Philippine News Today

PHL, US TO RESTART JOINT PATROLS IN PHL, CHINA SEAS

Marcos,

By ALFRED GABOT, Editor in Chief and CHERIE M. QUEROL MORENO, Execu�ve Editor

WASHINGTON/MANILA

Ting decries presence of guns in wrong hands

By Jun Nucum

Asians With Attitudes formed to protect senior Asians

By Gilda Balan, Correspondent

SAN JOSE - A small but growing group of young Asian Americans can no longer stomach the uncalled for violence against their elders. They have formed a loose organization called Asians With Attitudes to patrol the streets of San Jose, northern California to make sure that no assaults against their elders takes place, at least not in their neighborhood.

A member of the organization admitted that they drew some inspiration from the Black Panther

movement of the 1960s, when young African Americans patrolled the streets of cities where violence against their people was rampant.

“The tipping point was when grandpa Vicha was attacked” on Jan. 28, 2021, and later died, said one member. He was referring to Vicha Ratanapakdee, a senior who was violently shoved causing his head to hit the pavement. He never regained consciousness.

A video of that at-

SAN FRANCISCO - California’s Assemblymember Phil Ting who represents the 19th Assembly District covering portions of San Francisco, South San Francisco, Colma, Broadmoor and Daly City, lamented that guns, including high-powered ones, are in the hands of people who should not possess or own them.

In an exclusive interview, Assemblymember Ting, in the wake of successive shooting incidents in California, underscored that ”we are doing a very good job in California protecting our citizens from gun violence.”

“We have some of the lowest in the country but

DALY CITY, Calif. – “Shock” and “fear” were uttered repeatedly by Californians reeling from deadly gun violence, but rampant too were calls for solidarity in action as leaders conveyed sympathy and shared resources for what is becoming a nationwide problem.

PHL inflation of 8.7% worst in 14 years

MANILA – With the Marcos administration unable to stop the rise in food prices as well as home and office rentals, the Philippine inflation rate ballooned to 8.7 percent in January, the highest in more than 14 years.

The figure is well above the 7.5 percent to 8.1 percent forecast of the Bangko

PHL, US gird for Balikatan war drills P3

Daly City Mayor Ray Buenaventura and SSF Mayor Flor Nicolas respond to mul�ple shoo�ng deaths in California.

Upside by Cherie M. Querol Moreno

US DEFENSE SECRETARY Lloyd Aus�n III calls on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Malacanang.

Marcos, Sara get high rating in SWS survey

MANILA – President Ferdinand

R. Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara uterte received a very good net satisfaction rating of +68 percent in a recent Social Weather Stattion survey.

SWS cited Filipinos are “seeing his arcos e orts to achieve economic transformation for the country, a political analyst said.

Based on the ocial eather tations (SWS) survey conducted in December 2022, Marcos received a very good net satisfaction rating of , which is five points higher than the October 2022 rating of +63.

SWS terminology for net satisfaction ratings are: +70 and above (excellent to very good to good to moderate to neutral to poor to bad to very bad and and below (execrable).

Dr. Froilan Calilung, who teaches political science at the University of Santo Tomas, said Marcos’ high rating could be attributed to his e orts to attract more

foreign direct investments from his trips abroad.

“I think this is a testament also to the fact that our countrymen are seeing also the e orts of the President, alilung said in a aging anda public briefing

He said these investments were necessary to help keep the country’s economy afloat amid the slump triggered by the ovid- pandemic and inflation

Despite obtaining high satisfaction ratings, Calilung said Marcos should not be complacent about his performance as the country’s president.

The SWS, in its annual Survey Review, disclosed that the current leadership got a high satisfaction rating “on the overall

“Satisfaction with governance is generally high. However, net satisfaction ratings are moderate’ for fighting corruption and neutral’ for fighting inflation, said the in its survey findings

The survey covers a total of 13 topics and showed how Filipinos responded to issues ranging from disaster preparedness

and the COVID-19 pandemic to elections and satisfaction with government officials

Earlier this month, the head of the Philippine Statistics Authority said the inflation rate, or pace of price increase, in December soared to a fresh 14-year high at 8.1%.

On Wednesday, the PSA said inflation had risen to in January -- the fastest since November 2008.

Comparing past administrations from President Corazon Aquino to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., these two items were consistently rated low. However, the overall net satisfaction rating for the administration was high on the overall, said SWS.

According to the pollster, survey respondents said net satisfaction of Marcos in October and December 2022 was “very good ormer president loria acapagal Arroyo received the lowest net satis-

faction marks, falling below - poor For vice presidents, Sara Duterte has so far received a very good ranking Regarding democracy, SWS said Filipinos’ satisfaction with how it worked was increasing. The highest recorded rating is at 89% under the current administration.

Meanwhile, SWS said Pinoy pride remains high at 91%.

924 new cases of Omicron subvariants detected

es of the highly-transmissible Omicron subvariants.

In its latest Covid-19 biosurveillance report, the agency noted that there were 1,078 samples sequenced by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine and the University of the PhilippinesPhilippine Genome Center on Jan. 28 to Feb. 3.

Out of the total samples, 454 or 42.12 percent were classified as BA or percent as BB including one case of BB or percent as B or percent as BA including si cases classified as B seven or percent as BA including three cases classified as

and three cases classified as B and 160 or 14.84 percent as other Omicron sublineages.

The additional BA cases were local cases from all regions except Eastern isayas, while BB cases were found in all regions except Eastern Visayas and Bangsamoro Autonomous egion in uslim indanao BA , the DOH said.

ecently detected B cases were local cases from Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Central Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Soccsksargen, Cordillera Administrative Region, and araga, it said f the BA cases, one was classified as a returning overseas Filipino (ROF) while 25 were classified as local cases (including six cases classified as B from Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Western Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Soccsksargen, BA , araga, and the National Capital Region (NCR).

The case type of the remaining two is currently being verified.

The recently detected BA cases are all local cases from Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Davao Region, and the NCR (including three cases classified as CH.1.1 and three cases classified as B

MANILA – The Department of Health (DOH) has detected 924 new cas-

PHL-US ‘Balikatan’ exercises set in April

working with other countries in the region against terrorism and other threats,” he added.

The AFP neither indicated the exact dates of the exercises nor gave an exact number of participating American and Filipino military personnel for this year’s exercises.

However, it said the maneuvers will be held in the areas of jurisdiction of the Northern Luzon Command, Visayas Command and Western Command.

“Yun (the) number of (participating) personnel is still undergoing discussion, A P public a airs office chief Col. Jorry Baclor told reporters.

He also said the “Balikatan” exercises are for the second week of April but added that this is still “tentative and is still to be finali ed

MANILA – This year’s “Balikatan” military exercises, the biggest military drill between American and Filipino troops and some foreign observers, will be held in April.

“The AFP and the US Armed Forces are once again holding the 38th iteration of annual bilateral ‘Balikatan’ exercises. although this is a bilateral activity, the AFP takes the lead in planning and execution, supported by the US Armed Forces with other like-minded nations as observers,” Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar said in a statement.

Aguilar said “Balikatan” 38-2023 will help the AFP in developing its external defense capabilities and fulfilling its obligations to other countries in the region in terms of countering terrorism and other security threats.

“’Balikatan’ 38-2023 will result in the development of the AFP capability not only in the conduct of external defense operations but also in fulfilling its obligation in

In the 2022 iteration of “Balikatan,” around 3,800 members of the AFP and 5,100 US military personnel -- the largest number of combined personnel of the two militaries in the annual exercise since the start of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic in 2020, participated in the annual exercises.

The Philippines and US exercise forces employed more than 50 aircraft, four ships, 10 amphibious craft, four high mobility artillery rocket system launchers, and four Patriot missile systems during “Balikatan” 2022.

“Balikatan” 2022 also included approximately 40 personnel from the Australian Defense Force.

Meanwhile, Aguilar said the AFP is grateful for the support extended by Senators Francis Tolentino, Francis Escudero and Sherwin Gatchalian to the implementation of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement where the Philippines and US both agreed on four new locations as EDCA sites last week.

MSMES in CAMANAVA get free mentoring Manila mayor opens Valentine fair

CALOOCAN CITY -- Hundreds of small entrepreneurs flocked to o egosyo’s free MSME mentoring roadshow 3M on Wheels as it held its second mall event at the SM Grand Central in Caloocan City. The event attracted entrepreneurs from all over CAMANAVA, the hub of MSMEs in the northeast of the National Capital Region.

“We were welcomed with so much enthusiasm by the MSMEs of CAMANAVA,” said Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion. “It is clear that there is a vibrant local economy here, fueled by its enterprising small businessmen and given support by the local business organizations and the LGUs,” he said.

The cities of Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, and Valenzuela, collectively known as CAMANAVA, have a thriving micro, small, and medium enterprises sector, contributing significantly to the local economy. The MSME sector in these cities o ers a range of products and services, including food and beverage, clothing and textiles, retail, and manufacturing.

Concepcion noted that despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the MSME sector in these cities has remained resilient. Many businesses have pivoted to online platforms to continue serving their customers. The local government units covering the cities have provided financial support and assistance to help MSMEs weather the crisis, while local business organizations such

as the Caloocan, Malabon and Valenzuela Chambers of Commerce and Industry cooperated to ease the e ects of the pandemic.

The MSMEs in CAMANAVA play a crucial role in the local economy, providing employment and livelihood opportunities to many residents.

During the 3M on Wheels free entrepreneurship mentoring event, Malabon City Mayor Jeannie Sandoval, herself a member of the Sandoval family which

helped establish Malabon as a thriving hub for seafood, volunteered to mentor. Valenzuela City Mayor Wes Gatchalian and Navotas City Mayor John Ray Tiangco, meanwhile, delivered words of encouragement to the participants. Former Department of Agriculture Secretary William Dar also volunteered to mentor several entrepreneurs.

The Regional Governor of Philippine Chamber Of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) – North Sector, Higinio “Gene” Sy led the local business organizations in rallying behind the MSMEs of CAMANAVA. Joining him during the event were Oliver Uy from PCCI-Caloocan; Benjamin Chua of the Malabon Chamber Of Commerce and Industry; and Elsie Chua and Yolly Dela Cruz ofPCCI-Valenzuela.

And to encourage the MSMEs to try online channels to promote their businesses, Jaja Bolos gave a talk about about her experiences in online business and online selling. Ms. Bolos the owner of Jhajhing fashion accessories, and is a content creator with more than 180,000 followers on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram. A total of Php250,000 in pandagdag-puhunan was given away to lucky attendees.

3M On Wheels promotes the three M’s for successful entrepreneurship, namely Mentorship, Money, and Market. All three form the foundation of Go Negosyo’s mission to promote entrepreneurship among Filipinos. 3M on Wheels’ predecessor, Mentor ME On Wheels, was started in 2018 and was inspired by the growing number of Filipinos turning to entrepreneurship The initiative filled the learning gap in the entrepreneurial journey, and turned mentorship into a solution that addressed the capacity-building need of a Filipino entrepreneur.

3M on Wheels is a program of the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship (Go Negosyo). In addition to free oneon-one coaching for active and aspiring entrepreneurs, financing and market solutions are also made available to them during the monthly, mall-based events.

3M on Wheels is expected to roll out to more urban areas across the Philippines this year.

MANILA – Over 30 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) will showcase their products at the annual “MayniLove” fair which opened Monday evening.

Speaking at the fair’s opening, Mayor Honey Lacuna encouraged her constituents as well as the people from neighboring cities to visit and support the small businesses to be able to rise again from the e ects of the pandemic

“I invite all Manileños to support this project, we will be able to help our small entrepreneurs or those who are starting to recover from the e ects of the pandemic, she said.

Lacuna said the people can bring their families and friends to the fair in celebration of Valentine’s Day at the Mehan Garden from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.

The fair which runs until Feb. 17 was organized by the city through the Bureau of Permits and the city’s economic development and investment promotions office Admission to the venue is free.

The booths at the fair sell various items such as clothing, bags, foods, among others.

Visitors can also look forward to live song performances and can take pictures at “Instagrammable” spots.

LTFRB set to extend franchise of traditional jeepneys

QUEZON CITY – Good news to the once king of the road - the multi-colored jeepneys - their drivers and operators.

This as the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) is considering a fourth extension of their franchise, so they can ply the roads of Metro Manila and other areas.

“The leanings of the board is probably to extend further ‘yung deadline doon sa [Translation: the deadline of the] modernization program,” said LTFRB Chairperson Teofilo uadi

Guadiz said the agency is still crafting rules and regulations of the extension.

Guadiz admitted that only about 60% of the traditional jeepneys have been modernized with new bodies with aircondition and cameras and pollution-less engines. The routes for the modernized jeepneys were also revised.

“We do not want to leave anybody outside. Gusto sana namin at least 95% would be on board pag tinuloy na namin ‘yung modernization,” he said.

The jeepney modernization program was one of the priority programs of the Duterte administration to address transport related problems and future transportation demand.

The program seeks to phase out old and dilapidated jeepneys and replace them with high-quality transport that are environmentfriendly and have greater capacity.

Many groups, however, are against the moderni ation policy due to lack of financial support to jeepney drivers, especially small operators as the new jeepneys are expensive.

MENTORING. Joey Concepcion joins Mayors John Rey Tiangco of Navotas, Wes Gatchalian of alenzuela City, and eannie Sandoval of Mala on, and o cers of the Philippine Cham er of Commerce and Industry Caloocan and alenzuela, and the Mala on Cham er of Commerce and Industry, at the M on heels mentoring event last Fe ruary at the SM rand Central in Caloocan City.

Cruise ship from US, Europe set to dock in Ilocos Sur port; more foreign tourists expected in Vigan

VIGAN CITY – A luxury cruise ship is set to dock at the Salomague Port in Cabugao, Ilocos Sur with about 500 passengers from the United States and Europe.

To prepare for the arrival of Silversea Cruises’s Silver pirit, the first international cruise ship to dock at the alomague port in three years since the pandemic began, Ilocos Sur Governor Jeremias “Jerry” Singson pledged to ensure the safety and security of the tourists by enhancing police visibility where the visitors would go.

“Ilocos Sur is a safe destination for tourists,” Singson said as he thanked the ground handler Travel Ilocandia for bringing the tourists on a guided tour to the province.

He said cultural performers, courtesy of the Ilocos Sur

government, would provide entertainment to the cruisers and o er activities to make their visit memorable

Department of Tourism personnel will also provide welcome leis and tokens upon their arrival at the seaport.

According to the ground handler, some of the cruisers have availed of a si -hour walking tour in the province, specifically in igan ity and an icente

Other options are also available for them should they wish to visit nearby tourist attractions in Ilocos Norte.

As part of the government’s economic recovery plans, the Salomague port has been upgraded in 2021

Central Luzon inflation rate at 9.8%, higher than national rate; Western Visayas rate at 10.3%

T A A , Pampanga

The inflation rate in entral uzon continued to escalate to 9.8 percent in January 2023 from 9.0 in December 2022, higher than the national rate of 8.7 percent, based on the latest report of the Philippine tatistics Authority- egional tatistical ervices ffice P A-

This is the highest inflation recorded in the region since November 2008.

n anuary , the region’s inflation rate was recorded at 2.5 percent.

The region’s average inflation from an-

uary to December 2022 was recorded at 6.5 percent.

entral u on was second among regions, with Western Visayas recording the highest inflation at percent followed by avao egion at percent

Meanwhile, the Eastern Visayas posted the lowest inflation at percent

The headline inflation in the Philippines also accelerated to 8.7 percent in January 2023 from 8.1 percent in December 2022. This is also the highest recorded inflation in the country since November 2008.

with a reinforced concrete Platform Back- p Area and Pier tension to increase cruise calls in this northern uzon island, which is strategically located near the popular beaches and heritage sites of Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur. ith the continuing improvement of the igan Airport and road widening projects in this northern gateway of the north, local officials e pressed confidence that the improved port will entice more investments and ob opportunities in the province.

Women’s clubs plant trees at La Mesa watershed

LA MESA WATERSHED, Quezon City - In observance of its 102nd founding anniversary, the National Federation of omen’s lubs of the Philippines led by its President inda onzalez conducted a tree planting activity at the Million Trees Nursery and Eco Learning Center inside the La Mesa Watershed in Quezon City.

“This is a milestone project for NFWC as we observe our anniversary by planting trees and becoming a new partner of the Million Trees Foundation Inc. (MTFI) in our collective e ort to save the watersheds that are sources of water and in our fight against climate change, said onzales.

ther prominent officials present include past presidents Mary Jane rtega and ster anta Ana, and officers

P rlinda Tiu, P erlinda ualibios, Lariden Honorio, Marilyn Aggabao, Maria Theresa Timbol, Fe Soriano, among others.

In a video message, MWSS Trustee and NFWC Director Melanie Lambino

cited the importance of planting trees and protecting the watersheds for water security.

T President and ecutive irector Melandrew Velasco, who served as guest speaker, lauded NFWC and its members for their continuing e ort to serve God, country and home by embarking on a nationwide advocacy to plant trees for Mother Earth.

“Thank you for continuing with your mothering duties and in loving and serving our country, this time by joining the movement to plant million of trees to protect our watersheds. I am one with NFWC having published a book on Angela Valde amos, mother of former President Fidel V. Ramos. Angela or Ilang Ramos was one of the leading icons and leaders for women’s right to vote in 1937 and in NFWC’s eminent role in then led by its president Josefa Llanes Escoda taking care of the Prisoners of ar P at Camp O’ Donnel in Capas, Tarlac during World 2,” Velasco said.

He said that staging their event at Ed-

die’s Barn (dedicated in honor of FVR) or otherwise known as ulti Purpose Center, is serendipitous since the NFWC credo runs parallel with FVR’s 4 Ms - Makadiyos, Makatao, Makabayan at Makakalikasan.

In 2005, Velasco was commissioned by FVR to write and publish a book on Angela Valdez Ramos titled “In A Class of Her Own” which was launched at the Manila Hotel in time for the centennial celebration of the Feminist Movement in the Philippines

To cap the NFWC event, Ylang-Ylang samplings were planted at the vicinity of Million Trees Nursery and Eco Learning Center.

oundation President ary Jane Ortega lauded the Million Trees Foundation for its accomplishments through the Annual Million Trees Challenge of MWSS that has so far planted more than five million trees in seven critical watersheds that provide water to Metro Manila and its environs

Remulla, UN expert meet for forensics training upgrade

ministration.

This may well be what Department of ustice officials have in mind as an initial group of 35 medical examiners will receive training to upgrade their skills in forensic pathology under Dr. Morris Tidball-Binz.

be asked to join this exercise because the capacity building is not only for forensic pathology but also investigative work,” Remulla told reporters.

us�ce Secretary esus Crispin Remulla

MANILA – Worry later about the International Criminal Court investigation on the killings in connection with the drugs campaign under the previous ad-

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla met with Tidball-Binz, the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on Extra udicial illings, at his office on Padre Faura in Ermita, Manila.

esident oordinator to the Philippines Gustavo Gonzalez joined the meeting.

“We’ve already prepared a class for 35 medical doctors. We will also have prosecutors and senior prosecutors who will

The funds may come from the UN oint Program P e asked the P to fund this eercise to have most probably hold 14 to 21 days of seminar for twice this year so we will be able to follow up the skills of those involved,” Remulla added.

Remulla said it was a “very good meeting.”

“We agreed on the capacity building for the country for the future as a way forward to many of the things missing from the legal system and that capacity building is very important for the police and

NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) and even the military so we will have a way to address wrongful death situations and be able to follow orders by the DOJ in the future,” he said.

Remulla previously said Tidball-Binz is visiting to boost the country’s capability in examining wrongful deaths, not as a special rapporteur.

“Capacity building is one of the commitments we have with the United Nations,” Remulla said.

Tidball-Binz was appointed UN Special Rapporteur on April 2021.

He had been in the country as part of an international team of pathologists to identify the victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in 2013.

to check cops’ drug links up, starts probe next week

By ennifer T. Santos

T A five-man committee to go over the courtesy resignations of generals, colonels and other ranking officers of the Philippine ational Police has been completed and ready to work.

This was disclosed by Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. who said that retired Court of Appeals Justice Melchor adang would complete the five-member committee that will vet the courtesy

B P T The Philippine leet and th leet would hold stato-sta talks this week to discuss mutual cooperation and military exchange opportunities.

t iovanni Badidles, Philippine leet spokesperson, said the event will be held at the Lighthouse Marina Resort, Subic Bay Freeport Zone in Zambales province.

resignations submitted by third level police officers and look into their possible involvement in illegal drug activities.

adang will oin Philippine ational Police P P chief, en odolfo A urin Jr., retired police general and Baguio ity ayor Ben amin agalong, ffice of the Presidential Adviser on ilitary A airs ndersecretary sagani ere and former Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro in the committee.

“We are grateful to Justice Melchor Quirino Cabarroguis Sadang for accept-

e added that Philippine leet commander, Rear Admiral Renato David, will chair the proceedings along with US 7th Fleet commander, Vice Admiral Karl Thomas.

“The meeting will yield meaningful discussions on important topics such as mutual cooperation and seek military exchange opportunities including maritime cooperative

ing the role as the fifth member of this advisory group,” Abalos told reporters in Camp Crame, Quezon City.

Sadang served as a CA magistrate from 2011 to 2017 and a presiding judge of the Cavite City Regional Trial Court from 2000 to 2011.

Abalos said the committee is set to convene on Feb. 13.

“We have opted that they (committee) would be the ones to craft the guidelines. What is important is for us to turn over whatever information, say intelligence

activities, naval aviation activities, exercises, port visits, personnel exchanges, and support for maritime defense industries, particularly shipbuilding and ship repair,” Badidles said.

e added the sta -to-sta talks between the Philippine leet and the th leet is a regular dialogue and information exchange that aim to strengthen existing mutual coop-

reports, that we have on hand. It also includes those from other government offices for them to discuss it, Abalos said in mixed English and Filipino.

In the next three months, Abalos said the committee will conduct an investigation on the police offi cials and will submit the names of those whose resignations are accepted to the National Police ommission apolcom for another round of verifi cation before submitting their recommendation to the President

eration between the two Navies.

Badidles added that the activity is part of the Philippine avy’s e orts to nternational Defense Security Engagement activities that will strengthen cooperation and improve the P ’s capacity and capability in accordance with the Active Archipelagic efense trategy and P apability evelopment Plan

MILLI N TREES. Na�onal Federa�on of om en s Clu s o cers and mem ers headed y Linda onzales, Mary ane rtega and Ester Sta. Ana plant trees at the La Mesa atershed area of Million Trees Founda�on in uezon City.

P31-B illegal drugs seized in 2022: PDEA

A A ome P billion worth of illegal drugs have been seized during the conduct of over , law enforcement operations in 2022, according to Malacañang.

Presidential ommunications ffice P ecretary heloy arafil said the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency’s (PDEA) 2022 accomplishment reported this to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

The government’s intensified antinarcotics campaign has resulted to the sei ure of some P P billion worth of illegal drugs in 2022, the Philippine Drug

Enforcement Agency (PDEA) reported to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.,” Garafil said

“The PDEA reported that among the commonly used drugs include methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu, marijuana and methylenedioxymethamphetamine or ecstasy, with majority of those arrested last year were involved in shaburelated cases,” she added.

arafil noted that apart from the multi-billion worth of drugs seized by law enforcement agencies, the PDEA also destroyed around P27.8 billion worth of

various dangerous drugs, controlled precursors and essential chemicals (CPECS).

ome mari uana sites were also eradicated, resulting in the destruction of P million worth of mari uana plants and derivatives,” she added citing the PDEA report.

arafil said drug syndicates are eploiting the country’s archipelagic nature, transporting illegal drugs and controlled precursors and essential chemicals through seaports, airports, mail and parcel services and the vast expanse of the Philippine coastlines.

The intensified anti-narcotics crackdown, arafil said, also led to the arrest of , drug personalities

arafil said the P A, the country’s lead agency in the government’s campaign against illegal drugs, also “actively” helped in the prosecution of drug personalities nationwide and filed around 45,850 drug cases in 2022.

And out of , resolved cases last year, P A said , or percent resulted in convictions while , cases or 6 percent were dismissed by the courts,” she said.

Phivolcs: Another strong 7.8 quake possible in PHL

Renato Solidum, who was formerly Phivolcs chief, supported Bacolcol’s statement during a University of the Philippines television (UPTV) program.

slip movements along the northwest segment of the Philippine Fault Zone and its splay, the Digdig Fault.

QUEZON CITY – As a magnitude 7.8 earthquake recently hit Turkiye and Syria, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said a tremor of such a magnitude could likely to happen in the country.

“There’s always this possibility. In fact, it already happened on July 16, 1990. To recall, the 1990 Luzon earthquake is magnitude 7.8,” Phivolcs Director Teresito Bacolcol said.

Science and Techology Secretary

Earlier, Solidum had warned on the West Marikina Valley Fault stretching from Bulacan, Metro Manila, Laguna and Cavite, and called for readiness in case it happens.

Bacolcol added that the country has many active faults that are capable of generating magnitude 7.8 earthquake.

Based on instrumental records, the 1990 Luzon earthquake is the strongest to hit the country, he continued.

According to Phivolcs’ website, the 1990 Luzon earthquake produced a 125 km-long ground rupture that stretches from Dingalan, Aurora to Kayapa, Nueva Vizcaya. The quake was caused by strike-

ASEAN ministers eye faster talks on South China Sea Code of Conduct

PASAY CITY – The discussions on the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea have been progressing beyond general provisions but talks on the actual rules of engagement are unlikely to happen in the next round of negotiation in March.

At the end of the recent ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat, meanwhile, Indonesia vowed to lead e orts to e plore new approaches” to speed up the negotiation.

Indonesia, the current ASEAN chair, will host rounds of the COC negotiation, the first of which will be in arch t will continue where they left o , nag-iistart na sila on the main body but it’s quite technical (they are starting on the main body but it’s quite technical),” oreign A airs Assistant ecretary for A A A airs aniel spiritu said “So far, medyo generalities pa ‘yong pinag-uusapan. Hindi pa natin nakikinita na pag-uusapan na ‘yong body of the COC which are the actual rules of engagement (So far, discussions are cen-

tered on generalities. We don’t see talks the body of the COC which are the actual rules of engagement happening soon). We don’t know when,” he added.

spiritu said the flow of negotiation had been “very dynamic” given that the parties the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China have di ering positions, one of the reasons why the two-decade old agreement to establish the code is progressing slowly.

China and ASEAN agreed to create and adopt the COC upon signing the Declaration of the Conduct of Parties in South China Sea on Nov. 4, 2002.

In explaining the document, the Department of oreign A airs said the would not resolve the maritime row but merely provide measures or rules of engagement that states could follow to avoid escalation of tensions or untoward incidents in the vital sea lane.

“It will not resolve the dispute, it will not do boundary delimitation,” the agency said.

“We have several active segments in the Philippines. It’s more than a hundred segments, but the longest is the Philippine Fault -- 1,200 kilometers from Davao to Luzon,” Bacolcol said.

The Phivolcs chief added that the Philippine Fault moved just last week, causing the magnitude 6 earthquake in Davao de Oro.

He said he thinks that people are more prepared now compared to 20 years ago and because people are regularly partici-

pating in the quarterly earthquake drills. “People now are more aware than they were 20 years ago, and especially with the advent of social media. They see the e ects of strong earth uakes like what happened in Turkiye,” he said.

Participating in earthquake drills helps in developing a culture of preparedness, making the people aware of what to do during actual events, he pointed out.

Bacolcol reminded the public to do the duck, cover and hold in case of earthquakes, and to go out in an orderly manner once the ground shaking stops.

Asians...

(From page 1)

tack was caught on T and the sight is truly sickening That incident is widely believed to be the start of ever worsening attacks against Asian Americans, mostly women and seniors n his memory, a street in an rancisco was recently named after atanapakdee

Asians ith Attitudes yes, it’s attitude instead of the more grammatically correct attitude -- are easily recogni able by their uniform black t-shirt with the words Protect ur lders’ at the back in large white

(From page 1) PHL...

Sentral ng Pilipinas, which said previously said that inflation was sure to go down last month ee earlier story on Business Page)

ational tatistician ennis apa admitted that the inflation rate was uite steep, coming as it did from the percent recorded in ecember,

apa said a review of ma or commodity groups showed increases in the prices of nine

The an figure is nearly three times higher than the percent inflation rate e perienced in an t was not only high food prices that consumers had to grapple with as housing and utilities also recorded a hefty increase in inflation at percent, from seven percent the previous month

President erdinand arcos r said that inflation would ease by this month, which was practically a repeat of what he stated the previous month

e had previously said that runaway inflation was keeping me awake nights

(From

page

we ust have too many guns in the streets and it is way too easy for people to get guns, said Ting ne of the guns was purchased legally and then after the owner purchased in onterey Park, the gun became illegal e had two recent mass shootings involving Asians within days of each other, one in onterey Park and another in alf oon Bay, one of the nicest towns ore recently also in upscale Beverly rest

Ting said that, every time, they are trying to do to get

letters

n some t-shirts, the words top Asian ate’ are highly visible, while in others, the front has in smaller letters the phrases top Asian ate,’ top atin ate,’ top Black ate,’ and top All ate ’ Asians ith Attitude is a movement, said one member, t’s not a gang e said the organi ation was formed because enough is enough, and he feels that the police should be doing more or their e orts at protecting their own, they have gotten hate mail and death threats

A A member enn said, e are not apologetic

Because of the difficulties faced by most consumers, a recent study by the ocial eather tations conducted in ecember showed more people felt poor, especially in regions outside etro anila hile the survey showed self-rated poverty was only percent in the ational apital egion , it was percent in the rest of u on, and was even higher in the isayas and indanao at percent and percent, respectively

This is an alarming statistic, said Asian evelopment Bank consultant arina edina- uce during an annual review of the held in akati ity this week onsidered a local governance e pert, edina- uce noted that the self-rated poverty, it’s about half everywhere e cept the

he further noted that there’s a huge spike for balance u on

She said the disparity continued to persist despite the thrust of the previous administration of former president odrigo uterte, who fre uently said that past administrations favored the , leaving other regions behind

these illegal guns o the hands of the wrong people but they still cannot do enough because we have more guns in the nited tates than people which is unheard of

A study by the wit erland-based mall Arms urvey found that more than , civilian-owned firearms or guns for every Americans and ma ority of the guns are owned by owned by minority of people

They say guns make you safe but so if that is true then we must be the safest country in the world but that is not the case as we see how many people are dying from gun violence from mass killings, from mass shootings, Ting said

A gun is a weapon to do one thing to kill people Anybody could ust get it her in the you don’t need training, any kind of knowledge, safety protocols, he said

Ting added that alifornia has laws now on safe storage making sure that guns are safely stored and that is supposed to be the way it is across the country ven in alifornia, there are too many guns uns in the hands of the wrong people who end up using them These are folks who are isolated, angry, and those that should not have weapons People get angry and upset magine if you are upset, instead of taking a walk to cool down, if you have a gun, imagine what kind of damage you could do, said Ting

As to the still preponderance of hate incidence, Ting assured that they are doing more to make sure that there are ade uate responses in the community against hate incidents

The community groups need more support from the states am proud we were able to champion million AAP e uity budget along with my legislative colleagues where we began to have a state budget two years ago and grants are now being given to the community groups to hire people build capacity as we still hear about cases all over the country so having that response is very critical, Ting stated

Ting is also very proud of that ethnic grants they had because with ethnic media people would know and hear what is happening going on and that people will also be able to relay information in the community am proud to carry two bills one bill which we held another which we plan of reintroducing again to have P T Peace fficers tandards and Training aking sure that

e are who we are he wants everyone to know that having been born in the , she is as American as anyone hile currently based in an ose, the organi ers are hoping that similar groups will be formed in an rancisco and akland The three cities are host to the biggest communities of Asian Americans, which is why there have been more attacks on them than in other ma or cities or now, Asians ith Attitudes is doing all it can to end the violence against Asian Americans, one street at a time

in development

t is ironic that more ilipinos feel poor essentially because food prices had been skyrocketing towards the last uarter of , since President arcos also serves as concurrent Agriculture secretary arcos said he e pects the inflation rate to go down starting this month, and that the percent figure is going to be as high as it’s going to get

e said the measures being taken by his administration have not yet gone through the system

arcos said the people can see the lowering of the inflation rate by the second uarter of this year

n a related development, arcos called on all ilipinos to pay their ta es on time in order to help the country’s economic recovery encourage the public to pay the correct amount of ta es on time to support the country’s economic recovery and e pansion so critical in this time, he said arcos failed to mention that his family has unpaid real estate ta es worth P billion That amount has oomed nearly ten-fold if penalties are included

peace officers all around the state have the best practices around hate incidents crimes They have a checklist e were not able to and we hope to get it through ne t time, Ting pledged e have a lot of law enforcement agencies that have no checklist of hate crimes so they don’t have to identify hate crimes

Ting said he is glad that there are more awareness, more are standing up to address the issue of hate, reaching out building bridges with other communities which is so important as they cannot fight this alone e really need to be together and reach out to other minorities e really need to get involved and be able to partner with these groups ou will able to stop hate when you make it unfashionable and when the community sat that this is not what we want, he said

Among the grants passed in the budget for Asian Americans Pacific slander AAP community includes

o thnic edia rant Program million for the ethnic media grant program at the alifornia tate ibrary

o anguage Access Pilot Pro ect million for a pilot program to provide language access at hearings and events in order to increase AAP public participation

o AAP ulti edia Te tbook million to the

A Asian American tudies enter to create a narrative change pro ect that brings together distinguished scholarship, open access technology, and ethnic studies pedagogy to deepen public knowledge about who we are, strengthen students’ historical empathy, and build a more inclusive and e uitable society

o Asian American and Asian iaspora tudies million for Berkeley Asian American and Asian iaspora tudies program to increase faculty and enhance campus community engagement

o Asian Bilingual Teacher ducation Program ual mmersion ducation million to provide financial assistance to aspiring teachers for bilingual accreditation, support the infrastructure of the Asian Bilingual Teacher ducation Program onsortium, and fund a pilot program to support a cohort of aspiring teachers seeking accreditation across the s ’ and

PHL, US... (From page 1)

WASHINGTON/ MANILA – To ensure free navigation and air travel and in response to growing China threat, the United States and the Philippines have agreed to restart their joint patrols in the South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea.

This as US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. agreed to strengthen American troops presence in the Philippines and Indo Pacific region by allowing the forces to go on rotational station in four more strategic Philippine bases in u on island and in another area, in addition to five bases already agreed upon under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) of the two countries.

The four new bases have not been officially identified but sources said they may include agayan and sabela provinces in Northern Philippines which are strategically located near Taiwan and the vast Philippine territory Philippine Rise, formerly Benham ise, and the ubic reeport, once the largest US military installation outside the United States.

In a related development, Marcos said in Tokyo that Japan supports the US-Philippine alliance and the improvements in the capacity of the Philippine Coast Guard P because it wants to assure the freedom of passage” in the contested South China Sea.

Austin called on President Marcos in Malacanang last week and met with top defense and military officials to firm up

the new bases in order to counter hina’s military rise and aggression in the region. Austin also visited and held dialogue with Filipino troops in Mindanao.

The Philippines and the US had suspended joint maritime patrols in the hotly contested areas in South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea under the administration of then president Rodrigo Duterte.

uring Austin’s meeting with his Philippine counterpart Defense Secretary Carlito alve r in amp Aguinaldo, the headquarters of the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, he and alve agreed to restart oint maritime patrols in the South China Sea to help address (security) challenges.”

The initial five predetermined bases where some American troops now use and where improved facilities are to be built by the US are the Antonio Bautista Air Base in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan which is near the disputed South China Sea; the Cesar Basa Air Base in loridablanca, Pampanga, Fort Magsaysay in Laur, Nueva Ecija, actan-Benito buen Air Base in actan island in ebu province and the umbia Air Base in Cagayan de Oro City in Mindanao.

The US has allocated over $82 million P billion for infrastructure investments at the e isting five sites under the EDCA.

Signed in 2014, EDCA grants US troops access to designated Philippine military facilities, the right to construct facilities, and pre-position equipment, aircraft and vessels, but rules out permanent basing, in keeping with the Philippine Constitution which bans foreign military bases in the country unless covered by a treaty

Secretary Austin said during his visit in Manila last week that Washington was not trying to reestablish permanent bases, but that the agreement to broaden its military presence under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement was a big deal

Visiting American military personnel could engage the Philippine military in larger oint combat-readiness trainings, provide help in responding rapidly to disasters and press e orts to help moderni e anila’s armed forces, Austin and alve r said

This is part of our e ort to moderni e our alliance, and these e orts are especially important as the People’s epublic of China continues to advance its illegitimate claims in the West Philippine Sea,” Austin said at a news conference in Manila.

Today, the Philippines and the nited States are proud to announce their plans to accelerate the full implementation of the EDCA with the full agreement to designate four new Agreed Locations in strategic areas of the country and the substantial completion of the projects in the existing five Agreed ocations, ecretary Austin of the US Department of Defense and ecretary alve of the epartment of National Defense said in a joint statement released following their meeting last week.

With the EDCA, US and Philippines troops hold combined training, e ercises, and interoperability between ilipino and American forces.

pansion of the A will make our alliance stronger and more resilient, and will accelerate the moderni ation of our combined military capabilities, the two defense officials statement added

According to the statement, the addi-

tional four EDCA locations will also allow more rapid support for humanitarian and climate-related disasters in the Philippines and respond to other shared challenges.

The nited tates has allocated over US$82 million toward infrastructure investments at the e isting five sites under the EDCA, and is proud that these investments are supporting economic growth and ob creation in local Philippine communities,” it added.

Manila and Washington DC have committed to moving quickly in agreeing to the necessary plans and investments for the new and existing EDCA locations.

The Philippine- alliance has stood the test of time and remains ironclad. We look forward to the opportunities these new sites will create to expand our cooperation together,” it said.

In related development, Southeast Asian foreign ministers, meeting in Jakarta, vowed to finali e negotiations with China over a proposed pact aimed at preventing conflicts in the disputed outh China Sea.

n the final session of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ministers meeting, the officials also agreed to unite in their approach to implement a five-step agreement made in between A A leaders and yanmar’s military leader, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, that seeks to end that country’s worsening crisis hina and the A A member states, which include four rival claimants to territories in the outh hina ea, have been holding sporadic talks for years on a code of conduct,” a set of regional norms and rules aimed at preventing a clash the disputed waters.

TAGUIG CITY – The lawsuits filed by the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) against individuals and entities engaged in illegal reclamation projects were commended by the activist fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA).

In a radio interview, LLDA General Manager Jaime Medina said that at least 58 individuals and companies have been charged with violation of environmental laws for carrying out illegal dump and filling activities in more than a hundred hectares of waters

QUEZON CITY – Finance authorities are optimistic about the achievement of the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s (BIR) P2.6 trillion revenues this year given the continued recovery of the domestic economy.

In an interview after the BIR’s Tax ampaign kicko at the Philippine nternational Convention Center (PICC), Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno said banking on the economy for the continued growth of government revenues is called “tax elasticity”.

“The stronger the economy, the higher the revenues,” he said.

The BIR exceeded its P2.1-trillion revenue goal in 2022 by more than P500 billion and authorities traced this to the

of Laguna de Bay, mostly in the parts of Taguig City and Rizal province.

“Kinikilala namin ang hakbangin ng LLDA na ipatigil ang mga iligal na reklamasyon sa Lawa ng Laguna. Batid ng mga mangingisda na marami ang nagaganap na reklamasyon sa Lawa ng Laguna subalit hindi napapanagot. Bukod sa masamang epekto ng reklamasyon sa ekolohiya, banta rin ito sa kabuhayan ng mga maliliit na mangingisda na kung hindi napapalayas sa kanilang komunidad, ay nagdurusa sa pagbagsak ng huling isda,” the group said.

“Sa aming pag-aaral, bumagsak ang huli ng mangingisda sa dalawa hanggang limang kilo kada palaot kumpara noong mga panahong sagana pa ang lawa kung saan umaabot pa sa sampu hanggang labinlimang kilo ang huli kada palaot. Ang dating mahigit 20 tipong isda na matatagpuan sa lawa ay nabawasan na rin tungong limang tipo ng isda dahil sa pagkasira ng ekolohiya nito,” the fishers group said.

“Kaya hindi dapat magtapos sa pagsasampa ng kaso ang ginagawa ng LLDA, kundi dapat itong magpatuloy sa paglalabas ng cease and desist or-

ders para tuluyang maipatigil ang mga mapanirang reklamasyon,” it added.

“Hinahamon din namin si LLDA General Manager Medina na higit pang pag-aralan ang masamang dulot ng reklamasyon sa pangkabuuan, may ligal na dokumento man ang mga ito o wala. May mahabang pag-aaral na ang mga mangingisda, makakalikasan, at siyentista para maging sapat na batayan na ideklarang iligal ang anumang tipo ng reklamasyon,” said Ronnel Arambulo, PAMALAKAYA National Spokesperson and a fisherman in Laguna de Bay.

LL les la suits s 8 ille al re la ations in La una e ay sets . rillion olle tion oal or 0 3

continued reopening of the economy that boosted its recovery.

Meanwhile, asked if the government will continue to implement subsidy programs vis-à-vis another rise in domestic inflation rate last anuary to a new -year high to 8.7 percent, Diokno said it will depend on the situation, noting that the drivers of inflation’s acceleration this time is food supply and not oil prices anymore.

“We will design a program that will address that,” he said, adding that the national budget has provisions for this purpose.

In an interview by journalists after the event, BIR Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. said the continued improvement of

the agency’s digitalization program and other services are expected to help boost collections this year.

He said the agency “will provide excellent taxpayers’ service, (and) focus on providing convenience for the taxpayers because that’s what we’re here for, public service.”

“We are serious with that,” he added.

Lumagui said the BIR will also accelerate the achievement of its digitalization program, which is scheduled until 2023, “as soon as possible” to make the agency’s internal and external processes convenient for taxpayers.

“And of course ang expectations natin dyan (our expectations there), once we

are able to accomplish that, once we are able to provide convenience, the taxpayers would really voluntarily comply with their tax obligations,” he said.

Asked on the impact on government revenues on the projected economic slowdown in the United States, the BIR chief said it will definitely have an e ect on tax collections.

However, Lumagui said the agency is addressing its e ect through various plans and programs.

ith all our e orts and all the support we’re getting, then definitely, we’re here to work doubly hard to attain whatever we need for the collection target,” he added

EDITORIAL

A troubled Filipino youth

Our National Hero Jose Rizal said the youth was the hope of the fatherland.

How disappointed would he be if he knew the sad state of young Filipinos at the present time?

It’s easy enough to say that Filipino youth are generally in better shape than their American counterparts. After all, mass shootings have become commonplace in the US, and a good number are perpetrated by teenagers.

At least back in the Philippines, there has not been any instance of a crazed young person killing innocent men, women, and children in large numbers.

et this should o er ilipinos and ilAms little comfort considering what can best be considered as extremely disturbing data.

The epartment of ducation recently released figures regarding young ilipinos who have been driven to commit suicide. Last year, hundreds succeeded and thousands more tried but failed to end it all.

They may have been driven to do the worst thing person can do to himself or herself due to depression.

The count for 2022 was 404 suicides by Filipino youngsters, and another 2,147 who attempted to do the same, but failed.

The grim statistics were revealed during a Senate hearing last week, and the lawmakers were naturally both stunned and surprised.

Young persons committing suicide is not exactly new, but what was hard to accept was that it happened in such large numbers. It means that more than one youngster succeeded every day, while another five or si also took the steps to end their lives, but somehow survived.

No one really knows the reason for the sudden rise in the phenomenon, although some surmised that the pandemic may have been a factor in some cases.

Sad to say, there have been warning signals in the recent past, but little was done to address the problem.

onsider that two years ago, it was learned that nearly one in five young ilipinos considered ending their life. This is according to a nationwide survey conducted by the University of the Philippines’ Population Institute.

Another study by the institute found that almost 1.5 million young Filipinos attempted to end their life in 2021, representing 7.5 percent of the youth population.

The figure is more than double the number recorded in , or some , youngsters attempting to end their life.

The young ones considering the desperate act were said to be experiencing “suicide ideation” which the World Health Organization says is a term used to describe thoughts, wishes, preoccupations, and contemplation with suicide and death.

The more than doubling of the number from to was concerning enough, but it was further learned that the number of female youth was twice as high as young males A previous study from to had an opposite trend

Most certainly something must be done to address this frightful issue. Unless the reason is known and proper actions taken, we fear the situation could worsen.

Like it or not, there will always be a need for a next generation of leaders that our motherland will need every decade and era. They are our hope for a brighter future.

Needlessly losing our youth through suicide is simply unacceptable.

The City Council of Daly City was preparing for its second meeting of the year whe n news of the rampage 20 miles to the south in Half Moon Bay compelled Mayor Ray Buenaventura to deliver an extemporaneous message as a prelude and closing.

“This is coming really close to our backyard,” a somber Buenaventura said around pm, onday, anuary and then challenged his fellow Council members and other elected officials

“I along with many other people really believe there is something that we must do – what that is I think is up to the City Council to discuss, deliberate and decide if there’s something we can do to stop the shootings,” he stressed. “I wanted to recognize what happened (and) let the public know we are all very concerned f there is something within our power to influence decision makers to actually do something in our books, we’re gonna do it. Because enough is enough.” He later adjourned the meeting in memory of the victims.

Buenaventura was referring to multiple fatal mass shootings in the state, two of which involved people of color particularly Asians, both as perpetrators and victims.

ome five hours earlier an ateo ounty heri deputies were deployed to ushroom Mountain Farm on San Mateo Road (Highway 92), where they found four people shot dead and another flown to tanford ospital with critical gunshot wounds A few miles at oncord arms on Cabrillo Highway South (Highway One), they found three more fatalities, also from gunshot wounds.

Authorities identified the suspect as a -year-old resident of the farm sta housing e claimed to have been bullied by his co-workers and su ering from mental illness pressing regret for his actions, he said he had planned to turn himself in, which is why his vehicle was found in the parking lot of the heri ’s alf oon Bay substation before pm

Buenaventura’s fellow Filipino American Council members later told Inquirer.net they understood his pronouncement.

“There’s the intersection of ensuring there are stronger gun control measures as well as providing access to mental health services” and “destigmatization” of mental issues, said Vice Mayor Juslyn Manalo. The housing advocate emphasized the need for “equitable housing conditions” for those who grow the food for the community.

Immediate past Mayor Rod Daus Magbual pushed for education, “especially Ethnic Studies” as a means for officials in all levels of government to be accountable to constituents

“We will continue to have these types of shootings if we don’t look at the root causes of violence,” cautioned the Skyline College professor, whose curricula cover “historical political and economic factors that normalize violence in our society.”

Council Member Glenn Sylvester indicated support for awareness programs for mental health issues “which could lead to crimes committed.”

t is very difficult to understand or detect a person with a mental problem, the retired P sergeant laid out his concerns, adding, “If you outlaw guns, then only outlaws will have guns. The right to bear arms is gently for protecting yourself at home or for owners of their businesses.”

ADDRESSING TRAUMA

The ity of outh an rancisco lowered the flag to half-sta to honor those who died in the recent tragedies. Mayor Flor Nicolas highlighted the shootings in her weekly Update from the ayor emailed to , recipients

“Yet again, we are left shaken and struggling to understand why such terrible things happen,” she said. “While there may never be satisfactory answers to these questions, we do know that it is normal for people to experience a variety of emotions following such traumatic events. We, and our neighbors throughout the Bay Area, are experiencing grief, coupled

MARILYN B. KING

Vice President for Sales and Marketing

(from page 1) (Continued on page 27)

FRANCIS ESPIRITU

Publisher/President

THELMA L. CRUZ

Vice President for Operations & Promotions

NEIL GONZALES Chief Correspondent

LYDIA SOLIS Chief Correspondent Southern California

ALFRED G. GABOT Editor-in-chief

ANGELO LOPEZ Cartoonist

ELEANOR SMITH

NICK SAGMIT

GEORGE GANGE

RENE AVENIDO

BALAN

FRANCO G. REGALA

ALI MACABALANG

JEANNE MICHAEL PENARANDA

Manila Correspondents

VAL G. ABELGAS, HOMOBONO A. ADAZA, PERRY DIAZ, JOJO LIANGCO, JO ERLINDA G. NEBRES, ROY C. MABASA, ART G. MADLAING, FR. JOEPEL PADIT, RODEL E. RODIS, LOURDES TANCINCO ESQ, MELANDREW T. VELASCO, DANTES & CYNTHIA VELUZ, CRISTINA OSMENA, LUDY ONGKEKO. COLUMNISTS

Restoring Pasig River the SMC way

First it was the Tullahan River.

This year, San Miguel Corporation (SMC), one of the country’s most diversified companies, is poised to accomplish another feat: the rehabilitation of the historic Pasig River.

THE OUTSIDER

Approximately 27 kilometers long, Pasig River connects Laguna de Bay and Manila Bay. The main Pasig River passes through the cities of Taguig, Pasig, Makati, Mandaluyong and Manila, and the municipality of Taytay in Rizal.

The river system has four major tributaries—Marikina, Pateros-Taguig, Napindan and San Juan—and 43 minor tributaries such as creeks and esteros mostly located in Manila.

Pasig River played an important role in the development of the Manila and its neighboring cities and town. It was famous for its pristine waters. It was not only a source of water, livelihood nor a transport route; it was also a place for recreation.

I came across a speech by the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. delivered before the Philippine Jaycees in 1970 where he reminisced about Pasig River. “I remember when I was young, I used to be a member of an outboard motorboat racers group, and we used to race down the Pasig River. I turned turtle right in front of Malacanang, or rather, just behind Malacanang.

But the water was so clean that it was a pleasant swim to the river bank,” the late president said.

That was the Pasig River before the onset of rapid urbanization and settlements of informal settlers along its riverbanks. Aside from pollutants from factories and households that end up in the river, the proliferation of water hyacinth and other seasonal phenomena such as algal bloom, and salt water intrusion have contributed to the water quality in the river.

Over the years, several attempts have been made with the hope of rehabilitating and reviving the river to improve its water uality and flood water carrying capacity, and restore its environmental integrity.

The recent pronouncement by San Miguel Corporation (SMC) President and CEO Ramon S. Ang (RSA) that SMC expects its P2-billion Pasig Clean-up project to surpass the one million metric tons threshold in silt and solid wasted extracted from the river this month is good news to all of us. According to , the dredging teams will focus e orts on both ends of the river where water flow restriction is usual SMC’s clean up teams have removed a total of 927,198 metric tons of silt and wasted from the Pasig River to date. Monthly, SMC targets to extract more than 70,000 tons. Being an archipelago, the country is highly vulnerable to water-related hazards. Manila and its neighboring cities and towns along bodies of water are prone to flooding especially during the rainy season and onslaught of typhoons. The rehabilitation of the Pasig iver will mitigate the flooding in these areas as its flood-carrying capacity has vastly improved The dredging and de-silting of the river resulted increased the depths to five-si meters from ust two-three meters when the project started.

“Hopefully, by the time the rainy season sets in later this year, our cities will feel the benefits of the Pasig iver’s larger carrying capacity, along with government’s other flood mitigation and control programs,” RSA said.

With its increased hydraulic capacity, Pasig River as a transport route will also be vastly improved. River ferries will be able to provide better intra-city connectivity and help decongest thoroughfares in the metropolis.

The rehabilitation of the Pasig River is the second initiative of SMC in support of DENR’s Adopt-A-River Program after the Tullahan River rehabilitation. It also contributes to e orts being undertaken in compliance with the continuing Supreme Court mandamus to clean up the Manila Bay. It is the largest such initiative by a single entity in the country which I hope will inspire other entities from the private sector to emulate.

It will be recalled that the Memorandum of Agreement for the implementation of the P2- billion Pasig Dredging Project was signed between DENR and (Continue on page 27)

‘Longevity Tips’

as lasting gift

As book author, columnist and accredited and commissioned Notary Public, I was delighted to receive a “THANK YOU” Card with heartwarming message from Lucy, a client from Pinole, California, after receiving the 10 documents notarized and apostilled together with the autographed copy of my latest book “LONGEVITY TIPS” subtitled “Secrets” You Can Discover and Do for Good Health and Longevity.

My beloved wife Virginia Jimenez Madlaing and I responded to the urgent call and request for notarization of 10 important documents needed in the Philippines, signed by Lucy and her children and family members, last New Year’s Eve despite the storm and heavy rain.

I subsequently submitted the notarized documents to the Secretary of State, Notary Public Section in Sacramento, California for apostille. Upon arrival of the apostilled documents from Sacramento, California, I sent the apostilled documents together with an autographed copy of my latest book “LONGEVITY TIPS” to Lucy via USPS Priority Mail. Last week, I received the “THANK YOU” Card from Lucy with a heartwarming message and $75 check as gift from Lucy and her family members. I would like to share excerpt of the message to our readers, our old and new clients, as follows:

“Dear Art . . . . . Loving greetings to you and Virginia!

What a truly beautiful gift, LONGEVITY TIPS, and more so, such heartwarming greetings from the Author himself!! The date January 19, 2023, was my birthday! PTL!

I will treasure this gift very much! Thank you, thank you my friend and dear brother in the Lord!!

My deep love and gratitude to you and Virginia! The Lord bless you both!! . . . Lucy”

The Third Printing copies of “LONGEVITY TIPS” dated February 14, 2023 are now available through Amazon (in Hardcover, Paperback and E-book). Foreword was written by Dr. Yvonne P. Bulong, M.D. from Baguio City, Philippines. The back cover has group picture of WE CARE Ministries Team during a courtesy call with boxing icon and then congressman and became Senator Manny Pacquiao inside his mansion in General Santos City, Sarangani, Philippines last February 119, 2016.

The members of the WE CARE Ministries Team , who made the courtesy call include: Larry West, founder of WE CARE Ministries from West Monroe, Louisiana; Cole Robertson with the popular TV Show Duck Dynasty; Steven Prine, Director, WE CARE Philippines; Erben Gonzales, Evangelist Minister, CALASIAO CHURCH OF CHRST in Cabilocaan, Calasiao, Pangasinan; and yours truly.

Here are some reviews and comments on “LONGEVITY TIPS: “As nursing educator and practicing nurse, I commend Art Gabot Madlaing, founder of FITNESS FOR HUMANITY, for writing this timeless book. It is a must reading for everybody,” echoed DEBORAH QUINIONES MARCOS, Registered Nurse with KAISER PERMANENTE, San Francisco, California USA.

“This latest book of Art Madlaing, LONGEVITY TIPS, is a must reading for anyone interested to have good health and longevity in life,” said HENRY T. BRAVO, Evangelist Elder, SURREY CHURCH OF CHRIST, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

“Kudos to Art Gabot Madlaing, founder of FITNESS FOR HUMANITY, for writing this timeless bok on good health and longevity. Every library in the Philippines and other countries must have copies of this important book for the reading public,” wrote CORAZON M. NERA, Former Chair, Regulatory Board of Librarians; Director of Libraries, Lyceum of the Philippines, Manila Philippines.

“I commend and salute Art Madlaing for writing his latest book LONGEVITY TIPS. Every Christian couple and family must read, discover and do the FREE secrets for good health and longevity,” said FELIX L. OLIDAN, JR., Evangelist Minister, WANCHAI CHURCH OF CHRIST, Wanchai, Hongkong.

“LONGEVITY TIPS, a new best seller, is the best and lasting gift we can give to our studetns and the new graduates, echoed A A B , Teacher who finished Bachelor of Special Education and

(Continue on page 27)

How to rival FM by touring the world?

“Trust no future however pleasant Let the dead past bury its dead Act. Act on the living present Heart within and God o’er head”

From Psalm of Life

By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Ihave not had a big laugh for a long time due to current continuing difficulties malfunctioning government and government officials, unending criminality in the public and private sectors, atrocious high prices of goods and services, undisciplined population due to ignorance and greed, military and police going haywire, dismal economic and foreign policies and unthinking citizens whose only undying preoccupations are themselves and their families, their girl and boy friends, their paramours and concubines and a continuing desire and ambition to be rich, powerful and frivolous.

Congressman’s defense of BB M: Joey Salceda is a current congressman from one of the districts of the Province of Albay. I used to read his comments on the economy of the country as they showed some degree of above average intelligent observations often wondered whether he finished Bachelor of Science in Economics at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City as he showed the kind of sharpness in his opinions of the economy of the country like those of Former Prime Minister Cesar Virata,, Budget Minister Manny Alba and real estate empire builder Manny Villar, Former President of the Senate.

These men all graduated from UP Diliman when to be a top P graduate demonstrated these elements adherence to the tradition of excellence, aristocracy of the mind, and excellent leadership in his chosen field of e pertise But may cease wondering about these on Congressman Joey Salceda after reading this headline from the Philippine Daily Inquirer defending President BB Marcos travels in foreign countries. The reason of these travels, according to Salceda, is to surpass the achievements of FM, the father of BB M.

This is quite amazing since BB M brought nothing to the country except undeserved mileage in local and international media. It is understandable in local media considering the undying reputation of Philippine media as the ablest practitioner of A attack to collect, defend to collect This traditional media practice never ends until you have a new revolutionary regime in this country od knows when n international media well, it is sub ect to influence where the interest of their country lies. There are a few exceptions though like the ew ork Times, ondon Times, Manchester Guardian and a few others.

Tale of the tape: Let us go into this measurement in the field of bo ing so everybody can understand it and probably Salceda and BB M probably can. This way we will know whether the Salceda defense is right or wrong. Let us go into the tale ategory and ating

FM, the father BB M, the son

Intelligence -95% 75%

Vision 95% 10%

Knowledgeable 90% 40%

Discipline 85% 50%

Presence 90% 80%

nfluence

Achiever 90% 70%

Orator 90% 75%

riter

Reader 85% 75%

On intelligence and vision: After going over this tale of the tape, what do you think of the alceda defense Probably, you would like to have a detailed explanation. So, let’s examine each category n intelligence obviously towers over BB M. FM has a law degree from the best College of Law in the country then, the University of the Philippines (UP), BB M does not have a college degree of any kind. FM topped the bar exams, the only bar where BB M can top has nothing with law but drinks and dope. FM had a vision of what our country should be a book entitled The ew ociety have not read or heard about the existence of

MELANDREW T. VELASCO

HOMOBONO A. ADAZA Diliman Way

ART GABOT MADLAING Health & Wealth

Notes on a fading empire

The recent troubles of billionaire Manny Villar serve as a moral lesson for would-be entrepreneurs. Don’t enter a business that you know little or nothing about.

I knew from the start that his ALLTV station was headed for trouble nearly from the start n its first day of broadcast, the station was hounded by technical troubles indicative of a lack of qualified personnel to handle a big business like a TV station.

While Villar managed to grab the frequency formerly granted to ABS-CBN – even cockily referring to itself as the new Channel 2 – he learned soon enough that a frequency does not guarantee an audience. Good shows are needed, and ALLTV had none.

I have been working with CNN Philippines as a consultant and senior editor since June of last year. The building where our head office is located is owned by illar, as is the tar Mall across the street.

That was where ALLTV would set up shop, and all of us knew about it. Surprisingly, no one from CNN even considered transferring to the new station owned by the former presidential candidate.

And here is where the Villar TV station faltered at the onset. It was unable to recruit a large enough stable of talent in front and behind the cameras.

Over the weekend, it was learned that the three supposed flagship shows of A T would stop airing e ective immediately.

This, after it was learned that none of the shows of the stars were generating enough advertising revenue to head towards black ink. It was understandable that they would be in the red at the start, but to stay in that sad state would eventually force them o the air

It was also quite obvious that few A-list stars were willing to appear as guests in the shows of Toni Gonzaga, Willie Revillame, and three quasi-socialite-cum-showbiz celebs.

And since TV stations also need newscasts to draw an audience, it was also learned that ALLTV could not gather any top tier talents to handle news and public a airs

Luckily for them, CNN Phils. agreed to share its top 6pm news show, News Night which – ehem – I edit portions of. ALLTV must be paying a pretty penny to air a show of what should be one of its competitors. I daresay, it may be their sole saving grace.

The only other shows that generate some kind of audience for ALLTV are the old Tagalog movies, with some so ancient as to be in black white. How quaint, no?

As of this writing, it is not clear if the suspended shows of ALLTV will ever get back on the air. I seriously doubt it.

As for the building where CNN Phils has its HQ, other Villar businesses are also located there. Let’s see, there’s his real estate arm, which now also bears the name ALL. There’s also a huge home furnishing store, as well as a supermarket.

Villar’s publicly-listed property company is a rarity for the wrong reason After its initial public o ering, its value has dropped considerably, leading to speculation that the so-called Brown Taipan is losing his Midas touch.

As for the supermarket and home furnishing mega-store, I can see on a daily basis that neither is generating a sufficient income to justify their continued existence.

And by the way, the Villar group also has a wannabe competitor to tarbucks called The o ee Pro ect hile thebased co ee place never runs out of customers, the pathetic competitor rarely has any paying customers.

To be honest, don’t like most of the co ee concoctions at Starbucks, but I will never, ever bring my business to The o ee Pro ect t’s sub ective of me perhaps, but my palate cannot stand their horribly sweet co ee creations orst of all, they’re even more e pensive than the already pricey co ees and teas of Starbucks.

So why is the Villar group of companies doing so badly nowadays?

At least for their ALLTV, it’s quite clear that their “talents” are all identified with the arcos administration in one way or another. This has led netizens to fairly ask, where are the 31 million who supposedly voted

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Coping up with the cold weather

SAN FRANCISCO - Arriving in San Francisco under a cold weather could be a terrible experience after having been away for some time from the territory. Not that returning individuals like me and my wife are not used to it but, having come from a tropical country, adjusting to the clime is a challenge.

January is listed as the coldest month of the year in San Francisco at an average of 8 degrees Celsius. It was 6 degrees when we arrived, I found out later.

Coming out of the SF airport way past midnight, we quickly searched for a third layer of clothing from our bags after having realized we underestimated the weather.

My wife was still shivering with her third layer on. We missed our adopted place, of course, despite the weather. Just as we would always miss our country of birth where we grew up, were raised, and educated.

We also miss our families there, friends, classmates and the fiestas’ e’ve been to the arvacan town and igan city fiestas ust as we missed our village fiestas- mine and my wife’sdue to intervening circumstances.

But I made sure to reunite with some of my my classmates in high school, namely, Max Quebral who’s based in Sacramento, California, Arnold Piano, and Chicago-based i al imene who’s my compadre’ caught up and en oyed cold beer with them in the beautiful town of Caoayan in Ilocos Sur. I missed the birthday party of the only star-ranked officer in our batch Brig eneral ionisio Torina due to an important appointment I couldn’t miss. Sorry Dionie, I’ll be at your birthday next year, God willing.

I was also at the National Press Club’s foundation anniversary with our PNT Editor in chief and former NPC president, colleague, author, niversity professor and egent, and friend Fred Gabot and another media colleague and pal Rolly akay’ on alo who also had headed P and is still hosting a program over DWIZ and the weekly Broadcasters’ Forum. Lawyer Emmanuel Tipon, long based in Hawaii, was also at the NPC event.

My wife acted like a photo journalist who was amused listening to our stories amidst the revelry and live music, beer, liquor and wine drinking. NPC is never the same without all these.

Not missed out in my reunion list is my longtime friend Ben Pacris who recently retired as head of the Philippine Information Agency in Ilocos Sur. We’ve been together almost daily during those rough and tumble days of Philippine journalism. But we had always emerged spirited and kicking .

Retired Bannawag magazine Editor in Chief and novelist Dionisio Bulong or DSB as he’s fondly called whose legions of readership-following include vast communities of Ilocanos in California and Hawaii, apart from Ilocanos in our home country and everywhere else, is among the first reunited with.

He’s still writing and sharp, not far from his sharpness in earlier years when we would stop by Timog Ave. for beer before going home.

was holding office near Timog and it won’t take me minutes to reach our haunt, but believe me he always turned up there ahead of me. He would then yet come from the Liwayway Publications office where Bannawag was based in Pasong Tamo, Makati. Ben would occasionally join us whenever he was in Metro-Manila.

I gulped beer with President Arroyo’s National Dairy Authority Administrator rkhan sman who’s also a compadre, along with double Palanca awardee, lecturer, author, and historian and anthropologist Arnold Molina-Azurin, my cousin, DSB, and Lakay.

Prof. Azurin had won two Palancas at the same time in prose and in poetry, a rare feat. He’s sharp as ever like DSB, and much sought-after for weighty book pro ect stu s

I had also occasions to reunite with politician friends and idols notably world renowned Luis “Chavit” Singson, former Ilocos Sur governor, Philippine kingmaker and Miss niverse franchisee, arvacan ayor Pablito anidad, top, respected and famous lawyer who served in the Cory Aquino Cabinet, and my classmate, Ilocos

High school reunions usher hope, camaraderie, memory lane…

Every end of the year, alumni are hoping to attend the school’s high school reunions with pride and dignity. It is a moment for them to recall their high school days spent with their classmates/schoolmates whom they haven’t seen and met for years after graduation. For those who are abroad, they have to prepare for it - saving money, stretching their pensions, working extra hours… to pay for their airfares and other incidental expenses needed during the reunion. It’s one thing they planned to do because they love to go back and rekindle their memories built throughout the years with friends and acquaintances.

ast year, the rdaneta ity ational igh chool held its rand Alumni omecoming on ovember - , with a theme Ad usting to the ew ormal, einventing with eskilling and pskilling and Being Resilient at Work till the Light Breaks Forth.”

The alumni dedicated themselves to the memory and honor of the school’s founding Father, Dr. Pedro T. Orata, 1971 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee for Community Service, for his far-reaching vision and his pragmatic wisdom in setting up the mechanics for the establishment of their Alma Mater, literally from the smoking ruins of war.

uring this reunion, Batch was at the helm of the reunion and were actively involved in the two-day activities well, some even e tended it to days, including the birthday celebration of Balikbayan Amelita “Mila” Gatchalian where all Batch ’ members were present, in addition to her folks in the barangay.

“Those pictures and videos of mine… I can’t express how those get together merriest moments of my life attending the parade, the gala night, and many gatherings by our Batch ’ , ila said

ouple liodoro icky alacsan from an iego said “Countless years and miles may stand between old friends but being with them this past Alumni Reunion last November reminded me of every memory of friendship shared even for a short time is a treasure. Eliodoro and I are so happy to see and being with old friends chatting, eating, singing… and dancing, laughing out loud lol with them felt like nothing has changed since high school days and for some since elementary days. There was so much love and joy being with old friends.”

Looking at the other side of the coin, both Canada-based Fe Malagayo Alluri and San Diego, California-based Danny alacsan are one in saying es, good things are happening during and after the reunion – the joys of getting together, the social networking, acknowledgement and appreciation of the good works and the outstanding alumni like Joweh Sumait are doing, etc.” They however, lament the fact that some unpalatable issues seem to be hovering over the alumni organization. Example given were – programs are meant to be read before and during the events, but this didn’t happen in the last reunion, and not after most people have left town. They also noted the alleged financial mismanagement of a few the case of the missing money which happened in the past which was adjudicated and somehow happening at present.

ood points e and anny our points are well taken in the interest of the organizers and the alumni. However, I won’t venture on this topic at this time. Maybe, what we can do is to remind the officers of the organi ation to be truthful and faithful in the discharge of their duties and for the alumni to be more vigilant and respectful in monitoring the organizations activities especially in the area of finance or any transgressions in the complicated world of alumni homecoming to prevent things happening again.

oweh umait, hicago-based ’ alumnus who was selected as one of the outstanding alumni during the grand reunion narrated the activities from the parade, with a simple program at the ocial all to the culminating activity during the ala ight at the rdaneta ultural enter and the group’s kantahan, fellowship, sayawan, etc.

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oweh was recogni ed in the field of community service being “a man of action and leadership…serving the community in his capacity as president of the rdaneta aycees the otary other lub of rdaneta

BETING DOLOR

ELPIDIO R. ESTIOKO

TEDDY P. MOLINA

IMMIGRATIONS

Petition for Caregivers

Do you need Caregivers in your Care Facility?

This is a very challenging time for those Care Home Facility owners because of the shortage of Caregivers. Many caregivers can be petitioned by the facility owners whether they are coming from the Philippines or already in the United States. Our Law irm can handle the process from start to finish As of this writing the priority for caregivers is June 1, 2020. owever, if you are inside the you can file an adustment of status based on approved - petition if your priority date is September 6, 2022.

hat are the re uirements for B- reen ard for Skilled Workers, Professionals, or Other Workers?

Answer The B- green card covers a wide range of applicants and has less stringent requirements compared to the two categories above. To qualify as a skilled worker, you must demonstrate that you have at least two years of job experience or training in the job you are applying through.

To qualify as a professional, you must have at least a U.S. bachelor’s degree or its foreign degree e uivalent in the field you are working in ther workers are usually unskilled workers who are able to demonstrate the ability to perform unskilled labor that is not seasonal or temporary in nature.

What is needed to start a caregiver petition?

Answer An B- applicant must have a ob o er from a employer and fulfill the P abor ertification re uirements, which will likely mean a longer application timeline than other categories where the P can be waived ote that since some cases re uire additional paperwork to be filed, it’s best to contact a ualified employment immigration attorney

What is the processing time for employment based green card?

Answer The employment-based green card timeline varies depending on the category you ualify for enerally, however, here are the steps you need to take if you are working toward getting an employment-based green card

1. Have a U.S. Employer omplete P abor ertification Process Average of i to ine onths nce you have a ualifying ob o er and an employer who is ready to sponsor your green card, the ne t step is to complete the Program for lectronic eview anagement P abor certification This is a process that re uires your employer to demonstrate that the foreign worker you is not taking a ob position away from ualified workers

hat should an employer do to process P

Answer our employer with the support of an immigration attorney will conduct a recruitment process to ensure that you are not displacing any ualified workers

The P can take between si months and a year and a half to obtain depending on whether or not your employer is subjected to an audit. Here is the breakdown of the timeline for P abor processing times

Prevailing age e uest two weeks

ecruitment Process eight to nine weeks

TA- Application weeks

After getting approved on the P abor ertification, what is the ne t step

Answer our employer will need to file a Pettion for Alien orker orm - nce your orm - is approved, and your priority date becomes current, you can file for an Ad ustment of tatus by submitting an - form The - is the last stage along the employment-based green card timeline, but in most cases, it has the longest waiting period owever, you will be issued a work authori ation document after submitting orm - in about five months

ote This is not a legal advice and presented for educational purposes only ur office successfully obtained green card for caregivers

li s to 8. % in anuary

T The country’s headline inflation rate in anuary increased to percent from percent in December 2022, Philippine Statistics Authority P A ndersecretary ennis Mapa reported.

Mapa said the rate of price increments of goods and services in January this year is also higher than the percent inflation in anuary and the highest since ovember

e said the main driver of inflation last month was housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, with inflation of percent, and contributing percent to the uptrend in anuary inflation

The largest item that has the biggest weight in housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels is the rental, housing rental. Because of the opening up of the economy, in anuary, think they have adjusted the rates,” he added.

Mapa said rental rates in the past three years during the height of the pandemic have been stable, with inflation of percent in , percent in and percent in 2022.

e said the upward ad ustments in water tari and electricity rates have contributed to the acceleration of price increases in the previous month.

ncreasing prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages also shared to the higher inflation at the start of , which is

driven by more e pensive prices of vegetables, tubers and the likes; milk, other dairy products and eggs; and fruits and nuts.

The third largest contributor to inflation in anuary is restaurants and accommodation services.

Items with faster increase in prices in anuary were mostly from the food basket, led by fruits and nuts vegetables, tubers, and the likes and sugar, confectionery and desserts.

On the other hand, items that had slower inflation last month include rice flour and bread oils and fats and readymade food and other food products.

nflation in the ational apital egion was at percent, while in areas outside A was at percent last month.

The biggest contributor to inflation in both and A in anuary is still housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels.

Mapa said Western Visayas reported the highest inflation in anuary at percent.

The government targets infl ation to settle within to percent this year

Despite the high inflation at the start of the year, Mapa said initiatives to slow down price increases will help the government to achieve its inflation target.

A A An economist forecasts continued increase in the country’s dollar reserves, which improved to billion last anuary compared to the previous month’s level.

Data released by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas B P night showed that the anuary gross international reserves of the country, however, was lower than the billion in the same period in 2022.

i al ommercial Banking orporation B chief economist ichael icafort said the country’s dollar reserves can get a lift from continued resiliency of the inflows from overseas ilipino workers s , the revenues of the business process outsourcing BP sector, foreign investment inflows, foreign tourism, and Philippine o shore gaming operators P revenues These inflows, he said, could still cover the yearly trade deficit net imports that reached a record billion for

2022.”

“Moreover, the continued increase in fund-raising and other investment banking activities by the country’s biggest companies conglomerates, in view of the recent rising trend in global local bond yields in recent months, funding preparations amid more decisive new investments and expansion plans as the economy reopens further towards greater normalcy, could entail some increase in foreign investment inflows that could add to the country’s B P and , on a cash flow basis, he said icafort said the current level of the country remains adequate as it is e uivalent to months of imports, higher than the three to four months international standards.

He said the dollar reserves to date would continue to provide structural support bu er cushion for the peso e change rate, especially greater protection vs. any speculative attacks, going forward.”

In an interview during the Laging anda public briefing, ta Ana said the country’s debt-to- P ratio has improved from the -year high percent at the end of the third quarter of 2022, which is above the percent international threshold.

nflation

0 3, i est sin e o e er 008

L ollar reser es at 99. , e e te to i ro e

L e t to ratio still not at alar in le el

A A The share of the country’s total liabilities to gross domestic product P has declined to percent by end- but it is not considered to be an alarming level given the strong economic fundamentals, Deputy Treasurer Erwin ta Ana disclosed .

ABS-CBN radio stations launch on Malaysia’s leading digital radio platform, SYOK

MYX Radio is a 24/7 radio streaming featuring fresh music around the world and mainstream hits. It’s the perfect platform to discover new R&B, Hip-hop, Pop Dance music across the global through custom curated programs and podcasts.

ilipino music lovers and celebrities will find a home in MORe as it not only airs contemporary middle-of-the-road tunes, but also o ers talk shows starring the hottest names in showbiz.

TeleRadyo is a Philippine bilingual news channel delivering local and international updates from morning until late night. Count on the mi of young and veteran presenters to perk up the day with good vibes, inform with the latest

happenings, and bridge people through public service.

Astro adio, alaysia’s o radio network, o ers alaysians access to , a multi-lingual digital lifestyle and entertainment platform with more than 100 online radio stations, music, podcasts and more.

AB - B ’s premium content and worldclass talents have captured the hearts of Malaysians for years. In fact, the Malaysian adaptation of Tayong alawa’ titled Angkara inta’ ended its run as the most watched show on Astro Prima Channel at the height of the pandemic,” says aribel ernae , AB - B lobal’s managing director for Asia Pacific

he continues, ith this partnership with Astro Radio, we hope to reach both Malaysians and Filipinos based in the country through music and news anytime, anywhere.”

enny ng, , Astro adio and ocketfuel ntertainment, said e are e cited to welcome MYX Radio, MORe and TeleRadyo on board as we partner with AB - B As we continue to widen our reach to more diverse listener groups, we hope all users enjoy their e perience on and the e tensive range of music, information and podcasts available locally and abroad.”

ownload via oogle Play, Apple App tore, or visit syok my

House OKs Eddie Garcia bill on final reading to boost showbiz workers

The House of Representatives has overwhelmingly approved on third and final reading a bill providing better working conditions for the movie, television and radio entertainment industry.

A total of 240 lawmakers voted to approve House Bill 1270, or the proposed Eddie Garcia Act, which aims to provide workers in those industries opportunities for gainful employment and a decent income, and protect them from abuse, harassment, ha ardous working conditions and economic exploitation.

o lawmaker voted against the measure or abstained from voting.

Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said the proposal would cover thousands of people working in the entertainment sector.

“It would ensure that they continue to have gainful employment and protect them against abuse, harassment, dangerous working environment and e ploitation,” he said.

The bill is named after the late veteran actor ddie arcia, who died in after su ering a neck in ury while shooting for a television series.

anong ddie was a hugely popular actor well-loved by many ilipinos

It was unfortunate that he died in such

circumstances. But the accident served as a wake-up call for the industry and for us policymakers in Congress,” Romualdez said.

-Pacman Party-list ep ikee omero, arcia’s congressman-stepson and author of the bill, said the accident and the actor’s eventual death highlighted the need for a safe workplace for entertainment industry workers, many of whom are self-employed independent actors, actresses and performers.

The bill defines an industry worker or independent contractor as any person engaged or hired by the employer or principal to render services involving the production, distribution, and exhibition of film, television, and radio entertainment content.”

The worker/contractor shall execute an agreement or employment contract in a language or dialect understood by both parties before he/she is asked to render service.

The employer/principal shall provide him/her a copy of the signed contract, which shall include ob position and description, period of employment, details of compensation, salary deductions, if any, work hours, code of conduct, board and lodging, medical care, employer’s

policies, and any other lawful condition agreed by both parties.

The bill proposes that the normal work hours of the worker or talent shall be eight hours a day, which can be extended to a maximum of 12 hours, including waiting time in the set or workplace.

Service beyond 8 hours shall be paid overtime pay.

In no case shall work hours be more than 60 hours in a week.

The bill further provides that travel time to and from out-of-town proects shall be compensable working time.

The bill provides that the minimum wage rates of workers or independent contractors shall not be less than the applicable minimum wage in the region.

The employee shall also be entitled to social security and welfare benefits such as the Social Security System, the Home evelopment utual und or the PagB und and Phil ealth insurance

It mandates the employer to comply with occupational safety and health standards, promote mental health and prevent sexual harassment in the workplace.

Work for minors shall be governed by epublic Act , or the pecial Protection of Children Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.

GMA 7, Kapamilya stars big winners in 35th Star Awards for Television

The Star Awards for Television once again set the trend for this year’s entertainment awards and events.

rgani ed by the Philippine ovie Press lub, nc P P together with A AP ntertainment orporation as producer, the 35th edition honored the boob

tube’s best of the best for - on anuary , 2023.

A well-attended and star-studded event, T ’s wellloved celebrities in Aiko elende , ohn strada, and Pops ernande showed their mettle as award hosts for the first time

Asia’s Nightingale Lani Misalucha set the upbeat mood of the night as she took center stage for the opening number while the amsap talents and other surprise guests did their special numbers.

eanwhile, ris awrence, oa uin arcia, and Decena honored the lifetime achievement awardees with a tribute number while s uh edesma’s finale number sealed another memorable P P awards night Also lending their star power for the show were power tandems onny Pangilinan and Belle ariano and Kelvin Miranda and Mikee Quintos who received the erman oreno Power Tandem of the ear enator a y Tulfo and veteran T host onnie Angeles were on hand to receive the cellence in Broadcasting Lifetime Achievement Award and the Ading Fernando Lifetime Achievement Award, respectively.

The th tar Awards edition is led by P P President ernan de u man and ice President odel ernando along with the club’s officers and members with the support of A AP’s o o lores and COO Maricar Moina under the direction of Frank Lloyd Mamaril.

The iconic Winford Hotel Manila provided the venue for the first face-to-face showbi event of the year

The

list

winners

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G! Kapamilya Tour kicks off this March in Europe and the Middle East with Zanjoe, Daniel, Kathryn and Joshua

DUBAI – After the successful return to holding events overseas last year following the long pandemic, ABS-CBN Global levels up in 2023 with a new event brand, G! Kapamilya. The brand promises to be the ultimate event experience for all ages, especially those who are fun, hip and game.

Come March, ABS-CBN Global is bringing the new G! Kapamilya event brand on a three-city tour in Europe and the Middle East. The tour headlines international stars Zanjoe Marudo, Daniel Padilla, Kathryn Bernardo, and Joshua Garcia with host, popular comedian Eric Nicolas.

“We’re starting big this year with big names. Because what is G! Kapamilya? It’s a special go-go-go high-energy event, with a select group of the brightest Philippine stars that includes bo -office and music industry greats, with the goal of delivering a grand entertainment experience to our global overseas kapamilya,” said ABS-CBN Global Head of Events and Managing Director for Europe, Middle East and North Africa Joseph Arnie Garcia.

The exciting experience combines a night of star power, super fresh performances, and a unique meetand-greet fan session.

Lucky fans in Europe and the Middle East can attend the debut of the G! Kapamilya tour on the following dates, times, locations, and ticket prices:

BARCELONA, SPAIN

Date: March 11, 2023/SATURDAY

Venue: ARIBAU MULTICINES

Gates Open: 5:30pm; Show Starts: 7:00pm

Ticket Prices: a. Platinum: €100; b. Gold: €40; c. Silver: €25

MILAN, ITALY

Date: March 12, 2023/SUNDAY

Venue: SPACE ODEON

Gates Open: 5:30pm; Show Starts: 7:00pm

Ticket Prices: a. Platinum: €100; b. Gold: €40; c. Silver: €25

ABU DHABI, UAE

Date: March 18, 2023/SATURDAY

Venue: ABU DHABI NATIONAL THEATRE

Gates Open: 5:30pm; Show Starts: 6:30pm

Ticket Prices: a. Platinum: AED 275; b. Gold: AED 165; c. Silver: AED 99

All Platinum ticket holders will have a special VIP Access that includes rehearsal passes, signed merchandise, photos with the stars, among others. It’s truly a chance to get up close and personal with your favorite stars. For guidelines on the VIP Access and to buy tickets now from authorized ticket sellers, visit the TFC Middle East and TFC Europe pages on Facebook.

SAN FRANCISCO – The Philippine music world closed out 2022 with a big bang via the “Huling El Bimbo” concert of the legendary Filipino alternative rock band, Eraserheads – the Beatles of the Philippines.

Around 75,000 attended the iconic band’s live concert back on December 22 at the SMDC Festival Grounds and thousands more outside the Philippines watched the concert livestreamed on iWantTFC, the world’s leading and largest Filipino streaming platform. The concert – the band’s last in the Philippines – generated a new wave of Eraserheadsmania, this time creating hordes of new fans from today’s generation who now has a greater appreciation for the band that started in 1989. Today, you have current top artists like P-Pop superstar SB19, Nobita, Ace Banzuelo, Mercury, Sof Abrogar and rapper Alex Bruce recording their covers of favorite Eraserheads hits.

Responding to popular demand, iwantTFC extended the PPV offering of Eraserheads’ “Huling El Bimbo” Reunion Concert for viewers outside the Philippines from January 28-February 28, 2023. Reg-

istered users may avail the extended o ering for only or its equivalent in viewer’s local currency). Moreover, after purchase, Video-On-Demand access is good for 48 hours.

Don’t wait! Tickets are avail-

iWantTFC responds to new Eraserheadsmania, extends PPV offering on legendary band’s Nora

able via the web and mobile web only. Register and watch the Filipino reunion concert of the decade, the Eraserheads’ Huling El Bimbo Reunion Concert 2022 by visiting https://app.iwanttfc.com/HEB2022Extended

Aunor returns in the movies

Superstar, now National Artist Nora Aunor is back in the silver screen.

This as she agreed to star in Pieta, first movie she will do after being named National Artist.

The movie is directed by Adolf Ali who directed her in Padre de Pamilya” and “Kontrabida”) and costarring with ina Ala ar her director in the hit GMA series, “Onanay”) and Alfred Vargas, who is also reportedly bankrolling the project, columnist Mario Bautista reported in his latest column.

Nora, who is Nora Cabaltera Villamayor in real life and as amateur singing contest champion which catapulted her to show business, explained why she agreed to appear in “Pieta.”

nang-una, magandang challenge for me ang role ko as Alfred’s blind mother kasi first time kong gaganap na bulag ako. Si Gina naman, kumare at kaibigan ko ‘yan, at gayundin si Direk Adolf na kilala na ako at pinagtitiwalaan ko bilang direktor. Si Alfred, nagpunta in person sa bahay ko, very humble at napakadaling kausap,” she was quoted by Mario Bautista as saying.

Nora added she is also glad to get the chance to work again with Gina.

“May kasalanan akong nagawa kay Direk Gina noon sa ‘Onanay.’ Sa eksenang namatay ang kapatid ko roon, si Gardo Versoza, sabi ko sa kanya, ayokong umiyak, hindi ako makaiyak,” she narrated as stated in the column.

She added: “Kasi kailangan, totoo ‘yung nararamdaman ko. But minotivate niya ako. Inakbayan niya ako at pinisil niya ang kamay ko, saying kaya mo ‘yan. Inutusan niya ang mga cameramen na sundan lang ako kasi tuloy-tuloy lang ang buhos ng eksena. Ayun, sa tulong niya, nagawa ko naman at nag-trending pa ‘yung eksenang ‘yun.”

Nora, who is also known as Ate Guy, was full of anecdotes about her childhood days in Bicol during the storycon and Direk Adolf announced that we will get to read all about it in a biographical book he is writing about the National Artist, Mario Bautista wrote.

“Isinulat ‘yun in her own words,” said Direk Adolf. “Yun kasi ang gusto niya, para authentic daw. Walang bawal. It will be a no-holds barred kind of book. Gusto niyang mai-share ang mga karanasan niya nang buo, para may lessons din daw na matutuhan sa mga naging pagkakamali niya.”

Coco Martin returns to prime time in ‘Batang Quiapo’

“Hari ng Primetime” Coco Martin returns for more action-packed adventures in another Kapamilya teleserye inspired by Fernando Poe Jr.’s film Batang uiapo that will air beginning this February 13 at 8 p.m. on Kapamilya Channel, A2Z, and TV5.

After making a mark in the hearts of viewers as the hero cop Cardo Dalisay in “FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano,” Coco is back to give life to yet another exciting, resilient “tagapagtanggol ng bayan character as Tanggol Baldo in the series oco will be oined by a star-studded cast, including the daughter of FPJ “Da King,” Lovi Poe, which will be her first time to work on an FPJ title.

n a teaser shared by AB - B recently, oco

shared his excitement about giving viewers another FPJ series that’s not only filled with intense action scenes but also important life values that viewers can learn from apakalaking bagay nito na napapalabas namin ang kanyang mga pelikula na nagawa akakapagbigay kami ng napakagandang kwento at inspirasyon sa lahat ng mga Pilipino,” said Coco. Batang uiapo, which will be oco’s first time to serve as an actor, co-director, and co-producer under CCM Film Productions, will also showcase the beauty of uiapo apaka-rich ng kultura niya, lahat ng mga buhay o kwento ng bawat taong nasa uiapo apakalawak ng kwento at isa pa ito sa mga pelikulang talagang tumatak sa mga ginawa ni P at ni s aricel oriano, oco adds

In the action-comedy series, Coco plays Tanggol/ Baldo, a stubborn yet loving son to his mother (Cherry Pie Picache), father (John Estrada), grandmother (Charo antos , and younger brother (McCoy de Leon). Lovi, meanwhile, plays okang, Tanggol’s charming friend who will put up with his shenanigans

Batang uiapo also stars Ben on alina, ark apid, onwaldo artin, o it oren o, Ping Medina, Mercedes Cabral, Alan Paule, Lou eloso, usan Africa, Pen edina, ito apid, rma Adlawan, and hristopher de eon alu evilla will co-direct the series with oco

P ’s Batang uiapo airs weeknights at on Kapamilya Channel, A2Z, TV5, iWantTFC, and Kapamilya Online Live.

LA County Board of Supervisors okays $609.7 M to address domelessness

LOS ANGELES - Four weeks after declaring a local emergency on homelessness, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a $609.7 million budget for the Los Angeles ounty omeless nitiative for fiscal year - , the largest investment in any given year to date to prevent and address homelessness.

The board said the budget will help fund a heightened focus on three key missions for the County in collaboration with cities and other local partners:

Reducing encampments to bring unsheltered people indoors

Increasing interim and permanent housing placements

Ramping up mental health and substance use disorder services for people experiencing homelessness

n addition to the million budget funded byeasure and state omeless ousing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) grants, the Board simultaneously approved an additional $76.9 million to expand housing and services that the County provides in collaboration with local cities, as well as for innovative new programs.

The $609.7 million represents an additional $61.8 million over last year’s allocation of million, an increase of 11%. It includes funding for:

raparound supportive services for , permanent supportive housing (PSH) units, expanding the total inventory by , units, the ounty’s largest ever year-over-year increase. PSH serves people who have the most complex needs, including chronic medical and/or behavioral health conditions.

ore than million in time-limited rental subsidies to quickly house people who have recently become homeless and o er them services until they can gradually take on the

rent themselves.

, interim housing beds to bring people indoors from encampments as quickly as possible. This is in addition to about , beds funded by A A, local urisdictions, and other County programs overseen by the Departments of ealth ervices, ental ealth, and Public ealth, among others.

Increased homelessness prevention measures, including a ten-fold increase in funding for “problem solving,” which helps people identify viable temporary or permanent housing and other resources.

A increase in funding for programs to help people gain stability as they secure housing. These can include services to help them secure benefits they’re eligible for, as well as employment and income support.

The plan to reduce homelessness also relies on deepening collaboration with local urisdictions, including the ounty’s 88 cities and local Councils of Governments (COGs). This budget includes million to work with local urisdictions to resolve encampments and co-invest in housing.

n addition to the - budget of million, the Board also approved $76.9 million to fund:

A newly established ongoing Local Solutions Fund (LSF) that can be tapped by cities and COGs to help people move out of encampments and into housing in collaboration with the ounty This year’s allocation is million.

An additional $5 million for the Cities and COGs Interim Housing Fund (CCOGIHS), which builds on an existing $10 million investment. Last year’s CCOGIHS allocation has already been awarded to seven pro ects so far to fund supportive services at interim housing sites.

Pampanga quarry income hits recordhigh P88.29M in Jan

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – The provincial government of Pampanga collected some P P million from its uarry industry in anuary this year, the highest it has recorded.

The total revenues from sand and gravel are now at P P billion since uly

Governor Dennis Pineda attributed the record-high revenues to the efficient collection of the Provincial Treasurer’s ffice and the uarry regulatory unit apampangan a ulugud at atapat alam of ta and fees related to the hauling of t Pinatubo’s sand and gravel.

“Ang mga numbers pong ito ay magpapatunay na pinaghuhusay ng inyong provincial government, lalo na po ng treasurer’s office at ng uarry regulatory unit alam, ang pangongkolekta ng buwis mula sa sand at gravel galing sa t Pinatubo These numbers prove that the provincial government, especially the treasurer’s office and the uarry regulatory unit alam, are collecting ta from the sand and gravel coming from t Pinatubo efficiently , Pineda said in a statement on Tuesday

The collections consist of PHP150 sand tax and P P administrative fee per truck, in addition to other charges, fines and penalties

The sand ta is shared at - - -percent among villages, towns or cities and the province based on the Local Government Code of 1991.

The governor said the quarry sector is contributing a big part to the provincial capitol’s income.

“Ang dagdag na pondo po mula sa quarry ay ginagamit po ng capitol para sa karagdagang serbisyo sa ating mga kabalen (The additional funds from the quarry is being used by the provincial capitol for the additional services to our kabalen),” he added.

Pineda said the province’s quarry industry has shown to be resilient.

The high collections in anuary were attained despite the drop to P P million in August as a result of the governor’s suspension of the quarry and hauling operations for 15 days to enforce measures against overloading along the North Luzon Expressway, national and local roads.

However, the collections normalized after a month, rising almost thrice to P P million

“Nagpapasalamat po ako sa cooperation ng mga association ng quarry operators at truck owners. Sumunod po sila sa anti-overloading law at Covid-19 safety protocols. Nagbigay pa po ang mga association ng ambulances, oxygen tanks at iba pa (I am thankful to the associations of the quarry operators and truck owners. They complied with the anti-overloading law and Covid-19 safety protocols. The associations even gave ambulances, oxygen tanks and others),” Pineda said. (PNA)

QUARRY INDUSTRY. The provincial government of Pampanga collected P P . million from uarry opera�ons in anuary . It is the highest collec�on in the history of the province s uarry industry. File photo courtesy of Pam panga provincial government)

Hidilyn Diaz named PSA’s Athlete of the Year

There’s still plenty of gas left in the tank for Hidilyn Diaz.

More than a year since giving the Philippines its first gold medal in the lympics, the ilipina weightlifter hasn’t slowed down yet and reached another milestone in her storied career

ia , , finally stamped her class in the orld eightlifting hampionships behind a dominant sweep of the women’s -kilogram class during the th edition of the meet held at the ran arpa Americas orferias onvention enter in the olombian capital of Bogota.

Behind a golden treble, the amboanga ity native ruled the snatch with a lift of kg and kg in the clean-and- erk, for a total of kg and a breakthrough in the world meet following five failed bids in previous campaigns

The special feat completed ia ’s bucket list of winning a gold in international events, from the outheast Asian ames, Asian ames, orld hampionship, all to the way to the lympics, a feat no other ilipino athlete in history had ever achieved.

In recognition of the latest in a long line of honor she brought to the country,

the Philippine portswriters Association

P A will bestow ia anew with the Athlete of the ear award

The humble ilipina weightlifter will be honored with her third Athlete of the ear trophy in the last five years during the traditional an iguel orporation

-P A Awards ight on arch at the grand ballroom of the iamond otel n all, this will be the fourth Athlete

Palarong Pambansa

By Jeanne Michael Penaranda

returns

of the ear honor for ia , making her only the third person since to win the award four times after world boing greats anny Pac uiao and onito Donaire Jr.

idilyn ia was the unanimous choice as Athlete of the ear for by the Philippine portswriters Association er latest triumph is a testament to her being a true world-class athlete who con-

tinues to be an inspiration to the ilipino people since her historic gold medal win in the Tokyo lympics, said P A president ey achica, sports editor of Tempo

The gala night presented by the Philippine ports ommission and ignal T , won’t be possible without ma or backers Philippine lympic ommittee, Tagaytay ity ayor Abraham Bambol’ Tolentino, , ain or hine, Pacman ep ikee omero, Philippine Basketball Association, Bet, and T

The year that passed was truly memorable for ia , who also won a silver medal in the io lympics

An enlisted personnel of the Philippine Air orce with the rank of ta ergeant, idilyn kicked o her campaign by retaining the gold in the women’s kg event during the st outheast Asian ames in ietnam last summer

Two months later, she entered a new phase of her life by marrying long-time coach and fianc ulius aran o in Baguio ity ollowing a brief rest, ia was back in active competition and soon after, conuered the world with her golden feat in Bogota.

in July with Marikina as host

PA T

The epartment of ducation has announced the revival of the Palarong Pambansa, the country’s largest inter-regional scholastic meet, after four years of hibernation due to the pandemic ast held in avao ity from April to ay , the revived Palaro will be held in arikina ity, a first-time host, from uly to August

The local government of arikina, which was originally slated to host the event in ay , will host the event with ep d- ational apital egion ffice, and the chools ivision ffice of arikina ity

According to ep d emorandum o , s or the onduct of the Palarong Pambansa, ivision eets and egional eets shall be conducted on ebruary - and April - , respectively, as recommended by the Palarong Pambansa ecretariat

oreover, an additional tier called the Pre- ational ualifying eet will be introduced to lessen the number of delega-

tions, shorten the duration of the event, and lower the e penses to be incurred all without sacrificing the level of play

As such, the said new level will only feature team sports such as baseball, basketball, football, futsal, sepak takraw, football, and volleyball

nder the new tier, delegations will be clustered into four groups based on their geographical location luster is comprised of the locos egion, agayan alley, entral u on, and ordillera

Administrative egion A luster is A ABA , A PA, , and Bicol egion luster is estern, entral, and astern isayas and amboanga Peninsula egion and luster is orthern indanao, avao,A , A A A, and BA

The top two regional delegations per cluster will then advance to the actual Palarong Pambansa event

The modified competition format aims to prevent the disruption of classes and to observe minimum public health and safety protocols as stated in ep d rder o , s , and other relevant

policies and guidelines issued easurable sports such as athletics, swimming, and archery will adopt the ualifying distance, time, and points set by the Palarong Pambansa ther sports that do not apply ualifying standards in the selection of athletes and are not identified as team sports will advance directly to the Palarong Pambansa culminating competitions

Aside from student-athletes from the ep d regional athletic associations, ilipino athletes enrolled in recogni ed schools overseas will also be allowed to compete in individual sports under the banner of Philippine chools verseas P s

eanwhile, a separate memorandum will soon be issued regarding the technical guidelines of all sports to be played, as provided in ection , ule of the mplementing ules and egulations of epublic Act A otherwise known as the Palarong Pambansa Act of

All regions are set to be represented by student athletes from inder to rade

, with the addition of foreign-based student-athletes under the banner of Philippine chools verseas hanges will also be made to the competition format to adapt to the new normal, according to a memorandum released by the epartment of ducation ep d last anuary

To trim the number of participants, the proposed competition format will feature multiple screening processes during the division meets, which are underway, then the regional meets in late April and the new clustered pre-national ualifying meets in uly ualifying meets will be clustered into four groups based on geographical pro imity

Based on the ep d memorandum, the pre-national ualifying meets will feature only team sports such as baseball, basketball, football, futsal, sepak takraw, softball, and volleyball ntry into measurable sports, such as athletics, swimming, and archery, will be determined by ualification standards

GM Laylo is National Open chess champion

A T randmaster arwin aylo of andaluyong ity ruled the Philippine ational hess hampionships at the alolos ity all on ebruary

Laylo held International Master Daniel ui on of asmarinas, avite to a draw in the ninth and final round of the tournament known as the Battle of the randmasters aylo, a member of the Philippine Army chess team under pecial ervice enter irector ol ohn liver abun,

had a total of points four wins and five draws and bagged the P , top purse am happy for winning the Philippine ational hess hampionship rand inals wish that my luck would remain the same in my ne t tournament, said the -year-old aylo, who is supported by asmarinas ayor enny Bar aga, ep , lpidio Pidi Bar aga r , Atty ikki e ega and lawyer risanto arlo icolas aylo, who won his first national title in

, will be playing with the agic andaluyong Tigers at the Professional hess Association of the Philippines P AP tournament on eb e ega, team owner of the agic andaluyong Tigers congratulated aylo for his victory, hoping he would bring more honor for the country an mmanuel arcia also had a draw with anelle ae rayna to finish second with points The Ateneo

de anila niversity chess team program manager had three wins and si draws and pocketed P , ichael oncio r of asmarinas, avite placed third with points followed by Paulo Bersamina of Pasay ity points rayna, ark ay Baco o and ui on points ohn Paul ome and ogelio Antonio r points and arie Antoinette an iego points ean alanum

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors okay package to strengthen gun regulations

LOS ANGELES - In response to the mass shooting in the City of Monterey Park that took the lives of 11 people, today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a series of motions authored by Board Chair Janice Hahn, Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, and Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath to strengthen gun regulations in Los Angeles County and support gun safety legislation.

This follows the Board of Supervisors’ recent action to declare gun violence a public health crisis in Los Angeles County.

“We know that blame for the gun violence epidemic lies with the failure of Congressional leaders to pass even the most basic federal gun laws. Because they have not acted we have found actions we can take at the county level to protect lives,” said Chair Hahn.

“I intend to do whatever is possible to protect Los Angeles County residents, particularly following the tragedy in the First District community of Monterey Park. Gun-related violence will continue

to cause mass damage, trauma, and harm if we do not take the necessary steps at all levels of government. This includes supporting key gun safety legislation like Senator Feinstein’s recent action to reinstate the assault weapons and high -capacity magazine ban. Today, living in the United States of America means being at risk of becoming a victim of a mass shooting. To that end, time is of the essence,” said Supervisor Solis.

“We must do absolutely everything in our power to prevent and put an end to gun violence in our community. Today’s motions do exactly that,” said Supervisor Horvath. “I’m proud to advance common sense gun safety guidelines and to join my Board colleagues in our continued demand to ban assault weapons and highcapacity magazines.”

Item 2, authored by Chair Hahn, establishes ordinances to prohibit the sale of caliber firearms and ammunition in the unincorporated areas of the County and prohibit the possession of firearms on County property, with certain exceptions. The motion also requests the Department

Governor urges federal probe on high natural gas prices

SACRAMENTO – As millions of California families experience soaring gas utility bills, Governor Gavin Newsom took action urging the federal government to investigate the recent price spike a ecting the Western U.S. and highlighted the state’s action to provide relief to Californians.

In a letter to the federal agency responsible for regulating wholesale natural gas, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the Governor requested that the agency “immediately focus its investigatory resources on assessing whether market manipulation, anticompetitive behavior, or other anomalous activities are driving these ongoing elevated prices in the western gas markets.”

Additionally, millions of Californians will soon see relief from high utility bills – with credits of $90 to $120 showing up on gas and electric bills as soon as next month.

On Thursday, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) voted to accelerate the California Climate Credit to help California families with high gas bills. The $90-$120 credit will be applied to residential utility customer bills starting in March for customers of PG&E, Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas Electric, and Southern California Gas Company. Customers of Bear Valley, Liberty, Pacifi orp, and outhwest as will also receive an accelerated credit of varying amounts.

The CPUC and the California Energy Commission will host an en banc hearing to examine the causes and impacts of the recent spike in natural gas prices.

“Millions of California families are

opening their utility bills to sticker shock – and we’re taking action now to provide relief to help with those high gas bills,” said Governor Newsom. “We know this provides only temporary relief from soaring bills. That’s why I’m asking the federal government to use its full authority to investigate the spike in natural gas prices and take any necessary enforcement actions. We’re going to get to the bottom of this because Californians deserve to know what’s behind these exorbitant bills.”

heck our limate redit Amount Here

Californians do not need to do anything to get the credit. Every spring and fall, millions of Californians receive credits on their electric and natural gas bills identified as the alifornia limate redit The California Climate Credit comes from the State’s cap-and-trade program managed by the California Air Resources Board. The credit on utility bills represents the consumer’s share of the payments from the State’s program.

The CPUC and California Energy Commission will hold an en banc hearing on February 7 to bring together market experts to examine the possible drivers behind the natural gas price spikes and explore potential state actions that can be taken.

The hearing includes participation of the California Independent System Operator and market experts from across the country to discuss possible drivers and explore any state measure to protect California customers.

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of Regional Planning to prepare an ordinance to implement zoning regulations with a , feet bu er between firearm sellers and child-sensitive areas, as well as the Treasurer and Tax Collector to prepare the final amendments to the ounty code regarding business licenses to enhance the regulation of firearm and ammunition dealers in unincorporated areas of the County.

Item 8, authored by Supervisor Solis, directs the County’s Chief Executive Office’s egislative A airs and ntergovernmental elations branch to send a fivesignature letter to U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, with a copy to the Los Angeles County Congressional delegation, in support of and legislation to raise the minimum age to purchase assault weapons from 18 to 21 and ban the sale, transfer, manufacture, and importation of military-style assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, and other highcapacity ammunition feeding devices.

Item 15, authored by Supervisor Horvath, instructs County Counsel to draft an ordinance and report back to the Board of

upervisors on re uiring all firearms in a residence be securely stored in a locked container or disabled trigger lock and draft ordinance language that would mandate liability insurance for gun owners. The motion also requests the feasibility of implementing a County gun database and asks that the Treasurer and Tax prepare an amendment to the County code requiring signs to be displayed with specific language warning customers about the risk associated with access to firearms wherever they are sold.

Item 56-A, authored by Chair Hahn, directs the County’s Chief Executive Office’s egislative A airs and ntergovernmental Relations branch to support SB 2 and SB 241 – state legislation that strengthens conceal-carry laws and reuires federally licensed firearm dealers to complete annual training provided by the California Department of Justice.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been 54 mass shootings in the United States since the start of the new year 38 days ago. This amounts to almost two mass shooting events a day.

Social Security Update

BECOMING MORE FINANCIALLY CONFIDENT

By G. Samson Social Security Public Affairs Specialist in the Bay Area

Commit to saving successfully during America Saves Week! This year’s theme is A inancially onfident ou ou can increase your financial confidence by building healthy saving habits and taking advantage of resources available to support your financial stability

America Saves Week, which runs from February 27 through March 3, is a great opportunity to learn about good financial habits and assess your own saving status. It’s also a perfect time to create a plan, start saving, and begin your ourney toward financial stability.

Planning and saving are key to a successful retirement. The earlier you start saving for retirement, the better o you will be in the future. People who have a plan are twice as likely to save e ectively We encourage you to pledge to save for America Saves Week at www. americasavesweek. org. Visit www.ssa. gov/retirement for useful information to help you plan for your retirement.

It’s never too

early in your career to begin saving. Our website, www.ssa.gov/people/earlycareer, has resources that can help young workers secure their today and tomorrow. Share our infographic, Anytime is the ight Time to ave for our uture, that provides helpful information about saving at www ssa gov benefits assets materials/retirement/EN-05-10549.pdf.

The sooner you start saving, the more your money can grow. Please share this information with someone you love.

Assemblymembers Quirk-Silva and Papan introduce legislation to close gun restriction loophole

SACRAMENTO – Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva (D-Fullerton) and Assemblywoman Diane Papan (D-San Mateo) have introduced legislation that will close a legal loophole that allows criminal defendants who su er from mental illness to possess guns.

The legislation, AB 455, seeks to extend post-conviction gun restrictions to criminal defendants who enter mental health diversion to the same extent as if the defendant was convicted of the underlying crime.

“AB 455 does not single out or label people with mental health illnesses, said Assemblywoman Quirk-Silva.” Many people su er from mental illness, and do

2

not act out violently or commit crimes. This legislation is a common sense public safety measure that would only a ect individuals who have been charged with criminal o enses

California has long imposed gun restrictions on individuals convicted of felonies and certain misdemeanor crimes. Firearm restrictions also apply in some circumstances to individuals who su er from mental illness. Mental health diversion became e ective in , with the express purpose of diverting more individuals with mental disorders into appropriate programs while protecting public safety.

ounties have seen a significant in-

crease in criminal defendants who su er from mental illness diverted under this statute. However, once a defendant has successfully completed their diversion program and their criminal case is dismissed, no post-conviction gun restriction applies.

“Anything we can do to reduce the amount of guns on our streets is a step toward making our communities safer,” said Assemblymember Papan. “This legislation simply integrates California’s e isting mental health firearm restrictions with Mental Health Diversion programs, underscoring California’s commitment to public safety.”

“I am pleased to co-sponsor and sup-

port AB 455, Assembly Members Sharon Quirk-Silva and Diane Papan’s bill that will close a loophole that allows criminals who also su er from a mental illness to possess a gun after no more than two years of treatment,” said San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen M. agsta e

The bill will prohibit criminals who choose mental health diversion from possessing a gun to the same extent as if they were convicted of the underlying crime. The change to the law preserves diversion for criminal defendants who su er from mental illness while also protecting the public.”

CHP officers awarded Medal of Valor

Public afety fficer edal of alor the highest state award for valor presented to a public safety officer

“The heroes we are honoring today are men who showed extraordinary compassion, bravery, and sacrifice, said overnor ewsom fficers Ayers and eckam are examples of the California spirit, our dedication to each other, and to doing the right thing. I am proud to recognize their heroic e orts and work

SAN LUIS OBISPO - Governor Gavin Newsom recognized California ighway Patrol officers yan Ayers and Kenneth Weckman for their actions that went above and beyond the call of duty by awarding them with the Governor’s

n August , , fficer yan Ayers was o duty driving on in San Luis Obispo, California, when he observed a crash involving a semi-truck which ran o the road fficer Ayers climbed down the hillside to access the cab of the truck and found the driver unconscious As the vehicle began to fill with smoke, fficer Ayers, without regard for his own safety, cleared debris to access the driver fficer Ayers was able to safely remove the driver seconds prior to

the vehicle becoming fully engulfed in flames

n ecember , , fficer enneth eckman was dispatched to a vehicle blocking the roadway in Marysville, California. As fficer eckman investigated the abandoned vehicle, he found a woman in crisis in a canal, attempting to smother a small child in the dirt and water fficer eckman immediately attempted to rescue the child from the woman, as she violently resisted. After a struggle, fficer eckman was able to save the child from the muddy waters. ith the assistance of other officers who arrived on scene, the woman was safely taken into custody.

fficer Ayers’ and fficer eck-

man’s heroic actions undoubtedly saved the lives of these individuals” said Acting Commissioner Sean Duryee. “Their bravery, character, professionalism, and willingness to serve with such extraordinary valor exemplify their commitment to the communities they serve.”

CDPH launches youth cannabis prevention initiative

SACRAMENTO – Mind Over Mari-

juana is the California Department of Public Health’s (CDPH) new educational campaign to inform youth about the dangers of underage cannabis use, and how it can impact their social and emotional wellbeing later in life.

The campaign, which launches this week with messages on social media platforms, also engages parents by providing facts about the detrimental e ects of cannabis use on developing brains and resources for talking to young people about cannabis use.

“We’ve all struggled as the pandemic took away many of our social outlets,” said CDPH Director and State Public ealth fficer r Tom s Arag n This was especially hard on teens, so our ultimate goal with this campaign is to help California adolescents develop healthy ways to cope with life’s stressors without turning to underage cannabis use. The Youth Cannabis Prevention Initiative and the new Mind Over Marijuana campaign

aim to prevent underage cannabis use and promote mental wellness.”

TA T AT

The campaign is part of an annual million Youth Cannabis Prevention Initiative which is designed to educate teens and their parents and guardians, about the e ects of cannabis use during this important developmental period. The effort is mandated by Proposition which legalized the recreational sale and use of cannabis to people over the age of and set up the annabis Ta und to fund youth education, prevention, early intervention, treatment, and school retention in California.

The Mind Over Marijuana campaign was created based on research and feedback from young people and parents participating in focus groups across the state. The campaign addresses the e ects of underage cannabis use on two key pillars of mental health: social and emotional wellbeing. Starting this month, Mind Over Marijuana messages will launch on social

media, radio, television, and outdoor advertising, such as billboards and at bus stops.

Materials for both campaigns will be available in English and Spanish. For more information on the Youth Cannabis Prevention Initiative, visit the Youth Cannabis Prevention Initiative.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

To help parents start conversations with their children, the Let’s Talk Cannabis component will provide tips, tools and guidelines to help parents and guardians talk with their children about cannabis use. Let’s Talk Cannabis will include virtual and in-person events, and educational toolkits with helpful materials like conversation guides and fact sheets.

A recent California Healthy Kids Survey shows percent of th graders currently use cannabis – it’s more prevalent than both binge drinking and smoking tobacco According to a ubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration report, about -in- adoles-

cents ages to have used cannabis within the past year.

These campaigns align with California’s Master Plan for Kids’ Mental Health, a comprehensive approach to ensure all California kids, parents, and communities have increased access to mental health and substance use services.

Biden orders ‘any and all’ assistance for quake-hit Türkiye

ANKARA – United States President Joe Biden ordered his team on Monday to provide Türkiye “any and all needed assistance” and to closely monitor the situation in the country hit by strong earthquakes.

“I am deeply saddened by the loss of life and devastation caused by the earthquake in Türkiye and Syria,” Biden said on Twitter.

“I have directed my team to continue to closely monitor the situation in coordination with Türkiye and pro-

vide any and all needed assistance,” he added.

At least 1,121 people were killed and 7,634 injured across 10 provinces after strong earthquakes jolted southern Türkiye on Monday, the country’s disaster agency said.

Early Monday morning, a 7.7 magnitude quake centered in the Pazarcik district jolted Kahramanmaras province and heavily a ected several other provinces, including Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Adana, Adiyaman, Malatya, Osmaniye, Hatay and Kilis.

It was followed by a 7.6 magnitude earthquake at 13:24 p.m. (1024GMT) that was also centered in Kahramanmaras, in the district of Elbistan.

Yunus Sezer, head of the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), said a total of 105 aftershocks occurred and 2,824 buildings collapsed since the initial tremor.

US shoots down Chinese ‘spy’ balloon

On Wednesday, President Biden gave his authorization to take down the surveillance balloon as soon as the mission could be accomplished without undue risk to American lives under the balloon’s path, the statement further said.

“Today’s deliberate and lawful action demonstrates that President Biden and his national security team will always put the safety and security of the American people first while responding e ectively to the P ’s unacceptable violation of our sovereignty.”

Biden said his administration “will take care” of the balloon.

The sighting had stirred diplomatic tension, with Washington saying China violated its sovereignty while Beijing regressed the “unintended entry” by a “civilian airship used for research.”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken had postponed his planned trip to China following the “irresponsible act.”

ANKARA –The US shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon on Saturday which had been spotted above airspace o the coast of outh arolina for several days already.

An operation is underway to recover debris from the balloon in the Atlantic Ocean.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the decision was made at the direction of US President Biden. fighter aircraft assigned to orthern Command successfully brought down the high altitude surveillance balloon launched by and belonging to the People’s Republic of China (PRC),” he said in a statement.

“The balloon, which was being used by the PRC in an attempt to surveil strategic sites in the continental United States, was brought down above U.S. territorial waters.”

The United Nations, for its part, has also expressed concern over the tension between the countries over “spy ballon”. (Anadolu)

The United States government shoots down a suspected Chinese spy alloon that had een spo�ed a ove US airspace o the coast of South Carolina.

Upside...

(From Page 11)

with fear and disbelief. The impact of these traumatic events is significant

icolas named ways to support a ected farm worker communities he listed nonprofits A A Ayudando atinos A o ar or elping atinos to ream https www alasdreams com or - - , a atino-centered multiservice organi ation and oastside ope admin coastsidehope org or - - , provider of safety-net programs for families on the coast. Both are accepting donations.

he gave tips for a safe and healing environment from itike, an outpatient counseling center based in outh an rancisco, and provided the schedule of related community gatherings and personally attended the an nterfaith ommunity memorial, procession and fellowship in alf oon Bay

an ateo ounty uman ervices Agency is leading care and shelter e orts for the a ected farm workers, A Assistant irector ei Africa told author at press time

eanwhile the ity ouncil of olma held a moment of silence for the victims at their an meeting, according to ayor oanne del Rosario.

A T A A

The alf oon Bay killings occurred two days after a -year-old emet resident opened fire at a dance studio on unar ew ear’s ve in onterey Park, a predominantly hinese enclave in outhern alifornia The gunman’s motive remains unclear Police say he shot himself as they closed in.

ilipino American alentino alero, , described by his family as the life of the party, was among the who died in the tragedy ur prayers go out to the families of the victims and we mourn with them, the Philippine onsulate eneral in os Angeles said in a statement posted on its website. “The statement also called for the “community to exercise all caution and continue being vigilant at all times

Always monitor your loved ones’ and family members’ whereabouts mmediately report any suspicious activities to local enforcement and watch out for each other, the statement echoed recurring advice since the surge in anti-AAP hate crimes Adapted from original reprinted with permission from T ***

PNews Today Executive Editor Cherie M. Querol Moreno is a correspondent for Inquirer.net.

(From Page 13)

Offlinefor Bongbong arcos

n particular, why are they not supporting Toni on aga er talk show has ust been a ed, her last movie was a flop, and her recent birthday concert did not draw a large paying crowd, as there is strong indication that a huge chunk of the crowd who attended were present because they received free tickets

Politically, there are two illars in the enate, a mother and son team no less They are both in the arcos camp, as are the other relatives occupying lesser government posts.

o could there be a curse cast on anny illar and family doubt it, as don’t believe in the efficacy of curses But do believe in the universal law of karma, of cause and e ect

There have been a lot of loose talk and loud whispers about some of the practices of the illar group, especially the source of the family’s vast wealth ne of these days, may do some research to verify the veracity of those talks

ne silly oke on why anny illar changed the name of his flagship companies to A is that it really means Akin ahat upa

k, ok never said anything about it being a funny oke o give a guy a break, why don’tcha

ncidentally, the other businesses in the building are a handful of call centers, which unsurprisingly have plenty of employees They have little choice but to buy their needs at either the supermarket or the two convenience stores in the building, which is also part of the illar group

The name of the building is orldwide orporate enter and is found along haw Boulevard near the corner of A in andaluyong ity As far as can tell, only the small food court seems to be profitable among the consumer shops there

Also, believe my employer of sorts consultants aren’t really considered employees is generating sufficient income to last t does not matter if A T continues to buy one of our top news shows or not. We will survive.

But honestly cannot say if the illar group will still be around a decade from now. Not the way so many of their businesses are barely getting by or even floundering y unsolicited advice They should stick to what they do best, which is to build houses, condos and malls

As I See It

tended roup, Best in niform, Best in loat, and the selection of ueen and ing of the Alumni popularity contest Aiding the president and the rest of the officers in the planning stage is ounding Alumni President Atty ario Bravo, also a member of Batch’

The rand eunion was graced by on amon uico, r , epresentative, th istrict, Pangasinan on Provincial overnor amon uico on ark onaldo ambino, Provincial ice overnor on hinky Pere , Provincial Board ember, th istrict of Pangasinan ity ice- ayor immy Parayno atima Boado, , chool ivision uperintendent omel illones, chool Principal , and rancisco orante ’ , Alumni President ayor Parayno said in his message to the alumni t is with great pleasure to greet you, the rdaneta ational igh chool Alumni Association, nc as you celebrate your Alumni ome oming our theme Ad usting to the ew ormal einventing with eskilling and pskilling and Being a esilient at ork till the ight Breaks orth’ is an e pression of commitment and determination to withstand any adversity, it drives every alumna to take part in nation re-building and in the service of the others thru the activities initiated by Altogether, hold on to hope that the sun is still shining behind the clouds ocus on the things that matter to yourselves and to others

ooking forward to the ne t year’s grand alumni reunion

(ELPIDIO R. ESTIOKO was a veteran journalist in the Philippines and a multi-awarded journalist here in the US. For feedbacks, comments… please email the author at estiokoelpidio@gmail.com.)

Breaking Through

(From Page 13)

ur overnor erry ingson, apo havit’s younger brother

Jerry is upbeat in attending to his constituents especially that it’s his initial term as overnor is office never runs out of callers and visitors each with concerns carrying along e has the habit of bringing the government out to the people as he visits localities regularly is agenda includes the igan airport’s upgrading to make it viable for domestic and international flights

The Outsider

on une ,

(From Page 12)

The rehabilitation of the Tullahan River which was completed in months and the ongoing Pasig iver pro ect are ust two initiatives of led by A that demonstrate the entity’s love for the country.

ike and A, we too can show our love for our country by becoming good stewards of the country’s resources

Diliman Way

(From Page 12)

a BB vision and BB as Presidents shared a lot of television coverage

o in intelligence deserves a and BB a n this level, BB is really a baby in comparison to his father, thus he deserves to be called BB And on vision - since had written a book defining a ew ociety, the basics of which he tried hard to implement, he deserves a But in the case of P BB since have not read or heard anything of any vision of his for the country to better the lives of our people, he should get a BB should thank me for being generous

The average of on intelligence and vision is and that of P BB is That is a lot of big leap for BB if he has to catch up with the record of , his father

n being knowledgeable hen you listened to , you could readily tell he knew the problems of the country, the priority in solving them, targeting the doable and doing the best he could to get a abinet that was possibly the best and the brightest among the traditional e perts in their chosen field at that time especially in politics and romancing with international leaders and attractive women. ith P BB , after listening and watching him in the seven months he has been President, one thing is obvious he has no clear knowledge of the country’s problems, the priority in solving them, on aiming and acting on what is doable like conscripting the best and the brightest for his abinet

being ecretary of Agriculture That he is incompetent as ecretary and he has proved more that he is an incompetent President ith , he had possibly the best abinet and best performance in the history of the Philippine presidency, thus his grade on knowledgeable is , that of BB is As they say in law, res ipsa lo uitor the thing speaks for itself ne need not say anything more The ball is in the court of BB and his admirers and fanatics, if any Postscript ou can now render your tentative udgment or vote on the alceda defense of P BB continuing foreign travels our final udgment or vote should come after am finished with my detailed analysis and diagnosis which are coming in my succeeding articles on this sub ect

Health & Wealth

(From Page 12)

aster in eading at A T , earcy, Arkansas, A ongratulations to Art abot adlainhg for writing -

T T P very ispanic couple and family must order a copy, read it, discover and follow the secrets for good health and longevity, said A B T , vangelist,PA T , an rancisco Bay Area, alifornia A am delighted to recommend this latest book of Art adlaing, founder of T A T aka T

T , This is the best and lasting gift you can give t your children and grandchildren, wrote A , hildren’s Bible lass Teacher, AT T, an rancisco, alifornia A

T T P , a new best seller, is the best and lasting gift for hristmas, graduation and other occasions highly recommend this timeless book to everybody especially to our students and hinese friends, echoed A , Academic ean hinese anguage Professor, A A T A -

T , Bugallon, Pangasinan, Philippines

ith the heartwarming T A ard and message of ucy, am o ering autographed copies of T T P at a discounted price and shipping and handling regular value together with autographed copy of my original book

T T regular value including shipping and handling to our readers, old and new clients and the general public T’ B T B T P

This pecial er is good only in the nited tates until August , to commemorate my th Birthday

or your autographed copies of T T P and original T T , ust send in check or money order to A T A A , adrid treet, an rancisco, A Tel - or - or email artmadlaing@hotmail.com

(ART GABOT MADLAING is accredited and commissioned Notary Public and licensed Real Estate Broker (DRE#00535976) in California since 1981. He is founder of MOBILE SIGNING SERVICES, FITNESS FOR HUMANITY (aka FITNESS FOR CHRIST) and ACAPINOY. Art is active Evangelist with the GOLDEN GATE CHURCH OF CHRIST in San Francisco, California USA.)

(From Page 12)

chairman of the rdaneta Town iesta arathon from to and as chairman of the Board, rdaneta ater istrict where he was awarded by former president of the Republic of the Philippines President loria Arroyo as an outstanding board of director of the ater istrict

The merald et-Together eunion of Batch ’ was emceed by former Batch ’ president Arsenio ulay with President inda Tomines at the helm n addition to emceeing, he entertained the members with his singing and adlibs.

This early, Batch ’ is now planning their participation during their iamond ubilee in hoping for a grand slam ost At-

et me cite a few e amples e heads the epartment of Agriculture hat the hell is he trying to do Any member of the abinet is his alter ego - so why is he trying to demote himself to be his own alter ego hat’s wrong with his ego is it wounded that he has to show that by being a ecretary of Agriculture t is absolutely a wrong decision hy rom what he has being doing in the seven months he has been ecretary of Agriculture, he shows he knows nothing of agriculture - the farmers are groaning and complaining about what’s going on in the agricultural sector of the country, he could not control the price of rice and other agricultural commodities like onions with its price skyrocketing to stratospheric levels, he does not know how to address the problems of our fishermen in the est Philippine ea, and the labor sector is complaining about the intended importation of hundreds of metric tons of sugar. hat has BB proven by

California bares $400+ M in grants for health care workforce, infrastructure

By Claire Morales True

SACRAMENTO – Good news to Californians needing health care.

The administration of Governor Gavin Newsom has unveiled more than $400 million in grants to build upon and expand the state’s nation-leading health care workforce and infrastructure.

The amount iss part of the state’s over $1 billion in health care workforce investments to strengthen and expand the state’s health and human services workforce contained in the recent budget, Newsom said.

“California is committed to ensuring people have the services they need and supporting the next generation of health care workers” said Governor Newsom in a statement sent to Philippine News Today.

“These crucial investments in our health care

workforce and infrastructure build upon that commitment by strengthening our community partners, health care infrastructure, and continuing our work to bring the state’s health care system into the 21st century,” Newsom said.

The governor said the funding is essential as California works to address the behavioral health, mental health, and general health care needs of Californians.

Details of the grants follows:

Department of Health Care Services: $119 Million to 98 organizations to help local organizations build capacity and infrastructure in Medi-Cal’s delivery system (CalAIM).

Department of Aging: $89 Million to 78 organizations to further the state’s commitment to growing a resilient caregiver workforce.

Health Care Access and Information: $61 Mil-

Heart of Hope

lion through 2,230 awards across 53 counties to support behavioral health students and professionals in advanced practice, nursing, behavioral health, and allied health professions.

Health Care Access and Information: $59.4 Million to 23 schools to support social work education.

Health Care Access and Information: $49.6 Million to 54 organizations to support 17 new and expanded programs and create 87 new residency positions across California.

Department of Developmental Services: $22 Million to 75 community-based organizations and regional centers to improve equity, diversity, and service access to all Californians with developmental disabilities.

Department of Health Care Services: $18 Million available to help students ages 18 and older gain practical on-the-job experience in behavioral health careers.

Vital med data OSA hazardous

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) “recommends the use of home sleep apnea testing or polysomnography for adults with daytime sleepiness or unrefreshing sleep, or other signs and symptoms that raise suspicion of moderate to severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).”

OSA is a condition where a person involuntarily holds his breath for a prolonged period of time (a dozen or hundred times) while asleep, resulting in low blood oxygen level, depriving vital organs essential oxygen. OSA increases the risk for heart attack, stroke, Alzheimer’s, and even cancer. About 80 percent of these individuals do not even know they have OSA.

The incidence of OSA around the world is about 936 million, 22 in the United States, and about 4 million in the Philippines. In the USA there is about 27 percent among men and about 16 percent among women. Obesity is a factor. Undiagnosed OSA is dangerous to health.

Whether snoring or not, if you usually have unrestful sleep, tired when you wake up and feeling “blah” or fatigued by early to mid-afternoon, consult with your physician, who would evaluate you and possibly refer you to a Pulmonologist-Sleep expert for a sleep study or home sleep apnea (self) testing.

Lessons from COVID

The COVID-19 pandemic is far from over. As of February 4th, the average daily infection rate was 40,680, average daily death rate of 458 (a day!), average hospitalization rate, 30,815, and 10 percent positivity testing rate, according to the New York Times Tracker.

The current dominant subvariant, responsible for most COVID-19 infections is XBB.1.5, causing 66 percent of the cases, followed by the BQ.1.1, 20 percent. The original omicron variant is gone, leaving its subvariants: XBB.1., BQ.1., and BQ.1

With the arrogant posture and carelessness of a number of politicians and some people, inspiring society to lower its guard, COVID-19 will linger with us for an unforeseen future.

As long as we, as a nation and as a people, refuse to adhere strictly to science and the principles epidemiology in dealing with infectious diseases, like COVID-19, and willing to temporarily give us some civil liberties, like the right to choose, in order to save lives, we will never be ready and prepared for any future epidemic or pandemic.

We have more than a million lives lost to COVID-19 in the United States. If the government and our people continue to do the same in the next killer infectious disease we may encounter, and not learn from our COVID-19 experience, more millions will die, and the US economy may not survive (to recover) next time around.

Lower COVID mortality

Recent studies have shown that those in health care (physicians, nurses, techs, aides, etc.) have a significantly lower infection rate, hospitali ation, and deaths, compared to the general population.

“Obviously, some of this is due to higher income, access to care, and other socioeconomic factors, but it’s also likely much of this protection came from workplace policies, such as use of personal protective equipment, vaccination requirements, infection prevention protocols, and other protective measures.” reported Mathew Kiang, ScD, MPH, of Stanford University School of Medicine in California, and colleagues, in MedPageToday.

Indeed, personal hygiene, masking distancing, and especially vaccination, are e ective in preventing infections and deaths, even with the current XBB.1 and XBB.1.5 subvariants.

Life is precious, and we’ve got only one. Let’s not play Russian Roulette with it.

Dangerously unprepared

All countries are “dangerously unprepared for future pandemics,” according to a report in Geneva (Reuters) by the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) published on Monday, “calling on countries to update their preparedness plans by year-end.” The COVID pandemic has so far killed more people than any earthquake, drought or hurricane in history, says the IFRC in it World Disaster Report 2022.

In the United States, the main problem is the conflict between strict implementation of the evidence-

based long-proven epidemiologic protocol in fighting infectious disease and the constitutional rights of the people, who are invoking the freedom to choose (not to use mask, not to social distance, not to get the vaccines) and co-mingle with the rest of the population, many with subclinical COVID-19 or viral carriers, spreading the viruses to others.

Strictly speaking, to prevent transmission and save lives, the medical protocol calls for separation of those who have been vaccinated, those wearing masks and doing social distancing, those who are not carriers or infected FROM those refusing the above mitigation measures and demanding to have the freedom to choose what “to do with my own body,” as guaranteed by the First Amendment. Since the physical (geographical) separation of these two groups are not realistic, practical, nor feasible, the only option is federal mandates for these mitigating measures, especially vaccination. Those who refuse should stay home and not mingle with the rest of society until the pandemic is contained. This is an epidemiologic protocol to follow if we are to prevent the death of a million or more people. We must be understanding and compassionate enough to agree to temporarily waive our civil rights and follow the mandates to help save lives.

Of course, I am talking strictly medical and scientific here no politics , highlighting the same principles and practices in Infection Wards in all medical centers around the world, strict isolation. Unless we are willing to do this constitutional sacrifice and implement strict epidemiologic protocol, our e orts in our war against any infectious disease in the future will certainly fail (as we did with COVID-19) to prevent a million deaths or greater. Doing the same and expecting a better result is certainly being foolish, if not stupid, to say the least.

Philip Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, Nevada, is an international medical lecturer/author, Health Advocate, newspaper columnist, and Chairman of the Filipino United Network-USA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian foundation in the United States. He was a decorated recipient of the Indiana Sagamore of the Wabash Award in 1995. Other Sagamore past awardees include President Harry Truman, President George HW Bush, Muhammad Ali, Astronaut Gus Grissom (Wikipedia). Websites: FUN8888.com, Today.SPSAtoday.com,

PHILIP S. CHUA

INSPIRATIONAL ARTICLE FOR THE WEEK

THE PRICE OF BOREDOM

By TIM PEDROSA

Boredom is the price one pay for not enjoying everything. Boredom is that awful state of inaction when activity which could solve it, is ignored. Boredom is just the reverse side of fascination: both depends on being outside rather than inside a situation, and one leads to the other. It is a symptom of a conditioned and closed mind. We need to open our minds, break-free from our conditioned routine, and reignite the fl ames of e citement and discovery There’s no e cuse to be bored ad, yes Angry, yes epressed, yes ra y, yes But there’s no e cuse for boredom iggo ortensen

When we hold back out of laziness, that is when we avoid ourselves from knots of boredom e fi nd boredom where there is the absence of a good idea, nor initiatives to e plore e learn that he who seeks rest fi nds boredom that he who seeks work fi nds rest Boredom speaks the language of time, it teaches us the most valuable lesson of our lives, the lesson of our utter insignifi cance if we don’t do something about it n order to live free and happily, we must sacrifi ce boredom and it is not always an easy sacrifi ce have learned, however, that boredom or discontent is useful to me when I acknowledge it and see clearly my alternatives, that there is something else I would rather be doing. It is this way that boredom could act as an invitation to freedom and happiness by opening us to new options and thoughts. It is precisely in those moments when we do not know what to do, that boredom could drive us to try a host of possibilities to either get somewhere or not get anywhere. It had been because of boredom that induced me to learn many things beyond my professions, like: making webpages, desktop publishing (newsletters), Photography, Photoshop and many others which have made my life more challenging, stimulating and e cit ing ur age has become so mechanical that this has also a ected our daily living and our recreation. We are getting used to sitting down and watching a movie, a ball game, a television set, spending more and more time with computers. It may be good once in a while, but it is certainly not good if we over do them. Our own faculties, our imagination, our memory, the ability to do things with our mind and our hands, they need to be e ercised f we become too passive, we get dissatisfi ed have also learned that humor can make a serious di erence, in the workplace, at home, in all areas of our lives. It is necessary to look for a reason to laugh A sense of humor helps us to get through the dull times, cope with the diffi cult times, enjoy the good times and manage the scary times. Boredom deserves such a serious scrutiny because it represents pure, undiluted time in all its repetitive redundancy. It is the root of all evil, no wonder, then, that the world goes backwards and that evil spreads.

Blame Game and God

In enesis - , Adam blamed ve when God asked him why was he hiding then, ve blamed the serpent when she was asked what she has done. This blame game is our usual recourse when we are guilty or when something wrong happens in our lives eldom we easily and directly assume responsibility, or accept and bear patiently the bad things that happen to us ost often, we blame others for our bad moments, and worse we direct our blame on God.

committed this sin ou should have done something so that ’d be away from doing it.” Or “well, there is no God, because if there is God there should not be bad things and su ering r my loved one should have not died, why would God willed she dies, so I cannot believe He is a good od, and do not even believe in im anymore And there are many of these similar statements hurled at God. If we cannot blame another person, we blame God. In your life, dear reader, has there been a time you were so angry, and you directed it to God? What was the cause of your anger? What was the reason why you blame God?

The awesome truth, however, must be proclaimed that, although we are angry or even abandon God, He still remains a loving, merciful, and good God. He understands our passion of anger, but it is our lose if we leave His side. It is our loss if we allow ourselves to be driven by our anger as to no longer be controlled by right reason and turn ourselves against im n Psalm , it says The fool says in his heart, there is no god ’ e cannot fall into the fool’s mindset To put od into our view of the world and our way of administering our lives, we will be like a fool for od is over and above our ways and e is not to be treated as if among the elements of the world and things around us. God is infinitely outside of all our elements, e is Totally ther, yet e cares and loves for us unconditionally.

We can blame God for many things, but we must correct that attitude urtful things do occur in our lives, and we su er The very pain and su ering precisely must be our reason all the more to hold on to Him, believe and trust in Him. We cannot understand many things in life yet, only because we cannot understand, can we say that od is to be blamed or that e does not e ist as a good od This could be indicative of either lack or immature faith or the fact of having no faith at all As faith is a gift by od, but it must also become a decision, a consent, on our part to believe and trust in im o, if we are easily swept away from God by our emotions or passions, or mentality, this could be that we have not made a personal fundamental choice yet to believe believe or persons of faith are never rattled when troubles come they all the more call on od not rather cry out to cast im out of their lives aith grounds and anchors the person to od, so that even if storms and floods of life come, they stand firm on their faith and love of od oreover, a person of faith would even e pect some troubles and trials to come, for this means God wants to purify him, or He wants him to grow stronger in his virtues and good qualities for such challenging times are like fertilizers to them like the plants.

Pain and su ering may cause us to blame od only because we cannot blame ourselves This is unfortunate, but the very moment we are angry at God to the point of even rejecting Him is the moment that we actually are in need of od The moment we say, there is no od is actually the moment we proclaim that there is od or the fact that when we have pain and su ering is the fact that we perceive a privation or something that must be there which is not there hence, the very pain and su ering instead of becoming reason for disbelieve in od it is actually the moment to find im, the moment we are called to a deeper faith in Him. Blaming works only amongst us humans, but cannot really be applicable to God. If you and I tend to lament, complain, or blame God for many things whatsoever, it is high time to scrutinize our position toward im do really have faith e cannot fall into blame game not even amongst ourselves for each of us must be responsible o one of course is blameless, because we do commit mistakes and hurt each other however, fraternal correction is the better option for our thriving, humanly and spiritually speaking, rather than the option of blame game. Amen

REV. JOSE PELAGIO A. PADIT, SThD

Afl ame The Heart

Recipe of the Week

Batchoy Tagalog

Batchoy Tagalog is not similar to the La Paz batchoy of Iloilo. The Tagalog version is more similar to tinola in cooking method. Batchoy Tagalog is a soup dish made up pork loin and pork innards like kidney, spleen, liver and heart sautéed in ginger, garlic and onion. Pork blood is also added to the dish. Misua noodle is used instead of miki noodle The pork blood is added in li uefied form which result a murky black soup dish that is un appealing to those who are not familiar with this delicious dish.

Ingredients:

1 kilo lomo, pork loin, sliced

1/2 k. pork innards, kidney, spleen, liver (optional)

1 bowl coagulated pork blood, boiled, cut into cubes

1 small packet misua noodles

2 thumb size ginger, cut into strips

2 large size sayote, sliced

1/2 head garlic, chopped

1 medium size onion, chopped

1/2 tsp. peppercorns crushed

1 bundle dahon ng sili, chili leaves cup patis, fish sauce siling haba

salt

cooking oil

Cooking procedure:

In a casserole sauté garlic, onion and ginger. Add pork (including pork innards if using) and patis, cook for 2-3 minutes or until meat change color. Add in 8-12 cups of water and peppercorns, bring to boil, simmer for 5-10 minutes. Then add in pork blood and sayote simmer for another 3-5 minutes until sayote are just cooked but firm Add more salt if re uired ow add in the misua noodles cook for anotherminutes, add in siling haba and chili leaves and cook for another minute. Serve hot.

Sagada opens ‘sacred’, historic cave to lure more tourists

SAGADA, Mountain Province – Tourists who have been to this town have more reasons to return with the opening of new attractions including the Balangagan burial cave that features crystal-white rock formations.

This as Robert Pangod, former tourism officer of this town who is now a volunteer tour guide, urged tourists to visit Balangagan and not just the Sumaguing and Lumiang caves to have a complete experience of Sagada, PNA’s Liza Agoot reported.

Pangod said due to the presence of coffins, the cave is considered “sacred” as well as historic, having served as an evacuation site for the locals during World War II, which kept them out of the eyes of the Japanese invaders in the Cordillera region, the report added.

“Ang Balangagan parang circular itsura niya, bale may tatlong level, pinaka mataas ang burial chamber, dito mo makikita ang mga rock formation na puros mga white na limestone. Dito din ang mga chandelier type (Balangagan cave is circular in appearance with three levels the topmost of which is the burial chamber where you can see white limestone rock formations. Chandelier type of rock formations can also be found here),” he said.

Pangod said the second level of the cave has rock formations in gray and black.

Balangagan cave, which was opened to locals in 2014 and formally opened for tourism purposes in the last quarter of 2022, has a distinct character that also provides a cultural attachment for tourists.

Upon entering, visible are several traditional coffins laid on the side, the big burial jar on top of one of the ledges, and the small burial jar for children on another ledge.

oing in, visitors can find chandelier types of stalactites on the ceiling and walls. A crystal-white stalactite almost meeting a stalagmite is also among the first views n the flooring are several rock formations also in crystal-white colors.

To see the three levels of the cave, at least 2.5 to three hours have to be spared for exploring and listening to the stories and briefings from the tour guide

“Several other rock formations are inside which cannot be seen in Sumaguing,” Pangod said. “The best place to visit for a cultural attachment is Balangagan where you can see not ust the coffins of the ancestors but the olden practice of burying in jars.”

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Pangod said there used to be many jars when the cave was discovered and opened to the locals in 2014 but without anybody guarding it, some were destroyed, stolen or simply disintegrated over time.

“Makikita kanina, napaka puti yung

mga rock formation pero may mga talagang hindi rin alam ng mga turista pati ng ilang locals, bata na pumapasok na inaapak-apakan na lang ang rock formation kaya nagkakaroon ng mantsa (You saw awhile ago how white the rock formations are, but there are some tourists and locals who do not know, children enter and step on them, the reason there are stains),” he said.

He said local leaders of Sagada are appealing to tourists, tour guides, and residents to be responsible and not step on the rock formations on the floor or even touch them. Also, the “what you bring in, bring it out with you” rule should be observed, he added.

Pangod said a maximum of 100 persons including the 20 guides are allowed at a time inside Balangagan to prevent much disturbance in the cave.

He noted that Balangagan and the other sites in the southern zone were opened with the conformity of the community, and tour packages have been created with the people’s participation pertaining to social preparations and safety features.

More tourist sites, more accommodations

Mayor Felicito Dula, in a separate interview, said tourism is Sagada’s primary source of income and they are happy that the tourism industry of their town is well on its way to “normal” after the pandemic.

“So far the restaurants, souvenir shops, shuttle service, and accommodations can feel the di erence compared to the pandemic and we are thankful. We opened Sagada without the required entry protocols because we know that our stakeholders have prepared for the arrival of the tourists and we want to be in the itinerary of travelers and tourists,” Dula said.

From the previous 3,500-bed capacity, he said the town is now capable of accommodating up to 5,000 guests with the opening of additional facilities which the residents prepared amid the health crisis.

The average accommodation rates are from PHP350 to PHP500 per head per night, he noted.

“Discover Sagada, Discover yourself, come to Sagada, and experience the new attractions prepared by our people for everyone to enjoy,” Dula said.