BusinessMirror May 26, 2023

Who attacked a Russian region bordering Ukraine?

By Andrea E. San Juan @andreasanjuan

THE European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) sees a need to a mend the Price Act, as the current “procedures” in the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) “curtail” business prerogatives to make decisions according to the needs of b usinesses, especially amid the current global trend of rising production costs.

The ECCP maintains its position that the bills amending the Price Act should support instead a ‘notification’ of price adjustments, instead

of ‘approval’, which is what is currently being practiced,” the 2023 E CCP advocacy paper read.

“We believe that the prerogative of manufacturers to determine pricing should be maintained as long as it is not grossly unreasonable, more so now with businesses struggling to cope with the current global trend of increasing cost of production,” the paper added.

With this, the ECCP is re-submitting its recommendations as detailed in the previous position paper it provided to Congress in May 2021.

Among the chamber’s recommendations is to “limit the definition of t he Basic Necessities and Prime

Commodities (BNPC) only to goods vital to the needs of consumers for daily existence and sustenance, or those which are deemed essential.”

As such, the ECCP is urging lawmakers to be “selective” in determining the products covered, and n ot to unnecessarily expand or reduce the categories of products in t he list, nor to include products with relatively higher price levels or variants of goods catering to high-tier c onsumer segments such as luxury and/or premium items.

“Expanding the list to include non-essential goods will unintendedly impose artificial price caps on a h ost of other categories of products

considering the current cumbersome regulations for seeking approvals to make price adjustment on a ll products in the BNPC list,” the ECCP Advocacy Paper read. While consumers may benefit from this lower cost of goods, this is “temporary at best”, as this may discourage businessew s from further investing and innovating due to lo w returns on investment to cover increasing production costs, ultimately resulting in the detriment of b oth consumers and businesses alike in the long-term, ECCP pointed out in its Advocacy paper.

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

The BSP said registered transactions on foreign investments through Authorized Agent Banks (AABs) recorded a net outflow of $352 million as result of gross outflows of $1.1 billion compared to gross inflows of $713 million. This is now the third consecutive month that short-term investments posted net outflows.

“This is higher compared to the net outflows recorded in March 2023 [US$70 million] and a reversal compared to the net inflows recorded in April 2022 [US$1.4 billion],” the BSP said in a statement on Thursday.

The BSP noted that the gross inflows recorded in April was 43.2 percent lower than the $1.3 billion recorded in March.

The BSP said the majority of the registered investments or about 57 percent were in Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) listed securities like banks, holding firms, transportation services, while 42.7 percent were invested in peso-denominated government securities. Less than one percent of the total inflows went to other financial instruments.

Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo

by asking respondents the question: “Before Covid-19, to what extent do you agree with the following statement: (Country) is an ideal destination for?” The survey showed that the Philippines specifically ranked lowest in terms of historical landmarks (51 percent); and very poorly for cultural/art activities (29 percent), or museums and religious/places of worship (11 percent); poorly in food explorations/cooking classes (27 percent); and average on city trips (34 percent).

Speaking at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay on Wednesday about the new tourism branding campaign, Tourism Secretary Chris -

tina Garcia said, “Global trends supported by data from various reliable and reputable tourismrelated publications have indicated that post-pandemic, people’s reasons for travel have also changed, chief of which is that people now wish to have some sense of substantive, immersive, and authentic cultural experiences.”

She added, “People also value the opportunity to get to know communities. These trends correspond very well to the assets of Philippine tourism that have yet to be fully maximized–our culture, our people,

By Lenie Lectura @llectura

THE National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said Thursday the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) is the sole agency that could conduct an audit on its system operations. NGCP on Thursday addressed concerns on its alleged resistance to a comprehensive system audit and inspection to be conducted by the Department of Energy, (DOE), PSALM, and National Transmission Corp. (TransCo).

SHORT-TERM investments made by foreign investors in April continue to remain in the net outflow territory as gross outflows outpaced total inflows, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) data showed.

agaInS t the backdrop of Manila’s modern skyline, the ancient walls of Intramuros stand as a testament to the city’s rich heritage, blending the old and the new in a captivating urban panorama. While leisure travelers usually sweep through these historical landmarks and cultural sights, they spend more time shopping in malls like greenhills, where they can buy pearls and counterfeit luxury-brand items. according to a Frost & Sullivan poll, the Philippines’s beaches are among the top magnets for visitors, who don’t particularly seek out its historical and cultural attractions. Story below. Posztos Ja N os Dreamstime.com

AFP, PCG, DA, MMDA roll out measures, bracing for ‘Mawar’

By Rene Acosta @reneacostaBM

THE Armed Forces of the Philippines has alerted all its search, rescue and retrieval units for humanitarian assistance a nd disaster response (HADR) operations in areas expected to be affected b y a supertyphoon.

Typhoon Mawar, which battered the island State of Guam in the Western Pacific on Wednesday, is expected t o hit the country this weekend under the local name “Betty.”

Military spokesman Col. Medel Aguilar said on Thursday all unified commands and major services were directed to check the readiness of HADR e quipment and assets, preposition HADR units, assist LGUs in evacuations, and participate in coordination me etings and planning activities.

“As such, vehicles and personnel are already being prepared to assist in the mandatory evacuation of residents in vulnerable areas. Air and naval assets are also on standby for deployment for future aerial assessment, transport, and evacuation operations,” he said.

Aguilar said 7,970 personnel, 4,242 Cafgu Active Auxiliary members and 180 reservists were alerted a s first responders.

At least 2,518 land transportation assets, 20 air assets and 265 water assets would also be deployed for the H ADR operations.

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“Additional troops and assets will be committed when necessary,” he said.

He urged the public “to be vigilant and to take precautionary measures as advised by competent authorities. Let us all do our part in ensuring the safety not just of the affected communities but of our responders as well.”

E arlier, the Philippine Coast Guard mobilized its deployable response groups (DRGs) and Quick Response Teams (QRTs) in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) and Ilocos region.

T he PCG district commanders were told to ensure the readiness of Coast Guard stations and sub-stations, especially in Northern Luzon, which is e xpected to be directly affected by the supertyphoon.

Farmer, fishers told to secure crops, boats

T HE D epartment of Agriculture (DA) advised farmers and fishers to harvest matured crops and secure fishing vessels in higher ground in preparation f or Typhoon "Mawar."

"The farmers should harvest matured crops and utilize post-harvest f acilities; it should also secure seed reserves, planting materials and other farm inputs, as well as feed and water for livestock," the DA said in its advisory on Thursday.

Relocate animals, farm machineries, and equipment to higher ground; a nd clear drainage in irrigation and rice paddies from obstructions to pre -

vent flooding,” it added. T he DA said fisherfolk are also advised to; perform early harvest and m obilize post-harvest equipment and facilities; also secure fishing vessels in higher ground; and avoid sea travel as potentially rough conditions prevail over affected seaboards.

The DA-Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DA-DRRM) Operations Centers, and concerned corporations did preparatory activities like t he prepositioning of seeds for rice and corn, drugs and biologics for livestock and poultry in safe storage facilities.

The Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (DOST-Pagasa) s ituationer as of 3 a.m. Thursday said the center of the eye of typhoon was estimated, based on all available data, at East of Visayas with maximum sustained winds of 185 km/h near the c enter and gustiness up to 230 km/h.

“It is moving Northwestward slowly. Typhoon Mawar has a high chance o f entering PAR [Philippine Area of Responsibility] by Friday or Saturday,” Pagasa added.

It also said that while the typhoon is expected to have a low chance of making landfall, it is likely to enhance the southwest monsoon.

MMDA braces for impact

T HE M etropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is also preparing for “Mawar.”

with

Agreement. But the audit of the System Opera -

ECCP…

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MMDA acting chairman Romando Artes met with the Metro Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management C ouncil (MMDRRMC) on Thursday on preparations for “Mawar.

Artes, also the concurrent MMDRRMC chairperson, assured close and prompt coordination among concerned government agencies and Metro Manila local go vernment units.

“MMDRRMC members shall monitor round-the-clock weather updates and situations, while disaster response units will monitor potential flooding in flood prone areas and waterways,” said Artes.

On standby for deployment, Artes said, is MMDA's Urban Search and Rescue Team, with 20 rescuers trained in water search and rescue operations. Rescuers are equipped with life vests, wet suits, boats, and water rescue helmets when rescuing disaster victims. They also have rescue cans, throw ropes, and life buoys to aid in rescuing victims on the water.

Artes said they have identified critical areas in coordination with the Metro Manila LGUs for the possible mobilization of p ersonnel and assets in case of flooding.

Artes also met with MMDRRMC heads of member agencies and local disaster risk reduction and management council officers on preparedness measures in response to the southwest monsoon (Habagat) enhanced by Super Typhoon “Mawar.”

M MDRRMC Senior Vice Chairperson and Office of Civil Defense (OCD)-NCR Regional Director Romulo M. Cabantac Jr. also joined Artes. With Raadee S. Sausa, Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

tions, which the DOE, TransCo, and PSALM wished to conduct, may only be conducted by the ERC, because it is an exercise of regulatory authority over n GCP,” the company said.

n GCP said it recognizes the right of PSALM and TransCo “to inspect the transmission assets and witness any aspect of the performance of th[e] [Concession] Agreement.” It also acknowledges PSALM’s right to “audit [ n GCP’s] compliance and performance with its obligations under th[e] Agreement and other Transaction Documents.”

In fact, it added, TransCo has conducted periodic physical inspections of substations and transmission assets, as well as regular examinations of n GCP’s books and financial records.

Under Section 2.01 of the Concession Agreement, “[n]either PSALM nor TransCo has any regulatory rights, for any act or inaction of the Concessionaire that are within the regulatory authority of the ERC, to (i) make its own determination, or (ii) impose any penalties” on n GCP.

The exercise of such authority is beyond the powers of the DOE, said n GCP.

Section 37 of the Epira expressly carved out the authority to “regulate private sector activities” from the DOE’s functions under the Department of Energy Act of 1992. This power, stressed n GCP, was transferred to, and must now be exercised by the ERC, in conjunction with the ERC’s authority to promulgate and enforce the Philippine Grid Code, or the “set of rules and regulations governing the safe and reliable operation, maintenance and development [of the n at ional Grid].”

n GCP reiterates that it will participate in a system audit to be undertaken by the ERC, in accordance with the letter and the spirit of the Epira,” stressed n GCP.

Penalize NGCP—Gatchalian

L A ME n T I n G t he adverse effects of uncompleted vital power projects, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Thursday goaded the ERC to penalize the n GCP for the delayed projects, which n GCP had acknowledged, even as it cited the reasons for the delays—all beyond its control.

Gatchalian sought appropriate sanctions on n GCP for the unfinished projects adversely impacting the country’s electricity supply.

“I strongly suggest to the commission to enforce fines and penalties so we can impose discipline on n GCP. We are not seeing discipline because a lot of projects are delayed,” Gatchalian said in a statement.

The lawmaker also urged ERC to review the rate-setting methodology when it comes to n GCP’s transmission projects.

“Why are we allowing them to collect from consumers upon the commencement of the project without a defined timeline as to when they can continue to collect for a project? This leads to perverse incentives because if the project is delayed for 40 years, they can also collect for 40 years, lalo na’t delayed pa ang rate reset nila,” he said. With Butch Fernandez

“We reiterate our position that the law should focus only on the ‘base’ products within the category in order to limit the imposition of artificial price caps on a market that should be open and free with having the freedom to introduce different brands, variants, sizes and formats, and even new technology or innovations within the category, that cater to the wide range of consumers belonging to different socioeconomic classes with varying preferences and needs,” ECCP said.

Further, the ECCP said it looks forward having a “simpler and more practical” process for the industry and other stakeholders to have a say on the inclusion or exclusion of types and brands of goods in the basic necessities and prime commodities (BNPC) list, with businesses being allowed to offer a list of its base products that should be included in the BNPC list.

In relation to the previous recommendation, “we are also of the opinion that the imposition of price control should only apply to basic necessities and not extend to prime commodities as the latter are deemed not vital for the daily sustenance or existence of consumers during a crisis.”

While the chamber said it understands that prime commodities are “necessary” to many large consumer segments, this class of items should not be automatically included in the price freeze.

“We strongly recommend that price ceilings will continue to be

PHL…

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our communities. And that is why the enhanced tourism slogan will give our country an opportunity to market itself not just as a fun destination, which it will continue to be, but also a destination for everything else that includes highlighting our culture and our people.”

Tops in adventure activities

On the upside, the survey showed the Philippines ranked among the top three Asean destinations for sun, beaches, and islands (76 percent); nature, national parks, forests (50 percent); mountains, hiking, trekking (38 percent, and scoring the highest among adventure activities); and diving and water sports (34 percent).

For sun and fun, the Philippines ties with Indonesia, ranking closely behind Thailand. For nature pursuits, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia are ranked close togther. For water sports, the Philippines ranks high with the rest of the world.

The Philippines also ranks fairly well in other tourism products, such as romantic getaways (21 percent, and scoring the highest); nightlife and entertainment (15

Hot…

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The BSP said the top five investor countries for April were the United Kingdom, United States, Singapore, Luxembourg and n o rway with a combined share of 84.1 percent.

Meanwhile, the $1.1-billion gross outflows during the reference month was 19.7 percent lower than the $1.3 billion recorded in March with the United States receiving 70.9 percent of the total outward remittances, according to the BSP.

“Year-on-year, registered investments in April 2023 are lower than the $2.2 billion recorded in April 2022 (by 68.0 percent or by $1.5 billion), while gross outflows are higher by 29.3 percent (or by $241 million) vis-à-vis the gross outflows recorded for April 2022 (823 million),” it said.

“The $352-million net outflows in April 2023 are a reversal of the $1.4-billion net inflows recorded for the same period a year ago,” it added.

Meanwhile, BSP data showed that year-to-date transactions for short-term

imposed only on basic necessities without fixing price ceilings on prime commodities,” ECCP noted.

“Expanding the scope of price control, in our opinion, will only result in more red tape in the country with more manufacturers required to submit [suggested retail price] SRPs for even more categories of products to the DTI, thus creating a significantly long list of products required to be monitored by the agency’s field officers,” it added.

Meanwhile, ECCP noted that in 2017 the DTI made a proposal to deregulate the process of obtaining approvals for adjustments of suggested retail price (SRP) for basic necessities and prime commodities (BNPC)37 and has even drafted a Draft Administrative Order in this regard.

The chamber noted the SRP of BNPC were set by manufacturers but subject to evaluation and approval as to their “reasonableness” by the Trade department. It noted that any intent to adjust SRP required approval from the agency which took “two to three months to hurdle.”

ECCP said with the process now, manufacturers are asked to delay their price adjustments (despite submitting substantiation documents) for six months to a year.

“Given the current procedures in the DTI, any bill that will continue to authorise the need to get express approval from government to implement price adjustments will curtail business prerogative to make decisions according to the exigencies of business and goes against allowing market forces to dictate price movements,” the 2023 ECCP Advocacy Paper noted.

percent, ranking high, but slightly below Thailand and Singapore; spa/wellness/ health/medical (4 percent); farm/plantation/ vineyard (ranked high); and casino/ gaming (ranked high, but below Singapore), those surveyed indicated they were not very aware of these other offerings, or were just not interested in these.

With these survey results, according to the just approved n at ional Tourism Development Plan ( n TDP) 2023-2028, “[Fully] aware that the Asean member states at first glance appear to offer broadly similar tourism products, it will be crucial to invest for the long term in defining our cultural experiences to stand out in Asean’s highly competitive tourism environment more effectively.”

The n T DP is a blueprint of strategies and programs for government to attain tourism targets, and lift the industry’s contribution to economic growth.

Under the baseline scenario, the DOT is targetting to attract 4.8 million international tourists this year, 7.7 million in 2024, 8.4 million in 2025, 9.3 million in 2026, 10.2 million in 2027, and 11.5 million in 2028.

The Frost and Sullivan survey was carried out via online panel survey of 8,511 respondents as well as focus group discussions and in-depth interviews across 13 source markets.

investments yielded net outflows of $680 million, which is a reversal of the $1.4 billion net inflows recorded in the Januaryto-April period of last year.

Hot money investments or foreign investments registered with the BSP through AABs included Philippine Stock Exchange-listed securities and pesodenominated government securities.

The list also included peso time deposits with banks with minimum tenor of 90 days; other Peso debt instruments; unit investment trust funds; and other instruments such as Exchange Traded Funds and Philippine Depositary Receipts.

The registration of inward foreign investments delegated to AABs by the BSP is optional under the rules on foreign exchange (FX) transactions.

It is required only if the investor or its representative will purchase FX from AABs and/or their subsidiary/affiliate foreign exchange corporations for repatriation of capital and remittance of earnings that accrue on the registered investment.

Without such registration, the foreign investor can still repatriate capital and remit earnings on its investment, but the FX will have to be sourced outside the banking system.

“For the record, n GCP is not opposed t o a proper inspection or audit of the grid or its system operations in accordance

the Epira [Electric Power Industry Reform Act] and the Concession

The Nation

Pledge tightens control of online sale of alcoholic drinks to minors

By Andrea E. San Juan @andreasanjuan

ALCOHOL producers and plat-

forms operating in the Philippines engaged in the sale of alcoholic products relaunched a pledge to boost their efforts at creating a properly regulated online marketplace for alcohol products, according to the Alcoholic Beverages Alliance of the Philippines (ABAPI).

In line with the global pledge to develop and enhance safeguards to prevent the online sale and delivery of alcohol to minors, producers and platforms operating in the Philippines vowed “to collaborate to reinforce regulations that prevent those below legal purchase age and legal

drinking age from accessing alcohol products, and to support the legitimate sales of alcohol in the online environment in the country.”

Members of the ABAPI, an organization comprised of the leading international alcohol beverage producers, as well as importers and distributors in the country, committed to “ensure compliance on licensing, taxation and other relevant regulations on distribution and sales of alcohol of our respective companies.”

A BAPI members also pledged to encourage online retailers to “reinforce” and/or put in place safeguards to protect minors.

Moreover, they committed to fight against illicit trade by providing a “direct channel” for e-commerce

platforms to raise any suspicion.

Signatories of the pledge include Diageo, Pernod Ricard, Moët Hennessy, Bacardi-Martini Philippines, Brown-Forman, Liquor.ph, Boozy. ph, The Booze Shop, Manila Wine, Winery.ph, Singlemalt.ph, Alcoline, Lazada, SugboWine, and Thirst-Liquor On Demand.

For online platforms selling alcoholic beverages, they have pledged to encourage the display of responsible drinking messages on all accounts or pages, which list alcoholic beverages for sale.

I n relation to limiting access to minors, the online platforms said they are committed to adopt “age screening technologies” to reduce the potential for minors

to have access to alcohol products on partner platforms.

Further, these platforms noted they would put in place safeguards upon delivery of purchased alcoholic beverages to protect minors, including: ID checks upon delivery where it is possible and necessary.

A nother safeguard, the online platforms said, is the screening of addresses to ensure that alcohol is not delivered to schools, day-care centers and other similar institutions or establishments.

Meanwhile, to protect consumers against counterfeit or illicit products, the online platforms have pledged they will ensure all alcohol transactions are “properly documented” by sending a verification or a receipt

to consumers, or through any other relevant means or format.

Moreover, the platforms noted they would be creating a “coordination mechanism” between alcohol producers and e-commerce platforms to verify the authenticity of the product in case of doubt.

A nother measure that the online platforms will undertake is to take down products that are found to be “illegal or unlicensed”— whether through being alerted by regulators or consumers, or through internal mechanisms.

Such innovative partnerships are crucial in order to keep minors safe and promote responsible drinking. All signatories of this pledge are committed to continue

looking at ways to improve the safeguards and look forward to engaging with the government to see what else we can collectively achieve in pursuit of these common goals,” the pledge read.

Meanwhile, Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) Director General Rowel S. Barba noted the report titled Tackling Illicit Alcohol in Southeast Asia published in September 2022 by the Transnational Alliance to Combat Illicit Trade (TRACIT) divulged estimates that the “Philippines incurred the second biggest loss in illicit alcohol at $438 million.”  According to the TRACIT report, Asean will be the region with the highest consumption of unrecorded alcohol by 2025.

Labor leaders push for just and fair treatment for workers

By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes @brownindio

WORKERS must be treated as partners in economic development and not as mere commodities, according to a prominent labor lawyer.

“A good and stable economy cannot not be founded on oppressed, exploited and impoverished workers. In fact, they should not also be condemned if they are asserting their rights,” lawyer Luke Espiritu of the Bukluran ng Manggawang Pilipino (BMP) said at

recent breakfast forum in Quezon City. Espiritu said the demand for an across the board wage increase of P150 daily is just and practical as the workers’ income have been severely affected by inflation in the past months.

Federation of Free Workers (FFW) national president Sonny Matula, for his part, refuted the claim of several business groups that granting the P150 daily wage increase would further stoke inflation and drive away investors.

With an increased income, workers can now afford to buy more goods and services, which will be a manifestation

of a stable domestic economy, according to Matula.

In fact, Malaysia and Indonesia have a higher daily minimum wage of P800, and at the same time, they are getting a lot of foreign investments,” Matula pointed out.

In response to the claim of business groups that the informal sector will not benefit from the proposed wage hike, Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) official Mark Villena said the government should develop a separate program for the informal sector to help them improve

their livelihood opportunities.

In a show of solidarity, trade unions in the Philippines on Wednesday assailed the government for not pushing seriously the urgent recommendations of the International Labour Organization-High Level Tripartite Mission (ILO-HLTM) to stop the killings of trade unionists and blatant violations of workers’ rights to unionize.

T he All Philippine Trade Unions (APTU), a network of trade unions and workers’ associations who endorsed the joint workers report to the ILO-HLTM slammed the government

for continuing to leave workers out of the inter-agency body to strengthen coordination and expedite the investigation, prosecution and resolution of cases of violations of the right to organize and created by Executive Order 23.

A PTU is composed of the FFW, Kilusang Mayo Uno, Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (SENTRO), TUCP, Nagkaisa Labor Coalition, BMP, among others.

Meanwhile, Synergy Market Research + Strategic Consultancy (Synergy) founder and CEO Germaine Reyes

told the BusinessMirror in an email interview that the government should encourage consumer spending to spur economic growth.

“ Historically-speaking, we have grown and become resilient from global economic downturns due to our strong consumption-driven economy. If the government still believes this is what will fuel our economic growth then businesses need to collectively decide not to pass on higher prices to consumers right away in order to make them participate in the economic activities through consumer spending,” Reyes said.

Friday, May 26, 2023 • Editor: Vittorio V.

Vitug

DA defers implementation of ₧150/kilo SRP for onions

By Raadee S. Sausa @raadeeboy

T he DA’s SRP for red onion is P150 per kilo and P140 per kilo for white onion.

DA Assistant Secretary Rex Estoperez said that Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban did not sign the draft order on the SRP for onions.

Actually, it was announced that we will be adopting SRP, but it was not signed by Senior Undersecretary Panganiban and according to him, when we dis

By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga

RATHER than implementing the proposed food stamp program, the Marcos administration should strengthen local food supply production in the form of livelihood subsidies to Filipino farmers and fishermen alike.

T his was stressed by the fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) in reaction to President Ferdinand R. Marcos’ recent statement about the food stamp program being developed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

“Our ailing rural sectors badly need direct economic subsidies, don’t get us wrong. But it would be more sustainable if the Marcos administration goes beyond bandaid solutions, by implementing

cussed this matter, he decided to put on hold the signing,” Estoperez said.

T he SRP was supposed to take effect on May 22, after a consensus reached during a meeting with various stakeholders on May 19 attended by DA officials, onion farmers, farmers groups, wholesalers, traders and retailers.

“ He is not convinced with the cost structure set for the SRP for

now. We are coordinating also with the DTI [Department of Trade and Industry] right now on what we can do but we will continue monitoring and inspecting the cold storages of the onions,” Estoperez added.

M oreover, he admitted that Panganiban took into consideration the zero compliance with the previous SRP imposed on the commodity.

“Last February, the SRP did not work out, we don’t want to repeat this plus the fact there are some things that we have to address first, particularly the supply,” Estoperez said.

I n February, the agency also imposed a P125 per kilo SRP on imported onions and failed to get cooperation from traders and retailers.

“ We fear that we are not prepared for that [SRP]. It is more difficult to implement. We should be prepared on all strategies before

DPWH allots ₧500 million

for rainwater harvesting facility projects across PHL

By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

implementing the SRP,” Estoperez added.

Earlier, the DA said it would set the SRP this week as it conducts inspections in cold storage facilities.

DA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Kristine Evangelista said this is the department’s strategy to protect consumers.

If not tomorrow, hopefully by Wednesday. But the monitoring now is not only in the market but also in cold storages,” she said.

Even the privately-owned [cold storages] shall be visited by the BPI [Bureau of Plant Industry], field inspectors of DA, alongside the PNP [Philippine National Police] and the CIDG [Criminal Investigation and Detection Group] to see the prices of onions…” Evangelista added.

Ev angelista said some traders have agreed to set a cold storage wholesale price following their stakeholders’ meeting.

THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)

is spending half a billion pesos to build Rainwater Collectors Systems (RWCS) in public facilities to reinforce the country’s resilience against natural disasters.

According to Public Works Secretary Manuel M. Bonoan, he has instructed the heads of Regional and District Engineering Offices to submit a list of proposed beneficiaries for the construction of RWCS in public facilities within their respective jurisdiction.

The rainy season and the threat of El Niño increased the demand to build disaster-resilient infrastructure that will be beneficial in harvesting rainwater intended for agriculture, commercial, and domestic use,” said Bonoan.

A part of the agency’s Performance Governance System (PGS) Strategic Plan for 2023-2028,

the agency has allotted a total of P582.9 million for the RWCS program this year.

B onoan said the RWCS would be provided to government schools and offices, public markets, and rural health facilities to mitigate the effects of climate change on water supply and flooding.

Funds that will be released are as follows: P28.02 million for the National Capital Region (NCR), P30.83 million for Ilocos Region, P36.43 million for the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), P33.63 million for the Cagayan Valley Region, P44.84 million for Central Luzon Region, P47.64 million for Calabarzon, P25.22 million for Mimaropa, P47.64 million each for Bicol Region and Western Visayas, P44.84 million for Central Visayas, P42.04 million for Eastern Visayas, P30.83 million for Zamboanga Peninsula, P39.23 million for Northern Mindanao, P30.83 million for Davao Region, P25.22 million for SOCCSKSARGEN, and P28.02 million for Caraga.

long-term holistic programs that aim to strengthen our local agrifisheries production,” according to Pamalakaya spokesman Ronnel Arambulo.

According to Arambulo, the high productivity in the agricultural and fisheries sectors can ensure a stable supply and affordable food in the market.

With no actual support in sight, our fishers and farmers are currently battered with numerous economic crises, including inflation that jack up the cost of production,” he pointed out.

For instance, Arambulo said, small fishers have been forced to reduce if not temporarily abandon their fishing activities due to the high cost of fuel. Consequently, local fisheries output suffered significant losses for three consecutive years.

C iting a report from the Philippine Statistics Authority, Arambulo said fisheries production dropped by 6.6 percent

in the last quarter of 2022.

T he reported decline marked the third straight year of contraction following the -1.7 percent and -1.2 percent in 2021 and 2020, respectively.

Furthermore, Arambulo said the low output results in high prices of fisheries and marine products in the market that put both food producers and poor consumers at a disadvantage.

Unless the Marcos administration recognizes and addresses the root of the food crisis, it won’t ultimately achieve local food security and selfsufficiency, he said.

“It goes without saying that if you give someone a fish, you will save them for a day, but if you sufficiently support fishers and farmers, an entire country would be fed. However, despite this undeniable truth, the Marcos administration remains shortsighted in addressing the pressing food crisis,” he said.

BOTOLAN, Zambales—

Again taking the cudgels for quality education for all, Zambales Second District Rep. Doris “Nanay Bing” Maniquiz filed House Bill No. 8242, which seeks free assessment for senior high school students taking up technical-vocational and livelihood (TVL) training.

Maniquiz said the measure would help ensure the employability of TVL graduates, especially those from poorer households.

HB 8242, or “An Act Granting Free Assessment Fee for Senior High School Students (SHS) Under the Senior High School TrainingVocational-Livelihood Track, and Other SHS Tracks Requiring Certifications, and Appropriating Funds Thereof,” was filed by the Zambales lawmaker on Monday, May 22.

M aniquiz pointed out that Republic Act 10533 or the “Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013” added two years in

basic education for the senior high school (SHS) curriculum, under which students taking the TVL strand are required for assessment to secure Certificates of Competency (COC) or National Certifications (NC).

H owever, the implementing program that covered training costs, including tuition and miscellaneous expenses, did not provide for the assessment fee needed to obtain COCs and NCs, she added.

T he assessment, which may include oral questioning, written test, interview, third party report, portfolio and submission of work projects, may cost the student anywhere from P555 for Sanitary Landfill Operations NCII to as much as P6,645 for Heavy Equipment Operations (Rigid Off-Highway Dump Truck) NC-II and P9,790 for Manual Metal Arc Welding NC-IV.

If TVL graduates cannot pay for the assessment fees, then they are deprived of the chance

to get certified, and, therefore, of the chance to get employed and be productive members of the society,” Congresswoman Maniquiz added.

Under the bill, all senior high school graduates under TVL and other tracks requiring national certification would get free assessment by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda), with the funding required to implement the program to be determined by the Department of Education (DepEd).

Prior to this, the Zambales lawmaker filed House Bill No. 8159, or “An Act Granting Free Tuition for Government Employees Enrolled in Graduate Education Master’s Program at State Universities and Colleges.”

HB 8242 is another initiative “to improve government programs for quality education for all, as well as to develop human resources to boost economic growth,” Maniquiz said.

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) has postponed the implementation of the suggested retail price (SRP) for red and white onions, a DA official said.

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‘Food stamp project a band-aid solution to hunger and poverty’

Zambales lawmaker Maniquiz pushes free certification of tech-voc graduates

By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

THE Department of Justice

(DOJ) denied on Thursday the allegation made by Pamplona Mayor Janice Degamo that “someone at the agency” may be manipulating the suspects into recanting their extrajudicial confessions in connection with the killing of her husband, Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo and nine others last March 4.

I n an interview with reporters via Zoom, DOJ spokesperson Jose Dominic Clavano assured that the police officers and agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) assigned to conduct a case build-up against alleged mastermind, suspended Negros Oriental

By Manuel T. Cayon @awimailbox

Mindanao Bureau Chief

DAVAO CITY—The Ministry of Transportation and Communication’s Civil Aeronautics Board of the Bangsamoro (MOTCCABB) enacted the enhanced rules and procedures in aviation commerce in a bid to boost air travel in the region.

L ast week, the governing board held its first session for the year to approve priority legislative matters, including the adoption of the Internal

Rep. Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr. and other possible suspects, are among “the best of the best.”

I think the statement of Mayor Degamo is out of emotion and we hope that the credibility of the DOJ is preserved in this case and for the country,” Clavano said.

In an earlier interview, Mayor Degamo claimed that someone at the agency might be manipulating the suspects in the killing of her husband that led the suspects to recant their previous statements.

S he added that someone who used to work with the agency might be trying to manipulate some people within the agency connected to the case.

T he mayor did not mention which agency she was referring

Rules of Procedure (IRP) and Rules of Procedure (ROP) governing hearings and investigations.

T he approved measures should provide a framework for fair and transparent decision making to ensure the protection of stakeholders’ interests and uphold public trust.

C ABB, as a regulatory body, holds the power to conduct investigations and address complaints pertaining to airports.

M inister Paisalin Tago, MOTC Board chairman, Vice Chairman Minister Abuamri Taddik, and Muham-

to. Meanwhile, Clavano revealed that the DOJ had already made requests for the transfer of the suspects in NBI’s custody to another facility to shield them from threats and manipulation.

C lavano said the DOJ is not discounting the possibility that the camp of Teves could be behind the decision of some suspects to recant their statements linking the controversial lawmaker in the gruesome crime.

It’s very possible, we’re looking at many angles here, that’s why we need to be very careful with our witnesses,” Clavano stressed.

C lavano cited the attempt of a former undersecretary of the DOJ to talk to the witnesses at the NBI. Earlier, lawyer Levito Baligod, counsel

mad Galo, CABB officer-in-charge, convened the session to streamline regulatory processes and establish clear guidelines.

T he Board said it is aiming to foster economic development and income generation in the Bangsamoro region as well as to regulate and develop the air transportation industry effectively.

We are dedicated to enforcing and implementing the mandates of our Ministry for the welfare of the Bangsamoro people and our homeland,” Tago said.

Meanwhile, the Bangsamoro Land

of the Degamo family, disclosed that a former DOJ undersecretary allegedly tried to bribe detained suspects to stop cooperating in the investigation on the Degamo et al slay case.

B oth Clavano and Baligod did not name the former DOJ official. Clavano said they are eying the transfer of the suspects to the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame.

It can be recalled that on Monday, Osmundo Rivero, one of the suspects in the Degamo slay case recanted his affidavits linking Teves and Teves’ former bodyguard Marvin Miranda as masterminds of the gruesome crime.

R ivero claimed that police investigators tortured and coerced him into admitting his participa -

Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (BLTFRB) took over the administration of public transit franchises in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao after the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Region 12 turned over the assets, responsibilities, and related documents on May 5 in Quezon City.

In accordance with Board Resolution No. 025, the transfer of all assets, digital records, franchises, special permits, provisional authority, and other corresponding documents for transport

tion in the crime that was carried out last March 4.

R ivero, through his counsel, Danny Villlanueva, also filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus before the Regional Trial Court of Manila seeking to compel Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla and NBI director Medardo de Lemos to present the suspect before his wife Queenie Rivero, his twoyear-old son Jophiel and 15-yearold stepson Christian.

R ivero said he received information that his wife and two sons were taken by a team of soldiers from the Philippine Army together with members of the Municipal Police Station of Bayog, Zamboanga del Sur from their residence in Kahayagan, Bayog, Zamboanga del Sur.

routes within the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) from the LTFRB is deemed necessary after the Bangsamoro LTFRB (BLTFRB) was granted authority to oversee franchise areas within its jurisdiction.

LTFRB Chairman Teofilo Guadiz III led the turnover of the tasks and digital copies of franchise documents for routes under BARMM’s jurisdiction to MOTC Minister Paisalin Tago, who represented the BLTFRB.

“ This day not only marks the turnover of records and responsibilities

H e said his family was taken to the Office of the Provincial Police in Camp Aberlon, Pagadian City before they were turned over to the NBI. The DOJ said Rivero’s family has been placed under the Witness Protection Program (WPP) after he initially agreed to cooperate with authorities.

V illanueva, on the other hand, said three more suspects identified as Rommel Pattaguan, Rogelio Antipolo Jr. and Dahniel Lora have also recanted their previous statements linking Teves in the gruesome crime.

W hile the DOJ is ready to investigate allegations of torture by the suspects, Clavano said this has not been confirmed based on intelligence information.

No ‘inside job’ in recantation of suspects in Degamo slay case–DOJ BARMM says aviation commerce may get major boost with new rules, procedures

but also represents the culmination of the centuries-long dream of our brothers in the south for autonomy,” Guadiz said, emphasizing that the LTFRB has full support for the BARMM leaders.

LTFRB Board Member Mercy Jane Paras-Leynes described the turnover as “another step that gives life to Bangsamoro Organic Law” or BOL. It will implement what is being said on that law which will help the continuous development and achievements of the BARMM region,” ParasLeynes said.

Microsoft: State-sponsored Chinese hackers could be laying groundwork for disruption

By FRANK BAJAK AP Technology Writer

The targets include sites in Guam, where the US has a major military presence, the company said. Hostile activity in cyberspace—from espionage to the advanced positioning of malware for potential future attacks—has become a hallmark of modern geopolitical rivalry.

Microsoft said in a blog post that the state-sponsored group of hackers, which it calls Volt Typhoon, has been active since mid-2021. It said organizations affected by the hacking—which seeks persistent access— are in the communications, manufacturing, utility, transportation, construction, maritime, information technology and education sectors.

Separately, the National Security Agency, the FBI, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and their counterparts from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Britain published a joint advisory sharing technical details on “the recently discovered cluster of activity.”

A Microsoft spokesman would not say why the software giant was making the announcement now or whether it had recently seen an uptick in targeting of critical infrastructure in Guam or at adjacent US military facilities there, which include a major air base.

John Hultquist, chief analyst at Google’s Mandiant cybersecurity intelligence operation, called Microsoft’s announcement “potentially a really important finding.”

“We don’t see a lot of this sort of probing from China. It’s rare,” Hultquist said. “We know a lot about Russian and North Korean and Iranian cyber-capabilities because they have regularly done this.” China has generally withheld use of the kinds of tools that could be used to seed, not just intelligence-gathering capabilities, but also malware for disruptive attacks in an armed conflict, he added.

Microsoft said the intrusion campaign placed a “strong emphasis on stealth” and sought to blend into normal network activity by hacking small-office network equipment, including routers. It said the intruders gained initial access through Internet-facing Fortiguard devices, which are engineered to use machine learning to detect malware.

The maker of Fortiguard devices, Fortinet, did not immediately respond to an e-mail seeking further details.

“For years, China has conducted aggressive cyber operations to steal intellectual property and sensitive data from organizations around the globe,” said CISA Director Jen Easterly, urging mitigation of affected networks to prevent possible disruption. Bryan Vorndran, the FBI cyber division assistant director, called the intrusions “unacceptable tactics” in the same statement.

Tensions between Washington and Beijing—which the US national security establishment considers its main military, economic and strategic rival—have been on the rise in recent months.

Those tensions spiked last year after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to democratically governed Taiwan, leading China, which claims the island as its territory, to launch military exercises around Taiwan.

US-China relations became further strained earlier this year after the US shot down a Chinese spy balloon that had crossed the United States.

BOSTON—Statebacked Chinese hackers have been targeting US critical infrastructure and could be laying the technical groundwork for the potential disruption of critical communications between the US and Asia during future crises, Microsoft said Wednesday.

South Korea and US troops to hold massive live-fire drills near border with North Korea

By Hyung-Jin Kim The Associated Press

Thursday’s drills, the first of the allies’ five rounds of firing exercises until mid-June, mark 70 years since the establishment of the military alliance between Seoul and Washington. North Korea has typically reacted to such major South Korean-US exercises with missile and other weapons tests.

Since the start of 2022, North Korea has test-launched more than 100 missiles but none since it fired a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile in mid-April. North Korea has argued its torrid pace of tests was meant to respond to the expanded military drills between the US and South Korea, but observers say the North aims to advance its weapons development then wrest greater concessions from its rivals in eventual diplomacy.

The US-South Korean firing exercises, called “the combined annihilation firepower drills,” would be the biggest of their kind. The drills have been held 11 times since they began in 1977, according to the South Korean Defense Ministry.

Ministry officials said this year’s drills are to involve advanced stealth fighter jets, attack helicopters, tanks and multiple rocket launch systems from South Korea and the United States. It wasn’t immediately known how many troops would take part in the drills, but previous exercises in 2017— the most recent ones before this year—drew about 2,000 soldiers and 250 weapons assets from both countries.

An earlier Defense Ministry statement said the drills are meant to enhance the allies’ combined operational performance capabilities. It said South Korea and the United States will seek to establish “the overwhelming deterrence and response capabilities” to cope with North Korean nuclear and missile threats.

Last Friday, North Korea’s state media called the drills “a typical North Korea-targeted war rehearsal.” It said North Korea “cannot but take a more serious note of the fact that” that the drills would be held in an area a few kilometers (miles) from its frontier.

KCNA said the US and South Korea will face unspecified “corresponding responses” over their series of large-scale, provocative drills.

Earlier this year, the South Korean and US militaries conducted their biggest field exercises in five years. The US also sent the nuclear-powered USS Nimitz aircraft carrier and nuclearcapable bombers for joint exercises with South Korea.

Moon Seong Mook, an analyst for the Seoul-based Korea Research Institute for National Strategy, said North Korea could use the South Korea-US drills as a pretext to resume testing activities to attain its stated goal of modernizing its weapons arsenals. He said domestic issues such as North Korea’s push to increase agricultural production amid the riceplanting season could still affect its decision on weapons tests.

“North Korea can’t help feel some burdens over the South Korea-US joint firepower drills being held for the first time in six years and in the strongest manner,” Moon said. He said North Korea may test a solid-propellant ICBM, a submarinelaunched ballistic missile or short-range ballistic weapons.

In their summit last month, US President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol announced steps to reinforce their deterrence capabilities such as the periodic docking of US nuclear-armed submarines in South Korea; bolstering joint training exercises; and the establishment of a new nuclear consultative group. Biden also issued a blunt warning that any North Korean nuclear attack on the US or its allies would “result in the end of whatever regime” that took such action.

Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, later said the Biden-Yoon summit agreement revealed the two countries’ “most hostile and aggressive will of action” against the North. She threatened to further bolster her country’s escalatory nuclear doctrine, saying “The pipe dream of the US and South Korea will henceforth be faced with the entity of more powerful strength.”

Worries about North Korea’s nuclear program grew after the North last year legislated a law that authorizes the preemptive use of nuclear weapons. Many foreign experts say North Korea has yet to possess functioning nuclear missiles.

SEOUL, South Korea—

The South Korean and US militaries were set to begin massive live-fire drills near the border with North Korea on Thursday, despite the North’s warning that it won’t tolerate what it calls such a hostile invasion rehearsal on its doorstep.

Thailand’s Move Forward says 19 senators back Pita’s PM bid

By Patpicha Tanakasempipat

At least 19 senators have agreed to back Pita, the leader of the progressive Move Forward, and the party is confident it can secure enough numbers from the upper house to clinch the top job for the 42-year-old politician, deputy leader Sirikanya Tansakun told a briefing in Bangkok on Thursday.

“The signs we’ve been getting from the Senators are positive,” said Sirikanya. “We should be able to get enough votes to form the government.”

The support from senators brings the total number of lawmakers backing Pita to about 330, still short of the 376 needed to become prime minister in a joint voting of the 500-member House of Representatives and the 250 unelected senators appointed by the military establishment.

Pita’s coalition of eight parties with 312 seats in the House of Representatives expects to wrap up talks on government formation in the next two weeks, according to Sirikanya. Move Forward’s tally of seats was reduced to 151 from 152 earlier after the election commission revised results in some polling stations, according to local media.

While the coalition was making progress in rallying support from senators, there were also signs of tension brewing between Move Forward and Pheu Thai party, the secondlargest party in the bloc. Sirikanya said Move Forward will not concede the House speaker’s position to Pheu Thai as it was key to its pledge to amend the constitution.

Pita’s inability to quickly muster enough support for his premier bid continued to roil Thailand’s financial markets. The baht fell as much as 0.5% to a two-month low, while the benchmark stock index traded 0.1% lower and the yield on benchmark 10-year bonds rose four basis points to 2.562%, the highest since March 9.

Until there is a new prime minister, the caretaker government is led by Prayuth Chan-Ocha, the general who led the 2014 coup and has held power since. If no party can win majority support, he could remain in place for months to come.

Move Forward’s Sirikanya said the party is confident that Pheu Thai will stay in the alliance even if it was denied the speaker’s job.

While Pita has shown his political acumen in winning the vote and building a coalition, he’s up against a royalist establishment and military that may be unwilling to see him come to power.  With assistance from Pathom Sangwongwanich and Suttinee Yuvejwattana/Bloomberg

21-year-old sentenced to 5 years for thwarted bomb plot that aimed to build HK resistance

By Kanis Leung The Associated Press

HONG KONG—A Hong Kong man was sentenced to more than five years in prison for participating in a thwarted bomb plot that aimed to build resistance forces, in a closely watched case involving high school students accused of serious crimes following the 2019 antigovernment protests.

Prosecutors said Alexander Au, 21, and the five others in court Thursday had planned to manufacture explosives and target court buildings. Their plot was foiled due to a police investigation, and no bombs were made and no casualties occurred.

Though the six are not among the most prominent activists in Hong Kong’s suppressed democracy movement, their case has drawn attention because they were all students when the prosecution began in 2021 and they were charged with conspiracy to carry out terrorist activities under the National Security Law.

Earlier this month, Au and four defendants, aged between 17 and 20, pleaded guilty to conspiring to cause explosions that are likely to endanger life and property, an alternative to the terrorism charge that falls under a separate law. The remaining defendant Ho Yu-wang, 19, admitted to the terrorism charge.

Ho was described as one of the plot masterminds. Judge Alex Lee said at Thursday’s sentencing that the plot would have worsened the social situation in Hong Kong had it materialized and could have caused casualties.

Lee sentenced Au to five years and eight months, saying Au was more culpable since he was involved in renting a room in a guesthouse for making explosives and inspecting targeted buildings with Ho.

Three defendants, who were younger than 21 and had relatively minor roles, would be sent to rehabilitation-focused training centers, Lee said. They could be held for up to three years, but the true length of their stays will depend on authorities’ evaluation of their conduct.

THAILAND’S Move Forward party said more than a dozen senators have pledged support for Pita Limjaroenrat’s bid to become prime minister, boosting the chances of his pro-democracy coalition wresting power from a military-backed establishment.

After Typhoon Mawar battered Guam, ‘what used to be a jungle looks like toothpicks’

By Grace Garces Bordallo & Jennifer Sinco Kelleher The Associated Press

HAGATNA, Guam—Many residents of Guam remained without power and utilities Thursday after Typhoon Mawar tore through the remote US Pacific territory the night before and ripped roofs off homes, flipped vehicles and shredded trees.

There were no immediate reports of deaths and injuries but the central and northern parts of the island received more than 2 feet (60 centimeters) of rain as the eyewall passed. The island’s international airport flooded and the swirling typhoon churned up a storm surge and waves that crashed through coastal reefs and flooded homes.

“We are waking up to a rather disturbing scene out there across Guam. We’re looking out our door and what used to be a jungle looks like toothpicks—it looks like a scene from the movie ‘Twister,’ with trees just thrashed apart,” said Landon Aydlett, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

“Most of Guam is dealing with a major mess that’s gonna take weeks to clean up,” he added.

The strongest typhoon to hit the territory of roughly 150,000 people since 2002, Mawar briefly made landfall around 9 p.m. Wednesday as a Category 4 storm at Andersen Air Force Base on the northern tip of the island, weather service officials said.

The scope of the damage was difficult to ascertain early on, with power and Internet failures making communication on the far-flung island difficult. Guam Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero said in a video message late Thursday morning that roads were passable, but residents should avoid driving and stay home due to ongoing strong winds.

“We have weathered the storm,” Leon Guerrero said, adding that “the worst has gone by.”

As the typhoon crept slowly over the island, it sent solar panels flying and crumbled part of a hotel’s exterior wall to the ground, according to videos posted on social media. At what felt like its peak intensity, the winds screeched and howled like jets, and water swamped some homes.

Leah del Mundo spent the night with her family in their concrete home in Chalan Pago, in central Guam. She told The Associated Press they tried to sleep but were awakened “by violent shaking of the typhoon shutters and the whistling strong winds.”

“It’s not our first rodeo,” she said via text message. “We’ve been through worse. But we brace ourselves for the cleanup, repairs, restoration afterwards.”

Winds peeled back the roof of Enrique Baza’s mother’s house in Yona, allowing water to damage everything inside.

“My mom’s house didn’t escape,” he said, adding that his mother stayed with him in his concrete home during the storm.

He drove around in a pickup truck looking for supplies to repair his mother’s roof, but most stores were without power and only accepting cash. Many wooden or tin homes he passed were badly beaten or collapsed.

“It’s kind of a shock,” he said.

In Tumon, on Guam’s northeastern shore, winds tore a granite countertop from a hotel’s outdoor bar and tossed it into the air. Guests scrambled to stack chairs to brace the doors, and windows buckled and creaked.

“It was like a freight train going on outside,” said Thomas Wooley, who recounted how wind and rain pushed through the aluminum shutters of his family’s concrete home overlooking Tumon Bay. When day broke, he found their outdoor china cabinet toppled and its contents shattered on the ground. A chainsawwielding relative helped clear downed branches.

“We’ve got tons of work to do,” Wooley said. “It’s going to take a few days to clean it up.”

Guam’s weather service office in Tiyan said it would shut down operations in the morning for workers to get home to families and assess damage at their homes. Counterparts in the Honolulu office took over their duties.

In a sign of how much help Guam might need, the Navy ordered the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier strike group to head to the island to assist in the recovery effort, according to a US official. The Nimitz, along with the USS Bunker Hill, a cruiser, and the USS Wayne E. Meyer, a destroyer, were south of Japan and expected to arrive in Guam in three or four days, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ship movements not yet made public.

Guam is about 3,800 miles (6,115 kilometers) west of Hawaii and 1,600 miles (1,575 kilometers) east of the Manila, the capital of the Philippines.

By Thursday afternoon, Mawar was centered 135 miles (217 kilometers) northwest of Guam and 150 miles (241 kilometers) west of Rota, Guam’s neighbor to the north, moving westnorthwest at 7 mph (11 kph).

Power was also knocked out for all of Rota, the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. said late Wednesday. The island has about 2,500 residents, according to the US Census Bureau.

The storm strengthened to 155 mph (249 kph) winds Thursday and regained its status as a super typhoon, according to the weather service. Mawar, a Malaysian word that means “rose,” was forecast to maintain this intensity for the next two days.

After moving away from Guam, the storm is expected to track generally northwest over a large, empty of expanse of ocean for days, and it could threaten Taiwan next week.

Guam is a crucial hub for US forces in the Pacific, with about 6,800 service members assigned to the island, according to the Pentagon. Military officials evacuated personnel, dependents and employees, sent ships out to sea and moved aircraft off the island or secured them in protective hangars.

Kelleher reported from Honolulu. AP Science Writer Seth Borenstein in Kensington, Maryland, and Associated Press writers Lolita C. Baldor and Sarah Brumfield in Washington, Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu, Mark Thiessen in Anchorage, Alaska, Stefanie Dazio in Los Angeles, and Ed Komenda in Seattle contributed.

McCarthy signals optimism on debt ceiling deal; US put on credit watch

By Erik Wasson, Billy House & Ari Natter

HOUSE Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s

The California Republican said after a four-hour meeting between his and President Joe Biden’s hand-picked negotiators that a deal was possible before June 1, the date by which Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned the US could run out of money to pay its bills.

“I still think we have time to get an agreement, and get it done,” McCarthy said after the meeting concluded.

Hours later, Fitch Ratings placed the United States’ AAA credit rating on watch, a sign of growing unease about the country’s ability to avert a first-ever default. The US received a credit downgrade during similar turmoil in 2011.

Fitch still expects a resolution to the debt limit before the June 1 so-called “X-date.”

Selling in US government bonds accelerated into Asian trading on Thursday. The yield on the two-year and 10-year Treasury notes rose to levels not seen since mid-March, during the depths of the banking crisis. Stocks in Asia were broadly lower, while US equity futures edged higher to partly reverse Wednesday’s decline. Rates on Treasury bills due June 1 on Wednesday briefly surpassed 7%, comparable to yields on junk debt.

A White House spokesperson said the Fitch report demonstrated the urgency of reaching a speedy resolution to the debt ceiling standoff.

And a Treasury Department spokesperson, Lily Adams, said in a statement that “tonight’s warning underscores the need for swift bipartisan action by Congress to raise or suspend the debt limit and avoid a manufactured crisis for our economy.”

On Capitol Hill, House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark blamed Republican “hostage-taking” for risking the US credit rating.

“Even the ratings watch is going to cause economic problems,” she told reporters at the Capitol Wednesday night. “This is the beginning.”

Representative Pramila Jayapal, chairwoman of the progressive caucus, said “This is the reality of what Republicans are driving us to, crashing the economy.”

McCarthy’s office had no response on Wednesday night to a request for comment on Fitch’s action.

A person familiar with the talks said no additional negotiations were planned for Wednesday night.

Representatives for Biden and House Republicans began meeting about noon in White House Budget Director Shalanda Young’s office suite. The change in locale came a day after Republican Patrick McHenry, one of McCarthy’s negotiators, bragged that the talks have all been held in the Capitol because, in his view, the GOP has the upper hand.

Yellen said earlier Wednesday that the world is just seeing the beginnings of the potential market stress if the debt crisis continues.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. chief US economist Michael Feroli wrote to clients Wednesday warning that his team now puts the odds of hitting the June 1 “X-date” without a deal “at around 25% and rising.”

Yellen said the Biden administration’s focus is on completing a debt-limit deal rather than contingency planning for a default.

“We are committed to not having missed payments and raising the debt ceiling,” Yellen said Wednesday via videoconference to a Wall Street Journal event in London.

House Republicans have escalated their accusations that Biden lacks urgency in negotiations, while a Democratic aide called McCarthy unwilling to compromise across a wide spectrum of disputed points, threatening the legislative prospects of a deal.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries drew his own red line and said Democrats would only support a two-year spending cap deal if the debt ceiling increases were two years.

It is not unusual for Congress to strike budget deals at the last minute when the pressure becomes great enough to force negotiators to make painful choices.

House lawmakers are expected to leave town on Thursday for the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Republican leaders have asked that they be able to return on 24 hours’ notice, if a vote is called.

If a default did occur, economists project it could send the US into a recession, with widespread job losses and higher consumer borrowing costs spilling into the coming election year.

“The current standoff over the US debt ceiling has the potential to wreak more havoc on the economy than any previous go-around,” wrote Bloomberg Economics chief economist Anna Wong. With assistance from Anna Edgerton, Matthew Boesler, Steven T. Dennis and Jarrell Dillard/Bloomberg

optimism that White House and GOP negotiators would reach a deal in time to avert a potentially catastrophic default didn’t mollify analysts as the US was put on a ratings watch late Wednesday.

Head of Russian private army Wagner says more than 20,000 of his troops died in Bakhmut battle

By Susie Blann & Joanna Kozlowska The Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine—The head of the Russian private army Wagner has again broken with the Kremlin line on Ukraine, saying its goal of demilitarizing the country has backfired, acknowledging Russian troops have killed civilians and agreeing with Western estimates that he’s lost more than 20,000 men in the battle for Bakhmut.

Yevgeny Prigozhin said about half of those who died in the eastern Ukrainian city were Russian convicts recruited for the 15-month-old war. His figures stood in stark contrast to Moscow’s widely disputed claims that just over 6,000 of its troops were killed throughout the war as of January. By comparison, official Soviet troop losses in the 1979-1989 Afghanistan war were 15,000.

Ukraine hasn’t said how many of its soldiers have died since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

White House officials said Wednesday that Prigozhin’s comments were in line with their own estimates that Russian losses have accelerated. The White House estimated this month that Russian forces had suffered 100,000 casualties, including 20,000 killed in fighting, since December. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said then that about half of those killed were Wagner forces.

Analysts believe many of those killed in the nine-month fight for Bakhmut were Russian convicts with little military training.

Prigozhin—himself a former convict—has frequently criticized Russian military officials for not supplying his troops with enough ammunition. He also has questioned their tactics, commitment and leadership capabilities, and complained they haven’t sufficiently credited his forces for battlefield successes.

He’s highlighted his forces’ sacrifices, and on Saturday touted what he claimed was the capture of the city of Bakhmut.

In an interview published late Tuesday with Konstantin Dolgov, a pro-Kremlin political strategist, Prigozhin went even further in his criticism—questioning some of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s rationale for the war. Prigozhin said Russia’s goal of “demilitarizing” Ukraine has backfired because Kyiv’s military has become stronger with Western weapons and training.

In invading Ukraine, Putin also cited the need to increase Russia’s security and prevent Ukraine from joining NATO. Since the war began, Ukraine has applied to join NATO, and cross-border attacks into Russia itself have increased.

In Washington, Kirby speculated Wednesday on Prigozhin’s motives.

“And it’s possible that this could be a sort of morbid way of him... claiming credit for whatever they’ve been able to achieve in Bakhmut, but also trying to publicly embarrass the Ministry of Defense further that the cost was borne in blood and treasure by Wagner, and not by the Russian military.”

In the interview, Prigozhin also challenged Moscow’s vehement denials that Russian forces had killed civilians.

In what it says is likely a low estimate, the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights says that from February 2022 until early April 2023, it recorded 22,734 civilian casualties in Ukraine: 8,490 killed and 14,244 injured.

Prigozhin, a wealthy businessman with longtime links to Putin, is known for his bluster—often spiced with obscenities—and has previously made unverifiable claims from which he later backtracked.

Earlier this month, his media team published a video of him shouting, swearing and pointing at about 30 uniformed bodies on the ground, saying they were Wagner fighters who died in a single day. He claimed the Russian Defense Ministry had starved his men of ammunition, and he threatened to give up the fight for Bakhmut.

Prigozhin has frequently warned of a counteroffensive that Ukrainian officials have said they’re planning, and in Tuesday’s interview, he said that, given continued Western support, Kyiv’s forces might succeed in pushing Russian troops out of all territory they occupy in southern and eastern Ukraine, as well as annexed Crimea.

“A pessimistic scenario: the Ukrainians are given missiles, they prepare troops, of course they will continue their offensive, try to counterattack,” he said. “They will attack Crimea, they will try to blow up the Crimean bridge (to the Russian mainland), cut off (our) supply lines. Therefore we need to prepare for a hard war.”

Prigozhin’s admission of heavy losses appears to show the impact of Ukraine’s strategy. Ukrainian officials have said their goal in Bakhmut was to exhaust and deplete Russian forces, distract them from protecting territory they occupy elsewhere, and buy time for more Western weapons and ammunition supplies to arrive, and for training to be completed.

Russia’s largest state-run and pro-Kremlin media did not report Prigozhin’s interview, posted in a Telegram channel with only 50,000 followers, making it unlikely to be widely seen in Russia. Nor did Russian military bloggers, whose popular Telegram pages are important sources of information about the war to many Russians, mention it.

On the battlefield, the Ukrainian General Staff said Wednesday that “heavy fighting” was continuing inside Bakhmut, days after Russia claimed it had completely captured the devastated city. Bakhmut lies in Donetsk province, one of four Russia illegally annexed last fall and only partially controls.

The head of Ukraine’s ground forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said Kyiv’s forces “are continuing their defensive operation” in Bakhmut, with unspecified “successes” on its outskirts. He didn’t elaborate.

A Ukrainian commander in Bakhmut told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the Ukrainians planned to trap the Russians.

“Now we don’t need to fight in Bakhmut. We need to surround it from flanks and block it,” Yevhen Mezhevikin said. “Then we should ‘sweep’ it. This is more appropriate, and that’s what we are doing now.”

Elsewhere, more attacks continued in a border region that Russian officials had claimed had calmed down after one of the most serious incursions since the war began. Russian forces shot down “a large number” of drones in Russia’s southern Belgorod region, a local official said Wednesday, a day after Moscow announced that its forces crushed a cross-border raid from Ukraine.

Kozlowska reported from London. Yuras Karmanau in Tallinn, Estonia, Aamer Madhani in Washington, and Andrew Katell in New York contributed.

By David Mchugh Ap Business Writer

WHEN Russia invaded Ukraine, global companies were quick to respond, some announcing they would get out of Russia immediately, others curtailing imports or new investment. Billions of dollars’ worth of factories, energy holdings and power plants were written off or put up for sale, accompanied by fierce condemnation of the war and expressions of solidarity with Ukraine.

More than a year later, it’s clear: Leaving Russia was not as simple as the first announcements might have made it seem.

Increasingly, Russia has put hurdles in the way of companies that want out, requiring approval by a government commission and in some cases from President Vladimir Putin himself, while imposing painful discounts and taxes on sale prices.

Though companies’ stories vary, a common theme is having to thread an obstacle course between Western sanctions and outraged public opinion on one side and Russia’s efforts to discourage and penalize departures on the other. Some international brands such as Coke and Apple are trickling in informally through third countries despite a decision to exit.

Many companies are simply staying put, sometimes citing responsibility to shareholders or employees or legal obligations to local franchisees or partners. Others argue that they’re providing essentials like food, farm supplies or medicine. Some say nothing.

One is Italian fashion chain Benetton, whose store at Moscow’s now ironically named Evropeisky Mall—meaning “European” in Russian—was busy on a recent weekday evening, with customers browsing and workers tidying piles of brightly colored clothing. At Italian lingerie retailer Calzedonia, shoppers looked through socks and swimwear. Neither company responded to emailed questions.

For consumers in Moscow, what they can buy hasn’t changed much. While baby products store Mothercare became Mother Bear under new local ownership, most of the items in the Evropeisky Mall shop still bear the Mothercare brand.

That’s also what student Alik Petrosyan saw as he shopped at Maag, which now owns Zara’s former flagship clothing store in Moscow. “The quality hasn’t changed at all, everything has stayed the same,” he said. “The prices haven’t changed much, taking into account the inflation and the economic scenarios that happened last year.”

“Overall Zara—Maag—had competitors,” Petrosyan said, correcting himself, “but I wouldn’t say that there are any now with whom they could compete equally. Because the competitors who stayed are in a higher price segment, but the quality doesn’t match up.”

The initial exodus from Russia was led by big automakers, oil, tech and professional services companies, with BP, Shell, ExxonMobil and Equinor ending joint ventures or writing off stakes worth billions. McDonald’s sold its 850 restaurants to a local franchisee, while France’s Renault took a symbolic single ruble for its majority stake in Avtovaz, Russia’s largest carmaker.

Since the initial wave of departures, new categories have emerged: companies that are biding their time, those struggling to shed assets and others attempting business as usual. Over 1,000 international companies have publicly said they are voluntary curtailing Russian business beyond what’s required by sanctions, according to a database by Yale University. But the Kremlin keeps adding requirements, recently a “voluntary” 10 percent departure tax directly to the government, plus an understanding that companies would sell at a 50 percent discount.

Putin recently announced that the government would take over the assets of Finnish energy company Fortum and Germany’s Uniper utility, barring a sale with an eye to offsetting any Western moves to seize more Russian assets abroad.

Danish brewer Carlsberg announced its intention to divest its Russia business—one of Russia’s largest brewing operations—in March 2022 but faced complications clarifying the impact of sanctions and finding suitable buyers.

“This is a complex process, and it has taken longer than we originally hoped for” but now is “almost completed,” said Tanja Frederiksen, global head of external communications.

She called the Russia business a deeply integrated part of Carlsberg. Separating it has involved all parts of the company and more than 100 million Danish kroner ($14.8 million) in investment in new brewing equipment and IT infrastructure, Frederiksen said.

Another beer giant, Anheuser-Busch InBev, is trying to sell a stake in a Russian joint venture to Turkey-based partner Anadolu Efes and has forgone revenue from it.

Companies are lost in “a Bermuda Triangle between EU sanctions, US sanctions and Russia sanctions,” said Michael Harms, executive director of the German Eastern Business Association.

They must find a partner not sanctioned by the West. In Russia, major business figures are often people who are “well connected with the government,” Harms said. “For one thing, they have to sell at a large discount or almost give assets away, and then they go to people whom politically we don’t like—people who are close to the regime.”

The 10 percent exit tax mandated by Russia is particularly tricky. American companies would have to get permission from the Treasury Department to pay it or run afoul of US sanctions, said Maria Shagina, a sanctions expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Berlin.

Hundreds of companies quietly decided not to leave.

In a rare, frank explanation, Steffen Greubel, CEO of German cash and carry firm Metro AG, said at this year’s shareholder meeting that the company condemns the war “without any ifs, ands or buts.”

However, the decision to stay was motivated by a responsibility for 10,000 local employees and is “also in the interest of preserving the value of this company for its shareholders,” he said.

Metro gets around 10 percent of its annual sales from Russia—more than 2.9 billion euros ($3.1 billion).

Meanwhile, shelves are just as full as before the war at Globus superstores, a Germany-based chain with some 20 locations operating in Moscow.

A closer look reveals that most Western beer brands have vanished, and many cosmetic brands have jumped in price by some 50 percent to 70 percent. There are more vegetables from Russia and Belarus, which cost less. Procter & Gamble products are still abundant—despite the company’s withdrawal from Russia.

Globus says it has “drastically” cut new investment but kept its stores open to ensure food supply for people, noting that food has not been sanctioned and citing “the threat of confiscation of considerable asset value through a forced nationalization as well as severe consequences in criminal law for our local management.”

Similarly, Germany’s Bayer AG, which supplies medicine, agricultural chemicals and seeds, argues that doing some business in Russia is the right move.

Companies find it’s not so simple to leave Russia

DeSantis launches GOP presidential campaign in Twitter announcement plagued by glitches

By Steve Peoples, Adriana Gomez Licon & Anthony Izaguirre

The Associated Press

MIAMI—Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis launched his 2024 presidential campaign on Wednesday with firm words but a disastrous Twitter announcement that did little to counter criticism that the 44-year-old Republican may not be ready to take on former President Donald Trump.

While he tried to project confidence, DeSantis’ unusual decision to announce his campaign in an online conversation with Twitter CEO Elon Musk ultimately backfired. The audio stream crashed repeatedly, making it virtually impossible for most users to hear the new presidential candidate in real time.

“American decline is not inevitable—it is a choice. And we should choose a new direction—a path that will lead to American revitalization,” DeSantis said on the glitchy stream, racing through his conservative accomplishments. “I am running for president of the United States to lead our great American comeback.”

While his critics in both parties delighted in the rocky start, DeSantis’ announcement marks a new chapter in his extraordinary rise from littleknown congressman to two-term governor to a leading figure in the nation’s bitter fights over race, gender, abortion and other divisive issues.

DeSantis’ path to the Republican presidential nomination will not be easy.

He enters the race looking up at Trump in early polls while facing serious questions about his far-right policies, his campaign-trail personality and his lack of relationships across the Republican ecosystem. He has generated significant interest among GOP primary voters by casting himself as a younger and more electable version of the 76-year-old former president.

He did not mention Trump even once in his discussion with Musk that ultimately spanned more than an hour. But he said he was ready to fight.

“Buckle up when I get in there, because the status quo is not acceptable,” DeSantis said.

The ultimate Republican nominee is expected to face Democratic President Joe Biden on the general election ballot in November 2024.

DeSantis joins a field that also includes former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. Former Vice President Mike Pence is also considered a likely presidential candidate but has not yet announced a bid.

In choosing Twitter on Wednesday evening, DeSantis tried to take a page out of the playbook that helped turn businessman-TV celebrity Trump into a political star, but it didn’t go as planned.

The online event started off with technical glitches that Musk said were due to “straining” servers because so many people were trying to listen to the audio-only event. More than 20 minutes passed beyond the scheduled start time with users getting kicked off, hearing microphone feedback and hold music and dealing with other technical problems.

DeSantis’ Republican opponents were merciless.

“Failed soft launch? Check. Failed announcement? Double check. We look forward to Ron DeSantis’ failed campaign,” said Mark Harris, the lead strategist for Haley’s super PAC.

Trump went further: “Wow! The DeSanctus TWITTER launch is a DISASTER! His whole campaign will be a disaster. WATCH!” he wrote on his social media site.

Still, DeSantis’ campaign said it raised $1 million online in the first hour after the announcement.

“We had a huge audience,” DeSantis said in a subsequent interview on Fox News when asked about the technical difficulties. “It was the biggest they ever had. It did break the Twitter space. We’re really excited about the enthusiasm.”

DeSantis, who likely would not have become the Florida governor without Trump’s endorsement, has adopted the former president’s fiery personality, his populist policies and even some of his rhetoric and mannerisms.

Yet DeSantis has one thing his rival does not: a credible claim that he may be more electable than Trump, who faces multiple legal threats, including criminal charges in New York, and who presided over Republican losses in three consecutive national elections.

DeSantis, just six months ago, won his reelection in Florida by a stunning 19 percentage points—even as Republicans in many other states struggled. He also scored several major policy victories during the Republican-controlled Legislature’s spring session.

“We need to win again,” DeSantis said on Fox. “As Republicans, we’ve got to dispense with this culture of losing.”

Aware of DeSantis’ draw, Trump has been almost singularly focused on undermining his political appeal for months, attacking him at every opportunity. Trump and his team believe that DeSantis may be Trump’s only legitimate threat for the nomination.

But the kitchen-sink attacks and nicknames won’t be DeSantis’ only hurdle.

He is a political heavyweight in Florida and a regular on Fox News, but allies acknowledge that most primary voters in other states don’t know him well.

Despite his lengthy resume, friends and foes alike note that DeSantis struggles to display the campaign-trail charisma and quick-on-your-feet thinking that often defines successful candidates at the national level. He has gone to great lengths to avoid unscripted public appearances and media scrutiny while governor, which is difficult, if not impossible, as a presidential contender.

The Florida governor spent much of the day behind closed doors.

In an example of his level of media avoidance, his official Twitter account for governor posted a photo Wednesday afternoon of a bill signing surrounded by dozens of bikers for legislation to help reduce motorcycle accidents in Florida. Reporters were not notified of the event ahead of time.

Peoples reported from New York. Izaguirre reported in Tallahassee, Florida. AP writers J.J. Cooper in Phoenix and Barbara Ortutay in San Francisco contributed.

• Editor: Angel R. Calso

Who attacked a Russian region bordering Ukraine?

By Dasha Litvinova, Yuras Karmanau & Hanna Arhirova The Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia—Russia alleges that dozens of Ukrainian militants crossed into one of its border towns in its Belgorod region, striking targets and forcing an evacuation, before over 70 of the attackers were killed or pushed back by what the authorities termed a counterterrorism operation.

One group claiming responsibility for the strike, the Russian Volunteer Corps, denied Wednesday it had lost any men and said its action had exposed Russian border weaknesses.

The conflicting versions of events reflect the role of disinformation and propaganda in the 15-month war.

Ukraine denied any involvement in the skirmishes Monday and Tuesday. It blamed two Russian groups, including the RVC, that claim to be volunteers fighting in coordination with Kyiv’s forces in an uprising against the government of President Vladimir Putin.

While neither version could be independently verified, whatever happened appears to have sent Moscow scrambling to respond to one of the most serious border incursions since Putin launched the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Belgorod Gov. Vyacheslav

Gladkov said an elderly woman died in the chaotic evacuation, and 12 people were wounded in the attack and shelling.

A look at what’s known about the attack and the murky groups who say they carried it out:

Who’s claiming responsibility?

TWO groups—the RVC and the Freedom of Russia Legion— claimed responsibility for the attack and announced an ambitious goal of “liberating” the Belgorod region. Little is known about them beyond what they say about themselves.

In early March, the RVC claimed responsibility for an incursion in Russia’s Bryansk region, another border area.

The website of the Freedom of Russia Legion says it was formed last spring “out of Russians’ desire to fight against Putin’s armed gang” and is “officially recognized” by Kyiv’s military.

“We are fighting in full cooperation with the Armed Forces of Ukraine and under the leadership of the Ukrainian command,” the website says.

The website said it fought last summer in “small battle groups,” and now was involved in the battle for the eastern city of Bakhmut.

Denis Nikitin, a wellknown Russian far-right figure, described himself as commander of the RVC when he met reporters Wednesday in Ukraine’s northern Sumy region bordering Russia.

He described the group as “a right-wing, conservative, military, semi-political organization,” saying its fight is against Putin and his state apparatus. He declined to say how many

that the invaders were ethnic Russians, Peskov insisted that “these are Ukrainian militants from Ukraine.”

“There are lots of ethnic Russians in Ukraine, but these are still Ukrainian militants,” Peskov said.

Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said more than 70 “Ukrainian terrorists” were killed in Russia’s operation. He also referred to the attackers as “nationalists.”

Russian state TV reported the invaders were from Ukraine’s armed forces. One report alleged the attackers used US military equipment despite Washington’s assurances its weapons won’t be used for attacks on Russia.

What’s the truth?

soldiers were involved in the Belgorod raid.

Nikitin said that inside Ukraine, the RVC’s actions are planned with the knowledge and assistance of Ukraine’s military, but anything outside the country’s borders “is our decision.”

The RVC sources its own military equipment, he added.

In August 2022, an announcement posted there said: “We, Russian volunteers living in Ukraine, decided to take up arms and create a military formation, the Russian Volunteer Corps, in order to together with our Ukrainian comrades defend their homeland which gave us shelter, and then continue the fight against the criminal Putin regime and his henchmen.”

Other posts claimed the group was fighting in southeastern Ukraine, or as volunteers serving elsewhere in the country, including in Kyiv’s suburbs of Bucha and Irpin.

What does Ukraine say?

UKRAINIAN officials have never confirmed any ties with either group. The government in Kyiv denied involvement in this week’s Belgorod incident, calling it an act by disgruntled Russians. When they did talk about it, officials were vague. Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said “patriots of Russia” and “people who actually rebelled against Putin’s regime” were behind the attack. Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak blamed “underground guerrilla groups” that are “composed of Russian citizens.”

In remarks to the news outlet Suspilne, Ukraine intelligence official Andrii Yusov said it was the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Freedom of Russia Legion. Andrii Cherniak, another intelligence representative pointed to the fact that the two groups claimed responsibility. “This is the consequence of aggressive politics of Putin’s regime and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” he told The Associated Press.

What does Russia say?

RUSSIA calls it an incursion by saboteurs deployed by Kyiv, with officials and state media using various epithets ranging from “militants” to “terrorists.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Belgorod attack was a diversion, meant “to draw attention away” from Russia’s victory in the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, which Moscow claimed to have captured over the weekend after months of bloody fighting.

Asked Tuesday about claims

IT’S hard to know. Analysts and commentators say both Russia and Ukraine would likely benefit from its own version of the events.

The British Defense Ministry tweeted Tuesday that “Russia will almost certainly use these incidents to support the official narrative that it is the victim in the war.”

Russian state media coverage appears to support this notion, with its allegations that US weapons were used in the attack and the general tone of some reports that overlaid video from the region with tense, dramatic music.

For Kyiv, it’s beneficial “to take up the position of an observer and not admit its involvement,” said Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov.

“The fact is that the war is happening on Russian territory, the Kremlin is being clearly indicated that Russians are not the only ones who can employ hybrid (warfare) methods,” Zhdanov told AP.

The involvement of the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Freedom of Russia Legion should serve as signs that “there are forces inside Russia who can resist Putin’s regime,” he said.

At the same time, the Belgorod attack “showed Russia’s helplessness,” Zhdanov said.

“Russia turned out to be completely unprepared—neither its security forces, nor border guards, nor special services were prepared for hostilities on their own turf. The myth that Russia keeps its border locked has been busted,” he added.

Some Russian voices echoed that sentiment. Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner private military contractor, used the incident as yet another chance to bash the Russian Defense Ministry for not adequately protecting the border.

Alexander Kots, military correspondent with the pro-Kremlin newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, also raised questions on his Telegram page.

“What’s with our technical equipment of the border, surveillance systems, motion detection systems?” he asked. “What’s with mining of the potentially dangerous areas? What’s with anti-tank equipment? Why did an enemy armored group breach deep into our territory?”

These are the questions “to which there are no answers,” Kots said. “To be more accurate, there are, but they’re very unpleasant.”

Karmanau reported from Tallinn and Arhirova reported from Kyiv, Ukraine.

Turkish voters weigh final decision on next president

By Suzan Fraser & Ayse Wieting The Associated Press

ANKARA, Turkey—Two opposing visions for Turkey’s future are on the ballot when voters return to the polls Sunday for a runoff presidential election that will decide between an increasingly authoritarian incumbent and a challenger who has pledged to restore democracy.

dir Has University. If the opposition can reach the voters who previously stayed home, “it may be a different story.”

In Istanbul, 45-year-old Serra Ural accused Erdogan of mishandling the economy and said she would vote for Kilicdaroglu.

She also expressed concerns over the rights of women after Erdogan extended his alliance to include Huda-Par, a hard-line Kurdish Islamist political party with alleged links to a group that was responsible for a series of gruesome killings in the 1990s. The party wants to abolish mixed-gender education, advocates for the criminalization of adultery and says women should prioritize their homes over work.

“We don’t know what will happen to women tomorrow or the next day, what condition they’ll be in,” she said. “To be honest Huda-Par scares us, especially women.”

Mehmet Nergis, 29, said he would vote for Erdogan for stability.

Erdogan “is the guarantee for a more stable future,” Nergis said. “Everyone around the world has already seen how far he has brought Turkey.”

He dismissed the country’s economic woes and expressed confidence that Erdogan would make improvements.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a populist and polarizing leader who has ruled Turkey for 20 years, is well positioned to win after falling just short of victory in the first round of balloting on May 14. He was the top finisher even as the country reels from sky-high inflation and the effects of a devastating earthquake in February.

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of Turkey’s pro-secular main opposition party and a six-party alliance, has campaigned on a promise to undo Erdogan’s authoritarian tilt. The 74-year-old former bureaucrat has described the runoff as a referendum on the direction of the strategically located Nato country, which is at the crossroads of Europe and Asia and has a key say over the alliance’s expansion.

“This is an existential struggle. Turkey will either be dragged into darkness or light,” Kilicdaroglu said. “This is more than an election. It has turned into a referendum.”

In a bid to sway nationalist voters ahead of Sunday’s runoff, the normally soft-mannered Kilicdaroglu (pronounced KEHlich-DAHR-OH-loo) shifted gear and hardened his stance, vowing to send back millions of refugees if he is elected and rejecting any possibility of peace negotiations with Kurdish militants.

The social democrat had previously said he planned to repatriate Syrians within two years, after establishing economic and safety conditions conducive to their return.

He has also repeatedly called on 8 million people who stayed away from the polls in the first round to cast votes in the makeor-break runoff.

Erdogan scored 49.5 percent of the vote in the first round. Kilicdaroglu received 44.9 percent.

At 69, Erdogan is already Turkey’s longest-serving leader,

having ruled over the country as prime minister since 2003 and as president since 2014. He could remain in power until 2028 if reelected.

Under Erdogan, Turkey has proven to be an indispensable and sometimes troublesome Nato ally.

It vetoed Sweden’s bid to join the alliance and purchased Russian missile-defense systems, which prompted the United States to oust Turkey from a US-led fighter-jet project. Yet together with the U.N., Turkey also brokered a vital deal that allowed Ukraine to ship grain through the Black Sea to parts of the world struggling with hunger.

This week, Erdogan received the endorsement of the nationalist third-place candidate, Sinan Ogan, who garnered 5.2 percent of the vote. The move was seen as a boost for Erdogan even though Ogan’s supporters are not a monolithic bloc and not all of his votes are expected to go to Erdogan.

Erdogan’s nationalist-Islamist alliance also retained its hold on parliament in legislative elections two weeks ago, further increasing his chances for reelection as many voters are likely to want to avoid a split government.

On Wednesday, the leader of a hardline anti-migrant party that had backed Ogan threw its weight behind Kilicdaroglu after the two signed a protocol pledging to send back millions of migrants and refugees within the year.

Kilicdaroglu’s chances of turning the vote around in his favor appear to be slim but could hinge on the opposition’s ability to mobilize voters who did not cast ballots in the first round.

“It’s not possible to say that the odds are favoring him, but nevertheless, technically, he stands a chance,” said professor Serhat Guvenc of Istanbul’s Ka -

Erdogan’s campaign has focused on rebuilding areas that were devastated by the earthquake, which leveled cities and left more 50,000 dead in Turkey. He has promised to build 319,000 homes within the year.

In the parliamentary election, Erdogan’s alliance won 10 out 11 provinces in the region affected by the quake despite criticism that his government’s initial disaster response was slow.

“Yes, there was a delay, but the roads were blocked,” said Yasar Sunulu, an Erdogan supporter in Kahramanmaras, the quake’s epicenter. “We cannot complain about the state...It gave us food, bread and whatever else needed.” He and his family members are staying in a tent after their house was destroyed.

Nursel Karci, a mother of four living in the same camp, said she too would vote for Erdogan.

Erdogan “did all that I couldn’t,” she said. “He clothed my children where I couldn’t clothe them. He fed them where I couldn’t...Not a penny left my pocket.”

Erdogan has repeatedly portrayed Kilicdaroglu as colluding with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, after the opposition party leader received the backing of the country’s proKurdish party.

During a rally in Istanbul, Erdogan broadcast a faked video purporting to show a PKK commander singing the opposition’s campaign song to hundreds of thousands of his supporters. On Monday, Erdogan doubled down on the narrative, insisting that the PKK has thrown its support to Kilicdaroglu whether the video is “faked or not.”

“Most analysts failed to gauge the impact of Erdogan’s campaign against Kilicdaroglu,” Guvenc said. “This obviously did strike a chord with the average nationalist-religious electorate in Turkey.”

“Politics today is about building and sustaining a narrative which shadows the reality,” he added. “Erdogan and his people are very successful in building narratives that eclipse realities.”

A GIANT banner of Turkish President and People’s Alliance’s presidential candidate Recep Tayyip Erdogan is displayed on a historical city wall, in Istanbul, Turkey on April 22, 2023. Two opposing visions for Turkey’s future are on the ballot when voters return to the polls Sunday for a runoff presidential election, which will decide between an increasingly authoritarian incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who has pledged to restore democracy. AP/EMRAH GUREL

The World

UN conference raises less than $1B for climate-wracked Horn of Africa

By Edith M. Lederer The Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS—A high-level UN conference on Wednesday raised less than $1 billion of the more than $5 billion organizers were hoping for to help over 30 million people in the Horn of Africa cope with a major climate crisis and mass displacement after years of conflict, a major disappointment to aid agencies.

The UN appealed for $7 billion this year to provide food and other humanitarian assistance for the three Horn of Africa countries—Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya, and had only received $1.6 billion. After pledges were tallied, the UN humanitarian office said the total funding for 2023 now stands at $2.4 billion. That means only $800 million in new funding was announced Wednesday—over 60 percent from the United States which made an additional donation of $524 million. That brought its total to more than $1.4 billion for the fiscal year ending September 30.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged would-be donors at the start of the pledging conference to make an immediate and major injection of funding to prevent the crisis caused by the longest drought on record, massive displacement and skyrocketing food prices “from turning into catastrophe.”

“People in the Horn of Africa are paying an unconscionable price for a climate crisis they did nothing to cause,” he said. “Without an immediate and major injection of funding, emergency operations will grind to a halt, and people will die.”

US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who visited the Somali capital, Mogadishu, in September, said humanitarian needs in the Horn of Africa are now greater than ever, “with over 23.5 million persons facing acute food insecurity” which is why the US has pledged additional funds.

“Right now, the global community is simply not meeting the moment,” she told the conference, warning that “the threat of famine looms.”

“In a world abundant with food, entire communities should

By Edith M. Lederer The Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS—The world’s 20 richest countries are fueling forced labor and account for over half the estimated 50 million people living in “modern slavery,” according to a report released Wednesday.

The report by the Walk Free foundation, a rights group that focuses on modern slavery, said six members of the Group of 20 nations have the largest number of people in modern slavery – either in forced labor or forced marriage. India tops the list with 11 million followed by China with 5.8 million, Russia with 1.9 million, Indonesia with 1.8 million, Turkey

the consequences of humaninduced climate change.”

The humanitarian agency CARE said the region is facing the worst food crisis in 40 years, pointing to drought, two locust invasions, conflict and rising commodity prices in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Over 31 million people need emergency aid, more than 2.5 million have left their homes, and on, due to the extreme weather more than 13.2 million livestock—a key money earner— have perished.

According to the UN humanitarian office known as OCHA, the Horn of Africa is the epicenter of one of the world’s worst climate emergencies.

never, never starve to death,”

Thomas-Greenfield stressed. But the results of the pledging conference co-hosted by the US, UK, Italy and Qatar were anything but bold. According to the UN humanitarian office, there were 25 countries that made announcements along with the European Commission, Islamic Relief and the UN’s emergency humanitarian fund. But it said some pledges included funds for 2024 and beyond.

Germany’s UN Ambassador Antje Leendertse told the conference the 210 million euros ($226 million) in humanitarian aid for the three countries in 2023 and 2024 doesn’t include substantial funding “for development and stabilization” in the Horn of Africa.

UK Minister for Development and Africa Andrew Mitchell said the country pledged $119 million for the three Horn of Africa countries. In addition, he said, the UK pledged $27 million for Sudan, $23 million for South Sudan and $9 million for Uganda, taking its total new funding up to $178 million.

Alison Huggins, deputy director for Africa for the relief organization Mercy Corps which has worked in the Horn of Africa since 2004, said it takes the results of the conference “with a grain of salt because many of these pledges were just confirmations of existing financing commitments and remain insufficient in light of the region’s urgent and expanding needs and the many lives still hanging in the balance.”

She said people in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya contribute less than 0.1 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming, but they are “suffering

Last year, an estimated 43,000 people died in Somalia, most likely due to drought – and half of the victims may have been children under the age of five, OCHA said.

While improved rains are starting to ease the impact of drought, they are also causing flooding and damage which has affected at least 900,000 people—and more flooding is expected later this year, OCHA said. And regardless of the rains, it will take years to recover from the historic drought.

In Somalia, where more than 6 million people are going hungry, a famine has yet to be declared, but some humanitarian and climate officials have warned that current trends are worse than in the 2011 famine, in which 250,000 people died.

Somalia is also grappling with insecurity due to the al-Shabab extremist group, which has ties to al-Qaida and has fought the Somali federal government in Mogadishu for years. The group intensified attacks on military bases in recent months after losing territory in rural areas to government forces.

In Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region, nearly all the 6 million people rely on food aid after two years of civil war. Government-imposed restrictions on humanitarian relief had pushed parts of the region to the brink of famine until aid deliveries resumed after the war stopped with a cease-fire in November.

But the UN and USAID, the US aid agency, announced earlier this month that they were suspending all food assistance to investigate the theft of humanitarian supplies.

T he Associated Press writer Evelyne Musambi in Nairobi, Kenya, contributed to this report.

with 1.3 million and the United States with 1.1 million.

“Most of the countries with lowest prevalence of modern slavery—Switzerland, Norway, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Ireland, Japan, and Finland—are also members of the G20,” the report said. “Yet, even in these countries, thousands of people continue to be forced to work or marry, despite their high levels of economic development, gender equality, social welfare, and political stability, as well as strong criminal justice systems.”

Last September, a report by the U.N.’s International Labor Organization and International Organization for Migration and Walk Free estimated that 50 mil-

lion people were living in “modern slavery”—28 million in forced labor and 22 million in forced marriage—at the end of 2021. That was a 10 million increase in just five years from the end of 2016.

“Modern slavery permeates every aspect of our society,” Walk Free Founding Director Grace Forrest said in a statement. “It is woven through our clothes, lights up our electronics and seasons our food”—and it “is a mirror held to power, reflecting who in any given society has it and who does not.”

This is most evident in global supply chains, where G20 nations import $468 million worth of products annually considered “at

20 richest countries account for over half of 50 million people in ‘modern slavery,’ report says

Black children more likely to have asthma. A lot comes down to where they live

By Kat Stafford The Associated Press

HARTFORD, Conn.—Amid the balloons, cake and games at his best friend’s birthday party on a farm, 5-year-old Carter Manson clutched his small chest.

“He just kept saying ‘I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe,’’’ his mother, Catherine, recalled tearfully. “I picked him up and told him it was OK and to just breathe. Just breathe.”

It was the first time Carter had an asthma attack in public, and the inhaler he sorely needed was in the family car. Catherine calmed her terrified son and ran to get the inhaler; only then was Carter able to breathe easily.

“You say in your head as a parent that I’m going to be prepared next time,” Catherine, 39, said.

“But anything can trigger them,” she said.

Black children are more likely to have asthma than kids of any other race in America. They’re more likely to live near polluting plants, and in rental housing with mold and other triggers, because of racist housing laws in the nation’s past. Their asthma often is more severe and less likely to be controlled, because of poor medical care and mistrust of doctors.

About 4 million kids in the US have asthma. The percentage of Black children with asthma is far higher than white kids; more than 12 percent of Black kids nationwide suffer from the disease, compared with 5.5 percent of white children. They also die at a much higher rate.

Across America, nearly 4 in 10 Black children live in areas with poor environmental and health conditions compared to 1 in 10 white children. Factories spew nitrogen oxide and particulate matter. Idling trucks and freeway traffic kick up noxious fumes and dust.

The disparities are built into a housing system shaped by the longstanding effects of slavery and Jim Crow-era laws. Many of the communities that have substandard housing today or are located near toxic sites are the same as those that were segregated and redlined decades ago.

“The majority of what drives disparities in asthma, it’s actually social and structural,” said Sanaz Eftekhari, vice president of corporate affairs and research of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. “You can tie a lot of the asthma disparities back to things that have happened, years and years and decades ago.”

Asthma is treatable. It can be managed with medicine, routine appointments and inhalers. But Black children often struggle to get treatment, and are more likely than white kids to end up in the emergency room with asthma symptoms.

Kamora Herrington, a community organizer in Hartford, Connecticut, doesn’t need to study the statistics to know that the children of her city are suffering.

“We know that our emergency rooms in the middle of the night during the summer are filled with children who can’t breathe,” Herrington said.

The prime cause, she said, is just as apparent.

“People need to demand change for real and people need

said Dr. Jessica Hollenbach, codirector of the Asthma Center of Connecticut Children’s.

Asthma triggers

POLLUTION is also a major factor in asthma rates.

In Connecticut, poor neighborhoods in the state’s five largest cities—Bridgeport, Hartford, New Haven, Stamford, and Waterbury—have high concentrations of kids with asthma.

to not be reasonable. At what point do you say, this is bull —--? White supremacy and racism have everything to do with it.”

The stubborn mold spores reappeared, no matter how hard Catherine Manson scrubbed the walls of her apartment, outside of Connecticut’s capital of Hartford.

As the mold began to spread further throughout the home, it dotted the walls of the bathroom and even on the bottom of one of the family’s sofas. Catherine became increasingly worried about her family’s health, noticing both she and the kids were coughing more. Their nebulizer treatments became more frequent while they lived there, and Catherine herself was prescribed an albuterol inhaler and diagnosed with asthma.

The property was owned by two different landlords during the four years the family lived there. The first didn’t attempt to fix the mold; the second tried, but failed, Catherine said.

The family thought the apartment would be a good place to raise their children. After all, it was in a relatively quiet neighborhood and affordable.

But as the mold worsened, the family increasingly felt stuck and unable to leave. It was at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic and funds were tight. Catherine suspects the mold began to form because the owners failed to address a leaky roof. The family noticed water and moisture on the walls, whenever it snowed or rained.

“I was so angry,” she recalled. “Everybody was lacking funds. There was nothing we could have done different.”

The family finally moved in 2021.

It’s a common problem for Black families.

The nation’s discriminatory housing policies make Black Americans more likely to live in rental housing. Throughout the 20th century, federal housing policies promoted homeownership and wealth generation—but those benefits were largely inaccessible to Black families.

Rental units are much more likely to have deficiencies or inadequacies and fewer means to address problems that increase exposure to asthma triggers.

In Connecticut, more than half of Black households rent, compared with a quarter of white households. In Hartford, almost 7 in 10 Black households rent.

An Asthma Allergy Foundation of America report examining asthma disparities found that Black renters were more likely to report the presence of mice, cockroaches or mold in their homes. Black people also live in older housing at higher rates, exposing them to triggers like dust and mold. In Hartford, 63 percent of Black households live in structures built before 1960, according to DataHaven, a nonprofit community organization.

“So many of our children are living in these just utterly disrepair homes with mold, open cracks, leaking, and vermin,”

Those same communities are at a higher risk for chemical and environmental exposures that are known asthma triggers.

A recent Environmental Protection Agency National Emissions Inventory shows Fairfield, Harford, New Haven and New London counties produced more than 10 percent of the state’s total nitrogen oxide emissions. All four of the counties include census tracts with the highest combined asthma rates.

Nitrogen oxide gases are typically emitted from vehicle exhaust, coal, oil, diesel and natural gas burning and can cause health issues such as eye irritation and asthma aggravation.

Dr. Mark Mitchell, a former director of Hartford’s health department and a founder of the Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice, has tried to sound the alarm on Hartford’s asthma rates.

The coalition began investigating and advocating for environmental justice after concerns arose about a regional landfill expansion and possible links to high rates of asthma, cancer and other diseases in communities neighboring them. Mitchell recalled how, in the mid ‘90s, he examined about 30 kids and found that a third of them had asthma. He urged the state to look into what he believed was a clear pattern of disparities.

“They told me…we don’t really know who has asthma and doesn’t have asthma, and besides, it’s not unusual for a third of inner-city kids to have asthma,” said Mitchell, who is now associate professor of climate change at George Mason University.

The state’s health department did not respond to multiple requests for comment on its efforts to combat its asthma rates.

Mitchell said his research and work have led him to believe that the state’s asthma rates are heavily tied to traffic-related air pollution, as well as other air pollutants.

Exposure to pollutants

BLACK people suffer the brunt of it. Exposure to pollutants— specifically, fine particulate matter—is often disproportionately experienced by Black and Hispanic populations, while the emissions are disproportionately caused by white populations.

Between 2018 and 2021, more than 21 percent of children in East Hartford had asthma—compared to 13 percent statewide, according to DataHaven.

Kamora Herrington has lived in Hartford for much of her life. She launched a gathering space, Kamora’s Cultural Corner, for residents in a north-end neighborhood in Hartford—a mostly Black area of the city facing many socioeconomic challenges and the rippling effects of racism that have led to high poverty rates, poor health outcomes and shortened life expectancies.

Herrington remembers that for decades, where a garden now sits, See “Asthma,” A31

The World

Asthma. . .

Continued from A29

rows of milk delivery trucks would idle daily, pouring black smoke into the air and clouds of dust. Toxins seeped into the ground as trucks were also repaired on the lot. Across the street sat low-income apartments and multifamily houses; children played nearby. They’re still there today.

The ground is too toxic to plant in, so they use raised flowerbeds. They’re raising funds to do an environmental cleanup of the lot.

But she wonders about the health impact on generations of Black children who have traversed the neighborhood and the city’s north end. While people may prefer to blame Black parents, saying they should make better choices for their families, she points to the years of inequities that have led people to live where they can.

“As a Black woman who is also a Black mother, I have experienced ridiculous amounts of blame and abuse from a larger system that understands they’re culpable but understands that the issues are so big, that it’s a whole lot easier to say, ‘Black mommy, you’re the problem,’” she said.

Since much of the city’s rental housing stock predates the 1960s, Herrington noted, it often lacks air conditioning or proper ventilation—a burden on asthmatic children during hot summers.

Abimbola Ortade, an activist and board member of Hartford’s Black Lives Matter 860 chapter, recently lost his sister to Covid. Like many Hartford residents, she had asthma for most of her life, and diabetes, a combination that proved deadly. Ortade also has asthma, along with two of his children. He worries frequently about their future—and his.

Asthma, Ortade said, is merely one example of how structural racism fuels health disparities that are likely to worsen as Black children go through life—including the toll of toxic stress on their mental health.

“In my neighborhood, you’ve got to worry about the police killing you, stress killing you, heart failure or asthma killing you,” he said.

Ortade is critical of elected officials and what he believes is a reluctance to truly address the disparities and root causes.

Asthma, he said, “is like a ticking time bomb.”

Asthma risks BLACK kids have other things working against them when it comes to asthma risks.

Low birth weight, which is highest among Black babies, is one risk factor.

Slavery. . .

Continued from A27 risk” of being produced by forced labor including electronics, garments, palm oil, solar panels and textiles, the report said.

Australia-based Walk Free said its 172-page report and estimates of global slavery in 160 countries draw on thousands of interviews with survivors collected through nationally representative household surveys and its assessments of a nation’s vulnerability.

It said the increase of nearly 10 million people forced to work or marry reflects the impact of compounding crises—“more complex armed conflicts, widespread environmental degradation, assaults on democracy in many countries, a global rollback of women’s rights and the economic and social impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.”

These factors have signifi -

The confluence of toxic stress, racism and discrimination that many Black people endure, heightens the risk of preterm births and low birth weights— and the disorders, like asthma, that may follow. These factors are present regardless of socioeconomic level.

Segregated or low-income communities are less likely to have easy access to health care facilities or specialty medical clinics, which are predominantly in or next to white or higherincome communities.

Advocates say increasing representation of Black doctors— including pulmonologists, allergists, immunologists and researchers—is key to better care, eliminating bias and disrupting valid mistrust in doctors.

Catherine Manson said it’s been challenging to find the right health care professionals to help control her kids’ asthma.

“I feel like the pediatricians are not as knowledgeable as they should be,” Manson said. “As a parent, you have to make those decisions on your own. I’m the advocate for my kids.”

Asthma can be particularly disruptive for Black children and their families beyond its health implications, creating a trickle down effect in other facets of their lives.

Carter, and his 9-year-old sister Caydence who also has asthma, have missed weeks of school, leaving them behind in schoolwork. And in turn, their parents were forced to miss work to care for them – putting a strain on the family’s finances.

“I’m the parent, the teacher, the nurse,” Catherine said, of the toll. “It feels like you’re kind of failing them.”

Easy Breathing program

THERE have been efforts to bring asthma under control.

Dr. Melanie Sue Collins, director of the Pediatric Pulmonary Fellowship and Cardiopulmonary Lab at Connecticut Children’s, pointed to the hospital’s Easy Breathing program, which involves more than 330 pediatricians in more than 90 practices in Connecticut and has been adapted for use in schools.

More than 150,000 children have been screened and more than 41,000 have been diagnosed with asthma. The program focuses on improving diagnosis rates and creating a standardized approach to help keep asthma under control.

“I think the biggest issue is that asthma is a chronic disease that requires care every single day,” she said. “And what I see many of my patients and families struggling with is the basic needs of life.”

HUSKY Health, which includes the state’s Medicaid and

cantly disrupted education and employment, leading to increases in extreme poverty and forced and unsafe migration, “which together heighten the risk of all forms of modern slavery,” the report said.

The countries with the highest prevalence of modern slavery at the end of 2021 were North Korea, Eritrea, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, it said.

The report stressed that forced labor occurs in every country, across many sectors and at every stage of the supply chain. It cited the demands for fast fashion and seafood as spurring forced labor that was hidden deep in those industries, while “the worst forms of child labor are used to farm and harvest the cocoa beans that end up in chocolate.”

And while the United Kingdom, Australia, Netherlands, Portugal and United States were noted for having strong government responses to combat slavery, the

the Children’s Health Insurance Program, covers about 22 percent of the state population.

On a federal level, resources have been put toward various housing and health grant programs. An Asthma Disparities Subcommittee was formed by the National Institutes of Health in 2010 and published a federal action plan in 2012. And the Affordable Care Act broadened coverage access for millions.

But advocates say more asthma-specific legislation and funding is needed. Overall asthma rates have trended downward in recent years but rates among Black children remain outsized and disparate.

In Connecticut, the prevalence of asthma in the state’s public school system has slightly decreased over time but about 1 in 8 students have asthma. The incidence among Black students is about 50 percent higher. That often means absenteeism—and in the near and long term, failure.

“If you miss school, you can’t succeed in school,” Collins said of a fraught cycle many kids encounter. “And if you don’t succeed in school, you have a really difficult time having a life where you can do things comfortably, whether it’s eating, having shelter or a successful job.”

After seemingly endless years of stress, things are improving for the Manson children. Catherine has done well adhering to the children’s asthma control plan. The hard work appears to be paying off.

Carter is playing flag football, something that would have been unheard of just a year ago, and Caydence is running track.

Carter hasn’t used his inhaler since last November. They haven’t missed a day of school this year. It’s a win his mother is proud of.

Still, worry lingers in the background as the seasons change and potential triggers loom.

“I’ve missed work, their dad has missed work,” said Catherine, who now works in the medical field as a patient service representative, after leaving a beloved career in part to focus on her family’s health.

“But you have to pay the bills. Then you miss work and you miss money and that comes out of your budget. It affects everything.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is part of an AP series examining the health disparities experienced by Black Americans across a lifetime. Kat Stafford, based in Detroit, is a national investigative race writer for the AP’s Race and Ethnicity team. She was a 2022 KnightWallace Reporting Fellow at the University of Michigan.

report said those improvements were fewer and weaker than required.

“Most G20 governments are still not doing enough to ensure that modern slavery is not involved in the production of goods imported into their countries and within the supply chains of companies they do business with,” it said.

In 2015, one of the UN goals adopted by world leaders was to end modern slavery, forced labor and human trafficking by 2030.

But Walk Free said the significant increase in the number of people living in modern slavery and stagnating government action highlight that this goal is even further from being achieved.

“Walk Free is calling on governments around the world to step up their efforts to end modern slavery on their shores and in their supply chains,” director Forest said. “What we need now is political will.”

13.

the relationships of the company with Chinese clients; and responsible for obtaining and maintaining long term key customers by comprehending their requirements.

LIN, DINGHANG Key Accounts Specialist Consultant Brief Job Description: Oversee the relationships of the company with Chinese clients; and responsible for obtaining and maintaining long term key customers by comprehending their requirements.

Basic Qualification: Can develop strong positive relationships with executive and management contacts; and able to speak and communicate using Mandarin.

Basic Qualification: Can develop strong positive relationships with executive and management contacts; and able to speak

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

@jearcalas

THE merger of Land Bank of the Philippines (LandBank) and Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) might be challenged before the Supreme Court by possibly affected stakeholders like farmers if the proposal pushes through, a DBP official cautioned.

DBP Chairman Dante O. Tiñga warned that the merger would be most likely “questioned” by “affected” stakeholders before the High Court if the merger between the two state-owned banks materializes through an Executive Order (EO).

Tiñga maintained that the only way the merger could happen is through legislation, since the two banks were created by laws. There are persons or sectors that will be a victim [of the merger], the coconut farmers, for example,” Tiñga told reporters in an interview on Thursday.

T iñga also emphasized that a technical study regarding the proposed merger remains imperative to determine the implications of such a proposal to the economy.

T iñga added that he does not see President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. issuing the EO regarding the merger of LandBank and DBP

within the month.

Finance Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno earlier announced that the EO could be issued before the month ends, with the merger being done by November.

D BP President Michael de Jesus, meanwhile, said it is also necessary to conduct a comprehensive review of the charters of the two state-run banks to delineate their roles and functions.

However, de Jesus noted that a “perfect” charter does not exist and certain overlapping of roles and functions between the two banks would always happen.

Nonetheless, he pointed out that it is critical to determine the “predominant” roles and functions of the two banks in tackling a possible merger.

He noted that there are pending and ongoing inquiries and reviews at both chambers of Congress regarding the charters of DBP and LandBank, which the former supports.

Nonetheless, De Jesus mentioned that there is “too much” overlapping between the functions of the two banks at present.

L ast month, the Governance Commission for GovernmentOwned or Controlled-Corporations (GCG) opined that the merger of the two state-run banks can happen “without the need for legislative action.”

BIR files ₧1.8B worth of tax evasion raps on illicit cigs

By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

based on the result of our nationwide raids that we conducted last January 25 against illegal cigarette [traders]. Again, it was the first ever nationwide operation in the BI history,” Lumagui pointed out.

L umagui warned that the agency would continue its campaign against illegal cigarette traders by conducting more raids and filing cases. He added that BIR would focus on Zamboanga City and Pampanga, two provinces considered “hotspots” for smuggling of  cigarettes.

T he BIR’s nationwide raids in January covered 378 stores in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

L umagui said all the revenue regions of the BIR participated in the nationwide raids since illicit cigarettes are considered a nationwide concern of the BIR.

will not only raid your stores and warehouse, we will also file criminal cases against you. This will not be the last,” he added.

L umagui also said the BIR is looking into the sources of the cigarettes being sold illegally across the country, noting that a big syndicate may be the one supplying these sellers.

T he BIR is also determining the locations of factories where the counterfeit cigarettes are being smuggled.

“ The BIR protects the Philippine economy by levelling the playing filed. Everybody has to pay taxes. Traders of cigarettes, vape, petroleum, and other goods subject to taxes have to register with the BIR and pay their taxes,” Lumagui reminded taxpayers.

THE House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading a total of 31 out of the 42 priority bills identified by the Marcos administration and the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (Ledac).

T he latest measures passed were the 30-year National Infrastructure Program Bill and the proposed National Land Use Act.

“ We are proud of our collective accomplishment—31 out of 42 and counting. As of today, we have achieved a significant part of our goal in less than a year of session,”  Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez said in a statement.

I thank our colleagues for their hard work, as well as the various political parties in the House which have committed to support the passage of priority measures determined by the President and the LEDAC and the House itself,” he said.

T he Speaker said the measures “aim to support the President’s vision of keeping the economy on the high growth path and generating more jobs and income opportunities for our people.”

T he proposed 2023-2052 National Infrastructure Program is contained in House Bill (HB) No. 8078.

“ It will be an all-encompassing program covering not only public works like roads, bridges and expressways, which we commonly refer to as infrastructure, but also energy, water resources, information and technology, agri-fisheries, food logistics, and socially-oriented structures such as school buildings and other educational facilities,” Romualdez said.

“ It would institutionalize the ‘Build Better More’ program of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to support a strong economy through a resilient and reliable national infrastructure network,” he said.

T he proposed National Land Use Act (HB No. 8162) seeks to institute a national land use policy that has been years in the making.

This is a long-awaited measure and the President knows its importance. Through this proposed law, the government will have the tool to properly identify land use and allocation patterns in all parts of the country,” the Speaker said.

O f the 42 Ledac bills, three have been signed into law by the President and are now being implemented: SIM (subscriber identify module)

B IR Commissioner Romeo Lumagui said the government is losing around P50 billion to P100 billion due to the illegal activity. The money could have been used

to fund health services and various government projects.  The total exposure we have filed today, including the penalties and fines, amounts to P1.8 billion

“After the first BIR nationwide raid of illicit cigarette stores and warehouses last January 2023, we are now filing 69 criminal cases against the possessors and owners for tax evasion. This is a warning against all illicit traders. The BIR

Failure to do so would force us to raid your stores and file criminal cases against you. We are in constant surveillance of your businesses. Not only will you have to pay your taxes with penalties and surcharges, but you will also lose your freedom,” he added.

Registration Act, the bill postponing the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections to October this year and the measure amending the law on the fixed term of the Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff and other high-ranking officers. A nother bill, condoning unpaid loans obtained by thousands of agrarian reform beneficiaries together with their penalties, has been sent to Malacañang.

Measures approved on third and final reading include:  Magna Carta of Seafarers, E-Governance Act/ E Government Act, Negros Island Region, Virology Institute of the Philippines, Passive Income and Financial Intermediary Taxation Act, National Disease Prevention Management Authority or Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Medical Reserve Corps, Philippine Passport Act; Internet Transaction Act/E Commerce Law, Waste-toEnergy Bill, Free Legal Assistance for Police and Soldiers, Apprenticeship Act, Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) Law, Magna Carta of Barangay Health Workers, Valuation Reform, Eastern Visayas Development Authority, Leyte Ecological Industrial Zone, Government Financial Institutions Unified Initiatives to Distressed Enterprises for Economic Recovery, National Citizens Service Training Program, and National Government Rightsizing.

A lso finally passed and sent to the Senate is the Maharlika Investment or Sovereign Fund bill, authored principally by Romualdez, which the President has certified as urgent.

Two more bills are scheduled for approval on third-final reading: Bureau of Immigration Modernization and Philippine Salt Industry Act.

T hree others are for second reading approval: Natural Gas Industry Enabling Law, National Employment Action Plan, and Philippine Ecosystem and Natural Capital Accounting System Bill.

U nder committee/technical working group deliberation are: Department of Water Services and Resources, and amendments to the Electric Power Industry Act and Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act.

For committee discussion are Budget Modernization, National Defense Act and Unified System of Separation, Retirement and Pension

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

WITH the government’s “unilateral” review of trade unionists’ killings, the Philippines now faces the risk of being flagged among the worst countries for labor in the next Internal Labor Conference (ILC) next month.

T he All Philippine Trade Unions (APTU) warned that the distinction could cost the country its attempts to reauthorize its Generalized System of Preferences (GSP+) arrangements with the United States and Europe.

I n a statement, the network of the country’s biggest trade federations called out the apparent lack of progress and the composition of the interagency committee to look into Freedom of Association (FOA) violations. “ Barely two weeks before the

deadline set by the ILO-HLTM [International Labor OrganizationHigh Level Tripartite Mission] to report on the progress on the recommendations, government would have nothing concrete to show at the ILO’s ILC in June, except the killing of another trade unionist, Alex Dolorosa of the BPO Industry Employees Network,” APTU said.

FOA report

CREATED by Executive Order

(EO) No. 23 last month, the committee led by Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin was part of the government’s compliance with the recommendation of the ILO-HLTM to address the reported labor abuses in the country.  L abor leaders criticized the lack of representation from employers and workers’ groups in the said committee.

Not involving workers destroys the spirit of tripartism and

on GSP perks’

doesn’t augur well for transparency, let alone accountability,” APTU said.

N agkaisa labor coalition and APTU member Sonny Matula said Labor Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma has committed last week to first discuss the government report on FOA violations with the National Tripartite Industrial Peace Council (NTIPC) before they present it to the 111th ILC from June 5 to 16.

However, as of last Thursday, Matula said they have yet to receive a copy of the report.

BusinessMirror tried to get the reaction of DOLE and Malacañang on the matter, but as of press time they have yet to respond on the request.

Notorious list

THE lack of tripartism in the presidential committee created by EO 23 may be deemed as

non-compliance by the government with the recommendation of ILO-HLTM by the Committee on Application of Standards (CAS) at the ILC, according to APTU.  “ The PH government is in danger of being called out by the ILC yet again for being in the notorious list of the worst cases of violation of freedom of association and other trade union rights,” it said.

“All these would have dire effects on our economy as we could lose our GSP Plus benefits from the EU [European Union] as well as prevent us from being granted renewed GSP benefits from the USA. Being labelled once again as one of the Top 10 Worse Countries for workers could also cancel out all the efforts of the current administration to woo investors into the country,” it added.

T he GSP exempts several exported Philippines products from tariffs in both markets.

‘PHL labor record could weigh

House tally of Ledac bills passed now 31

THE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) on Thursday filed before the Department of Justice (DOJ) 69 cases of tax evasion, amounting to at least P1.8 billion, against illicit cigarette traders caught selling untaxed, fake and smuggled cigarettes during the agency’s first simultaneous raids in January 2023 in different parts of the country.

‘LBP-DBP MERGER MUST BE COVERED BY A LAW’

MMDA PREPS FOR STORM Atty. Don Artes, Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and Metro Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (MMDRRMC) Acting Chairman, leads MMDA officials in an inspection of the rescue team’s equipment and vehicles to be deployed in areas that may be affected by Super Typhoon Mawar, which may enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) today. Story on Mawar, on page A2. NONOY LACZA

ADB: Emerging challenges hold back Asean’s post-pandemic recovery

By Andrea E. San Juan @andreasanjuan

ASEAN member-nations must shift from meeting basic development targets to ramping up efforts to improve quality of life across the region to build a resilient Asean and yield a faster recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, a report from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said.

T he region’s path to progress must increasingly focus on achieving success in areas like reading, math and science, better nutrition, and access to quality healthcare, the report, “Nar -

rowing the Development Gap: Follow-up Monitor on the ASEAN Framework for Equitable Economic Development,” added.

As the region emerges from the pandemic, fortifying health systems, raising the quality of education, and improving nutrition will equip our young workers physically, mentally, and emotionally and improve their productivity,” said ADB Director General for Southeast Asia Winfried F. Wicklein.

W hile the regional bloc has demonstrated resilience since the outbreak of the pandemic, Wicklein said, “Emerging challenges hold back its full recovery.”

“ The attainment of upward income convergence, a rapid reduction in extreme poverty rates, and improvement in financial inclusion and internet penetration rates will help the region overcome reversals in development gains caused by the pandemic,” the report said.

T he report urged Asean membercountries to invest in digital skills, infrastructure, and finance to reduce the cost of business and build a more competitive region.

In the wake of rising food prices, the report called for improved efforts to tackle food insecurity.

I nstead of providing subsidies to consumers, it suggested that

VP vows to hone teachers’ skills

By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco @claudethmc3

VICE President and Education

Secretary Sara Duterte recognized the zeal and passion of Filipino teachers, vowing to champion their welfare and professional development as part of her MATATAG: Bansang Makabata, Batang Makabansa agenda. “ Teachers are critical to the success of education. When they are supported, education quality improves,” Duterte, in her Basic Education Report 2023, said. She added the agency would imple -

ment a policy on the distribution of workload and payment for teaching overload.

T he Department of Education

(DepEd) will also request the Department of Budget and Management the expansion of the coverage of Special Hardship Allowances, and closely coordinate with the Government Service Insurance System for an improved benefits package for all education personnel.

F urthermore, DepEd commits to elevating teaching approaches and standards by following the Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers and capacitating them

in utilizing and maximizing the benefits of digital and remote learning.

“ We will continuously provide professional development programs, including graduate degree scholarship programs to teachers focusing on their learning area specialization and graduate certificate programs for non-majors,” Duterte vowed.

T he DepEd will likewise fast track the career progression policy and strictly implement the Merit Selection Policy to avoid any intervention in appointing personnel to vacant positions.

governments offer incentives to farmers to plant fortified grains and target their distribution to areas with high prevalence of malnutrition or hunger.

A ccording to the report, Asean member-countries also need to enhance health systems, including data systems for tracking diseases to improve resilience against future pandemics.

Strengthening monitoring and disease surveillance, particularly in highly populated areas and in remote rural areas, is crucial for Asean’s health security.

“Investments in surveillance can be effective in reducing deaths and

diseases and yield faster economic recovery from the effects of the pandemic,” ADB said.

Following the 1996-1997 Asian Financial Crisis and the Global Financial Crisis of 2007–2008, Asean member countries made considerable progress in improving economic and human development outcomes, ADB noted.

But the regional development bank said lockdowns implemented to curb the spread of Covid-19 led to a 3.2 percent contraction in gross domestic product in 2020.

W hile growth improved to 3.5 percent in 2021 and rose further to 5.6 percent in 2022, actual output

in 2022 remained about 7.3 percent below pre-pandemic levels.

To reach zero poverty by 2030,the report says that development gaps, which emerged due to Covid-19 lockdowns, must be “bridged.”

A DB said the report was conducted in response to a request from the Initiative for Asean Integration Task Force to expand its assessment of development gaps across income levels. “ Regular monitoring in narrowing development gaps is critical in ensuring that Asean’s programs remain relevant and effective,” ADB said in a separate statement issued on Thursday.

‘Fine-toothed’ Senate scrutiny of MIF bill pushed

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

LABOR groups urged the Senate to exercise due diligence in tackling the provisions of the bill creating the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF).

T hey noted the Senate should conduct exhaustive stakeholder consultations on the matter, which should cover not only government financial institutions (GFI), but also workers and union leaders.

“ With widespread corruption in government, it is but right to express fears over this proposal. We thus

urge the Senate not to rush the approval of the MIF as it involves hundreds of billions of public funds,” the group said in a joint statement issued on Thursday.

Based on the existing versions of the legislation creating the MIF, they said the program would cover at least P500 billion in public funds.

A mong the signatories of the said statement are the Kilusang Mayo Uno, Nagkaisa Labor Coalition, UNI Global Union-Philippine Liaison Council, , Education International, Building and Wood Workers International, Pagkakaisa ng mga Tsuper at Operators Nationwide, BPO

Industry Employees’ Network, National Confederation of Transport Union, National Union of Workers in Hotel, Restaurant and Allied Industries, League of Independent Banks Organization, and the Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino.

T hey issued the joint statement after President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. recently certified as urgent Senate Bill (SB) No. 2020, establishing the MIF to help the government in making “high-impact large infrastructure projects.”

The House of Representatives already passed its counterpart MIF legislation, House Bill 6608, last December.

Food stamps for poor Pinoys? It’s about time

The first Food Stamp Program in the world was implemented in 1939 under the administration of US President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the depth of the Great Depression, which caused unemployment, homelessness, and starvation. At that time, American farmers were growing surplus produce, but unemployed and impoverished people were unable to afford to buy it. The concept of food stamps was intended partially to help the poor, but just as equally to boost the economy and pay farmers a fair price for their labors as part of the New Deal.

Since then, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has been mandated to strengthen food security and reduce hunger by increasing access to food for low-income Americans.

The agency’s nutrition assistance programs now include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children; the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs; the Child and Adult Care Food Program; Food Assistance for Disaster Relief; the Emergency Food Assistance Program; the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations; and food distribution programs such as the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which seeks to improve the health of low-income persons at least 60 years of age.

SNAP, formerly called the Food Stamp Program, is the nation’s largest nutrition assistance program and a key automatic stabilizer of family well being during economic downturns. According to the USDA, over 42 million Americans—around 13 percent of the population—were participating in the food stamp program as of November 2022. In 2021, the total cost of the US Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program was around $113.74 billion.

In the Philippines, the Department of Social Welfare and Development is gearing up to launch the country’s own food stamp program. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide around $3 million grant to the DSWD to initially fund the agency’s “Walang Gutom 2027: Food Stamp Program,” which will start in the second half of the year. DSWD estimates it will eventually need to secure P40 billion from taxes and multilateral organizations for the full rollout of the program. (Read, “DSWD to launch food stamp program in select area,” in the BusinessMirror, May 23, 2023).

DSWD Secretary Rexlon “Rex” T. Gatchalian said the initiative is part of the efforts of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Zero Hunger to reduce incidents of involuntary hunger in the country. The latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey said around 2.7 million Filipino families experienced hunger during the first quarter of 2023.

“The program is anchored to the Philippine Development Agenda 2023-2028 of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in addressing both hunger and poverty, and more particularly with alleviating the incidence of involuntary hunger among the Filipino families belonging to the lowest bracket income as identified in the recent DSWD Listahanan 3,” Gatchalian said. The DSWD’s Listahan 3 includes 1 million households, which do not earn over P8,000 per month and belong to the “food-poor” criteria of the Philippine Statistics Authority.

DSWD is currently designing the mechanism to ensure the new program will be properly implemented in priority areas from July until the end of the year. “There are working models out there that we can copy, tweak a little so that we can adapt it to the terrain of the Philippines,” Gatchalian said, adding that Mongolia, Indonesia, and Vietnam have successfully implemented their respective food stamp programs.

The pilot program will cover 3,000 family beneficiaries, which will each receive tap cards that they can use to buy selected food items worth P3,000 from DSWD-accredited local retailers, which may include Kadiwa ng Pangulo outlets as well as MSME grocery stores.

If there’s a government program that needs priority funding, the DSWD’s food stamp program should be on top of the list. Kudos to the Marcos administration for implementing this program, which ensures food security for the less fortunate Filipino families and helps improve the self-esteem of poor Pinoys by reducing coping strategies such as being forced to borrow money from loan sharks to pay for food.

Being in the spotlight of international basketball

Better Days

STARTING August 25 this year, the Philippines, along with Japan and Indonesia, will take center stage as hosts of the International Basketball Federation/FIBA Basketball World Cup— the biggest and most prestigious basketball event participated by 32 countries from all around the globe, including powerhouse teams such as the United States and Spain. It is worth noting also that, for the first time since its inception in 1950, the FBWC will be hosted jointly by more than one country.

The FBWC 2023 will run until September 10, 2023 and will feature over 90 games of which 52 will be held in the biggest venues of the Philippines —the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena, the Smart Araneta Coliseum, and Philippine Arena. More importantly, the Final Phase of the tourney will also be held in the country, which means that Filipinos will get to see the best-ofthe-best basketball teams duke it out on our court—hopefully our Gilas Pilipinas will be among these teams.

Ramon Suzara, Chief Implementor of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) for the FBWC 2023, is expecting over 3,000 participants not only from the teams but also from the FIBA organization, representatives of other host countries, media, sponsors, and embassies, among others. This makes our hosting one of the biggest international

One-third

events ever held in the Philippines. While the Philippines has previously hosted the FIBA World Cup, which was then called the World Championship back in 1978, obviously much has changed.

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, who fought for the rights to host FIBA’s flagship event in 2017, stated that preparations for the FBWC 2023 were underway immediately after the bid was awarded.

Over the months leading to 2023, despite the Covid-19 pandemic, SBP and the LOC worked closely with the FIBA leadership, as well as the representatives of Japan and Indonesia, not only for the logistical requirements of this massive event, but also in the promotion of the FBWC 2023. This led to various marketing strategies such as the unveiling of the FBWC official mascot aptly dubbed

The Philippines reported a 6.4-percent growth for Q1-2023— respectable and closely aligned with the long-term growth rate of 6.5 percent. At this rate, the country will continue to have the second-fastest growth in Asia after China.

As shared in our briefings, the status quo structure of our economy will allow it to continue growing at 6.5 percent. This structure is led by services (60 percent), followed by industry and manufacturing (30 percent), and then by agriculture (10 percent). Note that growth is being led by low-productivity sectors, such as construction, transportation, and accommodation. This may lead to inequality-enhancing growth. More jobs can be created in these sectors, but wages will remain depressed or stagnant. According to latest employment

“JIP” (Japan, Indonesia, and Philippines); promotional events and ceremonies all across the country; and the tapping of renowned personalities such as NBA stars Carmelo Anthony, Pau Gasol, and Luis Scola as Global Ambassadors and Catriona Gray, LA Tenorio, Jeff Chan, Gary David, and Larry Fonacier as Local Ambassadors.

With an event of this magnitude, SBP is projecting the direct economic impact for hosting the FBWC 2023 at around P8 billion. When Spain hosted the World Cup back in 2014, the estimated direct economic impact was said to be equivalent to P7.6 billion. There is also a huge potential from a marketing perspective especially to our local companies due to the presence of the world’s best players, who are themselves, million- or even billion-peso brands or personalities, their presence could also further ignite our tourism sector as a simple social media post from these star athletes showcasing what our country has to offer would have an enormous reach.Cognizant not only of the tremendous opportunity afforded to the country, but to our affinity to basketball, the national government was quick to express its support for the hosting. For instance, in March, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed Administrative Order No. 5 that created an inter-agency task force and directed all government agencies and instrumentalities to extend their support to the SBP in preparing and hosting the FBWC 2023.

of children aged five and below are affected. Two, the average passing rate of our elementary and secondary teachers is also about one-third. Three, the agricultural productivity of the country continues to fall and is now one-third. That’s why the title of this column is “One-third.”

Since these issues could not be solved during the three to six-year terms of political leaders, no real efforts have been set in place to arrest them.

We just concluded the hosting of the 2023 FIBA World Cup Draw, which was graced by 2023 Naismith Hall-of-Famer inductee and FIBA Players Commission Chairman Dirk Nowitzi. Results of the draw placed the Philippines, currently ranked 40th in the FIBA World Ranking, under Group A alongside familiar opponents Angola (ranked 41st), Dominican Republic (ranked 23rd), and Italy (ranked 10th). It is our hope that with the home court advantage and with the support of the entire country behind them, our national team would be able to put up a good showing in this historic event.

The FBWC 2023 is undoubtedly one of the biggest events to be held in the country in the last decade and its success and benefits will surely be talked about in the years to come. We must take full advantage of this opportunity to showcase the Philippines, both as a basketball-loving nation and an ideal tourist destination. This is also our chance to demonstrate our capability to host international events of this scale, which could attract more foreign organizations to hold their future events here. Simply put, FBWC 2023’s success is a definite win for all.

Senator Sonny Angara has been in public service for 18 years—9 years as Representative of the Lone District of Aurora, and 9 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

data, transportation and accommodation contributed almost a million new jobs, while comprising less than a tenth of gross domestic product. By contrast, we lost about 300,000 jobs in agriculture and manufacturing, which jointly comprised three-tenths of GDP. Hence, it is the quality, not sustainability, of growth that is the challenge.

I believe the more pressing issue for the country is the medium- and long-term growth potential. Consider three facts. One, the country has made little headway in lowering the stunting rate, as about one-third

Stunting is a problem that is largely irreversible, even with a demographic dividend. One-third of children aged five and below will likely have hampered productivity. Worse, they can affect the efficiency of firms now and in the future. Those who are not stunted will find working in the country to be non-rewarding financially and will naturally opt to work outside the country. This means that the future workforce of the country will face quality and efficiency issues. Regarding education, the country continues to exhibit declining quality. We posted the lowest score in reading and the second-lowest scores in science and mathematics during the 2018 Program for International

Student Assessment (PISA) exam. There are many context-specific issues in education due to geographic and infrastructure needs, but the average passing rate of one-third in the board examination for teachers clearly indicates the quality of teachers entering the teaching force. With a shortage of teachers and only a one-third passing rate in the board exams, it is possible that non-passers are temporarily hired to teach. We have had an agricultural challenge since the 1980s. Instead of improving, we continue to slide in output. The pandemic and the RussiaUkraine war exposed our worsening food security, as climate change and environmental degradation catch up with the unbalanced support of the sector. With the continuous fall in productivity, agricultural workers have been leaving to work in basic low-skill services in urban areas, such as transportation, accommodation, and construction, among others. They are comfortable with the minimum pay, as long as they get it regularly, unlike the waiting period in agricultural activities. No wonder See “Eagle Watch,” A41

sonny M. angara

Dr. alvin P. ang

The escrow provision and the legal battle for seafarer’s compensation

Dennis Gorecho

Pinoy Marino Rights

The current debate on the escrow provision of the pending Magna Carta for Filipino Seafarers basically revolves around  ambulance chasing linked with the proliferation of labor cases that pose a threat to international employment.

Employers argue that seafarers seek “benefits even beyond the claims they are actually entitled” to sanitize the problematic legal battle for compensation.

Through restrictive provisions of the POEA (now DMW) seafarers employment contract, claims for disability and death compensation became a legal battleground, especially when seafarers do not receive full compensation they are legally entitled to have.

Such emergence of cases is attributable to the fact that the seafarer’s employer does not hesitate to harness its immense resources to limit its liability. The contract is not really reflective of the benefits that should be given to the seafarer based on the grading system.

There are medical conditions that are classified as partial disability (between Grade 2 to 14), but in essence should have been considered as total permanent (Grade 1).

Employers will never hire a seafarer who suffered complete loss of the sense of hearing on both ears (Grade 3), or loss of two external ears (Grade 8), or loss of speech due to injury to the vocal cord (Grade 3), or complete loss of the sense of hearing in one ear (Grade 11) as this will create problems in communication among the crew on board the vessel.

A seafarer will no longer be employed due to mobility problems if he suffered total loss of a leg or amputation at or above the knee (Grade 3), or with total paralysis of one upper extremity (Grade 3), or loss of one foot at ankle joint or above (Grade 6), or total loss of a leg or amputation at or above the knee (Grade 3), or paralysis of one lower extremity (Grade 3), or total paralysis of one upper extremity (Grade 3), or amputation of one upper extremity at or above the elbow (Grade 4), or injury to the spinal cord as to make walking impossible without the aid of a pair of crutches (Grade 4).

A seafarer can no longer hold or lift objects, or even do simple jobs for the simple reason that he no longer has grasping powers if he suffered loss of five fingers of one hand (Grade 6), or loss of 10 fingers of both hands (Grade 3), or amputation between wrist and elbow joint (Grade 5), or amputation of a hand at carpometacarpal joints (Grade 5).

A seafarer with visual impairments will never be employed if he is diagnosed to have total blindness of one eye and 50 percent loss of vision of the other eye (Grade 5), or loss of one eye or total blindness of one eye (Grade 7).

Other medical conditions include severe disfigurement of the face or head as to make the worker so repulsive as to greatly handicap him in securing or retaining (Grade 2), or such injury to the throat as necessitates the wearing of a tracheal tube (Grade 6).

Fit-to-work certifications are given even to seafarers who are still not cured or in essence can no longer be employed such as those who suf-

Writing enchantment

Tito Genova Valiente annoTaTions

The Island of Ticao closed the gathering of writers.

On the last day of the Second Bikol Book Festival, I, with my birth-attachment to the island, was given the honor of ending the feast. People, I said, especially those who are strange to the land, look for the enchantment of this land. The enchantment, however, evades those who are in quest of the extraordinary partitioned from the ordinary, of the magical from the mundane.

the average age of the farmer is now close to 60. A low-productivity sector will not attract a future workforce and entrepreneurs.

In the case of Balatero v. Senator Crewing Inc. (GR 198501 January 30, 2013), the Supreme Court explained that indeed, under POEA contract, only those injuries or disabilities that are classified as Grade 1 may be considered as total and permanent. However, if those injuries or disabilities with a disability grading from 2 to 14, hence, partial and permanent, would incapacitate a seafarer from performing his usual sea duties for a period of more than 120 or 240 days, depending on the need for further medical treatment, then he is, under legal contemplation, totally and permanently disabled.

fered from heart attacks, aneurism or stroke.

Employers cannot deny the fact that a seafarer suffering from any of these medical conditions will be considered more of a liability than an asset if he is allowed to go on board the vessel. He would no longer be able to perform strenuous activities such as the rigorous duties of a seafarer.

In disability compensation, “it is not the injury which is compensated, but rather it is the incapacity to work resulting in the impairment of one’s earning capacity. Permanent total disability means disablement of an employee to earn wages in the same kind of work, or work of similar nature that he was trained for or accustomed to perform, or any kind of work that a person of his mentality and attainment could do. Disability need not render the seafarer absolutely helpless or feeble to be compensable; it is enough that it incapacitates to perform his customary work.” (Valenzona v. Fair Shipping Corp, 659 SCRA 642) It does not mean state of absolute helplessness but inability to do substantially all material acts necessary to the prosecution of a gainful occupation without serious discomfort or pain and without material injury or danger to life. ( Seagull Maritime

v.  Dee 520 SCRA 109)

In the case of Balatero v. Senator Crewing Inc. (GR 198501 January 30, 2013), the Supreme Court explained that indeed, under POEA contract, only those injuries or disabilities that are classified as Grade 1 may be considered as total and permanent. However, if those injuries or disabilities with a disability grading from 2 to 14, hence, partial and permanent, would incapacitate a seafarer from performing his usual sea duties for a period of more than 120 or 240 days, depending on the need for further medical treatment, then he is, under legal contemplation, totally and permanently disabled.

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

There are other urgent challenges, such as health and connectivity, for these are needed in not only sustaining growth but also ensuring that growth is widespread. Nevertheless, any serious effort to address these three indicators can ensure that the country will have a high-quality work

That night, the old ladies of Ticao, their lives gilded with memories of isolation giving them their name, the Golden Girls, sang of lost love and precious kinship, the names of birds in the melody now gone from territories extant as metaphors for the vanishing. And then they performed a courtship dance, the movement of birds recovered into a ritual for men and women entering a contract of love. Then the dance was over. This was the sign for the women to do what they had prepared for: to dance with the writers. This was the tradition of the island that women would dance with the stranger visiting the land, till the light from the moon, or, if the moon was not there, the beam from the night sky, exhausted the gallant men (or women) who braved the crossing of Ticao Pass and endure the charm of the island enchanting.

But, as I said, I spoke too soon. Enchantment had taken hold of us already. It began with the people of the island. The living room of Dr. Roger Lim and wife, Manay Luting, was a gallery of artifacts: a saint’s head mingled with ancient beads dug from rice fields; secondary burial jars were watched over by the differing religions where saints become patrons and relic devotional guides; and, a replica of the famous Ticao Stone, the original now in the National Museum, teased our minds about authenticity.

In our four days on the island, the town of San Fernando opened

the doors of its homes for us. Coolis Resort of Rene and Nora Alindogan was the main headquarters. An elegant white house of a kin who asked he be named only “Don Paquito” was another of our exquisite yet cozy home, its owner offering the first formal lunch for us. Each day was a banquet: Clarita Sagad Dimen’s sprawling home offered more than 10 culinary forms.

On the third day, Leny Lozano Serra with the help of some of the Golden Girls, was the hostess of a dinner so varied her apologies for the simplicity of her offering amused us no end. The writers were treated to “tuba,” with Honeylu Briones Cañares introducing us to a drink gathered early in the morning, the product to be imbibed for lunch and one harvested in the late afternoon, for the juice meant to be drunk in the early evening. The morning or late afternoon tuba was served with bagóngon, a sea snail, sometimes known as telescope shell. The writers were even taught how to suck. Such fastidiousness was rare for us. Lia Monteverde was the main cu-

rator of the feast, making sure the kakanin or native rice cakes were done according to age-old procedures. One day, she served a chicken dish that was described as “kinabas-an” (the word “kabas-an,” indicated “wet-rice cultivation”) and prompted a respect for food prepared according to the wisdom and preference of farmers. When I requested for “utan” (lit. vegetables cooked in coconut milk) “na bayawas” (guava), Lia said the ripe guava used for that dessert was not in season. No pressure, I assured her. But when that day’s lunch came, on the table was that dish—the soft pink flesh of the fruit succulent and tangy, a light sourness escaping every now and then the magisterial hold of the coconut milk.

On the last day, Lia was still the curator as she sent us off to two sites:

could be seen by what seemed like a strip of aquamarine water flanked by deep blue-green sea. The lighter colors were for the shallow, navigable part of the sea and the dark belonged to the depth. The lightblue shallow water was a lie. The truth was there in this huge tanker docked far from where the writers were swimming: around us was the sea dangerously plunging into an abyss of some sort.

It was wrong to visit the reef after coming from the Catandayagan Falls. The reef was lovely prose. Nothing prepared us for the Catandayagan Falls. That day, our boat followed the curves of the island, the shores marked by crags and precipices, with trees darkening their walls. We noticed the motor of the boat slowed down to a murmur, its prow quietly circling a small rock, then a cluster of bigger rock. We became conscious of a pause. We looked around, noticed the calmness of the sea and what seemed an eternity of shadows below its surface. Our boat was gliding not to but into the majesty of rocks. The crew knew when to stop. Our eyes knew where to look. I looked up. A long, full, tensed minutes. From the top of the oldest rocks of the island flowed the whitest rush of water, plunging into the immortality of this primitive sea.

one was the Catandayagan Falls, the other the so-called Buntod Reef.

The reef took us a full one hour from Talisay, famed for its pebble beach. It was last in our itinerary, coming after the falls. This was anticlimactic. From afar, the reef

Naia health counters pose ‘risks’

ous personnel.

TheRe is a need for the Department of Transportation (DOTR)

to look into the activities of health counters at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) due to the “risks” involved in the way incoming travelers are accosted and asked for verification of their vaccination status. This is especially true for residents here who are coming back from their travels.

DOTR should make sure that personnel at the health counters do not harass residents returning from their travels with undue requirements on their vaccination status, especially now that President Marcos Jr. has already lifted the stringent rules on the vaccination status of incoming passengers. In fact, all other countries have similarly declared the opening of their borders.

We raise this point due to the experience that a lawyer-friend told us regarding a couple who went on a pleasure trip to Hong Kong . According to him, someone from the health desk accosted the wife of his friend while they were on their way to the immigration counter. Apparently, the wife, who was walking behind, had been asked for her vaccination status; and, finding out that she was not vaccinated, the staffer brought

force and a food-secure economy. Since these take time to improve, these should be part of the performance metrics of any governance entity, regardless of the changes in administration. Private sector and individual investors should also rethink how they support and invest

her to the health desk.

The lawyer recounted that the husband, finding his wife being escorted to the health desk , followed and then and there got the shock of his life on learning she was apparently being detained due to her unvaxxed status. He told the health desk personnel that they had gone through an antigen test before departure and were cleared. So there was no need for the hint at a detention.

His take was that the health center may pose an unnecessary risk to incoming travelers by way of having to come across so that they need not be detained. According to Rante, there is a big possibility that incoming travelers may be harassed to such a point that they come across, a risk that is usually associated with rules that have been stretched by overzeal-

in the economy, as there is a need for drastic changes in how these indicators are treated in value creation and profitability.

The presentation I shared was actually a response to a question posed by an Indonesian academic who visited me last month. He asked

The health center is a superfluous requirement since the couple have gone through an antigen test and were declared fine so there was no need for the extra requirement from the health desk. Also, the couple, said my lawyer-friend, were waved through by the immigration counter. Which begets the question, why is there a need for the health center to impose rules that have already been clarified by President Marcos Jr.”

The President has already signed a resolution lifting the quarantine requirement for travelers entering the Philippines who are either unvaccinated, partially vaccinated, or whose vaccination status cannot be independently validated.

This was announced in a tweet, by Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Brigido Dulay, who confirmed that the President has signed the InterAgency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) Resolution No. 2 allowing inbound travelers sans quarantine.

“Filipinos and foreign nationals 15 years or older shall present a remotely supervised or a laboratory-based rapid antigen negative test result administered and certified by a healthcare professional in a healthcare facility, laboratory, clinic, pharmacy, or other similar establishments taken within 24 hours prior to the date and time of depar-

me why the Philippines seems to be declining in terms of the quality of its growth. Comparative data across Asean show that the country is slipping instead of improving.

He is asking the right question. We should not be worried about growth, as we will continue to grow. However,

This was where the island ended; this was its beginning. There are no tales about this silence, this terror. Tandayag, the great Serpent is our only link to its past and its present. Nothing stops anyone from writing about its story and how the Serpent became too small for its cave. In that moment, face to face with the Catandayagan, nothing moved. Not time. Not the place. Not even timelessness.

E-mail: titovaliente@yahoo.com

ture from the country of origin/first port of embarkation in a continuous travel to the Philippines, excluding lay-overs; provided, that, he/she has not left the airport premises or has not been admitted into another country during such lay-over,” the resolution read.

That resolution also said that predeparture testing for fully vaccinated inbound travelers will no longer be required. Also, unvaccinated residents travelling outside the country need only present a rapid antigen test and that’s it. There is no need for the health desk to accost returning residents since they have been cleared already.

For the lawyer’s friend, the health desk personnel at the airports should not be overzealous, especially when dealing with foreigners in accosting them and then bringing them to the health center where they are read the riot act, since it does not do the country good. The “laglag-bala” phenomenon that had travelers enveloping their luggages with a plastic wrap at the airports should not be allowed to rear its head.

The country has so much to gain from tourists visiting our destinations and no additional rules from a health desk at the airport should be allowed to ruin this. We have enough problems as it is, with the Naia—enough to turn off many prospective visitors. The last thing we need are people needlessly harassing travelers.

we should be concerned about how that growth will be sustained beyond the political terms of our system.

Dr. Alvin P. Ang is Chairperson of the Department of

LiTo GaGni

45th CATHOLIC MASS MEDIA AWARDS

WHO CAN NOMINATE?

PROFESSIONAL LEVEL :

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

STUDENT LEVEL:

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

ADVERTISING

Best TV Ad-Branded

Best TV Ad-Public Service

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Best Digital Ad-Public Service

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Best Inspirational Song-Religious

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PRINT / E-PUB

Best Children’s Magazine

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Best Adult Educational / Cultural Program

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FOR INQUIRIES PLEASE WRITE OR CALL:

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SUBMISSION OF ENTRIES FOR CMMA:

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SERVIAM AWARD

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ST. JOHN PAUL II AWARD

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng

Friday, May 26, 2023

PAL must beef up fleet, fix operational problems–Tan

By VG Cabuag @villygc

During the company’s annual stockholders’ meeting on Thursday, Tan sought the support of the company’s stakeholders “for the task of surmounting these great challenges.”

“We face major challenges just the same. We must resolve many operational and supply problems that hinder PAL from extending the best possible service to its customers. We need to rebuild our product and our fleet,” Tan said in his prepared remarks read by his grandson Lucio Tan III.

“Philippine Airlines needs to be a stronger competitor and a leader in

service and innovation. This is imperative for a company that aims to be the airline of choice in the market it serves, which is the vision we defined for our flag carrier.”

PAL has a fleet size of 74 aircraft with an average fleet age of 8.8 years.

The airline signed a memorandum of understanding to acquire 9 Airbus A350-1000 long-haul jetliners, the largest version of the A350 family of high-performance aircraft, to operate nonstop flights to the United States and Canada and potentially to europe.

Tan III, meanwhile, has been ap-

pointed as PAL’s president, taking over the position from his grandfather, who will retain his post as the company’s chairman and CeO

“I am committed to providing stability and upholding the highest level of integrity within the company. I look forward to working closely with the PAL team, under the leadership of its president and COO, Capt. Stanley Ng, to ensure a collaborative and cohesive approach in serving the best interests of our customers,” Tan III said.

“We also aim to safeguard our shareholders’ investments by fostering a culture of transparency, accountability, and long-term value creation.”

Philippine Airlines Inc., the company that operates the airline, earlier said it had an operating income of $135.2 million (some P7.4 billion) in the first quarter, a fourfold increase from the $33.8 million (P1.7 billion) last year. Total comprehensive income for the period reached of $108.2 million.

The company said the positive financial performance reflects the continuing strength of the recovery of air travel. During the quarter, PAL re-introduced routes to several cities in mainland China and launched nonstop flights to Perth, while maintaining regular services to North America, the Middle e a st, Australia and various destinations around Asia and the Philippines.

PAL generated $776.9 million in revenues for the period, a 66 percent improvement from last year’s $466.6 million, as the number of passengers more than doubled to 3.4 million people.

The company is the only airline operating nonstop flights linking the Philippines to the US and Canada, along with the largest network of flights from Manila to multiple cities in the Middle east, Japan and Australia.

PAL holdings is the parent firm of PAL and another subsidiary, Air Philippines Corp.

ICTSI taps Autosweep for MICT

By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

INT e R NATIONAL Contain-

er Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) said on Thursday it is partnering with San Miguel Corp. (SMC) for the use of the Autosweep RFID in the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT).

Under the partnership, SMC subsidiary Intelligent e - Processes Technologies Corp. (I e T C) will deploy Autosweep RFID technology in the MICT to offer a “faster, more seamless gate process for trucks.”

The partnership will enable RFID scanners at the terminal gates to read Autosweep tags and match the trucks’ plate numbers, resulting in faster gate access and process.

“Our investment in RFID technology is part of our constant effort to optimize the flow of cargo to and from the terminal,” MICT Information Technology Systems and Services Director Reynaldo Mark Cruz Jr. said.

“Over the years, one of the challenges we experienced with our automated gates is the low success rate of our license plate recognition cameras due to the poor condition of the plates mounted on some trucks. There were even trucks that just use laminated paper to display their MV file numbers.”

I e T C is deploying personnel at MICT for May to offer free Autosweep tag installation for trucks transacting at the terminal. Autosweep is currently being used for the expressways operated by SMC.

“Using Autosweep’s RFID tags as a second alternative to identifying trucks addresses this problem and speeds up our gate operations,” Cruz said.

h e noted that MICT will continue to build on the gains from technology investments “to further optimize its operation as it caters to increased demand resulting from the global economic recovery.”

ICTSI saw profits rising by almost a tenth to $154.61 million in the first quarter from $142.28 million the year prior, owing to the strong performance of its operations in various parts of the world.

Revenues from port operations rose by 8 percent to $572.25 million from $528.27 million, as it grew its throughput by 9 percent to 3.10 million twenty-foot equivalent units (T eUs) from 2.83 million in 2022.

ICTSI has allotted $400 million in capital expenditures for 2023. So far, it has spent $87.69 million in the first quarter, investing in projects such as the expansion of ports and the acquisition of new equipment for its ports.

B1

SMC: Ilijan gas plant to reopen next month

By Lenie Lectura @llectura

The reopening and reintegration of the 1,200 megawatt (MW) Ilijan natural gas plant to the national grid will happen next month.

San Miguel Corp. (SMC), through its power arm SMC Global Power holdings Corp. (SMGP), had originally targeted the reopening on May 26.

Sources said this was moved to a few days on June 2 to iron out minor details.

When asked if June 2 is the new opening date, SMC President Ramon Ang affirmed in a text message. “Yes,” Ang replied.

Sources also said officials from the Department of energy (DOe) are expected to visit the gas plant.

SMC announced last month that it took delivery of the country’s firstever liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo that will fuel its Ilijan power plant.

Ang noted the significant progress made in the ongoing construction of the country’s first LNG import terminal by leading global LNG terminals and downstream infrastructure firm Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific International holdings (AG&P).

“With the reintegration of the Ilijan power plant into the power grid

system, the country will be better assured of energy supply security these coming summer months and beyond,” said Ang. “ ho pefully, with all available power facilities operating—with no plants breaking down or going on unscheduled shutdown—we will have more than enough capacity for the rest of the year, and consumers will not have to experience brownouts or supply rotations.” Ang said its LNG shipment—137,000 billion cubic meters in all—had been waiting in a floating storage unit (FSU) in Subic Bay pending completion of the full-scale LNG terminal, particularly its jetty facilities.

Following the jetty facilities’ recent completion, the FSU finally berthed and connected to the LNG terminal, marking the start of commissioning of the facility.

This involved the cooling down of the cryogenic lines of the facility, in preparation for the delivery of processed natural gas—which in turn will serve as fuel to the Ilijan plant.

The new terminal is the first of several that may be opened in the Philippines starting this year, as the country ramps up the importation of LNG as part of government’s efforts to ensure supply security, and transition to cleaner sources of power.

Tycoon Lucio Tan said PAL Holdings Inc., the operator of the country’s flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL), must rebuild its product and its fleet to remain competitive.

₧25.16B to be soon released to PhilHealth

THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) will soon release the P25.16-billion fund to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to cover the 1-year health insurance premium of over 8.3 million Filipino indigents.

A statement issued by the DBM last Wednesday read that Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandamahan has approved last May 23 the Special Allotment Release Order (Saro) for the P25.16-billion insurance payment.

Pangandaman explained that the budget allocation was in recognition of the lessons ushered by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The pandemic made us realize the importance of a strong healthcare system, she said in Filipino. That is why we are striving to make [the healthcare system] accessible to our countrymen, particularly those who are in dire need— indigent persons, Pangandaman added.

Indigent persons are those that have no visible means of income, or whose income is insufficient for family subsistence, as identified by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), based on specific criteria, according to the DBM.

To recall, the DBM approved the release of a total of P42,931,355,000 to cover 1-year health insurance premiums of over 8.5 million senior citizens nationwide on April 4, it said.

“Our elderly will always remain vital members of our society who have spent many of their productive years not only in improving the lives of their family members but also in contributing to their communities,” Pangandaman was quoted as saying in the statement issued last April 11.

Under the FY 2023 General Appropriations Act, P79,002,185,000 is allocated to cover the payment of health insurance premiums of indirect contributors, including seniors, the DBM statement read.

Pursuant to Republic Act (RA) 10645, otherwise known as the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010, all senior citizens shall be covered by the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP) of PhilHealth.

Funds necessary to ensure the enrollment of all senior citizens not currently covered by any existing category shall be sourced from the National Health Insurance Fund of PhilHealth from proceeds of RA 10351 or the Sin Tax Law.

Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

➜ Lender touts award

Expanded lending boosts DBP’s Q1

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

A statement issued by the DBP on May 25 read that its net income during the January-to-March period was P180 billion; it recorded P1.05 billion in the same period last year.

DBP President and CEO Michael

of the

O. De Jesus attributed the doubledigit increase in the bank’s bottomline to “expanded” lending activities to “critical” sectors of the economy that yielded “increased” economic activity.

“DBP’s resurgent financial performance in 2023 is an attestation of its stability as a government financial institution,” de Jesus was quoted in the statement as saying.

“We shall continue to build on this growth trajectory and carry on our mandate of being a catalyst of growth in areas where economic activities are limited and most needed,” he added.

De Jesus noted that DBP’s firstquarter net income was 50-percent higher than its target bottomline of P820 million for the reference period.

The DBP chief pointed out that the lender was able to exceed its firstquarter net income target despite the bank incurring P765 million in provision for credit losses.

Furthermore, De Jesus said DBP, considered the country’s eighthlargest bank in terms of assets and

remains, has maintained a “strong” fiscal position after registering increments in its gross loan portfolio in the first quarter.

He said that DBP’s capital grew by 4 percent year-on-year to P80.179 billion from the P76.823 billion recorded during the same period in 2022.

“DBP remains on track to keep its position as one of the most relevant and stable government financial institutions in the country,” De Jesus said.

He added that the bank’s total gross loan portfolio during the 3-month period reached P547 billion, about 1.5-percent higher than the P539 billion it recorded in the first quarter of last year.

De Jesus said the bank’s total loans for logistics totaled to P285.235 billion while its outstand-

ing portfolio for social infrastructure and community development amounted to P107.842 billion.

The DBP also lent P35.82 billion to the agriculture sector, P78.54 billion for other developmental loans (financial and insurance activities, including manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, and food services), P54.166 billion for environmentrelated projects and P30.604 billion to support micro-sized, small-scale and medium-sized enterprises.

“[The] bulk of our releases—or about 55.2 percent of the bank’s loan portfolio—were released to bankroll government’s infrastructure development initiatives, majority of which are located in the National Capital Region, Central Visayas, Davao, and Central Luzon,” De Jesus said through the statement.

The ‘5Cs’ of Governance Change Dynamics

THE book “Transformational Governance: How Boards Achieve Extraordinary Change,” published by the American Society of Association Executives (Asae) and authored by Beth Gazley and Katha Kissman, contains documented case studies against a backdrop of quantitative research on high-performing association boards and useful frameworks for understanding change and human behavior.

I want to share with association professionals the case study on change and human behavior based on the work of Bernard Ross and Clare Segal. It is about anticipating reactions to governance change using the “5Cs” framework that describes five possible characterization of change recipients and their influence on board dynamics.

1. Champions. Those who easily embrace new ideas and accept the risks of change. Though champions are ideal to be change agents, some may lack objectivity and may not offer a kind of leadership to thoroughly challenge the merits of new strategies. Nevertheless, champions should be—and will expect to be— involved. Providing them with more tools and resources on best practices and involving them on governance workshops, among others, will give them a more realistic view on the change process.

2. Chasers. Those who may be

Octavio

slower to join up than champions but will engage and can move the organization towards a tipping point when the majority accepts the change. This is especially so when they are given the opportunity to discuss new ideas with others and to have access to key organizational thought leaders for guidance. Open communication with chasers will pay off through greater ownership and co-creation of the change vision.

3. Converts. Those who may form the largest group of change recipients and are hardest to engage and to read as they may never speak up. They may also take a long time to embrace new ideas. Ways of engaging converts include offering them the opportunities to listen and to ask questions on organizational leadership as well as addressing the concerns of converts, including the “what’s in it for me?” question. Converts may be slow to adopt new ideas but they may embrace these more permanently, thus timing the change process at a pace acceptable to the converts can give a change process greater momentum in the long run.

4. Challengers. Those who may

comprise a smaller group but may demand the greatest effort. They may include those who will recognize the benefits of change eventually but have been poorly socialized on how to confront change effectively. Efforts to actively engage challengers can focus on both emotional and cognitive levels to understand how to address their expectations. To preempt the most negative aspects of the challenger personality, organizations need to create formal rules about the change process in advance to ensure the process is not derailed by objections.

5. ‘Changephobes.’ Those who, as a small group, may never be convinced of the benefits of a new idea and hence are ‘immovables.’ If these individuals actively oppose the change, they may lower morale of the organization.

Recognizing resistance and addressing it head-on is often the only way to defuse it. Communicating, educating about the value of the proposed changes, finding ways to allow obstructionist feedback, and determining points of agreements can create the foundation on which to build on the needed change.

Octavio B. Peralta is currently the executive director of the Global Compact Network Philippines and founder and volunteer CEO of the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives, the “association of associations.” E-mail Mr. Peralta via bobby@pcaae.org.

LandBank rolls out pay hub for traffic violators

Security Bank corp. (PSe:SecB) announced recently it was recognized anew as the Philippines’s “Best for High Net Worth clients” by the division of media group euromoney institutional investor Plc. the lender quoted the Asiamoney publication as saying that “ technological disruption is a big part of the overall strategy. [SecB] constantly provides better, faster, and safer digital access for clients for their portfolios and review services.” SecB said through a statement it launched its wealth management proposition in 2017 “to offer clients personalized financial solutions geared towards their goals and objectives.” the lender said its wealth management division was recognized in 2021 and 2022 for its ability to expand its client base despite economic and global events that affected the financial industry.

➜ Fitch rating a ‘vote of confidence’

HOuSe Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. romualdez welcomed Fitch ratings’s revision of its credit outlook for the Philippines’s long-term debt to “stable,” calling the decision of the international credit rating agency “an unequivocal vote of confidence” in the socioeconomic agenda of the Marcos administration. “ this is clearly an acknowledgment of our efforts to push through congress the measures and reforms needed to pursue the eight-point socioeconomic agenda of President Ferdinand r Marcos Jr., meant to create more jobs, improve social services and steer the economy irreversibly back to the strong growth path it is on before the pandemic,” romualdez was quoted in a statement as saying.

SSS eyes coverage for Bulacan workers

➜ tHe Social Security System recently urged informal sector workers in a community in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan, to become self-employed members of the SSS. the SSS promoted the value of social security coverage to the residents of Villa española in the said city, a community that consists primarily of informal sector self-employed workers, after receiving a request from Villa española Homeowners Association inc. President Josephine A. Lusabia. SSS Professional Sector Department Head carlo c Villacorta conducted a seminar on SSS programs for self-employed workers as well as the online and onsite services provided by SSS which was attended by more than 150 participants.

➜ Secure login details, SSS tells members

SOciAL Security System President and ceO rolando L. Macasaet reminded members and pensioners to secure their login credentials for their My.SSS account and other personal information to protect their online account from being used in fraudulent transactions. “We discourage them from sharing their usernames, passwords, and other login details of their My.SSS account to another person. Anyone with this information could use their My.SSS account to avail of benefits or loans without their knowledge nor consent,” Macasaet was quoted in a statement as saying. the SSS chief said the pension fund’s branch personnel can assist members and pensioners who need assistance in using the My.SSS and SSS mobile app.

THE Land Bank of the Philippines (LandBank) announced last Thursday that traffic violators under the new “single ticketing system” (STS) in Metro Manila can now settle their fines and charges online through the state-run bank’s payment facility.

LandBank announced that its Link.BizPortal has been integrated into the STS webpage of the apprehending local government unit.

“Motorists can settle traffic fines and charges through the Link.BizPortal using their LandBank and Overseas Filipino Bank [OFBank] accounts, as well as virtual accounts opened via LandBankPay—the

state-run Bank’s all-in-one electronic wallet and payment solution,” the bank’s statement read.

The lender said through its statement that customers who have accounts with BancNet or PayGateparticipating banks and other e-wallets can use such credentials when transacting through the bank’s Link.BizPortal.

The lender said its Link.BizPortal eliminates the need to go to the offices of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and apprehending LGUs for overthe-counter transactions, providing motorists with a safe and convenient option to settle traffic violations

anytime and anywhere.

Nonetheless, LandBank said cash payment remains an available option for motorists. The state-run lender added motorists can transact with cash and partner agents, including the bank’s agent banking partners for cash payments. The LandBank said the pilot implementation of the STS covering the cities of Caloocan, Manila Muntinlupa, Parañaque, San Juan, Valenzuela, and Quezon City started on May 2.

“The new system seeks to harmonize existing laws on traffic enforcement and management in Metro Manila, including standardizing the fines and penalties for common

traffic violations and providing interconnectivity among government instrumentalities involved in transport and traffic management,” it said.

LandBank noted that this is not the first time that the bank has been involved with fines and penalties of erring motorists. The lender said it has been facilitating the online collection of MMDA payments, fees and charges through the Link.BizPortal since June 2021.

The LandBank said that as of April 30, its portal has recorded over 160 transactions amounting to P109,734 for settlement with the MMDA of traffic violations and anti-littering penalties. Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

Lender expects online platform users to grow

By Roderick Abad @rodrik_28 Contributor

PHILIPPINE Cashtrout Lending Corp. (PCLC) expects the country’s economic growth, improved technological landscape and more digital-savvy people would lead to doubling users of its online lending platforms “Cashoyo,” “Mocasa” and “Pesomio.”

“We observe our target user base here is 113 million at the moment,” Mocasa Chief Operating Officer Julien Chien told the BusinessMirror on the sidelines of the firm’s news briefing in Makati last Wednesday. “But this number may continuously increase as the nation’s

economy grows and the infrastructure becomes more mature. And because Filipinos spend most of their time using online apps, so we try to utilize the online channels.”

To note, the World Bank pegged the total population of the country at 113.9 million. Chien said since entering the Philippine market in January last year, their mobile app has been downloaded by more than one million Filipino users, of which 100,000 have been provided with credits.

Seeing that the lack of access to lending remain a problem in this country, “as shown in low-credit card penetration at around four percent today,” we are

bullish that credit demand will become more strong in the coming years, Chien added. “By the end of this quarter, we’re trying to get 150,000 [credit users]. And by the end of the year, we’re looking for 300,000,” he said.

“So we focus on the underserved and unbanked populations. We want to cater to those not being served by traditional banks,” PCLC CEO Robin Wong said during the briefing.

PCLC’s documents read that the firm’s “buy now, pay later,” or BNPL, service provides borrowers an initial credit line of P3,000 to P10,000. The limit of their loan will be determined by their payment behavior with the aid of arti-

ficial intelligence, the firm added. Borrowers are given 50 days to settle their loan. Beyond that, an interest rate from 3 percent to 9 percent will be charged every month. Chien conceded that it’s “a little higher than the traditional credit card” because the default rate of their users is a bit high compared to the latter.

“Hence, we also need to cover the cost by a little higher interest rate. But this is compliant with the national limit of 15 percent of monthly interest for lending companies set by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas,” he explained.

“But the interest we charge is far below the average rate [in out category],” Wong said.

THE Development Bank

Philippines (DBP) announced last Thursday its net income in the first quarter rose by an annualized rate of 17 percent to P1.23 billion driven by the state-owned lender’s “expanded” lending.

Protecting, learning from history

York, Union Station in DC) for the city.

T he Burnham Plan envisioned a Manila that would have touches of Paris, Venice, and Naples. Unfortunately, World War II broke out and the plan was never completed. The Central Post Office was damaged during the Battle of Manila from February to March 1945; the battle also leveled the walled city of Intramuros. Fortunately, the building was rebuilt in 1946 to its original design, and has remained standing...until that inferno last May 21. What a shame.

In 2012, there were overtures from the Fullerton Group of Singapore to conserve and convert the post office building into a fivestar hotel, much like its posh hotel’s beginnings in the city-state. Then, Postmaster General Josie dela Cruz rued how much the Philippine Postal Corp. had been spending on their utility bills at the building, and preferred to move to smaller building for the agency’s operations. The Department of Finance supposedly headed a committee to review Fullerton’s proposal and turn in its recommendation in six months. Nothing was heard about it since then.

But the National Museum declared the building an “important cultural property” in 2018, recognizing its artistic and historical value. This declaration made it eligible to receive government funds for its preservation and restoration. There were also moves to have the structure be managed by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, instead of being under the Philippine Postal Corp. Again, nothing was heard about these efforts.

TODAY’S HOROSCOPE

By Eugenia Last

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Helena Bonham Carter, 57; Lenny Kravitz, 59; Pam Grier, 74; Stevie Nicks, 75.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Put your energy where it counts and restore your faith in yourself and your long-term plans. Rest assured that taking a minimalistic approach to money, possessions and lifestyle will pay off and give you added energy and a less stressful life. Eliminating what’s no longer necessary to you will free up time to enjoy what life offers. Simplicity is the key to your success. Your lucky numbers are 3, 10, 21, 26, 30, 35, 48.

aARIES (March 21-April 19): Get involved in something that moves you. Volunteer your skills or time; you’ll make a difference and meet people who inspire you to make budget-friendly lifestyle changes. Make plans with someone who enjoys a physical challenge and having fun. HHHHH

bTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Be responsible. Don’t do anything to jeopardize your position, health or financial well-being. Update your appearance or lifestyle to fit your age and expectations. Make sure your motives are valid before you start something new. Romance will improve your personal life. HH

WHEN I visited Saigon a few years ago with Tito Mon (+) and Miss Philippines, one of the remarkable places we visited was the city’s Central Post Office. Constructed between 1886 and 1891, the structure’s design was initially credited to renowned architect Gustave Eiffel (Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty), but was actually the labors of another architect of the time, Alfred M. Foulhox.

It is one of the finest examples of French colonial architecture, with Gothic and Renaissance touches. When one steps inside the elegant building, the visitor is greeted with an impressive vaulted ceiling and arched windows framing the looming portait of Uncle Ho at the end. To the right are old fashioned red telephone booths, where international calls are made. There are historical maps of Saigon, when Vietnam was part of French Indochina, and the telegraph line between South Vietnam and Cambodia. The floor is tiled in a romantic floral pattern.

In the age of the internet and email, this post office still works as a snail mail outpost where you can actually buy stamps to put on your envelopes, send postcards to loved ones, as well as receive packages. There are also a number of souvenir shops and kiosks to exchange your foreign currency into the local notes and coins. Mainly, however, it is a museum to relive Saigon’s glorious past.

I mention this because I admired how much the Vietnamese government took care to invest and protect not just this historical structure but many others like it, such as the Notre Dame Basilica, Ben Thanh Market, Saigon Opera House, and so on. This particular attention to their history and culture, and their government’s careful conservation of heritage structures, have made it possible to attract a lot of international tourists, such that in 2019, prior to the pandemic, Vietnam received 18 million visitors. That same year, we welcomed 8.26 million, already an historic feat for the country, viz Vietnam, which still had tourism infrastructure challenges as late as 2010.

(Of course, history and culture go hand in hand with providing visitors very reasonably priced hotel accommodations, food, and other consumer goods. Arriving in Saigon is also pretty smooth; we swept through immigration and got our luggage, and we were out looking for a cab to take us to our hotel in just 30 minutes.)

Meanwhile, in Manila, we are shocked as the Manila Central Post Office, one of the most recognizable national historical landmarks, goes up in flames. Originally designed by architect Juan M. Arellano and Tomas Mapua in the neoclassical line, the Manila Central Post Office was part of the once grand master plan of architect Daniel Hudson Burnham (Flatiron Building in New

Now that the Post Office building’s interiors have been razed to the ground, we hear expressions of frustration from lawmakers and promises from government officials that they would help rebuild the structure. And yet where were they when the building needed to be preserved and retrofitted, which would have equipped it, for one, with a functioning sprinkler system?

What happened to the Manila Central Post Office is not an isolated case. Elsewhere in Manila, the local government has allowed the demoliton of a number of heritage sites and structures to give way to modern conveniences, like the art deco Jai Alai building along Taft Ave., which is now a mini-mall. For another, the national government, specifically the Department of Budget and Management, still refuses to extend additional funds for the Intramuros Administration to be able to insure the artifacts and artwork in its possession.

I t often seems like we don’t want to be reminded of our past, glorious or otherwise. We live too much in the present, so government doesn’t prioritize the teaching of history nor the importance of heritage and culture, which is largely relegated to dressing up our school children in native attire during the Buwan ng Wika. I don’t know if this is like a national trauma we developed from having been colonized by other nations, that we’d rather think of the present and just consider what we can accomplish today.

Maybe the burning of the Manila Central Post Office is the wakeup call we need for us to treasure and protect our history. We need to learn the lessons of the past for us to move forward confidently into the future.

Bee farm opens doors for a free tour

heart of the Cavite State University (CvSU) Bee Research, Innovation, Trade, and Extension (BRITE) Center in Indang, Cavite.

I t focuses on bee information, research, innovation, product development, trade and mentorship of seasoned and budding researchers and extensionists. It serves as an exemplary learning ground for apiculture and meliponiculture.

T he activity commenced with a series of lectures to be facilitated by BRITE Center Director Michele T. Bono and BRITE Center Extension and Training Unit Head Dickson N. Dimero. They will provide guests with a comprehensive understanding of responsible beekeeping, breeding and management. They will likewise introduce the different kinds of bees, as well as the diverse beekeeping products available.

The second phase was an artist talk of Rodriguez, who walked visitors into the creative

process of her work Song of Increase.

The sound installation, which features the musical humming of the bees captured at the Indang farm, was inspired by the 2016 book Song of Increase: Listening to the Wisdom of Honeybees for Kinder Beekeeping and a Better World by biodynamic farmer and natural beekeeper Jacqueline Freeman.

It is currently exhibited at Museum of Contemporary Art and Design (MCAD) as part of the ongoing Adaptation: A Reconnected Earth. It is a show that proposes an approach to determining the present within the realities of a changed climate, a despairing planet and a recently renewed humanity.

The activity was organized by MCAD of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) in partnership with the CvSU BRITE Center.

More information is available via mcad@ benilde.edu.ph.

cGEMINI (May 21-June 20): Choose a path that offers something that motivates you. Listen to suggestions and decide what’s best for you. Weigh the pros and cons, stick to a budget you can afford and push your way forward. Don’t let emotions dictate the outcome. HHHH

dCANCER (June 21-July 22): Thinking ahead and taking extraordinary measures to how you use your skills, knowledge and experience will help drum up interest. Refuse to let anyone take you for granted using emotional manipulation. A change of heart will give you space to find happiness. HHH

eLEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Work alone, and you’ll get things done correctly. Expect others to interfere with your plans or try to take over if you are too easygoing. Keep a low profile where you will be left to your own devices and able to reach your expectations. HHH

fVIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Ask an expert; you’ll surpass your potential. The detail you add will put you in a good position. You’ll receive information that can change your life and how you help others. Don’t stop until you are happy with the results. HHH

gLIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Offer suggestions, not hands-on help. Your time is valuable and is best spent on something that will benefit you. Make domestic changes conducive to expanding your interests. Focus on cost-effective plans. HHHH

hSCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): A professional change will take you in a different direction. Press forward alone. Don’t waste time arguing with someone who can’t grasp your vision. Surround yourself with people who complement your plans, want to help you succeed and have something to contribute. HH

iSAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Bypass anything or anyone distracting you. Concentrate on what you can do at a price you can afford. Weigh the pros and cons, then contact people who can verify the information and let you know what’s possible before you begin. HHHHH

jCAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Alter your surroundings to meet your demands. Confirm what’s possible and get things started. Surprise someone you love with a thoughtful word, act or gift. How you deal with others will make them realize how you want them to treat you in return. HHH

kAQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Forge ahead until you are happy with the results. Leave no room for criticism or for someone to step in and make you look bad. Challenge yourself to get fit and live a healthier lifestyle. Leave nothing to chance. HHH

lPISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Consider how to upgrade and use your skills to bring in more money. A trendy look will grab attention and make you feel more like socializing. Romance or a new friendship will lift your spirits. HHH

BIRTHDAY BABY: You are assertive, caring and helpful. You are curious and disciplined.

‘root

A bee farm tour that takes guests into an informative journey on beekeeping and the motivations of Filipino artist Issay Rodriguez’s bee-inspired sound installation, Bee There opened doors to the public via a free event. T he bee farm, which is approximately two hours away from Manila, is located at the

They burn books, don’t they?

CAN intelligence be banned? Well, those without intelligence think so.

In 411 B.C. Aristophanes wrote Lysistrata. The plot is interesting. Original. After all, hasn’t it been said that when we think of a concept or a theme, nothing is original because the Greeks have already done it?

It is the middle of the Peloponnesian War and the women, it appears, are tired already of its effect. Lysistrata thinks of a way to convince the men to stop the war. She believes if the women are to withhold sex from the men, the latter will relent. Sex for abstinence in war; Peace in exchange for a bout in bed. Such freedom in the concept of how to end the war! But the phrase “The glory that was Greece” is appropriate because in 1967, that glorious reputation was tarnished when its government declared the banning of Lysistrata. The reason: the play contains anti-war sentiments.

What was Greece in 1967 onwards? It was under a junta, the ideology of which is described as a right-wing militia.

The fact is banning books is always linked to the kind of government that wants to control information, the act of suppressing knowledge commensurate with what that government wants to achieve over the materials it makes sure will not see the light of day.

Governments at times work with other structures, like a religious organization, to stop the publication or release of materials. An example of this are those books that impinge on the interpretations of what other religions deem sacred or important.

Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses comes to mind. It has achieved a notoriety that is ideal if one wants to exploit its popularity, but the same book has brought a force greater than any marketing strategy—a fatwa or a death sentence on the author in 1989. Banned in many Islamic states like Iran, Kuwait, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Nepal, the nearly widespread banning of the book brought on the realization how religion remains to be the most controlling social structure in society. This kind of religion blurs the boundaries between the state and that form of government, which allows primarily the freedom to choose one’s belief and creates laws to protect the same. New articles have been written about this fatwa—in 1998 there were reports that Iran was backing away from the edict imposed by Ayatollah Khomeini and yet reports persist how there are parties that have taken up the responsibility to carry on such a punishment.

An enlightening essay by Parveen Akhtar published in The Conversation reviews the political legacy of the said fatwa: “Islamic law stipulates that a

fatwa is valid only under the jurisdiction of a Muslim leader and where Sharia law applies.” But according to Akhtar, Rushdie was not an Iranian citizen and he was not also in Iran when the edict was issued.

For Akhtar, Khomeini’s fatwa “was not circumscribed by political boundaries or international relations” as it enjoined all Muslims to kill Rushdie. “The fatwa,” writes Akhtar, “effectively made the whole world Khomeini’s personal polity.”

This action was seen as taking away from Saudi Arabia the central focus of the Muslim world.

In the Philippines, book-banning has recently demonstrated a surge. Again, the kind of government made such an illicit and narrow-minded approach viable. This was, remember, the administration ran by a putative strongman who believed in controlling perceptions as to how he handled the day-today running of his puny government. The same government was followed by another led by the son of the martial law dictator who remains the classic case of a mind-control political technician.

Looking at the list now, one shivers at the thought of how men and women can even stop individuals from reading books that they want to read. The book Teatro Political Dos was among the six books identified by the Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino (KWF), or the Commission on the Filipino Language in 2022. The said collection of plays by Malou Jacob includes Anatomiya ng Korupsiyon, which had the sterling record of being performed in government offices as a teaching literature. Ironically, the books that have been categorized as dangerous or inimical to the minds of readers were declared so because of their anti-government

views. This position, however, is untenable in a democracy where governments do not only change through elections periodically but are also governments upheld for their mandate to strongly enable people to maintain a respectful but critical view of authorities.

The banning of books reimagines with acuteness a monolithic organization or superstructure whose existence wholly depends on forcing or dominating societies and communities to maintain exactly that—a rigid, filtered, constricted perspective that eschews counterforces or refuses to acknowledge the splendor of differing, discrepant perspectives. The varieties of thoughts and ideas proven to be of necessary import in forming a community of thinking individuals become demonized and we become less of men and women than automaton. What we have in this society featuring bodies assigned to review books being fit or unfit for citizens’ consumption are members who are assigned preferences instead of free choices. This is back to the Garden except this time our Genesis refuses to even show us the Serpent.

How would a festival of books thrive in this dispensation? At the 2nd Bikol Book Festival, Virgilio Almario, National Artist for Literature, read his poem Oda sa Libro (Ode to Book) where one line says: Ipinasusunog ng emperador ang libro/Dahil gusto niyang malimot ang kasaysayan,/Ipinasusunog ng pasista ang libro/Dahil gusto niyang idikta ang kasaysayan (The emperor commands that the book be burned/Because he wants to forget history/The fascists asks that the book be burned/Because he wants to dictate history.

NO TO A RECONCILIATION

HOW true is the rumor that a famous actress-singer has reached out to her parents a number of times for a reconciliation but they’ve always turned her down? The actress-singer and her parents had a falling-out when she chose love over them and her career. She thought that time would eventually heal all wounds but this apparently has proven to be not true. The actress-singer’s dad may be ready to forgive her but her mother isn’t. The mother believes that the actress threw away her golden opportunity for love and this she would never forgive nor forget. The actress-singer is hoping her persistence would finally soften her mother’s heart but for now, nothing has changed.

SHADY DEALS

WHO is the actress who is allegedly involved in a number of shady deals, no thanks to a man whose name is being romantically linked to hers? The actress is reportedly part of a group of people who duped investors in a scheme where they were made to believe that they would give money, which would give them part ownership in a property. But this property is said to be non-existent. Many people are wondering why the actress ever got involved in this because she earns good money, and it is believed that she inherited some property from her late mother. But of course, we don’t know what really goes on in the lives of these celebrities.

LONDON—A London judge rejected Prince Harry’s bid to pay for his own police protection Tuesday, denying the royal’s request to challenge the UK government in court.

The British government stopped providing security after Harry, the younger son of King Charles III, and his wife, the former actress Meghan Markle, quit their royal duties and moved to California in 2020. It then rejected his offer to pay for protection when he visits home.

A lawyer for the government argued in court that it was not appropriate to allow hiring “police officers as private bodyguards for the wealthy.”

Justice Martin Chamberlain said there was nothing “incoherent or illogical” in the government’s reasoning to deny the Duke of Sussex’s request to hire police bodyguards at his own expense. He said providing private protection for an individual was different from paying police as security at sporting and other events.

Further, he said it could strain police resources, set a precedent and be seen as unfair.

“If privately funded protective security were permitted, a less wealthy individual would feel

THE whole nation has been officially hooked and is feeling nostalgic with GMA Network’s groundbreaking live action adaptation, Voltes V: Legacy

The country’s biggest series this 2023 is headlined by no less than five of GMA’s sought-after artists:

Miguel Tanfelix as Steve Armstrong, Ysabel Ortega as Jamie Robinson, Radson Flores as Mark Gordon, Raphael Landicho as Little Jon Armstrong, and Matt Lozano as Big Bert Armstrong.

Voltes V: Legacy recorded high TV ratings in its pilot week based on Nielsen’s NUTAM Overnight People Ratings. Last May 8, the world premiere of Voltes V: Legacy received a combined (GMA, GTV, I Heart Movies, and Pinoy Hits) people rating of 14.6 percent. This was followed by 12.7 percent on May 9, 13.6 percent on May 10, and 12.6 percent on two

unfairly treated, the availability of a limited specialist resource would be reduced and a precedent would have been set which it would be difficult to contain,” Chamberlain wrote.

Harry has said he doesn’t feel safe visiting Britain with his young children, and has cited aggressive press photographers that chased him after an event in 2021.

The case was argued last week on the same day Harry and Meghan sought cover from paparazzi in a New York police station after a spokesperson said they had been involved in a “near catastrophic car chase” with photographers after a gala event.

No one was injured and no citations given, but police said photographers made it challenging for the couple to get where they were going.

The couple have said they fund their own security. Former President Donald Trump said the US government wouldn’t pay to protect them.

W hile Harry lost the case to pay police to protect him in the UK, he could end up with a bigger prize. Another judge allowed his case to proceed challenging the decision to deny him government-paid security.

consecutive nights last May 11 and 12.

During the covered period, Batang Quiapo only registered 10.6 percent, 11.2 percent, 10.7 percent, 10.9 percent, and 11.4 percent across several simulcast channels (TV5, A2Z, Kapamilya Channel, and Cinemo).

Moreover, the show keeps on receiving positive feedback from viewers and netizens. Everyone has one thing in mind: Voltes V: Legacy is worth the long wait and definitely a Pinoy pride!

Viewers also lauded the world-class visual effects of the program, especially the first-ever “volt in sequence.”

Die-hard fans also noticed its opening billboard, which pays homage to the iconic Japanese anime series Voltes V.

According to some netizens on GMA’s YouTube channel: “The world premiere of Voltes V: Legacy was a gigantic success with its 3D battle scenes, costumes,

The prince has four other active legal cases in London courts, all of them against British tabloid publishers over allegations of phone hacking or libel. Harry is due to testify next month in an ongoing trial against the publisher of the Daily Mirror over allegations it used illegal means to gather material for dozens of articles about the duke, dating back as far as the 1990s. Judges are currently weighing whether two other phone hacking cases can go to trial against the publishers of the Daily Mail and The Sun

Lawyers for the newspapers have argued the claims were brought well beyond a six-year time limit. Harry’s lawyer has argued that an exception should be granted because the publishers were deceptive about the hacking and other unlawful information gathering so he couldn’t discover it soon enough.

A judge is also considering whether to toss out Harry’s libel lawsuit against the Mail on Sunday over an article alleging he tried to hush up his challenge to pay for police security. The newspaper has claimed it was expressing an “honest opinion,” but a judge in a preliminary ruling found it defamatory. AP

an all-star cast and everything that is rolled in one megaserye. I was teary-eyed watching this legendary TV show on Philippine television.”

The live action series is produced by GMA Network in partnership with Toei Company Ltd. and Telesuccess Productions Inc. Acclaimed local animators from GMA’s Post Video Graphics and Audio team and Riot Inc. handled the program’s heavy CGI and other visual effects.

Voltes V: Legacy is produced by the award-winning GMA Entertainment Group headed by Senior Vice President Lilybeth G. Rasonable.

Under the helm of esteemed director Mark Reyes, Voltes V: Legacy airs weeknights at 8 pm on GMA Telebabad and at 9:40 pm on GTV. Global Pinoys can also catch the program via GMA Pinoy TV.

SHE BRINGS BAD LUCK

THE celebrity was tapped to host the rebirth of an old hit show and the network was hoping that her fans would help boost the ratings. But what’s this we hear that the show only managed to attract the celebrity’s haters and they have criticized everything from her body to her politics. They have criticized everything to the point that many viewers don’t want to watch the show anymore. The show has very low ratings right now and while that’s not entirely the celebrity’s fault, her critics are blaming her for it. They say her political stance has brought bad luck to the show because she betrayed her former colleagues in the process.

KIND AND HELPFUL

THERE’S this creative who is vilified on social media because she doesn’t mince her words when replying to her detractors. What they don’t know is that this creative is a funny and kind woman who is just giving them a dose of their own medicine. This kindness is why her co-workers and bosses like her and why she continues to be at her job despite having so many critics. According to those who have worked under this creative, she goes out of her way to help them when they’re in need. She also listens to their inputs and gives them the proper credits for the work they’ve put in.

‘Voltes V: Legacy’ gets lauded by die-hard, new-gen fans

Court rules against Prince Harry’s offer to personally pay for police protection in UK

Enhance Your Vision, Embrace a New Adventure with OWNDAYS

OWNDAYS, a Japanese optical chain with 71 branches in the Philippines, is delighted to introduce state-of-theart progressive lenses, offering support for both near and distant sight. The collection showcases a range of choices - Silver, Gold, Diamond, and the newly launched Diamond+. Setting new standards, OWNDAYS' Diamond+ Progressive lenses present seven personalized lens design options that seamlessly sync with your lifestyle needs. Incorporating double aspheric design and an advanced comfort zone design, these lenses deliver a realistic visual experience, an extended field of vision, and require the shortest adjustment period.

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By purchasing our progressive lensesSilver, Gold, Diamond, or Diamond+ in a single receipt, you are automatically entered into our grand raffle draw. Depending on the lens you choose, you could earn between one and six entries, increasing your chances of winning. As part of this exclusive promotion, winners will be whisked away on a luxurious Business Class round trip for two to Tokyo or Osaka, coupled with a comfortable three-day, two-night stay in a hotel of their choosing.

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This promotion is open to all Filipino residents aged 18 and over at the start of the promo period. Please note that winners are required to obtain their Japan visa and have a valid passport six months prior to their travel date.

So, brace yourself, upgrade your vision with progressive lenses from OWNDAYS, and seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore Japan. This promotion is sanctioned under DTI Fair Trade Permit No. FTEB 163704 Series of 2023.

To stay updated on this extraordinary giveaway from OWNDAYS, check our Instagram, Facebook, or our website (www. owndays.ph)

TikTok launches The Greatest Gamer Philippines presented by Smart, advances Filipino gaming scene

EARLY childhood education (ECE) signifies a crucial window of opportunity for children’s cognitive, emotional, physical, and social development. It covers the period when children rely highly on those around them and their surroundings. As they learn, discover, and explore the world, they need guidance from parents and educators who are wellequipped in early childhood development interventions or programs.

To reinforce this, Rex Education launched its latest brand, the Little Explorers. This is part of REX’s initiative to draw attention to and increase understanding of the value of ECE. This project also gives educational institutions, parents, and learning partners a platform to hold insightful conversations and benefit from learning solutions suitable for early or young learners.

As part of this endeavor, REX is leading a webinar series titled “Nurturing Our Little Explorers: Understanding the Essential Domains in Early Childhood Education.” This series is an interactive virtual panel discussion for parents and learning companions at home to address early childhood care challenges. The series is divided into five episodes, each with three parts: an introduction, a lecture, and a panel discussion with parents. Every episode features child experts and influencer parents who will lead the conversation on different ECE-related topics.

The webinar’s first episode focuses on ECE’s fundamentals and significance. As the title suggests, parents should not miss this window. The topics covered include the zero to four-year-old brain development window and the difference between early childhood care and development (ECCD) and early childhood education (ECE). The discussion also highlights how all the six developmental domains of early childhood interconnect for a child’s holistic developm ent.

The second episode, “Let’s Get Moving and Thinking,” delves deeper into a child’s physical, motor, cognitive, and intellectual development. The talk focuses on the two domains, physical well-being and intellectual development, how they are developed and enhanced at different phases, and how

they are connected. Furthermore, the third installment of the series, “Say it, Feel it,” focuses on a child’s socio-emotional and language development. This segment tackles children’s abilities to know themselves and the use of language to express and understand their feelings and relate with others.

The fourth episode emphasizes creativity and character development. A child must be nourished from an early age to think creatively, behave well, and be a person of high morals, and how the people around them are instrumental in guiding and helping them nurture their creativity and character.

The fifth and final episode, “Nurture Our Little Explorers!” summarizes everything discussed in the first four sessions. This episode also serves as a workshop for parents and learning partners on activities they can do at home to practice what they have learned.

Guiding children at an early age is not easy, yet its rewards are priceless. Supporting ECE programs is championing the future of children as successful lifelong learners. Through this webinar series, broadcasted and accessible on REX’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube. com/@rexeducation, REX embraces ECE and supports parents and learning partners as they fully navigate ECE.

The Little Explorers is a testament to REX’s commitment to early childhood education. The moment children learn to explore the world, the adventure of their lifelong learning begins. And every step of the journey, Rex Education offers quality learning solutions and materials. To know more about Little Explorers and other REX solutions and services, visit https://rex. com.ph/.

Eastwood Richmonde Hotel renovates guest rooms, other facilities as it celebrates 12 years of operations

TIKTOK , the leading destination for short-form mobile video, is bringing to the country its first gaming competition with a unique reality show concept, The Greatest Gamer Philippines. Housing 10 selected players in a villa for three weeks, the program will give contestants the opportunity to compete in various real-world and gaming challenges, showcasing what it takes to be a professional gamer.

After its successful pilot in Indonesia in 2021 and mobile gaming’s rapid growth in the Philippines, TikTok along with partners Smart, Smart Omega, and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB), as well as support from Grab and Samsung, team up to search for “The Greatest Gamer” in the country.

In a recent report conducted by Meltwater, 2023 Global Digital Report, over 95 percent of internet users in the Philippines are avid gamers, confirming that the Filipino community has a strong and vibrant gaming culture. Tapping on this passionate community, The Greatest Gamer Philippines is an important initiative that seeks to further nurture and grow potential professional gamers.

“We are thrilled to bring The Greatest Gamer to the Philippines, where there is a thriving and welcoming gaming community that aspires to grow and excel as skillful gamers. The Greatest Gamer Philippines showcases the journey to becoming a professional gamer as well as engaging the gaming community by providing relevant entertainment, highlighting the skills, passion, and dedication that is necessary to excel in Esports. We also hope to empower the local gaming community, nurture its growth,

and provide a space for enthusiasts to continue displaying their skills and creativity,” says Vanessa Brown, Director, Business Development, APAC, TikTok.

Numerous activities are lined up during the campaign, providing an immersive and engaging experience as the selected contestants will take part in fun livestreams of mini games, weekly tournament gameplays and other online and offline challenges in the course of learning what it takes to be a professional gamer.

TikTok is a space that allows gaming and culture to collide, unlocking new ways to play and be entertained. The platform provides a window into the gaming lifestyle by revealing contestants’ interactions with Creators, weekly interviews, content on their backstories, and various program highlights, enabling TikTok users and Esports fans to see firsthand what these rising talents will go through to achieve their dreams.

Powered by Smart, the official telco provider of The Greatest Gamer Philippines, TikTok is leveraging the Philippines’ fastest and best mobile network as recognized by Ookla, to ensure seamless gameplay and uninterrupted connection for all contestants, gaming enthusiasts and its community. With TikTok and Smart working hand in hand, Esports fans can look forward to a new era of interactive gaming experiences and memorable moments through The Greatest Gamer Philippines.

“Smart has been a leading patron of Philippine Esports because we’ve always believed that Filipinos have the passion, talent, and skill to dominate in this field.

As the official telco provider of TikTok’s

The Greatest Gamer Philippines, we aim to elevate the players’ gameplay experience with our fastest and best mobile network. We believe that this would also translate to an enjoyable viewing experience for all Esports fans,” says Lloyd R. Manaloto, FVP and Head of Prepaid and Content at Smart.

Smart Prepaid and TNT subscribers can join in on the action as well as tune into the journey of The Greatest Gamer Philippines aspirants on TikTok by registering to Power All and Saya All offers, which come with daily access to TikTok.

Aspiring professional Esports gamers can submit their audition videos from May 24 to June 14, 2023, on TikTok.

Pinoy gamers interested in going professional and joining The Greatest Gamer Philippines must follow @thegreatestgamer and @ smartcommunications on TikTok and create audition video content by introducing themselves and showcasing their MLBB skills, using the official audition filter and hashtag #TheGreatestGamerPH, and tagging the official @thegreatestgamer and @smartcommunications TikTok accounts.

Aside from gaining awesome experiences with today’s top content creators, The Greatest Gamer winner will take home a cash prize worth P250,000 and a contract with Smart Omega that gives them a chance to suit up and be part of their MLBB roster.

Fans can look forward to watching The Greatest Gamer Philippines and rooting for their favorite player soon. For more information on The Greatest Gamer Philippines, visit https://www.tiktok.com/@ thegreatestgamer.

EASTWOOD Richmonde, the only hotel in Eastwood City, the pioneering mixed-use township development of leading real estate company, Megaworld Corporation, gets an exciting makeover as it enters its 12th year of operations. Its transformation marks the first step towards the hotel’s extensive brand refresh program which aims to capture a wider scope of the corporate and leisure markets.

Notable in the redesign of the lobby and guest rooms is the use of a fresh and vibrant color palette that inspires stylish and modern living. The contemporary theme of the furnishings and the updated conveniences in the rooms and suites create a welcoming atmosphere for the new breed of young professionals and vacationers to enjoy. All TVs have been replaced with 42” smart TVs, bathtubs changed to shower cubicles, and the individual air conditioning units switched to the newest models. The thoughtful layout of the rooms, plush new carpeting, and unobstructed window views also provide guests with a more luxurious space.

Eastwood Richmonde Hotel General Manager and Megaworld Hotels & Resorts Cluster General Manager for NCR+ Jun

Justo shares, “With the hotel’s renovation we hope to uphold our commitment, and that of our owning company, Megaworld Corporation, and managing company, Megaworld Hotels and Resorts, to extend only the best hotel experiences to all who step through our doors. We are confident that the invigorating new look of the hotel will not only delight our loyal clients but will also fascinate the younger market that we haven’t had the chance to tap before. Our guests can be assured that this renovation is just the beginning as Eastwood Richmonde continues to evolve to cater to their everchanging needs.”

Other areas that were refurbished include the guest floor hallways, function rooms, ballroom, Business Center, gym, pool, and all public areas. Currently, all available rooms of the hotel have already been fully renovated with the renovation works of the remaining 30 percent of its inventory underway.

For inquiries and bookings, call (632) 570 7777 / (63) 917 531 6867 or email stay@eastwoodrichmonde.com. For table reservations, call (63) 917 821 0333 or send a message via Eastwood Richmonde Hotel’s official Facebook page.

Rex Education leads five-part interactive virtual panel discussions on early childhood education

VANESSA Brown, Director, Business Development, Asia-Pacific of TikTok (2nd from left), leads the powerhouse team that is bringing TikTok’s The Greatest Gamer to the Philippines. Joining her during the media launch are (from left) John Michael Turcuato, First Vice President, Head of Sports, PLDT-Smart and Executive Director of MVP Sports Foundation; Lloyd Manaloto, First Vice President and Head of Prepaid and Content at Smart Communications; and Harry Leonardo, Esports Marketing Manager at MOONTON Games, international gaming developer and publisher of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.

mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph

Panlilio elected FIBA Asia Board 2nd vice president

By Josef Ramos

SAMAHANG Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) president Al Panlilio was elected Second Vice President of the FIBA Asia Board during the recent Zone Assembly of FIBA in Asia in Kuala Lumpur.

H is term ends 2027 as well as that of India federation chief Dr. K. Govindraj who was elected president, succeeding Sheikh Saud Ali Al Thani of Qatar, who served Asian basketball for more than 30 years.

It is an honor to be elected in the board of members of FIBA Asia to help the federation continue promoting the game of basketball and camaraderie in the region and the world,” Panlilio said.

“ Being part of the FIBA Asia board member comes with a huge responsibility to push for development of new projects, not only in the country but in Asia, that would elevate the level of basketball competitions in the region,” he added.

Former National Basketball Association Yao Ming of China was elected chairman, while Lebanon’s Akram Halabi was named First Vice President. I believe SBP also needs to strengthen its basketball development programs especially for the youth in anticipation and preparation for forthcoming competitions in the region in the next two to three years,” Panlilio added.

F IBA Secretary General Andreas

Zagklis highlighted during the meeting the crucial role the Philippines will be playing in hosting the FIBA 2023 World Cup in August.

We play this year our biggest event, the FIBA Basketball World Cup in three Asian countries— Philippines, Japan and Indonesia,” Zagklis said. “This will be the first time in three countries combining together almost 500 million people. It will be an unprecedented event in terms of quality for the players and the fans.”

Panlilio said preparation for the prestigious global basketball event is in full swing and SBP is calling for all basketball stakeholders in the country to be united to ensure the successful hosting of the event.

A lso elected to the FIBA Asia board were FIBA Executive DirectorAsia Hagop Khajirian and Sub-Zone representatives Yuko Mitsuya (East Asia), Kho Poo Thai (Southeast Asia), Tarif Koutrach (West Asia), Abay Alpamyssov (Central Asia), Abhijit Sarker (South Asia) and Dr. Ghassan Tashkandi (Gulf).

PRURide Philippines helps boost Clark for MICECon 2024

MORE than 4,000 cycling enthusiasts took part in the return of the first leg of PRURide Philippines last May 21 at the Clark Global City inside the Clark Freeport.

C lark Development Corporation (CDC) President and CEO Atty.

Agnes VST Devanadera emphasized the significance of events like PRURide Philippines in showcasing Clark’s readiness for MICECon 2024.

S he cited how these events solidify Clark as a leading choice for future MICE activities, contributing to its continuous growth and appeal as a thriving business and tourism hub.

“ We can see that the success of events like PRURide Philippines indicates our journey towards MICECon 2024,” Devanadera said. “These initiatives not only contribute to a healthier community but also highlight Clark as a premier destination for sports and events.”

We look forward to hosting more exciting events that will further solidify our position as a top choice for MICE activities in the years to come,” she added.

Cycling enthusiasts of all ages came together for an inclusive event

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Editor: Jun Lomibao

RATES CLINGING TO 1-SHOT LEAD

JOENARD RATES remained cool in tepid conditions and birdied the last two holes to salvage a 71 and barely hold on to a one-stroke lead over a fast-charging Guido van der Valk halfway through the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) Villamor Philippine Masters at the Villamor Golf Club Thursday.

R ates withstood the pressure in the face of van der Valk and Keanu

Jahns’ strong charges in separate flights—revealing why he’s such a high caliber of a player who pounded the flat but tricky layout with a 65 in the first round but appeared to have cracked with three bogeys in the first five holes at the front after a backside 34 start.

But short in length, the 5-foot-3 Rates never ran out of brilliance— and fighting spirit—as he came through with clutch shots that set up birdie putts on Nos. 8 and 9 for

that one-under card for a 36-hole aggregate of eight-under 136.

I hit errant drives and had a couple of mishits at the front,” said Rates, who went nine-under overall with birdies on Nos. 14 and 17 but yielded strokes on Nos. 2, 3 and 5 to enable van der Valk and Jahns to close in with their respective low rounds. Van der Valk put himself back in title contention after missing the cut at Luisita with a 137, matching

Rates’s closing birdies at the front for a 67 after a 70, while Jahns, seeking to complete an unfinished business on this military layout after losing the inaugural Match Play Invitational crown to absentee Tony Lascuña last November, mounted his own charge with his version of a solid five-under card after a 71 for third at 138.

The troika thus set up a shootout in moving day with Rates vowing to stay cool and relaxed, Jahns sticking to his game plan and routine and van

der Valk tipped to rely on his accuracy and consistency.

Going to the last three holes, I told myself that I need to gain at least a stroke to save an even-par round. I played relaxed and made the most of my [birdie] chances,” said Rates, seeking to end a fiveyear title spell in the circuit put up by ICTSI. “But there are still two days left, so the plan is to hit the fairways and greens and make the putts.”

W hile a host of others remained four strokes behind or farther back the two-day leader, a spirited third round chase looms with Jhonnel Ababa pooling a 140 for fourth after a 71, Marvin Dumandan and Rolando Marabe Jr. matching outputs for the second straight day (70) for 141s, and amateur Gary Sales bouncing back with a 70 for a 142.

Art Arbole also fired a 71 to tie Jay Bayron, who matched par 72, at 143 while Gerald Rosales fumbled with a 73 to slip to joint 10th at 144 with Reymon Jaraula, Japanese Toru Nakajima and Nilo Salahog, who all carded 74s.

Forty one players advanced with Iloilo leg runaway winner Rupert Zaragosa barely making it at 153 after a 76 in a tie with Dino Villanueva (74), Korean Kang Chon Koo (77) and Joel Pical (78).

DANIELLA UY checked an impending backside slide with a blazing four-birdie splurge in the last eight holes to save a 73 and double her overnight two-shot lead this time over archrival Harmie

Constantino heading to the final 18 holes of the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) Villamor

Philippine Masters yesterday.

It was a stirring rebound for the former Junior World champion, who started the round two shots clear of Chihiro Ikeda and Marvi Monsalve but looked headed for an early foldup that has marred her drive for a second crown in two of the first four Ladies Philippine Golf Tour (LPGT) events this year.

Uy’s three bogeys at the front and a double mishap on the par-4 10th led to a crowded leaderboard although Korean Seoyun Kim, Harmie Constantino, Ikeda and Monsalve all failed to really cash in on to dislodge the erstwhile leader.

I nstead, Uy struck back with a birdie on No. 11 then built on the momentum to gain clutch strokes on Nos. 13, 14 and 16 for a 39-34.

W ith a 143 total, Uy found herself ahead by four with Constantino

taking the challenger’s role again at 147 after a 72 and Kim staying on course for a breakthrough win with a 148 after a second straight 74.

“I struggled at the front, mahirap ang pin placements,” Uy said. “But I had three long putts for birdies at the back.”

Monsalve, who also fumbled with a frontside 39, made three bogeys in the first six holes at the back but birdied the last hole for a 77 for fourth at 149.

I keda kept Uy within sight despite a frontside 39 but fell to fifth with a second 39 marred by three straight mishaps from No. 14, her 78 dropping her seven shots off the leader with a 150.

G retchen Villacencio carded a second 76 for a 152 while Sarah Ababa also matched her first round 77 for a 154 followed by Lucy Landicho, who likewise

shot a second straight 78 for a 156 even as Mafy Singson fought back from a first round 84 with a 73 to seize solo eighth at 157 and boost her bid for another low amateur honors in the 54-hole championship put up by ICTSI.

FIGHT AGAINST DRUGS

The University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) joined the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in its campaign against drug abuse during a ceremonial meeting Thursday at the Richmonde Hotel in Eastwood City. The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) and Premier Volleyball League joined forces with the UAAP in launching of the DILG’s “BIDA or Buhay Ingatan, Droga’y Ayawan” program. Shown above are (from left) Lyn Aboga, Paul Lee, Richard Carbales of the PBA, June Mar Fajardo, Joaqui Manuel, UAAP executive director Atty. Rebo Saguisag and Vice President Rod Roque, De La Salle University’s Emmanuel Calanog, UAAP’s Gaylee Villar and University of the East’s Melvin Reyes.

that catered to different skill levels and preferences.

R iders took part in 30-km, 60-km, and 100-km Gran Fondo categories. Families also enjoyed their own adventure with the 5-km Family Fun Ride.

PRURide advocates Gretchen Ho, Kim Atienza and Zoren Legaspi and personalities including Senator JV Ejercito, Anthony Sunday and Sponge Cola took part in the event.

A ligned with PruLife UK’s 175th anniversary, PRURide Philippines commemorates a century of PruLife’s steadfast presence in Asia, according to Eng Teng Wong, President and CEO of Pru Life UK.

Wong expressed his excitement about the return of PRURide Philippines and emphasized that the event goes beyond being just a cycling event—it highlights the commitment to promoting health and wellness.

Let’s encourage each other to join PruRide and prioritize our health and happiness,” Wong said. “So, let’s go for a ride and let’s PRURide.”

Silang honors SEA Games champ

SILANG Mayor Kevin Anarna and Municipal Administrator Jung

Anarna led the municipality in Cavite in honoring Virvien Reyes Bejosano for winning a soft tennis gold medal in the recent Cambodia 32nd Southeast Asian Games.

The ceremony was held after the flag ceremony Monday at the new municipal hall in Barangay Biga 1 and was also attended by Vice Mayor Ted Carranza.

B ejosano and her teammate, Christy Sanosa, a University of Perpetual Help System Dalta Tourism coed from Panapaan in Bacoor City, was also cited by the Bacoor local government unit under Mayor Strike Revilla during the regular Monday

Nadal’s absence changes character at Roland Garros

The last time they held the clay-court major without him? Back in 2004— back before women and men received equal prize money there, before the main stadium was reconstructed with a retractable roof, before night sessions were added to the schedule.

Him and Roland Garros is something special,” said Coco Gauff, the 19-year-old Floridian who was the runner-up to Iga Swiatek for the 2022 women’s title in Paris. “I remember last year ... I made the mistake of doubting him. Next thing you know, he pretty much stormed his way to the final and won in straight sets.”

Then, using the now-familiar acronym for “Greatest of All-Time,” Gauff continued: “He’s just a ‘GOAT’ in that way. A ‘GOAT’ on clay. Someone you can’t underestimate.”

Every man in the field—well, every realistic and honest man— knew there was one player to avoid in the draw. And they all knew it was almost certain that Nadal would leave France with yet another Coupe des Mousquetaires. His career record at Roland Garros: 112-3. He’s obviously always going to be

flag raising rites at the Strike Gym inside the Bacoor Government Center on Molino Boulevard.

I mus City Mayor Alex Advincula also recognized Mark Anthony Alcoseba of soft tennis and Ranran Adbilla of beach volleyball for clinching bronze medals in Cambodia. B ejosano, Sanosa, Bien ZoletaMañalac, Quezon Province’s Bambi Zoleta, Santa Rosa City’s Princess Catindig and Tawi-Tawi’s Fatima Amirul won the women’s team gold in soft tennis.

A lcoseba, Joseph Arcilla, Tarlac’s Sherwin Nuguit Deo Talatayod, Cebu’s Patrick Mendoza and Bukidnon’s Thor Moraldo, meanwhile, also clinched bronze in men’s team of soft tennis.

the favorite,” said Casper Ruud, the Norwegian who was the runner-up to Nadal last year, “if he plays.”

He won’t play this time: Nadal, who turns 37 on June 3, ruled himself out last week with the hip flexor injury that›s sidelined him since January. His aim is to return to Paris in 2024 for what probably would be his last French Open.

“ Roland Garros will always be Roland Garros, with or without me,” Nadal said, “without a doubt.”

Perhaps. Really, though, no tennis event and athlete are linked quite the way this event and this athlete are.

So the question becomes: Who takes advantage of his absence?

W ill it be the wunderkind considered an heir apparent, Carlos Alcaraz, who won the US Open in September at age 19, finished last season ranked No. 1 and just returned to that spot? What about Novak Djokovic, who owns two victories against Nadal at the French Open and two titles of his own at the place? Or Daniil Medvedev, coming off his first clay title? Or Holger Rune, who’s beaten Djokovic twice in a row?

I see it maybe more open this year than the other years,” Rune said. “It’s interesting. It makes it more fun.” AP

Uy falters with 73 in 2nd round, but expands lead to 4 strokes

NO player ever lorded over any Grand Slam tennis tournament the way Rafael Nadal has ruled the French Open. AP

DANIELLE UY is 18 holes away from the title. ROY DOMINGO

VIRVIEN REYES BEJOSANO receives a plaque of appreciation from Silang (Cavite) Mayor Kevin Anarna (left) and Vice Mayor Ted Carranza in a simple ceremony also graced by Municipal Administrator Jung Anarna at the Silang municipal grounds in Barangay Biga 1 last Monday.

JOENARD RATES is hanging tough up front in Villamor. ROY DOMINGO

Motoring

ThelaTesTediTionisuzud-MaX,andMu-Xlaunched

Dubbed the “Isuzu Summer Music Festival,” IPC showcased new editions of the bestselling SUV and pickup truck along with other activities, such as free test drives, afternoon games, dog show, car club meet-ups, and live performances from well-loved OPM artists entertain the whole family.

Highlighted during the event were the new features of both models adding to the already award-winning specifications of the vehicles.

The new Isuzu D-MAX is now made even more dynamic and sporty with a redesigned exterior that boasts a new two-tone front grille matched with its new matte dark gray 18-inch alloy wheels in its new body color Islay Gray, giving it a rugged yet stylish look. On the other hand, the new mu-X was

presented as a “Premium Family SUV” that is perfect for road trips, especially this summer. The premium SUV’s fresh new look brought by its new sleek two-tone front grille and new 20-inch alloy wheels design exudes an upscale and luxurious vibe, elevating its exterior design. The new mu-X also has a classy new color variant, Norwegian Blue, available for LS-E variants.

Moreover, the new Isuzu mu-X further elevates the family experience with ownerfriendly features like the new Smart Power Tailgate with Step Sensor. This new feature allows the owner to open its tailgate automatically through advanced key detection and sensor technology for more convenient loading and unloading of luggage.

Proven durability and 5-Star Safety for the family MOr E than the aesthetics, IPC highlighted the renowned durability and safety features of both models. r u nning on its Blue Power technology, both D-MAX and mu-X have a 4JJ3-TCX diesel engine that optimizes performance with fuel efficiency—tried and tested to give drivers more miles on the road without having to spend much on fuel cost.

A proper family vehicle is nothing without the best safety features both models offer. Both models are awarded 5-Star Safety by the ASEAN NCAP, thanks to the Active and Passive safety features, as well as the Advanced Driver Assist System (ADAS) with Smart Duo Cam, which is loaded with Blind Spot Monitoring, Forward Collision Warning, Lane Departure Warning, Turn Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go Functionality, to name a few. All these features will surely make daily drives safer and more convenient at the same time.

Present during the event was none other than IPC president Tetsuya Fujita. “As your responsible partner in providing durable and reliable vehicles, we are elevating your driving experience with safer, more efficient, and more comfortable drive—a drive that will suit the needs of all family members,” he said.

According to IPC, both the Isuzu D-MAX

and mu-X have won the heart of many Filipinos because of the value for money and core values instilled in both vehicles that offer many possibilities. It was proven since the introduction of the two models to the Philippine market, The durability, fuel effi-

UnSTOPPAblE SAlES TrEnd; TAHOE HErE

IT goes on and on and on. The trend of sales increasing non-stop. That is what’s happening in the industry since the first quarter.

T his April alone saw an improvement of 21.8 percent in overall units sold, another indication that recovery appears to be shooting through the roof.

A s per records of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (CAMPI) and Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA), a total of 30,643 motor vehicles were sold in April 2023. This translates to 21.8-percent increase compared with 25,149 units recorded in the same period a year ago.

C AMPI President rommel Gutierrez attributed the growth to “the improving economic indicators, which, I believe, will remain favorable until the end of the year.”

Gutierrez also said that “this is perfectly timed with the market availability of a wider range of motor vehicle models being offered by our members, responding to the growing needs of customers.”

He added: “The auto industry is optimistic it will attain full recovery from the pandemic-

induced challenges. It is now well-positioned to grow to significant levels, even higher than the pre-pandemic figures. It is worth noting that the industry has already recorded this growth trajectory in the past four months compared with the 2019 levels.”

Year-to-date, CAMPI-TMA sold 127,927 units in the first four months of the year. It’s getting better and better, indeed.

TAHOE is here

THE Covenant Car Company Inc. (TCCCI)–

Chevrolet Philippines has announced the availability of Tahoe units in the country.

As we continue to receive a very warm reception for our North American products, we are pleased to share the good news that more of our models shall be made accessible for the Philippine market. We are also committed to providing exceptional service and aftersales support for these new models with our signature five-year warranty and Chevrolet Complete Care programs throughout the entire ownership experience.” said Albert Arcilla, the lawyer president and CEO of TCCCI–Chevrolet Philippines. “With the recent availability

ciency, comfort, and convenience that Isuzu vehicles provide to both driver and passengers are what make Isuzu not just a family vehicle but a reliable everyday partner that will accompany Filipino families to different life’s journey.

of the latest Chevrolet models from various international manufacturing sources, we are optimistic that we will be able to exceed the expectations of our customers and we shall see more Chevys on the road moving forward.”

Chevrolet’s Karen Faustino also said Chevrolet vehicles are available in all Chevrolet dealerships nationwide. It comes with a fiveyear warranty coverage, automatic enrolment to the 24/7 Chevrolet roadside Assistance for three years, and immediate access to the 24/7 Chevy Hotline for convenient vehicle service and ownership needs.

Visit www.chevrolet.com.ph for more details.

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Michigan, USA, Chevrolet is one of the world’s largest car brands, available in nearly 80 countries with nearly 2.7 million cars and trucks sold in 2021.

Said Karen: “Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heartbeat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value.”

PEE STOP Congrats to robert Uy for his instant action to a friend’s SOS at his Toyota dealership in Bacolod. Cheers!...The 40plus invitees at the 9th Shell Media Golf recently were a bit saddened when it was announced that Cesar Abaricia would be retiring as Shell Media Manager in July.

He will be replaced by Manny Castaneda. Good luck to your new endeavor in your continuing journey, Cesar. Mabuhay ka!

Story & photos by Randy S. Peregrino

ISUZU Philippines Corp. (IPC) recently held a festive summer musical event and introduced its latest edition of the Isuzu D-MAX and Isuzu mu-X at Alabang Town Center.

The latest edition Isuzu mu-X in new Norwegian Blue color

(FroM left) IPC vice president for Sales Yasuhiko oyama, IPC executive vice president Shojiro Sakoda, IPC president Tetsuya Fujita, and IPC Assistant Division head for Marketing robert Carlos. Isuzu PhIl PPInes