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Cops after 9 other persons in Dacera ‘rape, homicide’ case By Joel E. Zurbano and Rey E. Requejo

‘MANY LOOSE ENDS.’ In this screen grab from CNN Philippines, lawyer Brick Reyes addresses the media with Sharon Dacera after her daughter Christine (left, in an Instagram photo) was found dead in a Makati Hotel on New Year's Day. Reyes said the family was considering filing charges against the hotel’s management and more people allegedly involved in the death of the 23-year-old flight attendant.

INFLATION RISES 3.5% IN DECEMBER BUSINESS / B4

POLICE are tracking down the nine persons of interest in the death of Philippine Airlines flight attendant Christine Angelica Dacera inside a hotel room in Makati City on New Year's Day. Philippine National Police chief Debold Sinas identified the nine as Gregorio Angelo de Guzman; Louie de Lima; Clark Jezreel Rapinan; Rey Englis; Mark Anthony Rosales; Jammyr Cunanan; Valentine Rosales; Ed Madrid; and a certain Paul. "All remain at-large and are now the subject of follow-up operations," Sinas said. Members of the Makati City police station already arrested the first three

UP TO LGUS TO BAN FIREWORKS—RODY NEWS / A3

NEW ABS-CBN BILL IN SOLONS' HANDS NEWS / A2

Sotto soft-pedals vaccine probe After Duterte warns Congress not to tinker with PSG illegal injection By Macon Ramos-Araneta, Willie Casas, Rey E. Requejo, Vito Barcelo, and Maricel V. Cruz

Black market of virus drugs in PH feared

ENATE President Vicente Sotto III said a hearing on the government’s COVID-19 vaccination program will push through next week, despite a warning from President Rodrigo Duterte to Congress not “to tinker” with the unauthorized inoculation of his bodyguards with an unregistered vaccine.

Sotto said the topic for next week’s hearing was the roadmap for the government’s COVID-19 vaccination program, not the controversy over the early vaccination of members of the Presidential Security Group (PSG). Sotto bristled when asked if the commander of the PSG would be called to the hearing, as suggested by Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon. “No, I am the chairman!” he said. Sotto said there was no change in the original intent of the scheduled Senate hearing and said the President was misinformed if he thought they would summon the PSG officers. "I’m the chairman of the Committee of the Whole as Senate President. The topic of my hearing is the roadmap for the P72.5 billion for vaccines. Who in heaven’s name told him I’m calling for the PSG? I think the President is being misled," Sotto said. Asked if there would be a separate inquiry into the PSG controversy, Sotto shot back: “Who will? What committee? Health? Ask Bong. Defense? Ask Ping,” referring to Senators Next page

Palace open to use saliva test locally By Vito Barcelo and Willie Casas THE government is willing to use the saliva-based test for coronavirus disease 2019 which was found to be 99 percent detection rate in the United States. Palace spokesman Harry Roque said the saliva test was much cheaper compared to transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test. Roque said it was President Rodrigo Duterte who suggested the use of saliva test after the government-run state insurer, PhilHealht owed the Philippine Red Cross more than P600 million. Next page

By Willie Casas, Maricel V. Cruz and Macon Ramos-Araneta

VOL. XXXIV • NO. 302 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2021 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

FEARS of widespread black-marketing of vaccines against COVID-19 have emerged after a Filipino-Chinese civic leader said almost 100,000 Chinese expatriate workers in the country have received the jab to protect against the coronavirus as early as November last year. Sen. Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday urged health authorities to investigate the unauthorized COVID-19 vaccination of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) workers in the country, most of them Chinese. Speaking to ANC, Hontiveros also prodded the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Department of Health (DOH) and Health Technology Assessment Council (HTAC) to ensure protocols for vaccine approval were followed. The senator likewise urged the DOH and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to recommend the inclusion of China in the list of countries banned from entering the country to prevent the transmission of the new COVID-19 variant first found in the United Kingdom.

MEETING 'BROTHER NUR.' President Rodrigo Duterte (right) speaks with Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) chairman Nur Misuari, the country's special envoy to Islamic countries, during a meeting at the Active Lifestyle Center in Matina, Davao City on Monday. In a televised briefing Tuesday, Duterte’s spokesman Harry Roque said he was not privy to the details of the meeting. PIA photo

FDA ’compassionate permit’ allows unregistered vax By Willie Casas and Macon Ramos-Araneta FOOD and Drug Administration (FDA) Director General Eric Domingo said the agency can issue a "compassionate special permits" to allow the vaccination of small groups of people involved in critical missions such as President Rodrigo Duterte's bodyguards, even without a registered vaccine. Domingo, also an undersecretary at the Department of Health (DOH)y, issued

the statement when President Rodrigo Duterte asked him Monday night if the FDA can issue an authority for the use of the vaccines for emergency purposes. “If it’s going to be a smaller group, like the Presidential Security Group (PSG) and of course, it’s their priority to protect you, then we can give a compassionate special permit, and a hospital can take care of it and a doctor can administer it safely,” Domingo said in a mix of English and Filipino. Domingo said the emergency use authorization (EUA) is an "authorization is-

sued for unregistered drugs and vaccines to be used in a public health emergency.” The evaluation process of the product may be facilitated by reliance and recognition principles, but stricter conditions on the use and monitoring following authorization will be imposed, he said. Public outrage grew last week over the early use of unauthorized vaccines against COVID-19 to vaccinate members of the PSG, ahead of the stated priorities of health care workers and the elderly. Next page

COVID-19 PH AT A GLANCE

(AS OF 4 PM JAN. 5)

479,693 TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES

937

21,997

9,321

448,375

114

NEW

DEATHS

RECOVERIES

ACTIVE

NEW

Rody orders BIR to revamp ranks By Vito Barcelo PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has ordered Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Caesar Dulay to revamp the bureau’s personnel after naming several BIR officers facing dismissal over their alleged involvement in irregularities. “I’d like to request Atty. Dulay (of the) BIR, to reshuffle his personnel. Give

me the list. And I will review if it would promote the service of these people to the country,” the President said. Duterte suggested that revenue officers who had gained a certain “reputation” should no longer be given any assignment and instead be assigned to the BIR commissioner’s office. However, other personnel allegedly involved in any anomaly could be relieved from their posts. Next page

Law on alternative learning to benefit children, youth By Maricel V. Cruz and Vito Barcelo

President Rodrigo Duterte’s signing into law of the Alternative Learning System (ALS) Act that institutionalizes ALS, a parallel learning system for non-formal TINGOG party-list Rep. Yedda Marie sources of knowledge and skills. Romualdez and House Majority Leader Rep. Yedda, chairperson of the House Martin Romualdez on Tuesday praised committee on welfare of children and

a principal author of the measure, said: “The enactment into law of the Alternative Learning System Act is a win for the millions of out-of-school children, youth, and adult learners, as well as Madrasah students, indigenous peoples, learners Next page

GRATEFUL TO RODY. House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez (right) and Tingog party-list Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez are all smiles after President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law the Alternative Learning System (ALS) Act. The lawmaking couple thanked the Chief Executive, as they championed the measure that institutionalizes the parallel learning system for non-formal sources of knowledge and skills in Congress.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2021

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

News

JICA disburses P4.7b to PH In a statement by the Japanese Embassy of a state of calamity across the entire island in Manila, JICA stressed that the disburse- of Luzon due to Typhoons Quinta, Rolly, ment followed the Philippines’ declaration and Ulysses, which caused widespread dev-

astation and damage to infrastructure and agriculture, and disrupted lives and economic activities. “As a friend and trusted partner of the Philippines, JICA stands by Filipinos whose lives were disrupted because of the recent natural disasters. Through the JICA postdisaster assistance, we hope that vulnerable sectors affected will find relief and support to recover their livelihood and income through the spirit of ‘bayanihan’ in these difficult times,” JICA Philippines chief representative Eigo Azukizawa said. JICA explained that the ¥10-billion disbursement forms part of the ¥50-billion loan extended to the Philippines on September 15,

2020 to ensure contingency funds are available for the country’s response to the financial demands of post-disaster recovery in case of natural disasters and public health threats. JICA said an earlier ¥10-billion was disbursed to the Philippines to support response and recovery efforts from the pandemic following the extension of the state of calamity throughout the Philippines due to COVID-19 under Proclamation No. 929 on September 16, 2020. Besides PDSL 2, JICA has supported the Philippines with a ¥50-billion COVID-19 Crisis Response Emergency Support Loan signed on July 1, 2020 and released on August 14.

barracks,” he said. The President issued the statement after Drilon said Durante should be summoned to a Senate inquiry on the government’s vaccination plan. Drilon on Tuesday said the President can invoke executive privilege to prevent Durante from appearing before Congress, but he had no power to stop Congress from performing its constitutionally mandated duty to investigate in aid of legislation the entry and use of illegal and unauthorized COVID-19 vaccines. “The President, in effect, is invoking executive privilege, which is a recognized power of the President,” Drilon said. “But to investigate in aid of legislation is also a valid exercise of legislative power. There is no preventing Congress from eliciting information in aid of legislation from other resource persons. Congress can exact information on matters that can help it craft better legislation.” “The Senate should continue with the hearing, especially in the light of the revelation that 100,000 POGO workers were inoculated in the country. That is illegal. In aid of legislation, the Senate must elicit information from other sources on how to strengthen the FDA and the Bureau of Customs to prevent similar episodes in the future,” he said. Congress’s power of inquiry is expressly recognized in Section 21 of Article VI of the Constitution which states that “the Senate or the House of Representatives or any of its respective committees may conduct inquiries in aid of legislation in accordance with its duly published rules of procedure. The rights

of persons appearing in or affected by such inquiries shall be respected.” Senator Francis Pangilinan said it would be up to the Senate whether or not to focus on the controversial vaccination of the PSG members. "What’s important to me is to ensure that the vaccine rollout should be orderly, fair, safe and effective and find out if the government is indeed prepared for it," he said. Senator Risa Hontiveros said it is the government’s responsibility to crack down on the COVID-19 vaccine black market. Since COVID-19 is the most real threat in this pandemic, she noted that an unsafe and unauthorized vaccine could make this pandemic worse than it already is. "Whoever is involved in this black market should be put behind bars,” she said. She added that Customs and the FDA should be on high alert for vaccine smuggling. It is the responsibility of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III to mobilize the agencies under him to guard against and put an end to the vaccine black market, she said. Despite the President’s warning to Congress, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said the National Bureau of Investigation would proceed with its probe of the reported unauthorized use of vaccines against COVID-19. “The NBI investigation will proceed as planned,” Guevarra said in a message to reporters. Guevarra pointed out that the mission of the NBI is “to investigate the alleged proliferation of unregistered anti-COVID 19 vaccines and their unauthorized administration in the so-called black mar-

ket.” “The agency has several sources of information other than the PSG,” Guevarra said. On Monday, Jan. 4, Guevarra issued Department Order No. 314 which instructed the NBI to conduct an investigation on the reported importation, sale, offering for sale, distribution, administration, and inoculation of COVID-19 vaccines that are not authorized by or registered with the FDA, and if warranted, to file the appropriate charges against the people involved. Malacañang said it is up to the NBI and the FDA to pursue their investigation into the PSG’s use of unauthorized vaccine shots against COVID-19. But the Armed Forces of the Philippines called off its investigation after Duterte prohibited the PSG personnel from divulging details about the vaccination before Congress. Roque said the investigation by the executive agencies may continue, saying, “We expect the PSG to appear and cooperate with the NBI or FDA.” A leader of the House of Representatives on Tuesday urged government investigative agencies to focus on those responsible for smuggling in the vaccines. Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, chairman of the House committee on dangerous drugs, said the smugglers of the vaccines, developed by a Chinese-state-owned pharmaceutical company, could also be the ones who reportedly “donated” the same drug to some 300 members of the PSG, who claimed to have inoculated themselves.

the National Bureau of Investigation won’t probe and determine the real circumstances behind the illegal importation of the vaccines, most likely there are people earning loads of cash by fooling our citizens and government in the middle of the pandemic,” Barbers added. However, vaccines used by government officials went through "official channels" and such vaccines were not from the black market nor fake, FilipinoChinese civic leader Teresita Ang-See said on Tuesday.

A Cabinet official had already been inoculated against the coronavirus aside from members of the Presidential Security Group, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año earlier said. Ang-See, however, said she doesn't know if the vaccines used on PSG members were also "official." "I do not know if the PSG vaccines are among those that are official. I said the vaccine used on government authorities went through official channels, it's approved, it's not fake, it's not from the black market,” she told ABS-CBN's Tel-

eradyo without elaborating. Ang-See said some 98,000 Chinese workers have been inoculated against the coronavirus even if the government has yet to approve the emergency use of a vaccine candidate. "Reports surfaced in October and November that there are vaccinations. That’s why I also alerted some doctors that I know at DOH it's scary that unscrupulous black marketeers inoculate people and if something happens it destroys our confidence in China vaccines especially,” AngSee said.

The victim's family called on the other persons of interest to turn themselves in and cooperate with the Makati City police to shed light on the case. "Echoing the sentiment of the family, for those who know anything, if you guys are truly the friends of Christine, please admit, turn yourselves in. So if you think you are not at fault, you can clean your reputation. You cannot escape this forever. The family deserves justice and peace," lawyer Jose Ledda III, the legal counsel of the Dacera family, told CNN Philippines. Makati Police commander Harold Depositar said some of the suspects told investigators that they are gay. Depositar said some of Dacera's companions saw what happened and allowed it to happen. "They could have stopped it. This is a classic example that an act of one is an act of all," he said. Veteran singer singer Claire de la Fuente appealed for sobriety to the mother of Christine Angelica Dacera, as well netizens, in the wake of the sensational homicide rape case involving her son, Gregorio Angelo de Guzman, and 10 other suspects.

FDA...

From the same Tugon ng Masa survey of the OCTA Group, majority (81 percent) of respondents said they approved of the national government’s COVID-19 response. “This significant approval of the national government’s COVID-19 response is shared across different socioeconomic classes in Metro Manila (ABC at 70 percent, D at 83 percent and E at 82 percent),” the OCTA Group said in a statement. The group noted that a minority of 6 percent of Metro Manila respondents were dissatisfied with the government response. Most of them are from the class ABC. Senator Panfilo Lacson, meanwhile, called on the government to begin vaccination as soon as possible. "We have to start the rollout of the vaccines soonest. It is embarrassing what is happening to us,” Lacson said in a mix of English and Filipino. "We have had several loans for the vaccine, why until now do we still not have the vaccine?" he added. He said it was high time the DOH and the FDA showed some urgency in obtaining vaccines. Lacson said it was shameful that the prospective entry of vaccines stemmed from the initiative of the private sector instead of the government. "Isn't it disgusting that the private sector is taking the lead to bring in vaccines? This should put the government to shame, especially considering that the Department of Finance has announced multimillion-peso loans for vaccines," he said..

By Rey E. Requejo

HE Japanese government through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on Tuesday disbursed another ¥10 billion, or roughly P4.7 billion, to the Philippines under its Post Disaster Standby Loan 2 (PDSL 2) intended to support families affected by the typhoons in November last year.

Sotto... From A1

Christopher Go and Panfilo Lacson, both allies of the President. On Monday night, Duterte warned Congress not “to tinker” with the PSG personnel over their early use of an unauthorized vaccine against COVID-19. “I would like to call on Congress— and this is not an appeal. I want to tell you straight: do not tinker with the PSG. I’m telling you as President it’s a matter of self-preservation,” he said in his taped speech. He said he was “not keen” on allowing PSG commander Brig. Jesus Durante III and other personnel to face Congress to explain how the vaccine doses were procured and who supplied them. “If they will be called to testify in Congress... I will just tell...to just shut up. Do not answer,” the President said. “Do not force my soldiers to testify against their will. And don’t cite them in contempt and detain them. I do not think it will be good for you and for me. It would not be healthy for everybody,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino. Duterte said if Congress decides to proceed with the inquiry, something “nasty” would transpire. He insisted that his close-in security detail had “good intentions” and he would not allow them to be “brutalized” in a congressional hearing. He also said he would order Durante not to obey any summons from Congress. “I am ordering you to stay put in the

Black... From A1

Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers also asked the government to prioritize and focus their investigation in identifying and prosecuting smugglers and their facilitator-cohorts from the Bureau of Customs of the unregistered China-made anti-COVID vaccines now being illegally sold in the Philippine drug market. “If the Department of Justice and

Cops... From A1

suspects in the case, namely John Pascual Dela Serna III, 27; Rommel Daluro Galido, 29; and John Paul Reyes Halili, 25. Police filed rape and homicide charges against the three. Sinas said the 11 persons of interest were friends and acquaintances of the 23-year-old Dacera, who joined them in celebrating the New Year at the City Garden Hotel in Barangay Poblacion, Makati, on the eve of Jan. 1. Dacera was found unconscious in the bathtub of the adjacent hotel room around noon the next day. Hotel medical staff tried to revive her but failed, and took her to the Makati Medical Center where attending physicians pronounced her dead on arrival due to a ruptured aortic aneurysm. Initial investigation showed that the victim had lacerations and sperm in her genitalia, while bruises, scratches and contusions were found on her arms and legs, indicating there was a use of force.

Palace... From A1

In his public address Monday night, Duterte said the saliva-based test would be a good alternative to the RT-PCR test with 99 percent accuracy rate. Processing time for saliva samples was only three hours compared to the swab tests that can take six to seven hours. The saliva test recommendation reached the Department of Health for approval as early as November. However, the government has yet to decide on the use of these tests. Roque expressed hope the cheaper COVID-19 test would also be used in the Philippines once it received approval from health authorities. “I hope it reaches the Philippines soon. And of course, we’re asking the FDA for speedy evaluation so we can get a cheaper COVID-19 test,” he said. Meanwhile, Duterte also cautioned

airport authorities from skipping health and safety protocols for travelers, warning that unauthorized travel would worsen the risk of contamination. “There are reports that some people are skipping, they can slip past with the help of airport personnel in ships. I say this now as I have said it before: Do not do it because you’ll be in trouble. he said. He threatened to dismiss them if they continued their dishonest practice. Saliva tests Senator Richard Gordon said the Philippine government was taking too long in studying for possible approval the use of saliva test for COVID-19 detection in the Philippines, "Health Technology Assessment Council did the evaluation...it was submitted October 17 and it was used in other countries. Over one million COVID testing has been done using that, at 99.9 percent accuracy," Gordon, chairman of the Philippine Red Cross, said in a statement.

From A1

Domingo earlier said a vaccine must be registered even if it is donated. “For us, even if the drugs and vaccines are donated, they must go through the Department of Health, and the Department of Health asks us for an import permit and it is registered with the FDA,” Domingo said. Meanwhile, researchers monitoring the pandemic said their study showed only 25 percent of Metro Manila residents are willing to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The remaining 75 percent of respondents are mostly undecided (47 percent) or unwilling to be vaccinated (28 percent). The non-commissioned scientific poll, which surveyed 600 people from Metro Manila aged 18 and above from Dec. 9 to 13, 2020, has a sampling error of ±4 percent. Among socio-economic classes, those in classes ABC were more willing to be vaccinated. Meanwhile, a third of those unwilling to be vaccinated were from class E. More than half of class ABC are also undecided or “can’t say” if they will have themselves vaccinated. The OCTA group, which has regularly released projections of COVID-19 case numbers, is composed of professors from the University of the Philippines, the University of Santo Tomas, and Providence College in the United States.

Rody... From A1

“I request all directors in all departments if you doubt some personnel of shenanigans and do not want to be dragged into this, the directors, I would ask you to relieve that employee (sic) or -freeze them if we cannot stop them,” he said. Duterte made the announcement in his public address Monday night in Davao City, where he read the names of several

BIR personnel who have been dismissed from the service. The President has named several government officials implicated in corruption allegations when he addressed the nation over state television. “I won’t say (sic)their offense because you already know them. You already know when it involves the BIR. It’s no longer needed,” he said. Earlier, Duterte ordered the justice department to probe corruption allegations in the entire government and prosecute those involved.

Palace: Solons hold prerogative on ABS-CBN By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz MALACANANG said Tuesday the fate of a fresh bill seeking to grant ABS-CBN Corp a new broadcast franchise was "a sole constitutional prerogative of Congress"—almost half a year after a House panel rejected the network's license application. Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Monday filed the bill that sought a 25year license for the country's erstwhile largest broadcaster, saying "TV stations have been replacing their news programs with animes." Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said his guess was that the bill "will pass only with Palace’s support." "I beg to differ," Duterte's spokesman Harry Roque said of Recto's comment. "That is a sole constitutional prerogative of Congress which must originate from the House of Representatives," he told reporters in an online briefing. Sotto had said "ABS-CBN's wide reach to Filipinos, alongside with the undeniable advantages of broadcast media relative to mass communication, definitely call for the immediate renewal of the network's franchise." But in the House, a party-list lawmaker said bills that had been filed on the renewal of franchise to operate of ABSCBN must be withdrawn first before a new one is filed and allow the reopening of its deliberations on the matter.

Lawmakers laud Philhealth rate increase pause By Maricel V. Cruz and Macon Ramos-Araneta Lawmakers led by Speaker Lord Allan Velasco on Tuesday lauded President Rodrigo Roa Duterte for suspending the increase in PhilHealth premium contributions amid the COVID-19 crisis. "The President has once again proved his sincere and genuine regard for the welfare of the Filipino people, especially in this time of pandemic," Velasco said in a statement. Velasco also expressed readiness for the House of Representatives "to review the Universal Health Care Act and its Implementing Rules and Regulations, particularly the provisions on incremental premium rate hike for direct PhilHealth contributors." "We urge PhilHealth and the Department of Health to work closely with the legislature to ensure that our citizens and hardworking Filipinos will not further be exposed to this unnecessary burden while still grappling with the pandemic," he added. Deputy Majority Leader and Quezon City Rep. Alfred Vargas, for his part, thanked President Duterte for backing calls from various sectors to defer the increase in member contributions to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation. “We wholeheartedly thank the President for his decision for the welfare of the Filipino people. With close to 11 million Filipinos losing their jobs during the pandemic and many others facing a precarious situation, an increase in contributions would be a heavy burden to bear,” Vargas, chair of the House Social Services Committee, said.

Law... From A1

with disabilities, and other marginalized sectors. “This law will strengthen the State support and mechanisms so our learners will be able to complete the appropriate and functional literacy, life skills and basic education they deserve. “The passage of this priority measure of Tingog party-list is a signal of hope for the future of our marginalized learners. “But more importantly, this is a signal that we have to work harder to ensure that our learners would directly benefit from this law and that the long-term goals of this measure will be realized.” Meanwhile, President Duterte has signed into law a measure that will establish a scholarship program for poor students aspiring to become doctors and three other measures. Malacañang said the President signed “Doktor Para sa Bayan Act” or Republic Act 11509. which grants scholarships to deserving students aspiring to become physicians. It seeks to encourage students to take up medicine and help improve the country’s doctor-patient ratio. Majority Leader Romualdez, who represents his Leyte congressional district, also a principal author, meanwhile, lauded the President for prioritizing the passage of this legislation.

News

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2021 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Fireworks-making to be limited By Vito Barcelo

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte says he will let local government officials limit or ban fireworks in greeting the New Year, but that he does not want to deprive firecracker manufacturers of their livelihood.

He made the statement in a late public address on Monday night in Davao city, saying he would only allow firecrackers if those were produced by the government. “It would be the mayor himself and

the chief of police who should do this. For those who want fireworks, we’ll only allow it if it’s done by the government, Duterte said. “As a compromise to firecracker manufacturers, I will hold off the im-

position of a complete national ban on firecracker use so as not to deprive firecracker manufacturers of their livelihood.” Duterte said the mayors, with the help of the police, should see to it that all safety protocols were in place to prevent accidents. He said he wanted the Filipinos to safely enjoy New Year celebrations and at the same time keep the livelihood of those engaged in fireworks and firecracker manufacturing. He urged firecracker manufacturers in Bocaue to make sure their products were sold only to law enforcement au-

thorities. Executive Order 28, issued by Duterte in 2017, has confined the use of firecrackers to community fireworks display areas to minimize injuries and casualties. On Monday, the Department of Health reported a total of 50 fireworksrelated injuries from Dec. 21, 2020, to Jan. 1, 2021, with no cases of firework ingestion and no deaths reported. Of the 50 injuries, 49 were fireworksrelated and one was due to a stray bullet. This figure is 85 percent lower than the 340 total cases reported last year.

NO CLOSER. Green rosaries hang from a barricade put up by the police as they guard the Church of the Black Nazarene and

enforce social distancing -- preventing devotees from approaching the shrine of the religious icon -- ahead of the miraculous icon’s feast day on January 9. Even replicas of the Black Nazarene are guarded with police tape during a Mass at the lobby of the Bureau of Fire and Protection in Quezon City (inset).

SC invalidates Court dumps petition against SMC’s airport project 5% tax on POGOs By Rey E. Requejo THE Supreme Court on Tuesday issued an order preventing the government from collecting a five-percent franchise tax from Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators or POGOs intended to provide additional funding to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Thirteen justices voted for the issuance of a TRO stopping the Bureau of Internal Revenue from implementing Section 11 of the Bayanihan 2, otherwise known as Republic Act 11494 and the revenue circulars from the BIR. Associate Justice Marvic Leonen dissented. The imposition of a 5-percent franchise tax aims to increase revenue collections by more than P1 -billion. However, 14 foreign-based POGOs with an offshore gaming license from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation assailed the validity of Section 11 (f) and (g) of the Bayanihan 2 Law,” which imposes new taxes in the guise of merely listing sources of funding and are therefore an aberration because the entire law does not create or refer to the imposition of any new tax.” The majority of the justices took the position that the portion of the law is a “rider provision.” In its previous ruling, the high court declared that a “rider” violates the constitutional provision requiring that a bill, which may be enacted into law, cannot embrace more than one subject, which will be expressed in its title. Rey E. Requejo

THE Supreme Court on Tuesday dumped a petition to stop San Miguel Corp. from building a new international airport, the “Aerocity Airport Project,” on a 2,500-hectare foreshore area in Bulakan town in Bulacan province. Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta said the high court denied the petition filed by fishermen and several multi-sector groups on the ground it was “not sufficient in form and substance.”

The groups claimed that the site of the new airport had been classified by the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority as forestland and permanent forestland. They claimed the project would violate many environmental laws, affect the migratory bird population and increase the risks to climate change and devastate the marine habitat. They also claimed that the Airport Project Area and the Airport City Area covered forest and permanent forest land

that were not alienable and disposable, thus violating Republic Act 4701 or An Act Declaring a Portion of the Foreshore Fronting Manila Bay Along the Province of Bulacan as Bulacan Fishing Reservation and Authorizing the Appropriation of Funds Therefor. The petitioners also claimed that portions of the areas covering the project were classified as public forest and fishery reserves, and thus inalienable. The petitioners were represented by Teodoro Bacon and Rodel Alvarez to-

Customs exceeds revenue target by P33 billion By Joel E. Zurbano THE Bureau of Customs has surpassed its revenue goal for 2020 by more than P33.5 billion. Based on an initial financial report released by the agency on Tuesday, it collected a total of P539.660 billion, reflecting 106.6 percent of the target collection of P506.150 billion. The bureau also exceeded its collection target for the seventh consecutive month in December by 9.1 percent, collecting a total of P47.316 billion as against its P43.368-billion goal for the month. Ten of the 17 collection districts, the oorts of Cebu, Tacloban, Surigao, Cagayan De Oro, Zamboanga, Davao, Subic, Clark, Aparri and Limay also met or exceeded their respective revenue goals for 2020. Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero attributed the agency’s positive performance to the improved valuation and intensified collection efforts of all the ports. He also cited the gradual improvement of the importation volume and the government’s efforts to ensure the unhampered movement of goods domestically and internationally considering the coronavirus pandemic. “Once again I commend the collective efforts of the men and women of BoC who, despite the risks to their health and safety, showed an unwavering commitment and dedication to service,” Guerrero said. In November, the Institute for Solidarity in Asia recognized the agency for its innovative program to transform itself into a world-class Customs Administration by 2022. The agency earned the Gold Governance Trailblazer award, the highest distinction given by ISA, in recognition of its outstanding planning, management and implementation of programs. Guerrero thanked lawyers Maria Lourdes Mangaoang and Noemi Garcia for leading the Office of Strategy Management and the core team as the bureau successfully passed ISA’s Performance Governance System’s compliance stage. In 2019 Customs received the same recognition as it passed the first Stage or the Initiation of PGS. The PGS is a framework for transformation that empowers institutions to deliver breakthrough results. It contributes to national development and inclusive growth by guiding institutions through a four-stage pathway designed to create, execute and sustain effective transformation strategies

Go vows to support priority measures By Macon Ramos-Araneta SENATOR Christopher Go has reiterated his commitment to work for the speedy passage of priority measures, especially those certified urgent by President Rodrigo Duterte, once the legislative sessions resume later this month. On Dec. 28, Senate President Vicente Sotto III revealed 20 priority measures based on a common legislative agenda identified by both Houses of Congress. Eight of the measures were filed by Go, including a proposal to establish a Department of Overseas Filipinos. Go filed Senate Bill 1949 on Dec. 14, 2020, which the President later certified as urgent. It would improve the delivery of government services and programs to Filipinos overseas by bringing together all government functions related to overseas em-

ployment and migration under one agency. The bill would also enhance the One Country-Team approach by directing all officers, representatives and personnel of the Philippine government posted abroad, regardless of their mother agencies, to act as a one country team under the leadership of the ambassador or consul general. Additionally, the Senate will be prioritizing the deliberations on the re-imposition of the death penalty. Go filed SBN 207 in 2019, which would reinstate the capital punishment for heinous crimes. Also included in the priority list is SBN 1738 or the E-Governance Act. This proposed measure by Go would improve the delivery of public services by reducing the red tape that plagues the national and local governments and, in turn, hinders the ability of small businesses to grow and create jobs.

Stop violence, official urges

PNP FAREWELL. Philippine National Police Chief Gen. Debold M. Sinas joins the PNP

Command Group and other members of the PNP Directorial Staff in paying their respects to the late layer Rogelio T. Casurao, vice chairman of the National Police Commission (Napolcom) on Tuesday at the Arlington Memorial Chapel and Crematory in Quezon City.

A LAWMAKER on Tuesday urged authorities from the Philippine National Police Region 12, Police Regional Office Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Mindanao Command to reduce the increasing incidence of violence in Maguindanao. “I am appealing to the provincial authorities and the AFP to join forces for the immediate reduction, if not eradication, of the violence in Maguindanao so that our province will gain stability and safeguard our constituents,” said Rep. Esmael Mangudadatu of Maguindanao. Mangudadatu made the call after a series violence rocked the province that has intensified in recent months. The latest is the botched assassination attempt to South Upi Mayor Reynalbert Insular and several relief workers last Sunday. Insular, along with the members of the South Upi Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, had just concluded their relief aid operation to displaced families in Barangay Itaw when gunmen opened fire on their vehicles. Maricel V. Cruz

NIGERIANS NABBED. Benjamin Anemou (seated left) and Chiduben Nwong are

questioned by authorities after they were nabbed in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Navarro, General Trias City, Cavite on Monday evening. Confiscated from them was almost 1 kilogram of shabu with an estimated street value of P6.8 million, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency said.

SSS defends rise in contribution rate THE Social Security System said Monday the scheduled increase in its contribution rate and minimum and maximum monthly salary credits is to ensure the continuous delivery of social security protection to its members and their beneficiaries. SSS President and CEO Aurora C. Ignacio says the SSS has been listening to the clamor of various labor groups and members to defer the mandated increases, but the move is designed to protect the fund life of the SSS. “We understand the plight of our covered employers and members, but, at the same time, it is our duty to secure the long-term viability of the SSS fund entrusted to us for the continuous delivery of SSS benefits to our current and future members, as well as their beneficiaries,” Ignacio said. “Moreover, these scheduled reforms are pursuant to Republic Act 11199 or the Social Security Act of 2018. Thus, we are bound by law to implement it.” This January 2021, the SSS contribution rate was increased to 13 percent from the

previous 12 percent. On the other hand, the minimum monthly salary credit has been raised to P3,000 from P2,000 (except for Kasambahay and OFW members whose minimum MSC will remain at P1,000 and P8,000, respectively), while the maximum MSC is set at P25,000 from P20,000. For employed members, land-based OFW members in countries with Bilateral Labor Agreements with the Philippines, and sea-based OFW members, the additional one percent will be divided between them and their employers, bringing the contribution rate breakdown to 8.5 percent for employers and 4.5 percent for them. To illustrate, a member paying under the P10,000 MSC will now pay a monthly contribution of P1,300, which is P100 higher than the P1,200 in 2020. Suppose the member is employed, a land-based OFW in a country with a BLA with the Philippines or a sea-based OFW. In that case, the P100 additional contribution will be divided as P50 from their employers for a total employer share of P850 and P50 from them for a total member share of P450.

LGUs

Jimbo Owen Gulle, Editor

WEDNESDAY, JANUIARY 6, 2021 lgu@manilastandard.net editor.lgustandard@gmail.com

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

P13.5-b Taguig budget includes P1b for COVID By Joel E. Zurbano THE Taguig City government is rolling out a P13.5-billion budget this year, including P1 billion intended for the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines to protect its residents from the deadly disease. Mayor Lino Edgardo Cayetano said they decided to include P1 billion in their 2021 Recovery Budget Program because they want to ensure every resident of Taguig has access to free COVID-19 vaccine. “As early as September, we have already started planning for vaccination. It will complement our other ongoing anti-COVID programs like our aggressive mass testing and treatment,” said Cayetano. He added the city wants to make sure that “testing continues throughout 2021 and that our free testing in 30 health centers and two drive-through sites continue and we continue to invest in healthcare and treatment.” Cayetano said the city’s own molecular laboratory and disease surveillance units will also continue operations and will be funded in 2021 since disease surveillance is one of the most important aspects of preventing the spread of COVID-19 and othe infectious diseases even while the vaccine is being rolled out. “We are working closely with the Joint Task Force and the Department of Health for the allotment of vaccine for Taguig but also already talking to suppliers for our own procurement once we are given the green light. We are also set to launch our model vaccine stations and out citizens ID this January. Both are important components of vaccine rollout plan,” he added.

ONLINE LISTUP. San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora shows the present number of city residents who registered for the free COVID-19 vaccine after its launching at City Hall on Tuesday. As of January 5, more than 5,000 residents registered in the online portal to avail of the free vaccine. San Juan City will allocate P50 million for the purchase of the vaccine. Manny Palmero

QC dads okay vaccine purchase By Rio N. Araja

HE Quezon City council has given Mayor Joy Belmonte the green light to purchase vaccines to fight the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

She expressed her gratitude to the city councilors for the swift approval of the resolution authorizing her to enter into a tripartite agreement with the National Task Force Against COVID-19 and AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals Philippines for the advance purchase of a vaccine against the coronavirus.

The resolution was introduced by Majority Floor Leader Councilor Franz Pumaren and passed Tuesday by the city council presided over by Vice Mayor Gian Sotto. The city council cited provisions of the Local Government Code, which grants the city the power to promote the health

and safety of QCitizens and protect them from the harmful effects of COVID-19. “With the council resolution, we will soon finalize the tripartite partnership and begin the process of prioritizing our most vulnerable citizens,” Belmonte said. The city government shall prioritize its 10,000 health workers, 300,000 senior citizens, 20,000 adult persons with disabilities, and other priority sectors as recommended by the World Health Organization. As announced last December, the city has allocated an initial P1 billion in its

2021 budget to purchase vaccines and supplies needed for the inoculation. A portion of the amount would be used for the initial purchase of AstraZeneca’s allocated vaccine for Quezon City. QC Task Force on COVID-19 head Joseph Juico said the city is now finalizing its vaccination program guidelines and requirements, such as vaccination centers, storage, transport and mobilization. “The Task Force Vax to Normal is almost finished with all the needed systems for this vaccination program. All we need is the vaccine,” he said.

Swab test not required in Manila By Willie Casas A COVID-19 swab test will not be required in entering Manila for those coming from other cities in the National Capital Region (NCR) and those who reside in the province but work in the capital city, a city government official clarified. “For those within Metro Manila, swab testing is not mandatory. Although if they want to take a swab test, we will still accommodate them. So we encourage voluntary swab testing,” Manila Public Information Office chief Julius Leonen said in a GMA interview. Employees who work in Manila but go home to a different province will also not be required to get swabbed. “Those are the scenarios that do not require mandatory swab testing. Although we will still accommodate them. Because there are also people who ask us, ‘What if it’s just one day, can I still have a swab?’

It can still be,” Leonen said. However, those who will enter Manila from other provinces will be required to undergo swab testing. “Don’t worry because this is a free swab test that will be provided by the Manila City Government,” Leonen said. The Manila Health Department said earlier residents who will reenter the city after the holidays will need to be tested to avoid possible COVID-19 transmission. Those who will test positive will be taken to a quarantine facility, while those who test negative will be issued a medical certificate indicating the result. Manila has 295 active COVID-19 cases as of Sunday. Meanwhile Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso urged business owners to avail of the 10-percent discount being given by the city government for those who will renew their business permits until January 20, 2021.

PERMIT RENEWAL. The annual Business Permits Renewal in Muntinlupa City commences in a bigger venue with strict health measures in place to comply with IATF safety protocols. Mayor Jaime Fresnedi assures business locators in the city that health protocols are strictly observed in the 2021 Muntinlupa Business Permit Renewal Hub located at the Center Court of Muntinlupa Sports Center in Brgy. Tunasan.

P300k bounty for info on village watchman’s killers By Jess Malabanan CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—The Pampanga provincial government is offering P300,000 bounty to anyone who could give information and identities of gunmen responsible in the killing of a village watchman in Floridablanca town. Governor Dennis Pineda assured the security and protection of the person who will volunteer information that would

lead to the arrest of the suspects. Police Lt. Colonel Roger Tomen, chief of Floridablanca police, said investigators are still puzzled as to the identities of the suspects as captured images on security cameras installed along the escape route were not clear and identifiable. “Our investigators have yet to establish the motive aside from the fact that they were flagged down at a checkpoint for not wearing facemask,” said Tomen, who led

a team of crack probers during follow-up operations since Sunday. Joseph Labonera Sr., 59, a watchman of Barangay Del Carmen in Floridablanca was shot at point blank range by motorcycle-riding gunman shortly before noon on Sunday. He succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds in different parts of his body. Spent shells for caliber .45 pistol were found by police responders at the crime scene.

Oca assures Caloocan of virus cure Bataan Freeport By Jun David MAYOR Oscar “Oca” Malapitan assured the people of Caloocan they will receive free COVID-19 vaccines this year after the City Government allocated an initial P125 million for the vaccine. “This is to augment the vaccine to be allocated to our city by the National Government. This is to ensure that if there is a shortage of national government allocation, we have a purchase ready, to ensure that every citizen of Caloocan can be vaccinated so as to ensure safety of all,” Mayor Oca said. According to Malapitan, although the P125-million fund is ready, the City Government will still allocate P1 billion in additional funds for the vaccine, which will be obtained through a loan. “We have been in touch for a long time

in writing with pharmaceutical companies to make sure we get vaccines like Pfizer and AstraZeneca, but we will still wait for the approved vaccine from the Food and Drug Administration and the national government,” he explained. Mayor Oca also stressed the Caloocan City Government will not buy vaccines that are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration and is awaiting guidelines from the national government. As early as October last year, he assured the people of Caloocan that the City Government is preparing to procure the vaccine against COVID-19. “I will not hesitate to use the entire Caloocan fund for the procurement of FDAapproved COVID-19 vaccines to provide it for free for all our citizens,” said Mayor Oca.

GENTRI TAXPAYERS. Taxpayers at General Trias in Cavite observe physical distancing in the payment of their business taxes during the first day of filling of payment for new and renewal of business permits on Monday at the Business One Stop Shop at Robinsons Place GenTri in Brgy. Tejero. The operation will last until February 5, 2021. Dennis Abrina

sees better 2021 DAR parcels land to Negros farmers MARIVELES, Bataan—Despite the challenges faced by the Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB) in 2020 due to COVID-19, Administrator Emmanuel Pineda said they are optimistic the Freeport will do better in 2021. Pineda said they are very positive that the FAB expansion areas in Abucay, Balanga, Dinalupihan, and Pilar will generate at least 3,000 jobs, 1Bataan writer Vinnise Marcelo reported. Bataan 2nd District Rep. Joet Garcia previously authored Republic Act 11453, expanding the AFAB areas to other parts of the province. “Because of the expanded areas of AFAB, new jobs will be generated; local economy will be stimulated; and development in the province will be promoted,” said the Freeport Administrator. Butch Gunio

By Rio N. Araja

THE Department of Agrarian Reform has distributed 71.8991 hectares of agricultural land to 40 farmer-beneficiaries in Manapla town, Negros Occidental, before the end of 2020, to empower these qualified landless farmers in the area. Secretary John Castriciones said the landholding in Barangay San Pablo in the northern Negros Occidental is formerly owned by Rosario Coscolluela. He said the farmer-recipients would also receive support services, such as farm inputs, farm machinery and training, among others, to ensure that their farms would become more productive. “I suggest that you also join agrarian reform beneficiaries’ organizations in your

community for you to have an easier access to other support services provided by the government,” he told beneficiaries. Municipal agrarian reform program officer Ma. Victoria Delgado said the program is being implemented under the land acquisition and distribution (LAD) component of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program. Through LAD processes, public and private agricultural landholdings are acquired by the government to be distributed to tenants, farmers, farmworkers and other tillers who are qualified to become beneficiaries. These farmers would eventually receive certificate of land ownership award (CLOA) covering one hectare to a maximum of three hectares for each beneficiary.

Opinion Opinion Opinion Opinion Opinion Opinion Opinion TLearningAnthLecu inion Opinion

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Much like many facets ofsome our his-simof cultures, ideas, and technology was of that period in our history. Forty eight work habits. This is true for families given the imprimatur for the PSG to not coopher representati lives would be an understatement. An expert, John Hultquist, senior execuproblems UCPB, has seen warfare carried out in the 2016 presidenimmobilize entire communities. ning. time, andfam where theyrecord. perform other tasks on cially as th work hab s for Th s slengthy rue for some es pause. lives would be antounderstatement. HE Offi ce of the Ombudsman has after, dealt another blow, not tosome d ec o Juan An on o Peinezfavorofof nautical lengthy track plytory ansuch inside job considering the internal tial race in favor of then Trump nsidious hacksupposedly been given members ofthose the Presidential Security work habits. This is true families lives would be understatement. ing the to 500th track record. plyTrump an inside job considering the internal technological development andthete tial race then candidate Trump Still, themost worst andcandidate most insidious hackought justice as the assassination of Antonio spurred toerate unprecedented heights. who have with the probe. His alliesshould lambast thedents aufortunate enough toan keep a job and pro-years orders its releas tive of the cybersecurity firmharangued FireEye, has its top officials resigning enFmasse. and communities differently This tial race in favor of then candidate Still, the worst insidious done anywhere ate any time and against stice ven the main Democratic fundraising They are here to weeks, tion their own, respectively—educators are tryOne of the clearest manifestations for una e enough o keep a ob and pro“We a so need o ensu ha p nos as against hisand Democratic rival, hackformerbe US bvertas political An expert, John Hultquist, senior execuproblems rocking UCPB, which has seen nnial histocorruption in government which would have been good, but to the fortunate enough to keep a job and proAn expert, John Hultquist, senior execuproblems rocking UCPB, which has seen One of the clearest manifestations science and the will of its leaders to reach Luna, the death of the Bonifacio brothers Group, those men in perpetual close contact with President against his Democratic rival, former US ing operations are done to subvert political time, and w ever is left of it, “...Not surprisingly, an eventual discondacity of Congress to look into the matter and and thrown tons of garbage at then Presraised alarm bells over the Russian hackers In any event, this heist should serve as vide their children their learning tools. case, or of a Chi req One of the clearest manifestations his Democratic former ing operations aredoub done to subvert political of it, for ing to make with available technology to ferent. FThe THERE S any haHillary ou popu a on campagainst apreviously onsof on hav ng wo lands chisrival, d in en onrecreate ave ageUS Secretary of State Clinton’s societies. Army commanders. any perceived adversary Given such an rm) cyber attacks Microsoft vice vare de he rpresided ch dren he rofin earn ng oo sits improve our empathy and our tive ofdo the cybersecurity firm FireEye, has itsand top officials resigning en masse. Meanwhile students are also adjusting to stay. that change the education of Europeans They here to unknown and tive the cybersecurity firmcorrect FireEye, has its top officials resigning en masse. vide their children their learning tools. the mass murders inchange Samar during question intrusion into Executive affairs, They are here to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s camprocesses and undermine societies. The nect the narrative surrounding Spanish we should put ident Marcos and those who noting that while multiple cyber-espionage a wake-up call not only for banks. This is their own, fi ght against corruption which is downright bad. Ombudsman’s f of that is in the education or functio Duterte. Reports have it that they received the vaccine as early as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s camprocesses and undermine societies. The reach out to their students and enable them to put g ow h has exceeded manageab e eve s we a e a a ned am d se v ce educ ons n am y sian interfer- paign.” that change isserve inshould the education raised alarm bells over the Russian hackers Inof any event, this heist serve asover In 2019, the Human Rights Watch reworld geography. It security marked theand beginthe continuing debate overntheenvironment the of entin Tom has been quoted as raised alarm bells the Russian hackers Instability any event, this heist should as conveniently forgetting the notion of the Fil-American war, to name a few, thedemands actors have targeted organizations associshort-sightedness Inover doing our best to also for regulators, government agencies system. arrival in the Philippines developed as each thestay. country’s fate during those years paign.” controversy over the Russian interferhis UCPB the much-changed of schoolwork forchecks the purpose o ing to not make may be oncaper yBurt have Given oMicrosoft ake a ook a he dense c sayowds learn, notwithstanding the great challenges paign.” controversy over the Russian interferaper p ann ng due o he pandem c ” he added has also spotted state-sponns favor of stay. September. Some privileged Cabinet members—and who knows who system. noting thatsecurity while multiple cyber-espionage acall wake-up callfor not for s the landing ning one of the most powerful empires Mabayo’s notes shouldin and balances inherent inown our nagovernment sysnoting that while cyber-espionage arrival the flotilla and the banks. death its iscould a spotted wake-up notasof only banks. This isha ofThis ated not withgetthe upcoming election, the ported exsystem. andsof other companies doing essential Jus week weonly earned Omcountry went on tomultiple construct their over the fact that more and Microsoft also state-sponinyears, thein 2016 favor of t.at who that “State forces and Someone govand as well as theand the initial attempt on US reach to D vInsoinmartial afailed maence kelaw du ng he Ch sBiden’s mas season learnout new by these untested methods. The op a societies wo chalso d enspotted ashas he dea am y integrity sored hackers China and Iran, targeting mp cope but weposed should also pick out the lesLessons from Microsoft has state-sponence the 2016 US elections inelections favor of nations They may have grown upmore with technology actors have targeted organizations associalso for regulators, government agencies ledlingers. bythis Por-inciin history, defined by its maritime force tem in the first place. The Armed Forces of the make the storytellers pause, take a deep else in government—are also feeling secure these days for having perts are “most concerned with that of the incumbent president’s corner. And this sensitive services. The incident reminds leader, Magellan, as well as the eventual budsman Samue Mar res had m ed he actors have targeted organizations associalso for regulators, government agencies tional identities. In the practice of national more points of view, of actual accounts sored hackers in China and Iran, targeting official’s SALN then-candidate Donald Trump lingers. In nable Public school are set to reopen on OctoLessons from Mr. Martires’ when even he po ce appea ed o a y he p ess ious about s sored ze standing s ach evab eof and h s and wouIran, d a and ow eco individuals involved in both presidential against Trump The teachersparamilitaries themselves are having a diflearn, notw hackers in China targeting then-candidate Donald Trump lingers. In inciLessons from ernment-backed continue to and companies institutions aign was “ specifically targeted by sons that will come handy when this crind Magellan this episode will be atedupcoming with the election, upcoming election, the exand other doing essential and Philippines, playing its cards right, has backed but mostly for recreation andonmilitary socialization and and one that owasdin to last Russian time around they are joined by Chinese them toh5,individuals double their efforts securing breath widen their horizons. There landing ofcompanies the remaining pub c’s access o expedition’s he Sahead ac set emen of Asse s oOctoPub schoo are seon reopen Ocduring o- intelligence ated with the exand other companies doing essential and myth making, pewhat transpired thatdreaded period unit..which contraletter authori ber many private learning institun entold ccampaigns ngfact, socand aaitdkey s anc ng uintensely es duissue ngagainst he involved in both presidential remains aagainst key against Trump aying: We been inoculated, of everybody else, against the virus. c gCatholicism, ow obut mee he sadvan but more the to the Novemfrom, even Public school are to reopen ficult timehistorical adjustingevents to the are newthe demands of of th individuals involved inneeds both presidential fact, ito is remains issue Trump told recent pronouncement this episode will be nussian Homonhon, down from its ownwith probe. harass, threaten, arbitrarily arrest, and in poses thethis greatest threat toAnd the democratand Iranian hackers presumably inMagelDemotheir digital systems and devices. ofnom note can indeed be easily undermined by hackers via phishing attacks four centuries. perts are “most concerned with thatposed of theby incumbent president’s corner. And this sensitive services. The incident reminds more to the events than meets thetoeye. Duterte imposed one of the earliest lockship, Victoria, in Spain under and Lber ab es of governmen off c a s episode will be rused, selected for exclusion or inclusion vening their ‘construct’ have been comperts are “most concerned that of the incumbent president’s corner. this sensitive services. The incident reminds ber 5 bu many pr va e earn ng ns uCOV D 19 pandem c sis is finally over That wisdom would be SALN granting tions have already started the school year. Today they have to use technology to subaged soc a g oups Trump organization. mocrats and a campaigns but more intensely against the all over again in the run-up the Novemng to the extent priceless. about a CO their work. Sure, they may be teaching from 5, but many private learning institucampaigns but more intensely against the all over again in the run-up to the Novemxtent The teach Allin these would not have happened ifunit..which ourinspecting top ic out. as this hacking hasby been cratic challenger Joe Biden’s side the After all, activities that seekess tothem comprobeenthe punctu“...To rest of theaof world, this was As But Father Aquino wrote ina hisa click Russian military intelligence time around they are joined Chinese them to double their efforts securing lan’s second-in-command, Juan SebasA memorandum onin Sep 1ready agiven dthe down VIRTUAL by storytellers, this casehomes, the states, ing Their narrative even ifgroup they insist frustrates not corruption, Russian intelligence unit..which time around they are joined by Chinese their efforts securing Take omexperts heRannie Comm ss on on some instances attack and kill political acof athe finger Grabe st communications for Through a mus mix so-called synchronous say Democrats Moscow isPopu the adversary The gove nmen so add nge to double perts insisting downs inin world. Still, even if of it was the ons have ainteractions s ar ed heprocess.. schoo year Trump organization. ber elections, with the Democrats and adigital d not have hapEverybo priceless. themilitary comfort of their but and there istransparent defitions have already started the school year. priceless bercampaign’s elections, with the and a Trump happriceless. stitute the and experiences they ficult time Certainly, there isand appalling irregularity, officials were clear, deliberate and responsible for some the most provocasanctions imposed and high profile bashing miseorganization. devices, even entire systems, cting, slanted arguably aasynchronous key milestone in the history column on the martial law years, every poses the greatest threat to the democratand Iranian hackers presumably in Demotian Elcano, has engendered in its wake their digital systems devices. he hree cond ons n wh ch he SALN then told and retold—proselytized, realas non-debatable has been scrutinized on and Deve opmen PopCom wh ch e that worries them the most, given Russia’s poses the greatest threat to the democrate back in the and Iranian hackers presumably in Demotheir digital systems and devices. ng ssues as he coun y en e s a new decade SALN shall and methods—where the stustill bebe abla Through a m x of so-ca ed synchronous But experts say Moscow is the adversary number of US security experts insisting help. In fact, as nitely nothing comfortable about doing your tivists, environmentalists, community leadworld’s longest and strictest, the lockdown but the fi ght against Through a mix of so-called synchronous But experts say Moscow is the adversary number of US security experts insisting t, as opaqueness and entitlement that went with about a vaccine rollout program. Alas, nothtive and aggressive cyber operations of all these two countries have been getting from for financial or state gains or just plain their work. REALITY on the story There is no timetable, of globalization; thereafter, the exchange story teller hashehis or heryown “construct” a trove of accounts, written or otherwise, cou d be re eased If he off c a or h s or ic process.. as this hacking group has been cratic challenger Joe Biden’s side given the After all, activities that seek to compropo ed ecen y ha coun s popu a on ly—to their respective peoples. and found wanting. It is not the only lengthy track record. These nc ude managemen o m ed esou c In the real world, however, and espeWe were hopin dents that and teacher are present all at the same ic process.. as this hacking group has been cratic challenger Joe Biden’s side given the After all, activities that seek to comproment. Stud work in the same manner for many years, worries them the most, given Russia’s that the Russian hackers are back in the have been simand asynchronous me hods—where he s uobtaining and administering worries them most, given Russia’s theofed Russian hackers are back inend the simtime.” ing of the sort exists. All we know, vaguely, the Trump administration. moments have become such lu- her and asynchronous methods—where the stuers, and journalists.” theisthe comfort ts of ourthat hisfailed tothe the pandemic. of cultures, ideas, technology wased that period our history. eight corruption. each changing with every represen adevices, ve reques snarrative. fcontain avaccines. cour s expec o swe o in 110 9 Hultquist, m on a Forty he “...One such example ofsome this is the An expert, John senior execuresponsible for of the most imposed andhe high profile mise digital even entire systems, story toano tell.breakdown, As some noted writers and esthat n“gotcha” he ace olengthy c where mathe eand change un amme cially as the public schools open in a few hasanprovocahad time t time, and they perform other tasks on responsible for ofthen the most provocasanctions imposed and high profile bashing mise digital devices, even entire systems, educators eventhat decades, and having to shift to no track record. ngofthe internal In rea wor dbashing however and espeden s and eacher are presen aIfsanctions same Filipinos had been looking on with envy atsame thesehe latest hacking attempts on othIn the case of the Russian operations for crative, even highly sought and on developed thesome government has borrowed large sums lengthy track record. In the realsaying world, however, and espedents and teacher are present all at the nrnal Antonio spurred to unprecedented heights. nitely years after, those who o h s yea s scybersecurity 1 45 pe cenhave mo e FireEye, com Such is the nature of the beast, as we orders s re ease n re a on o a pend ng tive Th of the firmharangued has n e na m g a on ead ng o conges n u marked difference in the retelling of the academics have been lately, the Duterte has vowed to continue his “war tive and aggressive cyber operations of allnothi these two countries have been getting from for financial or state gains or just plain ewhich to weeks, the situation could be starkly difTen days before Duterte imposed the lockhow blatantly itwil g their own, respectively—educators are trytive and aggressive cyber operations of all these two countries have been getting from for financial or state gains or just plain parents altogether new way of teaching. An expert, John Hultquist, senior execuhas seen countries which had procured doses by the erwise secure organizations in US soil c a y as he pub c schoo s open n a few Trump’s re-election, the reports coming out undertakings in the past few years. Hackfor the purchase of vaccines—rom whom, we me they and where hey perform o her asks on expert, senior execuseen cially asadministration. the public schools openstory in a of few acio brothers time, and where perform other tasks on surprisingly, an disconthrown tons garbage at then Preslisting of the pa ed oand 109 5 malarm on nof Janua 2020 raised bells overythe Russian hackers work the used toofsay, that accounts of events or inciban An a“...Not eas and heJohn d s do uHultquist, bwith ngeventual se nTONY ado escen LOPEZ case or a Children reques sdown made hrough he Ferdinand Magellan’s death. An-their tools law years were not as hierarchy dark andelectoruttime.” ferent. may not have adequate the2020, Trump “gotcha” moments have become such lu-martial forbreaktransparency. U ing to make available technology to time.” the Trump administration. “gotcha” moments have become such luport in their They could have trouble with on drugs” which will be “as relentless and Army commanders on March 15, there were only millions and had started their rollout protive of the cybersecurity firm FireEye, has involve the most hotly contested not just of the security establishment but of ers are lurking just around the corner and n masse. have no clue. There is no timetable, no They are here to weeks he s ua on cou d be s ark y d fhe r own respec ve y—educa ors are rytive of the cybersecurity firm FireEye, has Samar during ident They are here weeks, theofguys situation could be starkly difinreach thep narrative surrounding Spanish Marcos and thoseto who presided andnect noting that while multiple cyber-espionage their own, try-useless eenage egnancy nastudents onw deand dents, personal or historical rests Ombudsman’s frespectively—educators ebeen d that nves gaand onThe offIn ceare come from prosperous fam es o the beg nthese tonio Pigafetta, the Italian scholar who even decad terly asRussian these are saying they or whether functioning equipment. home time to perfect his If no these latest hacking attempts on othIn the case the Russian operations for out to their enable them to crative, even highly sought developed for this, so If latest hacking attempts on oththe case of operations for crative, even highly sought and developed and with connectivity, or they could also of sectors that would grams. We had wishing that we were al race in the planet, using as they do Microsoft itself is Russian military hacking operations can be activated in no down, listing of the hierarchy of sectors that raised alarm bells over the Russian hackers should serve as chilling onerwise the day it events began.” Heingwants Ins 2019 Human Rights Watch referen Chnot dren have adequa e the raised alarm bells over the Russian hackers e as TWO confirmed cases. At this the ng opast make do w h ava ab e to echno ogy o writing, me a few, the over actors have targeted organizations associarrival in the Philippines as each thestay. country’s fate during those years Th wou d notwithstanding sthe en a developed a comp ehens ve ferent. Children may adequate heavily on the story teller. Inorganizations the case of he purpose of a ideal fac -fplace nd ng probe w hwant or may otoher bus ness nitmay eres sno ing tohave make do with available technology afind detailed journal of thetheir everybody believe. Like in may not be an to focus and towould altogether of lifestyle chen the great challenges secure organizations US soil Trump’s re-election, the reports coming out undertakings in the few years. HackIn findin it difficult to bethe effective at jobs erwise secure organizations in ofUS soil in Trump’s re-election, thehave reports coming outhave undertakings in the past few years. Hacksimilarly resource-rich so that we could most sophisticated methods available, iskept hackers targeted 200 US timelearn, at all. Indeed, have become part for stay. would behome given much-anticipated doses. noting thatthey while multiple cyber-espionage reisbanks. stop-at-two noting that while multiple cyber-espionage death its isThe is ofThis ated not withgetthe upcoming election, the ported exor func on ng equ pmen The I app oach ha nks gove nmen e o s w h country went on to construct their own nareach ou o he r s uden s and enab e hem o could over the fact that more and be given the muchthe Magellan expedition and subsequent or sources of ncome If a hese are nd Someone who reques s a copy of an death penalty, banned under the Constituthat “State security forces and govvoyage, wrote of how Magellan was beor functioning equipment. The home all distress and conflict situations as the Philippines is the pandemic epicenter in the reach out to their students and enable them to learn new things. Parents could be anx“Wealth does posed by these untested methods. IN A previous column I talked about PresiThey cou involve the most hotly contested electornot just of the security establishment but of ers are lurking just around the corner and member thn provide the same relief to our people. We using the only available medium of instrucnot farfetched to think that the same can (political parties, think tanks, consultants of everyday life. involve the most hotly contested electornot just of the security establishment but of ers are lurking just around the corner and All we have are conflicting statements, poliactors have targeted organizations associnment agencies pertspoints are “most concerned with that of the ner. this more the And eventual hose ohave non gove nmen oofgan zahaving ons aoff actors targeted organizations associncies tionalWhat identities. In these the practice national of view, of actual accounts may no be an dea p ace omost focus and othe events thereafter ancan article written by earn no w hs and ng he grea cha enges c a ’s SALN mus presen a no ar zed ca ed n he SALN—assum ng we can s sieged by natives in Cebu while attemptcountry was at that time, there were missc children as the ideal family ious about where the next meal may come may not be an ideal place to focus and to he said before law The teachers themselves are diflearn, notwithstanding the great challenges al race in planet, using as they do the were angry when we learned that the lack Microsoft itself is that Russian military hacking operations be activated in no and comm be done anywhere at any time and against and with and even the main Democratic fundraising makes activities dangerous tion for crimes, to be reimposed for ernment-backed paramilitaries continue to tion. cies that seem to be made up as they go along, 11-nation ASEAN with a total of 265,888 casal race in the planet, using as they the is that Russian military hacking can be activated in no Microsoft itself anticipated doses. dent Rodrigo Duterte’s achievements. Now, ated with the upcoming election, the exgdand essential Russian military intelligence by Chineseandwhat cluded in the Otherwise thedoPresand he pupcoming va e sec oto so ha popu ’s remaining ated with the election, the ex-operations myth making, historical events are petranspired during that period unit..which contra- NGOs Raisa Mabayo, Third Secretary and etime er of au hor yifour from he owner of he have access oadversary. hem— hen we can very earn new hsuch ngs Paren sshortlist cou d besophisticated anxing to help Rajah Humabon, a methods recently and lowhave points but there were high posed by hese un es ed metakes hods from, even they did not have to worry Tuesday. In fact, ficult time adjusting the new demands of learn new things. Parents could be anxurgency of some of our health officials any perceived Given an platform) for cyber attacks. Microsoft vice is when these are done in such a brazen posed by these untested methods. improve late-night macho talk, and undue focus on other most available, it is hackers targeted 200 US organizations at all. Indeed, they have become part fo Meanwhile, students are also adjusting to find it diffi most sophisticated methods available, it is hackers have targeted 200 US organizations time at all. Indeed, they have become part TO THE drug crimes. sizevening isposes achievable, and this harass threaten arbitrarily arrest and in theof greatest threat toAnd the democratably Demoperts “most concerned that of the a ng es. It quoted is No. 21 the world. The Philippines incumbent corner. cident reminds uterte imposed one thepresident’s earliest lockaperts on this managemen pare ogfailures: ams such as amof with ythefrom nder here arefor his rused, selected exclusion or inclusion their ‘construct’ have been com- And “most concerned with that incumbent president’s corner. this indsinMagelVice-Consul inBurt charge of Cultural Diplogran he reques No reques sin we apprec adparties, ef-some con ex ident cannot legally appoint you asothers memCatholicized local ruler demands and celebratory ones as well. ous abou where he nex mea may come about COVID-19 infection. lifestyle The eachers hemse ves hav ng aabout their work. Sure, they may be teaching environment, the security and stability of president Tom has been as sayresponsible for a missed opportunity topoints andare wayward manner as what happened to SALN things unrelated toconvert the containment oferning the virus short-sight ious where the next meal may come the much-changed ofaschoolwork. The teachers themselves are having aare difnot farfetched to the think that the same canthe ch (political think tanks, consultants ofwas everyday life. using o not farfetched to think that same can (political parties, think tanks, consultants of everyday life. c ic process.. as this hacking group has been side given the p ann ng can each eve y commun y n a Russian military intelligence unit..which time around they are joined by Chinese rts in securing Juan SebasbyUCPB storytellers, this casehomes, the and ing out. Theirare narrative ifChinese they insist some Russian military intelligence unit..which time around they joined ring But the people love the President for instances attack and kill political acmacy inan the Philippine Embassy in Mafor nspec ng or ng pho os of L fes ywould esocieties checks however are here for dislodged Germany yesterday and is barely ns in the world Still even if even itby was the Catholicism loyalty toof Spain. MaBut that be another story. Back Everybody isaktrying his or her best would allow economic Theinna Philippines’ greatest depression nations and as well as the to ask ing that the initial failed attempt on Biden’s which can unhinge thestates, banking sysinvestigated. The “guinea were glorithe1. comfort of their but there ismakes defireceive initial batch of vaccines— even fintegrity hey dto ddone noThey have oand worry and the revival of the economy. ber of the Board of Trustees PhilHealth fthese cu me ad ng ohe heto new demands of cope, butCow may have grown up with technology, from, even iffrom they didpigs” not have to worry be done at any time intends and against and even the main Democratic fundraising What makes activities dangerous POINT ficult time adjusting toPfizer theus new demands of be anywhere atanywhere any time and against and even the main Democratic fundraising What these activities dangerous for some the most provocaprofile tion. 42 000 ba angays onw de to thethreat poses the greatest to the democratand Iranian hackers presumably in Demod in itsbashing wake vices. then told and retold—proselytized, realasresponsible non-debatable has of been scrutinized drid provides an interesting insight and a poses the greatest threat democratand Iranian hackers presumably in DemoSALN sha be a owed a reason “L v ng beyond one’s means” s gellan believed that his display of force Mabayo’s notes on the quincentennial and standing of companies institutions campaign was “...specifically targeted by to tem.nitely Or, companies providing essential still be able to learn this new environshipment eventually went to Singapore. fied by as heroes willing to stake their He takes issueew nothing comfortable about doing your What a relief local governments and the the “drugs war.” Inthat May 2019, top community leadabou aand COVID-19 nfec onpresident sons 23,000 cases below No. 20, Italy, 288,761. d’s longest and strictest the lockdown but mostly for recreation and socialization. he rdone work Sure hey may be each ngsome from any perceived adversary. Given such anthat platform) cyber attacks. Microsoft vice isthat when these are in such aplatform) brazen In to the quarter of 2020, the Philipabout afor COVID-19 infection. much more as and CEO tivecratic and cyber operations oftivists allly—to neek getting from their work. Sure, they may be teaching from any perceived adversary. Given such antwo for cyber attacks. Microsoft vice when these are done in such a in brazen o the heenvironmentalists wo ds hesecond chacking zen ythis shou disahas so dogroup Meanwhi growth toaggressive meet the or otherwise, ic process.. as hacking has been challenger Biden’s side given to comprotheir respective peoples. and found wanting. ItJoe isneeds not the the only fresh perspective onsurprise how we should view We were hop ng ha Ombudsman Mar res no a fanc fu erm bu a s a emen of fac ic nprocess.. as this group been cratic challenger Joe Biden’s side given prowould be enough to accomplish those celebrations as posted in The Diplomat: of note can indeed be easily undermined by the Russian hackers via phishing attacks goods and services such as those in food Imagine thus our when it was relives. An investigation, as proposed by some ment. Students will learn their lessons, private sector are stepping up to fill the gaps yond one’s mean work in the same manner for many years, sis isoffinall Today they have use technology to subsor allies ry ng hmade s answer or environment, her hetheir comfor oftohappened he rSecretary homes bu here shas def - Burt time.” the security and stability president Tom has been quoted as sayand wayward manner ashomes, what todefiEverybody isEverybody trying his her best to itthebes handily into the Senate eleche papine as he dec sinons onsome am y utilities pthe an and journalists environment, security and stability ofof president Tom Burt been quoted as sayand wayward manner as campaign’s what happened the comfort but there is Finance Carlos Dominguez says darrative. to contain the pandemic Thus the to otothe question the much-c economy slumped to its lowest ever in “...One such example of this responsible for of the most provocasanctions and writers high profile bashing entire systems, story to tell. and Asimposed some noted and ers and even teach history our schools and EMIL has had he me oof reflearn ec in on h teach shave dec sbeen on and ha says expenses one’s na“...On click ofMarch a one’s finger Grabe. against the communications manufacturing or and power andis tasks. That fateful decision and his mis-battle responsible for some of”then the most provocasanctions imposed high profile bashing ems, 16, 2021, weexceed will comvealed that some chosen ones given lawmakers, seemed logical and necessary. innations this crucial stage of our against educators will to better, and may only have (“ even decades, having to shift to an of social priceless. stitute theenv interactions and experiences they If these latest hacking attempts on othoperations for disadvantaged s be ab e o earn n h s new ronn ng w a ec commun es n e y no h ng comfor ab e abou do ng your and societies as well as the integrity ing that the initial failed attempt on Biden’s UCPB which can unhinge the banking sysnations and societies as well as the integrity ing that the initial failed attempt on Biden’s UCPB which can unhinge the banking sysstill be able to learn in this new environnitely nothing comfortable about doing your beast, as we They may marked difference incyber thehistory retelling of the academics have been saying lately, the tions which solidified Duterte’s power Duterte has vowed to continue his “war tive and aggressive cyber operations of all these two countries have been getting from s days or just plain “the decisive (lockdown) helped us avert an the younger generations. In this Mabayo nrts before Duterte imposed the lockwhether or not the appointment of Gierran how b a an y goes aga ns he avowed f gh come and a o her revenue aken oge her the life-saving doses. The lack of forthrightness In matters of life and death, especially, why calculation of enemy forces, led by Lapu memorate the 500th anniversary of the COVID-19. Unless we see a national plan, tive and aggressive operations of all these two countries have been getting from plain the country’s -a 16.5-percent conparents will learn how best they can supties.” This, he say altogether new way of teaching. erwise secure organizations in US soil coming out We ea y don know o ha ex en he men S uden s w earn he r essons o and standing of companies and institutions campaign was “...specifically targeted by tem. Or, to companies providing essential work n he same manner for many years and standing of companies and institutions campaign was “...specifically targeted by tem. Or, to companies providing essential groups. ment. Students will learn their lessons, JURADO work in the same manner for many years, vents or incistory of Ferdinand Magellan’s death. Anmartial law years were not as dark and utbut mostly time.” the Trump administration. piece, the oft-repeated note—history is ecome such luand the inconsistency of the officials concerned should some be more equal than others? What Spec f ca y f a governmen off c a s ab e for ransparency Unfor una e y he has used h s however, people in high places would feel bold Lapu, resulted in Magellan’s death. arrival of Europeans in the Philippines. time.” the administration. luport top their of children. Nothing prepared us million infections accordWe agree tha They could have trouble with their tools and base. Longtime aide, Christopher Go, and on drugs” which will be “as relentless is legal depends on whether his name was estimated 1.3 to 3.5 nhistorical on March 2020 there were only involve the most hotly contested electorishment but Trump of 15 traction in economic production. On Ca ho c Chu ch s ns s ence ha he on y ac of note can indeed be easily undermined by the Russian hackers via phishing attacks goods and services such as those in food educa ors w earn o each be er and of note can indeed be easily undermined by the Russian hackers via phishing attacks goods and services such as those in food even decades and hen hav ng o sh f o an rests educators will learn to teach better, and tonio Pigafetta, the Italian scholar who even decades, and then having to shift to an terly useless as these guys are saying they told us that hush-hushaga transactions ofon having rules and laws when written by these the victors—which been enoughintothe break the rest of sarily us doToday not me ofor perfec h scomplaining argumen nshas ho were d- It is o isadrthe vepurpose a BMW a ow mon h to y amorlatest attempts on othcase of the Russian operations and developed He was struck facerules by that a Mactan day that means different things this, so will nothehelp. latest hacking on othIn the al case ofinthe operations for equatethey toH and with connectivity, orhethey also raceIn theRussian planet, using as they do chilling the If ssian military cep ab these efor means oIf bthese hday con oattempts shacking hy hm in that shortlist for the Board of Trustees Davao’s former police chief, Ronaldo dela on the itcontraction began ”could He wants ing to researchers from our universities. The Ooped confirmed cases At this writing the a click of a finger Grabe. against the campaign’s communications manufacturing or in power and utilities the 0.7-percent in the first quara click of a finger Grabe. against the campaign’s communications manufacturing or in power and utilities paren s w earn how bes hey can supnackthe case of Army commanders. a oge her new way of each ng kept a detailed journal of the events of the would want everybody to believe. Like in something to be ashamed about. they could be broken, anyway, so long as it’s parents will learn how best they can supeven know exist. And then it would have been de rigueur for most people, gets a better altogether new way of teaching. ng of fes y e checks for governmen off c a s za on—we wonder where ha ex s s—or warrior using a local scimitar. After, the erwise secure organizations in US soil Trump’s re-election, the reports coming out different countries and their peoples. w years. Hackstitute the In finding our stride, it is best to reshould not takeci find it ha difficult at erwise secure in oUS soil Trump’s most re-election, the reports coming out itme sophisticated methods available, is hod—and organizations aorganizations a tocbe a effective means b their h jobs InoHAVE been requested to repeat my reaIt’s pretty basic In 2019, the Human Rights Watch re-Spanish ds,and subsequent Rosa, who initially spearheaded the “drug death penalty banned under the ConstituThey bristled atThey the possibility offamilies being the right person who isthat doing the breaking? por he r ch dren No h ng prepared us voyage, wrote of how Magellan was electorbedistress and conflict situations as lockdown enabled us to reinforce our health more than the virus that caused our woes. ppines isTh the pandemic epicenter in cou d have roub e w h he r oo s than even counterpoint as far as historical buys mu p e houses on a m ed sa ary “Wea h does rans a e o corrup on ” port their children. Nothing prepared us ships retreated from Cebu. ter 2020, the 16.5 -percent GDP growth drop “...To the Philippines, first conThey could have trouble with their tools involve the most hotly contested electornot justma ofethe security but of the corner and member that one crisis affects We know that n m using the only available medium of instrucnot farfetched to that the same consultants involve the most hotly contested not just of the establishment ofthe can s all yea s security es s think based onestablishment p but othe ec con o a e aga ns s doc na each ngs— ported that “State security forces and gove written by sieged by natives in Cebu while attemptcountry was at that time, there were missons for my belief that the appointment of for h s so comp a n ng w no he p * * * he sa d before awmakers a a budge hear ng ha has no s gn f can y ncreased over he and w h connec v y or hey cou d a so for this, so complaining will not help. al popu race theg ow planet, using as they do Microsoft itself iscensus that Russian military activated in us nong andthe communities differently. Thisbuild shouldup be done anywhere at time andheagainst and with connectivity, or and they could alsoour capacity to do wide- war,” were elected to the Senate. Dela Rosa fundraising tion for crimes toashbe reimposed for tion. system ons he 2015 aRussian onany by ation ASEAN with a total of 265 888 casal inmost the planet, using they Microsoft itself is popu that military nic no has arace ecmeans ed ou ain on Ou vdoewthe the country is now in recession with ernment-backed paramilitaries Secretary and ing to help Rajah Humabon, amo recently takes points there were high facformer sa dbe ha he correct govyears redcontinue f In ag a was po Inas fastride, nd ng stoearlier rnde-named s bes o reany perceived adversary. Given Microsoft vice fhend dNational ffeffective cu oawbe effec ve a hen he obsserves improve our empathy and most sophisticated methods it In have targeted organizations Ph pp ne Shackers aand s low cs Au ho ybut asorganizations we200 asUS p osuch ve part of Investigation Inr ha finding our itour is best to re-column Meanwhile, students also to find itis difficult to atBureau their jobs an I suggested thatcommittee the cluded in th san ha crimes sc ence has deve oped a are eeconomic eadjusting ecit available, most sophisticated methods available, is Tuesday have targeted 200 US part to head theTO Senate drug spread testing inourour communities. From just is become Noashackers 21 inpoints the world The Philippines THE harass, threaten, arbitrarily arrest, and inArmy first semester drop in output of 9 Duterte imposed one of the earliest lockultural Army commanders. commanders. Catholicized local ruler convert others and celebratory ones as well. ern ng fes y e checks s og ca and ha he er on where o ook more c ose y environment, the security and stability of quotedDiplosayNow, the lockdowns will policy” make half in of ident cannop ec ons by he Un ve s y o he Ph pp nes short-sightedness. In on doing our ab best to president member ha one cr s s affec s fam es the much-changed demands of schoolwork. us ng he y ava e med um of ns rucfarfetched think that the same can ve me hods onot b to h think con oVIRTUAL hto ough asame c acan (political parties, tanks, consultants member that one crisis affects families using the only available medium of instrucnot farfetched that the (political parties, think tanks,think consultants chief Dante Gierran as and chief President should create a “jobs instances attack and killconpolitical ac- In 2019, downs in the world. Still, even 1,282 if it wasactual the some charged with investigating police matters But the people love the President for ber reof the B bassy inBiden’s Ma- a on around PCR tests per day dged Germany yesterday and is barely Inshou 2019, the Human Rights Watch to Catholicism and loyalty toworst Spain. MaBut that would be another story. Back the Human Rights Watch rePOINT percent. It is the recession in our hisnations and societies as well as the integrity n ends o ask Congress o amend How d ff cu s h s concep o grasp? mpt on the people poor. Popu ns u e and he Un ed Na ons cope, but we should also pick out the lesmeans and ou own Rep oduc ve Hea h They may have grown up with technology, and commun es d fferen y Th s d be done anywhere at any time and against and even the main Democratic fundraising ities dangerous on communities differently. Thisofshould time and against world’s andaeven the main Democratic fundraising be done anywhere at any rous tion. longest tivists,and environmentalists, community leadand strictest, the lockdown executive officer of PhilHealth is illegal much more the wake so many jobless people as a reREALITY insight and gellan believed that his display of force to Mabayo’s notes on the quincentennial ported that “State security forces and govported that “State security forces and govand standing of companies and institutions y targeted by We are aghas o hear ha hese words He akes ssue w h he phrase “ v ng bePopu a on Fund and the “drug war.” the “drugs war ” In May 2019 two top Remittances—a mainstay of the Law n ac encou ages a poss b e means sons that will come handy when this criducted theadjusting last of March, capacity 00 cases belowfor No 20 attacks. Italy 288 761 vice but mostly for recreation and such socialization. any adversary. perceived adversary. Given suchMeanwhile, ancontain the tory. platform) for cyber attacks. Microsoft such aplatform) brazen mprove ourand empa hy and any vice perceived Given an failed Meanwh e in salso uden s areweek a ers, so us ng oourour cyber Microsoft azen improve empathy correct our correc our and journalists.” students are to ad to pandemic. Thus, th EMIL shouldattacks view would be enough to accomplish those celebrations as posted in The Diplomat: of note can indeed be easily undermined by ishing Under Section 1 of Republic Act 11223 ernment-backed paramilitaries continue to ernment-backed paramilitaries to ofoff the pandemic be ng has u vowed eredshor by very c4.aCOVID-19 yond one’s and That ns s swisdom ha a person Theto agency wa nedhas howeve hahashebeen popu economy because iscontinue the one that bo h na u a and a handily c a toouse binto ng down he sis is finally over. would be are Today they have technology to subenvironment, the security and stability ofmeans” president Tom Burt quoted as sayhat Failure contain the communist inallies made itthe themisSenate elecenvironment, the security and stability ofeconomy president Tom Burt been quoted as sayDuterte to continue his “war ed tohappened -she ghsult edness In do ngtoeconomy our to bes o that nance Secretary Carlos Dominguez says he much-changed demands of schoo work Ten days before Duterte imposedofthe lockwhether short-sightedness. In doing our best the much-changed demands schoolwork. For whole of 2020, the is exsthreaten, no unc ona hepere we eand no in or rmmunications schools and aook click of a sfinger Grabe. tasks.popu That fateful decision and his “...On March 16, 2021, we will comin the first quarter of 2020, by 16.5 perP700 million a day, but this amount is still a on ou m gh nc ease o as many as harass, arbitrarily arrest, may on y have “d s or ed va ues and pr or whose ob s o champ on ransparency harass, threaten, arbitrarily arrest, and in annua a on g ow h espec a y n Me o Duterte imposed one of the earliest lockDuterte imposed one of the earliest lockJURADO fuels consumption—fell by 4.2 TONY LOPEZ priceless. (Universal Healthcare Act) upon the recstitute the interactions and experiences theyintegrity Department andseparatist Employand societies asintegrity well as the thatfailed the initial attempt onnations Biden’s he sys-the ing onhdrugs” which will be “as relentless and is legal dep down onmay March 15,grown 2020,have there were only and nations societies as well as 10 the ing that initial attempt on Biden’s syscope bu weThe shouto dperathe so plesckand ou of he Labor They may grown up wand echno ogy cope, but we should also pick out have up with technology, cesons g4.2 ow hkill n Q3 2020 the Muslim movewhich solidified Duterte’s power decisive helped usfailed an thisbanking Mabayo calculation of enemy forces, led by Lapu the anniversary significant bring many to decline percent. BizNewsAsia 111(lockdown) 1 mmemorate on because o 500th un n ended pavert egnancof esthe tions cent in theinenough second quarter, and 9surgency VIRTUAL es ”They Th sconfirmed heVIRTUAL says s none of this our bus ness accoun ab yto nbegan.” governmen We Man a pected and o he ustanding ban cen eofsby instances attack and political ac- shor some instances attack and GDP kill political accent insome thees first half. That percent downs the world. even if it was thesuch downs inchilling the world. Still, even ifStill, ithardship was the in that on the day itcome Heby wants TWO cases. At writing, the ommendation of the Board Trustees of Philand companies and institutions campaign was “...specifically targeted by viding essential ment will deny this for sure but a survey and standing of companies and institutions campaign was “...specifically targeted by ntial sons ha w come handy when h s cr cou d have been ou pe cen age po n s be bu mos y for recrea on and soc a za on sons that will handy when this cribut mostly for recreation and socialization. e—history people,” according to Acting Socioeconomic Lapu, resulted inthe Magellan’s death. arrival of Europeans thepandem Philippines. caused ockdowns du nginhe c Without a vaccine cent in the first half. We are having the A he onse o he 1970s ou contraction popu a on Gofor We agree ha wea hREALITY doesepicenter no necesare much alongest armed over Mr Mar res’ IisHAVE base Longtime aide Christopher and tivists, environmentalists, community leadtivists, environmentalists, community leadequivalent to losing $1.4 billion of It’s mated 1the 3 isto 3by 5 he million infections accordworld’s longest and strictest, the lockdown world’s and strictest, thement lockdown been requested to repeat my reaestimates GDP the whole death penalty, banned under the ConstituREALITY Philippines isHealth the pandemic in the IN A previous column I talked about Presiof note can indeed be easily undermined by the Russian hackers via phishing attacks sichthose in food of note can indeed be easily undermined by Russian hackers via phishing attacks food e awou 7 half 5dpe cen a he country han he 11 President shall the agens spandemic. fThat nashowed ywisdom Tha wsons sdom be thatand almost of the the sof 5 pe pretty ba hey have o failed use ogy oto sis is finally would be has been Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua. have tothe use technology toechno subThe It Phis appday nesthat hasmeans one odifferent he h things ghes to s ood He awas a me Mactan on struck yformer 35 8 in m the onface A by he was sar 11-nation worst recession insover. our history. yToday equa they eASEAN o Today corrup Mar res sappoint or hsubnk ng Because ’sover our for axes for myand belief that appointment your dollar income. ers, journalists.” ers, journalists.” the pandemic. failed contain the tion fored most crimes, to be reimposed with aon totalMr of 265,888 cas-todcontain The killings of political activists and alDavao’s police chief Ronaldo dela dent Rodrigo Duterte’s achievements. Now, oer researchers from our universities The a click of a finger Grabe. against the campaign’s communications and utilities could be as large as 30 percent -assuming a cen eco ded ” acco d ng o Chua a click of a finger Grabe. against the campaign’s communications ities Army commanders. “When we restricted the economy in the gets a better popu a different on g owcountries h a es and n he ASEAN ess athe sFin the uppresident enos hefor nThe erac ons and days exper ences hey localo scimitar. priceless. their peoples.e d warrior ed n ousing he mands g oups After, n he the o e shou for use, the cy’s and CEO from the Board’s stitute the interactions and experiences they About 75 percent of the economy was adult force ofNational 60 million are jobless former Bureau of Investigation dItno ake sgeneral mp e ons and our we -be ngpr hace are simposed ake labor here In an earl Is there hope in that bleak scenario? Duterte has vowed to continue his “war Duterte has vowed to continue his “war drug crimes. Ten before Duterte imposed lockTen days before Duterte the lockes. is No. 21 world. Philippines here are his failures: Based on consu a on w h ead ng ma s In 2019, the Human Rights Watch releged NPA leaders have failed to dent the who initially spearheaded themonth “drug down enabled us toTha reinforce our second quarter, GDP fell byPresident 16.9 percent and g on a p esen s a dub ous dthat s health nc r as historical on o loss heships s of ugg e o trillion ad ca Cebu. soc for a change P1.5 each lockSpanish retreated from TONY LOPEZ “...To the Philippines, firstoncon- Rosa TONY LOPEZ chief Dante Gierran as president and chief President sh down. Household consumption, We knowof ha many governmen off cbarely a s onsshut very much our bus ness Well, yes. Lift the lockdowns which But the people love the for non-ex-officio members on drugs” which will be “as relentless and on drugs” which will be “as relentless dislodged Germany yesterday and is Santa Banana they are the new poor! down March 15, 2020, there were only down on March 15, 2020, there were only 1. The Philippines’ greatest depression and as oodofcha ns someis32 pe cen o the 50and security forces and govthe “drugs unemployment rate increased to fell 17.7 per- executive om whe e our we that scapacity g“State ven ou cudoen eve officer PhilHealth illegal. ha he coun yelected cou d lockdown s to sus a Senate n a –popu aDela wake of recession could rage providing three-fourths of GDP, by 52-year old communist insurgency. Muslim war ” were the Rosa m and build upported to widehave proved senseless and produced the the war.” In May 2019, two top 23,000 cases below No. 20, Italy, 288,761. down. This the longest and severchilling on the day it began.” He wants the itven began.” wants In the second quarter of 2020, the PhilipTWO confirmed cases. At hand, this writing, the TWO confirmed cases. Atwe this writing, the This means thatthe the President cannot appe chilling cen o“new heon sa es aday e d are by11223 am He y con The newest of the cent. On the other when further re- opposite o economernment-backed c deve opmen paramilitaries continue to Under Section 1The ofpoor” Republic Actsome sult ofMAR thebe C on pine h eeeconomy mes haslumped numbeto oits alowest ound 108 cluded inSecretary the shortlist. Otherwise, Pres15.5 percent in the Q2 for 7.8-percent allies made it handily into the aSenate eleceffect. lockdowns were Finance Carlos Dominguez says HAVE AS ever in seven death penalty, banned under the Constituterrorists are on the warpath marked byIke aThe named to head the Senate committee death penalty, banned under the ConstituPhilippines ismember the pandemic epicenter inepicenter the Philippines is pandemic in(Universal thesump d testing in our on as opposed o upon nd v dua o wo IN A previous column Ilockdown talked about PresiTO THE harass, IN A previous column I talked about Presiest in the world – has run for months. he earliest Women lockHealthcare Act), the reclaxed the quarantine in the second semester, ocommunities epthreaten, oduc vearbitrarily ageFrom 15 arrest, ojust 49 andwas Depa Army commanders. point Gierran unless he is a of the commanders. A STRICT or what is called a ident cannot legally appoint you as a mem119 000 to 140 000 retrenched teachers minArmy on We eached ha numbe as yea and well into 2021. Now, the history lockdowns will make half of PRESIDENT decline in H1 2020, according to MaDuterte has extended tions which solidified Duterte’s power “the decisive (lockdown) helped us avert an supposed to save 4,000 people from sons for my dark days the country’s -a 16.5-percent contion for crimes, toBoard be reimposed tion forof crimes, to ood beoffor reimposed 11-nation ASEAN with a total of 265,888 consump onmost A ead ng as cha n The esmentforwill B 11-nation ASEAN with a totalcasof the 265,888 cas-most political acdent Rodrigo Duterte’s achievements. Now, ven 1 if 282 it yea wasactual dent Rodrigo Duterte’s achievements. Now, base. ommendation the Trustees Phild GDP improved toDevelopment -11.5 percent in third new phenomenon—suicide bombers. charged police matters sthe o d some a ePCR esinstances matests ed attack o per haveand hekill g conea es ber of Enhanced the of Trustees PhilHealth, Modified Community nd day he ques onwith ha the we mus now con onWatch seconomic hRights s reIninvestigating 2019, the Human Watch reIn This 2019, Human Rights half ofPOINT the production the people poor. nila-based Asian Bank. the state of Board calamity for oneofQuarantine year aide, Christopher Go, and and staff out ofmathe more 700 estimated 1.3 to 3.5 million infections accorddying, people whothan would traction inmeans economic production. On top of 21, theyNat w es ha ood bough wdie h private kanyway, ds and ds drug crimes. tivists, environmentalists, community leaddrug crimes. es.until Itre-is No. 21Longtime world. t, the lockdown Health, the President shall appoint the agen-o kformer es. Itinand isthe No. 21 inThe the Philippines world. The Philippines showed tha here are his failures: much more as president and CEO. quarter the unemployment rate decreased here are his failures: th po en a g ow h n numbe s o an nc ease (MECQ) could cost NCR and its adjacent G ven ou cu en eve o econom c deve op ported that “State security forces and govported that “State security forces and govPNP has tripled the “drug war ” That former police more chief, Ronaldo dela Remittances—a mainstay the Unemployment than tripled, Sept, 2021. Please note: That is upThe to Davao’s ing to21, researchers from our universities. ed last week of March our capacity andthe contraction in thecannot firstof quarDante lockdown orits no because is0.7-percent gone ha by now. be gions recovered portraying which will remain These comp se 43 oanti-insurgency olockdown, aclosed sa es Sm aforPresident ybudget, p ochief o for ers, and cy’s president and CEO from the Board’s the people love the President ic. in the adult labor But the people love the dislodged yesterday and isschools barely Thus, theinbillion answer to the aquestion of toGermany dislodged Germany yesterday and17.7 is But barely 8.7who percent in thespearheaded fourth quarter. The como nea y 338 000journalists.” 1.one greatest some P2.1 wages day. 1. The Philippines’ greatest EMIL men we say we can suppo atheap dThe ydrop ernment-backed paramilitaries continue to ernment-backed paramilitaries toPhilippines’ th Rosa, initially the “drug lockdown enabled usbefore toinreinforce our health economy because that iscontinue that from 5.1 percent in April 2019 to eight months justdepression thedepression May 2022 • The Judicial Development Fund, the basis tercan 2020, the 16.5 -percent GDP growth executive most of them already had fatal disc uded n he shor s O herw se he Prescluded in the shortlist. Otherwise, the PresBut didof a worrying sign. 4 Failure to contain the communist inCOV D 19 a shopp ng ma cha n es ma es non-ex-officio members. has vowed to continue his “war Santa Banan has grown to about 32,000 average daily tests mposed the Based lock- on Duterte whether or not the appointment of Gierran the “drugs war.” In May 2019, two top four months. 23,000 cases below No. 20, Italy, 288,761. the “drugs war.” In May 2019, two top bined effects of these were concretely felt schools have lost income because of lack of he comm ss on s da a ado es 23,000 cases below No. 20, Italy, 288,761. MECQ was imposed in Metro Manila, Lag ow ng popu a on n he yea s ahead? In the second quarter of 2020, the PhilipIn the second quarter of 2020, the Philipin the first quarter of 2020, by 16.5 perTO THE war,” were elected to the Senate. Dela Rosa TO THE harass, threaten, arbitrarily arrest, and in harass, threaten, arbitrarily arrest, and in system and build up our capacity to do wideDuterte onerelentless of the earliest lockDuterteonimposed oneimposed of the earliest lockfuels by 4.2with per- presidential percent in April 2020 “when lockdowns elections when we choose of the financial benefits of the judiciary; means the consumption—fell country is nowJURADO in recession Under Se eases other than COVID. But several den canno ega y appo n you as a memident cannot legally appoint you as a memthat men do This means that the President cannot apThe newe ha abou 46 o oo a c came om pa en s drugs” which will be “as and is legal depends on whether his name was there were only The reasons are bySecretary the people. According to enrollees the most recent allies made allies it handily into the Senate eleccen s agedcent 10 in o 19 s o dquarter, w on and y n by 9surgency Finance Carlos Dominguez says guna and Cebu City from May May 31,in was it handily intothe themilitary Senate elecRough yFinance one hfirst o Muslim he okill a Ph pp ne 5. Coddling ofmade the police and and the separatist moveSecretary Carlos Dominguez says pine economy slumped to slumped itsour lowest ever into this (August).” pine economy to its 16 lowest ever Carlos Dominguez named to the Senate committee theinyea second TUAL spread testing in just instances attack and kill acinstances attack and political ac-9political insome thedrop half. That 4.2 percent firstcent semester inSecretary economic output of downs theday world. even if peritsome was the downs the world. Still, even ifStill, it was were widespread and atBoard their most Duterte’s successor. •Finance The Amusement and Gaming (Universal point isare a member ofwill thees con 119,000 toP thousands more dying oram ber ofof he of Trus of Ph Hea ber ofPhilippine thehead Board Trustees of PhilHealth, interred wi in that shortlist forcommunities. the Board ofFrom Trustees. wGierran h ch dunless enhpeople Thhe ssolidified ans a es power oDuterte’s chilling on the ith began.” He the wants this writing, theoin POINT POINT Social Weather Stations (SWS) Survey, theees c ease 38 224a nex yea Bu sWe ageare g oup 2020. Under MECQ, essential industries altions which solidified Duterte’s popu a on now ves be ow he pove y ne “the decisive (lockdown) helped us avert an tions which power “the decisive (lockdown) helped us avert an the country’s history -a 16.5-percent conthe country’s history -a 16.5-percent concharged with investigating police matters Without vaccine cent in the first half. having the around 1,282 actual PCR tests per day conDuterte has employed more generals, ment percent. It is the worst recession in our histivists, environmentalists, community leadtivists, environmentalists, community leadAdds Dominguez: “Without the lockdown, is equivalent to losing $1.4 billion of strict,” says ADB. Exports declined by Another year of state of calamity Corporation, which provides an additional The group representing these teachers world’s longest and strictest, the lockdown world’s longest and strictest, the lockdown and staff, ou I HAVE been requested to repeat my reaommendatio It’s pretty basic. explains that “no matter how much money much more as president and CEO. much more as pres den and CEO die because of hunger, malnutrition, and bu ng a mos ha o o a sa es death penalty, banned under the ConstituThis bri ALITY epicenterwou in the hunger rate fell significantly toinfections 15.7 percent d con worst bu e recession a 21 04 pe in cen se n un n out in lowed ECQ are also allowed, including The tory. adm n s a on a ge ed a dec netraction n he in traction base. Longtime Christopher Go, and bhP estimated 1.3 topercent 3.5 million accordbase.aide, Longtime aide, Christopher Go, and the estimated 1.3 toinfections 3.5 million accordproduction. On top spelled of the “drug war.” ductedunder incontinuing the lastclearly week of our capacity economic On top of and history. schools wh sons for myand belief that the appointment ofeconomic your dollar income. and journalists.” 21.4 in the first half. means restrictions and reguers, journalists.” source of revenue to fund the *production. * March, *veterinary Health, failed contain to pandemic. contain the Thus, the answer tomiscellaneous the question of “Aspawned heseof mean ha wh e we openedany he tionfailed foresthe most crimes,our to pandemic. be reimposed pove forers, Thus he answer o he ques on diseases by the lockdowns. l of 265,888 cas-ptoegnanc Marcos a from the military and the police, than The killings of political activists and aland staff claim that the P500 million allothe rate of infections and deaths could have EMIL EMIL in November from a record-high of 30.7 perended health care, pharmacies, clinics, countries pump into their economies, their y a e om 21 pe cen o 16 pe cen by Davao’s former police chief, Ronaldo dela ing to researchers from our universities. The Davao’s former police chief, Ronaldo dela 4. Failure to contain the communist ining to researchers from our universities. The the 0.7-percent contraction in the first quarrThegeneral use, the About 75 percent of the economy was For the whole of 2020, the economy is exthe 0.7-percent contraction in the first quaro schools hav former National Bureau of Investigation In an earlier column, I suggested that the Is there hope in that bleak scenario? lations. Pricesthe of and prime commodities, activities of or thenot government; Duterte hasbuDuterte vowed to continue his “war has to continue his “war drug crimes. supp yenough de du ng him. GCQ and MGCQ bycy’s a Itpreside Ten days before Duterte imposed lockTens days before lockwhether the of Gierran whe herappointment orcated no can heto appo men of Gs erran Philippines acting Economic Planning Secdepen cent in September 2020. But we still donpresident Popcom expec a ound 102Duterte 000 the unimposed n food manufacturing supply chains, andin The law. hethe end ochief 2020 he COV Dvowed 19 pandem c chief them isSaid not other before More than 45 leged NPA leaders have failed to dent the The reasons are been worse. latest data suggest that Rosa, who initially spearheaded the “drug surgency and the Muslim separatist movelockdown enabled us to reinforce our health Rosa, who initially spearheaded thenon-ex-offic “drug JURADO GDP would have shrunk massively, anyway. JURADO enrollees. LOPEZ lockdown enabled us to reinforce our health Dante Gierran as president and pected to decline by 10 percent. BizNewsAsia ter 2020, theter 16.5 -percent GDP growth drop President should create a much “jobs policy” shut down. Household consumption, 2020, the 16.5 -percent GDP growth drop Well, yes. Lift the lockdowns which especially rice, corn, and fish, will be • The Export Processing Authority to atBut the people love the President for ow ng es ab shmen s and pub c anspo o on drugs” which will be “as relentless and on drugs” which will be “as relentless and ay and is ended barely on is legal depends on whether his name was s ega depends on whe her h s name was down March 15, 2020, there were only retary Karl Kendrick Chua: down on March 15, 2020, there were only ble achiev better,” explained the NEDA Chief. p egnanc es h s yea as a esu o groceries. Certain manufacturing and processh ew haexecutive p o the ec GDP on way o he mafork the Without alittle vaccine ment war,” were elected to the Senate. Rosa grou officer of isthe illegal. system build upand our capacity to do widethe wake of so many jobless people aspercent awith re-and contraction whole cession could rage war,” were elected toyDela the Senate. Rosa The policy President Duterte system build capacity tojobs do wideproviding three-fourths of GDP, byestimates means the country is now infact, recession with officers occupy cabinet and Dela civil52-year old communist insurgency Muslim over 1laws, of all COVID-19 cases means the country is anow in recession clearly spelled out in have proved senseless and the the “drugs war.” Iny this 2019, two topchilling controlled. In under current ope aTrus ethat aanticipated hees ghe capac he demand s dehe sThe This mea tract foreign investments; taly, 288,761. It is the sheer size stimulus package inkillings that shortlist forour the Board of Trustees. onnot the day it gPhilHealth began.” He wants n up ha shor s and forstar-rank he Board of chilling on the itbu began.” He wants “No one that the COVID TWO writing, thefell would TWO confirmed cases. this writing, the se v ce confirmed educ ons cases. on amAt pMay ann ngAt due ing plants can operate, at 50 percent capacity. Oucould unaway popu aas on owRepublic hday s--produced aof den11223 G The of political activists aland staff cla Under Section 1 of Act sult of the COVID-19 pandemic. was named to head the Senate committee be as large 30 percent assuming a Mr. President, lift spread testing in our communities. From just was named to head the Senate committee 15.5 percent in Q2 for a 7.8-percent first semester drop in economic output of 9 spread testing in our communities. From just allies made it handily into the Senate elecfor general use, the s ve y m ed g ven he con nuous es c first semester drop in economic output of 9 opposite effect. The lockdowns were point Gierra the price of anything, and its supply, can Dominguez says has to adopt right away should not be an • The Movie and Television review and I HAVE been requested to repeat my reaAS MARCOS haters remembered “the I HAVE been requested to repeat my reaIt’s pretty basic. I ’s pre y bas c death penalty, banned under the Constitupandemic will [strike] the global ian positions in the government. terrorists are on the warpath marked by a death penalty, banned under the Constituwho envy Philippines is the pandemic epicenter in the o commun y qua an neisesthecpandemic ons in the country are severe or critical. Our morPhilippines epicenter in the Government offices also resume work at 50 ha we shou d s ve o co ec ve y h ough Presiked about Presithat matters now but also whether it is actualthe law. cated to them leged NPA leaders have failed to dent the (Universal Healthcare Act), upon the recThe Department of Labor and Employth losssupposed of P1.5 trillion for each month of lockell into 2021. with investigating police matters around 1,282 actual PCRunless tests per con-per decline H1 2020,of according to265,888 has extended charged with investigating tions which solidified Duterte’s power percent. It is the worst recession in our hisaround 1,282 actual PCR tests conons haIn pthe even d en and hence es lped us avert an to save 4,000 people from be controlled by the government during sons for belief that the appointment of Classification Board; percent. It ismy the worst recession our his-appointment dark days of Martial Law,” on sons for my belief that the of * *day *emergency * charged *day * employment the lockdowns. They economy. firstch three months ofpolice theammatters tion for most crimes, be reimposed for So wha needs o in be done? sight, NAKED Board of Trustees of PhilHealth and tion for most crimes, to be reimposed for percent capacity. Transportation isinSeptember allowed 11-nation ASEAN with a total 265,888 e Maecdown. vephenomenon—suicide mp emen athe on o–tothe he ep oduc ve scheme For sure 11-nation ASEAN with a totalcasof casNow, recession could rage The and jobs ievements. Now, ommendation of the Board Trustees of Phil52-year old communist insurgency. Muslim ment will deny this, for sure, but a survey Despite the overwhelming dominance of new bombers The tality ratio, on the other hand, is at 2.5 people This lockdown longest and severly saving productive parts of the economy. and the “drug war.” ducted the last oflosses March, capacity nila-based Asian Development Bank. one yearaccordThe and base. aide, Christopher Go, and ng ou ” says Chua and the war.” nfections tory. ducted in the last week of March, oura capacity dying, people would die anyway, Bureau ofbashing a former state of National calamity. InNational ausual major election, • The Authority toI sugges 21, they went onwork the spree, Inweek anPhilippine earlier column, I er suggested that the om former Bureau ofinterrorists Investigation tory. In anour ear coby umn edgoha he WIt his he nc eas pworld. opo o Philippines F p no quarantine, we“drug prioritized saving lives has but only for essential and definitely SO drug crimes. hea h aw and espons bhas ewho am yfor p ann ngTHOUGHT drug crimes. es.until No. 21Longtime the The to adop Health, the President shall appoint the agenes. Itinisng No. 21 inon the world. The PNP Philippines showed that almost half ofservices. theInvestigation country's are on thesense. warpath marked the Board his appointment toCoconut the ranks of unemployed can only worsin the world –its runlockdown, seven months. make no generals, the Duterte administration has tripled budget former policePopcom chief, Ronaldo dela esthas 4.athe Failure to contain the communist inwell into 2021. Unemployment more than tripled, e: That iswomen upThe to o Davao’s “ofpo we a ow mo econtain consump onunless acto v esnot o in- a universities. per arecommended hundred thousand.” 4. Failure to the communist chief Dante Gierran as president and chief For the whole ofsystemic 2020, the economy isGierran ex- areloosenlockdown or noanti-insurgency because This is because the problem is not a the price and supply of bellwether goods develop and should enhance coconut production President create a “jobs policy” in chief Dante as president and chief portraying Marcos as the devil-incarnate. Pres den shou d crea e “ obs cy” n ch dbea ng age says For the whole of 2020, the economy is exOn the other hand, just a slight against COVID. We used this time Board Trustees of PhilHealth, and emergency cy’s president and CEO from the Board’s But the people love the President for adult labor force of 60 million jobless. But the people love the President for dislodged Germany yesterday and is barely new phenomenon—suicide bombers. The setbacks in MECQ and dislodged Germany yesterday and is barely n st depression This means half of the economic production I SEE the President Rosa, who initially spearheaded the “drug en the poverty problem of the country for esume h s w encou age ms o u ze excess nforce our health from 5.1 percent in April 2019 to 17.7 the May 2022 surgency and the Muslim separatist moveexecutive ofaare PhilHealth isPhilHealth illegal. surgency andsystem the separatist movemost of them hadpected fatal dislike rice, corn, fish, fuel, even school theefforts; wakethe of jobless people athe reto decline by 10 percent. BizNewsAsia executive officer of isand illegal. But did not Shakespeare say: “The evil e s acases need o puaverage n p20, aceItaly, measu es ha Board recommended hisMuslim appointment to any hemany wake of so budget, many obasess peop eour as ahealth reproven itself any more competent nor a288,761. worrying sign the ranksTh ofd ing, or what isofficer called General Community non-ex-officio members. ernh @yahoo com pected to decline by 10 percent. BizNewsAsia improve capacity.” Santa Banana, they the new poor! He notes that perPNP 100,000, EU member rown tohe about 3223,000 000 daily tests the “drugs war.” In May 2019, two top has tripled itsso anti-insurgency contraction oralready awar.” cyclical bust. neces23,000 below No. 288,761. “drugs May 2019, two top cases No. 20, Italy,Rosa hilipis gone by the now. That cannot beInrecovered inSimply, 2020, PhilipCHARLIE V. war,” wereinelected to the Senate. Dela acity tothe do widecapac y wh ch w even ua y s mu a e new n Without a vaccine percent Aprilbelow 2020 “when lockdowns en we choose GCQ point to the need to ment Under Section 1 of Republic Act 11223 Thus before Gierran can be appointed as Without a vaccine the President. eases other than COVID. But several sult of the COVID-19 pandemic. supplies, medicines, and PPEs, are cruUnder Section 1 of Republic Act 11223 en the pove many years to come • The Philippine Tourism Authority as one ment that men do lives after them. The good is oft This means that the President cannot apestimates the GDP contraction for the whole su of he COVID-19 pandem c Quarantine (GCQ) costs these regions around The newest of the “new poor” are some “By the models of UP and Ateneo, estimates the GDP contraction for the whole a worrying sign. clearly has grown to about 32,000 average daily tests allies made it handily into the Senate elecLITO Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez says allies made it handily into the Senate elecless corrupt than past administrations. four months. 5 Coddling of the police and the military Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez says states average 31 deaths, UK 70, Spain 61,men ver in From August) ”justin was ts lowest ever mobility restrictions hamper aggregate to head theand Senate nities. ves men okillings se ve new demand ”171,000 heactivists added MANALO werenamed widespread at committee their most sary Thus, before Gierran can beto appointed as and Thewe killings ofs may political activists and almany (Universal Healthcare Act), upon the point Gierran unless he isare a member ofwill the The Department of Labor Employ119,000 to 140,000 retrenched teachers thousands more people dying or (Universal Healthcare Act), upon the reccial, especially inin-battleground regions, ofwork the engines serve as Depar a to source of and revenue; P700 million pesos wages, according to es-recinterred with their bones.” The ofthe Labor and Emp oyThe of political al-yearsfrI could be as large as 30 percent assuming averted some 59,000 President and of PhilHealth he 5. Coddling of to themust police and thesafely military could be as large as 30 percent --aCEO assuming ageneral While President have signed into this (August).” which solidified Duterte’s power for use, the Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez together “the decisive (lockdown) helped uspolice avert an ustions which solidified Duterte’s power “the decisive (lockdown) helped avert an tions for general use, the con6.5-percent concharged with investigating matters day con“ n 2021 he key o ou ecove y s o con nue When the chief of the national capital’s Duterte has employed more generals President and CEO of PhilHealth, he must Sweden 57, and the US 52. dds Dominguez: “Without the lockdown While the strict,” saysBANAYO ADB. Exports declined by ests ofper calamity the C and staff, out of the more than 700 private ommendation of the Board Trustees of Phildemand.” leged NPA leaders have failed to dent the ment will deny this, for sure, but a survey timates of the National Economic and Develdie because of hunger, malnutrition, and ommendation of the Board Trustees of PhilHardest hit was Luzon island which and most especially, when the highest • Laws on socialized housing through a This brings me to ask, my gulay—Is men w deny h s for sure bu a survey leged NPA have for failed to dent the law loss ofand P1.5loss trillion for each month of lockdeaths. Ourbillions deathleaders rates reduced from Duterte has employed more Adds Dominguez: “Without the lockdown, of and P1.5 trillion for each month of lockexplains that “no matter how much base. Longtime aide, Christopher Go,money be first appointed as aagenmember of the Board estimated 1.3 topercent 3.5 million accordbase. Longtime aide, Christopher Go, lawgenerals, Bayanihan 2manag the his estimated 1.3 toinfections 3.5 million infections accordop the “drug war.” rch, capacity ng sks no oallotted avoon d hem comp e media e y Th s Bayanih ction. On top of and be first appointed as a member ofMuslim the Board law schools which will remain closed. These hero 21.4 in the first half. onsofour and reguHealth, the President shall appoint the reopen the economy recession could rage showed that almost half of the country's opment Authority (NEDA). 52-year old communist insurgency. Health, the President shall appoint the agendiseases spawned by the lockdowns. produces 70 percent of total economic post of the land is at stake. series of legal issuances from the funding, showed ha a mos ha f of he coun ry s Marcos a heel or a hero? police force was caught social from the military and the police than any recession could rage 3. Unprecedented human rights violations from the military and the police, than any tr ate of infections and deaths could have 52-year old communist insurgency. Muslim down. This lockdown – the longest and severa high of 17 percent to just 1.6 percent the rate of infections and deaths could have Government economists earlier projected countries pump into their economies, their down. This lockdown – the longest and severformer police chief,police Ronaldo delaRonaldo ingquarto researchers from our universities. The in-Davao’s Davao’s former chief, dela 4.ing Failure to contain the communist to researchers from our universities. The of Trustees. quarway weob can bwarpath ng back marked obs and ncome sou project ces are in the first offor Trustees schools have lost income because of lack of other project are stop-gap measures toaverted allecommodities, cy’s and CEO from Board’s Under adepends. GCQ, people are allowed adult labor force ofabor 60 million are cy’s president and CEO from the Board’s Saidinitially acting Economic Planning Secproduction andbefore isadu home to 50 percent ofjobless. What isModified not controlled during aremarkastate terrorists are on the by amarked force 60 monly on are ess mortgage and collection ofMore loans; Itpresident If you look at histhe president him. thanof 45 been much worse. The latest data suggest that or around 4,000 deaths. We terrorists are on the warpath by a est in the world – has run seven months. GDP would have shrunk massively, anyway. having a breakfast birthday party with more other president before him More than 45 est in the world – has run for seven months. The reasons are further in 2021. What has made Duterte a strong president, much worse The latest data suggest that Rosa, who spearheaded the “drug well into 2021. surgency and the Muslim separatist moveWhat is/are the legal requirements before lockdown enabled us to reinforce health our health viate peo Rosa, who spearheaded the “drug enab e he a ma o y o peop e o a so addBoard ess the a recovery of 7initially percent to 8 percent in GDP enrollees. lockdown enabled us toourreinforce well into 2021. GDP growth drop d drop fish, will be to their homes butthe only to obtain essential non-ex-officio members. Santa Banana, they are viate theand new poor! What is/are the legal before non-ex-officio members. Karl Chua: the population. of calamity how dis- requirements the people’s needs San ahospitals—the Banana hey are hephenomenon—suicide newo poor! • Allofficers the specialty Philipstar-rank occupy cabinet civilble achievements and good performance, new bombers. The a leave little over 1 is percent of allgovernment COVID-19 cases some to phenomenon—suicide 3.5appointed million ofand which It isretary not theelected sheerKendrick size ofelected the stimulus package This means half of the economic production new bombers. Theof isTrp accine Gierran can be as alockdown member of proThis means half of the economic production ment were tooccupy the Senate. Dela Rosa The group representing these teachers he1.3 non COV D 19strict s cases, cknesses hunge A What build upand ourbuild capacity tocases do wide- star-rank war,” were to the Senate. Dela Rosa system up our capacity towar,” do widethan 50 guests (despite officers cabinet and civilthe vicious illegal drugs campaign, has also enwith over system 1laws, percent of all COVID-19 recession withand clearly spelled out in the Board goods. Workers can go to work, but only those current This means that the President cannot apgrowth rate in 2021. That is now overly optiThe newest of the “new poor” are some This means that the President cannot apian positions in the government. “No one anticipated that the COVID The newes of he “new poor” are some Investments contracted by 53.5 perpenses money. The incumbent President pine Heart Center, Lunch Center, National he would be a hero. For those, however, in the country are severe or critical. Our morPNP has tripled its anti-insurgency budget, thatnamed matterstonow but the alsoSenate whether it is actual68,000 would be andaw critical Gierran can be appointed as a member of Let mere What is essential urgent isha longis gone by now. That cannot bethat recovered inrecovered PNP has tripled its anti-insurgency the Board ofcand Trustees? term jobs The of political activists andproduct al-From and staff claim the P500 million allois gone by now. That cannot be econom nd ca o severe s evea h he sa e ebudget, ax Presiden was head committee Mr. President, and malpractice, let the FDA spread inkillings our communities. Fromlift just was named to head the Senate committee of 9output spread testing in our communities. justmedical workers who are what are called inthe the THE FIFTH of 9testing point Gierran unless he iswants a“essential member ofain the its supply, can Bp 119,000 to 140,000 retrenched teachers Despite the overwhelming dominance of point Gierran unless he is member of the hibiting gatherings of ten or more people in tality ratio, on the other hand, is at 2.5 people pandemic will [strike] the global ian positions in the government 119 000 o 140 000 re renched eachers cent in the second quarter and by 36.6 can get all the money he to have Kidney and Transplant Institute, Philippine who envy his ingenuity, vision and foregiven him one of his major failures—massive eomic country are severe or critical Our morly saving the productive parts of the economy. a worrying sign. cases on the peak day, which will overhas grown to about 32,000 average daily tests mistic. Without a vaccine for general use, the Lazaro, wh Section 13 of RA 10149 (GOCC Governthe law. lem of pove four months. a worrying sign. cated to them is not enough. leged NPA leaders have failed to dent the has grown to about 32,000 average daily tests the Board of Trustees? a on o commun y qua an nes ncomes and obs four months. term jobs policy to prevent a bigger proband the DoH take care of that. They have all charged with investigating police matters around 1,282 actual PCR tests per day conChua said a big part of these forgone wagcharged with investigating police matters rrnment his- induring Public transportation allowed but around 1,282 actual PCRThey tests per day Thus, bef ssion our his- 52-year and the staff, out of more than 700 private Duterte administration hasinvestnot perof ahands hundred thousand.” the lockdowns. and sthe ou of he more han prCoddling va eessed economy. In first three months of the dustries.” percent in the first half. “Private his on and deploy itisrights to whoever Children’s Medical Center; sight, and those who desire revenge, he is generals, Thisconis because thethe problem not adominance systemic ance Act ofback mandates that anmilitary appointing in whelm our healthcare sector.” 5. Coddling of2011) the and the MyCouns gulay rate rage this (August).” The jobs policy that President Duterte GOSPEL old communist Muslim one place at700 the same time), Duterte Despite the overwhelming Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez 5. of the police andrefused the military human violations. Critics say heaffchildren killed ratioelection, on theinother hand islast at week 2insurgency. 5 our people come ” spolice Chua (August).” theand resources to check this out. Ifisthese agenrecession could rage well into 2021. Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez the “drug war.” esthis come from restricting and family CROSSROADS ducted theducted last week of March, capacity Section 13 RA 10149 (GOCC Governhealth protocols must be observed. and the “drug war.” lem of poverty President an in the ofmarked March,by our capacity proven itself any more competent nor any major schools which will remain closed. These He notes that per 100,000, theof EU member schoo s wh ch w rema n c osed These quarantine, we prioritized saving lives contraction or a cyclical bust. Simply, necesment slumped in Q2 with outlays for inand wherever he wants to send it. • The first nuclear power plant in Southdirector shall be appointed by the President definitely a heel. it’s an urgen has to adopt right away should not be an “What we find in the last six months, Duterte has employed more generals, beneficiari terrorists are on the warpath a Adds Dominguez: “Without the lockdown, TheDuterte NEDA chhas e aemployed so ecogn zed he need o explains that “no matter how much money b make no sense. more generals, cies cannot handle this for whatever Adds Dominguez: “Without thetostrong lockdown, explains that “no matter much activities. “For years, the country’s fire the general. generals the Duterte administration has not 4. Failure contain the communist inIn GCQ, people allowed to move around more than 27,000 the guise of eliminating thousand ” be appo 4.restrictions Failure to contain the communist inless corrupt than past administrations. is ex- goods When thematter President came tostates power in schools have lost income because of lack llwether average 31are deaths, UK 70, Spain 61, in from aerring short-list thethan Governance ance Act ofhow 2011) mandates that an appointing ehundred economy is ex- new phenomenon—suicide sary mobility hamper aggregate schoo scould have os equipncome because of tatalfirst Banana, JUDE against COVID. We used this time to Board ofto Trustees of PhilHealth, and My gulay ifof there’s one element dustrial machinery and transport Combine those powers—control ofmoney the east Asia; emergency employment scheme. For sure, is that the lower quarantine restriction bombers. The event from the military and the any the rateare of infections and deaths have eca b aack ethe s prepared aofmilitary eg espolice, nby esponse opolice, he eme than gence reason, they can always call on the NBI tounless countries pump intoand their economies, their from and missing the any theenrollees. rate of infections and deaths could have growth has been supported by its demographThe reasons are countries pump into their economies, their do for work essential services but only if their surgency and the Muslim separatist moveJ.A. The reasons When the chief of the national capital’s of Trustees. Sweden 57, and the US 52. surgency and the Muslim separatist moveCommission for Government-owned or-Conl, even school sAsia Philippines the Board recommended his appointment to demand.” proven itself any more competent nor any the ranks of the unemployed can only worsenro ees BizNewsAsia improve our health system GDP capacity.” theshall pervasive illegal drugs curse. ment percent lower and for private price and supply of any commodity or conent. notes that perPNP 100has000 the memberbudget, • 62.1 Athe geothermal power plant, one ofother the has July 2016, he stumbled into theGDP greatest and tripled its EU anti-insurgency opened of45 theo edthan director beviolations appointed by President have fashio ACIDRE it’s an urgent and jobs policy president before him. More oactually helasting new COV Dmore 19before vasectors anthan andSanmp he been much worse. The latest data suggest that help them do the work. would have shrunk massively, anyway. other president him. More 45 ic dividend, where the country’s young popbeen much worse. The latest data suggest that barangays show no coronavirus cases. To ensure Without a vaccine would have shrunk massively, anyway. police force was caught on social media ment What is/a 3. Unprecedented human rights trolled Corporations (GCG). ple can get Without a vaccine The representing these teachers the“By President. PPEs, are en the poverty problemtaxpayers ofout the country for construction Government economists ment whole DELA The group represen ngeconomy hese eachers the models of earlier UP andprojected Ateneo, 46.8 percent says sumer goods, redirecting money first in thegroup world, aspart anof alternative source onaverage fordaily the cruwhole a worryingUK sign. 70CRUZ clearly spelled in tests and helped bring back jobs.” barrage ofb biznewsasia@gmail.com pub cthis oacon nue upho dcan ng he m nbethe mum heafinally h ends corrupt than past administrations clearly spelled out in star-rank officers occupy cabinet and civilIndeed, if there were any violations at all,alHuman Rights Watch says many the sverage 31 deaths Spain 61 less apackage little over percent all COVID-19 cases from aofshort-list prepared by Governance longest economic expansion inasItsheer the country’s ulation forms large of the labor force, isand not the size ofsheer the package talower,” Banana Icases foresee bleak future for star-rank officers occupy cabinet civilcompliance, checkpoints are installed. a1the little overofaclaim 1construction percent of all COVID-19 having aPublic breakfast birthday party with more law, Gierran only ap-and Under isand not the size the What made Duterte a stimulus strong president, Thus, Gierran can beIt appointed Gierran can killings political activists many years tostimulus come. and staff that the P500 million alloaThe recovery ofbefore 7ofpercent to 8of percent in GDP round regions, The killings political activists al-has ming and s aff c a m ha he P500 m on a owe averted some 59,000 to 171,000 ADB. slipped by a to anyone or anywhere, and the or restrictions of energy; 5. for Coddling of the police and the the military ent --a assuming ageneral a Mr. President, lift the lockdowns. for use, the s anda ds and o ake he necessa y p ecau ons o ident Marc Is he a heel a the culprits should be brought to court. Will ian positions in the government. general use, inGCQ the country are severe orare critical. Our mor-proearning income and demand,” he Our said.without The losses and setbacks in MECQ and that matters now but also whether itlaw. ismay actualWhen theleaders chief ofleaders the national capital’s pointedian byany the President as agovernment. member of the the Board o positions in the than guests (despite strict lockdown President and CEO ofrates he must 27,000 areitsigned “vigilante-style killings perpetratin50 country severe orincritical. morden 57 and the US 52 has the vicious illegal drugs campaign, has also While the President have into the Commission for Government-owned or-Conthat matters now but also whether is actualPhilippines assurance that peogrowth rate in 2021. That isPhilHealth, now overly optihistory—70 consecutive quarters of growth. cated to them isdriving not enough. NPA have failed to dent the Hardest hit wasdaily Luzon island which the highest ca ed hem s25, no and enough leged NPA have failed to dent the lockdeaths. Our death reduced from more generals, Aof REGULAR listener of employed our morning marginal 0.9 percent inatoQ2. on flow oflaw. goods and people under atality lock•the Exploration and drilling Malampaya; ut the lockdown, hen month lock- Duterte p even he ansm ss on o he v us They make no sense. I think even They pursu anyleged of the violations require any tweaking ofthe Despite the overwhelming dominance of The Philippine median age is 36 ratio, on the other hand, is 2.5 people point to the need to work together to safely reoBoard of Trustees of PhilHealth if he was I don’t be first appointed as a member of the Board ly saving the productive parts of the economy. hibiting gatherings of ten or more people in law Bayanihan 2, billions allotted for his given one of hisform major failures—massive Despite overwhelming dominance of 1k hero? tality ratio, on the other hand, is atnation; 2.5 people Section mistic. Without a vaccine for use, the media recession could rage The jobs policy that President lydown saving the productive parts of the economy. 52-year old communist insurgency. Muslim produces 70 percent ofpolice, total economic .ever-could police force was on social recession could rage The obs cy ha Pres den Du erlist ethe ed by police officers themselves or by killers Unprecedented human rights violations from the military the than any trolled Corporations (GCG) radio program Karambola onand DWIZ 882 AM 52-year old communist insurgency. Muslim alaws high ofrules? 17 percent to general just 1.6 percent ple can get employed when this pandemic Duterte may not ityears but heDuterte of whatever or acronym—and eaths have •thousand.” Laws on culture in know the of the Duterte himself added 14 quarters ofhim growth “The osses have beenyou huge and a eve easing sa ongest and severwithout the lockdowns, can win existing or Icaught seriously doubt it.because ardnot Maitlan percent of the population islife 18po old orbe included in the prepared and submitted the generals, the Duterte administration has not pen the economy further in 2021, the National of Trustees. project are only stop-gap measures to alleper a hundred one place at the same time), Duterte refused human rights violations. Critics say he killed This is the problem is not a systemic generals, the Duterte administration has recession could rage well into 2021. ance Act ofco2 per a hundred thousand.” has to adopt right away should not an This isby because the problem is to not a systemic production and is home toMore 50and percent of If or during amonths. state areterrorists on the warpath marked by amarked other president him. thanhaving 45terrorists has oemployment adop gh away shou noc ebe an President. asked violations, if before any, the PSG data suggest thatwhat around 4,000 deaths. We averted achieved almost full durDuterte pick his successor—without • the The Cultural Center of2018 therPhilippines are onrequirements the warpath acan onths. odsGCG commun y quaBut an nes n 2021tocol s matter Now, all that thiswent operation amounted to an election. aWhat breakfast party with more or seven tial this law Gierran can only be apUnder finally ends! linked the authorities.” hat has made Duterte a strong president by the to the the Presiyounger. According to the family inwell into 2021. in shal pu is/are thebirthday legal before viate the people’s needs. Economic and Development Authority said. before it negative in the first quarter of proven itself any more competent nor any to fire erring general. well into 2021. He notes that per 100,000, the EU member more than 27,000 in the guise of eliminating When the President came to power in contraction or a cyclical bust. Simply, necesdirector Board of Trustees of PhilHealth, and unless proven itself any more competent nor any emergency employment scheme. For sure, He notes that per 100,000, the EU member the population. overnment disBoard of Trustees of PhilHealth, and un ess star-rank officers occupy cabinet and civilmp contraction or a cyclical bust. Simply, necesother Cabinet members who were supposed to new phenomenon—suicide bombers. The emergency emp oymen scheme For sure COVID-19 cases some 1.3 to 3.5 million cases, of which ing his presidency, an unprecedented regard as to whether that guy is a geniand the expenditure Philippine International Convenan op onadministrations. Bus nesses a so aneed uction production new phenomenon—suicide bombers. The was to50 make “guinea pigs” of certain dentno cannot legally appoint Gierran mem-o make but what worsen thepe Gierran can be appointed asgreatest apeople, member of the nomic come and survey (FIES), families What isrecommended essential and urgent is states a longFrom March 15, 2020 tocurse. the present, theaverage pointed by the President as a member of the pervasive illegal drugs less corrupt than past * * * than guests (despite strict lockdown pro31 deaths, UK 70, Spain 61, July 2016, he stumbled into the and Authorities admit to 7,000 deaths during icious illegal drugs campaign has also from a short sary mobility restrictions hamper aggregate the Board his appointment to the ranks of the unemployed can only wors2020. less corrupt than past administrations. states average 31 deaths, UK 70, Spain 61, ian positions in the government. he Board recommended h s appo n men o Investments contracted by 53.5 perbent President have been vaccinated commited. Smuggling? ritical. Our morhe ranks of he unemp oyed can on y worssary mobility restrictions hamper aggregate PNP has tripled its anti-insurgency budget, 68,000 would be severe and critical su e ha he e s p ope ven a on n he achievement. Economists say that when us, a technocrat, a nincompoop, or even tion Center. Let me quote Justice Manuel “Lolong” that’s another story. That means they were ber of the Board of Trustees, much more as red in PNP has tripled its anti-insurgency budget, o Mark my the Board of Trustees? biznewsasia@gmail.com term jobs policy to prevent a bigger probLazaro of at least three members account for around t be recovered in government has imposed a series strict biznewsasia@gmail.com Human Rights Watch says manyofSweden ofof thePhilHealth When thecoun chief offor thehad national capital’s longestgatherings economic expansion inorthe country’s 57, and the 52. Commission the President. demand.” en theUS problem ofIypracticalthe country Board ofden Trustees ifpoverty he was don’t know whoever the idea ofe hea Despite the overwhelming dominance ofa worrying When the chief ofmy national capital’s use ofthe an unregistered medical of tenthe more people in is at 2.5 people hewas Pres ingrown second quarter and byhibiting 36.6 toUnauthorized have Sweden 57, and the US 52. en he pover prob em ofa for hebus ry the campaign. Any numbers above that are n,wants him one of hiscent major failures—massive demand.” ness spaces The pub cthe and p va h sign. cases on the peak day, which willGovernoverPhilHealth president/CEO, gulay! unemployment hits 5 percent, a dog. So today, the people must already has grown to about 32,000 average daily tests Insofar as Martial law is concerned, it is Begun in 1999, expansion meant a 4.2injected with medically doubtful substancCOVID-19 Lazaro, who the Government CorpoSection 13 of RA 10149 (GOCC lem of poverty. a worrying sign. 90 percent of total non-essential spending. ministratio has to about 32,000 average daily tests community quarantines to help save lives m 27,000 are “vigilante-style killings perpetrathistory—70 consecutive quarters ofGovernment growth. OPEN police force was caught onnue social media 3. human rights violations trolled Thus, before Gierran be appointed aslyappo many to come. generals, the Duterte administration notwhich economists projected product? Medical malpractice?Indeed, whathasinvestThus before GDuterte, erran can be nUnprecedented edyears asneeding force was caught on media percent in the first half. “Private it rights to whoever many years oits 3. human rights violations Take that the GCG can insecpolice onote needs obefore con mp ov ngsocial he hea hthisCorpo of nons ance Act of5. 2011) mandates that anmilitary appointing included incan the list prepared and submitted es may have been smuggled into theand whelm our healthcare sector.” easing one-meter social distancing pro5. Coddling of the police and the My gulay, ifearlier there’s one element missing, Government economists earlier projected everyone awithout job has acome job.the It’s decide—do they want more ofup orUnprecedented needless to say that proclamarate Counsel during the Marcos era. “The thisviolations (August).” one place at the same time) Duterte refused Moreover, according to a 2019 study comnguez Coddling of the police the military classified as “homicides under investigation.” an Critics say he killed sought to from COVID-19, while building the health this (August).” ed by police officers themselves or by killers fold increase in the size of Philippine econolos Dominguez Duterte himself added 14 quarters of growth having a breakfast birthday party with more th Under President and CEO of PhilHealth, he must o What has made Duterte a strong president, While President may have into proven itself violated anyinmore norfor any lawAdds or laws haveslumped been in competent this lockdown, affair? the EU recovery ofsystem 7 it’s percent percent GDP your name in the shortlist den and CEO ofaccidenPh Hea h having he mus ment Q2 with outlays in-Duterte send it.member director shall be appointed byasold the President Wh e he den mayclude have shaving gned o ude breakfast birthday party more sys ems o annc vacc ne oappointou Fwith na oblivion, yThey say urgent and lasting policy. SanWhat has made Duterte aPres strong president, country and which may now be being onmore THOUGHTS “What we find in the last six months, like athe running at 95 perless, oran all? tion, the Philippines could now be under has employed more generals, beneficiaries of the February 1986 recovery oftoby 7at8Pres percent toin 8jobs percent inPresident GDP Dominguez: “Without the missioned by afactory private firm and shared with capacity. money the GCG to the But the Presin Duterte has employed generals, tocol insigned public transport Tothea lockdown me itfor would linked tonone the authorities.” Adds Dominguez: “Without theto lockdown, before it(from went negative inbillion the first quarter of ato ow much fire the erring general Aside from the drugs war killings, the 27ofmoney 000 in the guise of pointed by be first appointed as a member of the Board less corrupt than pasteliminating administrations. than 50 guests (despite strict prolaw Bayanihan 2, the billions allotted for his my $72.2 in 1998 $304.9 bilKthan 70, Spain 61, He also asked, why provide air time and althe vicious illegal drugs campaign, has also ment as a member of Board of Trustees and drivers from a short-list prepared by the Governance growth rate in 2021. That is now overly optibe f rs appo n ed as a member of he Board ta Banana, I foresee a bleak future for the he gove nmen needs o ac a e he ans dustrial machinery and transport equip—control the aw Bayan han 2 he b ons a o ed for h s the sly. That would be problematic. pro- act thecapacity. vicious illegal drugs campaign, has also than 50 guests (despite strict lockdownedented is thereally lower quarantine restriction Duterte has imposed longest and communist rule. The communists were talthree event of time, place and personalities, NEDA, parents are the largest contributors toproblem from thethat military andmilitary the police, than any growth rate in 2021. That isthe now overly opti- cent the their rate of When infections and deaths could have In of the 10cannot months of lockdowns Authorities admit to 7,000 deaths during their locate from the and the police, than any 2020. the rate of infections and deaths could have economies, dent legally appoint Gierran a memworsen the Board of Tr the chief of the national capital’s of Trustees. of Philhealth, the GCG first needs to deterproject are only stop-gap measures to allespace in the major dailies on this matter rior and Loc hibiting gatherings of ten or more people in Commission for Government-owned or-ConPhilippines without any assurance that ORLANDO given him one ofin his major failures—massive of Trus ees onhibiting o he ” sa d people Chua Human Rights Watch has also noted the mistic. Without ahave vaccine for general the ervasive illegalment drugs curse pro ec are than on ythe s op-gap o anew e- bu be eofno 62.1The percent lower and for private mmodity or conBut that does not seem bemore the case ifreduction we gatherings tenma or more in andid lion in 2016), ahim. dramatic in poverty, has actually opened sectors themistic. But April more 7.3 milstrict lockdown inuse, thegeneral world—for the P574 billion total informal eat-out mar- measures given him one2020, of his major failures—massive already all over the country—in parliafashioned and sustained a litany and inmost 2020, stricter ECQ/MECQ effectively other president before More than 45 Without aAny vaccine for use,peothe been worse. latest data suggest that the campaign. numbers above that are nation yway. Begun inCorporations 1999, the to expansion meant aof 4.2other president before him. More than 45the beenforce much worse. The latest data suggest that assively, anyway. police was caught social media mineatwhether are squalified to hold this ardo sa included in What is/are the legal requirements before rights violations trolled as if themuch violation were so gross that iton required viate the people’s needs. ple can get employed when this pandemic one place thethere same time), Duterte refused ber ofwell the Board of Trustees much more as Mark my words will be a surge human rights violations. Critics say he killed “Ou chayou enge o make su e Duterte haof ou ha d I Año Wha snow are he ega requ remen s before are to believe Teresita Ang(GCG). See, a back Chinese vof aquick ehis he peop e’s needs construction 46.8 percent lower,” says xpayers money recession could rage well into 2021. OXALES ket, which includes service restaurants. one place at the same time), refused economy and helped bring jobs.” lion people lost their jobs—“largely in more than six months from March ment, media, academe, labor and even the barrage of adverse publicity to efface Preshuman rights violations. Critics say he killed shut down around 75 percent of the economy, biznewsasia@gmail com classified as “homicides under investigation.” star-rank officers occupy cabinet and civilpolitically motivated detention most uman Rights Watch says many of the recession could rage into 2021. a little over 1 percent of all COVID-19 cases could fold increase in the size of Philippine econoand middle-income status for Filipinos, with ckage H star-rank officers occupy cabinet and civil- ends! a little over 1construction percent of all COVID-19 cases office. add more je having aPublic breakfast birthday party with more thisand law,founder Gierranof can only be apUnder finally stimulus strong president, by the GCG Gierran can beerran appointed asinappo a member ofaParents apackage high-level inquiry? What is guise essential and urgenta of is afire longough ga ns n 2020 w no be eve sed and he to the erring general. G can be n ed as member of Filipino civic leader the Kaisa more than 27,000 in the of eliminating Wha s essen and urgen s a ongADB. slipped by a the restrictions When the President came to power account for around 48 percent the a PhilHealth president/CEO my gulay! COVID-19 cases in the country as a result Mr. President, lift the lockdowns. services—mainly trade, transport, ac15, 2020. And what do we get after resulting in huge losses in jobs and income, clergy. The Supreme Court recognized this to fire the erring general. ident Marcos from the tapestry of history. Aside from the drugs war killings, the more than 27,000 in the guise of eliminating positions in positions the government. my (from $72.2 billion inincome 1998 $304.9 bilthe of President to power inSenator inactualthe country are severe orare critical. Our mor-pro-ian My gulay,c it’s aolong process! The Presctualofeloquently transport pointed by the President as ato member of the When ian in the government. * * came *of Trus than 50 guests strict lockdown prominent critic, Leila de Lima, the 00 areit has “vigilante-style killings perpetratinto the country severe or critical. Our mormpaign, also He wanted know if(despite the executive time dent cannot the Board Trustees? hether is term jobs policy to prevent a bigger probtheir per capita exceeding $3,000. m econom cos 2020 w no epea n 2021 ” Heritage Center. Ang See disclosed that the he Board ees? erm obs po cy o preven a b gger probthe pervasive illegal drugs curse. marginal 0.9 percent in Q2. le under atality lockspending, and is equivalent to P277 billion. 2016, he stumbled the greatest and according to NEDA. They make no the sense. I July think commodation, restaurants, and entergiving most ofwhoever our liberties? when it ruledcan inillegal favor of Marcos insofar as ident cannot just pick anybody to be Phil- tancing They pursued what notable poet Sir RichHuman Rights Watch hasbasic also noted the thelem pervasive lion in 2016), a dramatic reduction in poverty, Take note that before the GCG in-drugs Despite the overwhelming dominance of beneficial to ofcurse. this nonsense July 2016, heinto stumbled into the greatest and ratio, on thegatherings other hand, is atthe 2.5 people prot Board of Trustees of PhilHealth if heeven was I don’t know had the idea of(GOCC hibiting of ten more people in ailures—massive Despite overwhelming dominance ofup and attention being dedicated to or giveber of the B tality ratio, on the other hand, isbut atvaccines 2.5 people Section 13 of RA 10149 (GOCC Governof poverty. sacronym—and of the economy. injected onDuterte the PSG members and Sec on 13 of RA 10149 Governremoval in May 2018 of Chief Justice Maynomy. police officers themselves or by killers biznewsasia@gmail.com em of pover y Duterte may not know it he However, the community quarantines have ee Human Rights Watch says many of the Today, presides over the worst eco“Based on the second and third quarter longest economic expansion in the country’s politically motivated detention of his most without the lockdowns, you can win tainment—but also in industry, espeWell, nothing—but misery and poverty. ard Maitland sharply observed: ‘The essenMartial Law was concerned. and middle-income status for Filipinos, with biznewsasia@gmail.com Health president and CEO. The three perHealth Human Rights Watch says many of the included in the list prepared and submitted be effaced easing the one-meter social distancing progenerals, the Duterte administration has not longest economic expansion in the country’s per a hundred thousand.” one place at the same time), Duterte refused tics say he killed temic and-take exchanges between Malacanang clude your name in the shortlist for appointThey say the idea was to help operators generals, the Duterte administration has not a PhilHealth ance Act of 2011) mandates that an appointing My gulay, ifkillings there’s one felement missing, per a hundred thousand.” b znewsas com Cabinet officials came from the same is to notthe a systemic ance Ac of 2011) manda es an“vigilante-style appo nrevocation ng believe My ay here’s one manent e emen m ss nga@gma restricted economic activity from children and achieved almost full employmentsome durGDP numbers, NEDA that every are prominent critic, Senator Leila deme Lima, theha anper election. history—70 consecutive quarters ofestimates growth. cially manufacturing. income The Philippines today is the epicenter tial matter of history is not what I sincerely thatgu inperpetrattime, Marcos will their capita income exceeding $3,000. Commissions of GCG and the two What (www.manilastandard.net) ria Lourdes Sereno, the ofLoweramha dessor—without authorities ”per C by the GCG tomore the President. theany Presitocol inever. public transport. To it27,000 would (www.manilastandard.net) triumphs in nomic performance ofBut the Philippines 27,000 are “vigilante-style killings perpetratproven itself any competent nor tolegislators fire the erring general. history—70 consecutive quarters ofhappened growth. He notes that 100,000, the100,000, EUworth member se of eliminating and some andthat others are ecesTakecannot director shall appointed the President proven any more competent nor anyECQ/MECQ it’s an urgent and jobs policy. SanHe notes per the EU member source that was used onitself some 100,000 Chiment asinofsha aNCR member the Board of Trustees t. Simply, necesand drivers utility vehicles Inte- everything d be rec or beby appo nof ed by and he Pres den families. In fact, non-essential spending con’s analasting urgen and as ng of obspublic po cy San- (Secretary ing his presidency, an unprecedented guy is a geniweek of and its adjaremoval in May 2018 Chief Justice Maed by police officers themselves or by killers ex-officio members of Finance Today, Duterte presides over the worst ecosemi-skilled workers, most of them of COVID pandemic in the whole of dent cannot legally appoint Gierran a membut what people wrote or said about it.’” Duterte himself added 14 quarters growth be vindicated. He was visionary, born ahead worsen the problem. is secure. T ed by police officers themselves or by killers urse. less corrupt than past administrations. Bnw it at this time. states average 31 deaths, UK 70, Spain 61, Duterte himself added 14 quarters of growth nesty given Senator (now retired) Antonio uthorities admit to 7 000 deaths during clude your from a short-list prepared by the Governance egate ta Banana, I foresee a bleak future for the The slump is also the worst in ASEAN. The less corrupt thanworkers pastmuch administrations. nese nationals mostly POGO who states average 31 deaths,say UK 70,when Spain 61, from athe shor -will ssucceeding prepared by heemployed Governance tracted by 51 percent in the third quarter. amper aggregate a Banana I foresee a b eak fu ure for he Secretary cent regions alone shaves off 0.28 percentage achievement. Economists that mpoop, rianegative Lourdes Sereno, revocation of amCarlos Dominguez and Department of (www.manilastandard.net) ber of the Board of Trustees, more as of Philhealth the GCG first needs to deternomic performance the Philippines ever. Mark my words, there be a surge of linked to the authorities.” rior and Local Government Edubiznewsasia@gmail.com only informally, were hit hard Asia, outside of India, Pakistan, and Lazaro also said that adof his time. Generations free from the blemish before it went in the first quarter of biznewsasia@gmail.com fit us. They ys manyorSweden ofeven theco-hosts linked to the authorities.” My and I told him we would get When the chief of the the chief national capital’s 57, and the US 52. before itfrom went negative inon the quarter of-owned asban am Commission forgrowth. Government-owned or-ConSO Philippines without any assurance that peo- Secretary haveThe actually been vaccinated since October. h of the national capital’s Sweden 57,above and “Since children are notlook allowed to from go out Trillanes IV who led mutinies in 2002 and Any numbers that52. arepracticalComm ss forfirst Governmen or-ConPh pp nes w hou any assurance peo-Wendel Budget Avisado) will also ment points GDP This is equivalent Thecontinu nesty given Senator (now retired) aslump PhilHealth president/CEO, my gulay! unemployment hitsthe 5 US percent, eampaign mustperpetratalready economic collapse makes the worst COVID-19 cases in the3,000 country asAntonio aare result is When also the worst inalso ASEAN. The him Authorities admit to 7,000 deaths during because few had the option to work Bangladesh. With over cases daily, ministrations have used laws even as they of hate and revenge will more kindly on 2020. mine whether you qualified to hold this illings and ardo Año said that ifhathis is true we you should back to him once we get more details about Authorities admit toge7,000 deaths during police force was caught onwere social media of Philhealt 3.or Unprecedented human rights violations trolled Corporations (GCG). 2020. ple can geteven employed when this pandemic “The vaccines given them legitiected SO I SEE of their homes, to study, family activipolice force was caught on social media have to vote whether to include or not “Undas” or 3. Unprecedented human rights violations ro ed Corpora ons (GCG) to around P2.1 billion in lost wages a day. Take note that before the GCG can inTrillanes IV who led mutinies in 2002 and p e can emp oyed when h s pandem c of this nonsense. earlier projected ly everyone needing a job has a job. It’s e of Duterte, in economic collapse also makes him the worst notes ADB. we sough are reaching 300,000 2007, and the passage of a acknowledge new Anti-Terror ified “homicides investigation ” mately sought to destroy consign Marcos to thewill campaign. Any numbers above that are him, and his achievements and ooffice des oy oor cons gn and Ma cos o home,” Begun in 1999, theperformeant acases 4.2lves or as bythis killers president ever innot terms ofmore economic Marcos’ brouhaha. Heunder said this need not president, be the thefinally campaign. Any numbers that Ithus SEE having a breakfast birthday party with this law, Gierran can only apUnder sourced.. and should have been ends! more jeepneys buses and other means mine has made Duterte a strong Begun inexpansion 1999, the expansion meant a be 4.2inare the shortlist. ties are restricted, and aadd big above part ofsix the Day iswheth no vi pr clude your name in the shortlist for appointThey say the idea was tototal help operators The amount during GCQ is atG around having a breakfast birthday party with more 2007, and the passage of angslower new Anti-Terror h aw erran can on y be apUnder f na y ends! What has made Duterte a strong president, president ever in terms of economic perforlike having a factory running at 95 per8 GDP percentsubject inWhat GDP Ironically, Duterte had rescued be No. 20 in number of COVID LITO oblivion, notwithstanding his solid unpreccontribution to the nation. ob v on no w hs and h s so d unp ec classified as “homicides under investigation.” fold increase inpointed the drivers sizebyof Philippine econoof a full-blown congressional inquiry. forForgoverna Act (ATA). ide from the drugs war killings thealso blown out of as proportion ifstrict was not President as Pres avehicles. member ofathe LITO classified investigation.” * *under * transportation—not than 50 guests lockdown promance. The GCG is ease akin tothe the Judicial Bar office. many theand vicious illegal drugs campaign, has fold increase inthe the of Philippine ment a (despite member ofthis the Board ofkept Trustees and of public utility InteoptiAct (ATA). My gulay it’s a econolong process! The Prespo nsize ed by den as member offrom heas “homicides socialand disthan 50 guests (despite strict lockdown promance. the vicious illegal drugs has also cent capacity. he longest now overly optiBANAYO million poverty—defined as*the*an*ideaCouncil. cases in the world 220 countries. edented achievements for the the *BANAYO *whoever * ofwar eden ed ach evemen sPhilHealth ohe he good oof he 00 deaths during Aside fromAside the drugs war killings, thekillings, We told him there ismajor really a need to campaign, look secret varied andCn my (from $72.2 billion in 1998 toamong $304.9 bilbecause we all understand why it is My gulay Before you can be appointed as Board of Trustees of if he was cemeteries I don’t know had of of Philhealth, the GCG first needs to deterfrom the drugs the rior and Local Government Secretary Eduhibiting gatherings of ten or more people in given him one of his failures—massive my (from $72.2 billion in 1998 to $304.9 bilRecently, there have been sensational Recently, there have been sensational an Rights Watch has also noted the e, the Board of Trus ees of Ph Hea h f he was And that is all due to the second biggest I don’ know whoever had he dea of hibiting gatherings of ten or more people in And that isare allqualified duelion toto in the second biggest But April 2020, 7.3 milworld—for given him onesimply of hismore majorthan failures—massive ident cannot just pick anybody to beare use,this theaffair. tancing protocol srhegeneral above that are income of $2 a Philday. was going to In fact, weand will be in Top 15, dislodging nation its people. Santa Banana, Ithese cannot believe that this is member na on s that peop eprepared into Weincannot sweep this Human Rights Watch has alsoHe noted the If only tW 2016), a dramatic reduction in poverty, of the Board to any GOCC, Philother days. needed,” Ang See said. mine whether you hold this ident canno ardo Año said if this is true, we should included in the list and submitted easing the one-meter social distancing proFDA and the IATF have yet to finalize the vaccines? What agencies waiting for, Human Rights Watch has also noted the one place at the same time), Duterte refused killings of known political activists, human human rights violations. Critics say he killed m lion in 2016), a well dramatic reduction poverty, nc uded nwhat he Lazaro s inprepared subm ed ng hehis one-me er soc a d s ancLungs ng pro-and bubbles one place at the same and time), Duterte refused lion people lost their jobs—“largely infailure. wocally from motivated Marchthe rug. human rights violations. Critics killed killings of known political activists, human er investigation.” detention of his most Opportunities 2021. bring down poverty to of an unheard of 12 even Bangladesh. Imore could repeat saidPresisoand coming from theeas Philippine National Police under After all, if PSG members and say he failure. politically motivated detention most Health president and CEO The three perHealth included, you must through the Health andand foresig Health experts say this is pass dangerous ber pra office. middle-income status for Filipinos, with add jeepneys, buses, and other means pres by the GCG touse the President. But the tocol in public transport. To me it would guidelines on their and distribution which since no less than President Duterte has been rights defenders, and alleged New People’s Opportunities to fire the erring general. politically motivated detention of his most 2. Pandemic mismanagement more than 27,000 in the guise of eliminating and middle-income status for Filipinos, with by he GCG o he Pres den Bu he Pres oco n pub c ranspor To me wou d er in H services—mainly trade, transport, acwekillings, after to fireit’s theaerring general. war the more than 27,000 in the guise of eliminating percent by 2022, from 30s in thethe2000s. The economy collapsed bydefenders, 0.7social percent some Cabinet members have been vaccinatthat deeds, especially me toget power inSenator chief. He said that National Capital Region oquen ymanent ha “good deeds espec aprominent yathose hose wringerhere of theisGCG, must lose be in- manent gone ahead My gulay, long process! ofeeloquently transportation—not ease the dissuances tha critic, Senator Leila de Lima, rights alleged People’s inent critic Leila de Lima the theirThe perPrescapita income exceeding $3,000. Com cannot legally appoint Gierran worsen the problem. Ang See pushing them toNew work on the vaccines since 2. Pandemic mismanagement Commissions ofGand GCG and the two can happen thatand weyou could prominent critic, Senator Leila de Lima, the thesince pervasive curse. den canno ega y$3,000. appo nmemerran a memworsen heWhat prob em theirdent perdecried. capita exceeding talso andgreatest commodation, restaurants, and enter- What basic liberties? noted the theillegal pervasive illegal drugs curse. ed yetdrugs as admitted by PSG beneficial to the nation the people, cannot Police Office chief, Major General Debold bene cprotocol. athat oincome he na on and he peop e Ang canno ident cannot just pickagencies anybody to be Philthe andSeptember w tancing removal in May 2018 of Chief Justice Ma(www.manilastandard.net) are these ex-officio m ber of the Board of Trustees, much more as “It’s good they are protected,” Today, Duterte presides over the worst ecothe middle of last year? What preparations Mark my words, there will be a surge of val May 2018 of Chief Justice Mabiznewsasia@gmail.com removal inFinance May 2018 my ofeverything Chief Maber of say he Board of Trus ees more ex-officio members (Secretary ofas Mark wordsJustice here w be a surge of Human Rights Watch says many of we have gained Today, Duterte presides over the worst ecoion ofin his most tainment—but also in industry, espeand poverty. Commander BGeneral Jesus Durante III, thethe president and CEO. The threeperformance perHealth experts this is dangerous. Human Rights Watch says many of Health the biznewsasia@gmail.com expunged, survives Sinas, deserves a promotion because he has be eeffaced aced oor expunged Good su vria ves and much nyntry’s in the country’s Lourdes Sereno, the revocation of amCarlos Do See noted, adding that we should be glad that have been put in place at all levels to ensure a PhilHealth president/CEO, my gulay! COVID-19 cases in the country as a result (www.manilastandard.net) nomic of the Philippines ever. Rolando G. Estabillo Publ athe Phend Hea pres den CEO gu ay! COVID-19 cases n heofcoun waiting for? ria Lourdes Sereno, therecruits. revocation am-ry as a*resu 27,000 are “vigilante-style killings perpetratdeepicenter Lima, thewould nomic performance of the Philippines ever. owth. cially income sila the manent Commissions of GCG and net) the two (www man astandard want torevocation know what vaccine was ourdes Sereno the manufacturing. ofLoweramWhat can happen here ishcos that we could lose Carlos Dominguez Department ofnew * (www.manilastandard.net) (www man astandard net) triumphs in end. 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Grefal Treasury Manager They say he protocols dea was and oAnita he pF.Wong/Ray opera vocation of amCarlos Dominguez and DepartmentONLINE of * *makes * in (www.manilastandard.net) Trillanes IV who led mutinies in 2002 Grefal ors Treasury Manager linked tofaremployed the authorities.” effect soof on those vaccinated. only informally, were hit hardPublished Pakistan, and ONLINE economic collapse also himlegal the worst Jimbo O Chin S. Eñano Associate Editors in theChin ter of quarter I SEE fit us us. our system Wo Enhanced Community Quarantine They aarenationals e by embedded nBoard ou ega sys em I SEE linked to the authorities.” Monday to Sunday by Philippine ManilaSO Standard difference if these just brought their orderly manner thus avoiding any kind of he first shortl ment as a member of the of Trustees and drivers of public utility vehicles. 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LITO Solutions Authorities admit to 7,000 deaths during TheLino GCG of Philhealth, the GCG needs to deterrior and Local Government Secretary Educan be accessed at: Act SO corner Perea St., Legaspi Village, Makati City.SEE Telephone LITO have to vote whether to include you or not “Undas” All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ mance. ies in 2002 and LITO Roxas, corner Perea or St., Legaspi Village, Makati Telephone of Ph hea hCity. he GCG f (ATA). rsEdgar needs o(ATA). de err orCamilo andManager Loca Governmen Secre aryAdelle Eduin the shortlist Day is no problem for me and my wife Philippine Press Institute inthesecurity personnel and senior officials un-are ipinoRoxas, Chua Opinion Editor home,” notes ADB. cases and will and the passage of a new Anti-Terror Act campaign. Any numbers above that Philippine Press Institute M. Valmorida Circulation BANAYO mance. rights and welfare: “It’s OK that they asion 4.2Marcos’ vision foresight in lawmaking For PNP Chief Coscolan to say Ma cos v s on and o es gh n awmak ng Edgar M. Valmorida Circulation Manager themselves? She said it for would at least numbers 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558 (connecting all InThe theNational meantime that the vaccine rollout is F. Grefal Treasury Manager manilastandard.net Council. Be campaign. Any I numbers above that SEE mine whether you areme qualified to hold this numbers 832-5554, 832-5558 (connecting all prevent Año said thatAño ifsensational this is true, meant a waylaid 4.2- the The National Association Anita BANAYO inare the shortlist. Day is no problem and wife. ONLINE Recently, there been Association new all due tois832-5556, the second biggest m ne her you qua f ed this o ardo ho hhave sand ardo dbeen haPresident fwe h sshould syears rue wewe shou d not BANAYO duly by this “secret” operation. (Editorial) 832-5554, (Advertising)because P.O.we that isdepartments), Duterte had Anrescued(POGO sixdepartments), totalAnti-Terror COVID L832-5550. TO And Recently, there sensational (Editorial) 832-5554, 832-5550. P.O. classified asIronically, “homicides under investigation.” workers) get The GCG isusmy akin tothe the Judicial Bar Philippine Newspapers For many have gone to the member of And that all due to the second biggest conofor governance richly the isindamore big insult toalternative ushave all.saEven oofFor gove nance aarewhe e(Advertising) ch y illustrated aare ed by he from becoming spreaders. of Philippine Newspapers notknown yet place, what arrangements Published Monday to Sunday by Philippine Manilathem Standard ATA) office. add jeepneys, buses, and other means LITO under investigation.” as “homicides isvaccinated akin to the Judicial many years, we have not gone to Philippine econo-theseclassified Box 2933,The ManilaGCG Central Post Office, Manila. Website: www. and Bar Box killings of political activists, human 2933, Manila Central Post Offi ce, Manila. Website: www. off ce failure. Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Ed add more eepneys buses and o her means swering questions would go a long way BANAYO poverty—defined as 220 countries. do an not have control withcan them. We do Baldwin R. Felipe Head—Ad Solutions killings of not known political human Aside million fromAside thefrom drugs war killings, thekillings, Opportunities BANAYO Publishing at 6/F you Universal Re 106 Paseo decemeteries Which why she said would have been bet-Presvaried numerous legal issuances.” arebe being undertaken toas ensure thatactivists, we limit the Duterte did even reprimand Sinas. va edgulay, andCouncil nume ous ega ssuances ”go failure. 9een bilmanilastandard.net Before you can MEMBER manilastandard.net Myis it’s aitgu long process! The cemeteries ondisthose two days We go on Health inclu Council. Before beBuilding, appointed as of appointed transportation—not ease the social on those two days. We on from the drugs war the muchInc. Opportunities 998 to $304.9 bil- income sensational cently there have been sensational rights defenders, and alleged New People’s My ay ’s a ong process! The Presof ranspor a on—no ease he soc a d sinHuman reassuring the public that once and for all 2. Pandemic mismanagement not have any basis to catch them. I am glad of $2 a day. He was going to 15, dislodging Roxas, corner Perea St., Legaspi Village, Makati City. Telephone Happy days Rights Watch has Watch also noted the noted member rights andthe alleged New People’s ter if the procurers and brought their act toPhilofdefenders, infections and rate transmisIf only member to show an example of the vision I GOCC won’t be surprised if other one ofday Sinas verty, 2.ident Pandemic mismanagement of the Board to any GOCC, Philother days. What matters isthe that rememcannot justusers pick anybody to be protocol. Philippine Press Institute Human Rights has also the vaccinated activists, human of Board to number any Philuction poverty, days What matters is that we remem- wringer of Edgar M. Valmorida Circulation Manager den canno usare pwe ck anybody otancing be Phabout - making the government isdown holding the (vaccine) ball anc himself. ng pro oco 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558 (connecting allber gsNew ofinPeople’s known political activists human they being because it protects Opportunities bring poverty to of an unheard of 12arenumbers Lungs and bubbles public attention if only to highlight delay in isHow an audit the state of politically motivated detention his mostof Health included, you must pass through the foresight Marcos, hereeones legal becomes PNPexperts chief Aofpromotion, and o president es gh oof Ma cos he athe e hhis sthree ega s sion? and pray for our loved who have The National Association Health and CEO. The perHealth say this is dangerous. dwith Opportunities are here again? politically motivated detention his most or Filipinos, with not dropping (or unreasonably dribbling) to 2000s. Hea h and presapprovals den and CEO Thepass hreethrough perHea h ber exper s say sfor s our dangerous departments), (Editorial) 832-5550. P.O.ahead Health included you must the and pray loved ones who have us also if they are Of vaccipercent by 2022, from 30s init the bydefenders 0.7 percent Philippine Newspapers the issuance of guidelines instead health care system tohere give enough con-h lose wringer of protected. the GCG,832-5554, andthose you(Advertising) must be ingone of us.app that apply being used: huh? What’s next, I wonder. prominent critic, Senator Leila de Lima, suances ha sstill y and e sstill and be ngthe used seding and alleged New People’s 0. manent Commissions ofofaare GCG twoour What can happen isusthat we could prominent critic, Senator Leilathedenated, Lima, the2933, everybody’s consternation. $3,000. Box Manilapositive Central Post Manila. Website: www.things manen Comm ss GCG ons of toGCG and he wocontinuing Wha can happen here s of ha us we cou d ose only one tested forOffice, the virus..” of doing in secret. That way their effort fidence in our effort to open up the wringer of the and you must be ingone ahead removal in May 2018 of Chief Justice Maex-officio members Finance t ecoLike our listener, like toofknow removalweinwould May 2018 Chief Justice manilastandard.net Maex-off c o(Secretary membersof(Secre ary ofeverything F nance we have gained.

er again in the run-up to the Novemections with the Democrats and a er of US security experts insisting he Russian hackers are back in the

Hacking and hackers hackers 1521: Theand quincentennial Hacking andHacking hackers B1 B1

EDITORIA

EDITORIAL EDITORIAL EDITORIAL EDITORIAL Hacking and hackers Hacking hackers 1521: Theand quincentennial hackers EDITORIAL Runaway population growth

Learning curves blow from LearningAnother curves Learning curves Opacity, audacity the T TOmbudsman T T T Duterte’s failures

Gierran’s appointment is illegal

ailures

Gierran’s appointmen Duterte’s failures NEDA tells IATF: Manage risks, not avoid them Gier Duterte’s failures Calamity elections Duterte’s failures

Gierran’s appointment is illegal Marcos’ place in history Gierran’s appointment is illegal Gierran’s appointment is illegal

terte’s failures mity elections e’s failures

L’affair COVID-19 vaccine

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hnew ng normal? we have ga ned S. Puno Board MemberCROSSROADS ver the worst ecoIt appears from Ang See’s account that protect their business and theirand people would not economy and transitevery to the Former Reynato & Chief Legal Adviser ria Lourdes the revocation ManilaStandard of Dominguez Department * * Chief * Justice ever. what can be men accessed at: Former Adviser Ramonch laws were violated. WeSereno, would like getam- theseofvaccines Rolando G.Carlos Estabillo Publisher riaSereno, Lourdes thetoof revocation am- were procured Car os Dom nguez and Depar of * *Chief * Justice Reynato S. Puno Board Member & Chief Legal Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher (www.manilastandard.net) ManilaStandard Philippines ever. by the POGO can beharanguing accessed at: the PSG have opened them to unwarranted demonization Instead of and manilastandard.net Anita F. Grefal Treasury Manager Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado) will also The ban of going to cemeteries during given Senator (now ONLINE .in The Former Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno Board Member &Antonio Chief Legal Adviser tonesty the bottom of this affair. If itretired) is smuggling, Chin Won Board Member & Chief Legal Adviser Former Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno Budge SecreNight ary Wende AvONLINE sado) wHonor a manilastandard.net soabout J.A. The ban of go ng o ceme er es dur nesty given Senator (now retired) Antonio Anita F.ng Grefal Treasury Manager operators for their ownL.workers from official ASEAN. The Published Monday to Sunday byRamonchito Philippine Manila Standard ManilaStandard and even raids and other unnecessary intervenMalacañang the misplaced operation Honor Blanco Cabie Editor Ramonchito Tomeldan Managing Editor can be accessed at: Blanco Cabie Night Editor L. Tomeldan Managing Editor SO have vote whether toManila include or “Undas” or All Saints’ Day All Souls’ Published Monday to Sunday by Philippine Standard Trillanes IV who ledIV mutinies in mutinies 2002 thoughts worst let the Bureau of Customs (BOC) check it out.andinsources R.and Felipe Head—Ad Publishing at 6/F Universal Reto Building, 106 Paseo Ro ando GCity Estab Pub Joyce SOInc. manilastandard.net Anita F. Grefal Treasury Manager have odeS. vo eCity whe heryou o Editors ncnot ude ordid noOwen “Undas” or A and Sao nBaldwin s’ Day ARandom Sou s’ Solutions MEMBER abroad having Treasury passed through the Trillanes who led 2002 and Anita Grefal Manager DELA CRUZ ONLINE tions all kinds of quarters. es him the worst theyyou just for which should make a sher Jimbo Owen Gulle Editor ChinF.Wong/Ray S. Eñano Associate Editors Baldwin R. Felipe Head—Ad Solutions Jimbo Gulle they Editor Chin Wong/Ray Eñano Associate Inc. at 6/F Universal Building, 106 Paseo de I SEE MEMBERDay infrom the shortlist. Roxas,Icorner PereaPublishing St., Legaspi Village, Makati City.Re Telephone is no problem for me and my wife. nila Standard The 2007, and the passage of a new Anti-Terror agency has enough powers and personnel SEE erforPhilippine Press Institute A n he shor s equivalent Food and Drug Administration Day s no prob em for me and my w fe Edgar M. Valmorida Circulation Manager Roxas, corner Perea St., Legaspi Village, Makati City. Telephone Former Ch ef ce Reynato S Puno Board Member & Ch ef Lega Adv ser and musings Baldwin R. Felipe Head—Ad Solutions 2007, and the passage ofJust a new Anti-Terror Which brings us to the ultimate issue: Lino M. Santos Chief Photographer clean breast of, apologize and bravely suffer Joyce Pangco Pañares News Editor Baldwin R. Felipe Head—Ad Solutions economic perfor6dPaseo de numbers 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558 (connecting all Lino M. Santos Chief Photographer Joyce Pangco Pañares News Editor Philippine Press Institute MEMBER LITO The National Association The GCG isRamonch akin toP.O. thesto Judicial and Bar Edgar M. Valmorida ForNational many years, we have not gone the can be accessed Honor Btoanco Cab eo heN ght Circulation Ed tor Manager Lallthe Tome dan Manag ngofAssociation Ed torindiscretion, Act (ATA). look into at the matter andInstitute bring the appro- (FDA) units in Singapore, numbers 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558 (connecting LITO City. Telephoneto Japan, Korea and The GCG ak n o he Jud c a and departments), (Editorial) 832-5554, (Advertising) 832-5550. For many years we have no gone The Bar what’s keeping the FDA, DoH and IATF the consequences their why not Adelle Chua Opinion Editor Act (ATA). of Philippine Newspapers Philippine Press Edgar M. Valmorida Circulation Manager BANAYO Adelle Chua Opinion Editor M. Valmorida Treasury Circulation Manager astanda d net departments), (Editorial) 832-5554, (Advertising) P.O. Council. Before you can 832-5550. be you appointed on those twoondays. WewoOwen godays on Gu nectingman all priate AnEdgar ta BANAYO Philippine Newspapers 2933, Manila Central Post Ofﬁce, Manila. Website: charges against the culprits. it is the China. Recently, there have been If sensational The National Association InFa Grefa word, these vaccinesManager haveBox passed Counc Before can beasfocus appocemeteries nofed as J mbo C ty Ed tor ceme er should es hose We ego on Ch nwww. Wong/Ray Eñano Assoc ateissue? Ed tors from coming outthe with the needed guidelines on the real We get the vacBox 2933, Manila Central Post Ofﬁce, Manila. Website: www.S there have been sensational g) 832-5550. eggest secondP.O. biggest manilastandard.net ofRecently, Philippine Newspapers member of Board to any GOCC, Philother days. What matters is that we rememuse of an unregistered medical killings of known political activists, human Website: www.unauthorized regulatory muster only that our very own manilastandard.net Emil P. Jurado Chairman Editorial Board member of he Board o any GOCC Ph o her days Wha ma ers s ha we rememfor theEmeritus, procurement, use and distribution of the cines in and let the mass roll out begin. Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board Ba dwhuman n R Fe Opportunities pe Head—Ad So ut ons killings of known political activists, L no M Santos Ch ef Photographer Joyce Pangco Pañares News Ed torfor our loved ones through the hrough ber andhe pray have Opportunities Health included, rights defenders, allegedand Newalleged People’s Hea you h ncmust udedpass you mus pass ber and pray for ourwho oved ones who have rights and defenders, New People’s ment wringer of the GCG, and you must be ingone ahead of us. h pp ne P ess nst tute Ade e Chua Op n on Ed tor Edgar M Va mor da C rcu at on Manager wr nger of he GCG and you mus be n- gone ahead of us he Nat ona Assoc at on

PPI PPI

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by Ernesto G. Banawis

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher Former Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno Board Member & Chief Legal Adviser can be accessed at: Honor Blanco Cabie Night Editor Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Managing Editor Em G.PEstabillo JuradoPublisher Cha rman Emer tus Ed tor a Board Rolando manilastandard.net Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher Jimbo Owen Gulle City Editor Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Associate Editors Former Chief ONLINE Justice Reynato S. Puno Board Member & Chief Legal AdviserAnita F. Grefal Treasury Manager Published Monday to Sunday by Philippine Manila Standard ManilaStandard can be accessed at: Honor Blanco Cabie Night Editor Former Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno Board Member & Chief Legal Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Managing Editor ManilaStandard Baldwin R.Adviser Felipe Head—Ad Solutions Publishing Inc. at 6/F Universal Re Building, Paseo deat: Lino M. Santos Chief Photographer Joyce Pangco Pañares News Editor can be 106 accessed Honor Blanco Cabie Night Editor Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Managing Editor MEMBER manilastandard.net Anita F. Grefal Treasury Manager ONLINE Jimbo Owen Gulle City Editor Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Associate Editors Roxas, corner Perea St., Legaspi Village, Makati City. Telephone manilastandard.net Anita F. Grefal Treasury Manager ONLINE Philippine Press Institute Adelle Chua Opinion EditorCity Editor Jimbo Owen Gulle Chin Wong/Ray Edgar M. Valmorida Circulation Manager S. Eñano Associate Editors numbers 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558 (connecting all anila Standard The National Baldwin R. FelipeAssociation Head—Ad Solutions Lino M. Santos Chief Photographer Joyce Pangco Pañares News Editor MEMBER (Editorial) 832-5554, (Advertising) 832-5550. P.O. Baldwin R. Felipe Head—Ad Solutions 06 Paseo de departments), Lino M. Santos Chief Photographer Joyce Pangco Pañares News Editor of Philippine Newspapers MEMBER Philippine Press Institute Adelle Chua Opinion Editor Box 2933, Manila Central Post Ofﬁce, Manila. Website: www. Edgar M. Valmorida Circulation Manager i City. Telephone Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board Philippine Press Institute Adelle Chua Opinion Editor The National Association Edgar M. Valmorida Circulation Manager manilastandard.net nnecting all

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The National Association of Philippine Newspapers of Philippine Newspapers

ManilaStandard

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Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board

World

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2021 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Tunisia supports Chinese jets intruded 380 times into Taiwan’s defense zone—official sending monitors for Libya’s ceasefire TUNISIA, the current president of the UN Security Council, called Monday for a resolution sending international monitors to support Libya’s brittle ceasefire to be adopted as soon as possible. “We hope that it will be adopted as soon as possible” because “there is a momentum, yet it’s a little bit fragile,” said Tunisian ambassador to the UN Tarek Ladeb, referring to the negotiations between Libyan parties and the UN mission there. At the end of last year, UN chief Antonio Guterres proposed using international monitors in Libya amid hopes that foreign fighters will soon leave and the country can turn the page on a decade of war. The warring sides reached a ceasefire on October 23 in Geneva under which all foreign forces are to leave within three months -- that is, by January 23. The international observers would monitor their departure. Guterres asked for a group that would include civilians and retired soldiers from regional groups such as the African Union, European Union and Arab League. He called in particular for all nations to respect the UN arms embargo on Libya, which has been flagrantly violated. Khalifa Haftar, a warlord in eastern Libya, has enjoyed backing from Russia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Haftar reached the truce after being driven back in an offensive by the UN-recognized Government of National Accord, which enjoys strong support from Turkey. In early December, UN envoy Stephanie Williams estimated that 20,000 foreign troops and mercenaries remained in the country in a “shocking violation of Libyan sovereignty.” AFP

CHINESE jets made a record 380 incursions into Taiwan’s defence zone last year, a defence official said Tuesday, as a military-linked think-tank warned tensions were now at their highest since the mid-1990s. Democratic and self-ruled Taiwan lives under the constant threat of invasion by authoritarian China, which views the island as its own territory and has vowed to seize it one day, by force if necessary.

Beijing’s animosity has increased dramatically since Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen won election in 2016, as she rejects the idea that the island is part of “one China”. But the sabre-rattling reached new peaks last year as Beijing sent jets, bombers and surveillance planes into Taiwan’s air defence identification zone (ADIZ) at an unprecedented rate. “The 380 incursions into our south-

west ADIZ in 2020 are a lot more frequent than the past,” said defence ministry spokesman Shih Shun-wen. “This... poses a threat to regional and our national security.” Chinese aircraft targeted the area “to test our military’s response, to exert pressure on our aerial defence and to squeeze the aerial space for our activities”, he added. The figures came as the military-affil-

Trump rallies Georgians in Senate runoff

FTER AN unprecedented campaign that mobilized Donald Trump and his White House successor Joe Biden, Georgians troop to the polls Tuesday for two closely-watched US Senate runoffs that could shape the first years of the new Democratic presidency.

IN BRIEF Turkish police detain 17 student protesters TURKISH police on Tuesday detained 17 people after hundreds attended a studentled protest against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s appointment of a rector to a top university in Istanbul. Officers conducted dawn raids in 13 districts in the city, Istanbul police said in a statement, while operations were continuing to catch 11 other suspects. At least 1,000 people demonstrated outside Bogazici University’s campus on Monday in response to a January 1 presidential decree in which Erdogan appointed Melih Bulu as the public institution’s rector. Bulu ran as a candidate in the 2015 election for Erdogan’s ruling party. Critics claim the appointment was another example of political interference in Turkey’s education sector by Erdogan, who assumed the power to appoint rectors after surviving a failed coup in 2016. Before July 2016, university rectors were appointed through elections. AFP

Belgian judges may decide to send jihadists to trial BELGIAN judges will decide on Tuesday whether to send a dozen suspected jihadist extremists to trial for their alleged roles in the March 2016 Brussels bombings. Several of the 13 defendants in the Belgian case are also alleged members of the Islamic State cell that carried out the November 2015 attacks in France and left 130 dead. The best known is 31-year-old Salah Abdeslam, said to be the only surviving member of the group behind the shootings and bombings outside a stadium and in the Bataclan music venue in Paris. The later bombings of the Brussels airport and a city centre metro station were themselves the worst attacks in Belgium since World War II, killing 32 and wounding 340. The trial will be a huge undertaking, with the former headquarters of the NATO military alliance refurbished as a high-security courthouse on the outskirts of Brussels. AFP

British judge won’t extradite Assange to US to face judgment WIKILEAKS founder Julian Assange dodged a bullet Monday when a British judge refused to extradite him to the United States to face charges under an espionage law, but experts say his case remains an ominous threat to press freedom. Judge Vanessa Baraitser said the US charges were justified against the 49-yearold transparency advocate, who stunned the world in 2010 with the publication of hundreds of thousands of classified military and diplomatic documents. But Baraitser ruled that his mental health problems raise the risk of suicide in a US jail. Her decision, and the US Justice Department’s determination to appeal it, left in place the first-ever use of the US Espionage Act to prosecute someone for publishing state secrets, long held as allowed under the US Constitution. That leaves his case, and the department’s view of his activities, an ongoing threat against journalists who cover national security and defense issues, where leaked classified information is crucial. AFP

iated Institute for National Defence and Security Research warned in an annual report on the People’s Liberation Army that “the Chinese military threat was the highest since the 1996 missile crisis in Taiwan Strait”. That year Beijing fired missiles into the strait in a bid to deter voters in the island’s first democratic presidential election, prompting Washington to send warships to the area. AFP

MAN OF THE MOMENT. A mural of Australia’s Julian Assange is seen in a laneway in Melbourne on January 5, 2021, after a judge in London ruled that the WikiLeaks founder should not be extradited to the US to face espionage charges for publishing hundreds of thousands of classified military and diplomatic documents in 2010. AFP

Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group claims ambush in Mali AN AL-QAEDA-LINKED jihadist group has claimed responsibility for an attack that killed two French soldiers in Mali. They died on Saturday when their vehicle hit an explosive device in the northeast, just days after three others were killed in similar fashion. The deaths brought to 50 the number of French soldiers killed in the West African nation since France first intervened in 2013 to help drive back jihadist forces. The Group to Support Islam and Muslims (GSIM) said it “detonated an explosive device” as the vehicle was passing, “bringing the toll to five in less than a

week”, in a statement released by its propaganda platform Al-Zallaqa late on Monday. The attack killed corporal Loic Risser, 24, and sergeant Yvonne Huynh, 33, the mother of a young child and the first female soldier killed since the French operation began in the Sahel region. The GSIM also denied responsibility for an attack on two villages in western Niger on Saturday which killed 100 people -- the biggest single massacre of civilians in the Sahel’s eight-year-old Islamist insurgency. “This attack, whoever carried it out, is not different from the massacres of the French occupiers and criminal militias,

the GSIM said, adding that its “jihad” has not turned against the people, and vowed reprisals. The group appeared to be referring to the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, its great rival in the region and with whom it has clashed violently in recent months. One year ago, French President Emmanuel Macron designated the EIGS as the number one enemy in the Sahel region. Since then the GSIM has grown in strength, and in November Barkhane force commander Marc Conruyt named the group the “most dangerous” in the region. AFP

For nearly 20 years Georgia has voted reliably Republican in the presidential election and Senate contests. But Biden pulled out a shock victory here in November, one of several states that he flipped to win the White House, and the races for Senate have come down to the wire in the biggest, most expensive congressional runoffs in US history. Polls open at 7:00 am (1200 GMT) in this southern state. A record three million-plus people have voted early, election officials say, and final results may not be known for several days. Nearly $500 million combined, a staggering figure, has been spent on campaign advertising. The Republican and Democratic parties have made Georgia their political ground zero, with thousands of volunteers leaving no door unknocked and current and future presidents and vice presidents barnstorming the state for every last vote. If Democrats flip both seats they win back the Senate, effectively handing Biden all levers of political power in Washington and helping him enact his ambitious legislative agenda. “One state -- one state! -- can chart the course, not just for the next four years but for the next generation,” Biden told a rally in Atlanta where he campaigned Monday with the races’ two Democrats. Republicans argue that keeping Senate control would serve as a check on the incoming Biden administration. “The stakes in this election could not be higher,” Trump told a raucous rally in Dalton, Georgia hours after Biden’s Atlanta showing. AFP

Right-wing group leader arrested in Washington THE chairman of the right-wing Proud Boys group was arrested Monday in Washington over the torching last month of a Black Lives Matter banner taken from a church during violent protests, police said. Enrique Tarrio, 36, was taken into custody as the US capital braces for demonstrations against lawmakers’ certification this week of Joe Biden as the next US president. Tarrio, who had just arrived in the city from Florida, was charged with destruction of property at the Asbury United Methodist Church, a mainly African American church where he and others allegedly burned the banner during violent protests on December 12. He was hit with additional charges of possessing two illegal high capacity firearm magazines at the time of his arrest, police said. In a parallel court case unveiled Monday, Tarrio and other members of the Proud Boys were accused by the historic Metropolitan AME church, also mainly African American, with tearing down and burning its banner during the protests last month. “The conduct of the Proud Boys in Washington, DC on December 12, 2020, amounted to a new and dangerous chapter in the long and terrible history of white supremacist mob violence targeting Black houses of worship,” the church said in its filing. The arrest came ahead of protests planned on Tuesday and Wednesday by backers of President Donald Trump supporting his unfounded claim that he, and not Biden, won the November 3 presidential election. Washington police said Monday they were worried about potential violence, particularly from groups like the Proud Boys, and warned that people carrying firearms would be arrested. AFP

SEIZED TANKER. A CCTV footage of the Hankuk Chemi, a South Korean-flagged oil tanker, is displayed on a screen as a boat of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards is seen in red circle on the screen at the tanker’s owner company DM Shipping, in Busan on January 4, 2021. South Korea’s foreign ministry on January 4 demanded the “early release” of an oil tanker seized by Iran in Gulf waters for breaking maritime environmental laws. AFP

Gulf leaders in Saudi Arabia for summit to resolve crisis GULF leaders flew to Saudi Arabia Tuesday for a summit that could yield more breakthroughs in a regional crisis, after Riyadh re-opened its borders to Doha despite lingering enmity between the neighbors. Saudi Arabia led a coalition of countries in the Gulf and beyond that cut ties and transport links with Qatar in June 2017, charging that it was too close to Iran and backed radical Islamist groups -- allegations Doha has always denied. Those countries, along with Oman and Kuwait which have mediated between the two sides, will meet in the Saudi city of Al-Ula, after the overnight concessions raised hopes for a wider deal. “Confidence building measures seem to

start with Saudi and Qatar, but the rest will join even if later,” said Kuwait University assistant professor Bader al-Saif. “Any step toward reconciliation is better than no step at all. The Gulf Cooperation Council requires a major reset and can offer much more than it has.” Washington has intensified pressure for a resolution to what Doha calls a “blockade”, insisting Gulf unity is necessary to isolate US foe Iran as the curtain falls on Donald Trump’s presidency. Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser who shuttled around the region to seek a deal, will attend the signing on Tuesday of the “breakthrough” agreement, a US official said. “The Trump administration will claim

this as another victory for sure,” said Royal United Services Institute analyst Tobias Borck, stressing that the two sides have not yet normalised relations. Full resolution elusive Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Ahmad Nasser Al-Sabah announced on state television late Monday that “it was agreed to open the airspace and land and sea borders between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the State of Qatar, starting from this evening”. Drivers south of Doha on the usually calm Salwa highway towards the Saudi border at Abu Samra sounded their horns and waved their arms from their car windows in the wake of the announcement, an AFP correspondent reported. AFP

Business

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2021 || extrastory2000@gmail.com

OPEC+ ministers adjourn without deal on February production levels LONDON—Members of the OPEC group of oil producers and their partners ended discussions on Monday without agreement on production levels for February, as divisions opened up between the linchpins of the two groups, Saudi Arabia and Russia. Ministers adjourned after three hours of video-conference talks, with discussions expected to restart on Tuesday at 1430 GMT. The OPEC+ ministerial meeting came after the COVID-19 pandemic tanked the market for crude in 2020. Despite a slight recovery of prices towards the end of last year, the 13 members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), led by Saudi Arabia, and their ten allies, led by Russia, are still suffering under a highly volatile market. After their last videoconference summit, held from November 30 to December 3, the OPEC+ members agreed to raise production levels by half a million barrels per day (bpd) in January. At the same meeting, OPEC+ agreed to meet at the beginning of each month to decide on any adjustments to production volumes for the following month. That agreement “paved the way for a gradual return of 2 million barrels per day to the market over the coming months,” OPEC’s general secretary, Mohammed Barkindo, said on Sunday. But Bjornar Tonhaugen, analyst at Rystad Energy, Russia and Saudi Arabia brought “different agendas” to Monday’s meeting as to how to proceed. “While Saudi Arabia, supported by most OPEC+ members, aims at keeping oil output steady in February, Russia this time seems to have had enough,” he said. “Russia wants an increase of 500,000 bpd next month, the maximum monthly rise that the existing deal allows,” according to Tonhaugen, who added: “Going back to nada from that for Russia will be very difficult”. Speaking at the beginning of Monday’s meeting, Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman spelled out his country’s much more cautious stance. AFP

ANNUAL TUNA AUCTION.

Wholesaler Yukitaka Yamaguchi (center) works with staff members to cut one of the auctioned tuna at a restaurant in Ginza, after the New Year’s auction at Toyosu fish market in Tokyo on January 5, 2021. Tokyo’s annual New Year tuna auction ended Tuesday without the usual jaw-dropping bidding war, with the country’s “Tuna King” holding back on gunning for the top fish, citing the pandemic woes affecting the restaurant industry. AFP

Stock market declines; MerryMart leads losers S TOCKS retreated Monday on profit taking, weighed down by an uptick in the inflation rate to a 22-month high of 3.5 percent in December from 3.3 percent in November.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index slipped 63.32 points, or 0.9 percent, to 7,134.18 on a value turnover of P11.3 billion. Losers beat gainers, 133 to 87, with 43 issues unchanged. Speculative issue MerryMart Consumer Corp. tumbled 7.6 percent to P7.38, while AC Energy Philippines Inc., a unit of conglomerate Ayala Corp., dropped 6.1 percent to P9.58. Puregold Price Club Inc. of retail tycoon Lucio Co fell 6.5 percent to P38.40 but Dito CME Holdings Corp., the third major mobile phone firm, rose 2.9 percent to P13.40.

Meanwhile, most Asian markets reversed early losses Tuesday as hopes for the economic outlook trumped worries over a coronavirus surge, new lockdowns, a slow vaccine rollout and uncertainty over US Senate elections. Asian equities struggled early Tuesday but many managed to bounce back. Hong Kong was among those that shifted from red to green, helped by news that the New York Stock Exchange had abandoned plans to delist three state-owned Chinese telecom companies. The move reversed a weekend decision that further dented already strained relations between the world’s two superpowers. Jackson Wong, at Amber Hill Capital, said: “Some funds that had an obligation to unload these shares will now need to buy them back. “Some investors are also starting to pricing in a scenario that the decision to halt delistings could be a start of a deescalation in tensions between China and the US.” The three firms all rallied, having

tumbled Monday. China Unicom was up nearly nine percent, while China Mobile and China Telecom each rose more than six percent. Shanghai also rose, along with the yuan. There were also gains in Sydney, Seoul, Mumbai, Taipei, Jakarta, Bangkok and Wellington, though Tokyo and Singapore fell. While analysts are broadly upbeat about the long-term outlook this year, the nascent inoculation programs have yet to have an impact, meaning the first few months of the year will likely be bumpy. And the task ahead was laid bare by data showing almost 280,000 Americans were infected in one day, while the country’s death toll passed 300,000. And as a new, potentially more transmissible strain rampages around the world, governments are being forced to tighten containment measures again, with England going into a six-week full lockdown after officials warned hospitals could soon face collapse. With AFP

ZUKUNFT 2020

AS A NEW year begins, we look to the future. What does 2021 hold in store? The macro situation Just three years ago, new year 2018 marked the moment when the global economy seemed to finally be ready to normalize 10 years after the economic unraveling following the global credit crisis. As 2021 begins, we are once again at the tail end of a global crisis, this one more than simply an economic upheaval. In September of 2020, the Asian Development Bank’s forecasted a 7.3-percent economic contraction in 2020 and a 2021 GDP growth of 6.5 percent. By its December update, ADB had revised the 2020 Philippine forecast to a contraction of 8.5 percent (vs. a 4.4-percent contraction of the SE Asia region), with its 2021 forecast remaining unchanged at a 6.5-percent growth. The 2021 forecast is slightly higher than ADB’s forecasted 5.2-percent growth for the SE Asia region. ADB’s outlook considers advances in vaccine development and availability but is tempered by caution stemming from the continuing challenges of COVID-19 and the global tourism collapse. The ADB forecast is not too different from the World Bank forecast, which predicted an 8.1-percent contraction in 2020 and a 5.9-percent growth in 2021 for the Philippine economy. ING similarly forecasts that 2021 Philippine growth will be below the 6-percent pre-pandemic growth, citing soft consumption recovery (affected by a decrease in remittance), decreased capital investment especially in the construction sector, and relatively conservative fiscal interventions. The sub-6 percent 2021 local forecast compares with the IMF 2021 global forecast of 5.4-percent growth. However, Morgan Stanley which predicts 2021 global growth of 6.4 percent, significantly higher than what it references as the 2021 consensus forecast of 5.4-percent (which is in line with the IMF forecast). The key difference is that while most institutions forecast divergent paths to recovery for different regions, Morgan Stanley forecasts synchronous global recovery citing continued consumption which is expected to push inflation back up, the recovery of exports of key trade-dependent economies, and rebounding investments reflective of healthy corporate sector risk tolerance. What is clear is that while government intervention can help float economies, long-term recovery will be dependent on a rebound in consumption, which is in turn effected by employment (or the lack of it), a normalizing of trade channels, and a return of corporate sector confidence and hence, capital investments.

At the heart of all of this, of course, is the ability of business to operate and deliver in the pandemic and post-pandemic situation. Of course, the ability of governments to rapidly deploy the COVID-19 vaccines as they become available will be important and so will government intervention to allow supply chains to fully normalize. Part of this is ensuring that the financial sector provides support to businesses affected by the pandemic but at the heart of all of this is the ability of businesses and individuals to adjust to the changing situation. Business and the future What is interesting about reading these forecasts is that many of them are backwardlooking. They look at what has gone and what is and anchor their predictions on the past. But forecasts are necessarily about the future. And this explains why so many of these forecasts are hedged with ifs and buts. For managers worldwide, the future will be determined by their ability to read and ride the waves of the future. What trends face business in 2021? Some trends are rooted in the pandemic. They are about location, communication and transportation. What the pandemic taught us is that much of our work can be done from the safety of our own homes and that most meetings and communication can be conducted remotely. This does not mean that the office will disappear. There are still some things that are best done face-to-face but the corporation of the future will be much more distributed than it used to be. For human resources management, this has meant a need to develop more sophisticated methods for managing performance, veering away from line-of-sight supervision towards indicator driven performance management. The challenge to supply chains has made businesses respond in two ways, often both. To avoid being at the mercy of faraway suppliers, businesses are looking closer to home, or at least closer to their customers for critical inputs. Secondly, businesses are looking at having multiple suppliers to make sure that they have alternative sources when one source shuts down. Interestingly, many businesses have found that it makes business sense to have closer relationships with suppliers, and especially to work with the smaller local suppliers that are more likely to provide support in times of crisis. Not surprisingly, many of the trends that are expected to dominate Business 2021 are rooted in technology: e-commerce, automation, assisted reality, augmented intelligence, electronic payments, tech-enabled social engagement. These are all long-term trends that gathered speed in the time of pandemic. Businesses that master the art of marketing and delivery in an online environment will thrive. And as the vac-

cine slowly brings people out of their homes, the businesses that can seamlessly deliver in an omni channel environment will be at an advantage. The pandemic did not stem the tide of innovation and technology. If anything, it accelerated the tide. Futurist Jack Ulrich’s 2021 predictions paint a radically amazing vision of what is in store. From self-driving cars (old stuff) to teenagers in the board room (already a reality in some European companies), to bio-printing, with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute having announced FDA approval of their 3D printed living skin with blood vessels, the developments are breathtaking. But there is also a human side to these trends, partly fueled by the enforced reflection and sustained relationship building with smaller communities brought on by lockdowns as well as international rage concerning bigotry and misuse of power. In 2021, certain very human things will be very important: (a) a return to some simple joys: baking, gardening, meditation, art and all sorts of individual art and creativity; (b) increased interest in fitness and wellness, both mind and body; and (c) an expectation of social conscience from large corporations in all things ranging from environmental matters to diversity and inclusion. As technology widened our accessible world, the pandemic contracted our immediate concerns and environment. We were forced to re-root ourselves in our families, tribes and communities. Many of these relationships will grow stronger and businesses that can leverage these new roots both in its consumers as well as in its employees should be able to reap benefits. On the home and individual fronts, we expect homes to slowly adjust to the new rhythms that we discovered in the pandemic. We expect families to want to find dedicated spaces for work and learning at home, as well as space for their new recreations, whether cooking or yoga. We also expect the significant shift to digital content consumption (and creation) to continue to increase. In many ways, the long waves of technology and innovation and the shock of the pandemic forced both a widening and narrowing of our focus, neither of which are bad things. For 2021, the challenge is in choosing which waves to ride and how to ride them not just to recovery but to progress. 2020 may have shrunk our visibility of the future but 2021 holds vibrant promise. Frohes Neujahr! Zukunft is the German word for future. It is a concatenation of the root words “zu” meaning “to” and “kunft” which comes from the German word “Kommen” meaning “to come.” Hence it literally means what is still to come. Readers can email Maya at integrations_ manila@yahoo.com. Or visit her site at http:// integrations.tumblr.com.

PSEi January 5, 2021

TOP GAINERS LAST PRICE

% CHANGE CHANGE

1 2

ABS PRMX

13.7 1.56

2.04 0.16

17.50% 11.43%

ABA

0.72

0.07

10.77%

CHI

5.95

0.47

8.58%

5 6

ABSP MBC

14 12.5

1.1 0.9

8.53% 7.76%

BHI

0.042

0.003

7.69%

8 9

CEU AR

7.5 0.0031

0.51 0.0002

7.30% 6.90%

ION

1.2

0.07

6.19%

TOP LOSERS LAST PRICE

% CHANGE CHANGE

1 2

CSB PTC

5.96 95.55

-2.52 -24.45

-29.72% -20.38%

IPO

8.05

-0.95

-10.56%

4 5

OV OPMB

0.011 0.012

-0.001 -0.001

-8.33% -7.69%

7.38

-0.61

-7.63%

VUL

-0.08

-7.41%

8 9 10

PGOLD ACEX C

38.4 13.12 5.25

-2.65 -0.9 -0.35

-6.46% -6.42% -6.25%

MOST ACTIVE 1

DITO

VOLUME 161,466,100

VALUE (PHP) 2,240,861,756.00

2 3

APL MM

4,952,760,000 913,126,340.00 110,597,500 882,999,781.00

4 5

ACEN BDO

66,780,200 4,806,590

680,856,958.00 492,907,513.00

6 7

PHA SMPH

251,120,000 8,630,200

349,465,590.00 340,778,825.00

8 9

GTCAP BPI

531,420 3,474,050

301,707,155.00 284,944,423.50

MBT

5,470,200

255,255,200.00

Manila

Standard

TODAY

MARKETS AND SECURITIES REGULATION DEPARTMENT IN THE MATTER OF THE

: :

REGISTRATION OF SECURITIES Initial Public Offering

ASIA PACIFIC MEDICAL CENTER (APMC) – AKLAN INC.1: (Registrant) x--------------------------------------------x NOTICE Notice is hereby given that on 15 December 2020, a sworn Registration Statement (“RS”) has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) on behalf of ASIA PACIFIC MEDICAL CENTER (APMC) – AKLAN INC. (the “Company”) for the registration of Two Hundred Forty Thousand (240,000) shares with par value of one thousand (PhP1,000.00) per share broken down as follows: Primary Offering 35,420 Equivalent to 3,542 blocks (To be offered and sold by way common or 10 shares per block at an of Initial Public Offering) shares offer price ranging from Php 250,000 up to Php 350,000 per block Issued and Outstanding 600 founder With par value of Founder’s Shares shares PhP1,000.00 per share (Not included in the Offer) Issued and Outstanding 203,980 With par value of Common Shares common PhP1,000.00 per share (Not included in the Offer) shares 240 TOTAL common shares According to the documents presented, the following persons are the directors and executive officers of the Company: NAME

POSITION

FERJENEL G. BIRON EILEEN MAY B. DEBUQUE SIMEON A. ARCE JR. MERIDE DAULO-LAVILLA MARSHA LOURDES P. CONANANMORATO JOANNE B. ABRIL CLAIRE B. PEREZ GREGORY JOSEPH RYAN A. ARDEÑA PATRICK DEXTER M. BUENAFLOR

Chairman Vice Chairman Director/President Director/Vice President

RAYMUNDO R. QUIMPO

Director

DANILO C. REGOZO PETER MYRON JUN O. TORRES MARY KAREN VERONICA R. ICAMINA, NIKKI JAMES C. FRANCISCO DARCY A. QUINDOR

Director Director Independent Director Independent Director Independent Director

Director/ Corporate Secretary Director/Treasurer Director/ Asst. Treasurer Director Director

In order to implement necessary health protocols consistent with the directives and guidelines of the Department of Health for the protection of its employees and the investing public, the Commission hereby suspends the physical inspection of the RS and other papers/documents attached thereto (collectively referred to as “Documents”) as well as (ii.) providing physical copies thereof to interested parties, until further Notice. In lieu thereof, the Commission has adopted an alternative mode of viewing and/or downloading the said Documents and any subsequent amendments thereto by enabling interested parties to access the same through the MSRD corner of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website (www.sec. gov.ph) or the Company’s website (www.acemc-aklan.com). signed VICENTE GRACIANO P. FELIZMENIO JR. Director 1

Formerly Allied Care Experts (ACE) Medical Center – Aklan, Inc.

(MS-DEC. 30, 2020 & JAN. 6, 2021)

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2021

Business

Inflation climbed to 3.5% in December By Julito G. Rada

NFLATION rate rose to 3.5 percent in December, the fastest in 22 months, on higher prices of food products amid the holiday season, the Philippine Statistics Authority said Tuesday.

Data showed the December inflation picked up from 3.3 percent in November and 2.5 percent a year earlier. It was the biggest increase in consumer prices since inflation reached 3.8 percent in February 2019.

The National Economic and Development Authority said despite the upside risks, the full-year inflation rate in 2020 settled below the midpoint of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ target range for the year. It said inflation rate averaged 2.6 percent in 2020, slightly higher than 2.5 percent in 2019 and within the target range of 2 percent to 4 percent for the year. “Even with the low inflation environment, there is still a need to improve supply chain efficiency to ensure that prices of essential goods and services remain stable,” said acting Economic Planning Secretary and NEDA directorgeneral Karl Kendrick Chua. The PSA said the uptrend in the in-

flation was brought about by the increase in the heavily-weighted food and non-alcoholic beverages at 4.8 percent in December, from 4.3 percent in November. It said annual increments were also higher in the indices of health at 2.6 percent; transport, 8.3 percent; and restaurant and miscellaneous goods and services, 2.5 percent. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin Diokno said the December inflation was within the BSP’s forecast range of 2.9 percent to 3.7 percent for the month. “The latest inflation outturn brings the average full-year inflation for 2020 to 2.6 percent, which is well within the national government’s target of 2 of 4 percent. The BSP continues to expect

inflation to settle within the target range over the policy horizon,” Diokno said in a message to reporters. He said the recent uptrend in inflation was seen to be “largely transitory,” reflecting the short-term impact of weather disturbances. He said the overall balance of risks to future inflation continued to lean toward the downside, owing to the continued uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on domestic and global economic activities. “Nonetheless, upside risks emanate from the possibility of an early rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in the Philippines, which is expected to ease the existing lockdown measures and expand further operating capacity of the economy,” Diokno said.

PSE INDEX CLOSING Tuesday, January 5, 2021

-63.32 PTS. 7,134.18

TOTAL VOLUME TOTAL TRADES

30,756,579,078 207,672

TOTAL VALUE ADVANCES

11,338,800,388.68 87

DECLINES UNCHANGED

133 43

Foreign e xchange r ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2021

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

48.0220

Japan

Yen

0.009699

0.4658

Pound

1.357400

65.1851

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128977

6.1937

Switzerland

Franc

1.134687

54.4899

Canada

Dollar

0.782656

37.5847

Singapore

Dollar

0.757346

36.3693

Australia

Dollar

0.766300

36.7993

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652801

127.3928

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266574

12.8014

Brunei

Dollar

0.754489

36.2321

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000072

0.0035

Thailand

Baht

0.033478

1.6077

UAE

Dirham

0.272272

13.0750

Euro

1.225200

58.8366

Korea

Won

0.000920

0.0442

China

Yuan

0.154751

7.4315

India

Rupee

0.013686

0.6572

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.249750

11.9935

New Zealand

Dollar

0.717300

34.4462

Taiwan

Dollar

0.035613

1.7102 Source: BSP

MEMBERS of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers Association of the Philippines Inc. and Association of Vehicle Importers and Distributors on Tuesday expressed disappointment over the Department of Trade and Industry’s imposition of provisional safeguard measures on imported vehicles. CAMPI president Rommel Gutierrez said the safeguard measure would further derail the recovery efforts of industry players and stakeholders from the crisis. “As if the adverse impact of the pandemic is not enough, the decision to impose provisional safeguard measures against imported vehicles is yet another

VIVANT DONATION. 1590 Energy Corp., a unit of Vivant Energy Corp., and Vivant Foundation donate a printer and bond papers to Payocpoc Elementary School in Bauang, La Union as part of their commitment to uplift the public education system, particularly with the implementation of the distance learning program.

blow to the automotive industry,” he said. Gutierrez said while CAMPI was supporting the development of local vehicle manufacturing, it consistently opposed the imposition of safeguard duty against imported completely built-up units, or CBUs. Majority of CAMPI members are bringing in vehicles from manufacturing hubs in other countries. “We project further reduction in sales volume which in turn poses risk of employment downsizing, not to mention government revenue loss,” Gutierrez said. He said the measure would also encourage the revival of grey market/used vehicles. With much uncertainty, investments in dealer expansion and parts localization may also be deferred, he said.

CAMPI said the measure’s the risk in the short term would include a disruption in regional production and supply while medium to long term impact might include a slowdown in regional economic growth because of chain reaction to other industrial sectors. “Furthermore, this could potentially weaken trade and economic relations triggered by retaliation by concerned exporting countries to the Philippines,” Gutierrez said. Meanwhile, AVID said the move to impose provisional safeguard measures on imported vehicles would severely impact the recovery outlook of the industry at a time when all players and stakeholders are appealing for govern-

ment support. “AVID has always aimed for the longterm development of the automotive sector, including the advancement of manufacturing as an inclusive means for growth. We have clearly and consistently expressed our position that penalizing imports will not trigger investments or create more jobs, much less address issues on the regional competitiveness of our local manufacturing sector,” said AVID president Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo. The group also called for long-term policies to further improve the ease of doing business to open opportunities for investments, create jobs for Filipino workers and provide the Filipinos reliable and affordable means of transport.

Meralco says power rates may rise in January despite reduced demand By Alena Mae S. Flores POWER rates in the franchise area of Manila Electric Co. may increase in January despite the lower demand, a company executive said Tuesday. Meralco spokesman Joe Zaldarriaga said the company was still awaiting the final billings from the several power suppliers but “initial data suggests that generation costs for January may have a possibility of an increase due to lower demand in the Luzon grid,” which means the fixed costs from some suppliers may be spread over lower energy volume. He said Luzon peak demand in December decreased 252 megawatts to 9,634 MW from 9,886 MW in November. “This means that the fixed costs from power suppliers may be spread over lower energy volume resulting in higher

effective rates to consumers,” he said. Zaldarriaga said despite the potential increase in January, the overall power rate drop since the start of 2020 reached P1.39 per kilowatt-hour, or equivalent to savings of about P278 for residential customers that consume an average of 200 kWh in 2020. Meralco’s overall rate for a typical household fell P0.0352 per kilowatthour in December to P8.4753 per kWh from P8.5105 per kWh in November. Generation charges decreased P0.0502 per kWh to P4.1516 per kWh in December from P4.2018 per kWh in November. All sources of supply registered lower charges last month. Charges at the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market, the country’s trading floor of electricity, noted a P0.1881 per kWh reduction in charges following an improved power supply situation.

FEDERAL TOWER. Federal Land Inc. celebrates a milestone in the construction of Quantum Residences-Amethyst Tower with a concrete pouring ceremony onsite at Taft Ave., Pasay City. Developed under the premier developer’s subsidiary, Horizon Land, Quantum Residences offers a central location accessible to important thoroughfares in Pasay. Leading the ceremony are (from left) Federal Land product planning department head and Horizon Land sales channel head Dinah Hernandez, Federal Land sales group head Maria Margarita Saenz-Resurreccion, product development group head Cherie Fernandez, Design Coordinate Corp. product manager Alex Canigan, Federal Land construction management group operations head Richard Naval, Design Coordinate Corp. managing director Felisberto Gancayco and Federal Land product planning department manager Mark Gosiengfiao.

Cebu organizations support Megawide and GMR’s P109-b proposal for NAIA project By Darwin G. Amojelar ORGANIZATIONS across Cebu on Tuesday expressed support to the partnership of Megawide Construction Corp. and GMR Infrastructure of India to rehabilitate and transform the decades-old Ninoy Aquino International Airport at a cost of P109 billion. Different stakeholders from Cebu’s tourism and health sectors, in separate letters addressed to President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, said with Megawide’s

Shakey’s Pizza set to open in Singapore RESTAURANT chain Shakey’s Pizza Asia Ventures Inc. is set to debut in Singapore with the opening of its first store this year. Shakey’s said in a disclosure to the stock exchange Tuesday it recently signed a seven-year franchising agreement with Singapore’s Brenrich Pte. Ltd. “We are thrilled to restart our international franchise journey in Singapore, which is at the forefront of global recovery, and we are fortunate to have Brenrich as our franchisee partner in the Lion City, given their rich experience in the restaurant industry,” said Vicente Gregorio, Shakey’s president and chief executive. The first Singapore store in Lucky Plaza mall along Orchard Road scheduled to open by the second or third quarter of 2021. Brenrich director Wong Ban Ming said he was excited to bring bring Shakey’s to Singapore. Jenniffer B. Austria

Mergers, acquisitions hit P909b, says PCC MERGER and acquisition (M&A) transactions in 2020 hit P909 billion despite the impact of pandemic on businesses and the economy, the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) said Tuesday. The PCC said in a year-end report it processed 26 M&A transactions and approved 20. One was withdrawn, two were returned, and three were in different review stages. The sectors with the most transactions are electricity and gas with six deals and transportation and storage with five. Manufacturing, finance and insurance and real estate each had three transactions. “Despite the constraints due to community quarantine restrictions, we completed all reviews well within the statutory periods. These include the approved acquisition by Universal Robina Corporation (URC) of assets in Central Azucarera de la Carlota Inc. (CA-Carlota) and Roxol Bioenergy Corp. (Roxol), and shares in Najalin Agri-ventures Inc. (NAVI) in Negros Island, a year after a similar transaction by the same parties was blocked for the merger-to-monopoly concerns in Batangas,” said PCC chairman Arsenio Balisacan. With fewer merger notifications expected and motu proprio review effectively suspended, he said the M&A office refocused its resources on capacity building and market monitoring. Othel V. Campos

DOE offers 17 hydro, 5 geothermal contracts

Automotive groups warn of job losses amid safeguard duties on imports By Othel V. Campos

IN BRIEF

NAIA rehabilitation plan, Filipinos would ultimately experience immense improvement in comfort, efficiency and airport security. This came after Cebu Business Groups—the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. – wrote separately to Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade and House transportation committee chairman Edgar Mary Sarmiento to remind them that the NAIA rehabilitation was part of the President’s

“Build, Build, Build” legacy. Cebu is one of President Duterte’s bailiwicks that showed strong regional support for his administration. Cebu Association of Tour Guides president Mary Grace Melendres said her group strongly denounced and decried the “harassment” against worldclass Mactan-Cebu International Airport operators Megawide and GMR as they faced an anti-dummy case before the National Bureau of Investigation. Completely opposite from what the

case makes of the Megawide-GMR partnership, Melendres said the partnership was an asset to Cebu tourism. “We believe the sole purpose of this issue is to tarnish their reputation given the NAIA project and has nothing to do with the airport’s management,” Melendres said in a letter addressed to President Duterte on Dec. 28, 2020. Melendres said the modernization of the MCIA proved pivotal in advancing Cebu’s tourism image as tourist arrivals greatly increased.

THE Department of Energy on Tuesday offered five geothermal areas and 17 hydro areas for private sector development under the third open and competitive selection process (OCSP3). “This initiative, which aims to advance renewable energy development and utilization is consistent with our effort towards achieving energy security as well as balanced energy mix in the country,” Energy Assistant Secretary Robert Uy said during the virtual launching ceremonies. He said the OCSP3 takes off from a similar event in 2014, which resulted in the award of eight hydro power and two geothermal service contracts. “We are here to offer hydropower and geothermal resource areas. We have obtained encouraging results from the series of online stakeholders, consultations undertaken in July 2020 and that we are very optimistic in the OCSP3. We hope we will be able to replace the successful conduct of OCSP2,” Uy said. He said the government offered 21 predetermined areas in the previous OCSPs. Alena Mae S. Flores

2021 GDP growth goal of at least 6.5% attainable—Diokno BANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin Diokno said Tuesday the government’s 2021 gross domestic product target range of 6.5 percent to 7.5 percent is “easily attainable” with the further easing of COVID-19 restrictions. Diokno said during the Tuesday Club briefing latest available information showed the economy could bounce back by 6.5 percent to 7.5 percent this year from an expected contraction of between 8.5 and 9.5 percent in 2020. “Based on available information, we expect the economy to bounce back by 6.5 to 7.5 percent... With the further easing of restrictions, improvements in the healthcare system and the full cooperation from each one of us to do what it takes to keep viral transmission under control, this growth target is easily attainable,” Diokno said. “With the expanding economic activity, we are also expecting the unemployment rate to fall from a recordhigh 17.6 percent in April—the height of the lockdown—to 7 percent in 2021,” Diokno said. He said deep into the pandemic and even during the strictest part of the lockdown, Filipinos exhibited fortitude and resilience as individuals and as a nation. “As soon as this pandemic fades, I expect that the Philippines to become nothing less than an economic champion... ,” Diokno said. He said the Philippines was in a position of strength when the pandemic hit. The Philippines’s strong macroeconomic fundamentals prior to the pandemic—manageable inflation, a strong and resilient banking system, a prudent fiscal position and a hefty level of gross international reserves— cushioned the economy from the impact of the crisis, he said. Julito G. Rada

Sports

Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Reuel Vidal, Assistant Editor WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2021

Giannis carries Bucks; Celts win

Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo is fouled by Miami’s Jimmy Butler on his way to the basket. AFP

Government, sponsors to provide vaccines for PH athletes By Peter Atencio THE availability of vaccines for national athletes preparing to join international meets and qualifiers for the Tokyo Olympics should no longer be an issue at this time. Reelected Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino said this a few days before the training activities of national athletes resume. Tolentino believes that the national government or private sponsors will be around to provide for the need of members of the national team to get vaccinated from the threat of the coronavirus transmission. “Definitely, there will be sponsors for this, and the national government will be able to procure. It’s just a matter of priority,” said Tolentino during yesterday’s weekly online session of the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum. With the Tokyo Olympics just around the corner, Tolentino is upbeat that organizers in Japan will also be able to provide some for members of the national delegation, and delegates from other countries as well. Tolentino said this a week after the discovery of a new variant of the COVID-19 in Japan and that the Japanese government has imposed tougher restrictions, even enforcing a ban on non-resident arrivals. Because of this, organizers of the Tokyo Olympics are bracing for the release of plans for a scaled-down Games this March. The POC chief added that funding for the vaccination of national athletes won’t be a problem, since they are planning for the qualification around 20 for the Tokyo Games. And this won’t even be an issue if the Philippines sends as much as 10,000 athletes to the Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam. With the possible cost of a vaccine reaching around P1,000 per vial, Tolentino said a total of P10 million could be spent by either the government or private sponsors for vaccination. And this is where the Philippine Sports Commission and the POC could come in provide the necessary support.

Bambol wants POC to have own home

HILIPPINE Olympic Commitee President Abraham ‘Bambol’ Tolentino on Tuesday said it’s about time the country’s Olympic body ﬁnally had a workplace it can call home, something that has been lacking for the organization since it was ﬁrst established in 1911.

At present, the POC holds office at the Philsports Complex in Pasig, where the Department of Education is also located. For a long time, the POC was once based at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex together with the Philippine Sports Commission. Tolentino hopes to find a site suitable enough for the POC. “Mabigat mang sabihin, we’re not informal settlers, pero nakikitira lang kami sa POC the past years sa facilities ng PSC. Malungkot mang sabihin, baka isa sa buong mundo, o sa Asya o kaya sa ASEAN, unlike other countries, ang Pilipinas lang ang walang permanent office building ang POC,” said the POC chief in the first session of the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) webcast Forum for 2021 on Tuesday. “In my term, sana ma-adhika naman natin na magkaroon ng permament office building (ang POC). That’s one of

my major dreams and agenda in my fouryear term in the POC.” The building, according to Tolentino, will basically house the POC office, a board room, and possibly a museum which will trace the rich history of Philippine sports and the POC as well from the time it was first created 110 years ago carrying the name Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation. Finding a perfect place, however, to house the office is one major concern especially with lots and areas around Metro Manila a little bit pricey nowadays. But given the chance, Tolentino, who is also representative of the 8th district of Cavite, would want to have the office be located within the Cultural Center of the Philippines ground. “Sa CCP meron pa diyan. Ano ba naman yung 1,000 square meters ang ibigay ninyo. Kami na sa POC ang magpapagawa

ng building diyan. May space pa doon sa Coconut Palace or sa (Manila) Film Center,” said Tolentino in the session presented by San Miguel Corp., Go For Gold, MILO, Amelie Hotel Manila, Braska Restaurant, PACGOR, and powered by Smart and Upstream Media as official webcast partner. “Para naman may disenteng mukha ang POC. And at the same time, awareness din sa public.” The biggest public awareness could come if ever the country finally wins the elusive gold in this year’s Tokyo Olympics, which the POC chief believes is very achievable. “For this year, the wish not only for myself but for the entire POC, is that we’re praying for the first Olympic gold for the Philippines. Whether it’s the first one or more than one. Malakas ang kutob natin, tayong lahat nagdadasal na talagang blessing kung one o baka madagdagan pa,” said Tolentino, stressing that so far the four Filipinos who qualified to the Olympics, namely gymnast Caloy Yulo, pole vaulter EJ Obienna, and boxers Eumir Marcial and Irish Magno, all have a very good chance of winning a gold. Tolentino said the POC can procure the needed COVID-19 vaccine for all Olympic-bound athletes if ever the government would not prioritize Filipino athletes.

LOS ANGELES—Milwaukee’s twotime reigning Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo poured in 43 points Monday, powering the Bucks to a 125-115 NBA victory over the Detroit Pistons. Antetokounmpo connected on 17 of 24 shots from the field. He made a brace of three pointers and was simply unstoppable in the paint. His was just one of the outstanding performances on a night that featured a 40-point outburst from Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum and a triple-double for Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks. Antetokounmpo set the tone early in Milwaukee, scoring 30 of the Bucks’ 67 first-half points. Detroit managed to trim the deficit to 118-110 with 2:38 left to play, but Antetokounmpo stopped their momentum with a block of a driving Sekou Doumbouya shot, then grabbed the rebound of teammate Donte DiVincenzo’s miss for a put-back basket that effectively ended the Pistons’ comeback bid. “The blocked shot and the put-back was big,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said, adding that he wouldn’t have liked to see the deficit whittled further. Detroit, playing without star Blake Griffin, also saw rookie Killian Hayes go down in the third quarter with a hip injury that kept him out the rest of the game. Boston’s Tatum scored 21 of his season-best 40 in the second quarter as the Celtics rallied from an early deficit to beat the Toronto Raptors 126-114. Tatum connected on 11 of 19 shots from the field and was a perfect 13-for13 from the free throw line as he fell one point shy of matching his career best. The first meeting of the teams since Boston eliminated Toronto in the second round of the playoffs in September was in Tampa, Florida, where the Raptors are based, amid continuing coronavirus restrictions on travel to Canada. The Dallas Mavericks won a Texas tussle with the Rockets in Houston on the back of Doncic’s first triple-double of the season. Doncic, who sat out Sunday with a quadriceps contusion, returned with a vengeance with 33 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists as Dallas held off a late Rockets push for a 113-100 victory. The Slovenian star, still just 21, notched his 26th career triple-double. Tim Hardway Jr. added 30 points off the bench for Dallas, who led by as many as 16 in the third quarter. AFP

Banario hopes for another run at world title in 2021

Honorio Banario: Another shot

FORMER ONE Featherweight World Champion Honorio “The Rock” Banario of the famed Team Lakay of Baguio City, Philippines, is looking to embark on another run at the ONE World Title this year. The 31-year-old feels reenergized and extra motivated to build on his sole victory in 2020—a close split decision against fellow top featherweight Shannon Wiratchai of Thailand. After spending the holidays with close family, and helping out Filipinos in need with his brethren at Team Lakay, Banario wants to tell fans to expect an epic resurgence for the Philippines’ premiere martial arts troupe. “New Year with my family was very fulfilling. It was my second New Year celebration with my son and wife. We spent it in our province with our loved ones,” said Banario.

“I met with the team before New Year’s Eve, and we spent the end of 2020 giving out aid to people in need. Coach Mark and the team agreed to all do a small donation program. There are so many people out there who had a rough year, who had to go through the pandemic, through floods and calamity, and endured days of hunger. The very least we could do was help out in our own little way. “This year, the team is very motivated to bounce back as we adapt ourselves and our training methodologies to the ‘new normal.’ We are all reinvigorated and fired up to return to our dominance in the Circle.” Banario was one of the few bright spots for Team Lakay in 2020. The team suffered a series of painful setbacks as former champions Eduard Folayang and Kevin Belingon, as well as rising star Lito Adiwang all

experienced defeat late in the year. Once the inaugural ONE Featherweight World Champion, Banario wants nothing more than to return to his former glory, and to wear the gold around his waist again. “I want to fight more in 2021, and reestablish myself as a top fighter in my division. Hopefully, I can claw my way back up to a title shot by the end of the year. Of course, my other wish is to be healthy physically, mentally, and spiritually. I wish that for all, not just for myself,” said a determined Banario. “I really want to become a champion and hold that belt again. To do that, I have to stay strong in challenging times and constantly move forward to pursue my dreams. That goes for the rest of the team also. We will prove once again that here at Team Lakay, champions are not born, they are made.”

Pringle, Parks lead Best Player race FIVE players led by Stanley Pringle and Ray Parks are strongly contending for the PBA Best Player of the Conference award during the Philippine Cup bubble season. Pringle steered Barangay Ginebra to its first all-Filipino championship in the last 13 years, while Parks emerged as the top player in the statistical points standings. Crowding out the two in the bubble’s highest individual award in lieu of the season MVP are the Phoenix duo of Calvin Abueva and Matthew Wright, along with Parks’ TnT Tropang Giga teammate Roger Pogoy and Terrafirma’s CJ Perez.

Voting starts on Tuesday (Jan. 5) and ends on Jan. 11. Abueva finished second behind Parks in the statistical standings, followed by Perez, Wright, and Pogoy, respectively. The 33-year-old Pringle finished at no.6 but made a strong case for the award after emerging as the Kings’ top player from the eliminations all the way to winning the championship of the historic season. The BPC awardee will be decided based on statistical points and votes from players, media, and the Commissioner’s Office. The BPC winner along with the individual honors to be given are

going to be announced during the PBA Awards Night to be held virtually on Jan. 17 in place of the annual Leo Awards. With a shortened season due to COVID-19 pandemic, the league decided to do away giving out its regular awards and instead, will hand out other special honors. Vying for the Outstanding Rookie (instead of Rookie of the Year) are Barangay Ginebra’s Arvin Tolentino, Aaron Black of Meralco, Terrafirma’s Roosevelt Adams, Barkley Ebona of Alaska, and Magnolia’s Aris Dionisio. For the Most Improved Player, the deserving candidates are

Phoenix’s Justine Chua and Jason Perkins, Barangay Ginebra’s Prince Caperal, Rain or Shine’s Javee Mocon, Raul Soyud of NLEX, and Meralco veteran Reynel Hugnatan. Meanwhile, contending for the Samboy Lim Sportsmanship Award are Abueva, Perez, Barangay Ginebra’s Scottie Thompson, Kevin Alas of NLEX, and Rain or Shine’s Gabe Norwood. Also to be named are the Outstanding/Elite Five to briefly replace the Mythical Five selection, although there will be no Mythical Second Team and All-Defensive Teams to be named this season.

Stanley Pringle finished at no. 6 in the Best Player race, but made a strong case for the award after emerging as Ginebra’s top player from the eliminations all the way to winning the championship of the historic season.

Sports

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2021

Decision on COVID-hit Australia F1 coming soon MELBOURNE—A final call on staging the Australian Grand Prix will be made in the “coming weeks”, organizers said Tuesday following reports it could be postponed over strict travel restrictions and the emergence of a new strain of COVID-19. Website autosport.com said the Melbourne-based race, which is due to kick off the new season on March 21, would likely be pushed back to later in the year, with Bahrain poised to open the 2021 calendar on March 28. It pointed to Australia’s tough coronavirus restrictions, which require international travellers to quarantine for two weeks, as posing significant logistical and financial obstacles. Many of Formula One’s teams are also based in England where cases are surging, spurred by a more infectious new variant, further complicating matters. Australian organisers said they were working through the issues. “The Australian Grand Prix Corporation continues to work closely with the Victorian (state) government and Formula 1 on conditions and arrangements relating to the staging of the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne in 2021,” they said in a brief statement. “Further detail will be provided upon finalisation of arrangements with all parties in the coming weeks.” Construction around the temporary Albert Park circuit is yet to start and tickets are not currently on sale. The Australian race, the traditional season curtain-raiser, was called off last year just hours before the first practice session after a McLaren team member tested positive, with drivers scambling to leave the country. The pandemic threw the season into chaos and racing only started in Austria in July, with the Melbourne event not rescheduled. Despite concern about the fate of this year’s race, hundreds of the world’s top tennis players are set to arrive in Melbourne from January 15 for 14 days’ quarantine before the Australian Open. AFP

Serbia, starring Novak Djokovic (left) emerged triumphant, overpowering Spain, with Rafael Nadal (right) to win the inaugural title.

Novak, Rafa headline virus-hit ATP Cup M Brooklyn star

ELBOURNE—World number one Novak Djokovic and second-ranked Rafael Nadal will headline a slimmed-down ﬁeld at the coronavirus-hit ATP Cup, organisers said with the tournament cut in half to 12 teams. The innovative championship debuted across three Australian cities— Perth, Brisbane and Sydney—in January last year with 24 nations split into six groups ahead of a finals series. Djokovic’s Serbia emerged triumphant, overpowering Nadal’s Spain to win the inaugural title. But the onslaught of Covid-19 forced a radical change to how the 2021 season will look, with the Australian Open pushed back three weeks to February 8. Players will arrive in Australia from January 15 and undergo a mandatory two-week quarantine before the ATP Cup is held alongside two WTA 500 and two ATP 250 events, all in Melbourne in the week leading into the Grand Slam. Teams’ qualified for the ATP Cup based of men’s singles rankings, with Austria, Russia, Greece, Germany, Argentina, Italy, Japan, France and Canada also making the grade. Australia was included as host nation, but without showman Nick Kyrgios, who was not on the team sheet. All of the world’s top 10 players will

take part, except Roger Federer who has pulled out of the Australian Open for the first time in his career as he continues his recovery from two rounds of knee surgery. ATP Finals champion Daniil Medvedev headlines a strong Russian team alongside fellow top 10 star Andrey Rublev, while world No.3 Dominic Thiem will try to take Austria to glory. “The players are looking forward to stepping up and representing their countries again, and the field, including defending champions Serbia and finalists Spain, is strong,” said tournament director Tom Larner. “This is a format that shows off the passion of the players and we’re expecting some spectacular tennis action.” The 12 teams will be divided into four groups of three with the winners of each group contesting the knock-outs and the four remaining progressing to the semi-finals. Each tie will be comprised of two singles matches and one doubles. The draw will be made on January 20 ahead of the tournament starting on

February 1. - Serbia (Novak Djokovic, Dusan Lajovic, Filip Krajinovic, Nikola Cacic) - Argentina (Diego Schwartzman, Guido Pella, Horacio Zeballos, Maximo Gonzalez) - Spain (Rafael Nadal, Roberto Bautista Agut, Marcel Granollers, Pablo Carreno Busta) - Italy (Matteo Berrettini, Fabio Fognini, Simone Bolelli, Andrea Vavassori) - Austria (Dominic Thiem, Dennis Novak, Philipp Oswald, TristanSamuel Weissborn) - Japan (Kei Nishikori, Yoshihito Nishioka, Ben McLachlan, Toshihide Matsui) - Russia ( Dan iil Medvedev, A nd rey Rublev, Aslan Karatsev, Evgeny Donskoy) - France (Gael Monfils, Benoit Paire, Nicolas Mahut, Edouard RogerVasselin) - Greece (Stefanos Tsitsipas, Michail Pervolarakis, Markos Kalovelonis, Petros Tsitsipas) - Canada (Denis Shapovalov, Milos Raonic, Peter Polansky, Steven Diez) - Germany (Alexander Zverev, JanLennard Struff, Kevin Krawietz, Andreas Mies) - Australia (Alex de Minaur, John Millman, John Peers, Luke Saville) AFP

Super-fan determined to welcome world to Tokyo TOKYO—Whistle-blowing, flagwaving super-fan Kyoko Ishikawa has attended every Summer Olympics in the past 30 years—and the Tokyo resident doesn’t plan on missing out on a Games in her home city. The 51-year-old can’t wait to welcome the world to Tokyo, even though surging infections and skyrocketing costs have convinced many other Japanese that the event should not go ahead this year. “The Olympics are amazing,” said Ishikawa, who has become a familiar face at Olympic venues with her traditional Japanese outfit and ‘hachimaki’ headband, adorned with her country’s red-and-white flag. “The power of diversity. The energy of diversity. The Olympics are only three weeks, but within that short period you get a concentrated picture of the whole world,” she told AFP. A third wave of coronavirus infections is causing jitters in Japan, with Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announcing Monday that he was considering declaring a state of emergency in the greater Tokyo area. A recent poll by public broadcaster NHK revealed that a majority of people in Japan oppose holding the postponed

THE LINK REY JOBLE GETTING a big man as your top pick— either in the PBA or the NBA—has always been the norm. Not unless there’s someone out there who can make an immediate impact and take the league by storm. It was a situation which happened in the NBA in the 1984 Rookie Draft when the Portland Trailblazers opted to get Sam Bowie, a 7-foot-1, a University of Kentucky standout, who was selected ahead of Michael Jordan. Jordan, of course, ended up with the Chicago Bulls, who also got an offer from the Philadelphia 76ers for the rights on the future GOAT for The Doctor Julius Erving. Maybe Portland felt there was no need for Jordan in the squad since the team already had a Clyde Drexler, who plays the same position as the most outstanding player who just won an Olympic gold medal a few months before and the hero of the North Carolina Tar

Olympic super-fan Kyoko Ishikawa shows her collection of Olympic souvenirs at her residence in Tokyo. Whistle-blowing, flag-waving superfan Ishikawa has attended every Summer Olympics in the past 30 years—and the Tokyo resident doesn’t plan on missing out on a Games in her home city in 2021. AFP

Tokyo 2020 Games this year, with most favouring another delay or outright cancellation. But Ishikawa -- a successful businesswoman with her own IT company, who transforms herself into an exuberant uber-fan every four years—is of a different opinion. Her obsession began on a 1992 backpacking trip to Barcelona, where she

managed to buy a cheap ticket to the Olympic opening ceremony and was blown away by the atmosphere. The next day, she had a chance encounter with Naotoshi Yamada, a fellow Japanese who had attended every Olympics since the 1964 Tokyo Games and who took her under his wing. ‘Olympic Grandad’ Together, Ishikawa and Yamada—

known in Japan as the ‘Olympic Grandad’, in his trademark gold top hat— travelled to every Summer Olympics that followed, turning heads and making friends wherever they went. Yamada died in 2019 aged 92, leaving his dream of watching a second Tokyo Olympics unfulfilled. “It was such a pity, because the Tokyo Olympics would have been the completion of his life as an Olympic fan,” said Ishikawa. “Without that, there’s no closure. “I want to try to take on his legacy and his spirit. Of course, I can’t be him, so I’ll try to do my best and do it my way. He’s passing the baton but the role is different.” Ishikawa says she was excited when Tokyo was awarded the Games but also knew it would be difficult to get hold of tickets in Japan, where demand was initially sky-high. She and her family applied for the maximum 60 tickets each in the first lottery with no luck. In the second lottery they got one ticket between them, for wrestling. Now that 18 percent of tickets sold in Japan will be refunded after buyers asked for their money back, Ishikawa is confident she can lay her hands on more. AFP

Big man: The logical choice Heels’ 1982 NCAA championship. As it turned out, the Trailblazers just missed greatness as they were sold to the idea that Bowie, who spent most of his playing career on the sidelines due to a series of serious injuries, would be the second coming of Bill Walton, the man responsible in giving the squad its only NBA championship in 1977. Through the years, be it in the NBA or the PBA, big men have always been the priority—whether it’s a traditional post up big or a versatile big who can practically do almost everything. We’ve seen Kareem Abdul-Jabbar becoming a consensus No.1 pick in 1969 and his rights had to be determined by a coin toss, landing him a spot at Milwaukee. Hakeem Olajuwon was the No.1 pick in 1984 and was succeeded the following season by Patrick Ewing. Both of them ended up as two of the best big men ever in the league. Shaquille O’Neal’s power and size were hard to pass up and he became the top pick in ‘92 while Tim Duncan’s attitude, desire and complete post package made

him an ideal partner for David Robinson so he became the top of the class in ‘97. In the PBA, size has always been a necessity and in a league where big men are hard to come by, it was like saying getting a player 6-foot-5 and above as your No.1 pick as compulsory. “You cannot teach size” is a phrase always used by PBA coaches. Which is why it’s not surprising that the PBA’s first ever top overall rookie pick was Sonny Cabatu, a 6-foot-5, two-time PABL MVP, who for most of his time playing in the big league, provided comic relief and acted as one of his team’s tough guys. Alaska had to fire its head coach, Tony Vasquez, when he defied management’s order to get the talented Dondon Ampalayo, who ended up as the Rookie of the Year and became part of Ginebra’s first champion team that season, as the mentor chose Rey Cuenco, a 6-foot-4 center/forward instead, in 1986. Purefoods selected Jack Tanuan as the No.1 pick in the draft in 1988, instead of getting Ronnie Magsanoc as the Hotdogs

chose size over skills, knowing they had already secured Al Solis at the point. Then, of course, you have the best big men ever selected—from Benjie Paras, the only PBA Rookie/MVP, Jun Limpot, Dennis Espino, Marlou Aquino, Danny Ildefonso to June Mar Fajardo, the reigning six-time MVP. In the coming PBA Rookie Draft, expect teams to get a big man before choosing the best talent available and the way things stand, we see a bevy of sizable players to choose from with 6-foot-10 James Laput and 6-foot-6 Jamie Malonzo from La Salle, 6-foot-8 Ben Adamos from University of Perpetual Help, 6-foot-7 Tzaddy Rangel fom Alab Pilipinas and 6-foot-6 Troy Rike and 6-foot-5 Leonard Santillan from the Philippine 3 x 3 squad. Larry Muyang, a 6-foot-5 banger from Letran, has also signified his intentions to turn pro. And if Justine Baltazar, the 6-foot-8 center from La Salle, would also opt to join the Draft, he would throw himself as a potential top overall rookie pick as well.

Durant to miss game due to virus protocols

NEW YORK—Brooklyn forward Kevin Durant won’t play in the Nets’ NBA clash against the Utah Jazz on Tuesday in compliance with the league’s Covid-19 health and safety protocols. The Nets listed Durant as out for the game on their injury report on Monday, without providing further details. League rules aimed at limiting the spread of coronavirus require players to isolate if they have a positive or inconclusive test or if contact tracing indicates they had close contact with someone who has. The Athletic reported that Durant has been required to quarantine because contact tracing revealed potential exposure. Durant, a two-time NBA Finals MVP who missed all of last season recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, confirmed in April of last year that he had contracted the virus. Since finally making his longawaited Nets debut this season, he has played in six games and averaged 28.2 points and seven rebounds per game. Meanwhile, his teammate Spencer Dinwiddie underwent successful right knee ligament reconstruction surgery on Monday and is expected to fully recover, the NBA team announced. Dinwiddie will begin rehabilitation next week but there was no timetable announced for a possible return to the court for the Nets. The 27-year-old American suffered the anterior cruciate injury last month in the third quarter of a 106-104 loss at Charlotte. In three games this season, Dinwiddie averaged 6.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists starting alongside Kyrie Irving in the Brooklyn backcourt. Over seven NBA seasons, including two with Detroit before joining the Nets, Dinwiddie has averaged 12.9 points and 5.0 assists a game. The Nets are off to a 3-4 start with two of the NBA’s top eight scorers in Kevin Durant, the top-scoring forward with 28.2 points a game, and Irving with 26.8 points per contest. AFP

Outside of the big men, there are a lot more talented players teams could select and this year’s Rookie Draft could be the deepest cast in years. Joshua Munzon and Alvin Pasaol, the country’s top 3 x 3 players, have signified their interest to join the Draft, so as Alab Pilipinas’ top players like Jason Brickman, Brandon Rosser, Jeremiah Gray and Andrei Caracut. Jerrick Ahanmisi, younger brother of Maverick Ahanmisi of Alaska, is also going to turn pro and MPBL standouts Dhon Reverente and Med Salim are joining as well. Calvin Oftana, the reigning NCAA MVP, has also contemplated of joining the big league, and his potential entry would certainly add depth to the Rookie aspirants’ cast. Without the PBA D-League, the PBA restricted its requirement of having players to see action in its supervised amateur league, which means players will have an easier time applying for the Rookie Draft. This year’s Draft would definitely have a bumper crop of talented players, but from all these individuals, expect the big men to be given the highest priority, unless of course, there’s one player out there who can make a big splash. We’re looking forward to the 2021 PBA Rookie Draft.

Entertainment

Nickie Wang, Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2021

GMA ushers in New Year with explosive fresh catalog S

OME netizens were questioning the media network why it was only airing replay of its programs while other channels were aggressive in providing their audience with fresh content. They were asking how a television network with a valid franchise didn’t seem to offer anything new.

The answer is safety and proper timing. The network was also very strict in ensuring the safety of its people, its stars, and production staff. The management wanted to guarantee that nobody would be put at risk while production is underway. Yes, contrary to what naysayers were spreading on social media, the network was busy cooking up something big and in time for the New Year, it is now ready to drop an explosive catalog of exciting new programs and offerings. In a statement sent to Manila Standard Entertainment, the network shared that kick-starting its lineup for GMA Afternoon Prime is the return of Magkaagaw with recap and fresh episodes to ring in the New Year. Magkaagaw is top-billed by Sunshine Dizon, Klea Pineda, Jeric Gonzales, and Sheryl Cruz. Next up is the heart-tugging story of Babawiin Ko Ang Lahat top-billed by John Estrada and Carmina Villaroel, and in her first starring role, promising drama actress Pauline Mendoza. The well-loved tandem of Rita Daniela and Ken Chan returns to the small screen in Ang Dalawang Ikaw and is joined by newcomer Ana Vicente. Set to launch as well on GMA Afternoon Prime is the TV adaptation of the 1988 award-winning film Nagbabagang Luha starring Glaiza de Castro, Rayver Cruz, introducing Claire

Castro with Mike Tan. Viewers should also watch out for the riveting legal drama Artikulo 247; the multi-layered rivalry of three sisters in Las Hermanas; the weekly drama series Love Connections that opens with intriguing social media posts and eventually unravels the story behind them; and the story of the little person who one day discovers that she is an heiress despite growing up from a poor family in Little Princess. On GMA Telebabad, the rivalry between friends-turned-mortal-enemies continues in the recap and fresh episodes of Anak ni Waray vs. Anak ni Biday, top-billed by Barbie Forteza and Kate Valdez, together with Migo Adecer and seasoned actresses Snooky Serna and Dina Bonnevie. Viewers can also anticipate the the debut of romantic comedy series First Yaya. The series is headlined by Gabby Concepcion with Pancho Magno, Maxine Medina, Pilar Pilapil, Cassy Legaspi, JD Domagoso, and Sanya Lopez who plays the lead role of Yaya Melody. It follows the story of the Vice President of the Philippines (Gabby) who will later assume the presidency and his blooming romance with Yaya Melody, the nanny of his children. Another breakthrough cultural drama series from the GMA Entertainment Group this 2021 is Legal Wives where Dennis Trillo takes on the challenging role of Ishmael, a Maranaw Muslim royalty who has three wives portrayed by Alice Dixson, Andrea Torres, and Bianca Umali. Portraying an equally important role is in the series is Cherie Gil. Lovi Poe and Benjamin Alves are reunited on primetime via the romantic comedy series Owe My Love. Produced by GMA Public Affairs, the program narrates the story of a financially illiterate woman and a miserly but successful

doctor and financial advisor whose lives intertwine when the former gets indebted to the latter. GMA Public Affairs is also set to bring its biggest action-adventure series to date in Lolong. Bannered by Ruru Madrid, Lolong is inspired by the world’s largest crocodile in captivity of the same name. Joining Ruru in the series are Arra San Agustin and Shaira Diaz. Soon airing every weeknight is the sweeping romance drama I Left My Heart in Sorsogon starring Heart EvangelistaEscudero. It dwells on the story of a young woman whose status as a fashion socialite is shaken up after returning to her hometown, rediscovering her roots, and rekindling her love for family, community, and an ex-flame. Viewers will also be delighted with the return of the exceptional and one-of-a-kind drama anthology I Can See You featuring the biggest and brightest Kapuso stars. This ground-breaking program pivots on its common visual storytelling mnemonic device which is the use of a camera as a witness to the tales of love and mystery from everyday people. Other upcoming soaps to look forward to on GMA Telebabad are To Have & To Hold, a man searches for answers about his wife’s secret affair but soon realizes he’s falling for the spouse of his wife’s lover; World Between Us, a principled man gets wronged by the people he considers as family; Love. Die. Repeat., a woman is stuck reliving the day of her boyfriend’s death over and over again; and The Witness, a man with high-functioning autism becomes a witness and a secret keeper to a crime. On weekends, adventure awaits viewers in the action-packed family drama Agimat ng Agila featuring Sen. Bong Revilla, Jr. together with Sanya Lopez, Roi Vinzon, Benjie Paras, Allen Dizon, Seth dela Cruz, and Elizabeth Oropesa. GMA Network’s all-original musical competition is also set to return with The Clash Season 4; while the quest to find the Bida Kid is back on Centerstage, hosted by no less than Alden Richards with Betong Sumaya as co-host. Everyday people will take on the challenge of a lifetime in Catch Me Out Philippines, an exciting show based

on the UK original where the greatest pretender wins. It is hosted by Jose Manalo with Kakai Bautista and Derrick Monasterio. A new breed of talented artists who can make beautiful music together are also set to be discovered in Sing For Hearts. In this innovative singing contest, male and female singers shall be blindly paired together to see who can create a singing love-team that will capture the hearts of the audience and the judges alike. Viewers are also in for a treat with new program offerings from GMA News TV. Travel back in time and have a taste of the past via the fantasy-romance series The Lost Recipe. The first locally produced daily primetime show on GMA News TV, The Lost Recipe features the fresh team-up of Mikee Quintos and Kelvin Miranda who have already made a niche for themselves in their previous projects. Together, the fast-rising actors are set to make hearts flutter as they entice viewers to try the new taste of Pinoy drama. Weekend nights are bound to get more amusing via Flex where Gen Z stars Mavy Legaspi, Lexi Gonzales, JD Domagoso, and Althea Ablan take the spotlight to celebrate their authentic selves through comedy, music, and a variety of wholesome get-together activities. Adding magic to everyone’s TV viewing habit is My Fantastic Pag-ibig, which features a collection of rom-com tales set in present times but infused with fantasy elements and showcases GMA’s most promising young love teams. Fall in love with the charming story of Heartful Café, which follows the life of a café owner and online romance novelist named Heart and her journey towards finding her own match. It stars Julie Anne San Jose alongside David Licauco, and Andre Paras. The much-awaited on-screen team-up of real-life couple Gabbi Garcia and Khalil Ramos is all set in the romance-mystery mini-series Love You Stranger. The series is about a film designer whose love for her sick mother drives her to look into the existence of a shadow figure from folklore. Her life serendipitously changes when she gets to work on a film about the said folklore with a charming young director. Their filmmaking journey leads them to

Unmasking Rated K’s ‘Mr. Solve’ WEARING a simple black shirt, rugged shorts, and slippers, Don Chiyuto chuckled warmly at his guests as he welcomed them to his home. “I’m not the Boss here. He’ll be out soon,” he said and gave each person an elbow bump. Patrocenio Calvez Chiyuto, Jr. or Don Chiyuto exudes the kind of charm and charisma that makes him endearing. And yet, one can tell he’s very much grounded and down to earth. He blends in so well with everyone, you wouldn’t even think he’s the man responsible for providing homes for those who need a roof over their heads, jobs for those who lost their livelihood, or simply those who need someone to help save them from misery. Some of his beneficiaries were even featured in Korina Sanchez’s top-rated show Rated K and this was where Don Chiyuto got the name “Mr. Solve.” Any problem brought to him, he addresses with ease and compassion. Don Chiyuto has paid for thousands of hospital bills of those who can’t. He has repeatedly provided capital for people wanting to start their own businesses. He even asked his team to visit Aeta communities to see what they need and how he can help them. Don Chiyuto is doing all these things behind the scenes. No cameras, no media, no publicity. This is why some people are calling him ‘angel here on earth.’ He has been tirelessly helping without expecting anything in return. In fact, Don Chiyuto doesn’t even consider what he does as ‘helping.’ He said, he’s merely giving back what Filipinos have always deserved. Recently, Don Chiyuto has finally agreed to unmask and reveal himself because some people are starting to claim his identity. He fears people might be lured by such posers and might get in deeper trouble.

Mr. Solve Patrocenio Calvez Chiyuto, Jr. Is also known as Don Chiyuto

Why Don Chiyuto has such a benevolent mindset and an unselfish character can be attributed to how he was brought up by his parents. Growing up with four siblings, Don Chiyuto said his parents made sure they experienced the realities of life and grew up very grounded. Don Chiyuto said he didn’t know his family came from money until his parents died.

“Pinalaki ako ng sakto lang. Ang nanay ko nag abroad. Ang tatay ko walang trabaho. Hindi naman ako nagtataka bakit wala siyang trabaho. Yun pala apo siya ng mayaman, hindi na nya kailangan magtrabaho. Pero pinalaki kami ng tatay ko nang hindi marangya.” When asked about the most important lesson he learned from his parents, Don Chiyuto said it’s to not discriminate. He believes people are born equal, should have the same privileges, and should be able to enjoy the same things. “Kailangan kasi no discrimination at all. Kung ano kinakain ko, yun din ang kinakain nya. Kung may kotse ka, may kotse din sya. We should all be beneficiaries kasi lahat tayo nilikha ng Diyos.” Don Chiyuto has been helping people since he was 12 years old. He vividly remembers how he would share his food with a classmate so both of them have something to eat. He giggled remembering how he shared his test answers with a classmate so he can also pass the exam. “Pero pati pangalan ko kinopya din nya kaya pinagalitan kami ng teacher,” Don Chiyuto laughed. But more than just helping, Don Chiyuto is also all about paying it forward. For a man who has everything, one could not help but wonder, what’s one thing that Don Chiyuto would be looking forward to this New Year? His answer… nothing he hasn’t hoped for before. “Ang New Year kasi, New Year lang yan. Bakit hindi natin gawin araw-araw ang New Year? Or Pasko… bakit hindi natin gawing araw-araw Pasko?” Some people may think Don Chiyuto’s story is too good to be true. But for those whose lives he has touched and helped improve for the better, Don Chiyuto will always be an answered prayer.

discover truths about the shadow creature and each other. Meanwhile, Game of the Gens fuses singing, dancing, and playing games among competitors from different generations. The fun will be amped up by hosts Andre Paras and Sef Cadayona, together with comedians and performers called GenDolls. Kapuso viewers should also stay tuned for an exciting line-up of well-loved Asian dramas beginning with the heartstirring Koreanovela Fates and Furies, The Romantic Doctor 2, Backstreet Rookie, Doctor John, Penthouse, Bad Genius The Series, The Gifted, The Sand Princess, and My Husband in Law; critically acclaimed local films: Family History, Jowable, Hindi Tayo Pwede, On Vodka, Beers and Regrets, Mindanao, Da Ninang, Huling Ulan sa Tag-Araw, The Missing, Coming Home, and Isa Pang Bahaghari; and blockbuster international films: A Star is Born, Crazy Rich Asians, Bumblebee, The Nun, Ocean’s 8, Mission Impossible – Fallout, Rampage, Men in Black 4, Charlie’s Angels (2019), Jumanji: The Next Level, Angry Birds Movie 2, and The Meg. GMA Network further elevates TV viewing experience with its most recent offering, GMA Now, a mobile digital TV receiver that can be plugged into an Android phone and allows viewers to watch TV on the go for free and to enjoy a bunch of interactive features at the same time. The network also extends its “Serbisyong Totoo” to Filipino learners across the country as it provides a free digital channel for the Department of Education’s blended learning program. DepEd TV will soon be available on GMA Affordabox’s Channel 7. Finally, the country’s number one network returns to sports broadcasting as GMA signs a landmark deal with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the Philippines’ first athletic league, for NCAA Season 96 to 101 (2020-2026). NCAA fans can soon catch the games on GMA News TV, GMA Pinoy TV, and via online streaming on GMANetwork.com. The Men’s Basketball Finals is also set to air on GMA-7.

Concert King leads benefit show THE recent spate of typhoons displaced hundreds of thousands of people and inundated more than 10,000 homes in Catanduanes. Celebrities, leading music ministries, and the Catholic church are linking up to showcase musical talent and raise funds to help people severely affected by the spate of calamities that hit the country in the past weeks. Silong: Tulong para sa Bubong is a virtual fundraising concert for the benefit of the people affected by the recent typhoons in Bato, Catanduanes. It is spearheaded by the Social Services and Development Ministry of the Cubao Diocese and Christ the King Parish in Project 7. Among the performers are top balladeer Martin Nievera, premier choirs like Hangad Music Ministry, Ateneo Chamber Singers, Bukas Palad Music Ministry, and Kammerchoir, among others. Proceeds from the concert aims will be used to rebuild the roofs of the houses in Bato,

Catanduanes that were destroyed by the series of typhoons. Fr. Ronnie Santos of CTK Proj 7 and the Cubao Diocese SSDM head says that “more than anything, these communities need help in overcoming the adverse impact of natural calamities in their livelihood.” Silong: Tulong para sa Bubong streams tonight on CTK Proj. 7 Facebook page at 7:00. Concert King Martin Nievera leads a set of performers for a virtual fund raising concert streaming live on Facebook.

Life

Bernadette Lunas, Editor manilastandardlife@gmail.com @manilastandardlife @MStandardLIFE

FASHION AND BEAUTY

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2021

Christine Benet, fashion and merchandising expert.

By Monica Sanchez

ITING predictions of a giant trend forecaster, a fashion and merchandising expert expects comfort and function as well as versatility will continue to influence the fashion choices of consumers in 2021. After a year of sudden changes in the way we conduct our lives, including the manner we dress which favors loungewear and other easy-to-wear outfits, people are seen to build on this behavior. Practicality, in a time of crisis, trumps trends. “The pandemic did not stop consumers from their purchasing behavior. Rather, there is a shift towards more practical products,” noted Christine Benet, Associate Dean for Environment Cluster of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde School of Design and Arts. Benet cites predictions of World’s Global Style Network. Because comfort at home and practicality when outside—few items to wash after venturing in the public—are prioritized, long dresses and skirts with slim silhouettes are forecasted to be popular among women. When it comes to loungewear, which is currently enjoying it’s time in the spotlight, print and texture will be favored over embellishments. According to Benet, soft crochets are perfect for artisanal comfy vibe, while loud historic details and openwork embroidery bring romance to easy shapes. Further, ribs and shirring add a gentle touch in nightwear-look, while rustic fringing gives the ensemble a boho spirit. Patchworks like lace and ditsy florals as

SALE ALERT

Ribs and shirring bring soft shapes to nightwear.

2021 style forecast:

Comfort and function are in fashion fashionable, highlighting top clothing,” observed Benet. When it comes to today’s least seen piece of clothing—aside from undergarments, of course—sneakers, especially those made of eco-friendly materials, are expected to be the star in the footwear category this year. “The pandemic brought awareness

to social issues, as the general public saw its effects even in the manufacturing sector of the fashion industry. Now, there is more interest in social entrepreneurs and sustainable products,” explained Benet. She added, “Fashion pieces are now considered to be investments that will last beyond the pandemic.”

A partnership of women for women Sneakers made of eco-friendly materials are forecasted to be popular in 2021.

well as embroidered sheers create character in a minimalist ensemble. Edgier choices come in the form of black and white contrasts in feminine looks, cut-out cross-category bodywear, and fine strappings in stretchy bra tops. “Loungewear has significantly risen in the Philippines and it goes to show how consumers have adjusted to the pandemic and created their own new normal at home,” shared Benet. Fitted styles are in for men, while the cozier option is crewneck sweater.

Benet said sets and co-ords are ideal when matched with parka, bomber, and track jackets—for guys who venture outside. The “business on top, play on the bottom” dressing, which is popular now that conversations and other affairs are conducted via video call, gets a new name— Above the Keyboard dressing. “Trying to look presentable during online work while performing household chores posted a challenge. However, consumers were slowly able to identify appropriate pieces that are still functional and

Score new clothes as low as P499 FOREVER 21 kicks off 2021 with a yearend sale ongoing until Jan. 31. Shoppers can score on-trend blouses and tees for as low as P499, trousers at P799, dresses at P999, and blazers at P1,499 among other apparel for men and women. The sale is happening at Forever 21 stores in SM Megamall, SM Makati, SM City Cebu, SM City North Edsa, SM Mall of Asia, SM Aura Premier, SM Lanang Premier, SM City Clark, and Robinson’s Magnolia. Those who prefer to do their shopping at home may do so through its call to deliver service (Viber/SMS at 0917811-4777).

Jackie pants

Striped tee

Oversized outerwear continues its reign.

Paneled jogger pants

Plus-size ribbed top

Doublebreasted blazer

Meeting in a virtual room to launch the Smart-Connected Women partnership are (first row) Deborah N. Tan, Smart first vice president and head of PLDT-Smart enterprise risk management; Jane J. Basas, senior vice president and head of Smart consumer business wireless; Mary Rose L. Dela Paz, chief procurement officer at PLDT-Smart; (second row) Gina Romero, co-founder of Connected Women; Ruth Yu-Owen, co-founder of Connected Women; Miriam Z. Choa, first vice president of Smart prepaid marketing; and Cathy Yap-Yang, first vice president of PLDT-Smart Corporate Communications.

“WHEN women come together,” philanthropist Melinda Gates said, “change happens.” And it does, especially when the glue that binds them together is for the betterment of other women. Such is the latest partnership between the women executives of Smart Communications and the co-founders of Connected Women, a social impact tech startup that offers technology skills development and remotework opportunities to women. Backed by UN Women, the 75,000-member strong organization launched ConnectedWomen.ai to provide a talent pool for businesses worldwide while creating an impact for Filipino women and their families. “It’s great to find innovative solutions together in this pandemic, where we reinvent for women, for the future,” Cathy Yang, PLDT-Smart first vice president and head of group corporate communications, said at a virtual gathering. She recalled, “When I came in at Smart, women leaders were already in the midst of putting together something to foster gender inclusivity. I am honored and humbled to have been invited to take part.” Smart will support Connected Women’s Elevate AIDA (Artificial Intelligence Data Annotation) program, particularly in initiatives like data labeling, remote work, professional communication, and computer skills, which are all scalable in the digital remote workspace. Participants will also benefit from career coaching, developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and mentoring. Yang, along with Debbie N. Tan, Smart first vice president and head of PLDT-Smart enterprise risk management; Jane J. Basas, Smart senior vice president and head of wireless consumer business; Mary Rose de la Paz, chief procurement officer at PLDTSmart; and Miriam Z. Choa, first vice president of Smart prepaid marketing, welcomed Connected Women co-founders Gina Romero and Ruth

Yu-Owen, both entrepreneurs with a personal mission to empower women through technology. “It is Gina’s vision to have a SmartConnected Women partnership, and she talks about it with passion,” shared Yu-Owen, adding, “I believe that if you help one woman, there will be a ripple effect across the community. We’re here because of the 75,000 women behind us who need a lot of help in many different ways. As co-founder, Yu-Owen helps give women and mothers the opportunity to learn and work online from home alongside women executives and entrepreneurs. “With our aligned vision to connect more Filipinos to opportunities in the Future of Work, Connected Women is delighted to partner with Smart on this initiative—ensuring no woman is left behind,” enthused Romero. Tan, meanwhile, expressed pride in their latest partnership. “The initiatives we will be undertaking through this partnership resonate with all of us.” “I don’t think there is a better combination of words than ‘Smart’ and ‘Connected Women’—hence the tagline that came to mind: A Connected Woman is a Smart woman and vice versa.” Basas likewise welcomes the opportunity to help women. “When Debbie brought this project to my attention, I immediately told her that I wanted to support it. Smart is in a unique position to connect, teach, and let Filipinas talk to other women around the world. I’m happy that we are here and part of this project.” “In the Philippines, more than 50 percent of the population is female, so we have to help each other. For the country to progress, we have to equip women,” she added. For more information on the program or to hire beneficiaries trained with AI skills, visit www.connectedwomen.co or email partnerships@ connectedwomen.com.