BusinessMirror October 11, 2022

Extend period for tariff cuts on pork, rice, corn, coal–FEF

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

LOCAL economists recommended the extension of the reduction in the tariff rates imposed on pork, corn, rice, and coal for the rest of the year.

The Foundation for Economic Freedom (FEF) is pushing to ex tend and expand Executive Order (EO) No. 171 s. 2022 which was issued in May 2022 to address the spike in prices of these com modities.

The economists said the fac tors cited by the government when it passed EO 171 in May persist and have worsened in light of the 6.9-percent inflation print in Sep tember reported by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

“It is arguable that conditions have aggravated since the passage of EO 171, with inflation now hovering just short of 7 percent versus the 4 percent level back in May 2022. In the backdrop of all of these is a weakening economy

and higher interest rate environ ment, which will cause sluggish economic recovery into at least 2023,” FEF said in a statement.

Allowing more imports of these commodities would help cool inflation, which hurts the poor more because a larger por tion of their income is allocated for food items.

Food accounts for 55 percent of the 2012-based CPI for the bot tom 30 percent of households while food and non-alcoholic beverages accounts for only 37.75 percent of the 2018-based CPI for all income households.

Lowering inflation would also bring down input costs of busi nesses. While agriculture only ac counts for 10 percent of GDP, the

In July, the data showed net debt instruments contracted 80.6 percent to $213 million; reinvest

economists said, agricultural and the food manufacturing indus tries contribute around a third of total GDP.

FEF added that around 50 per cent of the country’s manufactur ing sector is agriculture- and foodbased. Food manufacturing output grew 9.4 percent in August, the nearest to a double-digit growth since February when it posted a growth of 18.6 percent in Volume of Production Index.

“It is, therefore, imperative to tame the prices of agricul tural and food products. This will not only ensure access of consumers to nutritious and affordable food but also enable our food industry to be efficient and competitive in producing food products,” FEF said.

“A vibrant food processing in dustry will generate more jobs for our workers and will be of tremen dous boost to our economic recov ery effort,” they added.

FEF said the livestock sector, specifically the hog industry, con tinues to be plagued by the African swine fever, making it difficult for local supplies to return to pre-ASF levels.

In terms of corn, FEF said, the country’s supplies remain in defi

ment of earnings, 31.4 percent to $111 million; and net equity other than reinvestment of earnings grew

cit. As corn is a major input to local animal protein, the economists rec ommended an equalization of the minimum access volume (MAV), with in-MAV and out-MAV rates at a fixed 5 percent.

The current corn MAV quota of 216,940 metric tons (MT), FEF said, is not sufficient to tame do mestic corn prices when the deficit is in the vicinity of 3 to 4 million metric tons.

“The corn industry is further pressured by high input costs and weather disturbances, leading to its growing replacement with lessthan-ideal imported wheat, a sig nificant portion coming from the Black Sea. Local corn production can only meet 57 percent to 60 per cent of local animal feed demand,” FEF said.

The rice sector, the economists said, continues to be threatened by persistently high costs of fertilizer and the recent typhoons. This, amid the projected demand of over 14 million MT due to the economy’s recovery.

Energy security, meanwhile, re mains a concern for the country. The economists said ensuring a reliable flow of feedstock to avert electricity shortages is crucial to sustain recovery.

268.2 percent to $137 million.

The data for January to July also showed a similar trend. Net equity other than reinvestment of earnings contracted 13.7 percent to $876 million; net debt instruments, 12.6 percent to $3.56 billion; and reinvestment of earnings, 5.7 per cent to $670 million.

The BSP also noted that equity capital infusions during the month originated mainly from Singapore, Japan and the United States.

Top country sources of FDIs in July were Singapore, Japan and the United States while top sources in the seven-month period were Ja pan, US, Singapore, and Malaysia.

BSP said these FDIs were in vested largely in labor-intensive industries, construction; manu facturing; and real estate.

For July, some 33 percent of FDIs were poured into the construc tion industry; 25 percent went to other industries; 24 percent went to manufacturing; and 18 percent were invested in real estate.

In the January to July period, some 31 percent of investments were poured into the manufac turing sector; 21 percent each for other industries and real estate; 15 percent for construction; and 12 percent for financial and insurance industries.

PHL...

The TCP and its stakeholder members thank the DOT for this decision.”

The “fun” slogan was created in the 2012 under the term of then DOT chief Ramon Jimenez, and was almost changed by his suc cessor, Secretary Wanda Teo. She decided to keep it after United World Tourism Organization of ficials convinced her it was a good slogan. Upon her appointment in May 2017, Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat also retained it be cause she said, “It works.”

Binay had scored Frasco for her earlier plan to change the slogan, saying it barely had time to “make a mark” on tourists’ consciousness, as every administration under a new President keeps trying to change it. She cited other countries like Malaysia and Thailand, which have been using the same tourism slogans for decades.

the National Telecommunications Commission, to be updated every quarter of the year.

In his speech after the signing ceremony of RA 11934, Marcos lauded the 19th Congress for pass ing the new bill, which he said will help authorities go after unscrupu lous parties using mobile phones for illegal activities.

“The legislation is going to be welcomed by many of our people, especially now with reports of the commission of various crimes us ing mobile phones, including pro liferation of text scams and spam,” Marcos said.

“We will soon be able to provide law enforcement agencies with the tools needed to resolve crimes per petrated with the use of these SIM Cards, as well as providing a strong deterrence against the commission of wrongdoing,” he added.

The SIM Card registry will be treated as confidential by the PTEs and can only be accessed with the con sent of the subscriber or through sub poena or order of a court.

Registration deadline

THE Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said the NTC will issue the Implementing Rules and Regula tions (IRR) of RA 11934, setting the deadline for PTEs to come out with the registration of SIM cards.

DICT Secretary Ivan John E. Uy said PTEs will create the platforms or websites where their subscribers may complete the registration pro cess. Subscribers who submit ficti tious identities, documents or iden tification to register a SIM card will face penalties.

Uy said the PTEs will be tasked to screen documents and informa tion submitted by the registrants.  Each person may have multiple registered SIM Cards under his or her name.

SIM cards that remain unregis tered after the deadline of the NTC will be deactivated by the PTEs.   Once the new law becomes fully implemented, Uy said it

could facilitate financial inclu sion of many mobile phone users.

“I think that can be used for digi tal banking and digital payments once we are able to verify now that these people [SIM card users] are legitimate people,” Uy told report ers in an interview last Monday.

He noted that the integration of the National ID with the SIM Card registry will allow subscrib ers to use online payment systems in their mobile phones to pay for government transactions.

Benefits outweigh issues: PNP

THE Philippine National Police (PNP) expressed hope that the SIM Card Registration Law’s benefits will outweigh privacy issues and other concerns raised by subscribers.

In a statement, PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. allayed fears of mobile phone users over the issue, saying the confidentiality of com munications is protected under the country’s laws.

He said the measure will strengthen law enforcers’ capabil ity to go after criminals through the accurate identification of all mobile phone users.

“In our experience, during the onset of the pandemic in 2019 when people were prevented from going outside their homes, criminals shift ed activities from traditional crimes to online crimes using telecommu nication and cyberspace platforms. They have devised different modus operandi to scam people of their hard-earned money. They hid be hind the comfort of anonymity by using prepaid SIM cards to defraud unsuspecting victims,” he said.

Citing data from the PNP AntiCybercrime Group, Azurin said the police recorded a total of 4,254 SIM card-related offenses from January to September this year.

This excludes cases handled by other units of the PNP, other gov ernment institutions, reported incidents handled by different fi nancial institutions and cases un reported by victims.

With a report by Glen Jacob Jose

With the law in place, Gatchalian said an effective tool is now in place to eradicate, once and for all, the illicit activities involving the use of SIM like text scams, phishing and data breaches that had victimized countless Filipinos in the past.

“We are happy that we now have a law in place that will establish the system of registration to secure digi tal transactions, reduce fraud and address acts of criminal syndicates utilizing the SIM,” said Gatchalian. The registration shall carry the full name, date of birth, gender, and address of the end-user appearing in a valid government-issued iden tification document with photo such as passport, national ID, GSIS e-Card, digitized SSS ID, driver’s license, voter’s ID and Senior Citi zen’s card among others.

For Villafuerte “all mobile phone subscribers will now be bet ter protected  against the plethora of phone-based scams like smishing, more so now when digital tricksters have managed to hack more personal information from their victims, in cluding the actual names of these cell phone users they intend to swindle.”

Villafuerte said, “The Phil ippines has been dubbed as the fastest-growing digital economy among major ASEAN[Association of Southeast Asian Nations] mem ber-states, registering a whopping 93 percent year-on-year expansion from 2020 to 2021. This figure speaks volume of how Filipinos have become heavily reliant on the advances of technology, especially when it comes to the convenience of online transactions.”

But, he added, “the apparent helplessness of our authorities in stopping cybercriminals from prey ing on the owners of over a hundred million cellphones  through smish

ing and other scams has become the dark side of the digital transforma tion in our country where there are more mobile phones than people,” Villafuerte said.   “Hence, it is high time that we secure our mobile SIMs from the proliferation of phonebased frauds through the manda tory registration of both prepaid and postpaid subscribers and their cellphone numbers.”

Poe satisfied SENATOR Grace Poe praised Presi dent Marcos for promptly signing into law the SIM registration bill.

Poe recalled that “we worked hard to pass the legislation anew as a crucial first step to fend off text scammers, while guarantee ing utmost respect to fundamental human rights.”

The authors of the new law, she said, instituted sufficient safeguards that accord primacy to consumers’ right to privacy to ensure a safe and secure mobile use in the country.

As chairperson of the Senate Committee on Public Services, Poe principally  sponsored the SIM Reg istration Act in the Senate.

In a separate statement, Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada affirmed that the new law now puts the Phil ippines “among the growing num ber of countries mandating SIM registration, landmark legislation envisioned to deter cybercrime, and other electronic communicationaided criminal activities.”

He added, “At a time of rapid digital adoption driven by the Co vid-19 pandemic, it’s imperative to have laws that are more attuned to the times and the needs of society —not only in the ways Filipinos communicate, work, engage in ecommerce, access information, etc.” Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz, Butch Fernandez

The Nation

Taguig judge sets arraignment of rape case vs Vhong Navarro

By Joel R. San Juan  @jrsanjuan1573

COMEDIAN and television host Ferdinand “Vhong” Navarro is set to be ar raigned today, Tuesday, before the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Muntinlupa in connection with the rape case filed against him by model Denice Cornejo.

Taguig RTC Branch 69 Presiding Judge Loralei Cruz Datahan earlier directed Navarro, who is currently detained at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) detention center, to appear for his arraignment, which is scheduled at 1:30 p.m.

The pre-trial conference on the case will be held following his arraignment.

The Taguig City Prosecutor’s Office filed the rape case against Navarro after the Court of Appeals (CA) issued a decision on July 21, 2022, which reversed and set aside the April 30, 2018 and July 14, 2020 resolutions of the Depart ment of Justice, dismissing the complaint filed by Cornejo in 2014 against the actor-host for rape and attempted rape.

The CA held that the DOJ should have allowed the trial court to decide on the merit of Cornejo’s claim and Navarro’s counterclaim.

Thus, it directed Taguig City Pros ecutor’s Office to file information against Navarro for rape by sexual intercourse under Article 266-A of the Revised Penal Code (RPC), as amended by Republic Act No. 8353 and acts of lasciviousness, instead of attempted rape.

The information for rape filed by state prosecutors stated that Navarro “through force, threat and intimida tion, and by purposely intoxicating the victim, did willfully, unlawfully and feloniously have carnal knowl edge with one Deniece Millinete Cornejo” on January 17, 2014 inside the latter’s condominium unit in Taguig City.

The Taguig RTC has issued a warrant of arrest last September 19 against Navarro for rape that is a non-bailable offense.

PNP seeks court nod to destroy ₧6B worth of shabu seized in Tondo bust

By Glen Jacob Jose

THE Philippine National Police (PNP) will file a plea before a Manila court to expedite the issuance of an order allowing the police to proceed with the destruction of some 990 kilos of shabu with a street value of about P6.7 billion seized in Tondo, Manila, from a suspected drug pusher that also led to the arrest on Sunday of a police officer allegedly involved in the illegal drugs trade.

“We shall seek the permission of the Court for the immediate destruction of these confiscated 990.1 kilograms of shabu after the required laboratory examina tion and technical inventory in ac cord with PDEA [Philippine Drug

Enforcement Agency] and DDB [Dangerous Drugs Board] stan dard procedures,” National Police chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. told reporters during a news briefing on Monday at Camp Crame.

He said the PNP Drug Enforce

ment Group (PDEG) led the operation of the most recent accomplishment in the nation’s war on drugs with a drug haul of 990.1 kilograms or almost 1 metric ton of shabu from a syndicate engaged in large-scale trafficking of illegal drugs in the country.

“But more than the amount of drugs confiscated, the important thing is we have taken off the streets millions of dosage units of toxic chemicals in this shabu con coction that could have destroyed so many young and productive Fili pino lives,” said Azurin.

He added the arrests were made, but nobody was hurt in the classic, by-the-book police operation, as he emphasized the “new face” of the anti-illegal drugs campaign of the police under the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

A follow-up operation yielded a major result that paved way for the confiscation of P13.6 million worth of shabu from a 48-year-old member of the drug enforcement group.

The arrested police personnel was identified as Police Master Ser geant Rodolfo Mayo Jr., who will

face administrative cases, which could lead to his dismissal from the service. Policemen are also prepar ing criminal complaints against him and other suspects.

The said operation stemmed from the successful anti-illegal drugs op eration conducted on Saturday, Oc tober 8, in Tondo, Manila, against a certain Ney Atadero.

Initial report revealed that the arrested law enforcer was allegedly a co-conspirator on the illegal sale of dangerous drugs. These pieces of evidence were found inside a lending office in Sta. Cruz, Manila.

“We assure that justice will spring from this case. The suspect will be af forded due process, while appropriate administrative and criminal charges will be pressed against him.  His ar rest speaks of the in-depth probe that the PNP has been engaged with for every police operation,” Azurin said in a separate news statement.

“We are hitting hard on the sources of these dangerous contraband to disrupt or break the supply chain. At the same time, we are pursuing the demand reduction strategy with re

newed vigor by promoting drug abuse awareness prevention and resistance education, including the DILG’s [De partment of the Interior and Local Government] very own BIDA pro gram, among the vulnerable sectors of society,” the country’s top noted.

Interior Secretary Benjamin Aba los Jr., lauded the PNP for its success ful anti-illegal drug operations that led to the seizure of a whopping P6.7 billion worth of shabu in what could be the biggest single-day drug haul in history.

“I commend and salute the men and women of the PNP for this gamechanging accomplishment. This re flects the administration’s steadfast commitment in addressing illegal drugs, particularly in arresting bigtime drug pushers,” Abalos said in a separate statement.

“We urge the different govern ment agencies, the church, the school, private organizations, let us help one another on this war against drugs.

Magtulungan tayo, lalo na ang kabataan. Magkaisa tayo. Labanan natin lahat ang [Lets be united and fight against the] social ills,” Abalos said.

THE Department of Justice (DOJ) is ready to discuss “in open court” the proposed home furlough for detained former senator Leila de Lima as a measure to ensure her physical safety after she was held briefly hostage in last Sunday’s jail rampage at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center at Camp Crame.

“That should be discussed in open court,” Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said when asked if the DOJ will oppose or be amenable to the proposed house arrest or home furlough for de Lima, who is being detained for her alleged involvement in the illegal drug operations inside the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) in Muntinlupa during her stint as justice secretary.

De Lima is undergoing trial before the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Muntinlupa for two cases of conspiracy to commit drug trading.

Remulla also confirmed that there were previous discussions on the possibility of granting de Lima a home furlough but did not provide other details.

“Yes, it’s a possibility mentioned in discussions,” Remulla said.

DEPARTMENT

of the Interior and Local Government Sec retary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos on Monday revealed he has tested positive for Covid-19 anew, even as he warned all of his close contacts to take appropriate action to prevent the disease from spread ing further.

He was got tested it is a require ment for a meeting he was sup posed to attend on Monday at the Malacañang, and the result of his RT-PCR test came out at 9:12 p.m. Sunday night.

“I would like to inform the public that I have tested positive for Covid-19. I am currently at home in isolation and working remotely, while strictly following recommended protocols, including health and safety procedures. I am grateful to have been fully vacci nated with booster. I am asymp tomatic and feeling well as of the moment,” Abalos said in a news statement.

Abalos, together with Philip pine National Police chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr., and Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna faced the media in a press conference at Camp Crame, Quezon City, on Sunday where they narrated the details on the confiscation of P6.7 billion worth of shabu and the ar rest of several suspects, including a policemen.

Meanwhile, de Lima’s camp said no final decision has been reached yet on whether they would seek an extended home furlough for the former senator following the hostage-taking incident by three detained Abu Sayyaf Group members.

De Lima’s lawyer Boni Tacardon told reporters he was not able to discuss the matter with de Lima because of the resetting of the hearing before Branch 256 of the Muntinlupa RTC.

Muntinlupa RTC Judge Romeo Buenaventura ruled to reset the hearing to October 24 based on the prosecution’s motion due to Covid-19 health protocols.

The prosecution moved for the deferment after learning that Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos who tested positive for Covid-19 had close contact with de Lima when he visited her at the PNP Custodial Center to check on her condition after the hostage-taking incident.

The prosecution was supposed to present one of its witnesses Herbert “Ampang” Colanggo for cross-examination but had to postpone as part of health protocols considering that he is an inmate.

Colanggo earlier linked de Lima to the illegal drugs trade in the New Bilibid Prison when she was still justice secretary.

However, Tacardon said if de Lima would accede to the proposed home furlough as earlier disclosed by Senator Imee Marcos, then they are ready to file the necessary motion in court.

“We will study this. If Senator de Lima will agree to it, then we will prepare the necessary motion to the court to ask the permission of the judge to give her home furlough,” he said.

De Lima was last granted a furlough in June, but only to allow her to undergo a “major” surgery from June 19 to 25. Joel R. San Juan

‘Open court’ should decide on de Lima home furlough–DOJ

Economy

DA issues SRP for red onions sold in Metro wet markets

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) has intervened to address the rising

red onion prices in the market by imposing a suggested retail price (SRP) of P170 per kilogram on the commodity.

Senior Agriculture Undersecretary Domin go F. Panganiban issued Administrative Circu lar (AC) 9 Series of 2022 that ordered the implementa tion of an SRP for red onions sold in Metro Manila wet markets.

In the AC, Pan ganiban argued that there is a need to provide a “guide” to the consuming

public on “reasonable” prices of basic neces sities in the market amid various global eco nomic factors affecting the country.

“Considering the effects of the rising fuel prices due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, ag gravated by the pandemic causing high prices of agricultural commodities,” he said in the circular signed last October 7 but was made public on October 10.

“In order not to aggravate the current difficulties of the Filipino people affected by the pandemic and rising fuel prices, there is a need to guide the consuming public on the reasonable prices of basic necessities in the market,” he added.

The DA has set the SRP for medium-sized red onions at P170 per kilogram (13 to 15

pieces per kilogram), according to the AC.

The SRP took effect on October 10 following its publication on the DA’s web site and would remain in effect for 60 days “unless revised/ revoked and/or lifted,” according to the AC.

The agriculture department’s daily price monitoring reports showed that the average retail price of red onions in Metro Manila has been constantly increasing in previous weeks, now reaching at P200 per kilogram.

Agriculture Assistant Secretary Kristine Y.

Evangelista told reporters that the DA held a stakeholders meeting last week with farmers, traders, viajeros and even retailers to discuss the SRP on red onions.

Evangelista disclosed that the various red onion industry players agreed on the P170

per kilogram SRP.

“We saw in our daily price monitoring since the end of August that the price of red onions continuously increased and eventu ally reached P200 per kilogram,” she said.

“Based on our cost structure that onion farmers approved, the retail price of red on ions in wet markets should be lower than its prevailing price,” she added.

Evangelista said the DA would conduct necessary market investigations to ensure that red onion vendors would follow the P170 per kilogram SRP.

Evangelista added that the DA would issue show cause orders and letters of inquiry to red onion vendors if necessary to determine the price structures of certain retailers.

Group warns of ‘massive’ job loss if POGOs cease PHL operations

By Jasper Y. Arcalas @jearcalas & Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie

THEAssociation of Service Pro viders and POGOs (ASPAP) on Monday claimed that more than 23,000 Filipinos would lose their jobs if Philippine Offshore Gaming Opera tions would be compelled to close shop.

In a news statement, ASPAP ap pealed to the government to “carefully weigh” proposals to clamp down the operations of POGOs in the country as it may result in detrimental economic impact such as job losses.

The group, which was formed in 2020, said it comprises 16 Philip pine Amusement and Gaming Op erations-licensed POGOs and 68 service providers.

The group added that it employs a total of 23,118 Filipinos, of which 11,776 are directly hired while 11,342 are indirectly hired. ASPAP said it has 17,130 foreign national employees.

Atty. Paul Bongco, who repre sents ASPAP, said the group has 129 offices for customer relations ser vice, IT support, live studio stream ing, and functions.

“Total floor area occupied is 407,841 square meters—or the equiv alent of almost 1,000 standard-sized basketball courts. These offices are mostly found in Parañaque, Makati,

Cavite, Pasay, Pampanga, Manila and Mandaluyong,” the group said.

“Based on ASPAP’s data, about 31.4 percent of their Filipino workers serve as team leaders or supervisors, administrative assistants, sport-book handlers, kitchen staff, security of ficers, finance assistants, accounting assistants, and 60 other jobs,” it added.

Bongco explained that ASPAP members are also concerned about the “reported rise in crime incidence” involving the POGO industry.

“It’s unfair to blame the whole in dustry for the illegal activities of a few. ASPAP members want to do business quietly, take care of their employees and pay their corresponding share in taxes,” Bongco said.

“We thus appeal to our govern ment—President [Ferdinand] R. Mar cos Jr. and our senators in particular— not to look at the POGO sector as the enemy but rather an ally in nation building,” Bongco added.

Last month, Finance Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno disclosed that the country faces “reputational risks” if the government would continue to allow POGO operations. (Related story: https://businessmirror.com. ph/2022/09/16/diokno-keeping-po gos-gives-phl-reputational-risks/)

For Diokno, losing the POGO indus try altogether would not have a huge dent on the country’s economy since

revenues from the industry only reached P3.9 billion last year, a little over half the P7.2 billion it generated at its peak.

Lawmakers have also backed calls to finally shut down all POGO in the coun try given the sharp decline in revenues and the spike in violent crimes associ ated with them. (Relatedstory:https:// businessmirror.com.ph/2022/09/20/ senators-and-house-memberbackcalls-to-padlock-pogos/)

Lawful means

THE chairman of the House Commit tee on Ways and Means has called on the national government to lawfully deport overstaying foreigners, includ ing POGO workers.

Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda is sued the statement as the Bureau of Immigration said it is now facilitating the deportation of 48,000 unlicensed POGO workers.

Salceda said the government should treat the workers like other foreigners overstaying in the country.

“Any arbitrary law against undocu mented workers here in the Philippines will reflect poorly on us, and will under mine the welfare of undocumented work ers among our own compatriots,” he said.

“So, let us allow the law to take its course, consistent with humanitarian considerations and international laws and convention,” Salceda said, adding the Philippines has enough laws on the

proper handling of illegal aliens.

“As I have repeatedly asserted, let’s just follow the law as is. We have enough laws to deport illegal workers,” stressed the lawmaker.

Salceda added that 92,000 more Filipinos are also at risk of losing their jobs if POGOs ceased to operate in the country altogether.

“I have repeatedly asserted that POGOs employ Filipinos for a whole host of jobs, such as custodial, secu rity, janitorial, IT back office, and other staff support work. The latest Pagcor figures show that around 19,000 Fili pinos are directly employed by POGOs and their licensees. With POGO recov ery, as seen in higher tax payments, that may have increased,” he said.

Salceda said POGOs also contrib ute around P128 billion in economic activity, which results in even more indirect activity.

“The hit on investor confidence could also have adverse consequences on em ployment. I see no path forward for a total ban on POGOs without govern ment impairing contracts or stepping on the rights of legitimate businesses.

Those who advocate for a total end to the sector, including to legitimate players, are courting legal disaster. Remember, the Supreme Court affirmed in its most recent decision on POGO taxes that we can’t just impose unduly burdensome conditions on the sector,” he said.

nation built into the algorithms, and companies should continually monitor and test the systems to ensure they stay that way.

By Lorenz S. Marasigan  @lorenzmarasigan

THE Department of Transportation (DOTr) said on Monday it aims to complete P1 trillion worth of air port development projects outside Metro Manila by 2023.

During a forum hosted by the Eco nomic Journalists Association of the Philippines (Ejap), Transportation Sec retary Jaime J. Bautista said the govern ment is moving towards completing nine regional airports across the country to improve air connectivity.

These nine airport development proj ects are as follows: Tuguegarao Airport, San Vicente Airport, Tacloban Airport, Antique Airport, Bacolod-Silay Airport, Catbalogan Airport, Davao International Airport, M’Lang Airport, Sanga-Sanga Airport in Tawi-Tawi and Ozamis Airport.

Components of each project include the construction and enhancement of their passenger terminal buildings, runways, airside, and landside infrastructure.

“These projects are all set to be com pleted by 2023. They have a total projected cost of close to P1 trillion—that’s a T, not a B,” Bautista said. “We are addressing the air connectivity needs of Filipinos by increasing airport terminal building ca pacity and improving airport facilities by applying technology solutions.”

He added that the department is looking at modernizing existing major international gateways through ongo ing projects such as the P206.96 million airside improvement projects at Bicol International Airport, which will see the continuation of the construction of access road, runway strip width, and taxiway drainage system at the country’s newest international airport.

By Henry J. Schumacher

Users should know when an AI system is using their data and what it means for the system to use it—nothing should be left up to assumption.

Privacy is paramount, so users should be protected from “abusive data practices” and have control over how their data is used.

Users should be able to optout of their data being included in the systems (and be able to do so by talking to an actual person).

als so they are not discriminated against by algorithms.”

And with AI systems soon to be powering humanoid robots, these rules can’t be implemented soon enough!

Why am I scared:

AUTOMATED systems can influ ence or even determine important aspects of our lives, including health care, employment, housing, financ ing, and education.

Security principles that should be incorporated into AI systems to ensure their safety and transpar ency, limit the impact of algorith mic discrimination, and give users control over data.

I

F you ask me: yes, we should be scared. With Artificial Intelli gence (AI) starting to become ubiquitous, governments around the world are thinking that it’s high time to start creating protec tions for users.

For example, the Biden admin istration has released a layout for a Bill of Rights that would try to govern how AI systems are devel oped. Although the US federal gov ernment won’t be able to legally enforce the principles, several use cases for how AI can negatively impact people’s health and qual ity of life may force Congress to codify it into law.

Programmed protection

HERE are the main points that the Biden administration’s Office of Science & Technology outlined in a “Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights”:

The systems should be safe and effective, with input on them given by various communities to ensure that blind spots are addressed.

There should be no discrimi

The White House said that federal agencies using AI systems would soon adhere to all these principles, encouraging private companies to follow suit. It won’t be able to actually enforce their adoption in the private sector, but government agencies will still be monitoring them.

Crowdsourced rights

WHILE the White House hopes to be an authority in AI regulation, it’s not the first entity to start thinking about reigning in the tech’s power.

IBM published a set of princi ples back in 2017, which proposed that companies (or the AI systems themselves) should be able to ex plain how their underlying algo rithms work.

The EU also did so in 2019, calling for “trustworthy AI” built on several ethical principles.

And the Vatican—yes, the Vatican—wrote a “framework” that pushed for AI to be developed in such a way that it protects the “the rights and the freedom of individu

Let’s look at real-world conse quences of failures to put such prin ciples into practice.

A model meant to predict the likelihood of sepsis in hospital ized patients underperformed and caused “alert fatigue” with false warnings.

A hiring tool that “learned” em ployees were predominantly men rejected women applicants, with resumes that had language like “women’s chess club captain” penal ized in ranking candidates.

These technologies are causing real harms in the lives of people, and harms run counter to our core democratic values, including the fundamental right to privacy, free dom from discrimination and our basic dignity.

Will AI understand integrity and ethics?

What’s your view? Will you fight uncontrolled AI also? I am looking forward to your views—contact me at hjschumacher59@gmail.com

Should we fear the AI that is going to hit us?

BCDA allots 5-hectare lot for proposed virology institute in New Clark City

future health crises.”

By Andrea E. San Juan & Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

THE

Bases Conversion and De velopment Authority (BCDA) said it has allocated a 5-hect are land in New Clark City for the construction of the proposed Virol ogy Science and Technology Institute of the Philippines (VIP).

In a news statement issued on Monday, the BCDA said the lot has been identified and “earmarked” un der an agreement signed by the BCDA and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) recently.

This, the authority noted, brings the government “one step closer” towards the formation of the coun try’s “premier” virology research institute that will strengthen the country’s wall of protection against infectious diseases.

BCDA President and Chief Execu tive Officer Aileen R. Zosa under scored the role of the virology re search center as the country con tinues to fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as infectious dis eases which may endanger lives in the future.

Zosa added, “That is why the BCDA entered into this arrange ment with DOST for a property in New Clark City, which will host this significant institution.”

While waiting for Congress to pass the bill proposing the establish ment of VIP, the DOST has started its research and preparations for this undertaking. These include the negotiations and signing of an agreement with BCDA.

Senator Jinggoy Estrada, mean while, said he envisions speedy pas sage of an awaited enabling law cre ating the Center for Disease Control (CDC) intended to upgrade the coun try’s health-care systems to effectively contain Covid and similar contagions.

This as Estrada sought to pri oritize Senate approval of the CDC bill and other related legislations intended to “improve the country’s health-care system and prepare it for

By Manuel T. Cayon @awimailbox Mindanao Bureau Chief

DAVAO CITY—The Genevabased International Organization for Standardization has granted the city government of Davao the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System (QMS) accreditation on Friday.

The grant followed the inspection and certification of the Socotec Certification International Philippines on Friday.

The awarding ceremony was held at the City Hall, the city information office said, and was attended by Mayor Sebastian Duterte, Vice President Sara Duterte’s Chief of Staff and former Davao City Administrator Zuleika Lopez, Vice Mayor J. Melchor Quitain Jr., QMS Committee Leader Sarah Phoebe Paclibar and Socotec Operations Director Gilmore Rivera.

Duterte assured Dabawenyos that the pursuit of excellence would not stop and the city government “would continue to press forward in its vision to become a center of excellence in governance driven by an empowered citizenry.”

Lopez read the Vice President’s message congratulating all public officials involved in the implementation of the ISO QMS standard, and calling the awarding of the standard a “proof of the constant efforts to ensure that the programs and services are at par with the global management standards.”

Paclibar said the adaptation

“The groundswell of support for these two measures is a welcome de velopment,” Estrada said, adding, “It is more than enough to ensure the smooth and swift passage of these bills.”

At the same time, Estrada noted the inclusion of his proposed Senate Bill No. 679, or the Philippine Cen ter for Disease Control and Preven tion (CDC) Act and Senate Bill No. 281, or the Virology Institute of the Philippines (VIP) Act, in the cham ber’s priority legislation as recently assured by Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri.

The Senate President acknowl edged that Estrada’s two bills are already “gaining support from among the senators.”

Zubiri added: “The Covid 19 pandemic made us realize the big deficiency in government health ser vices, as well as in the strategic sup port needed to respond or ease the pandemic effects on public health.”

“We hope that we can soon enact these two bills in the 19th Congress,” he added.

Senate Bill 281, which is among Estrada’s priority bills, aims to pro vide the legal framework for the es tablishment of a government body that will conduct extensive stud ies on viruses and their potential disease-causing agent which can be used to provide scientific bases for the treatment of viral diseases.

The proposed VIP is envisioned to be the country’s foundation of research and innovation on human, animal, and plant viruses in the next 10 to 15 years and will focus on the development of locally-made vac cines. The institute will complement the current efforts of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) on research and creation of vaccines, Estrada said.

On the other hand, the pro posed creation of the Philippine CDC under SB 679 seeks to ensure the clear delineation of tasks be tween existing agencies and maxi mize current mandates.

of the ISO QMS standard, “the functions and operations of the city government will institutionalize the ease of doing business mandate and ensure better delivery of services and products to the Dabawenyos.”

“We will continue the conduct of capacity-building of the representatives of the Quality Management System of the City Government of Davao, and, with the assistance of our technical advisors, we will be able to improve those aspects wherein we are weak,” she added.

18 PNP units secure ISO certifification

AROUND 18 units of the Philippine National Police (PNP) have been conferred with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) “Certified 9001” for conforming with QMS standards.

PNP Chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr., conferred the certification during simple ceremonies at PNP National Headquarters, Camp Crame, Quezon City on Monday to the following offices:

Directorate for Personnel and Records Management (DPRM); Directorate for Operations (DO); Directorate for Logistics (DL); Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management (DIDM); Directorate for Human Resource and Doctrine Development (DHRDD); Directorate for Research and Development (DRD); Directorate for Information Communication Technology Management (DICTM); Women and Children Protection Center (WCPC);

House assures swift passage of bills endorsed by Ledac

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz  @joveemarie

HOUSEleaders on Monday assured President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. of their commitment to pass with dispatch 30 Common Legislative Agenda (CLA) measures, which seek to create jobs, improve the health system and help the country’s economic recovery.

Speaker Martin G. Romualdez said the lower chamber will invoke and will continue to use Rule 10, Section 48 of the House of Repre sentatives for the swift approval of some of the 30 CLA measures identified during the LegislativeExecutive Development Advisory Council (Ledac) meeting.

Rule 10, Section 48, Romualdez said, authorizes the committees to dispose of priority measures already filed and approved on third reading in the immediately preceding Congress.

“We have the internal mecha nism for an expeditious approval process that is enshrined in Rule 10, Section 48 of the House rules of procedure,” Romualdez said, ex plaining that the use of this par ticular rule would greatly hasten consideration and endorsement by any committee of any covered bill, and its eventual plenary approval.

“The House is in full support of the President’s entire legislative agenda, including the key priority measures for legislation he has asked Congress to consider. We will act on these with dispatch,” Romualdez added.

Romualdez was referring to 30 out of the 32 total bills ap proved or listed during Monday’s

meeting of the Ledac.

“The House and the Senate will give these [30] measures utmost priority. President Marcos clearly spelled out a roadmap of governance in the next six years for economic re covery, with agriculture as the major engine for growth and employment,” Romualdez, who attended the LE DAC meeting in Malacañang, said.

Also adopted as the 31st and 32nd CLA measures during Ledac were the SIM Registration Act that was signed into law later by President Marcos after Monday’s Ledac meeting and the postponement of Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE), which is now awaiting the Chief Executive’s signature as of this writing on Monday.

He said that more bills might be included in the 30 priority bills under CLA in the coming months.

“With the guidance and support of President Marcos Jr. and the Presi dential Legislative Liaison Office, these priority measures will become laws, which the Filipino people can benefit from,” Romualdez said, add ing that the 20 measures enumerated by President Marcos in his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) were included in the 30 CLA bills.

“I am proud to say that the mem

bers of both houses of Congress have already filed bills on the 20 priority measures identified by President Marcos,” Romualdez said.

The 20 priority measures enu merated by President Marcos in his Sona that were part of the total 32 CLA bills were the Valuation Reform Bill, Passive Income and Financial Intermediary Taxation Act, E-Gov ernance Act, E-Government Act, Internet Transaction Act, Govern ment Financial Institutions Unified Initiatives to Distressed Enterprises for Economic Recovery (GUIDE) bill, Medical Reserve Corps bill, National Disease Prevention Management Au thority bill, Virology Institute of the Philippines bill, Unified System of Separation, Retirement and Pension bill, Department of Water Resources bill, National Land Use Act, Manda tory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) and National Service Train ing Program, Budget Modernization bill, National Government Rightsiz ing Program, National Defense Act, Enactment of an Enabling Law for the Natural Gas Industry, Amend ments to the Electric Power Indus try Reform Act, Amendments to the Build-Operate-Transfer Law, and the Condonation of Unpaid Amor tization and Interests of Loans of Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries.

“President Marcos called for the enactment of 20 priority measures and both Houses of Congress heed ed the call. The ball is now rolling… and this administration’s [path] to improve the current situation of our country has just begun. With the help of the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office, under the leadership of Secretary Dong Mendoza, and the various stakeholders from the Execu tive branch and the private sector, the members of Congress will be able to craft the best versions of these bills, as envisioned by His Excellen cy, President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ R. Marcos Jr.,” Romualdez said.

In addition to the 20 priority measures identified by President Marcos, Romualdez said the Senate and the House of Representatives have identified an additional 12 priority bills, including the newly signed SIM Registration Act and BSKE as part of Ledac’s CLA. Romualdez said the 10 out of the 12 additional measures are as follows: The Establishment of Regional Specialty Hospitals, the Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers, Establishing the Negros Island Re gion, The New Philippine Passport Act, Waste-to-Energy Bill, The Ap prenticeship Act, Providing Free Legal Assistance for Military and Uniformed Personnel, The Magna Carta of Barangay Health Workers, The Creation of the Leyte Ecological Industrial Zone, and The Creation of the Eastern Visayas Develop ment Authority.

“As Speaker of the House, I am inviting stakeholders from the Ex ecutive and Judicial branches as well as all private sector stakeholders to join our legislators in deliberating and scrutinizing these measures to ensure that only the best possible version of the bills are reported out by the House of Representatives,” Romualdez said.

“I am looking forward to work ing with the Senate, the Judiciary, and the Executive Branch, under the leadership of President Marcos Jr., in putting the plan into action and implementing our unified goal for a better Philippines and its people,” Romualdez added.

In attendance during the Ledac meeting were President Marcos, House Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe, Rep. Stella Quimbo, House Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, and Sens. Loren Legarda and Sonny Angara, and Cabinet secretaries.

Engineering Service (ES); Communications and Electronics Service (CES); Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG); Special Action Force (SAF); Maritime Group (MG); Police Community Affairs and Development Group (PCADG); Supervisory Office for Security and Investigation Agencies (SOSIA); Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG); Quezon City Police District (QCPD).

“For this recognition, we thank the members of the community and all our stakeholders for their support and cooperation and for continuing to trust in the police as your servants and protectors,” Azurin said in a statement.

“Let these resounding achievements of our PNP units and personnel serve as the foundation of our ‘MKK=K o ang Malasakit, Kaayusan at Kapayapaan tungo sa Kaunlaran’ as our peace and security framework for the future, transforming the PNP into a stronger and more responsive police organization,” he added.

At present, there are now 28 “ISO Certified” PNP Units and Offices since 2018 when the Crime Laboratory became the first “ISO Certified” PNP Unit. Other PNP units certified by the International Organization for Standardization since then were, Office of the Chief PNP, Directorate for Plans, National Capital Region Police Office, PNP General Hospital, Highway Patrol Group, Police Security and Protection Group, Firearms and Explosives Office, Philippine National Police Academy, and PNP Retirement and Benefits Administration Service.

EXECUTIVE

Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin has extended the term of all the coterminous officials and personnel in the Of fice of the President (OP) until the end of the year.

The Office of the Executive Secretary (OES) issued Memo randum Order No. 7, which will allow those with “coterminous appointments” to continue per forming their duties and func tions until December 31, 2022, unless their appointments are sooner revoked, resignations ac cepted, replacements appointed or reappointments issued.  Bersamin came out with the order immediately after he was appointed by President Ferdinand “Bongbong”

R. Marcos Jr. last September 27.

OP Human Resource Manage ment Director Andrea Maila Or danez lauded the new issuance since it addressed the concerns of coter minous personnel and officials, who are unsure of their employment status after the resignation of for mer Executive Secretary Victor D. Rodriguez last month.

It was Rodriguez, who issued Memorandum Circular No. 3 last July, which allowed officer in charge of departments, agencies, bureau, and office, non Career Executive Service (CES) occupying CES posi tions, contractual or casual employ ees to continue to perform their du ties and discharge their functions until December 31, 2022.

Teves should not step

FOLLOWING the decision of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to declare Roel De gamo as the winning governor of Negros Occidental in the May 9, elections, and the legal team of in cumbent Governor Henry Teves said that the latter should not step down from his post.

Legal counsel Atty. Ferdinand Topacio stressed that Teves should continue serving the Negros Ori ental people as their governor as he has already been proclaimed winner of the gubernatorial race in the province.

The legal counsel also said Teves had already took his oath as governor.

To recall, the Comelec ordered Teves to vacate his post after rul

as

ing that the votes of the nuisance candidate by the name of Ruel Degamo should be counted to the former governor.

Topacio said that the move was not legal, saying that there was no quorum on the part of the Comelec to decide on the issue.

He stressed that there should be at least four commissioners pres ent to decide.

He added that Degamo has a pending case since he already ran for the gubernatorial post four times instead of three as provided by law.

Topacio also said that it should be the proper for the courts to decide on Teves’ fate in the pro vincial government of Negros Oriental.

“It is really hard to be in that place of uncertainty especially this coming Christmas season, wherein our only wish is for each of us to be happy,” Ordanez said during the flag-raising ceremony hosted by the OES at the Mabini Quadrangle at the Malaca ñang on Monday.

In his speech after the ceremony, Bersamin urged all officials and per sonnel of OP to serve with “sincere compassion” and loyalty to the Presi dent and the Constitution.

“We must endeavor to uphold the rule of law in every action that we take in the discharge of our duties and responsibility. Always bear in mind that we are undeserving of our positions if we cease to be just and lawful,” Bersamin said. Samuel P. Medenilla

AT least 76 students enrolled at the San Francisco Elemen tary School in Sablayan, Oc cidental Mindoro were rushed to the hospital on Monday morning due to apparent food poisoning.

“Actually 76 ang nadala lahat sa San Sebastian District Hospital. Out of the 76, 23 po ngayon ang admit ted,” said Sablayan Municipal Health Officer Dr. Meldie Soriano in an in terview over ABS-CBN's Teleradyo. Soriano said there were also six teachers who also experienced the same symptoms.

The health officer said, however, that none of the students are in se vere condition as most of them have already been discharged from the hospital already. Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

188.

ZENG, XUWEN

ZHAO, CHANGFENG Call Center

YAN

Center

YU Chinese Customer Service

DONG, CHAO Chinese Customer Service

DOU, WANG Chinese Customer Service

CHENG Chinese Customer Service

DANDAN

Customer Service

FEI Chinese Customer Service

WEI Chinese Customer Service

ANDONG Chinese Customer Service

Basic

Basic Qualification: College Graduate/level, and Fluent in

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php

Basic Qualification: College Graduate/level,

Range:

Basic Qualification: College Graduate/level,

Salary Range:

Basic Qualification:

Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification:

to speak, Read, and

Chinese language

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

Basic Qualification:

to speak,

216.

and

Chinese language

Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification:

to speak,

Chinese

Salary Range: Php 30,000 -

Basic Qualification:

to speak,

Chinese

Salary Range: Php 30,000 -

Basic Qualification:

217.

218.

HOANG THI LINH Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

HOANG THI MY DUYEN Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

VAN HA Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

LE VAN QUANG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

59,999

to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 -

59,999

Basic Qualification:

to speak,

Range: Php 30,000 -

Basic Qualification:

to speak,

Chinese

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

219.

220.

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

LUONG HUU SANG Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

ANH TAI

Description:

DINH

speak, read, and write Chinese language

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Basic Qualification: Able to speak,

Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification:

to

Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification:

to speak,

Description:

HOANG

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

Indonesian Customer Service

Description:

Brief

CHONG KAR MENG Malaysian Customer Service

SUNG, HENG-CHUNG Taiwanese Customer Service

SHODMON Tajikistanis Customer Service

NARZULLOEV, ABDULVOSIT

Customer Service

Basic Qualification:

Salary Range:

Basic Qualification:

Salary Range:

Basic

Basic

Basic Qualification:

NGUYEN

NGUYEN VAN HAO

317.

318.

319.

NGUYEN VAN THANH Customer Service Representative

Brief

PO-NGAM, THANAKON Customer Service Representative

Brief

RATTANALOM, SUPARANG Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services.

SAI MAUNG MAUNG Customer Service Representative

Basic

Basic Qualification:

Salary

Basic Qualification:

Salary

Basic Qualification:

Salary

- Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application with good oral and written communication skills.

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

320.

321.

Brief Job Description: Customer service representative

SAINGOUNG, KAITTISAK Customer Service Representative

Description:

SAMUEL WONG YUNG HENG Customer Service Representative

Description:

service

SAW HOCK CHOON Customer Service Representative

Description: Customer support and data base services.

NICHAPAT

Service

Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application with good oral and written communication skills

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

Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application

and written

Salary Range:

30,000

Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application

Salary Range: Php 30,000 -

Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application

TATA

SELVARAJ, SATHISH KUMAR

Sourcing,

SALKANPURIYA, SARVESH KUMAR Technical Lead-as400 Technology

Brief Job Description:

TECHMAVE SERVICES INC. 11/f Liberty Plaza Bldg., 102 H.v.

Basic Qualification:

Salary Range: Php 30,000 -

Basic Qualification:

has

59,999

City, Fort

at least 10 years

an

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

Basic Qualification: With at least 10 years of experience in the it industry with skills in different it

like arcade bmcsoftware and mks, can also posses strong problem

& technical skills for

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

Basic

World

3

US-based economists given Nobel Prize for work on banks

STOCKHOLM—This year’s Nobel Prize in economic sci ences has been awarded to the former chair of the US Fed eral Reserve, Ben S. Bernanke, and two US-based economists, Douglas W. Diamond and Philip H. Dybvig, “for research on banks and financial crises.”

The prize was announced Mon day by the Nobel panel at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm.

The committee said their work had shown in their research “why avoiding bank collapses is vital.”

Nobel prizes carry a cash award of 10 million Swedish kro nor (nearly $900,000) and will be handed out on Dec. 10.

Unlike the other prizes, the eco nomics award wasn’t established in Alfred Nobel’s will of 1895 but by the Swedish central bank in his memory. The first winner was se lected in 1969.

Last year, half of the award went to David Card for his research on how the minimum wage, immigra tion and education affect the labor market. The other half was shared by Joshua Angrist and Guido Im bens for proposing how to study issues that don’t easily fit tradi tional scientific methods.

A week of Nobel Prize an nouncements kicked off October 3 with Swedish scientist Svante Paabo receiving the award in

medicine for unlocking secrets of Neanderthal DNA that pro vided key insights into our im mune system.

Three scientists jointly won the prize in physics Tuesday. French man Alain Aspect, American John F. Clauser and Austrian Anton Zeilinger had shown that tiny par ticles can retain a connection with each other even when separated, a phenomenon known as quantum entanglement, that can be used for specialized computing and to encrypt information.

The Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded Wednesday to Ameri cans Carolyn R. Bertozzi and K. Barry Sharpless, and Danish sci entist Morten Meldal for develop ing a way of “snapping molecules together” that can be used to ex plore cells, map DNA and design drugs that can target diseases such as cancer more precisely.

French author Annie Ernaux won this year’s Nobel Prize in lit erature Thursday. The panel com mended her for blending fiction and autobiography in books that fearlessly mine her experiences as a working-class woman to explore life in France since the 1940s.

The Nobel Peace Prize went to jailed Belarus human rights activist Ales Bialiatski, the Rus sian group Memorial and the Ukrainian organization Center for Civil Liberties on Friday.

Lockdown worries return to Shanghai amid China’s rising Covid infections

CHINA is stepping up efforts to contain Covid-19 out breaks ahead of the Party Congress, with national cases climb ing to the highest in almost two months and concerns about widen ing lockdowns rippling across the financial hub of Shanghai.

The country reported 1,878 cases for Sunday, the highest since Aug. 20, as the week-long National Day holiday saw cases flare among re turning travelers. Shanghai posted 34 new local infections, the most in almost three months, with two in fections found outside of its quar antine system.

The uptick has seen neighbor hoods locked down and buildings barricaded with the green fences that were a feature of the financial hub’s extended shutdown earlier this year. The districts of Putuo and Changning have shut entertain ment venues to strengthen Covid controls.

Inner Mongolia, where over a third of the country’s infections are found, banned people from en tering its capital, Hohhot, starting from Monday. Residents who need to return have been asked to delay their journey until the outbreak is under control.

In a sign of the tensions in the country, even a city that has zero infections has gone into lockdown. Yongji, which has 400,000 residents and is located in Shanxi province, went into a three-day lockdown from Friday evening to prevent potential cases in travelers going home after the holiday. The move sparked a raft of criticism from Chi nese social media users, who called the officials overzealous.

Local authorities are under pres sure to get Covid flareups under control as the Party Congress, where President Xi Jinping is expected to secure a precedent-breaking third term in power, is due to start in days. Xi has made Covid Zero, which relies on snap shutdowns and fre quent testing, a cornerstone of his leadership despite its heavy social and economic cost.

While the rest of the world has shifted to living with the virus, Chi nese officials and state media have repeatedly endorsed the zero-toler ance approach as the right path for the country. In a commentary pub lished Monday, the official People’s Daily newspaper said Covid Zero measures are scientific and virus

variants remain a major threat to the elderly. People should boost their confidence in and patience about domestic coronavirus rules, it said.

For residents of Shanghai, con cerns are rising about the potential for harsher curbs. Multiple residen tial areas are being locked down in downtown Shanghai, including Changning and Xuhui districts. Some residential compounds under lockdown have received food sup plies from the local government, and rumors about school suspen sion have been spreading.

“The practices and atmosphere all sound so familiar,” said Cynthia Lu, a mother of two primary school children who lives in Pudong. “The idea that my kids may need to have online class again and the family has to be stuck in the room all day makes me so sick.”

“But let’s be realistic, I’ll stockpile some food now,” she said.

Selina Liu, a 35-year-old audi tor who lives in Shanghai, traveled to Yunnan during last week’s holi day and got stuck in a quarantine hotel during a local outbreak. The lockdown of her hotel was lifted on Sunday and she was able to fly back to Shanghai after some of her ear lier flight bookings were canceled.

“I’m too tired to complain against anything right now. I just feel lucky to grab a ticket home,” she said. “I won’t do any travel for a while, and just want to lie flat at home.”

Beijing, which is set to host the Party Congress, is on high alert af ter cases swelled to 14, the most in a month. The capital has deployed a strict regimen of quarantine and testing of returning travelers, while a local health official was reported to have said the city is facing grow ing pressure to contain infections.

Remarks from an official in the western region of Xinjiang, where some cities have been under lock down for two months, also stirred controversy on social media. Ding

Zhijun, the head of a district in the regional capital Urumqi, said in a briefing last Thursday that people who are stranded in the city due to transport suspensions should consider staying and find ing work locally. While authorities later clarified it was targeted at job seekers who were among the people stranded, the suggestion was ridiculed by Weibo users, who said it was impractical while there was a lockdown. Bloomberg News

Malaysian PM dissolves Parliament; paves the way for general elections

By Eileen Ng Associated Press

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia— Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that Parliament will be dissolved Monday, paving the way for general elections that are expected to be held in early November.

The elections come nine months before Parliament’s term expires, following calls for early polls from Ismail’s United Malays National Organization. UMNO, the biggest party in the ruling coalition, was feuding with its allies and is aim ing for a big win on its own.

Ismail said he met Sunday with King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ah mad Shah, who consented to the dissolution. He said he decided to call early polls to counter criticism over the legitimacy of his govern ment—the third since 2018 polls.

“With this announcement, the mandate will be returned to the people. The people’s mandate is a powerful antidote” to create a firm and stable government, Ismail said in a televised announcement.

The Election Commission is ex pected to meet within the week to announce a date for the vote, which must be held within 60 days from Parliament’s dissolution. It is like ly to be held early November before the year-end monsoon season that often brings devastating floods.

UMNO’s allies in the govern ment and opposition parties have protested plans to hold elections during the monsoon season, which last year killed more than 50 people and displaced thousands. But UMNO’s top leaders decided recently that polls must be called this year for UMNO to capitalize on the support of ethnic Malay vot

ers and an opposition in disarray.

“Ismail Sabri has succumbed to pressure by his party UMNO, serving the shortest tenure as a PM, and entering the country into polls during a dangerous season of monsoon floods,” said Bridget Welsh, a Southeast Asia expert with Malaysia’s Notting ham University.

“UMNO believes it has the ad vantage with early polls and has maintained pressure as they hope to return to power as the dominant party,” she said.

UMNO led Malaysia since inde pendence from Britain in 1957, but was brought down in 2018 elec tions by a multibillion-dollar fi nancial scandal that saw ex-Prime Minister Najib Razak imprisoned for 12 years for graft. The party’s current president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is also on trial for graft.

UMNO returned to power in March 2020 as part of a mainly Muslim coalition government after the reformist alliance led by former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad collapsed due to defections.

The new government was un stable due to a razor-thin major ity in Parliament, and then-Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin was forced to resign 17 months later after some UMNO lawmakers withdrew support for him.

Ismail, who was Muhyiddin’s deputy, was appointed by the king

in August 2021 to take over the helm, returning the premiership to UMNO. But UMNO remained at odds with Muhyiddin’s Bersatu and another Islamic ally, who all vie for support from ethnic Malay Muslims who account for over 60% of Malaysia’s 33 million people.

In his speech Monday, Ismail also called for the dissolution of state assemblies to allow state polls to be held at the same time.

Four of the country’s 13 states had held polls earlier. Six states controlled by the opposition and ally parties in Ismail’s government have said they would wait until next year. Three other UMNOrun states are likely to follow suit.

Unlike in 2018, when the op position united under Mahathir, UMNO believes it has an edge with a fragmented opposition. Opposi tion leader Anwar Ibrahim’s Hope Alliance, which won the 2018 polls, is the main contender but without Mahathir’s support. Mahathir has formed his own Malay party, and a number of other smaller parties have also emerged.

UMNO’s victory in several byelections also led it to believe that Malays, who voted for Mahathir in 2018, are back with the party.

Some critics accuse Zahid of has tening elections to seek a favor

able outcome for his trial, which he denied.

“This is an UMNO versus the people election. It is about Zahid becoming prime minister to resur rect the old order that was defeated in the 2018 election,” said oppo sition lawmaker Liew Chin Tong.

The dissolution came three days after Ismail’s government unveiled a proposed 2023 budget that promised cash handouts and other benefits. The budget hasn’t been passed by Parliament and a new government will have to pre pare a new proposal. UMNO is ex pected to use generous budgetary promises to win over electoral sup port, with Ismail saying Monday that everyone will benefit from it.

Still, UMNO may face public wrath for rushing the polls amid the monsoon season. Heavy rains and thunderstorms already have caused floods in some parts of the country.

Mahathir’s Pejuang party slammed UMNO for calling snap polls despite flood risks. It urged people to “reject UMNO and send a clear message to them that the country belongs to the people.”

“One irony is that by going ahead (with elections), the op position has been given a boost,” said Welsh.

N. Korea confirms nuke missiles tests to ‘wipe out’ enemy targets

By Hyung-Jin Kim The Associated Press

deterrence and send a warning to its enemies, KCNA said.

S

EOUL, South Korea—North Korea said Monday its recent barrage of missile launches were tests of its tactical nuclear weapons to “hit and wipe out” potential South Korean and US targets, state media reported Mon day. Leader Kim Jong Un signaled he would conduct more provoca tive tests in coming weeks.

The North’s statement, released on the 77th birthday of its ruling Workers’ Party, is seen as an at tempt to buttress a public unity behind Kim as he faces pandemicrelated economic hardships, a se curity threat posed by the boosted US-South Korean military alliance and other difficulties.

“Through seven times of launching drills of the tactical nuclear operation units, the actual war capabilities … of the nuclear combat forces ready to hit and wipe out the set objects at any location and any time were displayed to the full,” the North’s official Korean Central News Agency said.

KCNA said the missile tests were in response to recent naval drills between US and South Ko rean forces, which involved the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan.

Viewing the drills as a military threat, North Korea decided to stage “the simulation of an actual war” to check and improve its war

North Korea considers USSouth Korean military drills as an invasion rehearsal, though the allies have steadfastly said they are defensive in nature. Since the May inauguration of a conserva tive government in Seoul, the US and South Korean militaries have been expanding their exercises, which had been previously scaled back due to the pandemic and the now-dormant nuclear diplomacy between Pyongyang and Wash ington.

The launches—all supervised by Kim—included a nuclear-ca pable ballistic missile launched under a reservoir in the north east; another ballistic missile also simulating the loading of tacti cal nuclear warheads designed to strike South Korean airfield; and a new-type ground-to-ground bal listic missile that flew over Japan, KCNA reported.

Kim said the launches were “an obvious warning” to South Korea and the United States, informing them of North Korea’s nuclear response posture and attack ca pabilities, KCNA said.

“The US and the South Korean regime’s steady, intentional and irresponsible acts of escalating the tension will only invite our greater reaction, and we are always and strictly watching the situation crisis,” KCNA said.

Kim also made it clear again

that he has no intentions of resum ing the disarmament diplomacy with the United States now and would rather focus on expanding his weapons arsenal.

“Saying that the enemies have still talked about dialogue and negotiation while posing military threats to us, but we have no con tent for dialogue with the enemies and felt no necessity to do so,” Kim was quoted as saying. “Above all, we should send a clearer signal to the enemies escalating the re gional situation by involving the huge armed forces in any time with more powerful and resolute will and action.”

Kim said he would sternly take all unspecified military steps if necessary to respond to poten tial additional moves by South Korea and the United States. He also expressed conviction that the nuclear combat forces of his military would maintain “their strongest nuclear response pos ture and further strengthen it in every way” to perform their duties of defending the North’s dignity and sovereign rights.

Some experts say Kim’s com ments suggest he could carry out more high-profile weapons tests, such as his country’s first nuclear test in five years. South Korean of ficials recently said North Korea maintains readiness to perform its seventh nuclear test while pre paring to test a new liquid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile

and a submarine-launched bal listic missile.

US officials have repeatedly urged North Korea to return to talks without any preconditions. But North Korea has said it won’t do so unless the United States first drops its hostile polices on the North, in an apparent reference to regular US and South Korean military drills and US-led eco nomic sanctions.

Some experts say Kim would eventually aim to use his advanced nuclear program to win a US recog nition of North Korea as a legiti mate nuclear state, which Kim sees as essential in getting crippling UN sanctions on his country lifted.

“North Korea has multiple mo tivations for publishing a highprofile missile story now,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul. “Kim Jong Un’s public appearance after a month-long absence provides a patriotic headline to mark the founding anniversary of the rul ing Workers’ Party.”

“Pyongyang has been con cerned about military exercises by the US, South Korea and Japan, so to strengthen its self-proclaimed deterrent, it is making explicit the nuclear threat behind its re cent missile launches. The KCNA report may also be a harbinger of a forthcoming nuclear test for the kind of tactical warhead that would arm the units Kim visited in the field,” Easley said.

CUSTOMERS watch a live broadcast of an announcement by Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob at an electronics store in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, October 10, 2022. Ismail announced Monday that Parliament will be dissolved, paving the way for general elections. AP/VINCENT THIAN

Preparing for an aging Philippine society

INancient Roman times, people could expect to live 30 to 35 years. The average person born in 1960, the earliest year the United Nations began keeping global data, could expect to live to 52.5 years of age. What a big difference a few decades can bring: Someone born today has an average life expectancy between 79 and 83 years of age.

Persons aged 55 years and over are expected to outnumber all children aged 0 to 14 years by 2035 and the entire child and youth population aged 0 to 24 years by 2080, according to an International Labour Organization study. As a direct consequence of population ageing, the number of older workers aged 55 to 64 years is increasing and is set to equal one quarter of the global labor force by 2030.

As more baby boomers retire, however, companies around the world are seen facing significant loss of talent. Some companies are trying to avoid the potential loss of expertise by encouraging workers to stay longer after retire ment. A study conducted by consulting firm Towers Perrin (now Towers Wat son) showed that replacing an experienced worker of any age would cost 50 percent or more of the individual’s salary in turnover-related costs. The cost is even higher in jobs requiring the specialized skills and extensive experience often possessed by employees over 50 years old.

One company that understands the economics of attracting and keeping older workers is Michelin North America, which launched its Returning Re tiree Program that is open to all Michelin retirees willing to offer their skills for short- and long-term projects. David Stafford, Michelin North America’s vice president of personnel and human resources, said the company benefits from retirees that have “a rich pool of knowledge and skills,” while the program helps Michelin maintain a flexible workforce.

Unfortunately, no program for retirees like Michelin’s exists in the Phil ippines. While there may be a few companies that retain retiring workers as consultants, they are the exceptions rather than the rule. The general prac tice is that Philippine companies are shedding older workers to make room for younger ones.

Senior citizens now account for 8.5 percent of the Philippine population (about 9.2 million individuals), according to the Philippine Statistics Author ity. Dr. Juan Antonio Perez III, former executive director of the Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM), said the government has less than a decade to formulate solid programs to care for a graying society. (Read, “Government has less than a decade to prepare for graying society, must set programs,” in the BusinessMirror, October 6, 2022).

“Among our senior citizens, women outnumber men 55 percent to 45 per cent,” Dr. Perez said. “While older Filipinas outlive their male counterparts, the former contend with diseases and disabilities. More than half (57 percent) struggle with their daily living and have mobility issues. About 56 percent of them are already widowed, while 70 percent of males are either still married or have partners, and are very much physically active.”

Professor Grace Cruz of the University of the Philippines-Population In stitute said the Philippines will start becoming an “aging society” in 10 years, as there would be more senior citizens by then. POPCOM projects that about 11 percent of the total population will be 60 and older by 2030, and they will outnumber children 0 to 4 years old—effectively reversing a historical trend of the country having more children than older persons.

We are all interested in promoting healthy aging, but are we prepared for tomorrow’s manifold longevity challenges? This early we need to design a strategy to support and make life easier for our aging population. Our senior citizens desire nothing but a life with good health, dignity, financial indepen dence, and finally a peaceful departure from this world. As a wise man said, “we are all going to reach the departure lounge—one day.”

Fourth quarter opportunities and the President’s first 100 days

Manny B. Villar

THE EnTrEprEnEur

is the time of the year when people spend more money to celebrate the Christmas season. The last three months of the year will be a hectic pace for most people planning reunions toward the end of the year and organizing their travel options, and those finalizing their list of gifts and presents for the yuletide.

ThIS

Such fourth quarter spending and activities will boost the Philip pine economy no doubt, especially toward the end of the year when 13th month pays and bonuses are released to our workers.

For President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., I expect him to be business as usual during these remaining three months of the year given the present economic challenges, as he has been in his first 100 days in office.

The Marcos administration, I must say, performed creditably well during the first 100 days and ably handled the economy despite a myriad of challenges coming our way, such as market volatility and rising commodity prices caused by supply chain disruptions in China and the war in Ukraine.

In such a short time, Mr. Marcos

has inspired confidence among for eign and local investors by visiting the United States and Singapore, and underscoring infrastructure development as a top priority of his administration.

He led the inauguration of the Metro Manila Subway Project in Pasig City last week—a signal to the world that he would pursue even “grander dreams” and more ambitious endeavors to bring com fort and progress to the Filipino people.

More importantly, the President allowed the economy to perform at full capacity, without losing sight of the risks from Covid-19, which is still a threat to our society. More people have returned to their jobs as businesses reopened to meet a rising demand from local consumers.

No confidence

OuTSIDE THE BOX John Mangun

Theworld is in a mess right now, and make no mistake, for want of a better term, we are in “World War Three.” europe has shown that their civilization probably peaked during the Ancient Roman empire when Rome conquered all but the rather barbaric Germanic and Slavic tribes.

The battle lines are drawn and becoming clearer now with the Bel ligerents being more defined. On one side are the “Have Oil” including Rus sia, Iran, and Opec. The others are the “No Oil,” which is the European Union and its “vassal” states like the UK and Eastern Europe. Nor way does have oil but cannot exist without the EU.

The US also has oil, plenty of it, but not enough to control or make subservient the Opec nations like it can do with the EU. China is pulled along by Russia as they need each other right now probably on an equal

basis. Furthermore, China has sadly come to full realization that depend ing on the “Gweilo” for your economic success is a victory with great cost. India is doing what it always has done since independence—playing both sides to its advantage. Japan must carefully walk a narrow path as the 44th largest producer but the 4th largest consumer of “black gold.” Asean is struggling with oil-inflation and rising US interest rates and is trying to figure out how to capture more European investment away from China.

Opec—not in collusion with Rus

The Marcos administration, I must say, performed creditably well during the first 100 days and ably handled the economy despite a myriad of challenges coming our way, such as market volatility and rising commodity prices caused by supply chain disruptions in China and the war in Ukraine.

Imports are at an all-time high—an indication that factories operate at a higher capacity and require more raw materials and inputs for production. Filipino con sumers are buying big items such as vehicles again, thanks to banks that are ready to lend at low inter est rates despite the threat of an elevated inflation.

While it is true that the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas adjusted the benchmark borrowing rate by a total of 225 basis points to 4.25 percent to catch up with the more aggres sive monetary tightening of the US Federal Reserve, bank loans have actually recovered from near zero growth registered at the height of the pandemic. The 12.2-percent loan growth in August, for instance, could translate into a strong gross domestic product growth in the third quarter.

But unlike other countries where

The world is entering a crisis in confidence. First, we had the Covid crisis, which spawned the Energy Crisis, and now we are en tering the Currency Crisis phase. The Era of Volatility is the byprod uct of a collapse in confidence.

sia (wink wink)—announced that it is going to cut production by as much as two million barrels per day. My anticipation of lower Philippine inflation has been crushed as the squeeze is put on the US. Even as the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve is at the lowest level since 1984, when the economy was 60 percent smaller, one million barrels a day will be released in an attempt to offset any Opec pro duction decrease.

The “Have Oil” are playing the long game and looking at two things. In six weeks, the US holds an election for all the members of the House and a third of the Senate. This election is critical for the “war effort.” The number one “Extremely or Very Im portant Issue” for votes is “Inflation” with an 82 percent response. The percentage of those that “Approve

monetary tightening is expected to lead to recession, the Philippines seems insulated from shrinking de mand for credit. Bank loans for real estate activities rose 13.9 percent in August and those for manufac turing increased 15.9 percent from a year ago. These data to me are telltale signs of a strong economic performance.

The peso’s recent drop, mean while, is temporary. I expect the lo cal currency to recover in the fourth quarter, normally a strong season for remittances.

Overseas Filipino workers and their families will benefit from the current foreign exchange rate—and I can surmise that real estate sales will pick up as we approach the Christ mas season. The peso value of dollar remittances has gone up by about 15 percent since the start of the year, providing OFW families with more disposable income.

Other sectors that will benefit from robust remittances are retail, tourism, transportation, education, health care and other services that now account for a large part of our gross domestic product. Remittances account about a tenth of our gross national income with magnified impact on the rest of the economy.

I am optimistic about the fourth quarter not only because of remit tance growth, but also because of

Biden’s Handling” of that issue is 30 percent.

Citigroup: “Higher oil prices, if driven by sizeable production cuts, would likely irritate the Biden ad ministration ahead of US midterm elections.”

Additionally, part of the long game is “Old Man Winter.” The Eu ropean Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts said that signs point to a period of high pressure across Western Europe in November and December, which is likely to re sult in cold conditions with reduced wind and rain. This will further in crease demand for fuel and restrict the productivity of renewable power sources.

What of the financial and asset markets? Markets have moved sub stantially like the Dow Jones from 31k to 34k to 29k. Brent oil moved from $125 to $82 and now at $93. Dollar/yen traded 135 to 139 up to 130 and then down to 144. Spot gold started at $1,650 to $1,700 up to $1,800 down to $1,600 and up to $1,700 again. The 10-year US bond began with a 3.5 percent rate, then moved to 2.5 percent and hit

Taxing a person’s liberality

Atty. rodel C. unciano

TAx LAw For BuSinESS

Opinion

It’s time to remove the taxes on microinsurance!

Manny F. Dooc

TELLTALES

ArTIcle

725 of the civil code of the Philippines defines do nation as an act of liberality whereby a person disposes gra tuitously of a thing or right in favor of another, who accepts it. Based on this definition, a gift or a donation, in order to be con sidered as one, should be made as an act of liberality or without any consideration or compensation being received in exchange therefor.

As it has been said, tax and death are the two things certain in life. And so, the liberality of a person is not free from the eyes of the taxman. Under Section 98 of the Tax Code, donor’s tax shall be levied, assessed, collected and paid upon the transfer by any person, resident or nonresi dent, of property by gift. The tax shall apply whether the transfer is in trust or otherwise, whether the gift is direct or indirect, and wheth er the property is real or personal, tangible or intangible. Thus, every person, whether natural or juridical, resident or non-resident, who trans fers or causes to transfer property by gift, whether in trust or otherwise, whether the gift is direct or indirect and whether the property is real or personal, tangible or intangible shall be liable for the donor’s tax.

While donation or gift is generally subject to donor’s tax, the Tax Code also provides some exemptions from the imposition of said tax. Examples of the donations/gifts exempt from the donor’s tax are those enumer ated in Section 101 of the Tax Code, such as gifts made to the govern ment, educational and/or charitable, religious, cultural or social welfare corporation, institution, accred ited nongovernment organization, trust or philanthropic organization or research institution or organiza tion. There are just some prescribed conditions or requirements for the donations to some of these agencies/ institutions to be qualified as exempt from the donor’s tax.

Aside from the donations to the agencies/institutions specifically enumerated in the Tax Code which may be exempted from tax, there are also other donations made to cer tain institutions which are likewise exempt from the imposition of do nor’s tax by way of express provision provided under the charter creating such institution.

Following the current provisions of the Tax Code, the exemption from donor’s tax is dependent on the sta tus of the donee, not on the status of the donor. Hence, to determine whether the donation is exempt from donor’s tax or not, it is neces sary to determine whether the do nee falls under any of the qualified exempt donees as enumerated in the Tax Code or under special laws. In a number of rulings issued by the BIR, it has been ruled that a taxexempt donee who later on donates the same property donated to it to a non-exempt donee shall be liable for donor’s tax pursuant to Section 98 of the Tax Code.

So, while donations to qualified donee agencies/institutions may be exempt from the donor’s tax, the donation by that same donee insti tution does not necessarily exempt

Mangun.

. .

Continued from A14

a high at 4 percent, trading now at about 3.75 percent. Even the local stock market has seen a move in those 16 weeks from PSEi 6.2k to 6.9k to 5.7k.

While traders want and need price volatility, it comes with a definite indication of lack of confidence in governments, valid market price discovery, and the relative purpose of the universe.

The world is entering a crisis in confidence. First, we had the Covid

the donation from the donor’s tax.

In other words, it is the qualification of a donee institution that exempts the donation made to it from donor’s tax. A donor cannot use its own ex emption for the exemption of its own donation. The donation made by a qualified donee institution may only be exempt from the donor’s tax if the recipient of such donation is likewise a qualified exempt donee agency/organization/institution.

A question to ask: Are donations and financial assistance given to the victims of calamities or disasters subject to donor’s tax?

Apparently, the recipients, who are victims of calamities, are indi viduals who would receive such do nations in their individual capacity. As such, they do not fall under any of the instances enumerated in the Tax Code that may qualify them as exempt donees. Neither do they fall under any of the instances based on special laws where exemption from donor’s tax could possibly be invoked.

The individual recipients of the gifts or donations cannot therefore be considered as exempt donees under the provisions of our present tax laws. It is unfortunate that there is no tax-exemption provision of the Tax Code that may be invoked.

This, I think, is a vacuum in our tax laws that should be filled-up. While it is my view that these gifts given to victims of calamities are ex empt from donor’s tax, there seems to be no clear legal basis under our present tax laws. In this country, we have so many organizations which have been established for the sole purpose of giving aids and assistance to victims of calamities with the sole objective of giving the victims hope to regain life. Unfortunately, there is no precedent to justify tax exemp tion simply because the acts are done in the furtherance of the purposes to which these entities have been established.

It helps therefore that this be considered in our legislations to avoid any tax issue arising from the liberality of well-meaning citizens of helping the unfortunate victims of calamities. This will likewise encourage more able citizens to do their share of helping those in dire need of help.

The author is a partner of Du-Baladad and As sociates Law Offices (BDB Law), a member-firm of WTS Global.

The article is for general information only and is not intended, nor should be construed as a substi tute for tax, legal or financial advice on any specific matter. Applicability of this article to any actual or particular tax or legal issue should be supported therefore by a professional study or advice. If you have any comments or questions concerning the ar ticle, you may e-mail the author at rodel.unciano@ bdblaw.com.ph or call 8403-2001 local 140.

crisis, which spawned the Energy Crisis, and now we are entering the Currency Crisis phase. The Era of Volatility is the byproduct of a col lapse in confidence.

A collapse in confidence means that you are not sure which side of the trade to go on and to stay on, Buying or Selling. If you are unsure about the future, you are unsure how to plan for and take advantage of it. That is not good.

E-mail me at mangun@gmail.com. Follow me on Twitter @mangunonmarkets. PSE stock-market information and technical analysis provided by AAA Southeast Equities Inc.

ATthe beginning of this century, the Medium-Term Phil ippine Development Plan (MTPDP) had recognized the need to provide risk protection to the poor. This document stressed that “protecting the poor and the vulnerable groups is im perative in winning the battle against poverty.” It likewise called for the involvement of the private sector in the provision of services and other assistance to our impoverished population through innovative and sustainable models that will be affordable to them.

Thus, between 2005 and 2006, the seed of microinsurance was planted to complement microfinance and microentrepreneurship. The former provides lessons on how to start mi crobusiness while the latter focuses on how to access funds or capital to start up the business. The trinity is completed with microinsurance se curing the business and covering the losses when contingencies occur.

Under the new Insurance Code of 2013 (RA 10607), Microinsurance was incorporated and defined in the law. Section 187 thereof defines Mi croinsurance as “a financial product or service that meets the risk pro tection needs of the poor where: (a) the amount of contributions, premi ums, fees or charges, computed on a daily basis, does not exceed 7.5 per cent of the current daily minimum wage rate for non-agricultural work ers in Metro Manila; and (b) the maximum sum of guaranteed ben efits is not more than 1,000 times of the current minimum wage rate for non-agricultural workers in Metro Manila.” Microinsurance is our poor people’s shield against the various risks that confront them in their daily living. Losses arising from death, accident, sickness, injury and disasters can wreck the family’s finances. Unforeseen expenses can cause serious economic dislocation to a family that can hardly afford food, clothing, medicine and shel ter to its members. The premium required to purchase or maintain a

Microinsurance cover is not much but it is significant to an ordinary minimum wage earner. Our poor can hardly afford the cost of social security programs provided by both the government and the private sectors. Likewise, our government lacks the resources to extend to its citizens a sustained social security provisions free of charge. Our hap less victims of calamities and the low-salaried workers cannot rely solely on dole-outs from the govern ment and food rations from com munity pantries for survival. The cash “ayuda” the government gives to the destitute and the unemployed who suffer most during inflation or the hapless victims of disasters who barely earn a living is hardly suffi cient to give them sustenance for a week. Microinsurance can provide them bigger benefit and longer protection and, most importantly, it does not promote a mendicant policy which destroys a man’s self esteem and dignity.   Microinsurance is taxed at the rate of 25 percent to 27.5 percent of the premium paid, if the micro insurance policy is sold by a nonlife insurer. The tax is broken down into: 12.5 percent DST, 12 percent EVAT, and 0.5 percent local govern ment tax. The cost would be signifi cantly lower and more affordable to the insured if no tax is imposed. A considerable portion of the pre mium amount goes to tax instead of getting a Microinsurance policy

Microinsurance is taxed at the rate of 25 percent to 27.5 percent of the premium paid, if the mi croinsurance policy is sold by a non-life insurer. The tax is broken down into: 12.5 percent DST, 12 percent EVAT, and 0.5 percent local government tax. The cost would be significantly lower and more affordable to the insured if no tax is imposed.

with more comprehensive coverage and benefits. Removing the taxes will make the product more attrac tive. The exemption should likewise apply to Microinsurance sold by life insurance companies although they are subject to lower rates of premium tax and DST. However, Microinsur ance policies sold by the Mutual Ben efit Associations (MBAs) and purely cooperative insurance companies or associations are not subject to tax. The taxes imposed on non-life companies are onerous and discrimi natory. They don’t create an evenplaying field among Microinsurance players which have a common noble objective of extending financial secu rity and risk protection to the needy and the underserved.

Thus, it’s not surprising that the volume of Microinsurance both in number of persons covered and premiums written by non-life in surance companies are much lower compared to the Microinsurance production of the MBAs and the life companies. Based on 2020 Microin surance statistics, the latest official figures available from the Insurance Commission, the total number of persons covered by MBAs and the life companies are 27,996,091 and 15,752,5167, respectively. Non-life companies, on the other hand, have only covered 6,240,110 persons. Notably, the numbers for both the MBAs and the life have steadily in creased over the years while that of the non-life has decreased by 28.88 percent in 2020 (6,240,110) com pared to 2019 (8,774,453). The same trends apply in Net Premiums writ ten. In 2020, MBAs posted P4.475 billion and life hit P2.6312 billion

Pope slams treatment of migrants as 2 Italians become saints

By Colleen Barry & Luigi Navarra | The Associated Press

in net premiums. Non-life earned P916 million, which was lower than its 2019 net premium production of P1.2 billion. Even if we add up the Microinsurance production of life companies, the total taxable amount is not significant and would hardly make a dent in our revenue collec tion. The amount of tax to be for gone from Microinsurance would not be considerable but it would go a long way in promoting Microinsur ance. It would save the government billions of pesos in providing aid to calamity victims who have become too dependent on welfare.

Non-life, aside from the tradition al casualty and liability insurance and accident, can do Health Micro insurance and Agricultural Microin surance. Health and agriculture are two of the most urgent priorities that confront our country at present. The lessons of the pandemic have made every Filipino conscious of their health and the looming food inse curity has made agriculture a major concern. Undeniably, these are two critical areas where Microinsurance can play a major role. Small farmers can be protected by parametric-based or index-based insurance, which non-life microinsurers can provide. Health Microinsurance products can also be provided by MBAs, co operatives insurance societies and HMOs, aside from the life and nonlife companies.

It is our common dream to achieve an inclusive and sustain able program to protect our lowincome population. Microinsur ance is a mechanism to secure the lives, property and livelihood of the poor—an effective measure to reduce poverty. Unless we make Microinsurance affordable to our masses, such a dream remains elu sive and illusory. Recently, we have launched an initiative to abolish taxes on Microinsurance to make it inexpensive. We have written to Congress to enact the necessary legislation to make Microinsurance within the reach of our people with meager income. It is not too much to ask our legislators to remove the taxes on Microinsurance if their hearts truly beat for the poor.

VATIcAN

cITY—Pope Francis on Sunday denounced europe’s indifference toward migrants risking their lives to cross the Mediterranean Sea as he elevated to sainthood an Italian bish op and Italian-born missionary whose work and life paths illustrated the difficulties faced by 19th century Italian emigrants.

Francis departed from prepared remarks to slam Europe’s treatment of migrants as “disgusting, sinful and criminal.” He noted that people from outside the continent are often left to die during perilous sea cross ings or pushed back to Libya, where they wind up in camps he referred to as “lager,” the German word referring to Nazi concentration camps.

He also recalled the plight of Ukrainians fleeing war, which he said “causes us great suffering.”

“The exclusion of migrants is scandalous,’’ Francis said, generating applause from the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the canoniza tions of Don Giovanni Battista Scal abrini, an Italian bishop who founded an order to help Italian emigrants in 1887, and Artedime Zatti, an Italian who emigrated in 1897 to Argentina and dedicated his life as a lay-worker there to helping the sick.

“Indeed, the situation of migrants is criminal. They are left to die in

front of us, making the Mediter ranean the largest cemetery in the world. The situation of migrants is disgusting, sinful, criminal. Not to open the doors to those who are in need. No, we exclude them, we send them away to lager, where they are exploited and sold as slaves.”

He urged the faithful to consider the treatment of migrants, asking: ‘’Do we welcome them as brothers, or do we exploit them?”

The pontiff said the two new saints “remind us of the importance or walking together.”

Francis said Scalabrani showed “great vision,’’ by looking forward “to a world and a Church without barri ers, where no one was a foreigner.” And the pontiff called Zatti “a living example of gratitude” who devoted his life to serving others after being cured of tuberculosis.

Scalabrini founded the Mission aries of Saint Charles Borromeo, known as the Scalabrian Fathers,

and the Missionary Sisters of Saint Charles Borromeo Scalabrians, to minister to the many Italians who left their homeland due to what he wrote were the combined effects of an agricultural crisis, social change, a poorly managed economy, exorbitant taxation and “the natural desire to improve one’s condition.”

Disturbed by statistics on Italian emigration that swelled to 84,000 in 1884 alone, Scalabrini wrote that the mass emigration and separation of families would “help strew white the lands of America with their bones.”

He died in 1905 in Piacenza, where he was bishop, and was beati fied in 1997 by St. John Paul II. Pope Francis dispensed with the canoniza tion requirement of Scalabrini hav ing a miracle attributed to him after his beatification.

The order he founded currently operates 176 missions around the world, including 27 migrant shel ters and 20 schools and centers for children.

Francis, himself the son of Ital ian immigrants to Argentina, has recalled being inspired by Zatti’s life while he was Jesuit provincial supe rior in Argentina, saying the number of men entering the Catholic order increased after he prayed for the late

bishop’s intercession.

Zatti was one of eight children born to a farming couple in northern Italy that emigrated to Argentina in 1897 when he was a teenager.

After entering the Salesian order at age 20, Zatti fell ill with tuberculosis and was sent to a Salesian-run hospital in northern Patagonia to be treated. He made a vow to serve the sick and poor for the rest of his life, if he recovered. Zatti went on to work in the same hospital for 40 years, working as a nurse, in the pharmacy, and later as an administrator.

His fame for treating the ill at tracted the sick from all over Pata gonia. Zatti was known to travel the city of Viedma with his bicycle with a medical case to help the sick. The pontiff on Sunday also recalled an oc casion when Zatti was seen removing a dead patient on his own shoulders from the hospital, to prevent the sick from seeing the body.

Zatti died in 1951, and was be atified in 2002. Paving the way for canonization, Francis signed the decree recognizing Zatti’s interces sion in the healing of a man in the Philippines who had suffered a brain bleed. Barry reported from Milan. Francesco Sportelli in Rome and Gianfranco Stara in Vati can City contributed.

the enhanced mobility that allowed hotels, resorts and airlines to in crease their operations and employ more workers.

Per the data of the Philippine

Statistics Authority, the unemploy ment rate eased to 5.3 percent in August from 8.1 percent a year ago, with the number of jobless individu als dropping by more than a million from 3.9 million to 2.7 million dur ing the period.

The economic reopening will en sure that recovery will be sustained

and our targets will be achieved. Con sumer spending is now on a rebound and will likely peak in December, sup ported by the release of the manda tory 13th month pay and the optional bonuses to over 30 million govern ment and private sector employees.

With greater mobility to consum ers, more micro-, small- and medium-

enterprises are expected to be back on their feet and employ additional workers. The outlook for the fourth quarter, thus, is promising.

You can count on it.

For comments, send e-mail to mbv_secretar iat@vistaland.com.ph or visit www.mannyvillar. com.ph

MERALCO BILLS

SEE

LECTRICITY rates will go down this month by almost P15 in the total bill of those with an average monthly consumption of 200 kilowatt hour (kWh), the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) an nounced Monday.

E

The overall rate for a typical household went down by P0.0737 to P9.8628 from P9.9365 per kWh last month. For a residen tial customer consuming 300 kWh, the reduction is equivalent to almost P22 less in their total electricity bill, P29 for 400kWh, and P37 for 500 kWh.

The overall rate for October was pulled down by a P0.0619 per kWh reduction in the Feedin-Tariff Allowance (FIT-All).

Starting October this year, the approved FIT-All collection is P0.0364 per kWh, down from P0.0983 per kWh previously implemented.

The generation charge also went down by P0.0201 to P6.9192 from P6.9393 per kWh in September, on the back of lower costs from Meralco’s sup ply contracts.

Charges from Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and Pow er Supply Agreements (PSAs) decreased by P0.5073 and P0.0702 per kWh, respectively. The reduced use of more expen sive alternative fuel by the First Gas-Sta. Rita and San Lorenzo plants and increased plant uti lization of IPPs and PSAs more than offset the impact of the steep depreciation of the Peso in September. Dollar-denominated costs accounted for 98 percent of IPP and 38 percent of PSA charges.  IPPs and PSAs covered 47 percent and 49 percent, respec

tively, of Meralco’s energy re quirement for the period.

The lower IPP and PSA charg es more than offset higher charg es from the Wholesale Electric ity Spot Market (WESM), which rose by P4.8128 to P11.9990 per kWh due to tight supply condi tions in the Luzon grid. Both de mand and capacity on outage in creased, and the grid was placed on Red Alert on September 12. Spot market prices remained persistently high throughout the September supply month, such that the secondary price cap was triggered in 55.16 percent of the total trading intervals, compared with only 4.7 percent in August.

During the September supply month, Meralco sourced only 4 percent from the WESM, from 10 percent in August.

Transmission, taxes, and oth er charges for residential custom ers registered a slight upward net adjustment of P0.0083 per kWh.

Pass-through charges for generation and transmission are paid to the power suppliers and the system operator, re spectively, while taxes, univer sal charges, and FIT-All are all remitted to the government.

Distribution utilities like Meralco only earn from distri bution, supply, and metering charges. Meralco’s charges went down by P0.0360 per kWh for a typical residential customer beginning August 2022. Prior to this adjustment, charges were unchanged since the reduction in July 2015. The ongoing distri bution-related refunds, equiva lent to a total of P1.8009 per kWh for residential customers, also continue to temper custom ers’ monthly bills. Lenie Lectura

PHL tourism budgetis lowest in Asean

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

TOURISM stakeholders are asking lawmakers to increase the budget of the Depart ment of Tourism (DOT) for 2023 in light of the sector’s massive contri butions to the economy.

In a statement sent to the Busi nessMirror , Jose C. Clemente III, president of the Tourism Congress of the Philippines (TCP) said: “We call on the Senate and the House of Representatives to look into increasing the DOT’s budget com mensurate/proportional to the tourism industry’s actual contribu tion to the national economy.”

He added, “It has been proven, especially by our Asean neighbors, that tourism can undoubtedly be an economic powerhouse if the proper resources are given to it. The Philip pines was a rising star prior to the pandemic and can continue to be so with the proper programs and funding to support it.”

Lawmakers were stunned at the low budget the DOT is receiving despite the tourism industry’s sub stantial contribution to the econo my. According to Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco, other Asean countries’ tourism ministries receive almost double or triple the Philip pines’s budget especially for mar keting and promotions: Indonesia, US$645 million; Malaysia, $358 mil lion; Singapore, $376 million;  and Thailand, $111 million, versus the Philippines’s measly $59 million.

Improvement needed

P3.57-billion

DOE races to fill power gaps to avert outages in summer

By Lenie Lectura @llectura

THE Department of Energy (DOE) expects 17 yellow and three red alert warnings in May and June next year, mainly on account of thin power reserves in the Luzon grid.

“But for 2023, the situation is a bit difficult especially in the sum mer months, and the scenario again assumes that the Ilijan plant will not be available.  It shows several yellow alerts and possibly of red in 2023,” said DOE Secretary Raphael Lotilla during the 2022 EJAP-MVP Infrastructure forum.

Based on the DOE’s Luzon power outlook for 2023, with forced out age scenario and exclusion of Ilijan power plant, the agency’s simula tion showed the occurrence of 17 yellow alerts and three red alerts in 2023. The red alerts are seen to occur in May and June, as capac ity will fall below the operational margin given lack of reserves in the grid.

“This usually falls in May and June because hydro plants in Lu zon are unable to deliver at this particular point. So, these are the

ones we are attending to with a sense of urgency and which is to plan for how to bridge this par ticular gap,” said Lotilla. “There is the hope that some natural gas fa cilities can come onstream before this, but even without this we have to plan for other contingency,” he added.

Among others, Lotilla encour aged power industry stakeholders to put up their own-use facilities, more renewable energy (RE) proj ects, and address transmission problems.

To improve the supply situation in the Luzon grid and avoid any red alerts, Lotilla stressed that the transmission constraint from the Bataan power plants to the load center in Metro Manila should be addressed immediately through the improvement of system opera tions to maximize available plants,

NGCP’s (National Grid Corporation of the Philippines) timely comple tion of transmission projects and identification of specific segments where government is the cause of delay and provision of necessary interventions.

With these measures, Lotilla said the additional 668 MW GN Power Dinginin and other power plants in the pipeline in Bataan will be able to supply the needs of the Luzon grid.

Visayas grid

FOR the 2023 power outlook in the Visayas grid, the agency’s simula tion result shows power supply will be sufficient during the afternoon peak in the first half of 2023. In the second half, there are still no power outages, but thin reserve is anticipated with a possibility of yellow alerts.

Additionally, Visayas grid has adequate reserves for the evening peak throughout the first half of 2023. However, as the operating margin falls below the required reg ulating and contingency reserves, there will be tight supply in the second half, with a high possibility of yellow and red alerts.

It should be noted that during evening, the Luzon grid has an ex cess capacity that can be exported to Visayas via HVDC (high voltage direct current) to fill the region’s supply deficiency and avoid outages.

In the Mindanao grid, there is

excess power supply with its op erating margin much higher than the required dispatchable reserve. Similar to 2022, the Mindanao grid will still have surplus capacity for 2023 even after considering the forced outages.

The country’s committed power projects total 8,864.29 MW as of July this year. Coal accounts for the highest at 4,488 MW (50.6 percent) followed by natural gas at 3,500 MW (39.5 percent). Renewablebased committed power projects total 834 MW (9.4 percent).

For Luzon, committed power projects total 8,081.56 MW. On a per power project basis, coal (3,948.40 MW or 48.9 percent) and natural gas (3,500 MW or 43.3 per cent) aggregately combine for 92.2 percent (7,448.40 MW) of the total committed capacity. Meanwhile, RE-based power projects total 622.12 MW.

Committed power projects in the Visayas—primarily coal-based plants (270 MW) and RE-based power plants (101.60 MW)—total 391.27 MW. The coal power project is expected to commercially oper ate by 2024 and the RE-based ones, from 2022-2027.

For Mindanao, the total commit ted power projects from 2022-2027 is around 391.46 MW.

Coal (270 MW) and RE-based power projects (110.42) combine for 380.42 MW of the total com mitted capacity in the grid.

budget

committee “J,” chaired by Senator Nancy Binay, who also chairs the body’s Committee on Tourism.

(See,“Lawmakers seek more funds for tourism promotions; DOT to keep ‘fun’ slogan,” in the Busi nessMirror, October 10, 2022.)

“That probably explains the way they (Asean neighbors) mar ket their countries. [They’re] really advertising all over the world. But given the meager budget that we have, we can still improve a lot,” said Senator JV Ejercito, a member of the subcommittee.

At the hearing, Frasco said the DOT originally proposed a P12.2billion budget for 2023,  but the Department of Budget and Man agement (DBM), which prepares the annual National Expenditure Program, only approved P3.57 bil lion. Prior to the pandemic, the Phil ippines attracted a historic-high of 8.26 million foreign tourists in 2019, generating P482.15 billion in visitor receipts that same year. The industry accounted for 12.8 percent of the country’s local economic out put, or gross domestic product.

Happy with ‘fun’ slogan MEANWHILE , the TCP also ex pressed satisfaction at Frasco’s decision to retain the country’s marketing slogan, “It’s More Fun in the Philippines.”

Clemente said, “We’re happy with Secretary Frasco’s statement that she will be keeping the current slogan, ‘It’s More Fun in the Philippines.’ It has proven to be a potent marketing tool for the country and something not only our stakeholders, but even regu lar Filipinos, have bought into. It effec tively encapsulates what our country and our citizens are about.

Lawmakers on SIM law: Powerful tool vs fraud

LAWMAKERS on Monday said the days of “nefarious and fraudulent digital activities” aided by SIM are now numbered as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed into law the SIM Registra tion Act meant to protect Filipino consumers against scammers and identity thieves.

Speaker Martin G. Romualdez, Valenzuela Rep. Rex Gatchalian, Camarines Sur Rep. Lray Villa fuerte said the SIM Registration Act is a great first step toward the protection of the privacy of Filipi nos—now vulnerable to intrusion from unscrupulous individuals us ing personal data to either misrep resent, scam, or defraud consumers.

“This measure was approved in both the House and in the Senate, and President Marcos’s signature

on this very important piece of legislation only signifies his ad ministration’s recognition of the need to put in place measures that will protect Filipino consumers against cybercriminals and online scammers,” Romualdez said.

The clamor for the passage of a law on mandatory SIM registration mounted amid increasing reports of cell phone users, including sev eral lawmakers and government officials, who received unsolicited messages containing their personal details and asking them to click on a link to avail of certain services or transactions.

A similar measure was approved in the 18th Congress where Ro mualdez served as Majority Leader, but was vetoed by the previous ad ministration because of the inclu

sion of a provision calling for the mandatory registration of social media accounts.

The current version of the law does not contain such a provision.

The SIM Registration Act is based on House Bill (HB) No. 14 and Senate Bill (SB) No. 1310.

Romualdez is the principal au thor of HB No. 14, with Represen tatives Marcos of Ilocos Norte, and Yedda Marie K. Romualdez and Acidre, both of Tingog party-list as co-authors. It was consolidated with 15 other similar proposals filed before the House of Repre sentatives.

The SIM Registration Act seeks to regulate the sale and distribu tion of SIM cards; promote enduser accountability; prevent the proliferation of mobile phone scams

and data breaches; and assist law enforcement agencies in resolving crimes involving the use of mobile phone units.

Among the key provisions of the new law is the establishment of a system of registration of SIMs for all users by the submission of per tinent data electronically through a platform or website to be provided by the Public Telecommunication Entities (PTEs).

Under the new law, all SIMs for sale are in a deactivated state, and end-users are required to register their SIMs with the concerned PTE as a prerequisite to activation.

Existing SIM subscribers must also register with their respective PTEs within 180 days from the ef fectivity of the law.

LIVELIHOOD AID San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora

IT-BPM sector drives office space demand in Q3–report

Office demand registered in the third quarter reached 313,000 square meters, the highest quarterly level recorded since January 2020, according to a study by Leechiu Property consultants.

even when viewed against all the contractions which have consistently been led by the Philippine online gaming operators (POGOs) in the past two years, the Philippine of fice market still registered positive growth, said Mikko Barranda, the company’s director for commercial leasing.

From 2020 to year-to-date, of fice demand increased by 78 percent while contractions decreased by 31 percent.

Net demand for the year is at 314,000 square meters led by the IT-BPM sector which accounted for 222,000 square meters of net de mand in the past two years. Despite lockdowns and surges and various work arrangements, IT-BPMs posted over the same period a net demand of 513,000 square meters, representing a 7-percent increase in their footprint

which now registers at 7.5 million square meters.

For the nine months of the year, office space demand is now at 692,000 square meters, 27 percent higher than last year’s figure.

Office takeup by yearend will most likely hit the 750,000 to 800,000 square meter level due to notable live requirements now at 488,000 square meters. Live require ments are office transactions in vari ous stages.

Vacancies across Metro Manila are at 18 percent with contractions remaining at manageable levels.

“Contractions appear to have lev eled off and it feels like we are back to 2016 before POGOs hyper-charged the market beginning in 2017,” said David Leechiu, the company’s CeO.

In the past two pandemic years, the IT-BPM industry has leased

777,000 square meters or 48 per cent of total demand from 2020 to this year, amounting to 1.62 million square meters.

Capital values of key business districts have likewise remained resilient in the last two years even in the face of the pandemic.

Filinvest City has exhibited the highest growth in the past six years with a compounded annual growth rate of 23 percent. Its projected ac commodation value, or the price per square meter of buildable gross floor area, by year end is at P44,100 or an estimated 45 percent more than the 2020 figure. Compared with Bonifacio Global City by year end will be an estimated P113,000 per square meter or 15 percent more than 2020 figure.

In the residential segment, devel

opers seem to be more confident of better days ahead as shown by the number of new launches which has increased by 127 percent since the second quarter.

Leechiu said they saw a contin ued increase in residential lot prices in Cavite and Laguna with a prime subdivision showing a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15 percent over three years and another exhibiting a 12 percent increase over just eight months.

The completion of new infra structure north of Metro Manila and business expansion have also raised residential lot prices in Bu lacan, Pampanga and Bataan. First home lots in two subdivisions in Porac, Pampanga, for instance, have registered a CAGR of 16 percent over 8 years and 14 percent over 7 years.

‘SMC-Meralco deals yield lessons’

By Lenie Lectura @llectura

The Department of energy (DOe) said the termination of the power supply agree ments (PSAs) between San Miguel Corp. (SMC) and the Manila electric Co. (Meralco) after their joint peti tion for a temporary rate hike was denied by regulators should be con sidered as “a learning experience.”

When asked if the rules on the competitive selection process (CSP) will be amended by the DOe follow ing the concerns raised by the energy Regulatory Commission (eRC) and the petitioners led by Meralco, South Premiere Power Corp. (SPPC) and San Miguel energy Corp. (SMeC), Lotilla said there are other parties involved in administering the rules for the competitive auction.

“I think the CSP rules is not only governed by the policies of DOe but also by the regulatory requirement of the eRC, as well as those by pro mulgated by the distribution utili ties (DUs), including Meralco itself. So, this particular case is a learning experience for everyone,” he said.

After this, Lotilla said there is a need “to make a clear distinction” of the policy role of the DOe and the regulatory aspect of the eRC.

In so far as the fixed-rate term of the PSAs agreed upon by the par ties, Lotilla said Meralco and SMC should have included conditions that would still make the terms of their contracts viable amid changes in circumstances.

“As I have said, it’s a learning ex perience for everybody that if we provide for fixed-rate contacts then there must be other terms and con ditions that will make the contract implementable notwithstanding the highly volatile prices in the commodi ties market.

So, I am sure that if you have the two of the major private companies, which are engaged in power, that they will be intelligently analyzing the terms of reference of the con tracts that they have entered into and that moving forward we will both be benefiting from the lesson,” he said.

The approved PSAs of Meralco and SMC already include a change in circumstance clause, similar to force majeure provisions of other

contracts. SPPC claimed that the coal power plant in Sual, Pangasinan and SMeC’s natural gas-fired power plant in Ilijan, Batangas have incurred combined losses of P15 billion due to the soaring prices of coal. They said a temporary rate increase was needed to enable these plants to continue supplying power to Meralco.

SPPC and SMeC continue to op erate at a loss because the costs of operating their power plants have increased. Of the staggering losses of P15 billion, the companies have already absorbed more than P10 bil lion of the losses that were incurred last year.

however, the eRC denied their joint plea to adjust their previously approved power rates by P0.30 per kilowatt hour (kWh) over a period of six months. With this, SMC said it would terminate the PSAs with Meralco after 60 days from receipt of the eRC orders dated September 29. SPPC and SMeC said they received the eRC orders on October 3.

Once the termination of the PSAs take effect, SPPC and SMeC will have to sell its power in the Wholesale electricity Spot Market (W eSM) and

enter into bilateral contracts with other offtakers, the pricing of which will be market-based.

Under current W e SM rules, power plants that are able to oper ate need to offer their capacities to the market. If for example, SMC con tracts were terminated, it will have to sell at the spot market but likely at higher prices.

Meralco said SPPC and SMeC con tinued to supply power at the eRCapproved rates, albeit under protest.

“We would like to assure our cus tomers that we will exhaust all rem edies to prevent termination of the PSAs with SPPC and SMeC since we believe that preserving these con tracts will still be least-cost for our customers,” Atty. Jose Ronald V. Valles, Meralco FVP and Regulatory Management Office, said.

“Should SPPC and SMeC decide to pursue the contract termination, we will ensure continuity of stable, reliable and adequate supply for our customers by getting supply from other sources like the W eSM and other generation companies.”

Kazuo group: DOJ resolution lacks merit

By VG Cabuag @villygc

The group of Japanese ca sino mogul Kazuo Okada said they are unfazed by the recent resolution of the De partment of Justice (DOJ) which recommended the filing of grave coercion charges against them.

Rico Paolo R. Quicho, the Kazuo group’s newly-appointed spokes man, said the DOJ’s resolution “is totally bereft of any merit”.

“The Kazuo Okada group re

mains unfazed amidst this minor setback since there are sufficient legal remedies to question and re verse the said erroneous decision by the Department of Justice rec ommending the charge of grave coercion,” he said.

“Chairman Kazuo Okada has always firmly believed that ‘the Justice system in the Philippines works,’ and has said time and again—‘that justice will be served to those who always work within the bounds of the country’s legal system.”

The DOJ has found probable cause for the filing of grave coer cion charges in court against the group of Kazuo Okada for their takeover of Okada Manila in May.

In a 25-page resolution dated August 25 for the five separate complaints filed against the Ka zuo Group, the DOJ said probable cause has been established to file grave coercion charges against the defendants, mainly Kazuo, Antonio O. Cojuangco, Dindo A. e speleta and their lawyer Floren tino h errera III.

The other four charges such as direct assault, unjust vexation, kidnapping and serious illegal detention and slight physical in juries, were all dismissed.

The Kazuo Group stormed Oka da Manila on May 31 to physically takeover the integrated casino ho tel. They were armed with status quo ante order (SQAO) issued by the Supreme Court

The TRL e I group, which op erates the facility, has retaken management control of the casino earlier last month.

By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

The three telecommunica tions providers in the Philip pines lauded the government for enacting a SIM registration law, but each raised certain issues that need to be addressed to make this new law work in favor of consumers.

(See related story on bill’s signing into law on page A1.)

For one, Smart Communications Inc. VP and head of Regulatory Af fairs Roy D. Bay asked the govern ment for “more time to prepare for SIM registration.”

“There is a clamor from public telecommunication entities or PT es like Smart to be given more time to prepare and test its systems to en sure the safety of the information that will be collected from prepaid subscribers—as an information campaign on the SIM registration process will be launched and Smart will ensure to provide its prepaid customers a smooth and hassle-free experience upon registry of their SIMs,” he said.

Ibay said the industry-wide ef fort will have an immediate effect on “thousands of retailers and mil lions of Filipinos using telco services as well.”

For his part, Globe Telecom Inc. General Counsel Froilan M. Castelo said the law should be placed above a foundation made by a “verifiable and fool-proof identification system,” which will hinder subscribers from

submitting falsified identification documents.

“For this reason, our position has been clear from the beginning, a na tional ID system must be in place to ensure the safe and successful imple mentation of this new law,” he said.

Castelo added that the govern ment must look at global best prac tices in implementing the new SIM Registration bill, citing countries that utilize national ID systems that are considered as a “crucial source document for telcos to coun ter check IDs.”

“We support the passage of this measure after previous roadblocks and we are ready to comply. Aside from our advanced cyber security capabilities, we welcome a new regu latory environment that has stronger safeguards against cyber threats and other crimes carried out using mobile phones,” he said.

Dito Telecommunity Corp. Chief Technology Officer Rodolfo D. San tiago echoed Castelo’s statements, saying it will “greatly help if both the national ID system and the passport system will be used as the validation of the identity of the subscriber.”

“[T]he storage of biometrics data is assumed to be under the govern ment for security, data privacy and resource optimization. The major challenge I believe all telcos face is in the validation of identity,” he said.

All three telcos signified their in terest in participating in the crafting of the implementing rules and regu lations (IRR) of the new law.

‘Fool-proof ID system to ensure success of SIM registration law’ US tech curbs could cut growth of SMIC

US restrictions on China’s ac cess to advanced American technologies could slash growth of the country’s largest chip maker by half next year, Bloomberg Intelligence estimates.

Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC) could see 2023 sales growth 50 percent lower than he previously expected, as the latest export curbs hamper its capacity buildup, analyst Charles Shum wrote on Monday. Roughly 48 percent of SMIC’s capacity to be in stalled by next year will require gear

from US tool makers such as Lam Re search Corp. and Applied Materials Inc., he said.

The estimate is based on Shum’s calculations of SMIC’s affected ca pacity and don’t include the impact of price fluctuations or utilization levels. China’s largest contract chip manufacturer by sales had been pro jected to grow overall revenue more than 38 percent in 2022 and about 5 percent in 2023, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Its shares fell as much as 5.2 percent in hong Kong on Monday. Bloomberg News

Buildings tower above Ayala Avenue in Makati’s central business district in this BusinessMirror file photo. NoNie Reyes

Banking&Finance

BTr raises nearly ₧4B from auction of T-bills

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

THE national government again fell short of raising its target amount of P15 billion at Mon day’s auction of Treasury bills (T-bills) as investors continued to ask for rates at the upper end of the benchmark.

for the 364-day T-bill.

The lackluster result marked the second consecutive month that the government struggled to borrow its intended amount from the domestic market. However, National Treasurer Rosalia V. De Leon said the national government still has sufficient el bow room to reject “unreasonable” bids given its “good” revenue per formance.

“Given good revenue perfor mance, [we] have latitude to reject should we find rates not reason able,” De Leon told reporters after the auction.

BTr data showed that the 91-T-

Bill offer was oversubscribed as in vestors tendered a total amount of P7.58 billion.

However, the Treasury only awarded P1.27 billion as rates av eraged at 3.819 percent, which is 63.8-basis points (bps) higher than the 3.181-percent secondary market rates pegged by BVAL.Bids for the 91-day security ranged from a low of 3.6 percent to a high of 4.25 percent.

For the 182-day security, the Trea sury awarded P2.695 billion, a little above half of its P5-billion offer.

BTr data showed that the yield for the 182-day T-bill averaged 4.415 percent as rates ranged from a low of

4 percent to a high of 4.65 percent.

The Treasury did not award any 364-day T-bills as bid rates were high er by as much as 227.8 bps than the 3.847 percent secondary market rate.

Investors asking rates for the 364-day T-bills ranged from 4.064 percent to 6.125 percent.

The Treasury received P3.081-bil lion worth of offers for the 364-day government security. The Treasury had wanted to raise P5 billion from the 364-day T-bills.

Last week, the Treasury rejected all bids for its P15-billion T-bills offering as rates remain elevated making them “untenable” for the

national government. (Related story: https://businessmirror. com.ph/2022/10/04/high-bidrates-for-t-bills-untenable-fortreasury/)

This month, the Philippine gov ernment aims to raise P200 billion from debt papers. The amount covers P60-billion worth of T-bills and P140 billion-worth of Treasury bonds to be auctioned off next month.

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

Six questions to ask yourself when choosing an investment New talks on China loan finalized by Q1 2023–DOTr

THERE are hundreds of invest ments out there. But which one is the best? How do you choose the right investment for you?

When deciding where to invest, I normally use a goals-based strategy, which I also refer to as the matching principle.

Simply: low-risk investments for short-term goals, moderate-risk in vestments for medium-term goals and high-risk investments for longterm goals.

For instance, if I’d like to invest my travel fund for next year, then I’ll put the money in a time deposit or money market fund. But if it’s for my retirement, then it’s definitely going to an equity fund or the stock market.

‘HEROES’ approach

ON the other hand, a more detailed strategy of the matching principle is the “HEROES” approach, which I recently learned from a financial advisor friend.

The framework considers six things to determine where an indi vidual should invest: their invest ment Horizon, investing E xperi ence, R isk appetite, investment Ob jectives, E xpected returns and the financial Situation of the investor.

Given this acronym, these are the six questions you should ask yourself when choosing an investment.

1. What is my investment ho rizon?

YOUR investment horizon is the length of time that you expect to keep your investment. In other words, how long are you planning to stay invested? When are you hoping to finally use the money?

Investments typically have hold ing periods, or a length of time when you cannot take out your money. So for instance, if you plan to use your money next year, then investing in a 3-year corporate bond is not an option. You are not investing for in vesting’s sake. You will eventually want to spend your money and the question is when.

2. How much is your investing experience?

ECONOMIES and markets are unpredictable. Lack of investing ex perience can easily make you fearful and anxious when things go bad. So it’s important to choose investments that match your level of experience.

If you’re new to investing, then avoid complex instruments such as derivatives and cryptocurrencies. Instead, go for beginner-friendly in vestments first, such as pooled funds.

Later, as you gain more experience and learn about different securities, you can eventually put money in sav vier investments.

3. How much is your risk ap petite?

RISK appetite refers to the amount of risk you’re willing to ac cept.

Are you prepared to lose all your money in an investment? If not, what’s the maximum amount that’s acceptable to you?

People can become very emotional when it comes to money. Some would panic when they see red (negative) numbers in their portfolio, even if it’s just paper loss. That’s why it’s crucial

to be aware of your risk tolerance.

If you hate worrying and you’re afraid to lose a lot of money, then you should probably choose more stable and less volatile investments.

4. What are your investment objectives?

YOUR investment objectives are your financial goals. To put it in an other way, what are you hoping to achieve from investing?

Do you simply want to preserve the value of your money and beat in flation? Or are you hoping to prepare for your child’s college education? Or perhaps, you’re actually looking to create passive income? Then you can invest in a money market fund, an equity fund and a real estate rental property, respectively.

Remember that investments have different characteristics and behav iors. They can also have different benefits and advantages. Invest in in struments that meet your objectives.

5. How much are your expected returns?

ONE invests not to simply have more money but to have enough money to afford your goals.

We all have things that we want to buy, want to do and want to achieve in life. And the reality is these things cost money. But, fortunately, invest ments can help us raise the cash we need to fund our dreams.

Choosing an investment includes asking if that investment can give us the returns we need.

6. What is your financial situ ation?

SAVING and investing can be considered as using your present in come for future expenses. However, if your present income is just enough for your present expenses, then it doesn’t make much sense to invest.

That’s why a person’s financial situation is an essential factor when choosing an investment. A person’s cash flow, sources of income and fi nancial stability affect one’s invest ment options. And sometimes, in stead of investing, it’s a better idea to first give time and effort to learning how to save and earning more money.

Final words

EVEN after answering these ques tions, you could still find yourself with many viable investment op tions. When this happens, then sim ply choose one and not worry about making a wrong choice because there aren’t any at this point.

Besides, investing is not some thing that you do only once. It is a habit that you learn and do regularly for years. So, there will be plenty of opportunities to rebalance and re consider your investment choices.

Fitz Villafuerte is a registered financial planner of RFP Philippines. To learn more about personalfinancial planning, attend the 98th RFP program this October. To inquire, e-mail info@rfp.ph or text at 0917-6248110.

By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

T

HE Department of Trans portation (DOTr) expects to finalize the loan renegotia tions with the Chinese government for three massive railway projects within the early parts of 2023, as it aims to strengthen the railway sec tor as demand for mass transport continues to pick up.

During a forum hosted by the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines (Ejap), Transpor tation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista said he met with Chinese Ambas sador Huang Xilian “who agreed to restart negotiations for the funding of other train projects.”

To recall, loan agreements for the Philippine National Railways (PNR) South Long Haul Project, Subic-Clark Railway and the Mind anao Railway lapsed in June without being drawn.

As such, the loan facilities were deemed initially cancelled. But the governments of the Philippines and China are now renegotiating to revive

Department of transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista (fourth from right) poses with members of the board

ect, otherwise known as the PNR Bicol Line, is envisioned to be a 560-kilometer standard-gauge rail way project that runs between Ma nila and Albay with an extension line in Sorsogon and a branch line in Batangas.

The Subic-Clark Railway Proj ect, meanwhile, involves the con struction of a 71-kilometer freight railway that will connect the Subic Bay Freeport Zone (SBFZ) and Clark Freeport Zone (CFZ), providing a rail way link between the Port of Subic Bay (PSB) and Clark International Airport (CRK).

Lastly, the first phase of the Min danao Railway Project is proposed to be a 100-kilometer railway that runs between Tagum and Digos, linking Davao del Norte, Davao City and Digos City with its eight stations.

the debt agreements.

“We have started working with the Department of Finance…about renewing the line,” Bautista said.

SEC approves PHL’s 1st corporate-debt vehicle

By VG Cabuag @villygc

THE Securities and Exchange Commission has authorized Atram Unitized Corporate Debt Vehicle Inc. to act and operate as a corporate debt vehicle (CDV), marking the introduction of such an investment product into the Philip pine capital market.

In its meeting last October 6, the Commission En Banc approved the company’s application to act and op erate as a closed-end investment com pany. The regulator also confirmed Atram Unitized’s offering of 50 billion units of participation as an exempt transaction, subject to its compliance with certain remaining requirements.

The confirmation of exemption from registration covers the offering of Atram Unitized CDV’s first unit class, Atram Unitized Corporate Debt Fund 1 (ACDF-1), comprising up to one bil lion units of participation at the offer price of P1 per unit. The ACDF-1 shall be primarily offered to qualified buy ers under private placements within six months from the commencement date, with a term of two years from the issue date and for a minimum initial investment of P1 million.

ATR Asset Management Inc. will serve as the company’s fund manager, principal distributor, transfer agent and service provider.

Incorporated in 2021, Atram Unit ized was the first investment company to apply as a CDV under the rules on CDVs issued through SEC Memoran dum Circular 23 (series of 2020). The new investment vehicle is intended to support the liquidity needs of large and medium-sized corporations in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.

A CDV is a closed-end investment company that issues or offers for sale its securities consisting of either shares of stock or units of participation in such CDV to any number of qualified buyers and/or non-qualified buyers not exceeding 19 persons in the Phil ippines during any 12-month period with the specific objective of investing in the corporate debts of large corpora tions and medium-sized enterprises.

Proceeds from the issuance of CDV securities should be invested in bonds, notes, commercial papers, debentures and other evidence of indebtedness, whether secured or unsecured, of large corporations and medium-sized enter prises operating or deriving income in the Philippines.

CDVs are exempt from registration requirements prescribed by Republic Act 8799, or the Securities Regulation Code. However, such exemption must still be confirmed or approved by the SEC, together with the submission of a simplified prospectus and product highlight sheet.

“We are preparing for it. We have a team that’s working on the possible reimplementation of the projects.”

The PNR South Long Haul Proj

“We’re expecting to finalize the loan maybe early next year. Hope fully, we make it as early as possible or sometime in the first quarter of 2023,” he said. “It’s a matter of get ting the contractor and finalize the contract with them.”

SSS explains anew 2021 net loss, cites ₧28B gain

THE Social Security System (SSS) last Monday reiterated that the accounting net loss shown in its 2021 audited financial statements is primarily due to the presentation of policy reserves in its balance sheets, which does not affect its current cash flow and fund ing situation.

“In 2021, we recorded an P872billion change in policy reserves that caused a comprehensive loss of P827 billion in our statement of comprehensive income,” SSS President and CEO Michael G. Regino was quoted as saying in a statement the pension fund issued last October 10. Regino said the in crease in policy reserves includes a P400-billion “Margin for Adverse Deviation,” or “MfAD.”

He defined the MfAD as “a onetime initial provision that serves as a buffer for conservatism.”

The SSS expects the increase in MfAD to be significantly lower in succeeding years, the statement read.

“We want to add that these policy reserves are not actual cash that went out of the SSS fund but are estimates of the reserves to cover future claims of our members,” Regino said. “If we are to look at our income versus ex penses without these policy reserves, we registered earnings of P28 billion

from our operations last year.”

The SSS statement said that the recognition of policy reserves, rep resenting Social Benefit Liabilities (SBLs) and MfAD, is in full compli ance with Philippine Financial Re porting Standards (PFRS) 4, which the SSS adopted starting with its 2020 financial statements.

According to the Commission on Audit’s (COA’s) 2021 Annual Financial Report for Government Corporations, the change in policy reserves, as required by PFRS 4, was recognized solely by the SSS. This contributed to SSS receiving an unmodified opinion from COA in 2021, which is the most favorable audit rating a government agency can receive.

“We assure our members and their beneficiaries that we remain financially viable in terms of provid ing benefits,” Regino said. “Our last published actuarial valuation shows that our fund life is projected to last until 2054.”

He added that the reason the SSS is recognizing these future li abilities “as early as now is for us to have a clearer view of our long-term financial standing that would guide us and the national government in making wise and informed decisions in managing our fund.”

names ex-AXA exec as new PHL CEO

THE Manufacturers Life Insurance Co. (Manulife) announced on Monday the appointment of Ra hul Hora as President and CEO of Man ulife Philippines, effective October 3.

With his Philippine posting, Hora becomes a member of Manulife’s Global Leadership Team, reporting directly to Manulife Emerging Markets General Manager Sachin N. Shah.

Hora is an award-winning insurance

industry veteran, with extensive experi ence in the Philippines and across Asia, a statement from Manulife read.

Shah was quoted in the statement as saying the firm’s executives “are pleased and excited” to have Hora join us to lead our next phase of growth in the Philip pines, a key Southeast Asian market where we’ve been for 115 years.

The executive added Hora’s “track record of leadership and wealth of ex

perience strengthens our execution and will accelerate helping more Filipinos live every day better.”

Hora was quoted in the statement as saying he is “proud to join [Manulife] at a point where we are taking our business to new heights, serving Filipinos’ health, protection, retirement and financial needs and maintaining a strong commit ment to developing innovative financial products and solutions that respond to

customers’ evolving protection needs.”

Before assuming his post in the Phil ippines, Hora served as an executive for one of India’s insurance firms where he held various sales and distribution lead ership positions across geographies. He later joined AXA SA where he held dis tribution roles at market and regional levels and most recently led their life and non-life insurance operations in the Philippines. Rizal Raoul Reyes

pERSOnal FinancE

Fitz Gerard Villafuerte

A

THE flagship GMA international channel has definitely outdone itself with its sold-out two-night anniversary concert in the US, headlined by Bea Alonzo, Ai-Ai de las Alas, Lani Misalucha, Julie Anne San Jose, rayver Cruz and Dingdong Dantes. The highly successful Together Again: A GMA Pinoy TV at 17 was held on September 24 and 25 at the Pechanga Theater, Pechanga resort Casino in Temecula, California.

After a three-year hiatus in the US concert scene, thousands of excited fans flocked to the venue for a night of singing, dancing, laughter and everything Pinoy.

Everyone was ecstatic the moment when multi-awarded actress Bea Alonzo stepped onto the GMA Pinoy TV stage. As her concert debut as a GMA star, she was greatly excited to perform for them. “Talagang naramdaman namin ang warmth ng inyong pagtanggap,” said Bea, thanking Pinoy fans. “Sana hindi pa po ito ang huli and sana po lagi kayong mag-iingat at lagi po kayong manood ng GMA shows sa GMA Pinoy TV,” she urged. She also invited the fans abroad to support her first GMA series, Start-Up PH with Alden richards.

Comedy Concert Queen Ai-Ai de las Alas, in turn, surprised the audience with her costumes and antics that made the experience unforgettable for them. “After so many years, nandito po kami para paligayahin kayo at sana po ay naging maligaya kayo kahit sa ilang oras lang na pagsasama natin. Mula sa kaibuturan ng aking puso, maraming salamat po sa lahat ng nanood at nakisama at sumali sa ating show,” she said.

On a more heartfelt note, the crowd also turned emotional as Lani Misalucha shared her health issues and her miraculous recovery leading up to the concert. With her timeless vocal prowess, the powerhouse singer rendered her new song “I’ll rise to the Top,” which is about how she overcame her health situation.

“Sana magkita-kita pa po tayo ulit sa mga susunod pa naming mga concert na gagawin. Talaga namang nakakasarap po sa damdamin na together again po tayo. We will see you again. Thank you so much for watching the show,” Lani said.

Julie Anne San Jose and rayver Cruz, collectively known as JulieVer, wowed the audience as they showcased how multi-talented they are individually and as a duo. The audience witnessed their on-screen chemistry from being the hosts of The Clash, mainstays in All-Out Sundays, and even on social media through their viral dance videos.

“Sa lahat po ng ating mga Kapuso at kababayan abroad, maraming salamat po sa inyong suporta. And of course, nandito lang kami para po sa inyo and we always want to bring you closer to home kaya po kami nandito. That’s why we have been doing these shows in different parts of the world. We are stronger together talaga kapag nagtutulungan tayo,” said Julie Anne, who stars in the GMA series Maria Clara at Ibarra. “Sa kabila ng mga pagsubok na dumaan, nandirito pa rin kayo para suportahan kami. Kaya ngayon, nandito naman kami para mag-give back ng isang napakagandang show para ma-feel good naman ’yung mga Kapuso natin dito sa states,” rayver added.

And speaking of kilig, no one was spared by Dingdong Dantes’s charm. The top leading man easily wooed the crowd as he serenaded them and even sang a duet with one of the audience members.

“We are happy to be here again finally. Pagkatapos ng ilang taon, we are together again. But this time, we are definitely stronger dahil ang dami po nating natutunan. Bukod sa na-miss namin kayo, sana na-miss nyo rin kami kaya babalik at babalik po kami,” he assured. Towards the end of the show, he gamely took selfies with fans and invited them to continue watching Family Feud and Amazing Earth.

GMA International first vice president and head of operations Joseph T. Francia has nothing but good words and gratitude for being together again with Global Pinoys.

“Thank you for your overwhelming support as we celebrate 17 colorful years with you. Thank you for making GMA Pinoy TV a part of your lives, for welcoming us into your homes, and into your internet-enabled devices.”

More information is available at www.gmapinoytv.com.

Actor tells jury Kevin Spacey abused him when he was 14

By Larry Neumeister & Tom Hays The Associated Press

n actor who’s accused Kevin Spacey of making a sexual advance on him as a 14-year-old recounted ew York city jury on Friday, testifying he felt helpless when Spacey nthony Rapp said on the second day of a civil trial in Manhattan. “I was pinned didn’t know what to do.”

n a halting voice, Rapp testified that the then26-year-old Spacey had invited him to a party at his Upper East Side apartment when both actors were starring on Broadway in 1986. He said after he wandered into a bedroom to watch tV and get away from adults, an intoxicated-looking Spacey joined him after the other guests had left.

Rapp said Spacey, after lifting him and laying him down on the bed, pressed the “full weight” of his chest and groin into him. He said he found a way to slip away and flee the apartment, but not before Spacey asked, “are you sure you want to leave?”

asked by his lawyer how he would respond to anyone who downplayed the severity of what happened, Rapp responded by describing himself as a frightened child trying to fend off a grown man.

He added: “i’m grateful that that 14-year-old boy had the wherewithal to get away. I’d also say he shouldn’t have gone through that in the first place.”

as Rapp, sometimes taking deep breaths, testified, Spacey wrote notes on a pad or sat with his hands folded. Rapp, 50, came forward with the accusation in 2017, when he was the first among others who largely shut down Spacey’s career with multiple claims of inappropriate touching or sexual advances.

at the time, Spacey was starring in netflix’s political thriller House of Cards. He’s also known for his role in the 1999 film American Beauty, which won him an academy award.

as a teenager, Rapp acted in films including Adventures in Babysitting. He was later part of the original Broadway cast of Rent, and is now a regular on

Ice on fire

Star Trek: Discovery on television. the trial’s first witness, andrew Holtzman, claimed Spacey made a similar move on him years earlier.

Holtzman, now 68, testified that he was working in his office at the new York Shakespeare Festival in the summer of 1981 when Spacey entered and sat at a spare desk used by actors and others who worked for the company of seven theaters.

Holtzman said Spacey didn’t say anything when he entered the office in a windbreaker, “tight blue jeans,” and carrying a leather shoulder bag, but he recalled knowing him because he’d seen his picture in the program for a play, Henry IV, in which Spacey was

performing at the time.

as he finished a telephone call, Holtzman stood up at his desk and a sexually aroused Spacey walked over to him, lifted him up by the crotch and put him on the desk, Holtzman recalled.

“What are you doing? get off of me!” he said he told Spacey. “i could feel his erection on my body,” Holtzman said. after a few more minutes, Spacey got off him, grabbed his windbreaker and bag and stormed from the office, Holtzman said.

Rapp is seeking $40 million in damages for the psychological injuries he says he sustained as a result of the encounter with Spacey. He will return to the witness stand when the trial resumes on tuesday. n

ACTOr Kevin Spacey (second from right) leaves court following proceedings in a civil trial on October 7, 2022, in New York, accusing him of sexually abusing a 14-year-old in the 1980s when he was 26. AP

Singer-actor Ice Seguerra is on a roll these days. He is celebrating his 35th year in the entertainment business, a major milestone for someone who turned 39 recently.

and because he is grateful for the many wonderful things happening in his life, he will be having a major concert at the theatre at Solaire on october 15. Billed as Becoming Ice, the anniversary cum birthday show will also bring together the many personalities that are special to Seguerra, who not only is headlining the show but will also be the stage director and a coproducer.

Seguerra reckons that both his personal and professional lives are intertwined, and that is why he was inspired to pursue the concept about his journey both as a person and as a musical artist, all the highs

and lows included, allowing his audience to connect and be one with him even just for a night.

“It will be a celebration. I will take the audience on a personal journey through songs and visuals that will form my musical narrative. I will be telling my story with the help of the special people I have invited to share the stage with me as we all perform carefully planned and selected numbers included in the show’s repertoire. In short, it will be a storytelling concert. It has been 10 years since i had a major show, that’s why i am on fire and my team is all so excited for this one.”

During a recent chat, Seguerra also reminisced about his 25th anniversary concert at the Big Dome. that time, the size of the venue mattered. the crowd was huge. But that was 10 years ago, and we all grow and evolve and become different persons from who we were in the past. that is why i chose the theatre at Solaire this time, because it won’t be the usual one song after another, or just a musical spectacle. the goal is to be deeper than that, the vision is to allow myself to be more vulnerable, even fragile, and more spontaneous in telling and sharing the story of my life and my journey. that way, the audience and my guests will get to have a stronger connection with me, the person and the artist.”

the guest performers for the concert this Saturday include Vic Sotto, Martin nievera, chito Miranda. Regine Velasquez, cooky chua, gary Valenciano,

Mobo’s ‘Biyaya ng Lupa’

Continued from B4

woman in a terno logo print.

a highlight of the collection is the joyful floral ternos, which Mobo calls “tropical ternos,” a term he coined during the pandemic, depicting an authentic island/ Pacific vibe.

it is a progression of his terno explorations when he was ensconced unwittingly in aklan, where he decided to photograph each of the dresses being worn by the local girls in their village.

“the tropical ternos collection is a modern take on our national dress, albeit more comfy and mainly made of printed cottons suitable for tropical and hotweather living. the pandemic has truly led me back to my island roots,” Mobo shares.

the series of high-fashion photographs

in an isolated setting were so striking that they got published in Vogue Australia and the British biannual, The WOW Magazine. Soon after, the tree-to-bar chocolate brand auro chocolate created a special box set “inspired by the delicate flavors of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao embodied by Mobo’s beautiful Filipina women in tropical ternos, draped in his iconic patterns and designs. they are called Si aida ng Luzon, Si Lorna ng Visayas, and Si Fe ng Mindanao.

In turn, the ternos he created while in lockdown evolved from his stint as a mentor in ternocon, a design convention/ competition which Bench spearheaded with the cultural center of the Philippines.

“I spent almost a whole year with the ccP and Bench in helping, training and mentoring young Filipino designers for ternocon from 2018 to 2019. We focused

Bayang Barrios, Juris, Princess Velasco, Sitti, and Lolita carbon.

the past 35 years have not been all smooth and Seguerra has even been vocal about those lowest, darkest periods. as far as he is concerned, his professional life has four important phases. “First was when i became an unexpected child star that immediately set the pace of my young life, and that phase lasted a long, long time. the second was when I lost my premium as a star, that phase when I went on a downward spiral and lost whatever little sparkle i had left as an artist. the third was my comeback, when the song ‘Pagdating ng Panahon’ opened all the doors, big and small, which led to the resurgence of my career. then the fourth just commenced recently, when I was given the opportunity to become a director for live events and shows, something that I was always secretly aspiring for and dreaming of.

I have even directed a documentary, something I consider a big deal!”

on the personal front, Seguerra has been happily married for almost 8 years to actress and Filipino film advocate Liza Diño, who just finished her amazing six-year stint as chairperson of the Film Development council of the Philippines. the couple recently put up their company, which they and their partners named Fire and ice Media and Productions inc., and this special concert Becoming Ice is their initial venture. n

mainly on reimagining and promoting the terno with the hopes of making it modern and relevant to younger Filipinos,” Mobo relates.

“Just a few months after the show in January 2020, the lockdown happened. I got stuck in the island where I grew up, trapped in my hometown, in one of the world’s longest and strictest coronavirus lockdowns. During this time it was almost impossible to do anything or go anywhere.

Every town had been closed down with military checkpoints,” he continues.

“So I decided to create and continue my personal experiments on the terno. i used every hour and second the lockdown gave me to reflect on my own heritage, local arts and history and weaving, and used those influences on my dresses,” Mobo says of how he kept sane and creative amid the

pandemic.

With the lifting of restrictions, Mobo is once again busy with his globetrotting lifestyle.

“I always promised myself to divide my time between London and the Philippines, so I will be doing a lot of traveling between places but it takes a lot of planning,” he says, adding, “I hope I could do something new next year, like write a book or write a song... something different maybe. i love a bit of challenge.”

For now, he is extremely happy with the wonderful harvest brought forth by the Masaganang Bukid collection.

Mobo muses: “We realized that we should celebrate life, connect with everything that truly matters like nature, connect with tradition, celebrate family, friends and loved ones, and eat healthy.” n

Upsilon Sigma Phi hosts self-defense workshop, gives away kits to UP students

Phi resident Jason Mago realized the importance of self defense when his phone was stolen by two men along Taft Avenue.

“Three years after that incident, I am in UP Manila providing my fellow students their own self-defense kits. This is in line with our goal to make the university and its students safer,” Mago said.

Conti‘s launches newest cake to celebrate 25th anniversary

TO celebrate its 25th anniversary, Conti's Bakeshop and Restaurant has rolled out a handmade cake creation that tells a sweet story: the Hazelnut Fudge cake. “This decadent concoction celebrates our past, present, and future,” says Angela Conti-Martinez, one of the Conti sisters who founded and continues to own the Filipino restaurant chain.

This new Conti’s Hazelnut Fudge cake is made with hazelnut mousse and vanilla cream on a bed of crushed sugar cone, with bits of brownie brittle in between, topped with chewy hazelnut fudge.

THE Upsilon Sigma Phi, in partnership with the Sigma Delta Phi and the University of the Philippines (UP) Manila Red Cross Youth Council, organized a self-defense workshop titled “One Step Ahead: A Self Defense Workshop” on September 30, 2022 at the BRX Gym in Quezon City. Former UP Taekwondo team captain and UP Integrated School coach Brixtonn John "Brix" T. Busto facilitated the workshop by introducing participants to the basic fundamentals of self-defense.

The fraternity's resident members distributed a total of 250 self-defense kits on the UP Diliman and UP Manila campuses. “We organized this project in response to the abduction reports, hold-

ups in Metro Manila. While police work on preventing these from happening, we also wanted to make sure that UP students are equipped with self-defense tools to defend themselves or call for help,” said project organizer Miguel Carlos Liamzon.

“Taking a self-defense class is a must especially now that a lot of kidnapping cases are prevalent. Initially, I assumed that the self-defense training would focus on teaching me how to defend myself against an attacker. But, in reality, it's all about knowing how to flee the scene first, and then learning how to fight back second. Grateful for the opportunity to have attended this class!” said Eliana Tolentino, UP Sigma Delta Phi resident.

For UP Manila and Upsilon Sigma

“This initiative by the Upsilon Sigma Phi is of great help in achieving our vision of becoming an organization with high regard for an unfailing social service within University of the Philippines Manila. We have decided to partner with them to work towards mitigating the rise of abduction reports, hold ups and similar incidents in Metro Manila, especially that of UP Manila students.” says UP Manila - Red Cross Youth Council President Arvin Tan.

The One Step Ahead workshop is the Upsilon Sigma Phi's initiative in response to the rising crime rate in Metro Manila. Through the instruction of self-defense techniques and distribution of self-defense kits, the Upsilon Sigma Phi aims to prepare students on how to react to dangerous situations that they may find themselves in and nurture safe spaces in UP Diliman and UP Manila.

Silka is here, the sign to achieve your beauty goal

WHETHER it’s for the longawaited promotion at work, or for the right moment to take action, or when to go on a self-care break, Filipinas are constantly looking out for signs.

Homegrown beauty power brand Silka showed women everywhere the sign that their beauty goals are well within reach at their first live event in three years — the recently-held launch of Silka’s #AngSignNaHanapMo campaign.

The event highlighted the importance of recognizing green flags in finding the right beauty partner in the journey to look our best. Does your beauty partner make you feel confident with alaga? Will your beauty partner cause you unnecessary hapdi? What is the track record of your beauty partner in delivering good and fast results?

Known for affordable high-quality skincare products with its signature alaga, Silka continues to help more Filipinas achieve fairer and brighter skin with Silka Green Papaya Soap with VitaRich Actives.

Green papaya enzymes gently exfoliate dead cells that make skin look dull, while the antioxidant properties of Vitamin E strengthen the skin’s protective barrier and improve overall skin condition. Also enriched with

D-Panthenol that nourishes the skin, the re-formulated Silka Green Papaya Soap reveals fairer, brighter, and softer skin in just seven days — without dryness or stings caused by other harsh products.

“Since it was introduced in 2002, Silka Green Papaya Soap has been gaining acceptance in the market, and it has grown by 200 percent since 2016,” shared Jane Co, Vice President for Marketing of Cosmetique Asia Corp, the company behind Silka. “This is a sign of good things to come for the brand, as we continue working towards our vision to provide Filipinas with quality products that make them look and feel their best.”

During the event, Silka's newest endorser Sue Ramirez was also presented to guests. A talented actress and singer, Sue is well-recognized for her appeal and signature spunk.

In her interview, Sue revealed that she tries her best to go on “self-care breaks” when she sees signs like dullness or dryness on her skin. After being catapulted to superstardom by her breakout role in the hit series, “The Broken Marriage Vow,” her schedule had become incredibly hectic — so she relies on Silka Green Papaya Soap to take care of her skin, to keep it bright and radiant despite back-to-back commitments. She further added that all women deserve alagang Silka for their skin.

“All signs point to Sue becoming an even bigger star than she is now,” Apple de Belen, Silka’s Senior Brand Manager said. “Beauty and talent aside, what makes her stand out is that she knows how to take good care of herself.” Sue shared that she’s very happy to be part of the Silka Family, a sentiment echoed by Janssen Co, Chief Operating Officer of Cosmetique Asia Corp.

Patricia Tan, general manager and daughter of Cecille Conti-Marañon, one of the company's founders, says that her mom and two sisters, Carole Conti-Sumulong and Conti-Martinez, see the new cake as a perfect representation of the founding Conti sisters.

“Just like the three main components of the cake, my mom and her two sisters complement each other very well,” Tan said. “They’re different from each other and bring something unique to the table, producing something so delightful.”

Conti’s has come a long way from its humble beginnings as a small family food business operating in a makeshift kitchen in Paranaque back in 1997. It is now one of the top homegrown food chains in the Philippines with almost 70 branches and close to 3,000 employees nationwide.

The Filipino-owned bakeshop and restaurant chain is also one of the few companies to survive the economic downturn brought by the pandemic. It has even thrived and emerged stronger than before. Within the past 12 months, Conti’s opened 10 more stores in Luzon and more branches are expected to launch as the brand continues to grow. The success of Conti’s is due to its unwavering commitment to quality and consistency, not just in food, but also in customer service, employee satisfaction, and supplier relationships.

“We owe our success to our hard-working team, our valued stakeholders, and, most importantly, our customers for trusting and choosing Conti’s to be part of their celebrations and everyday lives,” Conti’s president and CEO Joey Garcia says.

“Every single one of them serves as our inspiration and motivation to keep doing

what we do,” he adds.

Conti’s celebrates the many blessings they have received over the years—from those who gave them their start and continue to support them today—and using those blessings to be conduits of change for the underprivileged people in their community. And its milestone cake, Hazelnut Fudge, captures this fully. This antioxidant-rich nut symbolizes a “sweeter way of living that will be more rewarding to the soul.”

“This cake serves as a testament that whatever gifts we're given, we should use them wisely to serve others in need,” said Conti-Martinez.

“When we continue to do good with what we have been given, we will be surprised by all the blessings that come afterward,” she adds. This is the kind of mission the Conti’s family hopes will live on as the company moves into its next 25 years.

Hazelnut Fudge is available in all Conti’s stores for only P1,025. Get a free special anniversary Placemat for every order of Hazelnut Fudge. Promo runs from September 29 until supplies last. This promo is not valid in conjunction with other promos and discounts.

To know more about Conti’s Bakeshop & Restaurant, visit their website at http://www. contis.ph/ or check out their Facebook (@ contisph) and Instagram (@contis_ph) pages. Other pages bearing our name and images are fake. They do not in any way represent the brand.

25 Years of Success: How Jolly has remained a market leader in the packaged food industry

Sam YG and DJ Chacha’s podcast, “Lecheng Pag-ibig To!”, a podcast on love, relationships, and everything in between, the secret recipe in keeping the fire of relationships alive was a hot topic. One of the ingredients in this recipe is trying out new experiences together, and one way of doing that is by exploring food.

As it turns out, Sam YG and DJ Chacha heard from a certified Marites in a Facebook group community called Sublovers PH that Subway has a secret recipe in store. This secret recipe sounds very familiar to them because this has been abuzz on Tiktok, Facebook, and Instagram. Checking trends on social media, it is always being talked about too. This secret recipe is very intriguing because this has been mentioned on TV, radio and in the newspapers all the time. What could this really be about? Why do people keep talking about this?

Visiting their favorite Subway restaurant, “Try our Secret Recipe!” signs will greet guests as they walk in. Ask the sandwich artists what the secret recipe is, they will only say it is still a secret. All you can do is order the sandwich to satisfy your curiosity. Subway’s secret recipe has the perfect kick of spice and tang.

Want to be in with

THE Jolly brand is 25 years old

THE food industry in the Philippines is a tough market to crack. With so many new competitors vying to place first in consumer awareness, it takes a wellformulated and executed business formula to come out on top in such a competitive landscape.

A perfect example of a brand that has mastered this kind of standout marketing leadership is Jolly, a packaged fruits and vegetables brand under Fly Ace Corporation. Backed by heritage and a steadfast dedication to fulfill the needs of its market, Jolly has retained its position of being the leader of its niche 25 years since its launch. Now, the brand continues to gain success by following a simple formula: staying true to its consumer promise.

“The vision of Jolly is to be part of every Filipino household,” shares Larry Cochanco, one of the directors of Fly Ace Corporation. “We want to develop a trusted brand that is delicious and nutritious for the common Filipino to use.” By providing fresh and nutritious ingredients that are easily accessible to everyone, Jolly gives the consumers the capacity to be more creative in the kitchen.

This consumer promise is rooted in the history of the brand itself. Lucio S. Cochanco Sr. and Ederlina Cochanco established the Jolly General Merchandise in the 1970s with the vision of providing high-quality produce that is accessible to Filipinos. Together with their children Jun, Larry, and Louie, the family launched Fly Ace Corporation in 1997.

Since then, Jolly has remained focused and consistent in meeting the needs of its market. What really set it up for success

is its discernment of the needs of Filipino families. The brand understands that having nutritious, delicious, and convenient meals is what every homemaker wants access to, and they have remained steadfast in meeting this need despite the everchanging market landscape. By learning the aspirations, challenges, and things that delight their market, Jolly was able to come up with innovations that became helpful in the daily lives of their consumers.

Jolly’s commitment to its brand vision has earned them a steady lead in the market. The brand is now the top choice of many because of its “siksik sa laman” value, the quality of its products, and its accessibility. Moreover, it remains to be the undisputed market leader in the canned vegetables category according to the Kantar Worldpanel Household Panel Study. In terms of consumer awareness, Jolly still holds the lion’s share in the market.

So what's next then for a 25-yearstrong market leader like Jolly? According to Cochanco, the brand will remain focused on delivering the consumer promise that they've fulfilled. “After 25 years, the plan is for the Jolly brand to be available everywhere. We believe that eating healthy, nutritious, and delicious food should be accessible to Filipinos. We want all Filipino families to be creative with their recipes and make their families more Jolly.” As he succinctly puts it, “Yan ang Jolly Love.”

Know more about the story of Jolly here: https://youtu.be/zllHusYWrYw

Do you want to know more about Jolly and Fly Ace Corporation? Check out Fly Ace Corporation’s official website and Jolly’s Facebook, and Instagram accounts!

Subway has new offering—a secret recipe that is the talk of town in media, soc med

JEFF Roxas, Alfred Tan, Hennie Co-Yu, Juanita Co, JN Penafiel, Sue Ramirez, Jane Co, Janssen Co, Apple de Belen, Timothy Chuongco

CONTI’S new Hazelnut Fudge cake on top of their limited edition anniversary placemat

Features

Telemedicine was made easy during Covid-19. Not any more

By Tom Murphy AP Health Writer

TELEMEDICINE exploded in popularity after Covid-19 hit, but limits are returning for care delivered across state lines.

That complicates follow-up treatments for some cancer pa tients. It also can affect other types of care, including men tal health therapy and routine doctor check-ins.

Over the past year, nearly 40 states and Washington, D.C., have ended emergency declarations that made it easier for doctors to use video visits to see patients in another state, according to the Al liance for Connected Care, which advocates for telemedicine use.

Some, like Virginia, have cre ated exceptions for people who have an existing relationship with a physician. A few, like Arizona and Florida, have made it easier for out-of-state doctors to practice telemedicine.

Doctors say the resulting patch work of regulations creates confu sion and has led some practices to shut down out-of-state telemedicine entirely. That leaves follow-up vis its, consultations or other care only to patients who have the means to travel for in-person meetings.

Susie Rinehart is planning two

upcoming trips to her cancer doc tor in Boston. She needs regular scans and doctor visits to monitor a rare bone cancer that has spread from her skull to her spine.

Rinehart doesn’t have a special ist near her home outside Denver who can treat her. These visits were done virtually during the pandemic.

She will travel without her hus band to save money, but that pres ents another problem: If she gets bad news, she’ll handle it alone.

“It’s stressful enough to have a rare cancer, and this just adds to the stress,” the 51-year-old said.

Rinehart’s oncologist, Dr. Shan non MacDonald, said telemedicine regulation enforcement seems to be more aggressive now than it was before the pandemic, when video visits were still emerging.

“It just seems so dated,” said MacDonald, who recently co-wrote a piece about the issue in The New England Journal of Medicine.

To state medical boards, the pa tient’s location during a telemedi cine visit is where the appointment takes place. One of MacDonald’s

hospitals, Massachusetts General, requires doctors to be licensed in the patient’s state for virtual visits.

It also wants those visits re stricted to New England and Flori da, where many patients spend the winter, said Dr. Lee Schwamm, a vice president for the Mass General Brigham health system.

That doesn’t help doctors like MacDonald who see patients from around the country.

Cleveland Clinic also draws a lot of patients from out of state. Neurosurgeon Dr. Peter Rasmus sen worries about how some will handle upcoming travel, espe cially because winter can bring icy weather.

A fall “literally could be life end ing” for someone with a condition like Parkinson’s disease who has trouble walking, he said.

Psychiatrists have a different concern: Finding doctors for pa tients who move out of state. This is especially difficult for college stu dents who temporarily leave home.

Most US counties have no child and adolescent psychiatrists, noted Dr. Shabana Khan, chair of the American Psychiatric Associa tion’s telepsychiatry committee.

“If we do try to transition pa tients, often there is no one there,” Khan said.

Helen Khuri’s mother found a specialist to help her when

‘A time bomb’: Anger rising in a hot spot of Iran protests

By Samya Kullab & Salar Salim The Associated Press

strikes and drivers honking horns at security forces.

and in one swift gesture, remove her headscarf. “I felt inspired to do the same,” she said.

over,” said Sharo. “The people are an gry, they are talking back to the police in ways I have never seen.”

the 19-year-old’s post-traumat ic stress disorder flared up last spring. But the Emory University student had to temporarily move from Atlanta to Boston for treat ment, even though she never set foot inside the hospital offering it.

She rented an apartment with her father so she could be in the same state for telemedicine visits, a situation she deemed “ridiculous.”

“It didn’t necessarily make sense to…kind of uproot my life, just to receive this three-week treatment program,” Khuri said.

Even people seeing doctors close to home can be affected.

Dr. Ed Sepe’s Washington, D.C., pediatric practice has patients in Maryland who have started driv ing a few miles across the border into the city to connect by video. That saves them a 45-minute trip downtown for an in-person visit.

“It’s silly,” he said. “If you are under a doctor’s care, and you are in the US, it doesn’t make any sense to have geographic restrictions for telemedicine.”

Sepe noted that low-income families tend to be in jobs that don’t allow time off for in-person visits. Some also have a hard time getting transportation. Video visits were helping with these obstacles.

“It’s bigger than just telemedi cine,” he said. “There’s a missed opportunity there to level the playing field.”

States can play an important role in telemedicine’s growth by guarding against fraud and pro

tecting patient safety, according to Lisa Robin, an executive with the Federation of State Medical Boards.

But the federation also recom mends that states loosen some telemedicine restrictions.

That includes permitting virtual follow-ups for someone who has traveled out of state to seek care or for people who temporarily move but want to stay with a doctor.

States could also form regional compacts with their neighbors to ease cross-border care, noted Dr. Ateev Mehrotra, a Harvard health policy professor who studies tele medicine.

“There’s so many ways that these issues can be addressed,” he said

In the meantime, patients who need care now are trying to figure out how to manage it.

Lucas Rounds isn’t sure how many visits he will make to see MacDonald in Boston to monitor his rare bone cancer. The 35-yearold Logan, Utah, resident already spent months away from home earlier this year, undergoing ra diation and surgery.

Plus he has a wife and three young girls and expenses like a mortgage to consider.

Rounds says he has to think about taking care of his family “if the worst happens.”

“If I die from cancer, then all these expenses we’ve accrued… those are dollars that my family wouldn’t have,” he said.

China stocks fall as grim reality grips traders after holidays

By Shikhar Balwani & Charlotte Yang

S

ULIMANIYAH, Iraq—Growing up under a repressive system, Sharo, a 35-year-old university graduate, never thought she would hear words of open rebellion spoken out loud. Now she herself chants slo gans like “Death to the Dictator!” with a fury she didn’t know she had, as she joins protests calling for toppling the country’s rulers.

Sharo said that after three weeks of protests, triggered by the death of a young woman in the custody of the feared morality police, anger at the authorities is only rising, despite a bloody crackdown that has left doz ens dead and hundreds in detention.

“The situation here is tense and volatile,” she said, referring to the city of Sanandaj in the majority Kurd ish home district of the same name in northwestern Iran, one of the hot spots of the protests.

“We are just waiting for something to happen, like a time-bomb,” she said, speaking to The Associated Press via Telegram messenger service.

The anti-government protests in Sanandaj, 300 miles (500 kilometers) from the capital, are a microcosm of the leaderless protests that have roiled Iran.

Led largely by women and youth, they have evolved from spontaneous mass gatherings in central areas to scattered demonstrations in residen tial areas, schools and universities as activists try to evade an increasingly brutal crackdown.

Tensions rose again Saturday in Sanandaj after rights monitors said two protesters were shot dead and several were wounded, following a resumption of demonstrations. Residents said there has been a heavy security presence in the city, with constant patrols and security personnel stationed on major streets.

The Associated Press spoke to six female activists in Sanandaj who said suppression tactics, including beatings, arrests, the use of live am munition and Internet disruptions make it difficult at times to keep the momentum going. Yet protests per sist, along with other expressions of civil disobedience, such as commercial

The activists in the city spoke on the condition their full names be withheld fearing reprisals by Iranian authorities. Their accounts were corroborated by three human rights monitors.

The burial

THREE weeks ago, the news of the death of 22-year old Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police in Tehran spread rapidly across her home province of Kurdistan, of which Sanandaj is the capital. The response was swift in the impoverished and historically marginalized area.

As the burial was underway in Ami ni’s town of Saqqez on Sept. 17, pro testers were already filling Sanandaj’s main thoroughfare, activists said.

People of all ages were present and began chanting slogans that would be repeated in cities across Iran: “Wom an. Life. Freedom.”

The Amini family had been under pressure from the government to bury Mahsa quickly before a critical mass of protesters formed, said Afsanah, a 38-year-old clothing designer from Saqqez. She was at the burial that day and followed the crowds from the cemetery to the city square.

Rozan, a 32-year old housewife, didn’t know Amini personally. But when she heard the young woman had died in the custody of the morality po lice in Tehran and had been arrested for violating the Islamic Republic’s hijab rules, she felt compelled to take to the street that day.

“The same thing happened to me,” she said. In 2013, like Amini, she had ventured to the capital with a friend when she was apprehended by the morality police because her abaya, or loose robe that is part of the manda tory dress code, was too short. She was taken to the same facility where Amini later died, and fingerprinted and made to sign a declaration of guilt.

“It could have been me,” she said. In the years since then Rozan, a for mer nurse, was fired from the local government health department for being too vocal about her views about women’s rights.

After the funeral, she saw an el derly woman take a step forward

Suppression

IN the first three days after the burial, protesters were plucked from the dem onstrations in arrest sweeps in Sanandaj.

By the end of the week, arrests targeted known activists and protest organizers.

Dunya, a lawyer, said she was one among a small group of women’s rights activists who helped organize protests. They also asked shopkeep ers to respect a call for a commercial strike along the city’s main streets.

“Almost all the women in our group are in jail now,” she said.

Internet blackouts made it difficult for protesters to communicate with one another across cities and with the outside world.

“We would wake up in the morning and have no idea what was happening,” said Sharo, the university graduate. The Internet would return intermit tently, often late at night or during working hours, but swiftly cut off in the late afternoon, the time many would gather to protest.

The heavy security presence also prevented mass gatherings.

“There are patrols in almost every street, and they break up groups, even if it’s just two or three people walking on the street,” said Sharo.

During demonstrations security forces fired pellet guns and tear gas at the crowd causing many to run. Security personnel on motorcycles also drove into crowds in an effort to disperse them.

All activists interviewed said they either witnessed or heard live ammu nition.

Iranian authorities have so far denied this, blaming separatist groups on occasions when the use of live fire was verified. The two protesters killed Saturday in Sanandaj were killed by live fire, according to the France-based Kurdistan Human Rights network.

Protesters say fear is a close compan ion. The wounded were often reluctant to use ambulances or go to hospitals, wor ried they might get arrested. Activists also suspected government informants were trying to blend in with the crowds.

But acts of resistance have con tinued.

“I assure you the protests are not

Disobedience

THE anger runs deep. In Sanandaj the confluence of three factors has rendered the city a ripe ground for protest activity—a history of Kurdish resistance, rising poverty and a long history of women’s rights activism.

Yet the protests are not defined along ethnic or regional lines even though they were sparked in a pre dominantly Kurdish area, said Tara Sepehri Fars, a researcher for Human Rights Watch. “It’s been very unique in that sense,” she said.

There have been waves of protest in Iran in recent years, the largest in 2009 bringing large crowds into the streets after what protesters felt was a stolen election. But the continued defiance and demands for regime change dur ing the current wave seem to pose the most serious challenge in years to the Islamic Republic.

Like most of Iran, Sanandaj has suf fered as US sanctions and the coronavi rus pandemic devastated the economy and spurred inflation. Far from the capital, in the fringes of the country, its majority Kurdish residents are eyed with suspicion by the regime.

By the third week, with the opening of universities and schools, students began holding small rallies and joined the movement.

Videos circulated on social me dia showing students jeering school masters, school girls removing their headscarves on the street and chant ing: “One by one they will kill us, if we don’t stand together.”

One university student said they were planning on boycotting classes altogether.

Afsanah, the clothing designer, said that she likes wearing the heads carf. “But I am protesting because it was never my choice.”

Her parents, fearing for her safety, tried to persuade her to stay home. But she disobeyed them, pretending to go to work in the morning only to search for protest gatherings around the city.

“I am angry, and I am without fear—we just need this feeling to over flow on the street,” she said.

CHINESE stocks fell on their return from the Golden Week holiday, hurt by a bleak hol iday-spending data that deepened concerns about an economic recovery amid rising Covid cases.

The benchmark CSI 300 Index dropped as much as 2 percent to head for its lowest close since April 2020. Tech and consumer staple drove the decline. The Hang Seng China Enter prises Index of Chinese stocks in Hong Kong slid more than 3 percent. The onshore yuan edged higher against the dollar.

Grim reality faced mainland trad ers on their return, with trends last week showing a sharp slide in holiday spending, a rebound in virus cases and no respite from the property crisis. Data Saturday showed China’s services activity contracted in September for the first time in four months amid Covid lockdowns in major cities.

With little conviction of a market bottom, investors are reluctant to build positions ahead of the Commu nist Party congress on Oct. 16, where leadership will be confirmed and key policies unveiled.

“A slew of weak macro-economic data that China has released shows that there is very limited room for an economic rebound in the short term, which is hard to provide support for earnings and market confidence,” said Shen Meng, a director at investment bank Chanson & Co in Beijing. Rising bets for a 75-basis point Fed hike in November are also hurting sentiment in today’s onshore market, he said.

Meanwhile, Sino-American ten sions were again back in focus as the Biden administration’s Friday an nouncement of new restrictions on China’s access to US semiconductor technology caused the Asian nation’s chip shares to slide on Monday.

“China is still very much under Covid’s shadow and headwinds from the US,” said Steven Leung, execu tive director at Uob Kay Hian (Hong Kong) Ltd. “All eyes are on the 20th party congress. Politically, investors

are focusing on who will be the new premier and what that means for eco nomic policies.”

A gauge of Chinese tech stocks listed in Hong Kong plunged more than 4 percent on Monday. The city’s benchmark Hang Seng Index lost over 3 percent.

Party congress

BLEAK tourism and entertainment spending data for the week-long holi day was another proof that consumer demand in China continues to weaken in the face of Beijing’s Covid curbs.  Tourism revenue declined 26 percent to 287 billion yuan ($40.3 billion) over the week-long holiday from a year ago. Compared with prepandemic levels in 2019, revenue was down nearly 56 percent. Roughly 422 million trips were taken, down 18 percent from last year and 39 per cent from 2019 levels.

Hopes of a strong post-holiday gain for Chinese stocks were also dented after Friday’s solid US jobs figures sent shares tumbling again on bets for ag gressive Federal Reserve rate hikes.

The NASDAQ Golden Dragon China Index slumped more than 4 percent on Friday, wiping out all its gains for the week that onshore traders were away.

The CSI 300 has now fallen more than 24 percent in 2022, heading for its first back-to-back annual declines in a decade. Stocks have continued to be sold off as traders see any shift away from Covid Zero or massive stimulus as unlikely at the upcoming leader ship gathering.

“We’re very unlikely to see any kind of big bang easing, but a gradual easing of approach over a matter of months, which leads to a pickup in growth from really very low levels now,” Jonathan Garner, chief Asia and emerging mar kets strategist at Morgan Stanley, said in a Bloomberg TV interview.

“Valuations in China are extremely cheap,” he said, adding that in terms of the actual performance of the market going forward, a lot will hinge on “how we come out of the party congress.”

With

HELEN KHURI poses for a portrait on the campus of Emory University on Thursday, October 6, 2022, in Atlanta. Khuri’s mother found a specialist to help her when the 19-year-old’s post-traumatic stress disorder flared up last spring. But the Emory University student had to temporarily move from Atlanta to Boston for treatment, even though she never set foot inside the hospital offering it. “It didn’t necessarily make sense to...kind of uproot my life, just to receive this three-week treatment program,” Khuri said. AP/JOHN BAZEMORE

Four fancied teams out to display winning wares in PVL Reinforced

PETRO GAZZ finally gets the chance to showcase its wares three years after upstaging a highly fancied Creamline in the Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference finals, upbeat of its chances for a repeat on a souped-up roster and a new head coach.

PSC PROPOSES P5.2B BUDGET FOR 2023

children athletes aged 15 and under, and P180 million for the Philippine National Games.

Both PSC-organized events were shelved during the pandemic years with the Batang Pinoy making a partial comeback in December with nine face-to-face sports to be hosted by Ilocos Sur and seven virtual sports.

The 32nd Asian Games that Cambodia would be hosting for the first time in May was allocated a P250 million budget, bigger than the P100 million for the Huangzhou Asian Games in September. The country sends more athletes and officials to the SEA Games.

mittee members Senators Raffy Tulfo, Pia Cayetano, Francis Tolentino and Robinhood Padilla.

The PSC also listed P103.7 million for the Asian Beach Games in Sanya (China) at a still to be determined date, P72.60 million for the World Combat Games in Riyadh in October, P67.62 million for the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Bangkok and Chonburi in November, and P56.20 million for the World Beach Games in Bali also in August.

PSC Commissioner Bong Coo and Executive Director Atty. Guillermo Iroy, as well as SBP Vice President Ricky Vargas and Executive Director Sonny Barrios joined Eala in the inquiry.

By Josef Ramos

THE Philippine Sports Com mission (PSC) has proposed a 2023 budget of P5.216 billion most of which are intended for infrastructure at a national training center in Bataan and for major international and local competitions and events.

PSC Chairman Noli Eala made the proposal on Monday before Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, chairman of the Sen ate Committee on Sports and the Finance Committee.

The PSC proposed P3.795 billion for infrastructure at the soon-to-rise Philip pine Sports Training Center which is located in at least three sites in Bataan.

The PSC presented a P300 million budget for the Batang Pinoy, a na tionwide multi-sport competition for

“We are here to present our [pro posed] budget and we are thankful to all the senators especially Senator Bong Go for his undying and passionate sup port for sports,” Eala said.

“It’s very welcome to the sports community that Congress, Senate and our President Ferdinand “Bong bong” Marcos Jr. have expressed their all-out support for our athletes and sports development,” he added.

Another P100 million was proposed for elite athletes training for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Eala told the committees that the PSC would also support the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas’s hosting of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) World Cup in August 2023.

“We’re very, very optimistic about the future of Philippines sports for the next few years,” Eala told com

Games and Amusement Board OIC Atty. Emar Benitez also presented his budget.

“As chairman of the Senate Com mittee on Sports, I firmly believe that investing in sports will allow our country to develop more world-class athletes who can bring pride, honor and medals to our country,” Go said.

“Aside from that, it will also help us in keeping our youth away from il legal drugs and other harmful vices,” he added.

Out of the proposal, P218 million—a P327 million decrease from 2022—would be from general appropriations and the bulk from the National Sports Development Fund, which is sourced from the PSC’s shares from the Philippine Amuse ment and Gaming Corp.

The committees have yet to ap prove the proposal.

Spitfire guard Tio adds more mileage to Fuel Masters’ bid

College volleyball in spotlight as V-League returns on Sunday

Rald Ricafort said the Angels have recovered from a spate of injuries that hounded their campaign in the last conference, ready to do battle against the best of the best, led by the powerhouse, intact Cool Smashers on a team anchored by American outside hitter Lindsey Vander Weide.

“It’s been a long time (since the 2019 finals). In those three years, we have changed rosters three times. But we’ll still try to get the championship,” said Ricafort, adding they have a full roster and are free of any injuries with former UP stalwart Marian Buitre beefing up the squad bannered by Myla Pablo, Grethcel Soltones, Jonah Sabete, Aiza Pontillas, and MJ Phillips.

Petro Gazz, however, drew a tough opponent in Choco Mucho, which is also raring to get going with Maddie Madayag back in harness after being sidelined by an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear in her left knee last year.

With Uzbek-Azerbaijani Odina Aliyeva backstopping their campaign, the young Flying Titans also expect to soar and make an early impression in the single round robin elims of the seasonending conference of the league organized by Sports Vision and supported by Bingo Plus, Mikasa, and KUMU back at the Philsports Arena in Pasig today (Tuesday).

Ushering in another explosive two-game bill is the F2 LogisticsChery Tiggo face-off at 2:30 p.m. with the former also itching to mark its much-anticipated comeback with a win over the Crossovers.

TWICE denied of regaining his world title, Jerwin “Pretty Boy” Ancajas is bent at leaving the super flyweight class and fight in the heavier bantamweight division.

The decision came hours after Ancajas’s team evaluated his loss to former Olympian Fernando Dan iel Martinez of Argentina in their rematch for the International Boxing Federation (IBF) super flyweight title Sunday in Carson City.

Ancajas previously held the 115-pound belt but lost it to Martinez las February in Las Vegas, blaming weight management as the cause of his unanimous setback. They met again last Sunday and the fight yielded a similar result.

“It’s time to try 118 [pounds] and then let’s see. We’re going up at 118 and he needs a little rest,” international matchmaker Sean Gibbons told Busi nessMirror via internet call Monday. “He’s heading home for now before probably returning in the New Year to fight maybe in February.”

Ancajas only needs three more pounds to make the 118-lb bantam weight division.

“It’s get a win somewhere probably in February, a welcome fight in 118, and then get a world title shot at bantamweight later in 2023,” Gibbons said. “He can always return to 115 if something comes out, but the plan now is to go up 118.”

Ancajas (33-3-2 win-loss-draw with 22 knockouts) has a checkered career as a super flyweight. He won the crown in 2016 from Puerto Rican McJoe Arroyo and defended the belt nine times.

Gibbons admitted he picked the wrong fight for Ancajas.

“Style makes fights, but Martinez is a wrong style for Jerwin. It didn’t work well,” said Gibbons, adding Martinez’s rapid punching power and rugged style was not for Ancajas. “Jerwin couldn’t use his boxing [style] all night long, but his condition was okay.”

“It’s very difficult, so it’s time to move to another division,” he added.

Josef

PHOENIX

finally blazed to a breakthrough win in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup, thanks to a career outing from spitfire rookie guard Tyler Tio.

Picking up from where he left off the previous game against guest team Bay Area Dragons where he posted a league career-best, Tio notched his gears higher and lifted the Fuel Masters to a huge 111-97 win over erstwhile unbeaten NLEX.

The former Ateneo Blue Eagle lit it up the scoreboard with a new career-high 26 points on 5-of-10 shooting from downtown to go with seven assists—also a careerhigh—and a rebound in 33 minutes as Phoenix rose from the ashes to barge into the win column after four games.

His stellar play included an 18-point eruption in the second half, where the Fuel Masters ripped the game open to hand NLEX its first defeat, thus earning him the Cignal Play–PBA Press Corps Player of the Week for the period October 5 to 9.

Tio, the No. 14th pick in the last draft, credited his coach Topex Robinson for the trust and confidence given him in only his

second conference in the league.

“He has been giving me confidence since Day 1. That is huge for a player. Sometimes, all you need is confidence and opportunity,” said Tio, who finished with 21 points in the team’s 101-91 loss to the Dragons the last time. “Coach Topex gave that and I just want to repay the trust that he gave me.

More than that, it’s the way Tio and the rest of the Fuel Masters conducted themselves in taking care of business amid uncertainties hounding their mother company, Phoenix Petroleum.

“We just focused on what we can control as a team. And I think the outside noise, there is nothing we can do about it,” he said. “As professionals, we just tell ourselves and our teammates to do our jobs and that was what we did.”

T

HE V-League, long considered the spawning ground of volley talents in the country, will be re-launched on Sunday at the Paco Arena with 20 teams all primed for a spirited chase for top honors both in the men’s and women’s divisions.

Ukraine coach wants Euro success to help fight Putin

FRANKFURT, Germany—Ukraine head coach Oleksandr Petrakov says he is too old to fight on the front line but is still trying to help his country in another way.

Soccer, he believes, can play its part in the effort to defeat Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Ukraine’s football federation is looking ahead to a time when the war is over and the Russian invasion has been repelled. This week it announced it would join Spain and Portugal’s bid to host the 2030 World Cup.

On Sunday Petrakov was in Frankfurt for the Euro 2024 qualifying draw—but he admits he cannot think what life will be like by the time the tournament kicks off in Germany.

Ending the war—rather than qualification—is his priority, but he still wants to use soccer to raise the

morale of those fighting for Ukraine.

“We have a connection with the guys on the front line because they send messages to the players,” said Petrakov.

“We feel they need our victory... it is important for everybody to raise the spirits.”

Petrakov is 65 years old so he was free to leave Ukraine after the Russian invasion in February. But he chose to remain in his homeland along with his family.

“I cannot be in the military because of my age and I don’t have any special skills, but still I stay in Ukraine,” he said. “We live our lives day by day. Any day you never know what could happen because the people who are against us could do anything.

Every day many people die in our country, it is hard to say what it will be like in 2024. I cannot predict.”

Powerhouse National University heads the 12-team roster in the men’s category, ready to reassert the class and poise it showed in humbling the country’s best players in the recent Spikers’ Turf.

But while the 2018 Premier Volleyball League Collegiate Conference champions appear to have the edge in talent and experience, the likes of Arellano University, De La Salle and University of Perpetual Help System DALTA have also shored up their respective rosters, eager to prove their worth and fuel their respective title drive in the upcoming tournament organized by Sports Vision, which brought the once dormant sport back to life way back in 2004 through women’s collegiate setup and turned it to what it is now.

Eight teams, on the other hand, will dispute the championship on the women’s side.

“With sports practically back to where it was before the pandemic, we are glad to re-launch our collegiate competitions which we started back in 2004—through women’s volleyball—in our effort to harness the available material, bring back the glory days of women’s volley and eventually take it to greater heights,” Sports Vision president Ricky Palou said.

“At the same time, we are also doing the same for the men’s volleyball with the Spikers’ Turf and now, the V-League’s men’s competition,” Palou added.

University of Santo Tomas (UST), the first champion of the V-League, as well as fellow founding members San Sebastian CollegeRecoletos and Far Eastern University (FEU) will make their return to the much-anticipated tournament also serving as part of the various schools’ buildup for the coming collegiate season.

The Cargo Movers debuted with a not-so-impressive sixth-place finish in the Open Conference but took a leave of absence in the recent Invitational conference. But with a healthy crew and a winning mindset, they expect to dish out a solid game to kick off their own title campaign.

American reinforcement Lindsay Stalzer and the returning Kalei Mau will get their first taste of PVL action with the talented Aby Maraõ, Ara Galang, Dawn Macandili, Dzi Gervacio, Kim Fajardo, Joy Baron, and Kim Dy all fired up to go up against Montenegrin import Jelena Cvijovic and the rest of the Crossovers.

Head coach Benson Bocboc, however, remained wary of the Crossovers, who also boast of a championship experience, having beaten the Cool Smashers in the Open Conference of the league’s inaugural pro staging in bubble setup in Ilocos Norte last year.

“Sa pagkakaalam ko maraming changes sa Chery specially sa middle pero the key players are still there and of course we have to look into the import kung papaano, pero we have to do that real time, on the spot kasi wala silang prior match so doon natin makikita yung adjustments na gagawin natin,” said F2 Logistics head coach Benson Bocboc.

Cvijovic, meanwhile, hopes to draw solid backup from local aces Dindin Manabat, Shaya Adorador, EJ Laure, Mylene Paat, and Jasmine Nabor, guaranteeing another slambang skirmish in the second playdate of the elims after PLDT repulsed UAI-Army in five while Cignal HD thwarted newcomer Akari in four over at the Sta. Rosa Sports Complex in Laguna last Saturday.

Games are aired live on One Sports, One Sports+. Cignal Play and Smart Gigaplay. The games also air on PVL.ph and KUMU.

As our conversation progressed, I had a “light bulb moment” or an idea came into my mind that the two nonprofits had similar values and principles they advocate and espouse which got me thinking—what if I got these two non-government organizations together and all I did was point Tom to the right direction and the rest, so they say, was history.

I was invited by Tom to attend a live question-andanswer online event with a staunch ally of mental health and child empowerment, US men’s national team captain and Fulham FC’s Tim Ream.

Partnership that works

Tom reached out to Chris Thomas, founder of Football For Humanity, and a partnership and collaboration was born.

VSS and Football For Humanity will be working together in the areas of child empowerment and mental health.

I’m thankful and fortunate to bring VSS and Football For Humanity together, like minded individuals like Tom and Chris Thomas, who both tirelessly work to bring mental health and child empowerment at the forefront together with football.

ACTION in the Premier Volleyball League is expected to wow the crowd anew.

Ancajas to move to heavier 118 lbs division–Gibbons

SENATOR Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go’s sports committee hears Philippine Sports Commission Chairman Noli Eala’s budget proposal.