BusinessMirror October 25, 2022

PBBM orders hog breeding sites testing to stop ASF

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla

TO stop the spread of the African Swine Fever (ASF) in Western Visayas, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. has ordered the testing of all hog breeding sites in the region.

I n a press statement, the Office of the Press Secretary said Marcos issued the order to the Department of Agriculture-Western Visayas regional office during his visit to Negros Occidental last Sunday.

M arcos said the measure will help detect and isolate poten tial new ASF cases in Western Visayas.

He noted such precaution may be necessary since there were reports ASF could be spread by mosquitoes.

E arlier this month, ASF cases were detected in the municipalities of Oton and San Miguel in Iloilo this month, prompting the Iloilo Provin cial Veterinary Office to implement

depopulation initiatives.

M arcos, who is the concurrent Agriculture Secretary, assured the public that “all measures to prevent its spread are already in place, in cluding banning pork products from infested areas.”

T he local government of Oton declared a State of Calamity in their area on Thursday after ASF affected 10 of its 37 villages.

It hopes the declaration will help in its efforts to contain ASF.

I loilo was one of the last few provinces in the country with no in cidents of the ASF since the disease was first detected in the country in 2019.

Fewer workers covered by flexi work setup: DOLE

WITH the resump tion of the normal operations of more companies, fewer workers are now engaged in flexible work arrangement (FWA) and af fected by temporary closure (TC), according to the latest data of the Department of La bor and Employment (DOLE).

B ased on its latest Job Dis placement Report obtained by BusinessMirror, DOLE said there were only 339,171 work ers from 4,761 companies, who are still under FWAs last September.

T his was significantly low

er compared to the 742,851 million workers under the FWA scheme in July 2021.

Year-on-year comparison shows that all types of FWAs reported a decrease in the number of affected workers, with the largest drop from reduction of workdays [-59.9 percent or 234,322], followed by “others” [-25.6 percent or -88,003] and rotation of work ers [-75 percent or -44,293],” DOLE said in the report.

“Others” cover FWAs, which do not fall in any of DOLE’s existing classifications.

T here was also a drop in the

number of TC-affected workers —at 138,339 or about a third of the 358,360 in July 2021.

Most or 1,951 of the com panies that implemented FWAs are small enterprises.

O n the other hand, more than half or 2,593 of the com panies that engaged in TC are micro enterprises.

T he government earlier said the resumption of faceto-face classes in August and the reemergence of the tour ism industry enabled more employers to return to their prepandemic work arrange ments.   Samuel P. Medenilla

BSP...

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M edalla said raising interest rates is part of the focus on the Central Bank given that infla tion has been “persistently high” and that the country only has a 50-percent chance of hitting its inflation target of 2 to 4 percent next year.

I n a presentation, Medalla said the country’s inflation rate would likely average 4.1 percent next year. High inflation is expected to con tinue in the first half of next year and slow gradually in the second half.

However, Medalla said the slow down in inflation in the third and fourth quarter of 2023 would not be enough to offset the high inflation in the first and second quarters of next year, thus, a full-year inflation of 4.1 percent.

Next year, we have a fighting chance that, and this is my own gut feel, [there will be] at least a 50-percent chance of having an average inflation rate of 4 percent and an average inflation rate of 3 percent right in the middle of the target in 2024,” Medalla said.

Given this, Medalla said, as the Central Bank implements infla tion targeting, it will have “to do more” to stabilize prices. He said the government must make it an “even contest” to attract and keep investments in the Philippines.

Based on data shared by Medalla, interest rates have been raised by the BSP by 225 basis points since May this year. The highest interest rates were raised in July at 75 bps while the lowest was at 25 bps in May and June.

T he BSP also raised interest rates by 50 bps in August and September. In total, the Monetary Board raised interest rates five times this year.

I n contrast, the US Federal Re serve has raised interest rates by 300 bps since March. But the Fed has raised interest rates by 75 bps in June, July, and September.

I n March, the US Federal Re serve raised interest rates by 25 bps and another 50 bps in May. The US Federal Reserve is expected to meet next month and raise inter est rates anew.

IMF repo...

S o in other words, we don’t have to sell them, we just use them to borrow rather than sell them,” Medalla told reporters. “I think the US is also not inter ested in us selling it because if all of us are selling our US dol lar securities, the yields will rise which is too much, which is not good for the US either.”

Medalla said creating this “repo arrangement” is one of the ways that the US can help other countries affected by its efforts to combat in flation. The US has been tightening monetary policy to attain its infla tion target of 2 percent.

Repo explained A REPO arrangement, the IMF said in its website, “is a trans action in which the borrower temporarily lends a security to the lender for cash with an agree ment to buy it back in the future at a predetermined price.”

The facility will be available within the year. We may not need to use it within the year. For in stance, banks have overnight bor rowing facilities with us, yet some banks have not used it for quite some time. They sign ‘participation agreements’ so they have access, which some hardly use,” Medalla told BusinessMirror on Monday.

Medalla also said on Mon day that Central Banks in the region, specifically the Associa tion of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), also have a liquidity fund where members can draw from should the need arise.

He said the IMF repo and the liquidity fund in the region are just some of the facilities that help boost the country’s reserves.

The country’s gross international reserves (GIR) declined to $93 bil lion as of September from $97.4 billion as of end-August 2022.

Nonetheless, the BSP said, it was still equivalent to 7.4 months

SC...

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“ Meralco appears to be at the shorter end of the settlement for it had counterclaims that far exceed NPC’s claim, only for it to agree and pay some P20.05 billion more,” it added.

T he SC also denied OSG’s claim that the agreement is not valid as this was executed without its guidance.      “ The OSG’s participation and legal guidance, by themselves were never prerequisites for the entry of the NPC’s Board of Directors into a settlement agreement. There is no law that makes such requirements,” the SC said.

Meralco to ‘abide’ MERALCO, for its part, said Monday it will comply with the SC decision.

We have not received the offi cial copy of the decision. However, based on the reports, we learned that SC has decided to uphold the validity of the Settlement Agree ment with NPC which was executed on July 15, 2003.

We will abide by the SC decision, and we will study our next course of action once we have read the full decision,” said Meralco Head of Regulatory Affairs Jose Ronald Valles in a text message.

M eralco and NPC entered into a CSE  on November 21, 1994 for 10 years starting January 1, 1995.

Under the CSE, NPC  was obliged to supply and Meralco was obliged to purchase a minimum volume of electric power and energy from 1995 until 2004 at the rates ap proved by the Energy Regulatory Board (ERB), now the ERC.

I t stated that any proposed amendments to the rates should not reduce the contract demand to less than 3,600 megawatts begin ning in the year 2001.

D espite its CSE, Meralco still needed to source part of the power demand from independent

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worth of imports of goods and payments of services and primary income. This was still more than the three months’ import cover that is used as a global standard when it comes to the GIR.

“ When you factor in those arrangements, our reserves are much larger, the things we will use for intervention are much larger,” Medalla said.

Peso intervention

ON Monday, Finance Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno clarified his statements regarding the P10 billion that can be used for foreign exchange intervention.

D iokno said this was only his computation and that it was not the computation of the BSP or Medalla. He said this was based on staff computations which placed remittances and BPO earnings at P15.6 billion.

Given this, Diokno said the government can use at least P10 billion to intervene in the foreign-exchange market. None theless, the decision in terms of the cost of intervention would be up to the BSP.

I don’t know [the] budget for intervention. That’s the Gover nor’s prerogative kung magkano yun [as to how much that would be],” Diokno said.

D iokno said the peso could further depreciate to around P60 to the dollar but that may only happen in one day before rebounding to a lower rate.

But, he said, on average, it is expected that the peso could average P55 to the dollar toward the end of the year when OFW remittance inflows would peak.

O n Monday, the peso closed at P58.87 to the dollar. The peso opened at P58.7 to the greenback and hit a high of P58.91 and a low of P58.7 during trading.

Cai U. Ordinario

power producers (IPPs) because of the inadequacy of NPC’s energy supply.

A provision of the CSE also re quired Meralco to pay minimum monthly charges even if the actual volume of the power and energy drawn from NPC fell below the stated minimum quantities.

T hat provision was put to a test in 2002, 2003 and 2004, after Meralco committed to purchase the minimum volume of 60,092-gig watt hertz (GWH) but drew from NPC’s  electric power less than the minimum quantities stipulated in the CSE for those years.

Meralco also  failed to pay the minimum monthly charges despite demand by NPC and counter it with its own claims.

T his prompted NPC to serve on Meralco a claim for the contracted but undrawn electric power and energy, starting the billing month of January 2002.

T he dispute led to mediation proceedings and on July 15, 2003 a settlement agreement was reached between the two parties.

I n the settlement agreement, Meralco agreed to pay NPC the amount of P27.5 billion for 18,222 GWH for 2002-2004.

T he NPC, however, extended credits to Meralco in the amount of P7.4 billion for the delay in the completion of the transmission facilities and the corresponding sales it made directly to customers within Meralco’s franchise area.

T hus, Meralco’s payables were reduced to P20.05 billion.   How ever, Meralco made payments to NPC between 2003-2004, fur ther reducing the amount by P14 billion.

T he parties agreed that the bal ance would be gradually collected from consumers under the “passthrough” provision of the settle ment agreement.

DMW assists OFWs after MCIA flight suspension

MIGRANT Workers Secre

tary Susan “Toots” Ople has ordered the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and other concerned offices to assist overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) affected by the cancellation of all local and international flights at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA).

O ple also directed all its overseas posts to immediately check all can celed flights to Cebu and provide the necessary assistance to OFWs.

A ll licensed recruitment agencies, through an advisory issued by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), were also ordered to assist.

The DMW will continue to moni tor the situation at the MCIA and extend assistance to all OFWs who have been affected by the decision of airport authorities to suspend all flights for a still undetermined pe riod,” Ople said.

The OWWA has already fielded a team to assist our stranded OFWs and all overseas posts have been di rected to do the same in their areas of operation,” she added.

I n a report to the secretary, OWWA Regional Office 7 (OWWAR7) said two Filipino seafarers were on board Korean Air flight KE 631 when it overshot the runway Sun day evening. Both seafarers were reported safe and unharmed.

A irport officials said all 162 pas sengers and 11 crew were immediate ly evacuated and assisted by airport emergency personnel.

Meanwhile, all the 162 passengers and 11 crew of a Korean Air aircraft from Incheon are reported safe af ter the plane overran the runway at MCIA late Sunday.

There were no injuries and all passengers safely evacuated the air craft,” Korean Air said in an e-mail on Monday.

Flight KE 631 was expected to ar rive in Cebu at 10 p.m., and attempted to land twice amid the bad weather.

On the third attempt, the A330-300 aircraft arrived at 11:07 p.m. but overran the runway.

“ We are currently identifying the cause of the incident,” the airline said.

It added that passengers were es corted to three local hotels, and an alternative flight is being arranged.

I n a Facebook post on Sunday, Korean Air Co. Ltd. President Woo Gi-Hong extended an apology and thanked those who responded to the incident.

A thorough investigation will be performed together with the lo cal aviation authorities and Korean authorities to determine the cause[s] of this event,” Woo said.

He assured that the airline will always prioritize safety in all its op erations and expressed regret for the inconvenience the incident caused.

Meanwhile, the runway has been closed due to aircraft obstruction.

T he Manila International Air port Authority has so far logged 16 canceled flights between the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and Cebu. Butch Fernandez with PNA

Azurin sees possible foul play in death of ‘middleman’ in Percy Lapid gunslay

By Glen Jacob Jose Butch Fernandez @butchfBM & Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) chief Rodolfo Azurin Jr. on Monday said he’s still not sure that the “middleman” who allegedly gave the order to kill broad caster Percival Mabasa, also known as Percy Lapid, died in his sleep in side the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP).

A zurin lamented inmate Crisanto Villamor, 42, whom self-confessed gunman Joel Escorial said gave the order to kill Lapid, could have led police investigators as to who is the real mastermind behind the hit on Mabasa, who was gunned down on October 3 in Las Piñas City.

“

It’s too much of [a coincidence]. It’s an unfortunate incident but the timing is questionable,” Azurin told reporters during a news briefing at Camp Crame.

He expressed doubts over the circumstances surrounding Vil lamor’s sudden death, which re portedly occurred while he as asleep at noontime.

Based on initial report, Villamor died while he was sleeping or bangun got wasn’t it? I said, how could you have ‘nightmares’ at noon, honestly, right? Because when I was a captain, I had been entering the NBP and I saw the situation there that you can’t sleep at noon because it’s so hot and crowded,” he said in Filipino.

A day after Escorial surrendered on October 17, Villamor died inside his detention facility at the NBP and a number of people are eyeing foul play behind his sudden death.

A zurin himself is questioning

the timing of the death of Villamor: “We were almost there, isn’t it? We have the triggerman, we have the pieces of evidence and we were al most there to talk to the middleman and this happened.”

I don’t know if that was acci dental because he was the person we were looking for, we wanted to talk to,” he stressed.

He, however, said that they would still have to wait for the investigation being conducted by the Department of Justice (DOJ).

A zurin said he could not help but criticize NBP for the lack of sense of urgency on a case that is already be ing talked about nationwide.

“Due to the exigency and urgency of the situation, we immediately co ordinated with the NBP and they said there was no inmate of that specific name,” said Azurin.

“ What they should have done is to segregate and secure all the inmates bearing the ‘Villamor’ surname. But what happened was that we were not furnished with the right informa tion,” he explained.

A zurin also revealed that 160 per sonalities that include politicians, police, military and even suspended Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Director General Gerald Bantag are being considered as persons on inter est in the case.

A zurin said these personalities were among those that were criti cized by Lapid in his hard-hitting radio program “Lapid Fire.”

I was briefed that since 2021 there are 600 postings of Ka Percy on various issues and out of the 600 plus those he tackled in his program, there are almost 160 different per sonalities, politicians, military, po

lice, etc. So we are looking at this as the probable personalities involved with the death of Percy,” said Azurin.

The 160 people I mentioned who are involved in issues discussed by Sir Percy Lapid in his program are all persons of interest,” he said.

A ccording to Azurin, they are still determining who among these personalities were most frequently discussed in Lapid’s program.

W hen asked if these personalities include Bantag, Azurin said, “Oo, kasama siya. [Yes, he is included].”

A zurin confirmed that Bantag was among those criticized by Lapid, especially over the issue of the series of deaths of inmates.

“But we have to really establish the motive that led to the killing of Percy Lapid,” said Azurin.

DOJ Secretary Jesus Crispin Re mulla following Villamor’s death suspended Bantag.

T he justice chief also confirmed that Bantag is now a person of inter est in relation to Lapid’s killing.

In an interview, Remulla told reporters that Bantag is being in vestigated for possible reckless im prudence following the death Vil lamor who was identified by selfconfessed gunman Escorial.

Well, he is a person of interest. Definitely, he is a person of interest at least for the reckless imprudence that is already being sought,” Remulla said.

P rior to this, Mabasa family’s lawyer Berteni Causing was   inter viewed during the preliminary in vestigation of the murder case filed against Escorial and three others at the DOJ where he disclosed that their camp is “looking at the possibility of filing reckless imprudence resulting in murder” against Bantag.

Causing said Bantag’s  possible culpability for reckless imprudence stemmed from his failure to control the entry of cellular phones inside the NBP in Muntinlupa.

If there is no [reckless] impru dence, inmates cannot sneak inside cellular phones,” Causing said.

Bantag was placed under 90-day preventive suspension last week while investigation is ongoing on the still unexplained death of   Bili bid inmate Jun Villamor, who was earlier identified by Escorial as Cri santo Palana Villamor.

But, Remulla said Jun and Cri santo are one and the same person.

Case not closed–Drilon

FAR from being solved, Senate Mi nority Leader Frank Drilon, a for mer justice secretary, challenged claims contending the Lapid murder case is a closed case.

“Far from solved,” Drilon declared as he asserted that “the case still stands on thin ice without any evi dence corroborating the testimony of the self-confessed gunman.”

T he opposition leader asserted the prosecution must “validate the confessions of self-confessed gun man Joel Escorial with corrobora tive evidence.”

“ This is crucial because the case cannot stand on the testimony alone of the gunman,” said Drilon, airing concerns “the case for the prosecu tion still stands on thin ice.”

In a separate statement, the for mer Justice Secretary, who pros ecuted a number of high profile and gruesome murder cases in the 90s before turning lawmaker, noted “the death of the middleman a few days after self-confessed gunman Escorial

Libanan suggests compromise deal over P12.7-B botched Russian helicopter deal

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz  @joveemarie

government would have to decide whether it could root out the bad to preserve the good ones in the Philippine Off shore Gaming Operations (POGO) industry, the chairman of the House Committee on Labor and Employ ment said.

A ccording to Rizal Rep. Fidel Nograles, the government should decide now whether it could regulate POGOs or not.

Nograles’s committee has recently discussed, in aid of legislation, the labor and employment policy of the POGO industry and all its stakehold ers amid calls to ban the industry.

The whole government will have to look long and hard at itself to see whether it has the capacity and the will to properly regulate the industry so that the bad can be rooted out and the good preserved,” Nograles said.

During the hearing, the Depart ment of Finance said the country stands to lose P64.61 billion in direct economic contributions or 0.3 per cent of the gross domestic product if POGOs are discontinued.

T he National Economic and De velopment Authority (Neda), mean while, said that the POGO industry is expected to generate approximately

20,000 additional jobs in addition to the current 16,736 Filipinos em ployed in the industry from January to June 2022.

The additional jobs were created mostly from the food and beverage ser vices, farming and fishing activities, retail, trade, technical and administra tive support services, transportation and real estate, said Nograles.

T he industry, however, has also been linked to crimes, such as kidnap ping, murder, human trafficking, and prostitution, the lawmaker added.

Besides the non-remittance of ille gal POGOs, he added there have also been links to financial crimes with the Anti-Money Laundering Council reporting that P14 billion out of the P54 billion worth of POGO transac tions from 2017 to 2019, or 26 percent, were deemed suspicious transactions.

“ The massive contribution of PO GOs to our economy is undeniable. Yet, this should not be the sole factor in our decision on whether to ban or continue, as there are social and even financial costs as well to consider,” Nograles said.

T he lawmaker said it would take more than one meeting to fully be apprised of the facts surrounding the industry. Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

THE minority leader of the House of Representatives on Monday urged the Depart ment of National Defense (DND) to negotiate with Moscow a possible “happy ending” on the dispute over Manila’s canceled order for 16 Rus sian military heavy-lift helicopters worth a total of P12.7 billion.

In a news statement, Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan asked DND to negotiate the delivery of one Rus sian chopper in return for the P1.9 billion advance for canceled the order.

“Instead of clawing back the P1.9 billion downpayment for the canceled order—which might be difficult if not impossible—we would urge the DND to try to get at least one helicopter plus spare parts delivered in return for the money,” Libanan said.

“ This way, the Philippine govern ment’s money does not go to waste, and Russia does not have to worry about reimbursing us the funds,” Libanan added.

Based on the canceled order, the lawmaker said each helicopter costs around P800 million, and the balance of P1.1 billion may be recovered in the form of supplies of spare parts.

“ This is a practical and sensible solution that could offer both parties a happy ending,” Libanan suggested.

W hen the House of Representa tives deliberated on the proposed 2023 national budget last month, Libanan had asked the DND for an update on the aborted procurement of the Russian helicopters.

The DND, through budget sponsor

Negros Occidental Rep. Mercedes Al varez, told members of Congress that the government remains unsure if it can still recover the P1.9 billion ad vance payment for the botched deal.

T he Russian helicopters were meant to build up the Philippine Air Force’s chopper fleet for the transport of troops, equipment and supplies, medical evacuation and disaster relief operations.

Each helicopter can carry 24 sol diers, or 12 stretchers, or even small vehicles. With an internal payload ca pacity of four tons, the chopper can also alternatively carry up to three tons of under slung loads.

In July, former Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said he canceled the deal to acquire the Russian helicopters in a decision reached in June that was approved by then-President Rodrigo Duterte before their terms in office ended on the 30th of that month.

THE National Police Com mission (Napolcom) has started accepting applica tions for the nationwide conduct of the PNP Entrance (PNPE) Ex amination on December 3, 2022 and the PNP Promotional Exami nations (PROMEX) on December 4, 2022 through its Napolcom Online Registration Information System (NORIS).

To make the Napolcom online registration platform for civilians

and police officers who will take the PNPE and PROMEX more efficient and effective, the Napolcom has launched the NORIS, which replaced the On-Line Examination Applica tion Scheduling System (OLEASS).

Likewise, the new information sys tem was designed to provide conve nience in managing the registration of examinees and maintain their re cords in a secure and efficient plat form using the latest cloud-based technologies.

Registration of examinees to the NORIS is extended until November 2, 2022. Before registering, appli cants shall prepare the scanned cop ies of the requirements (in JPEG or PNG format). After which, the fol lowing steps shall be followed:

Step 1: Go directly to napolcomnoris.org web site or through the link found in NAPOLCOM website www. napolcom.gov.ph

Step 2: Click Register Here button to create account.

Step 3: Read Data Privacy Notice and click Proceed.

S tep 4: For non-PNP personnel applying for PNPE, select Civilian button. If applicant is already a PNP member, click the PNP Per sonnel button.

Step 5:    Fill in the personal de tails required in the fields. Do not leave any blank fields. Type N/A if not applicable.

Step 6: Select Region to process documents.

S tep 7: Submit /Upload the scanned copy of the following: For PNP Entrance Examination Documentary Requirements:

One (1) Government issued ID with signature (SSS, GSIS, Voter’s, Postal, Passport, Driver’s License, PRC, etc.);

Birth Certificate issued by Phil ippine Statistics Authority (PSA);

Complete Transcript of Records with Special Order issued by CHED (if applicable).

named him [Crisanto Villamor Jr.] in his extrajudicial affidavit, finding this to be “suspicious and disturbing evidence of a wider conspiracy.”

“ Who is the mastermind? Is there a wider conspiracy?” Drilon asked. He added: “Who ordered the middle man to kill Percy Lapid? This has to be established and the mastermind be brought to justice before we can say that it is a closed case.”

Instead, Drilon prodded the PNP to go deeper in unmasking the brains behind the murder of Lapid.

It can be recalled that Drilon prosecuted a number of high-profile crimes from the ’90s, such as the “Chop-Chop Lady,” “Sarmenta Rape Case,” “Hultman-Chapman” murder case, and the Beebom and Cochise murder case, among others.

T he senator reminded prosecu tors should not rely solely on the testimony of Escorial as he raised the danger of Escorial recanting his testimony.

Suppose he recants, what hap pens?” asked Drilon, adding, “The prosecution’s case will fall into pieces. The narration of the gunman there fore must be viewed with caution.”

At the same time, he asserted the need for the police and the prosecu tion to gather evidence that can cor roborate the gunman’s statement.

Moreover, Drilon believed there is “no need” for a Senate investiga tion at this point, airing an appeal “to my former colleagues to let the PNP do their job.”

I do not know what a Senate in vestigation can do at this point. Let’s allow the police to finish the investi gation. I am not yet convinced that the PNP is not doing its job, but it has to do more” Drilon added.

Sarangani gov bares new fishport plan

By Manuel T. Cayon @awimailbox Mindanao Bureau Chief

DAVAO

CITY—A multimillionpeso agri-fishery complex or provincial fishport would be constructed in Sarangani despite its proximity to General Santos City, which has its own fishport complex.

S arangani said the fish port would be primarily to boost inclu sive growth of the province’s fish ing sector.

Governor Rogelio “Ruel” D. Pac quiao laid this down in his first 100 days report as reason to have the fish port. He said initial steps to establish it have been made.

Our collective dream of having our own fish port facility seeks to promote the agri-fisheries indus try of the six coastal municipalities of our province and to create more livelihood opportunities and em ployment,” Pacquiao said.

In Sarangani, there are 20,899 registered fisherfolk and another 30,000-plus marginalized fisherfolk on record.

T he project has been lodged un der the Provincial Agriculturist Of fice and it is projected to cost P300 million to be financed through Land Bank of the Philippines, the Sarangani Information Office said.

P rovincial Agriculturist Jona than Duhaylungsod said this would be a “major marketing sup port facility for strategic fisheries and aquaculture commodities that will cater small and medium-scale fisherfolks engaged in municipal or commercial fishing industry that are operating locally.”

D uhaylungsod said the fishport may also accommodate large-scale commercial fishing vessels “when necessary.”

‘Govt must decide if it could regulate POGOs’

Economy

BusinessMirror

Still long queues at the airport, despite e-arrival card system

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

this. In Singapore, there is only one registration [you need to register within 72 hours prior to departure] that includes health declaration. QR scanning is done by Immigration, so there is only one queueing,” she told the BusinessMirror

Recio added there are 10 kiosks in all but not all were actually manned by personnel. She noted she stood for 15 minutes in her line, which only sped up when they added an officer at the kiosks.”

registration easier and faster. For instance, tourism-related fields were significantly cut by half, to now less than 10 items in the eAr rival Card from 20 items under the OHP, fields such as traveler occupa tion and educational attainment were also removed.

Oil firms cut fuel prices at the pump

By Lenie Lectura @llectura

AFTER two consecutive weeks of oil price increases, oil firms will slash gas prices at the pump starting Tuesday morning.

O n Monday, they announced that gasoline prices would go down by P0.35 per liter. Diesel prices will be reduced by P1.10 per liter, while kerosene prices will go down by P0.45 per liter.

had said.

R ussian Ambassador to the Philippines Marat Pavlov had said that several major Russian suppli ers are ready to supply fuel to the Philippines.

G iven the enduring risks faced by the downstream oil industry sector, the DOE continuously en force the Minimum Inventory Re quirement (MIR).

I n a news statement, Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco said, “The inception of the eArrival Card as a replacement for the One Health Pass [OHP] entry require ment for travelers, fulfills part of the Marcos Jr. administration’s objective to ease the country’s re maining stringent entry protocols to attract more travelers and boost the country ’s tourism recovery.”

It was the DOT, which proposed to remove the OHP amid numerous complaints from inbound travelers who said it was tedious to fill out the form online, and appealed to improve the system while bench marking it with more convenient arrival protocols in other Asean countries like Singapore.

Despite the new eArrival Card system, however, complaints remain

from arriving passengers who still have to suffer long queues upon ar rival at the airport.

Traveler Divine Recio, who had just arrived from Singapore on Friday evening after attending a conference, shared on Facebook a video showing the two long passenger queues at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) Terminal 1. “The line for the e-arrival card a.k.a one health pass at Terminal 1,” she said in Filipino, captioning her video.

Separate counters for QR codescanning, immigration

PRODDED further to explain, she said the queues were for the scanning of the QR code, which one receives after filling out the eArrival Card on line. “Since this is an e-arrival card, Immigration should be handling

I nformed about the new com plaints of arriving passengers, Frasco explained in a Viber message, “The airport is managed by MIAA [Ma nila International Airport Author ity], the arrival by BOQ [Bureau of Quarantine] and DOH [Department of Health], [and] the immigration by BI [Bureau of Immigration].”

S he added that she “forwarded the complaint to said agencies for appropriate action to ensure the process is improved,” and empha sized that the goal of the DOT was still to make travel to the Philip pines more convenient.

Less traveler info required

COMPARED to the OHP system, the browser-based eArrival Card (www. onehealthpass.com.ph) removes un necessary information fields, al lowing travelers to complete the

‘Undas’ reminder: Candles included in SRP monitoring

By Andrea E. San Juan

IN line with the celebration of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day next week, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has re minded sellers and consumers that candles are included in the suggested retail price (SRP) bulletin which the agency is monitoring.

Please be informed that DTI currently has an existing SRP for candles based on the August 2022 SRP. However, for flowers, DTI will not issue SRP because it’s not con sidered BNPC [basic necessity and prime commodity],” DTI told report ers via Viber on Monday.

Comparisons made by the Busi nessMirror showed more than half or 18 of the 33 candle brands under the SRP list increased prices. The other 15 maintained their prices from last year.

P rices of 5-Star Esperma can dles jumped by P5.92 to as much as P22.93. Average price hike for this brand was at P14.8.

For the Manila Wax Votive can dles, prices increased by P8.41 to as much as P11.76. Average price hike for this brand was at P10.09.

A s for Manila Wax Sperma, the price increase of its candles ranged from P7.24 to as much as P8.41. Av erage price hike for this brand was at P8.12.

Prices of Liwanag Esperma can dles increased by P2.67 to as much as P10.21. Average price hike for this brand was at P5.22.

On the other hand, Export Can dles and Export Vigil Candles re tained their prices from last year.

W hile candles and flowers are in demand during the season of the dead, the trade department noted that it is only monitoring the prices

of candles since flowers are not con sidered a basic necessity or prime commodity.

C andles, according to the SRP issued by the DTI last August 12, fall under the basic necessities category.

DTI monitors weekly the price and supply of basic necessities such as, but not limited to, canned sar dines, processed milk, powdered milk, coffee, bread, instant noodles, salt, detergent soap, bottled water, and candles.

Meanwhile, under prime com modities, the agency monitors the price and supply of products such as but not limited to canned meat, vinegar, patis, soy sauce, toilet soap, paper, school supplies, bat teries, flour, cement, G.I. sheets, hollow blocks, construction nails, light bulbs, electrical supplies, and steel wires.

MMDA deploys personnel for Asean event

By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco @claudethmc3

ATOTAL of 186 personnel of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will be deployed starting today, Tuesday, October 25, until Saturday, October 29, for the 27th Asean Minister’s Meeting and Related Meetings of 2022.

Motorists should brace for heavy traf fic, the MMDA warned.

H owever, there will be no rerouting and road closures, but motorists are ad vised to take alternate routes to avoid inconvenience.

For the said event, the MMDA will as sist on traffic management, road clearing, emergency response with ambulances and first responders pre-positioned at strategic locations along the venue and route, and monitoring of road situations at Metrobase.

Labor ministers and officials from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indone sia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines are set to discuss progress of various regional programs on skills development, digitali zation, climate change and green jobs, in dustrial relations and the changing world of work, migration, and social protection among others.

T he DOT chief assured that the eArrival Card will continuously be improved by her agency and the Department of Information and Communications Technology to make travel into the country more convenient by streamlining the in formation requirements of agencies including the DOH, BI, and the BOQ into one unified database.

We at the DOT look forward to continuing this synergistic ap proach to the improvement of the overall tourist experience through close collaboration with our part ner national government agencies under the guidance of President Marcos Jr.,” said Frasco. “Our shared aspiration is to provide travelers with better and stress-free services through continuous improvement of tourism enabling mechanisms in the country, digitalization, and liberalized entry protocols that provide the least inconvenience to travelers and convey that the Phil ippines is open and ready to receive travelers,” she said.

T he price adjustment of Shell, Seaoil, Phoenix, PTT, Caltex, Total, Unioil takes effect at 6 a.m. of Octo ber 25. Other oil firms are expected to follow suit.

P rior to this week’s price adjust ment, gasoline prices increased by P2 per liter, diesel by P9.55 per li ter, kerosene by P4.35 per liter for the past two consecutive weeks. The price increases effectively wiped out five consecutive weeks of oil price reduction implemented from September 6 to October 4.

Oil firms adjust their pump prices every week to reflect movements in the world oil market.

L ast month, Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Raphael Lotilla said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. proposed to import fuel from Russia to augment the coun try ‘s requirements.

Our downstream oil industry is in the hands of the private sector, but it always pays to encourage them to source from the most competitive sources, including Russia,” Lotilla

C urrent MIR for refiners stands at in-country stocks equiv alent to 30 days of crude and fin ished products, while an equiva lent of 15 days stock of finished products is required for the bulk marketers or importers and seven days for LPG importers.

A mong the factors that affect lo cal pump prices include the monetary and the oil sanctions by the US and the European Union on Russia on its invasion of Ukraine.

W hile the Philippines is not directly affected for there is not much crude oil imports sourced from Russia, still, there is an un derlying impact on the country since the bulk of its direct petro leum products imports come from countries that utilize Russian crude in their refineries.

O verall, the DOE said, this pre vailing global supply-demand fun damentals and market sentiments are still supportive of global oil prices, and consequently in the lo cal market in the first half of this year.

The progress of AI

Funding is down this year in comparison, but it’s down across the board—the trend remains clear.

By Roderick L. Abad @rodrik_28 Contributor

COTABATO Light and Power Company (Cotabato Light) has so far energized over 1,500 households within its franchise area through the Sitio Electrification Pro gram (SEP).

T he project covers Cotabato City and parts of Sultan Kudarat and Datu Odin Sinsuat town in the province of Maguindanao.

“I am very thankful to Cotabato Light for installing light posts in our community. This is a good develop ment and big help for our residents to have access to electricity,” said Esmael Mendo, chieftain of Rebuken community in Sultan Kudarat.

According to Cotabato Light Presi dent and Chief Operating Officer Valentin S. Saludes III, the subsidiary of Aboitiz Power Corp. has invested around P37 million for the SEP, a national strategy aimed at helping boost the country’s total electrifica tion by connecting sitios and baran gays to the grid.

Saludes said they are on track to hit this goal next month by already putting up more than 1,000 poles and spent over 8,800 man-hours for better delivery of electricity services.

“ We have identified several mea sures in order to meet our assigned area of completion and full energi zation target by November 2022,” he said.

T he distribution utility will con tinue to bring reliable and reason ably priced electricity to far-flung areas as part of its support to the government’s initiatives to increase and accelerate community access to power services.

W ithout the help of local gov ernment and barangay officials, Saludes pointed out that the suc cessful rollout of the SEP would not be possible.

One of the program’s main ob jectives is to improve the standard of living in the rural areas within the Cotabato Light franchise. As such, we are constantly looking for ways to better serve our customers as we in AboitizPower continue to transform energy for a better world,” he stressed.

By Henry J. Schumacher

IHAVE written columns on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in recent weeks. In the first one I asked the question “should we fear the AI that is going to hit us” and in the second I asked “can we build trust and ethics in AI systems.”

Today, I would like to share “the progress of AI”: L et’s have a look at the tools of AI progress in action:

Applications: From AI-gen erated art, articles, and even dis sertations, to applications across industries like health care and manufacturing, we’ve come a long way from just teaching computers to play chess.

Look at this: college students are sharing (anonymously) that they’ve started using  AI tools  to generate essays that can bypass anti-plagiarism software and score an A. The widespread use of the tools could reshape education and force schools to figure out new writing prompts or entirely fresh ways of assessing student perfor mance to avoid being duped by the technology.

Projections: AI isn’t quite clas sifiable as an “industry” yet, but with its growth expectations, it could soon arrive there. Most pro jections have the AI niche reaching over $420 billion in total market size by 2028, a compound annual growth rate of 39.4 percent.

Blowing up: AI and machine learning start-up businesses raised $115 billion in 2021, which is more than one-third of the to tal venture capital raised for all start-ups throughout the year.

L ook at these examples: Microsoft is in advanced talks to increase investment in OpenAI. The investment inter est indicates the big bets tech giants are willing to make in AI technology.

Google is in talks to in vest at least $200 million into AI start-up Cohere Inc., accord ing to people familiar with the matter; another sign of the es calating arms race among large technology companies in the sector.

Adoptions: About 26 per cent of companies say they’ve implemented AI in widespread production—up from 12 percent last year—and 92 percent of large companies said they’re notching a noteworthy ROI (return of in vestment) on their investment into data and AI.

The inevitability of the future

THERE are some harbored fears surrounding AI ranging from doomsday scenarios to simple ethics concerns, but the overall trend is clear, and investors seem to have confidence that human ity will make the necessary ad justments to coexist with this new tech.

A I’s rapid pace and progress will continue for the foreseeable future. Whether through busi ness or investment, getting some exposure to this budding sector is probably unavoidable.

The future of integrity

THE future we are heading into—short-term, mid-term, long-term—cannot be without Integrity. Integrity must be part of the learning process for young people, it must be part of the working process and business process of the private sector, and it must definitely be part of how government operates on the national and local level. And in tegrity must be part of the devel opment of artificial intelligence.

L et’s all commit to contribute to the creation of a great future!

Feedback will be appreciated; contact me at hjschumacher59@ gmail.com

THE Department of Tourism (DOT) has welcomed the introduction of the new eArrival Card for travelers arriving in the Philippines.

Cotabato Light electrifies 1.5K rural households within franchise areas

September crime volume dips 11.90% compared to August

THE Philippine National Police (PNP) reported a de crease of 11.90 percent in the total eight focus crimes for the month of September compared to August.

D uring Monday’s news brief ing at Camp Crame, PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr., said the onset of the last quarter of the year is showing encouraging signs of the continuing downtrend in Index Crime incidents as gleaned from the Index Crime data in Au gust and September 2022.

T he PNP’s Crime Information Reporting and Analysis System (CIRAS) showed a sharp decrease in Index Crimes by 11.98 percent or 366 from 3,056 in August down to 2,690 in September.

T he decrease in Index Crimes is noted in Luzon by 5.96 percent or 102 incidents; Visayas by 10.24 per cent or 67 incidents; and Mindanao by 28.47 percent or 197 incidents.

A mong the eight focus crimes: homicide, rape and murder post ed the biggest decreases during the August-September period at 26.09 percent, 25.99 percent and 20.67percent, respectively.

Physical Injury also posted simi lar double-digit decline at 15 per cent, while single-digit decline were posted among theft, rob bery and motorcycle carjacking.

During the period, 5.88 percent increase was noted in cases of carjacking of motor vehicles.

We remain optimistic that this downward trend of crime will prevail until the Holiday Season in December onwards to the New Year when maximum deployment of police and security personnel is ex pected in anticipation of increased public activities,” said Azurin.

M eanwhile, the PNP is on full alert in preparation for the expected deluge of people flocking to terminals due to

the forthcoming long weekend, as Filipinos go home to their provinces and visit the graves of their departed loved ones.

D uring the Laging Handa Pub lic Briefing, PNP Public Informa tion Office (PIO) Chief Col. Re derico “Red” Maranan said that more or less 17,000 members of the Metropolitan Manila police force will be deployed in strate gic areas in the National Capital Region (NCR).

“ In Metro Manila, some 17,000 police will be deployed. That means every cop will be on duty,” Maranan said in a mix of English and Filipino.

M aranan said the PNP had al ready met with various concerned agencies such as the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and other force multipliers.

He added that the PNP person nel will be deployed in bus ter minals, piers, airports and other places of convergence especially cemeteries.

T he PNP had said that local government units had already identified the guidelines in en tering the cemeteries and colum bariums, including the dos and don’ts and those allowed and not allowed inside.

We would also like to remind everybody that we are strict with the public health standards,” said Maranan.

M aranan said they expect a bigger number of people going to the cemeteries this year due to the loosening of pandemic re strictions compared to the past two years.

“Our program is high police vis ibility,” he stressed.

N o threats have been moni tored, Azurin said, but police continue to monitor and en sure peace and order.

Glen Jacob Jose

DepEd cautioned on ‘rebranding’ of FM-era ML to New Society

By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

She was referring to the law that set aside billions to compensate vic tims of martial law.

PNP probes police general suspected to be involved in Manila ‘shabu’ bust

By Glen Jacob Jose

TWO high Philippine National Police (PNP) officials, one of them a general, are now being investigated following the arrest of two police anti-narcotics operatives and seizure of nearly a ton of “shabu” in Manila early this month, PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr., revealed on Monday.

A zurin said that there is an ongo ing investigation into the involve ment of at least one police general.

B ut he said it is too early to even float their involvement since there are still no pieces of evidence that would link them to the Manila op eration wherein 990 kilos of shabu were seized.

T he two police officials’ names surfaced over their alleged link to the police sergeant who owns the lending agency where the 990 kilos of shabu were seized.

“ They are on a floating status. But this is unfair to them because their names are being dragged into this although there are no sufficient

NOV issued vs 40 Parañaque, Pampanga retailers over sale of uncertified products

By Andrea E. San Juan

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) reported anew that over 40 retail firms were caught selling uncertified products, including home appliances in Pam panga and Parañaque.

T hrough its Fair Trade Enforce ment Bureau (FTEB), the DTI said it conducted consecutive enforcement operations against over P2 million worth of uncertified products seized from retail firms in Pampanga last September 29.

the DTI said.

O f the 28 firms inspected in Pampanga, the agency said 21 non-compliant firms were is sued notices of violation (NOVs), mandating them to explain within 48 hours from the receipt of the notice.

pieces of evidence so far,” Azurin told reporters when sought for comment during Monday’s press briefing at Camp Crame.

“ These officers have careers, they worked hard for their career and that is why we are very careful, we are not mentioning any names,” he added.

Meanwhile, two police sergeants assigned to the Drug Enforcement Group of the Philippine National Po lice (PDEG) sneaked out more or less 42 kilos of shabu, worth P285.6 mil lion after the inventory of the seized illegal drugs out of 990 kilos of shabu seized in a policeman-owned lending agency office in Manila

T he incident was discovered by PDEG director Brig. Gen. Narciso Domingo himself after a review of the CCTV footages before and after the October 8 raid at the Wealth and Personal Development Lending Inc. in Sta. Cruz, Manila owned by Master Sgt. Rodolfo Mayo Jr.

Mayo is an intelligence officer of the PDEG and was arrested after he also yielded at least 2 kilos of shabu in his car in a follow-up operation

in Quiapo, Manila early morning of October 9.

In the CCTV footage, a man was going out of the lending agency of fice and was later seen loading the two bags inside a car.

W hen one of the police sergeants was asked to shed light on the inci dent, the cop admitted that there were 30 kilos of shabu still in their possession and that the car is owned by another PDEG operative.

W hen the other PDEG operative was asked to appear before the PDEG headquarters, he informed his supe rior instead that he would just leave the illegal drugs near Camp Crame in Quezon City.

During the inspection, it was found out that there were 42 kilos left by the PDEG operative. A 42-kilo shabu has a street value of P285.6 million.

There is an ongoing investigation and as I have said, all those involved, all those whose names would surface in the conduct of the investigation will be held accountable in order to put a stop on the issue of recycling [of illegal drugs],” said Azurin.

DILG vows to further strengthen barangay disaster preparedness

THE Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) vowed to accelerate the de partment’s efforts to strengthen ba rangays’ preparedness in responding to disasters and other emergencies to avert loss of life and assets as the Philippines tops the World Disaster Risk Index 2022.

SEN.

Risa Hontiveros on Mon day cautioned the Depart ment of Education against a reported proposal “rebranding the Ferdinand Marcos Sr.-era martial law to New Society.”

Let us take it straight from the horse’s mouth,” the minority sena tor said, recalling that then Presi dent Ferdinand Marcos Sr. himself said that in issuing Presidential Decree 1081 in 1972, he “placed the country under a state of Mar tial Law. Not a New Society. Not anything else. Martial Law.”

T he senator added: “DepEd should not be an enabler of Martial Law rebranding.”

Hontiveros lamented that “the continued existence of school ma terial that one-sidedly frames the Martial Law period as a “New So ciety” is a blatant failure of our education authority to ensure the truthful, factual and complete historical narration of the Marcos dictatorship, and instead enables its propaganda.”

Hontiveros reminded all con cerned officials that “the State, through RA 10368, already a knowledged the suffering, depri vation, damage and gross human rights violations inflicted during the Marcos dictatorship.”

It is DepEd’s duty, as well as CHED’s [Commission on Higher Edu cation], to teach the truth, whatever is the subject matter,” she added, re minding teachers that “lies are not education; they are propaganda. Lies are already undoing our society.”

T he senator cautioned teachers to be vigilant against creeping at tempts to rewrite the true history of the country during the martial law era .

“Obligasyon nating maging mapagmatyag laban sa dahan dahan at paunti-unting pagbaluktot sa ating kasaysayan sa alaala ng mga nanguna sa pagtutol sa diktadurya, gaya ng lola ng ating DepEd Secretary sa Davao, at lalo’t higit sa mga nagbuwis ng buhay para ibalik ang demokrasya sa bansa [It is our duty to be vigi lant against the slow and creeping moves to twist our history, if only to honor those who were first to protest against the dictatorship— like the grandmother of our DepEd Secretary in Davao, and especially to those who gave their lives to re store democracy in our country],” Hontiveros said. She was referring to the grandmother of Secretary Sara Duterte, the teacher-activist Soledad Roa-Duterte, who led antidictatorship protests in her home city in Davao.

T he enforcement teams, spear headed by Consumer Protection Group (CPG) Undersecretary Ruth B. Castelo and FTEB Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Assistant Director Joseph Manuel P. Pamittan, inspected firms in Angeles City, San Simon, Arayat, Mabalacat, and Mexico.

A ccording to a statement issued by the trade department on Mon day, the teams were able to crack down 3,202 pieces of uncertified self-ballasted LED lamps, singlecapped fluorescent lamps, ce ramic plumbing fixtures (sanitary wares), pipes (uPVC) for potable water supply, uPVC rigid electri cal conduit, low carbon steel wires, equal-Leg steel angle bars, GI steel pipes, rerolled steel bars, exten sion cord sets, monobloc chairs, electric blenders, snap switches, and tires for automotive vehicles worth P917,607.

T he DTI enforcement teams sur veyed more cities in the province such as San Simon, Minalin, Apalit, San Fernando, and Mexico on October 11 where the agency was able to seize 2,963 pieces of uncertified products worth P1,22,607.

The sealed products include tires for automotive vehicles, low carbon steel wires, pipes [uPVC] for potable water supply, deformed steel bars, low carbon steel wires, ceramic plumbing fixtures [sani tary wares], tires for automotive vehicles, and PVC electrical tapes,”

Meanwhile, on top of this, the DTI enforcement teams said they were able to serve notices of viola tion to 20 out of the 50 inspected retail firms in Parañaque. The Trade department also noted that it sealed over P850,000 of uncer tified products in this specific en forcement operation.

Moreover, the enforcement ef forts led to the seizure of uncertified electric irons, electric rice cookers, electric juicers, induction cookers, electric blenders, electric grills, elec tric stoves, electric fans, electric food mixers, extension cords, low carbon steel wires, motor vehicle brake fluid, ceramic plumbing fixtures (sanitary wares), self-ballasted LED lamps, tires for automotive vehicles, and lead-acid storage batteries worth P859,269.70.00.

According to DTI, from January to October 2022, it has already sealed 126,934 pieces of “non-conforming” products with an estimated retail value of P37,305,680.32.

For her part, Castelo said on Monday, “We continuously re mind retailers to practice fair and ethical business; and to protect themselves by expanding their awareness of the mandatory cer tification and markings.”

T he DTI-Bureau of Philippine Standards (BPS), which serves as the National Standards Body of the Philippines, regulates 87 products and systems through implementing Mandatory Prod uct Certification Schemes: the Philippine Standard (PS) Quality and/or Safety Certification Mark Licensing Scheme and the Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) Cer tification Scheme.

R esponding to the call of Presi dent Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Inte rior and Local Government Secre tary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr. Abalos said the DILG, as the Vice Chairman for Disaster Prepared ness of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Coun cil (NDRRMC), seeks to equip baran gays with the necessary knowledge, skills, and capacities to manage and reduce disaster risks to become di saster prepared and resilient Fili pino communities.

“ The President has instructed me to assure each and every one of you that this administration is committed to ensuring that the smallest yet one of the most impor tant units of government are fully capacitated and responsive to the needs of the people, especially in their disaster response capabilities,” the DILG chief said during the 2nd Barangay Resilience Exchange 2022 (BRX2022) Digital Conference.

Organized by the Cebuana Lhuillier Foundation Inc. (CLFI), the BRX2022 banners the theme “Ang Handang Ba rangay, Mahusay!” that highlights the significance of collaboration between the government, private and multisectoral organizations, and the com munity in surviving natural disasters, calamities and emergencies.

He said under the Marcos admin istration, one of the priorities was to increase the preparedness of the ba rangays when it comes to responding to disasters and other emergencies

“Isa po iyan sa ating mga prayoridad —ang mapataas ang kahandaan ng mga barangay pagdating sa pagresponde sa mga panahon ng sakuna at iba pang mga emergency [That is one of our priori ties—to increase the preparedness of the barangays when it comes to responding to times of disaster and other emergencies],” he pointed out.

unit (LGU) capacity, Abalos said the department will persist in the implementation of Operation LISTO, its flagship disaster preparedness advocacy program cascaded to the barangay level through the Listo si Kap!, a checklist of pro-active actions taken as preparatory and necessary measures based on the manual of higher LGUs and the disaster pre paredness minimum standards. He also said the DILG is conduct ing several assessment activities to gauge the performance of local government units, including the ba rangays, in Disaster Risk Reduction and Management-Climate Change Adaptation (DRRM-CCA) in order to ensure that gaps are addressed and good practices are replicated.

For the barangays, there is an ongoing development to assess the functionality of BDRRMCs and the initial stage of the implementation of the Seal of Good Local Governance for barangays which looks into disas ter risk reduction and management as one of its core areas,” he said.

T he DILG Secretary also said the Department’s National Baran gay Operations Office (NBOO) and other bureaus and offices continue to work hand-in-hand to enable access to finance and ensure that barangays, even being the small est LGU, are given a big share of the department’s projects, programs and activities (PPAs) for the local government sector.

“Inatasan na rin natin ang Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) upang tu mulong sa training ng mga barangay officials upang mapataas ang kanilang kapasidad [We have also assigned the Bureau of Fire Protection to assist in training barangay officials to in crease their capacity],” he added.

The World Risk Index is an annual report that calculates disaster risk for 193 countries covering vulner ability from earthquakes, hurricanes/ typhoons, floods (both coastal and riverine), drought, sea-level rise, tsu namis, and conflict. It dates back to 2011 and is published by the Bündnis Entwicklung Hilft and the Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict at Ruhr University Bochum.

By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco @claudethmc3

THE Department of Health (DOH) on Monday reported that it has logged 11,995 new Covid-19 cases from October 17 to

October 23, lower by 22 percent as compared to the cases recorded from the previous week.

T he average daily case was re corded at 1,714.

T here were 272 deaths but only 26 occurred on October 10 to October 23.

Meanwhile, the DOH said that there were 650 patients who were classified as severe and critical. Of the 2,520 ICU beds for Covid patients, 581(23.1percent) are occupied.

On the other hand, the DOH said, over 73 million individuals or 94.09

percent of the target population have been vaccinated, while 20 million received their booster shots.

Likewise, 6.9 million senior citi zens or 79.19 percent of the target A2 population were administered with their primary series.

Barangays’ primary duties in di saster resilience include the estab lishment and operationalization of the Barangay Risk Reduction Man agement Committees (BRRMC), the development of barangay disaster risk reduction and management plans, and the allocation of funds for disaster response and recovery.

To increase local government

Meanwhile, Abalos highlighted the crucial role the barangays played in epitomizing the resilience of Fili pinos during the height of the Co vid-19 pandemic when they became the first line of defense in the com munities against the virus and had to serve their constituents and address the situation with their available re sources and manpower. Glen Jacob Jose

131.

CHAEMUE, SUTACH Thai Technical Support Representative

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

DO THI THUY AN Vietnamese Technical Support Representative

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in English and their respective native language for the position applied for, Fluent in Chinese Mandarin is an advantage.

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

147.

BE THI HANH Call Center Agent

Description:

service

BUI ANH MINH Call Center Agent

Basic Qualification: College graduate/level and

in Mandarin/basic English

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

Basic Qualification: College graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin/basic English

132.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

HUYNH VI PHONG Vietnamese Technical Support Representative

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in English and their respective native language for the position applied for, Fluent in Chinese Mandarin is an advantage.

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

148.

Brief Job Description: Customer service

DO HUYEN TRANG Call Center Agent

Brief Job Description: Customer Service.

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

Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/ Basic English.

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

133.

Brief Job Description: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in English and their respective native language for the position applied for, Fluent in Chinese Mandarin is an advantage.

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

LAN TIAN ZI XUN INC. Unit 205 2/f Zen Tower, 1111 Natividad Almeda Lopez St., 071, Barangay 659, Ermita, City Of Manila

149.

150.

DUONG VAN PHUONG Call Center Agent

Brief Job Description: Customer service

LE VAN HIEU Call Center Agent

Brief Job Description: Customer Service.

Salary Range: Php

Basic Qualification: Able to

and at

level with related BPO experience.

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

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

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

Basic Qualification: Superior customer service skills, Nice to have experience working with online gaming/offshore gaming industry or less experience but a good attitude and motivation to learn, Excellent communication skills in Chinese, both spoken and written.

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134.

FENG, CHENGFEI Chinese It Specialist

Brief Job Description: This position requires the exercise of discretion in the application of the principles, practices and techniques related to planning and analysis; design; development and implementation; maintenance; support; and management of information technology functions.

LIU, AO Chinese It Specialist

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Chinese language (writing and speaking)

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

151.

152.

MAI VUONG VIET ANH Call Center Agent

Brief Job Description: Customer Service.

NGUYEN CONG TRI Call Center Agent

Basic Qualification: College graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin/basic English

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

Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/ Basic English.

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

Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/ Basic English.

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

Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/ Basic English.

135.

Brief Job Description: This position requires the exercise of discretion in the application of the principles, practices and techniques related to planning and analysis; design; development and implementation; maintenance; support; and management of information technology functions.

MEI, KUNMENG Chinese It Specialist

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Chinese language (writing and speaking)

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

153.

Brief Job Description: Customer Service.

NGUYEN MINH HOANG Call Center Agent

Brief Job Description: Customer Service.

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

Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/ Basic English.

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

136.

Brief Job Description: This position requires the exercise of discretion in the application of the principles, practices and techniques related to planning and analysis; design; development and implementation; maintenance; support; and management of information technology functions.

PENG, XUE Chinese It Specialist

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154.

NGUYEN PHAM BICH TRAM Call Center Agent

Brief Job Description: Customer Service.

NGUYEN PHUONG VI Call Center Agent

Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/ Basic English.

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137.

Brief Job Description: This position requires the exercise of discretion in the application of the principles, practices and techniques related to planning and analysis; design; development and implementation; maintenance; support; and management of information technology functions.

Description:

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

Basic Qualification: Superior customer service skills, Nice to have experience working with online gaming/offshore gaming industry

less experience but a good attitude and motivation to learn, Excellent communication skills in Chinese, both spoken and written.

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138.

WANG, SHUAI Chinese It Specialist

Brief Job Description: This position requires the exercise of discretion in the application of the principles, practices and techniques related to planning and analysis; design; development and implementation; maintenance; support; and management of information technology functions.

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Chinese language (writing and speaking)

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

Basic Qualification: Fluent in Chinese language (writing and speaking)

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

MAI MAI INFO TECH INC. 9/f Double Dragon Plaza Tower 3 Bldg., Macapagal Ave. St. Zone 10 District 1, Barangay 76, Pasay City

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156.

157.

Brief Job Description: Customer service

NGUYEN QUOC DAT Call Center Agent

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158.

159.

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service

PHAN THANH VINH Call Center Agent

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Basic Qualification: College Graduate/Level and Fluent in Mandarin/ Basic English.

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

Basic Qualification: College graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin/basic English

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

Basic Qualification: College graduate/level and fluent in Mandarin/basic English

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North, South Korea exchange warning shots along disputed sea boundary

By Hyung-Jin Kim The Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea—North and South Korea exchanged warning shots Monday along their disputed western sea boundary—a scene of past bloodshed and naval battles—in a development that raises worry of possible clashes after North Korea’s recent barrage of weapons tests.

South Korea’s navy broadcast warnings and fired warning shots to repel a North Korean merchant ship that violated the sea bound ary at 3:42 a.m., the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

North Korea’s military said its coastal defense units responded by firing 10 rounds of artillery warning shots toward its territo rial waters, where “naval enemy movement was detected.” It ac cused a South Korean naval ship of intruding into North Korean waters on the pretext of cracking down on an unidentified ship.

There were no reports of fight ing, but the sea boundary off the Korean Peninsula’s west coast is a source of long-running animosities.

The American-led UN command drew a boundary at the end of the 1950-1953 Korean War, but North Korea insists upon a boundary that encroaches deeply into waters con trolled by the South. Among the deadly events that have happened in the area are the North’s shelling of a South Korean island and its alleged torpedoing of a South Korean navy ship, both in 2010. The two attacks killed 50 South Koreans.

Analyst Cheong Seong-Chang at the private Sejong Institute in South Korea said North Korea had likely intentionally plotted its ship incursion because it would be “un imaginable” for a North Korean merchant ship to cross the bound ary that early in a day without the permission of the North’s military.

Cheong said North Korea is in creasingly emboldened by its recent

missile tests in which North Ko rea said it simulated the use of tactical nuclear weapons to at tack South Korean and US tar gets. He noted Pyongyang would also know Washington’s strained relationships with Russia and China make it more difficult for the US to draw cooperation from the two regional powers on the North Korean issue.

“The South Korean military needs to make thorough prepa rations to prevent fresh skir mishes from happening on the West Sea and prevent them from causing the worst case scenario like the North Korean military’s artillery bombardments” on a South Korean border island, Cheong said.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the North Korean ar tillery firings Monday breached a 2018 inter-Korean accord on re ducing military animosities and undermines stability on the Ko rean Peninsula. It said the North Korean shells didn’t land in South Korean waters but South Korea is boosting its military readiness.

The General Staff of the North’s Korean People’s Army accused South Korea of pro voking animosities near their land border as well as with its own artillery tests and propa ganda loudspeaker broadcasts.

South Korea has already con firmed it performed artillery firings last week as part of its regular military exercises, but denied that it resumed the

loudspeaker broadcasts that both Koreas halted under the 2018 agreement.

“The KPA General Staff once again sends a grave warning to the enemies who made even na val intrusion in the wake of such provocations as the recent artil lery firing and loudspeaker broad casting on the ground front,” the North’s statement said.

North Korea has said its recent weapons tests involving nuclearcapable missiles and artillery shells were a response to joint South Ko rean-US military drills that it views as an invasion rehearsal.

Some observers say North Ko rea could extend its spate of test ing, conduct its first nuclear test in five years or launch other provoca tions near the western sea border or elsewhere as South Korean and US militaries continue their com bined military exercises.

“Pyongyang’s politics of blam ing external threats and project ing confidence in military capa bilities can motivate greater risk taking,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul. “North Korean prob ing of South Korean perimeter defenses could lead to a serious exchange of fire and unintended escalation.”

The South Korean military is currently conducting its annual field exercises, which involve US troops this year. As part of the drills, the South Korean and US

militaries began large-scale, fourday firing exercises off the penin sula’s west coast on Monday. The drills would mobilize South Ko rean destroyers and fighter jets and US helicopters and aircraft, the South Korean navy said in a statement.

Washington and Seoul had scaled back or canceled their reg ular drills in recent years to sup port their now-dormant nuclear diplomacy with North Korea or guard against the Covid-19 pan demic. But the allies have been reviving or expanding those train ings since the May inauguration of conservative South Korean Presi dent Yoon Suk Yeol, who vows a tougher stance on North Korean provocation.

Next week, South Korea and the United States are to hold joint air force drills involving some 240 warplanes, including F-35 fight ers operated by both nations. The drills are aimed at inspecting the two countries’ joint operation ca pabilities and improving combat readiness, according to the South Korean military.

Some experts say the North Korean tests also suggest its leader Kim Jong Un has no inten tions of resuming stalled nucle ar diplomacy with Washington anytime soon as he would want to focus on further modernizing his nuclear arsenal to boost his leverage in future negotiations with the United States.

Oil weakens as souring Chinese sentiment filters through markets

OIL declined as sentiment soured over China follow ing the conclusion of the party congress, filtering through broader markets.

West Texas Intermediate slipped toward $84 a barrel on Monday as investors also digested a raft of delayed Chinese economic data that showed a mixed recovery during the third quarter. A stron ger dollar added to headwinds, making commodities priced in the currency less attractive.

Crude has lost a third of its value

since June as fears over a global economic slowdown continue to hang over the market. However, significant Opec+ output cuts and looming European Union sanc tions on Russian oil flows have raised concerns about the supply outlook heading into winter.

“Oil will remain choppy as re cession risks and supply tighten ing balance each other out,” said Gao Jian, a Shandong-based ana lyst with Zhaojin Futures Co. “The market will focus on compliance rates for Opec+’s production cuts

next month and whether the US will initiate counter-measures by adding supply.”

The decision by the Organi zation of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies to curb supply from November has drawn a sharp rebuke from the US, which previously called on producers for more oil to help curb inflation. President Joe Biden’s top energy adviser said Sunday the cut was largely a political move.

Brent remains steeply back wardated, a bullish structure

where near-dated contracts are more expensive than later-dated ones. The prompt time spread was $2.17 in backwardation, compared with $1.44 a week earlier.

China ramped up its oil imports and processing last month as re fineries returned from seasonal maintenance, while exports of fuel products jumped after the allocation of new quota. Inbound shipments rose to the highest since May, according to Bloomberg cal culations based on government data.

News

German lawmakers oppose China military threats toward Taiwan

TAIPEI, Taiwan—Any changes to the China-Taiwan relationship must come about peacefully, a visiting German lawmaker said Monday, two days after China’s ruling Communist Party wrote its rejection of Taiwan independence into its charter.

A German parliamentary delegation focusing on human rights met Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen at her office on Monday. The lawmakers expressed interest in how Taiwan would handle threats from China.

“Taiwan is really facing military threats,” delegation head Peter Heidt said. “From Germany’s point of view, changes to the

cross-strait status quo, if any, must be based on peaceful means. Also, these changes must be made after both sides have reached a consensus.”

China claims Taiwan as its territory and says the self-governing island about 160 kilometers (100 miles) off its east coast must come under its control.

The Chinese Communist Party, on the last day of a major congress that confirmed a third five-year term for leader Xi Jinping, inserted a statement into the party constitution on Saturday “resolutely opposing and deterring separatists” seeking Taiwan’s independence.

“We note Xi Jinping’s intimidation against Taiwan in China’s 20th party congress. We also note the reaction of mainland China after Pelosi visited Taiwan,” he said, referring to the large-scale military drills held after the visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in July.

Tsai did not refer to the amending of the Communist Party’s constitution in her remarks. But her government’s Mainland Affairs Council issued a statement Saturday urging China to break away from the mindset of confronting or even conquering the island, according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency.

The statement said their differences should be resolved in a peaceful manner.

At the opening of China’s weeklong party congress, Xi said Beijing would continue to strive for peaceful “reunification” with Taiwan but refused to renounce the possible use of force. The two sides split in 1949 after a civil war.

Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council responded that the island’s 23 million people have the right to decide their own future and urged Beijing to stop imposing its political framework and its military coercion.

The German delegation arrived on Sunday and was expected to leave on Wednesday. It is the second German parliamentary group visiting Taiwan this month. AP

Russia’s defense chief warns of ‘dirty bomb’ provocation

By Andrew Meldrum The Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine—Russia’s defense chief alleged Sunday that Ukraine was preparing a “provocation” involving a radioactive device, a stark claim that was strongly rejected by US, British and Ukrainian officials amid soaring tensions as Moscow struggles to stem Ukrainian advances in the south.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu made the allegations in phone calls with his counterparts from the United States, Britain, France and Turkey.

Russia’s defense ministry said Shoigu voiced concern about “possible Ukrainian provocations involving a ‘dirty bomb,’” a device that uses explosives to scatter radioactive waste. It doesn’t have the devastating effect of a nuclear explosion, but could expose broad areas to radioactive contamination.

Russian authorities repeatedly have made allegations that Ukraine could detonate a dirty bomb in a false flag attack and blame it on Moscow. Ukrainian authorities, in turn, have accused the Kremlin of hatching such a plan.

British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace strongly rejected Shoigu’s claim and warned Moscow against using it as a pretext for escalation.

The British Ministry of Defense noted that Shoigu, in a call with Wallace, “alleged that Ukraine was planning actions facilitated by Western countries, including the UK, to escalate the conflict in Ukraine.”

“The Defense Secretary refuted these claims and cautioned that such allegations should not be used as a pretext for greater escalation,” the ministry said.

The US also rejected Shoigu’s “transparently false allegations,” White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement. “The world would see through any attempt to use this allegation as a pretext for escalation.”

In a televised address Sunday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested that Moscow itself was setting the stage for deploying a radioactive device on Ukrainian soil.

“If Russia calls and says that Ukraine is allegedly preparing something, it means only one thing: that Russia has already prepared all of it,” Zelenskyy said.

The mention of the dirty bomb threat in Shoigu’s calls seemed to indicate the threat of such an attack has risen to an unprecedented level.

The French Ministry of the Armed Forces said Shoigu told his counterpart, Sebastien Lecornu, that the situation in Ukraine was rapidly worsening and “trending towards uncontrollable escalation.”

“It appears that there is a shared feeling that the tensions have approached the level that could raise the real threat for all,” said Fyodor Lukyanov, the Kremlin-connected head of the Council for Foreign and Defense policies, a Moscow-based group of top foreign affairs experts.

The rising tensions come as Russian authorities reported building defensive positions in occupied areas of Ukraine and border regions of Russia, reflecting fears that Ukrainian forces may attack along new sections of the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line of the war, which enters its ninth month on Monday.

In recent weeks, Ukraine has focused its counteroffensive mostly on the Kherson region. Their relentless artillery strikes cut the main crossings across the Dnieper River, which bisects the southern region, leaving Russian troops on the west bank short of supplies and vulnerable to encirclement.

Kirill Stremousov, the deputy head of the Russian-installed regional administration in Kherson, said Sunday in a radio interview that Russian defensive lines “have been reinforced and the situation has remained stable” since local officials strongly encouraged all residents of the region’s capital and nearby areas Saturday to evacuate by ferry to the river’s east bank.

The region is one of four that Russian President Vladimir Putin illegally annexed last month and put under Russian martial law on Thursday. Kherson city has been in Russian hands since the early days of the war, but Ukraine’s forces have made advances toward reclaiming it.

About 20,000 Kherson residents have moved to places on the east bank of the Dnieper River, the Kremlin-backed regional administration reported. The Ukrainian military said Sunday that Russia’s military also withdrew its officers from areas on the west bank, leaving newly mobilized, inexperienced forces.

The Ukrainian claim could not be independently verified.

As Ukraine presses south after liberating the Kharkiv region in the north last month, authorities in the western Russian provinces bordering northeastern Ukraine appeared jittery.

The governor of Russia’s Kursk region, Roman Starovoit, said Sunday that two defensive lines have been built and a third one would be finished by November 5.

Defensive lines were also established in the Belgorod region, Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said.

More defensive positions were being built in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine, said Yevgeny Prigozhin, a millionaire Russian businessman who owns the Wagner Group, a mercenary military company that has played a prominent role in the war.

Prigozhin said his company was constructing a “Wagner line” in the Luhansk region, another of the Ukrainian provinces Putin illegally annexed last month. Prigozhin posted images last week showing a section of newly built defenses and trench systems southeast of the town of Kreminna.

The British Defense Ministry said Sunday “the project suggests Russia is making a significant effort to prepare defenses in depth behind the current front line, likely to deter any rapid Ukrainian counteroffensives.”

Russia’s forces captured Luhansk several months ago. Pro-Moscow separatists declared independent republics in the region and neighboring Donetsk eight years ago, and Putin made controlling all of both provinces a goal at the war’s outset.

The Institute for the Study of War, a think tank in Washington, said Sunday that Russia’s latest strategy of targeting power plants appeared aimed at diminishing Ukrainians’ will to fight and forcing the government in Kyiv to devote more resources to protecting civilians and energy infrastructure.

It said the effort was unlikely to damage Ukrainian morale but would have significant economic impacts.

President Zelenskyy said Sunday that utilities workers were well on their way to restoring electricity supplies cut off by large-scale Russian missile strikes Saturday, but acknowledged that it would take longer to provide heating.

Nine regions across Ukraine, from Odesa in the southwest to Kharkiv in the northeast, saw more attacks targeting energy and other critical infrastructure over the past day, the Ukrainian army’s general staff said. It reported a total of 25 Russian airstrikes and more than 100 missile and artillery strikes around Ukraine.

In response, Zelenskyy appealed to mayors and other local leaders to ensure that Ukrainians heed official calls to conserve energy. “Now is definitely not the time for bright storefronts and signs,” he said.

Aamer Madhani and Lolita Baldor in Washington and Joanna Kozlowska in London contributed to this report.

A TV screen shows a file image of a South Korean navy vessel during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea on Monday, October 24, 2022. The rival Koreas exchanged warning shots along their disputed western sea boundary on Monday, their militaries said, amid heightened animosities over North Korea’s recent barrage of weapons tests. AP/AHN YOUNG-JOON

Judges, ministers, now army chief: Settlers rise in Israel

By Tia Goldenberg The Associated Press

JERUSALEM—Israel’s military has long had a cozy relationship with Jewish settlers in the West Bank. Those ties are about to deepen.

For the first time, a settler will serve as chief of staff of Israel’s military, becoming the enforcer of Israel’s open-ended occupation of the West Bank, now in its 56th year.

Maj. Gen. Herzi Halevi’s nomination was approved on Sunday and he is expected to begin his three-year term on January 17.

Halevi’s rise caps the decades-long transformation of the settler movement from a small group of religious ideologues to a diverse and influential force at the heart of the Israeli mainstream whose members have reached the highest ranks of government and other key institutions.

Critics say the settlers’ outsized political influence imperils any hope for the creation of an independent Palestinian state and endangers the country’s future as a democracy. They say Halevi’s appointment lays bare just how interconnected settlers and the military truly are.

“It isn’t surprising that we’ve come to a point where the chief of staff is a settler too,” said Shabtay Bendet of the anti-settlement watchdog group Peace Now.

Others say Halevi, currently deputy chief of staff, has had a distinguished military career and his place of residence won’t affect his decision-making. He served as head of the elite Sayeret Matkal unit, as well as military intelligence and led the Southern Command, from where he oversaw operations in the Gaza Strip.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz praised Halevi as an ethical officer. “I have no doubt that he is the right man to head the military,” Gantz said upon nominating him.

The military declined to make Halevi available for an interview.

Born just months after the 1967 Mideast war, when Israel captured the West Bank, and raised in Jerusalem, Halevi is a descendant of a rabbi seen as the father of the modern settler movement.

Halevi lives in Kfar HaOranim, a settlement that abuts the invisible line between Israel and the West Bank.

Many of those moving to Kfar HaOranim might have been drawn by cheaper housing prices in a central location between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, rather than a radical ideology. Yet choosing to live in a settlement often indicates even some nationalist political inclination. Many Israelis are still hesitant to visit parts of the West Bank.

A search through some of Halevi’s past speeches and public statements did not reveal his opinion on the Jewish settlement enterprise.

The settler movement embraced the incoming army chief.

“We are proud that the new chief of staff is a resident,” said Israel Ganz, the head of the regional settlement council that includes Kfar HaOranim. He said he expects any chief of staff to operate with a belief in the “righteousness” of Jewish settlement and “deepening the roots” of Jewish settlers.

Palestinians want the West Bank as part of their hoped-for state, along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.

Since 1967, the settler population has grown to some 500,000 people, who live in more than 130 settlements and outposts in the West Bank. Nearly 3 million Palestinians live in the West Bank, most of them in semi-autonomous population centers administered by the Palestinian Authority.

Much of the international community considers the settlements illegitimate and obstacles to peace, while Israel views the territory as its biblical heartland and critical to security.

A two-tier system is in place in the West Bank, with settlers enjoying the same rights as citizens in Israel, while Palestinians are subject to military rule. The Palestinian Authority administers parts of the West Bank but it is hobbled in many aspects by the occupation.

For Palestinians, soldiers are the most visible enforcers of the occupation. Under international law an occupying military is meant to protect civilians under its rule, but Palestinians typically view soldiers as hostile to them.

Soldiers man the checkpoints that Palestinians must cross through to enter Israel or the ones that are set up between their cities, disrupting their journey. Soldiers often conduct arrest raids in Palestinian autonomous areas, in search of suspected militants. Palestinians accused of violence are tried, and almost always convicted, in military courts. Israel sees those measures as essential to its security.

Critics also say the military turns a blind eye to settler violence against Palestinians, which has been intensifying in recent months, including rampages that have also targeted soldiers. In one case last week a settlement guard on a Defense Ministry salary was seen joining forces with a settler in a clash with Palestinians. The military says troops work to prevent breaking of the law by both Palestinians and Israelis in the West Bank.

For settlers, the military buttresses their presence in the West Bank. Soldiers protect settlements. The military escorts settlers when they want to visit sensitive sites or hold a march or protest. A defense body headed by a general is in charge of approving settler housing, and some of the military’s top commanders are settlers.

Oded Revivi, mayor of the Efrat settlement, said he didn’t believe Halevi’s place of residence would influence the way he ran the military in the West Bank, which he said is dictated by policies made by elected officials.

“He was chosen because of his career, because of his achievements during his career,” he said. “It has absolutely nothing to do with where he lives.”

Over the years, settlers reached key positions in Israeli institutions.

The country’s current roster of Supreme Court judges includes at least two settlers. Settler politicians have long served as Cabinet ministers, including Avigdor Lieberman, who has been Israel’s foreign, defense and finance minister. Settlers have held key positions in cultural institutions and in bodies that allocate land. Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett was previously a settler leader, though he did not live in a settlement.

That integration, part of a years-long concerted effort by settlers, is hardly questioned by Israelis.

Many Israelis give little thought to the occupation, and news media often ignore the approval of new settler housing, unless it draws international rebuke. And pushback against the settler narrative is often officially silenced. Schools in liberal Tel Aviv were recently prohibited from showing maps that demarcate the West Bank, indicating it as distinct from Israel.

The world of culture, once a mainstay of liberalism and Israel’s dovish left, has embraced settlers, featuring them on reality TV shows, while artists and musicians are increasingly agreeing to perform in settlements or accept funding from settler sponsors. One popular rocker who had often denounced settlers apologized to them at a recent concert in the Beit El settlement.

Diana Buttu, a Palestinian commentator, said having a settler as chief of staff raises concerns that the military’s conduct toward the Palestinians will worsen, further entrench Israel’s occupation and make the creation of a Palestinian state all the more unlikely.

“There’s this fiction that people in the international community seem to have that somehow there’s Israel and then there’s the settlements—as though they are separate and apart from one another,” she said. “But really, in reality, we see that it’s all one.”

Next UK prime minister: Sunak closes in after Johnson balks

By Jill Lawless The Associated Press

LONDON—Former Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is strong favorite to become Britain’s next prime minister within days— or even hours—after former leader Boris Johnson dropped out of the Conservative Party leadership contest.

After the resignation of Liz Truss last week, the governing party is choosing Britain’s third prime minister this year at a time of political turmoil and severe economic challenges.

Sunak, 42, is the only candidate with confirmed support from more than 100 lawmakers, the num ber needed to run in the election. House of Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt has far fewer expressions of support, but is aiming to reach the threshold by the time nominations close at 2 p.m.

If Mordaunt does not reach 100 nominations, Sunak will win by ac clamation and could move into 10 Downing St. by Monday evening.

If both make the ballot, the 357 Conservative lawmakers will hold an indicative vote on Monday to show their preference. If neither subse quently drops out, the choice will go to the 172,000 party members around the country, with a result announced Friday.

Mordaunt will come under intense pressure to step aside and not force a membership vote

if Sunak is the strong favorite among lawmakers.

Home Secretary Grant Shapps, a Sunak supporter, said the former Treasury chief did not think he had the contest “in the bag.”

“He’s speaking to colleagues this morning, he’s working very hard to attract those supporters who were perhaps with Boris Johnson previ ously,” Shapps said. “But, look, I’ll leave it to Penny, she’s a terrific col league. Let’s see what happens.”

Sunak, who was runner-up to Truss in this summer’s Tory leader ship race to replace Johnson, has promised “integrity, professional ism and accountability” if he forms a government—a contrast to the chaos that consumed the past two prime ministers.

Johnson dramatically quit the race on Sunday night, ending a shortlived, high-profile attempt to return to the prime minister’s job he was ousted from little more than three months ago amid ethics scandals.

Johnson spent the weekend trying to gain support from fellow Conservative lawmakers after fly

ing back from a Caribbean vacation. Late Sunday he said he had amassed the backing of 102 colleagues. But he was far behind Sunak in support, and said he had concluded that “you can’t govern effectively unless you have a united party in Parliament.”

The prospect of a return by Johnson had thrown the already di vided Conservative Party into fur ther turmoil. He led the party to a thumping election victory in 2019, but his premiership was clouded by scandals over money and ethics that eventually became too much for the party to bear.

In his Sunday statement, John son insisted he was “well placed to deliver a Conservative victory” in the next national election, due by 2024. And he said that he likely would have won a ballot of Con servative Party members against either of his rivals.

“But in the course of the last days I have sadly come to the conclusion that this would simply not be the right thing to do,” he said.

He hinted he might be back,

however, saying: “I believe I have much to offer but I am afraid that this is simply not the right time.”

Truss quit Thursday after a tur bulent 45 days in office, conceding that she could not deliver on her botched tax-cutting economic pack age, which she was forced to abandon after it sparked fury within her party and weeks of turmoil in financial markets.

Sunak, who was Treasury chief from 2020 until this summer, steered Britain’s slumping econo my through the coronavirus pan demic. He quit in July in protest at Johnson’s leadership.

The Conservative Party turmoil is fueling demands for a national elec tion. Under Britain’s parliamentary system, there does not need to be one until the end of 2024, though the government has the power to call one sooner.

Currently that looks unlikely. Opinion polls say an election would spell disaster for the Conservatives, with the left-of-center Labour Party winning a large majority.

WHO head in Middle East ‘disturbed’ by abuse allegations reported by AP

By Maria Cheng AP Medical Writer

LONDON—The head of the World Health Organization’s Eastern Mediterranean re gion told staff in an internal e-mail that he is “very disturbed” by alle gations reported by the Associated Press last week that the UN health agency’s Syria director misspent millions, abused staff and violated the organization’s own Covid-19 protocols as the pandemic swept across the war-torn country.

In a message sent to all staff in the Middle East on Friday, Dr. Ahmed Salim Al-Mandhari said “the allega tions negatively impact the people of Syria, whom we strive to serve.”

This week, two members of WHO’s ethics department in Ge neva, including its director, are visiting the agency’s Eastern Medi terranean headquarters in Cairo, which oversees Syria.

“The purpose of the visit is to advance awareness through vari ous sessions, on the ethical conduct, principles, values and expectations,” staff were told in an internal email sent on behalf of WHO’s director of business operations in Cairo.

The AP on Thursday published an investigation based on more than 100 confidential UN e-mails, documents and other materials showing that WHO staffers told investigators the agency’s Syria representative, Dr. Akjemal Mag tymova, engaged in abusive be havior, pressured WHO staff to sign contracts with high-ranking Syrian government politicians and plied government officials

with gifts. Magtymova declined to comment and called the allega tions “defamatory.”

The misconduct claims from more than a dozen WHO staffers have triggered one of the biggest internal probes in years, involving more than 20 investigators.

“As the investigation continues, we have already taken mitigating action,” Al-Mandhari said in his message to staff, referring to the decision to name an acting Syria representative in May. “We also proactively informed our donor partners of the ongoing investiga tion.” Still, Magtymova remains in her position and continues to draw a director-level salary.

Karam Shaar, a Syria expert at the Washington-based Middle East Institute, said that although there have been rumors of UN cor ruption in Syria for years, the AP report showed that “they are more extreme than we ever thought.”

“What reportedly happened at the WHO Syria office is particularly egregious because at this point in time, Syrians have never been more vulnerable,” Shaar said. “It’s exact ly at this time that WHO should be responsible, yet we have never heard as serious allegations from any other UN agency. The charges against WHO are by far the worst.”

Syria’s health system has been devastated by more than a decade of war, and for years the country has relied almost exclusively on humanitarian aid. Nearly 90% of the population lives in poverty and more than 7 million people have been displaced by the conflict.

Adam Kamradt-Scott, a profes sor specializing in global health at

the European University Institute in Italy, said that because WHO’s funds come from taxpayers, the agency must prove its spending is warranted.

Financial documents obtained by the AP showed, among other examples, that WHO’s Magtymo va once spent more than $11,000 of WHO funds on a party mostly to honor her own achievements during Covid-19. Numerous WHO staffers also alleged that Magty mova used WHO funds to buy in appropriate gifts for Syrian gov ernment officials, including gold coins and expensive cars.

“If it were any other context than the UN and there was a misappropriation of funds, you would likely see employees be ing held criminally responsible,” Kamradt-Scott said. “But we still have a situation where WHO staff are essentially investigating other WHO staff, which is not exactly the best approach.”

In his e-mail to WHO staffers in the Eastern Mediterranean, regional director Al-Mandhari encouraged officials to report suspected misconduct through WHO’s own “integrity hotline.”

Eight WHO personnel who complained internally about Mag tymova’s reported misconduct as early as last year told the AP their concerns have yet to be addressed.

One former Syrian staffer wrote to the WHO chief earlier this month, pleading for help after earlier e-mails went unanswered.

“I would like to inquire about the next step regarding the dam ages due to stress caused by work place and the potential loss of employment as a result of harass

ment,” wrote the former employee, who asked for $35,000 in compen sation. “Your support and feedback in this regard is essential to save the image of WHO in my beloved country, Syria.” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has not re sponded, despite insisting in the past that WHO has “zero toler ance” for misconduct.

According to WHO figures, there are more than 250 ongoing internal investigations involving abusive behavior or sexual exploi tation and harassment.

Sheba Crocker, the US ambassa dor to the UN in Geneva, said the US was in contact with WHO and was closely following its internal probe in Syria, where it is a major UN donor.

“Responsible leadership as well as stewardship of member state resources must always be a re quirement for leadership positions in international organizations,” Crocker said in a statement.

Natasha Hall, a senior fellow in the Middle East Program at Wash ington’s Center for Strategic and In ternational Studies, said there were structural failures that consistently allowed for UN abuses to occur.

“The knee-jerk reaction in the UN is to just cover up these viola tions and hope they go away,” she said, comparing the UN response in Syria to the Catholic Church’s handling of the sexual abuse of children. “Unless donor govern ments collectively push back on this, it’s likely we will keep hear ing about these kinds of abuses.”

Jamey Keaten in Geneva contrib uted to this report.

CONSERVATIVE Party leadership candidate Rishi Sunak leaves his home in London on Monday, October 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party’s race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. AP/DAVID CLIFF

www.news.businessmirror@gmail.com

editorial

Showing teachers they are treasured

Education is the foundation of all things that an individual can accomplish in life. that’s why teachers are arguably the most important members of society. in the Philippines, aside from performing the noble task of teaching the youth, educators are also called to man the polling precincts every election day. Part of their tasks is to ensure free, honest, and clean elections.

In the May 2022 presidential elections, a total of 647,812 teaching and non-teaching staff from the Department of Education were tapped to serve as poll workers.

The teachers were dismayed when President Marcos vetoed in July a bill seeking tax exemption on poll workers’ honoraria. ACT NCR Union President Vladimir Quetua said the President’s veto on the bill is a grave disrespect to the level of commitment and dedication that the teachers have shown during the elections.

The decision to veto the bill is a snub to all the hardships and sacrifices that the teachers gave amid the pandemic and other threats to their security and safety in an election where President Marcos won, Quetua said, adding that the government should not think of the P1.5 billion potential revenue loss for the tax exemption as a waste of the people’s money because it’s just a small way to thank the millions of teachers and other DepEd staff for their poll services.

Two months after the veto, more than 100 teachers in the Visayas resigned to search for better job opportunities outside the country. “It is heart-breaking how our teachers who started teaching full of good intentions to mentor our youth eventually got demoralized upon experiencing first-hand how the teaching profession is treated in our country,” the Alliance of Concerned Teachers said.

As more and more educators are leaving the service to apply for betterpaying jobs overseas, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers said the government has to upgrade teachers’ salary levels.

Here’s a sad news: The salary of more than half of licensed teachers in private educational institutions is lower than the current minimum wage, according to data shared by a former government statistician. Romulo A. Virola, former secretary general of the National Statistical Coordination Board, one of the agencies that now make up the Philippine Statistics Authority, said teachers in the country also handled larger classes compared to their Asean counterparts. Citing data from the 2019 Public School Teachers Salary in the Philippines in www.teacherph, Virola said 60 percent of licensed teachers in private schools earn P12,500 a month. The minimum wage in Metro Manila is P570 or P14,820 a month (Read, “Pay of licensed private school teachers below current minimum wage,” in the BusinessMirror , October 21, 2022).

Among public school teachers, Virola said the increases in their salaries every year may not even be enough to cover for inflation.

The salaries of Teacher I, II, and III reached P20,754, P22,938, and P25,232, respectively in 2019. The increase in their salaries reached 1.41 percent for Teacher I between 2012 and 2018 and 2.85 percent between 2018 and 2019. Teachers classified as Teacher II or Salary Grade 12 saw their salaries rise by 1.77 percent between 2012 and 2018, while the increase was at 3.56 percent between 2018 and 2019. Those classified under Teacher III or Salary Grade 13 saw a 2.06-percent increase in their salaries in the 2012 to 2018 period, and 4.16 percent growth in 2018 to 2019.

“With consumer price index annual inflation rates of 2.39 percent in 2020, 3.93 percent in 2021, and 5.1 percent up to September 2022, it is doubtful that the total salaries of teachers, particularly Teachers I, II, and III, and Head Teachers I, II, and III, could cope with the rate at which prices of commodities have been increasing because of the pandemic,” Virola said.

Teaching is a tough job, and there’s this perception among our educators that they are being treated a society’s underclass. Lack of appreciation and low compensation are perhaps the biggest reasons why the teaching profession can’t attract the best and the brightest.

We can’t pay back our teachers for their sacrifices. But we can show them that they are greatly appreciated and treasured. One way to do this is for government to increase teacher funding and support to stop the emasculation and demoralization of their ranks.

Protecting our purchasing power

prices of these imported products suddenly become prohibitive.

Manny B. Villar

iundErStand where the government’s economic managers are coming from when they underscored the need to “defend the peso.” the Philippine currency has already shed about 15 percent of its value against the uS dollar since the start of the year.

The concern on peso boils down to our purchasing power that has a major impact on consumer spending. Consumption accounts for about two-thirds of our gross domestic product and could singlehandedly lift or bring down economic growth in the Philippines.

Coupled with a high inflation rate that peaked so far this year to 6.9 percent in September, the rapid peso depreciation could negate major gains we have achieved over the years. So, it is in the best interest of the country and the Filipino consumers to have a stable peso-dollar exchange rate.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in a Twitter message that “we may have to defend the peso in the coming months” and use “interest rates” to mitigate the effects of high inflation. While interest-rate setting is within the purview of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the President’s pronouncement conveys the government’s preference for a stable market.

By the way, it is not only the Philip-

pine peso that has weakened against the greenback this year. Most currencies have lost their value to the dollar in reaction to the US Federal Reserve’s aggressive interest rate hikes to tame inflation. It is therefore accurate to say that the peso is weak, because the dollar is strong, although there are many other factors at play —including the strong imports that are now double our exports.

The higher imports are reflected by the widening of the balance of payments deficit to $7.8 billion in the first nine months of 2022 from just $665 million in the same period last year.

As we have mentioned in this column a number of times, a wide swing in foreign exchange rate could be disruptive, as it affects business plans and even household spending, considering that we are a net importing country. Most of the imported raw materials, capital goods, food, vehicles and electronics we buy are quoted in US dollar and other foreign currencies. Converted into peso, the

How to read the ‘tea leaves’

The BSP, which oversees the foreign exchange and interest rate setting, has actually done a good job of managing money supply and foreign exchange that supports economic growth without resulting in runaway inflation. Although the 6.9-percent inflation in September looked worrisome, it was still lower than the double-digit price increase seen by some Asian and European countries in 2022.

Other Southeast Asian economies such as Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia also saw their inflation rates accelerate this year.

The US, the world’s largest economy, registered an annual inflation of 8.2 percent in September, prompting the Fed to hint at more interest adjustments in November. This has rattled many markets, including the Philippines.

BSP Governor Felipe Medalla was quoted as saying the local benchmark interest rate should be more than 100 basis points above the US rate to have a steady exchange rate. The Federal Fund’s rates hovered between 3 percent and 3.25 percent as of end-September, while the BSP’s overnight borrowing rate stood at 4.25 percent. The Fed, however, signaled plans to lift rates by another 1.25 basis points to bring them to 4.25 percent to 4.50 percent in November or December.

If we fail to adjust local rates on time, many investors and moneyed individuals might dump the peso in favor of the dollar and exacerbate

the situation.

In all fairness to the BSP, the monetary authority is doing its part and seems to be using the gross international reserves to intervene in the foreign exchange market to prevent the peso from sliding beyond the 59-to-a-dollar mark. As a result, the GIR declined to $93 billion in September from $97.4 billion in August and $106.60 billion a year earlier. The BSP also committed to tempering the large peso-dollar movements, which is a cue of its readiness to be active in the forex market.

President Marcos himself said his administration’s top priority today is taming inflation as he encouraged monetary authorities to raise interest rates to keep prices in check. Although we operate in a deregulated market, the government can intervene to make sure prices would not go out of control. Hyperinflation is the last thing we need if we really intend to be an upper-middle-income economy in 2023 or 2024.

But I am confident we will overcome the challenges of higher inflation and peso devaluation. We have solid macroeconomic fundamentals that allowed us to post GDP growth of 7.8 percent in the first half of 2022, above the government’s target range of 6.5 percent to 7.5 percent for the whole year.

Ours is a solid and strong economy, one that is far from teetering on recession.

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

John Mangun

OuTSIDE THE BOX

Making reasonably accurate predictions—or projections —about the future is relatively easy if we use the necessary tools and know what to look for. tarot cards and tea leaves have a somewhat mystical quality, but we do not need even a whiff of the supernatural to see beyond tomorrow.

Just before the century turn in 2000, there were countless articles about what people thought the year 2000 would be like, written when the calendar changed to 1900. One image that comes up repeatedly is travel by flying car. The idea of flying cars dates almost as far back as the invention of grounded cars in 1885.

A flying vehicle is not a big deal. Personal flying transportation car seemed sensible. But what was ignored was there on every street and highway and seen by watching ants march to their colony. There had to be a structured “roadway,” even in the air, to move people around and that is still not possible.

Forecasting the future is easier than “rocket science” and much easier than

reading Tarot cards. Every business, including the local sari-sari store, uses a time series database (TSDB), recording what goods and services are sold each day to know how many to stock for tomorrow.

The moment you have enough series of data points indexed in time order, the trend becomes apparent if not obvious. Then you can make a valid projection. It should be “no big deal” but it is, because of two reasons. People want to ignore information that does not substantiate their preconceived notions. The stock price is going down but that can’t be right because the earnings are going up.

The second reason is that trend analysis based on TSDB is too simple. For

some reason that I have yet to be able to understand, many people want things to be complicated. Kentucky Fried Chicken built a fast-food empire on the Colonel’s “11 secret herbs and spices” found in every cook’s kitchen (salt, thyme, basil, oregano, celery salt, black pepper, dried mustard, paprika, garlic salt, ginger, white pepper).

So what does the future hold? Some TSDB analysis.

“Germany’s producer prices up 45.8 percent year-on-year in September, highest increase since 1949.” Producer prices in Germany increased by 18 percent 12 months ago. There are only three major components to the wholesale price of manufactured goods: labor wages, operating expenses like electricity, and raw materials cost.

German workers are not making more money. The year-on-year price increase keeps rising although the change from the August YoY was the same. The European Union overall inflation rate was 4.4 percent in October 2021 and is now 10.9 percent.

October 22, 2022: “Inflation protests across Europe threaten political turmoil.” Simply put, inflation will probably continue as will public anger and the politics of Europe will continue to be in “chaos.”

Recent change in governments: Sweden—“Sweden’s parliament elects PM backed for first time by far right.” Italy—“Right-wing Meloni sworn in as

Italy’s first woman prime minister.” The UK: “If Rishi Sunak becomes prime minister, it will be the first time in history that the occupants of No. 10 Downing Street will be richer than the monarch in Buckingham Palace, at a time when millions of Britons are struggling with a cost-of-living crisis.”

The US has a critical election on November 8 and incumbent Democrat President Biden has an approval rating of 40 percent to 42 percent. Looking at data back to 1946, this strongly suggests that the Democrat party will lose control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate to the Republican party. Note that inflation is weakly negative for House seats but has a zero correlation for the Senate.

With your TSDB showing an election trend, now a projection analysis can be done on that potential “political chaos” in regard to US funding for Ukraine, fiscal policy impact on US inflation, interest rates, and the dollar, and other foreign policy initiatives.

The trend is truly your friend. You just have to know how to find it and what to do with it once you make your discovery.

Res ipsa loquitur.

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

THE

Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua

Macron: Ukraine to decide time, terms of peace with Russia

By Frances D’emilio | The Associated Press

Rome—French President emmanuel macron said Sunday it’s up to Ukraine to decide the time and terms of peace with Russia, and he cautioned that the end of war “can’t be the consecration of the law of the strongest.”

Speaking at the opening of a three-day peace conference in Rome, Macron said the international community will be there when the Ukrainian government chooses that time.

“To stay neutral would mean accepting the world order of the strongest, and I don’t agree with this,” Macron said at the conference organized by a Catholic charity with close ties to the Vatican.

There is concern that support from Ukraine’s allies in Europe might be eroded due to soaring energy costs with the approach of winter.

Pope Francis is scheduled to conclude the Cry for Peace conference, sponsored by the Sant’Egidio Community, with a speech Tuesday at the Colosseum.

Throughout the war that began with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine eight months ago, the pope has warned against an arms buildup. But he has said Ukraine has the right to defend itself.

While Italy’s new premier, farright leader Giorgia Meloni, is a staunch backer of helping Ukraine defend its sovereignty, her coalition allies have pro-Russia sympathies.

In the evening, Meloni and Macron met privately in Rome for talks.

The premier’s office said the two agreed to work together “on the big, common challenges on the European level and in the respect of reciprocal national interests.” The two discussed the need to give “rapid and common responses” to the problems of high energy costs, support for Ukraine, the difficult economic moment and managing migrant flows, the statement said.

Macron, a pro-European centrist, tweeted a photo of the meeting in the evening, writing that “as Europeans, as neighboring countries, as friendly peoples, with Italy we must continue all the work started.”

“We owe to our youth and our peoples to succeed together,” Macron added, saying that Sunday’s meeting “goes in that direction.”

The French presidency said both leaders had a “constructive,” “frank” and “open” discussion for over one hour and that they agreed on the need to have regular contacts at all levels in order to move forward the European agenda.

The French president’s visit to Italy includes an audience with the pope at the Vatican on Monday.

Macron addressed concern that any talk of peace could be taken as a sign of lack of support for Ukraine.

“To speak of peace now, call for peace, might seem unbearable for those who are fighting for freedom, it seems like a betrayal” of Ukraine, the French leader said.

But peace cannot be “captured

Macron addressed concern that any talk of peace could be taken as a sign of lack of support for Ukraine. “To speak of peace now, call for peace, might seem unbearable for those who are fighting for freedom, it seems like a betrayal” of Ukraine, the French leader said.

by Russian power,’’ he said. “Peace can’t be the consecration of the law of the strongest, nor can it be a cease-fire (marking) the state of affairs.”

“We want the Ukrainian people to decide at a certain point, peace, the moment and the terms of peace,” Macron said.

“Peace will be built with the other (party), who today is the enemy, around a table, and the international community will be there.”

Italy’s main populist opposition leader, former Premier Giuseppe Conte, last week said Italy shouldn’t send more arms to Ukraine.

Macron referred to his past meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the war’s architect.

Moscow’s aggression is “the fruit of exaggerated nationalism” and feeling isolated, the French leader said, noting the aggression was unjustified.

“They were convinced that there were threats, that the rest of the world, the Western world, at least, would have tried to destroy Russia,” he said.

Macron warned against growing sentiments on nationalism on the European continent, where far-right political forces have gained popularity in some nations.

With many religious leaders at the conference, the president exhorted them to foster “resistance against the folly of war.”

Macron decried that “the Orthodox religion is being manipulated by Russia.” He didn’t elaborate. But Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill has fervently backed Putin in the war against Ukraine, calling the invasion part of a “metaphysical” battle against the West.

Keenly aware of Kirill’s closeness to Putin, Pope Francis has sought, so far in vain, to meet with the patriarch during the war.

Ultimately, said Macron, nurturing peace in Europe depends on “equilibrium of respect, reciprocity, justice.” He cautioned against efforts in Europe to “drive out the ‘other’ in our society’’ in a quest for “ethnic purity, religious purity.”

Meloni came to power after an election campaign in which she championed a Christian view of European civilization. AP Writer Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed to the story.

Opinion

Withholding tax on compensation or FBT?

Tax Law for Business atty. Mabel L. Buted

With today’s state of competition, companies are competing not only on the marketing of their products and services but also in attracting recruits for employment. And so, they would oftentimes offer attractive remuneration packages. this includes interest and consciousness on the correct tax treatment that comes with the employees’ benefits.

Here in the country, the compensation and benefits received by the employees are usually subject to the withholding tax on compensation. But other benefits are subject to other form of tax—the fringe benefits tax (FBT). There are still instances, however, where the tax treatment are confusing, that even our tax authority keep changing the rules more often.

Compensation income paid to employees, regardless of their rank or position in the company, are subject to withholding tax. Compensation would come in all forms, whether it is paid in money or in some other medium like stocks, bonds or other forms of property, as long as it is given as a remuneration for the services rendered by the employee. It includes living quarters or meals furnished for the benefit of the employee, as well as fixed and variable allowances. The withholding tax ranges from 0 percent to 35 percent of the income, depending on the amount.

Benefits that are subject to FBT are only those granted to employees who hold a managerial or supervisory position. Fringe benefits refer to goods, services or other benefits

granted, in addition to basic salaries. Examples of these fringe benefits subject to the FBT are the likes of certain privileges given to them for housing, use of the employer’s transportation vehicles, or reimbursement of personal expenses. The FBT rate is 35 percent. The monetary value of the benefits, calculated based on certain guidelines provided in the law (e.g., 50 percent of the value), is grossed up and subjected to the FBT rate. In effect, the FBT is shouldered by the employer, and is not deducted from the amount of the fringe benefits.

Like compensation subject to the withholding tax, fringe benefits may also be paid in cash or in kind. The thin line of distinction between the employee benefits that are subject to withholding tax and those that are subject to FBT are often confusing.

For example, housing benefits are subject to FBT. But there are rulings holding that housing benefits, given to managerial and supervisory employees in the form of allowances, are subject to FBT to the extent of the actual rental, and any excess of the fixed housing allowance over the

amount of actual rental shall be taxable as compensation income subject to withholding tax.

Insofar as stock awards are concerned, our tax authority has not been consistent in its pronouncement. But recently, the Department of Finance (DOF) issued RR 13-2022, providing that equity grants (in stock options, stock appreciation rights, and other option plans) awarded to employees are considered compensation subject to withholding tax. This rule will apply regardless of the employment status of the grantee-employee who could either be a rank-and-file, a manager or a supervisor. The equity grants, once exercised or availed, would be subjected to withholding tax at the graduated tax rate of 0 percent to 35 percent.

RR 13-2022 was issued following an opinion of the DOF in Opinion No. 016-2022 involving the same matter. The DOF took into consideration that the equity grants are provided not as a perk which is the conventional description of the benefits that are subject to FBT, but rather as payment in consideration of the services performed by the employees. Accordingly, equity-based compensations are consistently treated by the grantor companies as compensatory on account of the vesting period within which the employees are required to be employed by or render services to the employer. Thus, the DOF ruled that equity grants are taxable as compensation subject to withholding tax and not to FBT.

Before RR 13-2022, RMC 79-2014 required a different rule. In RMC No. 79-2014, income arising from equity grants were taxable based on the employment position of the employee. If he or she is a rank-and-file employee, the income was subjected

to withholding tax on compensation; otherwise, the FBT applied. This distinction is no longer present in RR 13-2022.

It is important for the taxpayers to know the proper taxes that are imposable on their employees’ benefits to actually serve the purpose for giving these, and that is, to benefit and keep them, while they also comply with the law. This is especially relevant in cases when the applicable withholding tax rate is lower than the FBT rate. The same is true when the benefits are paid in property. The employee may not appreciate receiving non-cash benefits when the withholding taxes on these are withheld and deducted from their salaries paid in cash, whereas, if these are subject to FBT, they are able to get the value of the benefits in full.

The reason of the DOF in rendering the opinion provided us a helpful guide. Based on this, we can state that, if the benefits are granted primarily as consideration for the services of the employees, and not just “as a perk,” then these must be treated as compensation subject to withholding tax and not to FBT.

But even with the guidelines provided by the tax authority, the applications are still susceptible to conflicting interpretations. Refer to your consultants when in doubt!

The author is a junior partner of Du-Baladad and Associates Law Offices (BDB Law), a memberfirm of WTS Global.

The article is for general information only and is not intended, nor should be construed as a substitute for tax, legal or financial advice on any specific matter. Applicability of this article to any actual or particular tax or legal issue should be supported therefore by a professional study or advice. If you have any comments or questions concerning the article, you may e-mail the author at mabel.buted@ bdblaw.com.ph or call 8403-2001 local 160.

South African president announces sweeping reforms to combat corruption

By Paul Vecchiatto & S’thembile Cele | Bloomberg Opinion

SoU

th African President Cyril Ramaphosa said he will implement sweeping reforms in response to recommendations by a judicial panel that probed corruption during his predecessor Jacob Zuma’s calamitous rule.

The president undertook to review and redesign the country’s entire antigraft architecture, ban ministers from participating in procurement at state companies, introduce new laws regulating the issuing of government contracts and ensure whistle-blowers are better protected.

“The people of South Africa are tired of corruption and want it to end,” Ramaphosa said in a televised address to the nation on Sunday, a day after submitting a 76-page report to parliament that details his response to the damning findings of the panel headed by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo. The government is committed to combatting corruption “in all its forms, in every part of government and in every sphere of the state,” he said.

Zondo spent four years probing graft during Zuma’s almost nine-year tenure—a practice known locally as state capture. More than 300 witnesses described how government departments

and companies were looted of billions of rand by the former president’s allies, with his tacit consent. Ramaphosa has said previously that at least 500 billion rand ($28 billion) was stolen from the state during his predecessor’s tenure.

The Financial Action Task Force, a Paris-based body that polices compliance with anti-money laundering and terror-financing measures, has the government to address shortfalls in its illicit-financing controls before October. It’s threatened to add South Africa to a list of countries that face increased monitoring if the government fails to implement those measures.

Ramaphosa’s announcement may provide the assurance to the public that the government is taking the “necessary corrective actions to take us out of the state that we have been in and that there’s political will to continue to do so,” Ongama Mtimka, a political analyst at Nelson Mandela University in Gqeberha, said by phone.

The bulk of Zondo’s recommendations were directed at the law-enforcement agencies, which were urged to investigate 202 government officials, businessmen and entities.

So far, the National Prosecuting Authority’s investigating directorate has filed 26 related cases and opened 89 investigations, and 165 people who were implicated have appeared in court, according to Ramaphosa. The authorities have also recovered 2.9 billion rand and frozen or obtained preservation orders against a further 12.9 billion rand worth of assets.

Zondo found that several top officials, including Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe and Deputy Minister of State Security Zizi Kodwa, took payments from companies seeking state contracts and recommended that prosecutors consider charging them.

In his report to parliament, Ramaphosa said he’ll review the findings against members of his executive “and determine, on a case-by-case basis, in line with his discretion in this regard and his obligation to observe the principle of legality and to act rationally, whether or not any action ought to be taken.”

Ramaphosa is expected to seek re-

Taiwan needs diverse trade amid US-China row: Finance chief

By Michelle Jamrisko & Cindy Wang Bloomberg Opinion

TAIWAN needs to diversify its trade away from China, the island’s finance minister said, citing uncertainties created by Covid Zero and rising geopolitical tensions between Washington and Beijing.

The recent US technology curbs imposed on China have “increased the uncertainty of the market,” Finance Minister Su Jain-Rong said in an interview on Friday, after the APEC finance ministers’ meetings in Bangkok. He added that one of Taiwan’s goals is to “try to diversify our trade partners, our trade market, so

that we are not going to put all our eggs in one basket.”

Taiwan’s trade has been pressured this year by waning demand from China and around the world, which has weighed on the exportdependent economy. Overseas shipments contracted in September for the first time since 2020, while export orders declined for the third time this year.

Officials have largely attributed the drop-off to China as Covid restrictions and a property slump are depressing consumer and business confidence there.

Escalating US-China tensions have further clouded Taiwan’s outlook and rattled the global semi-

conductor industry. After the US announced tighter controls over chip exports to China this month, shares in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. fell the most in 28 years. The Taiwanese firm makes chips for major companies that rely on the Chinese market for much of their business, while also taking in about 10 percent of its own revenue from China-based customers.

Su said he had not talked formally during the week with US Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo, but said he thinks both sides are looking at the US-China relationship.

“The United States is concerned about the supply chains of advanced chips,” he added.

Taiwan’s exports to China and Hong Kong, he added, have declined over the past couple of years due to Covid restrictions and US-China disputes, slipping below 40 percent of the island’s total exports.

Su said Taiwanese businesses have already started relocating factories from China to Southeast Asia—not so much in the semiconductor industry, but in machinery and other labor-intensive sectors. Vietnam and Thailand are targets, he added.

Taiwan has been looking to diminish its dependence on China in recent years, and has explored ways to bolster trade and investment with Southeast Asia, India, Australia and

New Zealand. Taipei last year asked to join one of the Asia-Pacific’s biggest working trade deals, though its application is still pending.

The finance minister also said Taiwan is looking “very carefully” at how to manage financial stability, as the local dollar has weakened this year and as the benchmark Taiex Index has declined. Global funds have pulled a net $47 billion from local equities in 2022, putting Taiwan on track for its biggest annual outflow in more than two decades.

Taiwan’s financial regulator ratcheted up rules on short selling Friday as a way to stabilize its equities market amid a continued global rout. The tightening, which is the

election as head of the ANC in December, limiting his scope to act against other heavyweights in the party whose support he may need to win the leadership race.

Mantashe and Kodwa, who are closely allied to the president, have both denied wrongdoing and said they will seek a judicial review of Zondo’s finding.

While Zondo recommended that the government establish a permanent anticorruption commission and an independent public procurement anti-corruption agency, Ramaphosa said those proposals required further consideration in the light of reforms already under way.

The chief justice’s proposals that the electoral system be changed and the president be directly elected, would also require constitutional changes and an extensive process of consultation and deliberation that involves the whole of society, he said.

Zondo was stinging in his criticism of Ramaphosa for failing to speak out about the plunder during the five years he served as Zuma’s deputy, and of the governing African National Congress, which he said had done nothing to stamp out corruption within its ranks. The president didn’t directly respond to those allegations.  With assistance from Amogelang Mbatha and Renee Bonorchis / Bloomberg

third such measure since the end of September, comes as the benchmark Taiex has tumbled nearly 30 percent this year, ranking among the world’s worst-performing gauges.

The Taiex was up 1.3 percent as of 9:16 a.m. Monday morning after gaining as much as 1.6 percent earlier, the first gain in four days, after those regulatory curbs were announced.

The Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes cause “a lot of problems for financial markets around the world, not just Taiwan,” he said. Another issue is the increasing costs of imports —since Taiwan brings in a lot of its raw materials from abroad, imported inflation is another risk, he said.

SUBIC AS AGRI IMPORT FACILITY VENUE NOT A WISE CHOICE–IMEE

EXPRESSING

alarm over the “suspicious” location choice for an agri import facility, Senator Imee Marcos has asked the  Department of Agriculture (DA) to “justify its choice of Subic” as the future site of a P500-million, labo ratory-equipped “cold examination facility” for agricultural imports, the first of its kind in the country.

She voiced fears against “the higher risk of another African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak” if the facil ity’s first-border inspections are not based instead in Manila, where most meat imports are shipped.

“ What is cooking in Subic, that imported meat and crops must be diverted away from Manila?” Mar cos asked. “We are already importing all kinds of food. Must diseases be imported too?” the senator asked.

A nother cause for concern for her: food imports will “become more expensive for Metro Manila’s 12 million residents due to the ad ditional cost of delivery from Subic.”

S he recalled that a July 18 briefer of the Department of Ag riculture recommended the facil ity’s location, funding, and con struction by June 2023 to Presi dent Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who concurrently heads the agency.

B ureau of Animal Industry (BAI) insiders confirmed that the project, first proposed in 2019 but funding for which lapsed in 2020, could have been built last year in Manila’s South Harbor, where a vacant 5,000-square-meter lot

known as Block 162 was being managed by Asian Terminals Inc. under a concession granted by the Philippine Ports Authority.

However,  Marcos noted, for mer DA Secretary William Dar and BAI Director Reildrin Mo rales pushed for construction of the laboratory-equipped facility in either Subic or Cebu.

It’s been nine years since the Food Safety Act became law, but first-border inspections have not been properly enforced,” the law maker lamented,  noting that “the facility’s location is key to achiev ing food safety and security.”

She said that “although ASF cas es have subsided since nationwide outbreaks began in 2019,” she had warned that a major outbreak could again be triggered by contaminated pork imports and cause business closures and job losses in the swine industry, a shortage of pork prod ucts, and a further increase in al ready high market prices of pork.

R eports reaching the sena tor’s office listed pork imports of 545,213,681 kilos made up about 54 percent of total meat imports from January to September this year, according to the BAI.

It was noted that Spain, Can ada, and Brazil have supplied 61 percent of the Philippines’s pork requirements, with Belgium, the United States, Denmark, the United Kingdom, France, and the Netherlands supplying the rest. B utch Fernandez

Sardine canners stay put on ₧3 price hike

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

DESPITE a prospective resolu tion on their supply woes, sar dine canners will not rescind their P3-price increase petition as the industry continues to reel from rising production costs due to weakening of the Philippine peso.

C anned Sardines Association of the Philippines (CSAP) Executive Director Francisco Buencamino said the government’s latest intervention on addressing the industry’s supply problems is only a part of the entire production woes faced by canners.

B uencamino explained that the petition to increase the suggested retail price (SRP) for canned sar dine by P3 was filed by CSAP in July, months before the group warned of a “looming” raw material shortage in the latter part of the year.

The P3 [proposed increase] is a very small portion of the finished canned prices. That is very small despite the fact that we have main tained our prices for two years now,” Buencamino told reporters in an in terview on Monday.

T he prevailing price for a 155gram canned sardines in tomato sauce, based on the government’s SRP as of August 12, ranges from a low of P13.25 to a high of P19.58.

T he Department of Trade and In dustry (DTI) earlier announced that it is closely scrutinizing the price increase petitions filed by various food manufacturers, such as sardine canners.

C SAP explained that their petition to increase canned sardines prices was driven by rising cost of materi als like imported tin cans and tomato paste, as well as fuel due to the weak ening of peso and the consequences of the Ukraine-Russia war.

Supply partnership

CSAP signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) that would allow municipal fishermen associations or coopera tives to directly supply sardines to sardine canners.

T he MOA covers the months be tween September and February, ef fectively including the closed fishing season for sardines from December 1 to February 28.

Under the MOA, BFAR shall pro

vide P8.5 million worth of interven tions to identified eligible municipal fishermen associations and coop eratives that could meet the supply technicalities and requirements of sardine canners.

T he MOA stipulated that BFAR will identify fish landing states wherein the consolidation of raw materials shall take place. BFAR shall also provide post-harvest support to municipal fishermen such as icemaking machines and fish containers in the landing sites.

BFAR, an attached bureau of the Department of Agriculture, will also subsidize the transport of consolidat ed sardine supply from fish landing sites directly to the canneries. Last ly, BFAR will also conduct capacity building on food safety and traceabil ity requirements for the identified municipal fisherfolk associations.

T he MOA is the joint response of the government and the private sec tor to the issue of continuous supply of raw materials to sardine canners, especially during the closed fishing season.

D uring the closed fishing season, commercial fishing vessels are not al lowed to catch fish to allow spawning and restocking. However, municipal fishers are allowed to continue opera tions, leaving them the most viable option to supply the requirements of sardine canners.

Under the MOA, CSAP will issue the purchase order bearing the vol ume and quality of sardines that the municipal fisherfolk association must comply with. The MOA stipulated that CSAP shall ensure “fair pricing” in their transactions with municipal fisherfolk associations.

The DA-BFAR, being at the fore front of fisheries governance in the country, is committed to ensuring sustainability of the sardine fishery while giving importance to preserv ing and conserving our marine en vironment and aquatic resources,” BFAR OIC-Director Demosthenes R. Escoto said.

C SAP President Benjamin A. Sy said the MOA will uplift the liveli hood of municipal fisherfolk while ensuring the employment of thou sands of factory workers during the three-month fishing ban.

C SAP estimated it needs at least 72 million kilograms of sardines from now until the end of the closed fish ing season on February 28.

SC says ₧27.5-B settlement between NPC, Meralco valid

By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

THE Supreme Court has upheld the validity of the  P27.5-billion settlement agreement entered into by the Manila Electric Company and the  National Power Corporation (NPC) in 2003 covering their obligations under the “contract for the sale of electricity” (CSE).

I n a 25-page resolution, the SC’s First Division denied the petition for review filed by the government through the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), seeking the reversal of the Court of Appeals decision on April 15, 2014, which upheld the ruling of the Regional Trial Court of Pasig City on May 29, 2012.

T he trial court, in the said rul ing, granted the petition for de claratory relief filed by Meralco seeking to declare its agreement with NPC valid and binding.

However, the trial court reserved for approval of the Energy Regula tory Commission (ERC)  the “passthrough” provision of the agreement.      Under the agreement, the re

maining balance was to be gradual ly collected by Meralco from its con sumers pursuant to a pass-through provision in the settlement agree ment allowing Meralco to pay NPC the balance from amounts paid by the customers.

Such provision, however, requires ERC approval to become effective.

Having voluntarily agreed to undergo mediation and, thereaf ter, having signified its consent to be bound by the provision of the settlement agreement, NPC should not be allowed to renege on its obli gations thereunder simply because it belatedly had a change of mind. NPC is bound by the terms of the settlement agreement and must comply therewith in utmost good

faith,” the SC declared.

Grounds for OSG opposition

THE OSG opposes the settlement agreement for being grossly disad vantageous and prejudicial to the government, as it waives amounts worth billions of pesos.

It argues that the agreement has no force and effect since it was neither submitted to, nor reviewed by the OSG, in violation of the Re vised Administrative Code of 1987 and the NPC Charter supposedly requiring the OSG’s approval and legal guidance in connection with the settlement agreement.

Furthermore, the OSG argues that the settlement agreement should have been submitted to the Office of the President, Con gress and the Commission on Audit (COA)  for approval.     However, the SC maintained  that the settlement agreement is valid even without authorization from them.

T he SC noted that Section 20 of the Administrative Code provides that their intervention may only be required in “settled” claims.

“ The fact alone that Meralco and NPC had to go through mediation and subsequently execute the settlement agreement in order to resolve their claims against each other more than

suffices to show that their claims in question were unsettled as of this time,” the SC said.

Therefore, Meralco and NPC’s claims against each other, disputed and negotiated prior to the execu tion of the Settlement Agreement, cannot by any stretch, be deemed settled so as to require the approv als of the President, the COA and Congress,” it added.

E ven the amount under the settlement agreement, according to the SC, is still up for review and approval of the ERC.

Not grossly disadvantageous LIKEWISE , the SC countered OSG’s claim that the settlement agree ment is grossly disadvantageous to the government.

It held that Meralco had legiti mate claims against NPC under the CSE contract that needed to be offset from the total amount the former owed the latter.

“ The offsetting of Meralco and NPC’s respective claims against each other is likewise tremendously ad vantageous to NPC because Meralco’s counterclaims against NPC are sub stantially greater than the credit given by NPC to Meralco under the settle ment agreement,” the SC explained.

THE Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) is hoping that the government will “do whatever they can” to ease the entry of foreign visitors to the country.

I n a televised interview on Monday, PCCI President George T. Barcelon stressed that Tourism is a “low-hanging fruit” sector. With this, Barcelon said the Philippines should keep up with other countries in attracting tourists.

I just like to stress also, which we have been … part of the advo cacy is Tourism. It’s a low-hanging fruit sector and now we’re sort of gone over the hump for the Co vid-19 pandemic and we’ve seen other countries where tourism has boomed,” the head of PCCI said.

“ So I hope that the government will do whatever they can to ease the visit of foreign visitors. Let’s

go easy on the requirements and health protocols and also get what ever requirements for them to en ter the country. That would help,” Barcelon added.

Speaking for the Tourism indus try at the plenary at the 48th Philip pine Business Conference and Expo (PBC&E) which was organized by PCCI, Benito C. Bengzon, Jr., Ex ecutive Director of Philippine Hotel Owners’ Association, said earlier that the Tourism industry is un shakeable amid the weakening peso.

“ For inbound, this is good be cause with the stronger dollar, then the purchasing power is stronger, so you normally see direct correlation between the movement of inbound travelers when foreign currencies are stronger than the peso,” Beng zon stressed.

O n the other hand, however, he said, “Of course, it works the reverse

for Filipinos who are traveling out bound, it has the reverse effect.”

B engzon also urged the govern ment to make sure that the arrival experience of foreign tourists “is as friendly as possible.”

First thing that we have to bear in mind is that the Philippines is an archipelago so 99 percent of foreign tourists enter the country through different airports, so this is where the importance of airports comes in,” he added.

B engzon underscored the im portance of restoring the flights to pre-pandemic levels. Meanwhile, on the marketing side, he said “this is really what the [Department of Tourism] DOT as the lead agency would have to work on; we have to expand our marketing and pro motions footprint across different markets.”

Data from the Tourism depart

ment shows that from February 10 to October 16, international arriv als reached 1.77 million, of which 1.27 million were foreigners and 495,723 were overseas Filipinos.

O n Monday, BusinessMirror reported that local travel and tour operators recorded a surge in de mand from foreign travel buyers, who are interested in booking more trips to the Philippines for their cli ents.

I n a news statement, the Tour ism Promotions Board (TPB) said its Philippine Travel Exchange (Phitex) 2022 tallied some P172.6 million in business leads in just two days last week, which TPB COO Margarita M. Nograles noted as the biggest negotiated sales generated by Phitex in all its years.

Phitex is the biggest govern ment-led trade event in the country organized by the TPB.

SUBWAY, SOMEDAY A beggar waits for alms beside the construction site of the Makati subway, along Gil Puyat (Buendia) and Urban Avenues in this recent photo. The multibillion-peso Makati subway is a flagship project of the city government, and is seen to boost mobility for workers, given that the country’s main financial district hosts a daytime population that swells to millions because of

commuters. BERNARD TESTA

Companies

Deadline for NGCP report on procurement extended

By Lenie Lectura @llectura

The energy Regulatory Commission (eRC) has granted the request of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) to submit next month its explanation as to why it should not be penalized for violating the government’s directive related to the procurement of ancillary services (AS).

“The Commission grants the motion for extension filed by NGCP. Accordingly, the Commission reiterates its directive for NGCP to submit its verified explanation on or before November 1 without further extension,” the eRC said in its three-page order.

The eRC said it has given NGCP a

reasonable period to comply with the eRC’s directive to submit its verified explanation pursuant to eRC’s order dated September 12. “however, given the circumstances raised by NGCP in its motion, the commission gives it the last opportunity to comply with the said directive.”

Should NGCP fail to comply, the eRC said it will move to resolve the case based on evidence on record. “The Commission shall monitor the compliance of NGCP with the foregoing directives.”

NGCP filed last October 17 a motion for extension wherein it alleged that due to voluminous records involved and the need of its personnel to retrieve and examine the data necessary to prepare its explanation. It asked for an additional 15 days or until November 1.

It can be recalled that the eRC ordered NGCP to explain as to why no administrative penalty should be imposed for its possible violation of the Philippine Grid Code, the Ancillary Services Procurement Plan, and RA 9136.

The eRC said the company failed to comply with three sections of the Department of energy’s (DOe) Department Circular No. 2021-10-0031 entitled, “Prescribing the Policy for the Transparent and ef ficient Pro-

curement of Ancillary Services by the System Operator”. These are Section 4.2 requiring NGCP to seek approval from the DOe on its Ancillary Service Agreement Procurement Plan; Sections 7.4 and 7.5 mandating NGCP to seek the approval of the DOe on the Terms of Reference (TOR) of the AS competitive selection process (CSP); and Sections 7.1 and 7.11 requiring NGCP to complete the AS CSP within six months from the effectivity of the circular.

While the eRC noted that NGCP has already issued the TOR and the schedule for the conduct of AS CSP, the latter has yet to comply with the said provisions in existing policies adopted by the DOe pursuant to its mandate as a policy-making authority.

Ancillary services are necessary to support the transmission of capacity and energy from resources to loads, while maintaining reliable operation of the grid in accordance with good utility practice and existing rules.

SEC flags offering of BitdefiHub

By VG Cabuag @villygc

The Securities and exchange Commission (S e C ) has warned the public against investing in Bitdefihub Advertising, which has been promising to double an investor’s money within 10 days. In an advisory, the agency flagged the public offering of Bitdefi hub without securing the necessary registration from the SeC Bitdefihub has been enticing the public to invest a minimum of P300 in exchange for 20 percent in earn-

GoTo in talks with holders for share sale

INDONeSIA’S largest tech company GoTo Group said it is in talks with its owners for a controlled sale of their stakes, seeking to avoid a potential stock slump when a lock-up on their holdings ends next month.

The ride-hailing and e-commerce provider is discussing stake sales that would occur after the lock-up period expires on November 30, the company said in a statement Monday. GoTo wouldn’t sell any new shares as part of the plan, and the company said there is no assurance that a transaction will take place.

GoTo is gauging the interest of early backers including Alibaba Group holding Ltd. and SoftBank Group Corp. for a managed sale of roughly $1 billion of their stakes, people familiar with the matter said last week. The plan is part of an effort to prevent a potential drop in GoTo stock price that could happen if many investors sell shares when the lock-up period expires.

Many major shareholders agreed to hold onto their stakes for at least eight months following the Jakarta-based company’s initial public offering in late March. Formed via a merger of ride-hailing provider Gojek and e-commerce firm Tokopedia, GoTo raised $1.1 billion in one of the world’s largest IPOs this year.

ings daily, according to announcements on its Facebook page. Investors who park their money within a span of 10 days stand to double their profits through the Bitdefi platform.

For instance, investors who deposit P500 are promised earnings worth P100 per day and P1,000 after 10 days. An investment of P3 million will yield P600,000 a day, and could be doubled to P6 million after 10 days.

In addition, investors could earn a referral bonus of 25 percent and a registration bonus of P50. Investments are coursed through the

GCash platform.

The scheme involves the sale and offer of securities to the public in the form of investment contracts, whereby a person invests his money in a common enterprise and is led to expect profits primarily from the efforts of others, according to the SeC enforcement and Investor Protection Department (eIPD).

Records show that Bitdefi hub’s owner, Mark Guevarra Mercado, has been conferred a certificate of business name registration by the Department of Trade and Industry. ho wever, it is not registered as a

corporation or partnership with the Se C and it cannot apply for the necessary license that would authorize it to solicit investments from the public.

The group is likewise not registered as a crowdfunding intermediary or funding portal, the SeC said.

“In view thereof, the public is advised not to invest or stop investing in any investment scheme being offered by Bitdefi and exercise caution in dealing with any individuals or group of persons soliciting investments or recruiting investors for and on behalf of Bitdefi,” the SeC said.

AG&P to open LNG terminal in 2023

PLDT starts building new subsea cable

The liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal of Atlantic, Gulf & Pacific International holdings (AG&P) will start to deliver gas by March next year, possibly the first among the LNG players to start commercial operation.

AG&P said Monday it has completed the conversion of the 137,512 cubic meter LNG carrier called ISh into a Floating Storage Unit (FSU), which is now ready to be docked at AG&P’s Philippines LNG Import Terminal (PhLNG) in Batangas. The ISh is a central component of the first PhLNG.

“I am delighted to announce the successful completion of the FSU for our PhLNG Terminal that AG&P has executed in-house. We look forward to opening the PhL NG LNG Regasification Terminal in early 2023, bringing LNG for the first time to the

Philippines,” said Joseph Sigelman, Chairman & CeO, of AG&P Group.

Karthik Sathyamoorthy, President of AG&P Terminals and Logistics, said the construction for two onshore tanks as part of PhLNG’s second phase has already started, and will be integrated as part of the main terminal in 2024, ensuring high availability and reliability of natural gas for our customers.

In February 2022, AG&P signed a 15-year long-term charter agreement with ADNOC Logistics and Services (ADNOC L&S) for the supply, operations, and maintenance of its 137,512 cubic meter FSU for the PhLNG import terminal. AG&P’s subsidiary GAS entec completed the conversion to an FSU in record time.

The FSU will be capable of loading LNG at a peak rate of 10,000 cbm/hr and a discharge-to-shore peak rate

of 8,000 cbm/hr made possible with the modifications done by Gas entec in the Cargo ha ndling and Safety System that allows for simultaneous loading and discharge of LNG.

AG&P said the FSU is part of the combined offshore-onshore import terminal that will have an initial capacity of 5 million tons per annum (MTPA). The hybrid PhLNG terminal, meanwhile, is designed to provide its customers with resiliency of supply and high availability, even during storms.

“The PhLNG import terminal will store LNG and dispatch natural gas to power plants, industrial and commercial customers, and other consumers. From day one, PhLNG will have a scalable onshore regasification capacity of 420mmscfd and almost 200,000cbm of storage,” said Sathyamoorthy. Lenie Lectura

PLDT Inc. said on Monday it has started the construction of the $75-million Philippine link of the Asia Direct Cable (ADC), a new undersea cable system that is seen to boost the capacity of the telco.

Alfredo S. Panlilio, the company’s president, said the group has started building the Batangas link of the 9,400-kilometer subsea cable. All of its landing links are expected to be completed by the end of 2023.

When finished, ADC will link seven international cable landing points across ea st and Southeast Asia from Batangas, Philippines to Tuas, Singapore; Chung hom Kok, hong Kong; Maruyama, Japan; Quy Nhon, Vietnam; Sri Racha, Thailand; and Shantou, China.

“Along with PLDT’s existing international submarine cable systems, the Asia Direct Cable will boost and diversify the Philippines’ connectivity within the Asian region,” Panlilio said. “ADC will strengthen not only PLDT’s global network, but will also further advance the country’s digitalization and growing digital economy.”

The cable system will feature a minimum of 200G DWDM system per wavelength design, which will significantly expand PLDT’s net-

work bandwidth going in and out of the country. Once fully equipped, this will provide PLDT an additional international network capacity of at least 36Tbps for faster delivery of hyperscale data across east and Southeast Asia.

Aside from PLDT, ADC is composed of communications and technology companies, including China Telecom, China Unicom, National Telecom, Singtel, SoftBank Corp., Tata Communications and Viettel Group.

Once completed, ADC will bring PLDT’s portfolio of international cable links to 19 systems.

“The Asia Direct Cable will strongly bolster PLDT’s mission to make the Philippines the next hyperscaler destination in AsiaPacific. This investment solidifies our commitment to enrich and synergize the country’s hy perscale e c osystem of connected digital infrastructures, such as data centers, subsea cables, domestic fiber network, 5G, cloud, and IOT,” said PLDT SVP and he ad of e nterprise Business Group Jojo G. Gendrano.

PLDT is marketing the Philippines as the preferred destination for hyper scalers in Southeast Asia.

Lorenz S. Marasigan

D&L maintains high credit rating of

fixed-rate bonds

Che M ICAL manufacturer D&L Industries Inc. said it has maintained the high credit rating of its P5-billion fixedrate bonds.

D&L said it secured a rating of PRS Aaa, with a stable outlook, from Philippine Rating Services Corp.

Obligations rated PRS Aaa are of the highest quality with minimal credit risk. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong. PRS Aaa is the highest rating assigned by the ratings firm.

A stable outlook is assigned when a rating is likely to be maintained or to remain unchanged in the next 12 months.

The rating and outlook were assigned given the following key considerations: D&L’s strong market position in the industries that it is engaged in, diversification of products offered and markets served, innovation-driven specialty products, sustained profitability amid prevailing market headwinds and conservative debt management and adequate cash flow generation.

“D&L continues to enjoy a solid market position in its four principal businesses—namely, food ingredients, oleochemicals and other specialty chemicals, specialty plastics and consumer products original design manufacturer,” the ratings

firm said.

“Banking on its established track record and expertise in the business, the company enjoys longstanding customer relationships with top consumer companies in the country. Amidst the pandemic, the company sustained its operations and achieved around 95 percent completion (to date) of its expansion facility in Batangas.”

It said D&L’s revenues provide for geographical diversification, given that a sizable portion of the company’s revenues are from exports. In the first half of 2022, export sales accounted for 34 percent of its total sales.

e x port sales are expected to further expand following the target commencement of operations in the Batangas facility by January 2023. The said facility will mainly cater to the export business of the food ingredients and oleochemicals segments.

D&L was able to maintain its conservative debt position. In September last year, the company issued its maiden bonds amounting to P5 billion. Proceeds from the bond issuance were intended to be mainly used for the completion of the Batangas facility. Total debt was P13.7 billion as of end-June 2022, lower by 1 percent from last year due to net repayments of borrowings. VG Cabuag

businessMirror file

Banking&Finance

BTr bags less than half from ₧15-B T-bills sale

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

THE Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) was able to raise only less than half from the P15-billion Treasury bills (T-bills) it offered on Monday’s auction as investors continue to ask for higher rates.

How do I expose my child to personal finance?

remained elevated from secondary benchmark levels.

Broken down, the Treasury awarded P2.505 billion in 91-day T-bills, P2.1 billion in 182-day Tbill and P2.049 billion 364-day in T-bill.

Monday’s auction was marked by upbeat demand for government securities as the total amount tendered reached P20.86 billion across all tenors.

The Treasury noted that the auction was more than 1.4-times oversubscribed.

“Banks need to place funds,” National Treasurer Rosalia V. De

Leon told reporters when asked the possible reason behind the uptick in demand for the debt papers.

The average rates for the government securities were at 4.22 percent for the 91-day T-bill, 4.65 percent for the 182-day security and 4.875 percent for the 364-day debt paper.

The Bloomberg Valuation (BVAL) Service Reference Rate for the debt papers were at 3.555 percent (91-day T-bill), 4.379 percent (182-day T-bill) and 3.92 percent (182-day T-bill).

The investors’ asking rate for

the 91-day T-bill ranged from a low of 4.15 percent to 4.25 percent.

Meanwhile, the high and low rates for the 182-day and 364day T-bills were the same at 4.65 percent and 4.875 percent, respectively.

Last October 17, the Treasury rejected all the bids for its P15billion T-Bill offer also because investors continued to press for higher interest rates. (Related story: https://businessmirror. com.ph/2022/10/18/ng-rejectsbids-for-t-billsas-rates-soughtstill-high/)

Had the Treasury accepted the

tenders, the average interest rates for 91-day bills would hit 4.82 percent, the 182-day securities at 5.226 percent and the 364-day at 5.862 percent.

This month, the Philippine government aims to raise P200 billion from the sale of debt papers. The amount covers P60-billion worth of T-bills and P140-billion worth of Treasury bonds.

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

Tax cuts on making movies, plays seen to aid economy

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie

SUCCESSFUL

people start and fail early. This is a statement that rings true especially in personal finance. Given that financial literacy is not a common topic in schools, offices or even among friends, it comes as no surprise that many are left confused or simply just following what they know based on instinct.

How do we change this trend? Because of their open and curious minds, let us begin with our children.

Children in Elementary School

DURING this stage, children tend to read and watch a lot. This is a great opportunity to show our child how money works through published or online content. Even without cable TV, we can watch Bloomberg or cnbc shows via YouTube. The key here is for parents to have time to be beside their children as they read or watch.

While most of us already know this suggestion, there are two ways to take this approach to a higher level.

First, make your child report what he or she has seen. cnbc offers rich 15-minute to 30-minute videos of topics that are related to recent news on business and investments. While terms such as inflation, foreign exchange and interest rates may seem daunting, we have to start somewhere. Have the child speak as if he or she is a teacher delivering a lecture to you. As the child presents, do not be afraid to ask clarificatory questions to test the child’s understanding.

Second, never end a lecture without establishing the “What’s in it for me?” It is one thing to know the definition of a term but another to learn its application. If the child is reporting on foreign exchange and its effects, you may want to ask its impact on suppliers and consumers.

Children in elementary school are observant. At this point, they see and appreciate the identity of his or her family. Does the family value education, relationships or money?

Money is not bad as this enables us to purchase what we need to survive. Parents must take time on the family table to openly talk about money. Explain why the family sets aside a certain amount every month for a goal and why it is important to invest consistently.

When stuck in traffic with nothing to talk about, try to catch news that has an impact on business or investments. Even a mundane radio advertisement will contain a lesson or two from a finance standpoint. Have your child give an opinion of how a newly-launched product can affect a company’s revenue.

Children in High School

WITH the right foundation in place, have you child to start manage money. High school students tend to desire owning a gadget. These, of course, need to be purchased. Create an agreement with your child to split its cost. This is to instill accountability. Like in all adult endeavors, there is no such thing as free lunch. To save, the child will have to minimize buying excessive food at the canteen.

Looking back at our younger days, most of us already know the concept of saving. To take it to the next level, I suggest have the child exposed to investments. While it is true that a minor may not be able to open a Unit Investment Trust Fund or mutual fund account yet, have your child act as your “secretary” and “treasurer.” As a “secretary,” the child will need to report to you the market value of your pooled funds twice a week. Entrust your login credentials so your child will be able to access the accounts on your behalf.

As a “treasurer,” your child will be responsible for subscribing or redeeming shares or units from your pooled fund. At first, sit beside your child to ensure that the right steps are followed. Because of exposure to computers and social media, most children will get the process only after one or two tries.

These steps will impress upon the child that you are someone who values investing to achieve your personal and family goals.

Children in College

THIS is where the reality of life will make itself known. A child in college will see the competition in the job market and the other intricacies of adulthood.

Serving as your secretary and treasurer for years now, the child will easily see the need to prepare financially. Have your child write his or her personal goals and the investment horizon for each. Have this posted in a conspicuous located. Remind your child that a portion of his or her allowance will need to be allocated for investment.

Next is to apply the “Principle of Matching.” Match the investment product with the time horizon. Money market and intermediate fixed income for short term, balanced fund for medium term goals, and equities for long-term.

If the child is not yet of legal age, open first an investment account on his or her behalf.

To take it to the next level, you may want your child to be exposed to global investing at an early age. There are platforms that will allow your child to buy US stocks. Another option is for your child to get into feeder funds. It is best to consult with a financial planner to have a well-designed portfolio for optimal returns.

As parents, we all want the best for our children. Learning personal finance at an early stage will help assure our children that they can stand confidently on their feet.

Marion Evangelista, RFP CTEP CTA is a registered financial planner of RFP Philippines. To learn more about personal-financial planning, attend the 99th RFP program in January 2023. To inquire, e-mail info@rfp.ph or text at 0917-6248110.

ALAWMAkER believes slashing all local and national taxes on movie and stage-play productions would cut ticket prices and help economic growth.

Rep. Angelica Natasha Co, the vicechairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, said on Monday slashing all local and national taxes on movies would slash ticket prices and make people go out to watch movies.

“Watching movies and stage plays should be valued more for their economic impact and be considered necessities—not luxury activities— that benefit families and promote mental and public health,” Co said. Co said she has observed that “Filipino productions have yet to fully harness the power of online platforms.”

“And online access to the masses is limited because Internet speed and

coverage are still slow and low for most Filipinos. Therefore, in-person viewing of movies in theaters and plays on stage is still the main mode available to them,” said Co. “But current ticket prices are prohibitive and Filipinos are price-sensitive.”

“Getting our people out of their homes and returning to what they did before the pandemic, including watching movies, will revive the entertainment industry and the economy. If there are no audiences, producers will not make those movies and stage plays,” Co also said.

Re-opening

THE lawmaker said banning or taxing foreign films, TV series and other creative media output are not the strategies that will create opportunities for Filipino creative talents and entrepreneurs.

“Rather, building upon and supporting the Philippine Creative Industries Development Act or Re-

public Act [RA] 11904, will get a significant part of that challenge done,” Co said.

She added that the strong following of korean artists among Filipinos “should be taken as a set of signs of what Filipinos want to see in any kind of creative output, whether by Filipinos, koreans, or any other nationalities.”

“The South korean strategies are among our benchmarks actually to strengthen the Filipino creative industries,” she said. “The South koreans are our friends, not our enemies.” Co said to address the immediate urgent problem of unemployment and underemployment among performing artists, the government must swiftly transition out of the pandemic and reopen the economy.

“Reopening businesses and school campuses that shut down during the pandemic is crucial to getting our economy working again at full power,” she said.

Filipino creative

RA 11904 “quietly lapsed into law last July 28,” Co said.

“So many Filipinos are still unaware of this new law that embodies the sets of strategies designed to give jobs, opportunities and benefits to performing artists and other creative talents.” “The Pinoy audience is telling all of us the kind of quality they want in movies, TV series and music. They have also been clamoring for strong support for Filipino creatives, support from the government, the private sector and civil society, but often their clamor falls on deaf ears and blind vision,” the lawmaker said.

“But RA 11904 is proof that the 18th Congress was actively listening and had a clear vision of what was needed. This new law addresses the needs of all the sectors of creatives in our country. It is a new solution, so I ask that we all give it time to work. Let us support the DTI, the lead implementing agency,” Co added.

Demand seen met by BDO with new branch in Cavite

BDO Unibank Inc. announced it recently opened its newest branch in Tanza, Cavite, to meet the growing demand for banking solutions by families and businesses situated in the highly urbanized municipality of the province.

Located in SM City Tanza, the branch aims to serve middle-income to high-income communities. Various locators or businesses in the nearby economic zones can also be assisted with the banking solutions they need for their expansion and day-to-day operations.

With this latest branch opening, BDO now has 46 branches in Cavite. To date, the bank operates 1,191 branches all over the country.

“Through our integrated physical branch and digital banking services, we hope to address the distinct needs of the customers—from growing

their funds and investments to expanding their business, and securing their future,” a statement from the listed lender read.

The bank underscored that its

CitySavings opens loan window for DAR staff

By VG Cabuag @villygc

CITY Savings Bank Inc., the thrift bank unit of publiclylisted Union Bank of the Philippines, announced last Monday its executives signed a memorandum of agreement with officials of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).

The deal will enable CitySavings to offer a salary-loan facility to DAR employees nationwide. This was held at the same time a memorandum of understanding was signed also between officials of the DAR and executives of Pilmico Foods Corp., another Aboitiz company, last October 14.

DAR Secretary Conrado M. Estrella III said he was “glad that it is the mission of the company, together with CitySavings, to give these farmers and Agrarian Reform beneficiaries the chance to really improve their lives via livelihood and financial in-

clusion projects.”

CitySavings President and CEO Lorenzo T. Ocampo said the MOA with the DAR would allow the lender to extend loan services to all its employees across the country. Ocampo added they will be deploying their “Loan Rangers” so that DAR employees do not need to go to the bank’s physical branches.

He added that the move supports the bank’s thrust “in creating an innovative and seamless banking experience for its customers.”

Estrella expressed gratitude to the lender “for the opportunity for DAR to have access to other types of loans.”

“And we promise we’ll pay off these loans.”

Apart from the salary loan facility, CitySavings will also conduct a practical wealth-management orientation program for DAR employees as part of the lender’s corporate social responsibility initiatives.

partnership with SM plays a significant role in its objective to serve the customers, whether in key cities or in provinces.

“Every time SM opens a new mall,

BDO branch is there as well for the customers. We can be a one-stop shop where clients can transact with the bank and leisurely enjoy the mall after that,” the bank added. The opening of the new branch comes at the heels of the lender’s net income growth in the first half.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange last August, the country’s largest bank by assets said its net income grew by 12 percent year-on-year (YoY) to P23.9 billion on strong results across its core businesses.

Its customer loan portfolio went up by 9 percent, funded by an 11-percent rise in Casa (“current accountsavings account”) deposits that now comprise 85 percent of total deposits.

Non-interest income expanded to P34.3 billion, lifted by the strong expansion in fees and insurance premiums, the lender said.

Egypt takes aim at dollar fixation with hedging tools

EGYPT

plans to develop a new indicator for its currency and add instruments to hedge against risks, as it turns the page on years of keeping the pound’s value stable around the dollar.

“We will make an index for the Egyptian pound through a group of other currencies in addition to gold in order to change the culture that we are linked to the dollar,” Hassan Abdalla, the central bank’s acting governor, said Sunday at an economic conference in Cairo. He didn’t provide additional details.

The comments, at an event in which officials were candid about spotlighting past policy shortcomings, reflect a focus on revamping the currency exchange system in the country. For years, the pound had been kept largely stable against the US dollar, a costly effort that also required interest rates to stay elevated.

Abdalla became acting central bank governor in August after the surprise resignation of his predecessor, long seen as a supporter of a stable currency.

But the economic fallout of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and an exodus of foreign investors in its local debt have prompted a devaluation in March and kept the pound under pressure since then. Investors have also been bracing for a second wave of depreciation, with the government days away from agreeing to a new loan from the International Monetary Fund, which favors a more flexible exchange rate.

Officials have already signaled they now favor a more flexible currency to support an economy whose biggest trade partners are China and Saudi Arabia. The challenge though is how to break the mindset that remains fixated on the pound’s value against the dollar and sees the exchange rate as a barometer of the health of the broader economy.

Speaking earlier at the same conference, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly took aim at that perception, saying “we have the impression, as Egyptians, that the currency price is linked to the strength of the economy.” Bloomberg News

pERSonal FinanCE

Marion Evangelista

This October

2022 photo shows a man using a terminal inside the new branch of BDO Unibank

A quest and a reflection

to a cookie-cutter approach in production, if not already? Are they shackled by their own thoughts and processes? Perhaps this is what Lorenzana implies in an untitled piece, running patterns of the same characters in various renders.

A close inspection reveals individuality. From a broader view, however, everything looks the same. It’s as if the artist leads us to ask: Is freedom scarce even in expression itself?

Alongside Lorenzana’s exhibition is Pow’s newest solo, his fifth with Silverlens Manila.

AcTivisTs in UK coUrT Af Ter soUp

THrown AT vAn GoGH picTUre

LONDON—Three climate activists appeared in a London court on Saturday on charges of criminal damage after protests including throwing soup over Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers painting in the National Gallery.

It’s

a twin solo showcase for silverlens Manila in November as Luis Lorenzana proceeds with his long-standing pursuit of understanding artistic expression, while Pow Martinez illustrates our collective recent past.

Lorenzana’s presentation, titled Heads, and Pows’s Clunker will be on view from November 3 to December 3 at the gallery’s Chino Roces space in Makati City.

A pop surrealist with recognizable forms, Lorenzana has participated in over 30 group and solo shows here and abroad. His background in politics as a public administration student and employee at the Philippine senate informed his early works. the artist then circled back to decipher the essence of artistic expression, an endeavor that preceded his artistic career.

In his new solo exhibition, Lorenzana visualizes his latest musings. Colors and concepts may vary, but are artists ultimately doomed to be reduced

Clunker presents the artist’s recent works bursting in his signature bold colors and grotesque themes—a style that has earned him acclaim even outside the country. In this exhibition, Pow calls on his demons and deviants yet again that inhabit environments that are as peculiar; their actions, however, much more subdued.

Unlike in previous works where they scream and screech and bend and crawl, here they are mostly languishing by their lonesome. they are on their phones and melt with the furniture, suggesting an extended period of sedentariness.

Pow is recognized for daring artworks that are far out there. But those presented in this show prove to be much closer as they hit home. they are not vibrant portals to otherworldly dimensions but a mirror, reflecting our recent collective past living in lockdown.

For once, at least this pointedly in Pow’s art, we are the creatures living in an odd world. n

LRT-1 ‘ikotMNL’ pop-up exhibit at Doroteo Jose Station

LIGHT Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC), the private operator of LRT-1, is continuously advocating the promotion of local tourism and culture through its “ikotMNL” campaign as it officially opens a pop-up exhibit on visual arts at LRT-1 Doroteo Jose Station. Featuring works by local artists who participated in the sketch walk and photo walk organized by LRMC last September 10 and 17, the LRT-1 ikotMNL pop-up exhibit 2022 showcases different interesting sites in Manila such as colonial architectures and open spaces—all within minutes’ walk from LRT-1

(www.facebook.com/officiallRt1).

The exhibit also puts a focus on LRT-1 stations, which are known for their historical significance and prominent features as uniquely Filipino architecture.

“LRT-1 has been a valuable part of people’s lives over the years. We hope that through this initiative, we can communicate our rich story and help in better appreciating our roots as Filipinos. This is also a showcase of the creativity of our local artists, and we would like LRT-1 to continue being a space

where communities gather and talents are celebrated. We are thankful to have found the right partners in Urban Sketchers Quezon City and Fujifilm X-A3 Community Philippines, who made our sketch and photo walks extra special with their talents in communicating visually the beauty and history of Manila,” LRMC corporate communications and customer relations Jacqueline S. Gorospe said.

The exhibit is free and open to the public during LRT-1 operating hours from 4:30 am to 9:30 pm daily, and runs until November 5.

Two women, age 20 and 21, were charged in relation to the soup-throwing protest on Friday, while a third was charged over paint sprayed on a rotating sign at the Metropolitan Police’s headquarters in central London. The three women pleaded not guilty to criminal damage at Westminster Magistrates’ Court during two brief hearings Saturday. Demonstrators from climate-change protest groups Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil, which wants the UK government to halt new oil and gas projects, staged a series of protests in London on Friday.

Just Stop Oil said activists dumped two cans of tomato soup over the Van Gogh oil painting, one of the Dutch artist’s most iconic works. The two protesters also glued themselves to the gallery wall. Prosecutor Ola Oyedepo said the pair didn’t harm the oil painting, which was covered by a glass protective case, but damage was caused to the frame.

The painting, one of several versions of Sunflowers that Van Gogh painted in the late 1880s, was cleaned and returned to its place in the National Gallery on Friday afternoon.

District judge Tan Irkam released the women on bail on condition that they don’t have paint or adhesive substances on them in a public place. Police said they made some 28 arrests in relation to Friday’s protests, and 25 others were bailed pending further investigation. On Saturday, police arrested a further 26 people after Just Stop Oil protesters blocked a major road in east London. Some demonstrators glued themselves to the road surface.

Just Stop Oil has drawn attention, and criticism, for their disruptive tactics, including targeting artworks in museums. In July, activists glued themselves to the frame of an early copy of Leonardo da Vinci’s the last Supper at London’s Royal Academy of Arts, and to John Constable’s the Hay Wain in the National Gallery.

Activists have also blocked bridges and intersections across London during two weeks of protests against the UK government’s approach to climate change.

The latest wave of demonstrations came as Prime Minister Liz Truss’s Conservative government opened a new licensing round for oil and gas operations in the North Sea and reversed a 2019 ban on fracking in England. Environmentalists say the UK government was undermining the fight against climate change. A p

AUGUST

Today’s Horoscope

By Eugenia Last z

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Ciara, 37; Katy Perry, 38; Josh Henderson, 41; Persia White, 50.

HAppY BIRTHDAY: Embrace change and new beginnings. Don’t let negativity stand between you and your dreams. Put your energy into planning your next big adventure. Use your ingenuity to devise a unique way to handle monetary issues. Steer clear of joint ventures, and don’t pay for other people’s mistakes or shortcomings. Make personal growth, spirituality and better health your priorities. Your numbers are 3, 11, 23, 26, 35, 38, 43.

a

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Join forces with someone who wants the same things as you. Discuss your thoughts and intentions and map out how you intend to reach your goal. Avoid pressure tactics when trying to get your way. It’s best to offer incentives, not threats. HHH

b

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Announce your plans, listen to the feedback you receive and discard what you no longer need in your life. Staying on top of what’s important to you will stop anyone from trying to interfere with your plans. Do what makes you happy and self-sufficient. HHH

c

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Use intelligence and experience to avoid trouble. Put your heart and soul into your responsibilities. Look for opportunities to work alongside people who share your interests and concerns. HHH

d CANCER (June 21-July 22): Hang on to what you’ve got and find different ways to use items, information and knowledge to suit your needs. Calling on all your resources will make your ideas appealing to superiors and others you want to impress. Mix business with pleasure. HHHHH

e

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Take a deep breath and evaluate what you are up against, then rethink your game plan. Don’t feel the need to change something that is working fine. Look for ways to save money and eliminate waste. HH

fVIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Don’t be shy. If change is what you want, make it happen. Put your energy into research and success. A personal situation will require your attention. Listen to complaints and offer solutions and incentives that are difficult to turn down. HHH

g

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Absorb information and apply what you learn. Your communication skills will help you enlist others to pitch in and help. Take pride in what you do, and don’t pay for something that isn’t up to your standards. HHH

h SCORpIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Take the initiative to do things before someone puts in a request. Efficiency and consistency will help you gain respect and reach your goals. Take notes, verify information and lower your overhead. Tone down situations by distancing yourself from people who exaggerate. HHH

iSAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Pitch in and make a difference. The information you gather will give you the lowdown and help you discover the best way to do your part. Refuse to let anyone pressure you to take on more than you can handle. HHH

jCApRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Take a seat, wait and watch; you’ll make the right decision. Surprise everyone by applying a unique approach to handling money, earning a living and dealing with manipulative individuals. HHHH

kAQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Don’t let your guard down. Joint ventures or shared expenses will get you in trouble. Keep tabs on finances, health and legal matters, or someone will take advantage of you. HH

lpISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Don’t let someone’s debt drag you down. Put things in perspective and be blatant about what you are comfortable doing for others. Invest more time and money in your appearance and finding the best way to save for something you want. HHHHH

BIRTHDAY BABY: You are empathetic, passionate and reserved. You are intense and persistent.

H: Avoid conflicts; work behind the scenes. HH: You can accomplish, but don’t rely on others. HHH: Focus and you’ll reach your goals. HHHH: Aim high; start new projects. HHHHH: Nothing can stop you; go for gold.

David

❷

Taylor Swift drops ‘3am’ edition of ‘Midnights,’ music video

By Mallika Sen The Associated Press

NEW YORK—Taylor Swift has said Midnights was inspired by certain key sleepless nights—something many of her fans undoubtedly experienced as the singersongwriter dropped seven bonus tracks and a music video just hours after the album’s release on Friday.

Midnights was released at, well, midnight Eastern time and had become Spotify’s most-streamed album in a single day by 6:15 pm. With a runtime of around 44 minutes, listeners would have had the opportunity to play the album four times before Swift unleashed Midnights (3am Edition).

“Surprise! I think of Midnights as a complete concept album, with those 13 songs forming a full picture of the intensities of that mystifying, mad hour,” she wrote on Instagram. “However! There were other songs we wrote on our journey to find that magic 13.”

The bonus tracks fit tonally with the rest of the darkly electric and moody album, beginning with “The Great War,” sweeping across “Paris” and exploring “High Infidelity” before ending with “Dear Reader.” In all, the seven additional songs—added to the end of the original Midnights track listing, encompass about 25 additional minutes.

Swift is the sole credited performer on the bonus tracks—the only person to get a featured credit on any Midnights track is Lana Del Rey. The extra songs are primarily written by Swift, Jack Antonoff—her “co pilot” on the album—and Aaron Dessner, a founding member of The National and another frequent Swift collaborator who was otherwise absent from Midnights

And five hours after Midnights (3am Edition), Swift treated fans to a visual feast with a muted but lush music video for “Anti-Hero.”

Written and directed by Swift herself, reunited with “All Too Well” cinematographer Rina Yang, the video sees the singer be chased by chintzy sheet ghosts and do shots with a glammed-up double who instructs her: “Everyone will betray you.” Dark glitter oozes from the yolks she cuts into at the breakfast table, her wound from an arrow and her mouth after one too many shots.

“Watch my nightmare scenarios and intrusive thoughts play out in real time,” Swift posted on Instagram.

The video includes references to Swift’s eating disorder, which she revealed in a documentary, and pokes fun at herself with a cutscene that breaks in midway. It features Mike Birbiglia, John Early and Mary Elizabeth Ellis playing her heirs (Preston, Chad and Kimber) who discover she’s left them only 13 cents in her will (Swift’s favorite number is famously 13).

“There’s probably a secret encoded message that

RepoRt: Salman RuShdie liveS, but loSeS uSe of eye and hand

NeW YorK—Salman rushdie’s agent says the author has lost sight in one eye and the use of a hand as he recovers from an attack from a man who rushed the stage at an august literary event in western New York, according to a published report.

literary agent andrew Wylie told the Spanish language newspaper El Pais in an article published Saturday that rushdie suffered three serious wounds to his neck and 15 more wounds to his chest and torso in the attack that took away sight in an eye and left a hand incapacitated.

rushdie, 75, spent years in hiding after iran’s ayatollah ruhollah Khomeini issued a 1989 edict, a fatwa, calling for his death after publication of his novel The Satanic Verses, which some Muslims consider blasphemous. over the past two decades, rushdie has traveled freely. hadi Matar, 24, of Fairview, New Jersey, has been incarcerated after pleading not guilty to attempted murder and assault in the august 12 attack on rushdie as he was being introduced at the chautauqua institution, a rurally located center 55 miles (89 kilometers) southwest of Buffalo that is known for its summertime lecture series. after the attack, rushdie was treated at a Pennsylvania hospital, where he was briefly put on a ventilator to recover from what Wylie told El Pais was a “brutal attack” that cut nerves to one arm.

Wylie told the newspaper he could not say whether rushdie remained in a hospital or discuss his whereabouts.

“he’s going to live...That’s the important thing,” Wylie said. The attack was along the lines of what rushie and his agent have thought was the “principal danger...a random person coming out of nowhere and attacking,” Wylie told El Pais. “So you can’t protect against it because it’s totally unexpected and illogical,” he said.

Wylie told the newspaper it was like Beatles member John lennon’s murder. lennon was shot to death by Mark David chapman outside his Manhattan apartment building December 8, 1980, hours after the singer had signed an autograph for chapman. in a jailhouse interview with The New York Post, Matar said he disliked rushdie and praised Khomeini. iran has denied involvement in the attack. ap

means something else!” Early exclaims in character, referencing the field of cryptology Swift has created over the years.

“P.S. There is no secret encoded message that means something else. Love, Taylor,” Birbiglia reads seconds later.

The “Anti-Hero” video racked up more than 9,700,000 views in the first 13 hours (apt) of its release and spawned the #TSAntiHeroChallenge. Swift is encouraging people to upload to YouTube Shorts a video of themselves sharing the traits that would make them an antihero.

According to a blog post on YouTube, the challenge is “all about acknowledging and celebrating the traits that make each of us truly unique and showcasing one’s true self in a FUN way.”

“An anti-heroic trait could be as simple as always grabbing the last slice of pizza, clapping at the

end of movies, always putting your feet on the car dashboard, using the same word to start your daily Wordle, leaving your clean laundry in the basket until the next time you do it, pretending you didn’t already watch the next episode of the series you watch with your pals, or even treating your cat like a human,” the post said. Swift chose that last one for her own submission. While the challenge adds levity to the release cycle, Swift is clear on the tone she’s going for with the album and its associated projects.

Midnights is a collage of intensity, highs and lows and ebbs and flows,” Swift posted on Instagram when the original album dropped. “Life can be dark, starry, cloudy, terrifying, electrifying, hot, cold, romantic or lonely. Just like Midnights.”

New kid on the music block

EVEN at a very young age, Jericho Violago knew that music was something that made him happy.

“I was in grade school when Justin Bieber’s popularity skyrocketed, and I would constantly find myself asking my family and friends to give me his CDs as gifts when I had special occasions. I would listen to his songs before going to bed and I’d be glued to his music videos in my computer,” he volunteered.

As he was growing up, this innocent-looking lad would listen to the timeless songs of Frank Sinatra and Michael Bublé. And as his passions and activites started to evolve, Violago would include songs of local artists in his playlist.

“There are songs I love listening to but I do not sing like those of Arthur Nery’s because our range is so different from each other. I also like Ben&Ben, Andie Garcia, Up Dharma Down, and The Juans. Songs that I love to sing are the ones of Zach Tabudlo. I am a big fan of this phenomenal artist who continues to inspire new kids on the music block like me.”

Now 22, and with a degree in management from the Ateneo, Violago has set his sights on seriously pursuing a career in music and the performance arts.

“I was asked by my dad to work for the family’s rice mill business right after graduation. He offered me an executive post in the company based in Nueva Ecija

‘the atom aR aullo SpecialS’ ScoReS thRee majoR inteRnational winS

FirST it was in New York. Next in Busan. and now in cannes.

For shedding light on the plight of children from underprivileged backgrounds, The Atom Araullo Specials: Munting Bisig has dominated the international awards landscape—earning not just one, but three major accolades, all in less than a year.

at the prestigious cannes corporate Media and TV awards, the gMa Public affairs program won for the Philippines the Silver award for Documentaries and reports (TV, online, and cinema) in the human concerns and Social issues category.

This comes at the heels of the program’s landmark win at the 4th asia contents awards (aca) at the Busan international Film Festival (BiFF) Theater in Busan, South Korea, where it emerged as Best asian Documentary. The winning piece was the only Philippine entry shortlisted in the festival, besting other asian shows produced by Netflix, asian Boss, and TV asahi Production.

last april, The Atom Araullo Specials: Munting Bisig took home the gold World Medal at the 2022 New York Festivals TV & Film award.

“We are deeply honored to receive these awards from our peers overseas. Many dedicated journalists, media workers, and contributors worked hard on this documentary—a true team effort. We hope it not only raised awareness, but also contributed to finding durable solutions to the serious issue of child labor, especially in the context of the pandemic,” shares host atom araullo.

The documentary featured children who put their lives at risk to help their families survive even in the face of covid-19 virus infection.

atom dedicates the international awards to all the children who are left with no other option than to work in order to live one day at a time.

considered as one of this generation’s most notable journalists, atom has been getting accolades for his various shows. he currently coanchors gT V’s flagship newscast State of the Nation and is one of the hosts of long-running documentary show I-Witness he is also a regular pinch-hitter for 24 Oras

More information is available at www.gmanetwork. com and www.gtv.ph.

but I politely turned it down. I asked his permission if I could explore the possibilities of trying it out as a singer while I am still young, something that I knew I wanted to pursue with passion,” he told us during a recent lunch.

Violago is aware the local music landcsape is a tough one to penetrate.

“I am realistic. I know it is crowded and there are too many hopefuls and aspirants who want to get even a foot in. But this is something I realized I truly love to pursue and I have also quietly invested my time and resources to learn the basics by attending workshops and training.”

While he was finishing his studies, Violago made sure he trained both in classical and pop music. He would also audition for roles in university-based musical productions so he could have a grasp of what performing in theater is all about.

Now that he has wrapped up his studies, even graduating with Latin honors, Violago believes it is time to take his love for music to a higher level.

“My mom Chiqui is friends with my manager, Emmie Domingo, who has been in the music industry for decades. We are starting to gather songs to evaluate and shortlist with the goal of recording and releasing our final choices in the next few months. I have also started to perform at events to get more exposure. We are taking it step by step, and we are constantly plotting our next moves strategically.”

Music is no doubt Jericho Violago’s priority at the moment.

“I am focused on getting more exposure and gigs, on building my image, on selecting the songs that will suit me best to give me at least a shot in this business. Eventually, I want to make my family proud, but more importantly I want to prove to myself that I have what it takes to make it in this business because it will make me really, really happy if ever I make it.”

n The Associated Press journalists Sophia Rosenbaum and Christina Paciolla contributed to this report.

Jericho Violago

PLDT, Smart and Catholic Church partner for digital and mental wellness advocacy

PLDT Inc. and its wireless arm Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) have launched a meaningful partnership under its Digital Health and Wellness banner program Better Today PH with the Archdiocese of Cebu’s Commission on Youth and universitybased Psychology Center, Kauban, by facilitating community-based digital and mental health programs reaching Cebu’s

various grassroots communities.

Over 20 youth leaders were trained by psychology professors and mental healthcare professionals on the basics of Psychological First Aid (PFA). The end-goal of the program is to upskill the youth leaders on PFA and cascade it to the Archdiocese’s different districts.

“PLDT and Smart’s valuable partnership with the Church and well-

respected psychology professionals will help invite more communities to mind their digital health and mental wellness. We are forwarding this advocacy through our services that champion our customers’ welfare,” said Marylou Gocotano, head of Visayas Relations under Stakeholder Management at PLDT and Smart.

This initiative will not only help end the stigma on mental health-care, but also create a wider network of PFA responders who would soon help disaster or trauma affected children, adolescents, adults, and families who are in need of immediate help.

“Through this partnership, we can better see the community from a wider perspective which would unite us and enable us to plan for a wider help for the people in our communities,” said Rev. Fr. Andrei Ventanilla, Director of the Archdiocese of Cebu’s Commission on Youth.

PLDT and Smart have also shared tips on Cyber Wellness especially equipping the participants knowledge on how to combat “Phishing Attacks” that may incite fear and anxiety among victims.

Better Today is a vital part of PLDT and Smart’s ongoing commitment to help the Philippines contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG), particularly UNSDG #3 that stands for good health and well-being, and UNSDG #16 that stands against abuse, violence, and exploitation of children.

Metro Pacific boosts livelihood opportunities of fisherfolk in eight Muntinlupa barangays by providing fishing boats

METRO Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC), the country’s leading infrastructure investments firm, supported the livelihood of around 800 members of the City Fisheries Aquatic Resource Management Council (CFARMC) by providing fishing boats or bancas to eight barangays in Muntinlupa.

In a ceremonial turnover last October 11, MPIC together with Huawei Philippines, Maynilad Water Services Inc. (Maynilad), the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA), and the City Government of Muntinlupa, entrusted eight bancas to barangays Sucat, Buli, Alabang, Cupang, Bayanan, Putatan, Poblacion, and Tunasan. Maynilad also turned over three solar paddle wheels aerator water treatment system that improves the quality of water in rivers and lakes, to the City’s Lake Management Office.

Beyond utilizing the boats to bolster the livelihoods of these fisherfolk, they will likewise be used to conduct cleanup drives in Laguna Lake, aligned with MPIC, Maynilad, and LLDA’s Laguna de Bay Welfare Awareness advocacy (LAWA) of protecting Laguna de Bay.

“Fishing is one of the oldest, most basic, and most important forms of livelihood. We see it as an integral part of our company’s mission to uplift fisherfolk communities, who help supply our communities and our country with adequate food,” says MPIC Chairman, President, and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan.

The LAWA Initiative UNDER Gabay Kalikasan, one of the Group’s six Gabay Advocacies for a Sustainable Philippines, LAWA highlights the critical role that Laguna Lake plays with respect to the social and economic development of the region. It consolidates the group’s efforts to promote awareness and establish various programs in line with LLDA’s mandate to “transform Laguna Lake into a vibrant economic zone showcasing ecotourism by addressing the negative impact of watershed destruction, land conversion and pollution.”

Supporting this directive entails

providing the needed support to the communities surrounding Laguna Lake, most of whom rely heavily on fishing as their primary source of livelihood and income. With their dependence on the lake comes the unavoidable effects on the area’s natural resources.

“MPIC’s donation of bancas not only enables our community folk to sustain their existing livelihoods, but also enforces a sense of responsibility to care for the Lake that they depend on daily,” says Muntinlupa City Mayor Rozzano Rufino “Ruffy” Biazon.

Given the importance of the lake to Metro Manila’s ecosystem, MPIC, LLDA, and its partners, recognized the need for collaborative efforts between the public and private sectors for the sustainable development of the Laguna Lake for the benefit of present and future generations.

“Our unwavering commitment to build a more resilient and sustainable future for our people and our planet is the driving force behind our efforts,” says MPIC Chief Finance, Risk, and Sustainability Officer Chaye Cabal-Revilla. “We will be relentless in our pursuit to protect Laguna de Bay to sustain our present and

future generations.”

Initial priority areas to be addressed by the LAWA initiative include the communication, education, and public awareness; promotion of wastewater management systems to help address the lake’s algal bloom problem; organization of clean-up drives for the tributaries; livelihood support and development; and the establishment of programs to hamper the proliferation of water hyacinths, the most damaging aquatic plant worldwide, currently covering approximately 20 percent of Laguna de Bay.

The livelihood support program under the LAWA initiative emphasizes MPIC’s role as the largest catalyst for a Sustainable Philippines, aimed to improve the lives in the country through providing essential services and mobilizing advocacies that uplift the quality of life of all Filipinos.

This is also aligned with MPIC’s efforts to contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), particularly SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation, 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth, 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities, 13 Climate Action, 14 Life Below Water, and 15 Life on Land.

Biñan City bags 3 awards at Competitiveness Summit

THECity government of Biñan garnered three awards at the recently-concluded 10th Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Summit of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

Biñan City took home the Most Competitive Component City for Economic Dynamism award, the second Most Competitive Component City for Innovation award, and the 6th Most Competitive City (Overall Ranking).

Rankings of cities and municipalities are based on the sum of their scores on four Pillars: Economic Dynamism, Government Efficiency, Infrastructure, and Resiliency.

Provincial rankings are based on population and income weighted average of the overall scores of cities and municipalities under a province.

In a related development, the city of Biñan also received the 2022 Most Business-Friendly Local Government Unit Special Citation award.

The award was given at the 48th Philippine Business Conference and Expo held at the Fiesta Pavilion of the Manila Hotel.

PCCI cites Pakil, Laguna as ‘Most Business-Friendly LGU’

THE Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) has chosen the town of Pakil in Laguna as the “Most Business-Friendly Local Government Unit (LGU)” for 2022.

Pakil bested all the towns at the Municipal Level 2 category (3rd to 6th Class Municipality).

Held last October 20, the awarding came at the conclusion of the 48th Philippine Business Conference and Expo at the Manila Hotel.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. presented the award to Pakil, Laguna representatives— Business Permits and Licensing Office (BPLO) Head Don Kelly Fernandez and LEE Head Rose Magsalansan. Fernandez and Magsalansan accepted the award for Pakil, Laguna Mayor Vincent Sorino, who failed to attend the event after contracting Covid-19.

“This award from the Association of the most influential business people and investors in our country, like so many awards received by our town under my leadership, is another proof of the fulfillment of my promise when I

was in my first term as Mayor,” Soriano said. He thanked Fernandez, Magsalansan, Akim Alcir, Engr. Deo Vito, Engr. Franz Hidalgo, Rusella Bacani and the Office of the Municipal Mayor (OMM) staff for the town’s success.

BRIA Homes is officially accelerating the construction of its horizontal development in Alaminos, Pangasinan, site of the tourist hot spot Hundred Islands National Park. Imagine living close to a cluster of 123 scenic limestone islands, where great fun can be had with snorkeling, kayaking, camping, and hiking.

Featuring such natural attractions, the Hundred Islands National Park draws 100 to 200 tourists on weekdays, and 500 on weekends. With local tourism opening up again, this number is projected to double, or even triple, in the forthcoming years.

BRIA Homes is thus shaping up as an idyllic residential community for both the hardy locals and for Pangasinan’s other old time residents wanting to resettle in their home province— the retirees and returning OFWs, plus other home seekers who want easy access to the beach and year-round stunning views.

BRIA Homes believes that Alaminos townsfolks will be especially excited about this development. Through BRIA Alaminos, they can finally convert all that elbow grease into comfortable, superior quality homes in a tightly secured community that offers reliable digital connections, top-notch recreational amenities, a competent property management team, and proximity to key lifestyle destinations.

As in every BRIA project, BRIA Alaminos’ future residents can look forward to well-built, stylish dwellings with thoughtfully laid-out interior spaces that can accommodate growing families. Within its premises are walkable open spaces for peace and quiet. Landscaped gardens, family-friendly facilities, and community centers are the standard for BRIA developments, giving their homeowners a

chance to foster friendly ties and savor a serene and calm environment.

Finally, BRIA also makes sure that its residential projects have ready access to schools, churches, hospitals, retail outlets, transport hubs, and places of employment.

Prospective homebuyers and investors may reserve units in BRIA Alaminos through cashless transactions and pay for amortization through BRIA’s bank partners: Maybank, BDO, Unionbank, PNB, Security Bank, RCBC, Robinsons Bank, Chinabank and Metrobank. E-wallet services like GCash, Paymaya, Shopee Pay and All Easy are likewise available.

Those interested in purchasing a BRIA Alaminos unit or house and lot in any other BRIA project may check these out by immersing in BRIA Homes’ 360 Virtual Tours via bria. com.ph. Inquiries may also be done through the website, as well as through the official BRIA Facebook page, www.facebook.com/ BriaHomesIncOfficial. They can also reserve a house online through https://www.bria.com.ph/ online-reservation/

BRIA Homes to end 2022 on a high note; construction of new subdivision in Alaminos, Pangasinan in full swing

LANDSCAPED gardens, family-friendly facilities, and community centers are the standard for BRIA developments, allowing their homeowners to foster friendly ties and savor a serene environment

FROM LEFT, Muntinlupa City Lake Management Office Department Manager III Herminio dela Cruz, Buli Barangay

Captain Hon. Ronaldo Loresca, Muntinlupa City Mayor Hon. Rozzano Rufino “Ruffy” Biazon, LAWA and Gabay Kalikasan Ambassador Dominic Roque, MPIC Chief Finance, Risk, and Sustainability Officer Chaye Cabal-Revilla, Huawei Philippines Senior PR Manager and Program Lead Karrie Buenafe, Laguna Lake Development Authority

Community Development Division Officer-in-Charge Jaime Mora, Laguna de Bay Integrated Fisheries Aquatic Resources Management Council Chairman Lauro Protacio.

THE youth leaders who were trained on the basics of Psychological First Aid.

BIÑAN Mayor Arman Dimaguila holding the 2022 Most Business-Friendly Local Government Unit Special Citation Award.

PAKIL Mayor Vincent Soriano holding the Most BusinessFriendly LGU Award.

SUNTRUST OFFICIALS LEAD BLESSING OF THE FOUNTAIN GROVE’S COMMUNITY CLUBHOUSE IN BACOLOD. Suntrust president Atty Harrison Paltongan leads the blessing of The Fountain Grove’s community clubhouse in Bacolod. Taking part in the festivities are, from left, Engr. Cedric Chester C. Corpuz, Project Manager; Jerry R. Rubis, First Vice President- Sales and Marketing; Anna Liza Lacson and Felipe Lacson, Jr., JV Partners; Isaias D. Berdin, Jr., Vice PresidentOperations; and Rev. Fr. Prakash Xalxo.

Test scores show historic Covid setbacks for kids across US

By Collin Binkley AP Education Writer

WASHINGTON—The Covid-19 pandemic spared no state or region as it caused historic learning setbacks for America’s children, erasing decades of academic progress and widening racial disparities, according to results of a national test that provide the sharpest look yet at the scale of the crisis.

Across the country, math scores saw their largest decreases ever. Reading scores dropped to 1992 levels. Nearly four in 10 eighth graders failed to grasp basic math concepts. Not a single state saw a notable improvement in their average test scores, with some simply treading water at best.

Those are the findings from the National Assessment of Educational Progress—known as the “nation’s report card”—which tested hundreds of thousands of fourth and eighth graders across the country this year. It was the first time the test had been given since 2019, and it’s seen as the first nationally representative study of the pandemic’s impact on learning.

“It is a serious wakeup call for us all,” Peggy Carr, commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, a branch of the Education Department, said in an interview. “In NAEP, when we experience a 1- or 2-point decline, we’re talking about it as a significant impact on a student’s achievement. In math, we experienced an 8-point decline—historic for this assessment.”

Researchers usually think of a 10-point gain or drop as equivalent to roughly a year of learning.

It’s no surprise that children are behind. The pandemic upended every facet of life and left millions learning from home for months or more. The results released Monday reveal the depth of those setbacks, and the size of the challenge facing schools as they help students catch up.

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said it’s a sign that schools need to redouble their efforts, using billions of dollars that Congress gave schools to help students recover.

“Let me be very clear: these results are not acceptable,” Cardona said.

The NAEP test is typically given every two years. It was taken between January and March by a sample of students in every state, along with 26 of the nation’s largest school districts. Scores had been stalling even before the pandemic, but the new results show decreases on a scale not seen before.

In both math and reading, students scored lower than those tested in 2019. But while reading scores dipped, math scores plummeted by the largest margins in the history of the NAEP test, which began in 1969.

Math scores were worst among eighth graders, with 38% earning scores deemed “below basic”—a cutoff that measures, for example, whether students can find the third angle of a triangle if they’re given the other two. That’s worse than 2019, when 31% of eighth graders scored below that level.

No part of the country was exempt. Every region saw test scores slide, and every state saw declines in at least one subject.

Several major districts saw test scores fall by more than 10 points. Cleveland saw the largest single drop, falling 16 points in fourth-grade reading, along with a 15-point decline in fourth-grade math. Baltimore and Tennessee’s Shelby County also saw precipitous declines.

“This is more confirmation that the pandemic hit us really hard,” said Eric Gordon, chief executive for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. To help students recover, the school system has beefed up summer school and added after-school tutoring.

“I’m not concerned that they can’t or won’t recover,” Gordon said. “I’m concerned that the country won’t stay focused on getting kids caught up.”

The results show a reversal of progress on math scores, which had made big gains since the 1990s. Reading, by contrast, had changed little in recent decades, so even this year’s relatively small decreases put the averages back to where they were in 1992.

Most concerning, however, are the gaps between students.

Confirming what many had feared, racial inequities appear to have widened during the pandemic. In fourth grade, Black and Hispanic students saw bigger decreases than white students, widening gaps that have persisted for decades.

Inequities were also reflected in a growing gap between higher and lower performing students. In math and reading, scores fell most sharply among the lowest performing students, creating a widening chasm between struggling students and the rest of their peers.

Surveys done as part of this year’s test illustrate the divide.

When schools shifted to remote learning, higher performing students were far more likely to have reliable access to quiet spaces, computers and help from their teachers, the survey found.

The results make clear that schools must address the “long-standing and systemic shortcomings of our education system,” said Alberto Carvalho, superintendent of Los Angeles schools and a member of the National Assessment Governing Board, which sets the policies for the test.

“While the pandemic was a blow to schools and communities, we cannot use it as an excuse,” he said. “We have to stay committed to high standards and expectations and help every child succeed.”

Other recent studies have found that students who spent longer periods learning online suffered greater setbacks. But the NAEP results show no clear connection. Areas that returned to the classroom quickly still saw significant declines, and cities—which were more likely to stay remote longer—actually saw milder decreases than suburban districts, according to the results.

Los Angeles can claim one of the few bright spots in the results. The nation’s second-largest school district saw eighth-grade reading scores increase by 9 points, the only significant uptick in any district. For other districts, it was a feat just to hold even, as achieved by Dallas and Florida’s Hillsborough County.

Testing critics caution against putting too much stock in exams like NAEP, but there’s no doubt that the skills it aims to measure are critical. Students who take longer to master reading are more likely to drop out and end up in the criminal justice system, research has found. And eighth grade is seen as a pivotal time to develop skills for math, science and technology careers.

For Carr, the results raise new questions about what will happen to students who appear to be far behind in attaining those skills.

“We want our students to be prepared globally for STEM careers, science and technology and engineering,” she said. “This puts all of that at risk. We have to do a reset. This is a very serious issue, and it’s not going to go away on its own.”

AP education writer Bianca Vázquez Toness in Boston contributed to this report.

World faces tension with China under Xi Jinping’s third term

By Joe Mcdonald The Associated Press

BEIJING—The world faces the prospect of more tension with China over trade, security and human rights after Xi Jinping awarded himself a third five-year term Sunday as leader of the ruling Communist Party.

Xi has tightened control at home and is trying to use China’s economic heft to increase its in fluence abroad. Washington ac cused Beijing this month of trying to undermine US alliances, global security and economic rules. Ac tivists say Xi’s government wants to deflect criticism of abuses by changing theUN’s definition of human rights.

Xi says “the world system is bro ken and China has answers,” said William Callahan of the London School of Economics. “More and more, Xi Jinping is talking about the Chinese style as a universal model of the world order, which goes back to a Cold War kind of conflict.”

At a Communist Party congress that wrapped up Saturday, Xi gave no sign of plans to change the se vere “zero-Covid” strategy that has frustrated China’s public and disrupted business and trade. He called for more self-reliance in technology, faster military de velopment and protection of Bei jing’s “core interests” abroad. He announced no changes in policies straining relations with Washing ton and Asian neighbors.

Politics: Xi calls for the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese na tion” based on reviving the ruling party’s role as an economic, social and cultural leader in a throwback to what he sees as a golden age after the 1949 revolution. “Xi’s embrace of Marxist-Leninist or thodoxy should put to rest any wishful thinking that Xi’s China might peacefully liberalize its poli tics and economy,” Kevin Rudd, president of the Asia Society and a former Australian prime minis ter, wrote in Foreign Affairs. Xi’s government has jailed dissidents, stepped up Internet censorship and crushed a pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong. Its “so cial credit” initiative tracks the public and punishes infractions from fraud to littering. “Zero Covid,” which tracks individuals using smartphone apps and has confined tens of millions to their homes, “is indicative of how Xi Jinping wants Chinese society to

work,” said Callahan. “It is to be under constant surveillance and control,” he said. “It has become much more authoritarian and at times totalitarian.”

Economy: By 2035, the Commu nist Party wants economic output per person to match a “mediumlevel developed country,” Xi said in a report to the congress. That sug gests doubling output from 2020 levels, according to Larry Hu and Yuxiao Zhang of Macquarie. Mean while, however, the ruling party is building up subsidy-devouring state industry and tightening con trol over entrepreneurs who gener ate wealth and jobs. That prompts warnings economic growth that sank to 2.2% over a year earlier in the first half of 2022 will suf fer. The economy faces challenges from tension with Washington, curbs on China’s access to Western technology, an aging population and a slump in its vast real estate industry. “If top leaders take the target seriously, they might have to adopt a more pro-growth policy stance,” Hu and Zhang said in a report. Analysts are watching for details after the party’s Central Economic Work Conference in early December.

Technology: Xi promised to “build China’s self-reliance and strength in science and technol ogy.” He gave no details, but earlier efforts to reduce reliance on the West and Japan by creating Chi nese sources of renewable energy, electric car, computer and other technology have prompted com plaints Beijing violates its freetrade commitments by shielding its companies from competition.

American officials worry Chinese competition might erode US in dustrial leadership. China faces growing limits on access to West ern technology, especially from the United States, which warns it might be used to make weapons. China is building its own chip in dustry, but analysts say it is gen erations behind global leaders. Bei jing doesn’t appear to be trying to isolate China but wants to reduce strategic unease by catching up with other countries, said Alicia

Garcia Herrero of Natixis. She said that will involve increased stateled investment. “That is going to create some tension,” she said.

Security: Xi says “external and internal security” are the “bed rock of national rejuvenation.” In a speech that used the word secu rity 26 times, he said Beijing will “work faster” to modernize the party’s military wing, the People’s Liberation Army, and “enhance the military’s strategic capabili ties.” China already has the world’s second-highest military spending after the United States and is try ing to extend its reach by develop ing ballistic missiles, submarines and other technology. Xi refused to renounce the use of force to unite Taiwan with the mainland. Xi also called for improved secu rity for supplies of energy, food and industrial goods. The party also sees “ideological security” as a priority, which is leading to more Internet censorship.

Foreign relations: Beijing in creasingly uses its economic muscle as the biggest trading partner for all of its neighbors as leverage in politics and security.

China blocked imports of Austra lian wine, meat and other goods after its government called for an investigation into the origins of Covid-19. Beijing tried unsuc cessfully to persuade 10 Pacific island governments to sign a se curity pact this year, but is mak ing inroads with some. Police of ficers from the Solomon Islands are being trained in China. Beijing wants a “China-centered security system,” said Callahan. “Beijing wants to be a world leader, and part of that, according to Beijing, is to be a leader in the hard politics of global security.” Chinese diplo mats, in a trend dubbed “wolf war rior diplomacy,” are more confron tational and sometimes violent.

This month, Chinese diplomats in Manchester, England, beat a protester after dragging him onto

the grounds of their consulate.

Diplomats have “carried forward the fighting spirit,” said a deputy foreign minister, Ma Zhaoxu. He said the diplomatic corps will “improve its fighting skills and always stand at the forefront of safeguarding national interests and national dignity.”

Covid-19: Xi gave no indica tion China’s “zero-Covid” strategy might ease despite public frustra tion with its costs. While other countries have eased travel curbs, China is sticking to a strategy that has kept infection rates low but shut down major cities. The party newspaper People’s Daily tried to dispel expectations of a relaxation once the congress ended. The strat egy “must be sustained,” it argued. Public health experts say more of the elderly need to be vaccinated before the ruling party can relax the Covid-19 restrictions. That might take months. Forecasters say that means it might be the end of 2023 before controls might ease.

Climate: Xi promised a “proac tive and steady” approach to re ducing climate-changing carbon emissions, but at the same time the ruling party is increasing coal production to avert a repeat of last year’s power shortages and blackouts. A Cabinet official said annual coal output will rise to 4.6 billion tons in 2025. That would be 12% more than 2021. Xi said in a 2020 speech to the United Nations that China’s emissions should peak in 2030 but didn’t say at what level. China already emits more carbon than the Unit ed States and other developed economies combined, accord ing to Rhodium Group. China is building more coal-fired power plants, which activists warn might cause higher emissions. Meanwhile, Beijing suspended a climate dialogue with Washing ton in August in retaliation for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to rival Taiwan.

Prioritizing Italy Inc. is Meloni’s plan as new prime minister

By Chiara Albanese & Antonio Vanuzzo

GIORGIA MELONI plans to uphold Italy’s pro-Ukraine and pro-Nato stance, but her government is set to shift internal policy to provide a greater shield for the country’s companies and industry.

T he leader of Brothers of Italy formally took over from Mario Draghi as head of government Sunday. The two have exchanged the little bell used to open cabinet meetings during the so-called “bell ceremony.” In the evening, Meloni also had a “fruitful” meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, to discuss issues including Ukraine and the economy.

Meloni, 45, is Italy’s first female leader, yet her government will have men in 18 of

24 cabinet positions. She’ll also rename some of the ministries in a way that points to a domestic policy focus.

T hat’s in line with Meloni’s Italy First political ideals based on sovereignty and a strong sense of nationalism, which also include potential steps to make Italy matter more within the European Union.

For example, Italy’s agriculture minister will take on the additional label of “food sovereignty,” while the former post of economic development minister will be rebranded as “companies and Made in Italy.”

Giancarlo Giorgetti, who held the post in Draghi’s government, was named finance minister.

If needed the new government will use its ability to block foreign acquisition of Italian companies, known as “golden power,”

Guido Crosetto, named as defense minister, said in an interview with Repubblica on Sunday.

Francesco Galietti, analyst at Policy Sonar, said the exercise of golden power “has become a very accurate proxy of Italy’s foreign policy stance” across successive governments. Under Draghi, “countless Chinese attempts to snap up Italian assets were thwarted,” he said.

Meloni ’s government, estimated to be the most right wing in Italy since WW2, is also set to change tack on civil rights, and its newly named family minister has often shared anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ rights views in the past.

Meloni is e xpected to provide more details on her government’s plans as soon as Tuesday, when she’ll address the Lower

House ahead of a confidence vote expected to formally complete the formation of a new government. The vote will be followed by a similar one in the Senate.

Ma tteo Salvini of the League and Antonio Tajani of Forza Italia, named respectively as transport minister and foreign affairs minister, will be deputy premiers.

Despite the domestic policy shift, Meloni has reassured all partners that Italy’s proUkraine and pro-Nato positions aren’t in doubt as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is set to enter its ninth month.

O n Saturday, she replied to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s tweeted congratulations by reassuring him Italy will always be on the side of Ukraine, a message she’s also shared with the European Union and the US.

NEW members of the Politburo Standing Committee, front to back, President Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, and Li Xi arrive at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on October 23, 2022. The world faces the prospect of more tension with China over trade, security and human rights after Xi Jinping awarded himself a third five-year term on October 23, 2022 as leader of the ruling Communist Party. AP/NG HAN GUAN

PEGGY CARR , Commissioner of the National Center for Education, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press about the National Assessment of Education Process on Friday, October 21, 2022, in Washington. AP/ALEX BRANDON

Sanchez chalks up impressive numbers in Czech Cup swimfest

By Josef Ramos

KAYLA SANCHEZ delivered four gold and one silver medal in the recent Czech Cup in Pilsen to keep her numbers in check as she completes a residency requirement before she could officially race under the Philippine flag.

Sanchez, 21, opted to race for the Philippines over Canada, but to be able to compete in the Southeast Asian Games, Asian Games and the Olympics, she must complete 365 days of residency in the country as prescribed by the international federation for swimming known for its French acronym FINA.

P hilippine Swimming Inc. president Lailani Velasco said Sanchez, who’s training under Swiss coach Luka Gabrilo, won gold in the 50- and 100-meter freestyle and 200- and 100-meter individual medley and silver in the 50-meter backstroke.

Her numbers in the Czech Republic, however, couldn’t be comparted with SEA Games and Asian Games records because they were raced on a short course of 25 meters.

Velasco said the Toronto native Sanchez— who owns a women’s relay silver and bronze medal with Canada at last year’s Tokyo Olympics—showed glimpses of the future of Philippine swimming on the international arena.

I believe with Luka’s guidance and Kayla’s attitude and determination, we can definitely look forward to a podium finish in several overseas competitions,” Velasco told BusinessMirror on Monday.

Gabrilo was a former national team coach of his native Switzerland and currently holds the position for the national team of Israel, having handled the squad in the Tokyo Olympics last year. Interestingly, Gabrilo and the Israeli swimmers had a training camp at the New Clark City Aquatics Center in June last year before heading to Tokyo.

Velasco said Sanchez will be competing at the World Aquatics Championships in July in Fukuoka and the Hangzhou 19th Asian Games in China in September. She, however, is 13 days short of completing her residency for the Cambodia SEA Games in May.

Kayla has started her training with Luka last September 5,” Velasco said. “The Czech meet last weekend was intended to put a yardstick as to how her training is progressing.”

Velasco said that Sanchez still raced under the Canadian flag in Pilsen.

“It’s very encouraging. The Philippine swimming community is definitely excited to see what she will accomplish between now and the 2024 Paris Olympics,” she said. “The PSI can’t wait to see Kayla don the nation’s colors next year.”

BATTLE IN LUBAO GETS GOING

WHILE the big hitters look to cash in on whatever edge they might have at Pradera Verde, it will still be a question of precision, ball control and decision-making as the men and ladies of the Philippine Golf Tour (PGT) launch their drive in the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) Pradera Championship Tuesday in Lubao, Pampanga.

W ith a forecast of a windy week at the flat but long challenging layout, a wild start and a wilder finish could be in the offing for the next three or four days with emphasis on club selection and the ability to adapt to the challenges posed by the water hazards that come into play in key holes and the undulating, sleek surface.

“

The big hitters have an advantage here at Pradera but I’ll be sticking to the same game plan just like I did at Riviera,” said Fidel Concepcion, who is out for redemption after blowing a clear shot at a breakthrough PGT crown with a final round foldup in the ICTSI Riviera Championship three weeks ago.

“A few adjustments will be made but nothing major. Overall, there was a lot of positives from Riviera, just one bad round,” added Concepcion, who regained control in the third round at Riviera but hobbled with a closing 80 and wound up eighth.

C hanelle Avaricio, meanwhile, seeks to do a reprise on a course where she set a Tour

record three months ago, upbeat but wary of her chances for a fourth championship following victories at Hallow Ridge, Caliraya Springs and here last June where she blitzed the field with a seven-under (29) frontside card on her way to a first round 64 en route to a wire-to-wire victory.

“I haven’t played a tournament for a while so, hopefully I could produce a good outcome. I’ll just try to play well and enjoy and do the same approach—stay calm and be patient,” said Avaricio, who took advantage of the postponement of the Ladies Professional Golf Association Q-School Stage 2 to re-join the local pros and a slew of top amateurs in the 54hole, P1.25 million championship organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc.

“After it (Q-School) was moved, I decided to go home and join Pradera. It’s (travel) is a bit exhausting but it’s okay. I just wanted to improve more” added Avaricio, who is bracing for a tougher outing this time against the likes of Harmie Constantino, Chihiro Ikeda, Sunshine Baraquiel, Sarah Ababa, Marvi Monsalve, Florence Bisera, Martina Miñoza and Pamela Mariano, among others.

M afy Singson, who upstaged Avaricio and company to reign at Splendido Taal last May, beefs up the Ladies PGT cast, along with fellow amateur Rev Alcantara and Annika Guangko with Korean Kim Seoyun also tipped to strongly contend

Thompson plays like Big J on Sunday night

CROWD darling Barangay Ginebra San Miguel could have not ended its threeyear losing agony against fierce rival Magnolia in a fitting fashion.

W ith 12,087 screaming fans at the Mall of Asia Arena for the latest chapter of the Manila Clasico, the Gin Kings came, saw and finally conquered their arch nemesis by essaying an epic come-from-behind 103-97 win midway through the eliminations of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup on Sunday night.

Ginebra had several heroes in the comefrom-behind victory reminiscent of the way their predecessors played, but it was Scottie Thompson who shone brightest for the Kings that no less than coach Tim Cone was reminded of the great Robert Jaworski Sr., the acknowledged father and heart-and-soul of Ginebra’s never-say-die spirit.

The reigning MVP played with superb efficiency at +17, built around 14 points on 50-percent shooting, four rebounds, six assists and one steal in 28 minutes of action as the Gin Kings got the better of the Hotshots for the first time since the 2019 Commissioner’s Cup.

For the superb effort, Thompson was named Cignal Play-PBA Press Corps Player of the Week for the period October 19 to 23 as Ginebra (3-2 won-lost) dealt Magnolia its first

defeat in the tournament (5-1).

Thompson beat Rain or Shine rookie Gian Mamuyac and Converge’s Aljun Melecio for the weekly honor given out by the men and women regularly covering the PBA beat.

The heroic of the Barangay Ginebra guard included the big basket in the last five minutes that capped Ginebra’s crucial run for a 9593 lead, before resident import Justin Brownlee put on the finishing touches heading home.

Th at’s on top of Thompson’s key defensive stands in the clutch against the formidable backcourt of Magnolia, which in return earned him huge praises from Cone.

I grew up watching Sonny Jaworski in the old Toyota days and early Ginebra days. I’ve never seen someone bring back a team like Sonny Jaworski except tonight when Scottie brought us back,” said an ecstatic Cone.

“ That was really Jaworski-like tonight,” he said.

following a runnerup finish to Rianne Malixi at Riviera.

A s majority of the PGT bidders expect to cancel each other out off the mound, some feel the key will be on iron play while others believe it will go down to putting.

“ In windy conditions, it will require a combination of shots,” said multi-titled Tony Lascuña, adding he’s banking on his trusted 3-wood in a bid to recover the yards he would yield to the Tour’s noted power-hitters.

They include Angelo Que, Ira Alido, Marvin Dumandan, Orlan Sumcad, Reymon Jaraula, Zanieboy Gialon, young guns Sean Ramos, Ivan Monsalve and Keanu Jahns, amateur Josh Jorge, and Clyde Mondilla, who beat four others, including Lascuña, in a playoff to snare the Pradera Verde crown of PGT Asia in 2020.

Just have to make good putts all week,” said two-time winner Justin Quiban, whose stint in the P2 million seasonending championship put up by ICTSI marks his return to the local circuit following a series of campaigns abroad.

“Good driving and putting,” said Jobim Carlos, the 2018 Order of Merit winner who is also out to break a long slump marred by missed cuts and so-so finishes.

Go, Lady Blazers end campaign on winning note

COLLEGE

of St. Benilde (CSB) defeated Arellano University, 25-21, 25-22, 25-20, in the classification round to end its campaign in the Shakey’s Super League Collegiate Preseason Championship on a bright note Sunday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

T he reigning National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) champions asserted their mastery over their archrival to finish the tournament organized by Athletic Events and Sports Management Inc. (ACES) with two wins in four outings.

NC AA Most Valuable Player Mycah Go lifted the Lady Blazers on offense with 14 points. Cristy Ondangan had points, while Clydel Catarig scored all her 10 points off kills for the Taft-based squad.

It was a total team effort,” Catarig said. “We just did our role inside the court.”

C SB uncorked five straight points capped by a service ace from Go to turn a 17-18 deficit in the tight third set into a 22-18 advantage.

The Lady Chiefs tried to fight back but a couple of miscues in the final stretch allowed the Lady Blazers to complete the emphatic sweep in the rematch of the NCAA Season 97 Finals.

L aika Tudlasan finished with 11 points including 10 off kills for Arellano University.

Letran swept Jose Rizal University, 25-19, 2518, 25-26, behind Daisy Melendres’s 11 points off seven hits, three kill blocks and an ace.

The Lady Knights closed their campaign with one win in four games while the Lady Bombers dropped all their four matches in the tournament.

San Sebastian College, on the other hand, crushed Mapua University, 25-21, 25-17, 25-19, to list two wins in five outings in the competition.

Kristine Dionisio and Kamille Tan had 19 and 15 points, respectively, for the Lady Stags, who gave the Lady Cardinals their fourth loss in five games.

The classification round match between Lyceum of the Philippines University and University of the East was canceled due to health and safety protocols.

The second round will begin on Saturday.

In the second round, teams will play another round robin against the squads they have not faced in the first round to determine their rankings in the knockout quarterfinals.

The challenge system will also be available for use starting in the second round.

Navarro to play for NorthPort

NATIONAL

player William Navarro will start his journey in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Wednesday for the NorthPort Batang Pier.

NorthPort coach Alfredo “Pido” Jarencio confirmed to BusinessMirror on Monday that the 6-foot-6 versatile forward would be in Batang Pier uniform for their Commissioner’s Cup game on Wednesday against San Miguel Beer at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo City.

He’s going to be a big help for sure as an allaround player,” Jarencio said. “His experience is very important for us and he’ll be a boost for out perimeter offense.”

Navarro’s arrival at NorthPort comes after the athletic Jamie Malonzo was traded to Barangay Ginebra San Miguel for Arvin Tolentino and Prince Caperal. The Batang Pier are 3-3 won-lost in the conference.

BusinessMirror learned that Navarro, Batang Pier’s No. 2 pick in the special Gilas Pilipinas rookie draft last year, signed a twoconference deal with NorthPort. The terms of the contract were not revealed.

Navarro has earlier intended to play for Seoul Samsung in the Korean Basketball League last month, but was barred by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas because of his existing contract with NorthPort that expires in March 2023.

The full-time Gilas player averaged 5.1 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 13 games with the national squad. Josef Ramos

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