BusinessMirror November 21, 2022

Adjusted holidays to boost domestic travel next year

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

ng Kagitingan) falls on a Sunday; November 27, Monday is a nonworking holiday since November 30 (Bonifacio Day), falls on a Thursday.

Marcos Jr. considers the tourism industry as a key engine of econom ic growth, despite the inadequate budget given to the Department of Tourism (DOT), which recently received Senate approval for P3.5 billion in funds next year.

yet to approve the NTDP for 20222028.

THai firms...

T hiennukul also noted that digitalization plays a crucial role in bolstering the economy.

I n a text message to the Busi nessMirror, Cleofe C. Albiso, Managing Director of Mega world Hotels & Resorts said, “The new holiday schedule for 2023 will help boost domestic tourism. We have seen how the pickup in domestic travels have helped the industry in many ways this year.”

S he added, “With the adjusted holidays for the coming year, fam ilies and local travelers can create advance plans for their vacations, avail of hotel and airline promo tions, thus making their travel costs more efficient. It will then be our opportunity to take care of our guests during their long week end stays with the hopes that their experience will encourage them to promote patronizing our local des tinations.”

P resident Ferdinand Marcos Jr. recently issued Presidential

Proclamation No. 90 adjusting the holidays next year, creating more long weekends that allows Filipinos around which to plan their vacations. The so-called “holiday economics” scheme was introduced under the term of President Gloria Macapagal Ar royo, now one of the top advisers of Marcos Jr.

Budget carriers Cebu Pacific and Air Asia Philippines are currently offering discounted air fares on many destinations that are good for trips until next year.

9 long weekends

BASED on Presidential Proclama tion No. 90, there will be a total of nine long weekends in 2023: Janu ary 2 (Monday) and November 2 (Thursday) have been declared ad ditional special non-working holi days; April 10, Monday, is a nonworking holiday as April 9 (Araw

P rior to the country’s reopen ing its borders in February, the tourism industry’s recovery was jumpstarted by the previous ad ministration’s lowering of Cov id-19 alert levels, which encour aged domestic tourism. Data from the Philippine Statistics Author ity showed domestic trips grew by 38 percent to 37.3 million in 2021, from some 27 million the year before. Prior to the pandem ic, domestic trips reached 122.12 million in 2019.

100M trips by yearend UNDER the National Tourism De velopment Plan (NTDP) of 20162022, the last two years of which was revised by the previous ad ministration after the pandemic struck, the DOT was targeting domestic trips from a low of 18.8 million to an optimistic 100 mil lion this year. (For inbound tour ism, DOT was targeting arrivals between 2 million and 5 million this year.)

T he current administration has

I n a statement, Tourism Sec retary Christina Garcia Frasco said Presidential Proclamation No. 90 is “an important stimu lus to boost the country’s do mestic travel figures. This will allow travelers to stay longer in destinations and thus bring di rect economic benefits to the lo cal communities. This gives our kababayans (fellow Filipinos) more opportunity to rest, re charge, and spend longer quality time and trips with their families and loved ones.”

S he stressed, “Even our MSMEs (micro, small, and medium enter prises) stand to benefit from the extended weekends because the longer our tourists stay in a par ticular destination, the higher likelihood that they will engage in tourism activities and spend on local products,” adding, “The long weekends will definitely help spur economic activities, sustain tourism-related employ ment opportunities, and aid com munities that are dependent on tourism.”

Frasco encouraged Filipinos to “seize this opportunity and book your trips as early as now. Traveling to our key spots as well as lesserknown destinations is one way we can foster our love of country and discover the richness of our coun try’s culture.”

CA...

T he subsequent operations were conducted by Castro in a hospi tal facility, and the patients were brought to the hospital via free transportation.

T he FFIED recommended the fil ing of a formal complaint against Dr. Castro and Quezon City Eye Center for violation of Philhealth Circular Nos. 17 and 19 Series of 2007.

Castro denied the accusations and insisted that the medical missions labeled by Philhealth as recruitment activities were initiated by the pro vincial government of Bulacan.

C astro said he and several other ophthalmologists in Bulacan were invited. He added that all patients, whether Philhealth members or not, were assisted during the medical missions and that he joined the free eye consultation purposely to help the less fortunate.

However, the Philhealth declared that it was highly questionable that patients were transported for free in going to and from Quezon City Eye Center, when the operation could have been performed in one of the government hospitals in Bulacan or in Monte Falco Hospital where the petitioner has a clinic.

P hilhealth also held that the prohibition to recruit and solicit patients includes those programs sponsored by the Philippine Oph thalmology Association (PAO) and local government units.

It concluded that Philhealth prof ited from the operations incurred by its members while the non-members paid from their own pockets.

I n upholding the ruling of Phil health, the appellate court did not give weight to Castro’s argument that Philhealth Circular No. 19 only states the guidelines to determine whether cataract surgeries in medi cal mission are compensable, thus, it erred that all cataract surgeries in relation to medical missions are non-compensable.

“ While it is true that the cataract operations were not performed dur ing the medical missions participat ed by Dr. Castro, reason dictates that there would have been no surge in the number of cataract operations had there been no ‘free screening’ in the first place,” the CA pointed out.

In this current situation, it is necessary to revitalize the eco nomic sectors, especially the focus on sustainable development. We have the same goal to focus on the joint development of public health, especially in the Asian Framework. The development of the digital economy, the use of the digitaliza tion and implementation of BCG Model in revitalizing the economy,” the Thai business leader said.

P hilippine Chamber of Com merce and Industry (PCCI) Presi dent George T. Barcelon said Thai firms are also keen on investing in energy and telecommunications, which President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. mentioned during his meetings with Thai businesses.

“ Like other parties concerned, the Thailand group that has invest ment in our country in Mariwasa in UPPC which is the pulp-making fac tory. He has also expressed that the way things are moving, the growth is gonna be there and they will also look into that,” Barcelon said.

One of the (energy) companies has already been in the Philippines for decades in the power sector. He’s very well aware that there’s a need for power of which in passing President BBM also mentioned,” he added.

A s for infrastructure, the head of PCCI said the president also made a pitch for the public-private part nership (PPP) program during the meetings, which “could give various sectors the impetus to invest more in the country’s PPP program.”

He said the Philippines has set its sights on Thailand’s halal market.

“The Philippines has been eyeing this market for quite sometime but we have not made real big inroads.

New taxes...

Implementing progressive tax systems, the researchers said, are needed especially if reduced spend ing is not viable for governments.

More comprehensive tax reforms may have warranted a longer time to be fully implemented, and enforc ing the changes may have occurred later than the effective date of the policy. Tax reform dummy variables are then lagged two years as seen in the (research),” the researchers said in a discussion paper. Tax buoyancy was only a part of the study which focused on the 2023 national budget and the financing needed for it.

T he researchers noted that 75.85 percent of the national budget is composed of current operating ex penditure (COE). For the past 40 years or between 1983 and 2022, COE has composed the bulk of the national budget.

I nfrastructure and other capital outlay expenditures has increased as a percentage of GDP at 5.2 per cent with 5 percent of GDP going to infrastructure alone. Allocation for this peaked in 2017 at 6.7 percent.

S ocial services and economic services also accounted for the top two expenditures by sector at 39.3 percent and 29 percent, respectively.

I n terms of line agency, the De partment of Public Works and High ways (DPWH) accounts for P717.31 billion, the largest among all agen cies despite a contraction of 8.7 per cent compared to last year.

I n terms of growth, the Depart

Marcos...

T he president also said he does not think the visit of United States Vice President Kamala Harris this week will fuel the tension between Philippines and China due to the SCS dispute.

H arris is expected to travel to Palawan, which is the country’s nearest territory to the South China Sea.

It is the closest area to the South China Sea, but it’s very clearly on Philippine territory. So I don’t think there should be—I don’t think it

And again this has opened up the possibility of more Thai companies helping us out or even investing in the Philippines for halal food.”

A ccording to the Palace, the meeting with Thai businesses is part of Marcos’s bid to woo invest ments and strengthen economic co operation between the Philippines and its Asean neighbors.

L ast Wednesday, the President divulged that he will be deploying agriculture officials to initiate ex ploratory talks with Thai conglom erate CP group.

A t a dinner meeting between Marcos and CP Group’s officials on Wednesday in Thailand, execu tives of the largest private company in Thailand expressed interest in increasing their investment in the country’s agriculture sector.

CP Group currently has $2 billion worth of investments in the country.

The Department of Agriculture of the Philippines will go to your Philippine offices and we will begin by that, and maybe we will set a time when a team of Filipinos can come to Thailand. Then we can see what are the opportunities that you feel are going to be appropriate for the Philippines,” said Marcos address ing the CP Group officials.

T he president, who is the con current agriculture secretary, wel comed the possible additional CP Group Investments in the country, particularly on aquaculture since it will help the country achieve food security.

“[Aquaculture] is an area where the Philippines can do well…So that’s something that we are not doing a lot, and I really feel that we are missing an opportunity because we are a country with over 7,000 is lands. I am sure that there are many places that are suitable for this kind of operation,” Marcos said.

ment of Transportation (DOTr) saw the largest increase at 121.5 per cent to P166.7 billion in 2023. This agency accounted for 3.9 percent of the entire budget.

T he researchers also said the government’s net financing require ment for the budget is 8.8 percent of GDP or P2.082 trillion. This is com posed of P1.651 trillion worth of net domestic borrowing and P431.037 billion net foreign borrowing.

T he House of Representatives on Monday approved on third and final reading three priority tax bills of the Marcos administration and the 19th Congress.

A fter the approval at the lower chamber, House Bill (HB) 4102, or the Single-use Plastic Bags Tax Act; HB 4122, or the VAT on Nonresident Digital Service Providers (DSP); and HB 4339 or Package 4 of the Com prehensive Tax Reform Program will now be transmitted to the Senate for its own deliberations. These three proposals could yield a total of P48 billion annually for the government.

O f P48-billion revenue from these tax measures, House Commit tee on Ways and Means Chairman Joey Sarte Salceda said some P19 bil lion will come from the nonresident DSP VAT, P9.3 billion from plastic bags, and P20 billion from Package 4, the bulk of which will come from re moving the tax exemption on pickup trucks, and increasing the tax rates on foreign currency deposit units to 20 percent.

will cause problems,” Marcos said.

T he president said he intends to discuss with Harris the country’s “evolving” relations with the US.

“ I think when it comes to the security and defense in the Asia Pacific, it really has to be—it re ally has to be a joint response. I don’t think a single country should —I don’t think any single country should [go] it alone. I think we will do much better if we respond as a group, and I think the other coun tries agree,” Marcos said.

‘HOLIDAY economics” will help the country’s tourism industry recover faster as more Filipinos are seen booking vacations with family and friends to domestic destinations next year.

Advocacy orgs: Make PHL streets safer for kids

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

AS thousands of children per ish due to transportationrelated mishaps, efforts to make Philippine streets safer for young Filipinos must be prioritized.

Public-interest law group Imag ineLaw said a total of 12,603 chil dren aged zero to 19 years old died between 2013 and 2017 due to road accidents, citing Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data.

I n that five-year bracket, 2016 was the deadliest for children, as 3,175 of them passed away due to unsafe roads. ImagineLaw said 2017, which recorded the least number of road deaths among chil dren, still claimed the lives of 1,670 young Filipinos.

The government, in partnership with stakeholders, should continue improving road infrastructure [by] updating policies and enforcing traf fic laws to make sure they are inclu sive of children’s safety,” said Daphne

PNP chief commends WCPD in 12th natl biennial summit

By Glen Jacob Jose

LADY police officers of Women and Children Protection Desks (WCPDs) received due recogni tion for their key contributions in the fight against gender-based vio lence (GBVs), as well as other forms of abuse and exploitation against women and children.

Pursuant to the theme: “Kaba baihan, Kaagapay sa Pagharap sa mga Pagsubok Tungo sa Kapayaan at Kaunlaran,” 200 female police officers from various police units nationwide assembled in Tagaytay City from November 16 to 18 for the 12th National Biennial Summit on Women in Community Policing.

T here, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. appreciated and cited the signifi cance of the event, which consistent ly laid down goals for women-police officers to maintain their sense of direction toward a competitive, gen der-fair and principled leadership in the police organization, as they man the frontline tasks of addressing the elimination of violence against women, which applies to internal and external clients.

“ Your commitment and dedica tion in helping the government build an inclusive society where women can fully harness and real ize their individual and collective potentials; a society where women can have an equal voice in creat ing strong, peaceful communities worldwide…your initiatives [on en riching police practices for women regarding gender-related issues, handling of victims—including rights and roles of policewomen— truly inspire] us all,” Azurin said in a statement on Saturday.

A mong the event’s highlights was the awarding of 10 most outstanding female police officers of WCPDs, as well as Family, Juvenile and Gender

and Development under the “Adopta-WCPD project” of Soroptimist In ternational of Kaagapay, in recog nition of their significant contribu tions in combating GBVs, plus other forms of abuses and exploitation versus women and children.

May you remain steadfast in protecting the rights and promot ing the interests of the most vul nerable sectors in our society, es pecially our children not only as a cherished tradition, but a way of life in law enforcement particularly in the PNP, where 45,581, or 21.48 percent of the entire 226,928 PNP, are women,” Azurin added.

Tourism Undersecretary Myra Paz Valderrosa-Abubakar formally opened the event as guest of honor and keynote speaker.

It was also highlighted by the virtually delivered message of Vice President Sara Duterte to the Sorop timist, and to the participants of the biennial summit.

In her address, Duterte under scored the programs particularly promoting women in policing by sup porting WCPDs at the barangay level.

I am optimistic that your initia tives will contribute to the improved protection of women and children from violence; help ensure women’s and children's health; and provide more education, training and skillsenhancement opportunities,” the vice president said.

In partnership with the Soropti mist International Americas Phil ippines Region, the 3-day event promoted women empowerment, as it enriched competencies and ca pabilities of female law enforcers in performing their police functions in the community.

Soroptimist is a global volunteer organization providing women and girls access to their needed educa tion and training to achieve eco nomic empowerment.

SEN. Sherwin T. Gatchalian on Sunday urged the national government to sustain the mo mentum of its crackdown on online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC) amid the global observance of World Children’s Day.

Gatchalian said that the govern ment is now better equipped to com bat OSAEC, as well as other forms of child trafficking and abuse, onsider ing the passage of two relevant laws. These are the Expanded Antitraffick ing in Persons Act of 2022 (Republic Act 11862), as well as the Antisexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children and Antichild Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials Act (Republic Act 11930).

According to the study: “Disrupt ing Harm in the Philippines: Evi dence on online child sexual exploi tation and abuse” that surveyed 950 children, 20 percent of those using the Internet between ages 12 and 17 were victims of grave instances of online sexual exploitation and abuse in 2021. When these find ings are scaled to the population, up to 2 million kids were subjected to similar harms last year.

Based on the research, experiences of victims include being blackmailed to engage in sexual activities, or being coerced to engage in similar activities through promises of money and gifts.

Gatchalian also recalled how the pandemic increased the Filipino youth’s exposure to OSAEC. In 2021 the Department of Justice (DOJ) reported receiving more than 2.8 million accounts of online sexual exploitation of children—more than twice the nearly 1.3 million for 2020.

T he DOJ also announced that for the past year, official investiga tions were launched on 268 OSEC cases—almost four times the 73 cases handled in 2020.

T he solon said in Filipino that part of the nation’s upholding of children’s safety and welfare is to ensure their safety on the Internet, especially as it is used for various kinds of violence and abuse.

The senator also pointed out that in recent months, he was also able to spearhead the passage of the afore mentioned laws that aim to intensify the fight against abuses on Filipino youth who use the Internet.

Marcelo, ImagineLaw’s Road Safety project manager. “Playing outside or commuting to school should not be a death sentence for children.”

T he group said that in Sep tember this year, a four-year-old girl was killed after being hit by a sports-utility vehicle in Malate, Manila. In the same month anoth er of the same age and his father became victims of a road crash in South Cotabato, which involved more than a dozen cars.

On Sunday ImagineLaw unveiled

a mural for the “World Day of Re membrance for Road-Traffic Vic tims” at a children’s park in Manila.

“Every [road] death is prevent able,” added Robert Siy of Move As One Coalition—a transport- and mobility-advocacy organization. “[W]e should not pull back on our road-safety campaign until we bring the number of Filipinos killed or injured from road crashes down to zero.”

According to ImagineLaw, blam ing parents solely for road-crash

deaths among children is “unproduc tive, misguided, and myopic.”

Marcelo said the Philippine road system should be designed to pro tect the lives of the most vulner able road users such as children and pedestrians.

Hannah Estepa, a 15-year old vi sually impaired child-advocate from the Youth Alliance for Road Disci pline, also urged the government to place extra lanes and railings to protect children, especially the dis abled like her.

“Our streets are far too hostile for a child to even simply exercise their right to play,” said Nicole Anne Cobarrubias of AltMobility, another advocacy unit. “In our commitment to building safer streets, we will be more firm in prioritizing children’s safety above motor vehicles.”

Based on January to July 2022 statistics, transport accidents were the 12th-top killer of Filipinos. A total of 5,455 died of road acci dents in the seven-month period this year.

Disaster hub to monitor Davao de Oro coastal towns

By Manuel T. Cayon @awimailbox Mindanao Bureau Chief

DAVAO CITY—A disaster hub which will serve as a satellite facility of the Provincial Dis aster Risk Reduction and Manage ment Office (PDRRMO) of Davao de Oro has been established in the mu nicipality of Pantukan to watch over the coastal towns of the province.

G overnor Dorothy MontejoGonzaga officially opened the Andam Action Center Resilience Hub located inside the compound of Davao de Oro Provincial Hospital of Pantukan.

T he office has assigned four of its personnel at the hub. Head of PDRRMO Joseph Randy Loy said more personnel would be assigned at the hub to focus on four main areas on disaster risk reduction and management.

THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the 17 local gov ernment units (LGUs) in Metro Manila, and national agencies responsible for managing traffic in the metropolis have approved the action plan that covers vari ous strategies aimed to address traffic-management issues in the metropolis.

M MDA’s Acting Chairman Atty. Romando Artes said that they have to work together in implement ing a five-year action plan during the last Joint Coordination Com mittee Meeting for “The Project for Comprehensive Traffic Man agement Plan (CTMP) for Metro Manila” being funded by the Ja pan International Cooperation Agency, (Jica) focused on easing the National Capital Region’s ve hicular congestion.

A rtes noted that Metro Ma nila’s vast economic opportuni ties draw more and more visitors, which has led to further upsurge in traffic congestion.

“As the project ends, the next step is to implement the plan,” Artes noted. “Continuous coordination, role-sharing, funding, monitoring and evaluation—these are critical matters that must be addressed.”

T he approved action plan cov ers 12 strategies to address traf fic management issues in Metro Manila, the most urgent of which is to complete the improvement of the 42 traffic bottlenecks the CTMP Project has identified, as well as the signal systems.

S trategies traffic-manage ment agencies need to start immediately include further improving traffic corridors; en hancing the intelligent transpor tation system (ITS); strengthen ing traffic regulations, enforce ment and road safety; promoting active transportation; and devel oping a comprehensive trafficmanagement database.

The action plan also recommends

formulating comprehensive traf fic-management plans by LGUs, strengthening the transportation network in Metro Manila, as well as strengthening MMDA’s planning capacities in traffic management and its coordination with and among re lated organizations.

F or his part, MMDA Acting General Manager Engr. Baltazar Melgar pointed out that “a con certed action is needed to ad dress the traffic problem, which requires involvement, participa tion and dedication.”

Together with the above-men tioned strategies are 10 projects which are expected to achieve the action plan’s overall vision of inclu sive and people-oriented mobility.

M eanwhile, Takema Sakamo to, chief representative of Jica Phils., expressed the agency’s commitment to support the Philippine government’s efforts in addressing traffic congestion by offering to share Japan’s ex periences in traffic management, particularly in ITS, and in pri vate-public partnerships.

No one can resolve the chronic traffic jam in Metro Manila alone; but if we all work together, we are opti mistic that there is hope for improv ing the traffic situation,” Sakamoto added. “If we strongly bond together, we can achieve continuous economic growth and attain the quality of life for every Filipino.”

T he meeting was immediately fol lowed by a workshop to discuss the commitment of and ideas of each agency on ways to implement the action plan.

Thursday’s Slex jam

STILL on Metro Manila’s traffic woes, the Toll Regulatory Board said it is launching a thorough in vestigation on the actual cause of Thursday’s massive traffic along the South Luzon Expressway (Slex) and other tollways operated by San Miguel Corp. (SMC).

TRB Spokesperson Julius Corpuz

said in Filipino during the “Laging Handa” public briefing that they are looking for ways to avoid similar inci dents, and that they are performing a thorough study and investigation into what happened.

W hile SMC attributed the prob lem to the fiber optics of their Internet provider as the cause of system glitch in radio frequency identification tags (RFIDs), Cor puz said the TRB has also asked the network provider of the toll ways to explain in a letter the situation that led to the massive traffic congestion.

T he official added that such is necessary, so that the board could assess the other causes, if they responded correctly—and if their intervention measures were timely—as they want to prevent similar incidents.

In addition to the investigation, he said the TRB will be performing regular audits on the tollways under their coverage to ensure the func tionality of equipment and systems used by tollway operators.

I f there are unavoidable inci dents—whether man-made or not—there should be intervention measures that can be immediately applied to avoid inconveniencing motorists, he said.

T he disruption of the RFID system at Slex from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Thursday led to traffic jams along thoroughfares going to Metro Manila.

Corpuz pointed out that SMC decided to leave the toll barriers up to help ease the gridlock, but the slow traffic condition continued for several more hours due to the sheer number of vehicles.

T he spokesperson said that the communications network of the affected tollways has since been restored, and the traffic situation has normalized.

For its part, he said SMC has apologized to motorists for the in convenience. Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco, with a report from Raymond Carl Dela Cruz/PNA

“ This hub is…envisioned [to re spond and cater to the four thematic pillars of DRRM: prevention and mitigation, disaster preparedness, disaster response and early recovery, as well as disaster rehabilitation] and recovery,” Loy said.

Davao de Oro, formerly the prov ince of Compostela Valley, has three of its towns situated along the coast of Davao Gulf. Aside from Pantukan, the other two are Maco and Mabini.

T he hub was constructed at a budget of P3 million, equipped with radio communication, a fiber boat, and patient-transport vehicles.

A s a satellite office of the PDR RMO, the hub would serve the coastal towns and other local gov ernment units (LGUs) that need additional responders during emer gencies and calamities.

It provides pre-hospital care to victims of vehicular accidents and [LGUs in need of support during dis asters, while making sure that prox imity of our services are delivered within] the ‘golden hour’ for victims to survive,” the PDRRMO head added.

Gonzaga also distributed radio equipment to all Municipal DRRMO under Davao de Oro, as she urged them to request from their mayors to establish similar centers.

We really have to work hand-inhand with…stakeholders, because the [roles of the PDRRMO and the MDRRMO require them not only to wait for natural calamities and hazards to happen],” she said.

Fire prevention orientation

MEANWHILE, 137 newly recruited firefighter trainees for Fire Officer 1 (FO1) from Davao Region’s provinces underwent a 45-day orientation pro gram in Davao de Oro Fire Emergency and Disaster Training Center in July.

Senior Supt. Richard V. Arbutante, Bureau of Fire Protection-Region 11 director, said the orientation was the FO1s’ first glimpse of a six-month training on fire response.

“We don’t choose the time and kind of emergencies. As long as there [are lives, properties, and the environment are in danger, we will stand up to chal lenges],” Arbutante said. “The concept of this orientation program and the rest of the training was focused on life-saving. That is our responsibility.”

SUPERSIZED Giant figures made of paper mâché parade along Quezon Avenue in Angono, Rizal for the Higantes Festival on Sunday, November 20. The annual feast honors St. Clement, the patron saint of fisherfolk, and at the same time depicts farm workers of old who mocked their wealthy employers with their “stern looks.” JOEY O. RAZON/PNA

Vittorio V. Vitug

WTO-GPA accession paramount for PHL’s Asia Pacific digital integration

By Andrea San Juan

THE Philippines’s accession to the World Trade Organiza tion’s (WTO) Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) and strengthening copyright enforce ment are deemed to be “imperative,” as the country is poised for digitaltrade integration with its Asia-Pacific neighbors, according to the Philip pine Institute for Development Stud ies’ (PIDS) discussion paper.

I n a news statement last Friday, Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (Philexport) said “PIDS Super vising Research Specialist Neil Irwin Moreno and Senior Research Fellow Francis Mark Quimba examined some notable low-hanging fruits that can be quickly adopted by the government, [as the country fully prepares] for regional integration.”

According to Philexport, Moreno and Quimba said it could be an “ideal time” for the Philippines to accede to the GPA, with the country becoming an observer and the GPA 2012 replac ing the GPA 1994.

Signed on April 15,1994 and entered into force on January 1, 1996, the WTO-GPA is a multilat eral agreement that aims to mutu ally open government-procurement markets among its parties by gradu ally reducing and eliminating dis criminatory measures.

In June 2019 Philexport said the Philippines became an observer in the GPA. This, Philexport noted, enabled the country to participate in the discussions of the committee in drafting the framework for the conduct of international trade in government procurement without any commitments.

The two researchers cited a possible advantage of the Philippines’s accession to the GPA. Such, they noted, could be used as an avenue to pursue more freetrade agreements (FTAs) with countries that are parties to the pact.

Many of the GPA parties do not have a trade agreement with the Phil ippines, which could make [its] acces sion complementary to the existing FTAs of the country,” the research fellows averred.

T hey also noted the importance to assess the issues discouraging the country from joining the GPA— most especially, the protection of domestic industries.

“Since the [agreement does not compel parties to cover all industries, the Philippines could identify the sectors which] can be fully covered by the GPA provisions, and those that need greater protection from foreign competition,” they added.

T he authors also cited the impor tance of strengthening copyright enforcement.

Moreno and Quimba underscored studies that note the prevalence of illegal online activities which still de crease the sales of legal content. These, they said, discourage creators in the creatives sector to invest in making quality products, thereby “hampering the industry’s growth in the long run.”

“Moreover, a high level of piracy has serious implications on the country’s cyber security,” they researchers said. “Thus, stronger copyright enforce ment is important for consumers to perceive that patronizing pirated con tent is risky and inconvenient. This could be complemented by programs that provide additional legal means for creators to promote their projects.”

BusinessMirror

‘COOPERATION IS A DRIVER OF GLOBAL ECONOMY’

BBM: Apec confab ‘a way forward’ for PHL, other member-countries

people-to-people links between the two countries, as she noted the invaluable socioeconomic contribu tion of the Filipino community in New Zealand.

T hey also acknowledged the great potential for growth in all aspects of two-way ties. While noting the steady pace of growth of bilateral trade, Marcos Jr. said he would like to see a more balanced trade in the coming years.

T he Chief Executive thanked the prime minister for welcoming and hosting the growing diaspora of Fili pinos in New Zealand, now number ing 80,000.

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

In his arrival speech at the Vil lamor Airbase in Pasay City Saturday evening, Marcos Jr. emphasized the importance of the recently conclud ed forum, which gave countries the opportunity to impart their inputs on addressing common global is sues such as climate change, supply chains, food supply, digitalization and empowerment of women, among other matters.

“It was a very useful and produc tive process because, as I said, we now have a way forward for all of us members of Apec,” the president said.  Said initiatives, he noted, will be important for the cooperation to “re turn to its [original] role as a driver of the global economy.”

I n his bilateral talks at the side lines of the said meeting, the Chief Executive shared that he was also able to secure commitments from other countries, which will be ben eficial to the Filipino nation.

T hese include a collaboration with Canada and New Zealand on trade, as well as possible partnerships with Australia, China and France on nu clear energy and agriculture, as he met with leaders of the latter.

A nother highlight of his dia logues, Marcos imparted, was the commitment from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA) Crown Prince

and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman to settle the unpaid claims of around 10,000 overseas Filipino workers who worked in Saudi firms that declared bankruptcy in 2015 and 2016.

T he Saudi government has com mitted to allocate SR2 billion for the said purpose.

I n an interview with reporters before his departure from Thai land, Marcos Jr. said he also con versed with the Saudi leader about the possible additional employ ment opportunities in KSA, as well as possible agreements on oil and fertilizer procurement.

[Regarding the matter on oil supply, we touched upon it; but we just have to pursue it further. The one about fertilizers] would prob ably be easier, and we may be able to get some from them,” Marcos said in Filipino.

T he president was also able to talk to businessmen who were inter ested in investing in the Philippines, as well as the 30,000-plus Filipinos based in Thailand.

BBM and Australian PM IN their first face-to-face bilat eral meeting on the sidelines of the AELM, Marcos Jr. and Aus tralian Prime Minister Anthony

SPEAKER Martin Romualdez

on Friday assured the House of Representatives’ commit ment to intensify efforts on pro viding legal framework for the country’s digital transformation necessary to foster economic re

covery and spur growth.

Romualdez made the guarantee following President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s participation at the AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation’s (Apec) 29th Leaders’ Meeting (AELM), where he cited the need to narrow the digital divide among the region’s economies to open more opportunities for crossborder trade and investments, while fostering inclusive growth.

T he speaker pointed out that the House Committee on Trade and In dustry has already approved a con solidated version of the proposed Internet Transaction Act, or the e-Commerce Law, which is among the 20 priority measures the Chief Executive mentioned in his State of the Nation Address (Sona).

T he bill proposes to create an e-commerce bureau to regulate In ternet-based commercial activities,

Albanese affirmed their commit ments in advancing PhilippineAustralian relations.

Both expressed their interests to explore wide-ranging cooperation between their two countries. The president identified agriculture and renewable energy as areas of coopera tion that should be strengthened.

A lbanese thanked the Philippines for the vibrant and growing Filipino community in Australia, as well as their contributions to his country’s economy and culture.

O n regional security, the Chief Executive recognized Australia’s ongoing development and security partnerships in the region. He also stressed the need to have a strong partnership with the continental state, as the region faces an evolving security landscape affected by the situation in the Korean Peninsula, tensions in the Taiwan Strait, and geopolitical rivalry.

For his part, the prime minister Albanese emphasized Australia’s unwavering support for Asean centrality, including its central role in upholding regional stabil ity and prosperity.

He also thanked the Philippines and Asean for playing a positive role in the recent release of Aus

tralian Sean Turnell from deten tion in Myanmar.

T he meeting between the two leaders followed their introductory phone call on November 7, and the Asean-Australia Summit on Novem ber 12 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

PHL, NZ exchange

MARCOS JR. and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern likewise compared views on regional issues of mu tual interest in their introductory meeting, still on the sidelines of the AELM.

T he two leaders emphasized their countries’ shared commit ment to the rule of law, including the promotion of regional peace and security. Ardern expressed her support for the Philippine posi tion on the South China Sea/West Philippine Sea, and for the ongoing negotiations for a code of conduct in the disputed waters.

B oth affirmed the excellent bi lateral relations in various areas of cooperation. In particular, the president acknowledged the devel opment cooperation between the Philippines and New Zealand in agriculture, innovation, and peacebuilding. For her part, the prime minister highlighted the strong

T he two agreed to strengthen the multifaceted partnership between the Philippines and New Zealand, while further promoting high-level and working-level engagements in re gional and multilateral frameworks.

‘Positive impressions’

FORMER president and current Pampanga Second District Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo believes Marcos Jr. made a “good impres sion” in his first participation at the Apec Summit.

In a press statement on Sunday Malacañang said Macapagal-Arroyo was satisfied with Marcos’s perfor mance, as the latter spoke before more than half of the world’s leaders.

“...He certainly made a very good impression on the leaders of the very important economies. And not only the very important [ones,] but also the great economic thinkers of the world,” Macapagal-Arroyo was quoted as saying, herself an economist.

M arcos Jr. earlier described “GMA” as his “secret weapon” dur ing his meeting with the Filipino community at a Bangkok hotel on Saturday. He personally invited the former president to accompany him during the Apec Summit, noting that her experiences and insights were invaluable.

I n Filipino, the Chief Executive admitted being a “newbie” among heads of state, and that upon see ing “GMA,” his contemporaries easily recognized the latter and facilitated conversations.

Further, Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Susana Ople described Marcos Jr.’s first Apec attendance as “highly successful.”

She said he developed a good rap port with other economic leaders he met, particularly Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince, describing their exchanges as “very relaxed, very uplifting.”

Ople described the dialogue as upbeat from the moment both sat down, like friends who were reunit ed and exchanged stories. Both, she said, are forward-looking, visionar ies, and proud of Filipinos. With reports from Mike Policarpio and Azer Parrocha/PNA

and protect consumers who engage in online transactions.

“ We are also working equally hard for the passage of the proposed eGovernment and e-Governance Act, also among the priority measures of President Marcos in his Sona,” Ro mualdez said.

T he other week, the House Com mittee on Information and Commu nications Technology convened its technical working group to consoli date and fine-tune the provisions of the proposed act.

Romualdez is the principal author of House Bill (HB) 3, or the proposed e-Governance Act of 2022. His co authors are House Senior Deputy Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte Representative Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos, as well as Tingog Party-list representatives Yedda Ma rie Romualdez and Jude Acidre.

In filing HB 3, Romualdez said government policies “must be re sponsive to the needs of our people, rather than burden them with totally avoidable restrictions.”

T he passage of these measures, according to Romualdez, will also contribute to providing the neces sary environment to help micro-, small- and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs) not only to recover from the effects of the pandemic, but also grow and prosper.

I n his APEC intervention, Mar cos Jr. said narrowing the digital divide will “allow disadvantaged segments of our economies to par ticipate in the digital economy, and allow our economies to address future work challenges through human-resource development.”

T he president also cited initiatives of the Philippines to set the stage for

the country to thrive in the digital economy such as the e-Commerce Philippine Roadmap 2022, the Phil ippine Innovation Act, and the Inno vative Start-Up Act.

Said roadmap seeks to make ecommerce synonymous with “easy commerce: as easy as pointing your finger towards a direction, as tap ping your fingers on the keyboard, as clicking your mouse, as pressing a button,” according to the Depart ment of Trade and Industry.

O n the other hand, the Philip pine Innovation Act, or Republic Act (RA) 11293, aims to generate and scale up action in all levels and areas of education, training, research and development toward promoting innovation and interna tionalization activities of MSMEs as drivers of sustainable and inclu sive growth.

Zaldy De Layola/PNA

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. (right) addresses Vice President Sara Duterte and members of the cabinet upon his arrival on Saturday night, November 19, after his participation from the 29th AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Bangkok, Thailand. He shared positive developments of pledges, commitments and cooperation secured from other regional leaders. REY BANIQUET/PNA

FOR President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr., the 29th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Economic Leaders’ Meeting (AELM) in Thailand yielded “solutions” to pressing international issues and beneficial commitments for the Philippines.

MARCOS JR. (left) and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese vowed to cooperate closely on agriculture, energy and climate change. MALACAÑANG PHOTO/PNA

THE President and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern committed to protect the welfare of overseas Filipino workers, while improving trade and security measures. OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT/PNA

Congress to ramp up efforts for PHL’s digital transformation

Agriculture/Commodities

PHL rice inventory up 8.9% as of Sept. 1–PSA

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

THE country’s rice inventory as of September 1 reached 1.45 mil lion metric tons (MMT), 8.9 per cent higher than last year’s 1.332 MMT, the latest government data showed.

However, the rice stocks were 10.1 percent lower than the 1.613 MMT recorded in August, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) monthly rice and corn inven tory report.

S eptember is the last month in the country’s so-called lean season, when domestic rice output is usu ally minimal.

Despite growing by almost a dou ble-digit growth rate on an annual basis, the country’s total rice stocks as of September 1 was the lowest in the past 12 months or since the 1.332 MMT recorded a year ago, historical PSA data showed.

R ice stocks in households reached 710,340 metric tons (MT) while

By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga

THE Department of Agrar ian Reform (DAR) will spend around P6.1 billion for the implementation of a proj ect that seeks to the subdivision of collective certificates of land ownership award (CCLOAs) and eventually issue individual land titles to the agrarian reform ben eficiaries (ARBs).

T he agency has allotted the amount for the project dubbed Sup port to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (SPLIT).

T his was revealed by Senator Cynthia Villar, Chairperson for Food, Agriculture and Agrarian Reform committee as the Senate approved the P14.39-billion pro posed budget of the DAR last No vember 16.

“ The DAR will continue to sup port and advance the welfare of ARBs and sustain the development of the agriculture sector to improve the ARB’s living conditions,” DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III said in a statement.

T he rest of the agency’s budget will be distributed to support the three major programs of DAR.

T hese are Agrarian Justice De

livery (AJD) Program with P915 million, to provide legal sup port and assistance to the ARBs through effective means of alter native dispute resolution such as mediation or conciliation; Land Tenure Security (LTS) Program with a P3.03-billion budget, activi ties of which include land acqui sition and distribution activities and landowners’ compensation; and Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Development and Sustainability Program (ARBDSP) with P1.5 bil lion, which will provide support services to the ARBs including training, market linkage, credit assistance, insurance facilitation provision of farm inputs, farm machinery, and equipment.

During the budget hearing, Vil lar reported that project SPLIT had initiated the digitalization of its validation process which is now more accurate and faster in processing data. The DAR has hired 4,900 field validators to accomplish 1.3 million hectares by 2027.

So far, the field validation teams of SPLIT have accomplished almost 75 percent of their target. The DAR is targeting to validate 84,000 hectares by the end of 2023. When accom plished, project SPLIT will benefit 1.2 million ARBs.

those in commercial entities were estimated at 628,160 MT. NFA ware houses had 112,380 MT of rice supply during the reference period.

PSA said rice stocks in households and commercial entities (warehous es/wholesalers/retailers) rose on an annual basis while the inventory in NFA warehouses declined.

“ Relative to the previous year’s records, rice stocks inventory in the households and commercial warehouses/wholesalers/retail ers rose by 11.3 percent and 15.7 percent, respectively. However, stocks inventory level in NFA depositories contracted by -25.7 percent,” it said.

Rice stocks in all sectors were down compared with the previous month’s levels. Stocks in the house holds fell by -10.3 percent, in com mercial warehouses/wholesalers/ retailers by -8.6 percent, and in NFA depositories by -16.5 percent.”

In the same report, the PSA said the country’s corn inventory as of

September 1 inched up to 561,700 MT from 560,610 MT in the same period a year ago.

On the other hand, the total corn stocks inventory in September 2022 decreased by -17.3 percent, from the previous month’s level of 679.13 thousand metric tons.”

T he PSA said 83 percent of the total corn stocks inventory during the reference period were from commercial warehouses/ wholesalers/retailers while the remaining volume of 17 percent were from households.

Total corn inventory stored in commercial entities reached 465,950 MT while those in households were estimated at 95,750 MT.

“Relative to the September 2021 inventory level, corn stocks in com mercial warehouses/wholesalers/ retailers as of 01 September 2022 showed an increment of 24.8 per cent. However, stocks inventory level in the households dropped by -48.9 percent,” the PSA said.

Quadripartite launches multistakeholder platform to

common threat to human, animal health

THE Antimicrobial Resis tance Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Platform was launched last November 18 to ensure the growing threats and impacts of antimicrobial re sistance (AMR) are addressed globally.

T he Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Na tions (FAO), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), known as the Quadripartite, are joining forces on this initiative to under score the threat AMR presents to humans, animals, plants, ecosys tems and livelihoods.

A n estimated 1.3 million peo ple around the world die each year directly due to bacterial an timicrobial resistance (AMR). If no action is taken, that number could soar dramatically, bringing higher public health costs and pushing more people into poverty, especially in low-income coun tries, underscoring the need for the Platform to mobilize further coordinated efforts.

A ntibiotics and other anti microbials play a key role in the

success of modern medicine and have greatly improved the health of humans and animals. But over use and misuse have reduced their efficacy, with more pathogens de veloping the ability to survive the antimicrobials designed to elimi nate them.

A MR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial agents. As a result of drug re sistance, antibiotics and other antimicrobial agents become in effective and infections become difficult or impossible to treat, in creasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.

M oreover, 1.3 billion people rely on livestock for their liveli hoods and 20 million people de pend on aquaculture, especially in low and middle-income coun tries. The spread of resistant strains of pathogens inexorably affects their livelihoods, as it increases animal suffering and losses. Applications to crops, as well as unproper disposal of un used and expired drugs and waste from industries and communities can lead to pollution of soils and streams that spread the trigger for unwanted microorganisms to

Singapore wants to sell the world on cell-cultured seafood

ON November 14 in Sharm

El-Sheikh, representatives from nine countries sat down to dinner. It was the start of the second week of COP27, but this was no panel discussion or debate over loss and damage. The dinner, hosted by the government of Singa pore alongside alternative-protein advocates, was instead a celebration of the main dish: cultivated chicken, or meat grown from animal cells in a bioreactor.

At the moment, Singapore is the only place in the world that permits the commercial sale of cultivated pro tein, also known as lab-grown meat, cultured meat or cell-based meat. But chicken isn’t its only focus. As climate change threatens global marine eco systems, the city-state is also lead ing a charge to allow, regulate, and ultimately normalize the commercial sale of cultivated seafood. Singapore’s enthusiasm, driven by the local diet and its own reliance on food imports, is matched by that of dozens of start ups around the world, all of which are exploring ways to grow cell-based oysters, lobsters, and other marine species in laboratory settings—and figuring out how to get consumers interested in eating them.

T he science behind cell-based meat isn’t new—cell cultures were first used in medical research in

1907—but it has yet to see much application for fish. Seafood is, however, a ripe space for innova tion. Humans eat more than twice as much of it today as they did in 1960: Fish consumption has been rising at almost double the rate of population growth. And seafood transportation often requires longhaul airlifting, resulting in copious greenhouse-gas emissions.

T he fishing industry is also among the most vulnerable to a chang ing climate, as ocean acidification compromises marine habitats and warmer seawater shifts the distri bution pattern of fish stocks. Less than two thirds of those stocks are now within biologically sustainable levels, down from 90 percent in 1974, according to the Food and Agricul ture Organization.

T he decline in wild catches can not be easily offset by aquaculture either, which has itself fallen victim to climate change-driven extreme weather. In July, a tropical cyclone in southern China wreaked havoc on fish farms equal in size to 22,900 football fields.

Mirte Gosker, managing director of Singapore-based nonprofit Good Food Institute Asia Pacific, says threats to the seafood supply pres ent an obvious moment for cultivated protein. “It’s simply a smarter way to

make meat,” she says. “Asian mar kets play a central role in this shift. Of the top 10 countries that eat the most fish, seven of them are in Asia, creating an ocean of opportunity for alternative seafood producers.”

At Avant’s windowless lab in Hong Kong Science Park, five scientists ex ecute daily duties that include feed ing fish cells with a culture medium containing more than 50 nutrients, counting the number of fish cells grown on different “scaffoldings” to identify the best holding structure, and cooking and sampling cell-based products in the lab’s built-in kitchen. Seafood culture is so prevalent in Hong Kong that locals named a street after it—Hoi Mei, which means “the flavor of the sea” in Cantonese—and Avant is working on a cell-cultured version of a premium ingredient in Asian cuisine.

K nown as the “treasure of the sea,” fish maw—the swim bladder of a fish—is often served in soup dur ing weddings and other special oc casions. The light, white and spongy treat is prized for its medical benefits, and can cost tens of thousands of dollars per kilogram. But because fish maw is usually harvested from larger fish, Asia’s appetite for it has also exacerbated the overfishing of certain species.

To make cultivated fish maw, cells

taken from croakers are placed in plastic tubes and stored in a biore actor connected to an oxygen tank. Within weeks, those cells multiply into tissues the size of a grain of rice, at which point they’ll be ready for assembly into larger pieces. Fish maws are well suited to this part of the process—that “scaffolding” needed to recreate meat’s texture and shape is harder with complex types of tissue, like muscle and fat —but it still isn’t easy. Avant’s first fish maw prototype was texturally solid, says Co-Founder Mario Chin, but it didn’t taste right.

C racking the science on culti vated seafood, however, is only half the battle. Singapore has pledged to produce 30 percent of its food locally by 2030 (versus less than 10 per cent now), which makes cell-based meat an appealing option. But no other country allows the commer cial sale of cultivated protein yet, although some are getting closer. The Netherlands this year legalized the sampling of cultivated protein, and China’s new agricultural plan for the first time includes growing meat from animal cells as one of its prioritized technologies.

I n the United States, the Food and Drug Administration this week issued a very preliminary green light for lab-grown meat for human

develop resistance to tools meant to contain and eliminate them.

T he new Antimicrobial Resis tance Multi-Stakeholder Partner ship Platform is an inclusive and international forum bringing to gether voices from all areas, sectors and perspectives through a holis tic and system-wide One Health approach, for a shared vision re sponding to the need to improve coordination of efforts by a large number of stakeholders.

Antimicrobial resistance threatens animal health, food safety and food security, eco nomic prosperity and ecosystems worldwide,” said FAO DirectorGeneral QU Dongyu. “The world needs to join forces now to pre vent drug-resistant diseases and reduce its implications.”

AMR challenges cannot be un derstood or addressed separately from the triple planetary crisis— the crisis of climate change, the crisis of nature and biodiversity loss, and the crisis of pollution and waste, all of which are driven by unsustainable consumption and production patterns,” said UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen. “The climate crisis and AMR are two of the greatest and

most complex threats the world currently faces. Both have been worsened by and can be improved with human action.

A s drug-resistant infections can affect anyone, anywhere, public health, agrifood systems and eco systems everywhere are at risk. Tackling AMR is a shared responsi bility for all of us, which is why the theme of this year’s World Antimi crobial Awareness Week, starting today, is “Preventing Antimicrobial Resistance Together.”

FAO said the platform is a way to redouble collective efforts to save millions of lives and preserve the ef ficacy of antimicrobials for current and future generations by using them sustainably.

T he new platform will en gage and empower stakeholders across the One Health spectrum in an inclusive, transparent way to build consensus among public and private stakholders on the global AMR vision, gain knowl edge to foster a collective under standing of AMR challenges and opportunities, and take multistakeholder actions to contain, combat and reverse AMR in line with the Global Action Plan and National Action Plans.

consumption, although a regula tory framework is still needed and any meat outside of seafood will also require the approval of the De partment of Agriculture. For now, though, the limited market for these products means startups making them don’t have any path to econo mies of scale. The emissions toll of mass cultivated fish also remains unclear, as the more bioreactors are deployed to grow fish from cells, the more electricity they consume.

T hen there’s the consumer chal lenge. Cultured meat’s cheerleaders need only look at plant-based meat to see how difficult it is to shift eat ing behavior. After years of devel opment, some plant-based meat offerings taste almost identical to their animal counterparts, and claim similar nutritional content

and far fewer emissions. But prices aren’t yet competitive, and consum ers aren’t yet sold: Plant-based meat was estimated to have less than a 1 percent global market share last year, according to GFI Asia Pacific.

Avant, for its part, is optimistic about these hurdles—even though its own fish filets won’t be cost-com petitive for at least three years. The company is now planning its first factory, and has raised nearly $15 million from institutional investors that include US-based S2G Ventures and Hong Kong-based tech incubator ParticleX. Co-Founder Carrie Chan says Avant has also started applying for regulatory approval in Singapore for its fish maw. Once that happens, a cell-cultured “treasure of the sea” could hit restaurant tables within two years. Bloomberg News

AVANT’S cell-grown fish maw, served in soup. BLOOMBERG NEWS

Republic of the Philippines DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT

Regional Office No. IV-A

4th Flr. Andenson Bldg. II, Brgy. Parian, Calamba City Telefax No.: (049) 545-7362

November 21, 2022

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

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

NO. ESTABLISHMENT

1 BRICKHARTZ TECHNOLOGY INC.

Lot 4044, Molino Blvd., Niog III, City of Bacoor, Cavite

2 BRICKHARTZ TECHNOLOGY INC.

Lot 4044, Molino Blvd., Niog III, City of Bacoor, Cavite

NAME OF FOREIGN NATIONAL, POSITION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION QUALIFICATION AND SALARY RANGE

WONG ING SENG

Malaysian Customer Service

Brief Job Description:

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

ZHOU, WEI

Mandarin Customer Relations Officer

Brief Job Description: Offer full range of customer service to employer and clients.

LI,

3 BRICKHARTZ TECHNOLOGY INC.

Lot 4044, Molino Blvd., Niog III, City of Bacoor, Cavite

4 BRICKHARTZ TECHNOLOGY INC.

Lot 4044, Molino Blvd., Niog III, City of Bacoor, Cavite

MENGJIAO

Mandarin Customer Service

Brief Job Description:

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

LIAO, HUASHAN

Mandarin Customer Service

Brief Job Description:

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

DANG DUY HAI

Basic Qualification:

At least college level and able to speak, read, write and type fluently in Malaysian language

Salary Range:

Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification:

At least college level and able to speak, read, write and type fluently in Vietnamese language

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification:

At least college level and able to speak, read, write and type fluently in Mandarin language

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification:

At least college level and able to speak, read, write and type fluently in Mandarin language

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification:

10 EDS

MANUFACTURING, INC.

Aguinaldo Highway, EMI-SEZ, Anabu II-A, City of Imus, Cavite

11 HUAYI USED CAR TRADING CENTER CORP.

0305 C., Tramo Street, Zapote III, City of Bacoor, Cavite

NAKAJIMA, TAKASHI

Assistant Senior ManagerProduction Engineering Departments

Brief Job Description:

To provide technical assistance and new technology

ZHANG, YUANFENG

Mandarin Executive Assistant

Brief Job Description:

Manage scheduling for company executive(s). Draft, review and send communications on behalf of company executive(s). Organize and prepare for meetings, including gathering documents and attending to logistics of meetings. Coordinate travel arrangements. Maintain various records and documents for company executive(s).

Basic Qualification:

Must have 7 years of experience & knowledgeable in wiring harness design and production engineering

Salary Range: Php150,000 - Php499,999

Basic Qualification: With be fluent in Mandarin

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

12 N.T. PHILIPPINES, INC.

Lots 1-13, Block 20, Phase IV, Cavite Export Processing Zone, Tejeros Convention, Rosario, Cavite

13 N.T. PHILIPPINES, INC.

Lots 1-13, Block 20, Phase IV, Cavite Export Processing Zone, Tejeros Convention, Rosario, Cavite

UESHIMA, TOSHIMOTO Mechanical Advisor

Brief Job Description:

Responsible to train engineers and technicians.

FUJITA, SATORU

Technical Advisor-quality Assurance Technology

Brief Job Description:

Set quality standard or quality inspection and process.

CHI, HEGEN

14 SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC.

Southwoods Office Tower 2, San Francisco, Biñan, City of Biñan, Laguna

5 BRICKHARTZ TECHNOLOGY INC.

Lot 4044, Molino Blvd., Niog III, City of Bacoor, Cavite

Vietnamese Customer Service

Brief Job Description:

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

6 BRICKHARTZ TECHNOLOGY INC.

Lot 4044, Molino Blvd., Niog III, City of Bacoor, Cavite

7 BRICKHARTZ TECHNOLOGY INC.

Lot 4044, Molino Blvd., Niog III, City of Bacoor, Cavite

DAO XUAN LONG

Vietnamese Customer Service

Brief Job Description:

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

At least college level and able to speak, read, write and type fluently in Mandarin language

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification:

At least college level and able to speak, read, write and type fluently in Mandarin language

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification:

HOANG NGUYEN VU

Vietnamese Customer Service

Brief Job Description:

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

LUONG VAN THINH

At least college level and able to speak, read, write and type fluently in Vietnamese language

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification:

8 BRICKHARTZ TECHNOLOGY INC.

Lot 4044, Molino Blvd., Niog III, City of Bacoor, Cavite

9 BRICKHARTZ TECHNOLOGY INC.

Lot 4044, Molino Blvd., Niog III, City of Bacoor, Cavite

Vietnamese Customer Service

Brief Job Description:

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

NGUYEN THI KIM OANH

Vietnamese Customer Service

Brief Job Description:

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

At least college level and able to speak, read, write and type fluently in Vietnamese language

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification:

At least college level and able to speak, read, write and type fluently in Vietnamese language

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

15 SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC.

Southwoods Office Tower 2, San Francisco, Biñan, City of Biñan, Laguna

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

Field incoming help requests from end users from the Peoples Republic of China via both telephone and work orders in a courteous manner consistent with Chinese standards.

LIN, QIANGYUN

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

Field incoming help requests from end users from the Peoples Republic of China via both telephone and work orders in a courteous manner consistent with Chinese standards.

LIU, BING

16 SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC.

Southwoods Office Tower 2, San Francisco, Biñan, City of Biñan, Laguna

17 SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC.

Southwoods Office Tower 2, San Francisco, Biñan, City of Biñan, Laguna

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

Field incoming help requests from end users from the Peoples Republic of China via both telephone and work orders in a courteous manner consistent with Chinese standards.

SUN, MINGHUI

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

Field incoming help requests from end users from the Peoples Republic of China via both telephone and work orders in a courteous manner consistent with Chinese standards.

SUN, WENFAN

18 SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC.

Southwoods Office Tower 2, San Francisco, Biñan, City of Biñan, Laguna

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

Field incoming help requests from end users from the Peoples Republic of China via both telephone and work orders in a courteous manner consistent with Chinese standards.

Basic Qualification: Know how to trouble shoot and operate baking, lapping, polarization, printing and injection machines.

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification: Able to set standard inspection qualification.

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification: Must be able to fluently speak, write and read Mandarin and other local dialects spoken in other parts of China like Cantonese and Fukien.

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification: Must be able to fluently speak, write and read Mandarin and other local dialects spoken in other parts of China like Cantonese and Fukien.

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification: Must be able to fluently speak, write and read Mandarin and other local dialects spoken in other parts of China like Cantonese and Fukien.

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification: Must be able to fluently speak, write and read Mandarin and other local dialects spoken in other parts of China like Cantonese and Fukien.

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification: Must be able to fluently speak, write and read Mandarin and other local dialects spoken in other parts of China like Cantonese and Fukien.

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

Editor: Angel R. Calso

BusinessMirror

Historic compensation fund approved at UN climate talks

By Seth Borenstein, Samy Magdy & Frank Jordans The Associated Press

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt—Ne gotiators early Sunday approved a historic deal that would create a fund for compensating poor nations that are victims of extreme weather worsened by rich countries’ carbon pollution, but an overall larger agree ment still was up in the air because of a fight over emission reduction efforts.

After the decision on the fund was approved, talks were put on hold for 30 minutes so delegates could read texts of other measures they were to vote on.

The decision establishes a fund for what negotiators call loss and damage.

It is a big win for poorer nations which have long called for cash—sometimes viewed as reparations—because they are often the victims of climate wors ened floods, droughts, heat waves, famines and storms despite having contributed little to the pollution that heats up the globe.

It is also long been called an issue of climate justice.

“This is how a 30-year-old journey of ours has finally, we hope, found fruition today,” said Pakistan Climate Minister Sherry Rehman, who often took the lead for the world’s poorest nations. One-third of her nation was submerged this summer by a devas tating flood and she and other offi cials used the motto: “What went on

in Pakistan will not stay in Pakistan.”

Maldives Environment Minister Aminath Shauna told The AP Saturday “that means for countries like ours we will have the mosaic of solutions that we have been advocating for.”

Outside experts hailed the decision as historic.

“This loss and damage fund will be a lifeline for poor families whose houses are destroyed, farmers whose fields are ruined, and islanders forced from their ancestral homes,” said Ani Dasgupta, president of the environmental think tank World Resources Institute, min utes after the early morning approval. “This positive outcome from COP27 is an important step toward rebuilding trust with vulnerable countries.”

It’s a reflection of what can be done when the poorest nations remain unified, said Alex Scott, a climate diplomacy expert at the think tank E3G.

“I think this is huge to have governments coming together to actually work out at least the first step of...how to deal with the issue of loss and damage,” Scott said. But like all climate financials, it is one thing to create a fund, it’s another to get money flowing in and out, she said. The developed world still has not kept its 2009 pledge to spend $100 billion a year in other climate aid—de signed to help poor nations de velop green energy and adapt to future warming.

The agreement “offers hope to the vulnerable people that they will get help to recover from cli mate disasters and rebuild their lives,” said Harjeet Singh, head of global political strategy at Climate Action Network International.

“Loss and damage is a way of both recognizing past harm and compensating for that past harm,” said Dartmouth climate scientist Justin Mankin, who calculated dollar amounts for each country’s warming. “These harms are scien tifically identifiable.”

“In many ways we’re talking about reparations,” said Univer sity of Maryland environmen tal health and justice professor Sacoby Wilson. “It’s an appropri ate term to use,” he said, because the rich northern countries got the benefits of fossil fuels, while the poorer global south gets the damage in floods, droughts, cli mate refugees and hunger.

The Egyptian presidency, which had been under criticism by all sides, proposed a new loss and damage deal Saturday after

noon and within a couple hours an agreement was struck, but Norway’s negotiator said it was not so much the Egyptians but countries working together.

Germany climate envoy Jen nifer Morgan and Chilean Envi ronment Minister Maisa Rojas, who shepherded the deal on to the agenda and to the finish line, hugged each other after passage, posed for a photo and said “yeah, we made it!”

According to the agreement, the fund would initially draw on contributions from developed countries and other private and public sources such as interna tional financial institutions. While major emerging economies such as China would not initially be required to contribute, that option remains on the table and will be negotiated over the com ing years. This is a key demand by the European Union and the United States, who argue that China and other large polluters currently classified as develop ing countries have the financial clout and responsibility to pay their way.

The fund would be largely aimed at the most vulnerable na tions, though there would be room for middle-income countries that are severely battered by climate disasters to get aid.

Bleary-eyed rumpled delega tions began to fill the plenary room 4 a.m. local time Sunday without seeing the overarching cover decision.

Going into the final session, battle lines were drawn over India’s request to change last year’s agreement that called for a phase down of “unabated coal” to include a phase down of oil and natural gas, two other fossil

fuels that produce heat-trapping gases. While European nations and others keep pushing for that language, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Nigeria have been insistent on keeping it out.

“We are extremely on over time. There were some good spir its earlier today. I think more people are more frustrated about the lack of progress,” Norwegian climate change minister Espen Barth Eide told The Associated Press. He said it came down to getting tougher on fossil fuel emissions and retaining the goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) since pre-industrial times as was agreed in last year’s climate sum mit in Glasgow.

“Some of us are trying to say that we actually have to keep global warming under 1.5 degrees and that requires some action. We have to reduce our use of fossil fuels, for instance,” Eide said. “But there’s a very strong fossil fuel lobby... trying to block any language that we produce. So that’s quite clear.”

There was strong concern among both developed and de veloping countries about propos als on cutting greenhouse gas emissions, known as mitigation. Officials said the language put forward by Egypt backtracked on some of the commitments made at last year’s UN climate confer ence in Glasgow aimed at keeping alive the target of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) since pre-indus trial times. The world has already warmed 1.1 degrees Celsius (2 de grees Fahrenheit) since the mid 19th century.

Some of the Egyptian language on mitigation seemingly reverted to the 2015 Paris agreement, which was before scientists knew how crucial the 1.5 degree thresh old was and heavily mentioned a weaker 2-degree Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) goal, which is why scientists and Europeans are afraid of backtracking, said climate scientist Maarten van Aalst of the Red Cross Red Cres cent Climate Centre.

Ireland’s Minister for the En vironment Eamon Ryan said: “We need to get a deal on 1.5 degrees. We need strong wording on miti gation and that’s what we’re going to push.” Wanjohi Kabukuru, David Keyton, Theodora Tongas and Kelvin Chan contributed to this report.

Malaysia faces new political crisis as poll delivers hung Parliament

By Eileen Ng The Associated Press

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—Malaysia tumbled into fresh political turmoil Sunday after a tightly contested gen eral election delivered a hung Parliament with no clear winner and a surprising surge of support for an Islamist party.

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s reformist alliance secured the biggest gain with 82 out of 220 Parliamentary seats, but fell far short of a majority.

Trailing close behind was former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s Malay-based Perikatan Nasional, or National Alliance with 73 seats.

The alliance led by the United Malays National Organization, which ruled Malay sia since independence from Britain until 2018, fared worse than in the last polls with upsets in a number of seats in a clear sign of rejection from Malays, who opted for Muhyiddin’s bloc. It won only 30 seats.

Among other key election losers was two-time former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who at 97 is leading a separate Malay movement.

Many rural Malays, who form twothirds of Malaysia’s 33 million people, which include large minorities of ethnic Chinese and Indians, fear they may lose their rights with greater pluralism. This, together with corruption in UMNO, has

benefited Muhyiddin’s bloc. Its ally, the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, or PAS, emerged the key winner. It more than doubled its haul to 43 seats, making it the single largest party in the country. PAS, which touts Sharia, rules three states and has a strong Muslim base.

Mahathir lost his seat in northern Langkawi island in a shock defeat to Muhy iddin’s bloc. Anwar, 75, won in northern Perak state.

“Malays who don’t like UMNO swung to PAS, as they could never accept Harapan, which they perceived as too liberal and accommodating to non-Malays,” said Oh Ei Sun of the Singapore Institute of Inter national Affairs.

The outcome will now see horse-trad ing as both Muhyiddin and Anwar scramble to form the government. They will need support from two blocs on Borneo island that jointly hold 28 seats. Ironically, UMNO has also now become kingmaker.

Anwar told a news conference that he has obtained support in writing from lawmakers to obtain a simple majority. He said this will have to be submitted to the country’s king, who will have the final say.

“We have obtained the majority... majority means more than 111,” he said.

Muhyiddin, meanwhile, said he had received a letter from the palace indicat ing his bloc may have been given prefer ence to form a government over Anwar.

He said he was confident he could form a stable government and is willing to work with anyone except Harapan.

UMNO leader Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said in a statement that his alliance accepted the results. He said the National Front is willing to set aside differences to ensure a stable government can be formed but gave no further details.

Polling for two federal seats has been postponed after the death of a candidate in one constituency and bad weather in another.

The economy and rising cost of living were chief concerns for voters, though many are apathetic due to political tur moil that has led to three prime ministers since 2018 polls.

Anger over government corruption had led to UMNO’s shocking defeat in 2018 to Anwar’s bloc that saw the first regime change since Malaysia’s independence in 1957. The watershed polls had sparked hopes of reforms as once-powerful UMNO leaders were jailed or hauled to court for graft. But political guile and defections by Muhyiddin’s party led to the government’s collapse after 22 months.

UMNO bounced back as part of a new government with Muhyiddin’s bloc, but infighting led to continuous turmoil. As sociated Press video journalist Joeal Calupitan in Subang Jaya, Malaysia, contributed to this report

Xie Zhenhua, China’s special envoy for climate, left, and Sherry Rehman, minister of climate change for Pakistan, pose for photos during a break in a closing plenary session at the COP27 un Climate Summit on Sunday, nov. 20, 2022, in Sharm el-Sheikh, egypt. AP P H OTO/ P E TER D E j O N g

Turkey strikes in Syria and Iraq a week after Istanbul bombing

By Andrew Wilks The Associated Press

ISTANBUL—Turkey launched airstrikes over northern regions of Syria and Iraq, the Turkish Defense Ministry said Sunday, targeting Kurdish groups that Ankara holds responsible for last week’s bomb attack in Istanbul.

Warplanes attacked bases of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, and the Syrian People’s Pro tection Units, or YPG, the ministry s aid in a statement, which was ac companied by images of F-16 jets t aking off and footage of a strike from an aerial drone.

There was no immediate com ment from either group.

T he ministry cited Turkey’s right to self defense under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter in launching an operation it called Claw-Sword. It said it was targeting areas “used as a base by terrorists in their attacks on our country.”

Turkey said it was seeking to prevent attacks, secure its south ern border and “destroy terrorism a t its source.”

The airstrikes came after a bomb rocked a bustling avenue in the heart of Istanbul on Nov. 13, kill ing six people and wounding over 80 o thers. Turkish authorities blamed the attack on the PKK and its Syr ian affiliate the YPG. The Kurdish m ilitant groups, however, have de nied involvement.

A nkara and Washington both consider the PKK a terror group, but disagree on the status of the

YPG. Under the banner of the Syr ian Democratic Forces, the YPG has b een allied with the US in the fight against the Islamic State group in Syria.

The PKK has fought an armed insurgency in Turkey since 1984. The conflict has killed tens of thou sands of people since then.

Following the strikes, the De fense Ministry posted a photo of an F -16 fighter plane with the phrase, “Payback time! The scoundrels are being held to account for their treacherous attacks.” The DHA news agency reported that F-16s took off from airfields in Malatya and Diyarbakir in southern Turkey while drones were launched from Batman.

Defense Minister Hulusi Akar oversaw the airstrikes from an op erations center and congratulated p ilots and ground staff. “Our aim is to ensure the security of our 85 million citizens and our borders and to retaliate for any treacher ous attack on our country,” he said, a ccording to a ministry statement.

Akar added: “Shelters, bunkers, caves, tunnels and warehouses be longing to terrorists were destroyed w ith great success. ... The so-called

headquarters of the terrorist orga nization were also hit and destroyed w ith direct hits.”

The airstrikes targeted Kobani, a strategic Kurdish-majority Syrian town near the Turkish border that Ankara had previously attempted to overtake in its plans to establish a “safe zone” along northern Syria.

Syrian Democratic Forces spokes person Farhad Shami in a tweet a dded that two villages heavily populated with displaced people were under Turkish bombardment. He said the strikes had resulted in “deaths and injuries.”

Syrian opposition media report ed that Turkish airstrikes targeted K urdish-led SDF positions.

The Britain-based Syrian Ob servatory for Human Rights, an o pposition war monitor, reported that the strikes had also hit Syrian army positions and that at least 12 had been killed, including SDF and Syrian soldiers.

The observatory said about 25 airstrikes were carried out by

Turkish warplanes on sites in the countryside of Aleppo, Raqqa and Hasakah.

In neighboring Iraq, the US Consulate General in Erbil said it is monitoring “credible opensource reports” of potential Turk ish military action in northern S yria and northern Iraq in the coming days.

The Kurdish-led authority in northeast Syria said Saturday that if Turkey attacks, then fighters in the area would have “the right to resist and defend our areas in a major way that will take the region into a long war.”

Turkey has launched three major cross-border operations into Syria since 2016 and already controls some territories in the north. Ear lier this year, Turkish President Re cep Tayyip Erdogan threatened an other operation in northern Syria.

Turkish forces launched a fresh ground and air operation, dubbed Claw-Lock, against the PKK in northern Iraq in April.

UK PM Sunak makes surprise trip to Kyiv, boosts defense aid

By John Leicester & Jill Lawless The Associated Press

Kyi V, Ukraine—British Prime Minis t er Rishi s u nak promised 125 antiaircraft guns and other air-defense technology as he made an unannounced visit s at urday—his first—to Ukraine’s snow-blanketed capital for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. t h e air-defense package, which Brit ain valued at 50 million pounds ($60 mil lion), comes as Russia has been pounding Ukraine’s power grid and other key infra structure from the air, causing widespread blackouts for millions of Ukrainians amid frigid weather.

t h e package includes radar and other technology to counter the i ran-supplied ex ploding drones that Russia has used against Ukrainian targets. i t comes on top of a de livery of more than 1,000 anti-air missiles that Britain announced earlier this month.

t h e U.K. has been one of the staunch est Western backers of Ukraine’s resistance to Russia’s invasion. s p eaking alongside Zelenskyy, s u nak noted that the U.K. has given 2.3 billion pounds ($2.7 billion) in military aid and pledged: “We will do the same again next year.”

you r homes, your hospitals, your power stations are being destroyed,” s u nak said in announcing the new air-defense package. “ yo u and your people are paying a heavy price in blood.”

s p eaking through a translator, Zelenskyy said Russian strikes have damaged around half of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

As snowflakes fell, Zelenskyy greeted s u nak at a presidential palace for their talks. h e c alled the two countries “the strongest of allies.” Walking in the snow, they also inspected captured Russian tanks and other destroyed and rusting military hardware used by the invasion forces that are displayed in a Kyiv square.

“With friends like you by our side, we are confident in our victory. Both of our nations

know what it means to stand up for free dom,” the Ukrainian leader said on tw itter.

Former U.K. Prime Minister Boris John son, who stepped down in July, won wide praise in Ukraine for his backing. s u nak is keen to reassure Ukraine’s leaders that there will be no change of stance under his leadership, although when he was U.K. tr easury chief under Johnson he was con sidered resistant to demands for higher defense spending.

t h e courage of the Ukrainian people is an inspiration to the world,” s u nak said. “ i n years to come, we will tell our grandchildren of your story.”

h e p ledged that Britain “will stand with you until Ukraine has won the peace and security it needs and deserves and then we will stand with you as you rebuild your great country.”

s u nak also laid flowers at a memorial for the war dead, lit a candle at a memorial for victims of a deadly s o viet-era famine in Ukraine in the 1930s, and met first re sponders at a fire station, his office said.

s u nak’s visit came in the wake of a major recent battlefield success for Ukraine: the recapture of the southern city of Kherson. t h e restoration of rail connections

brought

t h is is the beginning of a new life,” said 74-year-old l u dmila o l houskaya, who didn’t have anyone to meet off the train but went to the station to show support. “ o r r ather, the revival of a former one.”

o n t he battlefield, Russian forces launched 10 airstrikes, 10 missile strikes and 42 rocket attacks on Ukraine in the last day, the General s t aff of Ukraine’s armed forces said s at urday.

i n Kherson, the major southern city that Ukrainian forces recaptured more than a week ago, two Russian missiles struck an oil depot—the first time a depot was hit in the city since the Russians withdrew, according to firefighters at the scene. AP reporters said a huge fire and billowing black smoke.

“ t h ere was a strong explosion,” said Valentyna s v yderska, who lives nearby. “We were scared, everyone was scared... Because this is an army that is at war with the civilian population.”

l o cal authorities were struggling to respond to the blaze, the firefighters said, because Russian forces took the city’s fire

trucks and ambulances when they retreated.

Russia is pressing an offensive in the eastern d o netsk region, and Ukraine re ported heavy fighting around the city of Bakhmut, the town of Avdiivka and the vil lage of Novopavlivka.

Russian forces claimed to have repelled a Ukrainian counteroffensive to take back the settlements of Pershotravneve, Kysliv ka and Krokhmalne in Ukraine’s northeast ern Kharkiv province.

Ukrainian forces said they killed or wounded scores of Russian soldiers dur ing an attack on the village of Mykhaili vka in the southern Kherson region, and the wounded were taken to hospitals in Crimea. t h e claim could not be indepen dently verified.

Ukrainian forces also reported they con ducted deadly strikes on the Kinburn s p it in Ukraine’s southern Mykolaiv province, a key site for Russian electronic warfare.

Russia kept up its strikes on critical in frastructure, with a rocket attack overnight causing a fire at a key industrial facility in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region, ac cording to the region’s chief. s o me parts of the regional capital of Zaporizhzhia were left without heat.

t h e head of Ukraine’s biggest private energy firm told the BBC that Ukrainians who can afford it should consider leaving the country to relieve pressure on its wardamaged power system.

i f t hey can find an alternative place to stay for another three or four months, it will be very helpful to the system,” said Maxim t i mchenko, chief executive of dte K “ i f you consume less, then hospitals with injured soldiers will have a guaranteed power supply.”

i n Poland, a funeral was held s at urday for one of the two men who died when a missile landed there this week, according to the state news agency PAP. A military honor guard and Polish and Ukrainian rep resentatives joined the man’s family and members of the community.

Massive snowfall buries cars, keeps falling in western NY

By Carolyn Thompson The Associated Press

BUFFALO, N.Y.—Piles of snow, in some places taller than most people, buried parts of western and northern New York as a lake-effect storm pounded areas east of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario for a third straight day Saturday, with possibly even more to come.

Snowfall totals as high as 77 inches (196 centimeters) were re ported in the Buffalo suburb of Or chard Park, home to the NFL’s Buf falo Bills. Partway across the state, t he town of Natural Bridge, near the Fort Drum Army base, reported just under 6 feet (1.8 meters).

The snowfall in some spots ranked among the highest ever re corded in the area, rivaling the eyep opping amounts that fell during similar storms in 2014 and 1945.

The snowfall totals, which began accumulating Thursday night in some spots, “would be on the order of historic not only for any time of year but for any part of the coun try,” said National Weather Ser vice meteorologist Frank Pereira, a t NWS headquarters in College Park, Maryland.

The lake-effect storm, caused by cold air picking up moisture from warmer lakes, created nar row bands of windblown snow t hat dumped feet of snow in some communities, while leaving towns a short drive away relatively un scathed.

It wreaked havoc on some road ways, as trucks that took to small er backroads to avoid a closure on p arts of an interstate in the area ended up in mass gridlock that Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz described on social media as “trac tor-trailer demo derby day.”

It also wreaked havoc on the wedding plans of Robert Junge and Maria Szeglowski, who had picked this day for their nuptials after getting engaged exactly a year ago.

Their reception venue canceled, rescheduling for next week. The musician they hired for their church ceremony also couldn’t make it, along with more than half of their expected 180 guests.

But they were determined, using

one of two limos they rented to get the bride to the church, while Junge drove himself.

“Nothing was going to stop me from marrying her, no matter what,” Junge, 35, of North Tonawa nda, New York, told The Associ ated Press.

O n the bright side, he said, the snow is “going to make for some beautiful pictures.”

The snowfall forced the National Football League to move Sunday’s game between the Bills and Cleve land Browns to Detroit.

P artial sunshine and a break from the snow came in some of the hardest-hit areas south of Buffalo’s center Saturday as the snow bands shifted north.

Forecasters predicted several inches more could fall Saturday night into Sunday, although Pereira said different areas in the region were likely to be hit rather than totals increasing too much in the areas where the heaviest snows had already fallen.

Gov. Kathy Hochul deployed about 70 members of the National Guard to help with snow removal in some of the hardest-hit areas.

Poloncarz tweeted that two peo ple in the Buffalo area died “asso ciated with cardiac events related t o exertion during shoveling/snow blowing.”

The lake-effect has also dumped up to 2 feet (0.6 meters) of snow in some communities in Michigan south of Lake Superior and east of Lake Michigan.

A snowplow driver in the town of Hamlet, Indiana, was killed Friday when his plow slid off the pavement and rolled over, accord ing to the Starke County Sheriff’s D epartment. Hamlet is about 30 miles (48 kilometers) from Lake Michigan.

Buffalo has experience with dra matic lake-effect snowstorms, few w orse than the one that struck in November 2014. That epic storm dumped 7 feet (2 meters) of snow on some communities over three days, collapsing roofs and trapping drivers in more than 100 vehicles on a lakeside stretch of the New York State Thruway. Associated Press correspondent Julie Walker contributed to this story from New York

By Mogomotsi Magome The Associated Press

MA s A K h A N e , s o uth Africa— l ving in the shadow of one of s o uth Africa’s largest coal-fired power stations, residents of Masakhane fear job losses if the facility is closed as the country moves to cleaner energy.

A significant polluter because it relies on coal to generate about 80% of its electricity, s o uth Africa plans to reduce that to 59% by 2030 by phasing out some of its 15 coal-fired power stations and increasing its use of re newable energy. i t s target is zero carbon emissions by 2050.

After receiving pledges of $8.5 billion at last year’s global climate summit in s c ot land, s o uth Africa’s plan to transition away from coal was widely endorsed at the Co P 27 climate conference in e g ypt where officials signed agreements for some parts of the loan funding.

t h e move from coal will be difficult for the continent’s most developed economy. s o uth African homes and businesses are already suffering daily scheduled power cuts—of ten more than seven hours a day—because the state-owned power utility, e sk om, can not produce adequate supplies of electricity.

But the change has started. t h e Komati power station in Mpumalanga province has been decommissioned and $497 million will be used to convert it into a plant using renew able sources and batteries, according to an announcement this month by the World Bank.

Masakhane township, also in Mpuma langa province, sits dramatically at the base of mountains of coal mined nearby and then burned at the d u vha power station.

Residents say they’re worried that if the coal-fired plant is closed they’ll lose jobs, a serious concern in a country where the un employment rate is above 30%.

t h e 3,600 megawatts d u vha power sta tion supplies jobs ranging from contract work at the plant to related employment in the transport and food industries.

s e lby Mahlalela, 38, moved to Masakhane in 2006 and has had various maintenance jobs as a contract worker for the state-owned power utility e sk om.

i t s the one place that the majority of people from here rely on for job opportu nities, despite them not being permanent workers. t h is happens a lot especially when there are shutdowns or maintenance work,” said Mahlalela.

t h e transition remains a contentious is sue, even within President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Cabinet.

t h is week, e nergy Minister Gwede Man tashe told lawmakers that the transition to cleaner energy should not happen at the cost of people’s livelihoods and the country’s en ergy security.

i am one of the people who say we can have a transition. But that coal is not about just numbers, it is about human beings. i t is (about) 10 towns in Mpumalanga,” said Mantashe.

i n one of those towns, s i lindile Kheswa has found work with short-term contracts at the d u vha power station and said he fears the transition away from coal.

s o me of our brothers are involved in the trucking of coal, transporting it to various power stations,” said Kheswa. “ s o i f you are saying no more coal, that means we can’t put food on the table.”

Turkish military convoy drives through the village of urum al-Jawz, in idlib province, syria on Oct. 20, 2020.

The kurdish-led authority in northeast syria called on residents on saturday, Nov. 19, 2022, to unite against any possible attack by Turkey warning that such an offensive will lead to long war. AP Photo/GhAith AlsAy ed

further joy s at urday to Kherson’s residents, who excitedly waited for the first train from Kyiv.

South Africa faces challenges in transition away from coal

China announces 1st Covid death in almost 6 months

BEIJING—China on Sunday announced its first new death from Covid-19 in nearly half a year as strict new measures are imposed in Beijing and across the country to ward against new outbreaks.

t he death of the 87-year-old Bei jing man was the first reported by t he n a tional Health Commission since May 26, bringing the total death toll to 5,227. t h e previous death was reported in s h anghai, which underwent a major surge in cases over the summer.

While China has an overall vac cination rate of more than 92% h aving received at least one dose, that number is considerably lower among the elderly, particularly those over age 80. t h e commission did not give details on the vaccina tion status of the deceased.

t h at vulnerability is considered one reason why China has mostly kept its borders closed and is stick ing with its rigid “zero-Covid” poli cy that seeks to wipe out infections t hrough lockdowns, quarantines, case tracing and mass testing, de spite the impact on normal life and t he economy and rising public anger at the authorities.

i n a p artial response, the central

city of Zhengzhou said s u nday it will no longer require a negative Covid-19 test from infants under age 3 and other “special groups” seeking health care.

t he announcement by the Zhengzhou city government came after a second child’s death was blamed on overzealous anti-virus enforcement. t h e 4-month-old girl died after suffering vomiting and diarrhea while in quarantine at a hotel in Zhengzhou.

r e ports said it took her father 11 hours to get help after health care workers refused to provide assis tance and she finally was sent to a h ospital 100 kilometers (60 miles) away. i nternet users expressed an ger at “zero Covid” and demanded of ficials in Zhengzhou be punished for failing to help the public.

t h at follows an earlier outcry over a 3-year-old boy’s death from carbon monoxide poisoning in the northwest. His father blamed health workers in the city of Lan

zhou, who he said tried to stop him f rom taking his son to a hospital.

Other cases include a pregnant woman who miscarried after she was refused entry to a hospital in the northwestern city of Xi’an and forced to sit outside in the cold for hours.

e a ch such case brings promises from the ruling Communist Party — most recently last week — that people in quarantine or who can’t show negative test results wouldn’t be blocked from getting emergency help.

Yet, the party has often found itself unable to rein in stringent and often unauthorized measures imposed by local officials who fear

losing their jobs or facing prosecu tion if outbreaks occur in areas un der their jurisdiction.

n e arly three years into the pan demic, while the rest of the world h as largely opened up and the im pact on the Chinese economy rises, B eijing has mostly kept its borders closed and discouraged travel even within the country.

i n t he capital Beijing, residents were told not to travel between city districts, and large numbers of restaurants, shops, malls, office buildings and apartment blocks have been closed or isolated.

China on s u nday announced 24,215 new cases, the vast majority of them asymptomatic. AP

Europe reasserts middle path on China, pushing back on US

By Daniel Ten Kate, Samy Adghirni & Rebecca Choong Wilkins

President Xi Jinping started his week overseas mending ties with the U s , a nd ended it with e u ropean leaders making the case for resisting the Biden ad ministration’s sweeping chip curbs on China.

t h e shift in sentiment amounts to a victory for Xi on just his sec ond foray outside of China since the pandemic began—a span that had seen Beijing’s relations with the U s a nd its allies go from bad to worse. i n O ctober, President Joe Biden restricted the sale of semiconduc tors and chipmaking equipment to China in a bid to stem its economic development, and asked key allies to comply—raising fears of a split in the global economy.

On Friday, French President e m m anuel Macron called for engage ment with Beijing and resisting ef forts to divide the world into com peting blocs. t h at followed similar appeals from German Chancellor Olaf s c holz, who visited China earlier this month, and efforts by d u tch Prime Minister Mark r u tte to coordinate with other key chip making nations in resisting U s p ressure.

n o w, progressively, a lot of peo ple would like to see that there are two orders in this world,” Macron said in a speech to business execu tives at the Asia-Pacific e c onomic Cooperation C e O s ummit in Bang kok. “ t h is is a huge mistake, even for both the U s and China.”

“We need a single global order,” he added, a line that drew extended applause.

Liesje s c hreinemacher said the U s s houldn’t expect the ne therlands to unquestionably adopt its approach to China export restrictions.

“ t h e n e therlands will not copy the American measures one to one,” s c hreinemacher said in an inter view with d utch newspaper nr C published on Friday. “We make our own assessment—and we do this in consultation with partner countries such as Japan and the U s ” t h e Biden-Xi summit showed that the world’s largest economies understand their responsibility to overcome divisions, but risks remain of a greater bifurcation without fol low through in subsequent discus sions, according to i n ternational Monetary Fund Managing d ir ector Kristalina Georgieva.

“We are in a world that is going from one shock to another—pan demic, war, inflation, cost of living crisis,” the Bulgarian economist told Bloomberg te levision on s a turday.

Pope visits immigrant father’s hometown for birthday party China and US officials to attend Southeast Asia defense meeting

Bei J N g t h e defense chiefs of rival powers China and the us will both attend next week’s expanded meet ing of s o utheast Asian security ministers in Cambodia, opening up the possibility the two will hold face-to-face discussions.

China’s Defense m nistry said g e n. w ei F enghe will attend the Associa tion of s o utheast Asian Nations Defense m i nisters’ m e eting-Plus from s u nday to t hu rsday.

t h e Department of Defense said De fense s e cretary Lloyd J. Austin i ii will also attend following stops in Canada and ndonesia.

Both officials plan to meet with partici pants on the margins of the main gathering o f ministers from the 10-nation organiza tion known as Asean.

w h ile no formal bilateral meeting has been announced, Chinese Defense m inistry spokesperson Col. tan k e fei appeared to hold that possibility open in a statement issued s u nday.

“China holds a positive and open atti tude toward exchanges with the us during t he period of the Asean-Plus meeting and relevant departments of both countries are maintaining communication and coordina tion in this regard,” tan s aid.

t h eir two countries are chief rivals for influence in the region, where China is seeking to smooth over disputes sur rounding its determination to assert its c laim to the s o uth China s ea , including through the construction of artificial is lands equipped with airstrips and other i nfrastructure.

t h e two countries are also at odds over r ussia, which China has refused to condemn or sanction over its invasion of u kraine, and the status of ta iwan, which China claims as its own territory and threatens to attack.

China’s Defense m i nistry said w ei would address the assembly and meet with heads of other delegations to discuss “bi lateral cooperation and issues of regional an d international concern.”

i t s aid he would also hold talks with ci vilian and military leaders of close Chinese al ly Cambodia, with whom it is working on expanding a port facility that could give it a presence on the g u lf of t ha iland. AP

By Colleen Barry & Gianfranco Stara The Associated Press

POr tACOMA rO, it aly — Pope

Francis made a rare personal getaway s aturday, returning to his father’s birthplace in northern it aly for the first time since ascend ing the papacy to celebrate the 90th birthday of a second cousin who long knew him as simply “Giorgio.”

Francis’ two-day visit to his an cestral homeland underscored some of the keystones of his papacy, in cluding the importance of honoring the elderly and the human toll of mi gration. t he private visit s aturday will be followed by public one su nday to celebrate Mass for the local faith ful, where Francis could well reflect on his family’s experience migrating to Argentina.

t h e pope’s father, Mario Jose Francisco Bergoglio, and his pater nal grandparents arrived in Bue nos Aires on Jan. 25, 1929 to reach other relatives who had joined the tail end of a mass decades-long emi gration from it aly that the pope has honored with two recent saints: st Giovanni Batista s c alabrini and st Artedime Zatti.

t he future pope, Jorge Mario Ber goglio, was born nearly eight years later in Buenos Aires, after the elder Bergoglio met and married r e gina Maria si vori, whose family was also of it alian immigrant stock. Fran cis grew up speaking the Piedmont dialect of his paternal grandmother r o sa, who cared for him most days.

t he elder Bergoglio was born in the town of Portacomaro, 10 kilo meters (6 miles) east of Asti, an ag ricultural town that lost population not only to emigration abroad but also to nearby tu rin as it became an industrial center.

to day, the town has 2,000 resi dents, but it numbered more than 2,700 a century ago, and dropped as low as 1,680 in the 1980s.

t he pope’s family emigrated af ter the peak, which saw 14 million it alians leave from 1876 to 1915 —a movement that made it aly the biggest voluntary diaspora in the world, according to Lauren Brauns t rumfels, an associate professor

of history at Cedar Crest College in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Often citing his own family story, Francis, now 85, has made the wel coming and integration of migrants a hallmark of his papacy, often facing criticism as e u rope in general, and it aly in particular, are consumed with the debate over how to manage 21st century mass migration.

t he pope has recognized the his toric significance of the emigrant experience with the recent canon izations of s t . Giovanni Battista s c alabrini, an it alian bishop who founded an order to help it alian emigrants at the end of the 19th cen tury, and Artemide Zatti, an it alian who emigrated to Argentina in the same period and dedicated his work to helping the sick.

He used the occasion to again denounce e u rope’s indifference to ward migrants risking their lives to cross the Mediterranean s e a and what they hope will be better futures.

Francis began his visit to Portaco maro on s aturday with lunch at the home of a cousin, Carla r a bezzana. Photographs released by the Vatican showed Francis clearly enjoying him self, hugging r a bezzana and sitting at the head of the table. He later vis ited another cousin nearby, stopping at a nursing home along the way to greet and bless the guests.

“We have known each other for

ever,’’ r a bezzana told the Corriere della s e ra newspaper in the runup to the visit. “When i lived in tu rin, Giorgio— i always called him that— came to stay because i had an extra room. t h at is how we maintained our relationship.

“We always would joke. When he told me he would come to celebrate my 90th birthday, i said it made my heart race. And in response i was told: ‘ tr y not to die.’ We burst out laughing.’’

t he pope has many more third and fourth cousins still in the area.

it w as a large family, and in the area there are still many distant cousins,’’ said Carlo Cerrato a former mayor of Portacomaro. He said it was a “big surprise” for everyone in the town when Francis was elected pope nearly a decade ago.

ev eryone knew there was a prel ate who had become the cardinal of Buenos Aires, but it was something that the relatives knew, not everyone in town,’’ Cerrato said.

After nearly 10 years as pope, Francis has yet to return to his own birthplace in Argentina. He hasn’t really explained his reasons for staying away. He recently confirmed that if he were to resign as pope, he wouldn’t go back to Buenos Aires to live but would remain in r o me. Barry reported from Milan. Nicole Winfield contributed from Rome

t he French leader’s comments in particular show e u rope is finding its footing in carving out a middle ground when it comes to China. While calls have grown in some e u r opean capitals to get tougher with Beijing on issues related to human rights and democracy, the sweeping U s export controls on chips—which may soon be extended to other stra tegic technologies—have shifted the conversation from fears about China to concern about American overreach.

With Germany heading toward recession and e u rope facing a harsh winter without cheap r u ssian oil and gas, “there is little appetite for confrontation with Beijing,” said n o ah Barkin, managing editor of the r hodium Group’s China practice.

“For all the rhetoric about stand ing up to Xi, forging a common e u r opean front and mitigating the risks of economic engagement with China, the actions over the past month have fallen short,” he said. “ t h e risk, if this continues, is more cracks in the transatlantic relation ship. We are already seeing some of these cracks in e u rope’s reaction to recent Us technology controls aimed at China.”

Xi sought to exploit the divi sions on his six-day trip to attend the Group of 20 summit in Bali and APe C i n t h ailand, during which he met with roughly 20 leaders—many of whom he hadn’t seen face-to-face in at least three years. i n a meet ing with r utte in Bali, Xi urged the d utch leader to avoid “decoupling” as the U s piles pressure on A s M L Holding n V, which has a virtual mo nopoly on a type of machine needed to make the most advanced chips.

“We must oppose the politiciza tion of economic and trade issues and maintain the stability of the global industrial chain and supply chain,” Xi told r utte on tu esday. t h e Chinese leader also called for increased cooperation in high-tech manufacturing with s o uth Korea in a meeting with President Yoon s u k Yeol, whose nation is home to chip giants s a msung e l ectronics Co. and s K H ynix i n c.

Later in the week on t hursday, r utte met with Yoon during a visit to s e oul, where the two leaders pledged greater cooperation. A day later, d utch Foreign tr ade Minister

“And if we add on top of it the frag mentation in the world economy, it would be throwing gasoline on a fire. n o body benefits from it.”

t h e U s moves to restrict trade with China have also come under criticism in Asia, where nations like s i ngapore have warned against cut ting off Beijing economically. Many governments in the region also viewed U s House s p eaker n a ncy Pelosi’s trip to ta iwan earlier this year as unnecessarily provocative.  Biden appeared to address those concerns after his meeting with Xi, telling reporters he didn’t see “any imminent attempt” by China to invade ta iwan and made clear the U s policy toward the self-governed island “has not changed at all.” He said Xi was “straightforward,” add ing that “ i think that we understand one another.”

t h ough major e u ropean leaders are increasingly resistant to rising pressure from Washington, they are far from reaching a consensus on how to deal with an increasingly assertive China. While the eu ropean Union has labeled China a systemic rival, policy across the continent remains fragmented.

Former s o viet bloc countries in particular are coming to view Bei jing’s economic influence over the continent with suspicion. Finnish

Prime Minister s a nna Marin on t hursday warned of e u rope’s tech nological dependency on China, not ing the risks of becoming too reliant on an authoritarian regime.

Xi’s diplomatic support for Vlad imir Putin, who invaded Ukraine shortly after declaring a “no limits” friendship with the Chinese leader, has also helped strengthen Us eu rope bonds. t he Chinese leader has recently moved to alleviate some concerns about his relationship with Putin by drawing a red line on the use of nuclear weapons, a line he mentioned during a meeting with s c holz and later repeated with Biden.

Altogether, Xi’s actions at least have e u rope thinking about a mid dle path. i n a n extended metaphor during his AP e C s peech, Macron likened the U s and China to “two big elephants” in a jungle.

“ i f t hey become very nervous and start a war, it will be a big problem for the rest of the jungle,” he said.

“You

need the cooperation of a lot of other animals.” With assistance from Cagan Koc, Debby Wu and Stephen Engle / Bloomberg.

A resident gets swabbed for the Covid test outside a neighborhood in Beijing on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022. AP Photo/Ng hAN g uA N

ChiN e Se President Xi Jinping attends a leaders’ meeting at the Asia-Pacific economic Cooperation, APeC summit, Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022, in Bang kok, Thailand. hAi yuN JiANg/ the New yo rk times viA AP

iN this image made available by Vatican Media, Pope Francis sits for lunch in the home of a cousin, Carla Rabezzana, right, in the town of Portacomaro, about 10 kilometers (six miles) east of Asti, northern italy on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022. Rabezzana told local media that she and the pope kept up their connections over the years as he would stay with her while visiting Turin, where she long lived, before he became pope. vAt C AN m e D i A v A A P

editorial

The ‘fake news’ providers

WE call it “fake news” but more accurately it is “disinformation.” Information by definition is factual, true. There is “false information,” lies, deliberately spread to deceive people. Then there is “misinformation,” which is supposedly not deliberate. In other words, someone said or wrote something that was a lie, inaccurate, or a misrepresentation but they did not know it was “disinformation.”

Apparently, the target of disinformation seems to be losing political candidates that would have been elected, if not for being a victim of some nefarious plot to discredit them through “fake news.”

We are regularly told by the press/media that the greatest purveyor of “fake news” is the government—all governments.

However, if we are honest about it, it is the press/media that is the greatest purveyor of “fake news” because that is where the people get the “fake news” regardless of the countless employees of the 21st century’s new growth industry—“fact checkers.”

As it has always been, some press/media are spokespersons for the government. Others play the same role for the “opposition.” At times the job is to champion a cause. April 1975—Newsweek: Science editor Peter Gwynne described a significant chilling of the world’s climate, with evidence accumulating “so massively that meteorologists are hard-pressed to keep up with it.”

We can perhaps forgive the press/media for lapses of “investigative journalism” when it comes to science. However, there are certain failures that should cause press/media self-examination.

Last week Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes was sentenced to 11 years in prison for criminal fraud. Holmes was a media darling after the company claimed to have revolutionized blood testing by developing methods that could use small amounts of blood, such as from a fingerpick. It was all a scam. While it is true that her downfall did come after journalist John Carreyrou of The Wall Street Journal did months of research after receiving a tip, Holmes was appointed a member of the Harvard Medical School Board of Fellows.

She was perfect with a rich family and attended Stanford University. She was “Time’s 100 most influential people,” Woman of the Year by Glamour magazine, and was called “The Next Steve Jobs.”

“Don’t worry about the future, we’re in good hands,” said former US president Bill Clinton in 2015, as he introduced Elizabeth Holmes. SkyNews: “It took more than a decade for such claims to be exposed as science-fiction, but Holmes’s shameless willingness to talk the talk helped her raise hundreds of millions from investors and venture capitalists.” The press/media loved every minute of it.

What could be better for the front page than a multi-billionaire who devotes his life to “effective altruism” and is a cryptocurrency “legend.” “I wanted to get rich, not because I like money but because I wanted to give that money to charity,” said Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF).

He was the face that the press/media wanted to promote ESG—Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance—a millennial vegan worried about climate change who amassed a $16 billion fortune.

After his fraud created billions of dollars of losses for his investors and customers, a Vox reporter said to Bankman-Fried, “You were really good at talking about ethics.” He responded, “Ya, hehe… I feel bad for those who get f*****d by it. By this dumb game we woke westerners play where we say all the right shibboleths [catch-phrases, slogans] so everyone likes us.” Fortune magazine called SBF “The Next Warren Buffett?”

In April, Bankman-Fried’s now dead crypto-exchange company hosted an exclusive “Crypto Bahamas” event that featured Bill Clinton as a paid speaker who warned of the temptation to abuse new technology: “You want to do right by it in the regulatory space.”

Of course, the public does not have the right to expect the press/media to be the ultimate watchdogs of society. But perhaps the press/media could be a little more objective and do a little homework before building monuments to the next Steve Jobs or Warren Buffet. That is fine for the entertainment section, but not for news about the economy or politics where journalism’s supreme obligation is to the truth.

Green finance can help organizations comply with law on energy efficiency

RISING SUN

ThE Philippines has a law on energy efficiency, signed by former president Duterte in 2019, but we are lagging behind as far as implementation is concerned. Many companies and local government units still have the age-old idea that the only way to comply with this law is to convert from CFL to LED lighting, install solar panels, and turn off the power when they are not in use.

I recently came across a technology—not entirely new but definitely unexplored in the Philippines—that is simple and cost-effective in reducing energy consumption for buildings, industries, and entire communities. It’s called the Cool Roof Project and it involves the application of a special kind of coating on a build-

ing’s roof and outside walls so that solar heat does not go through. As a result, the temperature inside the structure remains low, which leads to less dependency on air conditioning. Needless to say, the consumption of energy will be lower overall and there will be less carbon emitted into the environment.

In many countries, this technology has been included as a building code standard. In the Philippines, while the technology is available in the market, the property industry, LGUs, and private companies are either clueless or reluctant to implement it because they are worried about costs. This is where Green Finance comes in. Certain banks in the country could finance Cool Roof projects via what is called the climate loan. An organization does not need to shell out fresh funds because repayment of the loan could come from savings on regular energy and cooling expenses. Studies show that this can hit as much as 60 percent savings on these costs.

It’s a win-win situation because organizations and agencies can now comply with the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act while saving money. Aside from that, these groups can significantly contribute to our global environ-

mental targets while helping to save the planet.

Our commitment to the Paris Agreement is a 75 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2030. Studies show that if the industrial sector would utilize Cool Roof technology, emissions could be reduced by as much as 30 million metric tons.  I think that this technology, along with many other measures that are either new or are already on the table, should be explored by all countries, but especially by the Philippines because we are one of the places on earth that are being greatly affected by climate change. We have a climate emergency and we need all hands on deck. Developments like this should always be welcome, most especially by industries and organizations whose operations are energy- or carbon-intensive because our energy security is in the hands of these big commercial and industrial players.

VP Harris to visit, support the Philippines amid sea feud

By Jim Gomez | The Associated Press

MANILA, Philippines—Vice President Kamala harris would underscore America’s commitment to defending treaty ally the Philippines with a visit that starts Sunday and involves flying to an island province facing the disputed South China Sea, where Washington has accused China of bullying smaller claimant nations.

After attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Thailand, Harris will fly to Manila Sunday night to meet President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. the next day for talks aimed at reinforcing Washington’s oldest treaty alliance in Asia and strengthening economic ties, said a senior US administration official, who was not identified according to practice, in an online briefing ahead of the visit.

On Tuesday she’ll fly to Palawan province, which lies along the South China Sea, to meet local fishermen, villagers, officials and the coast guard. She is the highest-ranking US leader so far to visit the frontier island at the forefront of the longseething territorial disputes involving China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

The Philippine coast guard is expected to welcome Harris onboard one of its biggest patrol ships, the BRP Teresa Magbanua, in Palawan, where she would deliver a speech before coast guard, police, military and government officials, according to coast guard spokesperson Commodore Armand Balilo.

Harris will underscore “the importance of international law, unimpeded commerce and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea,” the US official said and added, in response to a question, that Washington was not concerned how Beijing would perceive the visit.

“China can take the message it wants,” the US official said. “The message to the region is that the United States is a member of the Indo-Pacific, we are engaged, we’re committed to the security of our allies in the region.”

Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez said Harris’s trip to Palawan shows the level of America’s support to an ally and concern over China’s actions in the disputed sea.

“That’s as obvious as you can get, that the message they’re trying to impart to the Chinese is that ‘we support our allies like the Philippines on these disputed islands,’” Romualdez told The Associated Press. “This visit is a significant step in showing how serious the United States views this situation now.”

Washington and Beijing have

long been on a collision course in the contested waters. While the US lays no claims to the strategic waterway, where an estimated $5 trillion in global trade transits each year, it has said that freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea is in America’s national interest.

China opposes US Navy and Air Force patrols in the busy waterway, which Beijing claims virtually in its entirety. It has warned Washington not to meddle in what it says is a purely Asian territorial conflict— which has become a delicate frontline in the US-China rivalry in the region and has long been feared as a potential Asian flashpoint.

In July, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on China to comply with a 2016 arbitration ruling that invalidated Beijing’s vast territorial claims in the South China Sea and warned that Washington is obligated to defend treaty ally Philippines if its forces, vessels or aircraft come under attack in the disputed waters.

China has rejected the 2016 decision by an arbitration tribunal set up in The Hague under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea after the Philippine government complained in 2013 about China’s increasingly aggressive actions in the disputed waters. Beijing did not participate in the arbitration, rejected its ruling as a sham and continues to defy it. Harris’ visit is the latest sign of the growing rapport between Washington and Manila under Marcos Jr., who took office in June after

a landslide electoral victory.

America’s relations with the Philippines entered a difficult period under Marcos’ predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, who threatened to sever ties with Washington and expel visiting American forces, and once attempted to abrogate a major defense pact with the US while nurturing cozy ties with China and Russia.

When President Joe Biden met Marcos Jr. for the first time in September in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, he stressed the depth by which the US regards its relations with the Philippines despite some headwinds.

“We’ve had some rocky times, but the fact is it’s a critical, critical relationship, from our perspective. I hope you feel the same way,” Biden said.

“We continue to look to the United States for that continuing partnership and the maintenance of peace in our region,” Marcos Jr. told Biden. “We are your partners. We are your allies. We are your friends.”

The rapprochement came at a crucial time when the US needed to build a deterrent presence amid growing security threats in the region, Romualdez said.

Philippine military chief of staff Lt. Gen. Bartolome Bacarro said last week that the US wanted to construct military facilities in five more areas in the northern Philippines under a 2014 defense cooperation pact, which allows American forces to build warehouses and temporary

Atty. Jose Ferdinand M. Rojas II

Joel L. Tan-Torres

DEBIT CREDIT

THis is a common occurrence in various sectors of our society. But when these arise, they oftentimes are discussed in whispers or as mere speculations. These continue to perpetuate since it is difficult, if not impossible, to document or prove they are happening.

I am referring to the C word….corruption. Corruption affects all countries, from the highly developed to the poorest of them all. Corruption is prevalent, both in government and the private sector. Corruption can be traced even to the inner chambers of the Vatican, as disclosed by leaked documents beginning in 2012. Now, I have just come across massive corruption in sports, specifically in the sport of soccer and its global governing body Fédération Internationale de Football Association or FIFA. I just finished watching the trending Netflix documentary “FIFA Uncovered.”

Even if you are not a follower of sports or soccer, I strongly urge that you view this four-part episode. While the docu-series logline presents the focus of the film dwelling on the power struggles and global politics in FIFA throughout its checkered history and the complex process to host a World Cup, viewers can expect much more enthralling stories. I was engrossed by the other various human interest themes, including the interplay of politics and big business, thwarted ambitions of individuals, the value of whistleblowers and crime state witnesses, the role of media and investigative bodies, the betrayal among friends and allies, and the proliferation of crimes such as bribery, money laundering, tax evasion, and corruption. And to think, this is not a fictionalized narrative. It is all real and it is very much what we have all encountered in our own settings.

The release of this Netflix film was timed for the start of the 2022

Even if you are not a follower of sports or soccer, I strongly urge that you view this four-part episode. While the docu-series logline presents the focus of the film dwelling on the power struggles and global politics in FIFA throughout its checkered history and the complex process to host a World Cup, viewers can expect much more enthralling stories.

World Cup tournament with the opening ceremonies held on Saturday in the host country Qatar. The film also brought out the issues in Qatar’s being awarded the hosting rights by FIPF, with all the insinuations of corruption in this process. The start of the World Cup games begins today. So as not to prematurely disclose the ending of this film, I will not dwell more on what to expect in “FIFA Uncovered.” I know you will be absorbed in watching the entire series. Perhaps, I can just add that the documentary presents in the last episode that “crime [and corruption] does not pay”…to some extent.

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

The ‘Filipino alien’

Siegfred Bueno Mison, Esq.

THE PATRIOT

Commissioned by Firefly Lightning PH, sm By the Bay showcases an interesting gamut of parols (Filipino ornamental lanterns) uniquely and remarkably designed by French-Filipina actress and TV host solenn Heussaff-Bolzico. According to her, every parol she sketched was inspired by Pinoy festivities and resiliency. she pointed out how “we always love to come together and celebrate life…and how we have all been able to reflect these past years to prioritize the things that are important to us.” There are a significant number of foreign nationals, referred to as aliens under the Philippine immigration Act of 1940, who have contributed greatly to the promotion, if not preservation of Philippine culture.

Take the case of French chef Philippe Heyer, who biked his way (literally) from France to the Philippines, via Middle East and Indonesia. He has been staying in Sagada for over 20 years now, helping inns and restaurants there, developing and sharing his recipes. The locals warmly accorded him with the name “Aklay,” in reference to a tall, white man with curly hair. Another “Filipino alien” is Canadian travel blogger Kyle Jennermann, fondly known by his YouTube Channel “Becoming Filipino,” who received an unexpected recognition from the Philippine Senate, whose members committed to pass a bill leading to his Philippine citizenship. Kyle quickly gained more fame on social media after featuring his documentary series on the Philippines and earned a multitude of honors for his insightful vlogs, one of which is the Choose Philippines Award for Best Pinoy at Heart in 2016.

Other foreigners in the mold of Heussaff, Heyer, and Jennermann enjoy the life of a Filipino, joyfully embracing our culture, more than other natural-born Filipinos I know. These “Filipino aliens” should make us feel prouder of our identity. Be-

fore, an alien falling in love with a Filipina/Filipino was the general rule; these days, after an “invasion” of the new ethos—foreigners falling in love with our country, and staying here for good, has become the norm. As we browse through social media, we find more Heussafs, Heyers and Jennermans because of their online content showcasing their positive encounters in the Philippines. Syrian Basel Manadil, known for the handle “The Hungry Syrian Wanderer” is another notable “Filipino alien” living in the Philippines and doing what he can for the Filipinos. One of his most popular videos, garnering 4.4 million views to date, features the time when he accompanied some street children for the latter’s firstever dining experience at a popular Pinoy fast-food chain. This is just one among the many vlogs demonstrating how this Syrian national loves to do charity work in our country. I am certain many of us have one story or another about a foreigner-neighbor or friend who has come to love the Philippines. My friend from South Africa, Bollie Bolton, is another, who settled in the Philippines 30 years ago and whose hotel and restaurant expertise led to the success of island

US defense chief: ‘Tyranny and turmoil’ in Russian invasion

By Rob Gillies | The Associated Press

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia—US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned Saturday Russia’s invasion of Ukraine offers a preview of a world where nucleararmed countries could threaten other nations and said Beijing, like Moscow, seeks a world where might makes right.

Austin made the remarks at the annual Halifax International Security Forum, which attracts defense and security officials from Western democracies.

“Russia’s invasion offers a preview of a possible world of tyranny and turmoil that none of us would want to live in. And it’s an invitation to an increasingly insecure world haunted by the shadow of nuclear proliferation,” Austin said in a speech.

“Because [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s fellow autocrats are watching. And they could well conclude that getting nuclear weapons would give them a hunting license of their own. And that could drive a dangerous spiral of nuclear proliferation.”

Austin dismissed Putin’s claims that “modern Ukraine was entirely created by Russia,” calling it a vision of “a world in which autocrats decide which countries are real and which countries can be snuffed out.”

He added that the war “shows the whole world the dangers of disorder.

That’s the security challenge that we face. It’s urgent, and it’s historic.

But we’re going to meet it.... The basic principles of democracy are under siege around the world,” he said.

US President Joe Biden last month declared that the risk of nuclear “Armageddon” is at the highest level since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis; Russian officials have raised using tactical nuclear weapons after suffering massive setbacks in the nearly nine-month invasion of Ukraine.

While US officials for months have warned of the prospect that Russia could use weapons of mass destruction in Ukraine in the face of 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.

CIA Director Bill Burns recently met with his Russian intelligence counterpart to warn of consequences if Russia were to deploy a nuclear weapon in Ukraine.

Austin said nuclear weapons need to be responsibly controlled, and not used to threaten the world.

“Ukraine faces a harsh winter.

And as Russia’s position on the battlefield erodes, Putin may resort again to profoundly irresponsible nuclear saber-rattling,” he said.

Austin also compared Russia to China, saying Beijing is trying to

refashion both the region and the international system to suit its authoritarian preferences. He noted China’s increasing military activities in the Taiwan Strait.

“Beijing, like Moscow, seeks a world where might makes right, where disputes are resolved by force, and where autocrats can stamp out the flame of freedom,” he said.

Austin called Putin’s invasion the worst crisis in security since the end of the Second World War and said the outcome “will help determine the course of global security in this young century.”

Austin said the deadly missile explosion in Poland this week is a consequence of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “war of choice” against Ukraine. “The tragic and troubling explosion in Poland this week reminded the whole world of the recklessness of Putin’s war of choice,” Austin said.

On Tuesday, two workers were killed when a projectile hit a graindrying facility close to Poland’s bor-

living quarters within Philippine military camps. The Philippines Constitution prohibits foreign military bases but at least two defense pacts allow temporary visits by American forces with their aircraft and Navy ships for joint military exercises and training. The northern Philip-

pines is strategically located across a strait from Taiwan and could serve as a crucial outpost in case tensions worsen between China and the selfgoverned island.

While aiming to deepen ties, the Biden administration has to contend with concerns by human rights groups over Marcos Jr. The Philippine leader has steadfastly defended the legacy of his father, a dictator who was ousted in a 1986 pro-democracy

uprising amid human rights atrocities and plunder.

Harris also plans to meet Vice President Sara Duterte, daughter of Marcos’ predecessor, who oversaw a deadly anti-drugs crackdown that left thousands of mostly poor suspects dead and sparked an International Criminal Court investigation as a possible crime against humanity. The vice president has defended her father’s presidency.

der with Ukraine. While the source of the missile is under investigation, Nato officials have said they suspect it was fired from a Ukrainian missile battery.

Officials from Poland, Nato and the United States have blamed Russia for the deaths in any case, saying a Ukrainian missile would not have misfired had the country not been forced to defend itself against heavy Russian attacks that day.

Russian officials have cast the conflict as a struggle against Nato— though Ukraine is not a Nato member even if it has been receiving aid from Nato member states.

Austin said Nato is a defensive alliance and poses no threat to Russia.

“Make no mistake: we will not be dragged into Putin’s war of choice. But we will stand by Ukraine as it fights to defend itself. And we will defend every inch of Nato territory,” Austin said.

A Polish investigation to determine the source of the missile and the circumstances of the explosion was launched with support from the US and Ukrainian investigators joined the probe on Friday.

Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said in an interview broadcast live at the forum that “it’s not right to say it’s a Ukrainian rocket, or a Russian rocket, before the investigation is over.”

Given the Biden administration’s high-profile advocacy for democracy and human rights, its officials have said human rights were at the top of the agenda in each of their engagements with Marcos Jr. and his officials. After her meeting Monday with Marcos Jr., Harris plans to meet civil society activists to demonstrate “our commitment and continued support for human rights and democratic resilience,” the US official said.

resorts in Balesin and Huma.

Quite a significant number of these “Filipino aliens” have actually been adopted into our political fold by being accorded the privileges of a Filipino citizen. Under the 1987 Philippine Constitution, citizenship is based on the “jus sanguinis” principle, which is predicated on blood relationships. One can never be a Filipino unless there’s Filipino blood running through his veins. In contrast, the “jus soli” principle establishes citizenship based on place of birth, as applied in the United States of America. However, Section 1, Article 4 (4) of the 1987 constitution allows for a process called naturalization, wherein an alien may be granted citizenship by naturalization, three ways: (a) administrative naturalization pursuant to RA No. 9139; (b) judicial naturalization pursuant to C.A. No. 473, as amended, and (c) legislative naturalization in the form of a law enacted by Congress. Over time, Canadian Kyle Jennerman (#BecomingFilipino on Instagram) will no longer be a “Filipino alien” in my book as he is set to be naturalized through legislative naturalization.

However which way an alien may legally become a Filipino, though, one cannot take from his personality the heart of a true Filipino once he or she takes a grip of it. Fascinatingly then, our “brothers” and “sisters” in the country-fold, collectively known as “kababayans” may not look like us but they behave like us, regardless of color and race. So, despite the chaos and predicament we may all be involved in as Philippine citizens, we can feel proud to be called Filipinos if only because many individuals from outside our motherland are passionate about our country, our people and becoming a citizen as well. In the words of Canadian Kyle Jennerman, what inspires him about the Philippines is the “PEOPLE.” He gives such an emphasis on our culture, “where smiling is genuine, giving is natural, sharing is a part of everyday life. A culture that goes through a lot

of really tough times and suffering, but still shares a great big SMILE.” By adopting the lens of a “Filipino alien,” natural born Filipinos like us can become more fulfilled about our citizenship.

Filipinos we are here on earth, we are also believers in Christ, and “our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 3:20). Any person can acquire citizenship in whatever country, subject to legal qualifications, like these foreigners who have come to love our country. Some can even have dual or triple citizenships, yet these are only temporal, for we are mere sojourners in this world. As believers, Mother Earth is not our “real” home for we have been taught that the promise of our heavenly citizenship should encourage us to walk in such a manner “worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Philippians 1:27 ).

We can be pleased with our Filipino citizenship in the visual lens of a foreigner, but the spotlight should not end there. As Filipino believers, our focus should be on eternal things, driven by our wonderful heavenly citizenship, not just to become a Filipino but also to walk like a child of God.

As Filipinos, we are culturally known to be creative, kind, respectful, hospitable, and resilient, among many things exhibited by those “Filipino aliens” such as Heussaff, Heyer, and Jennermann. But, as believers, we are known to be “Christ-like,” which is all of the above and more!

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

For questions and comments, please e-mail me at sbmison@gmail.com.

Kazakh vote sets stage for Putin ally to move past riots, purges

By Nariman Gizitdinov Bloomberg Opinion

KAzAKHS are voting in a presidential election that will cap months of political high drama for incumbent Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, in a year that started with violent protests he called a coup attempt and included his open defiance of Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine.

“It’s necessary to continue political reforms,” Tokayev was quoted as saying by state-run newswire Kazinform after he cast his vote on Sunday.

Polling stations started to open at 6 a.m. Sunday and will close at 8 p.m. local time. Official turnout reached 23.4 percent at 10:05 a.m. Exit polls are due after midnight.

The stakes are high for Tokayev, 69, even if the outcome of the ballot itself is a foregone conclusion, with little in the way of campaigning or debates. His five obscure rivals have avoided criticism of the incumbent, the handpicked successor of Kazakhstan’s first and only other president, Nursultan Nazarbayev.

“The elections are more of a coronation than free and fair elections,” said Kate Mallinson, founder of Prism Political Risk Management in London.

Tokayev, a career diplomat turned politician, wants to draw a line under a period that saw the most serious challenge to the Central Asian country’s leadership since independence in 1991.

After being handed power by Nazarbayev in 2019, he’s seized on a chance to secure a fresh mandate in the face of building risks for the $200 billion economy of the world’s largest uranium miner as inflation approaches levels last seen more than a decade ago.

Economic challenges have remained high on the agenda since opposition to increases in fuel prices in January spiraled into riots that killed at least 230 people and left hundreds injured after Tokayev ordered security forces to shoot the protesters.

To address some of the grievances, Tokayev has announced increases in the minimum wage and pension payments, among other measures.

“This year’s early election is important insofar as, first, it will legitimize Tokayev as a fully autonomous leader who no longer depends on Nazarbayev for anything,” said George Voloshin, a Paris-based analyst at ACAMS, an antifinancial crime body. And “it will give an extra seven years to leave his imprint on Kazakh politics and eventually carry out overdue political and economic reforms.”

In June, Tokayev amended the constitution by extending the presidential term from five to seven years while limiting the head of state to a single period in office. Alongside the snap ballot this week, Kazakhstan’s parliamentary elections—originally scheduled for 2025— are now expected early next year.

S&P Global Ratings has said that “there is no credible political opposition party” in Kazakhstan, while “limitations on independent media outlets are significant and perceived corruption is high.”

Russia, Ukraine

T HE deadly riots, crushed with the help of troops sent by Putin, were a turning point on the way to a crackdown against a system built by Tokayev’s predecessor that’s taken the blame for entrenched corruption in the energy-rich country the size of Western Europe.

Another shock followed just weeks after the unrest died down. Russia, Kazakhstan’s biggest trading partner, invaded Ukraine—an economic jolt that also greatly complicated the political calculus for Tokayev.

Kazakhstan, with a large population of ethnic Russians, had to tread carefully since the two countries share the world’s second-longest frontier after the US-Canada border. It’s additionally vulnerable to potential disruptions to a pipeline linked to the Russian port of Novorossiysk that transports about 80 percent of Kazakh oil exports.

“Russia’s invasion offers a preview of a possible world of tyranny and turmoil that none of us would want to live in. And it’s an invitation to an increasingly insecure world haunted by the shadow of nuclear proliferation,” Austin said in a speech.

By Andrea E. San Juan

ENHANCING cooperation by keep ing markets open under a “func tioning” rules-based trading sys tem will help countries keep inflation in check, according to Trade Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual.

P ascual joined trade and foreign ministers from the Asia-Pacific region for the 33rd Asia-Pacific Economic Co operation (APEC) Ministerial Meeting last Thursday.

D uring the meeting, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said Friday that Pascual underscored the need to enhance cooperation and promote sus tainable trade and development in the middle of inflation and other uncertain ties across the globe.

W ith this, he noted that it is impera tive to keep the market open for trade and investment under a “functioning” rules-based trading system.

“ Respect and observance of the rulesbased trading system is a pre-requisite to a conducive open market and a crucial element in promoting trade and sustain able development”, the Trade chief said.

He also urged the ministers to observe the decisions and agreements made at the 12th World Trade Organization (WTO) ministerial meeting held last June in Geneva, Switzerland.

A ccording to the Trade department, Pascual also expressed the Philip pines’s commitment to implement the Fisheries Subsidies Agreement, and the country’s active engagement in

the agriculture negotiations and the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) waiver, among others.

I n a joint ministerial statement issued by APEC member-countries in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, the 21-member in tergovernmental forum discussed its achievements and priorities in 2022 and provided guidance on its future work.

A mong these priorities is reaffirm ing the importance of and commitment to the rules-based multilateral-trading system with the WTO.

We recognize the important role of the multilateral trading system to sup port economic recovery from global chal lenges, in particular through the facili tation of the movement of and access to food as well as essential goods and ser vices related to the Covid-19 pandemic,” APEC said in a statement on Friday.

A s the 21-member intergovern mental forum welcomes the successful outcomes of the Twelfth WTO Min isterial Conference (MC12) held last June 12 to 17 in Geneva, Switzerland, the APEC said it commits to working “constructively” to fully implement the MC12 outcomes and will continue to work towards positive outcomes at the Thirteenth Ministerial Confer ence (MC13).

I n June, the 164 member-countries of the WTO approved a package that contained at least seven declarations and decisions during its high-level 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) in Ge neva, Switzerland.

Pork self-sufficiency ratio plunges to 30-yr low in 2021

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

THE country’s pork self-sufficiency ratio (SSR) last year plunged to 74.3 percent, the lowest level in more than three decades, as African swine fever reduced domestic output and caused imports to hit record high.

L atest Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data showed that pork SSR in 2021 was significantly lower than the 91 percent rate recorded in 2020.

Historical PSA data showed that the pork SSR last year was the lowest on record or since 1988. It was also the first time that the coun try’s pork SSR fell below the 80 percent level.

T he PSA defines SSR as the “magnitude of production in relation to domestic utili zation.”

It is the extent to which a country’s supply of commodities is derived from its domestic production or the extent to which a country relies on its own production resources.

“ The higher the ratio, the greater the self-sufficiency,” the PSA said.

T he country’s pork SSR has been affected by havoc unleashed by ASF on commercial and backyard hog farms nationwide. The dreaded hog disease has killed nearly 4 mil lion pigs since 2019.

L ocal pork production volume last year declined by a fifth on an annual basis to 1.43 million metric tons (MMT), the lowest level in 19 years, based on historical PSA data.

“ For the period 2019 to 2021, pork pro duction decreased annually by an average of -13.8 percent,” the PSA said.

It exhibited a downtrend from 1.94 million metric tons in 2019 to 1.43 million metric tons in 2021,” it added.

Meanwhile, total pork imports in 2021 skyrocketed to a record-high volume of 494,789 metric tons (MT), more than double the 179,669 MT recorded in 2020, PSA data showed.

“ Importation of pork was highest in 2021 at 494.79 thousand metric tons and lowest in 2020 at 179.67 thousand metric tons. It averaged 320.32 thousand metric tons dur ing the reference period,” the PSA said.

P SA data also showed that the country’s hog industry is seeing signs of recovery this

year as both output and inventory posted increments on a year-on-year basis.

A s of October 1, the country’s total hog inventory nationwide rose by 2.08 percent on an annual basis to 10 million heads. PSA data showed that this was the first time in two years that the country’s pig herd reached 10 million since ASF first struck hog farms in 2019.

L ikewise, local hog production from Jan uary to September grew by 2.07 percent to 1.271 MMT from 1.245 MMT recorded in the same 9-month period of last year, PSA data showed.

I n a recent statement, the Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines Inc. (ProPork) said it has “agreed” to support the Depart ment of Agriculture’s programs to support and boost the local pork industry.

[Agriculture Undersecretary Domingo F.] Panganiban said we can always come to him if we have concerns that need to be ad dressed,” ProPork President Rolando Tam bago said.

We look forward to working with him and the rest of his team, [Bureau of Animal Industry] and [National Meat Inspection Service]. We truly hope that this will start a more cooperative setup for the betterment of our industry,” Tambago added.

Tambago pointed out that the local pork industry is still reeling from the effects of ASF. “ Many people rely on the industry for their livelihood so it is important to keep them going. Unfortunately, the losses have been very hard on a lot of us,” he said.

‘Rural women key to fighting hunger’

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

GIVING rural women equal access to resources would reduce food insecurity and allow countries to avoid a food crisis, according to an ex pert from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

I n an Asian Development Blog, ADB Sustainable Develop ment and Climate Change De partment Senior Social Develop ment Specialist Zonibel Woods said female farmers in Asia and the Pacific must be equipped with technology, support, and resources.

“ If rural women were given equal

access to the same resources as men, we could significantly reduce hunger. Food insecurity is linked to women’s unequal access to and control over resources compared to men,” Woods said.

“Climate-smart agriculture can significantly reduce the labor bur den for women in agriculture. How ever, climate-smart agriculture ben efits to both men and women may be lost if gender issues in agriculture are not considered,” she added.

C iting estimates from the Food and Agriculture Organization, Woods said the number of hungry people worldwide could be reduced by up to 150 million people if rural women were given equal access to resources as men.

T his includes access to laborsaving technologies and even the most basic farm tools that many female farmers lack. Access to credit will also improve women’s uptake of climate-smart agricul ture practices.

Women play critical roles in food systems as producers, pro cessors, traders, consumers, scien tists, and policymakers, but their role is not always recognized or counted. Closing the gender gap in farming can increase food produc tion and security,” Woods said.

Woods said globally, women represent 43 percent of the agri cultural labor force, and in some Asian countries this percentage is much higher.

ALC GROUP DONATES TO CARITAS MANILA FOR ‘PAENG’ VICTIMS

The ALC Group of Companies, through its Central Human Resources Division (CHRD), turned over cash and in-kind donations to Caritas Manila on November 17, 2022, for the benefit of those who have been affected by Typhoon Paeng. ALC Group Chairman D. Edgard A. Cabangon (third from left) led the turning over of the donations at the Caritas Manila office in Pandacan, Manila, where they were welcomed by Rev. Fr. Antonio Cecilio T. Pascual, Executive Director of Caritas Manila (fourth from left). Also present during the turnover were (from left) ALC Group CHRD Recruitment and Research Staff JP Estrella, CHRD Officer Malu Santos, Sharon Tan, and CHRD Staff Patrixia Nicole Ann Antonio. ROY DOMINGO

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng

Ayala Land to invest close to ₧10B in Batangas estate

By VG Cabuag @villygc

AYALA Land Inc. is set to pump in some P9.8 billion as its initial investment in “Areza,” the company’s 48th estate located in Lipa in Batangas.

The company on Friday broke ground for its 92-hectare property in Lipa, which is also the future site of the city hall. Ayala Land will keep on developing the property for the next 15 years, adding retail, residential and commercial proj ects on the site.

“Our experience in developing Makati, Boni facio Global City, Ayala Alabang, Cebu Business Park instilled in us valuable lessons that guide us as we develop Areza, the new downtown of Lipa

City,” Ayala Land president and CEO Bernard Vin cent O. Dy said. “We hope to continue our legacy of building master planned sustainable estates that uplift and enrich lives for more Filipinos and reinforces our commitment to nation building.”

Jay S. Teodoro, the company’s project develop ment head, said they are planning a small retail area of about 1,500 square meters to activate the area.

“We normally continue (developing) depending on the market,” Teodoro said. “We’ll be launch ing and expanding the retail footprint depend ing on the market.”

The company plans to launch residential proj ects in about two years to three years, initially on the premium segment, executives said.

Ayala Land is also selling commercial lots, which will initially have 99 lots made available, with sizes of between 500 square meters (sqm) to 1,000 sqm being sold at about P60,000 per sqm.

There will be a food terminal in the develop ment, a school and a church, executives said.

Last March 18, a ground breaking ceremony was held for the new Lipa City Hall, the estate’s

first locator. The government building is expected to be completed by 2025. The new city hall will sit on a 5-hectare property—donated by the Ayala to the local government unit—and was designed by Budji Layug + Royal Pineda Designs Architects Inc.

Ayala Land’s estate “will be centered on con nectivity and convenience of the various com ponents,” as well as green and open spaces. Areza’s masterplan will include outdoor spaces for exercise, pedestrianization and interaction, executives said.

“Areza” is located along infrastructure proj ects that include the recently-opened ManilaBatangas By-Pass Road. Other key infrastruc ture projects in the plan are the Diversion Road connecting Balete Road to Mataas na Kahoy and the STAR tollway.

This is the company’s first mixed-use develop ment in Batangas. Ayala Land started expanding South of Manila in 1972 with the southern en clave “Ayala Alabang.” In 1989, the firm developed the Laguna Techno Park. Two decades later, the company launched in 2009 the Nuvali eco-city in Laguna, its largest estate to date.

Solar PHL Power finally acquires land for building largest farm in the world

SOLAR Philippines Power Project Hold ings Inc. has finally acquired the land it needed to put up the largest solar farm in the world.

Its unit, Philippines unit SP New Energy Corp. (SPNEC), had just acquired over 2,000 hectares of landbank in Nueva Ecija and Bulacan. The land is big enough for its planned 3.5-gigawatts (GW) of solar farms, probably surpassing India’s Bhadia Solar Farm, which is now the world’s largest solar farm with over 2.2 GW.

This comes after two months since the Stock

Rights Offering (SRO) of SPNEC was completed.

“Since our SRO, we have prioritized the execu tion of the project that we see has the highest value. After we perfect the documentation for these hundreds of parcels and then conversion, this land would be ready for a solar project. Our focus now is to realize the value from this, and we will provide further updates at the appropri ate time,” said Solar Philippines founder Leandro L. Leviste.

One of these projects is Terra Solar Philip pines Inc. (Terra Solar), a joint venture project

of Solar Philippines that signed a Power Sup ply Agreement with the Manila Electric Co. last October 24.

Under the PSA, Terra Solar would supply 850 MW of mid-merit for around 12 hours per day from a planned 3.5 GW solar, 4.5 GW-per-hour battery project in Nueva Ecija and Bulacan.

At over 2000 hectares, the properties secured by Solar Philippines could fit a project that would exceed the capacity of India’s Bhadla Solar Farm, currently the world’s largest solar farm at over 2.2 GW. Lenie Lectura

Phoenix commits P1B for expansion in 2023

By Lenie Lectura @llectura

PHOENIX Petroleum Philippines Inc. has committed P1 billion for expansion of its business amid persistent challenges and uncertainties in global markets.

The oil firm said that as of endSeptember this year and end-December of last year it has commitments of more than P207.4 million and P800 million, respectively, for expansion on petroleum retail network, depot, terminals and lo gistics facilities, information technology i nfrastructure and other major expan sions related to its business development.

“ The Group plans to expand further its petroleum retail service stations and carry out its investments in its subsid iaries to put up depot and ‘terminal ling’ facilities in strategic locations and c omplete its chain of logistical support to strengthen its foothold in the industry,” the firm said in a filing with the Philip pine Stock Exchange.

P hoenix Petroleum is engaged in the nationwide trading and marketing of refined petroleum products, includ ing LPG and lubricants, operation of oil d epots and storage facilities, hauling and into-plane services; convenience store retailing; and trading and supply. It has a total of 697 operating retail service stations as of end-September this year.

As of September 30, 2022, and De cember 31, 2021, Phoenix Petroleum ha s unused approved LCs amounting to P4,834 million and P11,569.6 million, respectively, the company said.

There are commitments, guarantees and contingent liabilities that arise in the normal course of operations, it added.

As the global economies emerge from the pandemic, Phoenix Petroleum said challenges from the new wave of COVID cases, emerging geopolitical risks, and threat of global recession drive volatility in global oil prices.

But the company assured that it has been able to position itself well to navi gate the downturn and for the eventual u pturn from the Covid pandemic.

management measures to mitigate the impact, including initiatives that will re duce the working capital requirement as w ell as by actively managing inventories and optimizing volume to maximize sales and profitability,” it said.

At end-September, it saw its Ebitda (earnings before interest, taxes, depre ciation and amortization) fell down by 32 percent to P1.8 billion, mainly on ac count of lower domestic fuel volume in t he third quarter.

“Domestic fuel volume was sharply lower in the third quarter, with the over seas trading business likewise taking a b reather after consecutive quarters of unprecedented growth. Recovery in fuels was further set back by lack of scale driven by persistent challenges in liquidity and uncertainties in global markets and eco nomic growth,” the company reported.

S till, Phoenix Petroleum is banking on a more sustainable supply chain and logistics model to provide it with “better results” moving forward.

On a per unit Ebitda basis, it saw a 21-percent growth year-to-date as it con tinues to exercise prudence in operational e xpenditure and capital expenditure and enhance productivity and efficiency across businesses.

For instance, the LPG business grew 11 percent quarter-on-quarter. The com pany said this remains a bright spot in i ts portfolio. During the third quarter, domestic LPG volume grew nine percent the prior year and a further eight percent from the previous quarter.

Overseas LPG, likewise, recovered strongly from a weak second quarter this year with volume rising 16 percent quarter-on-quarter and growing three percent year-to-date. Both standalone businesses continue to benefit from ro bust underlying demand in the Philip pine and Vietnam markets, adequately su pported by working capital, it said.

McDonald’s

starts Yule campaign

By Roderick L. Abad | Contributor

GOLDEN Arches Development Corp. (GADC) has launched its “Share the Light” campaign to entice more customers to its stores as the Yuletide Season goes into full gear next month. The company that owns the master franchise of McDonald’s in the Philippines officially kicked off this initiative with the recent staging of a “Christmas Lights Show;” lighting up the entire facade of its UN Del Pilar, Manila store.

GADC National Marketing Manager Katrina Lee-Chua told the Busi nessMirror that seven more outlets will be dressed up in familiar Yule tide symbols, “merged with classic McDonald’s and Coca-Cola designs.” This is the second year that the fastfood chain will light up select stores. In 2021, it launched the “Ride Thru Lights Show,” an initiative that showcased a bright decoration of lights in three chosen McDonald’s drive thru lanes.

“It was a big success. I think a lot of our customers really enjoyed it despite the limited mobility due to the Covid-19 crisis. So it was re ally an opportunity for them, especially the kids, to see the show and the spectacle of Christmas even through drive thru lanes,” she said. With the easing of the pandemic nowadays, the firm has decided to make it “bigger and better” to the delight of more patrons who are also ordering for take out or dining in.

“This Christmas season, we are excited to welcome back more Filipino families to our stores where they can bond, have fun, all while enjoying their McDonald’s favorites. For this year’s ‘Store Lights Show,’ we are taking it to the next level by brightening en tire McDonald’s stores that will surely make Christmas feel more festive for our customers,” said GADC Assistant Vice President for Marketing and Channels Oliver Rabatan.

The firm is also adding items for a new menu like “McCrispy Hamonado Sandwich” and “Speculoos Cookie Frappe.”

“Other than family reunions and unwrapping of gifts, food is defi nitely one of the highlights of a Christmas celebration. And with our Christmas treats this year, we’re sure that you’ll relive and unlock a core Christmas memory with your family, friends, and loved ones,” McDon ald’s Philippines Product Manager Symon Siman said.

Chua added the firm would also offer promotional deals on the McDonald’s app.

She said they are also launching a donation drive that aims to donate one million toys to Ronald McDonald House Charities’ partner beneficiaries.

“McDonald’s really aims to be a beacon of life, joy and the Christmas spirit of everyone, no matter how you choose to celebrate it, who you celebrate it with, or what life stage you’re at. And we really want our customers to feel that McDonald’s is more than a restaurant. It’s a gathering place, with all kinds of feel good mo ments, celebrations and also communities,” Chua said.

Shell mobile unit to get RE

SHELL Energy Philippines (SEPH), the retail electricity supplier under the Shell Group, will supply renewable energy (RE) to an other mobility site of the oil firm located in Bi ñan, Laguna.

Lorelie Quiambao-Osial, country chairman for Shell companies in the Philippines, said Shell Mam plasan mobility site has switched to RE.

The station with Shell Recharge charging points will be powered through a mix of solar, geothermal, and hydro energies.

“The switching to renewable energy at our operations shows our commitment to reducing our own carbon emissions. We continue to work with partners in the decarbonization journey as we transition to a lower carbon economy,” said Osial.

Shell Mamplasan, located at South Luzon Ex pressway, is the second Shell mobility site to be powered by renewable energy from SEPH. The

first one was Shell North Luzon Tollway 1 (NLT1) in Balagtas, Bulacan.

In 2020, Shell began transforming its retail fuel stations into one-stop mobility destinations fea turing sustainable solutions. These solutions help reduce energy consumption by approximately 30 percent, as compared to a traditional site.

Shell companies in the Philippines has started utilizing RE sources for its offices and mobility fuel stations. Aside from Shell Mamplasan and Shell NLT1, the SciP headquarters in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig and the Shell Import Facility (SHIFT) in Tabangao, Batangas are now powered by RE through SEPH.

The Shell Import Facility in Tabangao is 100 percent powered by a combination of solar, geo thermal, and hydro energies provided by SEPH. The onsite solar farm covers 5,220 solar panels and seven inverters, which can generate up to 300-megawatt hour. Lenie Lectura

Cebu Air beefs up route network by increasing flight frequencies

By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

EXECUTIVES of budget carrier operator Cebu Air Inc. announced they are beefing up the international and domestic route network of Cebu Pacific, increasing the frequencies of certain sectors in time for the holiday season.

A statement by the listed firm said that starting November 27, Cebu Pacific will add flights from Ma nila to the following destinations: Brunei; Jakarta; Seoul; Taipei; and, Hong Kong.

The Gokongwei-led carrier announced it is dou bling its Manila-Brunei flights from twice weekly to four times a week. Likewise, it is doubling its ManilaSeoul frequencies from daily flights to twice daily.

It is also adding two more frequencies to its thriceweekly flights between Manila and Jakarta. It will also start daily flights between Manila and Taipei, adding four flights per week to its current thrice weekly flights.

Cebu Pacific is also adding four weekly flights to its 28 flights per week to Hong Kong from Ma nila, making its operations between the two cities 32 times per week.

Meanwhile, on the domestic side, it is adding fre quencies to its routes out of Cebu, adding a total of 18 more flights to various destinations including Iloilo, Dumaguete, Legazpi, Surigao, Pagadian, and Tacloban.

“We know that many are raring to travel again to their favorite local and foreign destinations, so we are very excited to mount these additional flights as we approach the holiday season,” Cebu Air Chief Com mercial Officer Alexander G. Lao was quoted in the statement as saying.

To date, Cebu Pacific flies to a total of 34 do mestic and 19 international destinations.

Cebu Air is banking on the easing of travel restrictions to recover from losses it incurred due to the pandemic.

In the first nine months of the year, the firm saw its net loss shrinking by almost half to P12.05 billion from P22 billion.

Cebu Air’s revenues ballooned by 310.2 percent to P37.53 billion from P9.15 billion, as it recorded “significant” increases in passenger volume, cargo services, and flight activities, as pandemic restric tions started to ease earlier this year.

“In response to the intensifying geo political crisis and threats to economic r ecovery, the company has in place risk

“Phoenix Petroleum remains focused on strengthening its operations despite a tumultuous year of volatility in global oil markets, recessionary concerns amidst record high inflation, peso depreciation and monetary tightening, and muted demand,” Phoenix Petroleum President Henry Albert R. Fadullon was quoted in a statement as saying.

Banking&Finance

SEC OKs bond offerings of San Miguel, Aboitiz

By VG Cabuag @villygc

THE Securities and Exchange Commission has approved the bond offerings of San Miguel Corp. and Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. (AEV).

In its en banc meeting last week, the SEC approved the registration statement of San Miguel for up to P60 billion of fixed-rate bonds and of AEV for P30 billion of bonds under shelf registration.

San Miguel’s offer is composed of up to P40 billion of fixed-rate bonds, with an oversubscription option of up to P20 billion. The offer consists of Series L bonds due 2028, Series M bonds due 2029 and Series N bonds due 2029.

Assuming the oversubscription option is fully exercised, San Miguel could net up to P58.65 billion from the offer.

Proceeds will be used for the optional and final redemption of certain securities of the company, as well as the refinancing of certain dollar-denominated obligations and peso-denominated facilities.

The bonds will be offered at face value and will be listed on the Philippine Dealing and Exchange Corp.

The company has engaged BDO Capital and Investment Corp., China Bank Capital Corp., PNB Capital and Investment Corp., Bank of Commerce, BPI Capital Corp., SB Capital Investment Corp., RCBC Capital

Corp., Asia United Bank Corp. and Philippine Commercial Capital Inc. as the joint lead underwriters and bookrunners for the offer.

AEV’s offering, meanwhile, is its shelf registration program of P30 billion, which it will offer within three years.

For the first tranche, AEV will offer P550 million, which will be issued alongside up to P7.45 billion of fixed-rate bonds comprising the fourth and final tranche of its shelf bond program approved in 2019.

The company will also offer up to P12 billion of bonds from the 2022 program as part of the oversubscription option. Proceeds from the offer are expected to amount to P19.76 billion, assuming the oversubscription option is fully exercised.

AEV plans to use the proceeds to partially finance the acquisition of GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp. by its wholly owned subsidiary Aboitiz InfraCapital. A portion of the proceeds will also go to the refinancing of maturing debt.

The bonds comprising the first tranche of the 2022 program and the final tranche of the 2019 program will be offered at face value and will be listed on the PDEx.

AEV has tapped BDO Capital, BPI Capital, China Bank Capital and First Metro Investment Corp. as the joint issue managers, joint lead underwriters and joint bookrunners for the offer.

Perspectives Understanding Asia Pacific’s CPPA landscape

ASIA Pacific’s Corporate Power Purchase Agreements (CPPAs) emerge as a pivotal approach for corporates as they move forward on their Net Zero journey.

KPMG has released the “Decarbonization through renewable energy: Understanding Asia Pacific’s Corporate Power Purchase Agreement landscape,” a report which gives an overview of the renewable energy market in the Asia Pacific region.

There is no doubt that the entire world is striving for Net Zero. In the Philippines, corporate leaders began energy efficiency actions in 2017, with the Department of Energy publishing the Energy Efficiency Roadmap 2017 to 2040.

“The key to reducing carbon footprint is corporate responsibility in making business operations sustainable,” said KPMG in the Philippines Advisory Partner and ESG Lead Kristine I. Aguirre. “The firm has lived up to its responsibility by providing services and doing simple yet influential activities that raise ESG consciousness in the business world and in society as a whole.”

Moreover, the utilization of renewable energy sources is a growing trend in the Philippines. As of 2020, the renewable energy capacity mix reached 29.1 percent, with hydro contributing the most at 14.4 percent and followed by geothermal at 7.3 percent, solar at 3.9 percent, biomass at 1.8 percent, and wind at 1.7 percent. KPMG in the Philippines Deal Advisory Head and Energy Sector Lead Michael Arcatomy

Guarin further emphasized: “The renewable energy campaign is a collaborative effort shared by all stakeholders in society. The Philippines’s implementation of a green energy option program, which allows power users to source their own electricity from renewables, is important.”

The report, which provides enterprises with a clear view of the CPPA market and summarizes both opportunities and barriers in the current renewable energy market, looks at government policies and regulations, types of basic power purchase and sale contracts, and renewable energy-related policies and objectives of some major power plants. It further elaborates on the electricity market framework, CPPA, renewable energy certification, policies, purchase, and sale cases of

12 markets in the Asia Pacific region.

The report highlights six key trends driving the future development of the renewable energy market in the region.

1. The CPPA market in the Asia Pacific region is still less developed but shows significant potential for growth.

2. The regulatory framework to implement changes to the CPPA framework is rapidly evolving in the region.

3. The phase-out of generous feedin-tariff scheme is expected to increase the appetite for CPPAs.

4. Economics and net metering are driving the rooftop solar installation and increasing the adoption of on-site PPA.

5. There is a growing interest in CPPA across the Asia Pacific to achieve their respective sustainability commitments.

6. Asia Pacific is progressing towards a low-carbon energy future.

As an increasing number of countries respond to climate change and announce their commitments to Net Zero, supporting mechanisms and measures continue to bloom. Besides domestic and foreign regulatory requirements, the demand for an enterprise to have sustainable operations and supply chains has also become the driving force for corporations to purchase green electricity.

According to the Paris Climate Agreement, there is a target to achieve carbon neutrality and Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050. However, with the intensification of climate change and the global energy crisis caused by the Russian government’s war in Ukraine, the price of renewable energy has risen in response.

Every market in the region has a different electricity market liberalization progress and regulatory framework, which makes green energy procurement challenging, and impacts the path to Net Zero.

The excerpt was taken from the KPMG Thought Leadership publication: https:// home.kpmg/xx/en/home/media/press-releases/2022/11/kpmgs-report-explores-renewableenergy-as-a-key-enabler-of-decarbonization.

html KPMG Intl. Ltd. is a private English company limited by guarantee and does not provide services to clients. For more information on KPMG in the Philippines, you may send a message through ph-marketsph@kpmg.com or visit www.home. kpmg/ph.

BSP: Rate hike betters odds of attaining growth targets

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

OFFICIALS of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) are confident recent policy rate adjustments will improve the country’s medium-term growth prospects.

The central bank also said the country’s growth potential has prompted Standard & Poors (S&P) Global ratings to affirm its investment-grade rating of BBB+.

The recent decision of the Monetary Board to raise interest rates by 75 basis points increased the BSP’s overnight repurchase facility rate to 5 percent from 4.25 percent.

“The BSP is committed to its price stability mandate by working

to promote predictable and low inflation rates,” BSP Governor Felipe M. Medalla said in a statement over the weekend.

“Well-managed inflation provides an enabling environment for strong and sustainable economic growth, as well as better living standards for all Filipinos,” said Medalla.

Central bank officials said prolonged high inflation may have ad-

verse effects on spending, confidence and, therefore, growth.

S&P noted that the government’s fiscal position will gradually improve as economic recovery takes hold. In their view, “the fiscal shortfall should continue to narrow over the coming years while the economy regains its footing and the government scales back stimulus measures.”

International credit rating agency S&P has affirmed the Philippines’ investment-grade long-term credit rating of “BBB+” and short- term rating of “A-2” with a stable outlook.

The “stable” outlook, meanwhile, reflects S&P’s expectation that the “Philippine economy will maintain healthy growth rates and its fiscal performance will materially improve over the next 24 months.”

Moreover, S&P said that the Philippines’ external position remains an anchor rating strength as “reserves continue to act as a strong

external buffer.”

The country’s gross international reserves level rose to $94 billion as of end-October 2022 from $93 billion as of end-September 2022, representing a more than adequate external liquidity buffer equivalent to 7.5 months’ worth of imports of goods and payments of services and primary income.

This exceeds the 3-months’ worth of imports that the International Monetary Fund suggests as a rule of thumb in reserve adequacy.

A sovereign investment-grade rating indicates lower credit risk, thus allowing a country to access funding from development partners and international capital markets at a lower cost.

This enables a country to channel funds that would have otherwise been allotted for interest payments to socially beneficial programs and projects for its people.

Bayad awarded as SSS’s Best Collecting Partner

CIS Bayad Center Inc., the pioneer and the most trusted brand in the outsourced payment collection industry in the Philippines and now a full-service fintech subsidiary of the biggest power conglomerate in the country—Meralco, was recently conferred as SSS’ Best Collecting Partner under the nonbank category during the 2022 Balikat ng Bayan Awards.

The said award giving body has been established since 1995 and has continued to recognize individuals, employers and organizations that significantly contributed to SSS’ pursuit of its mandate, which underpins the importance of saving and investing among its members and their beneficiaries.

This 2022, SSS puts Bayad to spotlight, acknowledging the company’s consistent compliance of accurate and timely collection reports as well as its active participation in the integral programs of the institution. Apart from these, Bayad breaks records with a 9 percent growth rate increase in SSS contribution trans-

Security Bank boosts support to Ecija group

ALIGNED with its mission to enrich lives and build communities sustainably, Security Bank Corp. has strengthened its partnership with the Center for Community Transformation (CCT) by helping build Lupang Pangako, a 37.5-hectare noncontiguous land in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija.

Lupang Pangako (promised land), is a resettlement site for former street dwellers served by the CCT Kaibigan Ministry. At present, CCT Kaibigan Ministry helps around 5,000 street dwellers annually across the Philippines. CCT aims to relocate 180 rehabilitated street dwellers to Lupang Pangako yearly.

“We’re proud to support CCT as they continue to make a positive impact and provide chances for a better future. This initiative is closely aligned to some of the key pillars of Security Bank’s mission—to enrich lives and build communities,” said Tanya Deakin, VP and Head of Corporate Communications at Security Bank.

Since 2020, the Bank has supported the projects of CCT including CCT-Tindahan Para sa Bayan Program that extended PHP2.7 million to small businesses during the pandemic. A support package was also given in 2021 for the CCT-Visions of Hope to support the education of tribal scholars in Malungon, Sarangani.

action volume from 2021 to 2022, which substantiates how Bayad ceaselessly scales up its physical and digital payment touchpoint to deliver a one stop shop payment so-

lution to its customers. With this, SSS members can now conveniently access other bills payment services covering for various government contributions, loan, electric and wa-

ter utilities, cable & internet, tuition fees, online shopping, insurance and many others. This payment experience is also backed up by Bayad’s real-time posting feature, allowing SSS members to process and monitor instant and seamless contribution payments.

Bayad President and CEO, Lawrence Y. Ferrer underscored “All of our efforts in Bayad are directed towards the belief that Filipinos deserve to be rewarded for their hard work. We will stand with SSS in every step of the way as we elevate the financial experience of its members through convenient and secured payment transactions.”

For government, financial and banking institutions that are interested to be part of Bayad’s extensive biller and payment channel network, you may send an email to partnerships@bayad.com. Bayad enables partners to attain nationwide presence and provides end-to-end support services for efficient payment and collection processing.

Bond market journeying into treacherous waters

AS the bond market limps toward 2023, it faces the prospect of a final bout of chaos, exacerbated by dwindling trading volume typical during the last weeks of the year.

The most punishing time period on record for investors in US government bonds has also been one of the most volatile, with frequent large daily changes in yield. Mostly, those were about pricing in Federal Reserve rate increases aimed at squelching inflation. Developments this week made clear that the turbulence may endure a while longer.

The benchmark 10-year note’s yield’s daily range exceeded 12 basis points three times. One case involved comments by St. Louis Fed President James Bullard on Thursday suggesting a higher eventual peak for the policy rate than the current consensus of about 5 percent.

It wasn’t unusual. There have been yield swings exceeding 10 basis points on 51 days so far this year, Beth Hammack, co-head of Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s global financing group and an adviser to the Treasury Department, said on a panel at the New York Fed’s annual Treasury market structure conference this week.

That’s too many, Hammack said, even if such changes were arguably too rare during the previous 10 years, when the Fed was providing extraordinary accommodation.

“The Treasury market is still particularly volatile right now and liquidity feels thin,” she said. A gauge of the market’s volatility based on options prices, the ICE BofA MOVE Index, resumed its advance this week after a month-long retreat from the highest levels since the onset of the pandemic in March 2020.

Trading volume has increased this year, exceeding $600 billion per day on average in recent months, Nellie Liang, the Treasury Department’s top domestic finance official, said at the same

event. But it’s been boosted by investors shedding old-vintage Treasuries, though to a lesser extent than during the market breakdown in March 2020.

To investors like Matt Smith, investment director at London-based Ruffer LLP and a recent buyer of 30-year bonds, Treasuries remain a short-term trade despite the highest yields of the past decade. The rally that Bullard’s comments halted is “a counter trend move in rates and I don’t expect that will last too long,” he said.

Potential flash points between now and yearend are mostly in the next four weeks, when employment and inflation data for November set the tone for the Fed’s Dec. 14 policy decision. The minutes of its last meeting are set to be released on Wednesday.

Bullard’s November 17 suggestion that 5 percent to 5.25 percent is the lowest level the Fed’s policy rate should eventually reach drove the bond market to various new extremes this week, even as yields remained below their year-to-date highs. His comments came the day after stronger-thanestimated October retail sales data cast doubt on the effectiveness of the central bank’s six rate increases since March.

The two-year note’s yield, a proxy for nearterm expectations for the Fed’s rate, climbed, exceeding the 5- and 10-year yields by the most in a generation. Meanwhile the 10-year dipped below the central bank’s target range, currently 3.75 percent-4 percent, for the first time in the cycle, another sign that investors foresee economic damage that will necessitate rate cuts.

“This is a market that wants to trade the future outcome today” in spite of sub-optimal conditions, said George Goncalves, head of US macro strategy at MUFG. “Putting new money to work at this time of the year doesn’t make sense.”

IN photo (from left) SSS Commissioner (Representing Workers’ Group) Jose C. Julio, SSS President and CEO Michael G. Regino, CIS Bayad Center Inc. (Bayad) Vice President and Head for Biller Solutions Anely P. Aviles, Bayad Vice President and Group Head for Regional Operations and Biller Solutions Meinard D. Cruz, SSS Commissioner (Representing Employers’ Group) Diana Pardo-Aguilar and SSS Commissioner (Representing Workers’ Group) Bai Norhata M. Alonto.

Photo courtesy oF c s Bayad center Inc.

Explainer

Climate migration:

Filipino Families to Flee amid typhoons

By Michael Casey, Joeal Calupitan & Aaron Favila The Associated Press

TACLOBAN—

After Typhoon Haiyan's towering waves flattened scores of Philippine villages, Jeremy Garing spent days helping with recovery from the historic storm that left more than 7,300 people dead or missing and inflicted billions of dollars in damage.

“I keep helping other people, but then at the end, you find out that all of your family is gone,” Garing said, recalling those terrible times in 2013. “It’s so painful.”

He and his wife Hyancinth Charm Garing lost seven relatives to the typhoon, includ ing parents, siblings and their 1-year-old d aughter. Holding up a cell phone photo of her smiling daughter Hywin, the 28-yearold mother still finds it hard to believe she is gone.

Part of the wave of 5 million people dis placed by the typhoon, the couple now lives i n an inland community about 12 kilome ters (7.5 miles) from the coast in a commu nity that was created by the government i n response to the death and devastation of Haiyan.

Days after the powerful typhoon, officials knew rebuilding wasn't an option because the historic storm wouldn't be the last. They an nounced a $3.79-billion reconstruction plan t hat included housing for tens of thousands of storm survivors. They also announced plans to construct a protective dike to shield 33,000 residents from future storms and a 40-meter (130-foot) buffer zone from the shoreline where development is banned.

“It’s safe from flooding. It’s safe from ac tive fault line and it’s far from the coastal a rea,” said Tedence Jopson, the city hous ing and community development officer for Tacloban, referring to the new community named Tacloban North.

“Remember because we are talking about climate change, our priority is really mov ing people away from the danger zone,” he s aid, adding that the island nation is seeing more frequent typhoons.

Rebuilding after the typhoon was a co lossal undertaking for an impoverished c ountry that’s seen more than its share of disasters. When the typhoon hit, the country was still recovering from a re cent earthquake that struck a nearby is land and from a Muslim rebel attack that r azed houses.

For months, families lived in tents or homemade shacks as the government struggled to build housing. But over time, authorities built dwellings for up to 16,000 families in several locations, including the Tacloban North community. Nestled in what was once a forested valley, the tidy homes with brick-colored roofs are prov ing popular with storm survivors.

B ut many people still pine for their old lives and mourn the loss of loved ones.

Some keep photos of deceased relatives on their phones and are forced to pass a mass grave with rows upon rows of white crosses. A sign at the entrance reads in memory of “the men, women and chil dren who perished and those still missing a nd...the countless people whose lives were

changed forever."

“Every Friday, I visit the cemetery to light a candle for my wife and don't for get to pray to the Lord to help us with our d aily chores,” said Reinfredo Celis, whose wife and brother died in the typhoon that hit on his birthday. "What is painful is I’m now alone.”

Being forced by climate change to move, within borders or beyond, is a growing re ality expected to accelerate in the decades a head. Over the next 30 years, 143 million people are likely to be uprooted by rising seas, drought, searing temperatures and other climate catastrophes, according to an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report published earlier this year by the United Nations.

Though an individual storm cannot be blamed on climate change, studies have found that typhoons are becoming stronger and wetter. In its State of the Climate in Asia 2021 report on Monday, the World Meteorological Organization concluded economic losses from drought, floods and landslides have risen sharply

in Asia. Weather- and water-related di sasters, the UN agency found, affected 5 0 million people and caused $35.6 bil lion in damages.

“ Weather, climate and water extremes are becoming more frequent and intense in many parts of the world as a result of climate change,” Petteri Taalas, secretarygeneral of the WMO, said in a statement.

“We have more water vapor in the atmo sphere, which leads to extreme rainfall a nd deadly flooding. The warming of the ocean fuels more powerful tropical storms, and rising sea levels increase the impacts.”

In coastal villages hit hardest by Ty phoon Haiyan, known locally as Super typhoon Yolanda, the damage is still on f ull display — damaged homes with roofs and walls caved in, foundations of others with only toilets remaining. The govern ment has moved to demolish many of the r emaining homes, though a few residents are refusing to relocate.

A cargo ship that washed ashore has become a popular tourist attraction. But Emelita Abillille, a fish vendor in the vil

lage of Anibong with her husband and f ive children, said she cries whenever she sees the ship.

While she would love to move from the disaster zone, she fears she couldn’t make a living in North Tacloban, which has few shops and jobs.

“We are willing to move there,” said Abillille, whose family has been offered a home in the new community. “Our prob lem is where will we get money for our f ood? We have to buy water there, food and our transportation. Where will I get the money?”

Jeremy Garing, too, has frustrations with the new community. The 35-year-old hairdresser must make the expensive daily commute to his job in Tacloban, although he bought a motorcycle to make it easier.

The consolation is that he knows his family—including a newborn daughter— will be there when he gets home.

“I really like it here. We will not move anymore. It's better here,” said Garing, looking over at his sleeping daughter Chi ara Mae. "It’s safe.”

Rows of crosses sit at the mass grave site at the Holy Cross Memorial Garden for victims of super Typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban on oc tober 23, 2022. AP/A A ron FAv il A

JeR e M Y G aR in G, his wife Hyancinth Charm pose on, oc tober 23, 2022, with their children outside their home at a new com munity for victims of Yolanda in Tacloban. Garing and his family settled at a relocation site three years ago after their village was wiped out when the super typhoon struck in 2013, killing six family members and his year-old daughter. AP/A A ron FAv il A Le Y T e tide embankment project is seen in Tacloban City, Leyte, on oc tober 26, 2022. The seawall was built to shield coastal villages from possible storm surges like the one during the height of supertyphoon Yolanda. AP/A A ron FAv il A

Tou R is T s pose for a picture on top of the bow of M/V eva Jocelyn, at the coastal village of anibong, an area badly hit by supertyphoon Yolanda when it struck the province nine years ago, in Tacloban City, central Philippines. The ship was swept ashore during the height of the typhoon that left thousands dead or missing and destroyed homes, agriculture and infra structure and left thousands homeless. AP/A A ron FAv il A

a R eLo C aT i on site for victims of super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) is seen in Tacloban, central Philippines on sunday oc to ber 23, 2022. about 40% of the population of Tacloban were relocated to safer areas after super Typhoon Yolanda wiped out most of the villages, killing thousands when it hit central Philippines in 2013. AP/A A ron FAv il A

Explainer

Climate migration:

Filipino Families to Flee amid typhoons

By Michael Casey, Joeal Calupitan & Aaron Favila The Associated Press

TACLOBAN—

After Typhoon Haiyan's towering waves flattened scores of Philippine villages, Jeremy Garing spent days helping with recovery from the historic storm that left more than 7,300 people dead or missing and inflicted billions of dollars in damage.

“I keep helping other people, but then at the end, you find out that all of your family is gone,” Garing said, recalling those terrible times in 2013. “It’s so painful.”

He and his wife Hyancinth Charm Garing lost seven relatives to the typhoon, includ ing parents, siblings and their 1-year-old d aughter. Holding up a cell phone photo of her smiling daughter Hywin, the 28-yearold mother still finds it hard to believe she is gone.

Part of the wave of 5 million people dis placed by the typhoon, the couple now lives i n an inland community about 12 kilome ters (7.5 miles) from the coast in a commu nity that was created by the government i n response to the death and devastation of Haiyan.

Days after the powerful typhoon, officials knew rebuilding wasn't an option because the historic storm wouldn't be the last. They an nounced a $3.79-billion reconstruction plan t hat included housing for tens of thousands of storm survivors. They also announced plans to construct a protective dike to shield 33,000 residents from future storms and a 40-meter (130-foot) buffer zone from the shoreline where development is banned.

“It’s safe from flooding. It’s safe from ac tive fault line and it’s far from the coastal a rea,” said Tedence Jopson, the city hous ing and community development officer for Tacloban, referring to the new community named Tacloban North.

“Remember because we are talking about climate change, our priority is really mov ing people away from the danger zone,” he s aid, adding that the island nation is seeing more frequent typhoons.

Rebuilding after the typhoon was a co lossal undertaking for an impoverished c ountry that’s seen more than its share of disasters. When the typhoon hit, the country was still recovering from a re cent earthquake that struck a nearby is land and from a Muslim rebel attack that r azed houses.

For months, families lived in tents or homemade shacks as the government struggled to build housing. But over time, authorities built dwellings for up to 16,000 families in several locations, including the Tacloban North community. Nestled in what was once a forested valley, the tidy homes with brick-colored roofs are prov ing popular with storm survivors.

B ut many people still pine for their old lives and mourn the loss of loved ones.

Some keep photos of deceased relatives on their phones and are forced to pass a mass grave with rows upon rows of white crosses. A sign at the entrance reads in memory of “the men, women and chil dren who perished and those still missing a nd...the countless people whose lives were

changed forever."

“Every Friday, I visit the cemetery to light a candle for my wife and don't for get to pray to the Lord to help us with our d aily chores,” said Reinfredo Celis, whose wife and brother died in the typhoon that hit on his birthday. "What is painful is I’m now alone.”

Being forced by climate change to move, within borders or beyond, is a growing re ality expected to accelerate in the decades a head. Over the next 30 years, 143 million people are likely to be uprooted by rising seas, drought, searing temperatures and other climate catastrophes, according to an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report published earlier this year by the United Nations.

Though an individual storm cannot be blamed on climate change, studies have found that typhoons are becoming stronger and wetter. In its State of the Climate in Asia 2021 report on Monday, the World Meteorological Organization concluded economic losses from drought, floods and landslides have risen sharply

in Asia. Weather- and water-related di sasters, the UN agency found, affected 5 0 million people and caused $35.6 bil lion in damages.

“ Weather, climate and water extremes are becoming more frequent and intense in many parts of the world as a result of climate change,” Petteri Taalas, secretarygeneral of the WMO, said in a statement.

“We have more water vapor in the atmo sphere, which leads to extreme rainfall a nd deadly flooding. The warming of the ocean fuels more powerful tropical storms, and rising sea levels increase the impacts.”

In coastal villages hit hardest by Ty phoon Haiyan, known locally as Super typhoon Yolanda, the damage is still on f ull display — damaged homes with roofs and walls caved in, foundations of others with only toilets remaining. The govern ment has moved to demolish many of the r emaining homes, though a few residents are refusing to relocate.

A cargo ship that washed ashore has become a popular tourist attraction. But Emelita Abillille, a fish vendor in the vil

lage of Anibong with her husband and f ive children, said she cries whenever she sees the ship.

While she would love to move from the disaster zone, she fears she couldn’t make a living in North Tacloban, which has few shops and jobs.

“We are willing to move there,” said Abillille, whose family has been offered a home in the new community. “Our prob lem is where will we get money for our f ood? We have to buy water there, food and our transportation. Where will I get the money?”

Jeremy Garing, too, has frustrations with the new community. The 35-year-old hairdresser must make the expensive daily commute to his job in Tacloban, although he bought a motorcycle to make it easier.

The consolation is that he knows his family—including a newborn daughter— will be there when he gets home.

“I really like it here. We will not move anymore. It's better here,” said Garing, looking over at his sleeping daughter Chi ara Mae. "It’s safe.”

Rows of crosses sit at the mass grave site at the Holy Cross Memorial Garden for victims of super Typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban on oc tober 23, 2022. AP/A A ron FAv il A

JeR e M Y G aR in G, his wife Hyancinth Charm pose on, oc tober 23, 2022, with their children outside their home at a new com munity for victims of Yolanda in Tacloban. Garing and his family settled at a relocation site three years ago after their village was wiped out when the super typhoon struck in 2013, killing six family members and his year-old daughter. AP/A A ron FAv il A Le Y T e tide embankment project is seen in Tacloban City, Leyte, on oc tober 26, 2022. The seawall was built to shield coastal villages from possible storm surges like the one during the height of supertyphoon Yolanda. AP/A A ron FAv il A

Tou R is T s pose for a picture on top of the bow of M/V eva Jocelyn, at the coastal village of anibong, an area badly hit by supertyphoon Yolanda when it struck the province nine years ago, in Tacloban City, central Philippines. The ship was swept ashore during the height of the typhoon that left thousands dead or missing and destroyed homes, agriculture and infra structure and left thousands homeless. AP/A A ron FAv il A

a R eLo C aT i on site for victims of super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) is seen in Tacloban, central Philippines on sunday oc to ber 23, 2022. about 40% of the population of Tacloban were relocated to safer areas after super Typhoon Yolanda wiped out most of the villages, killing thousands when it hit central Philippines in 2013. AP/A A ron FAv il A

SM opens its 82nd mall, the last for 2022, in Tuguegarao to cater to Region 2 residents

JUST in time for Christmas, SM City

Tuguegarao opened its doors on November 18, 2022, bringing great shopping, leisure, and entertainment up north to the beautiful and bustling city in the Cagayan Valley region. It is SM Prime’s 82nd Supermall, and the third in Region 2 after SM Center Tuguegarao Downtown and SM City Cauayan.

Nestled in the verdant Cagayan Valley, Tuguegarao is protected by the Sierra Madre Mountain ranges in the east, by the Cordilleras in the west, and by the far-off Caraballo Mountains in the south, It is the capital city of the province of Cagayan and serves as the political and administrative center of Region 2, which includes Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, and Quirino provinces. It is likewise the center of commerce, finance, medical services, and education, as well as the most important trading hub of Cagayan.

Strategically located on a 146,909.87 square meter site along Bagay road corner Diversion road, Tuguegarao City, the two level mall with a floor area of 62,000 square meters will serve shoppers in Tuguegarao, Penablanca, Iguig, Enrile, Solana, Tuao, and Piat in Cagayan as well as nearby provinces like Kalinga and Apayao. More than that, it will be a catalyst for business and employment opportunities in the area.

SM City Tuguegarao’s façade balances bright colors, contemporary patterns, and projecting glass forms into an energetic overall building design. Landscaping is generous and modern, especially at the Valley Park, a 6,000 square area that promotes the value of nature and provides a breathing space where you can enjoy open-air activities with your family and friends amidst the bustle of the city,

The new mall’s interiors celebrates its location which is near the tributary of two great rivers of the Cagayan province – the Rio Grande de Cagayan and its tributary the Pinacanauan River with its protected natural wonders, landscapes, rare wild flora, and ancient cave systems.

It highlights the pride of the place with distinctive materials and finishes like warm textured floor finishes in a bold design that reflects the wooded riverbanks of the Pinacanauan River. Dynamic lighting and organic timber ceiling features also reflect the rivers’ winding path through the Cagayan landscape to the Philippine Sea.

Warm and authentic tones of wood paneling with abundant planting and evocative green graphics discovered along the mall journey will remind visitors of the uniqueness of Tuguegarao.

The SM Store and SM Supermarket are SM City Tuguegarao’s major anchors along with the SM Appliance Center, ACE Hardware, Watsons, Our Home, Surplus, Sports Central, Pet Express, Miniso, and

Crocs. It will also have fashion boutiques, jewelry stores, sports stores, bookstores, as well as a Cyberzone and service and wellness centers.

Eating out options include a Food Court; specialty restaurants like Botejyu, Mesa, and Prime Steak House; and local and international food chains like Shakey’s, Bon Chon, KFC, J. Co Donuts, Goldilocks, Macao Imperial Tea, Breadtalk, and Starbucks Coffee.

It will also feature some of Cagayan’s best food stops and homegrown tenants – Bos Chow, Cheese and Stalk, Asyano’s Filipino and Asian Buffet, BLK 5, and Serafina which will serve the Cagayan’s Famous Pancit Batil Patong.

SM City Tuguegarao will have three state of the art cinemas and two private cinema rooms featuring a stunning display, phenomenal sound from Dolby-enabled, and state-of-the-art digital cinema. Kids of all ages will enjoy amusement centers like Quantum, Tom’s World, Word of Fun, Prizes Prizes, and Ambika Kidz Fun Box.

A cleaner, healthier world: How AboitizPower is forging ahead with its transformative renewable energy journey

Management and Rocky Mountain Institute to conduct a feasibility study on developing up to 3,000 MW of offshore wind energy.

AboitizPower is also joining forces with International Finance Corporation to assess the viability of renewable energy and energy storage as a source of baseload power in the country. In addition, its collaboration with Japan's Energy for a New Era explores the possibility of hydrogen and ammonia as renewable energy sources.

These are all part of AboitizPower's 10-year strategy in support of the global movement for cleaner energy and is being made to ensure that energy security is still achieved within the country.

Long time radio jock Sam YG wins the game as the face of mobile sportsbook SportsPlus

THE new premier online mobile sportsbook SportsPlus has selected Sam YG as their official spokesperson.

The longtime radio jock, best known for his tenure on Boys Night Out, has given his seal of approval to the exciting sportsbook mobile site.

When asked about his new role, Sam YG talked about how important sports is to the Filipino people. “Their love for sports goes beyond fandom,” said Sam YG. “Di nga lang siya fandom for some, parang naging way of life na rin siya. SportsPlus takes this passion and reinforces it with more fun and excitement.”

With the online mobile sportsbook, sportsfans now get the chance to bet on their favorite athletes and sports teams for the thrill of it. Imagine having one’s ‘fate’ tied to the result of a big game. For Pinoys looking for a taste of that thrill, they need only register at https://bit.ly/sportsplusph.

SportsPlus is designed to make sportsbooking as convenient and thrilling as possible for its users. The PAGCOR-accredited service offers quick registration for all players aged 21 and up, after which players can start betting on their favorites for as low as P100.

The online sportsbook covers a variety of sports such as basketball, football, boxing, MMA, tennis, and more—and offers competitive odds for users. Bets may also be placed on the results of major sporting leagues such as the NBA, NHL, Premier League, UFC, just to name a few.

SportsPlus is also optimized for use on any mobile device. There’s no need to download an

FOR Pinoys looking for a taste of that thrill, they need only register at www.sportsplus.ph.

app; the site runs on any standard mobile web browser. Just fire it up on Firefox, Chrome, or Safari to get going.

The mobile site also has built-in GCash functionality, making it simple to channel one’s funds in and out of GCash for maximum convenience.

“Sobrang exciting nga,” Sam YG enthuses about SportsPlus. “Anytime, anywhere, I can place my bets and cash in and cash out. Ang galing niya at ibang klaseng enjoyment talaga siya. Magugustuhan niyo to. Play for the chance to win the game na!” Gaming for 21 years old and above only. Keep it Fun. Game Responsibly.

RENEWABLE energy can be transformative. A robust and sustainable energy system can be among the ways to mitigate the impact of climate change, contribute to energy security, and support efforts for energy accessibility. It also provides opportunities for investments and economic growth, which are vital to a country's continued progress.

The movement towards developing more renewable energy sources has grown in recent years, pushed by governments and private corporations worldwide. This transition to a cleaner and brighter world is apparent in the Philippines, with many energy companies already championing this shift.

One of these champions is Aboitiz Power Corporation (AboitizPower), the energy subsidiary of the Aboitiz Group. AboitizPower is one of the pioneers of renewable energy in the Philippines. The company had its first clean energy facilities operated by the Philippines' largest runof-river hydro firm Hedcor in the 1970s.

Today, AboitizPower, together with its partners, is the country's largest renewable energy provider in terms of installed capacity. With about one megawatt in every five megawatts generated in the

country from AboitizPower, the company is ready to support the country's transition to a more sustainable energy future.

Guided by its grand-scale purpose of Transforming Energy for a Better World, AboitizPower eyes building at least 3,700 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy domestically and internationally within this decade. Through this strategy, the organization will increase its clean energy portfolio to 4,600 MW by 2030, doubling its total net attributable capacity to 9,200 MW.

“AboitizPower will use its diverse fleet of assets to help power the nation as it transitions toward a cleaner energy system,” said AboitizPower president and CEO Manny Rubio.

AboitizPower's goal is aligned with the Department of Energy (DOE) mandate for on-grid power suppliers to increase the renewable energy share in their outputs to 2.53% from one percent starting in 2023.

To meet the company's renewable energy goals, AboitizPower is expanding its Cleanergy assets by forging partnerships with several players in the industry.

Together with Mainstream Renewable Power, it is building a 90 MW onshore wind facility in Camarines Sur. It has also inked a partnership with Clime Capital

The transition to a cleaner energy future also involves the convergence of many things such as the choices that consumers make, supportive government policies, and the participation of industry players. AboitizPower is continuing to build their RE portfolio as they anticipate more people to transition to a much cleaner source of energy.

Just recently, AboitizPower made its move in deepening their relationships with old and new partners after they secured long-term deals with SM Prime Holdings, Inc., which will supply electricity sourced from renewable energy to power SM Prime properties, including malls, leisure homes, offices, hotels and convention centers.

AboitizPower has also been selected by one of the country’s top BPO firms Teleperformance Philippines, sugar producer Victoria Milling Company, and car builder NKC Manufacturing Corporation to provide renewable energy in their offices and factories.

The company hopes that the growth from these partnerships will not just be an expansion to their other businesses, but also from other likeminded businesses who are looking to switch to renewable energy as a way to act on their commitment to the environment. As opportunities grow in this sector, AboitizPower is well-poised to take them on.

Former

Senate President Franklin

M. Drilon is Arangkada Philippines’ Lifetime Achievement awardee for 2022

FORMER Senate President and longtime public servant Franklin M. Drilon will be the recipient of the 2022 Arangkada Philippines Lifetime Achievement Award. The ceremony will be held on December 6, 2022 as part of 11th Arangkada Philippines Forum, the members of the Joint Foreign Chambers (JFC) of the Philippines announced.

Drilon, the ninth recipient of the award, was chosen for his outstanding track record as a public servant and as a key advocate for economic liberalization and for the improvement of the business and investment climate in the Philippines. A four-term Senator and three-time Senate President, he supported several major legislative priorities of the business sector, including the recently-enacted amendments to the Public Service Act, Retail Trade Liberalization Act, and Foreign Investment Act. He likewise authored and sponsored the passage of other key landmark laws, such as the GOCC Governance Act, Sin Tax Reform Law, Foreign Investments Liberalization Act, and the Revised Corporation Code.

Prior to becoming the “Big Man” of the Senate, he served as Labor secretary, Justice secretary, and Executive Secretary.

The Arangkada Philippines Lifetime Achievement award is given by the members of JFC for individuals of any nationality residing in the Philippines in recognition of their significant contributions in improving the country’s business environment.

Previous Arangkada Lifetime Achievement Awardees include former Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo Founder Jose Ma. “Joey” A. Concepcion III (2021); Peter Wallace, Honorary Chairman of the Australian-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce (2020); former Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia D. Albert (2019); the late Sen. Edgardo J. Angara (2018); former Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Amando M. Tetangco Jr (2017); former DFA Secretary Roberto R. Romulo (2016); Washington Z. Sycip, founder of SGV (2015); former PEZA Director-General Lilia de Lima, (2014); and former President Fidel V. Ramos (2013).

The Arangkada Philippines Forum is the annual flagship event of the JFC that provides a platform for collaborative engagement among business leaders, industry experts, and representatives from the public sector, the diplomatic community, and the media. This year’s Arangkada Forum, which carries the theme Reform, Rebuild, Recover returns to inperson format after two years under a virtual setup during the height of the pandemic.

The JFC is a coalition of the American, Australian-New Zealand, Canadian, European, Japanese, Korean chambers and the Philippine Association of Multinational Companies Regional Headquarters Incorporated. It supports and promotes open international trade, increased foreign investment, and improved conditions for business to benefit both the Philippines and the countries the JFC members represent.

ABSOLUTE

that the mother of our 8th billion baby drinks safe and quality water.

PIONEERS IN THE INDUSTRY. AboitizPower has been a pioneer in the renewable energy space since the 1970s with its hydro firm Hedcor, considered today to be the country's largest run-of-river hydropower generation facility.

CAGAYAN Governor Manuel Mamba (3rd from left), Tuguegarao City Mayor Maila Ting Que (4th from right), Tuguegarao City Vice Mayor Bienvenido De Guzman II (2nd from right), and Bishop Most Rev. Ricardo Baccay led the ribbon cutting and were joined by SM Markets Director Herbert Sy (right), SM Engineering Design and Development President Hans Sy, Jr. (left), SM Prime Holdings President Jeffrey Lim (3rd from right), and SM Supermalls President Steven Tan (2nd from left).

Hommes for the holidays

Sharpe, 36, is a British-Japanese actor, writer and director. Known more for comedy, he goes into sexy mode in HBO’s The White Lotus 2 as Ethan, who spends a vacation in Sicily with his wife and friends after selling his start-up for millions. The sort-of Roman tragic comedy also stars the hunky Theo James and cutie Adam DiMarco, but it was Will’s shower scene that is sending gay Twitter into a meltdown.

IN today’s news cycle, it’s time to put the spotlight on hot men and away from hot-headed men. Away from that basketballer who ran amok in the court, whose unsportsmanlike behavior deserves national condemnation. And miles away from that anti-LGBT politician, whose backward-thinking bigotry deserves universal derision. Here’s a feast for the senses to tide us over the holidays:

n LOUIS PARTRIDGE This lanky English lad with leading-man good looks, 19, walked for Prada Fall/Winter 2022. I first noticed him as Piero de’ Medici in Season 2 of Medici: The Magnificent (2018), along with another eye candy, William FranklynMiller as Giovanni de’ Medici. His other credits include FX’s Pistol (2021) as bassist Sid Vicious, Ferryman (2021) and Apple TV’s Disclaimer (2022). Louis rose to fame when he played Tewkesbury in Netflix’s Enola Holmes and its currently airing sequel with Millie Bobby Brown. Together, Pinoy fans call them “Tenola.”

n JOE LOCKE AND KIT CONNOR These two British sensations are British GQ’s Men of the Year. Both 18, they are the breakout stars of Heartstopper, also on Netflix, which the mag aptly describes as “a joyous and proudly uncynical work of mainstream queer representation, geared toward an audience who had never had it in that form before.” Locke grew up gay in the Isle of Man, the last place in Britain to legalize homosexuality, in 1992. Connor, however, after being unjustly accused of queerbaiting by netizens, tweeted: “I’m bi. Congrats for forcing an 18-year-old to out himself. I think some of you missed the point of the show. Bye.”

n MAXIME BOUTTIER George Clooney and Julia Roberts are adorable as bickering exes in Ticket to Paradise. But it’s the French-Indonesian actormodel-musician, 29, who will entice you to book a return trip to the theaters (together with French hottie Lucas Bravo). “With the film, I am kind of taking Indonesia out to the world in a rom-com element,” Maxime told The Hindustan Times. “Usually, we have seen it in more of a documentary way. Now, it is more of a bigger-than-life thing, with a mix of Bali.”

n WILL SHARPE William Tomomori Fukuda

n FABIEN FRANKEL As Ser Criston Cole in House of the Dragon, fans swooned over his smoldering looks. As the season progressed, fans were shocked at his incel-like character as he morphed from “knight in shining armor to jerk in shining armor.” This thirst for Fabien, 28, is due to his exquisite mix of having a British Jewish father (whose mother was an Indian Jewish from Mumbai) and a French mother. He said he prepared for six months for his scintillating sex scene with Princess Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock), telling Esquire UK: “You wouldn’t go into a fight scene without preparing for it.”

n GERARD PIQUÉ The dashing Spaniard, one of the best footballers of his generation, after splitting from his pop diva-wife Shakira, announced last week that he is retiring from the beautiful sport at 35, and did so with a red card after battling with a referee in Barca’s last game against Osasuna. He won’t play at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar later this month. A two-time UEFA Champions League winner and a FIFA World Cup winner by the age of 24, his farewell note says: “Football has given me everything. Barcelona [has] given me everything. You [Barcelona fans] have given me everything. And now that this kid’s dreams have come true, I want to tell you that I’ve decided that now is the time to bring this journey to its end.”

n DOMINIC WEST An all-time favorite show is the brilliantly written The Wire (2002-2008), which is regarded as one of the greatest shows on television. It’s partly due to the charismatic performance of Dominic as Jimmy McNulty. Virile to the core, he brought loads of testosterone as a playboy policeman in drug-infested Baltimore. He currently stars in Season 5 of The Crown. However, I have to agree with the verdict from Vogue: “Dominic West is far too hot to play Prince Charles.”

n JOVY BEQUILLO There are thousands of handsome men who emerged this year from male pageants. One who could easily transition to a showbiz career for sheer star quality is this Naga City model, 27. “When the time is right, I, the Lord, will make it happen.” (Isaiah 60:22)—a quote many of you kept reminding me, he wrote after losing a provincial title. “But God always has bigger plans.... my journey still continues. Please continue to support me as I represent the Philippines in Man Hot Star International in Thailand.”

n CHRIS EVANS Captain America is People

Luxury Japanese beauty brand believes in the skin’s ‘intelligence’

The Serum, which has the exclusive Skin-Empowering Illuminator Complex, a patented technology made with Platinum Golden Silk Essence, to encourage the skin’s natural ability to defend and repair itself.

I n the Clé de Peau Beauté system, a serum is usually applied after cleansing instead of a toner. This is to “awaken” the skin and “activate” it for the other products you’re about to apply next. That makes a lot of sense actually, just like most Japanese products do.

Just like The Cream, The Serum also offers a sensorial experience. If you’re the type who wants their skin-care products without any fragrances, this brand is probably not for you.

I’ve used a number of Clé de Peau Beauté’s skin-care products and I’ve enjoyed them all. I’ve seen and felt benefits after only a few days of using them. I always thought cleansers are the same but Clé de Peau’s Softening Cleansing Foam is an antioxidant-rich formula that leaves skin clean but not dry.

I recently got to visit the beautiful and fairly new Clé de Peau boutique in Greenbelt 5, thanks to The Beauty Edit’s Nicole Limos Morales, who organized a soiree for beauty editors, writers and enthusiasts.

A s a brand, Clé de Peau is built on the premise that the skin is intelligent and has an innate ability to defend and repair itself. The skin can also discern good stimuli from bad and react accordingly.

A side from the concealer, Clé de Peau is also known for La Crème or The Cream, which, as Nicole pointed out, has over 60 meticulously selected ingredients, each formulated to its best composition to address multiple skin concerns effectively.

Years ago, my boss’s wife gave me a jar of The Cream, which costs around P32,000 by the way, and it was an amazing experience using it.

The new iteration of La Crème contains CeraFerment Extract, which enhances the skin’s ability to regenerate and become firm from within. This extract is a type of yeast discovered in Japan’s Akita Prefecture, whose residents are known to have beautiful skin. The rare extract contains ceramide, which, when encapsulated, penetrates the stratum corneum, the outermost layer of the epidermis. Because of this, the product is effectively absorbed into the skin.

I a m usually not a believer of beauty products being absorbed by the skin but in this case, I can believe this claim because La Crème has a rich texture that makes your skin soft and supple when you wake up (it is ideal for nighttime use).

B est used after cleansing is Clé de Peau Beauté’s

Another product that I have used is the Intensive Fortifying Emulsion, a luxurious nighttime moisturizer that replenishes skin with lightweight moisture throughout the night for refreshed, vibrant skin by morning. It promises to nourish dehydrated skin overnight while helping to restore damage from UV rays and dryness.

I f you think these Clé de Peau products are pricey, then you’ll be surprised that the brand has an even more expensive line.

T he Synactif range puts the power of skin purification and regeneration first, targeting skin problems such as wrinkles, fine lines and sagging from within. This entire line costs over P100,000.

So what makes the Synactif line so special? Through lymphatic vessel activation, it helps to refine contours in the skin and also claims to power the skin’s ability to defy age.

The Synactif range was born in 2004 and is the result of long-term studies conducted by Clé de Peau Beauté on the relationship between the lymphatic capillary lumen and the skin. These studies were done in collaboration with the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

The Neck and Décolleté Cream targets one of the skin’s most vulnerable areas—neck, jawline, and décoletté—which are most prone to sagging.

You can have a Synactif facial at the Clé de Peau boutique in Greenbelt 5. You can also check out their makeup and the holiday collection. I have my eye on The Luminizing Face Enhancer, a highlighter that looks so beautiful and glowing on the skin. I am buying this for myself as a holiday present.

INTRAVENOUS or IV drip glutathione has received a lot of traction in the beauty industry because of its great effect on the body and, of course, the benefits it gives to the skin. But is it really better than the glutathione that we drink orally?

IV drips and oral glutathione actually give you the same results but their only difference is how the glutathione is absorbed by the body and how quick the effects show. Of course, IV drips inject the glutathione directly to your bloodstream. This means that the glutathione skips the digestive tract and there is a better chance of absorption inside the body. On the other hand, oral glutathione, specifically L-glutathione, still passes the digestive tract and takes some time to be absorbed.

Luckily, Nuwhite glutathione is made with S-Acetyl Glutathione. This is the oxidized version of glutathione which is more potent and three times more powerful than L-glutathione. Because it’s already oxidized, it can be quickly absorbed by the body, making it at par with the IV drips that we see in salons.

If you need an oral glutathione that works just like the IV drips but is more accessible, practical and cost-efficient, check out Nuwhite glutathione— available in Lazada, Shopee, Watsons, and through the Nuwhite web site.

LOUIS PARTRIDGE in Prada (Charlie Gray, Icon Magazine); Joe Locke and Kit Connor (Brendan Freeman, British GQ); Maxime Bouttier (Wong Sim); Will Sharpe in White Lotus 2; Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole in House of the Dragon (HBO); Gerard Pique; Dominic West in The Wire (HBO); Jovy Bequillo (Jai Murcillo); and Chris Evans (Michael Schwartz, People)

LUXURY Japanese skin-care and makeup brand Clé de Peau Beauté quietly launched in the Philippines just over a year ago with a pop-up store in Greenbelt, Makati. Best known for its concealer, Clé de Peau also has an amazing lineup of toners, essences, emulsions and creams that promise to unlock your skin’s radiance.

Is IV glutathione really better than oral glutathione?

magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive for 2022, and the world heartily agrees. But he doesn’t want to use the word “sexy” to describe himself, rather more for his native Boston: “We’ve got a lot of good schools. Let’s give education a plug, that’s damn sexy.”

Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour up in Subic Bay

THE PHILIPPINES will field three pairs in each of the men and women divisions of the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Futures—the third major international tournament that the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) is hosting this year.

Jude Garcia and Krung Arbasto, Ranran Abdilla and Jaron Requinton, and James Buytrago and Pol Salvador are campaigning in the men’s contest of the Futures that puts together the world’s best beach volleyball teams at the Subic Bay Sand Court from December 8 to 11.

The veteran pairs of Dij Rodriguez and Gen Eslapor, Sisi Rondina and Jovelyn Gonzaga and the young tandem of Grydelle Matibag and Khylem Progella are seeing action in the women’s competition.

P NVF President Ramon “Tats” Suzara said all Philippine pairs are entered in the 16-team main draw composed of two squads from Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Lithuania, Israel and Italy.

Suzara also said that 13 women’s teams—seven from Japan, two from South Korea, the Czech Republic, Singapore, Canada and France—will be battling for the four remaining main draw slots in the qualification round on December 8.

Fourteen pairs—four from

the Czech Republic, three from Japan, two each from Thailand and Australia, New Zealand, Austria and Israel—will go through the qualifiers for the last four slots in the men’s main draw also on December 8.

The main draw is from December 9 to 11. Tournament format is the modified pool play which will be followed by single elimination rounds.

The Futures is one of three tiers of the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour besides the Challenge and Elite 16.

The PNVF hosted a men and women leg of the Volleyball Nations League at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last June and the Asian Volleyball Confederation Women’s Cup last August at the PhilSports Arena.

LIM: WE’LL MOVE ON

L im and the Road Warriors went down in the PBA’s books as the team that gifted Terrafirma its first win in 25 games dating back to last season’s Governors’ Cup. The Dyip’s losing streak ranks second to the Philippine Basketball Association’s (PBA) worst of 29 held by the Blackwater Elite.

We could have done better and it seemed there was no urgency at that time,” said Lim, whose Road Warriors took one on their chins, 114-124, to the Dyip in overtime last Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

NLEX Coach Frankie Lim says playing with 10 men—only half of them scoring—was a disadvantage.

DID Terrafirma play NLEX on its “bad hair day” or was it because the Dyip were a well-oiled machine running on high octane fuel?

For NLEX coach Frankie Lim, it was all about going into battle without enough manpower.

It’s really unfortunate that we only had 10 players with only five scoring,” Lim told BusinessMirror Sunday. “We played without Kevin Alas who’s still recovering from an ankle injury. We also played without Anthony Semerad (calf), JR

NLEX import Earl Clark’s 45 points and 18 rebounds, with Don Trollano emerging as the only local who stood out with with 26 points. Alas was a big loss with his game averages of 15.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists in the Commissioner’s Cup.

The loss was the third in 10 games for NLEX, while Terrafirma is 1-9—a gargantuan relief of a victory the Dyip’s head coach Johnedel Cardel described as “the end of the curse.”

L im, who took over as coach after Yeng Guiao returned to Rain or Shine last September, said they’ll be moving on.

“ What can we do? We have to move on and get better,” he said. “It’s all about the team and that’s the bottom line.” Josef Ramos

By Josef Ramos

FOR the Tokyo Olympics, it was Malacca. For next month’s world championships, it’s Suwanee, Georgia.

HIDILYN PREPARES FOR BOGOTA WORLDS IN GEORGIA FACILITY Sports

H idilyn Diaz-Naranjo is in the thick of her Atlanta training camp at the  Power and Grace Performance Gym preparing for the world championships Colombia is hosting in Bogota from December 5 to 15.

A world championships gold medal remains missing in DiazNaranjo’s collection, but she didn’t promise a title in the Bogota worlds, but assured of a strong performance in the first of six qualifying competitions for her to qualify for a fifth Olympics in Paris 2024.

I can’t promise anything, you know that. I don’t make promises, but I will do my best for the country,” Diaz-Naranjo told BusinessMirror via internet call. “What’s important is I’ll be in my first Olympic qualifier. I just have to be in my best form as I always do.”

I will do my best to make these world championships a memorable one,” she stressed.

D iaz-Naranjo is with Julius Naranjo, her husband and strength and conditioning coach and head trainer, at the Suwanee facility that is home to the US weightlifting team. Other US and foreign athletes do crossfit training in the facility.

S he’ll again be competing in the women’s 55 kgs class in Bogota, the same weight category that won for the country its first Olympic gold medal in Tokyo July last year.

O n her way to the Olympic gold, the Naranjo couple were locked down in Malacca at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020. They opted to keep their training camp there for the next 16 months.

I’m good...okay,” Diaz-Naranjo said about her conditioning for the world championships.

Despite the cold weather in Atlanta—with the temperature dropping to 5 degrees Celsius— Diaz-

B efore flying to the US, husband-and-wife tandem did intensive training at Diaz-Naranjo’s weightligting training facility in Jalajala, Rizal.

She met at the camp US Olympians

“ We’re treated here in training like a true member or part of the family and we’re welcomed and accommodated,” said Diaz-Naranjo, who’ll be meeting

“They

D iaz-Naranjo’s nutritionist Jeaneth Aro will be planning in on November 28 to oversee DiazNaranjo’s training and meet her nephew, Rowel Garcia, who’ll be Julius Naranjo’s as assistant.

Commissioner Pingris promises due process for hothead players, coaches

MARK PINGRIS, retired from the Philippine Basketball Associa tion (PBA) and Gilas Pilipinas, was mostly known for his work ethic and no-nonsense play in his heydays—and sometimes for being a hothead.

He now vows to cool down hotheads as commissioner of the Pilipinas Super League Pro Division-Second Confer

Lady Bulldogs bag gold in collegiate spikefest N

ATIONAL University beat De La Salle University, 25-23, 25-20, 25-20, in the winnertake-all Final to annex the Shakey’s Super League Collegiate Pre-season Championship title at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum Saturday night.

Tournament Most Valuable Player Alyssa Solomon led the Lady Bulldogs’ assault as they asserted their mastery over the Lady Spikers to complete an eight-game sweep of the tournament.

Solomon, who also grabbed the Best Opposite Spiker award, finished with 14 points she collected from 10 kills, three aces and a kill block for NU.

Second Best Outside Bella Belen and Ces Robles added 10 and nine markers, respectively, for the Lady Bulldogs in this all-to—play competition featuring all 10 teams from the National Collegiate Athletic Associatoon and eight University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) squads.

ence Dumper Cup presented by Dumper party-list and Winzer.

I one runs amok, I won’t fine him right then and there, I’ll dig into the reason why that player lost his cool,” Pingris said. “I’ll review the case and summon the player, get his side and then decide on his case.”

P ingris, 41, said he won’t also

From their starters to its bench mob led by promising rookie Vangie Alinsug and reserve setter Joyme Cagande, NUS’ depth and firepower proved to be too much for the Lady Spikers, who played sans veterans Jolina Dela Cruz, libero Justine Jazareno and Matet Espina following their stint in the UAAP Season 85 beach volleyball tournament.

Myrle Escanlar and Erin Pangilinan combined for 11 points for NU, which won its second straight crown after a 16-0 sweep of UAAP Season 84 women’s volleyball tournament capped by a dominating best-of-three finals series domination of De La Salle five months ago that ended a 65-year title drought.

All the hard work and sacrifices of the team paid off,” Lady Bulldogs coach Karl Dimaculangan said. “But even after winning another title, it won’t stop us from constantly seeking ways to improve in every game and every tournament we participate in.”

condone unsportsmanlike behavior of coaches and even team supporters in the tournament that opens Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“I’ll meet the referees before every game, remind them that there should be no cursing, and that any player or coach who curses will be slapped a technical,” he said. “Fans are not excluded.”

N U built a 16-5 lead in the second set after a narrow escape in the opening frame.

De La Salle trimmed it down 22-19 after rookie Angel Canino scored an ace followed by Alleiah Malaluan’s attack only for the Lady Spikers to yield the frame after three consecutive miscues.

The Lady Bulldogs then recovered from a 15-17 deficit in the third frame, blasting five straight points to take a 20-17 advantage to keep the Lady Spikers at bay.

De La Salle stopped its bleeding but another 5-2 run by NU capped by Solomon’s soft hit off a broken play sealed the championship for the Lady Bulldogs.

C anino, who bagged the 1st Outside Spiker award, was the lone La Salle player in double figures with 14 points.

First Best Middle Blocker winner Thea Gagate added eight markers while Leila Cruz and Malaluan had seven markers each for the Lady Spikers.

lems about local football.

days ago saying that Qatar should not have been awarded the rights to host the World Cup.

There are the human rights issues and the US team chang ing their logo colors to support a certain sector. There’s the current FIFA president making commentary that he shouldn’t be making. Cristiano Ronaldo, who is playing his last tourna ment for Portugal, has also laid waste to his club, Manchester United.

I s there anything else?

Oh, there is “FIFA Uncovered” on Netflix. The four-episode series that tells of the corruption in the world’s biggest sports federation.

business, I assure you.

Now as for the documentary, I was in contact with one of the figures in the scandal.

You see in 2008, I began writing about the corruption in local football and was banned for it.

To be honest, writing this stuff isn’t fun. I’d rather write good stories. But you cannot turn a blind eye lest you be complicit and many are. Disappointingly so to advance their careers. Hence, some quarters in local football feel I have an axe to grind. But what axe? Was I fired from something? Was I denied something?

Me: Nodding.

O fficial: We can be friends or we can make life difficult for you.

Me: (rather testily) Why don’t you do your job and I will do mine.

End of conversation.

Was the threat carried out? In a way, yes. But it didn’t affect me much. Maybe because soon after law enforcement officials swooped down on these officials.

What’s a little controversy before World Cup in Qatar?

A ll this reminds me of those so-called controversies between actors prior to the release of a new film. It’s nothing more than a public relations gimmick to get people to watch their film.

Ne vertheless, I felt a bit vindicated watching “FIFA Uncovered.” Just a bit because not everything has been resolved locally. Yes, I played a large hand in the ouster of the former president and that never brought me joy. It is ugly

The funny thing is—are the problems true or false? Whether I have an axe to grind or not, that is the only thing they have to answer. In fact, they don’t. And have never.

They sound like these religious zealots except they claim they are working for football. What a joke.

D uring one congress at the Discovery Hotel, the former head of the regional football association approached me and this was the exchange:

O fficial: So you are the fellow writing about these prob-

However, the authorities should have made a clean sweep from all over the world following that scandal because there are enough remnants in place.

I s the sport clean today?

I c annot say for sure.

For now, I am focused on the World Cup. If Russia surprised me with how good the matches were, who knows— the games in Qatar could be special.

Even if it is, I hope the stink is not covered up. They should continue the mopping up operations.

OLYMPIC gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo (second from left) with (from left) husband Julius and American weightlifters Kate Vibert and Jourdan de la Cruz at the Power and Grace Performance Gym in Georgia.

Naranjo said they have adjusted to the environment having arrived in Georgia almost two weeks ago.

Kate Vibert, silver medalist in women’s 71 kgs also in Tokyo, as well as Jourdan de la Cruz, a two-time Pan American gold medalist and also an Olympian in women’s 49 kgs.

with the Filipino community in Georgia on Monday.

help and inspire me a lot to do better.”

Quiñahan (Achilles) and Kenneth Ighalo (ankle).”

THE National University Lady Bulldogs and their team supporters, including SM brass Hans Sy, are champions anew.

PINGRIS

RONDINA