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(Story on A4) SUU KYI DETAINED IN MYANMAR'S MILITARY POWER GRAB; WORLD BLASTS COUP

Aung San Suu Kyi

MYANMAR'S military seized power in a bloodless coup on Monday, detaining democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi as it imposed a one-year state of emergency. The coup ended a decade of civilian rule in Myanmar, with the military jus-

tifying its power grab by alleging fraud in the November elections that Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party won in a landslide. The takeover sparked global condemnation, with the United States leading calls for democracy to be immedi-

ately restored. Suu Kyi and President Win Myint were detained in the capital Naypyidaw before dawn, party spokesman Myo Nyunt said, just hours before parliament was meant to reconvene for the first time since the elections.

The military sealed off roads around the capital with armed troops, trucks and armored personnel carriers. Military helicopters flew across the city. The military then declared, via its own television channel, a one-year Next page

CHINA DEFENDS COAST GUARD LAW NEWS / A2

LTO: SORRY FOR 'BIGGER CAR' JOKE NEWS / A2

VOL. XXXIV • NO. 329 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2021 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

‘PH economy in bad shape’

Duterte says we’re losing P2 billion/day as global virus curbs bite hard

HE Philippines is “sinking deeper and deeper” and losing P2 billion each day due to restrictions meant to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), President Rodrigo Duterte said Monday night. “According to the Secretary of Finance, every day until COVID is done, every day we are losing P2 billion that is supposed to be money for the people,” Duterte said in his weekly televised briefing. “The workers, the Filipino workers would have earned that money if our economy was moving,” he added. “So, we are sinking deeper and deeper, but not just us. If it’s not us, it’s everyone. Pero we (in government) are trying our very best to keep us afloat,” Duterte said in Filipino. He said Filipinos should not stress their poverty amid the global pandemic, but instead keep their faith in the government that is moving, through vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez, to inoculate the country as soon as possible. “Ang ekonomiya natin, mga kababayan ko, is masama talaga. Biro mo naman, ilan taong walang trabaho? Ilang… The economy of the Philippines is really --- is in bad shape. But as I have said, it is not only the Philippines who suffers. We, in the world, are suffering with everybody,” the President said. Next page

Rody stems rising cost of food via price ceiling By Vito Barcelo and Macon Ramos-Araneta Next page

PRICE FREEZE. Customers buy pork products at Paco Market in this file photo. President Rodrigo Duterte has signed Executive Order No. 124 imposing a mandated price ceiling on selected pork and chicken products in the National Capital Region following the rising food prices, Malacañang said Monday. Norman Cruz

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Monday imposed a price ceiling on selected pork and chicken products in Metro Manila following a sharp rise in food prices, the Palace said. In a statement, Malacañang said the President signed Executive Order No.

124 upon the recommendation of the Department of Agriculture to address significant increases in prices of basic necessities such as pork and chicken that have become an undue burden on Filipinos, especially the underprivileged and marginalized. Pork prices have risen dramatically because African swine fever (ASF) has Next page

Congress panel approves bill PH gets $25M to lower corporate income tax loan from ADB By Maricel V. Cruz and Macon Ramos-Araneta

GHOST TOWN. A street in Bontoc — the center of commerce, education, transportation, business and seat of government for the Mountain Province — is at a virtual standstill due to recent positive cases of the UK variant of the coronavirus that hit the area. Meanwhile, strict quarantine protocols are in effect in Bontoc and its adjoining towns. Dave Leprozo

A JOINT congressional panel approved on Monday a bill that will reduce the rate of corporate income tax in a bid to attract more foreign investment and help the coronavirus-hit country recover. The bill, a key priority of President

Rodrigo Duterte's administration, will lower corporate income tax rate to 25 percent for big firms and 20 percent for small enterprises from 30 percent, the highest in Southeast Asia, by 2029. Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, chairman of the bicameral committee, said the reconciliation of the Senate and House Next page

P362m tab for spotting variant By Willie Casas THE Department of Health (DOH) needs some P362 million to fund genome sequencing efforts for the whole year, which would help identify new variants against COVID-19. "That's the required budget for the sustenance of a one-year processing of genome sequencing," Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire

said in a press briefing Monday. The proposed budget will include a year's worth of supply of reagents or chemicals used in tests, testing kits and other logistical requirements. Vergeire said the Department of Budget and Management has committed to finding the funds required for the Philippine Genome Center, University of the Philippines-National

DESPITE the pandemic, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office was able to generate P18.63 billion from its “mga larong may puso” and helped it end the year just ended on a high note. PCSO Vice Chairperson and Gen-

THE Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) has apportioned $25 million (around P1.2 billion) to loan out to the Philippines this year to buy vaccines for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), while the government aims to inoculate as many as 70 million this year. The agreement will allow the Philippine government to pay vaccine manufacturers in advance to secure the delivery of vaccines as the number of cases in the country continues to grow, with the total confirmed cases at 525,618 as of Next page January 31.

AT A GLANCE

(AS OF 4 PM FEB. 1)

527,272

PCSO raises P18b amid crisis By Peter Paul Duran

By Willie Casas and Vito Barcelo

COVID-19 PH

eral Manager Royina Garma told media members this at the PCSO headquarters as she disclosed the figures during a press briefing Monday. “Fortunately, we were able to re-open our doors in July 2020, PCSO was allowed to resume its games in GCQ

to pay for vax

TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES

1,658 28,891 GAMES HUB. PCSO General Manager Royina M. Garma addresses the audience

during the press conference, inauguration and blessing of the PCSO Games Hub and the turnover of PCSO Lotto and STL Shares at the PCSO offices in Mandaluyong City. Arman Clemente

NEW

ACTIVE

10,807

487,574

DEATHS

RECOVERIES

NEW

News

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2021

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

China defends Coast Guard law By Rey E. Requejo, Vito Barcelo and Maricel V. Cruz

HE Chinese Embassy in Manila on Monday said China's new law authorizing its Coast Guard to shoot foreign vessels sailing through its claimed areas in the disputed South China Sea conforms with international law.

tions and the practices of the international community," the embassy said in a statement. "Enacting such a Coast Guard law is not unique to China, but a sovereign right to all. Many countries have enacted similar legislation," it added. It also cited a Philippine Coast Guard Law in 2009 that established the PCG as an armed and uniformed service. "None of these laws have been seen as a threat of war," it pointed out. Critics said the new China Coast Guard law could stoke tensions in the region and is seen as a potential trigger for armed conflict.

However, China downplayed these as "false accusations" and a "misinterpretation" of a "normal legislation." "China Coast Guard Law doesn't specifically target any certain country," the embassy explained, as it emphasized the passage of the law does not indicate a change of its maritime policy. This developed as Malacanang said the proposed South China Sea Code of Conduct (SCS-COC) was not “dead on arrival” after China passed a new law allowing its coast guard to fire at foreign vessels and destroy other countries’ structures on islands it claims. ing risks of food insecurity, malnutrition, and hikes in food prices, while creating local jobs. This calls for a rural transformation to empower small producers and retailers and mainstream them in the food systems economy,” she said. During the hearing, Senator Imee Marcos took executive agencies to task for failing to bring prices under control. Senator Francis Pangilinan introduced Senate Resolution No. 618 calling for an inquiry on the rising food prices, with the end in view of determining the necessary interventions to stabilize the prices and ensure that every Filipino consumer has access to adequate and affordable food. Senator Risa Hontiveros said the price freeze should be applied on the entire value chain and not just on retailers. Hontiveros expressed concern that only small retailers of basic goods would be affected and punished by the imposition of freeze. “Why will we punish our small retailers when the price increase could be happening at the farm gate, assemblers, cold storage and even in transport?” Hontiveros said. Lopez, citing his department’s recommendation to the DA to impose SRPs down the entire value chain, agreed. Senator Nancy Binay asked local poultry breeders to submit to Villar’s committee suggestions or programs that would help the industry recover from the adverse effects of fowl importation. Binay learned from the hearing that local poultry breeders had either closed shop or cut production due to the flood of imported chicken in the market last year. Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto likened the Department of Agriculture budget to “a dam of water, filled with taxes people pay.” “But instead of a mighty river that rolls like justice, what records show is a drip-drip of releases, of slow obligation and low absorption,” he said.

The embassy also denied reports of the Chinese Coast Guard ships harassing Filipino fishermen and intruding in Philippine waters. The Chinese Embassy stressed that such law is a sovereign right and simi-

larly enforced by other states, including the Philippines. "The formulation of the Coast Guard Law is a normal domestic legislative activity of China. The content of the law conforms to international conven-

’PH economy...

Rody...

From A1

“Huwag naman masyado ninyong idiin ‘yang bayan ninyo na talagang pobre na ganoon kung ganoon. Nabubuhay pa naman tayo. Let us just hope for the best. The problem is ‘yung bakuna (vaccine),” he added. “So just keep your faith in government, tutal si Galvez ‘yon naman ang trabaho niya. Ako ang trabaho ko, may trabaho --- may trabaho kami kanina,” Duterte said. Last week, the National Economic and Development Authority said Filipinos lost P1.4 trillion in 2020 due to the community quarantines. Acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua, as NEDA chief, said the quarantine took away P801 billion worth of spending last year, equivalent to P2.2 billion daily. The losses were estimated at P1.4 to P2.8 billion a day, factoring in the impact on jobs and the multiplier effect. However, the President said the Philippines was not the only country suffering from the pandemic. “So, we cannot do anything. We cannot call upon the heavens to fall on its knees to demand and be ours what is not to be simply ours,” he said, referring to vaccines that richer nations such as those in Europe are moving to secure ahead of the rest of the world. “Do you really want to know what’s happening in our economy? You talk to (Finance Secretary Carlos) Dominguez. Alam mo lahat ng bayan ngayon ng buong mundo bagsak, talagang bagsak,” Duterte said. “Tayo, maganda na sana noong hindi dumating ‘yung COVID we were doing fine. Hindi naman ‘yung very good. We were doing good tapos dumating ‘yung COVID. Walang kita, walang ano,” he added. Jimbo Gulle

led to the culling of nearly 500,000 hogs. Under the EO, the mandated price ceiling of pork, particularly kasim or pigue is P270 per kilo while the price ceiling of liempo is P300 per kilo. The mandated price ceiling of dressed chicken is P160 per kilo. The ceilings will be in place for 60 days. Under Republic Act 7581 or the Price Act, the President, upon recommendation of the implementing agency or the Price Coordinating Council, may impose a price ceiling on any basic necessity during the existence or effect of any emergency or calamity. Meanwhile, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) recommended that the DA place critical agricultural produce that are most prone to price fluctuations under an expanded suggested retail price (SRP). During the Senate hearing Monday, DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez said the DTI and the DA could collaborate on this initiative to manage price surges of critical agricultural products, especially pork which has already breached record price levels. “It is true that we recommended to the DA to resort to having an SRP on agricultural produce, not only on retail but also on wholesale and even with... traders,” he said. If the recommendation is carried out, this would be the first time that the DA would subject even wholesalers and traders to comply with SRP, Lopez said. While the DA had put some products under an SRP, the measure did not stop prices from rising. Compared to farm gate prices of P132 to P135 per kilogram (kg), pork retails at P380 to as much as P450 per kilo. There were even reports of certain markets in Metro Manila selling at P500 per kilo—compared to production cost of

P105 per kilo. “We see the significance of having SRP in all the various levels of the supply chain. Retailers are forced to arrive at a mark-up of like P10 per kilo only, which is not much, based on the selling price of the traders, Lopez said. The DTI and the DA both agreed that transportation was one of the major contributors to the surge in pork prices. Since transportation is a fixed cost regardless of the volume of products delivered, the cost per kilogram of pork goes up with a lower volume of delivery. “That is why we see that the only solution to this is to improve the supply of pork in the market and manage the selling prices of traders,” Lopez said. The Task Group on Food Security proposed the designation of a nautical highway from Luzon and Mindanao and the Maharlika Highway in Luzon as special hog lanes which was approved by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) about three days ago. The dedicated lanes for hogs delivery are expected to speed up and ease the shipments of pork from the Visayas and Mindanao. The DA is also working on increasing pork importation by as much as 160,000 kilograms from sources that are free from the African swine fever. At a hearing in the Senate, Senator Cynthia Villar, chairman of the committee on agriculture, quoted the United Nations, saying the rebuilding of economies after the COVID-19 crisis offers a unique opportunity to transform the global food system and make it resilient to future shocks, ensuring environmentally sustainable and healthy nutrition for all. To make this happen, Villar said the UN proposed a broad shift in the food system by building resilient food supply chains. “Food produced locally and nearby can be distributed more efficiently, lower-

Suu...

The army later pledged to hold fresh elections after the year-long state of emergency. "We will perform real multi-party democracy... with complete balance and fairness," a statement on the army's official Facebook page said. Suu Kyi issued a pre-emptive statement ahead of her detention calling on people "not to accept a coup", according to a post on the official Facebook page of her party's chairperson. The military moved quickly to stifle dissent, severely restricting the inter-

net and mobile phone communications across the country. In Yangon, the former capital that remains Myanmar's commercial hub, troops seized the city hall just ahead of the announcement. Agence France-Presse reported seeing several trucks in Yangon carrying army supporters, with Myanmar flags and blaring nationalist songs, and some NLD members reported that security forces had ordered them to stay at home. Elsewhere, the chief minister of Kar-

en state and several other regional ministers were also held, party sources said. However, the military did not deploy masses of troops onto Yangon's streets. Washington was swift to react to the news. "The United States opposes any attempt to alter the outcome of recent elections or impede Myanmar's democratic transition, and will take action against those responsible if these steps are not reversed," AFP, Rey E. Requejo and Vito Barcelo

people and to our business community that the CREATE bill, the landmark legislation that the Senate passed in November last year, is finally moving forward," she said. "I can now say more confidently that the cloud of uncertainty that has hovered over our country's investment climate due to unwarranted delays in CREATE's passage is about to end," Cayetano said. "The wait-and-see period would soon be over and investors can look forward to doing business in our country under a tax and fiscal incentives regime that favors job generation, ensures flexibility and accountability, and promotes sustainable and inclusive growth," she added. Based on the discussions, Cayetano said the Senate version mandating the immediate and substantial lowering of the Corporate Income Tax (CIT) will be retained. Under the Senate version, the current 30% CIT rate will be reduced to 25% for all enterprises, and to 20% for qualified micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) with a net taxable income below P5 million and total assets below P100 million. "The CIT reduction will bring muchneeded economic relief to businesses, especially to MSMEs. This will also allow the Philippines to be more competitive in the ASEAN region and position itself more firmly as a viable investment location," she said.

PH... The financing is part of the ADB's $125-million Health System Enhancement to Address and Limit (HEAL) COVID-19 Project approved in August which seeks to prevent and control the spread of the pandemic and assist the government in tests, surveillance, and infection prevention and control. "Vaccination is the next critical step to protect lives and promote livelihood opportunities," said ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa. "We stand ready to support the government in these unprecedented times and help the economy navigate back to its pre-pandemic growth path." The funding will follow the vaccine access and eligibility requirements of ADB's Asia Pacific Vaccine Access Facility (APVAX) launched in December. This mandates that the vaccines must meet one of three criteria — must be procured via COVAX, prequalified by the World Health Organization, or authorized by a stringent regulatory authority. At present only two vaccines have secured the emergency use authority: Pfizer BioNTech and British pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca.

'Continue health standards' The World Health organization said Monday the public should continue following minimum health standards as vaccination against COVID-19 might take several years. Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe, WHO Representative to the Philippines, said “It is necessary to sustain performing hand hygiene, observing physical distancing, and wearing of face masks as these have been proven to be effective not just against the coronavirus but also in suppressing its new variants.” "The vaccines are not going to help open the world right now. We will still need to follow all the behaviors we've been following over the last 1 year because the transmission is going to continue and we’re not going to be able to vaccinate everybody probably for another 2 years or more," Abeyasinghe said in an interview on ANC's Headstart. "In that, we’re talking about nobody is absolutely safe until the whole world is safe." The government is urged to continue to monitor the pandemic "very carefully and be proactive" to prevent large-scale lockdowns that have economic consequences, Abeyasinghe said. As for face to face classes, the WHO representative said the level of virus transmission must be taken into account.

quencing amid the presence of a highly transmissible variant that first emerged in the United Kingdom, was not included in the 2021 budget, Vergeire said. Vergeire said the agency was hindered by a global shortage of reagents, which they usually buy from Singapore and the US. Due to lack of reagents, health

institutions last week were only able to conduct genome sequencing of 48 samples, far from its usual 750 samples per week, Vergeire said. She said they were speeding up the release of these reagents from Customs and were hoping to start sequencing 750 samples again. "Instead of just procuring two

months’ worth of supply or three 3 months’ worth of supply, we are now going to procure [enough] for about six months,” she said. Vergeire said that 83 people in Bontoc, Mountain Province and six in La Trinidad, Benguet, all close contacts of cases with the UK variant of the coronavirus, have tested positive for COVID-19.

From A1

state of emergency and announced that former general Myint Swe would be acting president for the next year. It alleged "huge irregularities" in the November polls that the election commission had failed to address. "As the situation must be resolved according to the law, a state of emergency is declared," the announcement said.

Congress... From A1

versions of the bill will remove investor uncertainty over the country's fiscal regime. "(It) will be like opening the floodgates to investment," Salceda said in a statement. The bill will also streamline incentives to investors to plug leakages worth over P300 billion ($6.24 billion) resulting from tax holidays and other perks given to investors perpetually. Salceda said the tax reform measure will create 1.8 million jobs over the next ten years, and result in some P931 billion in tax savings for businesses. The bill, Salceda said, will also allow duty-free importation of COVID-19 vaccines, which are expected to arrive this month. Senator Pia S. Cayetano sees an end to investor uncertainty in the country with the impending passage of the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) bill. The Senate Ways and Means Committee Chair met informally with the members of both Houses led by Salceda, the House Ways and Means Chair, to discuss the disagreeing provisions in the versions of the two chambers. "I would like to report to the Filipino

P362m... From A1

Institutes of Health and the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine. The agency's budget for this year is P210.2 billion, which is 19.6 percent higher than its 2020 budget. Funds for additional genome se-

From A1

LTO official apologizes for ‘bigger cars’ joke AN OFFICIAL of the Land Transportation Office apologized Monday hours after his statement advising parents with tall children to "get bigger cars" in order to comply with the new car seat law went viral. In his apology, LTO-National Capital Region director Clarence Guinto said he was "sorry for the confusion" that stemmed from his answer in a TeleRadyo interview earlier in the day. "I am sorry for the confusion I have caused with my remark, which was made in jest. I realized now that it was inappropriate," Guinto, a lawyer, said. In the TeleRadyo interview, Guinto was asked about concerns that bigger kids using booster seats to comply with Republic Act No. 11229, which takes effect Tuesday, could be in greater danger. "Siguro, Ma'am, laki-lakihan mo ang sasakyan mo (Maybe you should get bigger cars)," he said. The interview has gone viral on social media, with netizens pointing out the alleged "lack of common sense" in the LTO's policy. Under the law, drivers are required to properly secure a child 12 years old and younger in a restraint system, unless the child is at least 4 feet 11 inches tall and can be properly secured by a regular belt. "To clarify, if the child is above 4'11, the child is exempted from using a child car seat under the law and may be secured using the regular seat belt," Guinto said in his apology statement.

Robredo chides gov't reaction to rollout criticism By Rio N. Araja THE camp of Vice President Leni Robredo on Monday called on the Duterte administration not to be deaf and blind to the sorry state of the Filipino people who lost their jobs and livelihood opportunities due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Ibarra Gutierrez, Robredo’s spokesperson, reacted to the remarks of presidential spokesperson Harry Roque that the Vice President was just politicking for urging the government to improve its COVID-19 response. Meanwhile, Acting NEDA Undersecretary Karl Kendrick Chua is optimistic that quarantine restrictions due to the coronavirus disease could be relaxed after February should the public cooperate with minimum public health requirements. At a virtual meeting with Roque, Chua reiterated that cannot take a reversal to stricter quarantine measures, and data shows easing could come as early as March.

PCSO... From A1

and MGCQ areas. Soon after, our sales resumed and sales gradually increased,” Garma said. “Although we had to slowly reinstate our games as the threat of COVID was still very much present. Only selected games were drawn to give the players “breathing space” between ticket purchases,” Garma added. The principal government agency for providing and raising funds for charitable purposes also inaugurated its newly renovated Games Hub, which is intended to showcase its gaming products. The hub will also serve as a gaming outlet where tickets can be bought and prizes may be claimed. The inauguration of its Games Hub is in line with PCSO’s main thrust of reinvigorating the sales of its lotto and STL games as the agency was forced to shut down lotto draws and games in March last year, resuming operations in select areas only after five months back in August of 2020. Despite the drawback, Garma said PCSO was able to provide close to P3 billion to the effort of the Duterte administration. These funds provided immediate essential supplies to the stricken families whose incomes were cut or to those who have fallen ill of COVID-19 and other illnesses even when the office had its income generation capability on hiatus. All-in-all PCSO said it was able to provide funding for all its programs totalling P2.85 billion plus an earmarked P329.4 million for the Universal Health Care. PCSO’s Corporate Social Responsibility was able to extend assistance to indigents and marginalized communities, and those suffering from distress or calamities. PCSO reached 29,884 individuals through our CSR activities with assistance totaling P21.73 million.

News

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2021 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

SC says mock Bar exams a ‘success’

AYING voters are the ultimate arbiters on how the country should be run, a first-term legislator on Monday urged non-registered eligible voters to register in time for the 2022 elections.

By Rey E. Requejo THE Supreme Court declared as a “success” the conduct of pilot/mock Bar Examinations on Jan. 31 “as part of the process of transitioning into a fully digital but localized” tests that will be implemented for the Bar exams in November this year for 2020 and 2021 law graduates. “This is part of the Court’s reforms to make the bar examinations more equitable and inclusive while at the same time maintaining the standards of the legal profession,” the high court said in a statement released by its Public Information Office. Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta, Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, chairman of the 2020 and 2021 Bar Examinations Committee, and other magistrates of the 15-member bench witnessed and supported the event. A total of 80 law students participated during the mock bar exams held in several testing sites in Baguio City, Makati City, Quezon City, Cebu and Davao. “The Pilot/Mock Bar was conducted in order to validate the various protocols and digital standards that will be used,” the high court said. The pilot Bar exams were conducted in cooperation with the Philippine Association of Law Schools, Saint Louis University Law School, Ateneo de Manila University Law School, University of Cebu School of Law, Ateneo de Davao College of Law and the UP College of Law. The local governments in these testing sites and the Philippine National Police supported the activity.

VACCINATION. A child reacts in pain to a jab during the nationwide Department of Health ‘Chikiting Ligtas’ vaccination program against rubella, polio, and measles inside a Barangay Health center in Quiapo, Manila on Monday. Norman Cruz

Solon to House: Pass Marawi compensation bill A LAWMAKER from Mindanao on Monday urged his colleagues in the House of Representatives and the Senate to speed up the passage and implementation of the Marawi Compensation Bill. At the same time, Deputy Speaker and Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman appealed to President Rodrigo Duterte to certify the bill as urgent. He urged both houses of Congress to pass the measure soon so it may be signed into law and funded by the General Appropriations Act for 2022. Hataman lamented that the Marawi rebuilding and rehabilitation had yet to

fully commence almost four years after government forces liberated the city from extremists. “2021 will be the last SONA of President Duterte,” Hataman, former governor of the now-defunct ARMM, said. “We hope that Congress will be able to pass it immediately, and that passing the measure will be President Duterte’s legacy in rebuilding Marawi.” He as the deliberations get near for the 2022 national budget, passing the measure to compensate the people of Marawi becomes imperative if Congress

is to include the funds for the victims of the 2017 siege. The measure has already passed the committee level in the House of Representatives, and a counterpart bill is still pending in the Senate. Hataman warned that further delay in the rehabilitation and compensation in Marawi could fuel extremist sentiments. He also called attention to the government funds that may expire due to lack of implementation, like what happened to the P406 million 2018 Marawi fund budget that reverted back to the National Treasury in 2019. Maricel V. Cruz

Rizal Rep. Fidel Nograles noted the low turnout in the registration of new voters as he also called on the deactivated voters to apply for reactivation. The Comelec says only 1.17 million new voters have registered so far out of an estimated four million citizens who had reached the age of 18 since the last polls. It says it has also deactivated the registration of seven million voters who had failed to vote in two consecutive elections. “Let us not wait for the deadline before registering or applying for the reactivation of voter status. Voting is the sacred duty of every citizen that should not be set aside,” Nograles said. Deactivated voters may still apply for reactivation to participate in the May 2022 national and local elections, and need not apply again. Elections Commissioner Rowena Guanzon has discounted the possibility of extending the registration beyond the September 2021 deadline as the commission is operating on a very tight schedule to fulfill the other requirements in the runup to the 2022 elections. Nograles appealed to the youth particularly to register to vote. “Elections are an opportunity to implement change,” and the “youth should not pass up the chance to elect those they think should lead.” “Many of us are quick to use social media to call for changes. The changes we demand are in our hands and these start at the moment we elect the people who will manage the affairs of government. This will not be possible if we do not register,” Nograles said. He also expressed his support for adjustments that Guanzon said the election body would consider to make registration more convenient.

Senate tackles legislative priorities By Macon Ramos-Araneta SENATE Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri on Monday tackled policy issues on the Senate’s legislative priorities, particularly between the Rightsizing Bill and the bills on the creation of new agencies, such as the proposed Department of Overseas Filipinos, the Department of Disaster Resilience and Management, the Department of Culture and the Department of Water Management. The committee on rules, led by Zubiri, came to the conclusion that the bills may be taken up by their respective committees simultaneously. Once the respective committee reports are filed, an all-member caucus will then be called to discuss their prioritization in the legislative calendar for plenary discussion. The meeting was called upon a mo-

tion by Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon last December. He urged the committee to discuss whether there might be a conflict in priorities that may arise between the Rightsizing bill and the bills regarding the creation of new agencies. “The Senate works through a committee system,” Zubiri said. “By practice and tradition, we have long given committees their sole prerogative and discretions regarding matters referred to them.” Zubiri says each committee has its sovereign right to bring out its committee report on a particular measure.” “As to the prioritization of legislative agenda to be tackled on the floor, it is a matter of policy not explicitly laid down in our rules. Prioritization of legislative agenda is incumbent upon the collective wisdom and discretion of the chamber and its members.

OATH OF OFFICE. Manila Mayor Francisco Domagoso and Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna administer the oath of office of the interim officers of the Manila Police District Press Corps under the leadership of President Francis Kiko Naguit of DZME. The group includes Vice President Edd Gumban, Philippine Star; Secretary Gene Adsuara; Treasurer Jon-Jon Reyes, Peoples Journal; Auditor Crismon Heramis, Remate; and Board Members Chairman Jonas Sulit, Abante, Mores Heramis, ABS-CBN; Justine Punzalan, TV5; Rene Maliwat, DZRJ; Norman Cruz Araga, Manila Standard; Mike Alquinto, Manila Times; Miguel Antonio, Philippine Star; Jhun Mabanag; Remate On Line; Patrick Adalin, Abante, Jocelyn Tabangcura, Remate On Line; Richard Reyes, Philippine Daily Inquirer; and Elgin Otico, Chinese Journal.

Training fee on workers waived NPA-free areas By Vito Barcelo

NO SAFETY SEAT. A boy sits with his father on the front seat of a van in Cavite on

Monday. Starting today, it is prohibited for children age 12 and younger to sit in front of the vehicle, according to Republic Act 11229 or the Child Safety in Motor Vehicles Act. JR Josue

THE Department of Labor and Employment has waived the P5,500 training fee on workers for the mandatory occupational health and safety training in workplaces as assistance to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises hit by the pandemic. Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III says the mandatory occupational health and safety training in workplaces will be offered to workers and enterprises for free starting this year. “We are waiving the training fees being charged to micro and small businesses. The workers in those enterprises have to be assured of their safety and health while at the workplace. This is a big factor to their productivity,” Bello said. “This is also a form of assistance to our

MSMEs being hardest hit by the restrictions due to the pandemic.” The new policy is meant to enhance workplace health and safety and ease the burden on micro, small and medium businesses amid the impact of the Covid pandemic. In issuing the directive to the Occupational Safety and Health Center, Bello emphasized the need to ensure the health and safety of the workers and employees to boost productivity as the economy reopens gradually. The OSH law or Republic Act 11058 makes it mandatory to designate and train safety officers in all business establishments, the number of which corresponds to the number of employees in enterprises. A fee of P5,500 per trainee is fixed by OSHC for the safety training.

GSIS increases pension loan limit to P500,000, removes age cap THE state pension fund Government Service Insurance System has enhanced its pension loan program by increasing the maximum loanable amount to six times the monthly pension, up to a maximum loan of P500,000, regardless of the pensioner’s age. “Previously, only old-age pensioners who are 64 years old and below may avail of the maximum amount equivalent to six

times their monthly pension. Pero dahil gusto naming mabigyan ng ginhawa ang lahat ng old-age pensioners sa gitna ng pandemyang apektado ang lahat, pwede nang makahiram ang lahat ng old-age pensioner ng maximum amount kahit 65 years old o higit pa sila. Itinaas na rin namin ang credit limit mula sa Php100,000 hanggang Php500,000 sa ilalim ng Enhanced Pension Loan,“ GSIS President

and General Manager Rolando Ledesma Macasaet said. Old age pensioners may now avail themselves of the Enhanced Pension Loan. Qualified are old-age pensioners who are receiving their pension for at least a month. Not qualified to the program are those who have service loan being amortized under the Choice of Loan Amortization Schedule for Pensioners or GSIS Pro-

gram for Restructuring and Repayment of Debts at the time of application; and those who have existing pension loan that have not yet been fully paid. The applicant must also have at least 25 percent resulting net monthly pension after loan deduction. The Enhanced Pension Loan is payable in 24 equal monthly installments through automatic pension deduction. The interest of the loan is 10 percent.

get P20 million EACH of the 822 villages allegedly freed from the clutches of the communist New People’s Army is getting P20 million under the Barangay Development Program initiated by the Duterte administration. National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. made the statement following claims by the alleged chief information officer of the Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA who gave his name as Marco Valbuena. Esperon said Valbuena misled the people by providing erroneous computations when he claimed that P20 million would be distributed among 215 barangays or P93,000 each. “For the benefit of this alleged communist spokesman and those who read his piece, allow me to further reiterate that the P20 million worth of programs and projects he speaks of is to be given to each barangay cleared of the NPA threat and influence from 2016-2019. To set the record straight, there are 822 barangays that shall each be receiving the P20 million BDP assistance, contrary to his claim of 215,” Esperon added in a statement sent to reporters. He said a nationwide total of P16.44 billion was allotted for the programs and projects to be implemented under the BDP, far from Valbuena’s claim of P19.2 billion. Maricel V. Cruz

Jimbo Owen Gulle, Editor lgu@manilastandard.net editor.lgustandard@gmail.com

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2021

QC dad to biz: Submit crowd safety plans By Rio N. Araja AMID the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the Quezon City council wants private businesses and companies to submit their customer or crowd safety management plans adhering to stringent health protocols. District 2 Councilor Mikey Belmonte said “it is better than sorry.” Belmonte, along with the other councilors, filed a resolution that would require all sales promotion permit applicants come up with such management plans to prevent the spread of COVID-19, especially amid the new COVID-19 strain. “While we sincerely recognize all the efforts of small and large-scale enterprises to recover amid the pandemic and continue to support their employees, we also need to see to it that they will comply with all the necessary precautionary measures laid down by the Department of Health,” he said. With the approval of the resolution, the Department of Trade and Industry, Food and Drug Administration, and the city’s Business Permits and Licensing Department would oblige permit applicants to include in their sales promotion mechanics in relation with the FDA Memorandum Circular No. 2013-028, the appropriate customer or safety management plans and procedures that would help minimize the risks of COVID-19 transmission among business employees and their consumers, too.

FRONTLINE VEHICLES. Mayor Jaime Fresnedi presents to BJMP Muntinlupa executives a transport vehicle to be donated by the local government to their agency in a bid to improve the delivery of public service in the city. Fresnedi led the blessing ceremony of four service vehicles and five hybrid multi-cabs for frontline agencies, including the City Health Office and Business Permits and Licensing Office during the City Government’s regular flag raising ceremony on Monday morning.

LGUs LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

BARMM, Hataman clear air

By Nash B. Maulana

OTABATO CITY― A member of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority Parliament has assured Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman that nothing in efforts to audit public spending during the tenure of the defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) was motivated to malign his past leadership of the region. BTA Parliament Member Datu Mussolini Sinsuat Lidasan over the weekend said he had much earlier filed the Bangsamoro resolution, seeking audit on ARMM assets, resource utilization and

liabilities, as provided under Republic Act 11054 (Article 16, Section 10), the Bangsamoro Organic Law. Lidasan said audit does not only pertain to money, but is also essentially

about inventory of movable and fixed assets like vehicles and buildings and fixtures like equipment, and even of human resources, noting also that it is the usual procedure or norms in all transitions and government reorganization processes. In an earlier statement, Hataman said he wondered “where that P 113.4 billion came from when the budget of ARMM was only P 38 billion from 2012 to 2020.” Hataman said he welcomed a call by the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao for audit of the

ARMM, adding that he had filed a resolution asking the leadership of the House of Representatives for a congressional midterm review of BARMM’s accomplishment in the last 18 months, and that he also included in that proposed measure an audit of the defunct ARMM. However, Lidasan said while he believed it was well-intended, a midterm review could only be fairly undertaken if an audit of the defunct ARMM had been made, but which did not happen before the February 2019 turnover to the BARMM leadership.

Regional agri offices told to ‘adopt a town’

FOLLOWING the success of a pioneering rice-vegetable production and marketing project in Lupao, Nueva Ecija, Agriculture Secretary William Dar has directed all DA regional field offices (RFOs), bureaus, and attached agencies, and corporations to “adopt a town or city” within their respective area. This is part of the Duterte administration’s Plant, Plant, Plant program to increase crop production and help stabilize supply and prices of vegetables and other farm commodities, Dar said. “The ongoing pandemic has highlighted the need for each

town and city in the country to be able to produce―or at least a portion of its own food requirement,” the secretary said. Aptly called “Sa Palay at Gulay – May Ani, Hanapbuhay, Oportunidad at Nutrisyon” or PAG-AHON, the project aims to enhance household food security through vegetable production after rice or in idle lands and backyards. “Through this initiative, farm households will not only produce food within their reach, but also have additional source of income. And we want the ‘One DA’ family to stand by their side in this worthy and sustainable venture,” the DA chief said. Brenda Jocson

SUSPENDED. A poster announces the suspension and immediate closure of two Bestcare

branches in Barangay Karuhatan after Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian issued Executive Orders No. 015 and 016 Series of 2021. Jun David

Unlicensed virus testing facility shut THE City Government of Valenzuela has issued the immediate closure and suspension of the business permit of Bestcare Medical Clinic and Diagnostic Center, Inc. in Barangay Karuhatan after reports have been received that the establishment has been offering RTPCR swab tests with no license as an accredited COVID-19 testing facility. Bestcare is also in violation of the provisions of RA 11332 or the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concerns Act for failure to report COVID-19 test results and for allegedly releasing RT-PCR results with no license as a COVID-19 testing laboratory. In its letter dated January 27, the City’s

Business Permits and Licensing Office (BPLO) issued a Notice to Explain to Bestcare Medical Clinic and Diagnostic Laboratory after information has been received by the office that the clinic has “committed acts of falsifying swab test results” using the name of another laboratory. As the matter is still under investigation, the City Government of Valenzuela deems it is right to suspend the business permit of Bestcare in protection of consumer rights and public welfare as the clinic has been offering COVID-19 RT-PCR tests under its name without a license as a COVID-19 testing facility which is tantamount to misrepresentation. Jun David

UPLB VISIT. Laguna PNP Provincial Director PCol. Serafin Petalio II (right) welcomes Dr. Jose V. Camacho Jr. Ph.D, Chancellor of the University of the Philippines at Los Banos, with a passing review for their command visit and for the Coordinating Meeting on Community Safety Program at Camp Gen. Paciano Rizal in Sta. Cruz, Laguna. Roy Tomandao

‘Push thru with Mariveles projects’

MARIVELES, Bataan -- The Sangguniang Bayan Bayan Mariveles led by Vice Mayor Lito Rubia wants the 14 projects that have been funded during the past administration be carried out this year. “There was already P18 million plus supplemental budget for the 14 projects in the municipality in 2019 during the term of former mayor AJ Concepion.” Councilor Tito Catipon said. “There was a change of administration, Mayor Jocelyn Castaneda asked that the fund

be realigned to other projects, and she said that allocation would be made in 2020 by way of supplemental budget or a portion of P200million loan,” the councilor narrated. “But there was no allocation made last year. The mayor said the budget will come from 2021 20 percent development fund but again there is none,” the councilor said. “The mayor said this time the fund will come from 2021 supplemental budget,” Catipon said. Butch Gunio

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2021 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Trump picks 2 lawyers to head impeach defense FORMER US president Donald Trump announced Sunday he had picked two lawyers to head his defense team days before his historic second impeachment trial, as Republicans braced for a battle over the future of their party. Trump’s Senate trial is due to start on February 9, but he had reportedly parted ways with several members of his initial legal team just a day ago. His lead lawyers, David Schoen and Bruce L. Castor, Jr, are “highly respected trial lawyers” with backgrounds in criminal law and defense, according to a statement from Trump. Schoen has represented Trump ally Roger Stone, and said he was in discussions to join the legal team for Jeffrey Epstein in 2019 days before the disgraced US financier killed himself while in jail on allegations of trafficking underage girls for sex. Castor previously served as as the district attorney for Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, where he declined to push forward with a case when US comedian Bill Cosby was accused of sexual assault by Andrea Constand. The case moved forward under Castor’s successor and Cosby was convicted in 2018. Schoen had already been working with the defense team, and both he and Castor “agree that this impeachment is unconstitutional,” Trump’s statement said. The trial of the former president for alleged “incitement of insurrection” over the storming of the Capitol by his supporters has exposed a rift between Trump loyalists who dominate the Republican Party, and its moderate wing. AFP NOTICE

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NOTICE is hereby given that an Extrajudicial Settlement of the Instestate Estate of the Late Spouses Buenaventura U.V. Angtuaco and Susana C. Angtuaco, consisting of a real properties (with & without improvements) was executed by their heirs and notarized on 12 January 2021 per Doc No. 494; Page No 100; Book No. I; Series of 202 of Notary Public Tomas B. Baga, Jr. of Quezon City, Metro Manila

Advertising Department

8832-5547

(MS-JAN. 19/26, FEB.2, 2021)

Notice of Publication Notice is hereby given to the effect that a Deed of Extrajudicial Partition of the Estates of the late Carmen P. Villaroman, the late Cristina P. Villaroman, and the late Catalina P. Villaroman was executed by their heirs namely: Carmen’s son and the latter two’s brother Jorge P. Villaroman as per Doc. No. 3725; Book No. I; Page No. 68; Series of 2020 before Consul Melanie Rita B. Diano in and for Sydney, New Wales, Australia; Carmen’s children and the latter two’s siblings Teresita V. Valencia, Hernando P. Villaroman, and Nelia V. Navato; and Carmen’s grandchildren and the latter two’s nephews Alfonso A. Villaroman, Fernando A. Villaroman, Felipe A. Villaroman, and Rodrigo A. Villaroman as per Doc No. 371, Page No. 75, Book No. I, series of 2020 before Notary Public Atty. Angelyn H. Sy. (MS-JAN. 19/26 & FEB. 2, 2021)

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES REGIONAL TRIAL COURT NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION BRANCH 217 – QUEZON CITY

VIRUS PROBE. Security personnel look on the compounds of the Wuhah center for disease control and prevention during a visit by the World Health Organization team investigating the origins of the Covid-19 coronavirus in Wuhan, China’s Central Hubei province in Feb. 1, 2021 AFP

Republican senators propose alternative COVID relief plan

GROUP of 10 Republican senators have written President Joe Biden to propose an alternative to his massive Covid-19 relief plan, arguing that their approach could garner the bipartisan support he has said he seeks.

Senator Susan Collins, a moderate Republican from Maine, said on Twitter that she had joined the group, which asked the president in a letter Friday for a meeting to discuss their plan. She said the group would release details of their plan on Monday. Washington, United States | AFP | Sunday 1/31/2021 - 08:19 UTC-8 | 447 words A group of 10 Republican senators have written President Joe Biden to propose an alternative to his massive Covid-19 relief plan, arguing that their approach could garner the bipartisan support he has said he seeks. Senator Susan Collins, a moderate Republican from Maine, said on Twitter that she had joined the group, which asked the president in a letter Friday for a meeting to discuss their plan. She said the group would release details of their plan on Monday. “We’ve received the letter and we certainly will be reviewing it,” Brian

IN THE MATTER OF THE PETITION FOR CANCELLATION OF THE CERTIFICATE OF LIVE BIRTH ISSUED BY THE OFFICE OF THE CIVIL REGISTRAR OF QUEZON CITY OF MARIA LARRAINE RAMOS TINIO. MARIA LARRAINE RAMOS TINIO Petitioner, -versus-

SP CASE NO. R-QZN-20-06072-SP

OFFICE OF THE CIVIL REGISTRAR, QUEZON CITY, OFFICE OF THE CIVIL REGISTRAR GENERAL AND OTHER PERSON CONCERNED, Respondents. x--------------------------------------x

ORDER This is a verified petition for the cancellation of the Certificate of Live Birth of Maria Larraine Ramos Tinio issued by the Office of the Civil Registrar of Quezon City filed by the petitioner. The petition alleges that petitioner Maria Larraine Ramos Tinio is the biological daughter Arsenia David Tinio and Rozalina Anilao Ramos, both deceased; that she was born on November 7, 1962 at Malawak Street, Barangay Guyong, Municipality of Sta. Maria, Province of Bulacan; that immediately after her birth, no certicate of live birth was filed at the Civil Registrar of Sta. Maria, Bulacan; that sometime in December 2011, when petitioner went to the Philippine Statistics Authority to secure a PSA copy of her certificate of live birth, she found out that there was no record that matches the information she provided; that she was advised by a lawyer that she can register her certificate of live birth in Quezon City, although delayed registration; that giving her full trust and confidence that delayed registration of her certificate of live birth in Quezon City is a valid remedy and legal, she was lured and persuaded to just signed the no. 20 Informant, No. 21 Prepared by Informant and the Affidavit for Delayed Registration Birth in her certificate of live birth; that in May 2018, to put things in order and reflect the true place of her birth, she sought the assistance of the Civil Registrar of Sta. Maria, Bulacan to correct whatever error done in registering in Quezon City; that petitioner filed the instant petition to correct the error and also in order to avoid confusion and problem in the future, as well as use for false claims. WHEREFORE, thus petition is hereby set for hearing on February 19, 2021 at 8:30 o’clock in the morning before this Court located at Room 604 Sixth Floor, Hall of Justice-Annex, Diliman, Quezon City at which place and on which date and time, all interested persons must appear and file their opposition/s to the petition. Let a copy of this Order be published once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation throughout the Philippines. Further, let a copy of the petition, and of this Order be served upon the Civil Registrar of Quezon City who may file its opposition thereto within fifteen (15) days from notice of this petition. SO ORDERED. Quezon City, Philippines, October 21, 2020. Cc:

(Sgd.) SANTIAGO M. ARENAS Judge

ALFEROS ARMAS & ASSOCIATES LAW OFFICE Atty. John Thomas S. Alferos III Counsel for the Petitioner Unit K, No. 1143 San Francisco Del Monte Avenue, Barangay Paltok 1105, Quezon City Office of the Solicitor General Makati City

NOTICE OF DISOLUTION Notice is hereby given that the Board of Directors of MIRAGE RESOURCES & HOLDINGS CORPORATION. (hereinafter referred to as the “CORPORATION”) in a Meeting of the Board of Directors held on 16 June 2020, approved shortening of the term of the Corporation for which the Corporation is to exist to a period up to 31 December 2020, which resolution was duly ratified by the affirmative vote of the stockholders owning and representing at least two-thirds (2/3) of the outstanding capital stock of the CORPORATION at the stockholders’ meeting held on the same day. By: The Board of Directors (SGD.) UY PATRICK KOK TIONG CHUA (SGD.) JOLLY L. TING (SGD.) PHILIP CUAZON (SGD.) BENNIE B. CUASON (SGD.) ONG LIAN KUAY REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES) ) S.S. DIRECTORS’ CERTIFICATE WE, the undersigned members of the Board of Directors and the Corporate Secretary of MIRAGE RESOURCES & HOLDINGS CORPORATION, a corporation duly organized and existing under the laws of the Philippines and currently under the process of dissolution, with registered address at Gloriamaris Shark’s Fin Restaurant, Greenhills Shopping Center, San Juan City, do hereby certify: 1. The attached Articles of Incorporation is a true and correct copy of the Articles of Incorporation of MIRAGE RESOURCES & HOLDINGS CORPORATION as amended by at least a majority vote of its Board of Directors at a Meeting held on 16 June 2020 via teleconference, and duly ratified by the affirmative vote of the stockholders of the Corporation owning and representing at least 2/3 of the outstanding capital stock of the Corporation at the Stockholders’ Meeting held on the same day. 2. The Fourth Article of the Articles of Incorporation was amended in order to shorten the term for which the Corporation is to exist to a period up to 31 December 2020, as follows: “FOURTH: That the term for which the Corporation is to exist is until December 31, 2020”. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, we have hereunto set our hands this ___ day of ________ 2020, at ________________, Philippines. (SGD.) UY PATRICK KOK TIONG CHUA (SGD.) JOLLY L. TING Chairman/Director President/Director TIN: 104-202-204 TIN:104-130-646 (SGD.) BENNIE B. CUASON Director TIN: 107-230-448

(MStandard-Jan. 19, 26 & Feb. 2, 2021)

(SGD.) PHILIP CUAZON Asst. Trea./ Director TIN: 112-165-750

(SGD.) ONG LIAN KUAY Treasurer TIN: 132-424-438

Attested to by: (SGD.) RICHARD V. GARCIA . Corporate Secretary TIN: 271-456-011 SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN TO BEFORE me this 15th day of January 2021 at San Juan City, affiants exhibiting to me the following: Name Gov’t Issued ID/Date and Place Issued Uy Patrick Kok Tiong Chua Driv. Lic No. N09-76-028752 with validity date 01/06/2022 Jolly Ting Passport# P0500417B with validity date 01/31/2029 Philip Cuazon OSCA#072224 issued date 12/1998 place issued Makati Bennie B. Cuazon Driv. Lic. No. N14-65-0011988 with validity date 01/22/2022 Ong Lian Kuay PSCA#01781 issued date 07/10/2012 place issued Quezon City Richard V. Garcia Driv. Lic. N03-07-025524 with validity date Dec. 7, 2023 Doc. No. 350 Page No. 71 Book No. XVM Series off 2020/2021

Office of the Local Civil Registrar Quezon City Philippine Statistics Authority Quezon City

Deese, director of the president’s National Economic Council, told CNN. He said Biden was “open to ideas,” but stressed that action was needed immediately. The president’s $1.9 trillion plan, he added, had been “calibrated to the economic crisis that we face,” which he said had left some 30 million people without enough to eat. Biden unveiled his plan on January 14, saying it was urgently needed to bring the Covid-19 pandemic under control and help pull the nation out of a deep economic slump. The Biden plan would provide checks to families, funds to help safely reopen schools, money to accelerate Covid-19 testing and vaccine distribution, financial support for struggling small businesses, and increased food aid for those in need. Republicans say the bill is far too costly at a time of historic debt levels, and with Congress already having committed some $4 trillion to pandemic relief. They want aid more

(SGD.) ATTY. VIRGINIA B. PINAROC Notary Public Pasig, San Juan, Pateros Until December 31, 2022 IBP Lifetime No. 016289 PTR No. 1474486, Jan. 4,2021,San Juan City MCLE No. 08 (2021-2022); TIN No. 100-112-489 No. 10 Eisenhower St., San Juan City

(MS-JAN. 26/ FEB. 2/9, 2021)

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closely targeted to those in need. Republicans also want a separate vote on raising the federal minimum wage—which Biden’s plan would boost from $7.25 an hour to $15. If Senate Democrats hold together in support of Biden’s plan, the 10 Republican senators would give them enough support to pass the bill under normal procedure, which requires 60 out of 100 votes. Democrats have said that if necessary they will turn to a process known as reconciliation, which would allow them to pass the package with a simple majority. The Democrats control 50 seats in the upper chamber, but ties are broken by Vice President Kamala Harris. They also hold a narrow majority in the House of Representatives. Biden said on Friday that “I support passing Covid relief with support from Republicans if we can get it. But Covid relief has to pass. There’s no ifs, ands or buts.” Independent-minded Senator Bernie Sanders struck a similar tone on Sunday. “If Republicans want to work with us, they have better ideas on how to address those crises, that’s great,” he told ABC’s “This Week.” But he quickly added that he was “absolutely confident” that Democrats could stick together and pass the relie bill through reconciliation. AFP

Britain starts training volunteers for national vaccination campaign MORE used to wielding a camera than a needle, taking part in a national vaccination campaign was the “last thing” documentary director Mike Day expected to be doing before the start of the coronavirus pandemic. But the 41-year-old is now one of an army of volunteers—many with no medical qualifications —being recruited to help deliver Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s goal of vaccinating 15 million of those most at risk from the virus by mid-February. “When I had the opportunity to do something that made a difference I definitely wanted to jump at it so I immediately signed up when I heard about it,” Day told AFP at a training session for 120 volunteers at Canary Wharf in east London on Saturday. Volunteers, wearing masks and gloves, were instructed how to administer the jab on the 32nd floor of one of the business district’s skyscrapers, its windows commanding views of uninterrupted, rainswept grey skies. “Aaah!” shouted one instructor, prompting laughter from the audience of volunteers as one participant stuck a needle into the false shoulder tied around her arm. Another instructor from the St John Ambulance service, which specialises in first aid education, told the volunteers to push the needle “deep into the muscle”. “Without sounding too cheesy I thought this was a great opportunity to come together to help heal the world,” office assistant Katherine Odell explained. The 35-year-old said she wasn’t afraid of going out to administer the shot despite the amount of information she has to assimilate. She admitted there was “always a risk” when faced with the disease but you “keep to the rules as much as you can”.AFP

IN BRIEF Detained HK media tycoon challenges national security law DETAINED Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai was in court Monday trying to win bail in the first major legal challenge to a sweeping national security law Beijing imposed on the city last year. The landmark case puts the city’s independent judiciary on a potentially precarious collision course with China’s authoritarian leadership as Beijing seeks to snuff out dissent in the restless financial hub. Lai, 73, who owns the pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily, is one of more than 100 democracy supporters arrested under the new law since it was enacted in June, and he is the highest profile figure to be incarcerated on pretrial charges. He has been charged with “colluding with foreign forces”—one of the new security crimes—for allegedly calling for sanctions on Hong Kong and China in response to an ongoing crackdown on dissidents. The security law is the most dramatic shift in Hong Kong’s relationship with China since it was handed back by Britain in 1997. It criminalises a host of political views and toppled the legal firewall between the two territories. AFP

Over 5,300 protesters detained by police across Russia POLICE detained more than 5,300 people across the country in a massive clampdown on anti-Kremlin protests, a monitor said Monday, as prosecutors backed a request to imprison opposition leader Alexei Navalny. On Sunday, thousands of protesters defied government warnings and rallied from Vladivostok to Saint Petersburg in a second weekend of mass demonstrations over the arrest of President Vladimir Putin’s most prominent opponent. OVD Info, which monitors arrests at opposition protests, said more than 5,300 people had been detained including nearly 1,800 people in Moscow and almost 1,200 in Saint Petersburg, Russia’s second city. The protests—that saw authorities enforce a rare lockdown of the centre of Moscow—came ahead of a high-profile court hearing that could see Navalny imprisoned for several years. The 44-year-old opposition figure is facing charges of violating the terms of a 2014 suspended sentence and could be jailed for two-and-a-half years. AFP

Libyans to meet in Geneva to select transitional leaders LIBYAN delegates meet Monday for UN-backed talks in Geneva to choose a new temporary executive to lead the warscarred country through a transition until scheduled December elections. The 75 participants at the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum have until Friday to select a prime minister and a threemember presidency council from a list of 45 candidates, Libya’s UN mission UNSMIL said in a statement. Oil-rich Libya has been torn by civil war since a NATO-backed uprising led to the ouster and killing of long-time dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011. The country is now split between the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord and its rival, the eastern-based House of Representatives backed by military strongman Khalifa Haftar. A fragile ceasefire agreed in Geneva last October has largely held despite threats by Haftar to resume fighting. The list of candidates unveiled Saturday by the UN includes 21 names for the position of prime minister and 24 for the presidency council. AFP

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2021 || extrastory2000@gmail.com

ASOS agrees to acquire key Arcadia brands in $452-m deal

PSEi February 1, 2021

TOP GAINERS LAST PRICE

% CHANGE CHANGE

ABA

1.35

0.45

50.00%

2 3

PHA JAS

2.32 2.17

0.42 0.31

22.11% 16.67%

0.0055

0.0006

12.24%

5 6

VUL APX

1.95 1.69

0.21 0.18

12.07% 11.92%

APL

0.217

0.023

11.86%

TBGI

0.335

0.03

9.84%

9 10

PA OPMB

5.43 0.013

0.43 0.001

8.60% 8.33%

TOP LOSERS LAST PRICE

% CHANGE CHANGE

PBC

20.4

-2.6

-11.30%

2 3

RLT I

0.28 1.43

-0.03 -0.15

-9.68% -9.49%

0.01

-0.001

-9.09%

OPM

0.012

-0.001

-7.69%

6 7

GREEN PPC

2.77 5.41

-0.23 -0.44

-7.67% -7.52%

8 9 10

NRCP SGI MED

0.67 1.12 0.395

-0.05 -0.08 -0.025

-6.94% -6.67% -5.95%

MOST ACTIVE 1

APL

VOLUME 4531010000

VALUE (PHP) 1000555390

2 3

ABA DITO

572709000 39949800

715924930 495557856

4 5

LIHC ACEN

304040000 72802300

485080590 474414232

6 7 8

TEL SM SMPH

305020 404390 10663700

425745710 401803140 385399215

9 10

BDO JGS

3405560 5445710

350231828 349907969.5

BORDER RESTRICTIONS. Travelers queue at the immigration desk of Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle international airport, on February 1, 2021, as new COVID-19 border restrictions come into effect. All but essential travel from outside the EU has been banned in France, while testing requirements on travelers from within the EU has been tightened. AFP

Stock mart rallies; PLDT, JG Summit lead advances T HE stock market rallied Monday on bargain hunting after plummeting last week, boosted by an assurance that the Philippines is set to receive the first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines starting midFebruary.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index jumped 202.14 points, or 3.1 percent, to 6,814.76 on a value turnover of nearly P10 billion. Gainers beat losers, 130 to 82, with 45 issues unchanged. PLDT Inc., the biggest telecommunications firm, advanced 7.1 percent to P1,406, while SM Prime Holdings Inc. of the Sy Group rose 6.4 percent to P37.55. JG Summit Holdings Inc. of the Go-

kongwei Group climbed 6.2 percent to P64.55, while Abacore Capital Holdings Inc. surged 50 percent to P1.35 The rest of Asian and European stock markets bounced Monday following last week’s blood-letting as bargain-buyers moved in, but dealers remain on edge as surging infections and a stuttering vaccination rollout offset long-term hopes for the economic recovery. Worries about online retail investors’ attack on Wall Street short traders was also causing angst on trading floors, with fears they are being forced to sell some equities to cover their backs while silver rallied as it became the new target of buying. Global markets were a sea of red last week owing to a combination of issues including rising virus cases, problems with countries’ immunization programs and worries about high valuations following a months-long rally. New York’s three main indexes all ended Friday with steep losses and there

is talk that equities will see a correction. Still, the new week started on a positive note, with Hong Kong and Seoul up more than two percent, while Tokyo and Taipei jumped more than one percent. Jakarta piled on more than three percent and there were also big gains in Shanghai, Sydney and Bangkok. Singapore and Wellington both fell. Mumbai soared more than four percent as traders welcomed the announcement of a big-spending COVID-19 budget that will see more than $13 billion splurged on a range of measures including infrastructure and healthcare. “Despite lockdown and mobility restrictions tightening, leading to a firstquarter slowdown, the global economy will register the most vigorous global growth explosion in decades in 2021,” said Axi strategist Stephen Innes. “And when combined with the continued policy support, it should ultimately outweigh any risk parity-driven sell-off in stocks.” With AFP

Paperwork, duties and taxes disrupt Britain-EU commercial transactions LONDON―A tangle of post-Brexit paperwork, duties and taxes is disrupting commercial ties between Britain and the European Union that have often taken years to build, piling extra costs on small firms that can make crossChannel trade unprofitable. Changes since the UK’s departure from the bloc’s single market and customs union on January 1 have made it “commercially and practically impossible for us to continue actually shipping to the EU,” laments cheesemaker Simon Spurrell. Owner of the Hartington Creamery, which produces crumbly, flavorful Stilton cheese, Spurrell must now include a food health certificate signed by a veterinarian with each order sent to the bloc. Regardless of the package size, one slab of the geographically-protected treat or a whole crate, the cost of the certificate is the same―£180 (204 euros, $247). A big price to pay for the creamery, which previously relied on EU customers for around one-fifth of online sales. “We may just have to abandon the EU market completely until both sides come to their senses,” said Spurrell, who is now eyeing sales into North

America to help fill the gap. The food certificate, which applies also to meat and fish products, is not the only bitter-tasting financial consequence served up by Brexit―even though Britain struck a tariff-free trade deal with the EU. British customers purchasing goods from the EU with a sale price of more than £135 (152 euros, $185) are in some cases having to pay so-called import value-added tax (VAT) of around 20 percent. They may have to also pay customs duties and higher courier charges. The result is that some EU-based companies, mainly small ones, have decided to stop selling products to buyers in Britain. “It certainly isn’t a tariff but nevertheless it’s going to have an implication for UK customers and make goods from the EU more expensive,” said Gary Rycroft, a partner at law firm Joseph A Jones & Co in Lancaster, northern England. “In that sense, it’s a protectionist policy because it’s creating a barrier to trade. “That’s the reality of Brexit,” the consumer affairs legal expert told AFP. AFP

ExxonMobil, Chevron CEOs eyed merger WASHINGTON―ExxonMobil and Chevron executives discussed the possibility of a merger last year as the two oil giants were battered by the pandemic, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday. Chevron CEO Mike Wirth and his Exxon counterpart Darren Woods discussed merging as demand for oil and gas plummeted due to restrictions to stem the spread of the coronavirus, the paper said, citing sources close to the issue. The sources added that the “preliminary” discussions are no longer taking place but could resume in the future. The combined market value of the two companies would exceed $350 billion, according to the Journal, with ExxonMobil worth $190 million. “Together, they would likely form the world’s second largest oil company by market capitalization and production, producing about 7 million barrels of oil and gas a day, based on pre-pandemic

levels, second only in both measures to Saudi Aramco,” the Journal wrote. But such a merger could come up against anti-competitive regulations. Many industry experts, however, believe that a consolidation of the oil and gas industry is necessary to reduce costs and help companies overcome the pandemic slowdown. Additionally, the sector must prepare for an uncertain future as many countries seek to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels to combat climate change. While President Joe Biden has already announced the United States’ return to the Paris climate accord, the American oil giants are also likely to face a Democratic administration that is less supportive of the industry. Chevron had announced Friday that it had recorded a net loss of $5.5 billion in 2020, affected by a sharp drop in crude oil prices at the beginning of the pandemic. AFP

LONDON—British online fashion group ASOS has bought brands including Topshop from collapsed retail giant Arcadia, administrators said Monday, under a deal which could put 2,500 jobs at risk. Administrators Deloitte said in a statement that ASOS has sealed the purchase of key brands Topshop, Topman, Miss Selfridge and HIIT for £330 million ($452 million, 372 million euros). However, the deal will not include retail stores and therefore casts a shadow over the future of 2,500 jobs, according to a source close to the matter. “ASOS will acquire the brands, intellectual property and inventory. In addition, approximately 300 employees across design, buying and retail partnerships will transfer to ASOS,” Deloitte said, adding that the deal will complete on Thursday. ASOS said in a separate statement that the four “iconic Arcadia brands would “resonate” with its youthful customer base in Britain. “This acquisition represents a compelling strategic opportunity in support of our mission to become the number one destination for fashion loving 20-somethings worldwide,” it said. “These are strong brands that resonate well with our core customer base. Brand equity is strongest in the UK and they have an established presence in both the US and Germany, two of our key strategic markets.” The announcement comes after ASOS-rival Boohoo announced on Friday that it was in talks with Arcadia administrators to buy three of its brands—Dorothy Perkins, Wallis and Burton. Boohoo also agreed last week to purchase the intellectual property assets of failed department store chain Debenhams. Both Arcadia and Debenhams collapsed in December―together risking the loss of 25,000 jobs―having struggled to transition from a bricksand-mortar business long before the coronavirus pandemic forced shoppers online. AFP

In this file photo taken on January 18, 2021 the owner of Cafe Hummel, Christina Hummel, poses for photos in the empty restaurant in Vienna, amid the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. As coronavirus lockdowns are extended across Europe, protests have flared across the continent’s hard-hit hospitality sector, along with warnings that many businesses are on the verge of extinction. AFP

Hope and despair in European hospitality sector By Jastinder Khera with AFP’s European bureaus VIENNA, Austria―As coronavirus lockdowns are extended across Europe, protests have flared in its hard-hit hospitality sector, along with warnings that many businesses are on the verge of extinction. Four voices from around the continent detail the impact of the crisis on struggling firms. ‘Never give up’ In Vienna, a recent protest dubbed “five minutes to twelve” was organized to highlight how close many such businesses are to collapse. One who took part was Christina Hummel, 44, and the third generation of her family to run the Cafe Hummel in Vienna’s Josefstadt district. Many in the sector feel “fobbed off from week to week” by changes to government policy and are finding it impossible to plan, she says. As to whether she would consider opening in defiance of the law, Hummel says that’s out of the question. “First and foremost I’m a mother of a six-year-old son and I’m responsible for 30 families in my business―I wouldn’t do anything which would get me into trouble or mean I would have to pay a fine,” she says. “I’m no COVID denier or conspiracy theorist, we know it’s a drastic situation at the moment in the hospitals.” She rejects the label of “rage restaura-

teurs” that parts of the press have given protesting cafe and restaurant owners, describing herself instead as someone who is “passionate about hospitality.” In the long term, Hummel is optimistic, however. “Viennese cafe culture has already been through crises. This Viennese way of life will never be defeated; as the saying goes: ‘A real Viennese never gives up’.” ‘I will never bow’ A more militant attitude is found in the Czech Republic with former rightwing politician Jiri Janacek, who now manages the Maly Janek brewery and restaurant in Jince, a small town about 40 kilometers (25 miles) southwest of Prague. He has organized protests against restrictions together with other pub owners and re-opened Maly Janek on December 9. It has remained open ever since in defiance of lockdown, despite visits from the police and a fine from the public health authorities. “I will never bow to government restrictions,” vows Janacek, promising not to “stop until the government stops harming this country.” Janacek says he “ran out of patience with the government when it changed the rules three times within a single week.” He dismisses the danger of infections spreading through businesses such as his. “There is no sophisticated research,

no study that would fully prove this,” he insists. ‘Already too late’ In Geneva, Laurent Terlinchamp, president of the Swiss city’s hospitality industry association, sketches out the dire situation the industry finds itself in. “We wait for help which never comes, promises which are never kept, and the little help which does arrive is trivial,” he says of the official response. Terlinchamp describes his members as being in a state of “despair,” adding: “For 30 percent of them, which in Geneva is the equivalent of 600 businesses, it’s already too late.” He says his members need more concrete information from the authorities to protect their livelihoods. “The important thing for me is to know when we can open again under viable conditions” and in the meantime to receive help that means “I won’t lose my life... my passion”. ‘Help and tolerance’ Later this week in Sofia, restaurant and bar owners are planning a “march towards freedom” after the government failed to set a reopening date for them. One of the organizers is Martin Mihaylov, 41, who has managed some of the Bulgarian capital’s most popular music clubs for more than two decades and currently runs three bars. “I cannot think of a time when the authorities have given a deadline and then gone on to meet it,” he says. “We can no longer put up with this treatment. AFP

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

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2021

IN BRIEF Manufacturing index posts 25-month high THE Philippine Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index increased from 49.2 in December to 52.5 in January, posting above the 50 neutral mark separating expansion from contraction, the Trade Department said Monday. It said the January PMI data was the highest in 25 months, even prior to the pandemic, signaling improving manufacturing conditions and indicating the start of recovery of the sector. Manufacturing output increased despite a slight contraction in new export orders. The expansion in manufacturing operations was largely driven by increased orders from existing and new clients, particularly from the domestic market. “The latest manufacturing PMI reinforces the importance of our ‘REBUILD’ economic recovery strategy, which stands for ‘Revitalizing Businesses, Investments, Livelihoods and Domestic Demand.’ We must continue to build consumer confidence, revitalize domestic demand, and empower manufacturing firms in the country to seize that demand,” said Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez.

Fruitas obtains 20 new store locations

Business

Metro Pacific and Keppel complete Subic depot deal By Jenniffer B. Austria

NFRASTRUCTURE conglomerate Metro Pacific Investments Corp. and Singaporean company Keppel Infrastructure Trust said Monday they completed the acquisition of the largest petroleum import terminal in the Philippines for $333.8 million. KM Infrastructure, a joint venture company of Metro Pacific and KIT, acquired 100 percent of the total issued capital stock of Philippine Tank Storage International (Holdings), which owns the largest petroleum products import storage facility in Subic. It bought the PTSI shares from Macquarie Infrastructure Holdings (Philippines) Pte. Ltd., Government Service Insurance System and Langoer Invest-

ments Holding B.V. on Jan. 29, 2021. PTSI owns Philippine Coastal Storage & Pipeline Corp., which operates three tank farms and a marine terminal on 150 hectares in Subic Bay Freeport Zone. The terminal is strategically located to serve the demand from Metro Manila, Central and North Luzon. KM Infrastructure was 80-percent owned by KIT-led Bay Philippines and 20 percent by Metro Pacific.

Metro Pacific said immediately following the completion of the acquisition of PTSI, it signed a share purchase agreement to increase its stake in KM Infrastructure by 30 percent for P4.1 billion. KM Infrastructure will become a 50:50 joint venture company between KIT and Metro Pacific. Both parties also signed a shareholders’ agreement to govern their relationship in managing KM Infrastructure. PCSPC has a storage capacity of 6 million barrels and generates stable cash flows via take-or-pay contracts with high-quality off-takers. Its 150-hectare facility consists of 86 storage tanks, two piers and a pipeline infrastructure connecting the entire facility.

FRUITAS Holdings Inc., a leading food and beverage kiosk operator, said Monday it secured 20 more locations for community stores and is in the final lease negotiations for another 20 sites. Fruitas said in a disclosure to the stock exchange it was aggressively expanding its community stores in line with the target to end the year with 100 outlets from only 30 as of end-2020. Fruitas in January opened its first Soy & Bean community store in Meycauayan, Bulacan, the first outside Metro Manila. It also opened a new outlet in Salcedo Village. The next wave of community stores will cover more of Metro Manila and Cebu and will include branches in Rizal, Pampanga, Cavite and Aklan. “Our community stores have been positively received by our customers. Our rollout program for the year, covering at least 70 community stores and 100 kiosks, is keeping us busy, but we continue to be on the lookout for more opportunities,” Fruitas president and chief executive Lester Yu said. Jenniffer B. Austria

ACEN raising P30b for power projects AC ENERGY Corp. said Monday it expects to end the year with a war chest of P30 billion to help achieve its target of 5,000 megawatts of renewable energy projects by 2025 and meet its vision of becoming Southeast Asia’s largest listed renewable firm. ACEN president and chief executive Eric Francia said the company was undertaking five steps this year to complete the structuring of ACEN “to become the unified, integrated platform of Ayala and AC Energy in energy.” “That would really put us in a strong position to realize our vision which is to exceed 5GW and be the largest renewables platform in Southeast Asia,” Francia said. He said the five-step restructuring included the recently completed stock rights offering where ACEN raised about P5.3 billion on Friday and increased its capital stock about 15.9 billion shares. Francia said the next step would be a private placement of 4 billion shares to GIC Private Ltd. ACEN and parent company AC Energy and Infrastructure Corp. earlier said they signed an investment agreement with Arran Investment Pte Ltd., an affiliate of GIC, for a 17.5-percent ownership stake in ACEN valued at P20 billion. Alena Mae S. Flores

DIGITAL SUBSTATION. Distribution unit Davao Light manages its first digital substation. The streamlined operations and technical assessment through the digital substation allow for greater reliability of power in surrounding areas. The Aboitiz Group is fully embracing the use of digital technology, pushing for further innovation, a change in the way that it operates its various businesses through the use of data-driven solutions and artificial intelligence.

UnionBank says net income down by 17% to P11.6b in 2020 UNION Bank of the Philippines said Monday it posted a 17-percent decline in net income to P11.6 billion in 2020 from P14 billion in 2019, as the banking industry suffered from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. UnionBank president and chief executive Edwin Bautista said in a statement despite the drop in profit, he was pleased with the 2020 performance given the challenging environment. “This was a product of all UnionBankers who continued to push boundaries amidst the crisis. The pandemic became the inflection point that affirmed our digital strategy,” Bautista said.

“As we line up new features in our digital channels and Tech Up especially more of our underbanked and unbanked countrymen, we aim to ramp up digital customer engagement to sustain our momentum in 2021,” Bautista said. The net income of P11.6 billion in 2020 was achieved despite credit reserves growing by 4.7 times year-onyear or close to P7 billion more than 2019, the bank said. The earnings performance translated into a return on equity of 11.9 percent. It said the bank’s digital strategy gained more traction in 2020 as the

pandemic accelerated the shift of customer behavior towards digital. Customers transacting through digital channels breached 2 million with more than 500,000 new accounts opened via the mobile app. UBX, the bank’s technology and innovation firm, signed up more than 140,000 micro, small and medium enterprises across platforms i2i, BUX, Sentro and SeekCap. CitySavings Bank, the thrift banking unit, also continued to deliver efficient services to teachers and motorcycle loan borrowers with the help of mobile sales app. Julito G. Rada

PEZA approves registration of first pharmaceutical ecozone in Bulacan By Othel V. Campos THE Philippine Economic Zone Authority said Monday it approved registration of the P570.58-million First Bulacan Business Park—the first mixed use pharmaceutical ecozone in the north near the proposed Bulacan International Airport. Ecozone developer and operator Philstar Marketing Development Inc. signed the registration agreement with PEZA on Jan. 27, 2020. “We are grateful to the President for the Proclamation of the First Bulacan Business Park, which is the first pharmaceutical ecozone registered under PEZA,” said PEZA director-general Charito Plaza. The site in Malolos, Bulacan is designed as a premier ecozone that will host pharmaceutical and support IT companies and export-oriented industries. First Bulacan Business Park plans to adopt smart technologies and renewable source of power inside the ecozone to meet the demand of locator companies’ for a sustainable business environment. President Rodrigo Duterte issued Proclamation No. 1070 on Jan. 11, 2021, granting First Bulacan Business Park the status of a “special economic zone.” Plaza cited the im-

portance of the ecozone as an effective strategy to bounce back from the COVID-19 crisis and prevent it from happening again. “PEZA will continue to do its best to attract investors that will create more pharmaceutical economic zones in the Philippines, making the country selfreliant, self-sustaining and resourcegenerating in terms of producing our own medicines, medical equipment and supplies,” said Plaza. Senator Francis Tolentino appealed to the government last year to hasten the establishment of pharmaceutical manufacturing zones to improve the public’s access to cheaper medicines and help boost the country’s economic growth. Tolentino proposed Senate Resolution No. 580 urging PEZA and the Board of Investments to fast-track the creation of pharmaceutical zones. Plaza said the COVID-19 outbreak reaffirmed the need for investment in healthcare, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. “As such PEZA, in addition to the existing medical tourism guidelines, is looking to explore adding to its new types of ecozones ‘Biomedical Innovative Center’ to host leading biotechnology companies and Philippine startups under Innovative Startup Act including pharmaceuticals,” she said.

PSE INDEX

Monday, February 1, 2021

202.14 PTS. 6,814.76

TOTAL VOLUME TOTAL TRADES TOTAL VALUE ADVANCES DECLINES UNCHANGED

32,109,889,946 194,169 9,983,145,678.40 130 82 45

F oreign e xchange r ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2021

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

48.0760

Japan

Yen

0.009548

0.4590

Pound

1.370800

65.9026

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128986

6.2011

Switzerland

Franc

1.123848

54.0301

Canada

Dollar

0.782167

37.6035

Singapore

Dollar

0.752672

36.1855

Australia

Dollar

0.762000

36.6339

Bahrain

Dinar

2.655478

127.6648

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266638

12.8189

Brunei

Dollar

0.749850

36.0498

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000071

0.0034

Thailand

Baht

0.033422

1.6068

UAE

Dirham

0.272272

13.0897

Euro

1.213300

58.3306

Korea

Won

0.000895

0.0430

China

Yuan

0.155521

7.4768

India

Rupee

0.013722

0.6597

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.247525

11.9000

New Zealand

Dollar

0.715400

34.3936

Taiwan

Dollar

0.035700

1.7163 Source: BSP

ADB clears $25-m funding for PH vaccine acquisitions By Julito G. Rada THE Asian Development Bank said Monday it allocated $25 million (around P1.2 billion) to help the Philippine government purchase vaccines and combat COVID-19 this year. It said the amount would come from the $125-million Health System Enhancement to Address and Limit COVID-19 project, which ADB approved on Aug. 24, 2020. It will allow the Philippine government to pay vaccine makers in advance to secure the delivery of vaccines to its citizens. The country reported more than 500,000 COVID-19 cases. “The Philippines launched a comprehensive economic stimulus and healthcare support program following the surge in COVID-19 cases in April 2020. It has significantly improved its capacity in testing, tracing, isolating, and treating COVID-19 cases in the last 10 months,” ADB president Masatsugu Asakawa said in a statement. “Vaccination is the next critical step to protect lives and promote livelihood opportunities. We stand ready to support the government in these unprecedented times and help the economy navigate back to its pre-pandemic growth path,” Asakawa said. The newly allocated funding for vaccine supply will follow the vaccine access and eligibility requirements under ADB’s Asia Pacific Vaccine Access Facility which was launched on Dec. 11, 2020 with a financing commitment of $9 billion for the region. ADB said to supplement the $25-million financing, it was preparing a follow-on project under APVAX for consideration by ADB’s board of directors to support the government’s efforts to procure vaccines. The government developed a COVID-19 vaccine road map to immunize 60 percent to 75 percent of Filipinos with safe, cost-effective vaccines in an equitable manner. It is negotiating vaccine delivery with several vaccine developers. ADB said it is providing technical advisory assistance to the government on the national vaccine road map through a development partner coordination working group created by the Department of Finance.

ON-THE-GO BANKING.

True to its BetterBanking promise, Security Bank Corp. provides customers with a more convenient way to bank as it rolls out BetterBanking On-The-Go in Caloocan City, Metro Manila. SBC’s BetterBanking OnThe-Go truck allows clients to conduct withdrawals, deposits and bills payment without needing to go to a branch.

DOTR reports 42% progress in construction of Malolos-Tutuban stage By Darwin G. Amojelar THE Department of Transportation said the construction of PNR Clark Phase 1(Malolos to Tutuban) segment of the North South Commuter Railway reached a 42.66-percent completion rate as of December 2020. “Amid the current pandemic, the construction works continue at an accelerated pace, under the strictest implemen-

tation of health protocols, including the construction of temporary access roads, temporary bridges, temporary facilities, as well as the bored piling works, structural excavation works and fabrication of precast segment,” the DOTr said. Upon completion, PNR Clark Phase 1 is projected to reduce the travel time from Tutuban, Manila to Malolos, Bulacan from 1 hour and 30 minutes to just 35 minutes, with a scheduled partial

operability seen by the end of this year upon the arrival of its first set of trains. The project is scheduled to be partially operational by December 2021. Meanwhile, PNR Clark Phase 2 (Malolos to Clark) is expected to ease road congestion in Central Luzon and reduce annual traffic-related economic costs. It will help push economic activity to regional growth centers like Clark in Pampanga province.

Nuggets halt Jazz’s 11-game victory run; Clippers win LOS ANGELES—Denver center Nikola Jokic matched his career-high with 47 points as the Nuggets cooled off the hottest team in the NBA on Sunday with a 128-117 victory over the Utah Jazz. Jokic erupted for 33 points in the first half—22 in the first quarter— and added 12 rebounds for his 20th double-double to start the season. The Nuggets brought an emphatic end to Utah’s 11-game winning streak, the longest in the league this season. Their victory, coupled with the Los Angeles Clippers’ 129-115 victory over the Knicks in New York, saw the Clippers move ahead of the Jazz atop the Western Conference with a league-leading record of 16-5. “At this moment they are the best team in the NBA, they’re playing amazing, they had 11 wins in a row, they are shooting the ball really well,” Jokic said. “This was a really nice win for us.” The Nuggets led by as many as 28 points, using a first-half three-point barrage to bury the Jazz. Denver were a perfect eight-for-eight from three-point range in the first quarter and made 15 of their total 18 from beyond the arc in the first half. In the third quarter, though, the Jazz twice reduced the 28-point deficit to single figures. Denver’s JaMychal Green scored all of his nine points in the fourth quarter, and fellow reserve Facundo Campazzo added six of his 11 in the final frame as the Nuggets pulled away again. Bojan Bogdanovic paced the Jazz with 29 points. Donovan Mitchell added 13, and Rudy Gobert, Royce O’Neale and Mike Conley added 12 apiece. But seven players in double figures and 20 three-pointers weren’t enough to keep the Jazz from losing for the first time since January 6. At Madison Square Garden, Kawhi Leonard scored 28 points to lead six Clippers in double figures against the Knicks. The imposing New York defense, allowing the fewest points per game in the league, couldn’t find an answer as the Clippers pulled away in the third quarter, stretching a one-point halftime lead to double digits. Leonard and Reggie Jackson scored 10 points apiece in the third quarter, when the Clippers connected on 13 of 19 shots from the field. The Knicks, led by Julius Randle’s 27 points, cut the deficit to two points with 7:44 left to play but a 9-0 scoring run put the Clippers back in charge. Wild Wizards win Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook keyed a late rally by the Washington Wizards in a nail-biting 149-146 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. The contest featuring the league’s top two scorers, Beal and Nets star Kevin Durant, promised fireworks—and the frantic finish didn’t disappoint. Beal’s pull-up three-pointer with 8.1 seconds left pulled the Wizards within two at 146-144. AFP

Sports

Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Reuel Vidal, Assistant Editor

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2021

Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets reaches for the ball during the game against the Utah Jazz at the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. AFP

Knott skips final after record stint

By Peter Atencio

FTER posting a new record, new Philippine sprint queen Kristina Knott decide to skip the ﬁnals of the women’s 60-meter and 200-meter run in the Arkansas leg of the World Athletics Silver Tour indoor meet at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville.

The 25-year-old Knott Philippine records set by clocked 7.22 seconds in De Vega, broke her record the second heat of the twice in a row during the 60-meter run to break the KMS Invitational TournaPhilippine national mark ment in Birmingham, Alafor the third time. bama a week ago. With the schedules of the Knott first did it when 60-meter and the 200-meshe topped the first heat ter race close by 16 minin 7.33 seconds, beating utes, Knott deferred from Ashanti Tigner’s 7.76, and joining the finals of events Amanda Lowe (7.81). due to fatigue. In the finals, Knott took “She’s fine. She ran 7.26 the gold with a lower time to break the national record of 7.32 seconds, with Ashagain. She has done so three ley Kelly taking the silver Kristina Knott: Playing times in the past seven days in 7.62 seconds, and Jasthe long game , throw in travel and fatigue, mine Riley settling for the and it’s a bit much after a seven-month lay bronze in 7.67 seconds at the Metrocross off for a weeks’ worth of work,” said Knott’s Plex tracks in Birmingham, Alabama. coach Rohsaan Griffin in an interview with Knott, who could have won the silver if she the Manila Standard after the competitions. competed in the 60-meters, will remain in ArRetired Asian sprint queen Lydia de Vega- kansas, with hopes that she will have another Mercado held the national indoor record of chance to be in the third leg of the World Ath7.37 seconds achieved in Japan 23 years ago. letics Silver Tour indoor meet this Sunday. Knott, who has already shattered three “We are being smart seizing opportu-

Eala jumps to 942nd in world rankings BOOSTED by her breakthrough win in Spain and a strong show in the succeeding tournament, Filipina tennis sensation and Globe Ambassador Alex Eala has entered the top 1,000 of the Women’s Tennis Association rankings. In the latest list released by the WTA, the 15-year-old tennis prodigy is now at the 942nd spot after winning the first leg of the Rafa Nadal Academy International Tennis Federation World Tennis Tour W15 Manacor in Mallorca. Eala was on an incredible seven-game winning run, against higher ranked and much older opponents, through the first and second legs of the ITF tour in Manacor. Eala racked impressive wins against top seed and ITF singles world no. 2 Seone Mendez of Australia; no. 5 seeed Carole Monnet of France and Adithya Karunaratne of Hong Kong to advance to the finals of the opening leg.

Eala, a Globe Ambassador since 2013, bucked an opening set loss to beat Yvonne Cavalle Reimers, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 to become the first Filipina to win an ITF event since 2015. It was also Eala’s first-ever professional women’s singles title. The Rafa Nadal Academy scholar sustained her strong run in the second leg by shocking no. 2 Mirjam Bjorkland of Sweden in the opening round, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. The Filipino tennis sensation, however, ran into 21-year old Swiss netter Ylena In-Albon and lost in straight-sets, 6-0, 6-3, last Friday, to end her winning run in the Manacor. Eala decided to skip the final leg of the Rafa Nadal Academy ITF World Tour and instead will travel to France to compete in a tournament that will start on February 9, 2021 to boost her quest for another title and a chance to further improve her world ranking.

nities and playing the long game. Our focus point is Olympic qualification and this is just one stop of many along the way,” added Griffin. In the finals, Mikia Brisco, who ruled the first heat, took the top honors after clocking 7.17 seconds. Hannah Cunliffe, who qualified in the second heat with Knott, settled for the silver in 7.26 seconds, with Caitland Smith nearby at 7.28 seconds. “Not sure yet we have an opportunity to return to the American Track League next week. But might take the week off from competition just to let her recoup from the travel,” said Griffin. With Knott absent, Shaunae Miller-Uibo took the gold in the women’s 200-meter run in record-breaking fashion. Miller-Uibo, who is likely to run the 200m at the Olympics in Tokyo this summer, won in a world-leading and personal best 22.40, according to reports on the official website. Miller-Uibo’s time was better than 400m hurdler Shamier Little, who clocked a solid 23.40 for second place. Miller-Uibo’s time is a Bahamian national record, which also tied tied the course record set by Bianca Knight in 2008. It was just 0.07s off the American record set by Gwen Torrence in 1996.

Alex Eala now in Top 1,000

Serena in zone with straight-sets triumph MELBOURNE—An aggressive Serena Williams stepped up preparations for another tilt at a 24th Grand Slam title with a straight-sets victory over home hope Daria Gavrilova in the Yarra Valley Classic Monday. The 39-year-old appeared physically strong and in control en route to a comfortable 6-1, 6-4 win in 94 minutes as she counts down to the Australian Open next week. “I felt that I was composed and in the zone. Just trying to do the things that I’ve been working on,” she said in an on-court interview. Williams started sluggishly, losing the first three points on serve, before quickly overpowering the Australian, who had opened the tournament impressively over Viktoria Kuzmova of Slovakia. Gavrilova, ranked 451, was overmatched against her idol but used her speed around the court to make Williams work harder in a more competitive second set. The American, though, had all the answers and it was a sharp performance from Williams, who lifted the intensity in her second match back on the circuit after defeating world number three Naomi Osaka in an exhibition in Adelaide on Friday. Williams, looking to get matches under her belt before embarking on another bid for a record-equalling 24th major singles title, will next play Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria in the round of 16. Earlier, teenage sensation Coco Gauff showed only glimpses of the form that fuelled her dazzling run at last year’s Australian Open during a gruelling three-sets victory over Jil Teichmann at the Gippsland Trophy. The 16-year-old overcame a midmatch stutter to win 6-3, 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 (7/5) in two hours and 45 minutes. “All the training I did in the off-season meant I was able to go through three tough sets and not get tired,” she said. The American was one of the stories of Melbourne last year, where she upset reigning champion Osaka in straight sets in the third round. AFP

Sawada plans to break Catalan mentally at ONE: UNBREAKABLE III

Robin Catalan

ONE Warrior Series contract winner Ryuto “Dragon Boy” Sawada is looking to put on a mental beatdown of opponent Robin “The Ilonggo” Catalan when the two strawweights step back into the Circle. Sawada and Catalan are set to lock horns at ONE: UNBREAKABLE III, a previously recorded event at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore scheduled for global broadcast this Friday, February 5. The Japanese stalwart based out of Evolve MMA in Singapore predicts he can break Catalan’s mind before finishing him inside the distance. “For me, fighting is both physical and mental. You need a strong mind, as well as a strong body. I think he’s the type to get in his own head if he ends up in a bad position. I’ll try to use that to my advantage,” Sawada said.

“I trained hard for this fight, so when I step inside the Circle, I’m ready to give a good performance. I’ll go aggressively from the beginning, and finish the fight in the second or third round.” Sawada is a winner of four of his last five contests. He got his start in ONE Championship via Rich Franklin’s ONE Warrior Series reality martial arts travel series. Catalan, on the other hand, has won three of his last five, and has been competing in ONE Championship since 2016. “Dragon Boy” has nothing but respect for Catalan, but at the same time, is still confident he has what it takes to dispatch the 30-year-old Filipino mixed martial arts veteran. “I think he’s someone that is both capable of striking as well as grappling. He definitely has the ability to finish the fight on his

feet or on the ground. I respect all of my opponents. We’ve all been through different journeys to get to this point,” Sawada said. ONE Championship’s ONE: UNBREAKABLE III once again hosts a series of compelling bouts featuring the world’s best martial artists. In the main event, former ONE Atomweight Kickboxing and Muay Thai World Champion Stamp Fairtex continues on her quest for a historic third world title. She puts her unblemished professional MMA record on the line against Ukrainian grappler Alyona Rassohyna. Sawada and Catalan are set to do battle on the main card. After dealing with the lockdowns and restrictions of COVID-19 which have affected his training and preparations, Sawada is relieved to be able to step back inside the Circle to compete.

Sports

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2021

MLB proposes shorter, later season over COVID-19 woes

ZUMBA ALLOWED IN CAVITE. Zumba sessions are now allowed at the Long Beach Resort in Brgy. San Rafael 4 Noveleta, Cavite every Friday morning from 6 to 7:30 a.m. The Provincial Government and Local Governments Units of 7 cities and 16 towns in Cavite have allowed Zumba outdoor activities as the province remained in a Moderate General Community Quarantine for a fifth straight month since September 2020. Dennis Abrina

Virus a big concern for stars in Olympics

ELBOURNE—Japanese sensation Naomi Osaka, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal said Sunday they remain keen to compete in the delayed Tokyo Olympics, and would be guided by what the health experts tell them. Organizers are still adamant the Olympics can be held safely even if the coronavirus is not under control by the time the flame is lit on July 23. Three-time Grand Slam champion Osaka dmitted being worried by a recent poll that found 80 percent of the Japanese public were opposed to Tokyo hosting the event this year because of the pandemic. Large parts of Japan are currently under a state of emergency to tackle a spike in coronavirus cases, with borders closed to almost all foreigners. “My concern would be the general safety of everyone else because you’re

opening the country,” Osaka said. “Everyone is flying in from different places. I would just want the public to feel safe.” The 23-year-old has been the poster girl of the 2020 Olympics and still hopes to represent Japan at her home Games. “I will stay in my room for two weeks to play the Olympics,” said Osaka, who lives in Florida. “I missed out on the last one. Playing in Tokyo would be very special to me.” World number two Rafael Nadal echoed Osaka’s sentiments and hoped to play, but said health experts should have the final say.

“What we have to do is just follow the instructions of what the people who really have the right knowledge of all this stuff give to us,” he told reporters on Sunday. The Spaniard said mandatory quarantine ahead of the Olympics would be hard to squeeze into the congested tour schedule. “Combining our tour with another 15 days of quarantine to play Olympics,” he said. “It looks difficult to fix it in our calendar.” World number one Djokovic has played in three Olympics, winning a bronze at the 2008 Beijing Games, calling it “the greatest honour” to represent Serbia at “the oldest and most traditional event in the history of sport”. He too is keen to be in Tokyo. “I am personally planning to go for the Olympic Games. I’m really hoping that the Olympics will happen,” he said.

“It’s going to be a lot of people obviously. Far more than a tennis tournament. It’s obviously not up to me to talk about organization or what can be done, should be done, what will be done.” World number nine Petra Kvitova, who won bronze in the women’s singles in Rio, described the Olympics as a “fifth Grand Slam”. “I hope that the Olympics really will happen, for sure,” she said. “For me, the Olympic Games is very important.” Second-ranked Simona Halep, who competed at the 2012 London Games but skipped Rio in 2016 due to concerns over the Zika virus, said vying for her first Olympic medal was her top priority this year. “The main goal is a medal at the Olympics, to go there and be able to compete at the highest level,” she told the WTA website. AFP

Messi shows worth, but Suarez double stretches Atletico lead MADRID—Lionel Messi underlined his worth to Barcelona by scoring a sensational free-kick on Sunday but Atletico Madrid are in charge of La Liga after beating Cadiz to stand 10 points clear at the top of the table. Messi’s stunning effort in a 2-1 win over Athletic Bilbao had been matched by the Argentinian’s friend and former teammate Luis Suarez, who earlier curled in a superb free-kick of his own in Atletico’s 4-2 victory over Cadiz. Atletico end the weekend even further ahead after Real Madrid’s defeat by Levante on Saturday, which means Zinedine Zidane’s side are now level with Barca on points, both of them struggling to keep pace in the title race. “Every game is an important step towards reaching the goal we set ourselves at the start of the season,” said Diego Simeone. “We have to keep pushing each other.” Barca’s win at least maintains their momentum while Messi’s 650th club goal may have carried extra satisfaction for the Argentinian, who had the details of his contract published in the Spanish newspaper El Mundo on Saturday night. El Mundo claimed the deal signed by Messi in 2017 shows he could earn up to 555 million euros over its four years, describing it as “the colossal contract that

ruined Barcelona”. “Someone has done it with bad intentions to cause problems,” said Ronald Koeman. “You have to respect a player who has given so much to Spanish football and to this club. I didn’t have any doubts that it wouldn’t affect him on the pitch.” Few can argue with Messi’s contribution in that regard, with the 33-year-old showing against Bilbao why the club have gone to such lengths to keep him. Bilbao briefly drew level through a Jordi Alba own-goal early in the second half but Antoine Griezmann’s strike secured Barca their third consecutive victory, with Ousmane Dembele and Frenkie de Jong both impressive again. Asked what Messi worth is to the team, Griezmann said: “What a question, we are enjoying him, he is a legend. I hope we can keep enjoying him for many more years.” Suarez haunts Barca But Barcelona continue to be haunted by the spectre of Suarez, whose tremendous free-kick and then a penalty helped Atletico push their advantage into double figures. While Messi’s free-kick was closer and bent perfectly into the top right-hand corner, Suarez’s shot was further out and hit harder, a fizzing effort that curled into the

Athletic Bilbao’s Spanish defender Inigo Lekue (right) challenges Barcelona’s Argentinian forward Lionel Messi during the Spanish league football match FC Barcelona against Athletic Club Bilbao at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona. AFP

left side of the net. “The other day they were practising free-kicks,” said Simeone. “I told him we had not seen him score many goals from free-kicks so that’s why I smiled when I saw him score this one.” “After spending so long at Barca with Messi, it was difficult,” added Suarez. He was the driving force again, his two goals making it nine in his last eight

games and 14 now for the season. His goals and assists have now earned Atletico 12 extra points in the league, with Barcelona’s decision to let him leave, especially for title rivals, seeming more misjudged by the week. It could get even worse for them and Real Madrid, given Simeone’s side still have a game in hand over each of them. AFP

LOS ANGELES—Major League Baseball has proposed postponing the start of the 2021 season and reducing the number of games, ESPN and other US media outlets reported Sunday. The proposed plan put to the MLB Players Association on Friday would have the schedule shortened from 162 regular season games for each team to 154, but an expanded playoffs would see players receive all of their scheduled compensation. ESPN reported that players were considering the plan, with MLB having asked for a response by Monday. Under the proposal, Opening Day would be pushed back from April 1 to April 28 and Spring Training, now set to begin in mid-February, would start on March 22. USA Today reported that MLB commissioner Rob Manfred would retain authority to suspend the season for health reasons. Citing league sources, ESPN reported that MLB made the proposal based on recommendations from health experts in the hope that the season would start when coronavirus cases in the United States have tapered off. MLB had already suggested starting the season a month later than usual, but didn’t want to extend the season into November and didn’t want to pay players for games lost in a shortened season. The Cactus League, in which major league teams play exhibition games in Arizona, this week asked MLB to delay the start of Spring Training amid ongoing coronavirus concerns. Officials hope as cases decline and vaccinations increase, more fans would be able to attend both exhibition and regular-season games. Player concerns about a delay reportedly include worries that a compressed season could lead to injuries and concern that any clause giving Manfred the ability to suspend play would mean a minimum number of games isn’t guaranteed. AFP

SBP chief, MILO execs grace Forum THE Philippine Sportswriters Association webcast Forum will tackle basketball and physical activities for kids to welcome the month of February on Tuesday. Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas President Al S. Panlilio appears in the session for the first time as he talks about Gilas Pilipinas’ campaign in the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers and the special Gilas-PBA draft The first part of the Forum meanwhile, will have MILO Sports Executive Luigi Pumaren and MILO Ambassadress Alyssa Valdez join Department of Education Undersecretary Tonisito Umali to announce the new venture to be undertaken by the government agency with the country’s no. 1 nutritional drink. During the 10:00 a.m. public sports program, DepEd and MILO will discuss the new program that aims to promote exercise for kids undergoing homebased learning. Powered by Smart, the weekly session is presented by San Miguel Corp., Go For Gold, MILO, Amelie Hotel Manila, Braska Restaurant, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation. With Upstream Media as webcast partner, the Forum is livestreamed via the PSA Facebook page fb.com/ PhilippineSportswritersAssociation and also shared by Radyo Pilipinas 2 Facebook page.

Kittens, puppies: bizarre tennis quarantine requests MELBOURN—Tennis players forced into 14 days of coronavirus quarantine ahead of the Australian Open made some bizarre requests to get through their ordeal, including asking for kittens and puppies in their rooms. Tournament chief Craig Tiley spent months organising bringing more than 1,000 players and support staff safely into the country and revealed that some oddball requests had added to the complicated logistics, without naming the players who made them.

“The most bizarre request was for a kitten in the lockdown room, and that wasn’t once, that was several times,” Tiley told broadcaster ABC. “But then we explained that actually there is a correlation between the coronavirus and kittens and that kind of request went away. “Puppies. There had been some (requests) for dogs—and someone was joking about getting animals indigenous to Australia in there as well. “There were a few times I wouldn’t mind putting

a boxing kangaroo in there,” Tiley joked. Players, coaches and officials arrived on 17 charter flights last month, with most allowed out for just five hours of daily supervised training. But eight positive Covid-19 cases threw preparations into disarray with 72 players confined to their Melbourne hotel rooms 24 hours a day, sparking complaints about the tough conditions. Tiley admitted that putting on the Grand Slam during a pandemic had put him under huge pressure, but said

the positives outweighed the negatives. “Some people have accused us of being dogheaded about it, but we would not do it if it was not safe, that’s for sure,” he said. Tiley added that being able to showcase tennis, and Melbourne, to the world while welcoming fans back to watch was “too great an opportunity to pass up”. Daily crowds of between 25,000 and 30,000 will be permitted to watch the Australian Open, which begins on February 8. AFP

Entertainment

Nickie Wang, Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2021

Kapamilya bags 5th Platinum Award from Reader’s Digest ONCE again, thousands of Filipinos ranked ABS-CBN Network as one of the most trusted brands in the country. The media company wins its fifth consecutive Platinum Brand Award at the prestigious Reader’s Digest Trusted Brands 2020. In a survey commissioned by Reader’s Digest, consumers ranked the network highly in terms of trustworthiness, credibility, quality, value, understanding of consumer needs, innovation, and social responsibility.

In the virtual awarding ceremony posted on the international magazine’s website on Thursday (Jan. 28), ABSCBN Integrated Marketing and Consumer Experience head Cookie Bartolome said that the award serves as a reminder for the company to continue giving its best service to Filipinos. “This award also serves both as a reminder and an inspiration of how at all times we should give our best and most meaningful service to inspire and uplift Filipinos wherever they

may be,” Bartolome said. Meanwhile, Vice Ganda also earned consumers’ trust again for spreading happiness and inspiration to thousands of viewers through the ABS-CBN noontime show It’s Showtime. The host was hailed as Most Trusted Entertainment/Variety Presenter. “I am so grateful that you appreciate my work as an entertainer. God bless you guys,” Vice said after winning the award for the second straight time.

‘It’s Showtime’ host Vice Ganda is hailed as Most Trusted Entertainment/ Variety Presenter at the prestigious Reader’s Digest Trusted Brands 2020.

Celebrity athlete

GRETCHEN HO

Tarlac’s week-long Kaisa Festival is celebrated this year as a one-hour TV special.

Tarlac’s ‘Kaisa Festival’ mounted as TV special GMA Regional TV partnered with the City Government of Tarlac to broadcast the Kaisa Festival TV Special last Sunday, Jan. 31, on its various regional channels across the Philippines. The festival is a week-long event held every January to commemorate Tarlac’s rich history and culture. With the restrictions and health protocols being implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the City Government of Tarlac mounted this year’s Kaisa Festival as a one-hour TV special. In partnership with GMA Regional TV, the Kaisa Festival TV Special aired on the regional channels via GMA Dagupan, GMA Ilocos, GMA Bicol, GMA Cebu, GMA Iloilo, GMA Bacolod, GMA Davao, GMA CdeO, and GMA GenSan—enabling Tarlaqueños to celebrate from the comforts of their homes and, at the same time, allowing more Filipinos all over the country to appreciate the local festival. “While the current pandemic has restricted us from staging mass gatherings and other activities such as festivals, this has not deterred GMA Regional TV from our commitment to bring important occasions closer to our Kapuso in the regions,” shared GMA Regional TV and Synergy First Vice President and Head Oliver Victor Amoroso. “We are honored to partner with the City Government of Tarlac to broadcast the Kaisa Festival TV Special via our regional stations strategically located across the Philippines. We look forward to giving our local viewers more reasons to celebrate our history and culture in this time of the pandemic,” he added. The “Kaisa Festival TV Special” aims to recognize the Tarlaqueños’ deep desire to unite in creating a progressive and peaceful future for all. It will highlight the Tarlaqueños wisdom and talent through the previous year’s various festival activities that provided entertainment to the public.

V host and former volleyball player Gretchen Ho is the newest face to join TV5’s growing roster of artists. The network and Cignal TV made the announcement in a virtual event last week. Feb. 1 marked Gretchen’s TV comeback as she co-anchors The Big Story with Roby Alampay from Monday to Friday at 8:00 p.m. on One News. She will also be joining TV5’s primetime newscast Frontline Pilipinas. “As we continue to strengthen our image as an innovator and as a network that is open to the best talents in the industry, we know that Gretchen Ho is a perfect fit to embody our vision of reaching out to a wider audience across various platforms,” said Robert P. Galang, CEO and President of Cignal and TV5. “She has noteworthy influence among the youth as a wellknown TV personality, and her advocacies have also extended her goodwill to underprivileged Filipinos. We are honored to introduce the multitalented and multifaceted WOMAN IN ACTION. Gretchen Ho produces and stars in ‘Woman in Action,’ the TV counterpart of her current advocacy of the same name, launching on Cignal TV’s One News and One PH soon.

Janine Gutierrez reveals plans as she moves to rival camp

AFTER being with GMA for a decade, Janine Gutierrez has recently moved to ABS-CBN where she inked an exclusive contract. She will be part of the Sunday musical variety show “ASAP Natin ‘To” and is set to do a film for Star Cinema. Among her memorable shows with the Kapuso network are Dragon Lady, Villa Quintana, Legally Blind, Little Nanay, My Beloved, Victor Magtanggol, Dangwa, Encantadia, Once Again, Sherlock, Jr., and More Than Words. With this new chapter in her career, the actress is delighted. This she expressed in her recent Twitter post which read: “Good morning everyone! Just want to say thank you. I’m so happy and grateful for all

Janine Gutierrez stars opposite Paulo Avelino in her first film in ABS-CBN.

joins TV5

your support, tweets, and comments. This early, I’m so thrilled and I want to extend my gratitude to all of you! (heart emoji) Yay!” When officially interviewed by ABS-CBN News, Janine just couldn’t hold her excitement over this new development in her professional life. “I really am excited to be a Kapamilya! I’m excited to work with its actors and directors. I’m truly looking forward to this New Year and I’m in a new home. It’s definitely a fresh start and I’m so thankful to ABSCBN,” she said. Meanwhile, in a separate interview, Paulo Avelino announced that he is the latest Kapamilya who will star opposite Janine in the upcoming Star Cinema potboiler Ngayon Kaya. “I myself was shocked when he announced it. But at the same time, I’m just excited to work with Paulo,” Janine exclaimed. Before she moved to ABS-CBN, Janine had won acting accolades for her performance in the movie Babae at Baril. She bagged Best Actress trophies from the Gawad Urian and FAMAS Awards. *** Kelvin Miranda admits that there is pressure on his part now that he’s being tagged as the next Alden Richards. Home network GMA-7 is launching him as a major lead in the new teleserye The Lost Recipe. “Actually, I have mixed emotions when it comes to said tag,” he avers. “Of course, it makes me happy to get compared to someone who’s a good actor and very popular. But at the back of it, I also feel nervous because it’s Alden Richards. He’s on a league of his own. People’s expectations can be so high.” But this doesn’t mean though that he’s retreating from the challenge. “I’m not the type who will step back. In fact, I’m glad that people are taking notice of me at present. There is pressure, yes but I know it is part of my journey. There are still a lot of things that I have to learn and undergo in the ‘biz.” In The Lost Recipe, Kelvin is paired with Mikee Quintos. “She’s lovable! I admire her for her dedication to her craft,” ended Kelvin.

‘Woman in Action’ as the newest member of our growing Cignal TV and TV5 family,” Galang added. Gretchen also brings a lot of heart and a spirit of giving and service as she produces and stars in Woman in Action, the TV counterpart of her current advocacy of the same name, launching on Cignal TV’s One News and One PH soon. “Woman in Action” was launched in April last year and has become Gretchen’s own brand and online platform. Driven by an active lifestyle of discovery through sports, adventure, and public service, Gretchen represents a new generation of bright young talents who are using their platform to elevate causes bigger than themselves. Her advocacy efforts have helped those struggling to go to work during the height of the lockdown and have opened the public’s consciousness on the benefits of biking in the country through her “Donate A Bike, Save A Job” campaign. The #DonateABikeSaveAJob movement has provided hundreds of bicycles to the most vulnerable during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines. Aside from bringing livelihood to people affected by the pandemic, beneficiaries from this campaign also included Typhoon Rolly victims in Cagayan Valley and the metro and coastal areas of Naga, Camarines Sur.

Beauty queens among most influential personalities of 2020

Fashion designer Arielle Agasang gives a preview of his 2021 collection that he will present to the public this summer. “ARIELLE Agasang Ako ay Filipino: A Filipino Fashion Charity Gala and Tribute to the Most Influential Personalities of the Year 2020’-2021,” a benefit fashion show and media conference was held at 500 Shaw Zentrum Pavilion on Thursday, streamed live, and hosted by actor Lance Raymundo and beauty king Jearu Ed Magbuhat. The Fashion Charity Gala, presented by Agasang A1 Entertainment Productions, headed by world class fashion designer Arielle Agasang, was organized as a way of recognizing and honoring exceptional Filipinos who have raised the bar in their respective fields, for their outstanding contributions in aiding the country, especially, during the onslaught of COVID-19, and for inspiring other people thru their hard work, success, popularity, and patriotism. The inaugural fashion event, originally set in June last year but was postponed due to the pandemic, was for the benefit of the reconstruction of the Our Lady of Assumption Parish in Lavezares, Northern Samar. “I want to thank everyone for coming to the show, the pride of the country, our generous philanthropists, as well as the members of the media. I’m happy, that after a long wait, the Arielle Agasang gala show which was supposed to be held last year, finally, will be held on April 24 at the Manila Hotel,” Agasang said during the show. The “Ako ay Filipino” Most Influential Personalities of 20202021 awardees, coming from the different sectors, in politics, business, sports, arts, entertainment, and diplomatic community, were chosen by a special selection committee. They included,

among others, Senators Bong Go, Cynthia Villar, Manny Pacquiao, Panfilo Lacson, Imee Marcos and Grace Poe; Representative Lucy-Torres-Gomez, Mayors Joy Belmonte, Vico Sotto, Isko Moreno, Edwin Olivarez, Richard Gomez, Edito Saludaga, and Benjamin Magalong; actors Lorna Tolentino, Angel Locsin, and Alden Richards; and international beauty queens Gloria Diaz, Megan Young, and Gemma Cruz. Before the awards presentation, the Arielle Agasang original high fashion collection was showcased, a virtual preview of the Arielle Agasang Grand Fashion Show to be held on April 24, 2021 at the Centennial Ballroom Manila Hotel. At the end of the charity fashion event, selected members of the press were also given awards recognition, namely, Entertainment columnist Aster Amoyo, Manila Bulletin’s Robert Requintana, Daily Tribune’s Gilbert Kim Sancha, OPMB Worldwide’s Noli Berioso, Philippine Star’s Celso Caparas, Malaya’s Jay Patao, and Manila Standard’s Eton Concepcion.

Life

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

HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2021

Virgin coconut oil in capsule

ENCAPSULATED. A local toll manufacturer packs the goodness of virgin coconut oil in a capsule, eliminating the aftertaste that comes when taking liquid VCO.

By Bernadette Lunas

IRGIN coconut oil (VCO) is good for the health. Several studies revealed its antiviral, antifungal, and antibacterial properties. In fact, this oil is so good that a recent study by the Department of Science and Technology Food and Nutrition Research Institute found it effective in easing symptoms of suspected COVID-19 patients. “VCO could be used as an adjunct supplement to probable and suspect COVID-19 cases,” DOST Secretary Fortunato dela Peña earlier said in a briefing on the results of the VCO study conducted at two isolation facilities in Santa Rosa, Laguna. The study sought to evaluate the beneficial effects of VCO among suspect and probable cases of COVID-19. The 28-day study involved 57 patients—29 patients were given standardized meals mixed with VCO, while the other 28 became the control group and received no VCO doses. On the second day of the trial, five patients already experienced decreasing signs and symptoms of COVID-19. By day 18, all patients in the VCO group were free of any symptoms. Researchers, however, clarified VCO should not be used as a COVID-19 medication, but an adjunct sup-

Dr. Edmundo Lalusis, president and chief executive of Growrich Manufacturing, Inc.

plement taken in combination with other treatments. Prior to the discovery that VCO can ease symptoms of the infectious disease currently plaguing the world, it is known for increasing good cholesterol (HDL) which helps reduce risk of heart disease, boosting heart health, encouraging fat burn, killing harmful pathogens, and improving appearance

of skin and hair (acting as moisturizer as well as sunscreen, studies show). It is good for the health, but the question is, can you take the oil as is everyday? Others find it easy to swallow a tablespoon of the original form of the oil, but others experience difficulty in ingesting its liquid form due to its taste or texture. Coconut oil, when exposed to air tends to become rancid. The oil solidifying in low temperature is another challenge— imagine biting into a hardened oil. To make it easier to get the benefits of VCO, Growrich Manufacturing, Inc., a toll manufacturing company for the food and pharmaceutical industry, launches the first capsule form of VCO. Growrich Virgin Coconut Oil Capsules, the first of its kind approved by the Food and Drugs Administration, are made with pure virgin coconut oil extracted from fresh coconut meat by natural means (grated and dried for two hours at below 40-degree Celsius) to ensure the oil is free of chemicals without subjecting it to heat. “Our breakthrough product will make it easier for people to take virgin coconut oil and enjoy its health benefits,” said Dr. Ed Lalusis, president and chief executive of Growrich Manufacturing, Inc. The capsule form, according to Dr. Lalusis, also eliminates the aftertaste that comes when taking liquid VCO. The recommended dosage is one to two capsules per day, taken with meals. It’s available at Mercury Drug, Watsons, and Southstar Drugstore for P11.50 per capsule.

Environmentally conscious food choices By Teddy S. Manansala, RND EVERY food that we eat does not only directly affect our bodies, it also has a direct impact on our environment. Every aspect that forms part of our breakfast, lunch, dinner, and those snacks in between can be good or bad for the world we live in. A diet that cares for both health and environment is called “sustainable diet.” Sustainable diet refers to what a person consumes that leads to good nutritional status and long-term good health, but likewise has low environmental impact. Nutritional and lifestyle guidelines must include those from a variety of food sources that are nutrient-dense, help maintain energy balance, and prevent noncommunicable diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and cancer. Making dietary changes is a good start to reduce environmental impact. Here are some health and environmentally conscious food choices: Plant-based diet – Fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of dietary fiber and phytochemicals. Other sources may include potatoes and root crops, rice and whole grains, cereals and nuts. Nuts are a great sustainable plant-based food choice as they have the lowest carbon emission among food groups. Fresh produce and semi-processed food – Selections that require no further cooking, like fresh vegetables and fruits, not only conserve food nutrients, but also reduce energy consumption.

The nuts in your cereal have the lowest carbon emission among food groups.

Organically grown ingredients – Food made with organically grown ingredients tend to have low carbon emissions and are free from chemical contaminants. White sources – This includes seafood and “white meat” such as poultry. Some plant-based white alternatives include tofu, lentils, beans, tempeh, and Quorn. Zero-food waste – Another easy way to care for the environment is by recycling and upcycling leftovers. Hence, it’s vital to properly store them to ensure they don’t end up in the garbage. Planning meals ahead is another way to lessen food waste.

Fresh fruits and vegetables that require no further cooking conserve food nutrients and reduce energy consumption. White foods such as seafood, poultry, and tofu are also good for the health.

iPhoto

Philippines wins Earth Camp photo contest

On top of its antiviral, antifungal, and antibacterial properties and heart health benefits, virgin coconut oil has been found effective in easing symptoms of suspected COVID-19 patients.

THE Philippine office of the International Labor Organization (ILO) was proclaimed winner of the Earth Camp Photo Contest in Japan via a virtual awarding ceremony on Jan. 31. The contest gathered photos from around the world that capture scenes of international cooperation. ILO Philippines was recognized for its submission, which features the ILO-Japan Water and Sanitation Project, in South Upi, Maguindanao. The representative of ILO Japan accepted the award on behalf of ILO Philippines during the ceremony. ILO Philippines country director Khalid Hassan says the photo depicts a message of hope as communities now have their water system amid the COVID-19, poverty, climate change, and conflict. “It shows how decent work can contribute to fulfill basic human rights in fragile communities and build peace.” According to Hassan, the project hired community members as contractors and provided skills training.