BusinessMirror November 16, 2022

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

DESPITE the slowdown in the growth of cash sent by overseas Filipinos to their families, their foreign exchange gains continue to outpace the increase in commodity prices, according to a local economist.

On Tuesday, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported that cash remittances sent by Filipinos abroad grew 3.8 percent in Septem ber 2022. This, however, is slower than the 4.3 percent posted in Au gust 2022 and 5.2 percent growth posted in September 2021.

Unionbank Chief Economist

Ruben Carlo O. Asuncion told the BusinessMirror that they computed the real peso value of Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) remittances and this yielded an average of 7.6 percent in the Janu ary to September period and 12.3

See “OFW,” A2

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

TOURISM stakeholders are celebrating the arrival of 2 million tourists into the country, after having suffered for over two years of poor earnings and joblessness for many.

Latest data from the Depart ment of Tourism (DOT) showed some 1.5 million foreign tour ists accounting for close to 74

percent of the 2.03 million visi tor arrivals from February 10 to November 13. The rest, at 538,078, were overseas Filipi nos. In contrast, total arrivals from February to October 2019 was 6.08 million, still some way to go for the industry to reach pre-pandemic levels.

Visitor receipts from February to September, meanwhile, were es timated at $1.8 billion or P100 bil lion, with the peso having dropped to as low as P59 to the greenback

during the reference period. For the same period in 2019, visitor receipts were $6.13 billion, or P318.7 billion, with peso averag ing P52:$1 that year.

The Philippines has been re ceiving back-to-back accolades from tourism award-giving bodies, boosting its desirability among travel buyers. The coun try was recently recognized as the World’s Leading Dive Desti nation and the World’s Leading Beach Destination for 2022 at the

29th World Travel Awards Grand Final Gala Ceremony in Muscat, Oman this month.

Palawan was also recently hailed the Most Desirable Island (in the rest of the world) at the 21st Wanderlust Travel Awards handed out by the UK’s longest running publication, in London. The island province also landed on Fodor Travel Guide’s Go List for 2023.

See “Tourist,” A2

By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga

THE Department of En vironment and Natural Resources (DENR) un derscored the need for equitable consideration in planning the global shipping industry’s tran sition to a decarbonized future.

DENR Secretary Maria Anto nia Yulo Loyzaga who heads the Philippine delegation to COP27, was one of the panelists in the forum, “Delivering a Just Tran sition in Global Shipping,” orga nized by the International Labor Organization and United Nations Global Impact last November 9.

A just transition plan, she said, should also promote gen der inclusion and diversity,

noting that women compose 39 percent of the Philippine labor force and that the country has one of the highest numbers of women in senior management positions globally.

The forum highlighted key actions to fully decarbonize in ternational shipping by 2050 in line with the agenda of COP27 to provide clear pathways for parties and stakeholders to meet the Paris Agreement in limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

It also highlighted the crucial requirement in upskilling and reskilling maritime workers to gain additional skills from which energy transition will

See “Net-zero,” A2

By Andrea E. San Juan

THE Senate should ratify the Regional Compre hensive Economic Part nership (RCEP) to enable the country to attract more foreign investments, according to the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP).

“We have already lost 10 months of ability to compete on equal foot ing with our Asean and Asian part ners already in RCEP in attracting foreign investments as they capi talize on the shift by a number of [multinational companies] MNCs to seek alternative locations for their manufacturing sites,” MAP said in

a statement on Tuesday.

RCEP is a free-trade agreement among Asean countries and their trading partners Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea. Touted as the world’s larg est trade pact, RCEP represents 30 percent of the global GDP.

Citing the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), MAP said the regional trade pact has a market of 2.3 billion people. Moreover, it covers 50 percent of the global manufacturing output, 50 percent of the global automo tive products, and 70 percent of electronics products. See “Trade,” A2

be able to recover from the impacts of climate change and prepare themselves for future climate-related weather events. “We can’t wait anymore,” she said. AP/PETER DEJONG

Bill mandating 10-day SIL for private sector gets nod

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie

THE House of Representatives on Tuesday approved on third and final reading a bill seeking to increase to 10 days the mandatory five-day service incentive leave (SIL) for qualified employees provided for under the Labor Code of the Philippines.

With an overwhelming 273 votes, lawmakers approved House Bill (HB) 988, which seeks to amend Article 95, as amended, of Presidential Decree No. 442 or the Labor Code of the Philip pines to specifically increase the ser vice incentive leave with pay given to every employee who has rendered at least one year of service.

Under the bill, service incentive leave will not apply to the following: those who are already enjoying this benefit, those enjoying vacation leave with pay of at least 10 days, and those employed in establishments regularly employing less than 10 employees or in establishments exempted from granting this benefit by the Secretary of Labor after considering the viability or financial condition of such establishment.

Under the present 19th Congress, the bill was authored by Speaker Mar tin G. Romualdez, House Majority Leader Manuel Jose M. Dalipe, Rep. Mark Go, Luis Raymund Villafuerte, Miguel Luis Villafuerte, Tsuyoshi Horibata, Nicolas Enciso, Juan Fidel Nograles, Mary Mitzi Cajayon-Uy, Charisse Anne Hernandez, Keith Mi cah Tan, Allan Ty, Christopherson Yap, Munir Arbison Jr., Arlene Brosas, France Castro, Christopher de Venecia, Paolo Duterte, Edcel Lagman, Romeo Acop, Bonifacio Bosita, Carl Cari, Ed win Gardiola, Gerville Luistro, Khymer Olaso, Rodolfo Ordanes, Florida Robes, Geraldine Roman, Roman Romulo, Ma. Alana Santos, Jeffrey Soriano, Leody Tarriela, Jocelyn Tulfo, Patrick Vargas, and Loreto Acharon.

“At present, our laws do not require employers the granting of sickness and vacation leaves. These work incentives are given based on the prerogative of the employers either by express stipulation on the employee’s contract or through collective bargaining agreement. What the Labor Code provides instead are ser vice incentive leaves [SIL],” Go said in the explanatory note of the bill.

“With the increase in the number of leave credits in the form of sick or vacation leaves left purely at the dis cretion of employers, employees con strained by limited leave credits are left vulnerable to sickness, emergen cies, and other fortuitous events that would cost them a day of paid work. The granting of paid leaves is not only beneficial to the employees but eco nomically advantageous for employers as well,” he added.

Go said such incentives “boost the morale and satisfaction of employees which are manifested in increased productivity, and minimize the risk of health and safety issues among em ployees, which may even be more costly for both employees and employers in the long run.”

A similar measure has been ap proved by the House in the 18th Con gress and was transmitted to the Sen ate for its consideration and approval.

However, due to the lack of mate rial time, the proposed measure was not enacted into law.

Credit to stakeholders

TOURISM stakeholders expressed optimism on their industry’s upturn. “Breaching 2 million visitor arrivals for 2022 is a welcome surprise for the stakeholders. Not knowing what to expect when the country reopened last February, we were managing expectations,” said Tourism Congress of the Philippines (TCP) President Jose C. Clemente III in a statement sent to the BusinessMirror. “However, we were relieved to see that the Philippines was still one of the preferred destinations in Asia which has led to good restart for the industry.”

The TCP earlier projected 1.7 million arrivals by yearend, but adjusted this to 2.1 million after its members recorded surges in bookings from overseas clients. The highest number of tourists usually arrive in December with balikbayans (homecoming Filipinos) visiting their families.

Clemente credited “stakeholders [who] have also worked hard to make this happen despite the challenges such as limited accessibility, confusing entry requirements, manpower issues, and so on. We look forward to a continued recovery of the tourism industry for 2023 and beyond.”

He stressed, “The increased tourist arrivals have made it possible for many travel-related companies to rehire workers and give more jobs to stakeholders.”

A ForwardKeys report released during the recent World Travel Market in London showed the Philippines among the top performing destinations in Southeast Asia, based on actual ticket bookings. It was just 55 percent behind 2019 arrivals, faring better than Singapore, which was 69 percent less than 2019 arrivals. (See, “PHL among most visited Southeast Asian destinations,” in the BusinessMirror, November 9, 2022.)

Top source market

FOR her part, Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco credited the Marcos administration for the rebound in the tourism sector. “ This goes to show that there is such a huge demand for travel into our beautiful country and that the Marcos administration’s prioritization of tourism is placing our country on the right track to recovery. We therefore must meet this with the continued implementation of enabling mechanisms that will convey not only the country’s openness to welcome more tourists but also conduciveness to tourism business and livelihood opportunities for our fellow Filipinos.”

According to the DOT report, tourists from the United States continued to dominate arrivals in the Philippines at 385,121, accounting for 19 percent of total. This was followed by tourists from South Korea at 285,583 (14.10 percent); Australia at 96,297 (4.75 percent); Canada at 89,248 (4.41 percent); and the United Kingdom at 77,267 (3.81 percent).

O ther countries that made it to top 10 list of source markets for tourists were: Japan with 75,564 tourists (3.73 percent); India with 41,292 (2.04 percent); Singapore with 39,801 (1.97 percent); Malaysia with 35,128 (1.73 percent); and Vietnam with 32,970 (1.63 percent).

percent year-on-year in September.

“Thus, the PHP (Philippine peso) buying power of recipients of OFW remittances have been upheld despite rising inflation and higher commodity prices,” Asuncion told this newspaper.

Asuncion said Unionbank expects OFW remittances in 2022 to grow 2.3 percent on average, booking a total of $32.1 billion. This, he said, bodes well for the peso as it will lead to the strengthening of the Philippine currency against the US dollar.

“The weak PHP is an attraction for OFWs to send more, but the stronger PHP in the last few days, I believe, is not a reason. A stronger PHP is usually a seasonal phenomenon for sure,” he said.

BPI Chief Economist Emilio S. Neri Jr. told the BusinessMirror, however, that the recent strengthening of the peso has only been partly affected by remittance inflows.

The main reason for the recent strengthening of the peso against the US dollar was mainly the result of the greenback’s “pullback against most currencies this past week.”

The Philippine peso has gotten back to the P57 to the US dollar level last week. This is the strongest level against the greenback since September this year.

“The US dollar’s pullback against most currencies this past week as market participants believe that the Federal Reserve will slow down its rate hikes. The belief, in turn, is based on a slower inflation print for October (7.7 percent versus 7.9 percent median estimate),” Neri told the Business Mirror

Slower growth

BSP data showed cash remittances coursed through banks reached $2.84 billion in September 2022 from $2.74 billion recorded in the same month last year.

On a year-to-date basis, cash remittances amounted to $23.83 billion in JanuarySeptember 2022, up by 3.1 percent from $23.12 billion recorded in the same period last year.

Institute for Migration and Development Issues (IMDI) Executive Director Jeremaiah M. Opiniano said the slower growth of remittances may reflect the situation of OFWs abroad.

Commodity prices in host countries have also risen and this may have prompted some OFWs to reduce their remittances. He said some of these funds may be used for OFWs’ needs to continue living abroad.

“As much as Filipinos abroad want to send more, higher spending in host countries quietly diminishes their allotments for remittances. The expenses in host countries have escalated, and you can’t blame overseas Filipinos if spending in host countries is a visible priority for their incomes,” Opiniano told the BusinessMirror via email.

Opiniano noted that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects global inflation to average 8.8 percent in 2022. “People worldwide have felt the spending crunch—in both origin and destination countries.”

However, economists like Asuncion said rising inflation, such as global oil, could benefit the country’s OFWs given that higher oil prices would mean more jobs for foreign workers including those from the Philippines.

Meanwhile, the BSP said the expansion in cash remittances in September was due to the growth in receipts from land-based and sea-based workers.

The growth in cash remittances from the United States, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and Qatar contributed largely to the increase in remittances in nine months.

In terms of country sources, the US posted the highest share of overall remittances during the period, followed by Singapore and Saudi Arabia.

Personal remittances

BSP data showed that personal remittances from Overseas Filipinos (OFs) in September reached $3.15 billion, 4 percent higher than the $3.03 billion recorded in the same month last year.

This resulted in cumulative remittances rising by 3.1 percent to $26.49 billion in January to September from $25.7 billion registered in the comparable period in 2021.

The increase in personal remittances in September was due to remittances sent by land-based workers with work contracts of one year or more, and sea- and land-based workers with work contracts of less than one year.

Personal remittances are computed as the sum of net compensation of employees— gross earnings of overseas Filipino workers with work contracts of less than one year, including all sea-based workers, less taxes, social contributions, and transportation and travel expenditures in their host countries.

This does not include personal transfers—all current transfers in cash or in kind by OF workers with work contracts of one year or more as well as other household-tohousehold transfers between Filipinos who have migrated abroad and their families in the Philippines—and capital transfers between households or the provision of resources for capital formation purposes.

demand, such as in terms of new technologies and global standards.

Loyzaga noted that the Philippines is the world’s largest supplier of labor in the shipping industry with 1 million Filipinos certified with a Seaman’s Book and approximately 400,000 Filipino seafarers at sea at any one time. Fili pino nuclear and extended families depending on this livelihood could possibly be as many as 10 times of this work force, she added.

The environment chief noted that out of the over $30 billion in inward remittances annu ally, approximately $6 billion is contributed by the professional maritime sector.

“This is the magnitude of social consider ations that need to be factored in the decarbon ization of the shipping industry,” Loyzaga said.

She said the impact of energy transition must ensure that the welfare and interests of seafarers are at the core of the discussion to wards decision-making.

Loyzaga suggested embedding not only upskilling and reskilling but also the in clusion of stronger fundamentals in basic education.

She said the impact of changing atmosphereocean dynamics due to climate change must also be considered in the shipping operations, as well as ensuring the health and safety of seafarers in the course of the implementation.

The business group also noted that RCEP member-economies account for 51 percent of the Philippines’s export market and 68 percent of the country’s imports.

MAP also likened RCEP to the European Union, which it said is a “powerful economic bloc that will benefit enormously from the interchange of business among them, and with the world at large.”

The business group underscored the importance of the Philippines’s accession to the said regional trade deal, noting that it is “part of what promises to be the most important economic grouping in the world.”

“It is time that we get on board and proactively exploit the wealth of opportunities it offers the Filipinos in terms of expanded jobs, increased incomes, and better lives. We strongly urge our honorable Senators to ratify RCEP now,” MAP said.

As to the fears expressed by “some agricultural sector critics”, the business group said these are “unfounded and illusory” as government negotiators in the regional trade deal have repeatedly explained that sensitive agricultural products remain protected under the Philippines’s commitments to the agreement.

“These products include rice, swine meat, poultry meat, potatoes, onions, garlic, cabbages, sugar, and carrots. All will retain the restrictions they currently enjoy. Indeed, both the DTI and the Department of Agriculture (DA) have explained that membership in the agreement opens up further export opportunities for our agricultural products, without exposing ourselves to an imagined flood of farm imports feared by opponents,” MAP said.

Prior to being sworn in as president, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said he wants to ensure the regional trade agreement will not be detrimental to local industries, particularly agriculture.

“I do not know if our agricultural sector is sufficiently robust to take on the competition that the opening of the markets will cause RCEP. So let us have a look at it again,” Marcos said in a televised interview in May.

However, Trade Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual recently said in a radio interview that the president is committed to having RCEP ratified.

Last Wednesday, Senate leaders said during plenary discussions that they will give priority to tackling the trade deal as soon as it is formally endorsed to them by the Executive, with Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri noting that the Philippines is the only one in the region that has not acceded to it.

Further, MAP said “the delay in ratification deprives the country’s producers of various exportable products of easier access to the markets of the RCEP countries due to the improved provisions on market access and easier rules of origin.”

The business group also mentioned that the threat of likely diversion by their buyers of their business to other members already in RCEP is “very real.”

Former President Rodrigo R. Duterte in September 2021 signed the ratification of RCEP, but it still needed concurrence from the Senate before it could become fully effective.

However, the 18th Congress adjourned in June without the regional trade deal being ratified.

The Nation

PHL, US to start building military facilities in 2023

under its defense pact with the US.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has sought to further strengthen ties with the US and modernize the military, as the Philippines contends with a territorial dispute with China in the South China Sea.

DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong, in the same statement, said the department has approved the construction of EDCA projects within the next two years.

concluding infrastructure en hancement and repair projects, and developing new infrastruc ture projects at existing EDCA locations.

This also includes exploring new locations that will build a more cred ible mutual defense posture.

engagements with the US as well as other foreign partners must be conducted in accordance with the Philippine Constitution and other national laws.

T he work will begin on two bases north of Manila and an air port base station on the southern island, the Department of Na tional Defense (DND) said in a news statement issued on Tues day. Some $66.5 million has been earmarked to implement these projects under the two nations’

PNP seizes 8K loose firearms in 3-month crackdown

By Glen Jacob Jose

THE Philippine National Police District (PNP) on Tuesday an nounced the confiscation of 8,000 loose firearms across the coun try in the past three months aimed at preventing the use of unlicensed firearms in criminal activities.

In a news statement, PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. said that the confiscated firearms of various types and calibers were from different po lice operations, such as checkpoint operations, and anti-drug opera tions, among others nationwide from July 2022 to October 8 this year.

He added these operations also resulted in the arrest of 2,471 people, who will be facing charges of viola tion of Republic Act 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Am munition Regulation Act.

Based on the data, a total of 8,255 loose firearms were recovered, sur rendered, and confiscated, while a total of 4,895 firearms were turned in to the police for safekeeping.

Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).

The Philippines will explore new locations for other projects with the US to “build a more cred ible mutual defense posture,” ac cording to the Defense depart ment’s statement. It reiterated commitment to accelerate projects

“The projects include construc tion of training, warehouse, and other facilities at Cesar Basa Air Base in Pampanga, Fort Ramon Mag saysay in Nueva Ecija, and Lumbia Airport Base Station in Cagayan de Oro,” he added.

Andolong said the DND is com mitted to accelerate the EDCA by

“The Philippines and the US have maintained dialogue to discuss the implementation of the Mutual Defense Treaty [MDT] and ensure that it remains relevant to address contemporary security challenges. Through the Mutual Defense Board [MDB] and Security Engagement Board [SEB], both sides continue to discuss and collaborate on projects under EDCA,” Andolong said. He added the DND remains consistent in its position that all

“The Department is focused on planning joint activities that will enable us to develop our individual and joint capacity to address current security challenges in line with the implementing details provided by Philippines-US defense agreements anchored on the MDT. With the progress in Fort Magsaysay, Basa Air Base, and Antonio Bautista Air Base [in Palawan], the Department hopes to be able to complete other pending projects,” Andolong said.

Finalized after eight rounds of talks in August 2013, the EDCA, which was signed in 2014, allows

US troops access to designated Philippine military facilities, the right to build facilities, and preposition equipment, aircraft, and vessels, but rules out perma nent basing.

Under the EDCA, the Philippine government is working with the US to build the future facilities in Ce sar Basa Air Base in Floridablanca, Pampanga; Fort Magsaysay Military Reservation in Nueva Ecija; Lumbia Airfield in Cagayan de Oro; Antonio Bautista Airbase in Puerto Princesa, Palawan; and Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu.

Earlier, Armed Forces of the Phil ippines chief-of-staff Lt. Gen. Bar tolome Vicente Bacarro said the US has expressed interest to build five more EDCA facilities. Bloomberg and PNA

OPAPRU slammed over missing list of decommissioned MILF combatants

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz  @joveemarie

ALAWMAKER has slammed the Office of the Presiden tial Adviser on Peace, Rec onciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU) over the lack of transparency and accountability in the decommission ing of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) combatants.

D uring a recent House briefing on the state of the peace process and peace and order situation in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), former actor turned Leyte Rep. Richard Gomez said the OPAPRU should have been more eagle-eyed in ensuring that the government is not placed at a disadvantage in the implementa tion of the normalization track of the peace agreement between the government and the MILF.

“ There should be accountability in the disbursement of government funds. The government cannot just allocate and release funds without being fully informed of who are the recipients of government support, without knowing who has availed

of the decommissioning program. It is our duty as lawmakers and pub lic leaders to scrutinize how public funds are spent and if such expen ditures are advantageous to the gov ernment,” the lawmaker said.

OPAPRU admitted that it does not have a list of the combatants who have given up their weapons and returned to the folds of the government.

T he OPAPRU, during the brief ing, told lawmakers it does not have a copy of the list of decommissioned combatants, which it said was pre pared and vetted by the Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB) that was created by the government and the MILF to oversee the process of decommissioning of MILF forces and their weapons.

T he IDB is a key component of the normalization structure in ac cordance with the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro.

T he IDB told lawmakers that 24,844 out of the 40,000 targeted MILF combatants have so far been decommissioned, with 4,625 fire arms turned over to the government.

It’s surprising that even the ba sic process of having a general list of the decommissioned combatant

is missing. The government is al ready spending hundreds of mil lions of pesos to improve the lives of the combatants, but we do not even know who they are. It’s been years and we have been spending so much money without identify ing who these people are. There’s a list but foreigners are holding the list… What is this? It gives me the suspicion that they are funding something,” Gomez said.

G omez, likewise, questioned the lack of a strict monitoring mechanism to ensure that those who have been “decommissioned” have not abused the goodwill of the government.

“ What is our way of monitoring these people? How do you monitor these people? How sure are you they will not go back [to being combat ants] and fire against the govern ment? Where did IDB use the finan cial list? Is it for financial assistance for livelihood? Or is it financial assistance to sustain small wars? What? Let us know so we know. I’d like to know,” he said.

G omez added that lawmakers couldn’t fully support the govern ment’s peace process programs

DOJ

By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga

THE Court of Appeals (CA) has ordered the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Manila to exclude most of the prosecution’s evidence against the 10 members of the Aegis Juris fra ternity charged with violation of the Anti-Hazing law in connection with the fatal hazing of University of Santo Tomas law student Horacio “Atio” Cas tillo III in 2017.

In a 74-page decision penned by Associate Justice Perpetua Susana T. Atal-Paño, the CA’s Eight Division held that the items seized by Manila police investigators at the Aegis Juris Law Resource Center (AJLRC) in Sampaloc, Manila, that were not included in the list which appears on the search warrant are considered inadmissible evidence.

T he appellate court’s decision an nulled and set aside the December 27, 2018 and January 13, 2019 orders of Manila RTC Branch 20 but only insofar as it failed to order the suppression and exclusion of inadmissible evidence.

The Branch of the Regional Trial Court, National Capital Judicial Region, City of Manila where Criminal Case No. RML-18-01545-CR is presently pend ing is accordingly ordered to suppress and exclude all evidence obtained from the AJLRC premises, which are not covered by Search Warrant (SW) No. 17-27746, including evidence derived therefrom, and to make such orders as may be necessary to give effect to this order,” the CA said. Joel R. San Juan

THE Department of Environ ment and Natural Resources (DENR) is batting for local ized solutions based on data gathered on a regional or provincial level to tailor-fit solutions to the problems triggered by climate change.

In a news statement, DENR Sec retary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga said efforts are now underway to gather and analyze data to better understand how climate change is impacting every region or province in the Philippines.

T he DENR chief said it is high time for the country to have an accessible and credible localized climate data so that communities may have a better chance to respond effectively to cli mate change and its impacts.

L ocalized data can help public and private decision-makers come up with effective strategies and policies for adapting to climate change.

In terms of climate change mitiga tion and adaptation, it is important to “not always take climate change impacts at a country level but at the regional or even provincial scale,” the DENR chief said.

“Changes in temperature and precipitation vary significantly per region due to the country’s different climate types,” Loyzaga pointed out during the presentation of the Philip pines Country Climate Development Report (PCCDR) by the World Bank Group to officials and staff of the DENR last October 28.

L oyzaga added: “The utilization of resources due to its natural avail ability and regional demand varies.

This is especially true for water re sources, which our Department is tasked to manage.”

She said it is for this reason that the DENR is set to commence the accounting and mapping of the country’s natural resources wherein it intends to combine geospatial in telligence, economics, and natural, social and industrial sciences.

“In light of our aim for granularity and to improve our ability to assess problems at the community level, we will soon be meeting with a team from the World Bank that will help with one of our flagship projects,” Loyzaga said, referring to the con duct of natural capital accounting.

L oyzaga said the work of natural capital accounting is trans disciplin ary and will entail close collaboration and synergies with different devel opment partners.

“ This database is envisioned to be a management tool—one that will provide transparency and pro mote decisions and actions that are based on information and scientific data,” she added.

T he PCCDR, which was presented by World Bank Group Senior En vironmental Economist for Latin America and the Caribbean Stefano P. Pagiola, analyzed how climate change will affect development in the Philippines, particularly in the water, agriculture and energy sec tors, and urban areas.

During his presentation, Pagiola said responses to climate change need to be tailor-fitted based on lo cal conditions such as water demand and supply as impacts on climate change will likely differ across and within regions of the country.

By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

THE Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday said a sub poena was already served to suspended Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Gerald Bantag, com pelling him to answer the murder charges filed against him  in con nection with the killing of veteran radio commentator Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa and inmate Jun Vil lamor, the alleged middleman in Lapid’s murder.

S enior Assistant State Prosecu tor Charlie Guhit said the subpoena was served on Bantag’s last known address in Caloocan City but the latter was not there to personally receive it.

“Based on our records, the NBI [National Bureau of Investiga tion] and PNP [Philippine National Police] only provided the last known address of Director Gerald Bantag in Caloocan. The subpoena, insofar as the prosecution is concerned, is deemed served,” Guhit said.

But he said the village chairman told the server that Bantag is not staying in the residence since he as sumed the top BuCor post in 2019.

“ The barangay in Caloocan where DG Bantag previously stayed received the subpoena with note that he is not staying there anymore after his appointment in BuCor,” Guhit said.

A sked if the DOJ will serve the subpoena in Baguio City where Ban tag is reportedly staying right now, Guhit said they have no  other infor mation as to his whereabouts except his known address in Caloocan.

The NBI and PNP should inform the panel of prosecutors by way of

without knowing who are benefit ing from these.

Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman said only 62 percent of the target 40,000 MILF combatants have been decom missioned since the peace agreement forged between the government and MILF members in 2014.

A ccording to Hataman, the re cent clashes in Basilan between government troops and the MILF could be prevented if the full list of the 40,000 MILF combatants that are due for decommissioning is pro vided to the government.

T he decommissioning process is among the key provisions of the Annex on Normalization of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), the peace agreement forged between the gov ernment and MILF in 2014, which aims to help former MILF combat ants make the successful transition to civilian life.

A total of 14,000 combatants are targeted to be decommissioned under the phase 3 of the decommis sioning process. At least 7,200 have been decommissioned under the first batch of phase 3 which started last November 8, 2021.

At least 5,500 combatants are scheduled to be decommissioned under phase 3 until the end of 2022. Since the start of decommis sioning in 2015, a total of 19,345 MILF combatants have successfully undergone the process, while 2,175 weapons were put beyond use. T he first phase of decommis sioning was held in 2015 wherein 145 MILF members and 75 of their weapons were decommissioned. The second phase was held in 2019 that saw the decommissioning of 12,000 MILF-Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces members and 2,100 of their weapons.

OPAPP Undersecretary David B. Diciano said the phase 3 decom missioning process would be started early next year.

T he decommissioning process is being handled by the IDB, which was created by the Government of the Philippines and MILF negotiat ing panels as part of the Annex on Normalization of the CAB. It is composed of representatives from the Governments of Turkey, Norway, Kingdom of Brunei, as well as local experts nominated by the GPH and MILF peace panels.

Zulueta were charged as principals by inducements, while inmates Labra, Galicia, Mario Germones Alvarez and Joseph Medel Georfo were charged as principals by indispensable coop eration and inmates Christam Dizon Ramac, Ricky Lamigo Salgado, Ron nie Pabustan de la Cruz and Joel Alog Reyes were charged as principals by direct participation.

Investigators said Bantag had a clear motive to order  Lapid’s kill ing  due to the latter’s continued ex posure of his alleged illegal activities in his radio program “Lapid Fire.”

manifestation or appropriate plead ing about the new address of DG Ban tag before we issue another subpoena to DG Bantag,” he added.

T he subpoena directed Bantag to attend the preliminary investigation of the case on November 23 and De cember 5.

You are hereby warned that failure on your part to comply with this subpoena shall be considered as waiver to present your defense in the preliminary investigation and the case shall be considered submitted for resolution,” it added.

T he DOJ has created a three-man panel composed of Deputy State Prosecutor Olivia I. Laroza Torre villas, as chair, with Guhit and Josie Christina T. Dugay as members.

Bantag and BuCor deputy security officer Ricardo Zulueta were charged as principals by inducement in the Lapid killing.

A lso charged in the killing as “principals by indispensable coop eration” were Bilibid inmates Denver Batungbakal Mayores, Alvin Corni sta Labra, Aldrin Micosa Galicia and Alfie Penaredonda.

For Villamor’s death, Bantag and

A s to Villamor, he said he was killed to cover up Lapid’s murder.

Bantag has denied any knowledge or involvement in the Lapid and Vil lamor killings.

Meanwhile,  Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla told the United Na tions Human Rights Council (UNHRC) that the speedy investigation and fil ing of cases against the respondents in the October 3 killing of veteran Lapid is proof that the Philippine criminal justice system is working.

“In the recent case of journalist ‘Percy Lapid,’ we were able to take resolute and proactive action, upon the express directive of the President himself,” Remulla said in his open ing statement during the UNHRC’s Universal Periodic Review of the Philippines in Geneva, Switzerland.

He noted that authorities were able to complete the investigation, case build-up and filing of charges against the perpetrators in 17 days.

T he DOJ chief, who is leading the Philippine delegation to the gath ering, also said the investigation into the killing of Lapid also led to the “uncovering of a deeply-rooted criminal enterprise inside the cor rections system.”

THE Philippines and the US will start building training facilities and warehouses on the Southeast Asian nation’s military bases next year, as the long-time defense allies seek to boost ties.

DENR chief bats for localized climate change data, solutions

says subpoena already deemed served to Bantag

November 16, 2022 •

Editor: Vittorio V. Vitug

BusinessMirror

Bataan emerges as 3rd PHL province to be declared bird-flu free by Agriculture dept

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

THE province of Bataan has been declared by the Depart ment of Agriculture (DA) as an avian influenza (AI)-free prov ince, becoming the third province to regain its freedom status nation wide amid an earlier string of bird flu outbreaks.

Senior Agriculture Undersecre tary Domingo F. Panganiban issued Memorandum Circular (MC) 39 se ries of 2022 that officially recognized Bataan province as free from bird flu.

MC 39 was signed by Panganiban on November 14.

MC 39 explained that Bataan has not recorded any bird flu out breaks for more than 40 days since the last disinfection operation in the province.

Under the World Organisation for Animal Health’s Terrestrial Animal Health Code, an area can regain their freedom status from bird flu after a minimum period of 28 days after implementation of stamping-out policy, disinfection measures and surveillance program.

“ Results of subsequent disease

monitoring in the 1-kilometer and 7-kilometer surveillance zones sur rounding the affected farms yield ed negative results for influenza type A virus,” the memorandum circular read.

The last HPAI H5N1 laboratory detection in Bataan was on 22 March 2022,” it added.

T he DA earlier declared the prov inces of Camarines Sur and Davao Del Sur free from bird flu. (Related story: https://businessmirror. com.ph/2022/07/05/da-declarescamarines-surdavao-del-surfree-of-bird-flu/)

DAR in search of more idle govt lands for distribution to farmers

By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga

THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) is looking for more idle government-owned lands (GOLs) for distribution to land less farmers as mandated by Execu

tive Order No. 75, series of 2019.

T his as DAR Secretary Conrado

Estrella III instructed a thorough inventory of GOLs and wants their location pinpointed and total area determined for distribution to landless farmers and other quali fied beneficiaries.

He said DAR field per sonnel should also ensure that these lands are free from adverse or overlap ping claims to ensure the smooth flow of the landdistribution process.

EO 75 directs all govern ment agencies to identify all idle GOLs suitable for agriculture for possible distribution to qualified beneficiaries.

To date, a total of 52,000 hectares of unused agri cultural GOLs have been identified by the Depart ment of Agrarian Reform (DAR) for distribution to landless sectors.

To evaluate whether or not the subject GOLs are covered under the said EO, Estrella has reconstituted the DAR Validation Com mittee (DVC) and DVC Sec retariat composed of Tech nical, Legal, Survey, and Administrative Teams.

Estrella has directed the team to resolve issues and

concerns related to the validation of coverable GOLs, issue directives and appropriate guidance to con cerned field implementers to con tinue DAR’s coverage of the GOLs. T he team is also tasked to re view the findings and recommen dations of the previous Field Vali dation Team.

K azel Celeste, Undersecretary for Field Operations, and head of the committee, was tasked by the DAR chief to ensure the smooth and or derly distribution of GOLs to landless war veterans, surviving heirs, mili tary and police retirees and graduates of agriculture-related courses.

T he DAR chief also tapped his three Undersecretaries, Atty. Napo leon Galit of the DAR Legal Affairs Of fice, Atty. Luis Meinrado Pangulayan of the Policy, Planning and Research Office and Atty. Milagros Isabel Cris tobal of the Support Services Office, to assist Celeste in determining pos sible conflicts of interest involving concerned government agencies.

Galit, Pangulayan, and Cristobal will also act as the committee vice chairpersons.

Providing them technical assis tance are committee members Engr. Joey Sumatra, Assistant Secretary for Field Operations; Atty. Celestina Tam, Assistant Secretary for Legal Affairs; Lilibeth Lee, Bureau of Land Tenure Improvement Director; and Atty. Robert Anthony Yu, Bureau of Agrarian Legal Assistance Director.

L atest data from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), as of Octo ber 20, showed that 136 barangays nationwide have been affected by bird flu since the start of the year. The number corresponds to 68 cities and municipalities in 18 provinces across 9 regions.

BAI noted that as of October 20, there was no ongoing bird flu case since necessary culling or depopula tion measures have been undertaken by authorities.

BAI data showed that there are 41 cities and municipalities with no reported bird flu case for more than

three months already while 13 cities and municipalities have no cases for at least 61 to 90 days.

T he government has culled over 1.2 million birds this year to control the spread of the AI.

T he Philippines lost earlier this year its bird-flu free status after the government reported its first con firmed outbreaks of highly patho genic avian influenza (HPAI) Type A subtype H5N1 in Central Luzon. (Related story: https://busi nessmirror.com.ph/2022/02/22/ phl-reports-new-avian-flu-out breaks-in-central-luzon-farms/)

IPOPHL recognizes LGUs with most IP filings in ’21

By Andrea E. San Juan

QUEZON CITY has topped the list of cities with the most intellectual property (IP) fil ings in 2021, according to the Intel lectual Property Office of the Philip pines (IPOPHL).

T he IPOPHL said that it recently conferred six special awards to cities and municipalities with the highest number of IP applications and ap proved registrations in 2021.

“Quezon City tops the list of cit ies with the most IP filings and reg istrations last year with a total of 7,609. The City of Manila followed with 4,980 while Makati City came in third with 4,082,” IPOPHL said in a news statement issued on Tuesday.

C ainta, Rizal was awarded the most competitive municipality with the biggest IP filings and registra tions, with 335 total filings in 2021. Meanwhile, IPOPHL said Taytay, Rizal came in second with 173 IP filings and registrations, followed by Echague, Isabella with 171.

According to IPOPHL, the IP cat egory was the newest addition to the ceremony held last October 20 to rec ognize frontrunners of the Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI), an annual index that ranks cities and municipalities based on five pillars, namely, Economic Dynamism, Government Efficiency, Infrastruc ture, Resiliency and Innovation.

T he IP application and registra tion, as one of the 10 indicators of the Innovation Pillar, focuses on cre

ating, developing and implementing new innovative products, services or processes, said IPOPHL.

A s presenter of the awards, IPOPHL Deputy Director General Teodoro C. Pascua said, “We are humbled to present these awards to recognize the IP creations engen dered by the local government units and deliver on the call of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to develop and protect IP rights. We hope to see more awardees in the coming years.”

IPOPHL Director General Rowel S. Barba said, for her part, “IPOPHL is hopeful in broadening the IP cat egories in the coming CMCS and recognize more IP milestones to en courage spirited competition among IP stakeholders.”

Trade Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual recognized the challenges in pushing the Philippines to be on a par with its regional peers when it comes to competitiveness.

We know the Philippines pos sesses the right institutions and in novation capabilities that allow micro and macro-economic activities to function effectively. However, our country still has a vast potential for improvement and we have to work together to achieve a higher rank ing for our country compared to our neighbors in the region,” Pascual said.

IPOPHL said that while the Philip pines improved by four notches in the IMD World Competitiveness Rank ing, landing 48th in 2022, it placed 13th out of 14 economies in the Asia Pacific region tallied in the ranking.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie

HOUSE Speaker Martin Ro mualdez on Tuesday said administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. might not be inclined to support a proposal to remove the value-added tax (VAT) on public utilities.

In an interview, Romualdez admit ted that government agencies have reached out to House Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Joey Sarte Salceda to study the proposal removing the VAT on public utilities.

“ We will not be doing anything of that sort. I spoke to Joey Salceda, our chair of Committee on Ways and Means, I think what he means is they were studying. May study lang but the President is not inclined to do that,” said Romualdez. But for now, Romualdez said the lower chamber and the administration would focus on subsidies to help the public.

The President is not inclined to do that, rather we will look at other ways to help through more subsidies and assistance like food and fuel. And so far, that seems to be the strategy that’s working,” added the Speaker.

The Makabayan bloc led by House Deputy Minority leader and ACT Teach ers party-list Rep. France Castro has refiled the “anti-VAT” package of bills to ease the burden of Filipino consum ers reeling from the effects of the Covid pandemic and soaring inflation.

“ We refiled House Bill 5994 or the bill removing value-added tax [VAT] on systems loss in electricity, House Bill 5995 removing VAT on electric ity bills, House Bill 5996 removing VAT on toll fees and House Bill 5997 removing VAT on water bills as con crete steps in alleviating the plight of Filipino consumers and lowering their bills,” said the lawmaker.

Earlier, Salceda said his commit tee is studying the proposal removing VAT to utilities to ease the burden of Filipinos. “The committee on ways and means takes up all measures lodged in the committee as much as possible. We implement a zero-backlog policy. So, the Makabayan bloc’s bill will be giv en due consideration. We are already having the staff study the measure. Outright, what we can say is, without a corresponding revenue measure to increase taxes somewhere else, we are indisposed,” he explained.

PBBM admin may not back calls to remove VAT–Speaker

DILG order mandates cops to be at the firing range once a month

By Glen Jacob Jose

ALL uniformed personnel of the Philippine National Police(PNP) are now required to participate in monthly firing range exercises to maintain their basic marksmanship skills.

PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. told reporters who gathered at the Quezon City Police District Firing Range at Camp Karingal on Tuesday that Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr. has

laid down the basic marksmanship requirement to all policemen.

This is continuous. This is also the program of our Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos that he is requiring all police personnel to be at the firing range at least once a month so that they will not forget their marksman ship skills,” Azurin said.

H e added the training would always go back to the basics like gun safety procedures and proper handling of the gun outside of the firing range and while in the firing range.

PHL eyes unprocessed rice imports from Cambodia

By Andrea E. San Juan

ASEAN Business Advisory Council Chair for the Philip pines and Go Negosyo found er Jose Maria A. Concepcion III said the Philippines is mulling over im porting rice from Cambodia.

Cambodia is a big exporter of rice, but it goes through Vietnam for processing,” said Concepcion.

“Our suggestion is import so that the Philippine companies can process the rice,” he added.

In a news statement issued by Go Negosyo on Tuesday, Concepcion shared that Cambodian business men were receptive to the idea, and even offered technology exchange between the two countries. “Cam bodia is very good at growing rice, and we could learn from them,” the Go Negosyo founder added.

“Agriculture in particular, was revealed as a promising area of co operation between the two coun tries. Cambodia produces rice, but Vietnam—which is a major exporter of rice to the Philippines—has the biggest production by hectare,” Go Negosyo said.

Further, it said that several ex pansion and export opportunities in Cambodia for Philippine compa nies were explored during the CEO Roundtable meeting held on the side lines of the Asean summit in Phnom Penh last November 10.

T he CEO Roundtable meeting was attended by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) President George T. Barcelon, LT Group’s Mike Tan, Go Negosyo se nior adviser Josephine Romero, and the Philippine winners of the Asean Business Awards 2022.

G o Negosyo said aside from ag riculture, other areas of coopera tion that the meeting was able to identify were on housing, digitali zation, food security, hospitality,

garments manufacturing, busi ness process outsourcing (BPO), and micro, small and medium en terprise (MSME) development.

In his intervention during the event, Marcos stressed the impor tance of international cooperation to prevent regional food shortage.

It has become glaringly clear that there is a dire need to strength en food security towards self-suf ficiency in our region, to increase adaptability and resilience in the face of threats to the global supply chain,” the President said.

Marcos is the concurrent Agricul ture Secretary of the Philippines.

Meanwhile, during the meeting, the Philippine group invited the Cambodian businessmen to invest in the Philippines and partner with the Philippine businesses.

“ SMEs from the Philippines— namely, FELTA Multimedia, Home Healthlink and Esquire Financ ing—who were also winners of the Asean Business Awards, said that they are looking for partners to expand both in the Philippines and within Asean. Meanwhile, the chairman of the Cambodian garments industry association commended during the meeting the logistics support from Philip pine cargo and mobility facilities, namely Philippine Airlines [PAL],” Go Negosyo said in its statement.

A ccording to Go Negosyo, the Cambodian businessmen shared that PAL helped them not only with cargo, but also with the transport of the designers and other technical people between the two countries.

Further, it said that the Philip pines and Cambodia are also together in a campaign to get their respective garments exported at zero rates in the United States’s Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) so that these may be imported by US brands at zero, or near zero duty.

Macalintal petitions SC anew to issue TRO vs BSKE reset

By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

ELECTION lawyer Romulo Macalintal has filed an extremely urgent motion seeking the Supreme Court’s (SC) immediate action on his plea for the issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) and/or status quo ante order enjoining the implementation Republic Act 11935, which postpones the conduct of the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) from December of this year to October 2023.

I n his four-page motion, Ma calintal said the Court should issue the TRO and compel the Commis

sion on Elections (Comelec) to pro ceed with the preparations for the barangay election, noting that the

admission of the poll body, through its counsel, the Office of the Solici tor General (OSG), to remove the practice of postponing barangay elections, which in the process, ex tends the term of barangay officials.

Macalintal said the OSG admit ted if the issues are not properly ad dressed, this could undermine the holding of a free, orderly and credible barangay elections.

T he petitioner stressed that the election should pushed through considering that the poll body had already spent P1 billion of the P8.5 billion budget for barangay elections aside from the 5 million ballots al ready printed.

“ Thus, there is the compelling need to direct respondent Comelec to resume its preparations for the conduct of the BSKE to make it lo gistically possible for the poll body to hold the said elections in May 2022 in the event that the instant petition is granted,” Macalintal pointed out.

T he SC earlier heard the parties in the petition in an oral argument

DTI chief tells German bizmen to invest in PHL

TRADE Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual has identified infra structure connectivity and transport logistics as some of the potential areas of collaboration between German businesses and the Philippines.

D uring the 17th Asia Pacific Conference of German Businesses (APK) held in Singapore on Monday, November 14, the Trade chief cited transport logistics, renewable en ergy, and sustainable development as part of the Philippines’s develop ment interests.

Further, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said in a news statement issued on Tuesday that Pascual shared that the Philippines aims to facilitate greater private sec tor engagement and involvement.

With the new administration’s program—Build, Better, More, the government will be inviting the private sector, local and foreign, to participate in infrastructure devel opment in the Philippines. We rec ognize the key role played by the private sector in enhancing govern ment initiatives for infrastructure advancement through public-private partnerships [PPP],” Pascual said.

In line with the Philippines’ de velopment goals, Pascual noted that the Philippine transport and mobility sector remains a key focus in the country’s infrastructure in vestments, with particular interest

on rail systems and expansion and improvement of ports and airport development and operations.

Apart from physical infrastructure projects, DTI said the Trade chief shared that one of the immediate priorities of the Philippine government is to im prove the country’s digital connectivity.

“ The Philippines is looking to expand its digital reach, especially in many isolated areas, providing everybody an equal opportunity to participate in the national economy as well as the regional. Further, the government is in pursuit of an egovernment, with the intention of making government services effi cient and easily accessible to citizens, investors, and businesses that would like to participate in the growth that we are expecting in the Philippine economy,” Pascual said.

A s for funding, the DTI also noted that the participation and “attrac tive” financing offered by the Eu ropean Union (EU) Global Gateway initiative and German and European companies may assist in accelerating the resolution of infrastructure gaps in the Philippines and other Asean nations, especially in the areas of re newable energy, sustainable mining, E-mobility, water and waste manage ment, transport, and health care.  Meanwhile, in a separate statement issued by German-Philippine Cham ber of Commerce and Industry (GPCCI) on Tuesday, GPCCI Executive Director

Christopher Zimmer said, “We are glad to be at the forefront of our economic relations and trade; and to bring the German-Philippine business commu nity’s interest forward during such a high-profile event in order to foster our business partnerships.”

GPCCI said that Pascual had the opportunity to meet with German Economic Minister Robert Habeck to promote and discuss economic collaborations between the Philip pines and Germany.

“Secretary Pascual spoke about advocating German investments in the Philippines and explained politi cal and economic frameworks for in vestors. Meanwhile, Minister Habeck expounded on Germany’s policy on di versification. Habeck also mentioned Germany’s expertise in renewable energy,” GPCCI said in its statement.

According to GPCCI, Habeck and Pascual were accompanied by leaders from various German firms including Siemens CEO Roland Busch; Conti nental Phils. President Peter Rankl; TUV-Sud Board Chairman Axel Stepken; Thysssenkrupp AG regional representative Asia-Pacific Silke Klau sen; German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry Executive Director Christopher Zimmer; and Philippine Trade and Investment Center-Berlin Commercial Counsel lor Nicanor Bautista and the German Ambassador to the Philippines Anke Reiffenstuel. Andrea E. San Juan

held last October.

I n his petition, Macalintal asked the Court  to declare as uncon stitutional the postponement of BSKE insisting that Congress has no power under the Constitution to postpone the barangay elec tions because such power exclu sively belongs to the Comelec. At the same time, the petition er  said postponing the conduct of ba rangay elections would also violate the constitutional right of the people to due process since they are effectively “forced to accept” the appointed of ficials under RA 11935 upon the ex piration of their term in December 2022, without hearing or notice.

H e stressed RA 11935  vio lates  the 1987 Constitution, which provides that barangay officials must be elected into office, not appointed.

Furthermore, Macalintal said by extending the term of office of  ba rangay officials, RA 11935 violates the principle that the term of said officials should not be longer than their superiors.

Panel fortifies bills on rightsizing bureaucracy

THE House Committee on Gov ernment Reorganization on Tuesday approved the crafting of a substitute bill for all 15 proposals to rightsize the bureaucracy to improve public service delivery.

T he consolidation and substitution of the bills were done during the initial deliberation on proposals to rightsize the national government.

T he panel tasked its committee secretariat to draft the substitute bill to House Bills 12, 2423, 2787, 2885, 3096, 3227, 3385, 3473, 3529, 3539, 4015, 4086, 4120, 4411 & 4816, au thored by Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, Reps. Richard Gomez, DPA, Patrick Michael Vargas, Mar garita Ignacia Nograles, Teodorico Haresco Jr., Michael Romero, Ph.D., Keith Micah ‘Atty. Mike’ Tan, Jonathan Keith Flores, Paolo Duterte, Edvic Yap, Luis Raymund ‘LRay’ Villafuerte Jr., Gus Tambunting, Stella Luz Quimbo, Virgilio Lacson, and Joseph Gilbert Violago, respectively.

Flores said that in a nutshell, the pri mordial purpose of the bills to rightsize the government bureaucracy is to im prove public service delivery by minimiz ing duplication, redundancy or overlap ping in functions Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

THE Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 has seized P119.82 million worth of illegal drugs and reported no death during antidrug operations conducted in Cen tral Visayas during the first 30 days of leadership of Regional Director Brig. Gen. Roderick Augustus Alba. In a news statement issued on Tuesday, Alba said the success of the anti-criminality operations in Central Visayas that yielded several arrests and confiscation of large quantities of illegal drugs and other contraband due largely to a new ap proach to the anti-criminality and anti-insurgency campaign for the past 30 days under his leadership.

For the first 30 days after Alba took the helm as the Regional Di rector of PRO-7, from October 13 to November 12, a consolidated re port showed no death during 554 anti-drug operations conducted in Central Visayas that resulted in the arrest 766 persons involved in ille gal drugs, with 46 of them classified as high-value individuals, while 447

are street-level individuals involved in illegal drug activities.

A s of November 13, data showed 16,463.08 grams of shabu were confiscated with a drug price value of P111,948,944, while 65,257.80 grams of fully grown marijuana plants valued at P7,830,936, includ ing 20 capsules of ecstasy worth P34,000, and two grams of cocaine worth P10,600 were seized during the same period.

L apu-Lapu City Police Office has the biggest haul of illegal drugs in one month from October 13 to November 13, 2022, with 7,331.46 grams of shabu seized worth P49,853,928 and 254.97 grams of marijuana seized valued at P30,596.40, while Cebu City Police Office came second followed by the Cebu Police Provincial Office.

I n the same period, Alba said PRO-7 conducted 789 operations with 129 arrests of most wanted persons and 688 other wanted per sons sought by the court to stand trial for various crimes.

Cebu Police Provincial Office has the most number of total arrests province wide with 252 followed by Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office with 218 and Cebu City Police Office with 158.

T he PRO-7 reported 306 opera tions against loose firearms that resulted in the arrest of 66 persons and the recovery of 329 firearms and five explosives.

T he Cebu Police Provincial Office has the most number of firearms seized/recovered and surrendered with 145, followed by Negros Orien tal Police Provincial Office with 75 and Cebu City Police Office with 36.

W hile 1,147 persons were arrested for engaging in various forms of il legal gambling activities, cash bets of P132,777 were confiscated during its 506 operations.

Cebu City Police Office ranked No. 1 in the most number of arrests in the conduct of illegal gambling operations, followed by the Cebu Police Provincial Office and Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office.

“ With the positive development of recalibrating police operations under my watch anchored on the MKK= K and the Revitalized Ka simbayanan Program of Philippine National Police [PNP] Chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr.,  and Team PNP Region 7’s three basic objectives for peace and order to reduce crime, reduce the fear of crime and reduce disorder, we are committed to the protection of life, the security of property and the highest level of respect and professionalism to the people we swore to serve,” he said.

L ast November 11, Alba initiated a forum with faith-based leaders in the region, which was the first to happen in Central Visayas.

T he activity was participated by Most Reverend Jose A. Palma duly represented by Msgr. Camilo Alia, HP, Imam Onasis Omar Balt, Pas tor Evarose Cichon, Founding Presi dent, Cebu Life Changing Christian Ministries International, Mr. Arnold Bustamante, President, members of media, and other invited faith-based

groups, staff, station commanders and virtual attendees.

A lba said the activity aims to en gage faith-based groups’ life/values, coaches, and spiritual community advisers to assist PRO-7 in reaching out to their sectors of the community for the successful implementation of the PNP Kasibayanan programs, projects, and activities.

He also reminded the participants of the importance and main goal of the Kasimbayanan project.

“ Reduction of crime rate is the result of a successful Kasimbay anan accomplishment. By working together, the police, the community, and the church can reduce the fear and incidence of crime and improve the quality of life in the community as vital to peace, order, and prog ress,” Alba said.

Further, he said bold and aggres sive moves and activities in engag ing the people of Central Visayas showcased by commanders on the ground down to the stations, which are published through social media

platforms in a form of press releases, and briefings, to promote transpar ency and accountability.

With all these achievements, I extend my wholehearted gratitude for everyone’s cooperation and hard work. I commend Team PNP Region 7 for a Job well done. In my first month working with you, you never failed to display your highest level of preparedness in performing your tasks with integrity, strength, and enthusiasm. This endeavor will assist us greatly in reducing crime and eliminating blight. We share a common interest with the commu nity and I urge you to do your part to keep our community safe for the future generation. Energized vigor in doing our tasks properly and with much confidence because we are fortified with ample connectivity, critical thinking, and enhanced ca pabilities. I cannot do this alone, but together we can accomplish great things in all our undertakings for the people of Central Visayas,” said Alba. Glen Jacob Jose

19.

DUONG THI MY DUYEN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

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TRINH THI HANH Chinese Customer Service

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WANG, LUO Chinese Customer Service

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ZHOU, JIAN Chinese Customer Service

Basic Qualification: Fluent in written and oral Mandarin and English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Fluent in written and oral Mandarin and English Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

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Description: Experts at their product, and their primary duty is to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently.

TRAN THI NGOC HIEN Vietnamese Customer Support Representative

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HANKOOK SIKPUM PHILIPPINES INC. Bldg. 17-1e, Former Ccmc Compound Veterans Center, Western Bicutan, City Of Taguig

KIM, KWANGSU Korean - Sales Representative

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HECTECHURE CORP. Units A&b 20/f Rufino Pacific Tower, 6784 Ayala Ave. Cor. V.a. Rufino St., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati

YU, JINYANG Mandarin Information System Analyst

69.

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BUI MANH HUNG Vietnamese Customer Support Specialist

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DOAN THI LINH Vietnamese Customer Support Specialist

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Basic Qualification: Able to speak and write in VIETNAMESE and at least college level with related BPO experience.

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HWANG, CHEOLKI Customer Service Representative

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NGUYEN THI THUY Vietnamese Customer Support Specialist

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HJ WEB SOFTWARE DEVELOPER INCORPORATED Unit 207, Heritage Condominium, 1851 Antonio Vasquez St., 076, Barangay 697, Malate, City Of Manila 59.

Basic

INSPIRINGPG INC. 3/f Filhome Builders Center, 68 Dona Soledad Avenue Better Living Subdivision, Don Bosco, City Of Parañaque 60.

HU, TAO Mandarin Account Manager

Brief Job

143.

Brief Job Description: Managing calls and customer services

NORD ANGLIA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL MANILA INC. Neo Chinatown Bradco Ave., Aseana, Tambo, City Of Parañaque

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Korean and English

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

PINGE, MANASI PRAKASH Academic Consultant

144.

Brief Job Description: To provide formal or informal language instruction and to provide workers with resources for independent language study.

154.

Basic Qualification: 5-10 years’ experience in working for British curriculum schools/ post-graduate certificate of education (PGCE) or similar accreditation/ experience with computer-based training software

Salary Range: Php 150,000 - Php 499,999

PETROCHINA INTERNATIONAL CO. LTD. (PETROCHINA INTERNATIONAL PHILIPPINES

REPRESENTATIVE OFFICE) 20/f Rufino Pacific Tower, 6784 Ayala Ave. Cor. V.a. Rufino St., San Lorenzo, City Of Makati

DONG, XIAO Resident Agent And Mandarin Operations Manager

OBEN, JR ESUA LANGMI French Operations Csr Ii

Brief Job Description: Provides expedient and accurate customer service to French-speaking clients and customers

Basic Qualification: Skilled in French Language

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

Basic Qualification: Skilled in French Language

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

TRIVES TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION Tower 4 Bayport West, Naia Garden Residence, Naia Road, Tambo, City Of Parañaque

ZHAN, HONG Mandarin Customer Support Representative Brief Job Description:

customers by providing helpful

Qualification: Able to speak and write in mandarin and at least college level with related bpo experience.

145.

Brief Job Description: The resident agent and mandarin operations manager will be a strategist and a leader able to steer the company to the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission and long-term goals.

Basic Qualification: Proven experience as resident agent and mandarin operations manager, familiarity, knowledge and awareness on machinery and heavy equipment use by company. Demonstrable experience in developing strategic business plan.

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

REPRISK PHILIPPINES, INC. Unit 20-02, 20th Floor Accralaw Tower, 2nd Ave. Cor. 30th St. Crescent Park West Bgc, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

ALEXANDER ADITYA THEMAS Junior Esg Research Analyst

146.

Brief Job Description: To analyze and enter risk incidents documents in foreign languages to RepRisk database.

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s Degree, fluency in 2 or 3 foreign languages, excellent English writing skills

Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999

REVON MOTION BUSINESS CONSULTANCY INC. G/f Pmj Bldg., Evangelista Cor. Cuangco Sts., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati

NGUYEN ANH VU Mandarin Assistant Supervisor

147.

Brief Job Description: Will assist the supervisor in maintaining a structured work environment that benefits both the employees and customers. And will also act as a liaison between the supervisor and other staff, ensuring that procedures are being followed, while also suggesting ideas for streamlining process.

148.

NGUYEN THANH MINH Mandarin Coordinator

Brief Job Description: Works under a Mandarin Manager to maintain office equipment, physical space and telecommunications systems for single building.

Basic Qualification: College graduate. Fluent in Cantonese, Taiwanese And Mandarin language. Excellent communication skills. At least 1 year experience relevant to the position.

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

Basic

Qualification: Able to speak and write in mandarin and at least college level with related bpo experience.

SONGBIN Mandarin Customer Support Specialist Brief Job Description:

Qualification: Able to speak and write in vietnamese and at least college level with related

Qualification: Able to speak and write in mandarin and at least college level with related bpo experience. Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999 158. MAI THI HUONG

Biden and Xi clash on Taiwan but try to ‘manage’ differences

By Seung Min Kim & Zeke Miller The Associated Press

NUSA DUA, Indonesia— President Joe Biden objected directly to China’s “coercive and increasingly aggressive actions” toward Taiwan during the first inperson meeting of his presidency with Xi Jinping, as the two superpower leaders aimed on Monday to “manage” their differences in the competition for global influence.

The nearly three-hour meet ing was the highlight of Biden’s weeklong, round-the-world trip to the Middle East and Asia, and came at a critical juncture for the two countries amid increasing economic and security tensions. Speaking at a news conference afterward, Biden said that when it comes to China, the US would “compete vigorously, but I’m not looking for conflict.”

He added: “I absolutely believe there need not be a new Cold War” between America and the rising Asian power.

Biden reiterated US support for its longstanding “One Chi na” policy, which recognizes the government in Beijing—while allowing for informal American relations and defense ties with Taipei, and “strategic ambigu ity” over whether the US would respond militarily if the island were attacked. He also said that despite China’s recent saber rat tling, he does not believe “there’s any imminent attempt on the part of China to invade Taiwan.”

Xi, according to the Chinese government’s account of the meeting, “stressed that the Tai wan question is at the very core of China’s core interests, the bed rock of the political foundation of China-US relations, and the first red line that must not be crossed in China-US relations.”

Biden said he and Xi also discussed Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and “reaffirmed our shared belief” that the use or even the threat of nuclear weap ons is “totally unacceptable.”

That was a reference to Moscow’s thinly veiled threats to use atomic weapons as its nearly nine-month invasion of Ukraine has faltered.

Chinese officials have largely refrained from public criticism of Russia’s war, although Beijing has avoided direct support of the Russians, such as supplying arms.

While there were no water shed breakthroughs, the BidenXi meeting brought each side

long-sought, if modest, gains. In addition to the shared con demnation of Russian nuclear threats, Biden appeared to se cure from Xi the resumption of lower-level cooperation from China on a range of shared global challenges. Meanwhile, Xi, who has aimed to establish China as a geopolitical peer of the US, got symbolic home turf for the meet ing as well as Biden’s forceful One China policy commitment.

The White House said Biden and Xi agreed to “empower key senior officials” to work on areas of potential cooperation, includ ing tackling climate change and maintaining global financial, health and food stability. Beijing had cut off such contacts with the US in protest of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan in August.

China and the US are the world’s worst climate polluters, and their one-on-one climate con tacts are seen as vital to staving off some of the direst scenarios of climate change. Biden’s first stop on his long overseas trip was in Egypt for a major climate conference.

The two leaders agreed to have US Secretary of State Antony Blinken travel to Beijing to con tinue discussions.

Xi and Biden warmly greeted each other with a handshake at a luxury resort hotel in Indo nesia, where they are attending the Group of 20 summit of large economies.

“As the leaders of our two na tions, we share responsibility, in my view, to show that China and the United States can manage our differences, prevent competition from becoming anything ever near conflict, and to find ways to work together on urgent global issues that require our mutual cooperation,” Biden said to open the meeting.

Xi called on Biden to “chart the right course” and “elevate the rela tionship” between China and the

US. He said he wanted a “candid and in-depth exchange of views.”

Both men entered the highly anticipated meeting with bol stered political standing at home. Democrats triumphantly held onto control of the US Sen ate, with a chance to boost their ranks by one in a runoff election in Georgia next month, while Xi was awarded a third five-year term in October by the Commu nist Party’s national congress, a break with tradition.

But relations between the two powers have grown more strained under successive American ad ministrations, with economic, trade, human rights and security differences at the fore.

As president, Biden has re peatedly taken China to task for human rights abuses against the Uyghur people and other ethnic minorities, crackdowns on de mocracy activists in Hong Kong, coercive trade practices, military provocations against self-ruled Taiwan and differences over Rus sia and Ukraine.

The White House said Biden specifically mentioned US con cerns about China’s actions in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong, and the plight of Americans it considers “wrongfully detained” or subject to exit bans in China.

Taiwan has emerged as one of the most contentious issues. Multiple times in his presidency, Biden has said the US would de fend the island—which China has eyed for eventual unification— in case of a Beijing-led invasion. But administration officials have stressed each time that the US China policy has not changed.

Pelosi’s trip prompted China, officially the People’s Republic of China, to retaliate with military drills and the firing of ballistic missiles into nearby waters.

The White House said Biden “raised US objections to the PRC’s coercive and increasingly aggres sive actions toward Taiwan, which undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the broader region, and jeopar dize global prosperity.”

In the meeting, Biden said China’s economic practices “harm

American workers and families, and workers and families around the world,” the White House said.

The meeting came just weeks after the Biden administration blocked exports of advanced com puter chips to China—a national security move that bolsters US competition against Beijing.

Xi’s government said he con demned such moves, saying, “Starting a trade war or a tech nology war, building walls and barriers, and pushing for decou pling and severing supply chains run counter to the principles of market economy and undermine international trade rules.”

Although the two men have held five phone or video calls during Biden’s presidency, White House officials said those encoun ters were no substitute for an inperson meeting. They said sitting down with Xi was all the more im portant after the Chinese leader strengthened his grip on power with a third term and because lower-level Chinese officials have been unable or unwilling to speak for their leader.

White House officials and their Chinese counterparts spent weeks negotiating details of the meeting, which was held at Xi’s hotel with translators provid ing simultaneous interpretation through headsets. Each leader was flanked by nine N-95 maskwearing aides, and in the case of Xi, at least one official newly el evated in the recent Congress to its top leadership.

US officials were eager to see how Xi approached the meeting after consolidating his position as the unquestioned leader of the state—whether that made him more or less likely to seek out areas of cooperation.

Biden said Xi was as he’s al ways been.

“I didn’t find him more con frontational or more conciliato ry,” Biden said. “I found him the way he’s always been, direct and straightforward.”

The Associated Press writers Josh Boak in Baltimore and Darlene Superville in Washington contrib uted to this report.

Cambodian leader leaves G-20 early after Covid-19 diagnosis

By Adam Schreck The Associated Press

NUSA DUA, Indonesia—Cambodian

Prime Minister Hun Sen said Tuesday he has Covid-19 and is leaving the Group of 20 meetings in Bali, just days after hosting President Joe Biden and other world leaders for a summit in his country’s capital.

The diagnosis came as the heads of the G-20 leading economies and other nations began a two-day meeting on the Indonesian resort island.

In a posting on his Facebook page, the Cambodian leader said he tested positive for the coronavirus Monday night and an Indonesian physician confirmed the diagnosis on Tuesday

morning. He canceled his meetings at the G-20 as well as the upcoming APEC economic forum in Bangkok to return home.

The White House said Biden tested negative Tuesday morning and is not considered a close contact as defined by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The two leaders spent considerable time together Saturday, and were at a joint meeting but not seated together as recently as Sunday.

Hun Sen said it was fortunate that he arrived in Bali late Monday and was unable to join a dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron and other leaders.

The Cambodian capital Phnom Penh was the host of the Association of Southeast Asian Nation

summit that ended on Sunday. Hun Sen met and shook hands with many leaders who attended one-on-one, some on multiple occasions.

In addition to Biden, guests included Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang and many others.

Cambodia last month lifted most of its Covid-19 restrictions on travelers, and world leaders arriving for the Asean summit were recommended to continue following health and safety protocols but were not required to do so.

During the summit, almost none of the leaders or other participants wore masks and all were seated close to one another, often for

lengthy periods of time.

Biden sat next to Hun Sen during a lengthy gala dinner Saturday evening. They spent time close together earlier Saturday in bilateral discussions as well as talks during the wider Asean meeting. They were both participants in Sunday’s parallel East Asia Summit as well.

As the leader of the host nation, Hun Sen had contact with almost all of the top-level participants.

On Sunday, Hun Sen met with New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and others at a separate meeting on the sidelines of the summit. A spokesperson said Ardern tested negative for the virus Tuesday.

UN General Assembly approves resolution calling for Russian reparations to Ukraine

By Edith M. Lederer The Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS—The UN General Assembly approved a resolution Monday calling for Russia to be held accountable for violating international law by invading Ukraine including by paying reparations for widespread damage to the country and for Ukrainians killed and injured during the war.

The vote in the 193-member world body was 94-14 with 73 abstentions. It was close to the lowest level of support of the five Ukraine-related resolutions adopted by the General Assembly since Russia’s February 24 invasion of its smaller neighbor.

The resolution recognizes the need to establish “an international mechanism for reparation for damage, loss or injury” arising from Russia’s “wrongful acts” against Ukraine.

It recommends that the assembly’s member nations, in cooperation with Ukraine, create “an international register” to document claims and information on damage, loss or injury to Ukrainians and the government caused by Russia.

Before the vote, Ukraine’s UN Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya told the assembly that “Russia has tried its best to destroy Ukraine—in a very literal sense.”

He cited Russia’s bombing and shelling of cities and villages since day one, “targeting everything from plants and factories to residential buildings, schools, hospitals and kindergartens” as well as roads, bridges, railways and almost half of Ukraine’s power grid and utilities in the last month alone. He also cited accounts of atrocities committed by Russians in territory it occupied including murder, rape, torture, forced deportations and looting.

“Ukraine will have the daunting task of rebuilding the country and recovering from this war,” Kyslytsya said. “But that recovery will never be complete without a sense of justice for the victims of the Russian war.”

“It is time to hold Russia accountable,” he said.

Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia urged assembly members to vote against the resolution, calling it “an attempt to legalize something that from the view of existing international law cannot be legalized.” It is “legally null and void,” he said.

Nebenzia accused the West of “doing everything it can to provide a veneer of legitimacy” to start spending frozen—or actually “stolen Russian assets amounting to billions of dollars.” And he accused the West of seeking a General Assembly decision “as a screen to hide this open robbery” whose “beneficiaries will end up being the Western military corporations.”

He warned that approval of the resolution “can only increase tension and instability in the entire world,” and said supporters of the resolution “will become implicated in illegal expropriation of sovereign assets of a third country.”

Russia’s veto power in the 15-member Security Council has blocked the UN’s most powerful body from taking any action since President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion. But there are no vetoes in the General Assembly, which previously adopted four resolutions criticizing Russia’s invasion.

Unlike Security Council resolutions, General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, but they do reflect world opinion and have demonstrated widespread opposition to Russia’s military action.

The resolution adopted Monday was sponsored by Canada, Guatemala, Netherlands and Ukraine and co-sponsored by dozens of others.

It reaffirms the General Assembly’s commitment to Ukraine’s “sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity” and reiterates its demand for Russia to immediately “cease its use of force against Ukraine” and withdraw all its forces from Ukrainian territory.

It also expresses “grave concern at the loss of life, civilian displacement, destruction of infrastructure and natural resources, loss of public and private property, and economic calamity caused by the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine.”

The resolution recalls that Article 14 of the UN Charter authorizes the General Assembly to “recommend measures for the peaceful adjustment of any situation…which it deems likely to impair the general welfare of friendly relations among nations” including violations of the Charter.

It also refers to a General Assembly resolution adopted on December 16, 2005, titled “Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to a Remedy and Reparation for Victims of Gross Violations of International Human Rights Law and Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law.”

Soon after Russia’s invasion, the General Assembly adopted its first resolution on March 2 demanding an immediate Russian cease-fire, withdrawal of all its troops and protection for all civilians by a vote of 141-5 with 35 abstentions.

On March 24, the assembly voted 140-5 with 38 abstentions on a resolution blaming Russia for Ukraine’s humanitarian crisis and urging an immediate cease-fire and protection for millions of civilians and the homes, schools and hospitals critical to their survival.

Monday’s vote was close to the lowest vote for a Ukraine resolution: The assembly voted 93-24 with 58 abstentions on April 7 to suspend Russia from the UN’s Geneva-based Human Rights Council over allegations Russian soldiers in Ukraine engaged in rights violations that the United States and Ukraine have called war crimes.

The assembly voted overwhelmingly by its highest margin—143-5 with 35 abstentions—on October 12 to condemn Russia’s “attempted illegal annexation” of four Ukrainian regions and demand its immediate reversal, a sign of strong global opposition to the seven-month war and Moscow’s attempt to grab its neighbor’s territory.

The vote in the 193-member world body was 143-5 with 35 abstentions. It was the strongest support from the General Assembly for Ukraine and against Russia of the four resolutions it has approved since Russian troops invaded Ukraine on February 24.

US President Joe Biden, right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands before their meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit on Monday, November 14, 2022, in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia. AP/ALEX BRANDON

Ukraine, China-US frictions dominate at G-20 summit

By Elaine Kurtenbach The Associated Press

NUSA DUA, Indonesia—Dis cord over Russia’s war on Ukraine and festering ten sions between the US and China are proving to be ominous backdrops for world leaders gathering in Indonesia’s tropical Bali island for a summit of the Group of 20 biggest economies starting Tuesday.

With recession looming as cen tral banks fight decades-high infla tion partly brought on by the war, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that ending the conflict would be the “single best thing that we can do for the global economy.”

British Prime Minister Rishi Su nak, writing in the newspaper The Telegraph, called Russia a “rogue state”

and slammed its president, Vladimir Putin, for staying away.

“Leaders take responsibility. They show up. Yet, at the G-20 summit in Indonesia this week, one seat will re main vacant,” wrote Sunak, who took office last month. “The man who is responsible for so much bloodshed in Ukraine and economic strife around the world will not be there to face his peers. He won’t even attempt to explain his actions.”

Pressures have been mounting as Russian attacks destroy vital infra structure in Ukraine, adding to mis eries in damaged cities just as winter cold takes hold.

The G-20 meetings provide an other opportunity for leaders to show unity in their support for Ukraine, discussions that “are in separable from those on how we can

strengthen our collective security,” Sunak said.

In myriad ways, the war’s repercus sions have encompassed the globe as disruptions to grain shipments and energy supplies have pushed costs of living sharply higher.

“Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine is creating food and energy crises. It’s disrupting supply chains and raising the cost of living. Families are wor ried that they’re not going to be able to put food on the table or won’t be able to heat their homes during win ter,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a business conference on the sidelines of the G-20 meetings.

Most vital for countries threat ened with famine is whether Russia will agree to extend the UN Black Sea Grain Initiative, which is up for renewal on Saturday.

The deal, reached in July, enabled major global grain producer Ukraine to resume exports from ports that had been largely blocked for months because of the war. Russia briefly pulled out of the deal but rejoined it days later.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said Monday that he was “hopeful” the initiative will be re newed after progress was made on resolving issues related to payments for Russian exports of food and fer tilizers.

The effort helped stabilize markets and bring down food prices, he said.

“I’m hopeful that our efforts will go on being successful and we will be able to remove the last obstacles.”

Guterres said he was happy that US President Joe Biden and Chinese Presi dent Xi Jinping met Monday in their

first face-to-face encounter since Biden took office in January 2021.

Cooperation between the two larg est economies is vital for global efforts to curb the carbon emissions that cause climate change, among other issues, he said.

The meeting between Biden and Xi on the eve of the start of the formal G-20 summit meetings was a step to ward finding common ground despite antagonisms over trade, technology and other issues as relations have grown increasingly strained.

Signaling that the two sides will resume communication on climate change, Biden underscored that the United States and China must work together to address such transnational challenges, the White House said in a statement on the roughly three-hour meeting,

The two leaders agreed that “a nuclear war should never be fought” and can’t be won, “and underscored their opposition to the use or threat of use of nuclear weap ons in Ukraine,” the White House said in a reference to Russian officials’ thinly veiled threats to use atomic weapons as Moscow’s nearly nine-month invasion of Ukraine has faltered.

It was unclear if any headway was made on longstanding differences over trade.

Chinese officials condemned the Biden administration’s decision last month to block exports of advanced computer chips to China—a national security move that bolsters US compe tition against Beijing.

The Associated Press writers Niniek Karmini and Adam Schreck contributed to this report.

editorial

Taking care of our future labor force

AfifTh of young filipinos possibly went to sleep hungry last night. According to the results of the 2021 Expanded National Nutrition Survey (ENNS), stunting and wasting affected nearly a fifth of young filipinos (See, “Survey: Young Filipinos suffer food insecurity,” in the BusinessMirror, November 15, 2022). These are children who experienced food insecurity, which the food and Agriculture Organization (fAO) defined as the lack of regular access to enough safe and nutritious food for normal growth and development and an active and healthy life.

The ENNS conducted by the Department of Science and Technology’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI) pegged the prevalence of food insecurity nationwide at 33.4 percent. These are Filipinos, both young and old, who reduced their food consumption or skipped meals. Of the figure, 2 percent did not eat for at least one day.

Because of their lack of access to enough safe and nutritious food, the survey indicated that 1 in every 5 school-age children is underweight, 1 in 5 is stunted, and 1 in 15 is wasted. The prevalence of underweight is higher among those residing in rural areas and those belonging to the poorest and poor households. Stunting is significantly higher in rural areas and in households of poor to poorest wealth quintiles.

One of the culprits is the finding that 87.3 percent or 8 in 10 school-age children 6 to 9 years old do not meet the recommended energy intake. The FNRI defines REI as the level of intake of energy or nutrient that is considered adequate for the maintenance of health and well being of healthy persons in the population. The REI for children 6 to 9 years old is 1,500 kcal per day but the mean energy intake of Filipino kids is only at 1,051.

The obvious solution to this is to expand the access of young Filipinos to nutritious food. The challenge is to accomplish this goal amid the spike in consumer prices. Cooperation between national government agencies and local government units is crucial so they can come up with innovative measures that will allow children to increase and improve the quality of the food they consume.

Apart from improving the food consumption of young Filipinos, it would do well for policymakers to also address the finding of the ENNS that there are children as young as 10 years old who smoke and drink alcohol. According to the FNRI data, 13.2 percent of Filipinos aged 10 to 19.9 years are current drinkers or those who consumed one or more drinks of alcohol. The data also showed the current smokers, or those who smoked at least weekly in the past month, included 8 percent of the 18 to 19.9-year olds; 4 percent of the 16 to 17.9- year olds; 1.1 percent, 13 to 15.9-year olds; and 0.01 of the 10 to 12.9-year olds.

These young Filipinos would constitute our future labor force. Reversing these trends are crucial if the Philippines is to reap the so-called demographic dividend and fast track the country’s recovery from the pandemic.

Handshake sparks climate hope, but officials remain worried

By Frank Jordans, Seth Borenstein & Kelvin Chan The Associated Press

Sh A RM EL-Sh Ei K h A handshake in lush Bali is being felt at climate talks thousands of miles away in the Egyptian desert, where lack of progress had a top United Nations official worried.

After more than a week of so far fruitless climate talks, negotiators were grasping for something themselves: Hope. It came in the form of a cordial greeting between US President Joe Biden and China’s President Xi Jinping, who met on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Indonesia.

Tensions between the world’s two biggest polluters—whose cooperation is essential for any climate deal to work—have cast a shadow over the annual U.N. climate gathering, known as COP27. The Biden-Xi meeting could unfreeze negotiations between the US and China on climate, which Beijing paused in August to protest House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.

At Monday’s meeting, Biden and Xi agreed to “empower key senior officials” on areas of potential cooperation, including tackling climate change—though it was not immediately clear whether that meant formal talks would resume. The two nations’ top climate envoys, John Kerry and Xie Zhenhua, have a long and friendly working relationship that was put on hold by the summer tensions.

Li Shuo, a China expert at Green-

peace, said the news from Bali showed Beijing and Washington had found an “offramp” to avoid geopolitics from polluting climate engagement. “This will help calm down tension at COP27,” he said. “Both sides can talk to each other, now they also need to lead.”

Despite the handshake, United Nations Environment Programme Director Inger Andersen used the word “worried” six times when talking about the state of climate talks in a half-hour interview with The Associated Press late Monday.

“We need to see much, much greater effort now,” Andersen said. “So, yes, I’m worried, concerned, but also absolutely determined that we have to push to get there.”

Sameh Shoukry, the Egyptian official chairing the talks, acknowledged that negotiators will need help from ministers now flying to Sharm el-Sheikh in order to get a deal over the line.

“There is still a lot of work ahead of us if we are to achieve meaningful and tangible outcomes of which we can be proud,” said Shoukry, who is also Egypt’s foreign minister. “We must now shift gears and

Despite the handshake, United Nations Environment Programme Director Inger Andersen used the word “worried” six times when talking about the state of climate talks in a halfhour interview with The Associated Press late Monday.

complement the technical discussions with more political, high-level engagement.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, arriving in Bali, said, there was no way to address climate change “without the cooperation of all G-20 members and in particular without the cooperation of the two biggest economies, the United States and China.”

But there was worry that fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the ensuing energy and food crises and global inflation, could see the G-20 backtrack on last year’s commitment to addressing climate change, including upholding the 1.5 degree Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) warming limit agreed seven years ago in Paris.

“It would clearly be a great disappointment to the majority of countries, the vast majority of countries, to the small island developing states” that insisted on putting the 1.5 goal in the 2015 Paris agreement, Andersen said. “We cannot undo Paris.”

Deep divides remain at COP27, where tens of thousands of attendees

from nearly 200 countries returned to the sprawling conference zone in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh after a one-day break.

Aside from haggling once again over the 1.5-degree target, delegates remained divided on calls for wealthy nations whose industrialization contributed most to global warming to provide more help for poor countries who’ve contributed little to global emissions.

This was reflected in the first draft of a crucial agreement released Monday on the issue of “loss and damage.” Poor nations are seeking the creation of a new fund “no later” than November 2024 to provide further financial aid to countries hit by extreme weather, sea-level rise and other devastating effects of global warming. Rich nations including the United States have conceded that they need to provide more aid but made clear they don’t want a new fund, instead citing an existing “mosaic of funding arrangements for responding to loss and damage.”

UNEP head Andersen said the talks in Sharm el-Sheikh might clear the path for future pledges, but there still needed to be meaningful and clear progress on a pathway.

Some delegates were already talking about the possibility of a walkout by developing nations unless demands for more aid to poor countries are met.

“Now rich countries need to play

DEA’s most corrupt agent: Parties, sex amid ‘unwinnable war’

By Jim Mustian & Joshua Goodman | The Associated Press

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico—José irizarry accepts that he’s known as the most corrupt agent in US Drug Enforcement Administration history, admitting he “became another man” in conspiring with Colombian cartels to build a lavish lifestyle of expensive sportscars, Tiffany jewels and paramours around the world.

But as he used his final hours of freedom to tell his story to The Associated Press, Irizarry says he won’t go down for this alone, accusing some long-trusted DEA colleagues of joining him in skimming millions of dollars from drug money laundering stings to fund a decade’s worth of luxury overseas travel, fine dining, top seats at sporting events and frat house-style debauchery.

The way Irizarry tells it, dozens of other federal agents, prosecutors, informants and in some cases cartel smugglers themselves were all in on the three-continent joyride known as “Team America” that chose cities for money laundering pick-ups mostly for party purposes or to coincide with Real Madrid soccer or Rafael Nadal tennis matches. That included stops along the way in VIP rooms of Caribbean strip joints, Amsterdam’s red-light district and aboard a Colombian yacht that launched

with plenty of booze and more than a dozen prostitutes.

“We had free access to do whatever we wanted,” the 48-year-old Irizarry told the AP in a series of interviews before beginning a 12-year federal prison sentence. “We would generate money pick-ups in places we wanted to go. And once we got there it was about drinking and girls.”

All this revelry was rooted, Irizarry said, in a crushing realization among DEA agents around the world that there’s nothing they can do to make a dent in the drug war anyway. Only nominal concern was given to actually building cases or stemming a record flow of illegal cocaine and opioids into the United States that has driven more than 100,000 drug overdose deaths a year.

“You can’t win an unwinnable war,” he said. “The drug war is a game. ...It was a very fun game that we were playing.”

Irizarry’s story, which some former colleagues have attacked as a fictionalized attempt to reduce his sentence, came in days of contrite, bitter, sometimes tearful interviews with the AP in the historic quarter of his native San Juan. It was much the same account he gave the FBI in lengthy debriefings and sealed court papers obtained by the AP after he pleaded guilty in 2020 to 19 corruption counts.

But after years of portraying Irizarry as a rogue agent who acted alone, US Justice Department investigators have in recent months begun closely following his confessional roadmap, questioning as many as two-dozen current and former DEA agents and prosecutors accused of turning a blind eye to his flagrant abuses and sometimes joining in.

The once-standout agent has accused some former colleagues in the DEA’s Miami-based Group 4 of lining their pockets and falsifying records to replenish a slush fund used for foreign jaunts over the better part of a decade, until his resignation in 2018.

“The indictment paints a picture of me, the corrupt agent that did this entire scheme. But it doesn’t talk about the rest of DEA. I wasn’t the

mastermind,” Irizarry said.

The Justice Department declined to comment. A DEA spokesperson said: “José Irizarry is a criminal who violated his oath as a federal law enforcement officer and violated the trust of the American people.” AP was able to corroborate some, but not all, of Irizarry’s accusations through thousands of confidential law enforcement records and dozens of interviews with those familiar with his claims and the ongoing criminal investigation.

The probe is focused in part on George Zoumberos, one of Irizarry’s former partners who traveled overseas extensively for money laundering investigations. Irizarry told AP that Zoumberos enjoyed unfettered access to so-called commission funds and improperly tapped that money for personal purchases and unwarranted trips.

Authorities are so focused on Zoumberos that they also subpoenaed his brother, a Florida wedding photographer who traveled with DEA agents, and even granted him immunity to induce his cooperation. But Michael Zoumberos also refused to testify and has been jailed outside Tampa since March

How China’s language shifted after landmark Xi-Biden meeting

AftER Xi Jinping spoke for more than three hours on Monday with Joe Biden on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit, China’s readout of the meeting indicates the country’s approach to US ties is shifting.

The leaders set a more positive tone for relations, which reached a low point after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made a controversial visit to Taiwan in August. Presidents Xi and Biden greeted each other with a handshake and agreed to resume bilateral talks on climate change, economic stability and health and food security. The White House said in a statement afterward that Secretary of State Antony Blinken would travel to China to follow up.

Plenty of disagreements remain, over topics including Taiwan, technology and human rights. But tensions have eased, with China’s statement offering the US more incentives to work together and issuing fewer warnings than other recent communications. Here are five key shifts in China’s language.

A warmer tone...

BEIJING described the in-person meeting as “candid, in-depth and constructive”—with the last term usually used by China to suggest a positive development. When Xi and Biden spoke by telephone in July, just days before Pelosi’s Taiwan trip, that description was missing from the statement Beijing issued afterward.

The July statement was also just 911 Chinese characters long, while the more than 2,800-character readout following Monday’s meeting was more explanatory.

… But Taiwan remains the No. 1 red line

IN another sign that tensions have been dialed back, Xi told Biden that the US must abide by the “One China policy” rather than the “One China principle,” as he did in July. That small tweak in language is an important recognition that the two sides interpret Taiwan’s status differently—“policy” has long been the US phrasing, while “principle” is the usual Chinese term.

Back in July, Xi’s language around Taiwan was aggressive. The Chinese leader warned Biden that “whoever plays with fire will perish by it” and spoke of the “firm will” of China’s 1.4 billion people to defend the country’s territorial integrity.

That heated language was notably absent from Monday’s statement, although it is clear that the two nation’s differences over Taiwan are far from

resolved: The statement described the island’s fate as “the first red line that must not be crossed in ChinaUS relations.”

Succeeding in parallel T HE statement used conciliatory language to state that US-China relations need not be a “strategic competition.”

In July, Xi bluntly accused the US of “misperceiving” China as a primary rival that posed a long-term challenge. On Monday, the emphasis fell on the benefits a rising China could bring to the US.

“The world is big enough for the two countries to develop themselves and prosper together,” Xi said, adding that “under the current circumstances, China and the United States share more, not less, common interests.”

Economic cooperation IN a similar vein, Xi in July warned the US against cutting China out of supply chains. “Attempts at decoupling or severing supply chains in defiance of underlying laws would not help boost the US economy,” he said.

But on Monday, Xi focus on mutual benefits, saying: “The two economies are deeply integrated, and both face new tasks in development. It is in our mutual interest to benefit from each other’s development.”

That said, he also told Biden that “suppression and containment will only strengthen the will and boost the morale of the Chinese people.”

Xi added that tackling climate change and other regional and global issues are both sides’ interest.

What wasn’t said W HILE the Chinese readout mentioned Russia’s war in Ukraine, it didn’t refer to the two leaders’ agreement that “a nuclear war should never be fought and can never be won,” or their opposition to the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons there. Instead, it repeated Xi’s usual comments that China always stands on the side of peace and is willing to facilitate dialogues. There was no mention of North Korea.

Xinjiang or Hong Kong were also absent from the statement, although the White House noted Biden had raised concerns about human rights in both locations. Bloomberg

from the much broader effort to get big polluters to pay for the loss and damage they’ve already caused with their greenhouse gases.

Biden to press G-20 to hold tough on Russia over Ukraine war

By Seung Min Kim, Zeke Miller & Elaine Kurtenbach The Associated Press

NUSA DUA, Indonesia—President Joe Biden was set to try to cajole the world’s largest economies to further isolate Russia diplomatically and economically over its invasion of Ukraine despite a souring global outlook that has tested other nations’ resolve.

In meetings Tuesday at the Group of 20 summit in Indonesia, the US leader is to continue a global tour pressing nations to stand up to Russia and defend Ukraine’s sovereignty in both symbolic and substantive ways. The effort comes as global inflation and slowing economies have put new pressures on countries that imposed penalties on Russia for the nine-month war that has sent food and energy prices soaring.

In opening the summit, Indonesian President Joko Widodo impressed on the gathering what’s at stake.

“If the war does not end, it will be difficult for the world to move forward,” Widodo said. “We should not divide the world into parts. We must not allow the world to fall into another cold war.”

A senior US administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the summit, said Tuesday that the summit’s final communiqué will make clear that “most” of the nations condemn Russia’s invasion in Ukraine and the toll it has taken on global food and

energy supplies.

It’s unclear how many nations would embrace the tough language or whether the document would refer to Russia’s actions as a “war”—a phrase Moscow has sought to avoid, despite the devastating losses sustained by its military.

The European Council president, Charles Michel, urged other global powers to intensify pressure on Russia over its war against Ukraine, including Moscow’s biggest supporter, China. Michel said Tuesday that the summit was crucial to stopping Moscow’s push “to use food and energy as weapons.”

US officials have said Biden’s trip has demonstrated that countries large and small are willing to condemn Russian aggression. Russian President Vladimir Putin has stayed away, sending his foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov. The Indonesian president invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to virtually address the G-20 summit, just days after Ukraine’s foreign minister was invited to participate in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations sum-

mit in Cambodia, where it became the latest signatory to the group’s treaty of amity and cooperation.

Chinese officials have largely refrained from public criticism of Russia’s war, although Beijing has avoided direct support of the Russians, such as supplying arms. Biden said he and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed Russia’s aggression in a meeting Monday and “reaffirmed our shared belief” that the use or even the threat of nuclear weapons is “totally unacceptable”—a reference to Moscow’s thinly veiled threats to use atomic weapons as its invasion of Ukraine has faltered.

The summit schedule does not include a “family photo” of leaders, which would avoid a potentially awkward moment of interaction with the Russian representative, Lavrov. It remained to be seen how Biden and US allies would react when Lavrov is recognized to speak during the summit’s closed sessions. Some Europeans have discussed potentially walking out of the meeting to protest Russia’s invasion.

US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said no one in the US delegation had plans to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, often known as MBS, after Biden accused Saudi Arabia of siding with Russia by leading the Opec+ cartel to cut oil production last month in a bid to sustain the elevated energy prices that Russia uses to fund its war in Ukraine.

It also was not clear whether anyone from the US delegation would meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi or other leaders whose cooperation is needed to secure a price cap on Russian oil to limit the profits Moscow uses to invest in its defense base.

The summit will be the first for two critical new partners in Biden’s effort: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni.

Sunak, who took office last month after the disastrously short tenure of Liz Truss, has promised to continue his conservative predecessors’ steadfast support for Ukraine. He and Biden are set to strategize during their Wednesday meeting on new ways to bolster Ukraine’s defenses for the long haul.

Meloni has pledged to continue to provide arms and aid for Ukraine, but questions remain over her farright coalition’s commitment to stand up to Russia. She will meet with Biden privately on Tuesday afternoon.

One leader who will be absent is Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who tested positive for Covid-19 after his arrival in Bali and said he was returning home. So far, no other leaders are known to have tested positive, though many of those in Bali also attended meetings with Hun Sen just days ago during a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian nations.

Zelenskyy calls liberation of Kherson ‘beginning of the end’

By Sam Mednick | The Associated Press

KHERSON, Ukraine—President Volodymyr Zelenskyy triumphantly walked the streets of the newly liberated city of Kherson on Monday, hailing Russia’s withdrawal as the “beginning of the end of the war,” but also acknowledging the heavy price Ukrainian troops are paying in their grinding effort to push back the invaders.

The retaking of Kherson was one of Ukraine’s biggest successes in the nearly 9-month-old war, dealing another stinging blow to the Kremlin. It could serve as a springboard for more advances into occupied territory.

President Joe Biden called it a “significant victory” for Ukraine.

“I can do nothing but applaud the courage, determination and capacity of the Ukrainian people, the Ukrainian military,” he said on the sidelines of a Group of 20 summit in Indonesia. “They’ve really been amazing. ... we’re going to continue to provide the capability for the Ukrainian people to defend themselves.”

February — has sparked days of celebration. But with winter approaching, its remaining 80,000 residents are without heat, water and electricity, and short on food and medicine. Zelenskyy says the city is laced with booby traps and mines. And Ukrainian authorities say there are signs of atrocities emerging, just as in other liberated areas.

weapon in Ukraine, according to a White House National Security Council official.

The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Burns and Naryshkin, the head of Russia’s SVR spy agency, did not discuss settlement of the war. Their meeting was the highest-ranking face-to-face engagement between US and Russian officials since before Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion.

Serhii Yukhmchuk, 47, said he and his wife spent the occupation mostly at home to avoid interacting with the Russians and protested by refusing to use the Russian ruble as currency. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refused to comment on Zelenskyy’s visit, saying only that “you know that it is the territory of the Russian Federation.” Russia illegally annexed the Kherson region and three other Ukrainian provinces earlier this year, in addition to annexing the Crimean Peninsula in 2014.

their part,” said Rachel Cleetus, policy director and lead economist at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

“So this is going to be the litmus test of success at this COP, at COP27, that we get this loss and damage finance facility agreed here and that it’s up and running in two years,” Cleetus said at a press briefing.

Guterres, the UN chief, said he was encouraged by some countries’ declarations that they would contribute funds, “but it’s still early to know whether these (loss and damage) objectives will be—or not—reached.”

The Group of Seven leading economies launched a new insurance system Monday to provide swift financial aid when nations are hit by devastating effects of climate change.

The so-called Global Shield is backed by the V20 group of 58 climate-vulnerable nations and will initially receive more than 200 million euros (dollars) in funding, mostly from Germany. Initial recipients include Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Fiji, Ghana, Pakistan, the Philippines and Senegal.

But civil society groups were skeptical, warning that the program should not be used as a way to distract

India made an unexpected proposal over the weekend for this year’s climate talks to end with a call for a phase down of all fossil fuels.

The idea is likely to get strong pushback from oil and gas-exporting nations, including the United States, which promotes natural gas as a clean ‘bridge fuel’ to renewables.

India was blamed at last year’s climate talks for resisting a call to “phase out” coal. Countries compromised by calling for a vaguer “phase down” instead, which was nevertheless seen as significant because it was the first time a fossil fuel industry was put on notice.

The talks are due to wrap up Friday but could extend into the weekend if negotiators need more time to reach an agreement.

The UN’s top climate official appealed for constructive diplomacy to match the high-flying rhetoric heard during the opening days of the talks.

“Let me remind negotiators that people and planet are relying on this process to deliver,” UN Climate Secretary Simon Stiell said. “Let’s use our remaining time in Egypt to build the bridges needed to make progress.”

Large parts of eastern and southern Ukraine are still under Russian control, and the city of Kherson itself remains within reach of Moscow’s shells and missiles. Heavy fighting continued elsewhere in Ukraine. Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti reported the town of Oleshky, in Russian-held territory across the Dnieper River from Kherson, came under heavy artillery fire.

In Kherson, Zelenskyy awarded medals to soldiers and posed with them for selfies while striking a defiant note.

“This is the beginning of the end of the war,” he said. “We are step by step coming to all the temporarily occupied territories.”

But he also grimly noted that the fighting “took the best heroes of our country.”

The end of Russia’s occupation of the city — the only provincial capital seized since Russia’s invasion in

Russian forces “destroyed everything in their path, wrecked the entire electricity network,” he said. Communications operators said cellphone service was being restored and the regional governor said a public wireless Internet access point would begin working Tuesday.

The Institute for the Study of War said Ukraine has won “an important victory” in recapturing the city and other areas west of the Dnieper, but the Washington-based think tank noted that “it has by no means liberated the minimum territory essential to its future security and economic survival.”

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned that “we should not make the mistake of underestimating Russia.”

“The Russian armed forces retain significant capability as well as a large number of troops, and Russia has demonstrated their willingness to bear significant losses,” he said while visiting The Hague.

In Ankara, Turkey, CIA Director Bill Burns met with his Russian intelligence counterpart, Sergei Naryshkin, to underscore the consequences if Moscow were to deploy a nuclear

because of the embarrassment of the Irizarry scandal.

for “civil contempt”—an exceedingly rare pressure tactic that underscores the rising temperature of the investigation.

Some current and former DEA agents say Irizarry’s claims are overblown or flat-out fabrications. The lawyer for the Zoumberos brothers says prosecutors are on a “fishing expedition” to bring more indictments

“They’re looking to find a crime to fit this case as opposed to a crime that actually took place,” said attorney Raymond Mansolillo.

Irizarry parlayed his knowledge of the black-market peso exchange into a life of luxury that prosecutors say was bankrolled by $9 million he and his Colombian co-conspirators diverted from money laundering investigations.

Irizarry’s spending habits quickly

While US officials for months have warned of the prospect that Russia could use weapons of mass destruction in Ukraine amid battlefield setbacks, Biden administration officials have repeatedly said nothing has changed in US intelligence assessments to suggest that Putin has imminent plans to deploy nuclear weapons.

The UN General Assembly on Monday passed a resolution calling for establishing a mechanism to assess Russian reparations for damages and injuries in Ukraine. The resolution is not binding and Russia’s ambassador said it had no legal validity.

Zelenskyy’s trip to Kherson was another in a series of unexpected visits to front-line areas at crucial moments of the war. This was laden with symbolism and the common touch — clearly aimed at boosting the morale of soldiers and civilians alike.

In a video, a visibly moved Zelenskyy stood with his hand on his heart and sang the national anthem in Kherson as troops saluted and stood at attention. A soldier steadily raised the yellow-and-blue Ukrainian flag.

People with flags draped around their shoulders cheered, cried and shouted in gratitude as Zelenskyy walked by.

“It’s amazing. We’ve been waiting for him for nine months. Thank you,” said resident Danila Yuhrenko.

began to mimic the ostentatious tastes of the narcos he was tasked with targeting, with spoils including a $30,000 Tiffany diamond ring for his wife, luxury sports cars and a $767,000 home in the Colombian resort city of Cartagena.

“I got caught up in the lifestyle,” he said. “I got caught up with the informants and partying.”

Since his arrest, Irizarry has written a self-published book titled “Getting Back on Track,” part of his attempt to own up to his mistakes,

In his Sunday night address, Zelenskyy said that “investigators have already documented more than 400 Russian war crimes, and the bodies of both civilians and military personnel have been found.”

“In the Kherson region, the Russian army left behind the same atrocities as in other regions of our country,” he said. “We will find and bring to justice every murderer. Without a doubt.”

Residents said Russian troops plundered the city and wrecked key infrastructure before retreating across the wide Dnieper River to its east bank last week.

Reconnecting the electricity supply is the priority, regional Gov. Yaroslav Yanushevych said.

The arrival of winter is making the situation more difficult, with Stoltenberg saying that Putin is aiming “to leave Ukraine cold and dark this winter.”

Biden said he expected things to slow down somewhat militarily “because of the winter months and the inability to move as easily around.”

In the past two months, Ukraine’s military claimed to have retaken dozens of towns and villages north of the city of Kherson, which is a key gateway to the Crimean Peninsula to the south. Associated Press writers John Leicester in Kyiv, Hanna Arhirova in Odesa, Ukraine, and Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed.

and his wife has told him she is seeking a divorce.

Adding to Irizarry’s despair is that he is still the only one to pay such a heavy price for a pattern of misconduct that he says the DEA allowed to fester. To date, prosecutors have yet to charge any other agents, and several former colleagues have quietly retired rather than endure the disgrace of possibly being fired.

“I’ve told them everything I know,” Irizarry said. “All they have to do is dig.”

CAMPI: AUTO MAKERS TO END 2022 ON A HIGH NOTE

By Andrea E. San Juan

WITH local car sales sus

taining its growth trend in October, the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (Campi) said it is confident sales will exceed its forecast for 2022.

A joint report released by Cam pi and the Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA) showed that vehicle makers sold 32,146 units in October, 42.4 percent higher than last year’s 22,581 units.

“ The continued double-digit growth recorded anew in Octo ber is boosting optimism for the automotive industry, further ac celerating full recovery this year from the pandemic disruptions,” CAMPI President Rommel Gutier rez said in a statement on Tuesday.

G utierrez expressed confi dence that the automotive in dustry will not only continuously grow in the remaining months of the year, but will also surpass its target of 336,000 units this year.

Sustaining this growth trend in the remaining months of the year gives us confidence that the industry will be able to emerge strong, exceeding its forecast speaking from the cur rent business-as-usual stand point,” he said.

D ata from Campi-TMA also showed that from January to Oc

tober, vehicle sales rose by 30.9 percent to 280,300 units from 214,186 units last year.

Meanwhile, on a monthly ba sis, data indicated that car sales fell by 8.9 percent from the 35,282 units sold in September.

T he light commercial vehicle, commercial vehicle and Asian utility vehicle segments buoyed the performance of the local au tomotive sector in October.

I n contrast, passenger cars (PC) and trucks and buses per formed poorly last month.

Sales of trucks and buses fell by 18.1 percent to 748 units from Janu ary to October from the 913 units sold in the same period last year.

To yota Motor Philippines Corp. led year-to-date sales with 140,425 units, followed by Mit subishi Motors Philippines Corp. with 40,666 and Ford Motor Com pany Phils. with 18,645 units.

I n March, Gutierrez said the automotive industry targets to sell 336,000 units this year which is 17 percent higher from the ac tual volume of 268,488 total ve hicle units sold in 2021.

W ith the 280,300 units sold from January to October, local car makers must sell 55,700 units to hit its sales target for the year.

I n 2020, CAMPI said total vehicle sales reached 223,793. Meanwhile, auto makers sold a total of 369,941 units in 2019.

‘PDP details strategies for accelerating growth’

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

MALACAÑANG said the government has set its sights on achieving rapid economic growth via the new Phil ippine Development Plan (PDP) in its bid to slash the poverty rate to 9 percent by 2028.

D uring its meeting with Presi dent Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. last Tuesday, the Na tional Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said the imple mentation of the 2023-2028 PDP is expected to help reduce poverty incidence to a single digit by the end of the president’s term.

B ased on the latest government data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the country’s poverty rate is currently at 18.1 percent.

A mong the salient points of the pending new PDP are measures to foster faster economic development and the creation of more quality jobs.

This is part of the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 of the Marcos administration, which sets the government’s eight-point program and contains targets and actionable plans that will help the country pursue a greener economy and more sustainable, affordable and livable residential areas in the next six years,” the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) said in a statement issued last Tuesday.

S ocioeconomic Planning Secre tary Arsenio M. Balisacan said they expect to release the new PDP by next month.

He said the Marcos administra tion is keen on releasing the new PDP earlier, in contrast to the prac tice of previous administrations, to encourage government agencies to align their goals before they roll out their programs next year.

Every year, we will provide a report to the President and how the plan is being implemented and the performance and the various metrics or targets that have [been] indicated in the plan,” Balisacan said.

N EDA is optimistic that the government will reach its goal of cutting poverty incidence to a sin gle digit as the country is growing

faster than expected despite “global headwinds and rising inflation.”

Appointments

MEANWHILE , Marcos has ap pointed a long-time insider of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) as the agency’s new commissioner.

I n a brief statement issued last Tuesday, the Office of the Press Sec retary (OPS) named Romeo Luma gui Jr. as new chief of the BIR.

Lumagui, a tax lawyer, took his oath on Tuesday, November 15,” the OPS said. He replaced former BIR Commissioner Lilia C. Guillermo.

P rior to his new appointment, Lumagui served as the deputy com missioner of the BIR.

He also became technical assis tant to the commissioner, and tax fraud head for Revenue Region No. 6, Manila, Revenue Region No. 4, Pampanga, and Revenue Region No. 7B, East National Capital Region (NCR) since he joined BIR in 2016.

D uring his stint in BIR, he headed several task forces includ ing Assets Recovery, where total collections amounted to P833.69 million, and Direct Selling/MultiLevel Marketing and Investment Scams, where assessments totaled P792.56 million.

T he president has also appointed the officer-in-charge of the AntiRed Tape Authority (ARTA), Er nesto V. Perez, as the new director general of the said agency.

I n a statement issued last Mon day evening, the OPS confirmed the designation of Perez.

T he new ARTA head has commit ted to further streamline govern ment operations in line with the priority agenda of Marcos.

“ This appointment is really providential, as it would allow us to further continue what we have always aspired for from the very start, that is, to remove red tape and increase the ease of doing business, ultimately benefiting the economy and the people,” Perez said.

Perez replaced Atty. Jeremiah Belgica who served from July 2019 to June 2022.

He started his stint in ARTA as its first ever employee on December 1, 2018.

B efore his stint in ARTA, he also served as Assistant Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry.

BOC: Revenue collection as of Nov exceeds 2022 target

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

total collection as of November 11 is already 15.44 percent higher than the P645.765 billion it collected for the whole year of 2021.

T he BOC attributed the high er year-on-year collections to its “stringent” implementation of pro grams aimed at curbing smuggling and corruption, optimizing revenue collections and continuing digitiza tion of the bureau’s operations.

T he BOC’s digitization rate now stands at 91.18 percent wherein 155 out of its total 170 processes have been digitized.

T he Bureau said its management information system and technology group is currently working on the development of other systems “to further strengthen border control, enhance trade facilitation and im prove collection of lawful revenues.”

T he Bureau of Customs (BOC) said its collections as of November 11 were P23.98 billion higher than its 2022 target of P721.52 billion.

This year’s revenue collec tion performance historically marks the highest revenue col lection of the agency to date,” it

said in a statement.

Based on a preliminary report, all 17 collection districts of the Bureau also reached their respec tive collection targets, garnering a surplus of 16.8 percent or P103.29 billion as of October 31,” it added.

O n an annual basis, the BOC’s

“As ordered by President Mar cos Jr., [BOC] Commissioner [Yogi Filemon] Ruiz has streamlined customs processes to ease bottle necks and promote local and inter national investments and efficient trade facilitation while preventing revenue leakages through height ened border security measures,” the bureau said.

F or the month of Novem ber, the BOC aims to collect a total of P59.338 billion in rev enues and another P59.392 bil lion next month. (Related sto ry: https:// businessmirror com.ph/2022/11/03/movesvs-leakage-smugglingbring%e2%82%a7714-3b-to-boc-cof fers/).

Bill convening con-con to amend Charter pushed

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie

ASENIOR lawmaker is push ing for the passage of a bill convening an elected con stitutional convention (con-con) to recommend economic amendments to the 1987 Constitution.

I n House Joint Resolution No. 12, Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said various business groups have suggested that “par ticular economic provisions need to be revisited and redrafted so that the Philippines may become globally competitive and attuned to the changing times.”

He said these organizations feel that economic reform “is now long overdue.”

“ Political reforms may now as well be required to be incorporated in our Constitution,” he said.

“ The assumption of the new gov ernment counteracts any suspicion that the clamor for constitutional reform promotes vested interests and the personal ambitions of elec tive officials in the guise of consti tutional amendments,” he added.

According to Rodriguez, a con stitutional convention (con-con) “would be the most democratic and least divisive” mode of proposing Charter changes.

Under the resolution, the con vention would be composed of delegates elected from legislative districts. Each district would elect one delegate.

C andidates would have the same qualifications as members of the House of Representatives.

T heir election would be conduct ed on the last Monday of October 2023 simultaneously with the ba

rangay elections.

Political parties or groups would be prohibited from supporting any con-con candidate. No candidate shall allow himself to represent any political party or organization.

P ublic officers, whether elective or appointive, would be considered automatically resigned if they run for the convention.

A convention delegate would not be allowed to run in the first local and national election to be held af ter the ratification of the proposed Charter changes.

T he resolution sets the conven

ing of the convention for January 8, 2024. It fixes a deadline of six months, up to June 30, 2024, for the body to finish its job and submit a report to the President, Congress and the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

T he Comelec will conduct a plebi scite for the ratification of the pro posed amendments within 60 days to 90 days after the submission of the con-con report.

C on-con delegates would not receive a salary. However, they would be given a P10,000 per diem for every day of actual at tendance in the convention or any of its committees. Additionally, they would be entitled to travel ing expenses.

T hey would enjoy parliamentary immunity like lawmakers.

A ll government agencies, includ ing the Senate and the House, would be mandated to extend administra tive and technical assistance to the convention.

T he Senate president and the Speaker would preside in the concon’s initial session until it elects its officers.

THE Bureau of Customs on Tuesday said its revenue collection as of mid-November has reached P745.5 billion, surpassing its full-year target.

GRAB partners register to avail themselves of government services from agencies such as Pag-IBIG, PhilHealth and SSS, as part of Grab's celebration of “Buwan ng Tagapaghatid” held at Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City on Tuesday, November 15, 2022. NONOY LACZA

RUFUS RODRIGUEZ

BM

Political reforms may now as well be required to be incorporated in our Constitution.

Cagayan de Oro Representative

Challenges in office leasing drags Filreit income by 38%

By VG Cabuag @villygc

Filinvest Reit (Filrt) Corp., the real estate investment trust of the Filinvest group, said it recorded a net income of P1.05 billion in the nine months of the year through september, 38-percent lower than last year’s P1.69 billion.

Revenues had a narrower fall at 10 percent to P2.46 billion from the previous P2.73 billion.

“While the office leasing segment has its challenges due to emerging trends surrounding remote work, we

remain focused on delivering growth for our shareholders,” Filrt President and CEO Maricel Brion-Lirio said. For the third quarter alone, its income fell 47 percent to P344.91 million from the previous year’s

P648.16 billion. Revenues for the period, meanwhile, fell 1 percent to P822.18 million from the previous P836 million.

The company said it continued to lock in the expiring leases in 2022, renewing and signing about 20,585 square meters or 86 percent as of the end of the third quarter.

Only a small 4 percent did not renew and the balance of 10 percent is under negotiation with a high probability of renewal. FILRT also signed new leases in the third quarter of 2022 totaling 2,840 square meters coming from the traditional sector.

FILRT’s tenant mix is comprised of 90 percent BPOs with the balance largely traditional regional office headquarters with a small percentage of retail.

FILRT’s portfolio consists of LEED Gold-certified office buildings, which include green and sustainability-themed features. Totaling over 300,000 square meters of gross leasable area valued by an independent appraisal company at P48.5 billion, 16 of the buildings are in Northgate Cyberzone in Filinvest City in Alabang.

The company was recently named a “Circle of Excellence Awardee for Best Sustainability Company of the Year” at the 13th Asia CEO Awards 2022. Winning this award for two years in a row, the award recognizes organizations that achieved important success in environmental progress and demonstrated leadership and commitment to sustainability, the company said.

Meralco backs hoteliers’ recovery

By Lenie Lectura @llectura

THE Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) is reaffirming its commitment to fully support the recovery of local hotel operators as they bounce back from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Meralco, which has long been a partner of the Philippine Hotel Owners Association (PHOA), pledged to continue providing stable and reliable electricity service, and energy solutions that cater to the industry moving forward.

“For the past two years, our customers from the Hotel Industry were among the hardest hit with the sudden decline in occupancy,” Meralco said. “Their facilities were used for quarantine, requiring them to oper-

ate as quasi-hospitals and to strictly implement health and safety protocols while providing utmost care to travelers that had to be accommodated.”

“During this time, Meralco initiated contract right-sizing to assist our customers with hopes of preventing further loss of business and employment,” said Meralco Vice President and Head of Enterprise and National Government Maria Cecilia M. Domingo.

According to PHOA Executive Director Benito C. Bengzon Jr., Meralco played a vital role in helping PHOA members deliver on their commitments with energy-saving measures, such as contract rightsizing and temporary waiving of the Guaranteed Minimum Billing Demand (GMBD).

“[The] PHOA sees Meralco as

an institutional and vital industry partner. We hope to strengthen our relationship so that together we can continuously improve the delivery of services to our clientele,” Bengzon said.

Raffles and Fairmont Hotel Group, a member of the PHOA, similarly recognized the crucial role that Meralco plays in the recovery of the industry.

“Meralco is an essential partner in our business by providing for the electricity of the hotels. Customer satisfaction is one of our goals and we could have not attained it if power supply is unreliable,” said Raffles and Fairmont Hotel General Manager Aubrey Ada.

“Meralco is more than happy to assist the hotels to ensure energyreadiness once again. Further, their aptitude for economic recovery

through participation in the Interruptible Load Program (ILP) is laudable,” Domingo said.

The ILP is a demand-side management program of the Department of Energy where large businesses are asked to temporarily de-load from the grid when the Luzon grid is placed under red alert.

Participation of companies is crucial to the success of ILP, since this may spare an estimate of 4,000 households and small businesses from power outages for every 1-megawatt of de-loaded power.

Among the companies in the hospitality industry within Meralco’s franchise that are enrolled under the ILP are Taal Vista, City of Dreams, Discovery Suites, Diamond Hotel, Sofitel Manila and Raffles and Fairmont Hotel.

THE Securities and Exchange Commission announced it has approved the initial public offering (IPO) of a real estate investment trust (REIT) sponsored by S.I. Power Corp. (Sipcor) and Camotes Island Power Generation Corp. (Campcor).

In its en banc meeting, the SEC approved the registration statement of Premiere Island Philippines Holding Corp., which will change its name to Premiere Island Power REIT Corp. (Preit), covering 3.28 billion common shares.

The offer will include up to 1.4 billion common shares priced at P2

per share, to be sold by Sipcor and Campcor, plus up to 210 million common shares as part of the overallotment option.

Net proceeds from the offer could reach up to P3.09 billion, assuming the overallotment option is fully exercised. The selling shareholders will receive the full amount of the proceeds, which shall be reinvested in the Philippines.

Assuming the full exercise of the overallotment option, new investors will corner 42.6 percent of the issued and outstanding common shares of PREIT, while Sipcor and Campcor will retain a 57.4 percent interest. VG Cabuag

THE National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) has started work on the development of the Nabas-Caticlan-Boracay 138 kilovolt (kV) line, which will cater to the growing demand for Boracay and Caticlan.

“The existing 69 kV submarine cable and overhead line serving the island is no longer adequate to support load growth in the coming years. Under the project, NGCP will reinforce the grid with an additional submarine cable and upgrading the existing 69kV facilities to 138kV,” said NGCP.

The entire project is comprised of several components, particularly: underground and submarine cables connecting the mainland to Boracay Island, overhead transmission lines, a cable terminal station, a new Boracay Substation, and an upgraded Nabas Substation.

With an ERC-approved cost of P5.48 Billion, the project was certified as an “Energy Project of National Significance” by the Department of Energy in 2019. Without any transmission reinforcements, developments in Boracay and Caticlan cannot be accommodated. The projected demand for Boracay and Caticlan is 102 megawatts (MW) by 2030 and 175MW by 2040.

YUCHENGCO-led PetroEnergy Resources Corp. (PERC) reported a 24-percent jump in its net income to P677 million at end-September this year from P544 million in the same period a year ago on account of higher revenues.

Of the amount, P171.2 million was made in the third quarter, up from P158 million in the same period a year ago. Revenues stood at P621 million in the third quarter this year.

From January to September this year, PERC recorded P1.92 billion in revenues, up 10 percent from P1.74 billion in the same period last year.

This healthy financial growth is due largely to higher global crude oil prices, and to higher off-take rates for the Tarlac-2 solar power plant of PetroSolar Corp. This resulted in a 44-percent increase in net income attributable to PERC parent.

The bulk of PERC’s revenues is derived from electricity sales of its RE operating units under holding firm PetroGreen Energy Corp. (PGEC). These include the 32MW Maibarara Geothermal Project of Maibarara Geothermal Inc. in Batangas, the 70MW Tarlac Solar Project of PetroSolar Corp. in Tar-

lac City, and the 36-MW Nabas-1 Wind Project of PetroWind Energy Inc. Oil revenues from its minority stake in the Etame oil concession in offshore Gabon, West Africa provide the balance of steady earnings for the company.

Recently, the PGEC also launched its Dagohoy solar project in Bohol which will increase its total solar operating units to 100 megawatts (MW) while PetroWind Energy Inc., its onshore wind unit, won the Visayas grid wind allocation in the first DOE Green Energy Auction Program last June. Lenie Lectura

VISTA Land and Lifescapes Inc., the Villar-led property developer, said it had a net income P6.68 billion in the nine months of the year, a 12 percent increase from last year’s P5.98 billion.

For the period, the company has launched 12 projects with an estimated value of about P21.8 billion.

Included in the projects launched are one CrownAsia project, five Camella projects and six Vista Estates projects namely, Aspen in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan; Vidarte in Antipolo, Rizal; Stanza in Tanza, Cavite; Praverde in Dasmarinas, Cavite; Al-

legria in General Trias, Cavite; and North Commons in Caloocan City. The project value to date now doubles the full year 2021 level.

“Over the last two years we have revisited our reserved lands and we were able to initially identify over 60 potential Vista Estate projects across the country. We remain optimistic with the industry with the strong GDP (gross domestic product) growth recently announced coupled with sustained overseas Filipino remittance and revenge spending from consumers. So far, we have launched six Vista Estates and this is just the

beginning, we will be announcing more in the coming months. Our aim is to maximize our existing land to its best use”, Manuel B. Villar Jr., Vista Land chairman said. Consolidated revenue came in at P21.32 billion for the period, 4 percent lower than the previous P22.39 billion. Rental income amounted to P8.2 billion while real estate revenues was at P10.7 billion. Reservation sales has increased by 10 percent to P48 billion for the period. Overseas Filipino account for 60 percent of Vista Land’s sales as they take advantage of the higher peso for their dollars. VG Cabuag

Treasury yields to investors’ demand

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

THE Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) on Tuesday fullyawarded its P35-billion worth of reissued 25-year Treasury bonds (T-bonds) despite investors demanding for yield higher than secondary market rates.

“[The] average [rates], while higher than secondary, already provides for policy rate hike to be delivered by the [Monetary Board],” National Treasurer Rosalia V. De Leon told reporters after the auction.

The MB is expected to deliver a 75-basis point (BPS) increase in interest rates at its Thursday meeting to match the recent rate hike implemented by the US Federal Reserve.

The government security has a remaining life of 11 years and 11 months.

The full-award on Tuesday’s auction had an average yield of 8.168 percent, 42.7 basis points higher than the secondary market rate of 7.741 percent for a 12-year bond.

The rates received by the BTr ranged from a low of 7.75 percent to a high of 8.28 percent.

Tuesday’s auction was oversubscribed as the total amount tendered by investors reached P80.953 billion, more than double of the P35-billion offer.

The Treasury has been struggling to fully raise its intended amount in its auctions, especially for Treasury bills, as investors maintain an aggressive stance in asking for higher yields amid increasing interest rates locally and abroad.

Last Monday, the national government was only able to raise a little over half of the proceeds it intended to raise from the T-bills sale. (Related story: https://businessmirror.com. ph/2022/11/15/ng-raises-onlynearlyhalf-of-t-bills-on-offer/)

This month alone, the national government aims to raise P215 billion from the sale of debt papers. The amount covers P75 billion worth of Tbills and P140 billion in treasury bonds.

For the whole year, the government is set to borrow a total of P2.21 trillion, of which 75 percent will be sourced locally while the remaining 25 percent will come from foreign sources.

Banking&Finance

BSP maintains cap on credit card deals

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

THE Monetary Board has decided to maintain the existing ceilings on credit card transactions, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

The BSP said this decision upheld the provisions under Circular 1098 dated September 24, 2020. As such, the following ceilings remain in effect.

The BSP said the “reasonableness”

of the credit ceilings will be reviewed again in January next year.

“The BSP will continue to closely monitor evolving domestic and external developments that will impact the state of credit card financing,

sustainability of credit card operations and viability of banks/credit card issuers,” it said.

Circular 1098 provides that the maximum interest rate or finance charge on the unpaid outstanding credit card balance of a cardholder of 2 percent per month or 24 percent per year.

It also provides that the maximum monthly add-on rate on credit card installment loans will be one percent.

The BSP also said the maximum processing fee on the availment of credit card cash advances of P200 per transaction.

Earlier, Asia United Bank Corp. Senior Vice President and Cards and Acquiring Business Group head Ma-

ria Magdalena V. Surtida said in light of the higher interest rates, increasing credit card rate caps “are always on the table.”

However, she said, the AUB has been collaborating with the BSP and trusts their judgment. Surtida said it regularly reviews macroeconomic indicators to back its decisions.

In terms of credit card growth, Surtida said, AUB is optimistic. She said the country has recovered from the pandemic and this is fueling credit card consumption.

Last month, BSP said the country’s credit card payments have increased 20 percent as of July this year.

Governor Felipe M. Medalla

said credit card receivables have started post double digit growth in 2022, reaching 20.4 percent year on year in July 2022. He added that non-performing loan ratios declined to 5.7 percent during the period.

BSP Deputy Governor Chuchi G. Fonacier said the credit card industry has also been at the forefront of extending the Central Bank’s temporary relief measures for Filipinos during the pandemic.

Fonacier said as of July 2022, majority of restructured consumer loans were credit card receivables of P6 billion, which comprised 56.3 percent of the total during the period.

Security Bank net income up 77 percent Bank of China launches forex platform feature

By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes @brownindio

SECURITY Bank Corp. (SCB) announced last November 11 that it posted a 77-percent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) increase in net income to P8.6 billion in the first nine months of 2022, “driven by growth in core businesses, lower credit provisions and normalized income tax provisions.”

Total revenues grew 7 percent to P29.4 billion Y-o-Y, the lender said. Net interest income increased 7 percent to P22 billion. Net interest margin in the first nine months was 4.33 percent.

Total non-interest income increased 6 percent to P7.4 billion. Service charges, fees and commissions grew 22 percent to P3.9 billion, led by increase in fees from credit cards, deposits and capital markets. Other non-interest income excluding securities trading gains and fee income rose 32 percent to P3.6 billion, driven mainly by foreign exchange income and recovery on charged-off assets.

Operating expense was 5-percent higher, driven by investments in manpower and technology to improve customer experience. Cost-to-income ra-

tio was 56.3 percent compared to 57.3 percent a year ago.

Pre-provision operating profit was P12.8 billion, up 9 percent Y-o-Y. The bank set aside P1.6 billion as provisions for credit losses in the first nine months of 2022, a 60 percent decrease versus year-ago level of P4.1 billion. Gross non-performing loan ratio decreased to 3.24 percent from 4.15 percent in previous year. NPL reserve cover increased to 94 percent from 91 percent in previous year.

Return on assets increased to 1.52 percent from 0.95 percent a year ago. Return on shareholders’ equity increased to 9.16 percent from 5.20 percent a year ago.

Balance sheet

LOW-cost savings and demand deposits grew 13 percent Y-o-Y and account for 58 percent of total deposits. Total deposits grew 12 percent to P583 billion.

Net loans increased 12 percent Y-o-Y to P484 billion, driven by both wholesale and retail loans which grew 12 percent each. On a sequential quarter-onquarter basis, net loans decreased by 1 percent, with retail loans up 5 percent and wholesale loans down 3 percent. Re-

tail loans are 24 percent of total loans, up from 23 percent a quarter ago.

Security bank continues to be among the country’s best capitalized private domestic universal banks. Common Equity Tier 1 Ratio was 16.6 percent and Total Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) was 17.1 percent. Total assets increased to P799 billion, up 14 percent Y-o-Y. Shareholders’ capital was at P124 billion.

SCB’s Board of Directors approved last October 25 the second semestral regular cash dividend of P1.50 per common share with payment date on November 24. This will bring the total cash dividends for the year to P3 per common share for a dividend payout ratio of 32.7 percent of 2021 net income. The bank had earlier paid regular cash dividend for the first semester of P1.50 per common share on April 28, 2022.

“Our third quarter results reflect continued growth for our retail and wholesale client segments. We channeled resources to support economic expansion, to address inflation impacts and to enhance both customer and employee experience.” SCB President and CEO Sanjiv Vohra was quoted in the statement as saying.

By VG Cabuag @villygc

BANK of China Manila said on Tuesday it launched a new feature on its digital platform that makes it easier for clients to access the bank’s foreign exchange (FX) products and services.

Called iGTB FX Online, the feature allows the client to conveniently convert multiple foreign currencies which include the Chinese renminbi, United States dollar, Euro and Hong Kong dollar to Philippine peso.

The iGTB platform, which stands for intelligent Global Transaction Banking, provides a full range of services to corporate clients through an interactive online experience which includes operating account inquiry, payment, payroll, liquidity management, supply chain finance and information management.

“It features regularly up-

dated exchange rates to ensure these remain competitive throughout the day,” the bank said.

The iGTB platform is part of Bank of China Manila’s strategy to offer convenient and excellent customer service across all client touch-points. Its innovative features are another step forward in Bank of China Manila’s digital transformation journey to find new ways to engage with clients. By leveraging new technologies and putting client needs above all, the bank said it continues to transform the way it serves its customers.

Last year, the bank launched the first mobile app with realtime RMB forex conversion in the Philippines. That facility allowed for individual clients to convert the Philippine peso to renminbi, US dollar and euro in real-time. Now, corporate clients can do the same via the iGTB FX Online, it said.

Global exodus from China bonds extends amid post-Congress rout

GLOBAL investors reduced their holdings of China government bonds in the onshore market for a ninth-month running in October amid concerns over policy uncertainty spurred by President Xi Jinping’s consolidation of power.

The amount of Chinese bonds held by foreign investors in the interbank market declined by 26.5 billion yuan ($3.8 billion) in October, after a drop of 70.7 billion yuan in the previous month, according to data from China Central & Depository Clearing Co. and Shanghai Clearing House. That brings bond outflows in the first 10 months of the year to 625 billion yuan.

The bond outflows are consistent

with losses in other Chinese assets last month following the conclusion of the party congress. Stocks saw a record withdrawal of foreign funds in late October while the yuan depreciated to a 15-year low.

Sentiment has improved this month as China tweaked its Covid policy and announced steps to support the housing market.

Morgan Stanley last week cut its annual inflow estimate for China. While it expects equities to lead a rebound in flows as a growth recovery firms up in the second-half of next year, it forecasts bond buying to resume at a slower pace partly due to the policy cycle divergence. China government bonds may

ONE of the keys to building up wealth is by being able to identify assets that will go up in value over time. You will also be at a definite advantage if you know how to determine proper asset valuation.

Allow me to give three examples of how to do asset valuation, namely, country club shares, listed equities and numismatic coins.

I bought my first country club share when I was in my 20s back in the 1980s before I got married. The concept of a proprietary membership in a country club where you can play golf and enjoy a number of exclusive facilities appealed to me. At the start, my purchasing country club shares was simply to enjoy the privilege of membership which back then was much cheaper than what it is now.

Determining the fair price of a country club share can be done by either replacement value or by land value.

Replacement value is simply determining how much it would currently cost to replicate the facilities of the

country club, such as the golf course, the buildings, improvements and so on and dividing it by the number of proprietary shares that the club has. Land value is derived by knowing the total land area of the club divided by the total number of proprietary shares. Knowing how many square meters of land is your pro-rata share as a proprietary member will give you an idea if the share price still has a potential to go up.

My investment in listed equities started when I was in college and I would look at things like P/E ratios, book values, dividend yields and all kinds of charts. You would like to see

low P/E ratios, low book values, and of course high dividend yields. There are so many other considerations to take into account like the consistency of performance, growth rates and upside potential of the company. Without a doubt, I have had my bleak moments trading in the stock market but in total, I am sure it has been an enriching experience for me.

I first fell in love with coins when I was hanging out with my Grandmother in her bedroom and saw two large beautiful shiny silver coins, a Peace Dollar and a Mexican Silver Peso coin. This was back in the 60s and I was still in grade school then. I remember receiving these very same coins from my Aunt who told me that my Grandmother when she passed away, wanted me to have them.

It has been a joy for me to collect gold and silver coins, either slabbed or raw, that are hundreds of years old in various conditions ranging from perfect to being worn down through centuries of usage.

see an outflow of $24 billion in 2023, versus around $90 billion in 2022 and inflows may not resume till in 2025, according to Morgan Stanley estimates.

Foreign investors sold a net 5.7 billion yuan of Chinese government bonds and 19.5 billion yuan of the quasi-sovereign policy bank notes, the Chinabond data show. They also cut 250 million yuan of local government bonds and bought a net of 9.5 billion yuan of negotiable certificate of deposits, a popular short-term debt issued by banks.

Global investor holdings of Chinese bonds in the interbank market stood at 3.38 trillion yuan as of last month.

Bloomberg News

The astronomical prices of certain numismatic coins that are so rare and in pristine condition are only justifiable to a very narrow band of serious collectors. However, when these numismatic coins approach the value of the precious metal content in gold or silver, it becomes a no brainer that you should just buy it because the numismatic value is not even factored in.

The idea of asset valuation can be done on any asset but the ultimate price is determined only by the buyer. Being able to spot an undervalued asset ahead of everyone else may sometimes be thought of as being foolish by some people, but in my experience, the early investors normally have the last laugh.

The views and comments of Dr. George S. Chua are his own and not of the newspaper or the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (Finex). The author was 2016 Finex President, currently a Professorial Lecturer at UP Diliman and BGC and an active entrepreneur. Comments may be sent to gschua@up.edu.ph.

Editor: Dennis D. Estopace

PSEUDO-SOCIALITE

So, the person who broke the story of the pseudo-socialite who allegedly defrauded people is a genuine society girl, who was also a victim. The modus of the pseudo-socialite was to say she lived abroad (when she didn’t) so that the party scene would accept her. Once she was part of the scene, she started brokering deals that would favor her. The pseudo-socialite made friends in some of the most esteemed circles of society. At one point, she even became an influencer of sorts and brands would send her products for posting. Unfortunately for her, a close friend and business associate decided to put a stop to her activities by having her arrested. What is next for the pseudo-socialite, who is Manila society’s version of Anna Delvey? People forget easily so if she gets out of the jail, she might just reinvent herself.

ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL

There was a time when the singer ended a friendship because her friend, an actress-TV host, commented that her estranged husband’s new girlfriend was beautiful. This GF was the reason why her mar riage broke apart. But time heals all wounds. The singer’s husband and the other woman have split and the guy has another girlfriend. The singer is now okay with the ex-girlfriend and the new GF. She is also quite fond of her husband’s child with his ex-girlfriend. The singer is also in a relationship with a powerful man and she is very happy. The guy may be old but he is good to her and he’s a good provider. For years, the singer had money problems and while her husband tried to help her, he also had problems of his own. Thus, the new BF was a blessing for her and her family.

PHILANDERER

The ex-husband of a socialite left her for another woman who was the same age as their daughter, but the thing is that he has been cheating on her for years. The ex-husband is also known for preying on younger women and one of his alleged victims was someone who worked for him. The ex-husband has been telling people, even those who he has just met, that he got tired of living life around his wife’s social calendar. He also said he hated living in her shadow and being known as just her husband. It is true though that he worked in one of his wife’s companies.

UNDER SCRUTINY

The actress’ husband, who is rich and powerful, was recently semi-exposed for infidelity. This brings to mind stories about the husband. In the past, the actress didn’t want to hire female helpers for their household because the husband allegedly would try to touch them inappropriately. So for a long time, the couple only had houseboys in their home. The alleged new girlfriend is said to be married with kids, and this is how the husband has managed to escape rumors and speculations up to this point. Now that his life is more high profile than before, the scrutiny is stronger.

Chris Evans named Sexiest Man Alive by ‘People’ magazine

most

Evans’s

People’s

Evans, who for nearly a decade played Captain America in Mar vel’s sprawling superhero films, takes the baton from another Avenger, Paul Rudd.

My mom will be so happy,” he told the magazine for its cover story, which hits newsstands on Friday. “She’s proud of every thing I do but this is something she can really brag about.”

He also knows that he’s likely to be teased by close friends. “Really this will just be a point of bullying,” he joked in an inter view. “It’s ripe for harassment.”

Among those likely to heckle him are co-stars and previous Sexiest Man Alive winners like Rudd, Ryan Reynolds and Chris Hemsworth. (Hemsworth, who plays Thor in the Marvel films, was the first Avenger to win People’ s annual honor, which was first handed out to Mel Gibson in 1985.)

Other past honorees include John Legend, Dwayne Johnson, Idris Elba, Adam Levine, Richard Gere, Channing Tatum and David Beckham.

People interviewed Evans, 41, at a Georgia farmhouse, where the actor talked about finding a better work-life balance. “The

Since then, he’s played the wholesome superhero in 10 Marvel films, laying down his

the universe in Avengers: Endgame in 2019

Evans has become a highly bankable star, voicing the Buzz Lightyear character in Pixar’s Lightyear film and playing a sadistic assassin trying to kill Reynolds in Nextflix’s The Gray Man—both released this year.

The actor told People he’s thinking about marriage and having a family, saying, “That’s absolutely something I want.”

He said he didn’t expect to talk publicly much about his private life though. “Some things you want just for you, or just for my family and my friends.”

The Boston native also continues his involvement with the civic engagement site A Starting Point, which he co-founded in 2020.

As Evans charts the next part of his life and career, he fully expects People’s honor will be a milestone.

It’s something that as I become old and saggy I can look back on and say ‘I remember then…’” Evans said. “I’m lucky to be in the discussion in any capacity.” AP

Celebrating 10: QCinema features films from prestigious festivals

home with the Best Actress award in the recent Cinemalaya.

Elehiya and 12 Weeks are part of QCinema’s main competition section, the Asian Next Wave which focuses on emerging filmmakers from Southeast Asia and East Asia.

The festival, slated from November 17 to 26, 2022, will feature 58 films including six short film production grantees, seven sections of full-length films, and three shorts programs.

A long and short film competition will also be held and winners will be announced during the festival.

Today’s Horoscope

By Eugenia Last

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Kimberly J. Brown, 38; Maggie Gyllenhaal, 45; Lisa Bonet, 55; Marg Helgenberger, 64.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Creative outlets will help you relax this year. Lowering debt, making your living space more efficient or moving to a less expensive location will free up cash you can put toward something you want to pursue. Life is about choices; this year, it’s time to do what’s best for you. Take control and be responsible for your happiness. Your lucky numbers are 4, 11, 24, 28, 33, 40, 43.

aARIES (March 21-April 19): Start and don’t stop until you feel good about what you’ve accomplished. Set high standards and do the work yourself to ensure you get things done your way. Self-improvement projects will turn out better than anticipated and cheaper than expected. HHHHH

bTAURUS (April 20-May 20): You may crave change, but you’ll face opposition if you push others to participate. Use a kinder strategy if you want to get others to tag along. An incentive will ensure that you get help as well as company. HH

cGEMINI (May 21-June 20): Get your facts straight before voicing your opinion. Someone will be eager to see you head down the wrong path. Say no to temptation and anyone trying to talk you into doing something physically or financially risky. Put your responsibilities first. HHHH

dCANCER (June 21-July 22): Pay attention to detail and precision, and ensure your documents are in order before you begin something new. Don’t leave anything important in someone else’s hands. A last-minute change will play out in your favor. Romance is in the stars. HHH

eLEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Push forward and don’t stop until you are happy with the results. Look at every angle of a situation before you decide to make a move. The more obscure path will have more to offer than taking the path of least resistance. HHH

fVIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Don’t take on too much. Look at the logistics of what you want to do, and you’ll find a way to cut corners and make your plans feasible. Don’t waste time arguing; channel your energy into getting things done on time. HHH

gLIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Try your hand at something new. Get involved in something that moves you. Change what is no longer working for you. Stop dreaming; start turning your thoughts into reality. Looking for opportunities will entail something you enjoy. HHHH

hSCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Start a project and learn as you go. Use your attributes to stand out. Refuse to let emotions stop you from doing what’s right. Someone’s lack of confidence or uncertainty will give you a reason to worry and compensate to offset any fallout. HH

iSAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Look and you shall find. Take the initiative by turning an opportunity into something concrete. Learn from the experts, and try your hand at something that fascinates you. Take the road that whispers your name, and don’t look back. HHHHH

jCAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Concentrate on how you earn your living, not on a lofty investment that can risk everything you’ve worked so hard to achieve. Be smart, don’t follow the crowd and trust in yourself, not a sales pitch geared to take your cash. HHH

MOVIE

in for a great treat as the 10th edition of

International Film Festival is bringing in two acclaimed European films with notable performances by Filipino thespians. The Palme d’Or-winning class satire Triangle of Sadness by Ruben Östlund, which stars Dolly de Leon, is the festival’s opener. The closing film is Venice Film Festival entry To The North by Mihai Mincan, starring Soliman Cruz.

Another must-watch is Nocebo by Lorcan Finnegan, which stars Chai Fonacier playing a Filipino caregiver who knows traditional folk healing. This film will be shown under the Midnight Series section which features two more spine-tingling titles.

Moreover, Elehiya by Loy Arcenas, showcasing the late iconic actress Cherie Gil, in her last screen performance, will also be shown along with 12 Weeks by Anna Isabelle Matutina, the NETPAC Award winner. 12 Weeks stars Max Eigenmann, who went

Screenings will be held both in-person and online. Theatrical screenings for all films will be held at Gateway Mall, Trinoma, Power Plant Mall, Cinema 76, and SM North Edsa.

Online screening, which is exclusive for QCShorts 2022, QCShorts 2021 and RainbowQC Shorts, will be in partnership with Vivamax and screened from November 22 to 26.

More information is available at qcinema.ph, facebook.com/QCinemaPH, twitter.com/QCinemaPH, and instagram.com/qcinemaph.

‘mixtape’

BY

kAQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Opportunity knocks. Keep moving, regardless of what others do or say. Know your course of action and plant your feet firmly on the ground as you proceed. Be prompt and precise in your efforts, and you’ll easily beat the competition. HHH

lPISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Think matters through, then proceed. Look for a way to make your money stretch. Invest more in yourself and what you have to offer. Share your unique opinion, and you will attract someone willing to support your actions. Love is in the stars. HHH

BIRTHDAY BABY: You are attractive, open-minded and flexible. You are opportunistic and generous.

BART GOLD

The Universal Crossword/Edited by David Steinberg

LOS ANGELES—Chris Evans may have put down Captain America’s shield but he’s got a new badge of honor: he’s been named People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive.

selection was announced Monday night on Stephen Colbert’s late night show and on the magazine’s web site.

enjoyable aspect of my career right now is feeling secure enough to take my foot off the gas,” he said.

first film role came in 2000’s The New Comers and he played superhero Johnny Storm in two Fantastic Four films re leased in 2005 and 2007. But he gained widespread fame in 2011 with the release of Captain America: The First Avenger

shield after saving

By Leony R. Garcia

enthusiasts are

the QCinema

How to talk so your team listens

SOME leaders think that just because they have already said something, they assume people will naturally follow. Communication, from a leadership standpoint, is all about influence and persua sion. Effective communication is not just about what you say, but how your words spur people to act in the direction you want them to go.

In conservative organizations, team members silently acquiesce to what their leader is saying because the chain of command dictates how they should react. In more progressive institutions, team members are encouraged to speak, even to executive leadership, without fear. Each presents their own unique advantages and disadvantages but doing so requires effective communication skills to get their message across.

All effective communication begins with what you want to say. A good rule to follow is if you do not completely understand something, do not talk about it to your team. Chances are, they will ask details which you do not know, and you will end up fomenting speculations. Learn as much as you can, especially on how the message will affect your entire team. Once you have enough information, determine how your team might react.

In a previous organization, an issue arose regarding a merger with another company. Of course, people became agitated for their jobs, and people managers were given instructions to not discuss it openly. Somehow, word got to my team, and in one meeting someone asked about it. To stop any misinformation, I told them what I knew at the time and explained the possible effects to the team. Later, it became easier to ask help from the team when we had to justify our contribution to the organization. Needless to say, we were given more people and resources to continue our work.

W hat helped me during that time was know ing how they would react and to prepare answers to possible questions. Thinking of the questions that might come up helps you to prepare mentally and gives you enough time to research. People see through inconsistencies and will think that either you do not have enough information, or you are just bluffing. Before joining a meeting or talking to a person, make sure you have all the information you need.

T his will also give you the confidence to talk to your team. Confidence is based on your own expertise and knowledge of the topic of discus sion. The only way you can know more is to ask questions and know as much as you can. If you do not understand it, how much more for your team members? So, build your confidence by knowing as much as you need before talking to your team on a new policy or process, when you need to dis

cipline them, or any change that will affect them.

Practice what you will say to clarify what you mean. Write down what you want to say and then read it aloud so you can hear yourself and change your tone depending on your intent. You also need to carefully choose your words because your prejudice and assumptions might emerge unintentionally with your choice of words. You might not be aware of it, but people pick up how you feel about them through the words you use.

To validate if your team really understood what you meant, ask questions. Normally, people would end their talk with “Do you have any questions?” A more effective way to know if your team really un derstood what they need to do is to ask them questions. This will force them to think of the implications of what you have told them. It also provides an opportunity for the timid ones to answer and even ask questions for clarification. Remember that for effective communication to take place, there has to be a meeting of the mind. And that will not happen when you are the only one speaking.

A side from what and how you will say it, you

also need to consider the means by which you communicate. Some people do fine by reading instructions via e-mail because they have worked with someone for so long that they can anticipate and understand what the other person is trying to say. If you are managing people, you need to understand the best way to communicate with each of your team members. Some need more guidance and would need hand-holding, while some can do more with general directions. You have to meet your team at their level if you want them to do what you ask.

Note that whoever you are talking to needs to know you have their best interest at hand. Other wise, whatever you say will fly over their heads. Theodore Roosevelt Jr. once said, “Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care.” You need to be relatable and genuine in order for people to listen and be open to what you have to say.

T his also means liking the other person. If you do not like the person you are talking to, they will sense it and they will reciprocate by not listening.

At the very least, they need to know and feel that you respect them. You do this by clarifying their statements and asking for more details. You can not summarily dismiss them or their ideas. You need to find a common ground so you can open the door to their hearts and minds.

Do not expect that you will be understood all the time, but try as much as you can to be clear. Do not be too hard on yourself when people misunderstand you because there are people who will choose to believe what they want, or are too stubborn to admit when they are wrong. Whatever their reason, try to use other ways of communicating until you reach them.

Communication has always been two-way. If a message is not received as intended, you need to find another way of communicating with people at their level. As a people manager, you need to get to know your team better, so you know how to rally them when you need to. If you want to be a great leader, start by honing your communication skills so that you can influence and inspire people to do more than they ever thought possible.

Filipino student completes scholarship from Canadian Bureau for International Education

FILIPINO achiever Jeremih Lei Liporada has finished the Canada-Asean Scholarships and Educational Exchanges for Development (SEED) granted by The Canadian Bureau for International Education.

The fellowship, funded by the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD), provides qualified applicants from Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) with short-term exchange opportunities for study or research in Canadian post-secondary institutions at the college, undergraduate and graduate levels.

Facilitated through institutional collaborations, the open call for applications was cascaded and facilitated by the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) Halifax to its academic partner, the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, where Liporada is currently pursuing her degree in Real Estate Management.

“I applied with no hesitancy because believed that what was meant for me will always be for me,” Liporada shared. “When I

HAS your vision gone blurry lately? Notice dark or empty areas in your sight? Do you see spots or dark strings floating before you? If so, then you may need to see a doctor fast—not for a new pair of glasses but to manage your blood sugar.

W hen you have diabetes, or excess amounts of sugar (glucose) in your blood either because you don’t produce enough insulin or your body doesn’t properly use this hormone which trans ports glucose in the blood, you are at risk for a host of serious medical conditions.

Damage to the large and small blood vessels is a long-term effect of diabetes on your health,” says Jimmy B. Aragon, MD, an endocrinologist and chair of the Department of Endocrinology of leading medical institution Makati Medical Center (MakatiMed, www. makatimed.net.ph). “This makes diabetics particu larly vulnerable to cardiovascular diseases like heart

attack and stroke; kidney damage; bacterial, fungal, and yeast infections; and the sensation of pins and needles on the hands and feet, which are symptoms of nerve damage or neuropathy.”

Elevated levels of blood sugar affect our eyes too,

got in, the possible challenges and delays didn’t faze me because I’ve always believed life is not a race and everyone has their own timeline. I began this journey in the middle of the pandemic. If there’s anything I’ve learned, it is to be courageous and faithful.”

Through SEED, Liporada enrolled in NSCC’s Open Entrepreneurship Program with a full scholarship. Her air ticket and travel insurance, visas and permits, as well as living expenses were all covered. She likewise received miscellaneous support for her book allowances.

In h er nine-month stay in NSCC, Liporada attended and earned credits for two terms worth of courses, which included Professional Selling, Marketing Research, New Ventures, Finance I, Business Law, and Communications-Workplace Applications. She likewise completed classes in Contemporary Business Issues, Principles of E-Commerce, Strategic Internet

resulting in one of these four diseases including dia betic retinopathy, diabetic macular edema, cataract and glaucoma.

Blurry vision or vision interrupted by floating spots, bright halos, or colored rings around lights are signs of eyesight likely affected by diabetes. “Prescription drugs and eye drops and, in some cases, laser procedures can address these symptoms, restoring clear vision and pre venting the diseases from progressing,” says Dr. Aragon.

Better yet, manage your blood sugar. Not only does it spare your eyesight from deteriorating, but it is also key to maintaining optimum good health.

Here’s how to enjoy many years of clear vision:

n Keep your blood sugar at an ideal level. “Hemoglo bin A1c is a test that measures your glucose level for the past 2-3 months. According to the American Diabetes Association, a target HbA1c below 7 percent for most people with diabetes is ideal.” explains Dr. Aragon.

Marketing and Management Strategies.

“One of the most important lessons I’ve picked up from my courses is not taking ‘no’ for an answer,” she added. “Although it mostly referred to sales, I think it was very timely and can be used in any situation in life. By doing so, we become comfortable with rejection and thrive in adversity.”

Liporada took this once-in-a-lifetime chance to likewise hone and exemplify her skills in an international environment. She engaged in organizations, served as project leader, and participated in hackathons and webinars outside the four walls of NSCC.

Liporada recalled how being alone in a foreign land felt daunting and exhilarating at the same time. “I didn’t know anyone in Nova Scotia but this allowed me to get out of my comfort zone and embrace different perspectives,” she explained.

Currently, Liporada is back in Manila to complete her final thesis.

n Manage your blood pressure. The desired blood pressure helps prevent the onset of eye disease caused by diabetes. According to Dr. Aragon, “For people with diabetes, the target blood pressure is less than 130/80. This can be achieved through regular moderate exer cise, a low-salt diet, staying at a healthy weight, and when necessary, prescription medication.”

n Get your eyes checked. “Special eyedrops widen your pupils, allowing your eye doctor to check for any signs of damage to the blood vessels in your eyes,” Dr. Aragon points out. “For diabetics, a full eye exam is recommended every year.”

n Act quickly. “Don’t dismiss symptoms like blur riness, flashing lights, floating spots, or anything out of the ordinary in your eyesight,” says Dr. Aragon.

“Ninety percent of vision loss from diabetes is pre ventable and if you address these usual occurrences immediately, you can be free of complications.”

PHOTO BY MIMI THIAN ON UNSPLASH

PopStar launches its Web 3 Integration, ERC20 Token for better user experience

DLSU among the top universities in latest QS rankings

DE La Salle University belongs to the top universities in Asia in the 2023 QS Regional Rankings, placing 171st among 760 institutions qualified to enter the rankings.

DLSU is ranked 38th in Southeast Asia.

The rankings maintain key indicators of the global ranking, including Academic Reputation, Employer Reputation, and Faculty to Student Ratio, and are also recalibrated to a set of metrics customized for the region.

Meanwhile, in the QS World University Rankings: Sustainability 2023, DLSU placed 601+ overall, making it the lone Philippine private university in the first rankings of QS focused on social and environmental sustainability performance in HEIs.

Featuring 700 universities, the Sustainability Rankings uses indicators that measure a university's ability to tackle environmental, social and governance (ESG) challenges.

Premier mobile Sportsbook site SportsPlus seamlessly integrates GCash functionality for sports fans' convenience

THERE’S nothing quite like the thrill of the game. Sports fans understand this better than anyone else. Even without ever once stepping onto the basketball court or football field itself, the energy watching from the stands or from the comfort of one’s own home is always electric.

YOYO Holdings Pte Ltd, (CEO: Yosuke Fukada), the marketing technology company, recently announced the launch of additional features and functionalities for its influencer marketing platform, PopStar, which allows marketers to experience a better user experience, discover effective nano and microinfluencers with high engagement, track and monitor influence performance seamlessly.

It now has a built-in Web 3 wallet that allows users to view digital assets like nonfungible tokens (NFTs) inside its app and an ERC20 Token (SPARKLES) which can be earned by doing activities.

“We have moved towards a future where everything will be even more connected and

virtual. This is what web 3 is all about - the next phase of the Internet where it becomes an entire universe of its own. It is the era of blockchain technology and decentralized applications where the rise of blockchainbased platforms will be evident in most aspects of our lives,” said Yosuke Fukada, CEO of YOYO Holdings.

PopStar is an influencer marketing platform that connects content creators to brands and vice versa. It has the largest network of nano and micro-influencers with over 250,000 registered users and more than 500 million followers in the Philippines and Indonesia.

It automates and simplifies every part of a brand’s influencer marketing workflow, from acquiring the right influencers fit for their

campaign to monitoring content quality and performance results within its app.

It aims to help brands achieve business metrics, such as brand awareness, community engagement, and sales conversion, minus the long hours of manually selecting influencers with a high engagement rate at an affordable rate. It caters to all segments and demographics: young and experienced markets, regional and local, key-opinion leaders, and decision-makers.

PopStar has partnered with local and international brands, such as Glico, Kirin Ichiban, Traveloka, JCB, Ysera Skin, Geely, Brother Indonesia, Max Fashion, MAP Subway, Kewpie, Idemitsu, Shiseido, and Phapros, to name a few. PopStar website: https://pop-star.me/

AFTER two years of online film screenings and activities, the annual International Silent Film Festival Manila (ISFFM) is now back with in-person festivities in celebration of 16 years of reliving rich silent film culture worldwide.

This year’s serving will be joined by the Embassy of France to the Philippines, Goethe-Institut Philippinen, Embassy of Italy in Manila with the Philippine Italian Association, The Japan Foundation, Manila, Film Development Council of the Philippines, Instituto Cervantes de Manila, and the British Council in the Philippines.

Live scored by selected Filipino bands and musicians, the silent films will be screened from November 24-27, 2022, at the Red Carpet, Shangri-La Mall, Mandaluyong City.

Signaling the start of its annual toast, 16th ISFFM’s invitational opening ceremony will be hosted by the British Council in the Philippines. Accompanied by performances and cocktails at the Grand Atrium of Shangri-La Mall at 6:00 pm, this function will be graced by dignitaries from partner cultural organizations, film experts and critics, academicians and guests.

The screening of British film “Piccadilly” at Red Carpet Cinema 1 will follow at 8:00 pm. Live scored by Filipino band Anahata in collaboration with Sensoria, this 1929 silent film tells a story of a scullery maid in a fashionable London nightclub whose sensuous tabletop dance catches the eye of a suave club owner. “Piccadilly” is regarded as one of the pinnacles of British silent cinema.

The festival’s second day will be started by a webinar spotlighting the representative films for this season. The organizations will be sharing their processes of restoration, curation, and the continuing impact of the films in their countries’ cinema history. Through Zoom, the webinar will be open to the public.

Back at the Red Carpet Cinema 1, German and French films will be shown starting 5:00 pm.

The 1922 German film “Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror,” scored by The Brockas is the first cinematic adaptation of “Dracula.” Set in Transylvania,

Nosferatu shares realtor Hutter’s story of entering a contract with Count Orlok, who is later known to be a vampire and will bring tragedy, plague and death to the port city of Wisborg. A thrilling cine-concert experience awaits viewers of this film.

Charles Burguet and René Le Somptier’s 1919 French piece “La sultane de l'amour” (The Sultan of Love – A Thousand and One Nuits) is this year’s oldest classic film. Starred by France Dhélia, Sylvio De Pedrelli and Yvonne Sergyl, this is an orientalist fairytale of the tormented love of Princess Daoulah and Prince Mourad, who met as disguised girl of the people and poor fisherman, and who could not find each other. The princess is later coveted by the sinister Sultan Malik, assisted by the fearsome Kadjar. This classic will be scored by Bras Pas Pas Pas.

Festival’s day three opens a round table discussion led by musicians sharing their expertise, tips and experiences in scoring their assigned films. The film seminar will happen at the Premiere Theater at 3:00 pm.

At 4:00 pm, Spain’s 1926 film “Malvaloca” will be shown, scored by Talahib People’s Music. A story of Rosita, the Malvaloca's journey of finding her love, the silent film was considered lost and after its partial restoration, premiered at the 2010 Malaga Festival for the first time since the 1920s.

Japanese film “淑女と髯” (The Lady and the Beard) will follow at 8:00PM, with musical score by Bullet Dumas. This 1931 film, known to be a commercially and critically-acclaimed masterpiece by the world renowned filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu, follows Okajima, a conservative and self-conscious student, unable to find work and love because of his magnificent beard, who then saves a young girl from a gang of ruffians. At her suggestion, he shaves his beard off and experiences surprising success.

Organized by the Film Development Council of the Philippines, event day four will witness a roundtable discussion on the challenges in the restoration of Philippine films led by local film archivists at 1:00 pm.

Ubaldo Maria Del Colle’s “I Figli Di Nessuno” (Nobody's children), Italy’s representative film,

is scheduled at 3:00 pm. This 1921 film based on a popular Italian novel from the turn of the 20th century, “Nobody’s Children” by Ruggero Rindi, is a tale of lovers thwarted by class differences, of illegitimate children and denied parental recognition. Although it encountered some problems with the censorship for denouncing children’s labor in the mines as well as for bringing to the big screen the workers’ strikes, “I Figli Di Nessuno” became a successful film for both producer Gustavo Lombardo and the leading actress Leda Gys.

At 7:00 pm, the 16th International Silent Film Festival will come to close. Celebrating the success of its face-to-face comeback, the closing ceremonies will be filled with colors and music. The Film Development Council of the Philippines will be leading the ceremonies.

The night will be wrapped up by the screening of three of the best short silent films from the 2021 “Mit Out Sound (MOS): International Silent Film Competition” organized by the Film Development Council of the Philippines: “Ing Tianak,” “Alingasngas ng mga Kuliglig,” and “Dikit,” with music played by the BConcept and Vincent Del Rosario.

EJ Gagui and Marienel Calma's animated short film “Ing Tianak” is set in an almost-urban town beset by the myth of a mysterious creature, a wife who suffered a miscarriage and a young woman who is forced into hiding seek redemption. In the process, they are forced to confront the same monster.

Vahn Pascual’s “Alingasngas ng mga Kuliglig” (Gossips of the Cicadae), which won Best Film, is a story of Agapito, a naive teenage boy living with his persuasive machismo father, Mang Pedring, in a far-away mountain province. Mang Pedring wants Agapito to follow his footsteps in being a folk healer, also known as albularyo. But later on, in the course of Agapito’s transitioning in becoming the next folk healer of their town, he met a tikbalang. And in this moment, Agapito feels the love that he’s longing for for a long time which also lets him realize that he’s trapped, because of his father, in a patriarch and very conservative upbringing household and he wants to leave it all behind.

Those fans who want to take that raw excitement to the next level can do so with SportsPlus, the premier mobile sportsbook site. The PAGCOR-accredited site is the newest hot spot for Filipinos looking to partake in the adrenaline-filled excitement of having real stakes on the line for major sports events.

For all those aged 21 and up, registration at the site is quick and simple, which means they can get started on enjoying SportsPlus as soon as possible.

SportsPlus also has features meant to make the sportsbook experience even better than before. At this point, seasoned gamers will know the hassle of connecting their e-wallets or bank accounts to websites in order to funnel their money in and out of the sportsbook.

At its worst, it can be a challenge to set up. There’s a long process of hopping between apps and uploading relevant screenshots just to get started. After this, one might need to copy-paste transaction numbers for the tedious wait to see winnings reflected in their chosen e-wallet.

Wouldn’t it be better if one could simply access their e-wallet funds straight from the site? Forget lengthy verification set ups— SportsPlus has streamlined the handling of money for all its users.

Part of what makes SportsPlus an enticing new online sportsbook is its seamless GCash integration. With the simple press of a button, registered users can now top up and cash out any winnings straight into their GCash account.

This partnership with GCash adds another layer of convenience for interested

NEW online sportsbook SportsPlus offers seamless GCash integration.

players. Easy access to and from one’s GCash account ensures that one can enjoy their winnings in an instant and top up to play whenever convenient.

SportsPlus also boasts of a sleek mobilefriendly design that means users don’t even need to download a new app to enjoy their services. SportsPlus is optimized to be best experienced from standard mobile browsers such as Google Chrome, Safari, or Firefox. With the mobile site’s modern, userfriendly design and interface, its convenient GCash integration, and the competitive odds they offer, SportsPlus is primed to be the go-to sportsbook in the country.

Gaming for 21 years old and above only. Keep it Fun. Game Responsibly.

Among other things, the school supplies include pencils, pens, writing pads, bond paper, and notebooks. Additionally, Eurotel provided medical supplies to the beneficiaries to keep them safe from Covid-19.

The Department of Education (DepEd) announced the formal opening of classes in August 2022. The students have the option of attending physical (face-to-face classes) or modular (virtual classes), depending on the Covid-19 situation in the neighborhood.

“High-quality education is the foundation of a child’s life. It is what drives them to grow with wisdom and intelligence. This is the main reason why Eurotel supports these

kinds of activities. We are giving back to the community, and by providing school supplies to the kids, we will help the parents budget their income because they can spend the money on other necessities, such as food, rather than school supplies,” said Sebastian.

One of Eurotel’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts is in education. As a concerned corporate citizen, the company sees helping to educate young people as one way to show its concern, particularly in the communities where it operates.

For more announcements and updates, please refer to our Official Eurotel Hotel Facebook page @EurotelHotelOfficial and in our Instagram page @eurotelhotelph. For inquiries and other concerns, call our Central Reservations every MONDAY - SUNDAY at 6:00am - 6:00pm. (02) 353-6000 Mobile: (+63) 917-5486000.

EUROTEL, one of the biggest hotel chains in the country, recently distributed more than 2,000 medical and school supplies to various schools in the National Capital Region led by Ronaldo Sebastian, Eurotel Sector Head.

Eurotel donates medical, school supplies for students in Metro Manila as part of their CSR

POPSTAR celebrated 4th year anniversary with its partner influencers and brands

16th International Silent Film Festival Manila 2022 to be held this month in Shangri-La Mall in Mandaluyong

Sonya’S GaRDen

By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes

Sonya’s Garden is one perfect place to unwind and rejuvenate a weary mind and body. Located in Buck Estate, Alfonso Cavite, the 1.5 hectare paradise guarantees that guests will enjoy every minute of their stay in this part of Cavite. This writer and other five journalists were recently invited by Sonya’s Garden owner Sonya Garcia to enable them to experi ence the joys of eating the fresh produce of the workers, savor the fresh and feel the serenity of the place during nighttime.

The beginning

Sony A S G arden started as a place of weekend gatherings with her friends. Gradually, the word spread that Mendoza’s garden was teeming with fresh vegetables for people who want to pursue a healthier lifestyle.

In 1988, Sonya’s Garden was born. Garcia decided to open her lovely haven to promote healthy living and wellness, by walking the talk starting from herself to her employees and ultimately extend ing to her customers. Personally, Garcia also embarked on a healthy lifestyle shunning meat and en joying plant-based food from the plot to the plate. Sonya’s Garden serves freshly picked veggies, does not serve processed food, and en sures accommodations are envi ronmentally friendly.

Restaurants

Sony A S G arden has three res taurants to satisfy the food pal lete of the guests. These are the Conservatory, Morning Glory and Sunflower. While dining at The Conservatory a guest will have an opportunity to appreciate the various plant species around the premises of Sonya’s Garden which are also included in the healthy offerings.

In Morning Glory, a guest can view the vines creeping along pillars and beams. Meanwhile, ferns dominate Sunflower’s space

complemented by bright bursts of yellow from the flowers that are the restaurant’s namesake.

Garcia pointed out the three restaurants feature overflowing platters of simple rustic fare, and the garden’s signature salad greens and edible flowers.

Staying productive n o d oubt that Sonya’s Garden is a haven for people to relax and unwind. n e vertheless, the place offers Sonya’s Workation Package that ensures a stress-free envi ronment where one can relax and be productive at the same time.

Sonya’s Garden has a strong Wifi connection to ensure a guest will have a seamless internet connec tion. Moreover, Sonya’s Garden will also serve daily meals pre pared and served by the staff. If a guest wishes to have a tour, the staff is willing to assist to see pock ets of paradise for winding down when the day is over to make sure a guest will enjoy a healthy bal ance of work and play.

Bed and breakfast ala Sonya’s Garden A L L the Bed and Breakfast cot

tages are named after flowers and herbs, which epitomize Gar cia’s love for aromatic things. In spired by Garcia’s simple country lifestyle, the Bed and Breakfast facility was introduced from the persistence of the guests who want to spend more time in this private sanctuary.

o n e would wonder why Sonya’s Garden does not have noisy airconditioners or television sets. Garcia said it was her decision not to install these appliances so the guests would appreciate the beauty and splendor of Sonya’s Garden in full view right outside his window.

yo u will be able to breathe in fresh, unpolluted air from the abundant trees that surround the property. Experience the serenity of country living. This is the per fect moment to yield to the simple joys of life…and practice the art of doing nothing,” Garcia said.

Garcia is an enthusiastic sup porter of the tourism industry. “I belong to the tourism sector and every day I see the tremendous potential of the B&B industry as one of the most effective drivers for the growth of Philippine tour

ism,” she said.

Moreover, Garcia champions the potential of the B&B. “Be cause of its low capital needs, B&B’s can be established in na ture tourism spots which are yet unspoiled by the standard tour ism infrastructure or in areas which have seasonal attractions that make it uneconomical for the big hotel chains to operate in,” Garcia said.

To promote inclusivity, she walked the talk employing people from around the neighborhood. This gesture is appreciated by the whole community. “My advocacy is to share the successes of So nya’s Garden to help promote the concept of the Filipino Bed and Breakfast as an effective driver in achieving inclusive growth through agricultural tourism and wellness lifestyle in the Philip pine countryside.”

Finally, Garcia said tourism capitalizes on the Filipino’s great est asset. She pointed out that Filipino hospitality is the best way to welcome the weary traveler “into the comforts of a traditional Filipino home and to be refreshed by traditional Filipino cuisine.”

LRA portal digitizes land title transactions

By Roderick L. Abad

WITH the ensuing Covid-19 crisis, the Land Registration Authority (LRA) has digitized the processing of certified true copies (CTC) of documents and titles with its Land Titling Computeriza tion Project (LTCP) via the eSerbisyo portal.

“The new normal is right now coming from the pandemic two years ago. We see internet use during the work-from-home arrangement; thus, we are trying to im prove our computerization program,” LRA Administrator Gerardo P. Sirios said during the recent National Developers Convention 2022 of the Subdivision and Housing Devel opers Association (SHDA).

This modernization initiative is aimed at having more secured titles and docu

ments and avoid duplication and overlaps; standardize the processes, fees and require ments; update the information and records available and make them accessible any where; and continue disaster recovery and business activity.

“We at LARES [Land Registration Sys tems Inc.] have a nationwide operation to support all the registry of deeds of the LRA. We support them from computeriza tion to printing, ensuring LRA can achieve their goals of providing the general public with the service they require,” LARES Chief Executive Officer and President Teddy Su mulong noted.

Through the eSerbisyo web site, he added that Filipinos may now request CTC of documents and land titles from LRA by registering to the platform, providing the

details of the requested document, and pay ing via the selected payment channel. After doing these steps, the requested documents will be sent at their doorstep.

To facilitate the request, LARES offers various choices to pay for the documents in the portal through GCash, Paymaya, LandBank, and any Mastercard, JCB and Visa cards.

“LRA and LARES’ modernization project will help not only the developers but also our customers in acquiring titles conveniently in just a few clicks, especially as they provide an e-payment option and a door-to-door de livery,” SHDA President May Rodriguez said.

“Without technology, there are many things we cannot do. Now, we have already scanned roughly 95 percent of the titles of LRA, and we hope to complete some bal

ances within the year,” Sumulong added.

The LTCP is implemented under the Build-Operate-Transfer law using the BuildOperate-Own scheme. It allows services, such as title upgrade program, citizen’s land registration portal, Philippines per sonal property security registry, and online payment system.

“The modernization program of the LRA—specifically the e-Serbisyo’s com puterization and digitization of the titling process—will enhance efficiency in the issuance and processing of CTCs. This is important to the operations of housing developers and the housing industry and will greatly enhance access and delivery of housing services and units to the homebuy ers,” SHDA National Developers Convention Chairperson Maya K. Colayco stressed.

TWELVE days of Christmas are no doubt too short for Filipinos. In the Philippines, Christmas festivities begin in September. The “BER” months (September, October, November, and December) make up a long, jolly season of reunions, Christmas parties, gift shopping, Christmas traditions, and family bonding. It’s the most wonderful time of the year when families and friends gather to enjoy various rec reational activities while cherishing eac h other’s company.

This holiday season, Greenfield Development Corporation (GDC) in vites Filipinos to experience the joy o f the ber months at the Greenfield District in Mandaluyong. Known for its green open spaces, pedestrianoriented neighborhood, and fun outdoor activities, Greenfield District is an ideal destination for holiday bonding. Accessible to the public through various routes and roadways from the main business districts of Metro Manila, this bustling commu nity’s advantageous location makes i t a convenient venue for a food trip with friends, reunion with relatives, holiday dinner with workmates, or holiday gift shopping.

To fill your ber months with holiday cheers, GDC has temporarily turned its 15-hectare future-ready urban development into a holiday wonderland. Here are the things you can enjoy at the Greenfield Dis trict with your loved ones this long Ch ristmas season.

Get into the Holiday spirit with the family F ROM g randparents to kids, the Christmas season is indeed a cel ebration for all ages. Bring the w hole family to a night of holiday festivities as Greenfield District cel ebrates A Christmas for Generations o n October 19, 2022. The highlight of the event is the Giant Christmas Tree Lighting, which will start at 5 pm. Take a selfie at the foot of the Giant Christmas Tree and take lots of social media-worthy photos of other Christmas decorations within the District. Listen to Christmas carols sung by a chorale. Enjoy early Christmas shopping at the bazaars. Get to meet Santa Claus and receive some exciting giveaways.

Another great bonding idea for the whole family this holiday season is the Family Day organized by the Rotary Club of Greenfield District. The event will be held on November 26 at the Central Park. As part of its fundraising and public service pro grams, the Rotary will hold fun family ac tivities including pet shows, raffle, contests, fashion show, food bazaar, and more.

Do your Holiday shopping

I T ’ S t he time of the year to buy those presents for each person on your holi day gift list. Whether you’re buying a g ift for officemates or you’re look ing for presents for your godchildren, t here are a lot of great holiday gifts waiting for you at Greenfield Dis trict’s Christmas-themed weekend mar ket bazaars. Located at the

Greenfield District Central Park, the Greenfield Weekend Market is open every Saturday and Sunset Fair is open every Sunday from 3 pm to 12 midnight. Aside from shopping, you can take nice photos inside a bazaar filled with colorful Christmas deco rations. You can also enjoy a quick f ood trip and some engaging Arts and Crafts activities.

Want to buy holiday gifts for a cause? Visit The News Channel’s Octoberfest Weekend Festival from October 21 - 23 from 4 pm to 12 am at the Mayflower parking. Support local small and medium enterprises and the network’s tal ents by buying food and non-food i tems from them.

If you’re a huge fan of Filipino c elebrities, enjoy a holiday shopping spree at the Celebrity Edition of Car Boot Sale from November 18-20. To be held at the Mayflower Parking, this special event in celebration of the Food Truck Fest’s 1st year anni versary will feature celebrities sell ing pre-loved items, baked goodies, f rozen food, knick-knacks, and more right from the trunks of their cars.

Give the kids some Christmas treats

M A KE the tiny tots’ eyes glow this ber months season by letting them have fun at Greenfield District’s events for kids.

Give the kids a chance to person ally meet Santa. On December 17, 2 022, Greenfield will hold A Night with Santa, a magical event where kids can experience a gift-giving ses sion with Santa Claus while listening t o beautiful Christmas carols.

Celebrate the holidays with good food

T HE lo ng Christmas season in the Philippines will not be complete without great food. Aside from Bib ingka and Puto Bumbong, Christmas i n the Philippines is celebrated today with a variety of gustatory delights.

Celebrate the season with a unique al fresco dining experience at Greenfield District’s Food Truck Fest. Located at the wide, open Mayflower Parking space, this outdoor food destination will give your Christmas bonding with family and friends a new twist. The Food Truck Fest is open from Monday to Thursday from 12 pm until 10 pm, and Friday to Sunday from 12 pm until 12 am.

Planning some after-work holi day bonding? Head to the District F ood Park at Greenfield District Cen tral Park. Choose from a wide variety o f food choices while having a good laugh with colleagues and friends at this weekday outdoor dining destina tion. The District Food Park is open f rom Monday to Thursday from 4 pm until 10 pm and on Friday, 4 pm until 11 pm.

Have a merry and bright ber months at the Greenfield District! To know more about the holiday events and promotions at Greenfield District, follow its official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/green fielddistrict.

Any resident in the metropolis would surely be yearning to take a break from the rigors and pressures brought by the concrete jungle.

FAVORITES DOMINATE DAY 1

Van der Valk, Lascuña in hot start

TOP ranked Guido Van der Valk, No. 2 Tony Lascuña and the next three seeded bets bundled out their respective rivals in varying fashions but Fidel Concepcion stunned No. 6 Michael Bibat on the 20th hole at the start of the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) Villamor Match Play Invitational at the Villamor Golf Club Tuesday.

Van der Valk eased out No. 32 Dan Cruz, 4&2; Lascuña shrugged off an early miscue to subdue fellow Davaoeño Paul Echavez, 3&1; No. 3 Clyde Mondilla, who rallied to win the revival of the Philippine Masters here at the quaint military layout in 2017, held off Mars Pucay, 2-up; and Caliraya Springs leg winner Zanieboy Gialon trampled Art Arbole, 4&2.

I played relatively good. I hit a couple of good shots and the course is in perfect condition. I played many times here but I didn’t win, Hopefully, I’ll make it this time,” said Van der Valk, who topped the Splendido Taal and Pradera Verde stops of this year’s six-stage Philippine Golf Tour (PGT) to gain the top seeding in the fourday head-to-head battle.

He gets a chance to redeem himself from his last failed bid here as he takes on Jerson Balasabas, who beat him in sudden death in the Philippine Masters in 2018. Balasabas repulsed Dino Villanueva on the 20th hole.

L ascuña groped for his putting touch but recovered in time to see off Echavez although he stressed the need to polish his stroke to keep him in the title hunt worth P280,000.

I’m good with my irons and short game but struggled with my putting, which I need to sharpen to keep me going in the next three days,” said Lascuña, who is also out to atone for his runner-up finishes in the last three legs of this year’s PGT.

But the four-time Order of Merit winner gears up for grind out clash in today’s Last 16 stage with three-time Asian Tour champion Angelo Que, who edged Orlan Sumcad, 1-up, to seal perhaps the most gripping faceoff ahead of the finals.

They start at 7:48 a.m. in the seventh pairing before the Van der Valk-Balasabas duel at 7:56 a.m.

The fifth ranked Miguel Tabuena and Que, in the lower half of the 32-player draw at No. 18, bucked fatigue and rivals of contrasting strengths to join the fancied bets and a slew of lesser lights to the next round of the first-ever headto-head event in the country’s premier men’s and women’s pro circuit put up by ICTSI.

But while Tabuena, who with Que just came from an exhausting trip from Egypt where they vied in an Asian Tour event, hardly worked up a sweat in dispatching Richard Sinfuego, 6&4, the latter went through some anxious moments before foiling Sumcad.

Tabuena tests Rupert Zaragosa’s mettle after latter dominated legend Frankie Miñoza, 6&4.

The 27th ranked Concep cion, meanwhile, held his ground and upended Bi bat, winner at Eagle RidgeAoki last July, after two extra holes as he and Que led four others in the lower draw into the next round of the cham pionship which puts each player’s skills and toughness in focus in such kind of a knockout format.

No. 24 Keanu Jahns nipped ninthranked and former PGT Riviera winner Ira Alido, 1-up; No. 23 Gerald Rosales also edged No. 10 Joenard Rates, 1-up; former national champion No. 22 Anthony Fernando hacked out a 3&1 decision over No. 11 Sean Ramos; and 19th-ranked Jay Bayron turned back No. 14 Rico Depilo, 3&2.

Blazers advance to ‘NC’ Final Four

COLLEGE of Saint Benilde completed the semifinals cast with an 83-78 win over San Sebastian College Tuesday in the National Collegiate Athletic Association seniors basketball tournament at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.

The Blazers have 11 wins with five losses to reach the Final Four for the first time since 2002.

Saint Benilde’s victory also gave idle San Beda a 16th-consecutive semifinals berth.

M igs Oczon nailed the game’s biggest basket, a three-pointer over Ken Villapando in the final one minute and 12 seconds, that gave the Blazers the needed separation at 83-76.

M igs Gozum, one of the leading contenders for MVP honors, had a double-double of 25 points and 10 rebounds to go along with six assists and two steals while Miggy

Corteza contributed 18 points for Saint Benilde.

T he Blazers finished fourth at the end of the eliminations in the previous season, but due to the play-in format that was implemented in Season 97, the Taftbased squad missed the Final Four in coach Charles Tiu’s first year with the program.

Saint Benilde won despite missing Mark Sangco and Chris Flores, who served the second of their two-game suspension for their involvement in Jose Rizal University’s John Amores violent outburst a week ago.

Now in second place, the Blazers still have a shot of securing a twiceto-beat advantage in the Final Four.

Saint Benilde has a half-a-game lead over third-running Lyceum of the Philippines University (11-5) in the race for the No. 2 ranking.

Defending champion Letran remains on top with a 12-3 card.

The

Nueva Ecija’s beautiful scenery, backstopped by the spectators’ rousing cheers, was invigorating—a scant remuneration for the course’s difficulty which was evident from gun start.

W hen the dust of battle finally settled, this rider was lucky enough to place second in the hotly contested 55-59-year-old category.

I magine my elation when I received the official UCI invite to join the first ever Gravel World Championships in Vicenza, Italy, last October.

Ikeda, Malixi triumph in women’s side

TOP seed Chihiro Ikeda and fancied Rianne Malixi romped away with convincing victories to advance while No. 2 Harmie Constantino needed to toughen up in the stretch to squeak past Mafy Singson, 1-up, at the start of the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) Villamor Match Play Invitational at the Villamor Golf Club yesterday.

S unshine Baraquiel shone early by taking five of the first seven holes at the back and bundled out Eva Miñoza five holes later with a 7&6 rout, leading the assault of the top-ranked bets in the novel championship capping the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour (LPGT) season, which featured 11 legs at various championship courses in Luzon.

I shot four birdies but made a double at the par-3 No. 17 and finished with seven pars,” said Baraquiel, seeking a follow-up to a career breakthrough at Highlands in wicked conditions last year.

S he flourished off the mound and got good looks at the pins which she hopes to produce against second seed Harmie Constantino as action heats up in the head-to-head clashes leading to a crack at the championship worth P280,000.

Same game plan—hit fairways so I can attack the pin,” said the seventh ranked lady pilot, also seeking to redeem herself from a string of mediocre finishes in the just-concluded season.

I keda, who gained the top seeding after winning her second LPGT Order of Merit title on victories at Mount Malarayat and

Eagle Ridge-Aoki, imposed her will against Martina Miñoza and posted a 4&2 victory while Malixi, actually the most fancied in the 16-player roster, sized up Pamela Mariano in the first four holes at the back then went 2-up on No. 17.

Aussies ahead by 2 strokes

POWERHOUSE Australia opened up a two-stroke lead over Singapore even as the Philippines got its bid going by sharing sixth place in the opening round of the 29th Nomura Cup at the Manila Southwoods Masters course Tuesday in Carmona, Cavite.

Jack Buchanan fired a 6-underpar 66 on seven birdies including two on the last three holes and a bogey while Quinnton Bryce Croker added a 60 for Australia’s 135 that propelled the golfers from Down Under past Singapore, who had a 66 from James Leow and a 71 from John Ryan Ang in perfect playing conditions.

Ch inese-Taipei and Japan started in third place  at 138 while defending champion Thailand, boosted by a 66 from Arsit Areephun, occupied solo fifth.

The Philippines served notice of its championship potential by sharing sixth spot with Korea, New Zealand and Malaysia but not after its top gun Kristoffer Arevalo muffed a solid front nine charge.

A revalo birdied five holes in the opening nine and was still five under through 12 holes until he bogeyed four straight holes from the 13th. He managed to birdie the last hole for two-under 70 and with Jacob Rolida making a good account of himself with a steady 71 on his international play debut, the Philippines wound up with a 141 total.

India was 10th at 144, Hong Kong 11th at 145 then came Indonesua (148), Pakistan (154), Guam (157), United Arab Emirates (169) and  Mongolia (176).

Novino, Napoles rule judo events in PSC women’s martial arts fest

SOPHIA NICOLE NOVINO and Rhian Napoles ruled their respective weight categories in judo at the eighth Philippine Sports Commission Women’s Martial Arts (WMA) Festival at the Philippine Judo Federation training gym inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

Delo opens PHL bid in Mexico worlds

SOUTHEAST Asian Games

multi-medalist Laila Delo takes on Germany’s Vaness Koerndl as the Smart/MVP Sports Foundation Philippine Team start its campaign in the World Taekwondo Championships which opened Tuesday at the ultramodern Centro Acuatico CODE Metropolitano in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Delo, 21 and fighting out of University of Santo Tomas, and Koerndl clash in a women’ -67 kgs bout.

Team manager and technical head Rocky Samson said the Filipino jins face tall odds with the presence of the world’s elite and established fighters who are all eyeing ranking points for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The jins are accompanied by

coa c hes Paul Romero and World Championship veteran Carlos “Caloy” Padilla, with former Senator Anna Dominique “Nikki” Coseteng as head of delegation and former Zambales representative Cheryl Deloso Montalla as her deputy.

The team’s participation is supported by the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee.

The championships drew 755 fighters from 122 countries with Tokyo Olympian Kurt Bryan Barbosa bearing the country’s colors in the opening ceremony.

A lso on the team are Baby Jessica Canabal, Alfritz Arevalo, Dave Cea and Joseph Chua.

Novino, a sophomore at the National Academy of Sports, topped the women’s -44 kgs division after scoring an ippon win (1-0) over Mikeighla Louise de Vera of Baguio Judo Club. Gabrielle Lorine Dizon and Princess Maurine Villafranca settled for bronze medals.

Novino adjusted well in her transition from judo kata to sparring after the Muntinlupa Judo Club standout convincingly defeated Villafranca and Dizon in the preliminaries on the way to the finals. It’s not the first time that I faced Mike [De Vera]. She’s a good fighter,” said Novino, a Grade 8 student at the NAS, the country’s first sports academy managed by the government.

Featuring the nation’s finest women athletes in 11 sports, the WMA is streamed live at the Philippine Sports Commission’s YouTube channel and the PSC WMA Festival FB page. The six-day festival is supported by Pocari Sweat and Go21.

Napoles claimed the -48 kgs title at the expense of Mariana Alicia Roces after going through bronze medalist Jamila Abanador in the semifinals while Shanaia Yve Febrer and Jhenica Serrano reigned supreme in the -32 kgs and -40 kgs divisions.

Philippine Judo Federation president Ali Sulit thanked the PSC and Commissioner Olivia “Bong’’ Coo, commissioner in charge of Women in Sports, for including judo as a demonstration sport in the Festival.

foreigners

Daily training under Robert Allan M. Herber Jr. (US Cycling coach and the only UCI Level 3 coach in the country) became the norm.  Everything else was put in the backburner.

Just waking up to face two or more hours of hard training daily was tough as nails.  Eat-Sleep-Train-WorkRepeat. Six days a week.  It was nice to see the graph showing my progress, slow as it was.

The kilometers were fast and rough.  Riders from the Master’s category became embroiled in fearless battles, even going head-on against those from the much younger Women’s age groups.

It was chaotic but exhilarating!

Up and down through forest trails, asphalt roads, long gravel stretches, and with so many twists and turns, we kept hammering on into Citadella, some 140 kms away, jockeying for positions against bets from countries who were either ex-pros or former national champions.

Finally, I sprinted to the finish. Battered but un-broken.  Head held up high.

Mike makes biking history

Training would be back-breaking, given that I work full time and commute from Silang, Cavite, to Ortigas Center in Pasig almost daily.

Plus, being self-sponsored, the expenses would be quite steep. But to be part of history?  It was a no brainer.

Thus began months of dizzying preparation for what was to become an experience of a lifetime.

A s any athlete would say, preparation would be key to success.  Although in my case—I had already raced against

I flew to Vicenza, Italy, on October 3, needing two days to acclimatize for the October 8 race day. I rode with fellow Pinoy reps from the other age groups.  Our country had one of the largest contingents for the event.

The race week went by in a blur.

R ace day jitters numbed my senses. Couldn’t sleep.  Was up at dawn for a 12 p.m. start.

A mid the deafening cheers, the gun went off.  The hammer went down hard.  Just 300 meters from the start came a brutal 10-percent ascent.

Woohoo!  I finished the world’s first ever gravel world championship race, with a decent time to boot!

I w asn’t dead last, that is!

A mere mortal that I am, will I do it again—but with a longer prep time?  Hell yeah!

The author, a lawyer, says he would much rather spend his days riding his bike exploring the countryside, than sitting in the office hammering on his computer’s keyboard to meet client deadlines. Says Mike, “If only cycling could pay the bills ;-).”

I

Cycliste Internationale), the world governing body for cycling.

Philippines hosted the race serving as the qualifier to the World Championships in Italy.

abroad—I knew it would be a long shot to aim for the rainbow jersey of a World Champion.   Hence, the more reasonable goal would be to just do my best with the little time that I had.

THE Blazers’ Miguel Corteza splits a Stags double team. PHOTO RUDY ESPERAS

THE members of the team strike a pose in Guadalajara. They are (from left) Caloy Padilla, Paul Romero, Laila Delo, Baby Jessica Canabal, Alfritz Arevalo, team manager Rocky Samson, Joseph Chua, former Zambales representative Cheryl Deloso and former Senator Nikki Coseteng.

TOP seeds Guido Van der Valk and Chihiro Ikeda are living up to expectations. ROY DOMINGO