in public.

“I think he understands that he’s kind of a dead man walking. But it’s a matter of how long can he hold out?” said Khaled el-Gindy, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Middle East Institute think tank.

But Sinwar is motivated by more than just his own personal fate. Steeped in Hamas’ radical ideology, Sinwar seeks Israel’s destruction and has made political gains by watching the war harm Israel’s international standing and boost support for the Palestinian cause.

Israel has faced surging international criticism—from its Western allies, from the international justice system, from protesters around the world— over its conduct during the war. That has deepened Israel’s global isolation, brought accusations that it is committing genocide against Palestinians and driven the prosecutor at the International Criminal Court to seek the arrests of Israeli leaders.

Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council think tank, wrote on the social platform X that Sinwar was also “counting on the sustained global outcry due to the horrendous killing of Gazans to force Israel to stop the war eventually,” on his own terms.

But Sinwar could face some difficult questions of his own when the war ends—not only over his personal role in the atrocities of October 7 but also from the Palestinian public as the full extent of the wartime devastation and the years-long process of reconstruction sink in.

El-Gindy said Sinwar wasn’t deterred by the high price Palestinian civilians in Gaza are paying in the war, seeing it as an unavoidable sacrifice on the road toward liberation.

From Sinwar’s perspective, continuing to fight Israel’s powerful army, even if only through pockets of resistance, denies Israel a victory, el-Gindy said.

“Their whole mission is to survive,” he said. “If they survive, they win.”

The Associated Press writers Julia Frankel and Jack Jeffery contributed from Jerusalem.

together to understand and to respond to the serious regional issues in Japan’s neighborhood,” Luxon told a joint news conference after the talks. He said the two leaders discussed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Pyongyang and “how North Korea is fueling Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine.”

Putin signs deals with Vietnam in bid to shore up ties in Asia

By Aniruddha Ghosal The Associated Press

HANOI, Vietnam—Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a series of deals with his Vietnamese counterpart To Lam on Thursday, during a state visit that comes as Moscow is seeking to bolster ties in Asia to offset growing international isolation over its military actions in Ukraine.

The two signed agreements to further cooperation on education, science and technology, oil and gas exploration and health. They also agreed to work on a roadmap for a nuclear science and technology center in Vietnam.

Following the talks, Putin said that the two countries share an interest in “developing a reliable security architecture” in the Asia-Pacific Region based on not using force and peacefully settling disputes with no room for “closed military-political blocs.” Vietnam’s new President To Lam congratulated Putin on his re-election and praised Russia’s “domestic political stability.”

Putin arrived in Hanoi early Thursday morning from North Korea, where he and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed an agreement that pledges mutual aid in the event of war. The strategic pact that could mark the strongest connection between Moscow and Pyongyang since the end of the Cold War comes as both of them face escalating standoffs with the West.

Putin drove to Vietnam’s Presidential Palace on Thursday afternoon, where he was greeted by school children waving Russian and Vietnamese flags. There, he shook hands with and embraced Lam before a bilateral meeting and a joint briefing to the media. He met Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh later in the afternoon and is also scheduled to meet Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong—Vietnam’s most powerful politician—and parliamentary chief Tran Thanh Man.

Russia is keen to maintain “close and effective cooperation” in energy, industry, technology, education, security and trade, said Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Gennady S. Bezdetko on Wednesday, according to Vietnamese official media.

The trip has resulted in a sharp rebuke from the US Embassy in the country.

Much has changed since Putin’s last visit to Vietnam in 2017. Russia now faces a raft of US-led sanctions for its invasion of Ukraine. In 2023, the International Criminal Court in Hague issued an arrest warrant for Putin for war crimes. The Kremlin rejected it as “null and void,” stressing that Moscow doesn’t recognize the court’s jurisdiction. Putin’s recent visits to China and now North Korea and Vietnam are attempts to “break the international isolation,” said Nguyen Khac Giang, an analyst at Singapore’s ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.

The US and its allies have expressed growing concerns over a possible arms arrangement in which Pyongyang provides Moscow with badly needed munitions for its use in Ukraine, in exchange for economic assistance and technology transfers that could enhance the threat posed by Kim’s nuclear weapons and missile program. Both countries deny accusations of weapons transfers, which would violate multiple U.N. Security Council sanctions that Russia previously endorsed.

Meanwhile, Russia is important to Vietnam for two reasons, Giang said: It is the biggest supplier of military equipment to the Southeast Asian nation, and Russian oil exploration technologies help maintain its sovereignty claims in the contested South China Sea.

“Russia is signaling that it is not isolated in Asia despite the Ukraine war, and Vietnam is reinforcing a key traditional relationship even as it also diversifies ties with newer partners,” said Prashanth Parameswaran, a fellow with the Wilson Center’s Asia Program.

It is unlikely that Vietnam will supplying significant quantities of weapons to Russia, because that would risk progress the country has made with NATO members on military equipment, particularly the US, which has donated naval patrol vessels and is in talks to supply aircraft, said Ridzwan Rahmat, a Singapore-based analyst with the defense intelligence company Janes.

“There is progress that you wouldn’t have imagined just 10 years ago,” he said. “So would imagine Vietnam wouldn’t want to take a risk, inviting the wrath of Western countries by supplying the Russians.”

The two leaders also agreed to accelerate talks toward signing a pact that would allow the two countries’ forces to share logistical support and supplies during bilateral training and other operations. Under Japan’s 2022 national security strategy the country has been accelerating military buildup and expanding defense partnerships amid threats from China, North Korea and Russia.

strongest possible terms” the increasing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, including the North’s shipment to Russia of ballistic missiles used against Ukraine, the joint statement said.

Kishida and Luxon condemned “in the

“There is no more important time than right now for our two countries to be engaging

Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Wednesday signed an agreement that pledged mutual aid if either country faces “aggression,” at a summit held at a time both face escalating standoffs from the West.

Putin’s visit was his first in 24 years as the United States and its allies expressed growing concerns over a possible arms arrangement in which Pyongyang provides Moscow with badly needed munitions for its war in Ukraine, in exchange for economic assistance and technology transfers that could enhance the threat posed by North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missile program.

Japan has signed similar intelligence agreements with eight other countries including the United States, Australia, Britain, India and South Korea, as well as with NATO. Japan is also negotiating with Canada over a similar deal and has agreed with Ukraine to start talks.

video journalist Richard Colombo contributed to this report.

Hanoi and Moscow have had diplomatic relations since 1950, and this year marks 30 years of a treaty establishing “friendly relations” between Vietnam and Russia.

Evidence of this long relationship and its influence can be seen in Vietnamese cities like the capital, where the many Soviet-style apartment blocks are now dwarfed by skyscrapers and a statue of Vladimir Lenin, the founder of the Soviet Union, stands in a park where kids skateboard every evening. Many of the Communist Party’s top leadership in Vietnam studied in Soviet universities, including party chief Trong.

In an article written for Nhan Dan, the official newspaper of Vietnam’s Communist Party, Putin vowed to deepen the ties between Moscow and Hanoi and hailed Vietnam as a “strong supporter of a fair world order based on international law, on the principles of equality of all states and non-interference in their domestic affairs.”

He also thanked “Vietnamese friends for their balanced position on the Ukrainian crisis,” in the article released by the Kremlin.

Given Putin’s international isolation, Vietnam is doing the Russian leader a “huge favor and may expect favors in return,” wrote Andrew Goledzinowski, the Australian ambassador to Vietnam, on social media platform X. He said that it would have been hard for Vietnam to decline the visit since Putin was already in Asia and Vietnam has historical ties with the former Soviet Republic, but said that it was unlikely that the two would be strategic partners again. “Vietnam will always act in Vietnam’s interests and not anyone else’s,” he wrote.

Vietnam’s pragmatic policy of “bamboo diplomacy”—a phrase coined by Trong referring to the plant’s flexibility, bending but not breaking in the shifting headwinds of global geopolitics—is being increasingly tested.

David Rising in Bangkok, Thailand contributed to the report.

IN this combination image, Hamas’ leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, speaks on April 13, 2022, in Gaza City, left, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks on June 18, 2024, in Tel Aviv. The fate of the proposed cease-fire deal for Gaza hinges in many ways on Sinwar and Netanyahu. Each faces significant political and personal pressures that may be influencing their decision-making and neither seems in

rush to make concessions to end the war. AP

RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin, left, and Vietnam’s President To Lam pose for photos at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi, Vietnam on Thursday, June 20, 2024. NHAC NGUYEN/POOL PHOTO VIA AP

Human-caused climate change fuels deadly heat wave across Southwestern US, Mexico, and Central America

By Seth Borenstein Ap Science Writer

WASHINGTON—Humancaused climate change dialed up the thermostat and turbocharged the odds of this month’s killer heat that has been baking the Southwestern United States, Mexico and Central America, a new flash study found.

Sizzling daytime temperatures that triggered cases of heat stroke in parts of the United States were 35 times more likely and 2.5 degrees hotter (1.4 degrees Celsius) because of the warming from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas, World Weather Attribution, a collection of scientists that run rapid and non-peer reviewed climate attribution studies, calculated Thursday.

“It’s an oven here; you can’t stay here,” 82-year-old Magarita Salazar Pérez of Veracruz, Mexico, said in her home with no air conditioning. Last week, the Sonoran Desert hit 125 degrees (51.9 degrees Celsius), the hottest day in Mexican history, according to study co-author Shel Winkley, a meteorologist at Climate Central.

And it was even worse at night, which is what made this heat wave so deadly, said Imperial College of London climate scientist Friederike Otto, who coordinates the attribution study team. Climate change made nighttime temperatures 2.9 degrees (1.6 degrees Cel -

sius) warmer and unusual evening heat 200 more times more likely, she said.

There’s just been no cool air at night like people are used to, Salazar Pérez said. Doctors say cooler night temperatures are key to surviving a heat wave.

At least 125 people have died so far, according to the World Weather Attribution team.

“This is clearly related to climate change, the level of intensity that we are seeing, these risks,” said study co-author Karina Izquierdo, a Mexico City-based urban advisor for the Red Cross and Red Crescent Climate Centre.

The alarming part about this heat wave, which technically is still cooking the North American continent, is that it’s no longer that out of the ordinary anymore, Otto said. Past studies by the group have looked at heat so extreme that they found it impossible without climate change, but this heat wave not so much.

“From a sort of weather perspective in that sense it wasn’t rare,

but the impacts were actually really bad,” Otto told The Associated Press in an interview.

“The changes we have seen in the last 20 years, which feels like just yesterday, are so strong,” Otto said. Her study found that this heat wave is now four times more likely to happen now than it was in the year 2000 when it was nearly a degree (0.5 degrees Celsius) cooler than now. “It seems sort of far away and a different world.”

While other groups of international scientists—and the global carbon emissions reduction target adopted by countries in the 2015 Paris climate agreement—refer to warming since pre-industrial time in mid 1800s, Otto said comparing what’s happening now to the year 2000 is more striking.

“We’re looking at a shifting baseline - what was once extreme but rare is becoming increasingly common,” said University of Southern California Marine Studies Chair Carly Kenkel, who

Hundreds died during this year’s Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia amid intense heat, officials say

By Samy Magdy

The Associated Press

MECCA, Saudi Arabia—

Hundreds of people died during this year’s Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia as the faithful faced intense high temperatures at Islamic holy sites in the desert kingdom, officials said Wednesday as people tried to claim their loved ones’ bodies.

Saudi Arabia has not commented on the death toll amid the heat during the pilgrimage, required of every able Muslim once in their life, nor offered any causes for those who died. However, hundreds of people had lined up at the Emergency Complex in AlMuaisem neighborhood in Mecca, trying to get information about their missing family members.

One list circulating online suggested at least 550 people died during the five-day Hajj.

A medic who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss information not released publicly by the government said that the names listed appeared genuine. That medic and another official who also spoke on condition of anonymity for the same reason said they believed at least 600 bodies were at the facility. Deaths are not uncommon at the Hajj, which has seen at times over 2 million people travel to Saudi Arabia. There have also been stampedes and epidemics through the pilgrimage’s history.

Each year, the Hajj draws hundreds of thousands of pilgrims

from low-income nations, “many of whom have had little, if any, preHajj health care,” according to an article in the April edition of the Journal of Infection and Public Health. Communicable illnesses can spread among the gathered masses, many of whom save their entire lives for the pilgrimage and can be elderly with preexisting health conditions, it said.

However, the number of dead this year suggests something caused the fatalities to swell. Already, several countries have said some of their pilgrims died because of the heat that swept across the holy sites at Mecca, including Jordan and Tunisia.

Khalid Bashir Bazaz, an Indian pilgrim, speaking near the Grand Mosque on Wednesday, said he “saw a lot of people collapsing to the ground unconscious” during this year’s Hajj.

Temperatures on Tuesday reached 47 degrees Celsius (117 degrees Fahrenheit) in Mecca and the sacred sites in and around the city, according to the Saudi National Center for Meteorology. Some people fainted while trying to perform the symbolic stoning of the devil.

Many Egyptians said they lost track of their loved ones in the heat and the crowds. More than 1.83 million Muslims performed the Hajj in 2024, including more than 1.6 million from 22 countries, and around 222,000 Saudi citizens and residents, according to the Saudi Hajj authorities.

On Wednesday at the medical complex in Mecca, an Egyptian man broke down when he heard

his mother was among the dead. He cried for some time before grabbing his cellphone and calling their travel agent.

“He left her to die,” he shouted, referring to the agent. The crowd tried to calm him down.

Security appeared tight at the complex, with an official reading out names of the dead and the nationalities, which included people from Algeria, Egypt and India. Those who said they were kin of the dead were allowed inside to identify the deceased.

The AP could not independently confirm the causes of death for the people whose bodies were held at the complex. Saudi officials did not respond to questions seeking more information.

The kingdom’s ruling Al Saud family maintains a major influence in the Muslim world through its oil wealth and management of Islam’s holiest sites. Like Saudi monarchs before him, King Salman has taken the title of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, referring to the Grand Mosque in Mecca, home to the cube-shaped Kaaba that Muslims pray towards five times a day, and the Prophet’s Mosque in the nearby city of Medina.

Saudi Arabia has spent billions of dollars on crowd control and safety measures for those attending the annual five-day pilgrimage, but the sheer number of participants makes ensuring their safety difficult.

The Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.

wasn’t part of the attribution team’s study. She said the analysis is “the logical conclusion based on the data.”

The study looked at a large swath of the continent, including southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Belize and Honduras and the hottest five consecutive days and hottest five consecutive nights. For most of the area, those five days ran from June 3 to 7 and those five

nights were June 5 to 9, but in a few places the peak heat started May 26, Otto said.

For example, San Angelo, Texas, hit a record 111 degrees (43.8 degrees Celsius) on June 4.

Between June 2 and June 6 the night temperature never dipped below 80 degrees (26.7 degrees Celsius) at Corpus Christi airport, a record each night, with two days when the thermometer never dropped below 85 (29.4 degrees Celsius) according to the National Weather Service.

Between June 1 and June 15, more than 1,200 daytime high temperature records were tied or broken in the United States and nearly 1,800 nighttime high temperature records were reached, according to the National Center for Environmental Information.

The attribution team used both current and past temperature measurements, contrasting what is happening to what occurred in past heat waves. They then used the scientifically accepted technique of comparing simulations of a fictional world without humancaused climate change to current reality to come up with how much global warming factored into the 2024 heat wave.

The immediate meteorological cause was a high pressure system parked over central Mexico that blocked cooling storms and clouds, then it moved to the US Southwest and is now bringing the heat to the US East, Winkley said. Tropical Storm Alberto formed Wednesday and is heading to northern Mexico and southern Texas with some rains, which may cause flooding.

Mexico and other places have been dealing for months with drought, water shortages and brutal heat. Monkeys have been dropping from trees in Mexico from the warmth. This heat wave “exacerbates existing inequalities” between rich and poor in the Americas, Izquierdo said, and Kenkel agreed. The night heat is where the inequalities really become apparent because the ability to cool down with central air conditioning depends on how financially comfortable they are, Kenkel said. And that means during this heat wave Salazar Pérez has been quite uncomfortable.

Félix Márquez in Veracruz, Mexico and Teresa de Miguel in Mexico City contributed to this report.

MARGARITA SALAZAR , 82, wipes the sweat off with a tissue inside her home amid high heat in Veracruz, Mexico, on June 16, 2024. Human-caused climate change intensified and made far more likely this month’s killer heat with triple digit temperatures, a new flash study found Thursday, June 20. AP/FELIX MARQUEZ

South Korea blasts Russia-North Korea deal, says it will consider possible arms supplies to Ukraine

By Kim Tong-Hyung The Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea—South Korea’s presidential office on Thursday condemned an agreement reached by Russia and North Korea that vowed mutual defense assistance in the event of war and said it will reconsider its policy of limiting its support to Ukraine to nonlethal supplies.

The comments by a senior presidential official came hours after North Korea’s state media released the details of the agreement reached between its leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin during their summit on Wednesday in Pyongyang.

The North’s official Korean Central News Agency said the deal requires both countries to use all available means to provide immediate military assistance in the event of war.

The office of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol issued a statement condemning the agreement, calling it a threat to the South’s security and a violation of UN Security Council resolutions, and warned that it would have negative consequences on Seoul’s relations with Moscow.

The presidential official, who spoke on condition of anonymity during a background briefing, ac -

cording to office rules, said Seoul in response will reconsider the issue of providing arms to Ukraine to help the country fight off Russia’s invasion.

South Korea, a growing arms exporter with a well-equipped military backed by the United States, has provided humanitarian aid and other support to Ukraine while joining US-led economic sanctions against Moscow. But it has not directly provided arms to Ukraine, citing a long-standing policy of not supplying weapons to countries actively engaged in conflict.

Both Kim and Putin described their deal as a major upgrade of bilateral relations, covering security, trade, investment, cultural and humanitarian ties. Outside observers said it could mark the strongest connection between Moscow and Pyongyang since the end of the Cold War.

KCNA said Article 4 of the agreement states that if one of the countries gets invaded and is pushed into a state of war, the other must deploy “all means at its disposal without delay” to provide “military and other assistance.”

But it also says that such actions must be in accordance with the laws of both countries and Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, which recognizes a UN member state’s right to self-defense.

The summit between Kim and Putin came as the US and its allies expressed growing concern over a possible arms arrangement in which Pyongyang provides Moscow with badly needed munitions for its war in Ukraine, in exchange for economic assistance and technology transfers that could enhance the threat posed by Kim’s nuclear weapons and missile program.

Following their summit, Kim

Russia obliterates frontline Ukraine towns by retrofitting bombs, expanding air base

By Lori Hinnant, Vasilisa Stepanenko & Hanna Arhirova The Associated Press

KHARKIV, Ukraine—The first shock wave shattered aisles stacked almost to the ceiling with home improvement products. The next Russian bomb streaked down like a comet seconds later, unleashing flames that left the megastore an ashen shell.

A third bomb failed to detonate when it landed behind the Epicenter shopping complex in Kharkiv. Investigators hope it will help them trace the supply chain for the latest generation of retrofitted Russian “glide bombs” that are laying waste to eastern Ukraine. The Soviet-era bombs are adapted on the cheap with imported electronics that allow distant Russian warplanes to launch them at Ukraine.

Other cities that have been devastated by the weapons include Avdiivka, Chasiv Yar and Vovchansk, and Russia has nearly unlimited supplies of the bombs, which are dispatched from airfields just across the border that Ukraine has not been able to hit.

Store manager Oleksandr Lutsenko said the May 25 attack hints at Russia’s aim for Kharkiv: “Their goal is to turn it into a ghost city, to make it so that no one will stay, that there will be nothing to defend, that it will make no sense to defend the city. They want to scare people, but they will not succeed.”

Russia has accelerated its destruction of Ukraine’s front-line cities in 2024 to a scale previously unseen in the war using the glide bombs and an expanding network of airstrips, according to an Associated Press analysis of drone footage, satellite imagery, Ukrainian documents and Russian photos. The results can be seen in the intensity of recent Russian attacks. It took a year for Russia to obliterate Bakhmut, where the

bombs were first used. That was followed by destruction in Avdiivka that took months.

Then, only weeks were needed to do the same in Vovchansk and Chasiv Yar, according to images analyzed by AP that showed the smoldering ruins of both cities.

Now, Russia is putting the finishing touches on yet another airstrip less than 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Ukraine and launching the bombs routinely from multiple bases just inside Russian borders, according to the AP analysis of satellite pictures and photos from a Russian aviation Telegram channel.

The bombing of the Epicenter in Kharkiv killed 19 people, including two children. In all, glide bombs have hit the city more than 50 times this year, according to Spartak Borysenko of the Kharkiv regional prosecutor’s office.

He showed investigation documents to AP that identified at least eight Russian air bases used to launch the attacks, all within 100 kilometers (60 miles) of Ukraine. He said at least one of the munitions had foreign electronics and was made in May. That date suggests Russia is using the bombs rapidly and that it has successfully circumvented sanctions for dual-use items.

Photos on Russian Telegram channels linked to the military show glide bombs being launched three and four at a time. In one launch of four bombs, the AP traced the aircraft’s location to just outside the Russian city of Belgorod, near the air base now under construction. All four bombs in the photo were headed west—with Vovchansk and Kharkiv in their direct line of fire.

At the end of May, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia was launching more than 3,000 of the bombs every month, with 3,200 used in May alone.

Oleh Katkov, whose military-oriented site Defense Express first traced the launch

location, said hitting air bases is key to slowing the pace of the bombings by forcing Russian planes to launch farther away.

“This doesn’t mean they will completely stop their bombings, but it will become more difficult for them,” Katkov said. “They will be able to make fewer sorties per day.”

For months, Ukrainian officials complained bitterly about restrictions on using Western-supplied weapons against targets in Russia, including the airfields that house Russian bombers. The United States and Germany recently authorized some targets in Russia, but many others remain off-limits.

The newest airfield, just outside Belgorod, has a 2,000-meter (-yard) runway, the AP analysis found. Construction began late summer 2023, during the failed Ukrainian counteroffensive.

A Ukrainian intelligence official, who provided information to AP on condition of anonymity, said his government had been closely following the construction, which did not yet appear complete in a photo taken mid-June.

The official also noted that Belarus provides sanctuary for Russian bombers.

A map created by the Ukrainian battlefield analysis site DeepState showed 10 airfields in Belarus, including five just across the border from Ukraine.

In all, the DeepState map shows 51 bases used by Russia within 600 kilometers (370 miles) of Ukrainian-controlled territory, including three in occupied eastern Ukraine, six in the illegally annexed peninsula of Crimea, and 32 in Russia.

“The greatest strategic advantage Russia has over Ukraine is its advantage in the sky,” Zelenskyy said last week. “This is missile and bomb terror that helps Russian troops advance on the ground.”

said the two countries had a “fiery friendship,” and that the deal was their “strongest-ever treaty,” putting the relationship at the level of an alliance. He vowed full support for Russia’s war in Ukraine. Putin called it a “breakthrough document” reflecting shared desires to move relations to a higher level.

North Korea and the former Soviet Union signed a treaty in 1961, which experts say necessitated Moscow’s military intervention if the North came under attack. The deal was discarded after the collapse of the USSR, replaced by one in 2000 that offered weaker security assurances.

A full day after the summit, South Korean officials said they were still interpreting the results, including what Russia’s response might be if the North comes under attack. Analysts were mixed on whether the agreement obligates Russia to an automatic military

Russia launches up to 100 guided bombs daily, Zelenskyy said. Besides missiles and drones, which Russia already routinely uses for attacks, the bombs cause “an insanely destructive pressure.”

The base material for the glide bombs comes from hundreds of thousands of Soviet-era unguided bombs, which are then retrofitted with retractable fins and guidance systems to carry 500 to 3,000 kilograms (1,100 to 6,600 pounds) of explosives. The upgrade costs around $20,000 per bomb, according to the Center for European Policy Analysis, and the bombs can be launched up to 65 kilometers (40 miles) from their targets—outside the range of Ukraine’s regular air defense systems.

The bombs are similar in concept to the American Joint Direct Attack Munition, or JDAM, missiles, which have had their GPS systems successfully jammed by Russian forces in Ukraine.

Because Russia does not have the strength to occupy eastern cities such as Kharkiv, bombing is their preferred option, said Nico Lange, an analyst with the Center for European Policy Analysis.

“From their point of view, the strategy seems to be to terrorize the cities enough that people will leave,” Lange said.

Back at the Epicenter home improvement store, surveillance footage taken just before the explosion showed salesperson Nina Korsunova walking across the floor toward the aisle that she was staffing that day. Then there was a blinding flash, and the camera cut out.

Korsunova curled into the fetal position as a display crashed on top of her. She uncovered her eyes just in time to see the second bomb streak inside. With her eardrums blown out, she could hear nothing and saw not a single sign of life.

Hinnant reported from Paris. Arhirova reported from Kyiv. Associated Press reporters Volodymyr Yurchuk, Susie Blann and Samya Kullab in Kyiv, and graphic artist Phil Holm in New York, contributed to this report.

invention on behalf of the North in war situations or was carefully worded enough to avoid such a commitment. It also wasn’t immediately clear why the article invokes the UN charter.

“We are currently reviewing the specifics of the treaty signed between Russia and North Korea during President Putin’s visit to North Korea. We will announce our government’s position after we are done,” Lim Soosuk, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said during a briefing.

Still, Lim expressed regret that Moscow and Pyongyang signed the agreement while openly talking about military and technology cooperation that would be in violation of UN Security Council resolutions.

“Based on our close analysis and assessment of the results of (Putin’s) visit, including the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty signed between Russia and North Korea, we will work with the international community, including our allies and friends, to take correspondingly stern and decisive measures to any actions that threaten our security,” Lim said.

The deal was made as Putin visited North Korea for the first time in 24 years, a visit that showcased their personal and geopolitical ties with Kim hugging Putin twice at the airport, their motorcade rolling past giant Russian flags and Putin portraits, and a welcoming ceremony at Pyongyang’s main square attended by what appeared to be tens of thousands of spectators.

According to KCNA, the agreement also states that Pyongyang and Moscow must not enter into

agreements with third parties if they infringe on the “core interests” of another and must not participate in actions that threaten those interests.

KCNA said the agreements require the countries to take steps to prepare joint measures for the purpose of strengthening their defense capabilities to prevent war and protect regional and global peace and security. The agency didn’t specify what those steps are, or whether they would include combined military training and other cooperation. The agreement also calls for the countries to actively cooperate in efforts to establish a “just and multipolar new world order,” KCNA said, underscoring how the countries are aligning in face of their separate, escalating confrontations with the Untied States.

Kim in recent months has made Russia his priority as he pushes a foreign policy aimed at expanding relations with countries confronting Washington, embracing the idea of a “new Cold War” and trying to display a united front in Putin’s broader conflicts with the West.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula are at their highest point in years, with the pace of both Kim’s weapons tests and combined military exercises involving the US, South Korea and Japan intensifying in a tit-for-tat cycle.

The Koreas also have engaged in Cold War-style psychological warfare that involved North Korea dropping tons of trash on the South with balloons, and the South broadcasting anti-North Korean propaganda with its loudspeakers.

Gang violence in Haiti has displaced 580,000 people, new UN report says

By Evens Sanon & Coral Murphy Marcos The Associated Press

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti—Surging violence in Haiti from clashes with armed gangs since March has displaced nearly 580,000 people, according to a new report from the U.N. migration agency, a sobering figure that underscores the magnitude of the Caribbean nation’s crisis.

Haiti has long faced unrest but at the end of February, gangs unleashed coordinated attacks with gunmen taking control of police stations, opening fire on the main international airport that remained closed for nearly three months and stormed Haiti’s two biggest prisons.

A report released on Tuesday by the International Organization for Migration said the displacement of more than half a million is mainly due to people fleeing the capital of Port-au-Prince for other provinces, which lack the resources to support them.

In March, the agency reported more than 362,000 internally displaced people in Haiti. Since then, the violence has more than doubled the number of internally displaced in the southern region—already ravaged by a 2021 earthquake—from 116,000 to 270,000.

“Nearly all those internally displaced are currently hosted by communities already struggling with overburdened social services and poor infrastructure, raising further concerns about tensions with the potential to spark further violence,” the report said.

“I lived in a comfortable home that my husband worked hard to build,” Jean told The Associated Press. “Now I’m living in a situation that’s inhuman.”

Juste Dorvile, 39, is also staying at a public school with her 12-year-old daughter and boyfriend as gunshots are heard constantly in the area. “Everyday we’re hoping that we survive,” she said. With the gangs in control of at least 80% of Port-au-Prince and key roads leading to the rest of the country, many are living in makeshift shelters, including schools and learning institutions that are now hosting more than 60,000 people.

The gangs have also been charging fees for those wanting to use the highways or blackmailing drivers to get their hijacked trucks back on the roads, where police presence is scarce.

Haiti’s new acting prime minister, Garry Conille, who was appointed last month along with a Cabinet, attended a ceremony on Tuesday where over 400 officers graduated from the police academy, with the expectation that they will help curb gang violence in Haiti. He reminded the graduates that the people count on their dedication to combat insecurity.

“You need to know that you are not alone,” Conille said. “You are the hope of the population at this crucial moment in our history.”

Violence is also on the rise outside Haiti’s capital. Last week, armed gangs attacked families located in Terre-Neuve, a village in northern Haiti, forcing more than 1,000 people to flee their homes to safer areas.

Murphy Marcos reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

With more than 2,500 people killed or injured across Haiti in the first three months of the year, Haiti’s National Police, understaffed and overwhelmed by gangs with powerful arsenals, has been unable to bring the situation under control. Marie Jean, 49, and her two children were displaced from their Port-au-Prince home after her husband was killed by a gang in February. She’s now sheltered with her children at a public school.

Supporters of Myanmar leader Suu Kyi mark her 79th birthday with flower-themed protest

By Grant Peck The Associated Press

BANGKOK—Supporters of Myanmar’s imprisoned ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi carried out peaceful flower-themed protests marking her 79th birthday on Wednesday, some taking to the streets in defiance of the military government’s repression.

Suu Kyi, a Nobel peace prize winner who led a decades-long struggle against military rule, was detained on February 1, 2021, when the army seized power from her elected government. She is serving a 27-year prison term on what are widely regarded as charges that were contrived to keep her from political activity.

She is one of more than 20,600 people currently detained for opposing military rule, according to the independent Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which documents arrests.

Pro-democracy street protests

in Suu Kyi’s honor were held openly Wednesday in parts of the country not under the control of the army, including in Sagaing and Magway regions in central Myanmar, and Tanintharyi in the south, as well as in Kachin state in the north. Images on social media showed protesters carrying Suu Kyi’s picture and banners reading “Happy Birthday, Steel Rose” and “The steel roses will retaliate against the junta’s oppression without yielding,” referencing one of their hero’s nicknames and adopting the sobriquet for themselves.

Leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group warns archenemy Israel against wider war

By Kareem Chehayeb & Abby Sewell

The Associated Press

BEIRUT—Lebanon’s Hezbollah has new weapons and intelligence capabilities that could help it target more critical positions deeper inside Israel in case of an all-out war, the militant group’s leader warned on Wednesday.

Hassan Nasrallah’s comments came as the monthslong cross-border conflict simmering between Hezbollah and Israel appears to be reaching a boiling point, and a day after a top US envoy met Lebanese officials in his latest attempt to ease tensions.

“We now have new weapons. But I won’t say what they are,” he said in a televised address commemorating a top Hezbollah commander killed in an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon last week. “When the decision is made, they will be seen on the front lines.” Hezbollah has used locally made explosive drones for the first time since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza in October, as well as surface-to-air missiles to chase off Israeli jets.

Nasrallah said in 2021 that Hezbollah has 100,000 fighters but now he claimed the number is much higher, without elaborating. He also said he has rejected offers from allied countries and militias in the region that could add tens of thousands to his ranks.

A nearly 10-minute-long video allegedly filmed by a Hezbollah surveillance drone and released Tuesday shows parts of Haifa—a city far from the Israel-Lebanon border. In his speech Wednesday, Nasrallah said Hezbollah has much more footage—an apparent threat it could reach sites deep in Israel. Israel’s military chief, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, visited Israeli air-defense soldiers near the border with Lebanon on Wednesday, saying Israel was aware of Hezbollah’s capabilities demonstrated in the video and has solutions for these threats.

“We of course have infinitely greater capabilities,” he said. “I think the enemy is only familiar with a few of them and (we) will confront them at the right time.” Hezbollah, an ally of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, has been exchanging strikes with Israel almost daily since the war in Gaza erupted on October 7, with the aim to pull Israeli forces away from the embattled Gaza Strip.

Hezbollah’s attacks escalated after Israel

Pro-democracy guerrillas in remote areas not under army control also celebrated her birthday. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the army’s 2021 takeover, which led to nationwide peaceful protests that escalated into armed resistance and what now amounts to a civil war.

However, nonviolent protests continue to be popular, both online

and on the ground. They are often coordinated around themes, such as a flower strike.

One common practice is to post online self-portraits along with symbols of the strike or of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party, but with faces obscured to prevent identification by the authorities.

In the southern region of

Tanintharyi, hundreds of demonstrators in Dawei district displayed Suu Kyi’s famous slogan “The only real prison is fear, and the only real freedom is freedom from fear.”

Min Lwin Oo, a leader of the Democracy Movement Strike Committee (Dawei), told The Associated Press that the quote was supposed to inspire people to have courage and no fear in carrying out revolution against military dictatorship.

Young people held more discreet protests in the big cities of Yangon and Mandalay, where it’s not unusual for security forces to use force to break up demonstrations and make arrests.

Eleven Media, a news outlet that maintains good relations with the military government, reported that 22 people in Mandalay were arrested for alleged involvement in the flower strike.

Tayzar San, a prominent leader of the opposition’s General Strike Coordination Body that organized the strike, said that people’s participation proved that even after three years under oppressive military rule, the revolutionary spirit couldn’t be quelled.

expanded its offensive into the southern Gaza city of Rafah in May, and spiked further in June after an Israeli strike killed high-ranking Hezbollah commander Taleb Sami Abdullah, the most senior militant killed so far during the Israel-Hamas war.

Also Tuesday, the Israeli army said it has “approved and validated” plans for an offensive in Lebanon, although the decision to actually launch such an operation would have to come from the country’s political leadership.

The warnings by both sides followed a visit by US President Joe Biden’s senior adviser Amos Hochstein, who met with officials in Lebanon and Israel in his latest attempt to deescalate tensions. Hochstein told reporters in Beirut on Tuesday that it was a “very serious situation” and that a diplomatic solution to prevent a larger war was urgent.

Nasrallah said a wider war with Lebanon would have regional implications and that Hezbollah would attack any other country in the region that assisted Israel in the war effort, citing Cyprus, which has hosted Israeli forces for training exercises. He suggested Cyprus might allow Israel to use its bases in event of a wider war.

In response, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said his island nation “is in no way involved” in any military operations in the region. Cyprus is “part of the solution, not part of the problem” he said, pointing out the Cyprus-Gaza maritime corridor used to deliver aid to the Palestinian territory.

Only a cease-fire in Gaza would halt the Lebanon-Israel border fighting or the attacks on Western and Israel-linked targets from Yemen’s Houthi rebels and Iraqi militias allied with Hezbollah.

Israel views Hezbollah as its most direct threat, and the two fought a 34-day war in 2006 that ended in a stalemate. Hezbollah’s military capabilities have grown significantly since then, and the United States and Israel estimate the group, along with other Lebanese militant factions, has about 150,000 missiles and rockets. Hezbollah also has been working on precision-guided missiles.

Hezbollah said at least four of its fighters were killed Wednesday in Israeli strikes as Hochstein returned to Israel for a new round of meetings there.

The Associated

“Currently, people who love her want to give her flowers and cakes as birthday presents, but she is in a situation where she is not allowed to accept it,” he said in a statement posted on his Facebook page on Tuesday. Consequently, her admirers should do as much as they can to help with humanitarian aid, he said.

“I think this will be my mother’s most desired birthday present,” Aris said.

The United Nations has estimated that at least 3 million people in Myanmar have been made homeless by conflict in the last three years and are in desperate need of assistance.

Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party, which the military government declared dissolved last year, released a statement on Wednesday on its Facebook page calling for the release of all the detained political prisoners including Suu Kyi.

Several Western embassies posted pictures of roses and jasmine on their social media pages, with some also issuing statements calling for her and all political prisoners to be released.

Kim Aris, Suu Kyi’s younger son living in London, had urged people to celebrate his mother’s birthday by supporting humanitarian aid campaigns.

Rifts seem to appear between Israel’s political, military leadership over conduct of Gaza war

By Josef Federman & Elena Becatoros The Associated Press

JERUSALEM—The Israeli army’s chief spokesman on Wednesday appeared to question the stated goal of destroying the Hamas militant group in Gaza in a rare public rift between the country’s political and military leadership.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted Israel will pursue the fight against Hamas, the group running the besieged Gaza Strip, until its military and governing capabilities in the Palestinian territory are eliminated. But with the war now in its ninth month, frustration has been mounting with no clear end or postwar plan in sight.

“This business of destroying Hamas, making Hamas disappear—it’s simply throwing sand in the eyes of the public,” Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the military spokesperson, told Israel’s Channel 13 TV. “Hamas is an idea, Hamas is a party. It’s rooted in the hearts of the people—whoever thinks we can eliminate Hamas is wrong.”

Netanyahu’s office responded by saying that the country’s security Cabinet, chaired by the prime minister, “has defined the destruction of Hamas’ military and governing capabilities as one of the goals of the war. The Israeli military, of course, is committed to this.”

The military quickly issued a clarification, saying it was “committed to achieving the goals of the war as defined by the Cabinet” and that it has been working on this “throughout the war, day and night, and will continue to do so.” Hagari’s comments, it said, “referred to the destruction of Hamas as an ideology and an idea, and this was said by him very clearly and explicitly,” the military statement added. “Any other claim is taking things out of context.”

There have already been open signs of discontent over the handling of the war by Netanyahu’s government, a coalition that includes right-wing hardliners who oppose any kind of settlement with Hamas. Months of internationally mediated truce talks, including a proposal floated this month by President Joe Biden, have stalled.

Benny Gantz, a former military chief and centrist politician, withdrew from Netanyahu’s war Cabinet earlier this month, citing frustration over the prime minister’s conduct of the war.

And early this week, Netanyahu expressed displeasure with the army’s decision to declare a “tactical pause” in the southern Gaza city of Rafah to help deliver humanitarian aid to the besieged territory. An aide said Netanyahu was caught off guard by the announcement, and Israeli TV stations quoted him as saying “we have a country with an army, not an army with a country.”

Israel attacked Gaza in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 cross-border attack into southern Israel, which killed some 1,200 people and took 250 hostages.

Israel’s war effort initially enjoyed broad public support, but in recent months wide divisions have emerged. While Netanyahu has pledged “total victory,” a grow -

ing array of critics and protesters have backed a cease-fire that would bring home the roughly 120 hostages still in Gaza. The Israeli military has already pronounced more than 40 of them dead, and officials fear that number will rise the longer the hostages are held.

Inside Gaza, the war has killed more than 37,100 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between combatants and civilians. The war has largely cut off the flow of medicine, food and other supplies to Palestinians, who are facing widespread hunger.

The United Nations said Wednesday that its humanitarian workers were once again unable to pick up aid shipments at the Kerem Shalom border crossing from Israel because of a lack of law and order.

UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said that although there were no clashes along the route where Israel has declared a daily pause in fighting, the lawlessness in the area prevented UN workers from picking up aid. This means that no trucks have been able to use the new route since Israel announced the daily pause on Sunday.

In recent weeks, Israel’s military has concentrated its offensive in the nearby city of Rafah, which lies on the border with Egypt and

“This business of destroying Hamas, making Hamas disappear—it’s simply throwing sand in the eyes of the public,” Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the military spokesperson, told Israel’s Channel 13 TV. “Hamas is an idea, Hamas is a party. It’s rooted in the hearts of the people—whoever thinks we can eliminate Hamas is wrong.”

where it says Hamas’ last remnants are holding out.

More than half of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million people had earlier taken shelter in Rafah to escape fighting elsewhere in the territory, and the city is now nearly empty as the Israeli military carries out airstrikes and ground operations.

The Israeli military says it has killed over 500 militants and inflicted heavy damage on Hamas’ forces, but officials expect the operation to continue for at least several more weeks.

Israel also has taken over a 14-kilometer (8-mile) corridor along Gaza’s border with Egypt, including the Rafah border crossing. Footage circulating on social media shows the crossing blackened and destroyed, with only the former passenger terminal remaining intact. Before Israel moved into the area, the crossing was used to deliver humanitarian aid and to allow Palestinians to leave the territory.

The head of the Rafah municipality, Ahmed al-Sufi, said Wednesday that Israeli strikes have destroyed more than 70 percent of the facilities and infrastructure. He accused Israeli forces of systematically targeting camps in Rafah, adding that entire residential areas in one neighborhood have been destroyed. Al-Sufi didn’t immediately respond to a request for additional information. In a separate incident, 11 people were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, said Dr. Saleh al-Hamas of the nearby European Hospital. There were no further details and the Israeli military had no immediate comment.

Becatoros reported

IN this photo provided by Thabeikkyin Township People’s Defense Force, the group’s members celebrate the 79th birthday of the country’s ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi with a cake in a hut of the group’s outpost in Thabeikkyin township in Mandalay region, Myanmar on Wednesday, June 19, 2024.

IMD report uncovers PHL’s challenges and opportunities ahead

THe recently released 2024 IMD World Competitiveness Ranking has shed light on the Philippines’ current standing in the global economic landscape. While the country’s overall ranking remains unchanged at 52nd out of the 67 economies surveyed, the report highlights several challenges that need to be addressed to enhance competitiveness and drive sustainable development.

One of the key concerns raised in the IMD report is the high prices of goods, which pose a significant hurdle for the country. The government must prioritize measures to ensure affordability and accessibility of essential commodities, safeguarding the well-being of its citizens. Additionally, food security emerges as another pressing issue, demanding attention to ensure a stable and sustainable supply of food for the population. (Read the BusinessMirror report: “IMD report flags PHL risks in prices, food,” June 19, 2024).

Another critical area for improvement is the education system. Despite maintaining its ranking in the economic performance category, the Philippines faces disparities in educational outcomes. Enhancing the quality of education and aligning it with the evolving job market will be crucial for equipping our workforce with the necessary skills and knowledge to thrive in the global economy.

Furthermore, the report emphasizes the need to reduce climate change vulnerability. Like many other countries, the Philippines must prioritize sustainable development and resilience-building measures to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change. Taking significant steps toward a low-carbon and circular economy will not only contribute to the global fight against climate change but also enhance the country’s competitiveness in the long run.

The territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea also present a diplomatic challenge for the country. Resolving these conflicts peacefully and diplomatically is crucial to maintain stability and foster positive relations with our neighbors. By engaging in constructive dialogue and seeking peaceful resolutions, the Philippines can protect its territorial rights while promoting regional cooperation.

Analyzing the different aspects of competitiveness, the IMD report highlights both positive and negative trends for the Philippines. The country demonstrates improvement in government efficiency, with a three-spot climb in the rankings. However, the decline in business efficiency and infrastructure rankings calls for focused efforts to address these areas of concern.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has expressed its commitment to promote a business-friendly environment. The DTI’s focus on enhancing manufacturing with Industry 4.0 technologies and fostering innovation to boost production efficiency and global competitiveness aligns with the need for continuous adaptation and digital transformation.

Sustainable infrastructure development is also recognized as vital for competitiveness and climate change mitigation. The government’s dedication to transforming the country into an attractive investment destination, while upskilling the workforce, is a step in the right direction.

To improve its competitiveness, the Philippines can utilize the recently implemented Executive Order No. 59, which aims to streamline the permitting process for infrastructure flagship projects. This initiative, along with the enactment of a comprehensive right-of-way law, can address budgetary and legal issues that have hampered infrastructure development. By ensuring sufficient funding and timely implementation of infrastructure projects, the country can improve its competitiveness and attract more investments. (Read the BusinessMirror report: “ How to lift up IMD ranking? Government cites planned reforms,” June 19, 2024).

The Anti-Red Tape Authority’s launch of the Competitiveness Dashboard, in collaboration with the Asian Institute of Management and Liveable Cities Philippines, is a commendable effort to monitor and analyze the country’s global competitiveness. By ensuring the availability and accuracy of data, the government can make informed decisions and implement targeted policies to effectively enhance the country’s competitiveness.

As the 2024 IMD World Competitiveness Ranking has shown, the Philippines stands at a crossroads. Maintaining its current position is not enough; the country must strive to climb the ranks, leveraging its strengths and addressing its weaknesses. Only then can the Philippines truly secure a prosperous future for its citizens and establish itself as a regional economic powerhouse.

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Counterbalancing disinformation

OBetter Days

veR the past few decades we have seen an exponential growth in the use of technology and along with it, the amount of information that is being made available at the fingertips of people. A while back, the amount of content an individual can consume was dependent on his or her capability to pay for subscription to the Internet, which back then was very expensive. Now, access to the Web has become easier and cheaper. All you need is a smartphone and a minimal amount of money to go through your favorite social media apps.

This ease of access to the Web and the widespread use of social media in the Philippines has also created its own set of issues. Foremost among these is disinformation that has become widespread across all popular social media platforms.

Many of us are now aware of disinformation as a serious issue that can have an impact across different segments of society. During elections, there is a heightened awareness of disinformation because of how different groups of people have

used this to either promote or malign certain candidates. We have yet to see definitive data about how the spread of disinformation affects polls but the matter has become serious enough to garner the attention of our Commission on Elections (Comelec). In fact, Comelec Chairman George Garcia has tasked a unit of the poll body to look into the use of artificial intelligence and deepfake technology with the end of prohibiting its use in the 2025 elections. Such is technology now

that groups can tap AI to impersonate personalities in order to deceive the public.

Disinformation has also reared its ugly head in international politics. A rather disturbing report came out recently about how the US military implemented a secret program at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic to sow fear about the use of the China-developed Sinovac vaccine. With the use of fake accounts on social media apps, the said program involved coming out with localized content across different jurisdictions, including the Philippines, about China being the source of Covid and how people should not trust the efficacy of its homegrown vaccine. It also amplified a disputed contention that vaccines sometimes contain pork gelatin and as such the use of the Chinese manufactured vaccine on Muslims is forbidden under Islamic law.

Another report detailed how Chinese social media users and platforms were engaged in spreading false news about a supposed civil war brewing in the Philippines due to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s policies on the West Philippine Sea. The anonymous accounts on Chinese social media amplified state-

UP Fighting Maroons as champions of the 2024 FilOil EcoOil Preseason

THe University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons retained its championship in the Filoil ecoOil Preseason Cup by defeating the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers during the Finals face-off on June 12, 2024 in San Juan City.

This is the collegiate basketball tournament organized by FilOil EcoOil Sports that is contested by all 18 teams from the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

Teams were grouped according to their respective leagues, with the UAAP group comprising UP, DLSU, Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU), Adamson University (AdU), Far Eastern University (FEU), National University (NU), University of the East (UE), and University of Santo Tomas (UST).

The NCAA group include San Beda College, Arellano University, College of St. Benilde, Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC), Jose Rizal University (JRU), Colegio San Juan de Letran,

Lyceum of the Philippines University (LPU), Mapua University, University of Perpetual Help, and San Sebastian University.

Aside from sweeping all of its 10 games, this is UP’s second-straight championship against DLSU in the preseason cup.

The scores of UP and DLSU during the four quarters of the finals: 17-14, 23-43, 48-53, 69-66.

The score of 69 of the UP Men’s Basketball team include Joel Diomar Cagulangan (13), Gerry Abadiano (12), Harold Alarcon (9), Ududo (9), Francis Lopez (8), Reyland Torres (7), Sean Aldous Torculas (7), Janjan Felicilda (2), Sean Alter (2), Stevens (0), Walker (0), Bayla (0), Chico Briones (0), Belmonte (0), Tan (0). The tournament began on May

ments from officials of the previous administration calling for the independence of Mindanao. These two separate developments show how social media and the digital world has already become a new battleground and arena for geopolitics. Currently, we have anywhere from 50 to 83 percent of the population who have access to the Internet. This covers both fixed and mobile Internet users across the country. According to the Department of Information and Communications Technology, the Philippines is one of the top, if not the top of the list of countries when it comes to the use of the Internet. Filipinos are also above average when it comes to time spent on social media apps. This leads me to question how much of Filipinos’ Internet usage is actually for productive purposes. These issues underscore the need for us to equip our people with the right skills and competencies. Under the current 19 th Congress, we have been pushing for the approval of a National Digital Transformation Act that aims to equip our people with the necessary digital skills. In this day and

See “Angara,” A15

Cup

11, 2024 and concluded on June 12, 2024. All games were held at the Filoil EcoOil Center in San Juan.

The tournament format include single-round robin eliminations, with the top four from each group advancing to the crossover playoffs.

In 2023, UP failed to earn the championship title for the UAAP Men’s Basketball Season 86 after it lost to DLSU in the Finals Game 3 on December 6, 2023 before a roaring crowd of 25,192 at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

UP Fighting Maroons earned its second consecutive bronze medal finish in the overall standing in UAAP Season 86. UST retained the general title for the seventh straight time and DLSU finished second.

Three of the Fighting Maroons’ 14 podium finishes include gold in Men’s Judo, Women’s Swimming and Men’s Football.

UP will be the host of UAAP Season 87, which is scheduled to open on September 7, 2024 with the theme “Stronger, Better, Together.”

“The UAAP is the country’s premier collegiate league. Its popularity and success has grown exponentially through the years because it continues to grow, evolve and innovate. It has introduced new sports, expanded divisions within existing sports and finds new ways to reach out and con-

nect with its ever-increasing audiences,” says Dolriech “Bo” Perasol, director of the UP Office of Athletics and Sports Development in an interview.

Securing tickets will continue to be a challenging feat in every game due to the increasing number of enthusiastic fans eager to shout “UP Fight” as the UP Fighting Maroons battle it out to earn the spot for the final games.

Each game became mini-reunions with endless photo-ops and reminiscing of college days memories over coffee, lunch, merienda or dinner. This galvanized an extraordinary sense of solidarity for UP constituents often described as the microcosm of a highly diverse nation.

A campus anecdote was that the varsity team was once known as the UP Parrots. It was replaced with a new moniker that revived the old (circa 1920s) name Maroons along with the adjective “fighting” to describe the sportsmanship attitude that the UP varsity teams must possess during the games. The UP MBT won their first UAAP title in 1939 (Season 2) then followed it up 47 years later in 1986 (Season 49). Then there was the 36 years of championship drought until its third

See “Gorecho,” A15

Antonio L. Cabangon

sonny M. angara

Kuwentong PeyuPs

Dennis gorecho

How Megan Fox bit the hands that fed her

Biting the hands that feed you spells more trouble in the workplace than in the family setting. An ungrateful child, described by Shakespeare as “sharper than a serpent’s tooth” will always be part of the family, but that is not the case when you are a whining, thankless and unappreciative employee who disparages your immediate boss or employer any chance you get.

Publicly criticizing a boss or company risks damaging your career prospects. The adage is sensible, and only those with limited smarts are tempted to do it. You can be the most educated, intelligent and efficient employee in the company, but if you incessantly complain, denigrate the company and the people you work for, you can expect your career to plateau or to lose your job sooner or later. More than being offended by the smearing from the employee, it is the propagation of negativity in the workplace that makes ingratitude dangerous. Negativity can quickly spread, and other employees who are otherwise happy with the situation become affected when confronted by an ingrate daily. It is like having one rotten apple in a basket—it eventually damages the rest because ingrates look for enablers around them.

Finding a corporate leader who successfully reached the top with a record of trashing a company or an immediate boss would be difficult. A minute of insult or scoffing at a benefactor or company can cost heaps in terms of stalled career or lost opportunity.

A classic example of biting the hands that feed you is Megan Fox’s remarks about Michael Bay, the director of Transformers and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, in a Wonderland interview.

Said Megan: “He’s like Napoleon, and he wants to create this insane, infamous madman reputation. He wants to be like Hitler on his sets, and he is. So he’s a nightmare to work for, but when you get him away from set, and he’s not in director mode, I kind of really enjoy his personality because he’s so awkward, so hopelessly awkward. He has no social skills at all. And it’s endearing to watch him. He’s vulnerable and fragile in real life and then on set he’s a tyrant.”

The remarks were not even funny —they were disrespectful and stupid—mainly so that it was during a media interview after the box-office success of the first two movies that catapulted Megan to global recognition. Her remarks were enough for Bay to remove her from the third installment—Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

What boggles the mind is why she even thought of uttering those words about the director that made her a household name. It must have been Megan’s delusions of being a high-valued actress and an indispensable character of the Transformers movie franchise that led to her downfall. Did she think the third series would not push through without Mikaela Barnes, the character she played?

As expected, Megan’s career got stalled. Initially, nobody wanted to get her until the movie Jennifer’s Body. Who wants to work with someone who will ridicule and disparage you, not just with co-workers, but in the media, too?

Angara. . . continued from A14

age, it is crucial for individuals to have digital skills in order to create better employment opportunities and become more productive when engaging in endeavors such as freelance work. Senate Bill No. 625 bill seeks to institutionalize a national digital transformation strategy and a national skills development strategy to ensure every Filipino is provided with a better understanding of information and communications technology (ICT) and develops the necessary skills to apply

Breakfast somewhere in the South

WWhat boggles the mind is why she even thought of uttering those words about the director that made her a household name. It must have been Megan’s delusions of being a high-valued actress and an indispensable character of the Transformers movie franchise that led to her downfall. Did she think the third series would not push through without Mikaela Barnes, the character she played?

She thought wrong, and the Transformers franchise became successful without her. Not only did she lose the opportunity to earn and improve her market value when she got sacked, but she also became the classic example of an ingrate and thankless actress in Hollywood. You don’t have to be smart not to bite the hands that feed you. You just don’t do it. Even dogs know that so well. Says Saint Basil, “Does not the gratitude of the dog put to shame any man who is ungrateful to his benefactors?”

When you are in a situation where you have a mouthful to say about your supervisor or the company, take it up with Human Resources Department in person. Sneering at your boss with other employees is not only foolish, it could also endanger your position too—especially if you use official gadgets or computers that could be accessed by other employees.

If the company is too small, consider moving if the kitchen becomes too hot for you to handle. Even in job interviews, badmouthing your former boss or company would not sit well with your prospective employers.

The proverb “don’t bite the hand that feeds you” remains relevant in the workplace today and will continue to be in the future.

ICT in their daily lives. Such skills initiatives should include proper media literacy, and other programs that fight disinformation. It is only when we raise our awareness of what is truth and false that we can better stop the spread of misinformation and protect ourselves from being duped and exploited.

Senator Sonny Angara has been in public service for 20 years—9 years as Representative of the Lone District of Aurora, and 11 as Senator. He has authored, co-authored, and sponsored more than 330 laws.  He is currently serving his second term in the Senate.   E-mail: sensonnyangara@yahoo.com Facebook, Twitter & Instagram: @sonnyangara

Tito Genova Valiente annoTaTions

ho was it who said “Life begins after breakfast”? Do we really need to find out the genius behind such mind-blowing insight? But what if a breakfast ruins the day for you? or better still, what if a breakfast club of sorts murders the spiritual quiet one associates with a very good breakfast?

This week, I was in this charming city down south. The city was a cross between a highly urbanized town and a city that quietly bore the sentiment of a place that appeared to hold tight to the sentiment of meadows and mountains. In the ’80s, development experts had a special label for this kind of place—“rurban.” Rural urban.

The hospitality of our hosts being beyond compare we were treated to different places for breakfast, lunch and dinner. For breakfast though we had a favorite—a restaurant that offered a kind of native bacon—not too much fat, more red meat, and a succulence that did not threaten us with cholesterol. Or, maybe the meat was so good we were compelled by our own health insecurities and pretenses that some bacon was good for our health and our well-being. There was another treat from that place. The proprietor of the cafe was also kind enough to provide us with a plate of pan de sal every morning. As we were not privy to the price of the bread, we assumed inflation had not reached the bakeries of this city. Our impression: the baker behind this masterpiece of the everyday believed the pan de sal was the bastion for good old bread, a delicacy when the world was cheaper and homes could afford thick, yummy breads, and any baker worth his ancient oven would never alter the shape of that immortal morning bun.

Anyway, that cafe by the roadside promised eternal happiness until one morning, we arrived and saw through the glass window a big crowd inside. Let me clarify my modifiers: six or seven women or men around a rectangular table does not spell a crowd but a bunch of loud women—with three or four talking very loudly while two or three had remained stolid and stunned—can spell distraction…and destruction. If you think Morning has broken is a lovely phrase to open a song, wait till you are forced to imagine that loud and vulgar voices can indeed break, as in shatter, any morning at all. These women had an agenda that seemed to be going on and on. They had different topics all in different directions. They were a perfect model for leaderless discussion. But, for some reason, after exchanging sentences and phrases and clauses, the group appeared to arrive at a consensus. The topic, after I had waded through differently inflected Hiligaynon, was a tour, an excursion. These intrepid, old (only because a majority of them seemed beyond the age of 50) women were planning to travel. To Baguio!

I could sense the surplus of cash in the voices of most of them. They were very liquid. And their funds were not in the banks but in some boxes hidden inside old aparador. The tallest and heftiest of them all and the one with the loudest voice was talking

not of travel but of shopping. While her friends and comrades were still in the planning stage, this woman was already seeing herself alighting from a tour bus or a van and a voice that demanded: Give me a room or give me death!

And then, I saw the oldest of them (Or so I believed using my own ability to guess the ages of women) and, I believe, the most fragile, stood, tentatively at first, until she held the doorknob of the door of the restaurant, to step out into the open. A woman liberated from the sisterhood of women at breakfast, into redemption. Or so she thought.

Something happened though the moment that frail women left the group: two or three other women began to pass judgment on the departing lady: She is not loved by her own children.

Pity her she cannot even ask money from her own children.

What can we do to help her?

At that moment, the eggs on our respective plates had assumed the pallor of the dejected. We were neglecting our breakfast, that meal

reputed to be the beginning of a day. Our day was being nipped in the bud long before it had even bloomed. The culprits: these witches. They attack mornings. They eat slow talks and spit them out. They are merciless. Not even the best coffee can assuage your anxiety. They cackle and giggle. They scream over gossips and rumors. We left the cafe that day and they were still there.

On our last day in the lovely, charming city, we dropped by again in that noisy cafe, or so we labeled the place. From outside we saw no shadows. We thought they were gone. But entering the cafe, we saw them against the wall of the cafe, near the window looking out into the street. They have occupied our place. But they were less raucous. The fragile and the hefty women were not there. We were there for the great breakfast; they were there for the fragile lives of other women. We were there for the coffee and the bacon; they were there for the men who got away, and the sad women of our yesterdays.

E-mail: titovaliente@yahoo.com

Xi’s mystery PBOC plans take shape with biggest shift in years

IT started with a cryptic quote from President Xi Jinping buried in a 172-page book on the financial sector. Three months later, plans for potentially the biggest shift in years in how China conducts monetary policy are starting to surface.  Pan Gongsheng, governor of the People’s Bank of China, on Wednesday gave the clearest acknowledgment that the monetary authority is looking into trading government bonds in the secondary market as a way to regulate liquidity. The PBOC is studying the implementation with the finance ministry and it will be a gradual process, he said in a speech.

That responds to Xi’s directive to “enrich the monetary policy toolbox” and “gradually increase government bond buying and selling in central bank open market operation” in a speech during a financial policy meeting last year, made public only in the book published in March.

On top of that, Pan hinted at other changes to the interest-rate system. The bank may consider moving to using a single short-term rate to guide markets. It’s also considering narrowing the corridor within which market rates are allowed to fluctuate to signal a clearer policy target.

To be sure, all these moves aim to refine the technical tools that the PBOC uses to manage interest rates and money. They won’t necessarily help answer some of the big questions that confront Chinese policymakers right now—like whether credit can prop up the economy when house-

Gorecho .

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holds and companies aren’t eager to take on more debt, or how to ease borrowing costs without weakening the yuan. Many details remain vague, along with the timeline for change.

PBOC watchers see the proposals as part of a long-running effort in which the central bank ultimately seeks to guide market interest rates rather than setting them directly—and a step further away from the command economy where officials determined both the price and the quantity of credit. Pan said on Wednesday that it’s time to pay less attention to targets like the pace of loan growth because borrowing by real estate developers and local governments is in decline as part of the economy’s transition.

“Moving to one short-term interest rate that is connected to the financial market as the main policy rate would be an obvious further step in the gradual reform of China’s monetary policy framework,” said Louis Kuijs, chief Asia-Pacific economist for S&P Global Ratings. “It would make the framework simpler and more transparent, and bring it closer to the ‘industry standard’ as practiced in most advanced economies.”

One conclusion many analysts drew from Pan’s speech is that the PBOC is preparing to downplay what’s been one of its headline instruments: the one-year policy loans known as the medium-term lending facility. Since it was introduced a decade ago, the MLF has become a major channel for the central bank

title in Season 84 in 2022. In 2014, UP lit up a bonfire at the Sunken Garden to mark one win after a 27-game losing streak. In 2018 Season 81, UP’s bid for the championship trophy unfortunately ended when it lost to Ateneo.

In 2019 Season 82, UP was defeated by UST during the Final Four round. In 2020-2021 Season 83, there was no tournament due to the pandemic.

To be sure, all these moves aim to refine the technical tools that the PBOC uses to manage interest rates and money. They won’t necessarily help answer some of the big questions that confront Chinese policymakers right now—like whether credit can prop up the economy when households and companies aren’t eager to take on more debt, or how to ease borrowing costs without weakening the yuan.

to inject money into the economy and guide market rates.

But in recent months, banks’ demand for these funds has languished as it became cheaper for them to borrow from each other. The interest rate on the MLF has been held steady for 10 months, even as other borrowing costs in the economy plunged— partly because the PBOC is wary of currency depreciation.

What’s more, the MLF is also only available to selected banks. By buying and selling sovereign bonds as an alternative way of managing liquidity, central bankers can influence financial conditions across a wider range of market participants. And compared with the MLF, the rate on seven-day reverse repurchases — short-term loans available to banks every day—offers more flexibility for policy fine-tuning.

Pan may believe that China’s rates

market is now mature enough for the central bank to stop using multiple anchors to guide it, according to Serena Zhou, senior China economist at Mizuho Securities Asia Ltd. Financial News, a newspaper managed by the PBOC, on Thursday cited unnamed industry experts as saying that the central bank should weaken the link between MLF— which represents banks’ financing costs—and the loan prime rate, a benchmark for lending rates to the real economy. The latter is more important because actual borrowers’ costs matters more for economic growth, according to the report. Currently, the LPRs are based on the interest rates that 20 banks offer their best customers. They are quoted as a spread over the MLF rate. One likely goal is to ensure a smoother transmission mechanism from short-term interest rates to longer ones. The PBOC’s current setup of using two policy rates—the seven-day reverse repo and the MLF— reduces the signaling effect from its monetary decisions, Macquarie Group Ltd. economists led by Larry Hu argued in a report on Thursday.  In addition, the current interest rate corridor constructed by the PBOC—the range within which market rates are supposed to move—is too wide, they said, leading to a highly volatile market for seven-day interbank lending by comparison with much more stable rates in the US and Europe. With assistance from Fran Wang, Wenjin Lv and Katia Dmitrieva /Bloomberg

an academic community all too easily fractured by politics and personal interest, but the cheer “UP Fight!” reverberates during UAAP games as the UP Fighting Maroons fought UP style—“may giting at tapang.” Every point is worth screaming for.

“Peyups”

of

Friday, June 21, 2024

Top IPAs say they’ve been prudent with special visas

By Andrea E. San Juan @andreasanjuan

SOME of the Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) in the Philippines said they have been prudent in issuing visas to foreign nationals amid a call by lawmakers to look into the potential “abuse” of special visas.

Jenny Romero, the Legal Affairs Group Manager of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza), said in a radio interview on Thursday that since the agency started issuing the Peza visa in November 2021 until April 2024, it has already issued 17,592 to foreign nationals.

Of the Peza visas issued, Romero noted that the top nationalities provided with such visa were Japanese, Indians, South Koreans—with Chinese nationals ranking fourth, with only around 1,800 visas issued.

Meanwhile, Director Ryan Ramos of the Incentives Administration Service

of the Board of Investments (BOI), reported that of the total visas issued by their agency from 2020 to 2024 under the Special Investor’s Resident Program (SIRV), around 50 percent of the SIRVs were endorsed for Chinese nationals. These investment promotion agencies attached to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) gave updates after House Deputy Majority Leader Representative Erwin Tulfo filed House Resolution 1711, urging Congress to investigate the system for issuing special resident visas to foreigners, particularly to Chinese nationals. He cited Bureau of Immigration (BI) figures that out of

the 78,000 special visas issued, 30,000 went to Chinese nationals.

On Peza’s part, Romero explained the process of providing visas to foreign nationals. “Under our charter, we are mandated to issue our own visa. It has a validity of two years,” she noted in a mix of English and Filipino.

Romero said this visa will authorize foreign nationals to work and be employed inside the economic zone. She stressed, however, that a Peza visa is not considered an entry visa.

“[It is the] equivalent [of a] working visa. It will authorize foreign nationals to be employed and work in companies registered with Peza. And these companies registered with Peza...are located in secluded, in a fenced, closed economic zone,” said Romero.

To allay fears over the illegitimate issuance of visas to foreign nationals, Romero said, “This special visa [is issued only to] very legitimate companies. They are top 100 in the Forbes list of companies worldwide.”

She added: “We issue the Peza visa not only to the technical highly skilled workers but also to the executives— presidents, CEOs, we make it a point [to ensure they are] very legitimate.”

MARRIOTT INT’L HEADS FOR PROVINCIAL SITES

The companies are the ones applying for the Peza visa, and notmere individuals.

Romero noted that Peza is “happy” to be part of the hearing in aid of legislation, as it supports the government in combating illegal activities. She stressed that Peza is just one of the 14 IPAs in the Philippines.

On BOI’s part, BOI Managing Head Ceferino Rodolfo along with Director Ryan Ramos of the Incentives Administration Service at BOI, told reporters that the investment promotion agency has 3,000 principal holders “from way back.”

To monitor the special visas being issued by the IPAs, Ramos said, “The [Department of Justice] DOJ created a technical working group [TWG] for the visa-issuing agencies.”

The TWG is designed to have a database shared with the Bureau of Immigration (BI) “so that the immigration would know how many people were really issued visas by the IPAs. And so that they can monitor if the the foreign nationals granted special visas are here in the Philippines or outside.”

The BOI officials explained that the Special Investor’s Resident Visa Program is a government program to attract foreign investments into the Philippines.

“To qualify for this visa, the foreign applicant must remit a minimum of $75,000 to our accredited banks. This remittance will be converted into peso,” Ramos said.

AMERICAN hospitality chain Marriott International is expanding its footprint in the Philippines, going as far as the Davao region to manage a property.

At a news briefing on Thursday, Bruce Winston, Marriott International’s Multi-Property Vice President for the Philippines said two new properties will be opening in 2025: AC Hotel Ortigas, with 150 keys, and Fairfield by Marriott Mahi in Mactan, with 196 keys. “Aside from that, we have other projects in other stages of development, from signing of business contracts to groundbreaking and construction,” he added. Some of these include proj -

ects in Davao, New Clark City in Tarlac (2027), Palawan, and Bohol. He did not disclose the number of rooms that will be added to Marriott’s total portfolio with the opening of these other properties.

“We see the growth, we see the potential, we see the untapped markets, and we are connecting that with local partners that are interested in joining with us,” said Winton. The company currently has 10 properties in six destinations in the country, with its flagship Manila Marriott Hotel at Newport City in Pasay operating since 2009.

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

TO make its operations more transparent, the Commission on Elections is now studying the online pu blication of the Statements of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) of national and local candidates.

In his Memorandum No. 2024-0830, Comelec Chairman George M. Garcia said this will complement their ongoing efforts to implement the electronic submission of SOCE (e-SOCE). U nder the e-SOCE initiative,

candidates must submit hard and soft copies of their SOCE to the Comelec.

He said the online posting of SOCE will enable the public to easily verify and download a copy of the SOCE of candidates.

The poll chief said he already submitted the SOCE reform to the Comelec en banc for its approval. I n the said recommendation, the Comelec’s Political Finance and Affairs Department, Law Department and the Information Technology Department w ill be tasked to draft the mechanism for the measure.

T he three departments will also create the guidelines and set the timeline for the publication of SOCE. Said guidelines must adhere to the provision of Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012,” Garcia said. The Comelec en ban already approved Garcia’s recommendation to post and upload the Certificate of Candidacy (COC), Certificate of Nomination and

(CONA), and the Certificate

ination-Certificate

13. ZENG, BIN Invest SPC - RCO [CHI]

Brief Job Description: Demonstrates effective, clear and professional written and verbal communication. Provides prompt and efficient service to amazon sellers and merchants including the appropriate escalation of sellers’ issues. Contributes to a positive team environment

word and excel.

14. VU, HONG VI SPS Associate - VN

Brief Job Description: Demonstrates effective, clear and professional written and verbal communication. Provides prompt and efficient service to Amazon Sellers and Merchants including the appropriate escalation of Sellers’ issues. Contributes to a positive team environment and proactively aids team members with difficult contacts as needed. Maintains acceptable performance metrics such as quality, productivity, first contact resolution, and attendance.

15. KAPITA, ANDRE MULUMBA Sr. Finops Analyst - Fr Brief Job Description: In-charge of full cycle of accounts receivable past due balances, including: research, analysis and account reconciliations. Calls customers and schedules resolution sessions to understand the procure-to-pay cycles of our customers.

Basic Qualification: Experience/background in a finance role with an understanding of finance operations and will have experience in relationship management. Fluent in Arabic, French, and other European languages.

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

ANOC99 CORPORATION 5/f To 10/f Ayala Malls Manila Bay Building D., Macapagal Blvd. Cor. Aseana Street, Tambo, City Of Parañaque

16. AUNG NAING TUN Burmese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries.

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write in Chinese and Burmese languages.

Salary Range:

Brief

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56. WANG, MING

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57. WANG, WEI Mandarin Construction Manager

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58. WANG, YANG Mandarin Project Manager

Basic Qualification: Proven experience as Mandarin Construction Manager, excellent communication, interpersonal and presentation skills.

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

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

Brief Job Description: The Mandarin Project Manager will be a strategist and a leader able to steer the company to the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission and long-term goals. Basic Qualification: Proven experience as Mandarin Project Manager,

GIGA INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT INC. 31/f Pbcom Tower 6795 Ayala Ave., Cor. V.a. Rufino St., Bel-air, City Of Makati

59. HUANG, KUNCHI Chinese Account Specialist

Brief Job Description: Prepares work to be processed by gathering, sorting, organizing, and recording data, information, and documents.

60. JANG, JINO Korean Account Specialist

Brief Job Description: Prepares work to be processed by gathering, sorting, organizing, and recording data, information, and documents.

Basic Qualification: Foreign language speaking.

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

Basic Qualification: Foreign language speaking.

Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

GILGAMESH CORPORATION Unit No. U-1a&1b, Flr No. 6/f Eighty One Newport Blvd., Newport City, Vab St., Barangay 183, Pasay City

61. HUANG, MANLAN Operation Assistant (Chinese Speaking)

Brief Job Description: Providing solutions together with the help of relevant departments. Perform administrative, reconciliation and customer service duties.

Basic Qualification: College graduate. With previous work experience in a similar role. Fluent in Chinese-Mandarin and English languages.

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

GREAT EARTH FOOD INDUSTRIAL INCORPORATED Rm 1212 State Center Bldg., 333 Juan Luna St., 027, Barangay 287, Binondo, City Of Manila

62. XU, GANG Production Supervisor

Brief Job Description: Setting daily/ weekly/ monthly objective communicating them to employees.

Basic Qualification: Proven experience as Production Supervisor or similar role.

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

INDRA PHILIPPINES, INC. 11/f & 12/f, Tower 1, Rockwell Business Center, Ortigas Avenue, Ugong, City Of Pasig

DE MENDONCA VIDOEIRA, MARIA DO CARMO Customer Management Senior Director

Brief Job Description: Understands and conveys the company’s strategic priorities,

63.

83. WANG, CHUN-CHIEH Special Assistant Of The CEO

Brief Job Description: Manage company ERP system, educate and guide staff to execute the said system and supervise/ audit the finance, BDD, HRAD SOP and other daily routines. Basic Qualification: College graduate. With previous work experience in a

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123. HUANG, WEIQIAO Marketing Consultant

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124. KE, ZHIQING Marketing Consultant

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125. KEUM, JAEKYUNG Marketing Consultant

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126. LI, CHUNYAN Marketing Consultant

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128. LI, ZHAOHUA Marketing Consultant

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130. LUO, DAN Marketing Consultant

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Editor: Jennifer A. Ng

B1 Friday, June 21, 2024

Shakey’s banking on strength of brands to fuel growth this year

By VG Cabuag @villygc

Shakey’S Pizza asia Ventures Inc., the casual restaurant chain and food service group in the Philippines, said it is confident of growing its earnings by double digits this year due to the expansion of its store network and its strong brands.

Vicente L. Gregorio, Shakey’s president and CEO, said the company is targeting to open 400 additional stores this year, most of which are Potato Corner outlets.

In 2023, it had a store network of 2,141 composed of Shakey’s Pizza, Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken and Potato Corner.

Gregorio said the company is still expanding despite higher inflation and its effect on the spending habits of consumers.

“The inflationary environment has affected their spending habits. Hence, F&B [food and beverage] concurrently is highly promotional. They are very valueseeking and value-oriented,” Gregorio said during the company’s annual stockholders’ meeting on Thursday.

“We see the low-price brands nowadays, such as Potato Corner, which

is an affordable premium snack, (performing well) in the current inflationary environment.”

Gregorio said Shakey’s sees its topline and bottomline growing by the “mid-teens” this year as the cost of doing business will taper down in the latter part of the year.

“And because of softening input costs, we believe margins will improve over the next half.”

Last year, Shakey’s posted a profit of P1.08 billion, up 23 percent from P874 million the prior year. Revenues grew 39 percent to P14.13 billion from P10.16 billion, out of systemwide sales of P18.64 billion, which was 32 percent higher year-on-year.

In the first quarter, however, the company reported a 15-percent decline in profit to P171 million from P201.18 million due to a “soft market.”

Revenues grew 6 percent to P3.1 percent from P2.92 billion, out of systemwide sales of P4.8 billion, or 15 percent higher than the yearago level.

Overseas, Gregorio said the company is seeing “very attractive” growth potentials in China and Malaysia where the company, has introduced its brands.

“And the first few stores in these areas have done very well. So this gives us further motivation and encouragement. And we continue to grow in the existing markets. I believe we’re in 14 countries right now,” he said.

Christopher Po, Shakey’s Philippines chairman, meanwhile said the company is also expanding in the Visayas and Mindanao where there is still a lot of “white spaces” for its flagship Shakey’s Pizza and Potato Corner.

“We’re very encouraged whenever we open in a in a new area in the virgin territory, the reception has been very good. And so that basically gives us confidence about the strength of the brand. We’re also seeing a lot of whitespaces for Potato Corner both domestically and internationally,” Po said.

Fortune Life joins HOLUAP convention

KEEPInG abreast of the latest developments in underwriting practices, the Fortune Life Insurance Company joined the 26th Annual Convention of the Home Office Life Underwriters Association of the Philippines (HOLUAP) from May 16-18, 2024 at the Be Grand Resort, Bohol.

With this year’s theme “Rewind, Refresh, Restart: Embracing n e w Beginnings,” HOLUAP touched the topics on Autism and other developmental disorder, Transgender: Health and Well-

being, Financial Underwriting and had other informative discussions.

Representing Fortune Life, AVPnew Business Ma. Teresa B. Catapang, and new Business and Underwriting Manager Espie C. Capili attended the event, among the 64 delegates from 20 insurance companies and 1 reinsurer.

Fortune Life belongs to the ALC Group of Companies founded by the late Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua and currently chaired by D. Edgard A. Cabangon. HOLUAP delegates from different insurance companies and reinsurer

PLDT inks pact for Open Gateway

PLDT Inc. has joined the GSM Association’s (GSMA) Open Gateway initiative, enabling it to accelerate the deployment of new services and enhance digital experiences.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with GSMA was struck through wireless subsidiary Smart Communications Inc. and its business-to-business arm, PLDT Enterprise.

The GSMA Open Gateway initiative seeks to establish a common framework of standardized Application Programmable Interfaces (APIs). This framework is designed to ensure compatibility and connectivity across mobile operator networks worldwide, thereby providing enterprise developers with universal access to these networks. PLDT FVP Mitch Locsin said this development is expected to benefit Filipino business owners, enterprises, and mobile subscribers by offering a more “immersive” 5G experience, improved security, and more efficient digital services.

“Digital transformation has always been our common goal—to help businesses, individuals, and organizations, not just locally but globally. This collaboration marks a leap towards new innovation, aligning with our shared commitment to driving the success of our partners through impactful solutions.”

Locsin added that by joining GSMA’s Open Gateway initiative, PLDT aims to provide seamless communication, more secure transactions, efficient data handling, and an overall improved user experience for its partners and their customers.

Furthermore, the agreement enables Smart to leverage the expertise of over 50 mobile operator groups, representing more than 240 Mobile network Operators (MnOs) and Mobile Virtual network Operators (MV nOs), already participating in the GSMA Open Gateway initiative.

These operators are actively collaborating with developers and cloud providers to deploy services such as number verification, SMS two-factor authentication, SIM swap, and device location more efficiently using common APIs.

“APIs are going to enable everybody to deliver a better customer experience, to innovate and to help digital transformation. This will be a new era of collaboration across the industry, which will help our industry move forward. The Philippines is a rising star, reemerging on the world stage in telecoms innovation. We thank PLDT and Smart for joining the program,” Julian Gorman, Head of GSMA Asia Pacific, said. Lorenz S. Marasigan

Dream and do

EvERy time I hear the word “dream,” I’m reminded of the iconic Disney theme song “When you Wish Upon a Star,” with its memorable last two lines, “when you wish upon a star, your dreams come true!”

Although dreaming is one thing, there’s also the “doing” part to really make dreams come true. The phrase “dream and do” emphasizes the importance of not just imagining a better future or setting ambitious goals, but actively engaging in necessary actions to bring these aspirations to fruition, such as in the case of associations.

Associations can actualize the mantra “dream and do” by incorporating a strategic and action-oriented approach into their operations. This involves aligning their shared vision with practical steps to bring about positive change and achieve their collective goals. Here are key considerations for associations to turn their dreams into tangible outcomes via their strategic planning work:

1. Define clear objectives. Clearly articulate the association’s short- and long-term goals. These objectives should align with the shared vision and mission of the organization.

2. Develop actionable plans. Break down the overarching goals into actionable steps. Create strategic plans that outline specific tasks, responsibilities, and timelines.

3. Foster active participation. Encourage all members to actively engage in the association’s activities. Create a culture where every member feels valued and has opportunities to contribute.

4. Seek diverse perspectives. Embrace diversity within the association. Different perspectives enrich the collective vision and contribute to more comprehensive and innovative solutions.

5. Allocate resources wisely. Assess the resources available to the association, including finances, manpower, and technology. Allocate resources strategically to support the prioritized initiatives.

6. Invest in capacity building. Enhance the skills and capabilities of association members through training programs, workshops, and mentorship opportunities.

7. Embrace change. Be adaptable and open to evolving circumstances. Associations should be willing to adjust their strategies in response to changes in the external

environment or emerging needs within the community.

8. Encourage innovation. Cultivate a culture of innovation within the association. Encourage members to explore new ideas, technologies, and approaches that can contribute to the realization of the collective dream.

9. Communicate effectively. Ensure transparent and effective communication within the association. Regularly update members on progress, challenges, and plans to maintain a sense of shared purpose.

10. Advocate for the cause. Actively promote the association’s goals and values to external stakeholders. Effective advocacy can raise awareness, garner support, and create a broader impact beyond the association’s immediate community.

11. Collaborate with likeminded organizations. Form partnerships with other associations or businesses that share similar goals. Collaborative efforts can amplify the impact and bring diverse expertise to the table.

12. Value networking. Actively participate in industry events, conferences, and networking opportunities. Building connections can open doors to new resources, knowledge, and support for the association’s initiatives.

13. Monitor progress. Establish metrics to measure progress toward the association’s goals. Regularly evaluate the effectiveness of strategies and adjust course if necessary.

14. Learn from experience. Embrace a culture of continuous learning. Analyze both successes and failures to extract valuable lessons that can inform future initiatives.

By combining visionary thinking with strategic planning and proactive execution, associations can bring the “dream and do” approach to life.

Octavio Peralta is founder and volunteer CEO of the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives, the “association of associations.” PCAAE will hold its 12th Associations Summit at the PICC on November 27, 2024. The views he expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the BusinessMirror . E-mail: bobby@pcaae.org.

Forwards become Malaysia’s favored tool for boosting ringgit

MALAy S IA S central bank has been increasingly using currency forwards to support the ringgit, easing pressure on its foreign-exchange reserves.

Bank Negara Malaysia’s net forward FX position widened to negative $27.7 billion in April—reflecting a record net short position its the forward books—showing a preference for using that avenue to bolster its currency. At the same time, its foreign-exchange reserves are little changed this year.

The central bank has been busy propping up the ringgit in recent months after the currency tumbled to the weakest since the 1997-98 Asian Financial Crisis in February on concern over a worsening export outlook.

The ringgit pared losses in March after Bank Negara appealed for state-linked firms to repatriate and convert their foreign investment income and is Asia’s best performer this quarter.

“This net short position in the forward book has been building for years, partially reflecting Bank Negara’s efforts to support the ringgit, and avoids a more obvious drawdown in gross FX reserves,” said Philip McNicholas, Asia sover-

Cigarette, vape smugglers owe govt ₧7.2B, says BIR

By Reine Juvierre Alberto

SmugglerS of cigarettes and vape products owed the national government P7.2 billion in unpaid taxes, according to the Bureau of Internal revenue (BIr).

BIR Commissioner Romeo D. Lumagui Jr. said in a televised program on Thursday that the illicit trade of cigarettes and vape products has resulted in an estimated tax liability of P7.2 billion for the Philippines.

Lumagui said about 500,000 packs of smuggled cigarettes and 170,000 vape products have been confiscated by the BIR just this year from its simultaneous raids all over the country.

This, after President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. instructed the BIR and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) to ramp up their efforts and intensify its enforcement activities to curb the proliferation of illicit tobacco and vape products in the Philippines.

“ Sinisigurado po natin na napupuntahan natin ang mga nagbebenta, hindi lang retail, kundi pati warehouses at ’yung mga malalakihan na

nagbebenta ng mga iligal na sigarilyo at vape [We are making sure that we are able to go to those who sell, not just the retailers, but also the warehouses and big-time dealers of illegal cigarettes and vape products],” Lumagui said. He added that the BIR has issued regulations to strengthen its monitoring of those manufacturing, importing and selling cigarettes and vape products.

Under Revenue Memorandum Circular (RMC) No. 59-2024, all imported and locally manufactured vape products sold in the domestic market must be affixed with the 4th Generation Internal Revenue Stamps starting June 1, 2024.

A vape product carrying a “Tamaraw Stamp” means that it has paid the proper excise taxes. Non-payment of excise taxes will subject the vape products to seizure by the BIR and will expose the business owner to

China loosens grip on yuan

CHINA set the yuan’s daily reference rate at its weakest since November in a sign policymakers are loosening their grip on the currency.

The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) set the so-called fixing at 7.1192 per dollar, an increase of 33 ticks, the most in about two months. The move comes as the dollar inches closer to this year’s peak, with traders betting on higher-for-longer interest rates in the US.

The onshore yuan was little changed around the 7.26 level, while the offshore currency slipped to its weakest this year. The fixing came as Chinese banks maintained their benchmark lending rate for a 10th straight month, as pressure on the yuan restricts policymakers’ space for easing.

eign strategist at Robeco Group in Singapore. “It reflects a worrying focus on the FX level. The ringgit’s proximity to the psychologically important Asian Financial Crisis lows has, arguably, made this worse.”

While Bank Negara’s net forward FX position has been becoming more negative, the nation’s gross foreign reserves were $113.6 billion at the end of May, almost unchanged from the end of 2023.

The ringgit is currently trading at 4.7095 per dollar, having strengthened from a 26-year low of 4.8053 set in February. The currency has gained 0.3 percent this quarter.

The central bank’s net short position in its forward book may make the ringgit more vulnerable to a selloff if there’s a sudden bearish shift in global sentiment.

The central bank’s net foreign reserves excluding gold are estimated to be around $67 billion, well below its short-term external debt of around $112 billion, based on data compiled by Bloomberg.

“This intimates that the ringgit will likely be extremely sensitive to shifts in risk sentiment and potentially prone to outsized adjustments,” Robeco’s McNicholas said. Bloomberg News

“The creep higher in the fixing continues, as it approaches the next psychological big figure level of 7.12,” said Khoon Goh, head of Asia research at ANZ Group Holdings Ltd. A higher fixing level versus the US currency allows for a weaker yuan.

“The top of the trading band now greenlights onshore spot to push past 7.26, an indication that

Swiss

THE Swiss National Bank lowered borrowing costs at a second straight meeting, keeping it at the forefront of global interest-rate cuts as it battles low inflation and a strengthening franc.

Officials in Zurich reduced their benchmark by 25 basis points to 1.25 percent on Thursday after a decision that observers found hard to predict. Some investors bet on a cut, while a small majority of the economists surveyed by Bloomberg anticipated no change. Policymakers also lowered their inflation projections, seeing it at 1 percent in 2026.

The Swiss franc weakened after the announcement, easing around 0.4 percent versus the euro, and tumbling 0.7 percent against the dollar. It had risen

criminal liability for tax evasion.

Lumagui said the BIR continues to hold dialogues with business owners, manufacturers, importers and sellers of cigarettes and vape products to assist them in complying with registration requirements and the payment of taxes.

As the BIR attempts to crack down on the illicit trade of these “sin products” through the imposition of taxes, the gap between the current excise tax take of the government from its target collection of P326.195 billion is expected to further widen this year.

In 2023, excise tax collection

amounted to P291.661 billion. This is 12.95 percent lower than the BIR’s collection target of P335.04 billion. Based on preliminary data, this excise tax collection gap of 12.95 percent will widen to 15 percent this year, according to BIR Assistant Commissioner Jethro M. Sabariaga. To close the gap, Sabariaga said the money now being spent on vape products should be examined. The attachment of tax stamps could “double or triple” the tax take from vape products this year, according to the BIR official.

with weakest fixing since Nov.

the authorities are accommodating a bit more yuan weakness to relieve some depreciation pressure,” Goh said. He added he didn’t expect authorities to allow large depreciation moves.

The weakness in China’s curren-

to a four-month high against the euro earlier this week as political turmoil in France boosted demand for the haven asset.

The SNB—which led major advanced economies with the first reduction in the current cycle in March—is now doubling down on that approach. That differs from global counterparts, with the Federal Reserve having just pared back projected cuts this year, and the European Central Bank showing reluctance to move again soon.

“There are clear reasons why the SNB would want to cut rates faster than the ECB,” said Joachim Klement, head of strategy, accounting and sustainability at Liberum Capital, citing lower inflation and the franc. “The SNB is being bold and brave, but it is also playing

cy is symptomatic of deteriorating sentiment toward the world’s second-largest economy, which is also experiencing a bond market rally as investors seek out haven assets. yields have tumbled to or toward record lows amid mixed economic

with the fire of higher inflation in 2025.”

Elsewhere today, Norway’s central bank kept rates unchanged and said it will probably need to keep them at the highest level since 2008 for the rest of the year. Lingering inflation concerns will also keep the Bank of England on hold.

A three-week period of silence by SNB officials had left investors in the dark guessing what the outcome would be on Thursday. The franc’s gains and inflation that was low by international standards bolstered the case for a cut, but consumer-price growth stuck at this year’s highest level were among arguments to hold.

Addressing reporters in Zurich, President Thomas Jordan said that the “underlying inflationary pressure has decreased

data and expectations of further stimulus.

Worsening capital outflows, seen in a surge in local firms’ purchase of foreign exchange and exporters’ hoarding of the dollar, have also added to the yuan’s woes. And from the dollar’s side, any delay to Federal Reserve rate cuts would likely add more pressure on the yuan as China’s wide interestrate gap with the US favors the greenback.

China has maintained a strong hold on the yuan using its daily reference rate for most of the year. However, it has been gradually weakening its so-called currency fixing amid calls from former officials for relaxing its control over the yuan in order to open the room for more easing.

On Wednesday, PBOC Governor Pan Gongsheng signaled there is more room to ease monetary policy as other economies are pivoting to cut rates this year. The appreciation momentum of the dollar is weakening, which will help keep the yuan stable and expand the room for China’s monetary policy, he said. Bloomberg News

further compared with the previous quarter owing to somewhat lower second-round effects.”

The franc’s appreciation thanks to “political uncertainties in Europe” is adding to uncertainty about elevated inflation, Jordan said. He also said the SNB remains “willing to be active in the foreign exchange market as necessary.”

The central bank also lowered its inflation forecast, seeing consumer-price growth within its 0-2 percent target range through 2026.

The SNB now predicts inflation will average at 1.3 percent this year, 1.1 percent in 2025 and 1 percent in 2026. Swiss economic growth is seen at about 1 percent this year, before accelerating to around 1.5 percent in 2025. Bloomberg News

Octavio Peralta

Association World

Bureau of Customs-Cagayan de Oro foiled an attempt to smuggle two shipments of cigarettes from China worth P160 million and declared as “personal effects.” The 2,000 master cases of cigarettes were shipped in two container vans. File photo From www.pna.gov.ph

The portrait of former Chinese leader Mao Zedong is displayed on a Chinese one-hundred yuan banknote in an arranged photograph taken in hong Kong, China, on april 23, 2020. photographer: paul Yeung/BloomBerg

Relationships

Making the motherland proud

FILIPINOS overseas are having a moment, reaping awards, acting in popular films and series, and putting out amazing content on social media.

Bridgerton fans, for instance, instantly recognized British actors of Filipino descent playing Lords on the third season of the popular period romance. Of course, Shondaland is all about inclusivity and representation, so Filipino royals shouldn’t be so far fetched. Lord Basilio and Lord Barnell were introduced in Bridgerton as bachelors that could possibly be up to wooing The Ton’s lovely debutantes of the season. They are played by BritishFilipino actors James Bradwell and Martin Sarreal, respectively.

In his Instagram post, Bradwell said, “When first offered the role under a different name of East Asian heritage, I wondered whether there was an opportunity to rechristen my Lord with a name representative of my own heritage. Feeling emboldened to reach out to production, I was met with an enthusiastic response welcoming and encouraging my input. I suggested a number of Filipino surnames and Basilio was born! (Maybe Basilio of Bicol? The Viscount of Visayas? The Lord of Longganisa?)”

According to a piece on ANCX, Bradwell has been playing a lot of roles on the UK stage and TV films/ series, and was actually in Manila for two months for a Repertory Philippines play. His hometown is Camarines Sur but his lola lives in Cavite, which he visited.

While so much has been written about our two Bridgerton Filipino lords, the local media seems to have completely missed the award-winning popular singer and songwriter H.E.R. (Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson) appearing in the 2023 musical adaption of the novel The Color Purple. Now showing on HBO Go, The Color Purple features Wilson playing Squeak, the waitressgirlfriend of Harpo, Celie’s stepson. Despite her limited screen time, Wilson sings on one song and has some meaningful dialogue. (To Sophia: Don’t touch me, you snaggle-toothed heifer!) And while it may not have been so evident in this new film adaptation, in

the novel by Alice Walker, Squeak (“My name is Mary Agnes”) plays a significant role as a woman of mixed race.

Wilson, who also played in Belle in the 30th anniversary special of Beauty and the Beast (2022) on the ABC network, is amazingly proud of her Filipino heritage and constantly talks about it in many interviews. When she was in the Philippines on a family vacation in 2019, she sought out her roots in Cabanatuan and managed to reunite her mother and her sister—they had not seen the latter in 15 years.

According to a piece in Vogue Philippines, Wilson is steeped in Filipino pop culture, having been raised on Dolphy’s Home Along Da Riles, and she is quite familiar with the songs of Sharon Cuneta and Gary Valenciano.

Most recently, two Filipino-Americans were recognized by the prestigious James Beard Foundation, the so-called Oscars of Food. Self-taught baker Abi Balingit, who blogs in The Dusky Kitchen, won in the Emerging Voice in Books category for her collection of recipes, Mayumu: Filipino-American Desserts Remixed. Also, Lord Maynard Llera, who owns and operates Kaya Lord restaurant in Los Angeles, won as Best Chef in California Balingit, whose roots come from Pampanga, started her baking career during the pandemic, selling baked goods and pasalubong. In her speech at the awarding ceremony, she said, “As a member of the diaspora, yes, I’m American but first and foremost,

I’m proud to be Filipino. In mainstream media, Filipino food has been anointed as the next big thing for what feels like decades. I’m here to say that Filipino food has been here for a long time and it’s here to stay. I have seen how predominantly white institutions fail you in higher education in the workplace in the upper echelons of the food world. No matter what, the Filipino community has always provided spaces where we support and take care of each other.”

For his part, Llera said, “Being selected as one of the semi-finalists, for me, is already an award itself. Thus, being one of the finalists is surreal. Now being in front of you all receiving this final award is just a big wow. Like how did it happen? I am just cooking Chami and Lucenachon!” Kuya Lord is Llera’s homage to his hometown of Lucena in Quezon. He added, “This is a reminder of the importance of hard work, perserverance, and the power of a supportive community, both Filipinos and non-Filipinos.”

This is not the first time for a Filipino to land a James Beard award, of course. Chef Tom Cunanan won Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic in 2019, when he was helming Bad Saint in Washington, DC. Spouses Tim Flores and Genie Kwon, chefs-owners of the Chicagobased Kasama, won Best Chef: Great Lakes in 2023. The restaurant, which has been featured on The Bear Season 2, earned one Michelin star in 2022. Margarita

CONTINUED ON B5

By Eugenia Last

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Consider where you reside and what’s available to you in your

who the information came from. It’s not worth damaging your reputation to point out someone else’s inadequate resources. ★★★

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Take a moment to go over your expenses and any concerns regarding joint ventures. It’s better to adjust what’s troubling you than to let stress drag you down. Put yourself first and take care of your health and wellbeing. A pick-me-up will restore your energy. ★★

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Don’t feel you must lower your expectations because of what others do or say. Look for opportunities or new ways to use your skills. Progress is up to you, and searching for the best way to use what you do best will pay off. Do your own thing. ★★★★

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Care, share and grow. You have plenty to gain if you participate in life, learning and gaining worldly experience. Travel, self-improvement and financial planning that allow you the freedom to do what makes you happy are within reach. ★★★

CCIP empowers young girls with ‘Dalagang Filipina’ campaign

THE Chamber of Cosmetics Industry of the Philippines (CCIP), a non-profit organization dedicated to elevating the Philippine beauty industry and advocating for the welfare of local cosmetics companies and consumers, recently conducted a coming-of-age caravan for girls named Dalagang Filipina. This initiative by the CCIP is aimed to empower young girls by highlighting the importance of feminine hygiene during puberty and educating them about the various physical transformations they will experience.

The caravan took place at Pasig Elementary School in Candaba, Pampanga, where CCIP representatives led by vice president of corporate social responsibility Linda Yu engaged with 110 grade school students aged nine to 12.

The program also featured various segments including “Puberty 101” a comprehensive talk by Ellen Pastor, a pharmacist and regulatory officer of Zizmore, who shared valuable insights on

what to expect during puberty, and how to practice proper self-care during this crucial stage. Meanwhile, Denice Sy, chief sales and marketing officer of Ever Bilena Cosmetics Inc. and a CCIP member, tackled skincare

and body odor management. During her segment, she discussed common concerns of young girls during puberty, and provided practical solutions for them including reading product labels, managing underarm sweat, preventing and treating acne breakouts.

To equip the students for this exciting yet challenging phase in their lives, Ever Bilena Cosmetics Inc., a co-sponsor of the event, gave each participant a Hello Glow skin set, Hello Glow Quelch 48H underarm cream, and a Careline Serum Water Tint.

The success of the Dalagang Filipina caravan is a testament to CCIP’s commitment to giving back to the community and empowering young women. More information is available at www. cciphilippinesinc.com.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Consider your relationships with others, and take a break from anyone dancing to a different beat. Be responsible for your mood, and recognize why you aren’t achieving what’s important to you. ★★★

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You’ll have plenty to consider before you decide what to do next. Don’t count on anyone for anything; you won’t be disappointed or miss out. Take the initiative, put things in place and enjoy knowing that the outcome will unfold according to plan. ★★★

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Put muscle behind your actions, and you will achieve what you set out to do. An opportunity will arise due to hard work and the space you clear to house something you want to pursue. ★★★

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Think big but stick to a tight budget. Use your creativity to devise a plan that works to make your home and life manageable and stress-free. Time spent and a talk with someone you love will offer insight into possibilities. ★★

BIRTHDAY BABY: You are curious, ambitious and informative. You are passionate and proactive.

EVER Bilena’s Denice Sy (center) with Pasig Elementary School grade school students.

GMA INTEGRATED NEWS LAUNCHES FIRST-EVER NEWS PODCAST

LEVERAGING on today’s evolving technology, GMA Integrated News (GMAIN) adds another digital product to its growing lineup, introducing its first-ever news podcast titled Philippines Today on May 27. Developed by GMA Integrated News Digital Strategy and Innovation Lab (DigiLab), in collaboration with GMA News Online and the New Media Inc., Philippines Today is the newest source of information for Filipinos everywhere as it provides the latest and most significant news headlines to all podcast listeners.

Fresh episodes drop every morning from Mondays to Fridays on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Listeners with Alexa-enabled speakers can also enjoy the podcast.

“GMA Integrated News broadens its reach with its first-ever news podcast, Philippines Today The podcast will serve as the daily news roundup for all Filipinos as we bring the latest and most relevant and credible news headlines every morning from Mondays to Fridays. As we launch the latest addition to our ever-growing offerings here at GMA Integrated News, we invite everyone to tune in at your favorite streaming platform and be the first to know the hottest headlines including news you can use and the latest stories happening in all parts of the world,” says senior vice president and head of GMA Integrated News, Regional TV, and Synergy Oliver Victor B. Amoroso.

“It’s part of GMA Integrated News’ strategy to reach younger audiences and meet them where they are, as shown by last year’s Reuters Digital News Report which found that people under 35 are more likely to listen to news,” shares senior manager and deputy head of digital strategy and lnnovation lab Bernice Sibucao.

Among the other podcasts produced by GMAIN are The Howie Severino Podcast, The Mangahas Interviews, Updated with Nelson Canlas, Surprise Guest with Pia Arcangel, Share Ko Lang, and Game On! Philippines Today is available from Mondays to Fridays on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Alexa smart speaker. More information is available at www. gmanetwork.com

Making the motherland proud

Continued from B4

Manzke (Republique) also won in 2023 as Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker, while Marilou Ranta, chefowner of Quarry in Maine, won in the Outstanding Hospitality category.

Needless to say, comedian Jo Koy has bounced back from his bomb of a film Easter Sunday and his unfairly criticized hosting of this year’s Golden Globes Awards, to bring us a new Netflix show Live from Brooklyn. In it, he shares his hilarious takes on aging, his teenage son abusing his Uber account, and a mother’s sacrifices while pregnant. Another brilliant show from Josep. And, yes, while these comedians, actors, chefs, and artists will keep winning the awards, we at home will just keep claiming them as our own. They make us, and the motherland proud.

nnn

MEANWHILE, it amazes me to no end that despite most Filipinos being wrapped up watching films and series on their streamers, or being glued to social media, book festivals continue to be popular in the metro.  Teaming up with Big Bad Wolf Books Philippines, Ayala Malls has brought the much-anticipated book fair to the Glorietta Activity Center and Palm Drive Activity Center ongoing until June 26, 2024. This partnership is part of mall’s broader advocacy, “BookLat: Open. Imagine. Discover.,” to provide avenues for recreation and experiential learning. The name “BookLat,” a play on the Filipino word “buklat” (book), reflects the campaign’s focus on reading, leisure and entertainment. Avid readers of all age groups can look forward to a wide range of affordable books, from page-turners to hidden gems. But it isn’t just about books; it’s about building a community of readers. Ayala Malls is going “Beyond Books” by championing a donation drive, encouraging customers to share a book for every purchase to support Ayala Land Inc.’s undertaking to foster early childhood literacy. This project aims to collect 20,000 books that will benefit kindergarten to grade 3 students in public schools within Ayala Land Estates and Ayala Malls communities. To kick things off, Glorietta is pledging 1,000 books, which Big Bad Wolf will generously match. Keep an eye out for little librarians, too! They’ll be right by the customer’s side, eager to lend a hand and make the book-shopping experience unforgettable. From expertly sorting books to mastering cashier duties, the Little Wolfies will surely bring an extra spark of energy and cuteness overload.

There will also be various activities at the Activity Nook, including stamping and recycled doll kit stations by Papemelroti, as well as a music corner to add rhythm to one’s bookish exploration.

All these efforts embody the commitment of Glorietta and Ayala Land in cultivating a culture of reading, and ultimately making a real difference in the community. n

Show BusinessMirror

Citing excellence: The Manunuri way

PEOPLE have been curious and I have written about this many times: What happens during the deliberation of the Manunuri as they choose their nominees and, eventually, their winners? For the sake of transparency—our group being relatively more transparent (I dare say) than other award-giving bodies—let me talk again about the process and procedures involved in arriving at the recipients of the Gawad Urian.

We make sure that we are able to watch all the films—feature, documentary, and short films— produced for the year covered. The call for screeners and links are issued by the present Chair after December of that year. This call continues for some three or four months, after which we make the long list. A series of meetings allow us to talk about the year’s harvest before we really sit down for a short list. Then we schedule a nomination night.

The nomination is a big deal: we have a long discussion of what films to nominate. After the list of nominees has been reached, we do not immediately release the list. The reason for this is to make sure we have time to examine our list and decide if we had really covered all the films for the considered year. We next schedule a full night for the long discussion on our selection of winners.

Contrary to the common perception, voting is not anonymous. Before the start of deliberations, we prepare small pieces of paper on which we write our choice for each category. Believe it or not, we are also prepared with a ballpen and pencil for each one of the members. The Chair usually assigns certain tasks, which consist of the following: the reading of the criteria for each category; the actual voting, which means the member writes the name of his winner and signs below it; he either folds it or gives it to the member who reads the choices. Two members are assigned to count and tally the votes (the need for two is to enable a sort of counter-checking). There is no ritual about the votes after counting but usually the Chair gets to keep the votes.

One important matter: before the voting, there is a long deliberation on the merits of the nominations. This is the most tedious part of the judging because the Manunuri does not believe in the mere counting of votes to determine the majority; discussions are always done to reach a consensus. It is only after the voices have been heard that the Chair declares it is time to vote.

After the members have been determined, different sets of assignments are discussed next. These are the jobs of who will write the reviews for each of the winners.

Here are some of the citations prepared for the awards night of the Gawad Urian. They were originally written in Filipino but I have freely translated them for our English readers of this newspaper.

For this issue, let me focus first on some technical awards and include one major award, that of the screenplay.

For film education, let us look at the least explored aspect of sound design and music and see how one Manunuri crafted the citation—the reason for its winning—for Best Sound. For Kei Tan, the sound design by Lamberto Casas Jr. and Alex Tomboc for Iti Mapukpukaw heightened the narrative of the film. The

STAGE FATHER

WHO is the stage father who made a big fuss because he felt that someone was using them for clout? The agency made a social media post that included the stage father and other celebrities who are more famous than him. So he sent the account owner (someone who is legit and has quite a following on social media) a direct message commanding him to take down the post. This when the more famous celebrities didn’t react the same way. One of the actors in the post was quite the matinee idol during his time while the stage father was just known as the boyfriend of a very popular star at that time.

NOT KIND

through at a young age. For Tan, the sound created a character and atmosphere around the different periods and space even as it linked the world of man with the world imagined in the mind of the character. Tan cited the music of Vincent de Jesus for the film Third World Romance the best for this year. For the critic, the music for this film was used to bring closer to the audience the disturbing realities of the contractual laborer. The quality of the music was fine and moderate, which provided a rich layer to the overall story of a love blossoming between the two characters without ever stealing the depth of the film discourse. The music skillfully balanced the need of the genre and the aim of the film to form enlightened and feisty characters (mulat at palaban) from the working class.

Laurence Marvin Castillo was given the responsibility to craft the citation for Best Cinematography and Best Screenplay. These two categories are deemed major and, generally in some film competitions, the cinematographer and the scriptwriter are considered stars in themselves. The best in the field of cinematography was given to Gomburza, described during the night as one of the most important historical films ever produced by the local film industry. For Castillo, the film merited the Gawad Urian for Carlo Canlas Mendoza, whose lens gave life and color to the socio-historical milieu which saw the dawn of nationalism in the Philippines. In a play of sepia and shadow, the visual technique employed highlighted the predominance of the characters alive as images of a patriotic history.

To Jun Robles Lana and his film About Us But Not About Us was awarded the Gawad Urian for Best

IS HE STILL LOYAL?

the academe. In the dialogue between two characters was embedded the complication of creation and the intertwined ramification of writing desire and the desire to write.

Next week, I will discuss the more contentious categories of performance and expound on the traits of documentaries and short films. n

Greg Berlanti. The film opens in cinemas in July 2024. Starring Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum, Fly Me to the Moon is a sharp, stylish comedy-drama set against the high-stakes backdrop of Nasa’s historic Apollo 11 moon landing. Brought in to fix Nasa’s public image, sparks fly in all directions as marketing maven Kelly Jones (Johansson) wreaks havoc on launch director Cole Davis’s (Tatum) already difficult task. When the White House deems the mission too important to fail, Jones is directed to stage a fake moon landing as back-up and the countdown truly begins.

Directed by Greg Berlanti, the screenplay by Rose Gilroy, based upon the story by Bill Kirstein and Keenan Flynn. In cinemas in July 2024, Fly Me to the Moon is distributed in the Philippines by Columbia Pictures, the local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.

that he cheated on his feisty girlfriend with a sexy star not just once but several times. There is no danger that the actor and the sexy star will fall in love but that is not the point. The actor’s girlfriend, an actress, values loyalty very highly because her first serious boyfriend cheated on her. She chose the actor among all her suitors because he seemed loyal and he has proven himself over the years. If this rumor that he cheated is true, their relationship could be in jeopardy.

RUNNING INTO AN EX

THE actor may sometimes be flirty with other women but he only does it when he is single. As a boyfriend, he is faithful and loyal. Or is he? There are rumors

SHE is talented and has box-office appeal but the thing is that the comedienne is not a nice or kind person at all. No one can stand her. But she is very popular with the public. Meanwhile, her colleague has been much maligned online because of her political views and other life choices. But the comedienne’s colleague is a person who is nice, kind and helpful to others. The first comedienne recently worked on a movie and her behavior was so bad that the production crew swore they would rather be jobless than work with her again. Meanwhile, the kind comedienne can barely find any work because of her political views.

SO the actor met his ex, a former actor, during a recent big event. The ex was the actor’s greatest love and they had a relationship that lasted several years. There are rumors that the actor was ready to give up his career for his then-boyfriend but his family and manager managed to talk him out of it. Eventually, the actor and the guy broke up. The latter got married and shifted careers. Both are now happy. They don’t communicate anymore but have good words for each other. No one knows if the actor and his ex talked during the event though.

ARANETA CITY’S GATEWAY MALL 2 WINS NEW MALL OF THE YEAR–PHILIPPINES

GATEWAY

Araneta City, one of the Philippines’ pioneer commercial districts, continues to

Foundever bags Stevies Awards for pioneering DEI programs in PHL

LOCAL talents who are members of the LGBTQIA+ community have found a real ally with Foundever, a global leader in the customer experience (CX) industry, which was recognized as a corporate role model and innovative trailblazer for its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The company won two trophies at the Asia-Pacific Stevies Awards 2024: a Silver Stevie for Innovative Achievement in Diversity and Inclusion and another for Most Innovative HR Executive of the Year.

T he latter accolade was received by Foundever in the Philippines’ Human Resources team for being the driving force for DEI, with a significant increase in eNPS (Employee Net Promoter Score) from 20.5

AChapter 108 showed how Ikebana can be used in theaters. These arrangements can be placed at the main entrance of the theater, lobby, announcement areas, reception areas, ticket counter or even the stage itself. The theme of the society this year is “Ikebana Anytime, Anywhere.” Suzie Yap, a retired banker and Ikebana enthusiast shared that members are divided into eight groups and each group is assigned a place where they are supposed to create a design. The first group was assigned theater with their “magical coach” Marc Tomas, a former president of Ikebana International Manila Chapter and a Sogetsu teacher. The production “39 Minutes, Plus or Minus” had Group 1 members acting as stage design workers.

For the exhibit, there was an array of mini ikebana masterpieces depicting the group members’ favorite theater plays and productions.

Yap’s arrangement was Mama Mia, about a young bride seeking to discover her real father. Her wedding on a Greek island brought together her mother’s ex-lovers. The colors of the blue Aegean Sea were represented by three blue antique

in 2021 to 62.6 in 2023. According to one of the jurors at the Stevies, the improved eNPS “indicates a strong focus on employee welfare and engagement.” The judges, likewise, noted that the firm constantly supports different diversity programs resulting in key achievements that led towards effective DEI and sustainability strategies; advocating for LGBTQIA+ rights; the growth of its Employee Resource Groups for the LGBTQIA+ community, women, people with disabilities and their allies, as well as advocating for and implementing employee welfare policies across the organization.

A ccording to Foundever Vice President for HR,

is on delivering unique experiences and extensive choices, making it a

The mall includes several standout features: a relaxing Lagoon at the heart of the mall’s array of dining options; the Quantum Skyview with a state-of-the-art LED ceiling (a first in any Philippine mall); the largest cineplex in Metro Manila, Gateway Cineplex 18; the uniquely-shaped Sagrada Familia Church on the mall’s topmost level which offers a quiet spot for spiritual renewal; a local themed food zone for specialty restaurants that showcase the cuisines of renowned Filipino chefs for a unique culinary experience, amongst other mall features.

Designed for convenience, Gateway Mall 2 features easy navigation, open areas, and excellent sightlines that create an inviting atmosphere. The mall is connected to transport hubs, office and residential towers, hotels, entertainment venues, and parking facilities. It also offers direct access to the historic Smart Araneta Coliseum, Novotel Hotel, and the newly opened ibis Styles Hotel.

Gateway Mall 2’s design and layout offer a modern and practical experience. The mall’s engaging design elements cater to people on the go and those seeking a unique urban lifestyle experience. The focus on providing an integrated environment makes it a standout development in the metro.

Araneta City’s Gateway Mall 2 shows the impact of thoughtful urban planning and design. Its recognition at the Retail Asia Awards 2024 highlights its success in redefining the shopping and lifestyle scene in Metro Manila. By blending modern conveniences with unique attractions, Gateway Mall 2 sets a new standard for urban lifestyle destinations, establishing itself as a premier mall in the Philippines.

Marketing and Talent Acquisition Willy Lim, DEI is a priority for a global organization like them.

Any successful organization, whether it’s a business, a country, or even an empire or a civilization—these can only achieve their highest growth and potential by not only accepting but moreover, promoting, fostering, strengthening, and sustaining diversity, equity, and inclusion in their ranks. Any global company today is composed of a multitude, a vast network of people of diverse ages, genders, languages and cultures,” he said.

The top executive added that such citations fuel and inspire them to sustain and even improve further their award-winning programs for all the employees.

With 170,000 associates worldwide, Foundever is behind the best experiences for over 800 of the world’s leading and digital-first brands. It supports more than nine million customer conversations every day in over 60 languages across 45 countries.

ACE Hardware Philippines Bags Two Wins at Retail Asia Awards 2024

ACE Hardware Philippines under the SM Retail Inc umbrella, clinched two major accolades at the prestigious Retail Asia Awards 2024 for the continued reinvention of its services that aims to be the “most helpful hardware store in the planet” for its customers, communities and the environment.

In the past year, the company has restructured its business around its retail formats, which are split into four distinct business units that are laser-focused on the needs of its respective customer segments.

It has also significantly reduced its stock-keeping unit count, eliminating excessive duplication to free up space to offer new categories that meet more customer needs. It offers a wide range of products for home improvement, automotive, outdoor and pet care.

ACE Hardware Philippines’ 245 stores are also designed for a seamless customer experience with layout and signages allowing customers to easily navigate the store. These offer multiple service options, including Call-N-Collect, online ordering, delivery, and in-store pickup.

Moreover, the store floors are populated with subject matter experts trained by its interactive online training platform called Ace Learning System (ALS). The system’s curriculum is designed for employees to complete mandatory training and give them the option to take specialized courses on products, applications, safety and business skills. This empowers frontline staff with knowledge to

confidently help guide customers on solutions that meet their needs.

ACE Hardware Philippines has also embarked on a comprehensive B2B program which include the implementation of a resourcing plan with a training platform, and other necessary logistical support and tools designed for process improvement. This resulted in

Highlighting

products, non-toxic cleaners, and biodegradable options.

“Helpful is a way of life in ACE Hardware Philippines. From convenience and seamless customer experience, to a well-curated merchandise mix, that is complemented by a highly-trained workforce and a positive work culture - every element is being improved with one end in mind—to be the “most helpful hardware store on the planet,” the company said.

The store has brought home the Customer Service Initiative of the Year - Philippines and for the third consecutive year, the Hardware Retailer of the Year - Philippines category wins.

Retail Asia Awards honors companies that have recently launched innovative retail projects or initiatives, as well as industry leaders that have propelled their respective brands to maintain a competitive edge.

BDO, SM elevate overseas Filipino families’ shopping experience with ‘Kabayan Tuesday’

medicine bottles, while the flowers and stucco homes on a cliff were captured in the many colors with materials snipped from her garden and that of her neighbors.

Lora Rivera, an architect by profession opted for Rama Hari, a classical Filipino piece based on the Indian epic Ramayana and is one of her favorite plays. Her arrangement captures the essence of Rama and Sita’s journey, mirroring the equilibrium between love and duty. The arrangement showed an interplay of entwined branches, with soft arc reflecting the deep affection and gentleness shared by the two. For Rivera, Ikebana is another expression of art. “Other than drawing, other than constructing, another form would be ikebana, another form of construction using plants and dried materials or even unconventional materials.”

This is her second exhibit so far.

The arrangement of Carina Galang is inspired by Cirque de Soleil, the contemporary version of the circus. She used modern materials, an unusual platform, colorful vases. Galang’s interest in Ikebana is inspired by her grandmother, Carmen Guevara, founder of the Manila Chapter. Despite growing up with Ikebana all over their home, she didn’t pursue Ikebana until two years ago. Since

then, she has been continuously taking Ikebana classes and would like to incorporate it to her gardening.

Other arrangements on exhibit were Chicago by Cynthia Heussaff, Phantom of the Opera by Tita Manuel, Lion King by Laly San Luis, Wicked by Maricor Mendoza, Mulan by Babyruth Chuaunsu, Madame Butterfly by Lily Gan, Evita by Elena Ong, Les Miserables by Michele Tan, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat by Marc Tomas. Ikebana International Manila Chapter 108 president Christina Abalos says Manila will be hosting the next Asian Regional Conference.

OR countless overseas Filipino families, SM is more than just a mall—it’s a hub for shopping, bonding, and essential errands. Recognizing this, BDO Unibank has teamed up with SM to enhance these experiences through the innovative “Kabayan Tuesday” initiative.

“For the last 20 years, BDO and SM have been collaborating to teach overseas Filipinos and their families about saving and financial management through lively financial literacy seminars, complete with celebrities, games, and freebies at various SM malls,” said Genie T. Gloria, BDO Senior Vice President and Head of Remittance.

Gloria said that starting in 2024, BDO and SM aim to make essential shopping even more rewarding by leveraging their Kabayan Savings. With Kabayan Tuesday, trips to SM can now be not just fulfilling but also economical. Available every first Tuesday of the month, Kabayan Tuesday is BDO’s special way of thanking overseas Filipino families for their loyalty. By presenting their Kabayan Savings ATM card, passbook, or BDO remittance payment slip at any SM branch nationwide, customers can enjoy up to a 10 percent discount at popular SM stores including The SM Store, SM Appliance, Watsons, Miniso, Toy Kingdom, Surplus, Baby Company, Sports Central, ACE Hardware, SM Cinema, SM Game Park, SM Bowling, and SM Skating.

This exciting promo, which began on January 2, 2024, was officially celebrated on June 4 at the newly opened SM City Caloocan with a vibrant Kabayan Tuesday Mall Show featuring BDO Remit brand ambassador Piolo Pascual. SM City Caloocan opened its doors to the public on May 17, offering a fresh destination for families. “With

the opening of SM Caloocan, we saw an opportunity to hold our Kabayan Tuesday event here, knowing it’s

The

mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph | Editor: Jun Lomibao

Necky: What handicap?

IBy Aldrin Quinto

MAGINE this—a differentlyabled athlete vying for honors among top able-bodied competitors in one of the most difficult sports.

Necky Tortosa did much more, earning a podium place in the premier division of the Junior Philippine Golf Tour (JPGT) Iloilo leg on Thursday in Santa Barbara.

B orn with a right arm deformity, Tortosa defied the odds to take second place in the girls’ division at the historic Iloilo Golf Club, firing a closing 107 for a 423 total.    W hile the average golfer could not consistently find the center of the clubface, Tortosa manages to hit the ball flush swinging with her left hand supported by an underdeveloped right.

A nd while it may be excruciating to see regular guys sway and swivel like a contortionist, Tortosa’s swing is an amazing sight.

The 18-year-old Tortosa was only six strokes off the pace in the opening round with a 102. However, Rhiena Mae Sinfuego caught fire in the second and fired 85 to pull away, while Tortosa slid with a 111. Still, it was a fine performance for the senior at Santa Barbara National Comprehensive High School. I really wanted to play golf. Despite my condition, I can play,” said Tortosa.

“ I was really excited when I learned that the JPGT will hold a tournament here. So I trained and practiced the last seven days.”

Sinfuego stayed on top until the end, closing with an impressive 88, but Tortosa’s determination and har work also paid off with a runner-up finish. Blessy Solinap closed with a 114 and wound up in third place with a 470 in the series backed by the International Container Terminal Services Inc.

Canada, Iran strike again in men’s VNL

By Josef Ramos

ARIS Olympics-bound

PCanada and Iran pulled off contrasting victories on Thursday to stay unscathed in the Men’s Week 3 of the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Displaying power and tenacity, Canada dominated Germany, 2519, 25-18, 25-21, while Iran went the extra mile in disposing of The Netherlands, 25-22, 22-25, 25-21, 20-25, 15-10.

The Canadians—after shocking fan-favorite Japan, 25-21, 20-25, 25-15, 20-25, 15-10, in last Tuesday’s opener— outhustled the Germans in attacks, 46-31, and blocks, 8-3, to improve their win-loss record to 6-4 in the VNL and boost their campaign for the final eight.

in serving and passing today,” Canada’s 6-foot-8 outside hitter Stephen Maar said. “Our team had pretty flawless volleyball. Germany fought the good fight at the end, but we handled it really well so I’m for the team.”

M aar was Canada’s leading attacker with 14 kills and a block for 15 points, while middle blocker 6-foot-10 Arthur Szwarc tallied 11 attacks, two blocks and two service aces for 15 points and Eric Loeppky added 11 points.

It’s our favorite thing to do.

When it’s uncomfortable to play early in the morning, it’s our favorite,” added Maar when asked how they feel playing in the morning. “This year, we were able to be a bit more prepared and I think that’s really helping start off our week.”

World’s No. 9 Canada, already qualified for Paris, built a 15-6 lead in the third set behind Maar and Szwarc.

Germany mounted a comeback at 11-15, but Canada’s frontline of Szwarc and Lucas Van Berkel was unstoppable.

Germany, No. 11 in the world and also headed to Paris, fell to 4-6 putting to naught Moritz Karlitzek’s 13 points on 12 kills and service point. C anada tries to go 3-0 in the Manila leg when it faces Brazil on Friday at 3 p.m.

O ro had a 72-hole total of 296, while twin brother John Paul carded a 74 for a 302 aggregate for second place. Eddie Gonzales Jr. placed third at 318 after an 84. R hiena Mae Sinfuego matched John Rey’s wire-to-wire triumph in the girls’ 16-18 division, closing with an 88, amassing a four-day total of 356 in the event organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc. (PGTI).

John Rey, 17, nailed back-toback birdies from No. 10, while John Paul faltered with a bogey on the 11th. John Rey came up with a chip-in birdie on the par-three No. 13th, which John Paul bogeyed from five feet.

“After I birdied Nos. 10 and 11, I gained momentum and everything just flowed from there,” said John Rey, celebrating his sixth victory and eagerly anticipating the upcoming legs of the JPGT Visayas swing in Bacolod, their home turf.

John Paul threatened within one with a birdie on the seventh but conceded the stroke on the next hole after missing the green. He also failed to match John Rey’s solid backside start although he closed out with two birdies in the last three holes.

Necky Tortosa placed second in the girls’ side after a 107 for a 423 total, followed by Blessy Solinap at 470 after a 114 in the ICTSIsponsored series.

Despite my lead, I still felt the pressure to deliver because there were so many people watching. I just imagined that it was only me and my caddie out there, which helped me manage the pressure,” said Sinfuego, who has also committed to competing in the Bacolod series.

Tortosa, a golfer missing a right hand, showed a lot of potential despite her condition.

I think we did a good job

National age group swimming tourney on at Yldefonso pool

THE Philippine Aquatics Inc. (PAI) will stage the First National Age Group Championships (PANAGOC) this weekend at the Teofilo Yldefonso Swimming Pool inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Malate, Manila.

The three-day event starts Friday) and will feature the country’s top junior swimmers including Asian junior gold medalist and record holder Jamesray Mishael Ajido, two-

time world junior championships campaigner Jasmine Mojdeh and fellow Asian championships veterans Aishel Evangelista, Patricia Mae Santor and Ricielle Maleeka Melencio.

Ne wly-appointed PAI Executive Director Anthony Reyes said some 700 swimmers representing more than 50 teams and clubs nationwide are competing in the biggest local swimming competition since PAI introduced the national ranking system for all its registered members.

QC Warriors prevail in Surabaya T

Perseverance, redemption

IF you go to the Meralco gym inside the Meralco compound along Ortigas Avenue, there is a canteen next to the badminton court and about a minute’s walk from the basketball court.

O nce inside, the wall has several mounted photos of the old Meralco Reddy Kilowatts that competed from 19681972 in the now-defunct Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association (MICAA).

The photos celebrate the 1971 MICAA Open where the Reddy Kilowatts defeated Crispa. There are also photos that celebrate their National Seniors and National Invitational trophies that were organized by the then-Basketball Association of the Philippines.

W hen I would eat there, when attending practices to interview the coaches and players, I would sit in the canteen and look at all the pictures. At first, it was with a sense of wonder. Later, I wondered as the Bolts were continuously frustrated by Ginebra if the organization was living off old glory. I worked for the Meralco Bolts from 2014-17 writing stories

for their website as well as regular media. During that time, they made the finals four times, losing every one of them to Ginebra. That is why I was there in the canteen to mull over what was happening and when the frustration would end.

A fter Meralco defeated Ginebra and then San Miguel en route to this Philippine Cup title, I thought of those who were there from the beginning of the heartbreak (let’s be clear—the beginning and not the middle—Cliff Hodge who was selected in the 2012 draft, Anjo Caram who was picked on the 2013 draft and Chris Newsome who came on board from the 2015 draft.

O n the coaching staff were Gene Afable, Reynel Hugnatan who suited up for the Bolts during those finals teams that were unable to bring home the trophy, Norman Black who presided over the Meralco teams, and Paolo Trillo who remains team manager.

It would have been nice to have bagged the title earlier, but at least they are still part of the organization.

A nd I thought of the photos on the canteen’s wall. They should proudly post these new photos next to the old ones. The fact that they are in color will differ greatly from those old grainy black and white pictures. It’s new, very recent, and well, apt.  A s the final buzzer sounded and Meralco celebrated

HE District Warriors Philippines beat the Shoot It Dragons of Thailand, 110-65, to kick off their campaign in the Cahaya Lestari Surabaya (CLS) League Under-23 Senior Division Tournament recently in Surabaya, Indonesia.  R yan Arceo scored 20 points, Danren Nepomuceno and Christian Jake Agoncillo tallied 19 points each and Christian Ang also added 14 points for the Warriors, who are backed by Quezon City First District Rep. Juan Carlos “Arjo” Atayde. The players of coaches Dale Lacorte and Vis Valencia are seeing action against five club teams from Thailand,

The tournament format for the event supported by the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee and Speedo is timed finals for Classes A, B, and C in the 8-under, 9, 10, 11,12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18-over age groups.

PAI Secretary-General, Batangas 1st District Rep. Eric Buhain said a tribute for the late Executive Director Francisco “Chito” Rivera will highlight the opening ceremony at 8 a.m. on Friday.

Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia in the single-round tournament.

C ompleting the team are Joeben Loria, Yojan Ang, Patrick Buena, Andrei Diaz, Jeremiah Guzman, Warren Calara and JR Lastra and coordinator Carl Lorenz Eserjose.

This team composed of players from Quezon City First District’s are talented,” said Atayde, a member of the House Youth and Sports Development Committee. “They were selected after a series of tryouts and from the ongoing D1 Basketball League.”

A lso competing are NS Matrix Malaysia, BBM CLS Knights, MBC Malaysia and ACBA Tigers Sydney.

their long climb to basketball immortality, I watched the old hands beam and celebrate. It is also fitting that Chris Newsome scored the titleclinching basket. Yes, I heard all the comments from within and outside that he couldn’t lift this team, that his game was hurting the team, and that he only got playing time because of Norman Black who brought him to Ateneo.  H odge, who came up from the NLEX Road Warriors in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) D-League,

World Boxing Association (WBA) super featherweight champion Lamont Roach Jr. That’s the plan,” Magsayo told BusinessMirror . “I’m excited to to be a world champion again. I’m so far comfortable at 130 lbs after fighting at 126 for 10 years.” The 28-year-old Tagbilaran City is coming off a unanimous decision victory against Mexican Eduardo Ramirez last week in Las Vegas for the vacant WBA intercontinental belt. R oach, Magsayo said, is a lucrative opponent in a title fight as the American commands a toplevel purse.

B ut Roach has to tackle Feargal McCrory of Ireland first in his title defense on June 28 in Washington DC.   I f he loses, Magsayo will challenge McCrory for the belt. I nternational matchmaker Sean Gibbons said Magsayo’s ready to go for a world championship. That’s the ideal thing to do— arrange him a fight with Roach,” Gibbons said. “But what’s important for now is we’re able to see how comfortable and competitive Mark Magsayo is as a super featherweight.” Josef Ramos

JOHN REY ORO and Rhiena Mae Sinfuego pose with their medals. ROY DOMINGO

THE District Warriors with Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte and First District Rep. Juan Carlos “Arjo” Atayde.

BUHAIN

Editor: Tet Andolong • www.businessmirror.com.ph

LESS than two years since its ceremonial groundbreaking, Isuzu San Pablo, GENCARS Inc. has officially inaugurated its bigger and better dealership in San Pablo City. Coinciding with the branch’s 23rd anniversary, the grand opening event was led by no less than Chairman and CEO D. Edgard A. Cabangon, together with Isuzu Philippines Corporation (IPC) president Tetsuya Fujita.

Standard (IOS). Isuzu claims modern design aims to elevate customer satisfaction and enhance sales and aftersales experiences. Boasting a total lot area of 10,000 sqm, with over 8,000 sqm dedicated to the showroom and service shop, the facility sets a new benchmark for Isuzu dealerships. The facility’s 753 sqm showroom is currently the largest in the Isuzu network of dealerships. It can display up to seven light commercial vehicles and two trucks while still

offering ample space for customer transactions, a waiting lounge, and an accessories display. On the other hand, the dealership’s expansive service shop is equipped with multiple bays, lifters, and other advanced repair equipment, capable of servicing nine light commercial vehicles (LCVs), two light-duty trucks, and one heavy-duty truck simultaneously. This upgrade ensures that individual and fleet customers receive timely and efficient service.

“As San Pablo City continues to flourish with new infrastructure and business developments, it’s fitting that our dealership evolves alongside the city’s growth. This new IOS facility,

strategically relocated, allows us to meet the increasing demand and adapt to the changing needs of the market, offering excellent service to all our customers,” said Fujita.

Despite the dealership’s expansion and modernization, GENCARS Inc. remains committed to its core

values, maintaining its reputation for exceptional customer care and ensuring that its customers get the same warm welcome and personalized service in all their dealerships. This continued dedication to customer satisfaction was highlighted by IPC, which is why GENCARS has

been continuously bagging the Dealer of the Year awards.

“We are very grateful for Isuzu Philippines for all the support. We at GENCARS Inc. are committed to the continue to provide even better customer service to our customers here in San Pablo, especially now

with our new bigger and better IOS dealership,” said Cabangon.

With the launch of the new Isuzu San Pablo dealership, IPC is confident that it will strengthen its presence in the region, securing its numberone position in the truck market and boosting sales in the LCV segment.

Dodge Challenger’s ‘Last Call’; Toyota leads

than 300 units have found homes in Filipino garages, a testament to its irresistible pull.

“The Challenger is available in nine (9) head-turning colors: Cinnamon Stick, Destroyer Gray, F8 Green, Go Mango, Octane Red, Pitch Black, Plum Crazy, TorRed, and White Knuckle. The Challenger GT 3.6L V6 AT retails at only P4,490,000.

“Visit any of our Dodge PH Dealerships today to discover special promotions and financing options that can help you drive your own Dodge Challenger at Dodge Alabang, Cebu, Clark, Greenhills and Pampanga.

“The brand is excited to blend its audacious spirit with cutting-edge innovation in future models, ensuring the legacy lives on with even more power and performance.

“Initially announced last November 2023, the

Story & photos by Randy S. Peregrino

(FROM left) Isuzu San Pablo General Manager Evangeline Garcia, RDB Tecson Construction’s head Architect Rafael Tecson, Isuzu Philippines Corporation (IPC) Executive Vice President Shojiro Sakoda, IPC President Tetsuya Fujita, Gencars group Chairman D. Edgard A. Cabangon, San Pablo City Mayor Vicente B. Amante, Laguna Governor’s Office representative Rommel Palacol, Gencars President Lerma O. Nacnac and Gencars Operations Executive Giannina Eunice A. Cabangon. ISUZU PHILIPPINES

THE newly-inaugurated Isuzu San Pablo dealership. ISUZU PHILIPPINES