BusinessMirror October 14, 2022

Amid Covid, climate risks, decent work is a top challenge in Asean

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

ENSURING decent work amid the effects of climate change, the pandemic, and other calamities topped the agenda of labor groups in Southeast Asia during the forum held by the International Labor Organization (ILO) in Makati earlier this week.

To realize the agenda, the con cerned group urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to provide a voice to the labor sec tor in its policy-making initiatives.

The 30 representatives from trade unions and organization from

Tourist...

She added, “The DOT recogniz es the significant contribution of the People’s Republic of China as

the two-day Trade Union Strategies for Resilience and Renewal post-Co vid 19 (novel coronavirus disease) subregional conference of ILO is sued a two-page joint conclussion containing the said initiatives.

The representatives of the forum

a major tourism source market of the Philippines.” In 2019, arriv als from China reached some 1.74 million, ranking next to South Ko rea, the largest market of tourists for the Philippines. Chinese tour ists accounted for 21 percent of the total arrivals of 8.26 million

came from Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Phil ippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste, and Vietnam.

Safety net

I N t heir conclusion, they stressed the important role of labor groups to push for the adoption of inclu sive social protection measures in Southeast Asia to “mitigate the nega tive impacts on workers and their families in the event of a pandemic, climate event, or other natural and man-made disasters.”

Workers affected by such calami ties, they said, should still be covered by international labor standards, including occupational safety and health standards (OSHS).

They also discussed the need to organize workers with new forms of employment such as platform work, and the promotion of "green jobs" and "just transition" in addressing

that year.

“Needless to say, these num bers reverberate the cordial rela tionship that exists between the Chinese people and the Philip pines particularly on the aspect of tourism,” said the DOT chief.

The DOT could not say, how

climate change.

Also tackled in the document were the appeal for the restora tion of democracy in Myanmar and for stakeholders to respect human and labor rights in the Philippines.

Timely conclusion

A CRUCIAL s tep towards ensur ing these goals will be achieved, they said, is for the ASEAN to accredit and recognize the ASEAN Trade Union Council (ATUC) to become its “social dialogue partner” in develop ing its labor policies.

ILO Bureau for Workers' Ac tivities (ACTRAV) Director Ma ria Helena André welcomed the "timely" joint conclusion from the participants especially as countries are now engaged in pandemic recovery initiatives.

“It is important that workers

ever, if the recent surge in arrivals from China are actual tourists or workers at the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations, consid ering the country has yet to fully reopen its borders to outbound leisure travel. Ear lier, Senate President Miguel Zubiri said China was going to put the Philippines on a blacklist for allowing POGO operations to continue, thus endangering the arrival of millions of Chinese tourists here. The Embassy of China later denied Zubiri’s state ment.

117 foreign buyers register for Phitex

I N a b id to boost interna tional arrivals in the coun try, the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) is mounting one of its major travel events, the Philippine Travel Exchange (Phitex) 2022, from October 18-24 at the Marriott Grand Ballroom, Newport World Re sorts. The TPB is DOT’s mar keting arm.

Last year, Phitex closed P69 million in deals with foreign buyers. The bookings were generated from 1,417 business-to-business meet ings (B2B) between 121 over seas buyers from 32 countries

DOF...

The joint memorandum would also outline pos sible government options “to anticipate price shocks moving forward,” Diokno added.

Earlier this week, the Foundation for Economic Freedom recommended the extension of the reduction in the tariff rates imposed under EO 171. (Related story: https://businessmirror.com. ph/2022/10/11/extend-periodfor-tariff-cutson-pork-rice-corncoal-fef/)

The economists said the factors cited by the gov ernment when it passed EO 171 in May persist and have worsened in light of the 6.9-percent inflation print in September report ed by the Philippine Statis tics Authority (PSA).

“It is arguable that conditions have aggra vated since the passage

organizations are also ready to contribute to that,” André told reporters in an interview on Tuesday.

The ILO official noted gov ernments, employers, and workers should strive in creat ing “development models and development packages that take into consideration work ers interest and workers rights.”

ILO, she said, is ready to ex tend more assistance to the la bor sector to help create solidar ity among their ranks through capacity building and organiz ing dialogues and forums.

“We remain committed to sup porting the trade unions in the region in every step, to promote inclusive, equitable and sustain able development to advance the Decent Work Agenda and safeguard the rights of all work ers in the region,” André said.

and 166 local sellers.

This year’s event will open with the Phitex Educational Program (PEP) Talk on Octo ber 18 featuring well-known industry leaders, such as San dra Carvao, Chief of Market Intelligence and Competitive ness of the United Nations World Tourism Organization; Architect Felino Palafox Jr., founder of Palafox Associates; Billie Dumaliang, co-found er and Managing Trustee of Masungi Georeserve Founda tion; and Nicky Gardner, Au thor of Hidden Europe Maga zine, among others. They will speak to the event’s theme this year, “Embracing Respon sible Tourism-Making bet ter places for people to live in and better places for people to visit.”

B2B meetings this year will continue in a hybrid format, with 117 registered buyers and 133 sellers. Frasco and TPB COO Margarita Mon temayor Nograles will open Phitex festivities.

Established in 1996, Phi tex hosts international travel buyers to participate in tabletop business appointments with Philippine sellers, and experience Philippine tourism destinations through pre- and post-event tours.

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 weaken ing economy and higher interest rate environment, 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 portion of their income is allocated for food items.

Food accounts for 55 percent of the 2012-based CPI for the bottom 30 per cent of households while food and non-alcoholic beverages accounts for only 37.75 percent of the 2018-based CPI for all in come households.

Last month, the Meat Importers and Traders As sociation (Mita) urged Pres

BSP...

The Thai Baht has depreciat ed 12.74 percent in the same pe riod while the Malaysian Ring git, 10.34 percent; Indonesian Rupiah, 6.78 percent; and the Singapore Dollar, 5.95 percent.

Elsewhere in Asia, the Japa nese yen depreciated 20.65 per cent and the South Korean Won declined 16.83 percent during the period.

“The BSP does not normally react too much to movements in the exchange rate in keeping with our market-determined ex change rate policy. We view such movements as healthy market adjustments that send appro priate signals to producers and consumers,” Medalla said.

“But the peso depreciation, while remaining in line with regional peers, has been adding to the build-up of inflationary pressures. This strengthened the case to act—and to act deci sively,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Bankers As sociation of the Philippines (BAP) earlier vowed to maintain the orderly functioning of the fixed-income and foreign ex change markets.

BAP President Antonio C. Moncupa said the banking com munity supported the policy initiative of the Central Bank to liberalize and be more transpar ent in foreign exchange mar kets.

“With global headwinds ad versely affecting inflation and foreign exchange rates across the world, the BAP joins nation al efforts to minimize its impact on our people by avoiding activi ties that can only worsen the situation,” Moncupa said.

“In order to be part of the solution, the banking industry continues to work closely with the BSP for orderly, fair, and transparent markets minus the unproductive activities that only hurt the public,” he added.

The BSP issued a statement on October 4, a day after the peso closed at P59 to the green back, that taking undue advan tage of current foreign exchange market conditions will not help the peso and the country.

Medalla told reporters re cently that he only meant that foreign exchange transactions must not be taken outside of the banking system.

“Market conditions around the world are challenging. Work ing together allows us to sustain our functioning financial mar ket while appropriately manag ing the developing risks,” the BSP said in its earlier statement.

extending the lower current tariff rates on pork imports to help ease pressure on the country’s inflation.

In a letter submitted to Marcos, the group pro posed the extension and further lowering of pork tariff rates for at least five years more to “stem” the rate of increase in the country’s food prices. (Re lated story: https://businessmir ror.com.ph/2022/09/30/groupto-pbbm-extend-lower-pork-im ports-tariff/)

Mita earlier warned that the price of imported meat products could increase brought about by the de cline of Philippine peso against the US dollar. The group cautioned that the impending reversion of the pork tariff to its original 30-percent and 40-per cent rates would exacerbate the situation of imported meat products. (Related story: https://businessmirror.com. ph/2022/09/22/imported-meatprices-to-riseon-peso-global-sup ply-woes/)

The Nation

Fewer women elected in Philippine legislature–UN report

“

to 50 percent.

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

GENDER

parity in politics in the Philippines remains far from becoming a reality as only less than a third of the legisla ture are women, according to the lat est report from the United Nations (UN) Women.

I

n the report Data Snapshot: Women’s Leadership in the Asean Region, the UN Women shared that only 27.69 percent of the Phil ippine legislature is female as of 2022. To reach parity, the share of seats held by women must increase

T his is the lowest percentage of seats held by women in national par liaments since 2016 when women in the Philippines held 27.24 percent of total parliament seats.

Increasing representation of women in parliaments, particu larly substantive representation and voices, can spearhead policy change in areas of key importance to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment, such as education, health care, decent work and care policies,” UN Women said in the report.

In terms of number, women oc

cupy a total of 85 seats in the Philip pine legislature. This is out of a total of 307 seats as of this year, leaving men to occupy a majority or 222 of the seats in Congress.

Meanwhile, UN data also showed that only 35.4 percent of senior and middle managers are women as of 2020. This is the highest since the 42.7 percent recorded in 2015.

Women who hold senior and middle management positions have been on a gradual decline from 59.3 percent in 2006. But the lowest was in 2017 when only 23.2 percent of women were in senior or middle management positions.

Less than one third of chief executives, senior officials, legis lators and managers in production and specialized services are wom en,” the report stated. “Increasing women’s representation in these types of jobs is important to ensure that women are able to shape politi cal, economic and environmental decisions across the region.”

In a statement, UN Women said the report showed that across the 10 Asean countries as a group, the share of women managers rose only 2 percentage points in 20 years from 39 percent in 2000 to 41 percent in 2020, while the share in middle and

senior management stands at a much lower 26 percent.

In political governance, women hold 22 percent of parliament seats, but women ministers are often rel egated to leading committees on gender equality and women’s affairs.

“ In the Asean region, there is increasing recognition of the role of women as leaders and agents of change,” the report says. “Howev er, more efforts are still required to promote their roles in acceler ating productivity, enhancing eco system conservation and creating more sustainable and inclusive development.”

Even though women make up 67 percent of health-care workers, the front-line responders to the pandemic, only 11 percent of chief executive officers in the region’s biggest hospitals are women, and Asean’s ministers of health are all men, except for Vietnam’s.

Women led only 6 percent of en vironment and related ministries in 2020. Further opportunities to engage in environmental decisionmaking could enable them to pro mote environmental conservation, including indigenous women, who are typically holders of traditional ecological knowledge.

DSWD ready to assist TD ‘Maymay’ victims in Cagayan with ₧1.2-B aid

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

OVER P1.2 billion worth of relief goods and standby funds are avail able for the government’s response in areas affected by tropical depres sion (TD) “Maymay,” according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Of the said amount, Social Wel

fare Undersecretary Eduardo M. Punay disclosed the bulk or P678 million of the amount are food and non-food items, which are already prepositioned in “strategic locations” in areas hit by Maymay.  He said another P195 million are standby funds in the DSWD Central Office and field offices, while the re maining P342 million may be spend to acquire 550,000 family food packs.

“ We assure [the public] DSWD has sufficient funds for its Disaster Response Operations,” Punay said in a televised interview on Thurs day morning.

Citing their data of October 12, 2022, he said Maymay has already affected 927 families comprising about 3,500 individuals, who were evacuated from 23 barangays in the Cagayan Valley Region.

DSWD said it is now coordinating with the local government units (LGU) of areas in the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley and the Cordillera Administra tive Region, hit by Maymay in line with the instruction of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr.   “ We will ensure DSWD will promptly bring aid to our citizens, who were affected by the typhoon,” Punay said.

Aid to eruption victims

IN a related development, Punay said they also have a separate P63 million worth of standby and stock pile funds in the Bicol Region for those who may be affected by the recent activities of the Mayon and Bulusan volcanoes.

H e said the amount could be still augmented by the DSWD central office.

PRC Negros humanitarian support

THE Philippine Red Cross (PRC), through its PRC Negros Occiden tal-Bacolod City Chapter, provided humanitarian support to displaced families of Barangay Carabalan, Hi mamaylan City in Negros Occiden tal after government troops clashed with New People’s Army rebels on October 6, 2022.

Economy

Philippine meat imports rise 12% from January to September–BAI

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

THE country’s meat imports from January to Septem ber rose by nearly 12 per cent on an annual basis to breach the 1-million metric ton (MMT) mark driven by higher pork pur chases abroad, government data showed.

L atest data from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) showed that the country’s meat imports during the 9-month period rose by over 107,000 metric tons (MT) from the 902,000 MT recorded in the same period of last year.

T he increase in meat imports was driven by higher purchases abroad of pork, lamb, duck and beef, based on the BAI data.

B AI data showed that pork imports rose by 25 percent to 545,213.681 MT from 435,319.995 MT.

T he country’s lamb imports rose by half year-on-year to 543.806 MT while imports of duck meat grew by 5 percent on an an nual basis to 58.782 MT, based on BAI data.

B eef imports, meanwhile, in creased by 8 percent to 134,689.739 MT from 124,904.432 MT, the data showed.

T he country’s chicken meat im ports, on the other hand, declined by 3 percent to 293,863.218 MT from 301,647.225 MT, based on BAI data.

T he Meat Importers and Traders Association (Mita) earlier warned that the price of imported meat

products could increase by at least 10 percent in the coming months due to continuous weakening of peso and tightening global supply. (Related story: https://businessmirror. com.ph/2022/09/22/importedmeat-prices-to-riseon-peso-glob al-supply-woes/)

L ast month, Mita already wrote to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., urging him to issue a new ex ecutive order (EO) that would ex tend the lower current tariff rates on pork imports to mitigate price increases and help ease pressure on the country’s inflation.

I n a letter submitted to Marcos, the group proposed the extension and further lowering of pork tariff rates for at least five years more to “stem” the rate of increase in the country’s food prices.

We appeal to Your Excellency to issue a new Executive Order and reinstate the import duty rates on pork of 5 percent In Quota and 15 percent Out Quota for a duration of 5 years,” Mita said in its letter dated September 28. (Related story: https://businessmirror. com.ph/2022/09/30/group-topbbm-extend-lower-pork-im ports-tariff/ )

L ast month, the Philippine Association of Meat Processors Inc. filed a petition at the Tar iff Commission to retain the 5-percent tariff rate on MDM of chicken and turkey to keep meat prices affordable. (Related story: https://businessmirror.com. ph/2022/09/12/poultry-groupamenable-to-extending-validi ty-of-lower-mdm-tariff-rate/ ).

Rodriguez bats for legislative creation of PREC for RE devt

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie

ASENIOR lawmaker is pushing for the passage of a bill creat ing a government entity that would focus on the development of renewable energy (RE).

Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said his proposal is con tained in House Bill No. 4205, which seeks the formation of the Philippine Renewable Energy Corp. (PREC).

T he Mindanao lawmaker stressed the necessity of developing new RE projects, citing the warning the other day of Energy Secretary Raphael Lo tilla of tight electricity supply in the first half of 2023.

It is imperative for the government to take a more active role in assuring ad equate supply of electricity with the use of renewable energy sources, thereby reducing the country’s dependence on imported fossil fuels and mitigate the impact of climate change,” Rodriguez

said in a statement.

He said Congress needs to enact measures that would help ensure stable, affordable and reliable sup ply of electricity to sustain economic growth and enhance the well-being of the nation.

There is also an urgent need to undertake electrification projects through the development of renew able energy sources in underserved, unserved and missionary areas,” the lawmaker said.

“Accelerating existing projects and finding new sources will even tually boost supply,” Rodriguez said.

R E resources under the Rodri guez bill include biomass, solar, wind, geothermal, ocean energy, and hydropower.

T he bill abolishes the Philippine National Oil Corp.-Renewables Corp. (PNOC-RC) and transfers its power, functions, projects, investments, funds, property and other assets, and personnel to the proposed PREC.

By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga

THE National Mapping and Resource Information Author ity (NAMRIA), an attached agency of the Department of En vironment and Natural Resources (DENR) is seeking the approval of a P1.38-billion budget for 2023.

N AMRIA’s proposed budget is equivalent to 5 percent of the DENR’s total proposed budget of P23 billion.

NAMRIA, the central mapping agency of the government, aims to update the topographic-based maps, which are the basis of various maps produced by various government agencies, including the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), which produces the geohazard maps.

During the DENR’s budget hear ing conducted by the Senate Subcom mittee on Environment and Natural Resources led by Senator Cynthia Vil lar on Tuesday, Senate Pro Tempore Loren Legarda questioned the need for a P312-million budget for map ping activities.

Mandated to provide the public with map-making services and to act as the central mapping agency, depository and distribution facil ity of natural resources data in the form of maps, charts, texts, and statistics, NAMRIA is targeting next year the production and updating of 1,500 large-scale 1:10,000 digital line maps for Quezon, La Union, Ilocos Sur, Bataan, Albay, Antique, Capiz, Southern Cebu and Agusan del Norte and 45 medium-scale 1:50,000 topographic maps for Min doro and Negros.

From 2021 to 2022, the DENR established the National Natural Resource Geospatial Database.

The move aims to strengthen information technology support, development of Integrated Informa tion Systems, Geospatial Database Development for Natural Resources, and Operationalization of Climate Change Information and Manage ment Systems.

During her interpolation, Legarda noted that 15 years ago, Congress allocated funds for the production of geohazard maps and every year thereafter, also for the production of more maps.

“These maps were supposed to be given to local government units so that they can be assisted in disaster risk reduction effort,” Legarda said.  Legarda then asked the DENR as to the status of the maps, noting that every year, Congress allocates funds for the purpose.

“Have you given all 1,600 plus cities and municipalities and 42,000 barangays the maps? What are these maps? What are the vulnerabilities?  Why are the mappings never com pleted?” she asked.

Undersecretary Peter N. Tiangco, NAMRIA administrator, in response said the agency produces different types of maps at different scales.

He said Legarda might have been re ferring to the topographic maps, which he insisted “needs to be upgraded.”

“In other countries, this is updat ed every 3 years or every 5 years. Top ographic maps are used as base maps for a lot of schematic applications like the MGB,” Tiangco explained.

The MGB is mandated to produce geohazard maps to identify highlyat-risk areas or areas that are prone to geological hazards like floods, earthquakes and landslides.

According to Tiangco, topograph ic-based maps include data sources for elevation data.

“This elevation data needs very high-resolution satellite imageries in order to have the elevation data overlaid on the same.

MGB uses the topographic-based maps to overlay their schematic layer to produce the geohazard maps,” Tiangco said. He added that such is costly but the DENR uses the cheapest possible technology available.

Tiangco said NAMRIA had al ready completed the topographicbased maps with a scale of 1:10,000 and were in fact used to produce geohazard maps that were even tually distributed to all 1,600 cit ies and municipalities, including 42,000 barangays.

The topographic maps, Tiangco said, are sold at a cost of P120 per sheet but the schematic applications are given out for free.

Legarda said on top of giving out the geohazard maps, the DENR should initiate a project to capaci tate local government units (LGU) so that they would understand the maps and know how to use them, such as declaring an area off-limits to housing or building construction.

Legarda mentioned that several years back, lives were lost because of flash floods and landslides.

She said lives could have been saved if the locality knew of the hazards.

DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga said there are efforts to integrate the data and analysis to produce the geological risks with that of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), using a mobile application called HazardHunter.

“In terms of contribution of the DENR, its flood, and landslide from MGB,” she noted.

No-build zones

VILLAR and Legarda said in addition to making maps, the DENR should help LGUs identify “no build zones” and wants all stakeholders, including the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), LGUs, and even the Department of Educa tion (DepEd) to know more about the application of the geohazard maps to prevent tragic deaths.

In response, Yulo-Loyzaga said such action is a governance question.

“What is important is a conver gence between the DILG, LGUs, and DENR and agencies that provide scientific information. In terms of compliance, we need coordination and very strong collaboration with DILG in order for different LGUs to comply at the ground level, including DepEd,” she said.

Salceda nixes Makabayan bloc proposal to exempt sugar, other goods from VAT

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie

THEchairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means on Thursday warned against the unintended consequenc es of the proposal exempting sugar and other commodities from VAT.

A lbay Second District Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda said the proposal that has been filed by the Mak abayan bloc would only make in flation worse.

S alceda made a statement after the Makabayan bloc filed House Bill 5504 to scrap VAT on the im portation and sale of bread, canned goods, instant noodles, biscuits, sugar (raw and refined), cooking oil, salt, laundry soap and deter gents, charcoal, candles and drugs classified as essential by the De partment of Health.

But Salceda poured cold water over proposals to exempt certain commodities from VAT, saying that while the committee will study these, “We are of the disposition that the government needs more, not less revenues.”

It’s going to make things worse, not better. When the British gov ernment announced its largest tax cuts in 50 years, the British pound also slid to all time lows against the

dollar. That’s because tax cuts cast a shadow of doubt on the ability of a state to maintain its operations and honor its debts,” said Salceda.

“Peso weakness is not yet our fault—we’re still fundamentally strong, and in any case the peso is getting stronger against other ma jor currencies like the yen, euro, or the pound. But the moment we cut taxes, the resulting peso weakness will be our fault,” he added.

A ccording to Salceda, lawmak ers have to be careful about a VAT cut proposals.

We will have to pay more pesos for our imports, and our imported inputs, like fuel, will also be more expensive in peso terms,” he said.

We have also committed to the President that all expenditures, spending or tax, will have to be matched by corresponding new rev enues. And the current proposals are not backed by new sources,” Salceda pointed out.

Subsidies

INSTEAD, Salceda said he believes that the government should focus on “fertilizer subsidies to help address our food supply issues.”

“ Good fertilizers are still the most cost-effective way to increase food supply, even despite higher fertilizer costs. It will increase

farm input costs by around 6-12 percent, but it increases yield by around 65 percent. I would urge PBBM [President Ferdinand R. Marcos] to focus on this inter vention. I would also urge my col leagues to help find ways to fund more farm input support for farm ers, instead of tax cuts,” he added.

“Because, even if we cut taxes, we’ll still have to face structural food constraints—and worse, we won’t have the money to deal with them,” he said.

Salceda said he would also be en gaging in a series of conversations with counterparts in agricultural agencies in Thailand, Taiwan, and other regional neighbors to see how else the country can mitigate infla tion with improved food security.

“ I’ll be reporting to the Presi dent on these conversations soon,” Salceda, who has been traveling to Asean countries to meet investment managers and government leaders during the session break, added.

Salceda also stressed much of the inclusions in the Makabayan bloc proposal are already VAT exempt.

That includes sugar, beef, fish, salt, charcoal, and firewood. Under the TRAIN and CREATE Laws, many prescription drugs are also already VAT exempt,” he added.

“

The other items in the proposal that are not VAT exempt are canned goods, bread, biscuits, soaps, and candles. The amount to around P719.9 billion in total sales, or a loss of around P86.4 billion in tax revenues,” he added.

B ut Salceda said the govern ment could make sugar cheaper by importing 300,000 metric tons of refined sugar, which is more or less our structural deficit.

That will also make biscuits and bread cheaper. Canned goods benefit from the reduced tariffs on mechanically deboned meat. That reverts from 5 percent to 40 percent by the end of 2022, so we have to study that.

W hat is taxed with VAT and excise tax is sweetened beverages, which the Department of Health discour ages anyway for health reasons, specifically obesity and diabetes,” he added.

Salceda said if the government don’t do budget cuts or raise new revenues to support the revenue loss,  “We may suffer a credit rat ing downgrade, loss of peso con fidence. The Medium Term Fiscal Framework will also be extremely difficult to achieve.”

These kind of policy cocktail just makes the peso feasible at P68,” he added.

Cotabato farmers receive post-harvest facilities from DAR

THE Department of Agrar ian Reform (DAR) said it has successfully turned over P450,000 worth of post-harvest fa cilities to the Malapag ARB Farmers Association, a farmers’ group from Carmen, North Cotabato.

T he post-harvest facilities con sisting of one unit combined 3-in1 hammer mill and four units of collapsible dryers will boost the production capacity of corn farm ers in the area.

A package of capacity develop ment training was provided to im prove the livelihood of agrarian re form beneficiaries (ARBs) there.

L eonilio Romano, a memberARB from the farmers’ association, said the combined 3-in-1 hammer mill will be an advantage for them because they can now produce and sell hammered corn, cracked corn, corn bran, milled rice, and rice bran as add-ons to their agrisupply store.

We would like to thank the DAR for their continued support in strengthening our association by providing interventions like this project where we can address the needs of our members and generate additional income,” he said.

Romano added that their orga nization would closely monitor and manage the facilities well to make them more beneficial to the farmers and to the community.

T he post-harvest facilities were provided under the Climate Resil ient Farm Productivity Support Pro gram (CRFPSP)-Sustainable Liveli hood Support.

C harish Paña, Provincial Agrar ian Reform Program Officer II, said the CRFPSP would help address food security amid climate change by providing livelihood support through farm machines and equip ment, farm inputs, and capacity de

velopment interventions.

“ We help encourage the pro duction of corn, rice, and other commodities and would continue to equip and capacitate them on financial matters because this proj ect will become one of their busi nesses that would generate more income,” she said.

Paña also challenged the proj ect recipient to increase the mem bership of their organization by encouraging other ARBs to join so that they could also benefit from the projects poured in by the gov ernment and other nongovernment organizations.  Jonathan L. Mayuga

By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

THE Supreme Court (SC) has ordered the disbarment of a legal officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for coming out with a fake decision in a nullity of marriage case in order to convince his client to pay the balance of their agreed amount representing his professional and filing fees and other expenses.

In a 10-page per curiam ruling, the Court en banc unanimously af firmed the recommendation of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), which found lawyer Edgardo H. Abad guilty of gross misconduct, malpractice, and deceit.

Based on the evidence, Abad mis

represented to Maria Felicisima Gon zaga, his colleague in the AFP and the complainant in the case, that he filed a petition for nullity of marriage on the ground of psychological incapac ity before the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Pasig City on her behalf.

A bad , who was then a legal of ficer of the  AFP’s Office of the Ethical Standard and Public Ac countability (AFP-OESPA), offered to act as Gonzaga’s counsel after being told by the complainant that she was having marital problems with her husband.

A bad also received an initial pay ment from Gonzaga purportedly representing professional and fil ing fees as well as the expenses for psychological evaluation amount ing to P37,0000.

By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco @claudethmc3

THE Department of Health (DOH) has identified priority initiatives that will allow Filipinos to expe rience the benefits of Primary Care and Universal Health Care (UHC).

T hrough the leadership of Officer-inCharge Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, the DOH highlighted Primary Care as its flagship reform towards re alizing UHC—increasing accessibility of health-care services, eliminating financial risk for indigent patients in public health facilities, promoting ac cess to medicines, addressing social determinants of health, and support ing health-care workers.

A rmed with lessons from the Co vid-19 pandemic, the DOH aims to shift the country’s health system from the current high-cost, specialist-centric system to a preventive, promotive, and integrated primary health-care service delivery system that detects and man ages diseases early and addresses its root causes.

Backbone of UHC

PRIMARY care is equity in action, it is the backbone of Universal Health Care. A reliable primary care system affords more of our kababayans the opportu nity to access health services that they would otherwise not be able to enjoy under a health system that prioritizes high-cost specialist care” said Vergeire.

To kick start the Primary Care

initiatives, Vergeire lead the launch of the Primary Care Day in Lubao, Pampanga on October 6, to provide essential primary care services, high light the importance of investing in primary care, and underscore the role of local government units (LGUs) as the main implementers of the pri mary care reform, pursuant to the UHC Law.

Primary Care is hinged on providing preventive health-care services, which means that it relies on early screening, management, and referral to delay the onset of complications.

Moreover, primary care underlines health promotion to improve overall health outcomes and address social determinants of health.

A nchored on a Comprehensive approach, it provides first Contactaccess and use of health services whenever necessary, includes  pro motion, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation through Coordination and integration of all the care the user receives and needs with the other health services, and ensures there is Continuity of services.

Additionally, pursuant to the OIC’s priorities, she is currently leading ini tiatives aimed at improving the welfare of health-care workers in the country, including the expansion of the Magna Carta of Health Care Workers to cover both the public and private sectors, as well as standardizing salaries of human resources for health (HRH) throughout the country.

AYALA VARGAS,

ACCIONA CONSTRUCTION

FAUNDEZ VELASCO,

Technical Office Manager

AMAZON OPERATION SERVICES PHILIPPINES, INC. B21 Three E-com

WAN, PENG AHS Specialist

Brief

19.

Description:

YU Investigation Specialist

ATLAS FERTILIZER CORPORATION

HIRABAYASHI, DAIKI Agribusiness Specialist

AVANTICE CORPORATION

Client Advisory BS Senior Executive

BPO Analyst

TRAN XUAN TUONG

engineering for more than 10

international experience a must, previous involvement in any

would be

Salary Range: Php 150,000 -

Basic Qualification:

Basic Qualification:

Salary Range:

Basic Qualification: At Least 3 Years Experience in Agribusiness;

Japanese

Salary Range:

Basic Qualification:

be Native Malaysian/ Taiwanese/Indonesian/Thai/ Singaporean/Vietnamese/ Korean,

Salary Range:

-

Basic Qualification: Must be native Thai/

GLOBALLGA

62.

RAMADAN Customer Service

Brief

MAI VIET ANH Customer Service Representative

Basic

63.

Service

Salary Range:

Basic Qualification:

Salary Range:

Basic Qualification:

Salary

Basic Qualification:

80.

LAL, SOHAN Chef

Brief Job Description: Ensure that all dishes are cooked well and presented in an aesthetically pleasing way and monitor equipment quality and order new equipment as needed

RATURI, ANIL Chef

Basic Qualification:

Salary Range:

Basic Qualification: Advanced knowledge of culinary, baking and pastry techniques and excellent time management abilities

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

Basic Qualification: Ensure that all dishes are cooked well and presented in an aesthetically pleasing way and monitor equipment quality and order new equipment as needed Advanced knowledge of culinary, baking and pastry techniques and excellent time management abilities

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

81.

64.

BRANCH 19th-23rd

65.

BANBAH, MUNISH Services Head - Client Operations

Brief Job Description: Stakeholder management, P&L management;

optimization

INSPIRINGPG INC. 3/f Filhome Builders Center,

Salary Range:

Basic Qualification: Lead Delivery and Operations Management With 15 Years

Prior Work Experience

Salary Range:

30,000 -

Of Parañaque

HAN, JIANWEI Mandarin Project Manager

66.

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

82.

Brief Job Description: Ensure that all dishes are cooked well and presented in an aesthetically pleasing way and monitor equipment quality and order new equipment as needed

SINGH, PRAKASH Chef

Brief Job Description: Ensure that all dishes are cooked well and presented in an aesthetically pleasing way and monitor equipment quality and order new equipment as needed

Basic Qualification: Advanced knowledge of culinary, baking and pastry techniques and excellent time management abilities

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

Basic Qualification: Advanced knowledge of culinary, baking and pastry techniques and excellent time

Salary Range: Php 30,000 -

Basic Qualification:

Basic Qualification: Proven experience as Mandarin Project Manager, familiarity, knowledge and awareness on machinery and heavy equipment use by company. Demonstrable experience in developing strategic business plan.

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

JIANGSU DIBANG CONSTRUCTION PHILIPPINES CORPORATION Unit 2106-a West Tower, Psec Exchange Road, Ortigas Center, San Antonio, City Of Pasig

SHEN, RUNLONG Equipment Installation Specialist

67.

Brief Job Description: Working as per the requirements of the clients and performing all kinds of general installation. Programming and setting up the machineries and equipment along with experimenting on the same.

JOHN CLEMENTS CONSULTANTS, INC. 14/f Lkg Tower, 6801 Ayala Ave.,

Basic Qualification: Fluent in English language both in written and verbal. With working knowledge in construction.

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

-

TRUONG THI THUY HANG

Customer Service

HIEN Vietnamese Customer

OUTWIT, INC.

Marvin Plaza,

HOO TING FENG Mandarin Speaking

PHIL-TOWER CONSORTIUM INC.

Basic Qualification:

Basic Qualification:

Salary Range:

SEAGULL-WORLD INC.

136.

137.

Basic Qualification: At least 6 years solid

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

28/f Cityland, Pasong Tamo Tower, 2210 Chino Roces Ave., Pio Del Pilar, City Of Makati

ZHANG, YITING Mandarin Speaking Customer Service

Brief Job Description: Responsible for inbound and outbound service calls

ZHENG, JUNSHENG Mandarin Speaking Technical Support

Brief Job Description: Responsible for IT system management

SMART COMMUNICATIONS,

HORN, JOACHIM

Generation Technology Solutions Advisor

Basic Qualification: Excellent in reading, writing and speaking in mandarin

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

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in mandarin

Salary Range:

30,000 -

Basic Qualification:

Basic Qualification:

Basic Qualification:

Salary

Basic Qualification:

Salary

SOLIDLEISURE SOLUTIONS INC.

MIANJUN Mandarin Technical Support

Job Description:

SOMI UNLIMITED SOLUTIONS, INC.

Salary Range: Php 500,000 and above

San Antonio, City Of

Basic Qualification:

in speaking, reading and writing in mandarin

Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

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

CHEN, DENGXIANG

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

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

CHI, HELU

21 SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC.

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

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

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

CHUNG KIONG WEI

22 SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC.

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

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

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

CHUNG SHU HA

23 SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC.

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

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

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

DAI, QUAN

24 SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC.

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

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

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

GAO, WENHUI

25 SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC.

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

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

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

LI, GONGHOU

26 SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC.

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

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

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

Basic Qualification:

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

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification:

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

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification:

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

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification:

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

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification:

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

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification:

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

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification:

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

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification:

28 SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC.

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

SHEN, QIQI

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

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

SUN, CHAO

29 SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC.

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

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

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

WU, JUNLIANG

30 SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC.

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

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

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

WU, WEICHANG

31 SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC.

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

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

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

XIONG, DEQUAN

32 SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC.

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

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

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

YANG, JINJIAN

33 SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC.

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

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

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

YU, DINGQIA

34 SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC.

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

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

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

Basic Qualification:

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

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification:

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

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification:

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

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification:

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

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification:

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

Salary Range:

Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification:

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

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

Basic Qualification:

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

Salary Range:

Php30,000 - Php59,999

27 SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC.

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

LIN, ZONG Chinese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

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

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

Salary Range: Php30,000 - Php59,999

35 SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC.

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

ZHAO, NINGNING

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

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

Basic Qualification:

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

Salary Range:

Php30,000 - Php59,999

The World

UN demands Russia reverse ‘illegal’ annexations in Ukraine

By Edith M. Lederer The Associated Press

UNITEDNATIONS—The

Iranian-made kamikaze drones strike Kyiv area

By Sabra Ayres The Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine—Ukraine’s capital region was struck by Iranian-made kami kaze drones early Thursday morning, sending rescue work ers rushing to the scene as resi dents awoke to air raid sirens for the fourth morning in a row fol lowing Russia’s massive, deadly assault across the country on Monday.

Kyiv regional governor Oleksiy Kuleba said the strike occurred in the area around the capital city. It was not yet clear if there were any casualties.

Deputy head of the presidential office Kyrylo Tymoshenko said on Telegram that “critical infrastruc ture facilities” in the area were hit, without offering any details on which ones.

In the southern city of Myko laiv, overnight shelling destroyed a five-story apartment building as fighting continued along Ukraine’s southern front.

Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr

Sienkovych said the building’s top two floors were completely destroyed in a single strike and the rest of the building was left in rubble. It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties.

Early morning attacks on Ukraine’s southern front have be come a daily occurrence as Kyiv’s forces push a counteroffensive aimed at recapturing territory occupied by Russia.

Attacks on Kyiv had become rare before the capital city was hit at least four times during Mon day’s massive strikes, which killed at least 19 people and wounded more than 100 across the country.

Western leaders this week pledged to send more weapons to Ukraine, including air defense systems and weapons Kyiv has said are critical to defeating the invading Russian forces.

Ukraine’s military said this week that its current air defenses have shot down dozens of incoming Russian missiles and Shahed-136 drones, the so-called kamikaze drones that have played an increas ingly deadly role in the war.

UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to condemn Russia’s “attempted illegal annexation” of four Ukrainian regions and demand its immediate reversal, a sign of strong global opposition to the seven-month war and Moscow’s attempt to grab its neighbor’s territory.

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

Ukraine’s UN ambassador, Sergiy Kyslytsya, called the vote “amazing” and “a historic moment.” US Ambassador Linda ThomasGreenfield said supporters were “holding our breaths” and called it “a monumental day.” European Union Ambassador Olof Skoog called it “a great success” that sends “a resounding message to Russia

that they are and remain isolated.”

US President Joe Biden said in a statement that the vote demon strated the world “is more united and more determined than ever to hold Russia accountable for its violations.” It is “a clear mes sage” that “Russia cannot erase a sovereign state from the map” and it “cannot change borders by force,” he said.

The Western-sponsored reso lution was a response to Russia’s announced annexation last month of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. Moscow acted following Kremlinorchestrated “referendums” that the Ukrainian government and the West have dismissed as sham votes conducted on occupied land amid warfare and displacement.

During two days of speeches at the assembly’s resumed emergency special session on Ukraine speaker after speaker accused Russia of vio lating key principles of the United Nations Charter—respect for the sovereignty and territorial integ rity of all UN member nations.

There was intense lobbying by supporters of the EU-facilitated resolution ahead of Wednesday’s vote.

US envoy Thomas-Greenfield told the assembly before the vote that when the United Nations was established on the ashes of World War II it was built on an idea—“that never again would one country be allowed to take another’s territory by force.”

Afterward, she told reporters the vote means “that in the eyes of the world and the United Na tions, Ukraine’s borders remain the same.”

“The resolution also sends an enormously important signal to Moscow and to everyone: It does not matter if you as a nation are big or small, rich or poor, old or new. If you are a UN member state, your borders are your own and are protected by international law,” Thomas-Greenfield said. “They cannot be redrawn by anyone else by force.”

A key issue for the resolution’s Western backers was how many countries would support it, and the result went beyond their most optimistic expectations.

The General Assembly voted 141-5 with 35 abstentions March 2 to demand an immediate Rus sian cease-fire, withdrawal of all its troops and protection for all civil ians. On March 24, it voted 140-5 with 38 abstentions on a resolu tion blaming Russia for Ukraine’s humanitarian crisis and urging an immediate cease-fire and protec tion for millions of civilians and the homes, schools and hospitals critical to their survival.

Human Rights Council over allega tions Russian soldiers in Ukraine engaged in rights violations that the United States and Ukraine have called war crimes. That vote was 93-24 with 58 abstentions.

A 2014 resolution affirming Ukraine’s territorial integrity and declaring the referendum that led to Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula illegal was ad opted by a vote of 100-11 with 58 abstentions.

Among the surprise supporters of Wednesday’s resolution were the “yes” votes from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council as well as Brazil.

Russia’s UN ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, had appealed to coun tries to vote against the resolution, calling it “a politicized and openly provocative document” and de nouncing its sponsors as “unscru pulous Western blackmailers.” He expressed regret the vote was not by secret ballot, as Russia sought but the assembly rejected.

Nebenzia reiterated Russia’s claims the referendums were valid, saying “the populations of these regions do not want to return to Ukraine.”

The four countries that joined Russia in voting against the reso lution were North Korea, Belarus, Syria and Nicaragua.

Ukraine’s Kyslytsya expressed profound regret that the four countries made “the wrong choice against the UN Charter” and urged them to reconsider their commit ment to the UN’s principles.

Among the 35 countries that abstained, 19 were from Africa, including South Africa. China and India, the world’s two most popu lous countries, also abstained along with Pakistan and Cuba.

The more powerful Security Council, whose resolutions are le gally binding, has been stymied on taking action on Ukraine because of Russia’s veto power, which it used September 29 to block condemna tion of Russia’s attempts to annex Ukrainian territory.

By contrast, the General As sembly, where there are no vetoes, has now approved four resolutions criticizing Russia over Ukraine. Its votes reflect world opinion but are not legally binding.

The resolution adopted Wednes day declares that Moscow’s actions violate Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, are “incon sistent” with the principles of the UN Charter, and “have no validity under international law and do not form the basis for any alternation of the status of these regions of Ukraine.”

And it supports “the de-escalation of the current situation and a peace ful resolution of the conflict through political dialogue, negotiation, me diation and other peaceful means” that respect Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and internation ally recognized borders.

Many countries among the more than 70 speakers urged a negotiat ed end to the war. The EU’s Skoog called the appeal for a peaceful solu tion “very important,” but stressed it must be based on Ukraine’s ter ritorial integrity.

During Wednesday’s debate there was strong support for the resolution.

Australian Ambassador Mitch Fifield called Russia’s attempted annexation “illegal and a dangerous escalation” and urged all countries to oppose acts of aggression.

Ambassador Fergal Mythen of Ireland said voters in the “sham” referendums in the four regions “faced intimidation by the Russian military and Russia’s illegitimately appointed authorities.”

Cambodian Ambassador Sovann Ke didn’t indicate how he would vote but said that “the forcible an nexation of regions from a sover eign country is a flagrant violation of the UN Charter and internation al laws, which is not acceptable” and urged that internationally respect ed borders “be fully respected.” In the voting, Cambodia supported the resolution.

South Korea’s ambassador, Hwang Joonkook, gave unequivo cal support “to the sovereignty, political independence and the territorial integrity of Ukraine.” He said his country’s “own pain ful experiences” after the 195053 Korean War “can testify that any attempt to divide a nation in any form or method is merely the beginning of lasting very serious troubles, rather than a solution.”

On the other side of that divide, North Korean Ambassador Kim Song supported the “self-determi nation” of the people in the four re gions annexed by Russia as a right protected in the UN Charter and said the results must be respected.

He accused the United States and Western countries of “bru tally” violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya under “the pretext” of pro moting international peace and security without ever having its actions called into question by the Security Council. He argued that US interference in the internal af fairs of countries is continuing in the 21st century.

But the assembly voted by a far smaller margin

suspend

It demands that Russia “imme diately, completely and uncondi tionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recog nized borders.”

Syrian Ambassador Bassam Sab bagh accused the General Assembly of “being manipulated flagrantly by some Western countries for their own geopolitical interests” and urged countries to oppose efforts “to isolate Russia and to employ double standards.”

LIVE video monitors show United Nations Ambassador from Russia, Vasily Nebenzya, addressing the UN General Assembly before a vote on a resolution condemning Russia’s illegal referendum in Ukraine on Wednesday, October 12, 2022, at UN headquarters. AP/BEBETO MATTHEWS

The World

Shanghai Covid infections hit 3-month high as schools close

SHANGHAI’S Covid cases jumped to a three-month high and the stealth rollout of restrictions spread to other major cities across the country as officials try to contain the virus just days be fore one of China’s most important political events.

China’s Xi gets chance to tighten hold on economy at meeting

By Joe Mcdonald AP Business Writer

BEIJING—President Xi Jinping, Chi na’s most influential figure in decades, gets a chance to install more allies who share his vision of an even more dominant role in the economy for the ruling Communist Party and tighter control over entrepreneurs at a party meeting that starts this weekend.

The only question, economists and politi cal analysts say, is whether China’s economic slump might force Xi to temper his enthu siasm for a state-run economy and include supporters of the markets and private enter prises that generate jobs and wealth.

The congress will name a new Standing Committee, China’s inner circle of power, and other party leaders, not economic regulators.

Those will be appointed by the ceremonial legislature, which meets in March. But the leadership lineup will highlight who is likely to succeed Premier Li Keqiang, the top economic official, and take other government posts.

Xi has called for a “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation” by reviving the party’s “original mission” as economic and social leader. During his term, the emphasis has been on politics over economics and on re ducing reliance on foreign technology and markets.

Xi is expected to try to break with tra dition and award himself a third five-year term as party leader. A report he is due to deliver at the congress will set economic, trade and technology goals for at least the next five years.

Investors will look for signs of “a more private sector-led economy. But with Presi dent Xi in place, there won’t be much change,” said Lloyd Chan of Oxford Economics. “Any reforms will be carried out in a way that it will be state-led.”

The party faces an avalanche of chal lenges: A tariff war with Washington, curbs on access to Western technology, a shrinking and aging workforce, the rising cost of Bei jing’s anti-Covid strategy and debt Chinese leaders worry is dangerously high.

Economic growth slid to 2.2% over a year earlier in the first six months of 2022, less than half the official target, sapped by a crackdown on debt in China’s vast real estate industry and repeated shutdowns of major cities to fight virus outbreaks.

Loyalty to Xi is regarded as key to promo tion. One potential candidate for premier, a post that usually goes to the No. 2 or 3 party leader, declared his allegiance by publishing a newspaper article in July that invoked Xi’s name 48 times.

“Xi Jinping prefers to appoint party ap paratchiks, cadres who are loyal to himself, rather than technocrats,” said Willy Lam, who researches elite Chinese politics at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. “This is a big problem if we look at future financial and economic advisers to Xi.”

Beijing opened its auto industry to foreign ownership and carried out other marketoriented reforms. But it has failed to follow through on dozens of other promised chang es. Meanwhile, the party is pouring money into creating computer chip, aerospace and other industries.

Private sector success stories including Alibaba, the world’s biggest e-commerce com pany, and Tencent, a giant in games and social media, are under pressure to align with party plans. They are diverting billions of dollars to chip development and other political goals.

Xi’s government wants manufacturers to reduce reliance on global supply chains and use more domestic suppliers, even if that raises costs.

Under the 1950s propaganda slogan “com mon prosperity,” Xi is pushing entrepreneurs to help narrow China’s wealth gap by paying for rural job creation and other initiatives.

Li, the No. 2 leader, is due to step down as premier next year but at 67 is a year below party retirement age. It isn’t clear whether he might stay on the Standing Committee and take a different government post.

Other regulators and policymakers, some foreign-educated and experienced in dealing with foreign markets and governments, are due to leave office over the coming year if retirement ages are enforced.

They include Vice Premier Liu He, a Har vard-trained reform advocate who is Xi’s eco nomic adviser and the chief envoy to trade war talks with Washington. Yi Gang, gover nor of the central bank and a former Indiana University professor, Finance Minister Liu Kun and bank regulator Guo Shuqing also are due to go.

When their successors are picked, the big question will be “whether Xi has unlimited decision-making authority over the economy and technology,” Derek Scissors of the Ameri can Enterprise Institute in Washington said in an email.

“Is Xi forced by party elites to listen to someone?” Scissors said. “If it’s a bunch of toadies, we get more paranoia paraded as policy.”

Xi’s decision to go abroad for last month’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Central Asian leaders suggests he was confident he has a third term locked in and didn’t need to stay home to make deals.

“Financial markets are hoping for some evidence of internal resistance to Xi” to change course on policymaking, Logan Wright and Agatha Kratz said in a report for Rhodium Group. If Xi strengthens this authority, that would suggest “elevation of the party’s priorities above those of China’s economic technocrats.”

Possible candidates for premier include Wang Yang, who already is a Standing Com mittee member, according to political ana lysts. Others are Hu Chunhua and Han Zheng, both deputy premiers, a role that is seen as training for the top job.

Wang, a former party secretary of the southern manufacturing powerhouse prov ince of Guangdong, and Han, who was party secretary of the business capital Shanghai for many years, are seen as politically close to Xi and might represent little change in economic direction.

Hu might represent a potential change. He is seen as politically closer to Xi’s prede cessor, Hu Jintao.

Hu Chunhua, 59, lobbied for the job by cit ing Xi in every sentence of a July 27 article about farm policy in the main party newspaper.

That showed Hu is “very eager to get that position,” said Lam. He said Hu has less eco nomic experience than Li, the premier, “but at least he comes from a different faction” than Xi, which would add to diversity of views.

Potential dark horse candidates include party secretaries Li Qiang of Shanghai or Chen Min’er of the populous city of Chongq ing in the southwest.

A potential “economic czar” to succeed Liu, the vice premier, is He Lifeng, chairman of the Cabinet planning agency, the National Devel opment and Reform Commission. A friend of Xi, he is seen as a politician, not a technocrat.

The financial hub reported 47 new infections for Wednesday, the most since July 13 when a brief rise in cases revived fears of another gen eral lockdown. Of the latest cases, all but two were found in quarantine. Beijing recorded 18 cases Wednesday. Nationwide, there were 1,406 new lo cal cases for Wednesday, down from 1,709 the day before.

While small by international standards, the flareup is occurring just days before China’s once-in-fiveyears Party Congress, when President Xi Jinping is expected to secure a prec edent-breaking third term in power. So far, China’s most important cities have avoided large-scale shutdowns, with officials instead quietly halting a growing list of activities.

Several schools in Shanghai have

suspended in-person classes as the fear of infection spread grows, accord ing to parents and social media posts. The port city of Tianjin has locked down one district and the southern megacity of Guangzhou has shut schools in one area. Zhengzhou, an iPhone manufacturing hub, has qui etly locked down at least two districts.

China is reinforcing its commit ment to Covid Zero, which Xi has made a cornerstone of his leadership and is likely to trumpet at the Party Congress, despite its heavy social and economic toll. The country’s propaganda machine has ramped up its defense of the controversial policy this week in a sign there’ll be no shift toward living with the virus any time soon.

Shanghai’s flareup has left many of the city’s 25 million on edge as the creeping restrictions stoke concerns about a broader lockdown. As well as the ad hoc school closures, at least five districts have closed entertainment venues, including cinemas, bars and gyms, in an effort to stamp out trans mission, according to statements

issued by Covid prevention offices.

Authorities in the financial hub said Sunday there’s no citywide school shutdown after speculation rippled through social media that the measure would be rolled out. Some neighborhoods are locked down, while individual compounds in other areas have been barricaded with the green fences that were a feature of the extended shutdown earlier this year.

So far, lockdown nerves and the risk of getting caught in China’s pol icy of isolating both Covid cases and close contacts have only seen a small decline in subway ridership. Daily trips have retreated from their preGolden Week level, but are roughly in line with August’s ridership, accord ing to data compiled by Bloomberg.

In Tianjin, which reported just one infection for Wednesday, the Nankai district has been shut down, with peo ple not able to leave their residential compounds and non-essential busi nesses closed. Guangzhou’s Huadu area shut entertainment venues as well as schools, and residents are undergoing mass testing. The city

posted 13 new cases.

In Henan province, large parts of two districts in Zhengzhou appear to have been locked down, according to social media posts and residents who’ve received notification from neighborhood committees. It’s taken many people by surprise after author ities on Tuesday said there wouldn’t be a citywide lockdown.

The city reported 18 new cases for Wednesday. The Covid taskforce line for Zhengzhou city, as well as Gaoxin and Zhongyuan districts, were en gaged and calls by Bloomberg News weren’t answered.

Residents took to social media to complain about the stealth shutdown. They echo sentiments from Shanghai residents, who have lamented the never-ending cycle of shutdowns and reopenings that’s a feature of Covid Zero, and speculated whether they may face another lockdown just months after a two-month ordeal that saw many struggle to access food and medical care.  With assistance from Linda Lew, James Mayger and Mengchen Lu/Bloomberg

CHINESE

editorial SIM registration law: Is my personal data safe?

PreSIdent Marcos signed on Monday republic Act 11934 or the Subscriber Identity Module Card registration Law, which requires all mobile phone users to register their SIM cards. this is meant to curb mobile phone scams and other crimes.

In his speech at the signing ceremony, Marcos congratulated the 19th Congress for passing the new measure, which he said will help authorities go after unscrupulous 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 using mobile phones. We will soon be able to provide law enforcement agencies with the tools needed to resolve crimes perpetrated with the use of these SIM cards, as well as providing a strong deterrence against the commission of wrongdoing,” the President said.

One of the main concerns against the SIM card registration law is the possibility of a data breach, as it requires consumers to register personal information—their full name, complete address, date of birth, sex, cellphone number and the SIM card serial number.

Senator Grace Poe, the chairperson of the Senate committee on public services who sponsored the measure in the Senate, said the law has instituted sufficient safeguards that accord primacy to consumers’ right to privacy to ensure a safe and secure mobile use in the country.

“Any information obtained in SIM registration will be treated as confidential and cannot be disclosed, except in compliance with any law authorizing such disclosure or in adherence to a court order or legal process upon finding of probable cause,” the senator said. She added that breach of data and violation of the law will be meted with “heavy penalties.”

The National Privacy Commission (NPC) said in a statement that it supports the intention of the SIM Card Registration measure to prevent the proliferation of various electronic communication-aided criminal activities.

The NPC recommended that the burden to determine the SIM card buyer’s identity should not fall on retailers who may not have the necessary knowhow or resources to properly verify the identity of data subjects and the authenticity of the identification cards that will be presented. This proposal was adopted in the new law.

The NPC also discouraged the use of a centralized server or database as it carries greater risks if a security breach occurs. This recommendation was adopted in Section 6 of the Bill, which requires that the designated government agencies or public telecommunications entities maintain their own databases.

The PTE must strictly use the database to process, activate, or deactivate a SIM or subscription, and not for any other purpose.

The country’s three telecommunications providers lauded the signing of the SIM registration bill into law. But to make the new law work in favor of consumers, they raised certain issues that need to be addressed.

Smart Communications Inc. Vice President and Head of Regulatory Affairs Roy D. Ibay asked the government for “more time to prepare for SIM registration.” He said “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.”

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 national ID system must be in place to ensure the safe and successful implementation of this new law,” he said.

Dito Telecommunity Corp. Chief Technology Officer Rodolfo D. Santiago 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.

We believe the SIM registration law will help build consumer and business confidence to engage productively in the digital economy. It would do well for the government to fast track the implementation of a single national identification system for all citizens as spelled out under Republic Act 11055, or the Philippine Identification System Act. This will help strengthen the validation of people’s identity under the SIM registration law.

Anomaly or pure chance?

Dr. Ser Percival K. Peña-Reyes

EAGLE WATCH

ties of selected values of the random variable X, where X is the number of winners, and P(X) is the probability of observing X:

numbered balls before making the draw, weighing the numbered balls, livestreaming the draw for everyone in the world to witness, etc.). Was

On

October 1, 2022, a total of 433 bettors won the 6/55 Grand Lotto jackpot prize worth P236,091,188.40. Based on the 9 p.m. draw of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, 433 people got the winning combination of 09-45-36-27-18-54. each of them will take home P545,245.24.

So, what is the probability of having 433 winners in the 6/55 Grand Lotto? The way to answer this question is the same as computing for the probability of obtaining a perfect score in a 25-item, quadruplechoice quiz by the shotgun method (i.e., pure guessing). That is, one can employ the binomial distribution formula, which a casual Google search can yield.

The underlying assumptions of the binomial distribution are: 1) that there is only one successful outcome for each trial, 2) that each trial has the same probability of success, and 3) that each trial is mutually exclusive or independent of one another. In a 25-item, quadruple-choice quiz answered by the shotgun method, the probability of choosing the correct answer per item is 25 percemt, and the probability of choosing a wrong answer is 75 percent.

The probability of obtaining a perfect score (25 correct answers) is very small, but it is not impossible.

The mean of the probability distribution is 6.25. This means that the most likely outcome is having six correct answers (18.28 percent chance). In fact, the probability of getting 11 correct answers at most (i.e., P(X≤11)) is 98.93 percent.

Suppose that some lazy students

employ the shotgun method (e.g., shading all Bs) and get perfect scores because the equally lazy teacher happened to set each answer to B for ease of checking. What must be established, of course, is whether the answer key was leaked. If none was leaked, then the teacher should be sternly reminded to vary the answers to make the shading-all-Bs method much less likely to work. After all, does being extremely lucky necessarily make one a cheater?

In the case of the 6/55 Grand Lotto, because arrangement does not matter, there are 28,989,675 ways of picking 6 numbers out of 55. So, the probability of picking the winning combination is 1/28,989,675, and the probability of picking a losing combination is 28,989,674/28,989,675.

According to the 2020 Census of Population and Housing conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority, as of May 1, 2020, the total population of the Philippines was 109,035,343. Using this figure as an estimate of the current population size of the country, suppose that each Filipino is given a chance to place a bet in the 6/55 Grand Lotto. In other words, let there be 109,035,343 mutually exclusive and independent trials. Here are the computed probabili-

When Microsoft Excel is used to compute for the probability of having 433 winners, an error (#NUM!) appears because the value is way too small to be displayed entirely. In other words, the outcome is highly improbable, but not impossible.

The mean of the probability distribution is 3.76. This means that the most likely outcome is having three winners (20.62 percent chance). The probability of having eight winners at most (i.e., P(X≤8)) is 98.49 percent.

There are those who would like the October 1 draw to be investigated because, by sheer probabilities alone, there might be a reason to suspect an anomaly, which implies deliberate manipulation or collusion. Even if people cast their bets in certain patterns, as long as the draw itself was random, should there be a reason to doubt the outcome? There are strict protocols to ensure transparency and unbiasedness (displaying all

there anything noticeably odd about how the draw was conducted then?

As the scientific precept known as Occam’s razor goes, all things being equal (i.e., that the October 1 draw was conducted the same way all previous draws had been conducted, presumably in a transparent and unbiased manner, as long-established protocols would ensure), the simplest explanation (i.e., that the outcome was due to pure chance) tends to be the right one. There are two key considerations in the way the lottery is conducted. One, the likelihood of success is very small. Two, the outcome is randomly determined on draw night. How likely was it for something really funny to happen during the draw that would determine an outcome of which certain individuals had already been aware?

Dr. Ser Percival K. Peña-Reyes is the Director of the Ateneo Center for Economic Research and Development.

Trump angrily lashes out after his deposition is ordered

By Larry Neumeister & Jill Colvin | The Associated Press

neW

YOrK—Former President donald trump angrily lashed out Wednesday, calling the nation’s legal system a “broken disgrace” after a judge ruled he must answer questions under oath next week in a defamation lawsuit lodged by a writer who says he raped her in the mid-1990s.

He also called the 2019 lawsuit by E. Jean Carroll, a longtime advice columnist for Elle magazine, “a hoax and a lie.”

The outburst late in the day came hours after US District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan in Manhattan rejected a request by his lawyers to delay a deposition scheduled for Oct. 19.

Kaplan is presiding over the case in which Carroll said Trump raped her in the dressing room of a Manhattan Bergdorf Goodman store in the mid-1990s. He called the lawsuit “a complete con job.”

“I don’t know this woman, have no idea who she is, other than it seems she got a picture of me many years ago, with her husband, shaking my hand on a reception line at a celebrity charity event,” Trump said.

“She completely made up a story that I met her at the doors of this crowded New York City Department Store and, within minutes, ‘swooned’ her. It is a Hoax and a lie, just like all the other Hoaxes that have been played on me for the past seven years,” he said.

Then he grumbled: “Now all I

have to do is go through years more of legal nonsense in order to clear my name of her and her lawyer’s phony attacks on me. This can only happen to ‘Trump’!”

Carroll is scheduled to be deposed on Friday.

Roberta Kaplan, Carroll’s attorney, said she was pleased with the judge’s ruling and looked forward to filing new claims next month “and moving forward to trial with all dispatch” after New York state passed the Adult Survivors Act, allowing her to sue for damages for the alleged rape without the statute of limitations blocking it.

After Trump’s statement was released, a spokesperson for Kaplan’s firm, Kaplan Hecker & Fink, said the “latest statement from Donald Trump obviously does not merit a response.”

Trump’s legal team has tried vari-

ous legal tactics to delay the lawsuit and prevent him from being questioned by Carroll’s attorneys. But Judge Kaplan wrote that it was time to move forward, especially given the “advanced age” of Carroll, 78, and Trump, 76, and perhaps other witnesses.

“The defendant should not be permitted to run the clock out on plaintiff’s attempt to gain a remedy for what allegedly was a serious wrong,” he wrote.

Carroll’s lawsuit claims that Trump damaged her reputation in 2019 when he denied raping her. Trump’s legal team has been trying to quash the lawsuit by arguing that the Republican was just doing his job as president when he denied the allegations, including when he dismissed his accuser as “not my type.”

Associated Press Writer Jill Colvin reported from Washington.

Opinion

A belated, loving and personal tribute to teachers

Tito Genova Valiente annoTaTions

IN2007, a teacher named Nellie Banaag and her team had just concluded the counting of votes. Their next move was to bring the ballot boxes to Taysan Town Hall when armed men arrived and began shooting; they poured gasoline on the boxes and set them on fire. Banaag and another woman sought cover in the toilet. The flames engulfed the entire building, with the teacher and Ramos burnt to death. This happened in Batangas, a place near Manila and not in some isolated islands in the south.

More were injured, with one dy ing in the hospital. Banaag was only 42 years of age. She would be the only teacher to have died during the said election. In other places, how ever, more violence was committed against other teachers, with four of them kidnapped in Maguindanao and two wounded in Abra.

In 2011, an odd press release from the Department of Education was celebrating the fact that “our teach ers serving in the frontlines of the election were spared from whatever form of violence.” Of course, there is no need to belabor the obvious. But belaboring the safety of teach ers does not belong to the given nor the obvious. As the report states, with teaching, danger accompanies responsibilities. It, sadly, comes with the territory.

There is helplessness in that quote, “spared from whatever form of violence.”

In 2022, however, there was just an ill omen for teachers: in Himamay lan, Negros Oriental, Mercy Miguel was killed by unidentified men. She was to serve as Board of Election In spector for the coming election. The statement from the Department of Education is worth noting: “Though it is unclear yet if such brutality was election-related, we denounce any acts of violence towards our teach ers who have dedicated their lives to the Filipino children and are now selflessly serving the country in this year’s election.

I discovered online a site called TEACHERPH, which asks whether the teachers have the right to strike. It makes clear these points: “Joining

NK says Kim supervised cruise missile tests

September last year.

the mass action of peaceful assem blies during school hours amount (sic) to a strike in every sense of the term, constituting concerted and unauthorized stoppage of, or absence from work which teachers have a sworn duty to perform. While it is true that teachers are allowed to seek redress against injustice to the administration, they shall, however, avoid jeopardizing the interest and welfare of the learners whose right to learn must be respected (The Code of Ethics for Professional Teachers Art. VI sec. 4). Participation in or ganization activities is allowed out side school hours or with consent from the school authorities if within school hours (RA 4670 Magna Carta for Public School Teachers sec. 28b).

Note how tied the teacher to his or her status and function as a teacher.

I recall a sociologist, Leonor DyLiacco, whose anecdotes about kin ship and protocols of the 50s were disarming in classrooms. With teach ers being one of the most respected positions immediately after World War II, all parents were particularly proud of their daughters (mostly) who became maestra. In their town in Camarines Sur, this particular mother would hail a jeepney on the other side of the street announcing, Señor Tsuper, please allow my daugh ter who is a teacher to take a ride in your jeep.” The jeepney would stop and the well-dressed teacher would then walk from the other side of the street, with all the passengers looking—marveling—at her. The

modifier may sound pompous now but in those years, the description was a mark of how high the respect accorded the teachers.

This respect for the teacher has historical support albeit you could look at this development now with a skewed perspective. On April 1, 1937, the Teachers’ Pavilion was construct ed exclusively for the free hospital ization of public school teachers who were afflicted with tuberculosis. This ward was located in what is known

as Quezon Institute or QI.

While it appeared the Common wealth government then cared much for its teachers, recalling also the special status attributed to their profession, such focus could have only come from the fact that teach ers caught tuberculosis given the rigor of their works and the thank lessness given to the long hours they needed to give for the “education of our youth.” More interestingly, QI, before the name Quezon was append

ed to it, was called Teacher’s Santol Sanatorium. Its building bordered Santol Street across what is now E. Rodriguez Avenue.

But, to what degree do we really care about our teachers?

On October 5, 2022, last week, a 24-year-old teacher was raped and killed allegedly by a worker in Clave ria, Burias, Masbate. The crime took place on World Teacher’s Day.

The body was identified by her colleague in the room she was rent ing. Her head was bashed.

You can picture this young wom an and all young teachers who get assigned away from the comfort and safety of their homes. Imagine them enjoying the relative sense of independence in a place where their dreams and ambitions are coming true. Be with them in their daily struggles. Think of their families and the hopes pinned on their ac quired status.

On that day, the murder of a ra dio commentator had attracted the attention of everyone. A reward was raised to hasten the capture of the murderer. In Claveria, people were, I suppose, mourning the death of Jessica Mangubat. But the mourning ended in her own neighborhood. She was just a teacher. She did not raise her voice to demand for change. Her status prevented her that. But she served the nation. Selflessly, the word we love to use for teachers we think we honor and love.

E-mail: titovaliente@yahoo.com

The inspiring journey of the regulatory framework promotion of pro-poor insurance markets in Asia

By Kim Tong-Hyung The Associated Press

SEOUL,

South Korea—North Ko rean leader Kim Jong Un super vised tests of long-range cruise missiles, which he described as a suc cessful demonstration of his military’s expanding nuclear strike capabilities and readiness for “actual war,” state media said Thursday.

Wednesday’s tests extended a record number of weapons demonstrations this year by North Korea, which has punc tuated its testing activity with threats to preemptively use nuclear weapons against South Korea and the United States if it perceives its leadership as under threat.

Analysts say Kim is exploiting the distraction created by Russia’s war on Ukraine, using it as a window to accel erate arms development as he pursues a full-fledged nuclear arsenal that could viably threaten regional US allies and the American homeland.

South Korean officials say Kim may also conduct a nuclear test in the coming weeks or months, escalating a pressure campaign aimed at forcing the United States to accept the idea of North Korea as a nuclear power that can negotiate economic and security concessions from a position of strength.

North Korea’s official Korean Cen tral News Agency said the two missiles during Wednesday’s tests flew for nearly three hours, drawing oval and figure eight-shaped patterns above its west ern seas, and showed that they can hit targets 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) away. The tests demonstrated the accu racy and war-fighting efficiency of the weapon system that has already been deployed at army units operating “tac tical” battlefield nuclear weapons, the agency said.

Kim after the tests praised the readi ness of his nuclear combat forces, which he said were fully prepared for “actual war to bring enemies under their control at a blow” with various weapons systems that are “mobile, precise and powerful,” according to the report.

He said that the tests send “another clear warning to enemies” and vowed to further expand the operational realm of his nuclear armed forces to “resolutely deter any crucial military crisis and war crisis at any time and completely take the initiative in it.”

The missiles’ flight details and char acteristics described in state media re sembled what North Korea reported in January following the previous dem onstration of its long-range cruise mis sile system, which was first revealed in

State media photos of Wednesday’s test showed a missile leaving an orange tail of flame as it shot out of a launch vehicle. Kim is seen smiling and clap ping from a viewing station established inside an arched structure that appears to be a highway tunnel. Experts say the North may intend to use such structures to conceal its weapons before launch.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it was analyzing the tests.

The tests were the first known weap ons demonstrations by North Korea after it launched 12 ballistic missiles in a span of two weeks through Oct. 9 in what it described as simulated nuclear attacks on South Korean and US targets. Those weapons included a new intermediate range ballistic missile that flew over Ja pan while demonstrating potential range to reach Guam, a major US military hub in the Pacific, and a short-range missile fired from an unspecified platform in side an inland reservoir.

North Korea said those drills were meant as a warning to Seoul and Wash ington for staging “dangerous” joint naval exercises involving the nuclearpowered US aircraft carrier USS Ron ald Reagan in recent weeks, which were intended as the allies’ show of strength in the face of growing North Korean threats.

Concerns about Kim’s expanding nu clear arsenal has grown since his rubberstamp parliament last month passed a new law that authorized preemptive use of nuclear weapons over a broad range of scenarios, including non-war situations, where it may perceive its leadership as under threat. South Korea’s military has since warned North Korea that it would “self-destruct” if it uses its bombs by triggering an “overwhelming” response from the allies.

While Kim’s intercontinental ballistic missiles targeting the American home land have gathered much international attention, he has also been expanding his arsenal of shorter-range weapons aimed at overwhelming missile defenses in South Korea. The North describes some of those weapons as “tactical,” which ex perts say communicate a threat to arm them with small battlefield nukes and proactively use them during conflicts to blunt the stronger conventional forces of South Korea and the United States, which stations about 28,500 troops in the South.

North Korea’s provocative tests and threats have prompted calls by South Ko rean conservatives for the redeployment of tactical US nuclear weapons, which were removed from South Korean soil in the 1990s, or for the South to pursue its own nuclear weapons capabilities.

Manny F. Dooc

TELLTaLEs

Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenar beit, more popularly known as GIZ in more than 120 coun tries where it operates, is a private sector entity founded and funded by the Federal Republic of Germany. It maintains an army of 24,977 employees worldwide, about 70 percent of whom are nation als of the host countries, with 58.8 percent of them women. GIZ’s primordial aim is to promote international cooperation for sustain able development and education activities around the world.

THe

In 2021 alone, its volume of business activities was approxi mately 3.7 billion euros and most of which were channeled in devel oping countries. Our development cooperation with Germany started in 1971, even before the reunifica tion of Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall, with the signing of agreements between our two coun tries in 1971. The areas of coop eration included microinsurance, climate change and biodiversity, agriculture, peace and develop ment, security, school health and employment.

I shall focus on GIZ’s work in pro moting pro-poor insurance in the Philippines and other developing countries in Asia. In order to ad dress the growing need for risk pro tection of the impoverished people in the selected countries in the re gion, GIZ set up a dedicated pro gram to provide the poor access to insurance services. Thus, the RFPI Asia was born to assist the govern ments of the Philippines, Indone sia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Vietnam in extending affordable insurance protection to families with meager and irregular income. This insurance facility de signed for low-income workers was denominated as “microinsurance” (MI). MI was embodied and de fined in our  2013 Insurance Code  (R.A. No. 10607) and conceived as a mechanism to reduce poverty in our country. RFPI Asia, in pursuit of its mandate, organized the Mutual Exchange Forum on Inclusive In surance (MEFIN) with the support of all the insurance regulators of all the participating nations in 2013

to provide a platform for dialogue and knowledge exchange among the seven member countries and leading advocates of microinsur ance. The historic meeting was held in Cebu City and I had the honor of serving as MEFIN’s founding Chairman. Our group jointly issued the Cebu Declaration, a first of its kind document, which proclaims the principles and objectives of MEFIN and our group’s  commit ment to uphold and pursue them.

The works of RFPI are divided in three phases. Phase I covered 2013-2015, the initial years of its existence. The Philippines had al ready completed the basic work on MI during this stage while most countries in the region had just started with their MI journey. For instance, in the case of Indone sia, RFPI and the local regulators worked on the grand design of MI to be adopted in the country. Likewise, the Microtakaful framework was developed. Mongolia formulated its own definition of MI while both Nepal and Thailand issued guide lines on the product development and distribution of MI in their re spective countries. The Philippines concentrated on more advanced issues like the formulation of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Mechanism (ADREM) to make litigation/dispute resolution of MI cases inexpensive. Rules and pro cedures for accreditation of media tors/conciliators were adopted fol lowed by training of applicants for such positions. RFPI collaborated with the member countries to adopt the Methodology for Regulatory Impact Assessment to be applied

As a former Insurance Commis sioner who had partnered with the GIZ and RFPI during the MI’s formative years, I had seen how MI provided relief to the hapless victims of Yolanda and the many other calamities which devastated our poor people. No question that RFPI and its par ent, GIZ, have been at the fore front of the efforts to expand MI across Asia.

across the region. During Phase II (2016-2018), several notable achievements were recorded. In our country, the Health MI Framework was approved. This became the model for other countries. Across the region, guidelines on the im plementation of the principle of proportionality in product develop ment, distribution and regulation was issued. Important papers and reports were published touching on MI studies conducted on several countries and Fact Sheets on new business models. Training manu als/guidebooks for MSMEs were published and circulated for the benefit of members. Under RFPI auspices, the first Regulatory Im pact Assessment was conducted in several countries. The MEFIN website was developed and used to facilitate learning and knowl edge exchange. The 3rd and final phase of the RFPI program covers 2019-2022. Several critical projects were undertaken with a few others still under process. Two paramet ric products for excess wind and excess rainfall were developed in the Philippines, together with enhancement of one product to cover climate and disaster risks. A Business Interruption Insurance for MSMEs was also developed in the Philippines. At the instance of the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry, there was an integration of DRI into the Business Resiliency Strategy for MSMEs. Vietnam strengthened its National Agriculture Insur ance Program through research and studies, capacity building and policy recommendations. Likewise, the National Aquaculture Program of Indonesia was enhanced through feasibility study and capacity build ing. Increasing use of mobile appli

cations and telemedicine apps for telehealth were encouraged and developed.

Under RFPI’s lead or initiative, much has been accomplished to ex pand the services of MI not only in our country but also in many parts of Asia. Our vulnerable popula tions have suffered from death, sickness, accident, fire, and other disasters, which have caused loss of income and serious economic dislocations. A recent report of the Commission on Audit has revealed that despite the colossal costs paid out by our national government to the beneficiaries of our Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) 90 percent of the 4.26 million ben eficiaries are still below poverty level despite being covered for many years. Our government, which has finite resources, cannot sustain this. MI is a less expensive way to bail out the poor from poverty in a sustainable and inclusive way. As a former Insurance Commissioner who had partnered with the GIZ and RFPI during the MI’s forma tive years, I had seen how MI pro vided relief to the hapless victims of Yolanda and the many other ca lamities which devastated our poor people.  No question that RFPI and its parent, GIZ, have been at the forefront of the efforts to expand MI across Asia. It has supported the regulators, the insurance in dustry and the MI community in promoting MI to shield our vulner able population from the hazards they encounter in their daily lives.

Today marks the closing event of RFPI Asia to be held at the New Coast Hotel Manila. It will close its doors on December 31, 2022 after a decade of dedicated service to our country, other Asian countries and their people. RFPI is an inspiring journey that has changed the land scape of MI in the Philippines and Asia. It will close its operations in Asia but the GIZ Office in the Philippines will maintain its op eration. GIZ’s other organ, Access to Inclusive Insurance for the Poor (Aii), will continue and take over the mission of RFPI. Now that the heavy lifting is done, we salute RFPI for its invaluable contributions to the cause of Mi. Our grateful hearts will not forget your seminal work to make insurance services acces sible to our poor people.

Senators grill DPWH chief on projects, flimsy schools

By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

SUSTAINABILITY, GREEN INITIATIVES ANCHOR PHL, NORWAY MARITIME TIES

THE Philippines and Nor way have committed to strengthen maritime ties with focus on sustainability and green initiatives.

with a clear focus on sustainabil ity, which is “very important” for the European nation.

SENATE

Minority Leader Aquilino Koko Pimentel on Thursday prodded the DPWH to act switfly to untangle the problems that have caused undue delays in many big government projects, causing loss of resource and opportunity.

A t a Senate finance subcommit tee hearing on the DPWH budget for 2023, Pimentel admonished Secre tary Manuel Bonoan to prioritize key projects under the Build Build Build that were not completed due to funding problems.

S everal other senators, led by the Finance committee chairman Juan Edgardo Angara, also grilled Bonoan on a wide range of issues, from substandard material in pub lic schools, to unqualified contrac tors and alleged corruption in some units of the department, which drew praise for the relatively fast pace of project implementation under a massive infrastructure program despite lockdown restric tions during the pandemic.

P imentel also flagged the pres

ence of alleged syndicates that are selling properties for right-of-way (ROW) compensation from |gov ernment.

I n some instances, the ROW negotiations take time as  govern ment seeks to authenticate titles, sometimes referring the matter to NBI for investigation, resulting in suspension of some claims.

It is “important to finish proj ects,” Pimentel reminded, and asked DPWH to expedite the work,”especially bridges.”

B onoan for his part, assured senators the key infrastructure projects begun under the Duterte administration, especially those boosting road connectivity and commerce, will be finished on time.

B onoan presented theP718.36-

billion proposed 2023 budget of the agency before the senators on Thursday. The proposed budget was anchored on the “Build Bet ter More” infrastructure policy of the Marcos administration. This includes continuing and expedit ing the projects under the “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure pro gram started by the Duterte ad ministration, especially those that impact economic develop ment and recovery, Bonoan told senators.

S en. Francis Tolentino grilled DPWH on its reported lack of plan ning and necessary preliminary as sessment of its projects—blamed for the delay of the completion and non-implementation of infra structure projects. Tolentino raised “repetitive” reports from the Com mission on Audit (COA) flagging the agency’s failure to establish technical viability of projects in its feasibility and preliminary en gineering studies, resulting in the delay and non-completion of 3,440 projects costing P245 billion.

Build more parks

SENATOR Alan Peter Cayetano urged DPWH, meanwhile, to build more parks in keeping with the ‘Build Better More’ mantra of

the department.

Cayetano proposed to allocate more funds in the building of parks, initially one each for Northern Lu zon, Southern Luzon, Central Lu zon and in the Visayas-Mindanao area.

Bonoan, while admitting that the building of parks is not incor porated in their program, agreed that this could be a ‘paradigm shift’ in the function of the department, which he does not mind getting involved in.

Cayetano said DPWH should look into developing military camps and state universities for the pur pose of building parks and open spaces. “If you look at what you (DPWH) did in Region 3, in Clark and Subic during the SEA Games, it shows we can really have worldclass facilities here,” Cayetano said.

P1-M liability insurance

ALSO at the hearing, Sen. Raffy Tulfo asked DPWH to require con tractors for infrastructure projects to secure a liability insurance for accidental death or injury of its workers and motorists.

The coverage of said liability in surance should be at least P1 mil lion per project, increasing as the value of projects rise.

R oyal Norwegian Embassy

Charge D’ Affaires Geir Michalsen said the rich history of Norway and the Philippines is largely dependent on maritime relationships.  “ Norway and the Philippines have a joint connection with the focus on oceans and the maritime industry. In many ways, I would say that the maritime industry is at the core of our good connections between the Norwegian and the Filipino people,” he said during theNorway—Philippines Mari time & Energy Conference, with the theme, “ Creating Currents Together.”

M ichalsen added that close collaboration has enabled both countries to leverage on each one’s strengths to drive mutual growth.

Our goal is to celebrate the ties we have in the shipping industry, and also to build new ones — new values, new potential in different industries. Our ocean-based in dustries have secured economic growth for Norway and the Phil ippines together,” he said.

T he ambassador added: “I’m quite sure that Norway has a lot to offer along with the Philippines. Together we can develop these industries—this opportunity for new economic growth.”

He noted that Norway is par ticularly looking at developing maritime ties with the Philippines

We try to make new connec tions...focused on creating jobs, creating new revenues and doing it in a sustainable way,” he said.  See related story in Compa nies, “Norwegian ship manager to employ more Filipinos.”

W ilhelmsen Ship Manage ment, a Norwegian manning and fleet management firm, said it is expanding its pool of Filipino sea farers amid plans to transition to low-emission operation and digi talization of world vessels.

For his part, Philippine Am bassador to Norway and Fin land Enrico Fos said the active membership of the Philippines and Norway in the International Maritime Organization (IMO) strengthens the two nations’ re solve to adapt to more sustainable maritime initiatives.

As IMO members, the Philip pines and Norway are committed to pursue sustainable maritime transport,” he said. “As partners, we will navigate through the most significant issues in the maritime industry.”

F os added that the Philip pines shares Norway’s vision of strengthening ties for mutual economic growth.

Through the strong bilateral relations between the Philippines and Norway, we reinforce our robust partnership and coopera tion in the maritime sector,” he said. Lorenz S. Marasigan

Pandemic widened inequalityalso among low-income homes

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

THE pandemic has widened inequality between the rich and the poor but also among the low-income households nation wide, according to an economist from the Ateneo de Manila Univer sity (ADMU).

In an ADMU Department of Eco nomics Seminar, Associate Professor Geoffrey M. Ducanes said poverty se verity was greater at 1.95 percent in the first semester of 2021 compared to 1.8 percent in the first semester of 2018.

Poverty severity is part of the Foster-Greer-Thorbecke (FGT) index which also measures poverty incidence and poverty gap. This is the same index being used by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) when it reports the poverty data.

“ There is greater inequality among the poor in the Philippines in the first half of 2021 based on the en tire poverty Severity Index and these differences are significant at the 10 percent level of significance. So there are more poor, the poor are farther from the poverty line and there is more inequality among the poor,” Ducanes explained.

Poverty severity measures the in equality among the poor. If there is a higher value in poverty severity, Du canes said, this indicated there is more inequality among the poor and there is more severe or extreme poverty.

Poverty incidence, meanwhile, measures the share of households or individuals who fall below the pov erty line while poverty gap measures the shortfall of the total population from the poverty line.

Poverty incidence, as reported by the PSA, increased to 18 percent in the first semester of 2021 from 16.2 percent in the first half of 2018. Pov erty gap also increased to 4.9 percent in 2021 compared to the 4.4 percent posted in 2018.

“Some subgroups of Filipino house holds were more affected than others, likely increasing income and non-income inequality in the country in the shortterm, and potentially in the longerterm,” Ducanes said in his presentation.

H is study also showed that in equality between regions widened.

Using the Atkinson Index—another measure of inequality along with the Gini Index—he found inequality within regions widened.

D ucanes estimated that some 81 percent of inequality in the country was due to within-region inequal ity, while only 19 percent was due to between-region inequality in 2021.

T he contribution of within-region inequality was higher in 2021 com pared to 2018 at only 76 percent, and between-region inequality had a higher share of 24 percent of the total inequality in 2018.

Inequality that existed prior to the pandemic—such as in access to social security, in educational attain ment and economic opportunities, in access to digital technology—has contributed to the unequal impact of the pandemic across households,” Ducanes said.

In order to narrow income inequal ity in the country, Ducanes recom

mended that the access of low-income households to social and unemploy ment insurance be improved to provide them a “crisis safety net.”

T his can be done by subsidizing so cial security contributions for low-in come earners; simplifying the process of registration; providing limited-time tax exemptions for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

T here is also a need to narrow the digital divide by subsidizing learning gadgets and access to the internet, especially for students in low-income households.

D ucanes said local governments in poor communities can facilitate this by providing community hubs in barangay centers to help low-income students get access to learning gad gets and internet service.

SCIENCE WRITER IS ‘SHERO’ AWARDEE Stephanie Tumampos, GeoData Scientist and Science Communicator at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), is flanked by Noemi Azure (left), Inlife Senior Executive Vice President and Insular Health Care President and CEO and Nina Aguas, InLife Executive Chairperson, after she

her

Wilhelmsen wants to recruit more Pinoy seafarers–exec

By VG Cabuag @villygc

Wilhelmsen ship management, a norwegian manning and fleet management firm, said it is expanding its pool of Filipino seafarers amid plans to transition to low-emission operation and digitalization of world vessels.

To meet the future demands of competent crew in operating future ships, Wilhelmsen will be utilizing its training facilities and e-learning platform to upskill their seafarers towards ship decarbonization and digitalization.

The ship manager wants to grow its fleet by 60 percent in the next 5 years and will be increasing its pool of Filipino seafarers to support its growth.

“The Philippines remains one of the world’s largest suppliers of seafarers. For 43 years, the country has been a major recruitment pool

of highly skilled seafarers for Wilhelmsen. In fact, almost 50 percent of our crew today are Filipinos,” said Anette Bjerke Hoey, the company’s vice president for marine personnel.

“In addition to expanding our pool of seafarers, we are determined to equip our local recruits with technical and soft skills competence that is required to operate future ships safely and efficiently.”

Wilhelmsen has increased its recruitment of Filipino seafarers by 15 percent and their cadet program has raised its intake of Filipino seafarers by 194 percent in the last five years.

Some 40 percent of its current pool are officer ranks and approximately 2 percent are female officers. The growth in the Filipino seafarer pool is driven by its long-term plans to maintain the Philippines as one of its major recruitment hubs to meet the needs of its expanding fleet in ship management.

“Career progression is one area that we are focused on. We have made good progress in developing our Filipino officers to gain experience in highly complex vessel segments like LPG, LNG [liquefied petroleum gas, liquefied natural gas] and cruise. This added vessel segment experience adds significant value in their career growth ahead,” Hoey said.

The International Maritime Organization has decided to reduce green house gas emissions of vessels, with a goal of reducing emissions by 50 percent in 2050.

The shipping industry will soon transition its fleet towards low or zero emission fuels. In parallel, the digitalization evolution that took over shipping will continue to intensify and will increasingly play an important role in monitoring emis-

sions. The same trends have shaped the trajectory of future recruitment demands in the next decade. In the near future, ships will be built operating on a variety of low or zero emission fuel such as LNG, methanol, ammonia and hydrogen. It would be a different landscape from what the industry has today that is one type of fuel oil.

These new fuels are different from the current one and require skills and expertise to ensure safe bunkering and operability of new engine types. Digitalization has become all the more important for monitoring emissions. The ability to interpret data into actions is one key skill that is in demand.

Seafarers are required to analyze data on dashboards and make use of this information to operate ships.

Wilhelmsen is an accredited and Maritime Labor Conventions compliant company. The ship manager currently manages 250 ships in technical management and 212 ships in crew management. The ship segment in management includes gas tankers, oil tankers, bulker, container, offshore, cruise and car carrier.

Globe raises ₧17B from stock rights offer

By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

GLOBe Telecom Inc. has raised P17 billion in fresh funds from its stock rights offering (SRO), which it described as “fullysubscribed.”

In a regulatory filing, Globe said a total of 10.12 million common shares were sold at an offer price of P1,680 apiece. The shares came from

the company’s increase in authorized capital stock to P11.25 billion from the previous P10.25 billion.

“Please note that under the terms of the Offer, the subscription to and issuance of the Rights Shares will become complete only upon listing of the Rights Shares on The Philippine Stock exchange, Inc. That listing is expected to occur, subject to receipt by the Company of all relevant regulatory approvals, on or about 28

October 2022,” the disclosure read. earlier, Globe said the proceeds from the SRO will be primarily used for pre-payment or repayment, repurchase of all or a portion of certain borrowing, including interest and other liabilities availed by Globe for its capital expenditures (capex) and for other capital expenditure plans.

Globe has allotted P89 billion for its capex program this year to build more cell sites, upgrade existing ones,

deploy 4G and 5G radios, and add more fiber lines across the country.

As of the first half of the year, Globe has spent P50.5 billion in capex, surpassing the amount in the same period last year by 17 percent. The end-June expenditures were mostly invested in its network.

Globe booked a 51-percent growth in its net income to P19.7 billion in the first half of 2022 from P13 billion.

MAP names Management Man of the YearMarikina mall shifts to solar

SPe C TRu M a wholly owned subsidiary of the Manila e lectric Company (Meralco), will put up a 1.5-megawatt peak (MWp) of solar photovoltaic (PV) system for Riverbanks Development Corp. (RDC).

The new solar energy project will be installed at the Riverbanks Center, an integrated commercial complex within a 23-hectare property along A. Bonifacio Avenue in Marikina City. It is targeted to be completed by March 2023 and is expected to generate approximately 2,000,000 kWh of clean energy every year, allowing Riverbanks to save about P14 million in energy costs annually.

Riverbanks will likewise reduce its carbon footprint by an estimated 1,400 metric tons per annum, which translates to almost 3 million trees planted in twenty years and 5,800,000 kilometers reduced in vehicle travel per year.

“Providing a clean energy solution specifically designed for Riverbanks’ needs and goals is Spectrum’s mandate as a renewable energy company. This pilot solar rooftop project with Riverbanks is just the beginning, and Spectrum will be with them as they embark on this journey towards becoming a sustainable business,” said Spectrum Chief Operating Officer, Patrick Henry T. Panlilio.

TH e Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) announced recently that it has selected Isidro A. Consunji, chair and president of DMCI Holdings Inc., as the recipient of the “MAP Management Man of the Year 2022”.

In a statement on Thursday, the business group said the “MAP Management Man of the Year” is an award that the MAP confers on individuals in business or government, whether a member of the MAP or not, “who have attained unquestioned distinction” in the practice of management, and “have made valuable contributions to the progress of the country and in reshaping national values.”

“It is bestowed on exceptional persons who have posted a record of achievement and distinction as leaders and managers of organizations, and who are exemplary models who deserve to be emulated by their peers and by the younger leaders and managers,” MAP said in a statement.

The criteria for the award, the group noted, include integrity, leadership, and management qualities; contribution to nation-building and values formation; effective stewardship within the confines of the highest standard of business and management practice; among others.

According to MAP, Consunji was chosen for his “business acumen” and management qualities in transforming a private construction firm into one of the Philip-

pines’s “biggest and most resilient conglomerates.”

MAP also recognized the DMCI Holdings president’s leadership role in his group’s “substantial” contributions to national development, job creation and income generation through “huge investments” in construction, real estate, mining, energy and water distribution.

The business group noted Consunji’s “unparalleled commitment” to developing, training and sustaining a Filipino management team and staff.

MAP said, the DMCI Holdings chair also has “generous contribution” to education, particularly in the field of engineering and science.

The business group highlighted Consunji’s “significant contribution” in the form of innovative solutions to the housing problem of the Philippines.

MAP underscored Consunji’s

“expertise” in turning “problematic assets and distressed companies under seemingly insurmountable situations into very productive investments.”

The DMCI Holdings president was also hailed for being an “exemplar of the Filipino entrepreneurial spirit without public display and self-promotion.”

Among the awardees included in the roster of MAP Management Man of the Year are: John L. Gokongwei, Jr. in 2017; Fernando Zobel de Ayala in 2018; Nestor V. Tan in 2019; Federico R. Lopez in 2020; and Carlos Chan in 2021.

DMCI has recently bagged the Most Outstanding Company in the Philippines for the Construction and e n gineering Sector in the Asiamoney 2022 Asia’s Outstanding Companies Poll.

The Asiamoney poll is designed to acknowledge the listed companies that have excelled in areas such as financial performance, management team excellence, investor relations and CSR initiatives. Andrea E. San Juan

DMCI Holdings Inc. Chairman and President Isidro A. Consunji

PHL families faced cash issues amid lockdowns

By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes @brownindio

ARECENT study by the Manufacturers Life Insurance Co. (Phils.) Inc. (Manulife PHL) revealed that the lockdown measures instigated by the government has brought issues in finance in Filipino families.

The survey revealed that the mobility restrictions prompted some parents (28 percent) to deal more into finance; diversifying their portfolio to include traditional and non-traditional investment products and exploring sustainable investing.

Meanwhile, about 24 percent of Gen Z children-respondents said they were stressed due to increased family conflicts, usually triggered by financial challenges, among others. Other triggers were household chores and obligations and work and school demands.

According to Manulife PHL Chief Marketing Officer Melissa Henson, the study helped the insurer “to better understand how family dynamics have evolved during the pandemic and how technology has impacted behaviors at home and influenced everyday decisions.”

“Identifying these shifts in behavior has been vital in helping us to better serve our customers,” Henson said during a recent news briefing.

The insurer’s study titled “The Modern Filipino Family: Exploring family dynamics and digitalization in the new normal,” underscored the notable differences in the impact of the pandemic and digitalization within families.

The survey conducted by Manulife PHL in May 2022—focusing on “the worst period of the pandemic”—revealed that 38 percent of Generation X and Millennial parents and 40 percent of Generation Z children said their wellbeing had suffered.

Respondents said they had to cope with the restrictions imposed by quarantines and lockdowns. Parent-respondents said that while their well-being improved, their children experienced struggles in the “digital-by-default life.”

Across generations, the study identified isolation from family or friends; financial difficulties; increased occurrence of negative emotions such as stress, fatigue and depression; and, a decline in physical activities as the top negative effects of the lockdown measures.

Respondents among Gen Z children said they experienced a lot of pressure and feel more stressed despite the improving pandemic situation. About 54 percent said that they were sleepdeprived while 68 percent experienced stress, fatigue and depression. About 55 percent said they became increasingly irritable while 32 percent said they also developed unhealthy eating habits.

About 56 percent of respondents among Gen Z children said they are concerned with the return of face-to-face classes. Some 46 percent of them said social media and keeping up with online image put pressure on how they see themselves. To help them cope, they actively sought more opportunities to take a respite from the digital world, as 65 percent have expressed digital fatigue, prompting them to seek more offline interactions with friends and family.

Meanwhile, Filipino parent-respondents said they discovered new hobbies and passions to pursue. Top interests are watching online content (41 percent) and health and fitness (29 percent).

Respondents among parents have also become more conscious of their health, with 31 percent going online to buy life and medical insurance.

As the restrictions were being relaxed and the country started to shift to the new normal, the survey also showed that more than half of Generation X and Millennial parents (54 percent) and Generation Z children (51 percent) said their well-being has improved compared to the peak of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, stress levels also declined for 57 percent of the parents and 42 percent of the children.

Gens X and Y Filipino parents credited better work-life balance and “more hands-on, more present” parenting for their improved well-being. About 82 percent of parents said they developed a stronger bond with their families, while 89 percent said their family ties got stronger.

Banking&Finance

‘VAT exemption to worsen inflation’

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie

THE chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means on Thursday warned against the unintended consequences of the proposal exempting sugar and other commodities from the 12-percent Value-Added Tax (VAT).

Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda said the proposal that has been filed by the Makabayan bloc of lawmakers in the Lower Chamber will only make inflation worse.

Salceda issued his statement after the House Bill (HB) 5504 was filed by the lawmakers. The bill seeks to scrap VAT on the importation and sale of the following: bread; canned goods; instant noodles; biscuits; sugar (raw and refined); cooking oil; salt; laundry soap and detergents; charcoal; and, candles. It also seeks to exempt the imposition of VAT on the sale and importation of drugs classified as essential by the Department of Health.

Salceda poured cold water over the proposal.

He said while the Committee will

study them, “we are of the disposition that the government needs more, not less revenues.”

“It’s going to make things worse, not better. When the British government announced its largest tax cuts in 50 years, the British pound also slid to all-time lows against the dollar. That’s because tax cuts cast a shadow of doubt on the ability of a state to maintain its operations and honor its debts,” the economist-lawmaker said.

“Peso weakness is not yet our fault: we’re still fundamentally strong,” Salceda added. “And, in any case, the peso is getting stronger against other major currencies like the yen, euro, or the pound. But the moment we cut taxes, the resulting

peso weakness will be our fault.”

Lawmakers have to be careful about a VAT-cut proposal, he opined.

“We will have to pay more pesos for our imports and our imported inputs, like fuel, will also be more expensive in peso terms,” he said.

Salceda also reminded his colleagues they have also committed to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. that “all expenditures, spending or tax, will have to be matched by corresponding new revenues.”

“And the current proposals are not backed by new sources.”

Farm subsidies SALCEDA said he believes that the government should instead focus on providing “fertilizer subsidies to help address our food supply issues.”

“Good fertilizers are still the most cost-effective way to increase food supply, even despite higher fertilizer costs.”

According to the lawmaker, doing so will lead to an increase in farm input costs by around 6 percent to 12 percent.

“But it increases yield by around 65 percent.”

Salceda said the President should focus more on this intervention.

He also urges his colleagues “to help find ways to fund more farm input support for farmers, instead

of tax cuts.”

“Because, even if we cut taxes, we’ll still have to face structural food constraints,” said Salceda. “And worse, we won’t have the money to deal with them.”

The lawmaker said he will also consult counterparts in agricultural agencies in Thailand, Taiwan and other regional neighbors “to see how else the country can mitigate inflation with improved food security.”

Salceda has been travelling to the Philippines’s fellow-members in the Association of Southeast Asian Nation to meet investment managers and government leaders during the session break.

He said he’ll report the outcome of these talks to Marcos.

Already-exempted SALCEDA said much of the inclusions in the Makabayan bloc proposal are already exempted from the VAT like sugar, beef, fish, salt, charcoal and firewood.

He added that many prescription drugs are also already VAT-exempt as provided by Republic Act (RA) 10963 (Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion, or Train, law) and RA 11534 (Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises, or Create, law).

Salceda noted that the other items in the proposal that are not VAT-

exempt are canned goods, bread, biscuits, soaps and candles. He said These amount to around P719.9 billion in total sales, or a loss of around P86.4 billion in tax revenues.

But Salceda said the government can make sugar cheaper by importing 300,000 metric tons of refined sugar, which is more or less the industry’s structural deficit.

“That will also make biscuits and bread cheaper. Canned goods benefit from the reduced tariffs on mechanically-deboned meat. That reverts from 5 percent to 40 percent by the end of 2022, so we have to study that.”

Salceda further schooled the Makabayan bloc of lawmakers by explaining that what is taxed with VAT and excise tax is sweetened beverages, which the health department “discourages anyway for health reasons, specifically obesity and diabetes.”

Policy cocktail

SALCEDA warned of dire consequences if the government doesn’t undertake budget cuts or raise new revenues to support the revenue loss.

“We may suffer a credit rating downgrade, loss of peso confidence. The Medium Term Fiscal Framework will also be extremely difficult to achieve,” he said.

“This kind of policy cocktail just makes the peso feasible at P68.”

CIC to hold 2-day credit expo

Pagcor gives cash to landslide victims

BAYBAY,

Leyte—The families of close to 200 individuals who either perished or disappeared following a landslide in a village here in April received financial assistance from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., Pagcor said in a statement. The distribution of cash aid was held at the city’s gymnasium from October 11 to October 13.

Pagcor said it released P5.5 million or P30,000 to each fatality case. The cash donations were handed to the victims’ surviving kin. The victims perished when incessant heavy rains brought by Typhoon Agaton (international name Megi) last April 10 caused a huge portion of a mountain bounding

Barangay Kantagnos and other small communities to cave in and bury the entire village under slosh of mud and other debris.

Pagcor said Rogelio Managbanag Jr., who lost ten of his family members, seven of whom were never found, received a total of P300,000 from the state-run gaming firm. Managbanag was working in Manila and had never seen his family in five years when the tragedy struck at around 6 a.m. on that fateful day.

Pagcor said Managbanag got the shock of his life when he was informed later that his parents and other loved ones were among the fatalities in the landslide.

Pagcor Assistant Vice-President for Community Relations and Services Eric I. Balcos led the distribution of cash assistance to the recipients. Balcos said the agency’s provision of financial aid to the families of the landslide victims was meant to assuage the burden of losing their loved ones and help them start afresh in life.

“No amount of cash could actually compensate the loss of a family member especially in a tragic incident, but in our own little way, we would like to help the surviving kin of the landslide victims go on with their lives, hence this financial assistance from our agency,” Balcos was quoted in the statement as saying.

Child-like thinking for associations?

WHAT gives me great joy during this pandemic is my day-to-day interaction with my only granddaughter, now four-and-a-half years old. Here’s what a typical day with her and how it applies to associations in terms of member engagement:

1. Morning hug. Upon waking up at around 9:00 a.m., she would first look for me and greet me with a morning hug. I initiated this ritual when she was two years old and I liken this to what associations can do or have been doing in welcoming or meeting their members: a handshake, a fist bump or whatever form of gesture their cultures allow. This boosts personal relationship and camaraderie with members.

2. Play time. Next on schedule

would be play time such as, molding clay dough, doing jigsaw puzzles, sketching doodles, watercolor painting or watching videos for kids. These activities help to stimulate creativity in her. Associations do also gamification activities in their events to break the ice or to energize discussions.

3. School hour. After taking her bath, I drive her to a nearby prep school where she attends in-person classes with same-age kids for an hour, twice a week, where they

learn basic things and, as she says, “to have fun.” As I pick her up from school, she shows me a “two-star stamp” on her wrist which means “very good.” Part of the value proposition that associations provide their members are basic learning as well as certificate programs to help them improve capabilities and take pride in their work.

4. Drive-through reward. As a prize for her “very good” achievement in school, we will treat her to a drive-through restaurant for a sundae, fries, nuggets or doughnuts. Rewarding and recognizing the work of association volunteers, staff and the board make relationship-building with key stakeholders meaningful and long-lasting.

5. Storytelling. After lunch, it’s nap time with storytelling. For some

THE

Credit Information Corp. (CIC), the country’s sole public credit registry and repository of credit information, announced it is set to conduct its second virtual credit expo, titled, “Creating Tomorrow: Credit in the Digital World,” on October 27 and October 28.

The credit expo will be two half-day morning sessions, the CIC said in a statement. The first day’s program will be for financial institutions covered under the Republic Act 9510, or the Credit Information System Act (CISA). The second day will be for the general public.

“In this year’s expo, we underscore how financial institutions and borrowers benefit from a mainstreamed credit reporting system through CIC as the country’s public credit registry,” CIC President and CEO Ben Joshua A. Baltazar was quoted in the statement as saying.

Baltazar added that through the utilization of CIC credit reports in “credit-decisioning,” especially now that the country is continuously moving towards digital finance, financial institutions will be able to calibrate the price of credit appropriately to the risk and maximize potential profits. At the same time, this contributes to lowering the incidence of over-indebtedness which in turn fosters a culture of responsible borrowing for both individuals and MSMEs, the official added.

To date, there are 739 submitting entities (SEs) in production or financial institutions submitting actual credit data of their borrowers to the CIC. This information comprises the CIC database which now covers 35 million data subjects or approximately 50 percent of the Philippines’ adult population.

Baltazar said that the SEs are highly encouraged to go beyond mere compliance and apply as an Accessing Entity (AE) so that they can start tapping into the CIC’s

pool of consolidated credit data.

“Priced at only P30 for retail and P20 for wholesale, the CIC Credit Report remains to be the most cost-effective tool for lenders to assess the creditworthiness of their borrowers,” he added.

This year, the CIC’s 155 AEs have already surpassed the past two year’s credit-report utilization after having made 1.5 million credit report inquiries to the database just for the first three quarters this year.

Baltazar added that the CIC has been actively promoting its Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) through the AE program to encourage individuals to be aware of their credit histories by providing a ready and convenient way to access their CIC Credit Report. This results in a fairer loan assessment system, lowers the cost of credit for borrowers, and ultimately improves access to credit.

Creating tomorrow

T HE CIC said the expo will feature speakers from the CIC as well as various financial sector industry associations.

Topics will be on the significance of data submissions and compliance to the Cisa, the rights and responsibilities of borrowers, as well as developments on the value-added products and services provided by CIC’s accredited credit bureaus or Special Accessing Entities. Further, financial institutions will also discuss how CIC credit reports are used in their credit-decisioning process and overall business operations.

“Through our upcoming expo and other financial education events, we hope for greater participation of credit industry players in complying with the CISA law and in utilizing CIC Credit Reports, as well as increased awareness among Filipino borrowers of their credit histories so that they can build their credit worthiness,” Baltazar said.

reason, she likes dinosaur stories and classics like “Pinocchio,” “The Ugly Duckling” and “Snow White,” which I have already memorized as I repeatedly read these to her. Storytelling is also an effective tool for associations to use in communicating relevance, knowledge and advocacy, among others.

6. Outdoor fun. Two hours of nap is what usually re-energizes her to go outdoors afterward. This could be biking, scooter trolleying or going to a playground for slides, see-saw and swing rides. Associations organize outdoor activities for bonding, teambuilding and simply hanging out with members.

7. Dinner and occasional sleepover. Coming to the end of the day, the whole family dines together for supper, with the granddaughter

dominating the conversation. Sometimes she decides to sleep over with us and so I have to repeat my bedtime storytelling drill.

My “babysitting” chore is obviously not 24x7 and I still have my own “the wifey and me” times. Associations are quite the same: they tend and serve routinely their members as though they are their children practically each day of the week. So wouldn’t the approach to membership engagement be childlike thinking?

Octavio Peralta is currently the executive director of the Global Compact Network Philippines and founder and volunteer CEO of the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives, the “association of associations.” The PCAAE is holding its Associations Summit 10 (AS10) on November 23 and 24, 2022. E-mail: bobby@pcaae.org.

COLLECTIVE EFFORT This Friday, October 7, 2022, photo courtesy of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas shows BSP Governor Felipe M. Medalla (center, top photo) with other members of the BSP Monetary Board during the recent “Annual Reception for the Banking Community” hosted by the Central Bank at its head office in Manila. Medalla thanked the banking sector for their collective effort and long-standing collaboration with the BSP. With the Governor are (from left): Monetary Board Members Eli M. Remolona; V. Bruce J. Tolentino; Peter B. Favila; Benjamin E. Diokno, who is also Finance Secretary; Antonio S. Abacan Jr.; and Anita Linda R. Aquino. Photo courtesy oF Bangko sentral ng PiliP nas

Octavio Peralta

Association World

Relationships

Commuter woes and even more commuter woes

Today’s Horoscope

By Eugenia Last

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Usher, 44; Natalie Maines, 48; Lori Petty, 59; Ralph Lauren, 83.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Experiencing and living life to the fullest is a tall order, but it’s achievable if you are organized and have a purpose. Review what you’ve accomplished and tie up loose ends quickly so you concentrate on what’s important to you. Make changes to ensure you can take advantage of the opportunities heading your way. Your numbers are 4, 7, 18, 21, 23, 37, 44.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Take a moment to catch up with a friend or relative. What you discover will help you decide what you want to do next. Time spent with someone you love will bring you closer together. Short trips will be informative. HHHH

COMMUTING in the Philippines sucks.

The problem isn’t just isolated to our daily struggles here in Metro Manila, where effing bus and MRT queues are the norm, but even when, say, you need to take a pump boat from Caticlan to Boracay. One arrives at the jetty port where no one tells you what to do, or where to line up (or why), so for first-time tourists, it is a confusing cacophony of noise and a steady visual assault. The experience is nothing short of stressful.

Or, take going to Sagada. From Baguio, you have to ride a bus where you’re packed tight like a tin of sardines, and travel for six hours on patches of rough and not-so-rough roads, before getting to the bus stop to alight in Besau. And, by the way, it is on a first come-first served basis. (I hear there now is a direct route to Sagada from a Cubao bus station, passing through Banaue, but I have yet to talk to anyone who has used that route so I can’t say whether this is easier or more comfortable for tourists.)

The Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines, the premier group of business journos to which I belong, recently had Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista as guest. And while Bautista—or JJB, as he is to former Philippine Airlines employees and reporters with whom he used to be friends—seemed proud about the accomplishments in his first 100 days at his agency, the Department of Transportation, I didn’t walk away as confident. (Walk away from my computer, that is, since I attended the economic briefing via Zoom.)

Among my chief gripes is the continued closure of the Roosevelt Station of LRT-1 for over a year. I am told by friends at the Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC) that this station continues to be closed because of the ongoing construction of the common MRT-LRT transport station. If you are a train-loving commuter (or used to be) like myself, you know it’s such a hassle to take a jeepney, taxi, or Grab from where you are in North Edsa or thereabouts, all the way to Balintawak just to grab an LRT train. I might as well skip this longer drive and take the Grab instead to my enddestination in Manila.

According to Bautista, “The Common Station has been delayed for quite some time because of some issues with the signaling system, because LRT-1 is being operated by the private sector; their signaling system is different from MRT. So we’re working on a simple arrangement with the [LRMC] to handle the signaling system at the common station. If we will be able to fix this, the Common Station should be operational by the first or second quarter of next year.”

(In the first place, why didn’t Bautista’s predecessors work on that problem? It’s annoying that there is no uniformity in style or systems of our infrastructure or commuter transport projects. Just take the passenger payment system for the trains. There used to be different cards used for the LRT and the MRT, until someone brilliant at the DOTr eventually realized it made more sense to just use one Beep or payment card.)

The same hodgepodge approach is also evident

in airport development. Has the DOTr been able to rationalize which airport caters to what passengers?

We now seem to have too many in the Greater Manila Plus area—what with Sangley in Cavite, rehabilitation of the Naia in Pasay, the Bulacan airport, and Clark International Airport.

can start construction is next year, while the Miguel earth works. So it will take some time, maybe six to eight years before this airport becomes operational. So, in the meantime we will see to it that the Manila International Airport operates efficiently, and we will work with the airline companies to mount additional flights to Clark because Manila is already congested. Manila and Sangley will really take some more time, so we’ll just see to it that Manila and Clark operate efficiently.”

Still, are we going to close Naia in some near future? And which airport will eventually become the premier international gateway? Will it be Clark? Will it be Sangley? Will it be Bulacan? Last I spoke with operators of international carriers like Delta Airlines, for instance, they still prefer Naia to Clark because the bulk of their passengers are from Metro Manila. (Of course now, Delta doesn’t even fly directly to Manila and uses Korean Air to fly passengers here from the US.)

Lastly, I use Grab a lot and, frankly, I’ve never been a happy camper since Uber pulled out of the TNVs picture in Manila. Due to the lack of any real competition, Grab has been able to run roughshod over its subscriber-passengers. Even during off-peak hours or even when there are numerous vehicles in the vicinity of one’s pick up point, Grab still imposes a

Board OIC Engr. Riza Marie Paches responded on Bautista’s behalf: “From our understanding of the TNC-TNVs model, drivers get at least 80 percent of the fares, with platforms getting the rest as a service fee for the use of the platform. Given the revenue model, drivers are still the main beneficiaries of any fare increase.” Maybe it’s time Ms. Paches does a JJB (who rode the MRT when he was newly appointed to his post) and start taking Grab to check out what drivers have to say?

Meanwhile, government needs to rationalize all transport projects, providing basic templates so when a new administration takes over with a similar or follow-up projects, they don’t have to reinvent the wheel. There will be a logical and uniform system or progression for these projects.

And for commuters’ problems to be addressed correctly, our government officials should ditch their agency-assigned air-conditioned service cars and instead take public utility vehicles or trains to get to work and back to their homes, not just once, but everyday until our issues have been resolved. We’ve paid our taxes religiously. Maybe it’s about time we see our taxes work for us for a change. n

‘take a number’

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Take care of business. Leave nothing to chance or in someone else’s jurisdiction. Being secretive regarding the changes you want to make until you have everything in place will deter others from interfering with your plans. HHH

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Your resourceful nature will help you outmaneuver anyone who gets in your way. Speak up, be proactive, be entertaining and gain insight into trends. Adjust your skills to meet the demand. HHH

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Problems will mount if you overreact, take on too much or spend money you can’t spare. Concentrate on something positive and beneficial to you. Maintaining a healthy diet and scheduling regular physical activities will help you avoid poor health. HHH

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Spend time with the right people and you’ll gain insight into something that interests you. A partnership can make life easier if you are both heading in the same direction. A day trip or discussions with a friend or relative will be eye-opening. HHHH

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Keep your eye on what’s happening around you. Someone will be elusive or withhold information. Go directly to the source if you want the facts. You are overdue for a change, but it won’t happen unless you make the first move. HH

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Spend time with people you find mentally stimulating or who share your interests and you’ll discover new ways to use your skills. A trendy new look will make you feel good and attract attention. HHHHH

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Find ways to lower your overhead. An innovative outlook will help you find a way to live smarter. Personal improvement is favored, but be secretive regarding your plans. When you are happy with the results, you can share your achievements. HHH

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Make decisions based on our needs and follow through until you are happy with the results. Lend a helping hand to an expert or senior member of your family and you’ll gain an unexpected bonus. HHH

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Put everything in its place before you incorporate change or new beginnings in your everyday routine. Understanding and appreciating what you already have will help you make better decisions. Check out investments, but don’t get involved in something you cannot afford. HHH

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Consider changes that will make your life easier. You’ll have the freedom to use your skills to build a solid base for your plans. Self-improvement will lead to compliments, and romance is on the rise. HHHHH

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Shake off differences you have with a friend, relative or peer, then go about your business. Making plans to surprise someone will bring you closer together and encourage you to find ways to promote emotional, mental and financial sharing. HH

BIRTHDAY BABY: You are enthusiastic, curious and innovative. You are systematic and persistent.

Avoid conflicts; work behind the scenes. HH: You can accomplish, but don’t rely on others.

: Focus and you’ll reach your goals.

: Nothing can stop

BY ANDREW MCINTYRE

by David Steinberg

: Aim high; start new

go for

Show

The Manunuri’s Best Short Films and Documentaries

EXPENSIVE HABIT

THE actress is no longer as active in show business as she was in the past. That’s because she has moved on to other endeavors, where she has also found success. She has been married and raised her kids on her own. But when it comes to her finances, the actress is struggling. That’s because she’s allegedly addicted to gambling and she’s been frequently spotted at some of the country’s casinos. Considering her current world and that of her significant other’s, the actress is treading in dangerous territory. Her addiction has been an open secret for years. It’s also a wonder why her kids, who are now grown-up, don’t do anything about it.

WRONG TIMING

THIS eligible bachelor was rumored to have been dating a celebrity but nothing came of it. The celebrity is now in a relationship with a high-profile guy. As for the eligible bachelor, he reportedly tried to date a celebrity TV host but despite the fact that he liked her so much and the feeling seems to have been mutual, this did not prosper beyond a few dates. The guy is too busy and too dedicated to what he’s been sworn to do to actually be in a relationship. Meanwhile, the TV host is heartbroken because the eligible bachelor is a good catch. He is handsome, intelligent, and seems to be a principled man. They are actually a good match but one that’s not possible right now because they’re both upwardly mobile individuals who are super busy.

ATTITUDE PROBLEM

THE actress recently signed with a new talent agency after she was let go by her former management. The thing about this actress is that, yes, she is pretty and talented but she also has an attitude problem. She’s rude and snobbish. When fans wave at her, she’d look at them blankly as if she didn’t see them. These stories have persisted for years that it’s a wonder her former agency kept her on for so long. A former fan of the actress once encountered her in a public restroom and they were literally face to face. The fan smiled but the actress simply looked away.

VINDICATED

THIS singer was dumped by his longtime girlfriend and for a while, even if their break-up was amicable, he was very sad. But he found love again, this time with a girl from a well-off and powerful family, and he seems to be very happy again. He no longer looks like a loser in the eyes of many. For a while, people called him a loser because it was obvious that his ex had kind of gotten tired of the relationship, not necessarily of him. Now, it seems that he’s been vindicated in their eyes.

Festival is Trishtan Perez’s short film, i get so sad sometimes. It is the story of a high-school teenager who spends time on the Internet chatting with a man who has not revealed his face to the young boy. Shot in Pagadian City and Cagayan de Oro, the tale about the duplicitous reach of social media is cautionary.

For Adjani Arumpac in Count, counting is a way of coping with the lockdown. The schools are closed but, at home, her child counts and learns about equations. Loss is known by counting; health care is not subject to counting. As danger escalates outside, inside our homes, plants are being nurtured, cats are born.

It is the 1970s. Martial Law rules. News circulates that Skylab, the remains of a space capsule, is falling back to Earth, its service to space studies finished. The anxiety over an object hurtling down from outer space is almost poetic as told from the eyes of two schoolboys in a time when people are expecting the end of the world. In Chuck Escasa’s Skylab, they discover though that the catastrophe is happening much closer to where they live.

In Keith Deligero’s Kalayo (Fire), a man running chances upon a P100 bill. He checks its temperature: health (and wealth) is always seen as either inflamed with fever or not, safe to touch or not. From above, like an omniscient eye, drone shots provide us a world in flames at many points, with men in white entering homes. It is as if the Earth is on emergency.

Pam Miras’s Lonely Girls follows a woman, alone, going through the motion of yoga, or some forms of meditation. She is alone in the house but an energy in wispy shadows comes around, tactile. She is at a loss. She seems to control her body but her soul is somewhere.

The man in Kyle Fermindoza’s story is in solitude with the universe and the primordial shapes of nature around him. He walks the space and the ground; he makes paper boats and lets them float on the water. Is this hope or despair? No one knows. The short film is called K[u]adrado

Let us start by saying Dandansoy is the story of an honest-to-goodness “aswang” who enters an Internet cafe to seek help from a young boy. She wants to send an e-mail to her daughter who is abroad. The young boy goes with the aswang in her journey to reach the place where all aswangs die.

The three documentaries nominated this year are traditional in approach in many ways but the forms adopted by the documentarians do not diminish the contribution of these films to truth-seeking. Here are the documentaries and their summary:

Venice Atienza is with a young boy who is spending his last summer at home, near the sea. The village is called Karihatag, a place where boys are

Joross always thankful for blessings

IYA, CHEF JOSE BACK IN ‘E AT WELL, LIVE WELL, STAY WELL’ SEASON 4 GMA Network and Ajinomoto Philippines Corp. (APC) continue its partnership to educate and help Filipino families prepare dishes that are nutritious and affordable via the fourth season of the weekly cooking show Eat Well, Live Well, Stay Well.

Amid the continuous price hikes on basic commodities, some households might compromise the quality of their food due to budget constraints. Luckily, viewers can learn economical and healthy meal ideas thru the 10-minute cooking show hosted by Iya Villania-Arellano and Chef Jose Sarasola.

Iya admits that through this program, she has gained confidence in the kitchen and learned a lot of recipes for her own family: “We have been so blessed kasi kahit during the pandemic, tuloy pa rin kami and until now when things are going back to normal. We’re happy to serve you lalo na because there’s so many changes in our economy, supply and produce. Buti na lang we have this show to guide us.”

Chef Jose also expresses his gratitude for their comeback and assures viewers that each new episode will again be filled with delicious recipes and fun discoveries for everyone: “It’s good to be back for the fourth season. I really feel blessed that GMA and Ajinomoto put their trust in me to be here pa rin. Hopefully, there’s more to come and we can’t wait to show you our recipes na sobrang sarap at unique.”

Aside from giving a twist to various meals, the show will also feature special dishes for the holiday season.

ACTOR Joross Gamboa is the last person to say that he is leading man material. Even when his loveteam with Roxanne Guinoo was launched, thanks to their stint in the first Star Circle Quest talent search almost 20 years ago that led to a slew of high-profile projects, such as TV shows and even some movies, Joross feels more comfortable in doing supporting roles.

“I never dreamt to be a leading man or even super famous. Acting for me is a job. Until now, I think of it as a way to support my family. If it’s a supporting role or even a minor one or even a cameo, I’m all for it. ’ ang na-realize ko sa industryang ito. Hindi ito sa kung sino ang sikat. There’s a time to shine and there’s a time to help others shine,” he says.

But in his IWantTFC show, titled which is currently streaming, Joross headlines the comedy along with his original onscreen partner Roxanne Guinoo.

While he is billed as the leading man of the series, Joross thinks that all the cast members are the lead stars, and that the directors, writers and the production people are who should get top billing. It is now into its third season.

“Achievement na talaga na umabot kami sa season,” Joross says. “But in the back of my mind, rin ako surprised kasi ang gagaling talaga ng mga

The Right to Life brings us into the society of the indigenes. For a long time in isolation, the Manobo tribe escapes and finds themselves in an evacuation center. The virus comes and forces them into lockdown. Their dreams remain: for their children to be educated and for the community to survive with food. Almost a contradiction, these people are caught on camera wearing masks, an invasion into their ethnicity and notion of well-being.

Roel Hoang Manipon continues his documentation of vanishing arts and practices in Lepa and other watercrafts and boat building practices of the Sama people of Tawi-Tawi. Used both for fishing and traveling, the lepa is also the home for a family. Crafting these boats is passed on from father to son, from one generation to another.

The Gawad Urian will go live on November 11, 2022. Details will be announced soon. n

Hoy, Love You. Tuloy-tuloy lang talaga ang pag-evolve namin. Ang masasabi ko lang sa Season 3, kilig ang mararamdaman niyo.”

Hoy, Love You’s main plot has Jules (Gamboa) and Marge (Guinoo) welcoming their first baby. The couple is extremely excited to start a new life as they prepare to welcome their baby to their big stepfamily. However, Marge’s pregnancy will not be as smooth-sailing as they had hoped when they find out that her pregnancy is delicate.

Wanting to make sure that Marge is always stress-free and healthy, Jules will try his best to take care of her while taking charge of their construction business. But more problems arise when overlyconcerned family and friends meddle in their affairs.

Also in the cast are Dominic Ochoa, Carmi Martin, Keanna Reeves, Aljon Mendoza, Karina Bautista, Race Matias, Brenna Garcia, TJ Valderrama, Yamyam Gucong, Pepe Herrera and Kate Alejandrino. Also returning in Season 3 is Lou Veloso, plus new cast is directed by Theodore Boborol and is currently available on the iWantTFC app (iOs and www.iwanttfc.com). The series is free for all users in the Philippines and is available to premium subscribers outside the Philippines.

Viewers can get easy access to iWantTFC’s content library, including the first two seasons of Hoy, Love You with its “watch now, no registration needed” feature.

In the meantime, Joross is extremely grateful for the jobs he’s been getting lately.

He says, “I prayed for this project. I had an accident recently which tore my Achilles [heel] and I had to let go of some offers. But our prayer was all about Puro pasasalamat lang na naka-recover for all the blessings that will come in. lang kasi si God na talaga bine

destined to be fishermen. Reyboy, however, will leave the place, be in the city, and study. They—the narrator and the boy—spend the days gazing at clouds and wondering about the stars at night. This is Reyboy’s home and the simple, little things around it—the days, the water, the crabs. There is also the talk of storms and climate change. Then, there is the boy bidding goodbye to this home.

A SCENE from Zig Dulay’s Black Rainbow

JOROSS GAMBOA PHOTO FROM @JOROSS_GAMBOA ON INSTAGRAM

BPI AIA meakes health security affordable and accessible for small business owners

PackPrintPlas Philippines hybrid edition returns to SMX Manila

THE most comprehensive and anticipated packaging, printing, and plastics trade show in the Philippines and Southeast Asia staged a big comeback to the trade exhibition arena. PackPrintPlas Philippines returned in hybrid edition from October 6 to 8, 2022 at the SMX Convention Center Manila in Pasay City and online through the VX Events Platform from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

PackPrintPlas Philippines 2022 Hybrid Edition put the spotlight on different technologies and innovations in the packaging, printing, and plastics industries. It will showcase the latest offerings from the country’s leading suppliers and manufacturers.

Among the products showcased were

different plastic packaging, granulating and recycling machines, large format printers, plastic and paper containers, resins, rubber rollers, stamping foil, and many more. Some of the leading suppliers and manufacturers who were present in the expo were Big Pix Graphics Systems Inc., Caledonian Int’l Corp., JG Summit Olefins Corp., Kelin Graphics System Corp., and many more!

PackPrintPlas Philippines 2022 Hybrid Edition also retained the trade show’s credential as the only one of its kind that brings together the leading cross-industry decision-makers. The simultaneous online edition further expanded its reach to cover more cross-industry players across the country and even the region.

Aside from product exhibitions,

PackPrintPlas Philippines 2022 Hybrid Edition also facilitated side-conferences and workshops. The Packaging Institute of the Philippines (PIP) held the “Sustainability in Packaging Solutions” seminar, while the Philippine Center for Print Excellence Foundation (PCPEF) will conducted a conduct a learning session about “Green & Sustainable Printing.”

This hybrid event was organized by Messe Dusseldorf Asia Pte Ltd and GlobalLink MP. The former is a 20-year-old regional trade fair group, while the latter is a Philippine-based events and marketing agency under the umbrella of Singapore’s MP International Pte Ltd (also a part of the Pico Group, an award-winning events and brand activation agency with foothold at 41 cities worldwide).

Xirrus seeks to lead digital accounting consultancy field, targets small and medium-sized business owners

JUST

a few years ago, local businesses grappled with voluminous, disconnected and at times, inaccessible accounting files. Some of the recordings were still done manually. Reporting to government agencies took double the work.

This scenario gave impetus to start Xirrus, Inc., an all Filipino company that provides accounting software and business consultancy services to a wide variety of industries.

John Edward T. Castillo, Managing Director, looked back when Xirrus, Inc. started in 2016. “Most of the concerns then were based on the time it took clients to record transactions and generate the reports. Imagine businesses doing recording on manual books or in a glorified spreadsheet. Collaboration between employees within the accounting department was difficult when they were keeping separate, unconnected files. Report generation ranged from days to weeks due to the tediousness of consolidating different sources of data.”

“Another concern was that they had to

record the transactions twice. First in their manual spreadsheets, and second in the BIR system. One of their biggest wishlist was to have a system where they can just export the data and the same data can be fed to the BIR system to minimize double recording,” he added.

The majority of the businesses in the Philippines then and now is in the MSME bracket, according to Castillo. These businesses want a simple accounting system that works, is affordable, easy to setup and easy to use. Xirrus’ purpose is to help them transition from manual bookkeeping to computerized accounting. The end goal is to have the business owners be better equipped with the right data for their business making decisions.

Xirrus tackles client issues two ways: one is by providing consultancy services and another is by introducing products specific to a client problem.

Castillo explains, “Our product lineup is from internationally recognized brands like QuickBooks, both Desktop and Online, which is developed by Intuit. QuickBooks

is being enjoyed by more than 4 million users globally. We consider QuickBooks our flagship product. Intuit and QuickBooks has a steady development roadmap, which ensures that all product subscribers will definitely see new additions to their QuickBooks experience every year. Another brand is Sage 50, formerly known as Peachtree, developed by Sage.”

For services, Xirrus offers installation, configuration, training, implementation, customization and helpdesk support. The company follows a standard methodology in delivering these services regardless of the client’s industry type.

So what is the difference between client concerns then and now? It is the digitalization of transactions. The pandemic has greatly changed the mindset of businesses, especially when the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE Law) was introduced. Now, businesses are more open in generating digital invoices and sending it to customer’s email.

Along with this, the pandemic has also forced businesses to adopt and embrace the remote setup, which means that they see cloud-based systems as a viable solution to the work-from-home environment. Cloud-based systems now offer collaboration even when teams are not in the same office space, unlike in 2016 when the concerns on collaboration are based on localized, onpremise central storage of data.

Xirrus has been lucky to have had the chance of working with a diverse set of clients. They have provided products and services to trading and retail, manufacturing, distribution, construction, non-profit, general services, schools, food and restaurants, resorts and hospitality business, and other accounting firms.

Almost all these clients are looking for one thing - to have an updated accounting solution that has steady local support. Xirrus comes in and show clients what system or sytems best work for their needs.

EMPLOYEES

are the backbone of any business. For an economy like the Philippines which is made up of hundreds of thousands of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), employees are instrumental in driving the success of recovery efforts.

Yet behind the momentum of thriving in the “now normal” lurks the financial risk that comes with the increased likelihood of sickness among workers. Sickness and accidents happen when one least expects it and the resulting expenses from hospitalization, rehabilitation, medicines, and other treatments can easily set one back by millions of pesos. SMEs, by nature, are particularly exposed to this kind of liability, in addition to the intangible losses this may incur, such as reputation damage from service disruption.

To address this gap, insurance firm BPI AIA, a strategic alliance between Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) and AIA Philippines (formerly AIA Philam Life), is advocating awareness about health protection solutions specifically designed for SMEs. Called Health Essentials, the solution enables SME clients to provide their respective employees with medical assistance benefits similar to those extended by health maintenance organizations (HMOs) at a manageable cost.

“Employers have a duty to nurture their workforce to attract and maintain the best talents and ensure business continuity. Being able to provide a comprehensive benefit right away promotes SME competitiveness, and in the long term, improves productivity and delivers great results that create a positive financial impact to the organization,” said BPI AIA CEO Surendra Menon. “We are encouraging and enabling our customers to live healthier, so they can live longer and better lives as we promised.”

Health Essentials offers utmost flexibility to its policyholders as it features a “no-cashout” facility for the availment of medical benefits from a wide network of providers or a reimbursement of their expenses if conditions allow. BPI AIA can also create a

tailor-fit plan for the SME, enabling an easy mixing and matching of benefits to determine which combinations would fit one’s needs.

In-Patient Benefits cover room and board and use of Intensive Care Unit (ICU); Special Hospital Services, such as use of operating room, X-Ray, laboratory exams, and medicines; Surgeon’s Fees, if any; and the Attending Physician’s Fee for daily hospital visits.

Meanwhile, optional Out-Patient Benefits cover consultations, X-Ray, laboratory and diagnostic exams; basic Annual Physical Examination (APE); select Dental Benefits; Maternity Benefits including pre- and post-natal consultations and coverage for normal or caesarian delivery, miscarriage or pregnancy complications; and Prescribed Medicines up to a specified limit per year.

In addition, there is a Financial Assistance Benefit for all insured members paid as a lump sum amount if the insured dies of natural or accidental causes. Benefits may be extended to the dependents of Principal Employees, be they married, single, or even single parents.

On top of all this, SME clients can receive expert advice on employee benefits and business insurance, providing holistic solutions based on employees’ needs and the company’s budget.

As an illustration, a Luzon-based company can extend an employee In-Patient Benefits of up to P200,000 Annual Benefit Limit; P50,000 Financial Assistance in case of death; Out-Patient Benefits of up to P6,000 per visit; and basic APE and Dental benefits for an annual premium of only P8,928.40 per employee per year. Like other insurance plans, the final amount varies on the client’s specifics at the time of subscription, so it’s best to reach out to an authorized representative for an accurate quote.

To avail the Health Essentials solution, SMEs are encouraged to get in touch via the BPI AIA website <bpi-aia.com.ph>. Meanwhile, for BPI’s SME clients, the bank should be able to endorse them to BPI AIA’s Employee Benefits Specialists.

New hair Eksperience™️: A better, holistic way to take care of your blonde, grey hair is now available

a result of their advanced scientific approach, they meticulously select and extract rich and active marine ingredients to make each products' formulas, which treat, nourish and replenish the hair and scalp, more effectively.

THE fast-paced world that we live in and our modern lifestyle habits make it difficult to find the perfect balance for all aspects of our life, leading us to make daily choices that affect our health and ultimately, our hair. When taking care of our hair, we are now used to only treating it cosmetically, relying on quick hair fixes. They give the impression of shiny, healthy hair, when in fact, they only offer instant, superficial results, not treating hair from the core. That is why we were introduced to Eksperience™️, and we took this opportunity to learn more about the brand and their product that provides care to Blonde and Grey hair.

Eksperience™️ is born from thalassotherapy, which involves the use of seawater and other marine ingredients, owing to their abundance of properties, as a form of therapy. It rendered all the Wisdom of the Sea into wellness beauty rituals for the hair and scalp, offering extraordinary results that can be taken to the next level by your very own hands. For more than 20 years Eksperience™️ researched the vast and extraordinary abundance of the sea and, as

One very effective product under the vast portfolio of Eksperience™️ is their delicate, sulfate-free hair cleanser infused with violet colorants that moisturize the hair fiber while helping fight yellow tones in order to maintain light shades looking naturally bright for longer. To provide more insight, here are the marine origins of Eksperience™️ Color Protection Blonde and Grey Hair Cleanser, (1) Maris Aqua (marine spring water) 'aims to purify and exfoliate the scalp, (2) Extract of Fucus vesiculosus combined with hydrolyzed actin protein that serves as an antioxidant', and (3) Porphyra umbilicalis, 'that provides intense moisture'. Finally, the same product has Cranberry Juice Extract (as its plant-based origin), that contains very high amounts of vitamin A and C, known to promote healthy hair.

As a sustainable brand, Eksperience™️ has worked to increase their awareness and reduce their impact on the environment, which is why they are use FSC-certified paper from sustainable, ethically-managed forests and source recyclable plastic and glass for every bottle. These are just some of the steps they have taken as part of the long journey that they would like to undertake together with you as a result of their deep respect for the ocean and the planet.

Here's where you can buy Eksperience™️ Color Protection Blonde & Grey Hair Cleanser in the Philippines: newsummitcolors.com, LazMall Flagship Store: New Summit Colors, Shopee Mall: revlon professional, zalora.com. ph/store/new-summit-colorsdistribution-inc or

BPI AIA now makes it more affordable for SMEs to avail of health security.

PROJECT: GINTONG LABAN

By Josef Ramos

ONOctober 31, 1979, the highly-acclaimed Project: Gintong Alay—an elite sports program with the late Lydia de Vega as its most illustrious product—was born.

O n Thursday—almost exactly 43 years later in the same month of October—Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Noli Eala introduced to the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) and the national sports associations (NSAs) his Project: Gintong Laban.

We will establish a ‘Pathway to Success,’” Eala told POC and NSA officials during the PSC Consultative Meeting, a first-of-its kind collaborative activity involving stakeholders at the apex of grassroot and elite sports in the country.

But to achieve success in the elite level, Eala said progress would be approached one step at a time.

We begin with the ‘Duyan ng Magiting’ or the ‘Cradle of the Brave’ at the grassroots level—and that

should start with the family—leading to the tweaked version of the Project: Gintong Alay,” he said.

The “Duyan ng Magiting,” Eala said, is a whole range program for grassroots pursuant to the PSC’s mandate, while the “Gintong Laban,” or “Golden Fight,” is a high-level program for elite athletes.

E ala suggested that the Project: Gintong Alay initiated under the administration of then-President Ferdinand Marcos, was a program worthy of revival—but with a twist.

“ While the “Gintong Alay” was a ‘godfather program,’ considering the number of NSAs we have now, we will ‘pool’ the resources from these partners to equally distribute to our athletes,” he said.

P roject: Gintong Alay, then headed by Michael Keon who’s now the mayor of Laoag City, started as a program for track and field athletes and later expanded to 17 sports. The program sourced its funds from both government and the private sector.

The Project: Gintong Laban, this time with Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. as president, would trek

the same path but with a much larger scope—74 NSAs are under the care of the PSC—with representatives from 68 of them attending Thursday’s meeting.

“ President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. is very much supportive to Philippines sports and the national athletes,” Eala said. “That’s why it’s gratifying to be working under his administration.”

He added:  “It’s a big challenge and a daunting task, but I think this is part of the program … the simple way to engage the NSAs to buying into our plans—we will cater to the needs of sports, including athletes and stakeholders.”

The consultative meeting painted a bright pathway for Philippine sports with POC President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino and majority of his executive board members in attendance.

“ We support the initiative of the PSC, chairman Noli [Eala] and we’re optimistic of a stronger collaboration that, in the event, would benefit our athletes and Philippine sports in general,” Tolentino said.

Cool Smashers dig deep vs PLDT gals

CREAMLINE went to its middle in the absence of its top outside hitter as the Cool Smashers held off a rallying PLDT, 25-22, 25-18, 26-28, 25-22, for a scrambling launch to its grand slam bid in the Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City Thursday.

Unable to put away a hard-fighting PLDT side, the Cool Smashers counted on the very player that helped anchor their romp in the Invitational finals as Ced Domingo, doing what she does best, banged in back-to-back quick attacks to foil the High Speed Hitters’ bid to send the match to a decider.

I need to contribute, step up and do the role of the middle blocker/ hitter,” said Domingo, who clinched the Finals MVP honors in the league’s mid-season conference.

S he again played her role to the hilt—with Tots Carlos sidelined by back issues—to finish with 18 points on 12 attacks while coming through with three kill blocks and three aces in a match graced by world No. 3 men’s pole vaulter Ernest John “EJ” Obiena.

C reamline joined early leaders Cignal, Chery Tiggo and Petro Gazz while PLDT slipped to 1-1.

The High Speed Hitters earlier frustrated the Cool Smashers’ sweep bid as import Elena Samoilenko rattled off three straight points, including a block touch that shoved PLDT back in the lead and at set point in the third, 24-23, after

blowing three- and four-point leads, the last at 13-9.

The Cool Smashers, however, kept digging in, saving three set points but Jovie Prado fired a kill and Creamline fumbled in its offense after a PLDT assault, the ball failing to clear the net, thus giving the High Speed Hitters a chance to equalize.

But the many-time champions wrested control late in the fourth with Alyssa Valdez coming through with a blast off a broken play after a long exchange of tough angled shots and superb digging for a 23-20 Creamline lead.

S amoilenko, who unleashed a 35-point game in edging UAI-Army in five last weekend, scored on an off-the-block hit but Domingo delivered the first of her two quick hits and after Jema Galanza kept PLDT in the match with an attack error, playmaker Jia De Guzman set the former Far Eastern University stalwart for another quick attack that Wendy Semana had failed to keep in play.

Domingo thus matched import Yeliz Basa and Valdez’s 17-point outputs while Galanza backed them up with 13 hits, Pangs Panaga added six points and Michele Gumabao provided quality minutes, scoring three points in an in-and-out role for the Open Conference champions.

De Guzman also spiked Creamline’s win with 32 excellent sets, almost doubling PLDT’s combined 18.

Ginebra takes on Phoenix dribblers

BARANGAY Ginebra San Miguel eyes a follow up of its big victory over erstwhile undefeated Hongkong Bay Area Dragons, when the Gin Kings clash with the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters in the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup on Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The Gin Kings, currently 2-1 won-lost highlighted by their 11193 rout of the Dragons, take on the Fuel Masters at 5:45 p.m. after the Blackwater Bossing and Terrafirma Dyip tussle at 3 p.m.

I mport Justin Brownlee’s heroic performance of 46 points on 17-of26 shooting from the field with 12 rebounds slayed the Dragons, who suffered their first setback in five games.

Ne wly-acquired Jamie Malonzo posted 17 points while Jeremiah Gray, who played limited minutes, scored five points.

Coach Tim Cone believes his new players are still adjusting to the Gin Kings system.

“ They’re still learning about us, they’re still learning about their teammates, so we expect them to get better,” said Cone, adding that they expect Phoenix to come out aggressive after beating NLEX, 11197, last Sunday.

The Fuel Masters, on the other hand, will rely on rookie Tyler Tio’s offense after the 5-foot-9 spitfire guard scored 26 points against the Road Warriors.

Blackwater, meanwhile, are hoping to bounce back from a frustrating 83-87 defeat to NorthPort last Wednesday.

The Dyip, who will be leaning on import Lester Prosper, are avoiding their 21st straight loss. Josef Ramos

R

ISING tennis star Alex Eala’s US Open girls’ juniors singles title at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows in New York last September 10 stood tallest in a month when other Filipino athletes triumphed on foreign soil.

E ala captured the 142nd US Open championship without dropping a set. She capped her remarkable run with a rousing 6-2, 6-4 victory over Czech Lucie Havlickova in the final of the blue-ribbon tournament.

I n her latest milestone, the pretty left-hander became the first Filipino player to bag a junior singles crown in a tennis major, adding to her glittering haul that includes the 2019 Australian Open and 2021 French Open junior doubles girls crowns with different partners.       H alfway around the globe a day later, the powerhouse troika of Rubilen Amit, Carlo Biado and Johann Chua also made sports history by topping the Predator World 10-Ball Teams Championship in Klangenfurt, Austria, with a 3-0

Sports scribes pick US Open champ Eala best PHL athlete for September

shutout of a crack British squad.

In the race-to-four sets series, Amit started the Philippine juggernaut rolling by nipping The World Games women’s 9-ball champion Kelly Fisher 4-3, with Biado sustaining the momentum with a 4-3 thriller over veteran Jayson Shaw.

A mit and Johann Chua completed the rout with a 3-0 lacing of Fisher and Darren Appleton, a former world 9-ball and 10-ball champion, in the mixed doubles final.

Pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena shared the limelight by winning the Wanda Diamond League leg at the Allianz Memorial Van Damme with 5.91 meters in front of a banner crowd at King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium.

The sweet triumph came at the expense of top Swedish favorite

Armand Duplantis, the reigning world and Olympic champion, who was relegated to runner-up honors with a lackluster jump of 5.81 meters for his first and only loss in the European outdoor season.

A nother local cue ace, Chezka Centeno, was also in the headlines with her gutsy come-from-behind 11-7 win over South Korean Seo Seoa in the APF Asian 9-ball women’s final at the Aspire Recreation Centre in Singapore.

Centeno crawled out of a 0-4 hole from the fifth frame by clinching nine of the next 10 racks to add another feather in her cap.

I n the local front, the San Miguel Beermen regained the Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup with a masterful 119-97 conquest of the TNT Tropang Giga in a do-or-die Game 7 of the Finals at the Smart

Araneta Coliseum.

The chargers of Coach Leo Austria ended their three-year title drought since the 2019 edition of the same conference.

The month also began with appointment of former sportscaster and PBA commissioner Noli Eala as chairman of Philippine Sports Commission under the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

Tennis Australia keeps hands off Djokovic’s visa application

MELBOURNE—Novak

Djokovic won’t get official support with lobbying from Tennis Australia should he seek to enter the country for the first major of 2023, a year after he was deported because he was not vaccinated for Covid-19.

The 21-time Grand Slam champion wasn’t allowed to defend his Australian Open title last January after a tumultuous 10-day legal saga that culminated with his visa being revoked on the eve of the tournament eventually won by Rafael Nadal.

Djokovic originally was granted an exemption to strict vaccination rules by two medical panels and Tennis Aus

tralia in order to play in the Australian Open but, after traveling to Melbourne believing he had all his paperwork in order, the exemption was rejected by the Australian Border Force.

It is not a matter we can lobby on. It is a matter that definitely stays between the two of them,” Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said Wednesday at a launch for the 2023 event, referring to Djokovic and the Australian government.

And then, depending on the outcome,” Tiley added, “we would welcome him to the Australian Open.”

B eing deported made Djokovic subject to a possible three-year exclusion period that prevents the

granting of a further temporary visa, although Australian Border Force (ABF) in January said any exclusion period “will be considered as part of any new visa application and can be waived in certain circumstances.”

The ABF said each cased is assessed on its merits.

Australia has changed its border rules and, since July 6, incoming travelers no longer have to provide proof of Covid-19 vaccinations.

Stags try to end four-match skid

SAN SEBASTIAN College tries to arrest a four-game losing streak as the Stags play the Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC) Generals Friday in the National Collegiate Athletic Association seniors basketball tournament at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.

The Stags have been losing by an average of 5.5 points, the last of which was a tough 79-82 overtime setback to the Lyceum of the Philippines University Pirates last Sunday.

S an Sebastian is looking forward to shake off those struggles behind in the 3 p.m. game.

I’m hoping we could have a better end game execution and decision making,” Stags Coach Egay Macaraya said. “That’s our main concern right now.”

A fter an impressive preseason performance that made them one of the favorites, the Stags suddenly found themselves at the lower half of the standings.

W ith a 2-5 record, San Sebastian is three games behind San Beda and Letran, both sporting 6-3 cards, in the race for the last Final Four berth.

The Generals are 0-8 and are seeking a victory to uplift their spirits heading into the second round.

Every team this season has a chance to win, we will just focus on stopping EAC and match their intensity,” Macaraya said.

THE future looks bright for sports following Thursday’s coordination meeting initiated by the Philippine Sports Commission and attended by top Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) and national sports association officials. Shown above are (from left, front row) PSC Deputy Executive Director Merly Ibay, POC board member Pearl Managuelod and treasurer Cynthia Carrion, Philippine Paralympic Committee president Mike Barredo, POC President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, PSC chairman Noli Eala, POC chairman Steve Hontiveros, PSC Commissioner Bong Coo and POC deputy secretary general for international affairs Bones Floro; and (from left, back row) POC board member Dave Carter, PSC Deputy Executive Director Christine Abellana, Executive Director Atty. Guillermo Iroy Jr. and Commission on Audit Auditor Jeorge Lozano.

GINEBRA Coach Tim Cone says his new acquisitions are still learning their way through the system.

ALEX EALA kisses her US Open trophy.

PHOTO BY TROI SANTOS

PLDT’S Dell Palomata tries to score against Creamline’s Jema Galanza.

Motoring

SOON TO RISE: KIA BATANGAS CITY

THE expansion thrust of Kia Philippines continues with the groundbreaking of Kia Batangas City last September 22 at the Batangas City Grand Terminal, Diversion Road, Barangay Alangilan, Batangas City.

Managed by Prime Legacy Mo tors, Inc., Kia Batangas City will soon rise on the 898-sq. m lot strategically located within the biggest transportation terminal in the Province of Batangas. The dealership will feature a premiere showroom, a cozy customer lounge, and a service center that will offer genuine parts and provide excel lent vehicle maintenance to clients.

Designed and constructed by RDB Tecson and Associates, the new dealership in Batangas City will also feature Kia’s brand philos ophy of “Movement that inspires.”

Batangas City Representative Marvey Mariño was the Guest of Honor during the groundbreak ing ceremony. In his message, Congressman Mariño welcomed Kia Philippines and Prime Lega cy Motors, Inc. to Batangas City and thanked them for investing in the city. “I welcome Kia and also the new dealership. I’m very sure it will be very successful, and we are encouraging all the other

businesses to come to Batangas City because we are very open, we are very progressive. My con gratulations to the dealership and Kia, you are very welcome here. Maraming, maraming salamat po,” Congressman Mariño said.

Meanwhile, Kia Philippines

city, highlighting that it has the second highest share in the whole industry. “One of the key factors of growing a brand is the dealer ship network, which becomes our representatives to the customers that we serve. And while we were growing our network base, we saw a spot that had no representation for Kia and this was Batangas (City). And when we looked at Region 4, this Southern Luzon corridor, this is the second high est share in the whole industry with 16 percent. I’d like to say thank you for allowing us to be here through Kia,” he said.

Aligada also thanked Prime Legacy Motors and expressed ex citement for the opening of the new dealership. “We look forward to having this new building, this new dealership carrying the new corporate identity of Kia. This is

EVs exploding in Florida floods

a global identity, so everywhere you go around the world, this will be the look of a Kia dealer ship. And we’d like to thank you for taking that design over here in Batangas. Maraming salamat po . We are honored to be here,” Aligada finished.

For his part, Prime Legacy Mo tors’ chairman, D. Edward A. Ca bangon, expressed confidence that they made the right choice in estab lishing their first Kia dealership in Batangas City. “Batangas is a fastdeveloping city, and there has been great progress through the years, so it is best that we are here already,” he said, adding that the company hopes “to be able to contribute to the economic recovery that we are all aspiring for.”

While waiting for the comple tion of the permanent showroom and office of the new dealership, clients can visit Kia Batangas City’s temporary showroom inside the Batangas City Grand Terminal to inquire about the brand’s current lineup of top-quality vehicles. To date, the dealership has already sold 16 units, proving the warm reception of the Batangueños to the Kia brand.

Prime Legacy Motors, Inc. is one of the newest companies to be granted a dealership license by KIA Motors Philippines in late 2021. It is a member of the ALC Group of Companies founded by the late Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua, which is the home of some distinguished brands in various industries including insurance, banking and finance, pre-need, memorial care, hotels, and media, among others.

Environment, told FOX Business in July. ‘It may be a good deal for some people in some places under some circumstances. But by-and-large right now, it’s not a good deal.”

ELECTRIC vehicles not yet safe?

Seemingly, yes.

Jun Magturo, my brother-inlaw from Los Angeles, California, and who is a passionate car enthu siast, sent me an interesting story about electric vehicles exploding from water damage after Hurri cane Ian in Florida, USA, recent ly. The Fox story was written by Thomas Catenacci. Here:

“A top Florida state official warned Thursday that firefight ers have battled a number of fires caused by electric vehicle (EV) batteries waterlogged from Hurricane Ian.

“EV batteries that have been waterlogged in the wake of the hurricane are at risk of corrosion, which could lead to unexpected fires, according to Jimmy Patronis, the state’s top financial officer and fire marshal.

“There’s a ton of EVs disabled from Ian. As those batteries cor rode, fires start,” Patronis tweet ed. ‘That’s a new challenge that our firefighters haven’t faced be fore. At least on this kind of scale.

“It takes special training and understanding of EVs to ensure these fires are put out quickly and safely,’ he continued in a follow-up tweet.

“Patronis published a video of firefighters in Naples, Florida, battling a fire started from a Tesla EV’s battery. A bystander is overheard in the video saying that the crew had used hundreds of gallons of water attempting to put the fire out.

“Last

pummeled cities along Florida’s west coast including Naples and Fort Myers, making landfall as a Category 4 storm. The hurricane caused more than 100 deaths and over a million residents to lose power.

“It is unclear how many EVs were impacted or destroyed by the storm.

“Meanwhile, consumers are in creasingly turning to EVs as the Biden administration continues to push a green transition involv ing zero-emission cars. Between April and June, EVs accounted for 5.6 percent of new car purchases in the US, up slightly from the first three months of 2022, according to Kelley Blue Book.

“Shortly after taking office, President Biden announced a goal of ensuring that 50 percent of new car sales would be EVs by 2030.

“The Biden administration has also taken a number of steps to incentivize Americans to shift to EVs. The president has signed the inflation Reduction Act, a bill that included a provision that awards Americans a tax credit worth $7,500 per EV purchase, into law in August, and the Department of Transportation has worked to cre ate a federal EV highway charging network.

“However, critics have blasted the administration for giving a ‘false impression’ about EVs, not ing that they are expensive and often unreliable.

“[The EV push) is really kind of a con job,’ Myron Ebell, the direc tor of the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Center for Energy and

Methizznks EVs will take a little more time before they could really take a foothold in the auto industry, especially in Third World countries where even traditional motoring technology has yet to impact fully in the boondocks. EV shift? Not so fast.

Petron in Tour De Cebu

PETRON Blaze 100 Euro 6, recog nized as the best gasoline in the Philippines, was the official fuel in the just-ended Tour De Cebu cover ing 1,000 kilometers of beautiful roads and highways along many scenic spots in the Visayas islands.

The event featured 40 vintage sports cars manufactured in 1972 and older, including collectibles like a 1960 Porsche 356B Cabriolet, 1961 Jaguar XKE, 1963 Corvette, 1965 Porsche 912, 1966 Shelby Mustang, 1966 Toyota Sports 800, 1968 Mercedes Benz 280 SL, 1968 Porsche Targa, 1969 Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV, 1969 BMW 2002, 1970 Lancia Fulvia Zagato, 1971 Lotus Europa, 1972 Datsun 240Z, 1972 Porsche 914, 1968 Alfa Romeo Gi ulia, Kougar Jaguar, Michel Speed ster and Michel Spyder.

The rally from Cebu to Bohol lasted three days and was ran by the Performance and Classics En thusiasts of Cebu and the Manila Sports Car Club.

PEE STOP Greetings (October 15) to the Wigo-Avanza driving Ricky Sadiwa, who plans to hold a big birthday bash in Bulacan in what Malaya, Ricky’s love of his life, describes as “Ricky’s first ever celebration that promises to be fun-filled and loaded with surprises for his guests to cher ish and remember for years and years to come after the party is over.”

Cheers!

President Manny Aligada con veyed his gratitude to the City Government of Batangas for wel coming Kia to their progressive