BusinessMirror September 24, 2022

By Samuel P. Medenilla

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos

Jr. gave assurances the Philip pines will remain an ally of the United States in maintaining peace in Asia.

Marcos made the commitment during his meeting with US President Joe Biden last Thursday.

We continue to look to the United States for that continuing partnership and the maintenance of peace in our region, in terms of the geopolitical issues that we face in this day and age,” Marcos said.

The President also thanked the US for its continued support to the Philip pines especially during the pandemic when it donated almost 36 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine to the Philip pines.

He said he hopes the strong part nership between the country and the US will continue despite the “complexi ties that have arisen in the past few months.”

Marcos’s predecessor, former Presi dent Rodrigo R. Duterte, issued anti-US statements during his term especially after some American lawmakers called

him out for the mounting fatalities in the government campaign against ille gal drugs at that time.

He also announced the termina tion of the Visiting Forces Agreement between the two countries, but later re called the decision.

During his administration, Marcos said he intends to continue the coun try’s over a century old bilateral rela tionship with the US.

The two allies have a Mutual De fense Treaty which has undergone re view the past several years.

Related story on A4

By Manuel T. Cayon

DAVAOCITY—The Bangsamoro region—that’s the autonomous region for Filipino-Muslims in Mindanao— capped a transition year of governance with P6.9 billion in fresh investments, a significant feat for a region struggling with a rather unsavory reputation of violence and bloodshed.

With a few remaining months before 2022 ends, the regional Bangsamoro Board of Investments (RBOI-BARMM) reported the up dates, investment performance and milestones in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) for the first three years after its inauguration on March 29, 2019.

For three years—more than two years of which are under pan demic—local investors [have been] boosting the economy with P6.9 billion worth of investments in the region: P4.1 billion in 2019, P114 million in 2020, P2.8 billion in 2021 and P47.41 million for the first semester of 2022,” the RBOI said. These investment years gen erated jobs for at least 5,704 work ers, it added.

Comparing the data, it said the investment approvals of RBOI were at their peak in the first year and suddenly plummeted in the second year due to the pandemic.

The region’s largest industry investor was the banana industry, and agriculture as a whole, with P4.5 billion, or 65.13 percent of to tal investments.

Sand and gravel operation was next with P1.4 billion, indicat ing the robust construction sector sprouting in some parts of the re gion, and showing that investors’ confidence could come aplenty with a dedicated resolve for good governance.

Some P14 million went to in stall community Internet service, and a bigger single investment of P998 million was allocated for oil extraction and gas exploration.

due to agrarian conflict and de cades of armed fighting between government and Moro guerrillas.

known as the Panama Disease.

project,” said lawyer Ishak Mastu ra, chairman of the RBOI-BARMM.

He said the investor is estab lishing its operation in the mu nicipality of Datu Abdullah Sangki and other adjacent municipalities in Maguindanao, with a combined area of 1,000 hectares.

The RBOI said in a news state ment the investments worth P950 million “are supposed to generate an annual production of 2,000,000 to 3,300,000 boxes of Cavendish bananas for export to Japan, Chi na and the Middle East.” The in vestment project will create jobs for 1,190 workers, it added.

The registration of the invest ment project of Amavi with the RBOI-BARMM “entitles them to a six-year income-tax holiday, re duced duties for importation of capital equipment, exemption from wharfage dues and additional deductions for labor expenses,” it added.

Mastura said the approval of the registration of Amavi’s invest ment project “would help revive the banana industry, which has been on a declining trend due to several factors.”

While the bulk of the banana industry is located in the Davao

Region, some of those areas have been hit by the Fusarium Wilt or Panama Disease that made these unsuitable for banana planting. Thus, the BARMM is considered a prospective area for investments in planting of Cavendish bananas for export that could help revive our banana industry in terms of vol ume and market share in the world market,” Mastura added.

The Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters Association said banana planters were spread in 16 provinces in Mindanao, but they were hounded by the spreading Panama Disease. While banana continued to be in great demand in the world market, Mindanao plantations have been severely af fected by the disease, such that in the years 2014 and 2015 hectarage declined by 2,163.24, prompting plantation owners to seek lands elsewhere in the Davao Region.

The RBOI last year also cited a March 12 Philippine Statistics Au thority (PSA) report that said fresh bananas recorded “the worst dip among the top 10 major commod ity groups in terms of the value of exports at -46.9 percent as of Janu ary 2021.” PSA data show that the

Agriculture AGRICULTURE topped the invest ment profile in a region whose lands have been highly untapped

A nother big-ticket investment of P398 million went to improve tourism facilities, including accom more on hygiene and food prepa ration.

W hen land cultivation was made possible following the sign ing of a final peace settlement with armed groups, corporate agricul tural companies also journeyed to the fertile lands lying idle.

The expansion lands for ba nana cultivation, for example, had long been planned, mainly to evade the rampaging spread of the dreaded Fusarium Wilt, popularly

But last year, the RBOIBARMM said local investor Al Mu zafar Agriventure Inc., also known as Amavi Sweet Banana, registered its proposed P950-million invest ment to establish in Maguindanao a plantation of the exportable Cav endish banana.

“Despite the higher risks for investments due to the Covid-19 pandemic woes of the country and the region, as local BARMM inves tors, they still proceeded with the

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Joseph

Khmer Rouge tribunal ends work after 16 years and three judgments

By Sopheng Cheang & Grant Peck The Associated Press

PHNOM

PENH, Cambodia — The international court convened in Cambodia to judge the Khmer Rouge for its brutal 1970s rule ended its work Thursday after spending $337 million and 16 years to convict just three men of crimes after the regime caused the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million people.

In its final session, the UN-as sisted tribunal rejected an appeal by Khieu Samphan, the last sur viving leader of the Khmer Rouge government that ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. It reaffirmed the life sentence he received after being convicted in 2018 of geno cide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Busloads of ordinary Cambo dians turned up to watch the final proceedings of a tribunal that had sought to bring justice, account ability and explanations for the crimes. Many of those attending Thursday’s session lived through the Khmer Rouge terror, includ ing survivors Bou Meng and Chum Mey, who had given evidence at the tribunal over the years.

K hieu Samphan, sitting in a wheelchair and wearing a white windbreaker and a facemask, lis tened to the proceedings on head phones.

He was the group’s nominal head of state but, in his trial de fense, denied having real decision-

making powers when the Khmer Rouge carried out a reign of terror to establish a utopian agrarian so ciety, causing Cambodians’ deaths from execution, starvation and in adequate medical care. It was oust ed from power in 1979 by an inva sion from neighboring communist state Vietnam.

No matter what you decide, I will die in prison,” Khieu Samphan said in his final statement of ap peal to the court last year. “I will die always remembering the suffer ing of my Cambodian people. I will die seeing that I am alone in front of you. I am judged symbolically rather than by my actual deeds as an individual.”

His appeal alleged the court made errors in legal procedures and interpretation and acted un fairly, making objections to more than 1,800 points.

But the court noted Thursday that his appeal did not directly question the facts of the case as presented in court. It rejected al most all arguments raised by Khieu

Samphan, acknowledging an error and reversing its ruling on one mi nor count. The court said it found the vast majority of Khieu Sam phan’s arguments “unfounded,” and that many were “alternative interpretations of the evidence.”

Thursday’s ruling makes little practical difference. Khieu Sam phan is 91 and already serving another life sentence for his 2014 conviction for crimes against hu manity connected with forced transfers and disappearances of masses of people.

The court ordered that Khieu Samphan, who was arrested in 2007, be returned to the specially constructed jail where he has been kept.

His co-defendant Nuon Chea, the Khmer Rouge’s No. 2 leader and chief ideologist, was convicted twice and received the same life sentence. Nuon Chea died in 2019 at age 93.

The tribunal’s only other con viction was that of Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch, who was commandant of Tuol Sleng prison, where roughly 16,000 people were tortured before being taken away to be killed. Duch was convicted in 2010 of crimes against human ity, murder, and torture and died in 2020 at age 77 while serving a life sentence.

True leaders gone?

THE Khmer Rouge’s real chief, Pol Pot, escaped justice. He died in the jungle in 1998 at age 72 while the remnants of his movement were fighting their last battles in the guerrilla war they launched after losing power.

The trials of the only other two

defendants were not completed. The former foreign minister of the Khmer Rouge, Ieng Sary, died in 2013, and his wife, former Social Affairs Minister Ieng Thirith, was deemed unfit to stand trial due to dementia in 2011 and died in 2015.

Four other suspects, middleranking Khmer Rouge leaders, escaped prosecution because of a split among the tribunal’s jurists.

The procedure

IN a hybrid arrangement, Cambo dian and international jurists were paired at every stage, and a major ity had to assent for a case to go forward. Under the French-style procedures the court used, the in ternational investigators recom mended the four go to trial, but the Cambodian partners would not agree after Cambodian Prime Min ister Hun Sen declared there would be no more prosecutions, claiming they could cause unrest.

Hun Sen himself was a mid dle-ranking commander with the Khmer Rouge before defecting, and several senior members of his ruling Cambodian People’s Party share similar backgrounds. He helped cement his political control by making alliances with other for mer Khmer Rouge commanders.

W ith its active work done,

the tribunal, formally called the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, now enters a three-year “residual” period, fo cusing on getting its archives in order and disseminating infor mation about its work for educa tional purposes.

E xperts who took part in the court’s work or monitored its proceedings are now ponder ing its legacy.

‘Disproportionate to the goal’ HEATHER RYAN , who spent 15 years following the tribunal for the Open Society Justice Initia tive, said the court was success ful in providing some level of ac countability.

The amount of time and mon ey and effort that’s expended to get to this rather limited goal may be disproportionate to the goal,” she said in a video interview from her home in Boulder, Colorado.

But she praised having the trials “in the country where the atrocities occurred and where peo ple were able to pay a level of atten tion and gather information about what was happening in the court to a much greater extent than if the court had been in The Hague or some other place.” The Hague in the Netherlands hosts the World

Court and the International Crimi nal Court.

Michael Karnavas, an Ameri can lawyer who served on Ieng Sary’s defense team, said his per sonal expectations had been lim ited to the quality of justice his cli ents would receive.

In other words, irrespective of the results, substantively and procedurally, were their fair trial rights guaranteed by the Cambo dian Constitution and established law afforded to them at the high est international level?” he said in an email interview. “The answer is somewhat mixed.”

The trial stage was less than what I consider fair. There was far too much improvisation by the judges, and despite the length of the proceedings, the defense was not always treated fairly,” said Karnavas, who has also appeared before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugosla via and the International Crimi nal Tribunal for Rwanda. “On the substantive and procedural law, there are numerous examples where the ECCC not only got it right, but further contributed to the development of international criminal law.”

There is a consensus that the tribunal’s legacy goes beyond the law books.

“ The court successfully at tacked the long-standing impunity of the Khmer Rouge, and showed that though it might take a long time, the law can catch up with those who commit crimes against humanity,” said Craig Etcheson, who has studied and written about the Khmer Rouge and was chief of investigations for the office of the prosecution at the ECCC from 2006 to 2012.

“The tribunal also created an ex traordinary record of those crimes, comprising documentation that will be studied by scholars for decades to come, that will educate Cambo dia’s youth about the history of their country, and that will deeply frus trate any attempt to deny the crimes of the Khmer Rouge.”

The bedrock issue of whether justice was served by the court’s convictions of only three men was addressed by Youk Chhang, direc tor of the Documentation Center of Cambodia, which holds a huge trove of evidence of atrocities com mitted by the Khmer Rouge.

“Justice sometimes is made of satisfaction, recognition, rather than the number of people you prosecute,” he told The Associated Press. “It is a broad definition of the word justice itself, but when people are satisfied, when people are happy with the process or ben efit from the process, I think we can conceptualize it as justice.”

THE ‘PROMISED LAND’ IN THE WILDERNESS

Continued from A1

value of banana exports in Janu ary fell by 47 percent to $84.659 million from $159.454 million the previous year.

Oil and gas

THE next bigger single invest ments could be in oil and gas, with the Sulu Sea known for rich de posits, extending way south to the Moro Gulf. Another area might be in the Liguasan Marsh, Asia’s larg est wetland at more than 11,000 hectares, which has been suspect ed to be rich in oil and gas deposits.

One single investment alone from ESMaulana last year, worth P998 million, however, had its awarding of the service contracts held in abeyance, “since the modal ity of processing and awarding of service contracts in the BARMM for petroleum investments would have to be worked out in the Inter governmental Relations Body, as established under the Bangsamoro Organic Law.”

The proposed investment proj ect covers the Liguasan Marsh and the Sulu Sea but the areas that fall within the BARMM jurisdiction “are subject to the joint determina tion by the BARMM regional gov ernment and the national govern ment,” Mastura said.

Terminal report

THE three-year investment data from the RBOI-BARMM was part of the terminal report of outgoing RBOI chairman, lawyer Ishak Mas tura, who is the longest-serving re gional BOI chairman since 2011. The BARMM, then called the Autono mous Region in Muslim Mindanao, started to notch splendid perfor mance in investment in 2021 when the national government installed a caretaker and did a house cleaning to report the first multimillion-peso savings and multimillion-peso new investments.

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front was given a free hand to man age and govern the autonomous region and renamed as BARMM in

2019 as part of the peace agreement.

“I am just glad that we were able to deliver a good performance for investments in the past three years for a good beginning for BARMM despite the challenges brought about by the Covid–19 pandemic,” said Mastura.

Mastura was recently appoint ed by President Ferdinand R. Mar cos Jr. as Member of the Bangsa moro Transition Authority (BTA) Parliament.

Moving forward, I will en deavor to be a voice and repre sentation for investors and the investing public in my new role as Member of the BTA Parliament,” added Mastura.

Meanwhile, the President un derscored the importance of rep resentation in the BTA during the oath-taking of newly appointed BTA members on August 12.

It is important that we’re go ing to give a voice to all the stake holders, to all the parties that are involved,” the Chief Executive stressed.

KHIEU SAMPHAN, the former head of state for the Khmer Rouge, sits in a courtroom during a hearing at the UN-backed war crimes tribunal in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Thursday, September 22, 2022. NHET SOK HENG/EXTRAORDINARY CHAMBERS IN THE COURTS OF CAMBODIA VIA AP

‘Justice

sometimes is made of satisfaction, recognition, rather than the number of people you prosecute.It is a broad definition of the word justice itself, but when people are satisfied, when people are happy with the process or benefit from the process, I think we can conceptualize it as justice.”— Youk Chhang, Youk Chhang, director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia

BSP signals more rate hikes, FX moves to defend peso

THE Philippine central bank signaled it will resort to more interest-rate hikes depending on the Federal Reserve’s action, while also considering proactive market interven tions to curb currency losses.

“Strong dollar is requiring us to have bigger policy rate increases,” Governor Felipe Medalla said in an interview from New York with Bloom berg Television’s Shery Ahn and David Ingles after delivering a half-point increase. “Clearly the Fed’s policies have affected our choices. We don’t want to match the Fed, at the same time we have to respond.”

The Philippines was one of three Southeast Asian nations to raising bor rowing costs Thursday, with cumulative hikes by Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) touching 225 basis points so far this year.

Besides the policy rate, Medalla said the central bank has the option of actively intervening to support the peso, which fell to a record low this week amid an exceptionally strong US dollar.

The Fed’s hawkish rhetoric on con trolling inflation has piled pressure on Asian currencies, including the Japanese yen, while economies facing a current-account deficit are particularly vulnerable to a sell-off.

“We have been quite active this week,” Medalla said on the BSP’s in tervention in the foreign exchange (forex) market, adding that the moves will possibly be even more active in the coming days.

“We clearly are intervening in the forex market. One approach is to in tervene more strongly because the volatility is actually now much higher,” the governor said. The other approach is to reduce local currency liquidity by borrowing more from the central bank’s weekly auctions so there will be less peso to chase dollars, he said.

The peso rose as much as 0.3 percent in Friday trading to 58.30 per dollar.

Medalla sees inflation returning within its 2 percent-4 percent goal next year, saying it will be possibly closer to 3 percent than 4 percent.

While elevated price growth is weighing on consumption, the economy is still seen as among Asia’s bright spots, suggesting space to further tighten monetary policy.

Philippine economic managers have been joining President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in international trips this month, in part to woo investors. Earlier this week, Marcos touted the Philip pines as “vibrant economy,” as his gov ernment gears for an “A” credit rating in the medium-term. Bloomberg News

PHL economic team courts

US investors, businessmen

By Cai U. Ordinario

AMERICAN investors and busi nessmen should not pass up the opportunity to consider the Philippines as an investment destination as it is the best time to invest in the country, according to the President’s economic team.

In a Philippine Economic Briefing (PEB) in New York City, the financial capital of the world, Finance Secretary and Chairman of the Economic Devel opment Cluster Benjamin Diokno said the Philippines is already poised for higher growth given its strong mac roeconomic fundamentals.

Diokno said potential foreign inves tors can benefit from the economy’s brightening outlook and bank on the government’s broad based and sustain able growth goals in the medium term.

“As we pursue the economic trans formation of the Philippines in the next six years, the Marcos administration is determined to explore new frontiers with investors from the US and the rest of the world. This is why we believe that this is the best time to do business in

the Philippines,” Diokno said.

Diokno said the medium-term goals of the government are underpinned by the enactment of key structural reforms, the full reopening of the economy, and a first-of-its-kind Me dium-Term Fiscal Framework (MTFF).

The MTFF contains various mea sures that will promote fair and effi cient tax administration in the country through digitalization as well as main stream environmental sustainability initiatives to mitigate the impact of climate change.

Digitalization, Diokno added, will likewise play a key role in enhancing the efficiency of revenue collection in the country and modernizing its tax system.

He also presented significant developments in the country’s fis cal sector, including the recent en actment of economic liberalization measures that will further widen the space for joint ventures and foreign participation in strategic industries, making the Philippines a premier in vestment destination in the region.

“We have set in place structural

reforms to establish a businessfriendly environment for both do mestic and foreign investors, and we anticipate significant benefits from the implementation of these structural reforms,” Diokno said.

Diokno also underscored how struc tural reforms will establish a businessfriendly environment for both domes tic and foreign investors.

These include the amendments to the Retail Trade Liberalization Act, which has simplified the requirements for foreign retailers, and the amend ment to the Foreign Investments Act which provides flexibility and trans parency in the review of Foreign In vestment Negative List.

These are key reforms that could further grow the cooperation be tween the two countries. To date, the US ranks as the Philippines’s third largest trading partner with total trade reaching $108.7 billion between 2016 and 2021.

The US is also the country’s fourth top source of foreign direct invest ments (FDI) at $1.35 billion total FDI over the same period and the biggest

source of overseas Filipino remittances with over 4 million Filipinos living and working in the US.

“Our economic liberalization mea sures swing the doors open for inter national firms to invest in previously protected sectors—I call this a 90-year project—and you can now form joint ventures with Filipino companies,” Diokno said, adding that enterprises employing advanced technologies will greatly benefit from the new laws.

The high-level event was attended by 140 bank and financial institution analysts, investors, business groups and chambers, as well as credit rating agencies from around the world.

The PEB was co-organized by the Department of Finance (DOF) and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas In vestor Relations Group (BSP-IRG), in cooperation with the Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C., the Consulate and Philippine Trade and Investment Center in New York, and partner banks: Bank of America Secu rities, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, JP Mor gan, Morgan Stanley, SMBC Nikko, Standard Chartered Bank, and UBS.

HIGH prices of certain commodities fueled by an uptick in inflation would likely prevail until 2024, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda).

At news briefing in New York City aired on the social media platforms of government agencies, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan said inflation is one of the uncertainties faced by the country in terms of attaining upper middle-income country (UMIC) status by 2024.

“We do face such uncertainty but we do also believe that the goal to achieve an upper middle-income status is still doable, as can be elaborated by [Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas] Governor [Felipe] Medalla. The inflation, while it is a bit elevated, will be under control by 2024,” Balisacan said.

In a separate in-person briefing in Manila on Friday, Neda Undersecretary for Policy and Planning Rosemarie G. Edillon, for her part, said Balisacan was merely referring to the targets of the government and that efforts are underway to combat inflation.

Edillon said while the 2024 target is for inflation to average 2 to 4 percent, the inflation for 2023 is already seen to come closer to given expectations that external price pressures such as oil prices are on the decline.

Based on the Department of Energy’s (DOE) oil monitoring report, Dubai crude prices increased by almost $1 per barrel from September 12 to 16 this year. However, as of September 20, 2022, domestic oil companies implemented a per liter decrease in diesel by P4.15 and P4.45 for kerosene, while gasoline prices were not adjusted.

Edillon added efforts to push for food security would be prioritized by the government in the short- and medium-term. This is also included in the eight-point socioeconomic agenda of the current administration and the upcoming Philippine Development Plan (PDP).

“It’s really about addressing, number one, food security, especially for the most vulnerable. We also want to address this from the supply side. That is the reason why this year, there is a fuel subsidy for our farmers and for the transport sector as well,” Edillon explained. “It will be included in their input cost and we hope that will also translate to better prices for our consumers.”

Edillon said the same strategies are also expected to work in terms of the depreciation of the peso. On Thursday, the peso again recorded an all-time low at P58.49 to a dollar.

It can be noted that the Philippines remains a net food importer. This means, it imports more food items in order to feed its 110 million population.

But Edillon assured that the depreciation of the peso is “very temporary” since it was merely caused by the monetary policy of the US Federal Reserve, the latest of which was to raise interest rates by 75 basis points (bps).

However, reports indicated that a forecast released by the US Federal Reserve showed that inflation would not return to its 2 percent target until 2025. The Fed said it expects to continue raising interest rates to cool inflation.

To date, the latest inflation print in the US is at 8.3 percent in August, a tad slower than the 8.5 percent reported in July. On Thursday, the interest rates raised again by another 75 bps.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) also raised interest rates by 50 bps placing interest rates at 4.25 percent. The interest rates on the overnight deposit and lending facilities were raised to 3.75 percent and 4.75 percent, respectively.

“In the next couple of months, we expect what we call monetary policy normalization,” Neda Assistant Secretary Sarah Lynne S. DawayDucanes said in the briefing. “As things are starting to normalize, economies are starting to open up again, [they are changing] their perspective on key policy rates. And that of course will attract investments. In the next couple of months, we expect the peso to stabilize.”

Part of what will allow the peso to appreciate in the coming months is the inflow of remittances. Edillon said the forthcoming holiday season is expected to bring in more dollars from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) as gifts to their families back home.

This is expected to stem further depreciation of the peso, even in the face of a strong dollar.

Given this, Edillon hopes that OFWs families will be wise in the use of their remittances, careful to spend it on essentials and other items that are not affected by rising inflation.

This, Edillon said, would help OFW families maximize their foreign exchange gains brought by the peso depreciation. She noted that not all commodities have seen an increase in prices so OFW families still had some room to adjust their expenses.

“If you look at the recent inflation trend, it still [has something] to do with the transport and not all [commodities are affected]. So it’s really about consuming more of the goods that are not very, very sensitive to these inflationary trends. We’re hoping that the rate of the depreciation will be more than enough to [tide them over],” Edillon said.

PDP Consultation

ON Friday, Neda gathered government planning officers 2022 in a culminating event of a series of consultative forums for the PDP 2023-2028.

Launched this September with the theme

“ISAPLANO: Bagong Philippine Development Plan Para sa Patuloy na Pagsulong,”the PDP forum aims to solicit views and insights from various sectors in preparation for the formulation of the upcoming PDP 2023-2028.

Among those who participated were officials of Provincial Planning and Development Offices, City Planning and Development Offices, and Regional Development Councils from across the country. Planning officers from the government’s Executive and Legislative branches also joined and shared their insights on the upcoming PDP.

“Discussions and consultations such as these are important avenues for promoting greater engagement, encouraging participation, and obtaining support as we seek to be as inclusive as possible in planning our journey toward our collective long-term vision amid all the economic challenges we face today. For a nation of over 110 million people, a unified and cohesive development plan enables all of us in the public sector to work collaboratively so that our efforts are concerted and geared towards common goals,” Balisacan said. Cai U. Ordinario

By Jonathan L. Mayuga

WITH a new secretary recently taking over the Department of Environment and Natural Re sources (DENR), it may take some time for the agency to thresh out the complex issues surrounding the overlapping claims in the Upper Marikina River Basin Pro tected Landscape (UMRBPL) and its surrounding areas, a senior official admitted on Thursday.

“It may take a month, at least, for the new Secretary to resolve the is sues surrounding UMRBPL. As you may know, Secretary [Maria Anto nia] Yulo [Loyzaga] is just new and she will need time to thoroughly study the matter,” DENR Under secretary for Policy, Planning and International Affairs Jonas Leones told the BusinessMirror

Tight police security at Masungi

THE Philippine National Police (PNP), meanwhile, said it will maintain a 24-hour patrol at the Masungi Georeserve for a sus tained police presence in the area following the reported presence of armed private security guards hired by a land claimant.

On Friday, Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos and PNP chief General Rodolfo Azurin Jr. went to Ma sungi to personally check on the situation there.

“Our security is tight. We are also constantly coordinating with the DENR and local government unit,” Azurin said in reference to the developments at the Masungi Georeserve.

“An investigation is also un derway to identify possible vio lations of the group responsible for the alleged deployment of the

armed men. What we are advocat ing for is to avoid any tension or violence from arising,” the PNP chief said.

Overlapping claims

LEONES added issues surround ing the UMRBPL and even areas outside its boundaries, are highly complex because of overlapping claims and tenurial instruments issued to various stakeholders that currently occupy portions of the watershed.

In a news release dated Sep tember 21, the Masungi Geores erve appealed to President Ferdi nand R. Marcos Jr. and Secretary Yulo-Loyzaga, DILG Secretary Abalos, and PNP chief Azurin to look closely into what it describes as “invasion” and attempt to “take over vast tracts of land” by some 30 armed men.

Masungi also called for the immediate arrest, prosecu tion, and removal of the “in vaders” for trespassing, forc ible entry, illegal possession of firearms, and violations of the National Protective Areas System (NIPAS) law.

It also called on the DENR to assign “a competent, trustworthy, and passionate Project Manager” from its end to help us resolve the persistent challenges in conserv ing the Masungi landscape in a sustainable manner.

Sought for comment, Leones said that over the years, a number of Presidential Proclamations, Executive Orders, Presidential Decrees, and Joint Venture Agreements have been issued to various stakeholders that have overlapping or conflicting claims over the area.

“There’s also a CADT [Certifi cate of Ancestral Domain Title] issued in that area so it is really

hard to thresh out the problem.  And there are a lot of stakeholders in the area that we need to con sider,” Leones explained.

Even the case of Masungi Geo reserve Foundation Inc., which is claiming the right to manage, pro tect and conserve around 3,000 hectares of land in the area, by virtue of a memorandum of agree ment signed by the late and former DENR Secretary Regina Paz L. Lo pez days before the Commission on Appointments (CA) rejected her appointment in 2017, is being looked into by the DENR.

Nevertheless, he said the DENR chief is on top of the situ ation and is studying the issues surrounding the various over lapping and conflicting claims that are starting to cause con troversy and chaos because of al leged land-grabbing, encroach ment, or invasion attempts by certain groups.

The latest incident triggered by a Facebook post of Masungi Georeserve compelled the DENR and the PNP to conduct parallel investigations into the alleged “invasion” of Masungi Georeserve by 30 armed men who turned out to be security guards of another claimant to the land.

“As per the PNP report that we obtained, the security guards have licensed firearms that will expire in 2024, so no arrest took place,” said Leones.

Leones earlier said that con trary to the claims of the Ma sungi Georeserve Foundation Inc. which runs Masungi Georeserve, an award-winning, low-impact ecotourism site in Baras, Rizal, the security guards were en camped outside any protected area or even the Lot 10, which is titled the Republic of the Philippines.  With Rene Acosta

Red Cross responds to diarrhea outbreak in Laguna jail facility

By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

THE Philippine Red Cross (PRC) responded to the Cabuyao City jail after Chairman and CEO Richard Gor don received a report that over 70 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) became victims of a diarrhea out break in the facility.

PRC-Laguna Administrator Frank Sorromero reported to Gor don that the incident on late night

of Tuesday, September 20, was blamed to contaminated water.

Gordon immediately ordered the deployment of a water tanker.

Jail management officials were grateful for PRC’s quick response, as an alternate water source will be needed when they disinfect their main pipeline and water tank, which may be con taminated after a recent flooding incident in the city.

The 10,000-liter capacity water

tanker can serve more than 1,000 individuals in the jail facility.

The tanker came with accessories for water distribution: two units of water bladder, one with a 10,000-liter capacity and another with a 5,000-li ter capacity; a tap stand; a hose; a hydrant key; and chlorine.

Submitted water sample from the main source and pipeline of the facility failed the Depart ment of Health’s microbiological test standards.

By Andrea E. San Juan

HYBRID work set-up would bring the local IT and Business Process Management (ITBPM) industry closer to its targets, accord ing to the IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP).

“Now that we have this uncertainty of hybrid work setups behind us, that certainly removes one critical hurdle toward our goal and the industry has grown impressively globally led by the Philippines and India over the years,” IBPAP President and CEO Jack Madrid said in a recent televised interview.

According to the IBPAP chief, India and the Philip pines are the world leaders in IT-BPM, noting that the Philippines is the capital of the contact center space.

Madrid said the IBPAP hopes to end the year with “close to 1.6 million Filipinos employed in the indus try,” adding that with the removal of the roadblock that is the uncertainty in work arrangement, there is now no reason to believe that the “momentum” will lessen.

The flagship organization of the IT-BPM industry earlier said that the number of full-time employ ees (FTEs) in the country increased by 120,000 in 2021, bringing the sector’s total headcount to 1.44 million and recording a growth of 9.1 percent com pared to 2020.

Even amid the global headwinds, the IBPAP chief expressed optimism when he said on Wednesday, “We’re certainly off to a very strong start in 2022. We don’t have any reason to believe that that trajec tory will not be maintained.”

In early September, IBPAP said the IT-BPM in dustry is projected to increase between 7 to 8 per cent in terms of FTEs and 8 to 10 percent in terms of revenue by the end of 2022.

The organization is also aiming to create 1.1 mil lion new jobs in six years, but IBPAP said this rests on enabling conditions; favorable government policies and incentives; accelerated upskilling and reskilling of the Filipino talent for digital services; improved ease of doing business to attract more global inves tors, among others.

On Tuesday, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. pitched to American businesses in vestment opportunities in the IT-BPM sector of the Philippines.

“For American businesses, we offer investment opportunities in areas such as Information Technol ogy and Business Process Management or IT-BPM, medical products and devices, electric vehicles and batteries, agribusiness, and telecommunications, infrastructure and services,” Marcos said.

‘Inflation-induced price hike of some commodities may prevail until 2024’

DENR exec admits it may take time to resolve ‘complex’ issues plaguing UMRBPL, Masungi

IT-BPM industry closer to meet goals after settlement of hybrid work issue

US President Biden reaffirms ‘ironclad’ defense of PHL in meeting with PBBM

PRESIDENT Joe Biden reaffirmed the United States’ “ironclad commitment to the defense of the Philippines” during his meeting with counterpart Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in New York.

The two leaders also “underscored their support for freedom of naviga tion and overflight” in the South China Sea, and sought peaceful resolution of disputes, according to a White House readout. Biden and Marcos also tack led expanding ties in energy security, climate action and infrastructure, the White House said.

The Philippines and US alliance, one of the most enduring security partnerships in the region bound by a mutual defense treaty dating back to the 1950’s, was threatened during the time of former President Rodrigo Duterte who once called for a separa tion from its former colonizer. Marcos has pledged to strengthen

Some US firms keen on expanding local operations, DTI chief reveals

By Andrea San Juan

nand E. Marcos Sr. is also facing a $354 million fine for contempt of court in the US after he failed to comply with rul ings on disbursing the Marcos family assets. However, US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman in June said Marcos has diplomatic immunity as head of state and can enter America.

Signaling that he will continue to balance interests between the US and China, Marcos said earlier this week that the Philippines will be “a friend to all and an enemy to none.” He has said that he can’t see his na tion’s future without the US as an ally, while also calling China the “strongest partner” of his country in pandemic recovery.

Marcos, earlier this week in New York, also met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida where both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen ties on regional security and economy. Bloomberg News

T RADE Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual said given the “more favorable investment climate,” some American firms with existing operations are keen on expanding their operations in the Philippines.

“There are those that have already existing operations in the Philippines. And given the more favorable investment climate in the Philippines, they are now eager to expand their operations, so they’ll invest some more,” the trade chief said during the Philippine Economic Briefing news conference in New York on Thursday.

Pascual revealed that among the companies that have existing operations in the Philippines, which plan to expand in the country are Philip Morris, the leading cigarette manufacturer in the Philippines and Procter & Gamble (P&G), which is one of the biggest consumer goods firms in the world.

“An example is Philip Morris, you know, that will invest in a new factory with an amount of, in US dollars, $160 million. It’s about P8 to 9 billion. The exchange rate has been moving ‘no. It was P8 billion when we arrived. Now it’s P9 billion because the amount is fixed in US dollars,” Pascual said.

As for P&G, the trade chief bared, “ We

IPOPHL reviews KIPA insights amid growth in IP demand

T HE Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) said it is building on the recommendations of the Korean Invention Promotion Association (KIPA) to fill in the growing demand for intellectual property (IP) professionals working in the innovation, creativity and business markets in the Philippines.

The IPOPHL said the recommendations stemmed from a seven-month knowledgesharing program (KSP) that ended last month. The program, it added, ran a series of policy consultations about IPOPHL’s

strategy and efforts in strengthening IPbased professions.

IP Academy Officer-in-Charge Assistant Director Frederick R. Romero, emphasized that the comprehensive study conducted by the Korean intellectual property group will “better equip” the IPOPHL in expanding capabilities in IP professions.  “This partnership opens the possibilities to broadening horizons for our IP professionals,” Romero said.

Among the recommendations of KIPA are the development of a national IP human resource development framework

and a certification system on specific IP professions.

Meanwhile, IPOPHL Director General Rowel S. Barba hailed the completion of the knowledge sharing program, noting that it is a “timely development” as filings are beginning to recover, indicating renewed demand for IP protection.

“This boost in demand for protecting new IPs also raises the need for IP professionals who are skilled and learned enough to safeguard these new intangible assets,” Barba said.

“These recommendations welcome the

findings of this cooperation as a chance to further meet the demands of the growing IP market,” the IPOPHL chief added.

The agency said the study has also given IPOPHL more insight on how to develop the implementing rules and regulations (IRR), currently being finalized by the IP Academy that can enhance the professionalization of patent and trademark agents recognized by IPOPHL.

Through the drafting of the IRR, the agency said it aims to apply the learnings gained from the knowledge-sharing program into the “professionalization of

trademark and patent agents.”

Section 7.1 of the Intellectual Property Code mandates the Director General of the IPOPHL to propose policies, programs and projects for the recognition of lawyers or other persons representing applicants or other parties before IPOPHL.

“The study was in cooperation with the Korean Ministry of Strategy and Finance, the Korean IP Office [KIPO], the Korea Development Institute [KDI], the Korean IP Training Institute and the KIPA to heighten the professional standards for IP experts and agents in the Philippines,” IPOPHL said in a news statement issued on Thursday.

KIPA is the lead agency that trains IP talents and supplies next generation IP personnel to universities and companies.

In fact, in 2020, the Republic of Korea ranked 4th in having the highest patent filing activities in the world, according to the World Intellectual Property Indicators Report 2021. Further, it ranks 11th in marks and second in designs.

Meanwhile, the IPOPHL cited data from the Copyright Overseas Promotion Association, which reveals that Korea’s content industry contributed 126.04 trillion Korean Republic Won or 6.5 percent to the country’s gross domestic product.

Andrea E. San Juan

met with Procter & Gamble. They have plans of also putting up additional investments.”

On top of these companies, Pascual mentioned that he, along with the Philippine economic managers, “met with a number of companies that are engaged in refining mineral ores.” However, he noted that there’s no “tag price” yet, but he said these firms are interested in “taking a closer look at the situation in the Philippines and finding a suitable partner to do it.”

“That will involve refining our nickel, nickel ores, which right now are [being] exported raw. But with further processing, we hope to be able to produce batteries, nickel batteries that are important parts of electric vehicles,” added Pascual.

He noted that this would also increase the value addition on the country’s raw materials by processing them to produce semi-finished and finished products.

Moreover, Pascual emphasized that the country’s economic managers met with seven companies. One, he said, is into the use of innovative stainless steel slabs for purposes of constructing multi-level housing units.  “That’s another possible investment in the Philippines. No tag price yet but... [it] could be quite suitable because they’ll be able—the main thing there is that the cost will be lower because the speed of construction is really much more than the conventional way. They can finish a building in a few days because the slabs are already pre-fabricated and very durable because they’re made of stainless steel,” Pascual said.  He said this can have a “backward linkage” to the refining of the country’s iron ore, adding that it “would be another source of value addition...for our mineral ores.”

The trade chief said, however, that the country’s economic managers are still compiling a list, which will give a good tally of what to expect. He added that many of these prospects that they met will require a series of follow-ups, which he noted will be done by him, along with Filipino businessmen interested in becoming partners with these foreign companies.

Pascual said he also met with an “outfit that’s into importation of wearables and travel bags from the Philippines.” In relation to this, the trade chief said the country’s already exporting but he expressed hope to renew the country’s Generalized System of Preferences (GSP).

The trade arrangement, he said, “will enable us to be exempt from high tariff rates, for export from the Philippines to the US of travel goods and wearable products.”

The GSP deal is a unilateral preferential trade arrangement by the United States to 122 beneficiary developing countries and least developed beneficiary countries, including the Philippines. It aims to promote economic growth, development and trade by providing duty-free market access to about 5,000 products into the US.

political and economic ties with the US, in contrast with his predecessor Duterte, saying that his nation looks

to the US whenever in crisis. The son and namesake of the late strongman former President Ferdi

US President Joe Biden meets with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York City on September 22, 2022. MANDEL NGAN/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Davao Covid Task Force urges elderly to get booster shots

second booster shots.

By Che Palicte

at 100.9 percent (1,339,776) of the target population.

DAVAO

CITY—The Davao City Covid-19 Task Force reiter ated its call on Tuesday for senior citizens and persons with comorbidities to have their booster shots, warning that severe symp toms could result in death.

Dr. Michelle Schlosser, Davao City Covid-19 Task Force spokesperson, issued the call following records showing that in the last 36 weeks, 11 of 19 deaths related to Covid-19 involved senior citizens.

T he deaths included six elderly persons who received the two-dose primary series but never had any booster shot while the other five were unvaccinated.

“ To our senior citizens, please avail of your boosters since your age group has the highest number of deaths. The data is showing us it’s not enough to just be fully vac cinated,” Schlosser said.

I n a meeting on Monday, the vaccination cluster reported that the city logged a total of 1,361,872 first dose vaccinations as of Sep tember 16, which is 102.60 per cent of the target population of 1,327,323 (80 percent of the total population).

T he second dose vaccination is

A mid the declaration on the voluntary use of face masks out doors, the Davao City Covid Task Force cautioned Dabawenyos not to be complacent.

I n a statement Friday, Schlosser stressed the importance of further educating people about account ability with the recent release of President Ferdinand Marcos’s Ex ecutive Order No. 3 regarding the matter. The President’s September 12 EO 3 allows the voluntary wear ing of face masks in open spaces and non-crowded outdoor areas with good ventilation.

However, non-fully vaccinated individuals, senior citizens, and immunocompromised individuals are highly encouraged to wear their masks, and physical distancing must be observed at all times.

E O 3 made it clear that face masks must still be worn in indoor private or public establishments, including public transport by land, air, sea, and in an outdoor setting, where physical distancing cannot be maintained.

With the voluntary wearing of face masks, we have a responsibility towards ourselves and each other. If the parameters are open and not

controlled, please know what is risky or not,” Schlosser said.

She said the city’s safety and secu rity cluster will continue to monitor face mask compliance indoors and in public and private establishments.

Schlosser reminded residents to be “extra careful since they have a higher risk of infecting their chil dren” who are not yet eligible for vaccination, senior parents who belong to the vulnerable sector, or immunocompromised siblings and relatives at home.

She reiterated an earlier appeal to

Dabawenyos to get vaccinated and boosted as soon as they can amid the more relaxed Covid-19 protocols.

Meanwhile, of the 1,339,776, who got their first doses, 311,993 or 43.3 percent received their first booster shots.

However, only 9 percent or 64,915 got their second booster jabs.

I n the A2 population age group (senior citizens), only 41.9 percent (35,395) out of the 107,775 fully vaccinated have taken their first booster shots, while only 13.87 percent (11,706) received their

Based on studies, Schlosser said Covid-19 vaccines’ effectiveness waned after six months, which is why boosters are needed.

Seniors and persons with co morbidities who completed their booster shots usually manifest mild symptoms when infected with Covid-19, while some of those in other age groups don’t have symptoms at all. In both cases, there is no need for hospitaliza tion,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Philippines has recorded an average of only three Covid-19 deaths per day in Septem ber, lower than the 17 fatalities daily count in August, according to the Department of Health.

I n a media briefing, DOH offi cer-in-charge Maria Rosario Ver geire said current data may still show 200 confirmed deaths per day due to delay in reporting. “We have been transparent on this, we tell you that there are delays in our reporting of deaths because deaths are still being validated on the ground,” she said.

“Our case fatality up until now is still 1.6 percent. It never went over 2 percent, we are able to keep the deaths in our country at that mini mum,” she added.

W hile the country’s Covid-19 deaths remain low, Vergeire said the DOH does not want any fa tality due to the infection to hap pen as the agency tries to prevent deaths and severe and critical cases through vaccination.

C iting data from Google Cov id-19 mobility trends, Vergeire said there was an increase in cases due to more people going out as vari ous sectors like face-to-face classes have reopened.

“ We really saw after the middle of August, third week of August, the mobility patterns were higher in Metro Manila and even in the other regions,” she said.

S he urged those yet to receive their primary series of Covid-19 jabs to get the vaccine and the fully vaccinated to receive their booster doses as higher mobil ity would mean transmission of infection.

A s of September 18, almost 72.9 million have been fully vac cinated. Of the tally, around 6.8 million are senior citizens, 9.9 million are adolescents, and 4.9 million are children.

A lmost 18.9 million have re ceived their first booster dose and almost 2.7 million have received their second booster shot. PNA

92-year-old insists on getting 2nd booster shot during PinasLakas launching in Calasiao

CALASIAO, Pangasinan— Mrs. Pacita S. Jovellanos, a 92-year-old resident of Poblacion West in the town of Calasiao, Pangasinan, was one of the senior citizens who received her second booster shot during the PinasLakas Launching Activity held at the Calasiao Sports Complex on September 16, 2022.

According to her daughter, who accompanied her in her wheelchair to the vaccination center, her mother is very persistent to get her second booster to complete her vaccination.

“Sabi ng gobyerno natin kailangan ang kumpletong bakuna upang mas ligtas tayo sa Covid kaya ako nagpursiging magpunta dito. Ito lang ang tanging maitutulong ko upang hindi na kumalat pa ang Covid dito sa

Calasiao,” Jovellanos said during the vaccination.

Jo vellanos was properly attended and examined by health workers before being given the Pfizer vaccine.

C alasiao has boostered a total of 2,400 (78 percent) senior citizens, and 22,000 (16 percent) individuals already received their first booster shot.

T here are also six active Covid cases recorded.

D OH-Ilocos Regional Director Paula Paz M. Sydiongco expressed her gratitude to Jovellanos for her courage and support, and she also encouraged residents to emulate her selfless deed and get their free booster shots now to strengthen their protection against Covid.

“Nagpapasalamat din po kami sa suporta ng Calasiao LGU sa ating bakunahan at hinihingi rin po naming tulungan n’yo po kaming makamit ang ating layunin na mabakunahan ang lahat upang makabalik na tayo sa ating nakagawiang normal na pamumuhay na walang takot at pangamba na tayo ay tatamaan ng sakit na Covid,” Sydiongco said.

T he PiñasLakas launching in Calasiao was set for the whole day and catered to the students, government and private employees and children ages five years old and above.

T he Provincial DOH Office together with the municipal health office of Calasiao vaccinated around 200 target individuals from five years old and above.

Late blooming is not too late WORTH

MODERN society is in awe of young trailblazers. We idolize young founders who have started new high-tech companies, subsequently becoming multimillionaires and billionaires.

In sports and entertainment, media fawn over young athletes and celeb rities who have skyrocketed to the top of the food chain with their as tronomical incomes.

A ll of which has spawned the cult of early success. Forbes has its “30 Under 30” list. The New Yorker has its “20 under 40” list. Even Time magazine has its 25 most influential teens.

I n our obsession with youth and early success, we now completely overlook that we don’t always have to hurry to get to our appointed mo ment to shine. Sometimes, we need to wait for the right time, letting the moment come as naturally as the rip ening of a banana, papaya, apple or an orange.

By Nick Tayag

I ’m 71 and I’m having a blast composing think pieces. My agemate and friend Del is paint ing landscapes as if there’s no tomorrow. It seems that we are giving release to ideas and feel ings that have been dammed inside us for so long.

his 70s and beyond.

Let’s not forget that many great lead ers and artists achieved success when they were in their 30s, 40s and 50s.

Playwright George Bernard Shaw and novelist Joseph Conrad are some of the famous late bloomers. J.K. Rowling was 32 when Harry Potter was published. Julia Child was 49 years old when her first cookbook was published.

W hat about us in our 60s and 70s?

Is it already too late for us to shine?

My answer is whether you’re 60, 70, or 80, it’s never too late to find the right inspiration and start giving in to your passion.

B ut I can’t guarantee you will become a billionaire like the young high tech wizards or sports and entertainment celebrities. What is certain is your life will draw to a more fulfilling epilogue. Look at it as your swan song, so to speak, be cause according to folklore, swans sing most beautifully before they softly go into the night.

Frank Sulloway, a psycholo gist at the University of Cali fornia, Berkeley, says that one important factor that often in creases with age is the freedom to take risks. No wonder I am no longer shy or afraid to voice out my ideas no matter how crazy they seem to others. As an in dependent creative consultant, I can now give free rein to my imagination. All of which I never had the time, inclination and the freedom to do as an overstressed 9 to 6 clock puncher, which I continued to be as a desk-bound executive in my late 50s.

T he common notion that creativity declines as we age is a just a myth. It explodes in the face of a list of famous seniors in various fields who achieved great things even in the late, late stage of their lives.

No age is too late for us to bloom and shine. At the age of 83, the French painter, Henri Matisse created “The Snail,” now consid ered as one of the world’s master pieces. His fellow Impressionist painter Claude Monet produced some of his most famous work in

At 63, Tanzanian-born artist Lubaina Himid won the Turner Prize, which is the most presti gious contemporary art prize in Britain. Not only was she the first woman of color to win the prize, more significantly, she was the oldest person ever to win it! Un til the year before, eligibility had been capped at age 50. She broke the gender and age ceiling and made history.

Consider another late bloom er, a man named Peter. At age 61, after retiring from his medical career, he began working on his newfound passion as a way to battle depression: a book that is now on every desk. His full name was Peter Mark Roget and he gave the world “Roget’s Thesaurus,” first printed in 1852, when he was 73.

Helen Mirren snagged an Os car at 61, a breakthrough in her career, which boosted her climb to the peak as a major stage and film talent in her late 60s, an age when most actresses struggle to find roles.

S culptor and previous Turner Prize winner Anish Kapoor said: “We have had a long, long, long obsession with youth...and I think it is good to recognize that it often takes a lifetime to really have the work recognized, to be an artist.”

T he same thing can be said

for the fields of business and science, with some ground breaking innovations only com ing with experience.

For instance, if you think en trepreneurship is mainly for the risk-taking youth, think again. It turns out entrepreneurs are mostly late bloomers. Accord ing to a study, it turns out that the highest rate of entrepre neurial activity belongs to the 55-64 age group.

R ay Kroc was 52 years old when he bought McDonald’s and turned it into what it is today. Colonel Sanders (Harland David Sanders) opened his first franchise of the famous Kentucky Fried Chicken in 1952, when he was 62.

It’s the same thing in the field of science. Consider a few of the renowned scientists who continue to make important con tributions to our world in their 90s. Now 96 years old, David At tenborough English broadcaster, biologist, natural historian is still doing field trips shooting documentaries. Noam Chomsky, father of modern linguistics, and one of the founders of the field of cognitive science is still mak ing waves at 93. Michio Kaku, a theoretical physicist and a bestselling author, is still at it, mak ing scientific concepts such as string theory understandable to laypeople at age 75.

Even the sky is no longer the

limit for seniors. At age 77, Glenn flew on Space Shuttle Discovery’s STS-95 mission on October 29, 1998, making him the oldest per son to enter Earth orbit. He also was the first American to orbit the Earth in 1960.

P rior to that, Franklin S. Musgrave held the title of old est astronaut. His first mission took place in 1983 and his final spaceflight was in 1996 at the age of 61.

Peggy Whitson is the oldest female astronaut and the first female commander of the In ternational Space Station. She celebrated her 57th birthday in space on the ISS. Over her career, Whitson accrued a total of 665 days in space, making her NASA’s most experienced astronaut to date.

T his only shows that when it comes to making an impact, age really is just a number. What, then, is holding you back?

T here is still time to make a mark. Let’s not allow our cul ture’s obsession with early suc cess to discourage us from pur suing our passions even at this late, late stage. Rage against be ing set aside and marginalized. Let’s prove to the young that we are not a burden but an untapped opportunity.

Remember the song by Frank Sinatra? “The best is yet to come, and won’t that be fine?”

DR. Michelle Schlosser, the spokesperson of the Davao City Covid-19 Task Force, said in the last 36 weeks, 11 of 19 deaths related to Covid-19 involved senior citizens. PNA FILE PHOTO

DOH-ILOCOS Regional Director Paula Paz M. Sydiongco assists Pacita S. Jovellanos, a 92-year-old resident of Poblacion West, Calasiao, Pangasinan, as her blood pressure is being checked by a health worker before receiving her second booster shot during the PinasLakas Launching Ceremony at the Calasiao Sports Complex on September 16, 2022.

Pasig, USAID, Tesda support OSY learning, employability

THEUnited States Agency for International Development (USAID) recently launched a program addressing the education, employment, and livelihood needs of Pasig City’s out-of-school youth (OSY).

USAID Philippines Mission Director Ryan Washburn joined Pasig City Councilor Quin Kin Cruz, Education Assistant Secretary G.H. Ambat, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority District Director Leonardo Pinlac, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasig Officer In Charge-President Reggie Maningas, and other local partners at the Opportunity 2.0 launch on September 15.

“It is my joy to be witnessing the launch of [USAID’s Opportunity 2.0],” shared Mayor Ma. Victor Regis “Vico” Sotto. “We share your vision, and I believe that we are all here to-

day because we have a common goal of wanting to uplift the lives of our OSY here in the City of Pasig.”

“By working with our Filipino partners across all sectors, we are able to provide youth with upskilling opportunities, community-engagement activities, and productive livelihoods and employment to prepare them as the country’s new generation of workers and entrepreneurs,” said Washburn.

Part of Opportunity 2.0, USAID will create a Pasig City Youth Development Alliance that will gather government agencies, local busi-

nesses, schools and youth leaders that will coordinate local efforts in helping the city’s OSY. To date USAID has helped establish Youth Development Alliances in 15 cities across the country.

With the five-year, P1.9-billion ($37.5 million) program, USAID is working with more than 900 employers and 40 education or train-

ing institutions to provide relevant education, employability skills, and work experience to 180,000 OSY nationwide.

The US government has been a key development champion in the Philippines for over 60 years, working with individuals, communities and the government to improve everyday lives.

UST, St. Paul Institute in Cambodia lead Asian Catholic universities confab

APROMISING group of Catholic educational institutions in Asia is restarting its international cooperation after a threeyear hiatus due to the pandemic.

Led by the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in the executive board, the Association of Southeast and East Asian Catholic Colleges and Universities (ASEACCU) held its 28th conference with the theme: “Memory and Identity.” The event ran from August 23 to 27 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

“I have always believed that we have to work as one team in different specialties: collaborating together, exchanging knowledge and experiences, ASEACCU members working together as a Catholic identity in higher education,” said Bishop Olivier Schmitthaeusler of Phnom Penh.

“We can move forward more quickly and effectively in solidarity if we are able to promote higher education both in the Catholic Church and in society where we work,” he added.

Bishop Schmitthaeusler is the founder and chancellor of the St. Paul Institute in Cambodia, which hosted the international conference.

Meanwhile, UST Rector Very Rev. Fr. Richard Ang OP, PhD, who is also ASEACCU’s executive secretary, highlighted in his welcome remarks that the event theme was inspired by the last book of St. John Paul II:

“The pontiff’s reflections on the most challenging issues and events of his period revealed his intellectual and spiritual journey and pastoral experience.”

Father Ang continued: “Right now our nations face a common enemy: the pandemic. We are weighed down by its protracted effects, but buoyed up by the firm belief that God will

never abandon us in the difficult moments of our lives.”

The conference saw executive meetings, historical and philosophical lectures, intercultural dialogues, interfaith prayers, and field exposure to important sites in Cambodia. Isabel Capeloa Gil, president of the International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU) and Catholic University of Portugal rector, was keynote speaker.

IFCU, which has since been supporting ASEACCU, is a federation recognized by the Holy See via a decree in 1948, and personally by Pope Pius XII in 1949. It closely collaborates with the Congregation for Catholic Education and various dicasteries of the Church, including that for Integral Human Development.

Catholic universities and colleges from Australia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, China, the Philippines, and Thailand were represented in the meeting.

Prestone honors scholar-graduates

SIX of the nine beneficiaries of Prestone’s “Anak ng Mekaniko” scholarship program who finished college this year were recently honored in a culminating activity.

They were Edmajea Aguinaldo from Makati City, the first degreeholder in her family who graduated from a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Hospitality Management (BSHM) course; Melver Masangkay from Batangas, the most active in cocurricular activities who took up BS in Computer Engineering; Christian Diamante from Cagayan De Oro who was a consistent honor student and finished BS in Information Technology (BSIT); and Aulinda Buban from Antipolo City, Rizal, a mom-scholar with consistent good-standing grades who also earned a BSIT degree.

Two of their other coscholar-graduates from Camarines Sur, Bicol finished their studies with flying colors: Harvey Plazo, who graduated cum laude with a BSIT degree; and Anna Raiza Dela Cruz who, as a student, won two intraschool cooking and Scrabble competitions, marched as magna cum laude with a BSHM degree.

The latter expressed her appreciation to Prestone for the scholarship grant that helped her parents, especially her auto mechanic father, to provide her the opportunity to reach her dreams.

“I want to congratulate Prestone; they did not only help the mechanics, but also the youth to fulfill their dreams. I just hope that they can help more in their upcoming projects. As a scholar, we are also ready to help others to give back,” Dela Cruz told the BusinessMirror in mixed Filipino and English during the graduation ceremony last September 14.

Sharing the same sentiment, Plazo appreciated the way the company has changed their lives: “Big thanks to Prestone. It’s an honor to be included in their scholarship program. This is one of the most memorable experiences in my life.”

The trusted quality brand of auto-care fluids launched the awardwinning scholarship grant in 2018 to mark its 90th anniversary, with the goal of giving back to hardworking and loyal auto mechanics in the

country by providing their children with a free four-year course tertiary education in STI Colleges campuses nationwide.

From hundreds of aspirants who submitted their applications and essays, which narrated their pride at being a child of a hard-working auto mechanic, the firm chose nine scholars.

“Each scholar represented one decade of Prestone in the market,” explained Paulo Lao, commercial director of Clorox International Phils. Inc. (CIPI). “Being this long as a brand, we must continue to work hard to earn the trust and enduring loyalty of the market that we serve: our loyal consumers and the auto mechanics.”

According to Lao, the best way for them to be able to bring back the favor and show their appreciation to the auto mechanics that have made the brand successful through the years is by providing a better future for their children.

“Because one of the top dreams of every family—auto mechanics included—is to be able to give education for their children. So that’s what we wanted to give back to our loyal mechanics,” he noted.

Apart from tuition fees, the grant also includes stipends, laptops, books, uniforms and allowances.

Faced by the challenges of the ensuing pandemic, the scholars were likewise provided with tools to help them cope up with online classes.

A day prior to the graduation rites, Prestone hosted a careerpreparation workshop to help them gear up for the corporate world. They were also treated with a special tour at the historic Fort Santiago and Casa Manila in Intramuros, where they bonded and relaxed with their loved ones.

“There’s more to look forward to,” CIPI General Manager for Southeast Asia Marites Dagdag said of the upcoming initiatives they are planning.

“We are, of course, evaluating it. We still want to help our auto mechanics, because they are really loyal to Prestone—whether it takes the form of scholarship, or some other support for them.” Roderick L. Abad

MCU 2nd safest, greenest; ready for postpandemic SY

IN a postpandemic new normal, schools are providing an environment where their students can feel and perform their best.

THE Embassy of Japan is now accepting applications for Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) positions in the 2023 Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme.

ALTs will work in public or private schools, or local boards of education, in the prefecture or municipality they will be assigned to. Their primary task is to assist in classes led by Japanese Teachers of English.

Applicants must be Filipino citizens, possess excellent English ability both orally and in writing, be physically and mentally fit to work abroad, hold a Bachelor’s degree or higher, or be able to obtain such qualifications by the designated arrival date.

Program guidelines, application forms and details on other requirements may be obtained via https://www. ph.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/00_000147.

html. All required application materials will be due on November 22 (Tuesday), and must be submitted via post or courier to the Japan Information and Culture Center: Embassy of Japan in the Philippines, 2627 Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City 1300.

For more information about the program and the ALT position, visit www. jetprogramme.org or the Culture and Education section of the Embassy of Japan web site: https://www.ph.emb-japan. go.jp/itpr_en/00_000147.html. For the JET Programme application process, contact: jetprogram@ma.mofa.go.jp.

The JET Programme was introduced in 1987 to help deepen mutual understanding between the people of Japan and those of other countries through foreign-language exchange and cultural immersion at the local level.

As of August 2022 the embassy has already sent more than 200 JET participants as ALTs or Coordinator for International Relations or CIRs to Japan. Seventy (70) of them are ALTs from the 2019 batch—so far the largest group of ALT participants sent from the Philippines in a single year.

After a significant drop in ALT recruitment from local schools and cities in Japan during the pandemic, the embassy hopes that the 2023 ALT cohort will have more participants, which will be the Philippines’s largest JET batch by that time.

Manila Central University (MCU) recently ranked second in the UI GreenMetric World University Rankings for the Metro Manila area for December 2021. The criteria include setting and infrastructure; energy and climate change; waste, water, transportation; as well as education and research.

On a larger scale, the university ranked eighth in the Philippines, and 719th in the world.

GreenMetric World University Rankings are performed by the Universitas Indonesia since 2010 to measure each participating university’s commitment to developing an environmentally friendly university.

“[MCU has] always valued the overall student experience. We believe that it contributes a big deal to the actual learning itself. When the school or university you are studying in provides an environment that inspires and makes you feel safe, [your] learning experience is elevated,” says Vice President for Planning and External Affairs Dr. Renato C. Tanchoco.

For the new school year, the university has made sure that its safety protocols, including fully-vaccinated faculty and staff, are in check. It strictly follows national government

guidelines as part of its advocacy to be the safest and greenest campus in the country. The school has also established a disinfection schedule, as classrooms and offices are disinfected before and after every use.

Further, it implements a strict “no face mask, no entry” protocol and temperature checks.

Apart from these, the university also has developed its own contacttracing app, MCU Trace, which contains an online health-declaration system. Complementing such efforts are isolation rooms and hand-washing stations in strategic locations.

“We are definitely excited to see our students again!” says Dr. Tanchoco. “But with the privilege of experiencing face-to-face learning, there is huge responsibility on our part to keep everybody safe and at ease. We will continue to invest in our facilities, curriculum, and apply high standards to provide an environment conducive for learning and enjoying life as a student.”

USAID Mission Director Ryan Washburn (from left) joins Rechie Tugawin from Pasig City’s Office of the Mayor, Councilor Quin Kin Cruz, and Education Assistant Secretary G.H. Ambat at the signing of the commitment wall marking the launch of Opportunity 2.0 for out-of-school youth in the local government unit. US EMBASSY

LEADERS of ASEACCU member-institutions, including UST Rector Rev. Richard G. Ang OP, PhD (second from right) SITE The De La Salle Alumni AssociationPampanga Chapter led by Vice President Alfonso “Sonny” Dobles Jr. (from left) of the Abacan River and Angeles Watershed Advocacy Council Inc. (ARAW-ACI), the KapatirangAetasngAngeles-Porac parasaKalikasanatAgrikultura represented by Henry Pan, as well as Chapter President and acting Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) Officer In Charge-President and CEO Darwin Cunanan (second from right) signed a memorandum of agreement at the Clark Freeport on September 14 for the adoption of a 1-hectare planting site at the Angeles Watershed in Barangay Sapang Bato, Angeles City. The effort is the alumni group’s contribution to the Angeles Watershed Rehabilitation Program of the Angeles City local government and ARAW-ACI. Angeles City Environment and Natural Resources Office Chief Archie Lazatin (right) witnessed the signing. CIAC-CC

HEALTH protocols being observed inside MCU.

Editor: Carla Mortel-Baricaua

The Auhana: Boracay’s hidden gem

It’srare to find a true gem in a sea of blue. But this is exactly what we discovered when we arrived at the sparkling blue waters of Boracay: A sprawling 7 hectares of a premier beachfront resort, now welcoming couples and families alike in Boracay’s station 3.

Auhana is pronounced as ohana, a Hawaiian word meaning family. That is exactly how I felt when we were welcomed to the resort. It was like being in Hawaii again, and with family. We were welcomed with leis when we arrived at the jetty in Bolabog beach and once again when we were entering the expansive lobby of the hotel. The resort opened in 2019 and with 500 luxurious rooms, suites, and villas to choose from, I would rec ommend the resort to anyone who wants to try something new in the island. Everything is luxurious, classy, and new.

Their welcome drink is pandan with lemongrass which tasted like something you should pay for in a restaurant. That, plus a plentiful serving of “turon,” a dessert made with bananas which are harvested within the resort. They also pro vided hot towels for us to freshen up. This treat is truly one of a kind. What a nice touch for welcoming guests to the island.

The resident manager, Hanil Salcedo, and her staff welcomed us with open arms and smiling faces. We knew instantly that this was going to be a great trip.

It is always a treat to meet and know the staff of a hotel or resort that I am visiting. These people are the backbone of the commu

nity and the tourism industry. Ms. Hanil is definitely hands-on with everything and I appreciate the personal touch to our Auhana experience.

A romantic dinner

On our first night, we had a ro mantic dinner set-up overlooking the ocean. We were serenaded by an acoustic singer, and later, we marveled at the fiery performance of the fire dancers, some of whom were also employed at the resort.

We had a full course meal of salmon and steak, and a choice of white or red wine. Everything they served was plentiful and flavorful. This was truly a great finish for our first day in Boracay.

When we returned to our room to retire for the night, we were pleasantly surprised when house keeping left a chocolate treat af ter they made up the room. It also included a simple note of thanks. That made me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

Breakfast at The Porch

T H E sun and views of the beach welcomed us the next day as we were having breakfast. A platter of fruits, pieces of bread, and crois sants was served along with our plates filled with eggs, sausages, bacon, and hash browns. This is

definitely an excellent way to fuel up for the day.

We had a nice walk along Station 3’s white beach after our morning meal. It was nice to see everyone just enjoying the early rays of the sun while getting their feet wet by the shoreline.

Going around Auhana’s prop erty, we were amazed to see how much they offer to adults and chil dren alike. They have a Kids Club,

Kids Courtyard, Games Room, and Kids Tiki Hut Pool: all great for fun and learning.

The adults can catch up with their workouts with state-of-theart equipment at the gym. There is also a billiard and ping-pong table in the game room.

We also had a great time catch ing up with our movie-watching in Auhana’s theater. We planned to go out of the resort on this day

North meets South at DOT art exchange

ArtSector Gallery in the hilltops of Binangonan.

As part of their collaborative ef fort, the group held a figurative sketching session led by ne mi Mi randa, one of the founders of the An gono Ateliers Association. The emi nent painter-sculptor also offered an extensive three-day immersion program to the Baguio artists which will give them a more holistic expe rience of the art scene of Angono and the neighboring towns of Rizal.

In Cavite, the group visited the Ifugao-inspired Shambala Living Museum in Silang, Alitaptap Art ists v i llage in Amadeo, Yoki’s Farm in Mendez, and the Orlina Museum of noted glass artist Ramon Orlina in Tagaytay City.

The event is the second phase of last year’s Exchange Program held in Baguio City and Benguet prov ince hosted by the DOT-Cordillera Administrative Region and local art groups led by national Artist for Film Kidlat Tahimik.

but decided to just stay and enjoy the complete amenities.

Lunch was served at the Lobby overlooking the resort’s pool and the white beach. Their signature cocktail drink, the Red Auhana, did not disappoint.

The Auhana signature massage  H Av I nG a healing massage at the spa cabanas by the beach is heaven.

As the sun went down, the spa ser

vice was the perfect time to relax and prepare for dinner. A hot cup of tea was served from a ceramic teapot right after the session.

Boodle fight by the beach

T HE Auhana also offers boodle fights for dinner along the caban as by the beach. On our last night in Boracay, we had a surf ‘n’ turf banquet experience with our own butler always present to assist. Ro del, the acoustic singer from our romantic dinner the night before, is also present to serenade us once again. With a smile on my face as I savor each bite, I can honestly say that this dinner is hard to forget.

We shall return

A LOT of hotels and resorts pro v ide great customer service but the Auhana style is more personal. I really felt that I was home and a part of the family. It was great to know the staff by their first names. We are looking forward to explor ing more of Boracay, the Auhana style. Mahalo!

Baguio City takes pride in being declared by U n E SCO as a Creative City for Crafts and Folk Arts in 2017, the first Philippine city to be included in the prestigious U n E SCO Creative Cities n e twork (UCC n ) because of its vibrant groups in the different arts.

The Art Exchange, which forms part of Calabarzon’s Green Corri dor Initiatives Experiential Tours, also provided insights into enhanc ing marketing and promotional strategies of arts- and culturebased tourist attractions and des tinations.

“The AEP builds working rela tionships and cultural appreciation between the two art communities, and emphasizes innovations on the continuing professional develop ment for artists,” concludes DOTCordillera regional director Jovita Ganongan.

Story & photos By Ardee P. de los Angeles

IT w as a feast for the senses as visual artists from the northern and southern regions of Luzon gathered once more at the second phase of the Department of Tourism’s Artists’ Exchange Program (AEP).

Held in various art galleries and museums in Rizal and Cavite, the three-day event was hosted by the DOT-Calabarzon and local art groups in the Southern Tagalog region.

The visiting delegation from the Cordillera region consisted of 12 young artists from three Baguiobased groups, namely, Pasakalye, 23 Sampaguita, and the Tam-awan Artists v i llage.

“Art exchanges provide a mean ingful way for artists to think more creatively and gain expertise from peers from a different culture and school of thought. It also adds val ue to lives by inspiring new forms of artistic expression,” says DOT Calabarzon acting regional director Castro.

She added that the AEP draws on collective skills and experiences to develop collaboration on culture and the arts, drawing on the themes of integrity, sense of community, and resilience, among others.

Exchange participants visited the

Kaulayaw Cafe, Hinulugang Taktak, and Pinto Art Museum in Antipolo City; the residence-gallery of na t ional Artist Carlos “Botong” Fran cisco, the Blanco Family Museum, and the ne miranda Arthouse and Atelier Galerie in Angono; and the

Enjoy floating feast at the pool.

Th E Auhana has its own movie theater museum

An exciting Dota 2 match, travel, and the importance of insurance for everyone

we see Filipinos eager to travel since restrictions have eased up and this is just another way for us to be able to make this even easier for them—in just a few taps, you can now book your travel experiences and conveniently pay for it all in one app, even giving you the option to pay lighter when our GLife customers avail of the GCredit or GGives functions,” said Macky Limgenco, GCash AVP for enterprise sales.

Travellers can avail P500 off, minimum spend of P1,000 for all Klook products from October 3 to November 2, 2022 by using the promo code KLOOKNOW500, exclusive to purchases done through GLife.

tennis, you’d need to know how scoring works to understand the games fully.

Finally, I attended the online event of Stronghold Insurance Company Inc. announcing broadcaster Anthony Taberna as its endorser, a move that they hope would raise awareness among the general public on the importance of insurance.

During the official contract signing, Taberna encouraged Filipinos to acquire non-life insurance from Stronghold.

OnePlus launches latest 5G-enabled smartphone in PHL

BY RODERICK L. ABAD Contributor

CHINESE consumer electronics giant OnePlus has launched its newest mobile phone in the Philippines, with the end goal to gain a foothold of the local smartphone market.

The OnePlus 10T 5G smartphone boasts of the latest flagship chipset of Qualcomm—the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1— that makes it more powerful yet energy-efficient.

It features a big Sony IMX766 flagship sensor with optical image stabilization (OIS) on the main camera that collects up to 50 percent more light for pristine colorful shots even in low lighting, as well as the pre-installed OxygenOS 12.1 for better multi-tasking, faster app launching, improved power consumption, and smoother gallery viewing.

The handset also includes 3D Cooling System, the newly upgraded industry-leading charging technology 150W SUPERVOOC Endurance Edition that fully charges the battery in just 19 minutes, and Battery Health Engine with a lifespan of at least four years of use.

Established in 2013, OnePlus is committed to provide premium, burdenless and user-centric technology that challenges market conventions and the industry status quo, per OnePlus Philippines Representative Mara Villaflor.

“To achieve this, OnePlus has embodied the ‘Never Settle’ mantra. We aspire to always do better and achieve more. This Never Settle mindset drives us to continue creating better technology and innovations with a fast and smooth user experience being the signature of OnePlus products,” she said during the smartphone’s recent media kick-off in Taguig City.

According to her, the company works hand-in-hand with its growing community of users in the country by constantly delivering technology that meets their needs today and in the future.

“At OnePlus, we believe that Filipinos should ‘Never Settle’ for less. We want to empower Filipinos through our products because they deserve a device that exceeds their expectations in the constant pursuit for greatness,” Villaflor said.

“So we’re excited to officially launch the OnePlus 10T in the Philippines. We also look forward to the continued growth of the OnePlus community that will inspire Filipinos to ‘Never Settle,’” she added.

The OnePlus 10T 5G smartphone comes in Moonstone Black and Jade Green colors. Retailing at P35,990, it is now available in its official store on Shopee and Lazada.

IT’S

been a busy past week with brands and companies holding what I call “revenge events” and I can’t blame them. While online events are less expensive to mount, face-to-face events are more engaging.

I attended the launch of the partnership between attractions platform Klook and e-wallet GCash. The partnership allows Filipinos to access over 490,000 experiences across 1,000 destinations, and make purchases with just a few taps through the GLife icon on their GCash app.

I love Klook and I don’t just use the app when I travel but also to book staycations and even meals.

One of my favorite staycations in recent history was at Seda Hotel and I made the booking through the Klook app. When I visited Singapore for work recently, my daughter tagged along at her own expense and made bookings through Klook for meals and adventures, such as the Marina Bay Segway Tour.

Michelle Ho, general manager of Klook Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, said that for domestic travel, Klook Philippines has already outperformed its pre-pandemic bookings as seen in the leap in bookings for local destinations like Boracay, Tagaytay, Subic and Clark. For cross-border travel, a 5,962-percent growth in the first half of 2022 vs. 2021 has been recorded, the majority of which were bookings in Singapore, Thailand and South Korea.

“The past two years have been gruelling for the tourism industry as a whole, but with many destinations easing their restrictions, we are optimistic that the growth we are seeing now will continue in the next coming months. This demand for travel among Filipinos drives Klook to continue pushing boundaries in terms of expanding the variety of experiences we can offer for both domestic and international travel,” said Ho.

Starting October 3, 2022, travelers may book the best of what Klook has to offer such as hotels, experiences, activities, and transportation through GLife, a mini-program integrated within the GCash app, with constant vouchers and deals exclusively available from their growing merchants to GLife customers.

“We’re very excited for this partnership with Klook. We always look forward to expanding our partnerships with brands that provide amazing experiences and services to our customers. Currently,

Meanwhile, I spent my Sunday afternoon at SM Mall of Asia for the Predator League 2022 Philippines Dota 2 Grand Finals where I saw Polaris Esports beat GrindSky Esports in the most convincing fashion, winning two games (out of three) straight in Dota 2 to take home the Predator League Shield and get the chance to represent the country in the Asia Pacific Predator League 2022 Grand Finals in November which will be held in Japan.

For the Philippine finals, Predator Gaming offered P1 million as a prize pot and Polaris Esports got P200,000 (and the coveted Predator Shield) of that while GrindSky Esports received P100,000. The two teams also get to compete in Japan.

Polaris Esports clearly dominated the match from the beginning, based on what little I know of Dota 2. I had to keep asking my seatmate John Bueno of Kumagcow.com what the score was until he showed me where it was on the screen. I’ve been at e-sports tournaments many times but this was the one where I paid attention.

Polaris, according to Justin “Vill” Villarasen, who hosted the main stage, flew from its camp in Cebu on Saturday to beat Atomic Esports in the semi-finals in 20 minutes. Meanwhile, GrindSky Esports defeated Execration, with a 2-1 scoreline.

So, yes, with the victory, Polaris Esports became the kings of Dota 2 in the Philippines and when asked what strategy they employed, the team members simply said they did what they had to do. Gamers are normally very quiet and reserved so this answer wasn’t very surprising to me.

Meanwhile, Valorant competitors Oasis Gaming, Team Secret, South Built Esports, and Rex Regum Qeon played their hearts before the excited crowd on September 17.

Rex Regum Qeon (RRQ) easily got rid of Oasis Gaming with a scoreline of 13-5 on both Haven and Breeze. Meanwhile, the veterans of South Built Esports and Team Secret fought it out for a full 3-map series, with Team Secret bowing out of the competition, leaving South Built Esports to advance toward the Grand Finals.

Rex Regum Qeon emerged as the champion to win the Predator League Shield, as well as P200,000, while South Built Esports was awarded P100,000 for their runner-up finish.

So, here’s my realization about e-sports: like

In March 2022, the Insurance Commission (IC) reported that Stronghold was the third highest paid-up capital among 57 non-life insurance companies. With a total of 1.5 billion paid-up capital, as of 2021, the company recorded a yearly increase in the number of clients, corporate companies and individuals.

The commission explained that Stronghold’s impressive standing in corporate governance was emphasized when it was declared as the top 10 nonlife insurance company in the country, contributing more than P2.3 billion net worth. Stronghold’s lines include Fire, Motor, Marine, Casualty, and Suretyship. More information is available at www. strongholdinsurance.com.ph ■

Globe, customers come together to help solve involuntary hunger

AS Globe celebrates the annual 917 GDay this September to give back to its loyal customers, it’s calling on subscribers to help millions of Filipinos experiencing involuntary hunger.

All Rewards points that customers redeem in engaging with any of the 917 GDay activities and offers, such as G Chance The Raffle and various GDay on-ground activations, will be matched by Globe with a donation to the Hapag Movement.

The Hapag Movement is the company’s united fight against involuntary hunger through technology. It aims to rally Filipinos behind a collective effort to help feed the hungry.

The fundraising activity is being implemented in partnership with the Ayala Foundation’s #BrigadangAyalaKaakay Program, Tzu Chi Foundation Philippines, Caritas Philippines and World Vision.

“Our goal is for customers to feel happy about their Globe Rewards redemptions and be able to help other Filipinos through our partner organizations. Naka-redeem ka na, nakatulong ka pa,” said Pia Gonzalez-Colby, Globe chief marketing officer.

Every Globe customer automatically earns Rewards points whenever they top up or pay their monthly bill. Every P50 spent on Globe services, whether postpaid or prepaid, is equal to one Rewards point.

All Rewards points redemptions on 917 GDay offers and campaigns ongoing until September 30 will be matched by Globe with an equivalent donation to The Hapag Movement.

The company will also donate a significant amount on behalf of Globe Postpaid and Platinum customers who have been using Globe services for at least five years.

Customers can also donate directly via Globe Rewards. Just download the New GlobeOne app, go to Rewards, and tap Donate. From the Rewards catalog, search for the organization, display promo details, and click Donate. Choose the amount available, confirm details, and click Redeem.

More information is available at bit.ly/3DGWsxd.

Why ASUS new OLED laptop is ‘Lighter Than Air’

heritage. For ASUS, the social entrepreneur and designer developed

a special limited-edition, sustainable, locally-made bag.

EU wants to toughen cybersecurity rules for smart devices

BY SAMUEL PETREQUIN The Associated Press

BRUSSELS—The European Union’s executive arm proposed new legislation Thursday that would force manufacturers to ensure that devices connected to the Internet meet cybersecurity standards, making the 27-nation bloc less vulnerable to attacks.

The EU said a ransomware attack takes place every 11 seconds, and the global annual cost of cybercrime is estimated at 5.5 trillion euros in 2021. In Europe alone, cyberattacks cost between 180 and 290 billion euros each year, according to EU officials.

The European Commission said an increase of cyberattacks was witnessed during the coronavirus pandemic and that Russia’s war in Ukraine has raised concerns that European energy infrastructure could also be targeted amid a global energy crunch.

The law, proposed as the Cyber Resilience Act, aims to remove from the EU market all products with digital elements that are not adequately protected.

The EU’s executive commission said the law would not only reduce attacks but also benefit consumers since it will improve data and privacy protection

“When it comes to cybersecurity, Europe is only as strong as its weakest link, be it a vulnerable member state or an unsafe product along the supply chain,” said Thierry Breton, the EU commissioner for the internal market.

“Computers, phones, household appliances, virtual assistance devices, cars, toys...each and every one of these hundreds of millions of connected products is a potential entry point for a cyberattack.”

Breton said most hardware and software products are currently not subject to any cybersecurity obligations. If adopted, the regulation would require manufacturers to take into account cybersecurity in the design and development of their devices. Companies would remain responsible for the security of products throughout their expected lifetime, or a minimum of five years.

Market authorities will have the power to withdraw or recall non-compliant devices and to fine companies that will not abide by the rules.

The Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), which represents computer, communications and Internet industry firms, welcomed the commission’s goal of improving cyber resilience but said the draft law would introduce unnecessary.

“These cybersecurity rules should strive to weed out bad products from the EU market, but the current...proposal would lead to innovative products piling up in waiting rooms before they can be used by Europeans,” CCIA Europe public policy director Alexandre Roure said.

“Instead, the new rules should recognize globally accepted standards and facilitate cooperation with trusted trade partners to avoid duplicate requirements.”

LAST week, SM Supermalls kicked off its 100 Days to Christmas countdown by creating a circle of happiness among its shoppers, marginalized communities of women, persons deprived of liberty, artisans, cause-oriented organizations, and select local government units.

The Zarah Juan Zen Tote materializes ASUS’ thrust toward human-centric design thinking. Made by the Artisan Communities in Bulacan and Zamboanga City from locally available materials, the Zen Tote depicts the perfect balance between aesthetics and functionality—the perfect accessory with the ASUS Zenbook S 13 OLED.

encourages Filipinos to support the advocacies

Through the campaign, SM Supermalls encourages Filipinos to support the advocacies of individuals and organizations that provide opportunities and create livelihood for their communities. This year, SM partnered with bag designer Zarah Juan, Spark PH, the Girl Scouts of the Philippines (GSP), the Association of Foot and Mouth Artists of the Philippines, Unicef, and the Quezon City Government for its Vote to Tote initiative.

The Vote to Tote program of the Quezon City Government involves upcycling 70 tons of election tarpaulins collected by the city. Together with Spark PH and bag designer Zarah Juan, these tarpaulins were used as the main material for the handmade tote bags sewn by marginalized women and female persons deprived of liberty (PDL).

Juan said she wanted to do something with the tons of election campaign waste and pitched the idea to Maica Teves, the founder of Spark PH. From there, they gathered help from the Quezon City Government to collect tarpaulins, partnered with women communities to help them create the bags, and finally SM Supermalls as their platform to distribute. The proceeds of the upcycled tote bags will be given to the women PDLs in Camp Karingal, and the marginalized women of Barangays Sto. Cristo, Greater Lagro, and Pinyahan in Quezon City.

Several SM malls are also collaborating with Brownies Unlimited and the Girl Scouts of the Philippines wherein for every purchase of a special GSP-themed box of brownies in-mall or via the SM Malls Online App, one girl will be sponsored with a GSP membership for a year. In the south of Metro Manila, the SM Mall of Asia family is partnering with the Association of Foot and Mouth Artists to sell painted Christmas cards to the shoppers.

This is the second time SM Supermalls has started a holiday countdown campaign. In 2021, through its 100 Days of Caring campaign, the mall chain helped underserved communities surrounding the 76 SM malls providing urgent needs through in-kind and monetary donations by the malls, its various business units, and the employees.

LIGHTER THAN AIR

SPEAKING of Zarah Juan, it’s proving to be a very busy season for the acclaimed bag designer. Besides her advocacy with the SM supermalls, she also collaborated with tech brand ASUS for its latest and lightest OLED laptop.

Aside from environmental sustainability, Juan also pushes for social sustainability and upholds cultural continuity through showcasing Filipino

Trailblazing the way for Pinoy crypto user

IT’S no secret that cryptocurrency is more popular than ever. In just a few years, cryptocurrency has gone from something only talked about on niche, underground forums to being bought and traded by everyone from your neighbor to your officemate.

Philippine-based cryptocurrency exchange

Philippine Digital Asset Exchange, more commonly known as PDAX, understands that everyone is in different stages of their crypto journey. That’s why the exchange does everything it can to cater to all types of Filipino crypto users.

In fact, there is empirical data proving there are more Filipino crypto users than ever. It’s estimated

that the volume of cryptocurrency transactions in the country grew 362 percent year on year to nearly 20 million in the first half of last year. It’s also estimated that 11.5 million Filipinos now own cryptocurrency. Because of PDAX’s aim of making cryptocurrency easily accessible for everyone, the platform provides several benefits for crypto newbies.

New users can rest easy knowing PDAX is a safe and secure platform. Aside from instituting security measures like 2-Factor Authentication, PDAX is regulated by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

In fact, PDAX was the first in the country to receive an official license as a virtual currency exchange

ASUS is marketing its premium Zenbook S 13 OLED as the lightest of any 13.3-inch laptop in its class, with a sleek 1 kg-light, 14.9 mm-thin

chassis made entirely from durable magnesium-aluminum alloy. It’s the ultimate ultraportable laptop for effortless onthe-go productivity and creativity for those who often work out of the office.

Despite its thin and light form factor, the Zenbook S 13 OLED is built to be extra tough with MIL-STD 810H military standard, making sure it’s durable and reliable for daily use in any environment.

The all-new contemporary design features the new monogram logo on the lid and is available in four sophisticated colors—Ponder Blue, Aqua Celadon, Vestige Beige, and Refined White.

The Zenbook S 13 OLED has a gorgeous 2.8K OLED HDR Dolby Vision display, which as we mentioned in one of our previous reviews is best not only for color accuracy but also for your eyes.

The expansive 16:10 aspect ratio provides a bigger workspace, and the four-sided NanoEdge design with ultra slim bezels creates more screen area for an immersive viewing experience. The super-bright PANTONE Validated screen is color-accurate with a 100 percent DCI-P3 gamut for ultra-vivid colors, and is VESA DisplayHDR True Black 500 certified for deeper blacks and ultra-high contrast. It’s also TÜV Rheinland-certified for eye care, so the user’s eyes will stay comfortable even during long viewing sessions.

For unrivaled audio quality, Zenbook S 13 OLED has a stereo sound system that supports Dolby Atmos, indulging the listener in their favorite entertainment with sound that moves all around with breathtaking realism in music, movies and TV.

Zenbook S 13 OLED may be #LighterThanAir, but it is a dependable, high-performance companion, with an AMD Ryzen 7 6800U Mobile Processor, 8GB or 16 GB of fast RAM, and AMD Radeon mobile graphics. Its ultra-fast up to 512 GB PCIe 4.0 SSD ensures fast boot times and instant app loads. With its long-lasting, high-capacity 67Wh battery and up to a 19-hour battery life, Zenbook S 13 OLED

operator. Unlike customers of unlicensed and unregulated exchanges, PDAX gives its users the peace of mind that their assets are safe. Cash-ins are kept safe and secure thanks to regulations from the BSP. New users who are afraid the world of crypto may be too complex and overwhelming will also be happy to know that buying and trading crypto on PDAX is a no-brainer. PDAX offers both a mobile app (downloadable through the Apple App Store, Huawei Gallery, and Google Play Store) and a web exchange. Creating an account is as easy as entering one’s personal information and completing a simple biometric check.

needs fewer trips to the power outlet when the user is

out and about. And when it’s time for a top-up, the fast-charge technology can take it to 60 percent capacity in as little as 49 minutes, so there’s no need to break the flow. With ASUS USB-C Easy Charge, it can be quickly charged using a USB-C Power Delivery-certified charger or topped up with any standard USB-C charger such as an airline charger, a portable charger, or a power bank.

Zenbook S 13 OLED features the latest WiFi 6E that loads online content in the blink of an eye, enhanced by the exclusive ASUS WiFi Master Premium finetuning technologies and software features that help deliver speed, stability, and wide coverage.

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Every nation for itself as almighty greenback batters global currencies

China, the world’s secondbiggest economy, is continuing to mount its own defense against the dollar with stronger-thanexpected FX fixings. And central banks around much of the world— with Japan, some exception—are weighing in to boost interest rates as they contend with rising con sumer prices and FX depreciation.

The Bloomberg dollar index, which measures the currency against a basket of both emergingand developed-market counter parts, hit fresh highs this week af ter the US central bank confirmed its determination to lift borrow ing costs in a bid to slay inflation.

International Settlements back in 2019. That’s up from $5.1 trillion just three years earlier and con siderably larger than it was back in 1986 when the BIS began this kind of activity survey.

Damage control

Fueled by hawkish Federal Re serve policy, US economic strength and investors in search of a haven from market swoons, the green back is surging relentlessly against counterparts big and small by the most in decades. Japan has become the latest major country to step directly into the foreign-exchange fray, joining nations from India to Chile that have been tapping their dollar stockpiles in the fight against the mighty greenback.

While the problems in currency markets right now are in many ways reminiscent of the 1980s, the solutions are unlikely to be. Back then, the world’s economic super powers agreed to tackle in unison the problem of persistent dollar strength, coming to an agreement in 1985 with the Plaza Accord. This time around, there’s little sign such a pact will be forthcom ing as national economic interests diverge and the multi-decade shift toward greater global integration is thrown into reverse.

Coordination along the lines of

a fresh Plaza Accord would need to include the US administration and there is “close to 0 percent prob ability on the Treasury interven ing right now to weaken the dol lar,” said Viraj Patel, a strategist at Vanda Research. “There’s tons of literature that shows ‘leaning against the wind’ in FX is a futile exercise when monetary policy is having the opposite effect.”

The action undertaken by Ja pan on Thursday was very much a solo affair, with an official from the US Treasury confirming that it did not participate and the Eu ropean Central Bank, saying it was not involved with currency market interventions. A spokes person said the US Treasury un derstood the move but stopped short of endorsing it.

The depreciation of everything from the euro to the South Kore an won is adding fuel to already burgeoning inflation pressures across the world, forcing many policy makers to dig deep into their toolkit.

That broad-based dollar strength, combined with the mar ket fallout from the latest Bank of Japan decision, evidently proved too much for the Japanese govern ment. Officials in Tokyo had previ ously only talked about FX market concerns, but amped up their fight Thursday by acting directly to prop up the yen for the first time in decades. That’s even as its cen tral bank bucked the global trend toward monetary policy tighten ing and held the line on keeping official borrowing costs low.

Japan joins a growing group of countries that have taken di rect action in foreign-exchange markets, including Chile, Ghana, South Korea and India. Switzer land’s central bank said at its policy decision Thursday that it is prepared to intervene in FX if needed.

“It’s an ‘every man for himself’ scenario right now because the world is much more fragmented today than in the 1980s,” said George Boubouras, a three-de cade markets veteran and head of research at hedge fund K2 As set Management. “The chances of global coordination to weaken the dollar are close to zero—expect to see more reverse currency wars.”

One key difference from the 1980s is the sheer size of FX trad ing nowadays, with average daily turnover reaching $6.6 trillion during the most recent triennial survey conducted by the Bank for

AN ever-stronger US dollar leaves policy makers from Tokyo to San tiago in near-constant firefighting mode to mitigate its damage to their economies. It’s also exacer bating an inflationary dilemma whose seeds were sown during the pandemic supply-chain crisis and Russia’s war in Ukraine. The greenback’s surge this year has already driven up the cost of food imports around the globe, trig gered a historic debt in Sri Lanka, and compounded losses for bond and stock investors everywhere.

As long as the Fed is raising bor rowing costs faster than most peers though, almost every other currency will remain under pressure.

Unlike the 1980s, Japan is bent on maintaining an ultradovish monetary policy. BOJ Governor Haruhiko Kuroda in sisted at a briefing Thursday that there were no rate hikes in the works and guidance on future policy would not be changed for the time being, even for as long as two or three years in principle. And that means the direct inter vention might ultimately amount to little more than a rear-guard action even though it has more firepower in its reserves than it did the last time it moved to prop up the yen.

Japan’s government “can mere ly slow the slide, until the dollar impetus wanes or Japanese trade dynamics reverse,” said Jeremy Stretch, head of Group-of-10 cur rency strategy at Canadian Impe rial Bank of Commerce in London, noting that he was not a believer in a redux of the Plaza Accord.

In Europe, the energy crisis and the war in Ukraine are bludgeoning the region’s economy, potentially hampering the European Central Bank’s ability to match the Fed’s rate hike path.  Bloomberg News

Pakistan leader says ‘all hell’ to break loose sans debt deal

PAKISTAN Prime Minis ter Shehbaz Sharif made an urgent appeal for debt relief from rich nations as cata strophic floods exacerbated by climate change displaced mil lions of people in the South Asian nation.

Pakistan has debt obliga tions in the next two months, he said in an interview with Bloomberg Television in New York, adding that his govern ment had just signed an agree ment with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) with “very tough conditionalities” that include taxes on petro leum and electricity.

The floods have submerged a third of the country and killed more than 1,500 people. Unit ed Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called on the international community to help Pakistan financially as damages caused by the floods exceed $30 billion.

“We have spoken to Europe an leaders and other leaders to help us in the Paris Club to get us moratorium,” Sharif said in the interview, referring to the group of rich creditor nations. “Unless we get substantial re lief how can the world expect

from us to stand on our own feet? It is simply impossible.”

He noted a “yawning gap” be tween what Pakistan is asking for and what is available, warn ing that the nation is facing the imminent threat of epidemics and other dangers. “God forbid this happens, all hell will break,” Sharif said.

In August, Pakistan secured a $1.1 billion loan from the IMF to avert default as po litical turmoil and the deadly flooding threatened the coun try’s economy. The IMF also increased the nation’s bailout package to $6.5 billion. Sharif said he’d spoken to the World Bank about immediate debt relief and would begin talks

with China after the Paris Club. Pakistan owes $30 billion to China, or about a third of its total external debt.

The disaster in Pakistan— already reeling from depleted currency reserves and the high est inflation in decades—has affected 33 million people, more than the population of Australia.

Sharif took power in April after former Prime Minister Imran Khan was ousted in par liament following a high-profile clash with the military, which has ruled Pakistan for more than half of its history and re tains significant power. Now in opposition, the ex-cricket star has gained momentum holding

protest rallies to demand snap elections that must be held by October 2023, though he faces legal trouble that could see him disqualified.

The rupee is on the cusp of a record low, as billions of dollars of promised aid from the Middle East to bolster Pakistan’s hardhit finances have yet to arrive.

The economy is forecast to slow amid floods, policy tight ening and efforts to tackle fis cal and external imbalances, according to the Asian Develop ment Bank, which cut growth forecasts to 3.5 percent from 4.5 percent for the 2023 fiscal year this week.

Pakistan will “absolutely not” default on debt obligations de spite catastrophic floods, Re uters reported earlier this week, citing the finance minister.

“Things will not come back to normal,” Sharif warned. “I need to put our economy back on trail. I need to put our mil lions of people back in the rooms, busy again with the ordinary life in agriculture, in industry and getting jobs back.”

“Time is running, and we’re racing against time,” he added. “Please help us avoiding this di saster.”

Japan to restore visa-free travel as coronavirus pandemic recedes

JAPAN will abolish a slew of Co vid border controls from Octo ber 11, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in New York, in a move that looks set to revive the tourism industry.

Individual visitors will be al lowed to enter, and Japan will re instate visa waivers, Kishida said at a news conference Thursday morning in New York. The cap on daily arrivals in Japan will also be ended, he said. Later in the day, at the New York Stock Exchange, Kishida said Japan “will relax bor der control measures to be on par with the US,” spurring applause from the audience.

Japan’s move to scrap most restrictions on foreign tourists comes as the country’s deadliest wave of the pandemic recedes. It also coincides with the yen slump ing to its lowest levels against the dollar in almost a quarter of a century, making the archipelago an inexpensive, attractive desti nation for visitors from overseas.

Discounts for domestic travel will be introduced at the same time, Kishida added. After seeing a tourism boom before the pan demic, airlines, hotels and retail ers are all seeking to regain the business they lost.

Kishida’s cautious attitude to opening up after the first waves of the pandemic won him plaudits from voters still nervous about infections, while business leaders have com plained about damage to the economy and urged him to fling the doors open.

Before Covid, Japan let visitors from 68 countries and regions, including the US, stay for as long as 90 days without a visa. Visitor numbers reached a record of al most 32 million in 2019, slumping to about 246,000 last year.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hi rokazu Matsuno said this week

that the government was con sidering a change to the law that would enable hotels to turn away guests who refuse to com ply with infection control mea sures. By contrast with many countries, facemasks remain in almost universal use in Japan, although there is currently no legal obligation to use them.

Kishida also said Thursday that the yen had been weakening rap idly and that speculative moves had been seen recently—speaking hours after Japan stepped in to prop up the yen for the first time since 1998.

Economic reforms

“ THE principle is for markets to decide currency levels, but we cannot overlook repeated exces sive moves due to speculation,” Kishida said.

The intervention followed the Bank of Japan’s decision earlier on Thursday to stick with ultralow interest rates and comes after months of speculation that the authorities would have to take ac tion to stem a slide of around 20 percent in the currency this year.

At the NYSE, Kishida outlined his economic-reform program, from the encouragement of work force and corporate-governance changes to bolstering innovation and decarbonization.

The prime minister also touted an “asset-income doubling plan.” Only about 10 percent of the 2,000 trillion yen ($14.1 trillion) in per sonal financial assets is invested in stocks, he noted.

“In order to double asset income and enable long-term asset build ing for retirement, it is essential to make our small investment tax exemption system for individuals permanent,” Kishida said.

Bloomberg News

Oil set for 4th weekly loss with rate hikes darkening outlook

OIL headed for a fourth weekly decline after a raft of interest-rate hikes around the world darkened the outlook for energy demand.

West Texas Intermediate fu tures edged higher toward $84 a barrel, but are still down more than 1 percent for the week. The Federal Reserve gave its clearest signal yet that it’s willing to toler ate a US recession as the trade-off for regaining control of inflation, while the UK, Norway and South Africa also raised rates.

Crude remains on track for its first quarterly loss in more than two years as concerns about a global economic slow down weigh on the demand out look. A stronger dollar added to bearish headwinds this week, making commodities priced in the currency more expensive for investors.

The blitz of rate hikes is unlikely to mark the end of a campaign to tame inflation, even as central banks run the risk of driving their economies into recession. That marks a dramatic change from a year ago when officials were pub licly predicting the pandemic-era spike in prices would soon fade.

Nigeria’s Oil Minister Timipre Sylva said OPEC may be forced to

make more output cuts if prices fall below current levels. The cartel and its allies earlier this month agreed to the first supply reduction in more than a year. The move showed OPEC+ was serious about managing markets, Saudi Arabia said.

“This is going to be a very, very volatile last quarter,” Amrita Sen, Energy Aspects Ltd. director of re search, said in a Bloomberg televi sion interview. There are “just too many different and contradictory factors driving prices right now,” she added.

European Union member states are racing to clinch a political agreement within weeks that would impose a price cap on Rus sian oil. The push gained momen tum after President Vladimir Pu tin this week announced a mobi lization of troops, escalating the war in Ukraine, and could feature as part of a new raft of sanctions to be proposed by the European Commission.

Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, mean while, reaffirmed their commit ment to the OPEC+ alliance in a call on Thursday, the Kremlin said. The group has maintained ties with Russia, despite its war in Ukraine.

NATIONS are being forced to go it alone in erecting defenses against the relentless strength of the almighty greenback, with no sign that governments are willing to act in concert.

STACKS of one hundred dollar bills pass through a circulator machine at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington, D.C., US, on Wednesday, October 14, 2009. BLOOMBERG

PEDESTRIANS in front of a branch of Mizuho Securities Co., a unit of Mizuho Financial Group Inc., in Tokyo, Japan, on April 25, 2022. Mizuho Securities is scheduled to release earnings figures on April 28. BLOOMBERG

FLOODED water surround the New Jhoolay Lal Cotton Ginners & Oil Mill in Sanghar district, Sindh province, Pakistan, on Saturday, September 10, 2022. About 45 percent of the output from Pakistan, the worlds fifth-largest cotton producer, was destroyed by extreme flooding, forcing the country to spend $3 billion to import the raw material for its textile industry. BLOOMBERG

Trump’s legal woes mount sans protection of presidency

WASHINGTON—Stark repudiation by federal judges he appointed. Far-reaching fraud allegations by New York’s attorney general. It’s been a week of widening legal troubles for Donald Trump, laying bare the challenges piling up as the former president operates without the protections afforded by the White House.

The bravado that served him well in the political arena is less handy in a legal realm dominated by verifiable evidence, where judges this week have looked askance at his claims and where a fraud investigation that took root when Trump was still president burst into public view in an allegation-filled 222-page state lawsuit.

In politics, “you can say what you want and if people like it, it works. In a legal realm, it’s different,” said Chris Edelson, a presidential powers scholar and American University government professor. “It’s an arena where there are tangible consequences for missteps, misdeeds, false statements in a way that doesn’t apply in politics.”

That distinction between politics and law was evident in a single 30-hour period this week.

Trump insisted on Fox News in an interview that aired Wednesday that the highly classified government records he had at Mar-a-Lago actually had been declassified, that a president has the power to declassify information “even by thinking about it.”

A day earlier, however, an independent arbiter his own lawyers had recommended appeared perplexed when the Trump team declined to present any information to support his claims that the documents had been declassified. The special master, Raymond Dearie, a veteran federal judge, said Trump’s team was trying to “have its cake and eat it” too, and that, absent information to back up the claims, he was inclined to regard the records the way the government does: Classified.

On Wednesday morning, Letitia James, the New York State attorney general, accused Trump in a lawsuit of padding his net worth by billions of dollars and habitually misleading banks about the value of prized assets. The lawsuit, the culmination of a three-year investigation that began when he was president, also names as defendants three of his adult children and seeks to bar them from ever again running a company in the state. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.

Hours later, three judges on the US Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit—two of them Trump appointees— handed him a startling loss in the Mar-a-Lago investigation.

The court overwhelmingly rejected arguments that he was entitled to have the special master do an independent review of the roughly 100 classified documents taken during last month’s FBI search, and said it was not clear why Trump should have an “interest in or need for” those records.

That ruling opened the way for the Justice Department to resume its use of the classified records in its probe. It lifted a hold placed by a lower court judge, Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee whose rulings in the Mar-a-Lago matter had to date been the sole bright spot for the former president. On Thursday, she responded by striking the parts of her order that had required the Justice Department to give Dearie, and Trump’s lawyers, access to the classified records.

Dearie followed up with his own order, giving the Justice Department until Sept. 26 to submit an affidavit asserting that the FBI’s detailed inventory of items taken in the search is accurate. Trump’s team will have until September 30 to identity errors or mistakes in the inventory.

Between Dearie’s position, and the appeals court ruling, “I think that basically there may be a developing consensus, if not an already developed consensus, that the government has the stronger position in a lot of these issues and a lot of these controversies,” said Richard Serafini, a Florida criminal defense lawyer and former Justice Department prosecutor.

To be sure, Trump is hardly a stranger to courtroom dramas, having been deposed in numerous lawsuits throughout his decades-long business career, and he has demonstrated a remarkable capacity to survive situations that seemed dire.

His lawyers did not immediately respond Thursday to a request seeking comment.

In the White House, Trump faced a perilous investigation into whether he had obstructed a Justice Department probe of possible collusion between Russia and his 2016 campaign.

Ultimately, he was protected at least in part by the power of the presidency, with special counsel Robert Mueller citing longstanding department policy prohibiting the indictment of a sitting president.

He was twice impeached by a Democratic-led House of Representatives—once over a phone call with Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the second time over the January 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol—but was acquitted by the Senate on both occasions thanks to political support from fellow Republicans.

It remains unclear if any of the current investigations— the Mar-a-Lago one or probes related to January 6 or Georgia election interference—will produce criminal charges. And the New York lawsuit is a civil matter.

But there’s no question Trump no longer enjoys the legal shield of the presidency, even though he has repeatedly leaned on an expansive view of executive power to defend his retention of records the government says are not his, no matter their classification.

AP

The World

US urges world to tell Russia to stop its nuclear threats

UNITED NATIONS —The United States urged other nations to tell Russia to stop making nuclear threats and end “the horror” of its war in Ukraine as all three countries’ top diplomats spoke— but didn’t quite meet—at a highprofile UN Security Council meeting Thursday.

Held alongside the annual UN General Assembly gathering of world leaders, the session followed a striking development in the war this week: Russia called up a por tion of its reserves for the first time since World War II. At the same time, President Vladimir Pu tin said his nuclear-armed country would “use all means available to us” to defend itself if its territory is threatened.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken saw Putin’s remark as particularly menacing given plans

for referendums in Russian-con trolled parts of eastern and south ern Ukraine on whether to become part of Russia.

Western nations have con demned those votes as illegiti mate and nonbinding. But, in their wake, Moscow might see any Ukrainian attempt to retake those areas as an attack on “Russian ter ritory,” Blinken warned.

“Every council member should send a clear message that these reckless nuclear threats must stop immediately,” he said.

US aircraft carrier arrives in S. Korea for joint drills

BUSAN, South Korea—The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Rea gan arrived in the South Korean port of Busan on Friday ahead of the two countries’ joint military exercise that aims to show their strength against growing North Korean threats.

The joint drills will be the first involving a US aircraft carrier in the region since 2017, when the US sent three aircraft carriers, including the Reagan for naval drills with South Korea in re sponse to North Korean nuclear and missile tests.

The allies this year have revived their large-scale military drills that were downsized or shelved in previous years to support diplo macy with Pyongyang or because of Covid-19, responding to North Korea’s resumption of major weap ons testing and increasing threats of nuclear conflicts with Seoul and Washington.

The South Korean Navy said its combined training with the Rea gan battle group is meant to boost the allies’ military readiness and to show “the firm resolve by the Korea-US alliance for the sake of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.”

The North Korean threat is also expected to be a key agenda when US Vice President Kamala Harris visits South Korea next week af ter attending the state funeral in Tokyo of slain former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

The Reagan’s arrival in South Korea comes after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told Pyong yang’s rubber-stamp parliament this month he would never aban don his nuclear weapons and mis siles he needs to counter what he perceives as US hostility.

North Korea also passed a new law that enshrined its status as a nuclear power and authorized the preemptive use of nuclear weapons over a broad range of scenarios where the country or its leader ship comes under threat.

Sung Kim, the Biden adminis tration’s special representative for North Korea, met with South Kore an counterpart Kim Gunn in Seoul on Thursday where they expressed “serious concern” over the North’s

escalating nuclear doctrine spelled out in the new law, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said.

The diplomats reaffirmed the US commitment to defend South Korea in the event of a nuclear war with the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear. The allies also maintained their months-old assessment that North Korea is gearing up to con duct its first nuclear test since 2017 and discussed “stern” coun termeasures to such an action, the ministry said.

North Korea has dialed up weapons testing to a record pace in 2022, launching more than 30 ballistic weapons including its intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) since 2017, as it exploits a divide in the UN Security Coun cil deepened over Russia’s war on Ukraine.

While North Korea’s ICBMs gar ner much of US attention because they pose a potential threat to the American homeland, the North has also been expanding its arsenal of nuclear-capable, shorter-range missiles designed to evade missile defenses in South Korea.

North Korea’s expanding ar senal and threats of preemptive nuclear attacks have triggered concerns in South Korea over the credibility of the US “nuclear um brella” protecting its allies in the event of war.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, a conservative who took office in May, has vowed to en hance South Korea’s conventional missile capabilities and work with the Biden administration to de velop more effective strategies to deter North Korean attacks.

Senior US and South Korean officials met in Washington this month for discussions on the al lies’ deterrence strategies and issued a statement reaffirming that “any [North Korean] nu clear attack would be met with an overwhelming and decisive response.”

The statement said the United States reiterated “its ironclad and unwavering commitment to draw on the full range of its military ca pabilities, including nuclear [one] z” to provide extended deterrence to South Korea. AP

Russian Foreign Minister Ser gey Lavrov didn’t mention his country’s nuclear capacity or the new troop mobilization during his own remarks at the council meet ing, which France called to discuss accountability for alleged abuses and atrocities during the nearly 7-month-long war.

Instead, Lavrov repeated his country’s frequent claims that Kyiv has long oppressed Russian speakers in Ukraine’s east—one of the explanations Moscow has of fered for the invasion—and that Western support for Ukraine is a menace to Russia.

“What’s particularly cynical is the position of states that are pumping Ukraine full of weapons and training their soldiers,” he said, maintaining that their goal is to prolong fighting “to wear down and weaken Russia.”

“That policy means the direct involvement of the West in the conflict,” said Lavrov. He added that Ukraine had become “an antiRussia staging ground to create threats against Russian security” and his country wouldn’t accept it.

The Security Council has held dozens of contentious meetings on Ukraine since the war began in February, but Thursday’s session had special stature.

“That President Putin picked this week, as most of the world gathers at the United Nations, to add fuel to the fire he started

shows his utter contempt and dis dain for the UN Charter, the UN General Assembly and this coun cil,” Blinken told foreign minis ters around the group’s famous horseshoe-shaped table.

“Tell President Putin to stop the horror he started. Tell him to stop putting his interests above the interests of the rest of the world, including his own people,” Blinken added.

Regardless, no one expects the council to act against Russia, since Moscow has veto power as a perma nent member. But the meeting was still a rare moment for top diplo mats from Ukraine and Russia to appear in the same room—made all the more extraordinary for the fact that Lavrov is under US sanctions.

In a sign of the charged atmo sphere, Ukrainian Foreign Min ister Dmytro Kuleba apparently objected as council staffers pre pared to put a placard marking Ukraine’s seat next to Russia’s. The placard was ultimately moved to another spot.

Ahead of the meeting, Kule ba wryly told reporters that he planned to keep a “social distance” from Lavrov. But it turned out he didn’t have to: The Russian ap peared only just before speaking and left right after, prompting Kuleba to quip later in his own speech that “Russian diplomats flee almost as quickly as Russian soldiers.” AP

Ayo debuts in pros with a bang

ALDIN AYO scored a convincing win in his Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) debut as the FiberXers routed the Terrafirma, 124-110, on Friday in the Commissioner’s Cup.

A successful coach in the collegiate leagues, Ayo made his strong statement at the PhilSports Arena, the Philippine Sports Commission facility in Pasig City that served as one of the PBA’s home more than two decades ago.

The game went tight in the first two quarters that ended at 62-all, but the FiberXers returned from the dugout firing from all cylinders to outscore the Dyip, 31-17, in the third period.

That cushion proved to be all Converge needed to coast to the rout.

First games are always been the hardest,” Ayo said. “You don’t know what to expect. For us, it’s just step on the pedal and full speed ahead…just keep running because that’s our game.”

National Basketball Association veteran Quincy Miller didn’t disappoint for Converge. He poured 16 of his 38 points in the final quarter where Converge posted its biggest advantage at 110-92.

“But of course we have to make our shots,” Ayo added. “We had lost of open shots we couldn’t convert. We just have to always bring our best game.”

M iller, who played for the Denver Nuggets, added 16 rebounds, five assists and three blocks in 39 minutes of action.

Maverick Ahanmisi scored 18 points with seven assists while rookie Justin Arana had 13 points and seven re bounds for Converge. RK Ilagan posted 12 points while Alec Stockton and Jeron Teng contributed 11 points each.

A ljun Melecio finished with 10 points and four assists also for Converge, whose bench outscored the Dyip, 60-32. The FiberXers also

outhustled their foes in points from turnovers, 27-13.

Converge’s solid game spoiled Terrafirma import Lester Prosper’s 43 points, 25 rebounds and five assists.

The loss was a bitter pill for Terrafirma, which absorbed its 17th straight setback dating back to last season’s Governors’ Cup—an alltime longest losing streak in franchise history. The Dyip lost 16 straight in the 2017 Commissioner’s Cup and 2018 Philippine Cup.  Josef Ramos

COPA grassroots swim meet unfurls

nament which is one of the grassroot program COPA lined up this year.

“ Through the effort of Congressman Eric Buhain, one of COPA’s found ers, PSC Chairman Noli Eala agreed to remove the antigen requirement,” Rivera said. “We know that there are still many parents and swimmers who avoid the antigen test. With this, we expect an increase from the confirmed 300 participants this weekend.”

R ivera said that the competition is open not only to COPA affiliated clubs and organizations “as long as their coaches personally list them.”

It’s open to everyone, we won’t discriminate swimmers,” Rivera stated.

R ivera said there will be a “cut off” time to determine if the participants should be in Class A, B or C. All winners will be awarded medals.

FEDERER: TENNIS WILL MOVE ON

LONDON—Roger

Federer was paying attention right along with everybody else when Serena Williams played what is expected to be her last match three weeks ago at the US Open.

Not surprised. Just very similar to me, in many ways. We were expecting it to come at some point,” Federer told The Associated Press. “You don’t ever want players like Serena to ever retire.... I just thought, ‘What a great career.’”

He recognizes that their back-toback exits after about a quarter-century each in tennis—he is 41 and leaves with 20 Grand Slam titles and she turns 41 on Monday and has 23 major singles championships—will spur some fans to move on from the sport.

Federer insists, though, that plenty will stick around.

“ I mean, look, it’s going to leave some fans with not the same taste for the game. We might lose some, because they say, ‘OK, well that chapter for me closes, and I’ll move on to another sport or another athlete,’” Federer said in an interview Wednesday at the Laver Cup, where the final match of his stellar career will be in doubles alongside rival Rafael Nadal for Team Europe on Friday night.

And some will stay with the game forever, because tennis is just a sport [that], once you’re in it, you’re normally in it. That’s why I don’t believe a lot of people will leave,” he continued. “But they will not maybe wake up at 3 in the morning anymore for the Australian Open. Or they might not use their vacation time to go travel to a place.

me go with a friend of mine and do a good adventure trip somewhere,’ until they find their way back in.”

He and Williams—along with Nadal, a 36-year-old who has a men’srecord 22 Slam titles, and Novak Djokovic, a 35-year-old with 21 titles—helped create a golden era in the sport, drawing new viewers and inspiring new players.

Serena and Roger probably have more fans than anybody in tennis,” said Taylor Fritz, a 24-year-old Californian who is the highestranked American man at No. 12 and a part of Team World in London. “It’s tough to replace two people as iconic as them, but I still think there is a lot of exciting times ahead.”

Still, what happens after they leave?

These two players are irreplaceable. I don’t think there is any question about that,” said John McEnroe, who won seven major trophies from 1979 to 1984. He added this caveat: “The sport goes on, no matter what, and we have witnessed that in every sport over time.”

W hich is why Federer is among those optimistic about the future.

“ I’m a big believer, always, that tennis is bigger than anybody,” he said, “and it will always create new superstars.”

Federer thinks highlight-reel shots that make their way

Knights deal Blazers 1st loss in ‘NC’ hoops

LETRAN wore down College of Saint Benilde, 81-75, to get back in winning form in the National Collegiate Athletic Association seniors basketball tournament at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan Friday.

The Knights held the Blazers to their season-low with Fran Yu nailing the virtual winner with a layup that gave the defending champions a 7975 advantage in with 54.1 seconds remaining.

M ark Sangalang sank two crucial defensive stops down the stretch to frustrate Benilde whose three-game winning was halted.

around on social media can help. So can the telling of each new top player’s “captivating story.”

M cEnroe mentioned the sport’s need to do better marketing of fresh faces.

Someone Federer believes could fit the “superstar” category is Carlos Alcaraz, the 19-year-old from Spain who won the US Open and became the youngest man at No. 1 in the history of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) computerized rankings, which date to 1973.

Federer watched—on TV—some of Alcaraz’s epic quarterfinal in Flushing Meadows against Jannik Sinner, a 21-year-old from Italy. It lasted five hours and 15 minutes, ending at 2:50 a.m. in New York— that’s 8:50 a.m. in Federer’s home country of Switzerland, so the father of two sets of twins missed the fifth set, he explained, “because I had to bring the kids to school.”

He came away impressed by both players. AP

The league, meanwhile, postponed Saturday’s lone match between San Sebastian and Lyceum of the Philippines University after six Stags were placed under health protocols.

Tuesday’s game between San Sebastian and Emilio Aguinaldo College was also scratched and will be played at a later date.

L etran, which bounced back from last Sunday’s 69-72 loss to Arellano University that ended a 14-game winning streak, rose to 2-1 won-lost for third place.

Brent Paraiso had a career-high 25 points to go with four steals, three assists and two rebounds, while Yu had an all-around game of 12 points, nine rebounds, six assists and six steals.

R ookie Kobe Monje and Pao Javillonar each scored 10 points for the Knights, whose coach, Bonnie Tan, heaved a sigh of relief.

I challenged the boys to avoid losing in the same manner as they did to the Chiefs,” Tan said. Sangalang had 10 rebounds in the game.

We focused on defense,” said Sangalang, who had a key block on Will Gozum late in the game. Gozum had a double-double of 23 points and 10 rebounds with two steals, Miggy Corteza chipped in 18 points and seven rebounds and Robi Nayve and Ladis Lepalam each had 10 points for the Blazers.

Collegiate spikefest unwraps with busy 4-match schedule at Rizal Memorial

COPA Board member coach Chito Rivera said that the decision of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) to relax regulations on antigen testing for those who enter the agency’s facility definitely encouraged more parents, coaches and swimmers to join the tour

By Josef Ramos

CARLOS YULO won the men’s floor exercise gold medal at the 55th All Japan Seniors Gymnastics Championships (Japan Open) in Tokyo to bolster his prepara tion for next month’s World Champion ships in Liverpool, England.

Yulo garnered 15.066 points to bag gold. Japan’s Kazuki Minami and Hayato Uchida settled for the silver and bronze medals with scores of 14.966 and 14.600, respectively. He was absolutely phenomenal on the floor,” Gymnastics Association of the Philippines President Cynthia Carrion-Norton told BusinessMir

The COPA will also hold the Re union Third Leg on October 1 and 2, 1 Reunion Swim Challenge Champion ship on October 22 and 23, Sprint Meet with the introduction of SKINS Swim event on November 12 and 13 and the Short Course Yuletide Swimming Championship on December 10 and 11.

Maybe they say for a few years, ‘OK, let

CARLOS YULO adds another victory to his collection.

YULO WINS GOLD IN TOKYO

ror on Friday.

T he competition was at the Tachikawa Tachi Arena in the Japa nese capital.

“ If Caloy performs the way he did in this Tokyo Open, he will win gold in the Olympics,” Carrion-Nor ton added.

Y ulo, world champion in floor exercise in Stuttgart 2019 and vault in Kitakyushu 2021, also clinched a team silver and bronze in vault in Tokyo.

C arrion-Norton said that Yulo competed with a hurting right finger

and opted not to vie in the other apparatus.

Yulo and his Japanese coach Munehiro Kugiyama will fly to Paris next month to intensify his preparation for the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships set from October 29 to November 6 in Liverpool.

Volleyball federation brings goals to DepEd Palarong Pambansa table

THE Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) took the first step in forging a more solid partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd) in the conduct of volleyball competitions in the Palarong Pambansa.

P NVF Secretary General Donald Caringal, Executive Director Maria Louise Principe and Referees’ Commission Nestor Bello recently met with Dr. Maximo Abalos and Edward Masukat II of the DepEd Palarong Pambansa Secretariat to lay the foundations of the partnership that embed deep into grassroots sports through the Palaro.

events, was shuttered during the Covid-19 pandemic also the games for secondary school athletes were revived at a toned down scale this year.

C aringal said the partnership won’t be limited to the conduct of the Palaro, but on the volleyball career development of coaches and technical officials.

The DepEd has yet to decide on the Palaro’s return in 2023, but both Caringal and Bello are confident that with Vice President and DepEd Secretary Sara Duterte’s progressive approach, the games’ revival would be expected soon.

THE Shakey’s Super League (SSL) 2022 Collegiate Pre-season Championship unwraps Saturday with an explosive four-match schedule at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

University of the East and Mapua University clash in the opening salvo at 12 noon followed by another Pool A encounter between National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rivals San Beda University and University of Perpetual Help System Dalta at 2 p.m.

R eigning NCAA champion College of St. Benilde, meanwhile, undergoes an early acid test in a showdown against University Athletic Association of the Philippines squad Far Eastern University in Pool D of the tournament featuring 18 of the country’s leading college and university volleyball teams.

Capping the action-packed opening day is the Pool B battle between Adamson University and University of Santo Tomas at 6:00 p.m.

A s imple opening ceremony will follow immediately after the second game.

everyone, good luck,” he added. Lanete and Tallo presented Rama with his own custom Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 jersey, which he proudly wore during the press conference.

We are very excited to have a collaboration meeting with the DepEd-Palarong Pambansa Secretariat,” Caringal said. “We were able to align our goals, especially with this type of partnership that will surely be successful.”

“ The PNVF, and the FIVB [International Volleyball Federation], are willing to cooperate with the DepEd to promote the sport to the youth,” said PNVF President Ramon “Tats” Suzara, who, with Caringal, met earlier with newly-appointed Philippine Sports Commission Chairman Noli Eala to discuss volleyball for the sports agency’s program.

I nvited as guests of honor and key speakers are Philippine Sports Commission chairman Noli Eala and Commission on Higher Education chairperson Prospero de Vera.

Shakey’s Pizza Ventures Inc. president and CEO Vicente Gregorio will deliver the inspirational speech while Philip Ella Juico, chairman and CEO of SSL organizer Athletic Events and Sports Management Inc. (ACES), will give the welcome remarks.

To Coach Chico [Lanete] and to

I’m very happy Mayor Rama made time to meet us,” said Lanete, Chooksto-Go Pilipinas 3x3 head trainer who will be part of Manila Chooks! along with Cebuano Dave Ando, Henry Iloka and Dennis Santos.

Tallo, he knows that there is added pressure on Cebu Chooks! as they will be defending home floor. “Hell week for us with our strength and conditioning coach,” Tallo said. “We’re doing this because of the extra pressure, but as what I’ve been saying to the guys, embrace pressure.”

Tallo will be joined by Zach Huang, Mike Nzeusseu and Brandon Ramirez in Cebu Chooks!pose with Cebu City Mayor Mike Rama.

The Palaro, like all other sports

A ll eyes will be on the Lady Blazers as they test their mettle against the Lady Tamaraws after dominating NCAA Season 97 with a title sweep. We do not consider ourselves as a team to beat. We don’t want that pressure,” Blazers coach Jerry Yee said. “This is a different tournament from the NCAA so this is a new challenge for us.” Mac [Tallo], who I saw grow up.”

CONVERGE import Quincy Miller slams into Terrafirma’s Philip Cahilig. COURTESY OF RUDY ESPERAS

ABIGGER field young swimmers are expected to compete in the First Novice Swim Championship of the Congress of Philippine Aquatics Inc. (COPA) this weekend at the Teofilo Ildefonso pool inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Malate, Manila.

CHITO RIVERA braces for a heavy turnout of young swimmers.

PHILIPPINE National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) Secretary General Donald Caringal (center), Execu tive Director Maria Louise Principe (in black) and Referees’ Commission Nestor Bello (in green) with Dr. Maximo Abalos (right) and Edward Masukat II of the Department of Education Palarong Pambansa Secretariat.

ROGER FEDERER says tennis will withstand big-name retirements. AP

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27.

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Brief Job Description: Supports customers by providing helpful information, answering questions and responding to complaints.

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93. HUANG, LINA Chinese Customer Service

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Basic Qualification: College Graduate, preferably 1 year experience in the similar field, Speaks and write fluently (Native Language)

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94. LI, HANG Chinese Customer Service

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MISUGA PHILIPPINES, INC. Section B/d 4/f R. Magsaysay Center, 1680 Roxas Blvd., 076, Barangay 699, Malate, City Of Manila

79. OKAMATSU, RYO Manager

Salary Range: It Technical Consultant

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MITSUKOSHI FEDERAL RETAIL INC. Unit Pw31 Park West Condominium,, 7th Avenue Corner 36th Street, Bonifacio Global City,, Fort Bonifacio, City Of Taguig

80. ISHIMOTO, TAKATO Finance And Administration Head

Brief Job Description: Oversees the financial operation of the company and is in-charge of coordinating the company’s administration system and general workflows.

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in business administration, financial management, accountancy or related field

Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999

MOA CLOUDZONE CORP. 4th-11th Flr. Nexgen Tower, C4 Rd. Edsa Ext., Barangay 76, Pasay City

81. SHONE KHAN Burmese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquiries

82. WANG, RONG Chinese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires

83. WANG, ZHIMING Chinese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires

84. WU, YANPING Chinese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires

85. XIA, MINGJIE Chinese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description: Managing incoming calls and customer service inquires

Basic Qualification: Able to speak, read, and write Chinese language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Language

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Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Language

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

Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

Basic Qualification: Able to Speak, Read, and Write Chinese Language Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

95. LI, JUNSHENG Chinese Customer Service

Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services.

96. LI, SHUAIJIE Chinese Customer Service

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

97. QU, LUPING Chinese Customer Service

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents.

98. ZHANG, TAOTAO Chinese Customer Service

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

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

Basic Qualification: College Graduate, preferably 1 year experience in the similar field, Speaks and write fluently (Native Language)

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Basic Qualification: College Graduate, preferably 1 year experience in the similar field, Speaks and write fluently (Native Language)

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Basic Qualification: College Graduate, Preferably 1 Year Experience in the Similar Field, Speaks and Write Fluently (Native Language)

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99. ZHANG, YONGFENG Chinese Customer Service

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents

100. ZHAO, YAOMING Chinese Customer Service

Brief Job Description: Manage incoming calls and inquiries, handling complaints, provide solutions, process customer accounts and file documents

101. ZHAO, ZHONGJUN Chinese Customer

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86.

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102.

Brief Job Description:

103. THANIA

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Salary Range:

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139. Job Description: data base services.

140. LE THI BICH HANH Vietnamese Customer Service

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

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

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

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125.

126.

127. QUAN Vietnamese Customer Service

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

Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application

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Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in Computer Application With Good Oral and Written Communication Skills

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141. LE THI YEN Vietnamese Customer Service

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142. LE TRAN TRONG TRI Vietnamese Customer Service

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

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

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143. LO THE SE Vietnamese Customer Service

Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

128. DO HONG THONG Vietnamese Customer Service

Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

129. DO THI BICH Vietnamese Customer Service

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

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

Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer applications with

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

Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application

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

Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable in computer application good oral written communication

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

Basic Qualification: Knowledgeable

144. LO TIEN DAT Vietnamese Customer Service

Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

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

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

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

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

145. MAI VAN THU Vietnamese Customer Service

Brief Job Description: Customer support and data base services

146. MUA THI SANG Vietnamese Customer Service

Brief Job Description: Knowledgeable in computer application with good oral and written communication skills

147. NGO DINH QUANG Vietnamese Customer Service

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

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Basic Qualification: Customer support and data base services

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

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148. NGUYEN ANH QUAN Vietnamese Customer Service

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Basic

149. NGUYEN HUU LAM

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

Basic Qualification:

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

Basic Qualification:

Salary Range: 30,000 - 59,999

Basic Qualification:

Brief Job Description: Manage large of

223. NGUYEN MINH DAT

Brief Job Description:

224. SAE LEE, PAVANA Mandarin Customer Service Representative

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225. KAMONROT, PIYALUK Thai Customer Service Representative

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Basic Qualification: At least 6 months to 1 year related

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Basic Qualification: At least 6 months to 1 year related experience, proficient in computer.

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

Basic Qualification: At least 6 months to 1 year related experience, proficient in computer.

SECURITY BANK CORPORATION Security Bank Centre Bldg., 6776 Ayala Avenue, San Lorenzo, City Of Makati

MESTAS JARA, JUAN ALFREDO Senior Vice President And It Central Api Team Head

226.

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NYATCHOUPA NKEUNAN, CYRILLE Customer Success Specialist

227.

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228. KENWA, MARISE MBONG Customer Success Specialist (french Speaker)

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229. CHUANG, HAO-HSUN Associate, Business Development Electronics - Ust Relationship Management (mandarin)

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237. ANNE CHANG WAI YIN Executive Director, Premium Marketing Business Development

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238. DINH THI YEN Bilingual Accounting Officer

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239. LEE PEI PEI Bilingual Data Analyst

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240. SUNG, YU-HUA Bilingual Data Analyst

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241. TJAI POH KUAN Bilingual Systems Analyst

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242. WILLIAM, ETHAN Bilingual Technical Operations Manager

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Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in bilingual languages

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

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in bilingual languages

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

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in bilingual languages

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

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in bilingual languages

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

Basic Qualification: Proficient in speaking, reading and writing in bilingual languages

Salary Range: Php 60,000 - Php 89,999

UNION BANK OF THE PHILIPPINES Unionbank Plaza Meralco Ave., Ortigas Ctr., San Antonio, City Of Pasig

243. SHARMA, GAUTAM Retail Bank Sales Network Head

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Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s Degree, Postgraduate Studies Related to Management is a Plus, at Least 10 Years’ Experience in an Executive Role in Commercial Bank Setting

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WIPRO PHILIPPINES, INC. 7th Floor Eton Centris Building, Edsa, Corner Quezon Avenue, Quezon City

SHANMUGA DESIGAN, PREEM KUMAR Delivery Manager

Salary Range: Php 60,000 restaurant in China

244.

245.

Brief Job Description: Effectively managing, developing, and training the service desk team; ensuring that all processes used by the service desk are thoroughly documented, consistently audited, and regularly improved; conducting and sharing results from service and operation performance reviews

BALARAM, ARUN PRASATH Service Delivery Manager

Brief Job Description:

WISHLAND TECHNOLOGY

Basic Qualification: Bachelors of Engineering (Electronics and Communication Engineering); 15 Years and 8 Months of Relevant Experience

Salary Range: Php 90,000 - Php 149,999

Basic