BusinessMirror September 06, 2023

TO 5.3% ON PRICE SPIKES

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

SUCCESSIVE typhoons have caused commodity prices to surge in August with vegetables like tomatoes and the country’s staple, rice, leading the charge to increase inflation to 5.3 percent, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

The poorest Filipinos experienced an even higher rate of inflation at 5.6 percent as food inflation for the bottom 30-percent income households at the national level moved at a faster pace of 7.7

percent in August 2023 from 6.1 percent in July 2023 and 7.1 percent in August 2022.

However, the Bangko Sentral

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Pinoys top Asean arrivals, drawing Japan’s ‘arigato’

By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo @akosistellaBM

Special to the BusinessMirror

FILIPINOS are among the top visitors to Japan as of July this year, earning the earnest gratefulness of its Ambassador in Manila, Koshikawa Kazuhiko.

Citing data from the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), Kazuhiko posted on X

NEDA EYES CALIBRATED CUTS IN RICE TARIFFS TO EASE PRICES

THE government may implement a calibrated reduction in rice tariffs to reduce the price of imported rice, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda).

THE full impact of the increase in market rates “may not have yet run its full course” and efforts must be exerted to strengthen the financial system to absorb risks that come with it, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

BSP Governor Eli M. Remolona Jr., the new chair of the Financial Stability Coordination Council (FSCC), said risks loom despite the recent strength of the economy.

The FSCC recently approved a range of actions to enhance the resilience of the country’s financial system. These include communication to the capital and contingent markets and putting in place the right tools and better data to preemptively manage possible contagion risks.

“While the high-level indicators are notable, there are many

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This is part of a slew of measures to make food more accessible to consumers.

(formerly Twitter): “The Philippines is now the top Asean country for tourist arrivals in Japan.

From 37,771 visitors from the Philippines in July 2019, we hosted 51,700 in July 2023—a 36.9-percent year-on-year increase! A big ‘arigatou gozaimasu! to all our Filipino visitors!”

Following the Philippines was Thailand with 49,600 visitors;

In a statement on Tuesday, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan called for a review of existing rice tariffs to help lower the price of the staple.

Neda said the review of the existing tariff levels on rice can help lower the cost of the commodity while considering the impact of this intervention on local producers.

“To partially counterbalance the rise in global prices and alleviate the impact on consumers and households, we may implement a temporary and calibrated reduction in tariffs,” Balisacan said.

Neda assured the public that the government will strengthen its measures to ensure food security, protect consumers, and provide assistance to farmers.

It said the expected reduction in rice production due to El Niño and the export ban recently imposed by major rice exporters such as India and Myanmar led to higher international rice prices.

Moreover, the alleged hoarding incidents, artificial shortage, and speculative business decisions of market players may have put further upward pressure on the domestic retail price of rice, it added.

Balisacan stressed the importance of

FREEDOM TOUR The municipality of Kalayaan in Palawan offers the Kalayaan Fish and Dive Expedition, which promises a thrilling sevenday journey across four enchanting islands: Pag-asa, Likas, Lawak and Patag, islands claimed by the Philippines in the West Philippine Sea. Story in Second Front Page, A18, “Palawan promotes WPS adventure tour.” PHOTOS BY KEN HUPANDA/KALAYAAN TOURISM PROMOTIONS AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. attends the plenary session at the Asean Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, September 5, 2023. In the background, the seat reserved for the leader of Myanmar remains vacant. Story on A2 WILLY KURNIAWAN/POOL PHOTO VIA

PHL to take leadership of Asean in 2026 instead of Myanmar

JAKARTA, Indonesia—Southeast Asian leaders decided that Myanmar won’t take over the rotating leadership of their regional bloc as scheduled in 2026, Asian diplomats and a leader said Tuesday, in the latest blow to efforts by its ruling generals to gain international recognition after violently seizing power in 2021.

Western governments led by the United States have condemned the Myanmar army’s ouster of Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratically elected government in 2021 and have demanded her immediate release from yearslong detention along with other officials.

The Philippines agreed to take over the regional bloc’s chairmanship in 2026 at an Asean summit hosted by Indonesia on Tuesday, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in a statement, citing what he told fellow leaders in the closed-door meetings.

“It is my pleasure to announce that the Philippines is ready to take the helm and chair Asean in 2026,” Marcos told his Asean counterparts in Jakarta, the statement said.

‘New chapter’—Marcos

MARCOS said he will push to bring the Asean to its “new chapter” once the country hosts the regional bloc’s summit in 2026.

We will fortify the foundations of our Community-building and navigate Asean as it embarks on a new chapter,” the chief executive said in his intervention during the Plenary of the 43rd Asean Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Marcos sought the support of other Asean members in the said initiative, which will involve strengthening Asean Centrality, promoting peace, security, stability, and prosperity in the region.

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This amid the prolonged geopolitical and socioeconomic challenges the bloc faces.

Despite these issues, Marcos said he is confident the regional bloc will still improve its macroeconomic fundamentals” through initiatives that enhance “connectivity and supply chains” like the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) as well as interoperability of digital systems.

“ The Philippines will always continue to strive to maintain Asean as a competitive and integrated regional economy,” Marcos said.

“Key to our integration efforts is facilitating a rules-based multilateral trading system that is open, free, and fair,” he added.

He also said it will involve boosting the competitiveness of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), start-ups, as well as upskilling the marginalized and the vulnerable.

The hosting of the Asean Summit, which is held twice every year, is handled by the country holding the Asean chairmanship.

The 44th Asean Summit will be hosted by Lao PDR next year.

Since the inauguration of Asean in 1967, the Philippines has already hosted the regional bloc’s summit in 1987, 2007, and in 2017.

Civil strife

MARCOS did not explain why Myanmar lost the prestigious yearlong Asean chairmanship, but two Asean diplomats told The Associated Press that it was related to the civil strife in the country and fears that the bloc’s relations with the United States and the European Union, among others, might be undermined because of their non-recognition of the military-led government in Myanmar.

The diplomats spoke on condition of

developments that we should still monitor. This is where systemic risk surveillance is critical because we need to assess if and how changing conditions in the global and regional markets mesh with our own domestic

anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the delicate issue publicly.

Continuing deadly civil strife in Myanmar and new flare-ups in long-simmering territorial disputes in the South China Sea were high in the agenda of the 10-nation bloc’s talks on Tuesday.

Thorny issues including the US-China rivalry in the region have set off divisions within Asean, and Indonesian President Joko Widodo renewed his call for unity.

“All of us are aware of the magnitude of the world’s challenges today, where the main key to facing them is the unity and centrality of Asean,” Widodo told fellow leaders.

He likened the regional group to a big ship carrying Southeast Asia’s people. “Asean leaders must ensure that this ship is able to keep going, able to keep sailing,” Widodo said. “We must be captains of our own ships to bring about peace, to bring about stability, to bring about shared prosperity.”

In a punitive step for their failure to comply with a five-point domestic peace plan crafted by Asean leaders in 2021, Myanmar’s top generals and their appointed officials were again barred from attending this year’s summit in Jakarta despite suggestions by some member states that they be allowed back because their ejection had failed to resolve the country’s crisis.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said Asean would stick with the plan.

Myanmar security forces have killed about 4,000 civilians and arrested 24,410 others since the army takeover, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a rights monitoring organization.

After their summit on Tuesday, the regional group’s leaders will meet with Asian and

situation,” the Governor said.

The FSCC pointed out that the economy is expanding, headline inflation is falling, employment is generally increasing, and there are no immediate signs of sector-wide

Western counterparts from Wednesday to Thursday, including US Vice President Kamala Harris, who is attending in lieu of President Joe Biden, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said before flying to Jakarta that he plans to offer assurances of the safety of the ongoing release into the sea of treated radioactive wastewater from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant. The release began on Aug. 24 and China immediately imposed a ban on all Japanese seafood.

Asked about the possibility of a meeting with Chinese Premier Li in Jakarta, Kishida said there had been no decision made on that.

On the South China Sea territorial disputes, the Asean leaders “reaffirmed the need to enhance mutual trust and confidence, exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities that would complicate or escalate disputes and affect peace and stability and avoid actions that may further complicate the situation,”according to a post-summit communiqué to be issued by Widodo in behalf of the other leaders.

Asean members Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei are involved in the territorial standoffs in the South China Sea, which China claims virtually in its entirely.

“We discussed the situation in the South China Sea, during which concerns were expressed by some Asean member states on the land reclamations, activities, serious incidents in the area, including actions that put the safety of all persons at risk, damage to the marine environment, which have eroded trust and confidence, increased tensions, and may undermine peace, security, and stability in the region,” the leaders planned to say, using similar language as in past communiqués. Reports by S amuel P. Medenilla and Associated Press writers Niniek Karmini and Jim Gomez

pressures among corporates.

It also observed that global growth prospects are more positive today than several months ago. However, there are still evident pressures from the Advanced Economies (AE) and even from within Asia.

BSP said the Council’s Systemic Risk Review highlighted that the growth prospects of the Philippines’ major trading partners are expected to diverge.

“In managing systemic risks, we prepare for viable possibilities rather than forecast the most likely outcome. And the FSCC does exactly that in this meeting,” Remolona said.

The FSCC meets quarterly but more frequent meetings have been convened when market conditions warrant.

This council of financial market authorities is composed of the BSP, the Department of Finance, the Insurance Commission, the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Under Executive Order No. 144, it is tasked with mitigating systemic risks which threaten the stability of the overall financial system.

Cai U. Ordinario

Neda. . .

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providing comprehensive assistance to rice and vegetable farmers to help them increase their production.

This is in response to the adverse effects of continuous rains in August and the anticipated impact of El Niño on domestic rice and vegetable production in the first quarter of 2024.

To aid consumers—particularly the poor— Balisacan said the government needs to accelerate the Food Stamp Program (FSP) rollout.

The FSP is one of the priority programs of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), which will provide P3,000 worth of food credits to target beneficiaries each month for six months.

Also, DSWD will provide P15,000 to smallscale rice retailers affected by Executive Order No. 39 through the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP).

The government will also provide assistance in transporting rice sacks from farmer cooperatives and traders to retailers and wholesalers. Moreover, the Office of the President will augment the funding needed to ensure assistance to retailers.

Other government support to consumers includes the continued implementation of Kadiwa stores, targeted cash transfers, and the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) Diskwento Caravan. Cai U. Ordinario

Inflation. . .

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ng Pilipinas (BSP) as well as the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) remain confident that the country’s inflation rate will slow to 2 to 4 percent by the last quarter of 2023.

“Inflation is likewise expected to remain elevated in the coming months due to continued impact of supply shocks on food prices and the rise in global oil prices. Nonetheless, inflation is still projected to decelerate back to within the inflation target by the fourth quarter 2023,” BSP said in a statement.

“The balance of risks to the inflation outlook continues to lean towards the upside owing to the potential impact of additional transport fare increases, higher-than-expected minimum wage adjustments in other regions, persistent supply constraints for key food items, El Niño weather conditions, and possible knock-on effects of higher toll rates on prices of key agricultural items. Meanwhile, the impact of a weaker-than-expected global economic recovery remains the primary downside risk to the outlook,” it added.

The prices of tomatoes nearly doubled, marking an inflation rate of 90.5 percent, the third highest it recorded in the series. Last year, tomato prices surged 130 percent in April 2022 and 125 percent in May 2022.

Regular-milled rice prices and well-milled rice prices also increased nationwide by 8.9 percent by averaging at P43.34 per kilo while well-milled rice prices grew 8.1 percent and averaged P47.63 per kilo. Overall, rice prices grew 8.7 percent in August 2023.

For the Bottom 30 percent, the inflation rate for rice was much higher at 9.1 percent while vegetable prices, which includes tomatoes, increased by 23.6 percent in August 2023.

The PSA explained that the impact of more expensive food items is greater among the poor because a larger part of their income is allocated for food. This does not mean the poor eat more but this is a function of their small incomes.

It added that paying for the same goods that richer households pay for at the same prevailing prices means a larger part of the poor’s meager income goes to food expenses.

“Inflation reduces the workers’purchasing power and reduces real income. This means that for the same amount of money, less goods will be bought. This can to greater amount of loans for poor households whose incomes has not increased,” Ateneo de Manila University economist Leonardo Lanzona told BusinessMirror.

With the Consumer Price Index (CPI) reaching 122.5 in August 2023, the value of every peso is now only 0.816 centavos. This means Filipinos today need to shell out an additional P18 or a total of P118 in 2023 to purchase goods worth P100 in 2018.

F or the Bottom 30 percent, their purchasing power was reduced to only 0.807 centavos. This means the poor need to shell out P20 more or P120 today to pay for goods worth P100 in 2018.

“This can (also) result in greater poverty especially for a country where a significant amount of households are just earning above the poverty threshold,” Lanzona said.

Poor nutrition, growth

WITH vegetables and rice prices increasing, De La Salle University economist Maria Ella Oplas expressed concern that this could lead to Filipinos, especially the poor living in urban areas where there are no readily available agricultural resources, to resort to unhealthy food choices.

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Vietnam with 44,800; Indonesia with 28,500; Singapore 25,300; and Malaysia with 17,400. Other Asean countries such as Brunei, Cambodia, Myanmar (Burma), and Lao PDR, were not included in the data published by the JNTO.

On a cumulative basis, Filipino visitors to Japan reached 328,800 from January to July this year, already 98.77 percent of the 332,891 who visited in the same period in prepandemic 2019. Thailand sent the most visitors to Japan for the reference period at 547,300, although this was still 28 percent off the same period in 2019. Vietnam was at second at 345,700, or a 17.6-percent increase from the same period in 2019.

Other visitors from Asean included Singapore at 278,800 (up 18 percent); Indonesia 230,200 (down 4.5 percent); and Malaysia at 211,600 (down 19 percent).

In an interview with the B usiness M irror , Monette G. Co said she has been to Japan six times already. “I keep going back because I feel there’s still so much to see. There are still a lot of places I want to visit.”

She added, “Japan is clean and you feel safe. Despite the language barrier, it’s easy to move around. Food is great too. Not cheap but the

Unhealthy food choices may include instant noodles which can act as both staple and viand. It is filling, tasty, and less expensive than nutritious options making these food items accessible to poorer households.

However, in rural areas or provinces nationwide, the agricultural spaces allow the poor to still include nutritious food in their diets because they can plant vegetables. This makes them more resilient to rising vegetable prices compared to those living in urban areas.

“The poor are highly elastic to price of nutritious food given the purchasing power of their money,” Oplas said. “Hence, a slight increase in the prices of healthy food will make them shift to less expensive and sadly unhealthy food. That is the sad reality of life.”

Given the recent increase in inflation, there could be some delay in terms of increasing economic growth in the second semester. Oplas expects “ber” months spending would be late and could only start in December.

Oplas said many stores in popular shopping destinations in Metro Manila like Divisoria remain shuttered despite it being the start of the “ber” season. The same was true for foot traffic, as she observed malls still lacked the usual “holiday” shopping crowd of as early as September.

However, Oplas said, being Filipinos, people will still find ways to celebrate the holiday season. Demand for various goods and services will still pick up albeit at a much later date.

“Filipinos will still celebrate. We will still create demand. But the demand will be felt in shorter time. If before September to December ang preparations [for the holidays], baka [this year] December 1 na mag start mag demand ang mga tao because of inflation,” she said.

Meanwhile, Lanzona said faster growth matters for Filipinos to see an increase in their real incomes. “Actual output value needs to go up by more than the inflation rate to achieve a higher real income. This only means that inflation causes a drag in the economy’s growth. Higher inflation then slows down the growth,” he said.

Credibility at risk

GIVEN the high inflation rate in August, the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) noted that inflation has been “above the target of the BSP for almost two years already.” Should this continue, BPI said it may affect BSP’s credibility as an inflation targeting bank.

“It should be noted that inflation has been above the target of the BSP for almost two years already. A longer period of above target inflation may affect the BSP’s credibility as an inflation targeting central bank, which in turn may limit their ability to control inflation,” BPI said.

BPI said most of the risks that could increase inflation may be found in the supply side. If not managed well, the bank expects this to pave the way for second-round effects. It added that core inflation, meanwhile, is expected to bounce back in the last quarter. This makes it even more important to keep interest rates high to prevent it from rising again. “ We reiterate our view that rate cuts are premature at this point, considering the possibility of inflation remaining above the target of the BSP in the next 6 months,” BPI said. Meanwhile, HSBC Global Research said given the latest inflation print, BSP may keep its policy rate unchanged at 6.25 percent in the September 21 meeting, “but acknowledge that it’s a tough call.” HSBC said the importance of rice for Filipinos and the recent high prices could “kickstart a series of second-round effects.” This would be a policy call for the BSP in the upcoming Monetary Board meeting.

quality is excellent.” The last time she went was just in October 2022, when she and her husband, Atoy, joined a food tour of Hokkaido promoted by a local chef in partnership with a Japan travel agency.

Earlier, Aileen Clemente, president of Rajah Travel Corp., said Japan remains the most popular destination for Filipinos, followed by Singapore and Bangkok, and Hong Kong. (See, “PSA: Pinoy wanderers hike spending in vacations abroad,” in the BusinessMirror, July 10, 2023.)

According to the JNTO, of the total number of Filipinos who visited in the first seven months of the year, 180,765 visited for tourism purposes; 120,784 went for business, and 27,251 were for “others” or an unspecified purpose.

Meanwhile, in prepandemic 2019, some 42 percent of Filipino visitors to Japan were first-time tourists, 35 percent had visited a second or third time, and 19.5 percent had visited the country anywhere from four to nine times.

Filipinos also appear to be quite adventurous when visiting Japan, as almost 88 percent of them in 2019 traveled there using their own arrangements, compared to the rest who joined group tours or “used a package product for individual travel.”

Over 50 percent of Filipinos who traveled to Japan in 2019 stayed from four to six days, while 36.5 percent stayed within seven to 13 days. No data were available for 2022 or for the first seven months of 2023 for these data categories.

Quimbo files bill on state of national rice emergency

AN economist-lawmaker filed the proposed Philippine Rice Emergency Response Act, which includes granting the President the power to address extreme cases of dwindling supply and soaring prices of rice.

Marikina Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo said she filed House Bill 9030 last Monday after the Department of Agriculture (DA) Price Monitoring reported rice prices at P57 per kilo in the National Capital Region (NCR) markets in August, 16 percent higher than prices in July.

“

With increasing reports of rice hoarders and the threat of El Niño, there are concerns about the sufficiency of domestic rice supply. To allay the fears of the Filipino people, there is an urgent need for swift action,” said Quimbo.

“The Philippine Rice Emergency Response Act, filed as House Bill 9030, is not just a reaction to these challenges. Rather, it is a strategic set of solutions—a comprehensive tool kit—that seeks to shield consumers and our local farmers, as well as traders, during tight conditions in the rice market,” the lawmaker explained.

Quimbo added that the bill provides for a three-pronged strategy.

“The first set of strategies is to directly address prices by ensuring sufficient supply. This bill seeks to allow imports by the NFA [National Food Authority] to increase its buffer stocks. Further, it uses rice tariff reduction as a way to further manage prices, especially when world rice prices are high,” she said.

“The second set of strategies includes subsidizing key stakeholders in the production and consumption of rice, including local farmers and impoverished households. In case a price ceiling is in place, retailers can also be subsidized if they face operating losses. And finally, to go after hoarders, the third set includes increasing the penalties for hoarding and price manipulation, with higher fines and longer imprisonment,” she added.

With the President’s directive to control the price of rice, Quimbo said it remains essential to remove legal and funding constraints that government agencies will face in performing this mandate.

The bill serves this purpose. It paves the way for a strategic and efficient use of resources, aiming to support Filipino farmers

and other vital stakeholders in the rice supply chain,” she said.

D uring times of crisis in rice supply or price, the bill grants the President the power to declare a national rice emergency for a maximum of six months.

The bill said the President, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, shall have the authority to declare a national emergency due to (1) an extreme rice shortage, (2) an extraordinary rice price increase, or (3) a sustained rice price increase.

T he measure said that during a National Rice Emergency, the government can (1) reduce or suspend tariffs on rice (subject to certain conditions), (2) allow the NFA to import for buffer stocking, (3) use the unutilized funds of different government programs for subsidies for farmers, consumers, and retailers, and (4) re-program the use of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), including allowing the use of the fund for cash assistance for farmers and other suppliers.

T he measure also amends the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund under Section 13 of the Rice Tariffication Law.

The bill said during a state of national rice emergency, the entire Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund of that fiscal year may be used for programs that will respond to the economic crisis, subject to the approval of the Department of Agriculture, including the provision of cash assistance to farmers and other affected sectors, regardless of whether tariff revenues from rice importation exceed P10 billion.

Under the Rice Tariffication Law, the RCEF allocates P10 billion to four component programs: mechanization (P5 billion), seeds (P3 billion), extension (P1 billion), and credit (P1 billion).

Quimbo said higher penalties are set for hoarding and other acts of illegal price manipulation, as defined by the Price Act: a minimum of 10 years imprisonment to a maximum of 30 years, from 5 to 15 years in the Price Act.

The bill provides a minimum of P1 million to a maximum of P100 million, from P5,000 to P1 million, in the Price Act as a penalty.

Also, the bill said government officials found guilty of price manipulation are given the maximum penalties.

Dela Cruz

Jovee Marie N.

SC tells prosecutors to be ‘precise’ in filing information in rape cases

By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

THE Supreme Court (SC) has reminded prosecutors to be precise in filing information related to rape cases before the Court, particularly on the relationship between the offender and the victim.

In a 24-page decision penned by Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo, the Court’s First Division stressed that the use of the word “or” in the information to describe the relationship of the accused and the victim in a qualified rape case would deprive the former of his right to be informed of the nature of the charge against him.

The Court noted that Section 6 in relation to Section 9 of the Rules of Criminal Procedure requires that the information must be sufficient.

In the event that a qualifying or aggravating circumstance attended the commission of the crime, the SC stressed that the Rules mandates that the same

By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

AFTER a marathon hearing that saw the cyclist-victim of a gun-toting ex-cop saying he had forgiven his aggressor, senators on Tuesday pushed for stricter enforcement of bike lanes and other initiatives for active mobility, as well as law governing possession and carrying guns.

They also signaled support for a proposal to designate “road rage” as a separate crime in order to allow the State to proceed with prosecuting an aggressor in road altercations even if the victim has stepped back.

THE head of the Teachers Dignity Coalition (TDC) on Tuesday said that while his group appreciates praises given to educators, he urged politicians and officials of the Department of Education (DepEd) to finally give what is due them like salary hike, mandated 60-day rest after each school year, additional health benefits, as well as lessening the workload of teachers.

“As always, expect an oversupply of platitudes from ghost writers paid for by politicians using taxpayer’s money. Elected officials never miss opportunities like this to have their names ringing in our ears, enough to last till the next elections,” TDC national president Benjo Basas said.

“We are going to hear, yet again, sweet words praising teachers for their sacrifices and heroic deeds. Perhaps a little promise here and there will be sprinkled, as tradition dictates. Sad, yes. But even sadder is the fact that, as always, many teachers will once again naively believe what they hear and hope for better things to come,” Basas said.

Basas added that the country’s elected officials and bureaucrats running the education agencies “have their hearts set on things too remote from our teachers’ well-being, our children’s education, and our people’s future.”

The call of the TDC came as the country celebrates today the start of the National Teachers Month.

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), meanwhile, also shared the same sentiment with TDC.

ACT chairperson Vladimir Quetua said it would be better for the national government to use its multi-billion peso confidential and intelligence funds to improve social services, including education, as the country commemorates the Teacher’s Month.

“We in ACT asserted that President Marcos Jr.’s planned hefty budget in contingency, confidential, intelligence and travel funds be rechanneled to address pressing education needs and underfunded social services. In the 2024 National Expenditure Program, the Office of the

President has asked for an outstanding P4.56 billion in funding for confidential and intelligence funds,” Quetua said, adding that Malacañang also get additional funding for the President’s travel expenses.

Quetua also said that despite repeated promises by DepEd to lessen the teachers’ workload, the reality is that they are still taking in more than the required work by attending to teaching and clerical or ancillary tasks due to the government’s failure to hire more teachers.

“We need more than 100,000 additional teachers, at least 90,000 education support personnel to construct and repair at least 280, 000 classrooms in order to reduce the class size to 35 students per classroom,” he said.

Basas added it would do well for education officials and politicians to address their long-held call for salary hike, the mandated 60-day rest after each school year, additional teachers’ health benefits, as well as lessening the workload of teachers by ensuring that they really teach instead of doing clerical work.

“Teachers in public schools manage an average of 45-60 students per class, with some experiencing shifts and overtime without additional compensation,” he added.

The annual month-long celebration, which began in 2011, in accordance with Proclamation 242 issued by then President Benigno Aquino III.

This year’s celebration with the theme “Together4Teachers” according to a statement issued by DepEd, aims “to honor Filipino teachers who are partners in building a patriotic and child-friendly nation.”

Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Z. Duterte reiterated its support of the country’s schoolteachers by conducting nationwide tree-planting activities.

The series of tree-planting activities will be done through the 10 Office of the Vice President (OVP) Satellite Offices in Dagupan, Isabela, Region V, Cebu, Bacolod, Tacloban, Davao, Surigao, Zamboanga and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

should be stated in “ordinary and concise language.”

It added that the relationship can not increase the crime from a simple rape to qualified rape if the information filed was not clear about the actual relationship between the offender and the victim.

Thus, the SC partially granted the plea of the accused-appellant and affirmed with modification the ruling of the Court of Appeals (CA), which found the appellant guilty of qualified theft.

The SC held that the appellant is only liable for simple rape due to the failure of the prosecution to precisely state the relationship of the appellant to the victim.

In 2015, accused-appellant was charged for the rape of a 15-yearold female.

The information filed contains the allegation that the victim is a “first cousin or relative within the third civil degree of consanguinity” of accused-appellant.

In 2017, accused-appellant was convicted by the trial court

for qualified rape as defined under Article 266-A in relation to Article 266-B of the Revised Penal Code (RPC).

The CA affirmed the regional trial court, prompting the accused-appellant to seek redress before the High Court, which affirmed the latter’s conviction but only for simple rape under paragraph 1 of Article 266-A of the RPC.

Under the said provision, one commits the crime of rape when all of the following are present: (1) the offender had carnal knowledge of the victim; and (2) such act was accomplished through force or intimidation; or when the victim is deprived of reason or otherwise unconscious; or when the victim is under 12 years of age.

Such crime of rape is qualified under Art. 266-B (1) when it is committed by a relative by consanguinity or affinity within the third civil degree of a victim below the age of 18.

The penalty is also increased, from reclusion perpetua to death.

While the Court found that all elements under Article 266-A were present, it held that the prosecution failed to establish that the rape was qualified.

“The use of word ‘or’ in the information allowed the prosecution an opportunity to indict accused-appellant in the alternative, either as a first cousin or a relative within the third civil degree of consanguinity,” the SC pointed out.

“This cannot be permitted as it did not sufficiently apprise accused-appellant of his precise liability in committing the offense,” it added.

Thus, the SC said if the Information did not specifically allege the relationship, it couldn’t increase the crime to qualified rape.

Meanwhile, the Court ordered the accused-appellant to pay the victim P150,000 as civil and moral damages plus P75,000 as exemplary damages, with an interest rate of 6 percent per annum from the finality of the decision.

“forgiven” the former cop, who hit him in the head before drawing his gun on him.

Sen. JV Ejercito, who rides a bike almost daily, showed photos debunking Gonzales’ claim that it was the cyclist who was the aggressor, and that his gloved hand had hard knuckles when he hit the ex-cop’s car.

Ejercito said the photos show this was a lie, and dela Rosa warned him he could be cited in contempt for perjury.

‘Responsible’ gun use

At the hearing presided over by public order and dangerous drugs committee chair Senator Ronald dela Rosa, senators weighed in on the viral video showing dismissed policeman Wally Gonzales pull out a handgun on cyclist Allan Bandiola in Quezon City after the cyclist thumped his car when it strayed into the bike lane and almost hit the cyclist.

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said he favored designating “road rage” as a separate crime, after senators heard the cyclist claim he had

By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

THE Land Transportation Of -

fice (LTO) on Tuesday said it is reviewing the proposal to stamp the Official Receipt, Certificate of Registration (ORCR) on the vehicles of owners to indicate that the validity of their driver’s licenses is extended.

LTO Chief Vigor Mendoza II said his office will “study” the proposal as a measure to curb the effect of the temporary restraining order (TRO) that a local court issued against the agency in issuing new license cards to drivers.

“We are reviewing all measures that we can implement in the event that the TRO on the distribution of cards will not be lifted. All suggestions are being welcomed by the agency. As I’ve also said before, the LTO has been eyeing to shift to electronic driver’s license and of course,

A HANDGUN is not a weapon that is used to feel fearless. This was the reminder of Sen. Robinhood “Robin” C. Padilla Tuesday to retired policeman Wilfredo Gonzales, who figured in a “road rage” incident last August 8.

During the hearing of the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, Padilla said he was saddened by Gonzales’ act of assaulting a cyclist and pulling out his gun because it affects responsible gun owners.

“Kasi ang baril pwede yang depensa yan at saka sa sport. Hindi yan pang opensa. Hindi yan isang bagay na parang nakainom lang ng gin ang

tapang mo na pag may baril ka. [You use a handgun in self-defense and in sport, not as an offensive weapon. That is not something that you brandish to feel fearless especially after drinking],” he said.

Padilla also lauded cyclist Allan Bandiola for thinking of his family’s safety, even as he stressed such an incident should never happen again. Also, he rejected Gonzales’ explanation that he pulled out his firearm because he felt threatened by Bandiola.

“Hindi ko matatanggap. Kasi gun owner tayo, responsible, bawal yan. Hindi mo dapat nilalabas yan. Pasensya na ayoko magtaas ng boses dahil nakatatanda kayo pero hindi ako papayag na tatanggapin natin yan mga gun owner pag ganyan kakasa ng baril, huwag naman po. [I cannot accept that. We are responsible gun owners. You should never have pulled out your firearm. I don’t want to raise my voice because you are a senior citizen but I cannot accept such behavior by gun owners],” he said.

Padilla added such behavior is never acceptable because gun owners should always be responsible. “Tapos na ang panahon ni Jesse James (The days of outlaw Jesse James are over),” he said.

PN beefs up fleet with two more ex-Cyclone patrol vessels from US

THE Philippine Navy  (PN) on Tuesday said that it will be christening and commissioning into service two US-donated Cyclone-class patrol vessels this coming September 11.

“The PN will be conducting the christening and commissioning ceremony of the two newly-acquired Alvarez-class patrol vessels, namely BRP Valentin Diaz [PS-177] and BRP Ladislao Diwa [PS-178] with Honorable Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr., Secretary of National Defense as Guest of Honor and Speaker,” PN spokesperson Captain Benjo Negranza said in a statement.

Christening and commissioning ceremonies will be conducted at PN headquarters at Naval Station Jose Andrada, Roxas Boulevard, Manila.

The incoming BRP Valentin Diaz and BRP Ladislao Diwa are the sister ships of the BRP General Mariano Alvarez (PS-38), the first ex-Cycloneclass vessel turned over to the PN in 2004. BRP General Mariano Alvarez was formerly known as the USS Cyclone (PC-1).

extending the validity of the existing licenses,” he said.

To recall a Quezon City Regional Trial Court issued a stay order against the LTO against the award of the license card supply contract.  Allcard Inc., the bidder that failed the post-qualification process for the said deal, sought the issuance of a stay order against the deal, citing “grave abuse of discretion regulating in lack or excess of jurisdiction to post disqualify petitioner Allcard, despite being the lowest calculated bidder and consequently to question the award of the contract to respondent Banner Plasticard Inc.”  Banner Plasticard Inc. won the auction in June.

To recall, Allcard was disqualified during the post-qualification process of its bid after the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) Central Bids and Awards Committee (CBAC) found

that it had “incurred delays in its ongoing contracts with the government.”

Mendoza said studying the proposed stamping of the ORCR on the vehicles is part of possible solutions to curb the TRO’s effects.

“Stamping the ORCR on the vehicles is part of the measures that we are studying. We will consult with the Department of Transportation on what’s the best measure so that we will no longer add burden to our drivers and motorists,” he explained.

Agri Party list Rep. Wilbert Lee earlier suggested the measure to “reduce cost on the part of the LTO.”

Mendoza said he is still optimistic that the TRO on the release of plastic driver’s license cards would soon be lifted. He said addressing the backlogs on the license cards is still “among the priorities of the agency.”

The TRO is expected to lapse today, September 6.

The US Navy transferred these two Cyclone-class patrol vessels to the PN upon decommissioning in Bahrain this March 28.

They were formerly known as the USS Monsoon (PC-4) and USS Chinook (PC-9).

They were transferred to the PN through the Excess Defense Article (EDA) program and delivered to the country last May.

The Cyclones are a class of US Navy coastal patrol boats consisting of some 14 ships and were constructed from 1992 to 1994.

These vessels weigh around 328.5 long tons and have a length of 179 feet, a beam of 25 feet, and a draft of 7.5 feet. Their maximum speed is placed at 35 knots and they have a range of between 2,000 to 2,500 nautical miles.

Cyclone-class patrol vessels are armed with two 25mm auto-cannons and several high-powered machine guns. Rex Anthony Naval

Senate on track to designate ‘road rage’ as separate crime; pushes stricter enforcement of bike lanes  LTO chief reviews OR/CR stamping proposal in lieu of new driver’s card

Wednesday, September 6, 2023

Rice retailers affected by rice cap may get ₧15K aid–DSWD chief C

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is ready to provide P15,000 in cash assistance to small rice retailers who may incur losses due to the Malacañang-mandated price ceiling on rice, which became effective on Tuesday, even as the h o use Committee on Appropriations searches for unprogrammed funds in the 2023 General Appropriations Act to augment this funding.

DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said he was directed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to use the department’s Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) to help small rice retailers recover their would-be losses from the temporary price cap.

Under e xecutive Order No. 39 signed by e xecutive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on August 31, the mandated price ceiling for regular milled rice is P41 per kilo, while the mandated price cap for well-milled rice is P45 per kilo.

The DSWD chief said the SLP currently has a P5.5 billion budget, which can be immediately used to help cushion the impact of the price cap on rice, particularly among small rice retailers who have very small inventories.

The SLP is a capacity-building program that provides start-up capital for those who wish to start a small business; capital building

for cases similar to the effects of e O 39 on small businesses; and employment grants.

The DSWD chief said the department is just waiting for the list of qualified small rice retailers, which will be provided by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Agriculture (DA). “ h o pefully, by next week, we can conduct a payout for the sustainable livelihood grant to our affected rice retailers,” he said.

Gatchalian pointed out that the DSWD is ready to begin the nationwide payout to the qualified recipients of the financial aid amounting to a maximum amount of P15,000.

The DSWD chief held meetings with Speaker Martin Romualdez and h o use Committee on Appropriations chairman Rep. Zaldy Co of Ako-Bicol party list, who both vowed to raise P2 billion to help augment the SLP budget for the benefit of more small rice traders and retailers.

Unprogrammed funds

C O, meanwhile, said his committee is looking at unprogrammed funds in the 2023 national budget as a possible source of the P2-billion budget to earmark as cash assistance for rice retailers affected by the rice price ceiling.

“We are looking at the unprogrammed

CSOs call for sustainable and just energy transformation in Asean

fund, and hopefully, it has been checked that there are available funds, and at the same time, Secretary Rex still has funds,” Co said.

The unprogrammed appropriations are standby appropriations and are not backed up by revenues. Any expenditure from this fund may only be authorized when supported by: (a) excess revenue collections in any one of the identified non-tax revenue sources from its corresponding revenue collection targets, as reflected in the Budget of expenditures and Sources of Financing (BeSF); (b) new revenue collections or those arising from new tax or non-tax sources that are not part of, nor included in, the original revenue sources reflected in the BeSF; or (c) approved loans for foreign-assisted projects.

“Our President’s priority is the NCR [National Capital Region] because that is the most affected. Another instruction of our President and Sec. Rex in DTI is to provide assistance to only indigent retailers because we have retailers and at the same time importers,” he said.

“[We should help] the really small retailers, in the sari-sari stores in the barangays or in the market, who are really not the big time [retailers]. Only those who are really affected, those who are rich enough to absorb it, are no longer covered because that is not allowed in our guidelines,” he added.

Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

I v I L society organizations (CSOs) across Southeast Asia (S e A) called on Asean leaders to establish structured platforms for meaningful engagement on sustainable and equitable energy with multi-stakeholders in the region.

At the same time, the groups also highlighted the importance of establishing robust mechanisms for transparency, accountability, and governance that encompass both public and private sectors in a joint statement by 19 CSOs following the Regional Convening of CSOs on Just energy Transition during the ASeAN summit in Jakarta, Indonesia from August 29 to 31.

Around 70 climate and energy thought leaders, policymakers, and experts from Indonesia, Philippines, Timor Leste, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Laos gathered in Jakarta for critical dialogues and collaborative endeavors aimed at driving a sustainable and equitable energy transition across SeA

With Indonesia taking on the role of hosting the Asean Summit, the year 2023 could be a turning point in terms of the energy transition efforts within the region.

Asean has already committed to addressing climate change through the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the increase of renewable energy use. however, the pursuit of a just energy transition in the region continues to be riddled with challenges. According to the Asean Centre for energy, at least 47 million of the Asean population still has no access to electricity.

“Commitments so far have focused more on the technocratic aspects of reducing the use of fossil fuel energy and accelerating the

development of renewable energy. The question arises: Where is the equity? Where is justice in the energy transition declaration from the Asean ministries?” said Publish What You Pay (PWYP)

Indonesia National Coordinator Aryanto Nugroho.

The Oxfam in Asia Regional Director John Samuel explained, “When we talk about decarbonizing energy transition, it involves technology and it involves money. On top of securing access to these resources is the need to ensure that these fairly reach the poorest and marginalized sectors of the society.”

They also urged leaders to promote the development and adoption of appropriate and sustainable technologies and integrate genderresponsive and socially inclusive policies into every facet of energy transition planning and implementation.

The groups also pushed for implementing robust capacity-building programs and assurance that “justice is at the heart of transition.”

SeA is at the forefront of climate risk (Global Climate Risk Index, 2021). With increasing average temperature by 2.3 degrees Celsius, the McKinsley Global Institute estimates that 600 million people in Asia could be affected by heat waves in a year. ex treme rainfall in Asian regions could increase by three or four times.

The 2022 Oxfam report states that these frequent and intense climate disasters disproportionally affect marginalized communities and social groups.

however, an energy transition alone does not ensure that vulnerable groups benefit from the transition.

Sen. Go to push for increased budget for cancer care, supports CAF for OFWs

Se N ATOR Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, chairperson of the Senate Committee on h e alth, has expressed his full support for Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri’s suggestion to establish an endowment fund for cancer-stricken overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

This initiative is in memory of the late Migrant Workers Secretary Ma. Susana “Toots” Ople, who was a staunch advocate for the welfare of OFWs and who passed away recently while battling breast cancer.

Meanwhile, Go’s support for the Cancer Assistance Fund (CAF) represents

a sustained commitment building upon his previous efforts to strengthen the fund. During the budget deliberations for the 2023 General Appropriations Act (GAA), Go was instrumental in securing a P500 million allocation for CAF under the Department of h e alth.

Initially, the proposed budget for 2023 had no allocation for the Cancer Assistance fund. h o wever, both the h o use of Representatives and the Senate managed to add substantial amounts to fund the program, thanks to the collective efforts of lawmakers.

“I am always one with you in the fight

against this disease,” Go said.

“In fact, during the budget deliberations last year, I pushed for an additional budget for the cancer assistance fund to subsidize the cost of cancer treatment, including the needed diagnostics and laboratory tests,” he added.

Looking ahead to 2024, Go aims to double the current allocation to further strengthen the fund and extend help to more cancer patients. This is in line with the National Integrated Cancer Control Act (NICCA), under Republic Act No. 11215, which includes CAF as an essential component.

Asean possesses a significant abundance of renewable energy sources, including solar, wind, and hydro, although their distribution across the region is not uniform. As per the Sustainable Development Scenario outlined by the International energy Agency (IeA), Southeast Asia necessitates an annual investment of approximately $180 billion in clean energy by 2030 to ensure alignment with the region’s climate objectives.

The availability of affordable financing for a just energy transition, however, remains a distant reality in the Asean context.

“With the broader aim of a fossil-free future that ensures no one is left behind, the convening compelled us to reevaluate our direction. There are so many opportunities for action, but how can we recalibrate our efforts to align with this overarching goal, maximize our impact in the spheres of influence, and minimize inefficiencies along the way?” Climate Action Network Southeast Asia (CANSeA) Policy and Administrative Officer Pree Bharadwaj said.

Numerous ASeAN nations house indigenous groups and vulnerable communities whose wellbeing and traditional ways of life face jeopardy from coal mining and electricity generation. In this context, a just energy transition mandates the shielding of these communities and their traditional lands.

The SeA regional convening on just energy transition aims to address these complex issues head on by fostering robust multi-stakeholder collaboration and bringing country-level JeT narratives into a cohesive regional perspective.

Jonathan L. Mayuga

Section 20 of NICCA ensures that cancer patients have access to free financial assistance for various needs, including screening tests, specialized treatments, diagnosis, palliative care, and medications.

Beyond CAF, Go has also been a driving force behind the recently signed RA 11959, or the Regional Specialty Centers (RSC) Act, which he principally sponsored and of which he is one of the authors in the Senate.

The newly enacted law aims to create additional specialty centers in various regions, including cancer centers, thereby ensuring that Filipinos have access to specialized medical services without the need to travel to Manila.

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

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

2 ANOC99 CORPORATION

1 Building, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

3 CONTOUR OPTIK PHILIPPINE INC.

Block 1, Lot 4, Phase 1, Suntrust Ecotown, Paradahan I, Tanza, Cavite

WANG, RUICAI Chinese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

XIAOYUN, MEI

Production Head

Brief Job Description: Lead the major production process, installation of machine and research the new design of eye wear

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

Salary Range: Php30,000Php59,999

Basic Qualification: With eye wear manufacturing experience and can speak Mandarin fluently

Salary Range: Php30,000Php59,999

4 CROWN LIFT TRUCKS PHILIPPINES CORP.

Warehouse 12 Compound, Bicutan Road, Batino, City of Calamba, Laguna

SANDILANDS, KENNETH JAMES EDWARD Service Technical Officer

Brief Job Description: Provide support and technical expertise to field, state, site and workshop technicians with technical faults

Basic Qualification: Must have crown battery electric OEM and crown internal combustion OEM service training

Salary Range: Php30,000Php59,999

5 HYS METAL PLASTIC AND ELECTRONICS (PHILIPPINES) INC.

Amplefield Sme Park, J.P. Rizal Ave., Lima Technology Center, Bugtong Na Pulo, City of Lipa, Batangas

6 LEADING SUCCESS (PHILS.)

CHEN, CHUKUN NCT Technical Consultant

Brief Job Description: Plan and coordinate production engineering processes on daily basis to produce high quality products

Basic Qualification: Must have experience in manufacturing of bending metals and cut industry

Salary Range: Php60,000 –Php89,999

Cavite

82 MOA CLOUDZONE CORP.

Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

83 MOA CLOUDZONE CORP.

Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

84 MOA CLOUDZONE CORP.

Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

85 MOA CLOUDZONE CORP.

Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

86 MOA CLOUDZONE CORP.

Island Cove II, Covelandia Road, Pulvorista, Kawit, Cavite

NGUYEN BAO TRIEU Vietnamese Customer Service Representative Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

NGUYEN DOAN NGO

Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

PHAN THE CAI

Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

TRAN VAN HUNG

Vietnamese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries

Php59,999

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read and write Chinese and Vietnamese language Salary Range: Php30,000Php59,999

Basic Qualification:

Able to speak, read and write Chinese and Vietnamese language

Salary Range: Php30,000Php59,999

Basic Qualification:

Able to speak, read and write Chinese and Vietnamese language

Salary Range: Php30,000Php59,999

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

Salary Range: Php30,000Php59,999

Thailand’s new government takes office; Cabinet members take oath in front of king

By Jerry Harmer The Associated Press

BANGKOK—Thailand’s new government officially took office on Tuesday, almost four months after the country’s general election, as new Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin led the 34 members of his Cabinet to take their oaths of office in front of King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

Srettha, representing the Pheu Thai

party, was named prime minister by Parliament on Aug. 22 after weeks of delay because of disagreement over the formation of a coalition.

The 61-year-old Srettha, a prominent real estate developer who officially entered politics last year, also holds the finance minister’s post. He presided over the traditional group photograph in front of Government House in Bangkok with his Cabinet members wearing their white civil servant uniforms. He

later held a brief news conference, saying his government is determined to do its best to represent the Thai people and solve many pressing problems that the country is facing.

“I believe it is time that we should pull together and give this Cabinet a chance to start working on all issues, whether it is economics, social (or) political,” Srettha said. The delay in forming a new government was caused by Parliament’s failure

to endorse a coalition formed by the party that won the most seats in the May polls, the Move Forward party. It could not win a majority in a combined vote of the House of Representatives and the Senate because its progressive platform alienated members of the conservative Senate, who singled out its support for minor reforms to the monarchy as the reason for rejecting it. The Pheu Thai party, which placed second in the election, then formed a broader coalition without Move Forward and was able to win Senate support. But it succeeded only by including pro-military parties from the last government, reneging on a campaign pledge not to do so.

Pheu Thai is backed by former

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a military coup in 2006. Thaksin, a billionaire populist, fled Thailand in 2008 to avoid prison on charges he said were politically motivated, but returned to Thailand on August 22 to serve an eight-year prison term. It was announced Friday that the king has commuted his sentence to one year.

Srettha’s Cabinet is drawn from six parties belonging to Pheu Thai’s 11-party coalition.

It includes a number of ministers who served in the previous government of Prayuth Chan-ocha, including Anutin Charnvirakul, who takes over at the Interior Ministry after serving as public health minister and spearheading

the decriminalization of cannabis. Another returnee is Thammanat Prompao, who had served as deputy agriculture minister despite being convicted and jailed in Australia in 1994 in connection with heroin smuggling. He is the new agriculture minister.

Pheu Thai has said the coalition members back the party’s platform of boosting the economy, including by increasing the minimum wage, among other measures. They will also support keeping medical marijuana legal and work to amend the constitution to help the country become more democratic. However, there are no plans to amend the law against royal defamation, a reform strongly rejected by the country’s conservative ruling elite.

UN food agency drops aid to 2 million hungry people in Afghanistan due to cash shortfall

By Rahim Faiez

The Associated Press

ISLAMABAD—The UN food agency said Tuesday it must drop another 2 million hungry people from food assistance in Afghanistan this month due to a massive funding shortfall.

The action means that 10 million people will be cut off from the agency’s support this year in the country, the World Food Program said in a statement. The new cuts mean the agency will be able to provide food assistance to about a fifth of the 15 million people who need it in Afghanistan, the agency said.

“Amid already worrying levels of hunger and malnutrition, we are obliged to choose between the hungry and the starving, leaving millions of families scrambling for their next meal,” said Hsiao-Wei Lee, WFP’s director in Afghanistan. “With the few resources we have left, we are not able to serve all those people teetering on the edge of utter destitution.”

The Taliban promised a more moderate rule than during their previous period in power in the 1990s. But they have imposed harsh measures since seizing Afghanistan in August 2021 as US and NATO forces were pulling out after two decades of war.

Among their actions, the Taliban have prohibited Afghan women from working at local and non-governmental organizations. Aid agencies have been providing food, education, and health care support to Afghans in the wake of the Taliban takeover of August 2021 and the economic collapse that followed.

The ban was extended to employees of the United Nations in April.

The measures have triggered a fierce international uproar, increasing the country’s isolation at a time when its economy has collapsed and its humanitarian crisis grows grimmer.

In April and May, the WFP said it was forced to cut off 8 million people from food assistance.

WFP is often the last lifeline for women, who are increasingly being pushed out of society and face dwindling options for making a living and feeding their children.

The cuts announced Tuesday mean that 1.4 million new and expecting mothers and their children are no longer receiving specialized food designed to prevent malnutrition, the program said. WFP expects to see a sharp rise in admissions to nutrition centers in the months to come as children slide deeper into hunger.

“A small window of opportunity remains to avert catastrophe in Afghanistan, but we are running out of time,” said Lee. “The cost of inaction will be paid by the most vulnerable women and children.”

For the next six months, WFP needs $1 billion to reach 21 million people with lifesaving food and nutrition assistance. This includes money to place food in communities that will become cut off during the harsh Afghan winter, the statement added.

Kenya’s leader says climate change is eating away Africa’s GDP, calls for talks on global carbon tax

By Cara Anna & Evelyne Musambi

The Associated Press

NAIROBI, Kenya—Climate change is “relentlessly eating away” at Africa’s economic progress and it’s time to have a global conversation about a carbon tax on polluters, Kenya’s president declared Tuesday as the first Africa Climate Summit began.

“Those who produce the garbage refuse to pay their bills,” President William Ruto said.

The rapidly growing African continent of more than 1.3 billion people is losing 5 percent to 15 percent of its GDP growth every year to the widespread impacts of climate change, according to Ruto. It’s a source of deep frustration in the region that contributes by far the least to global warming. The summit’s opening speeches included clear calls to reform the global financial structures that have left African nations paying about five times more to borrow money than others, worsening the debt crisis for many. Africa has more than 30 of the world’s most indebted countries, Kenya’s cabinet secretary for the environment, Soipan Tuya, said.

The U.S. government’s climate envoy, John Kerry, acknowledged the “acute, unfair debt.” He also said 17 of the world’s 20 countries most impacted by climate change are in Africa—while the world’s 20 richest nations, including his own,

produce 80 percent of the world’s carbon emissions that are driving climate change.

Kenya’s president said Africa’s 54 countries “must go green fast before industrializing and not vice versa, unlike (richer nations) had the luxury to do.”

Transforming Africa’s economy on a green trajectory “is the most feasible, just and efficient way to attain a net-zero world by 2050,” he said.

Climate finance is key, speakers said, with richer nations’ promise of $100 billion a year in climate finance to developing countries still unfulfilled.

Ruto said the summit declaration will “firmly encourage” everyone to keep their promises.

The United Arab Emirates, which will host the next United Nations climate meeting, announced it plans to invest $4.5 billion in Africa’s “clean energy potential.”

The African continent has 60 percent of the world’s renewable energy assets, and more than 30 percent of the minerals key to renewable and low-carbon technologies. One goal of the summit is to transform the narrative around the continent from victim to assertive, wealthy partner.

Africa’s GDP should be revalued for its assets that include the world’s secondlargest rainforest and biodiversity, said the president of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina. “Africa cannot be nature-rich and cash-poor,” he said.

But divisions are evident around the issue that was little mentioned in the opening speeches and yet is at the heart of the tough conversations ahead: Fossil fuels.

The African Development Bank president said Africa must use its natural gas resources—a growing interest of Europe—along with renewable energy sources. “Give us space to grow,” he said. Ruto, however, has criticized the “addiction” to fossil fuels. His country now gets more than 90 percent of its energy from renewables.

“We don’t have to do what the developed countries did to power their industries. It will be harder to use renewable energy exclusively, but it can be done,” said one local summit attendee, Martha Lusweti. The U.N. secretary-general, Antonio Guterres, told the summit it’s time to “break our addiction to fossil fuels.”

The world spent $7 trillion on fossil fuel subsidies in 2022, according to the International Monetary Fund.

European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen said African nations could produce enough clean energy to power the continent and export abroad, “but for this, Africa needs massive investment.”

In addition, “the continent needs to reposition itself not only as a supplier of raw materials globally” but a developer of them for further benefit, said Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

43.

CHEN, XIAODONG Gaming Support Specialist

Brief Job Description: Being the voice of our players within our fastgrowing online/offshore gaming platform, stay on track with the game updates, implementing procedures to support players, work creatively across multiple projects and platforms at the same time.

Basic Qualification: A passion for delivering excellent customer service, Excellent communication skills in Chinese, both spoken and written, Previous experience in a similar role in the offshore/ online gaming industry or less experience but a good attitude and motivation.

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

44.

YACHEN Gaming Support Specialist Brief Job Description: Being the voice of our players within our fastgrowing online/offshore gaming platform, stay on track with the game updates, implementing procedures to support players, work creatively across multiple projects and platforms at the same time.

Basic Qualification: A passion for delivering excellent customer service, Excellent communication skills in Chinese, both spoken and written, Previous experience in a similar role in the offshore/ online gaming industry or less experience but a good attitude and motivation.

45.

Gaming Support Specialist

Job Description: Being the voice of our players within our fastgrowing online/offshore gaming platform, stay on track with the game updates, implementing procedures to support players, work creatively across multiple projects and platforms at the same time.

Qualification: A passion for delivering excellent customer service, Excellent communication skills in Chinese, both spoken and written, Previous experience in a similar role in the offshore/ online gaming industry or less experience but a good attitude and motivation.

The World

By The Associated Press

RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin said Monday that a landmark deal allowing Ukraine to export grain safely through the Black Sea amid the war won’t be restored until the West meets Moscow’s demands on its own agricultural exports.

Ukraine and its Western allies have dismissed the Kremlin’s demands as a ploy to advance its own interests.

Still, Putin’s remarks dashed hopes that his talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan could revive an agreement seen as vital for global food supplies, especially in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

Russia refused to extend the deal in July, complaining that a parallel agreement promising to remove obstacles to Russian exports of food and fertilizer hadn’t been honored. It said restrictions on shipping and insurance hampered its agricultural trade, though it has shipped record amounts of wheat since last year.

Putin reiterated those complaints Monday, while also telling reporters that if those commitments were honored, Russia could return to the deal “within days.”

Erdogan also expressed hope that a breakthrough could come soon. He said Turkey and the UN—which both brokered the original deal—have put together a new package of proposals to unblock the issue.

“We believe that we will reach a solution that will meet the expectations in a short time,” Erdogan said at the news conference held with Putin in the Russian resort of Sochi.

Earlier, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock lashed out, saying Putin’s “game with the grain agreement is cynical.”

“It’s only because of Putin that the freighters don’t have free passage again,” she told reporters in Berlin.

A lot is riding on the negotiation. Ukraine and Russia are major suppliers of wheat, barley, sunflower oil and other goods that developing nations rely on.

Data from the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul, which organized shipments under the deal, show that 57 percent of the grain from Ukraine went to developing nations, with the top destination being China.

Grain prices shot up after Russia pulled out of the deal but have since fallen back, indicating that there isn’t a big crunch in the market for the moment.

But failure to revive the agreement will have “drastic impacts” in countries such as Somalia and Egypt that rely heavily on Black Sea grain, according to Galip Dalay, an associate fellow at the Chatham House think tank in London.

Putin is looking for some relief from sanctions and at the same time is engaged in a “war of narratives,” Dalay said, because the Russian leader “doesn’t want to come across as the bad guy in the eyes of the global south as a result of this food insecurity.”

Ukraine and its allies have often noted that Russia’s move left many developing nations in the lurch, since so many were recipients of the grain.

Perhaps in an effort to address that accusation, Putin said Monday that Russia was close to finalizing an agreement to provide free grain to six African countries. Last month, he promised shipments to Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, Eritrea and Central African Republic.

The Russian leader added that the country will ship 1 million metric tons (1.1 million tons) of cheap grain to Turkey for processing and delivery to poor countries.

In addition to pulling out of the grain deal, Russia has repeatedly attacked the Odesa region, where Ukraine’s main Black Sea port is. Hours before the Sochi meeting, the Kremlin’s forces launched a second barrage in two days on the area. The Ukrainian air force said it intercepted 23 of 32 drones that targeted the Odesa and Dnipropetrovsk regions. It did not specify damage caused by those that got through.

Russia may be hoping it can use its power over Ukraine’s Black Sea exports as a bargaining chip to reduce Western economic sanctions.

Some companies have been wary of doing business with Russia because of those sanctions, even though Western allies have made assurances that food and fertilizer are exempt. Still, Moscow remains unsatisfied.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Monday urged Moscow to return to the deal, insisting “there were no legal and political grounds for Russia to withdraw from the agreement.” Monday’s talks took place against a backdrop of Ukraine’s recent counteroffensive against the Kremlin’s invasion forces.

In the latest development, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov would be replaced this week. The job requires “new approaches,” Zelenskyy said, without elaborating. Reznikov on Monday published a photo of his resignation letter. Putin and Erdogan—authoritarian leaders who have both been in power for more than two decades—are said to have a close rapport, fostered in the wake of a failed coup against Erdogan in 2016 when Putin was the first major leader to offer his support.

The Turkish president has maintained those during the 18-month war in Ukraine. Turkey hasn’t joined Western sanctions against Russia following its invasion, emerging as a main trading partner and logistical hub for Russia’s overseas trade.

At the same time, Turkey, a member of Nato, has also supported Ukraine, sending arms, meeting Zelenskyy and backing Kyiv’s bid to join the Western alliance.

Russia, meanwhile, has taken steps to strengthen its military ties with North Korea. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who traveled to Pyongyang in July, said Monday that the two countries may hold joint war games.

US National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson noted that Shoigu sought to persuade North Korea during his trip to sell artillery ammunition to Russia.

The US has reason to think North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un “expects these discussions to continue” and “to include leader-level diplomatic engagement in Russia,” Watson said Monday.

Another US official, who was not authorized to address the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the US expects Kim will travel to Russia within the month. The official said the US isn’t sure exactly where or when the meeting would take place, but the Pacific port city of Vladivostok would be a likely possibility given its relative proximity to North Korea.

The White House reported last week that it had intelligence indicating that Putin and Kim swapped letters following Shoigu’s visit. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the letters were “more at the surface level” but that Russian and North Korean talks on a weapons sale were advancing.

The Associated Press writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this story.

EU seizes on Putin and Xi’s G-20 absence to meet African leaders

By Michael Nienaber, Jorge Valero & Alberto Nardelli

UN-based grain deal after talks on Monday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Other topics include efforts to reform the global financial architecture, improving conditions for private investments and infrastructure projects in Africa, as well as the situation in the Sahel region, according to the people.

With both the Chinese and Russian presidents staying away from the two-day gathering in New Delhi, the EU wants to seize the moment, according to people familiar with the preparations who asked not to be named discussing internal strategy. The 27-nation bloc aims to show that it is serious about redefining its partnership with Africa, despite the troubled legacy of colonialism, they said.

Among those due to take part are European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. From the African side, participants will include leaders from G-20 member South Africa as well as from Egypt, Nigeria and the Comoros, current chair of the African Union, the people said.

What’s being billed as a “minisummit” takes place as competition intensifies for global influ -

ence amid a US-China standoff and divisions over Russia’s war on Ukraine.

While China and Russia have both made inroads with African nations, including by appealing to anti-colonial sentiment, Putin’s withdrawal from the Black Sea grain deal has hit developing nations the hardest, potentially leaving an opening for Europe to sway opinion among countries that have refused to condemn Russia’s war.

Among the goals of their meeting in India on Sept. 9, European leaders want to endorse the African Union’s bid to become a permanent G-20 member, according to the people. Giorgia Meloni of Italy was among those leading on the AU’s G-20 membership at the last G-7 in Japan, while it is also a priority of this week’s summit host, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In May, during a visit to the

African Union headquarters in Ethiopia, Scholz threw his weight behind calls for the bloc to become a permanent G-20 member to give it more say in efforts to tackle global issues like climate change. The chancellor argued that Africa must play a greater international role to reflect its growing importance in an increasingly fractured and multipolar world order.

Stronger voice

PERMANENT membership, rather than that of an “invited international organization,” would give the African Union the same status as the EU. It’s part of a drive to provide African countries with a stronger voice when international organizations decide on measures that affect them, including efforts to address global warming—overwhelmingly caused by emissions from G-20 nations.

Also on the meeting’s agenda is a discussion of the consequences of Russia’s war against Ukraine for global food security—a situation that threatens to escalate after Putin refused to revive the

Scholz also wants to use the meeting to prepare an international conference due to take place in Berlin on Nov. 20 at which European and African leaders want to push ahead with the “Compact With Africa,” an initiative that aims to improve conditions for sustainable private-sector investment in African countries, including in infrastructure.

For the German chancellor, the mini-summit is another opportunity to convince African leaders that Europeans are serious about opening a new chapter in their cooperation, and to meet at eye level when discussing common challenges like security, migration, economic development and climate change.

The task is “to ensure that we shape the world of the future together on an equal footing” with emerging nations, Scholz told Deutschlandfunk radio last week, describing it as an “obligation” for western Europe and North America among others. “Given the colonial history and past in many of these countries, we have a responsibility to make today’s positive development possible,” he said. Bloomberg News

First Lady Jill Biden tests positive for Covid, but President Biden’s results negative so far

WASHINGTON—First lady Jill Biden tested positive for Covid-19 Monday but is experiencing only mild symptoms, her spokeswoman said.

President Joe Biden was tested for the virus following his wife’s positive test, but his results were negative. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the president would continue testing regularly and would be monitored for symptoms.

Jill Biden will remain at the couple’s home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, for the time being, communications director Elizabeth Alexander said. The first lady had

planned to start the new school year Tuesday at Northern Virginia Community College, where she teaches English and writing. Due to her condition, she was working with school officials to arrange substitute teachers for her classes, Alexander said.

The first lady had traveled with her husband to Florida on Saturday to inspect the damage from Hurricane Idalia. President Biden then spent part of the Labor Day weekend at the Delaware beach house before traveling Monday to a union event in Philadelphia and then back to the White House.

The Bidens both contracted Covid previously, last summer.

THE European Union plans to take advantage of the absence of Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin from this week’s Group of 20 to step up its outreach to nations of the so-called Global South, through a high-level meeting with African leaders on the summit’s sidelines.

Putin says he won’t renew the grain deal until the West meets his demands; West says it has

URSULA VON DER LEYEN BLOOMBERG

An orangutan, birds and a waterfall at Asean venue contrast to Jakarta’s pollution outside

By Edna Tarigan & Niniek Karmini The Associated Press

Taiwan leader begins visit to remaining ally Eswatini

By Huizhong Wu The Associated Press

TAIPEI, Taiwan—Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen on Tuesday began a four-day trip to Eswatini, one of the island’s 13 remaining allies.

Tsai, who is serving her last year as president, is visiting the country of 1.1 million people in southern Africa to “celebrate the friendship between the two countries,” she said, as she departed Taiwan.

Since Tsai took office in 2016, China has started putting pressure on countries that have a diplomatic relationship with Taiwan to switch their formal recognition from Taiwan to China. Beijing has successfully poached 9 countries, leaving Taiwan with just 13 countries that acknowledge its statehood.

Taiwan’s most recent diplomatic loss was Honduras, which switched recognition to Beijing in March.

Taiwan is a self-ruled island claimed by China. The two sides

have been at odds since 1949 when the Communist Party won in the civil war against the Nationalists. The Nationalists fled to Taiwan and set up government on the island.

China today demands its allies agree to its One China principle, which claims that Taiwan is a part of the People’s Republic of China.

Tsai belongs to a political party that states Taiwan is already independent.

“Diplomacy is the accumulation of step by step. Taiwan’s steps onto the globe not only will not stop,” she said. “We will continue forward more resolutely, with self confidence, to let the world see Taiwan’s steady and good power.”

Tsai is also accompanied by the mayor of the port city of Kaohsiung in Taiwan’s south.

Eswatini is an absolute monarchy, and most of the country’s population live below the poverty line. It was rocked by pro-democracy protests in 2021, but those protests were put down violently, per reports.

for a week of Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit talks starting Tuesday.

“Indonesia wants to give the best hospitality,” Communications Minister Budi Arie Setiadi told The Associated Press about the unique reception for Asean leaders and VIPs such as US Vice President Kamala Harris, Chinese Premier Li Qiang,z and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

The convention center’s lobby was off-limits to the public and a sign barred videos and pictures until the jungle spectacle is unveiled.

Indonesia also wanted to highlight Asean’s urgent call for environmental protection and the need to shift to greener energy sources, Setiadi said.

Artificial is the only type of jungle that exists in Jakarta. The nearest jungle, home to endangered orangutans, is more than 1,300 kilometers (more than 800 miles) away on Borneo Island.

The Indonesian capital is one of the world’s most polluted cities and teems with skyscrapers, traffic and 11 million people.

The government has begun a two-decade project to move the capital from Jakarta to Nusantara, on the island of Borneo, that will involve constructing government buildings and housing from scratch in the area about 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) northeast of Jakarta.

T he Associated Press journalist Jim Gomez contributed to this report.

China slowdown means it may never overtake US economy, forecast shows

By Jasmine Ng

CHINA is no longer set to eclipse the US as the world’s biggest economy soon, and it may never consistently pull ahead to claim the top spot as the nation’s confidence slump becomes more entrenched.

That’s according to Bloomberg Economics, which now forecasts it will take until the mid-2040s for China’s gross domestic product to exceed that of the US— and even then, it will happen by “only a small margin” before “falling back behind.” Before the pandemic, they expected China to take and hold pole position as early as the start of next decade.

“China is down-shifting onto a slower growth path sooner than we expected,” the Bloomberg Economists wrote in a Tuesday research note. “The post-Covid rebound has run out of steam, reflecting a deepening property

Japan announces emergency relief for seafood exporters hit by China’s ban over water release

By Mari Yamaguchi

The Associated Press

TOKYO—Japanese Prime Minister Fumio

Kishida announced on Monday a 20.7 billion yen ($141 million) emergency fund to help exporters hit by China’s ban on Japanese seafood over the release of treated radioactive wastewater from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant.

The discharge of the wastewater into the ocean began Aug. 24 and is expected to continue for decades. Japanese fishing associations and groups in neighboring countries have strongly opposed the release. In addition to China’s ban on all Japanese seafood imports, Hong Kong has banned Japanese seafood from Fukushima and nine other prefectures.

Chinese trade restrictions have affected Japanese seafood exporters since even before the release began, with shipments held up at Chinese customs for weeks. Prices of scallops, sea cucumbers and other seafood popular in China have plunged. The ban has affected prices and sales of seafood from places as far away from Fukushima as the northern island of Hokkaido, home to many scallop growers.

Kishida said the emergency fund is in addition to 80 billion yen ($547 million) that the government previously allocated to support fisheries and seafood processing and combat damage to the reputation of Japanese products.

“We will protect the Japanese fisheries industry at all costs,” Kishida said, asking people

to help out by serving more seafood at dinner tables and other ways.

The money will be used to find new markets for Japanese seafood to replace China and fund government purchases of seafood for temporary freezing and storage. The government will also seek to expand domestic seafood consumption.

Officials said they plan to cultivate new export destinations in Taiwan, the United

States, Europe, the Middle East and some Southeast Asian countries—such as Malaysia and Singapore.

Kishida talked with workers at a fish market last Friday to assess the impact of China’s ban and pledged to protect Japan’s seafood industry.

Kishida heads to Indonesia on Tuesday to attend the annual summit of the Association

slump and fading confidence in Beijing’s management of the economy. Weak confidence risks becoming entrenched—resulting in an enduring drag on growth potential.”

The economists now see growth in China’s economy— the world’s second largest— slowing to 3.5 percent in 2030 and to near 1 percent by 2050. That’s lower than prior projections of 4.3 percent and 1.6 percent, respectively.

China’s economy expanded 3 percent last year, one of its slowest rates of growth in decades as pandemic controls and a property crisis battered the country. Its eventual reopening provided hope the economy would bounce back this year. But the recovery has lost steam as exports tumble and the real-estate slump deepens. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg have also been downgrading their growth forecasts

of Southeast Asian Nations, where he may face criticism over the wastewater release from Chinese Premier Li Qian, who is also attending.

Large amounts of radioactive wastewater have accumulated at the Fukushima plant since a massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011 destroyed its cooling systems and caused three reactors to melt.

All seawater and fish samples taken since the release of the treated wastewater began have been way below set safety limits for radioactivity, Japanese officials and the plant operator say.

Mainland China is the biggest overseas market for Japanese seafood, accounting for 22.5 percent of the total, followed by Hong Kong with 20 percent, making the ban a major blow for the fisheries industry.

Seafood exports are a fraction of Japan’s total exports, and the ban’s impact on overall trade will be limited unless tensions escalate and China widens its restrictions to other trade sectors, said Takahide Kiuchi, executive economist at Nomura Research Institute.

Beijing is angry over US trade controls that limit China’s access to semiconductor processor chips and other US technology on security grounds. Japan has also curbed exports of chipmaking technology. Such restrictions imposed by Tokyo and possible future steps could cause an escalation of Chinese trade bans against Japan, Kiuchi said.

“Taking into consideration such risks, the Japanese government needs to carefully think about how to deal with worsening ties with China, not just over the treated water discharge but also how it should cooperate with the United States in areas of investment and trade restrictions with China,” Kiuchi said in a recent analysis.

for 2024 further below 5 percent.

The revised outlook comes as the world reconsiders how to work with a China that may be approaching a peak in power, even if it’s not in decline.

The US and Group of Seven nations are increasingly looking at evidence of deep-seated structural problems in China, seeing opportunities that ultimately will strengthen the West’s hand against a weakening geopolitical competitor while also considering ripple effects from the slowdown. This year’s snags already are roiling commodities and stocks.

The country is also contending with deeper, longer-term challenges. China clocked its first population drop last year since the 1960s, raising concerns about weakening productivity. Regulatory crackdowns have also hit confidence, as have geopolitical tensions with the US and other

Western governments. By contrast, the US appears to be in better shape than what many economists predicted just a few months ago. A strong labor market, sturdy consumer spending and moderating inflation have fueled confidence in the economy’s ability to avoid a recession for now.

Bloomberg Economics estimates potential US growth at 1.7 percent in 2022-2023, with long-term forecasts showing a gradual drifting down to 1.5 percent by 2050.

Bloomberg’s economists said optimism for China’s growth in the medium-term remains grounded in the “enormous size of the economy, significant space to catch up to global technology leaders and the development focus of the government.” But they noted those drivers are “operating with diminished force.” With assistance from Jenni Marsh/Bloomberg

Pope Francis says Vatican-China relations on track but admits more work is needed

By Nicole Winfield The Associated Press

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE—Pope Francis insisted Monday that the Vatican’s relations with China were going well but said work must still be done to show Beijing that the Catholic Church isn’t beholden to a foreign power.

Francis spoke about the Holy See’s dealings with China during a press conference en route home from Mongolia, where Beijing and its crackdown on religious minorities overshadowed an otherwise historic first papal visit to the majority Buddhist nation.

Francis sent a telegram of greetings to Chinese President Xi Jinping as his aircraft flew through China’s airspace coming and going to Mongolia. The pontiff also gave a special shout-out to the Chinese people at the end of his main Mass in Ulaanbaatar. He brought up to the altar the current and retired bishops of Hong Kong to demonstrate his “warm” affection for the Chinese people.

But relations remain strained, particularly over a 5-year-old agreement on nominating Catholic bishops. The 2018 accord aimed to unite China’s estimated 12 million Catholics, who have been divided between an official church and an underground church loyal to Rome. The latter emerged when the Communists came to power and diplomatic relations between the Holy See and China ruptured.

On Monday in Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning was asked about the pope’s Sunday greeting to the Chinese people. “We have seen relevant reports, and

my colleagues have introduced China’s position earlier. China has always taken a positive attitude towards improving relations with the Vatican and has maintained contact and communication with the Vatican.”

The terms of the 2018 deal were never released. But Beijing has made a handful of unilateral bishop appointments without papal consent, an apparent violation of the accord. The Vatican gave in and recognized the appointments after the fact.

Francis insisted that relations were “very respectful” and said he retained “great admiration for the Chinese people.”

“I think there’s more work to be done on the religious aspect to understand ourselves better, so the Chinese citizens don’t think that the church doesn’t accept their culture or values, or that the church depends on another foreign power,” he said. “So the relations are like this, underway.”

Francis also was asked about Russia and a recent comment extolling Russia’s imperial past that sparked the ire of Ukraine’s Catholics.

During Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Francis has tried to maintain a balancing act with Russia and Ukraine in line with the Vatican’s tradition of diplomatic neutrality. He has expressed frequent solidarity with the “martyred” Ukrainian people but refrained from calling out the Kremlin or Russian President Vladimir Putin for condemnation.

In his recent comments, Francis told a gathering of Russian Catholic youths in St. Petersburg via videoconference that they must remember their history and the inheritance of the “great Russia,” citing in particular imperial rulers Charles the Great and Catherine II.

JAKARTA, Indonesia—Indonesian President Joko Widodo will welcome fellow Asian and world leaders with a captivating jungle scene of a two-story waterfall, wild orchids and even an orangutan perched up a tree.

A WORKER checks the plants used to decorate the main lobby of Jakarta Convention Center, the venue for the Asean Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia on Monday, September 4, 2023. Indonesian President Joko Widodo will welcome fellow Asian and world leaders with a captivating jungle scene of a two-story waterfall, wild orchids and even an orangutan perched up a tree. AP/DITA ALANGKARA

The make-believe wilderness set up in elaborate detail in the huge lobby of the Jakarta Convention Center in the capital includes a widescreen video of a yellow beak

hornbill gliding across an azure sky, swaying leaves and piped-in bird chirps. It’s a pleasant icebreaker for Widodo and his guests in Jakarta

IN this photo provided by Cabinet Public Affairs Office, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida eats the seafood from Fukushima prefecture at lunch at the prime minister’s office in Tokyo, Japan on August 30, 2023. CABINET

Govt pushes back full implementation of lifeline rate program to January ’24

By Lenie Lectura @llectura

“ To allow for the roll-out of more aggressive promotion and registration efforts from distribution utilities [DUs], consumers and the government, as well as for the review of the registration requirements, the full implementation of the new lifeline rate program is hereby moved to January 2024,” the tripartite advisory

Pinoy, Aussie troops conduct   tactical casualty combat care

AS part of its ongoing training to make both services interoperable in the battlefield, Philippine Army (PA) and Royal Australian Army Medical Corps (RAAMC) medics conducted a so-called tactical combat casualty care (TCCC) also known as TC3 during the ongoing “Exercise Carabaroo 2023” on September 3.

I n a statement released on Monday, PA spokesperson Col. Xerxes Trinidad said Filipino and RAAMC medics practiced TC3 during assault operations at the Channel Island, Northern Territory, Australia on September 3.

TCCC or TC3 is a set of guidelines for trauma life support in p re-hospital combat medical care designed to reduce preventable deaths, while maintaining operation success,” he added.

D uring this period, Trinidad said first responders are trained to prioritize care to save lives by addressing the most critical injuries and emphasizing rapid and e ffective medical intervention on the battlefield.

The exercise is part of the ongoing Exercise Carabaroo 2023 that strengthens tactical coordination and increases survivability, lethality, command, a nd control within the urban environment, while enhancing the interoperability of multinational combined arms teams,” he added.

The PA earlier said that it has deployed 138 troops to participate in the three-week “Exercise Carabaroo 2023,” which will take place from August 23 to September 9.

Participating Filipino soldiers are from the 1st Brigade Combat Team, First Scout Ranger Regiment, and the Special Forces Regiment (Airborne).

E xercises will be held at Robertson Barracks, Tiwi Islands, G unn Point, and Channel Island in Darwin.

E xercise Carabaroo is part of the Australian Army’s 1st Brigade’s Exercise Predator’s Run, a multinational training activity that simulates littoral combined arms maneuvers in a large-scale force-on-force environment.

T he exercise aims to contribute to the command’s capability development and capacity b uilding as well as to provide an excellent opportunity for participating units to further develop interoperability in a complex operating environment.

Rex Anthony Naval

of the Department of Energy, Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) stated.

T he advisory was signed on September 1 and was made public on Tuesday, September 5.

Under the lifeline rate program, qualified customers should have a TRADE and Industry Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual called on the entire Asean community to strengthen intellectual capital and innovation to explore new “comparative advantages” in the world market amid the shift to Industry 4.0.

In transitioning to Industry 4.0, Asean must therefore shift from manufacturing to ‘mindfacturing.’

From strengthening traditional factors or production, we need to galvanize intellectual capital and innovation to maintain and explore new comparative advantages in the world market,” Pascual said in his speech at the Asean Business and Investment Summit held in Jakarta, Indonesia on Monday.

Pascual emphasized that mindfacturing goes beyond the traditional boundaries of manufacturing, underscoring the “fusion” of human expertise and cutting-edge technologies and empowering human intelligence to come up with solutions and integrate technology

monthly electricity consumption of 100-kilowatt hours (kWh) or below can avail the discount ranging from 20 percent to 100 percent in their electricity bills depending on their actual consumption.

Starting January 1, 2024, only those who have approved applications shall be entitled to avail of the subsidy.

The agencies said there was an increase in the number of qualified marginalized end-users (QMEs) who have registered under the program. As of August 30, there are 47,171 that have signed up for the electricity lifeline rate.

In spite of the significant increase in the number of registrants, the agencies said there remains a considerable

number of QMEs who have yet to avail of the benefits of registering under the lifeline rate program.

A s such, all DUs are directed “to exert more aggressive promotion efforts to disseminate information on the program and to continue accepting and processing applications.”

The lifeline rate program is not new. Based on historical data there were almost 6 million that have availed of the program in the past. The number consists of beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program  (4Ps) and those who are not marginalized users.

T he Manila Electric Company (Meralco), for its part, said it has ramped up the conduct of baran-

gay caravans in different cities and provinces within its franchise area to encourage more beneficiaries of the 4Ps and other qualified marginalized households to apply for the lifeline rate program so that they can get discounts on their electricity bills.

B eyond information campaigns that started as early as April, Meralco has also been conducting on-site applications for qualified customers so that they can immediately benefit from the program.

Meralco Vice President and Head of Corporate Communications Joe R. Zaldarriaga said the power distributor is proactively looking for ways to encourage more customers to apply for the lifeline rate program.

Japan holds anti-sub warfare exercise in South China Sea

By Malou Talosig-Bartolome @maloutalosig

AS the Philippines and the US Navy hold joint training in the South China Sea (SCS), the Japanese Navy conducted its own anti-submarine warfare exercise in the disputed area. According to the Japanese Ministry of Defense, two Japanese warships—helicopter carrier JS Izumo and Murasame-class destroyer JS Samidare—and a submarine participated in the naval exercise in the SCS “to increase awareness of operational environment and to improve its tactical capabilities.”

seamlessly.

Pascual cited a 2020 study by Kearney and EDBI of Singapore, which predicted that artificial intelligence (AI) alone could “supercharge” Asean’s economy by 2030, potentially boosting regional gross domestic product (GDP) by 10 to 18 percent or nearly $1 trillion in additional economic activity.

However, the trade chief said these benefits “are not a given.”

While the promise of technological advancement is immense, it comes with a caveat: it can either bridge the developmental gap or widen it,” Pascual said, adding that Asean member states must ensure that the march toward technological progress is “equitable and inclusive” and that no nation within the region is left behind amid the “shadows of progress.”

Moving forward, Pascual said the Asean community needs to advance its “regional efforts” in six areas.

O ne of the recommendations

Asean Summit could serve

THE Asean Summit is an opportunity for the Philippines to seek a regional agreement that the membernations won’t impose restrictions on each other’s rice supply.

H ouse Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Joey Sarte Salceda issued the statement on Tuesday as National Statistician and Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Undersecretary Dennis Mapa bared the rising cost of rice, which significantly affects the consumer price index.

Salceda said the Philippine government should work with its trading partners to ensure that they honor their contracts.

“

The Asean Summit is an opportunity for PBBM [President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.] to push for a regional consensus that we will not restrict each other’s rice supply,” the lawmaker-economist said.

Our size as a rice trading market also gives us some power

over the global price dynamic, and President Marcos’ EO [Executive Order] 39 was a good initial step in signaling that we will not tolerate price manipulation in the global rice trade,” he said.

E arlier, President Marcos ordered through EO 39 a price cap of P41.00 per kilo for regular milled rice, while well milled rice will have a price cap of P45.00 per kilo.

The PSA said the country’s inflation hit 5.3 percent in August, which was higher than the 4.7 percent seen in July but slower than the 6.3 percent recorded in August 2022.

The spot price of rice has also normalized to pre-export ban levels, and the price of rice in contracts should follow this downward trend.

As I have said, this indicates that PBBM’s gambit with EO 39 achieved its desired initial effect,” he added.

I also expect the downward trend in the year-on-year inflation rate to resume this Septem -

of the Philippines’ trade chief is to “formulate and adopt harmonized governance frameworks for technology adoption.”

He also underscored the need to “stimulate technology adoption for smart agriculture and smart manufacturing through responsive programs and incentives.”

M oreover, the Pascual emphasized that Asean should enhance access of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to digital technologies.

Pascual also highlighted that the Asean community should accelerate innovation that contributes to inclusion and environmental sustainability.

To advance the region’s efforts towards attaining a successful Industry 4.0 ecosystem, the trade chief also noted there is a need to foster cultural development, especially of digital content, sports, culture, and the arts.

He said the region should “roll out

ber and towards the end of the year,” he added.

More trade

MEANWHILE, Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez said Tuesday that the 43rd Asean Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, presents an opportune venue for Marcos to boost trade and investment between the Philippines and Asean-member countries.

“ The Asean Summit provides an excellent venue for President Marcos to showcase the distinct advantages the Philippines has as a trade and investment hub so as to create more jobs and business opportunities for the Filipino people,” Romualdez said.

A mong others, Romualdez cited legislative reforms such as the amendment to the Public Service Act, the Foreign Investment Act, and the Retail Trade Liberalization Act to further open up the Philippines to the entry of foreign investments, as well

Asean’s digital-based trade facilitation initiatives.”

F or the Philippines, Pascual shared to the Asean community that the country’s workforce development programs are “tailored” to meet the demands of the future, eliminating skill mismatches and building human capital.

Further, the he highlighted that the country is nurturing small businesses and start-ups to become digital transformation and innovation pioneers.

I n terms of attracting investments, such could be done, “By aligning our industry development, trade, and investment policies, we’re creating a magnet for investments that can plug gaps in our supply and value chains.”

A s the country embraces Industry 4.0, he shared that the Philippines is integrating new technologies to make the country’s industries competitive and hubs of innovation.

Andrea E. San Juan

as incentives for investors under the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Act (CREATE).

R omualdez said that with a projected growth rate of 4.9 percent in 2024, the region continues to see increased intra-Asean trade and an influx of foreign direct investments.

The steady recovery of the region from the pandemic and its improving macro-economic fundamentals amid geo-political headwinds make Asean a favored destination of foreign investments, and the Philippines can capitalize on this trend for the benefit of our people,” Romualdez said.

He noted that in addition to the 43rd Asean Summit, the Jakarta gathering of regional leaders would also include related summits of Asean with dialogue partners such as the United States, China, Canada, Japan, and South Korea, as well as with the United Nations.

L ikewise, Romualdez said Presi-

I t is not known where exactly in the SCS the Japanese naval forces held their exercises but it occurred on the same day the US and the Philippine Navy had their “bilateral sail” in the area.

T he Philippines and Japan are both allies of the US.

However, the Philippines and Japan don’t have a bilateral defense treaty yet. Both governments are still negotiating an agreement that would allow holding of joint exercises.

Since April this year, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) has been conducting sails in the Indo-Pacific region. This is the 7th year of the Indo-Pacific Deployment 2023 (IPD23) that now includes participation in joint military exercises with other navies such as with Quad members, the US, India, Australia.

“ The Self-Defense Fleet maintains readiness and contributes to peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific region and the international community in cooperation with allied and like-minded navies, not only for the defense of Japan, but also for the realization of a ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific’ and a security environment that does not tolerate any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force,” the JMSDF said in a statement.

dent Marcos is expected to have bilateral meetings with other state leaders attending the Asean Summit as well as separate engagements with Indonesian business leaders. These engagements are important venues for the President to also promote our national interests,” Romualdez said.

I n his departure statement, President Marcos said that in his participation in the 43rd ASEAN Summit, he would highlight the need to promote a rules-based international order, including in the South China Sea.

L ikewise, the President said he would call attention to other advocacies of the Philippines, such as strengthening food security, calling for climate justice, tapping the potential of the digital and creative economies, protecting migrant workers in crisis situations, and combating the crime of human trafficking.   Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

Australia sees big potential in PHL agri, clean energy

By Andrea E. San Juan @andreasanjuan

the Philippines. “As you know, there’s a lot of potential to do more agriculture and resources. And this government and Australia is very focused on the green energy transition,” Australian Embassy Deputy Head of the Mission for the Philippines Moya Collett said at a

media briefing in Makati City on Tuesday.

Collett added, “So you would hope to see a lot of investment in that area as well.”

A ccording to the Australian Embassy, a summary of the report set to be launched on September 6, with the title “Invested: Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040,” outlines a “practical pathway” to significantly increase the two-way trade and investment between Australia and Southeast Asia.

Southeast Asia is a major opportunity for Australian business. Southeast Asia and

Australia share bright economic growth prospects, geographical proximity, economic complementary, and a need for trade diversification,” the summary released by the Australian Embassy read.

The Embassy emphasized that Southeast Asia’s favorable demographic, industrialization and urbanization trends and technological advances will “increasingly” make it an economic powerhouse to 2040 and beyond.

Collett said the report is focused on the opportunities, “so we really see that the current administration has actually done a lot.”

T he Embassy official recognized the Philippine government’s efforts, saying, “There’s been a lot of processes underway at the moment to open up the Philippines for greater foreign investment for example, and to improve the ease of doing business and to improve competition.”

These efforts, Collett said, are seen by Australian investors as “really positive steps.”

So I think this government in the Philippines is absolutely on the right track in terms of integrating the Philippines with the rest of the region and opening up to

Australia. So we want to take advantage of those opportunities,” she also noted. T he report summary said there is much more Australia and Southeast Asia can, and should, be doing to boost this important economic relationship.

Nicholas Moore, the Special Envoy for Southeast Asia, who developed the report, has met with over 750 individuals in Southeast Asia and Australia across governments, business and civil society and received around 200 submissions through a public consultation process, and visited all Asean countries except Myanmar.

THE full implementation of the lifeline rate program was moved to January next year.

How farmers benefit from renewable energy

Warmer temperatures are wreaking havoc on the global food supply, as pests and diseases cut the output of certain crops that are vital to the diet of many nations. The Food and agriculture Organization (FaO) of the United Nations estimated that plant diseases cost the global economy over $220 billion every year, and invasive insects at least $70 billion. (See, “Climate change is helping pests and diseases destroy our food,” in the BusinessMirror, August 27, 2023). The destruction of these crops has led to shortages and sent prices of certain commodities like olive oil and corn soaring.

According to an entomologist at Georgetown University, pests adapt easily to the changing climate, and warmer temperatures allow them to generate more quickly and migrate faster. This caused certain pests that are native to the Americas to devour crops in Africa and Asia. Of particular concern to the Philippines is the destruction of corn crops by destructive moths, as the country imports the grain to beef up supply.

Aside from the onslaught of pests, a heat wave sweeping the Midwest is threatening corn output in the United States. (See, “Midwest braces for 115-degree heat, renewing crop worries,” in the BusinessMirror, August 24, 2023). Bloomberg reported that warmer temperatures are renewing worries that crop conditions would hit their worst since the late 1980s. Fewer corn available, particularly at this time when the Black Sea Grain Initiative is no longer in place because Russia had terminated it, would make it more difficult to stabilize food inflation.

To slow climate change and allow producers to deliver the requirements of their nations, the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) called on governments to invest in small-scale farmers. (See, “Investments in poor small-scale farmers benefit climate, environment–report,” in the BusinessMirror, August 30, 2023). In a joint report, IFAD and the Global Environment Facility found that investments in poor farmers will help reduce greenhouse gases emissions, recover degraded land and curb biodiversity loss. The collaboration between IFAD and GEF paved the way for the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices in countries like Niger and Cambodia.

One project co-funded by IFAD and GEF restored 30,000 hectares of degraded land in Niger and prevented the emission of 5.25 million tons of carbon dioxide, while recovering nearly 190,000 hectares through “farmers’ managed natural regeneration” practices. Another project led to nearly 18,000 small-scale farmers in Cambodia to adopt different renewable energy technologies (RET). These technologies include solar dryers for food processing, portable solar water pumps to irrigate crops, biochar briquettes to heat newly hatched chicks, and solar poultry incubators to heat eggs.

The Philippines can learn from the experiences of these countries, particularly from Cambodia. The widespread adoption of RET by small-scale farmers will allow them to cope with the rising prices of fuel and power and at the same time reduce the need for the government to subsidize their fuel costs whenever oil prices go up. The technologies are readily available and are not complicated to implement and may even be cost-effective in far-flung areas that rely on electricity that is subsidized by the government.

Since

Eat Bulaga and Eat Bulaga Happy trademarks belong to TAPE Inc.; what about copyright?

IPO 101 and why it matters to your business

By Benedict Abaygar

IT’S easy to overlook the importance of intellectual property (IP) to your business, especially if you’re all new to it. Honestly, that’s one of the most common yet critical rookie mistakes that budding entrepreneurs make, and we can’t blame them for that.

In the Philippines, intellectual property consciousness and discourse have always been limited, up until the recent copyright and trademark fiasco between the TVJ camp and TAPE Inc., which, unfortunately, unfolded on national television.

This is why this could be important to you. Protecting your IP not only safeguards the heart of your brand— your ideas, products, and services— but also sets your business up for success and ensures longevity. While this type of property is intangible in nature, it’s probably one of your biggest assets yet as a startup.

In essence, intellectual property refers to the creations of the mind, which can either be an invention, a design, a brand name, or a literary or artistic work. It’s protected by law through copyright and trademark, among others, which allow owners to earn recognition or gain financial benefit for their works.

It’s worth mentioning, however,

that copyright and trademark are not interchangeable since they do not cover the same things. Thus, entrepreneurs must learn how to tell the difference between the two.

Trademark has been defined by Section 121 of the Republic Act No. 8293, also known as the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines (hereinafter referred to as IP Code), as any visible sign capable of distinguishing the goods of an enterprise. It may either appear as a word, a group of words, sign, symbol, logo, or a combination thereof that identifies and differentiates the source of the goods or services of one entity from those of others.

In the case of Etepha v. Director of Patents, the objects of a trademark are to point out distinctly the origin or ownership of the articles to which it is affixed and to prevent fraud and imposition.

Trademarks, however, can only be acquired through registration.

By Philip J. Heijmans

WHeN Southeast asia’s annual summit was expanded to include the US more than a decade ago, it assured an often-neglected region a regular audience with the sitting president. Not this year.

Joe Biden will skip the summit hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Jakarta starting Tuesday, prompting former top diplomats in the region to question the bloc’s diminishing influence and its neutral strategy. Biden is sending Vice President Kamala Harris to Asean just before he attends the Group of 20 Nations gathering in India. He then heads to Vietnam, which is a short flight to Jakarta.

The soon to be 11-nation Asean bloc has for years refrained from choosing between its biggest security partner in the US, and its most important economic one in China. Instead, it embraced a collective nonalignment, creating a rare, safe space for geopolitical foes to come together.

While that strategy may have served its interests in the past, the growing rivalry between the US and China is showing the risks that

comes with sitting on the fence. Beijing is pressing ahead with its claim to nearly all of the South China Sea while the US is reshaping regional alliances in a bid to build a collective security network that China says is designed to contain its rise.  Nations caught in the middle, like the Philippines and Vietnam, are stepping up their engagement with the US and its allies.

“They haven’t adapted fast enough to the rapidly evolving strategic environment,” Bilahari Kausikan, Singapore’s former permanent secretary for foreign affairs, said of Asean. “You’re not going to become central by sitting around twiddling your thumbs and repeating yourself.”

Biden is scheduled to visit Hanoi on Sunday where the two sides are poised to significantly enhance ties. China is meanwhile planning to send Li Qiang to Jakarta where

When a Certificate of Trademark Registration has been issued by the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL), grantees may enjoy protection against reproduction, imitation, or unauthorized use of the mark, among others, for 10 years.

In a nutshell, the protection of a trademark begins upon the issuance of the registration certificate by the IPOPHL. When the 10-year period of protection expires, owners may renew the same for another 10 years at a time.

Take, for instance, TAPE Inc.’s renewal of its trademark registration. Records show that it was the prior registrant of the “Eat Bulaga” name and logo since 1991. In 2013, it renewed its registration. After the 10-year protection period, its trademark registration expired on June 14, 2023. TAPE Inc. then filed another application for renewal, which was later on approved and issued by the Bureau of Trademarks under the IPOPHL.

In this case, TAPE Inc. abided by the rules as provided by the law. As its legal counsel Maggie AbrahamGarduque said, the certificate of renewal has a term of 10 years, which means the said production house

he will make his international debut as premier. Biden’s absence in Asean this year is more disappointing to the region than when Donald Trump made a habit of skipping those summits. This time, however, former diplomats are saying the blame lies with the bloc itself.

“This is a manifestation of the gradual sense of drift and the increasing question mark about Asean’s relevance,” said former Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa. “Asean has allowed these meetings to become so robotic and so procedural—almost disconnected from the wider basic dynamics of our region.”

Unlike the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Asean members are not bound by a commitment to go to war in the event of an attack against one of its members. And while Southeast Asia’s foreign policy is geared toward avoiding becoming a geopolitical battleground, conflicting interests have stood in the way of having a strong consensus on longstanding threats.

In no place is that more apparent than the oil and gas rich South China Sea, where regular incursions

owns the trademark of ‘Eat Bulaga’ until 2033.

Owners of original works are also afforded legal protection through copyright. Section 172 of the IP Code enumerated at least 15 categories of what constitute “original works” in the literary, artistic, or scientific domain, including, but not limited to, books, articles, lectures, letters, dramatic compositions, choreographic works, entertainment in dumb shows, drawings, paintings, and other works of art.

Essentially, copyright protection extends to the expression of particular ideas rather than the ideas themselves, as emphasized in the case of Filipino Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers, Inc. v. Anrey, Incorporated.

This Supreme Court decision is congruent with Section 175 of the IP Code, which states that “notwithstanding the provisions of Sections 172 and 173, no protection shall extend, under this law, to any idea, procedure, system, method or operation, concept, principle, discovery or mere data as such, even if they are expressed, explained, illustrated or embodied in a work; news of the day and

See “Eat Bulaga,” A17

by Chinese vessels have forced the Philippines and Vietnam to bolster their own claims. Just last week, the two joined India in their opposition to a new Chinese map. Yet as a group, Asean has refrained from calling out China when times are tense. A code of conduct with Beijing meant to establish the rules of maritime engagement has shown no progress after two decades of negotiations. Observers also lament the lack of follow through to an ambitious but opaque regional outlook introduced in 2019.

Divisions within Asean also extend to the worsening violence in Myanmar as factions led by Indonesia and Thailand differ over how to engage the junta.

The US has meanwhile strengthened its hand in the broader IndoPacific region. Biden last month facilitated a diplomatic breakthrough between Japan and South Korea after years of icy ties. It also signed a new agreement with Palau, giving it the authorization to unilaterally enforce maritime regulation in the tiny Pacific island. with assistance from ben westcott, Isabel reynolds, Faris mokhtar, Chandra asmara and michelle Jamrisko / bloomberg

Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua Founder

New ways to instill deep learning among students

By Ailene P. Sabordino

THe walls of today’s classrooms are no longer a schooling barrier as advanced technology enables new ways of learning, communicating, and collaboratively working in a virtual world.

Technology can play a vital role in our country’s bid to produce worldclass students and graduates, capable of working anywhere in the world.

Our teachers, meanwhile, are undergoing continuous training and advance schooling to cope up with the changing world of education in the 21st century. There are many ways to incorporate student-centered techniques in today’s classrooms. Modern learning environments are designed with the assumption that students will have constant access to Internet connectivity—and are supported by the back-end technology and teacher training necessary to ensure that modern teaching methods play an effective role in the classroom.

new pedagogical methods—such as collaborative learning, student-led learning, and flipped learning—are simply using developments in technology to provide teachers with new ways to instill deep learning among students.

The collaborative learning approach, for example, allows the whole class to learn something together. This method is more effective if the teacher divides the class in groups small enough to ensure that everyone participates. This will encourage learners to work together on class activities or learning tasks. All the groups may work on separate tasks that contribute to a common overall outcome.

A good educator knows that teachers can’t force passion and motivation upon students. But she can empower her classroom with the use of student-led learning. This system encourages students to think for themselves, rather than simply following what their teacher says. Student-led learning provides students with ample opportunities for self-direction, a powerful sense of ownership and the ability to explore topics that are meaningful and relevant in their lives.

There are many advanced technologies being used in classrooms today: social networking, online teaching, class blogs, interactive whiteboards, and even Facebook Groups that provide an arena for additional class discussions.

Students today can even access

Eat Bulaga . . .

continued from A16

other miscellaneous facts having the character of mere items of press information; or any official text of a legislative, administrative or legal nature, as well as any official translation thereof.”

However, unlike trademarks, registration and deposit of one’s work isn’t mandatory in copyright. Owners of original works may only choose to file their copyright registration with IPOPHL for the issuance of the proper certificate of copyright registration. Hence, the IP Code grants artists, authors, and other creators automatic protection for their original works from the moment of their creation.

While trademarks have a 10-year protection term, copyrighted works are protected by law during the lifetime of the author and for 50 years after his or her demise. Generally, creators have the ultimate right to use or authorize others to utilize their works, subject to their own terms and conditions.

Recalling last month’s drama, TVJ filed copyright infringement and unfair competition suits against TAPe Inc. and asked the Marikina Regional Trial Court to release an order prohibiting the production company and GMA ne twork from using e at Bulaga’s

libraries of big universities anywhere in the world, making research work easier.

educators admit that to be considered a modern teacher, one should be savvy about computers and educational apps, including the latest in gadgets and other technologies necessary to provide students the best education they can get.

There are many ways that students can benefit from advanced technologies. For one, these technologies make distance learning easier. They also allow faster feedback and improved collaborative efforts among learners, with the guidance of their teacher.

The evolution of the Internet truly made the explosion of information faster. now we can share our ideas and write-ups with a simple click of the mouse.

With these advances in technologies, proper guidance is needed from parents and educators alike. For example, social media platforms such Facebook and TikTok are designed to be addictive, and students may spend hours on these platforms doing activities not related to learning. This can lead to a loss of interest in their lessons and an inevitable decline in academic performance.

Parents and educators should also work in tandem to guide and teach students how to become more responsible on what they post online.

Learners should also be taught to evaluate the information they get online. If students find some interesting news on social media, they should be taught to verify the information by using Google. They should check if reputable news sites are reporting on the same news item.

Admittedly, the Internet can help improve the quality of Philippine education in many ways. It opens doorways to a wealth of information, knowledge and educational resources, increasing opportunities for learning in and beyond the four walls of the classroom. This should give a good impetus to the government to roll out its national broadband plan soon to give Internet connection to all public schools in the country.

The author is Head Teacher 1 in Abulug National Rural and Vocational High School

name and logo.

However, according to AbrahamGarduque, it is improper for the trio to file a copyright infringement case since the design of the name and logo is a trademark. While copyright and trademark are both covered by the IP Code, they simply aren’t the same.

As to the copyright issue raised by Jerricho Calingal, the “BakClash” grand winner of eat Bulaga in 2019, TAPe Inc.’s lawyer also clarified that the claims hold no water since the “eB Happy everybody Happy” is a copyright registration.

“The ‘eB Happy’ trademark of TAPe Inc. is ‘ e at Bulaga Happy,’ which is different from his ‘eB Happy,’ which is “everybody Happy,’” Abraham-Garduque said.

She also maintained that Calingal’s copyright registration falls under paragraph G of Section 172 of the IP Code, which only refers to “works of drawing, painting, architecture, sculpture, engraving, lithography or other works of art; models or designs for works of art.”

Clearly, his claims do not cover “dramatic or dramatico-musical compositions; choreographic works or entertainment in dumb shows” and “audiovisual works and cinematographic works and works produced by a process analogous to cinematography or any process for making audio-visual recordings” under paragraphs e and L of the same law, respectively.

Congress returns to try to stave off a government shutdown while GOP weighs impeachment inquiry

By Stephen Groves And Mary Clare Jalonick The Associated Press

WASHINGTON—After months of struggling to find agreement on just about anything in a divided Congress, lawmakers are returning to Capitol Hill to try to avert a government shutdown, even as House Republicans consider whether to press forward with an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.

A short-term funding measure to keep government offices fully functioning will dominate the September agenda, along with emergency funding for Ukraine, federal disaster funds and the Republican-driven probe into Hunter Biden’s overseas business dealings.

Time is running short for Congress to act. The House is scheduled to meet for just 11 days before the government’s fiscal year ends on September 30, leaving little room to maneuver. And the dealmaking will play out as two top Republicans, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, deal with health issues.

The president and congressional leaders, including Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, are focused on passage of a months-long funding measure, known as a continuing resolution, to keep government offices running while lawmakers iron out a budget. It’s a step Congress routinely takes to avoid stoppages, but McCarthy faces resistance from within his own Republican ranks, including from some hardline conservatives who openly embrace the idea of a government shutdown.

“Honestly, it’s a pretty big mess,” McConnell said at an event in Kentucky last week.

Here are the top issues as lawmakers return from the August break: Keeping the government open W Hen Biden and McCarthy struck a deal to suspend the nation’s debt ceiling in June, it included provisions for topline spending numbers. But under pressure from the House Freedom Caucus, House Republicans have advanced spending bills that cut below that agreement.

Republicans have also tried to load their spending packages with conservative policy wins. For example, House Republicans added provisions blocking abortion coverage, transgender care and diversity initiatives to a July defense package, turning what has traditionally been a bipartisan effort into a sharply contested bill.

But Democrats control the Sen-

Impeachment inquiry

SInCe they gained the House majority, Republicans have launched a series of investigations into the Biden administration, with an eye towards impeaching the president or his Cabinet officials. They have now zeroed in on the president’s son, Hunter Biden, and his overseas business dealings, including with Ukrainian gas company Burisma.

Legislation on hold

T He Senate is expected to spend most of September focused on funding the government and confirming Biden’s nominees, meaning that major policy legislation will have to wait. But Schumer outlined some priorities for the remaining months of the year in the letter to his colleagues.

ate and are certain to reject most of the conservative proposals. Senators are crafting their spending bills on a bipartisan basis with an eye toward avoiding unrelated policy fights.

Top lawmakers in both chambers are now turning to a stopgap funding package, a typical strategy to give the lawmakers time to iron out a longterm agreement. The House Freedom Caucus has already released a list of demands it wants included in the continuing resolution. But they amount to a right-wing wish list that would never fly in the Senate.

The conservative opposition means McCarthy will almost certainly have to win significant Democratic support to pass a funding bill—but such an approach risks a new round of conflict with the same conservatives who in the past have threatened to oust him from the speakership.

Democrats are already readying blame for the House GOP.

“The last thing the American people deserve is for extreme House members to trigger a government shutdown that hurts our economy, undermines our disaster preparedness, and forces our troops to work without guaranteed pay,” said White House spokesman Andrew Bates.

In a letter to his colleagues Friday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote that the focus when the Senate returns Tuesday will be “funding the government and preventing House Republican extremists from forcing a government shutdown.”

It leaves McCarthy desperate to get the votes to keep government offices running and avoid the political blowback. As he tries to persuade Republicans to go along with a temporary fix, McCarthy has been arguing that a government shutdown would also halt Republican investigations into the Biden administration.

“If we shut down, all of government shuts it down—investigations and everything else—it hurts the American public,” the speaker said on Fox news last week.

The inquiries have not produced evidence that President Biden took official action on behalf of his son or business partners, but McCarthy has called impeachment a “natural step forward” for the investigations.

An impeachment inquiry by the House would be a first step toward bringing articles of impeachment. It is not yet clear what that may look like, especially because the speaker does not appear to have the GOP votes lined up to support an impeachment inquiry. Moderate Republicans have so far balked at sending the House on a full-fledged impeachment hunt.

But Donald Trump, running once again to challenge Biden, is prodding them to move ahead quickly.

“I don’t know actually how a Republican could not do it,” Trump said in an interview on Real America’s Voice. “I think a Republican would be primaried and lose immediately, no matter what district you’re in.”

Ukraine and disaster funding

T He White House has requested more than $40 billion in emergency funding, including $13 billion in military aid for Ukraine, $8 billion in humanitarian support for the nation and $12 billion to replenish US federal disaster funds at home.

The request for the massive cash infusion comes as Kyiv launches a counteroffensive against the Russian invasion. But support for Ukraine is waning among Republicans, especially as Trump has repeatedly expressed skepticism of the war.

nearly 70 Republicans voted for an unsuccessful effort to discontinue military aid to Ukraine in July, though strong support for the war effort remains among many members.

It is also not clear whether the White House’s supplemental request for US disaster funding, which also includes funds to bolster enforcement and curb drug trafficking at the southern US border, will be tied to the Ukraine funding or a continuing budget resolution. The disaster funding enjoys wide support in the House, but could be tripped up if packaged with other funding proposals.

Schumer said the Senate would work on legislation to lower the costs of drugs, address rail safety and provide disaster relief after floods in Vermont, fires in Hawaii and a hurricane in Florida.

Senators will also continue to examine whether legislation is needed to address artificial intelligence.

Schumer has convened what he is calling an “AI insight forum” on Sept. 13 in the Senate with tech industry leaders, including Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and elon Musk, the CeO of X and Tesla, as well as former Microsoft CeO Bill Gates.

Health concerns

Sen AT e Republicans will return next week to renewed questions about the health of their leader, McConnell.

McConnell, 81, faces questions about his ability to continue as the top Senate Republican after he has frozen up twice during news conferences in the last two months since falling and suffering a concussion in March. During the event in Kentucky last week, he fell silent for roughly 30 seconds as he answered a question from a reporter.

Dr. Brian Monahan, the Capitol’s attending physician, said Thursday that McConnell is cleared to work. But the question of whether McConnell—the longest-serving party leader in Senate history—can continue as Republican leader has sparked intense speculation about who will eventually replace him.

Meanwhile, the health of California Democrat Sen. Dianne Feinstein, 90, has visibly wavered in recent months after she was hospitalized for shingles earlier this year. She suffered a fall at her San Francisco home in August and visited the hospital for testing.

And in the House, Rep. Steve Scalise, the no. 2 Republican, disclosed last week that he has been diagnosed with a form of blood cancer known as multiple myeloma and is undergoing treatment. Scalise, 57, said he will continue to serve and described the cancer as “very treatable.”

Debt crisis threatens to engulf China’s surviving developers

Bloomberg News

By

CHINA S housing crisis has engulfed the country’s private developers, producing record waves of defaults and leaving a shrinking group of survivors.

Out of the nation’s top 50 privatesector developers by dollar bond issuance, 34 have already suffered delinquencies on offshore debt, according to Bloomberg-compiled data as of September 1. The remaining 16, including Country Garden Holdings Co., face a combined $1.48 billion of onshore and offshore public bond payments for either interest or principal in September. The monthly amount is the highest until January.

Chinese junk dollar bonds, dominated by developers, now hover around 67 US cents on average, according to a Bloomberg index. Country Garden’s dollar bonds are indicated at 9 cents to 14 cents, prices compiled by Bloomberg show.

The debt pressure underscores the unabated payment risks among the sector’s survivors as an unprecedented cash crunch enters a fourth year. While authorities’ latest efforts to arrest a housing slump fueled a property stock rally Monday, concerns remain that industry giant Country Garden is heading toward default, an event that may further

rattle Chinese markets.

A bond blowup by Country Garden, the nation’s former top developer by sales, could risk worse fallout than from China evergrande Group’s in 2021, given Country Garden has four times more property projects. In addition to further hitting broader market confidence, a default may also cause social issues given the builder’s heavy exposure to smaller cities, with potential chain reaction including impacting owners of unfinished homes and construction workers, finances of local banks and governments as well as income for suppliers.

“It is uncommon for close to 70 percent to 80 percent of the nonstate-owned issuers in a major sector to run into default or distress within such a short period,” said Zhi Wei Feng, a senior analyst at Loomis Sayles Investments Asia Pte.

Sitting atop the list of survivors and vulnerable to an imminent payment failure is Country Garden, as the clock is ticking for China’s former top developer by sales to pay a combined $22.5 million in two dollar

note coupons within a grace period that ends September 5 to 6.

Failure to do so would allow bondholders to call a default. The developer, one of the world’s most indebted builders with about $187 billion of liabilities, told creditors it had yet to make the interest payments, people familiar with the matter said Sunday.

Seazen Group Ltd. and Agile Group Holdings Ltd. are the next to watch, as other builders are either more commercial property-focused or have some levels of state backing, according to Andrew Chan, a credit analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence.

Seazen and Agile have $104 million and $222 million of bond payments, both onshore and offshore, coming due through the end of this year, respectively.  Also on the list are state-linked Sino-Ocean Group Holding Ltd. and China Vanke Co., indicating how developers with certain degrees of government support are facing payment pressure too.

Sino-Ocean has won some breathing room after a unit secured bondholder approval to extend repayment for a yuan note. The company faces $155 million bond payments in September. Vanke, the nation’s secondlargest developer that reported lower profit in the first half, has to deliver $34 million of bond payments this month.

The Bloomberg index tracking developers-dominant China junk dollar notes lost 5 percent in August, the most since May. While it has rebounded since last week after Beijing stepped up its housing rescue campaign, the gauge remains down more than 14 percent in 2023, set for a third year of declines.

Despite the price slump, some investors remain reluctant to jump in.

Although the market “looks cheap on valuation,” her fund will continue to adopt a defensive and selective strategy, according to Joyce Bing, investment manager of fixed income at abrdn plc. “Policy support has not been very effective to stop the downward trend so far.”

Still, picking the right firms may reward investors with eye-watering gains. In one such example, a dollar note from Dalian Wanda Group Co. recorded a 42 percent single-day jump in July, a few days before a key unit of the private conglomerate alleviated repayment concerns by making good on a bond.

“Tactical opportunities still exist in the sector,” said Anna Zhang, a credit analyst at T Rowe Price Hong Kong Ltd. “Companies with manageable near-term debt obligations and high-quality land bank are in a better position.” With assistance from Pearl Liu / Bloomberg

A18 Wednesday, September 6, 2023

OP ’24 budget clears House amid CIF, ‘pork’ questions PALAWAN PROMOTES

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla & Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie

MINORITY lawmakers on Tuesday scored the unscrutinized existence of the confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) and “presidential pork,” which they alleged exist in the proposed budget of the Office of the President (OP) for 2024.

At the budget hearing by the House Committee on Appropriations on the Office of the President, Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin disclosed they are seeking for the P10.7 billion next year, which he said is “moderately high” compared to their existing P9 billion 2023 budget.

In order for the Office of the President to perform its various roles and discharge its myriad duties efficiently and effectively, we are respectfully requesting a budget of 10,707,927 billion for fiscal year 2024,” Bersamin said.

Public accounting

MEMBERS of the Makabayan bloc, however, claimed the P4.5 billion of the proposed amount by the OP will be for confidential and intelligence funds (CIF), which do not go through audit and public accounting.

T hey noted this was on top of

the unprogrammed funds, and special purpose funds (SPFs) of the OP, which they called “presidential pork.”

In her manifestation at the hearing, Assistant Minority Leader and Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Arlene D. Brosas called on her peers to scrap the CIF and lump-sum discretionary fund.

It is time to junk the CIF and the presidential pork and re-channel its [funds] to health and service [programs] for the public,” Brosas said in Filipino.  For her part, ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France L. Castro called out the Committee of Appropriations (CA) for immediately terminating the budget hearing by simply invoking parliamentary courtesy.

“Courtesy? Respect? Is it not the government agencies, especially the Office of the President, which owe a higher courtesy and respect to our citizens? We owe them an explanation on how every cent their entrust to us is being spent,” Castro said.

K abataan Partylist Rep. Raoul Danniel A. Manuel said the OP should address the concerns they raised on its proposed budget.  “At the soonest time possible we expect answers from the OP,” said Manuel.

OP needs funds–Co

THE Office of the President very much needs the P10.70-billion proposed budget for 2024 as it is the epicenter of the government,  House Committee on Appropriations Chairman and Ako Bicol Party-List Rep. Elizaldy Co said in his opening statement at the start of deliberations for OP’s budget.

The presidency is not merely a symbolic figurehead or a ceremonial role; rather, it is the epicenter of governance, the fulcrum upon which the entire nation pivots. It is a position laden with responsibilities, obligations, and the immense weight of leadership,” Co said.

A ccording to Co, the budget is needed because the President is always expected to uphold the rule of law, guard the Constitution, and even maintain peace and security within the country.

“Furthermore, the President plays a pivotal role in maintaining peace and security within our borders.  The President is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, responsible for safeguarding our nation from external threats and

internal conflicts,” he added.

O f the P10.70 billion proposed funding for 2024, P7.746 billion would go to maintenance and other operating expenses; P1.676 billion to capital outlay; and P1.284 billion to personnel services, including pension payouts.

T he committee ended the deliberations on the OP’s proposed budget after Abra Rep. Ching Bernos moved to terminate the hearing, which was seconded by lawmakers present.

More trips, infra works

BERSAMIN said OP budget will allow them to engage in necessary infrastructure works within the Palace campus complex and the gradual restoration and improvement of all the facilities within the OP’s mansion in Baguio City.

T he OP also wants to raise its budget for the local and foreign missions and state visits of the President for 2024 to P1.4 billion from over P893 million this year.

“ The modest adjustment likewise accommodates the logistical requirements of honouring invitations from foreign leaders to visit their countries and the making of diplomatic initiatives, which will yield job-creating investments that will hasten our post-pandemic economic recovery,” Bersamin said.

The budget proposal of the OP did not make any specific mention of the CIF and SPFs for 2024.

By Malou Talosig-Bartolome @maloutalosig

THE municipality of Kalayaan in Palawan joined the recently concluded Philippine Travel Mart (PTM) and offered adventure-seeking tourists discounts for visitors to the islands claimed by the country in the West Philippine Sea.

T his is the first time the tourism arm of the Kalayaan municipality has offered packages of the Great Kalayaan Expedition to the public during the country’s biggest travel event this year.

K en Hupanda, project coordinator of Kalayaan Tourism Promotions and Development Program, said they offered a 10-percent discount to those who booked during the threeday travel mart in SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

T hey also offered low downpayment and easy-to-pay schemes.

T he tours are powered by the Kalayaan Islands Tourism Agents (KITA) Cooperative, the only Travel Agency/Operator licensed to operate and run tours in the jurisdiction of the  Kalayaan Island Group (KIG).

Two travel packages are offered: ■ Kalayaan Fish and Dive Expedition; and

■ Pag-asa Summer Tour. Tourists joining the Kalayaan Fish and Dive Expedition will have a seven-day adventure in four islands -- Lawak Island, Patag Island, Likas Island and Pag-asa Island.

I n Lawak and Patag islands, tourists can experience a unique wildlife observation of migratory birds, fishing, diving, kayaking, snorkeling and fellowship lunch with island troops.

I n Likas Island, tourists will be treated to a vast wildlife adventure of green sea turtles as well as engage in sports fishing.

Tourists will then proceed to Pag-asa Island, the largest island occupied by the Philippines, with 300 residents. Divers can have a field day of wreck diving and get a chance to immerse with the locals.

T he Kalayaan Fish and Dive Expedition costs P120,000 (US$2,400) per person.

For 2024, there will be three expeditions scheduled -- March 22-28, April 19-15 and May 2430.

Meanwhile, those who just like to go straight to Pag-asa Island can opt for that. It is also a seven-day trip, but the cost is cheaper compared to the full expedition tour at P30,000 per person.

T here will only be one Pag-asa Summer Tour for 2024, which will be on May 6-12.

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng

Companies

Wednesday, September 6, 2023

SEC will soon issue revised sustainability reporting rules

By VG Cabuag @villygc

The seC said it will soon release a memorandum circular on the revised guidelines for listed firms, which will include the sustainability reporting form to guide them with their reports. The revised guidelines seek to further enhance the quality of sustainability reporting and ensure consistency of nonfinancial information submitted by listed firms.

“This is a significant step towards

consistent, comparable and reliable sustainability information, ending the so-called alphabet soup of voluntary adoption of various standards,” seC Chairman emilio B. Aquino said.

The revised guidelines will take into consideration global sustainability standards, such as international Financial Reporting standards (iFR s) s1 on general requirements for disclosure of sustainabili-

ty-related financial information and iFR s s2 on climate-related disclosures, among others.

“These standards serve as an effective and proportionate global framework of investor-focused disclosures on sustainability and climate-related risks and opportunities.”

The international Organization of securities Commissions has endorsed the said standards earlier this year, calling on its members to consider ways of adopting and applying them within the context of jurisdictional arrangements.

“The adoption of the iFR s s1 and s2 standards will complement the commission’s adoption of frameworks under the United nations’ su stainable Development Goals, Global Reporting i n itiative, su stainability Accounting st andards Board, and United nations Conference on Trade and Development

(U n C TAD)- i n ternational s t andards of Accounting and Reporting Guidance on Core i ndicators,” Aquino said.

since the issuance of the sustainability reporting guidelines in 2019, the seC has seen a steady increase in the submission of sustainability reports by listed firms. Compliance rate stood at 95 percent in 2021, from 96 percent in 2020 and 93 percent in 2019. Only around 22 percent of listed firms disclosed their sustainability reports to the seC prior to the release of the guidelines in 2017.

earlier this year, the seC also adopted the A se A n sustainable and Responsible Fund standards, which will allow both local and A se A nm ember investment companies and collective investment scheme operators to offer sustainable and responsible funds locally and across the region.

Ant Group expands payment options

By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan

Chinese financial technol-

ogy (fintech) giant Ant Group said on Tuesday it has added three more mobile wallets that can now be used to make transactions in the Philippines.

According to Cherry huang, general manager of Alipay+ Offline Merchant services at Ant Group, tourists using AlipayhK (hong Kong), Kakao Pay (south Korea), and Touch ’n Go eWallet (Malaysia) can now use their mobile wallets to transact with Manila and Cebu merchants. since 2017, Filipino merchants have accepted Alipay as a mode of

payment for their physical transactions via QR codes.

h u ang said the expansion enables travelers from h o ng Kong, s o uth Korea, and Malaysia to “enjoy a cashless experience, using just their home mobile wallets to make payment, improving the travel experience as digital payment options like mobile wallets become the norm for day-to-day transactions.”

s he added that this initiative comes as tourism in the Philippines has seen a “continued robust recovery,” citing data from the Department of Tourism (DOT).

As of July, south Korea topped the list of international visitors,

By Andrea E. San Juan @andreasanjuan

while Malaysia was included in the top 10 list.

huang noted that Alipay+ is currently accepted by merchants in Manila and Cebu, the top two most visited cities in the Philippines in 2019.

“Philippines and its many islands, such as Cebu, have long been a favorite destination for Asian travelers and we look forward to working with our local partners to enhance their travel experience,” huang said.

“We believe that digital adoption and solutions will shape travellers’ expectations, particularly in the way they engage travel-related businesses, from airports and hospitality to F&B and retail stores. Our focus now is to work with more partners to on-

board more merchants with Alipay+ across the Philippines, particularly local small businesses, and promote digital travel and travel recovery.”

Ant Group introduced Alipay+ in 2020. it aims to enable local businesses, especially small and mediumsized businesses, to process a wide range of mobile payment methods and reach more than 1.4 billion regional and global consumers, through one-time integration and simple technical adaption.

Aside from the Philippines, Alipay+ is also widely accepted in destinations including the Chinese mainland, Macao, singapore, Thailand, Japan, and south Korea among others.

B1

Ayala Land names first female

AyA l A l a nd i nc. on Tuesday said Anna Maria Margarita

B. Dy as the company’s new president and C e O effective October, making her the first female chief executive of the country’s second largest property developer.

The 54-year-old C e O will replace Bernard v i ncent O. Dy, who retires from Ayala l a nd after 26 years in the company.

Bobby Dy, 59, has been the company’s president and C e O since April 7, 2014.

ef fective October 1, Bobby will take on a new role as senior advisor to Ayala l a nd Chairman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala.

i n a letter sent to employees, Zobel said Bobby helped Ayala l a nd maintain a strong balance sheet which enabled the company to recover from the challenges of the pandemic.

“During the pandemic years, Bobby guaranteed the health and safety of our employees, and supported our merchants, suppliers and the local communities we operated in. he was at the forefront of our sustainability initiatives as he boldly implemented a 5-year plan to achieve carbon neutrality for our commercial properties, which we achieved 1 year ahead of the target,” Zobel said.

he also expressed his trust and high confidence in the company’s newly appointed chief executive.

“Meean’s extensive experience encompasses pivotal leadership roles within the strategic landbank management group. s he played a key role in launching critical projects in our portfolio, such as BGC, nu vali, ve rtis and Arca s outh. he r journey continued as she led the residential business group and, more recently, assumed leadership over the malls, offices and the hotels and resorts group.”

Ayala said it practices deliberate succession planning across its busi-

ness units. “The next-generation leaders are given exposure to the entire Ayala ecosystem.”

Upon her appointment as executive vice president of the company since January and COO since April, Meean had since been included in the regular meetings of the Ayala group management committee and involved in key decisions concerning the entire ecosystem.

“With Meean at the helm, i am confident that Ayala l a nd will continue to have meaningful impact in all the lives and communities we touch,” Zobel said.

Prior to joining Ayala l a nd, she was vice president of Benpres holdings Corp., now l o pez holdings Corp. s he graduated magna cum laude from the Ateneo De Manila University’s e conomic honors Program in 1990. s he earned her master’s degree in economics from the l ondon s c hool of e conomics and Political s c ience in 1991 and MBA at h a rvard Graduate s c hool of Business Administration in Boston in 1996. VG Cabuag

LA l A MOv e Philippines and the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) have teamed up to enhance road safety measures for motorists.

As part of their collaboration, the on-demand delivery platform provider recently turned over a brandnew honda Click motorcycle from its Panalomove partner Agribank; driving equipment, such as insulated bag, helmet, and jacket; as well as first-aid kits.

According to l a lamove Philippines Managing Director Djon nacario, this is one of their many initiatives together with MMDA.

“This effort is geared toward MMDA’s goal of stronger enforcement of driver safety education and regulations for all riders, especially for our l a lamove Partner Drivers.”

The company looks forward to the launch this quarter of MMDA Motorcycle Riding Academy, which is aimed at molding disciplined motorists across the metro.

“We are confident that MMDA’s driver training academy will make us a few steps closer to keeping roads fully safe for all l a lamove Partner Drivers, motorists, and pedestrians,” nacario said.

Once ready, this driving learning institution will have the capacity to house 100 participants per batch. Roderick L. Abad

The government must revoke a proposal to put in place a container monitoring system as this is “just a duplication” of an existing mechanism, according to a top shipping executive.

The Philippine ex porters Confederation inc. (Philexport) issued last Monday a statement which quoted Patrick Ronas, president of the Association of international shipping lines (A isl)

Philexport said Ronas had made the pronouncement during a televised interview where he also indicated that the logistics and shipping industry continues to be wary about the Philippine Ports Authority’s (PPA) Administrative Order 04-2021or the Trusted Operator Program-Container Registration Monitoring system (TOP- CRMs)

While Ronas lauded the “turnaround” by the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) on the PPA’s proposed container registration and monitoring system, the shipping executive said this is not enough to reassure the industry.

The shipping executive referred to ARTA’s “about-face” last July when the anti-red tape watchdog reevaluated PPA’s proposed monitoring system and found it “burdensome and unnecessary,” and recommended instead to explore “cost-effective” alternatives to address potential congestion. The TOP-CRMs, which details the container monitoring policy of

the PPA, had been initially recommended for pilot implementation by the ARTA, subject to validation last March.

however, the country’s anti-red tape watchdog reevaluated the Regulatory impact statement (R is) for the said policy of PPA, upon the request of various stakeholders to be affected by the proposed regulation.

ARTA said its reevaluation showed that the system would be an “added burden” for port users. The system was also not needed, it added, since PPA itself admitted there was currently no port congestion.

Ronad said the shipping industry wants to revoke the proposal and not just have it deferred indefinitely, as what the PPA Board has done.

“We don’t want a deferment, we want a revocation.”

While there are “bumps” every now and then at the ports due to, for example, weather disturbances and long holidays, which slow down cargo movement temporarily, Ronas said the terminals have the expertise and technological capabilities to get right back on track once these disturbances have passed.

Major stakeholders in the maritime industry, with backing from top business groups, have appealed to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. last January to immediately revoke a PPA order imposing an additional container monitoring system in the current ports operations.

i m plementation of the order will “result in an almost 50 percent increase in the logistics cost of imported goods,” they said. (Full story here: https://businessmirror. com.ph/2023/01/27/top-businessgroups-back-protests-vs-ppa-orderno-4/)

in the same statement, Ronas also shared his views on how the Philippines can become a “key trade hub” in Asia like singapore or hong Kong.

he noted that for exporters, the steep price of electricity “limits them from taking a look at some of the other inputs so they only have very few margins because electricity is taking a big chunk of it.”

if we can bring our exports up, this means we can do more volumes… our throughputs for imports will also go up, and that’s the time you can attract investors.”

The Securities and exchange Commission (SeC) is drafting guidelines which will ensure the consistency and uniformity of sustainability measures that will be reported by listed Philippine companies.

Let’s talk capital market

Part four

WHEN we mention capital market, it is the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) that we almost automatically have in mind because it is the most visible and popular representation of this market. The PSE is, after all, a pioneer financial institution where equities, the common shares of lead business companies, are listed and traded. Every business day, the price performance of these shares is posted. Profits and losses are made. More importantly, capital funds are raised in substantial amounts to keep businesses growing.

The PSE plays a very central role in capital market development quite obviously and so we are interested in what it is doing—beyond reporting the movement of stock prices. I share with my readers the PSE’s report last April on its ongoing initiatives and on its priorities for 2023-2025. These are the PSE’s commitments to the Capital Market Development Council.

PSE President Ramon S. Monzon underscores that “rather than focus primarily on investor protection, find the right balance on equally

Finex Free enterprise s antiago F. Dumlao Jr.

prioritizing initiatives that support the development and growth of the capital markets; create a flexible and collaborative environment to foster innovation in developing products and services while maintaining a proactive and conscious effort to address any deficiencies that may negatively impact investors and other market participants.”

A good point. Unfortunately, the mainstream media seem to find it more newsworthy to report about investment scams than investment promotion.

Never the mind, as some would say. We’re moving on and on the right track.

Santiago

Investors sought higher bond yields on Aug inflation uptick

By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

Tuesday’s auction saw total offers settling at P28.987 billion, about 96.6 percent of the total programmed amount. With the yields averaging at 6.222 percent, the Treasury made only a partial award, raising P21.187 billion from the auction of T-bonds.

The average rate for the newly issued three-year T-bonds was higher than its secondary market benchmark level of 6.2 percent. It was also higher than the 5.883 percent average yield recorded in the previous three-year T-bonds last April.

Investors sought yields between 6.11 percent and 6.373 percent. The coupon rate for the fresh government security was set at 6.25 percent.

Rizal Commercial Banking Corp.

Chief Economist Michael L. Ricafort attributed the uptick in T-bonds’ yields to the acceleration in the country’s inflation print that reached 5.3 percent in August.

Ricafort added that “hawkish” signals from both the local monetary and Fed officials “on the readiness to raise policy rates” affected investors’ appetite for the T-bonds.

“The auction yield also higher after global crude oil prices reached new 9.5-month highs (or since November 2022) that led to the 9th straight week of local fuel pump price increases that could also add to inflation, as well as higher local rice prices recently (which account for nearly 10

percent of the inflation/CPI basket) though offset by the rice price ceiling effective today, September 5, 2023,” Ricafort said.

Tuesday’s partial award came after the national government successfully raised the full P15 billion from the sale of Treasury bills last Monday.

For this month, the national government plans to borrow a total of P180 billion from the domestic market through the tender of government securities, according to the Treasury.

The Treasury will auction P60 billion worth of T-bills across four auctions with a programmed amount of P15 billion per tender.

Meanwhile, the Treasury would auction off Treasury bonds four times next month with an offering amount of P30 billion each or a total of P120 billion.

s

LEAP is a program that provides assistance to potential listing applicant companies by connecting them with IPO advisers and professionals to help them in their preparation for initial public offering.

The PSE, likewise, conducts learning sessions—some held in collaboration with government and private sector industry groups—to provide companies with in-depth understanding of the IPO process and procedures as well as compliance requirements for a successful IPO. As of May, there are 55 companies under this program.

The PSE will migrate its settlement process to T+2 (trade date plus two days) settlement cycle from T+3. The alignment with the international standards will increase trading efficiency and reduce counterparty risks.

The web-based application will soon offer local small investors with subscription options for follow-on offerings. The new version will also integrate online payment systems into the application.

The platform enables investors to learn and analyze data on their own by providing stock market information and research reports.

This project seeks to improve the trading experience of retail investors, from learning the basics of stock market investing for first-time investors to analyzing rich data sets for intermediate investors to advanced investors.

Short selling allows investors to hedge risk against market downturns. This initiative is also a pre-requisite to derivatives. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has approved the use of offshore collateral for qualified buyers. The PSE is awaiting SEC’s approval of the lending agency license of the Philippine Depository & Trust Corp. and the approval by the Bureau of Internal Revenue of the acceptance of Global Master Securities Lending Agreement.

The new sector classification system will expand the current classification of companies from six sectors to eight sectors. This allows for the assignment of listed companies to their best-fit sectors to help investors better understand the businesses of listed companies.

PSE’s Priorities for 2023-2025

The project will enable investors to buy a fraction of a share of a company and trade based on peso value instead of number of shares to make stock trading more affordable to Filipinos.

A security which value is determined by an underlying asset on which it is based (i.e. shares, commodities, ETFs, currency, market indices, etc.). The PSE will proceed to start development work on derivatives, initially for index futures, after short selling has been implemented. The framework for this product will need legislative and regulatory support.

Teachers’ ‘unrecorded’ payments flagged

By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

SENATE Minority Leader Aquilino Martin “Koko” dL. Pimentel III on Monday called the attention of the Department of Education (DepEd) to a Commission on Audit (COA) report that some P4.4 billion in premium payments for the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) were unremitted even though these had been deducted from teachers’ salaries.

During the Senate subcommittee hearing on the DepEd budget for 2024, Undersecretary Michael Wesley T. Poa explained that “several reasons” are behind such “unremitted” sums. He said that the deductions were actually remitted to GSIS, but “timing differences” in posting prevented them from being credited to the GSIS records of the teacher-members.

“Is this a software problem? A hardware problem? Or is this a syn-

dicate problem?” an incredulous Pimentel wanted to know.

The senator was aghast when Poa said such variances in records between the DepEd and the GSIS had been identified since the 1990s.

He, however, assured Pimentel the two government agencies “have an ongoing reconciliation” program on the premium records.

“We do it regularly; so we hope to reduce the amount for reconciliation,” Poa added.

He said when it was first flagged in the nineties, the two agencies could not reconcile their records.

“But the money was there,” the DepEd official added.

To illustrate how this could happen, Poa explained the “timing difference.” If an employee is new, the DepEd may have remitted the money already, but since the GSIS has not fully enrolled the employee concerned for lack of a requirement, full posting under the employee’s name does not happen right away. In effect,

Poa added, the money “is there, but floating,” initially.

Pimentel, wondered aloud that if only new hires are involved in this “glitch,” the sum involved would not reach a P4.4 billion.

Poa conceded that “definitely, this is not limited to just the new hires.”

The senator then admonished the DepEd to speed up its reconciliation program with the GSIS, and solve once and for all a three-decade recurring problem of posting.

Also at the budget hearing, Pimentel asked DepEd about the P10.1 billion in unliquidated cash advances, likewise, raised in the COA report.

Poa said the advances were mostly involving “our regional offices” and that as a result of the head office breathing down the necks of those involved, the amount involved had been whittled down since the COA report.

He estimated that currently, the unliquidated advances are now down to P4 billion, for which Pimentel praised the agency’s effort.

‘Govt digitalization aids capital market’

By Manuel T. Cayon @awimailbox Mindanao Bureau Chief

DAVAO

CITY—Government offices and agencies would need to upgrade its technological capability more than simply replacing typewriters with computers and ensuring there is broadband connection.

The bureaucracy “needs digitalization of government services as it shares transformation journey,” the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said.

During the second quarterly meeting last month of the Philippine Association for Government Administration Inc. (Pagba), SEC Chairman Emilio B. Aquino said government services must embrace “digital transformation to make doing business easier in the Philippines.”

Calibrated, tempered

AQUINO added that the SEC was focused on digitalizing and streamlining its internal systems and direct interfaces with the transacting public, and strengthening digital external links with partner agencies and the private sector.

“Our digital transformation has been calibrated and tempered to the requirements of the transacting public and stakeholders. We need to adjust to our customers,” Aquino said.

He said the SEC has launched a total of nine digital systems that have made its services more accessible to the public.

Advanced systems

IN 2023, the SEC further deepened its digitalization efforts with five new advanced systems, namely: the Electronic SEC Universal Registration Environment (eSECURE), SEC CheckApp 2.0, Electronic SEC Education, Analysis, Research Computing Hub (eSEARCH), SEC API Marketplace, and the Electronic Registration Application for Market Participants (eRAMP).

The eSECURE is a company’s passport to the online services of the SEC, allowing users to manage their SEC accounts and online transactions in one place, while ensuring safe and secure transactions.

THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) is set to implement measures that would improve the country’s trade, such as applying an e-commerce clearance.

A statement from the BOC said its officials recently met with representatives of the “Arise Plus Philippines” project of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to discuss new activities and technical assistance for the implementation of the Customs Modernization Act and the World Trade Organization Facilitation Agreement.

The activities are part of the 4-year project that seeks to improve the country’s trade system.

“The series of activities focus on key emerging trade facilitation areas, namely the Integrated Risk Management (IRM), Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) and e-commerce clearance, and taxation, as well as for the operationalization of the Philippine Trade Facilitation Committee (PTFC). These are implemented from March 2023 until February 2024 under the Year 3 support of the Arise Project,” a statement issued by the BOC last Tuesday read.

The Arise Plus Philippines Project is funded by the European Union with the Geneva-based Internal Trade Centre serving as the project’s technical agency.

new products

The agreement with Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE) promotes investing in the counterparty’s stock market, information sharing on regulatory practices, market development and information technology, as well as the introduction of joint indices and ETF Product Link that would enable investors from both countries to invest in each other’s ETF products.

The PSE is developing a roadmap for digital assets and had initial discussions with several potential partner institutions. The PSE is exploring projects it could put in a regulatory sandbox, subject to the approval of the SEC.

“Over the years, we have adopted, and we continue to explore more, innovations in the way we receive, process and approve applications for company registration and corporate filings, as well as in the way we offer our other services to the public,” Aquino said last August 30.

The SEC chief said innovations are largely driven by digitalization to make it easier for everyone to do business in the Philippine “from registering a corporation, to filing an annual report and paying fees.”

From 2020 to 2022, the SEC brought its core initiatives online, primarily the “Electronic Simplified Processing of Application for Registration of Companies” (eSPARC), and its subsystem, the “One Day Submission and Electronic Registration of Companies” (OneSEC).

Aquino said the eSPARC triggered a 53.2-percent increase in the number of new business registrations in 2021, despite the lingering effects of the pandemic. The SEC also saw a record time of one minute and 14 seconds for company registration under OneSEC.

roster of publicly-listed companies

The PSE aims to make the listing process more convenient for issuers by digitizing the process of submitting their listing application.

Aquino cited that at the core of SEC’s digital transformation journey was “equipping the SEC with digital technology and adaptive registration and data management systems in order to empower the business sector toward becoming among the best in Southeast Asia.”

He added that the SEC made payments easier through the Electronic System for Payments to the SEC (eSPAYSEC), where the transacting public can now choose from over 1,000 online and offline payment options nationwide. Aquino also noted that the SEC facilitated compliance with reportorial requirements through the Electronic Filing and Submission Tool (eFAST).

The SEC Check App is the official mobile application of the Commission for public information dissemination and access to online and interactive services.

The eSEARCH is the main eCommerce service channel of the Commission for the transacting public’s purchase and download of submitted documents to the SEC, while the SEC API Marketplace enables the SEC to provide company profile information, financial information, and other data to clients and stakeholders through application-to-application communication.

The eRAMP is an internet-based real time facility that allows capital market participants to manage their license with the SEC.

Aquino said the SEC’s reforms helped significantly raise the Philippines’s ranking in the “Doing Business 2020” report of the World Bank to the 95th spot from the 124th in 2019.

The BOC said it is currently engaged with the “Arise Plus Philippines” in “finalizing” the interagency sharing guidelines for the IRM and AEO programs.

“A gap analysis for the Asean AEO Mutual Recognition Agreement is also underway to help the BOC in its implementation of a dynamic AEO program, including the participation of the Trade Regulatory Government Agencies (TRGAs) and the economic operators,” the BOC added.

Furthermore, the BOC said it will conduct public outreach activities to increase awareness of the trading community, TRGAs and PTFC, regarding the country’s international commitments, including new or evolving trade requirements.

The BOC noted that a series of consultative sessions was conducted with Arise Plus Philippines for the development of the draft rules and regulations regarding e-commerce. Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

THE national government suffered its first partial award this month as investors’ sought higher yields while total bids were below the programmed amount of P30 billion for the Treasury bonds (Tbonds) tender.

F. Dumlao is the Secretary General of the Association of Credit Rating Agencies in Asia and chairman of the market governance board and market policy committee of the Philippine Dealing & Exchange Corp. His views do not necessarily reflect those of the BusinessMirror

BOC eyes e-commerce clearance as measure

Stop complaining, start helping

EVERY office has one—someone who always complains about everyone and everything. When that person starts speaking, everyone makes a beeline for the exit, while the rest begrudgingly hear them out or deliberately ignore them. But the sad part is, they sometimes have a valid point, but it gets lost in their verbal barrage. They need to understand that for their complaints to be heard and acted on, they need to learn how to give constructive feedback.

Giving constructive feedback to others is difficult especially if you want to maintain good working relations with the person. It becomes more difficult if you need to give feedback to your immediate manager. But feedback is necessary so that team members can adjust to one another and find a work rhythm that works for the rest of the group. If you want to have a smooth working relationship with your group, you need to give constructive feedback so that they will learn and improve.

If you are leading a team, constructive feedback can help minimize confusion on what you expect from your team. A significant portion of your task as a leader is providing feedback whether they are doing well or if they need to work on their opportunities for improvement. If you want their performance to improve, you need to learn how to give constructive feedback.

Complaints are given when you merely point out a flaw. On the other hand, constructive feedback is meant to help the person become better at what they do. You give constructive feedback to set them up to succeed, and for them to overcome their weaknesses. In order for it to be effective, you need to put yourself in the other person’s shoes and think of how the other person will receive the feedback. This will help you choose your words carefully and plan how you will deliver them so that your feedback will be received willingly. By understanding where a person is coming from, you can position yourself in such a way that you

Prioritize health and test your #iWillpower

POST-PANDEMIC, the buzzword is wellness. According to the Trendipedia 2023 study, Filipinos are becoming more conscious of their health and wellness. This has prompted Filipinos to reevaluate their lifestyle choices and to make their health a priority.

A leading company that develops and manufactures nutritional supplements, foods and personal care products, global nutrition company USANA is gearing up to unveil the #iWill Challenge: A Test of Willpower campaign. It aims to ignite a dramatic change in the way Filipinos put premium on their health and well-being by asking Filipinos, “What are you willing to do to have a better quality of life in the future?”

It calls for Filipinos to provide compelling reasons to take the first step or continue

TODAY’S HOROSCOPE

By Eugenia Last

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS

DAY: Idris Elba, 51; Rosie Perez, 59; Jane Curtin, 76; Swoosie Kurtz, 79.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Take a moment, gather your thoughts and plan what you want to accomplish this year. Consider what’s most important to you and what will contribute to reaching that goal. Turn your attention to what makes you happy and search for how to work more happiness into your daily routine. Knowledge will broaden your scope, allowing you access to what matters most. Your numbers are 6, 13, 21, 28, 34, 39, 45.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Speed things up and take care of unfinished business. What you do will clear the way for something new and exciting. A challenge will lead to better health and an upgrade to your looks and feelings. Love is on the rise.

★★★★

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Talk the talk and walk the walk. The connections you make networking will be what you need to push forward. Time spent evaluating your home and lifestyle will prompt you to make your surroundings comfortable and functional. ★★★

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Steady your emotions before you speak in order to avoid being put in a vulnerable position. Someone will make you look bad if you are indecisive. Stick to the truth, regardless of what others do or say, and you’ll come out on top. ★★★

CANCER (June 21-July 22): It’s up to you to make the changes necessary to reach your goal. Study, practice and network to ensure you promote what you have to offer. Someone close to you has more to offer than you realize. Share your goals and see what happens. ★★★

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Benevolence will help you excel but also subject you to criticism by those jealous of your appeal. If you follow your instincts and put your best foot forward, it will be difficult for anyone to deny you what you deserve. Romance is in the stars. ★★★★

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Keep doors open and knowledge flowing. Contact people who make you think, and look for ways to bring in additional cash and make your money work for you. Don’t hold back; say what’s on your mind and find out where you stand. ★★

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Channel your energy into something meaningful. Learn, explore and expand your mind; it will do wonders for your soul. It’s time to appreciate all you have and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Romance and personal growth are prominent. ★★★★★

understand what they did wrong, but at the same time

SEE “COMPLAINING,” B5

leading an active and healthy life—not just for themselves but also for their loved ones.

“We are passionate about igniting the willpower of people to persist in being healthy and active. The #iWill campaign aims to empower Filipinos to make conscious choices that prioritize their wellbeing and pave the way for a more vibrant future,” says Joyce Ramallosa, USANA Philippines senior sales manager.

Initiating positive change may appear simple, but the real difficulty lies in maintaining commitment and consistency.

Through this campaign, USANA challenges Filipinos to dig deeper and delve into their personal motivations, commonly referred to as their “why,” when embarking on their wellness journeys.

Motivations for embracing a healthier lifestyle vary across different age groups. For the elderly population, the desire to experience and engage in physical activities with younger family members and create lasting memories serves as a powerful motivation.

In contrast, individuals in their prime years may be driven by the eagerness to explore the world with a fit physique. The aspiration to embark on adventures, indulge in outdoor activities, and fully immerse themselves in new experiences become the driving force for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

For others, the yearning to participate in social activities without limitations becomes a primary motivation. Whether it’s joining

friends for a recreational sports league, taking part in community events, or simply feeling confident and comfortable in social settings, the desire to lead an active and vibrant social life inspires individuals to prioritize their well-being.

At the forefront of this campaign are the dynamic duo of volleyball athlete Ponggay Gaston and triathlete Nikko Huelgas. They will showcase their unwavering commitment to prioritizing their health to excel in their respective sports of volleyball and triathlons. Their displays of willpower serve as powerful examples, inspiring others to embrace a healthier lifestyle and pursue their own wellness goals as well.

To learn more about USANA, visit www. usana.com.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Explore possibilities, recognize your talents and set boundaries when necessary. Consider what you want to do, and give your all. Opportunity is within reach, but you need to clear your agenda to position yourself for success. Don’t be afraid to be different. ★★

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Trust what you see, not hearsay. Ask questions and say no to requests that don’t fit your agenda. Follow your heart, take care of your health and surround yourself with people you love to be around. Build your happy place and live there. ★★★

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): A change will help you recognize what’s missing in your life. Look for opportunities that free up time and ease stress. Use your attributes to fine-tune your life and enjoy who and what you love most. Invest in your health and happiness. ★★★

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Evaluate your relationships and make changes that offer peace of mind. Pay attention to how you feel, look and spend your time. It’s up to you to call the shots and to say no to those taking advantage of you.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Refuse to let what others do upset you. Remove yourself from situations that don’t appeal to you, and new and exciting opportunities will come your way. A change in the way you earn and handle your money will make a difference to your mental well-being.

BIRTHDAY BABY:

You are cautious, well-versed and sympathetic. You are persuasive and complimentary.

‘west side story’ BY SHANNON RAPP AND WILL EISENBERG

CNN names Mark Thompson, former BBC and New York Times executive, as its new leader

‘STAR WARS: AHSOKA’ DRAWS 14 MILLION VIEWS GLOBALLY FOR FIRST EPISODE

LuCasfiLm and The Walt Disney Co. are thrilled and humbled to announce that part one of Ahsoka: Master and Apprentice, was the most-watched title on Disney+ last week. The debut episode garnered 14 million views, making the series number one globally on the streaming platform. ahsoka has become a fan favorite with people of all ages and it’s wonderful to see her continue to resonate with viewers in her very own headlining series,” says Kathleen Kennedy, Lucasfilm president.

“i want to recognize the fantastic work done by our creative team, led by Dave filoni and Jon favreau, the incredible cast led by Rosario Dawson, and our talented crew—and on behalf of the team and all of Lucasfilm, we give our thanks to all the fans who have been with ahsoka on every step of her journey and to all those who are just learning about her now in Ahsoka on Disney+.”

New episodes of Ahsoka arrive every Wednesday at 9 am, only on Disney+.

Continued from B4

to know how she thought of the materials we made because we also wanted to maintain the quality of our work, and at the same time avoid anything that she would not like. We probed and asked additional questions to understand why she thought our work was in order and why it looked good. It helped us fine-tune our quality standards and avoided the trialand-error of understanding what was in order and what looked good for her. In the same manner, if you want your feedback to be constructive, you need to be as specific as you can so that your feedback will be understood clearly.

But do not stop there. You need to also prepare for recommendations on how they can improve or avoid it altogether. This is where empathy will help you develop solutions for them. By putting yourself in their shoes, you will have a better understanding of what they can and cannot do given their position, skill limitations, or overall attitude. Once you understand where they are coming from, you can come up with suggestions and action plans that they can consider in order to improve their performance.

Remember that in giving constructive feedback, you also need to watch out for your delivery. It is always better to have a face-to-face meeting when giving feedback because body language, tone and emotional inflections all help in conveying what you mean. It will also be easier for you to gauge their reactions and adjust your constructive feedback so that your message is effectively received. The goal is for them to agree on what they need to improve and then to work with them on solutions to address their issues.

Back when I was still a trainer, one of the methods we teach leaders when giving feedback is to use the sandwich method. This method works by sandwiching the negative feedback with two positive feedback. You start out with positive feedback so that the person will be at ease when talking to you, and then you give constructive feedback with suggestions on how to improve their performance. Once you both decide on an action plan, you end the discussion with another positive feedback so that they do not leave the meeting feeling bad. This is one way of providing constructive feedback.

Another way is by asking a question so that it does put people on the spot. Instead of directly saying that what they are not doing is not working, try providing an alternative by asking a question. Instead of saying “That is not the way to do it”, you can say, “Have you tried doing it this way?”. This will make them think through your suggestion before dismissing it, and it puts them in a safe position because the decision will rest with them. But if the feedback is totally negative with no redeeming quality, try to make your tone as neutral as possible.

In giving constructive feedback, it is important that the person trusts you or feels positively toward you. Once a person is biased against you, anything you say will be taken negatively, and it might be better if you ask somebody they trust to give the feedback. You also need to have a certain degree of credibility before people take you up on your recommendations.

Like any form of communication, the goal is to be understood and change behavior. Anything less than that is complaining. If you want to get things done in the office, start helping people change by giving constructive feedback. n

By David Bauder The Associated Press

NEW YORK—A former chief executive of the BBC and The New York Times who says he sees opportunity in times of disruption was chosen on Wednesday to lead CNN, which has burned through two leaders and bled viewers over the past two years.

Mark Thompson was appointed as CNN’s new chairman and CEO by the network’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery. Thompson will replace Chris Licht, who was fired in June, and a four-person team that had been running CNN in the interim, when he takes over October 9.

Thompson, who left the Times in 2020 after eight years as that company’s president and CEO, is credited with helping the newspaper transition to a digital-first organization more dependent on paid subscribers than the collapsing advertising market that has doomed many newspapers.

The native of England, who was knighted by the British government this year, was director-general of the BBC from 2004 to 2012.

“I’ve long admired Mark’s transformative leadership and his ability to inspire organizations to raise their own ambitions and sense of what’s possible, and achieve it,” David Zaslav, chief of Warner Bros. Discovery, said in a note to CNN staff.

Thompson, in his own note, said that television journalism is approaching peak disruption. CNN and other networks have suffered from people cutting off cable subscriptions, and the company has so far fumbled its attempt to establish a streaming service.

“We face pressure from every direction— structural, political, cultural, you name it,” Thompson said. “Like many other media organizations, CNN has recently felt some of the uncertainty and heartache that comes with all of that. There’s no magic wand I or anyone else can wield to make this disruption go away. But what I can say is that where others see threat, I see opportunity.”

CNN will be going from someone with little leadership experience—Licht was a producer who ran shows, like Morning Joe and the CBS Late Show before taking over CNN—to a person with top executive roles at two of the world’s largest and most respected news organizations.

At the Times, he concentrated on the business side, not journalism. CNN will give him a broader role, similar to what he achieved at the BBC, where he steadily rose through the ranks to the top spot.

He helped steady the BBC in his early years as leader after it had been rocked by scandal over its reporting on Britain’s intelligence about Iraq’s weapons programs in the run-up to the 2003 US-led invasion.

Thompson later faced criticism over the

broadcaster’s handling of child abuse allegations against the longtime BBC children’s TV presenter Jimmy Savile, who was exposed after his death in 2011 as a pedophile who molested children for decades. An investigation into Savile by the BBC’s Newsnight program due to run soon after his death was shelved at the last minute; Thompson denied involvement in that decision.

In a 2021 interview with Exec Publications, Thompson said there was a lot of skepticism within the Times that digital subscriptions could be built up significantly, given a public aversion to pay walls. But he said he hired teams of engineers and data scientists to improve the experience of reading the newspaper on different devices.

The Times, which also benefited from a boost in news interest during the Trump administration, had 10 times as many paid subscribers when he left than when he started.

Thompson had a far worse experience implementing a digital media plan for the BBC. He was called before a parliamentary committee to testify after a government audit found that a plan to combine digital production and archiving wasted millions of dollars due to confusion and poor planning.

At CNN, he faces a dynamic nearly as old as the network itself. Viewership interest in its news coverage has peaks and valleys. CNN has fallen well behind Fox News and MSNBC in popularity, with

opinionated talk connecting more with viewers in a politically polarized time. Licht had encouraged CNN to find a middle ground and flex its newsgathering muscles.

He was doomed at the end by a damning Atlantic magazine profile that showed his failure to connect with employees, many loyal to his predecessor, Jeff Zucker. Zucker was pushed out in February 2022 after failing to disclose to his bosses a romantic relationship with a fellow network executive.

Besides ratings, CNN’s finances have suffered. The network earned $892 million in profit in 2022, down from $1.08 billion in 2020, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Shortly after Licht was named to his new job, CNN’s new corporate masters pulled the plug on a well-publicized streaming service after only weeks in operation. Just this month, it announced that CNN news would be part of its Max streaming service.

CNN also fired two popular prime-time hosts over the past two years, Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon, the latter after an ill-fated move to a new morning show.

In his note on Wednesday, Thompson sought to buoy staff members by praising the network’s coverage of the brief rebellion against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“That day confirmed an old truth to me: when it matters most, CNN is the best place to find out what’s happening,” he wrote. “You always rise to the occasion.” n

PL ANS FOR A MEMORIAL TO QuEEN ELIz ABETH II TO BE uNVEILED IN 2026 TO MARK HER 100TH BIRTHDAY

LONDON—An independent body will unveil plans for a permanent memorial to Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II in 2026, to mark what would have been the late monarch’s 100th birthday, the government said Sunday.

The Cabinet Office said Robin Janvrin, Elizabeth’s former private secretary, has been appointed as chairman of the Queen Elizabeth memorial committee to consider proposals for a “fitting tribute” to Britain’s longest-reigning monarch following her death in September 2022.

The queen died in Balmoral, her beloved Scottish castle estate, at 96 years old after 70 years on the throne.

Janvrin and other officials on the committee will consider Elizabeth’s life of public service and the causes she supported, and recommend plans for a national legacy program in the late queen’s honor.

of Arthdal Chronicles: The Sword of Aramun arrives this September on Disney+.

A Korean fantasy epic, Arthdal Chronicles: The Sword of Aramun will return with a captivating new story set eight years after King Tagon first ascended to the throne.

Starring Jang Dong-gun (A Gentleman’s Destiny,

V.I.P.) as Tagon, the king of Arthdal; Lee Joon-gi (Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, The King and the Clown) as Eunseom, the leader of the Ago tribe and Inaishingi; Shin Sae-kyeong (Run On, The Girl Who Sees

Scents) as Tanya, the high priestess of Arthdal; and Kim Okvin (Thirst, The Villainess) as the manipulative

by Kim Kwang-sik (The Great Battle), and written by season one writers Kim Young-hyun and Park Sangyean.

Fans of breathtaking Korean dramas can signup to Disney+ today to enjoy immediate access to season one of Arthdal Chronicles: The Sword of Aramun; as well as the award-winning series Big Bet starring legendary actor Choi Min-sik; and Big Mouth, about a lawyer who is arrested as part of the murder case he is investigating; and an entire library of world-class entertainment.

Stream season two of Arthdal Chronicles: The Sword of Aramun this September on Disney+.

“It will be a unique challenge to try to capture for future generations Her Late Majesty’s extraordinary contribution to our national life throughout her very long reign,” said Janvrin, who worked at Buckingham Palace in various roles from 1987 to 2007.

The recommendations will be presented to Elizabeth’s heir King Charles III and the prime minister.

In 1955 Elizabeth unveiled a statue of her father, George VI, on The Mall outside Buckingham Palace. AP

Enchanted Kingdom turns over 9th Brigada Eskwela classroom

our efforts of improving the children’s learning environment, we will be able to encourage the youth to adopt and put these positive values into practice,” he added.

ENCHANTED Kingdom, the first and only world-class theme park in the Philippines, turned over its 9th adopted classroom to Dila Elementary School in Santa Rosa City, Laguna in support of the 2023 Brigada Eskwela of the Department of Education (DepEd).

According to DepEd, this year’s theme “Bayanihan Para sa Matatag na Paaralan,” underscored the country’s volunteer initiatives to ensure a clean, safe, inclusive, and child-friendly learning environment for learners and teaching and non-teaching personnel, and strengthen resiliency of schools and basic education.

The adopt-a-classroom program is in

line with EK’s advocacy in promoting a fun, unique and healthy learning environment for students. In this program, EK’s very own maintenance personnel and visual artists repaired, upgraded and repainted the turned over classroom.

Mario Mamon, Chairman and President of EK affirmed the theme park’s continuous support to DepEd’s Brigada Eskwela and the community in the City of Santa Rosa, Laguna. “Enchanted Kingdom is committed to sharing and upholding Eldar the Wizard’s positive values of kindness, humility, patience, honesty, diligence, generosity and love for God and family. We hope that through

The turnover ceremony was graced by no less than Santa Rosa City Mayor Arlene B. Arcillas and Vice-Mayor Arnold B. Arcillas, as well as Dila Elementary School Principal Necita F. Barba, Education Program Supervisor (Kindergarten/SPED) Maribel M. De Vera, Cluster IV Public School District Supervisor Christie B. Merano, Senior Education Program Specialist Jason Sagaysay, teachers, and students. Mamon also invited everyone who attended to visit the park and join in the grand celebration of EK’s 28th Anniversary on October 28.

Teachers and students are also encouraged to take part in the Enchanting Klassroom and Edutainment Programs offered by Enchanted Kingdom. For more information about this upcoming 28th anniversary celebration as well as other upcoming events and offerings, stay connected with Enchanted Kingdom’s official digital platforms via https:// linktr.ee/enchantedkingdom.ph.

Venture builder AHG Lab raises $4M to empower entrepreneurs, strengthen the startup ecosystem

AHG Lab, the largest independent venture builder in the Philippines, has secured a total of USD 4 million in Pre-Series A funding aimed at fueling the growth of the venture builder, its portfolio of ventures and programs, and the wider startup ecosystem.

AHG Lab CEO Rene Cuartero revealed ambitious plans upon closing this investment round. “The funds raised will bolster our venture-building efforts by strengthening our operational, strategic, and funding support for our 10+ startups – with more in the pipeline being incubated as we expand to more verticals and geographies. Additionally, the capital will expand our support in founder-focused programs like Founders Launchpad, our ongoing hands-on incubator and accelerator program. Finally, these funds will pave the way for our service organizations, providing crucial operational, finance, compliance, product, tech, and marketing support for Philippine startups, forming an essential part of the startup ecosystem’s backbone.”

Cuartero highlighted that these are rooted on AHG Lab’s unique approach as a venture builder which resonated with startups, founders, and investors alike.

AHG Lab remains committed to their comprehensive and hands-on founder support, spanning industry-specific strategic advisory up to providing dedicated operational teams to run back-office and tech requirements of portfolio companies.

More importantly, AHG Lab has worked and believes in fostering an agile environment and a supportive community of founders and leaders, encouraging collaboration in addressing business challenges, seeking partnerships, and acquiring customers.

To date, AHG Lab’s impressive portfolio features diverse ventures with traction in various industries, led by driven founders and leaders. Among these companies are startups that have closed their Angel and Seed rounds showcasing value creation for the venture builder and its investors.

These include Shoppable Business, a B2B wholesale supplier and distributor marketplace showing double-digit growth in revenue; GoGym, a techenabled affordable gym business now with four locations; DOON, a peerto-peer car-sharing marketplace; and Founders Launchpad, an incubator aimed at supporting startups and its founders now running its first cohort with six promising startups.

BIR awarded for Women Empowerment, Gender Equality by Philippine Commission on Women

THE Bureau of Internal Revenue, headed by Commissioner Romeo D. Lumagui Jr., was awarded the GADtimpala (Gender and Development Transformation & Institutionalization through Mainstreaming of Programs, Agenda, Linkages & Advocacies) Bronze for Outstanding Gender-Responsive Agency by the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) in recognition of its significant contributions to gender equality and women’s empowerment by adopting gender responsive taxation policies, conducting tax research that analyzes the differential impacts of tax measures on women and men, and establishing mechanisms to assist taxpayers in vulnerable or marginalized situations to fulfill their tax obligations.

The awarding ceremony was held last August 14, 2023 during the 14th Anniversary of the Magna Carta of Women at the Samsung Hall, SM Aura Premier, City of Taguig.

"The BIR is especially proud to receive the GADtimpala award because it serves as an enduring testament to the contribution of our wonderful female revenue employees not just to the BIR's many achievements but more importantly to the BIR's evolution as a public service institution. The whole BIR would like to extend its gratitude to the Philippine Commission on Women," the

Visit

Growing interest in the Philippine startups, but more work on operational challenges still need to be addressed

The funds raised for an independent venture builder highlights the fact that there is a strong investor interest in the Philippines. Cuartero quipped, “We’ve tapped an investor base that believes in the potential of the Philippines. They recognize the Philippines’ strong uptrending macros, our mobile-intensive demographic, and with local solutions’ potential for quick expansion due to our English-speaking population.”

The startup ecosystem in the country is on the upswing post-pandemic. Foxmont

Capital Partners and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) recently reported that in 2021 and 2022, local startups raised a record USD1 billion of funding in each of those years. It’s an affirmation of how the country has become one of the most attractive markets in Southeast Asia for venture capitalists from all over the world.

But, securing financial capital is just one part of the equation for Filipino entrepreneurs. Despite growing interest and funding in the ecosystem, startups in the Philippines still grapple with challenges in navigating regulatory environments, accessing technology, marketing advice, talent acquisition, legal compliance, and overall business sustainability and competitiveness.

The Asian Development Bank’s May 2023 report on the Philippines’ tech startup ecosystem revealed significant challenges for Filipino founders. Access to capital remains the top concern for 62

percent of respondents, while 54 percent identified regulatory requirements as a major obstacle.

The report furthered that incubator and accelerator programs have proven valuable, with 72 percent benefiting from access to partners and customers and 64 percent gaining mentoring and technical expertise. However, subsidies, services and community support ranked lowest, at 12 percent and 18 percent respectively, among the benefits received from incubators.

Investors recognize that alleviating startups from operational challenges will help them succeed

It is these key operational challenges faced by startups that AHG Lab will continue to address, enabling ventures in their portfolio to focus on productmarket fit, customer pain points, and business stability for scaling. This was the cornerstone of the company’s fundraising efforts which echoed with investors, recognizing that venture builders who tackle and understand these startup challenges contribute to higher startup growth and success.

AHG Lab’s funding round was backed by investors that align with the company’s goal of empowering Filipino entrepreneurs. This round includes a US family office and 2 Filipino family offices: the Rufino Family and David Leechiu. In addition, VC and investment funds from the US have also participated in the round including Seaborne Capital and Imagine If Partners. Lastly, a network of Filipino, American, and European angels that have invested in earlier rounds have also participated.

BANGKOK is the place to be this September! From the 20th to the 22nd, two big names, Fi Asia Thailand and Vitafoods Asia, are teaming up at QSNCC. If you’re in the food, drink, and nutraceuticals business, this is for you.

Fi Asia Thailand 2023 offers an unmissable deep dive into the ASEAN food and beverage industry. Expect a dynamic gathering of over 600 international exhibitors from 40+ countries, unveiling the latest in ingredients and solutions. With the co-location with Vitafoods Asia, you have a golden chance to connect with a broader spectrum of professionals, amplifying your opportunities for new partnerships, trends, and markets. Vitafoods Asia 2023 is set to cater to the escalating demand in the nutraceutical sector. The emphasis on health and wellness is on a meteoric rise, with nutraceuticals leading the way. Given Asia’s projected nutraceutical industry growth to a whopping USD 229 billion by 2026, there’s no better time to tap into this booming market. Engage with over 460 exhibit companies

Commissioner stated.

The GADtimpala is an awards and incentives system of the PCW established in 2013 to recognize deserving entities, national government agencies, local government units, and other governmental instrumentalities “for their outstanding achievement and/or performance in upholding the rights of women and effective implementation of genderresponsive programs.”

The BIR received the GADtimpala 2023 glass marker and the “Liwanag” trophy which symbolizes women’s fortitude, dignity, progressiveness, compassion, and grace. A short AVP showing the Bureau’s notable programs and results of the gender mainstreaming efforts was shown upon the presentation of the award.

that are poised to shape the future of the nutraceutical industry.

Three packed days of:

NETWORKING: Connect with the industry leader of the F&B and nutraceutical worlds.

Innovations: Discover state-of-theart ingredients, products, equipment, and services.

Learning: Benefit from expert-led seminars, technical presentations, and business insights.

Exploration: Scout new ingredients, extend your product line, and discover emerging trends.

Event Details:

When: 20 to 22 September 2023

Where: Queen Sirikit National Convention Center, Bangkok, Thailand.

Fi Asia - G floor, Halls 1 to 4

Vitafoods Asia - LG floor, Halls 5 to 7

See more info at

Fi Asia: www.fiasia.com

Vitafoods Asia: www.vitafoodsasia.com

Watch the video: https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=0WEHiU2EGkQ

CREBA VISITS SENATE HOUSING COMMITTEE CHAIR. Top officials of the Chamber of Real Estate & Builders’ Associations, Inc. (CREBA) paid a courtesy call on Senator Joseph Victor G. Ejercito, chairman of the Committee on Housing, Urban Development and Resettlements in the Philippine Senate. Senator Ejercito will be among real estate and housing industry leaders and government dignitaries who will grace the upcoming 50th CREBA founding anniversary National Convention & Housing Expo slated from Sept. 26-28 at the SMX Mall of Asia and Conrad Hotel Manila as speakers. The convention is geared towards mustering support to attain CREBA’s vision towards ‘a home for every Filipino.” L-R: CREBA national president Noel Toti M. Cariño, Senator Ejercito, executive vice-president Elsie D. Chua and academic program director Avelina P. Acuña.

AHG Lab CEO Rene Cuartero

Editor:

Tet Andolong

S

For example, Santa Rosa City in Laguna is host to several economic zones that generate employment. Among these are Laguna Technopark, Sta. Rosa Commercial IT Park, Greenfield Automotive Park, and Lakeside EvoZone.

Aside from its strategic location, South Luzon is fortunate that quality infrastructure projects are being developed to boost commerce, productivity and mobility.

One of them is the Cavite, Batangas, Tagaytay Expressway (CYBEX) that will be connecting to the Cavite-Laguna Expressway, which will reduce travel to and from Metro Manila by an hour or less. On the other hand, this new expressway will cut the travel time from Governor’s Drive to Nasugbu, Batangas, to only 40 minutes.

The ₱25.2 billion 50-kilometer expressway will connect Silang, Cavite to Nasugbu, Batangas.It has three sections. The first section starts from Silang to Tagaytay.

The second section goes from Mendez to Magallanes, Cavite. Finally, the third section goes from Magallanes to Nasugbu.

Just like Central Luzon, Southern Lu -

zon will also have a new airport. To address the future growth of travel and the influx of passengers in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), the provincial government will embark on the construction of the Sangley International Airport that can handle as many as 25 million passengers annually once finished.

Meanwhile, the Sangley Point Airport, which has been operating since February 2020, was targeted to be upgraded for international flights.

Growth of real estate in Southern Luzon

A S IDE f rom its appeal as an investment site to industrial locators, Southern Luzon also provides good investment potential in real estate. Aside from providing passive income, experts said investing in real estate enables the investor to enjoy the investment once it appreciates over time.

Amaia Land, the affordable housing developer of property giant Ayala Land Inc. (ALI), knows the importance of South Luzon in their objective to provide quality and affordable homes to government em -

Gokongwei-led property firm moves to Cloud for better service

By Roderick L. Abad Contributor

R

This migration on-premise IT infrastructure to the cloud makes RLC as the f irst entity to do so within the Gokongwei Group, whose ambition is to become t he first truly digital conglomerate in the country. Such move is expected to improve overall customer service, business e fficiency and security, as well as optimize costs.

“ We are continuously identifying opportunities to innovate so we can provide better services to both our internal a nd external customers. The adoption of Microsoft Azure, through our collaborative partnership with ePLDT, equips us w ith the infrastructure and expertise to accelerate our digital transformation,” said RLC President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Frederick D. Go.

Such partnership forms part of PLDT Group’s vision to support the national digitalization goals by working closely with homegrown businesses like the RLC. “PLDT is fully committed to advancing the digitalization of enterprises in t he Philippines. As a trusted business solutions partner, we stand ready to enable and support the needs of enterprises t hrough our end-to-end connectivity and tech solutions across all industries, such as real estate,” said Alfredo S. Panlilio, PLDT & Smart president and CEO and ePLDT chairman.

With Microsoft Azure as the primary cloud platform of the developer, it helps lessen its IT costs by eliminating the need for hardware and software technology refreshes. Also, RLC can leverage on r obust uptime for crucial operations and instantaneous maintenance updates which could contribute more to higher

Wednesday, September 6,

ployees, teachers, small and medium entrepreneurs, and overseas Filipino workers.

“Southern Luzon offers vast opportunities for businesses and residents alike— and Amaia Land is smack dab in the middle of it,” the company said in a statement.

The company said South Luzon’s welldeveloped road networks, expressways, and public transportation system enable the residents convenience and comfort as they can take day trips to Metro Manila’s business districts, shopping centers, and entertainment hubs, and be back at their tranquil suburban homes by evening. “Fortunately, home seekers wanting the best of both worlds can avail of a sound investment through Amaia Land, which offers quality homes that are easy on the pocket,” the company said.

Potential buyers are given options as they can buy each house and lot units in Amaia Scapes and townhouses in Amaia Series in Laguna, Cavite, Batangas or Quezon. “These well-planned neighborhoods feature first-rate amenities, sustainably built houses, and a peaceful environment where community spirit and a strong sense of belonging is fostered,” the company said.

business productivity.

OBINSONS Land Corp. (RLC), the real estate arm of JG Summit Holdings Inc., furthers its digital shift by migrating 63 percent of its w orkload to Microsoft Azure through its strategic partner, ePLDT, the information communications technology (ICT) u nit of PLDT.“We are pleased to scale up our partnership with RLC as they take greater s trides in their corporate-wide digital transformation efforts. Through ePLDT’s multi-cloud solutions, we are confident that RLC will be able to deliver enhanced services and cater to their customers’ real estate needs more effectively than ever before,” said ePLDT President and CEO Victor S. Genuino.

For a secured transition, ePLDT has also fortified RLC’s security posture by implementing Palo Alto Networks’ firewall and backup solutions. Training and w orkshops were also given to the developer’s employees to continue a successful a nd safe cloud journey.

The IT team of the real estate company lauded the collaboration extended t o them by ePLDT, according to RLC IT Head and Chief Information Officer Eric Nacional. He shared that they were pivotal in making sure that their cloud migration will be seamless and within the t imeline while maintaining top-notch security measures. This enabled the developer to accomplish critical success factors with zero downtime.

R LC, whose operations span from lifestyle centers, offices, residences, hotels, d estination estates and industrial facilities, plans to invest heavily in Artificial I ntelligence or AI solutions in the coming years to better manage customer data, improve customer services and support, and simplify business processes.

prise

and

L

IVE i n a community that prioritizes your well-being.In today’s era, many individuals have come to appreciate even more their health and wellness. Besides eating right and leading an active lifestyle, they’ve also realized the importance of having conducive spaces and healthy homes in safe communities.

Promoting healthy lifestyles

S TA M onica Lake Residences by Sta. Lucia Land Inc. is one community designed to promote a healthy lifestyle, as it offers lush spaces, walking trails, and fitness facilities to help you stay active. Whether it’s a morning yoga by the lake, a jog through the beautiful gardens, or a refreshing swim in the pool, you’ll find numerous opportunities to rejuvenate your mind and body.

AR t iS t S rendition of Amaia Scapes General trias Single Home 60 façade AR t iS t S rendition of Amaia Scapes trece Martires 2 Series 50 façade StA Monica Lake Residences provides a safe and secure environment for its residents.

Located in Manaoag, Pangasinan, the so-called Pilgrim Center of Northern Philippines, this lakeside paradise will feature Spanish-Mediterranean houses, which future residents can design based on their lifestyle and interests, as well as modern amenities that ensure more holistic experiences. The main highlight of this community is the man-made lake, which affords future residents unlimited access to the calming views of the lake.

“We want the people—our future residents—to again enjoy the idea of living a life that is close to nature and centered on one’s well-being. The pandemic allowed us to understand the importance of looking after our own physical and mental health, and with a development like Sta. Monica, we believe that we might just be able to help them do so,” said Sta. Lucia Land Inc. president Exequiel Robles.

“Life at the Sta. Monica Lake Residences means waking up to the revitalizing views of the water while having breakfast al fresco style in your balcony. We also made sure to add fun and exciting activities that would allow you to be healthy and, at the same time, have quality time with your loved ones. Residents can go kayaking or maybe take a stroll around the lake, do their exercises in the property’s numerous open spaces or just simply laze around and bask under the sun,” Robles shared.

Access to key establishments

Bu T w hile you get to enjoy the tranquil

settings of this nature-filled community, Sta. Monica Lake Residences also ensures that you have access to key establishments, institutions and other important centers.

Nearby are the iconic churches like the Shrine of our Lady of Manaoag and the Church of our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, as well as schools such as the Collegio de San Juan de Letran, Manaog Central School, and the Our Lady of Manaoag Innovative School. Its proximity to hospitals like the Manaoag Community Hospital, St. Mary’s Medical and Diagnostic Center, and and commercial areas such as the Magic Mall Manaoag and Puregold among others, will offer further assurance to the residents.

Foodies will meanwhile find living here truly enjoyable as the place presents numerous options including Hardin sa Paraiso Grill and Restaurant, Antonio Restaurant Manaoag, Kainan sa Kubo Ningnangan Ed Manaoag. There are also a number of hotels and banks near the development. Indeed numerous opportunities await in this Sta. Lucia project which also boasts proximity to the rising New Clark City.

Builder of premier communities S TA M onica Lake Residences is just one of the many premier communities that Sta. Lucia is building in the north to en -

Aside from carrying the Ayala tradition of quality, Amaia has its Amaia CARES to push its sustainability campaign which stands for Connectivity and Accessibility (CA), Right-sized Living Spaces (R), Eco-efficiency (E) and Structural Stability (S)—the four components of Amaia’s quadruple sustainability platform.

sure that hardworking Filipinos here are accorded opportunities to lead a well-balanced lifestyle.

Sta. Lucia also has other masterplanned communities in Pangasinan including Almeria Verde Dagupan, which offers high-end living in a secure, conveniently located, self-contained neighborhood in the heart of Pangasinan, and Centro Verde Bayambang, a gated development within a flood-free location that affords future residents the best of both worlds--proximity to Pangasinan attractions and the countryside ambience.

The soon to rise Sta. Monica Lake Residences is no doubt a worthy investment, made more valuable by its strategic location. Given the numerous infrastructure developments happening in the north including airports, major highways and expressways, Pangasinan has become even more accessible whether you’re coming from Metro Manila or other areas in Central and North Luzon.

“Being in the north and delivering this type of development gave us the advantage to cater to the growing demand for spaces that promote wellness. We understand the desire of many Filipinos to live in a safe, accessible and nature-filled community where they can create valuable experiences and meaningful memories,” Robles concluded.

Amaia Land thrives in Southern Luzon

SERBIANS

IN SEMIFINALS Serbia moves into the World Cup semifinals following an 87-68 victory over Lithuania—which has just beaten the US—on Tuesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. AP

Junior bets Castil, Abarcas upstage pros in opening round at Del Monte

VELINDA CASTIL, only 15, and Abby Abarcas, 16, drew the spotlight with Florence Bisera holding the fort for the pros in the first round of the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) Del Monte Championship at the Del Monte Golf Club in Bukidnon on Tuesday.

HANGZHOU BECKONS:

17 DAYS & COUNTING

By Josef Ramos

THE 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou start in 17 days with Team Philippines ready to leave in batches— including world-class bets Olympic and world champion weightlifter

Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo and world pole vault silver medalist Ernest John “EJ” Obiena who’ll be flying to China from separate origins abroad.

Seven of the players who saw action in the FIBA World Cup are also on the men’s basketball roster based on the Entry by Names (EBN) that the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) submitted to the Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee in July.

A lso, there will be no Russian and Belarusian athletes seeking Paris Olympics qualification in the Asian Games set from September 23 to October 8.

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), like all other national sports associations, were tasked to meet the EBN deadline last July 25.

O n SBP’s list are World Cup veterans Kiefer Ravena, Scottie Thompson, Roger Pogoy, June Mar

OLYMPIAN Charly “The King Warrior” Suarez, charged by his victory in his fight debut on US soil more than a week ago, targets a world title eliminator or even a world title fight.

Suarez extended his unbeaten streak to 16 fights following his unanimous decision victory over the Dominican Republic’s Yohan Vasquez in Oklahoma.

“ That’s something I’m hoping and praying to happen since I decided to become pro—a shot at a world title,” Suarez, 35, told BusinessMirror over the weekend.

The Rio de Janeiro Olympian and a silver medalist at the Incheon 2014 Asian Games, sustained a swollen

Dwight Ramos, Renz Abando, Kai Sotto and naturalized player Jordan Clarkson as well as AJ Edu, are not on the roster and in their places are Chris Newsome, Calvon Oftana, Brandon Rosser and naturalized players Justin Brownlee and Ange Kouame.

The EBN also listed Chot Reyes and Tim Cone as head and assistant

coaches.

The SBP and Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), however, look to modify the composition of the 5x5 team and have scheduled a press conference on Thursday to make an announcement.

The EBN, however, is considered the final and official lineup for a country’s delegation in all sports, POC president Rep. Abraham

Suarez prays for ‘big fights’ in US

right hand in that fight against Vasquez, who’s six years his junior, according to trainer and manager Delfin Boholst.

God willing that they notice me this time, but I’m willing to accept everything that comes my way,” Suarez said. “I am just happy that Sir Bob Arum has already congratulated me, now I’m just waiting for an opportunity.”

Suarez, who already knocked out nine opponents as a pro, fights under Arum’s Top Rank Promotions.

He, however, is in a weight

Fil-Chi cagers again target crown

RAIN or Shine co-team owner Terry Que (right, front row) and

Redemption in win over China

IN the end, Gilas Pilipinas did not fail us. In its final game, it stood tall when everyone else, including the doubting Thomas, expected it to fall. A nd why is that?

division that has a formidable cast of champions—World Boxing Organization’s (WBO) Emanuel Navarrete of Mexico and Welsh International Boxing Federation’s (IBF) Joe Cordina of UK, World Boxing Association’s (WBA) Hector Luis Garcia of the Dominican Republic and World Boxing Council’s O’Shaquie Foster of the US.

I f Suarez decides to fight in his natural division at lightweight, he could be pitted against unified WBA, IBF and WBO champion Devin Haney of the US. Josef Ramos

UNLIKE in past editions, the

Filipino-Chinese Veterans Basketball Association (FCVBA) will compete in only one age group this time but remains confident to extend its dominance and make history anew in the ASEAN Veteran Basketball Tournament. H aving asserted their authority in all age categories of the annual event in the past—including the 40, 50, 60 and 65 divisions, the Fil-Chinese cagers are as determined and excited to become the first champion of the inaugural 70-and-above category that will be held in Semarang, Indonesia,

B ecause going into Game 5, Gilas lost its first two games that were supposed to be won-games.

B ecause Gilas lost all its first four games when it shouldn’t.

A ll that happened because in Gilas’s first four games, spacing was absent, cohesion was absent and teamwork was like a soldier missing in action.

A ll that vanished in one fell swoop in the fifth game against China.

A nd woe to China for absorbing the brunt of Gilas’s terrific transformation from mediocre to brilliant in its farewell game, making the Filipinos relevant again in the ongoing Fiba World Cup.

W ith its shooting and nifty passing clicking in clockwork precision, erased was Gilas’s fourth-quarter collapse that led to that heartbreaking 87-81 loss to beatable Dominican Republic in Game 1 on August 25 at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan. Momentous likewise was Gilas’s smashing 97-76

“Bambol” Tolentino said.

The deadline for the Entry by Names [EBN]was last July 25 and whatever list a national Olympic committee submitted is deemed official,” Tolentino said.

Tolentino also said Brownlee and Kouame are eligible for the Asian Games for the simple rule that they only need a valid Philippine passport. “ Only the passport,” Tolentino said.

The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), meanwhile, shut the Asian Games’ door on Russian and Belarusian athletes hoping to qualify for the Paris Olympics through Hangzhou.

The OCA decision was prompted by an instruction from tghe International Olympic Committee (IOC), which said that including Russians and Belarusians in the Asian Games is “not feasible due to technical reasons.”

Castil carded a 73 to grab a onestroke lead over Abarcas and Bisera as the two local teenagers flashed their familiarity with the tight, demanding mountain-top layout on a hot, humid day.

Castil and Abarcas sustained their fine showing in the Junior Philippine Golf Tour (PGT) VisMin Classic at Pueblo de Oro last Sunday where they finished second and third, respectively, behind Alethea Gaccion to secure spots in the national finals of the series.

But seizing early control of the P750,000 championship against the big guns hardly crossed their minds.

I practiced a lot with my short game since that is the key here,” said Castil, who birdied two of the four long holes, including the 18th that shoved her past Abarcas.

The eighth leg of this year’s Ladies PGT, organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc. and backed by PGTI official apparel Kampfortis Golf, is actually Castil’s second pro tournament after finishing tied for 15th at Forest Hills last June.

barcas vowed to soak up the moment in the next two days as she hoped for the best.

I’ll just enjoy it, fairwaysgreens and try to go for twoputts,” Castil said. A barcas, on the other hand, puts premium on driving.

It’s very important off the tee because the fairways are narrow and if you get it straight, you’ll have more chances,” she e rising star who also hails from Manolo Fortich like Castil said she had no expectations in her first pro

event but came in bristling with confidence and kept a positive mindset despite bogeying three of the first five holes at the back.

That resulted to birdies on Nos. 15 and 18 then mixed two bogeys against a birdied at the front and missed catching Castil at the helm with a flubbed birdie try on the par-5 ninth. “ I didn’t expect to be where I stood but it’s exciting,” said Abarcas, who is also relishing her stint as a first-time member of the national pool.

W hile Bisera, who finished second to Daniella Uy at Forest Hills, bucked a couple of three-putt miscues to take the cudgels for the pros with a twobirdie, four-bogey card for joint second, Uy struggled trying to recover from a double-bogey start. The former Junior World champion, who also won at Riviera in 2021, also bogeyed Nos. 7 and 8 although she bounced back with two birdies against another bogey in the next five holes and wound up with a 75 in a tie with Valley leg winner amateur Mafy Singson and Sarah Ababa at fourth.

K orean Seo Kim, back in the LPGT hunt after a two-leg absence due to injury, turned in a birdie-less 76 for a share of seventh with Apple Fudoli, Pamela Mariano and compatriot amateur Jiwon Lee.

For a while, two-leg winner and pre-tournament favorite Harmie Constantino appeared headed for an explosive run after coming through with a pitch-in eagle on the par-4 11th, her second hole. But what came next was a long streak of mishits and missed putts, leading to seven bogeys as she instead limped with a 77 to slip to the group that included Chihiro Ikeda, Lesley Icoy, Annika Cedo and Gaccion at 11th.

B ut expect Uy and Constantino to turn it around in the second day and make another run for the championship in the 54-hole tournament put up by ICTSI although Castil and Abarcas try to prove their mettle in a stern test for the two young players going all-out to make the most of their stint in big-time golf.

Two eagles propel Mondilla to 1-shot lead over Zaragosa

LYDE MONDILLA lived up to the hype and he did it in style, coming through with two eagles, including a 14-foot putt on No. 18 that spiked an eight-under 64 for a onestroke lead over an equally hot-starting Rupert Zaragosa after 18 holes of the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) Del Monte Championship in Bukidnon Tuesday.

from September 10 to 16.

L eading FCVBA’s campaign are Rain or Shine co-team owner Terry Que and Jimi Lim with former Philippine Basketball Association player Pol Herrera as the team’s reinforcement.

B efore the event took a break in 2020 because of the pandemic, the team dominated the 65-and-above division after pulling off a 54-50 come-from-behind win over Hatyai in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

We hope to become the first champion of the 70-and-above just like what the association did in various categories in the past,” Que, 73, said.

W hile he expected to flourish on a course he calls home, Mondilla still needed to dish out a stellar play to hold off Zaragosa and a slew of others, including defending champion Jhonnel Ababa, Nilo Salahog and Justin Quiban, in their highly-charged chase for early control in the P2.5 million championship serving as the eighth leg of the Philippine Golf Tour (PGT).

Actually, I didn’t expect the result, I was a bit nervous at the start due to lack of sleep. But I was able to control my game, especially my driving, after three holes,” said Mondilla, who gained strokes on Nos. 4 and 5 from short range then hit a solid 6-iron second shot from 230 yards on the par-5 sixth and drained a 10-foot eagle putt.

It’s like I knew the allowance

rout of China on September 2 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum as it buried the stigma of that 80-70 loss to Angola after Gilas blew an 11-point lead in that game’s second quarter.

Even the losses to Italy and South Sudan in Games 3 and 4 weren’t totally acceptable as they came when Gilas continued to grope for form amid issues of jelling and lack of correct player combinations.

B ut fortunately for coach Chot Reyes and Gilas, the absent solutions reappeared in crashing torrents in Game 5, thanks to a near-flawless teamwork that keyed shots from afar by Jordan Clarkson.

Not much of a factor in Gilas’ first four games, Clarkson, the Utah Jazz star in the National Basketball Association (NBA), drilled in 34 points, including 24 in a blazing third quarter where he banged home four straight threes that all but killed all hopes of a Chinese comeback.

outright because I know this course very well,” he said in jest. But he did admit to have had the edge in terms of local knowledge of Del Monte, saying: “I feel like I was just practicing because this is where I learned the game. It’s an advantage really.”  “ In the 18th, I was okay to finish with a birdie but it went in, so it was a bonus,” he said, referring to his closing feat behind another superb 6-iron second shot from 220 yards that landed 14 feet off the cup. He later added that he was just looking at a 4- or 5-under start “but it all fell into place,” said Mondilla, who is also spurred to do better in preparation for his Japan Q-School stint in October.

But Zaragosa, Ababa, Salahog and Quiban, among others, banked on their sheer talent to stay in pursuit despite their limited knowledge of the quaint course.

Driving was the key, I hit all the fairways. My putting also clicked that’s why I was able to score a 7-under,” said Zaragosa, who sizzled in a flight behind Mondilla’s with a solid seven-birdie assault in a start he hoped would lead to the same result in Iloilo.

A nd while Clarkson, the NBA’s Sixth Man awardee in 2021, was on fire in the penultimate frame, Kyle Anderson (Li Kaier), China’s import from Minnesota, went zero in that same span.

I n a sense, Clarkson achieved his mission. In spearheading Gilas’S win over China, Clarkson fueled Gilas’S advance next year to the OQT, or Olympic Qualifying Tournament, for the 2024 Paris Olympics. It can’t get any sweeter than this.

THAT’S IT   Gilas’s win over China augurs well for the country’s bid for the basketball gold in the Asian Games blasting off on September 23 in Hangzhou, China.  Everybody knows that China is a perennial basketball champ in the Asiad.  That Gilas triumph should gun up our Asiad basketball dream once again.  But will coach Chot Reyes really be gone for good? “I have a cunning plan on this,” said Al S. Panlilio, our basketball chieftain.  Suspense.

Fajardo, CJ Perez, Japeth Aguilar and Jamie Malonzo.

SAMAHANG Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) president Al Panlilio (second from left) meets Monday with

(from left) Philippine Basketball Association chairman and Ricky Vargas, also SBP vice president, commissioner Willie Marcial and vice chairman Bobby Rosales and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel governor and San Miguel Corp. (SMC) sports director Alfrancis Chua to discuss the composition of the men’s basketball team to the Hangzhou Asian Games. The meeting was hosted by SMC president and CEO Ramon S. Ang at the Makati Diamond Residences.

CLYDE MONDILLA’S familiarity of the course works in the first round. ROY DOMINGO