Manila Standard - 2021 March 18 - Thursday by Manila Standard

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PH bars entry of foreigners Also restricts returning Filipinos amid ‘serious surge’ in infections By Willie Casas and Joel E. Zurbano

HE Philippines will close its border to foreigners anew and restrict the number of Filipinos entering the country starting this Saturday, as authorities battle to contain a spike in coronavirus infections.

This developed as the transmission of ation as a “serious surge” in infections. COVID-19 in Metro Manila has recentThe group, made up of university proly reached its highest level since May fessors, noted that the National Capital last year, the OCTA Research Group Region—which accounts for a tenth of said on Wednesday, describing the situNext page

VOL. XXXV • NO. 36 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 • THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

EU regulators: AstraZeneca’s gains outdo risk By Willie Casas and Rey E. Requejo THE European Union’s medicines regulator said Tuesday it was “firmly convinced” the benefits of AstraZeneca’s vaccine outweigh potential risks, insisting there was no evidence linking it to blood clots after several nations suspended the shot over health fears. The suspensions have provoked intense debate over whether it was Next page

COVID-19 PH AT A GLANCE

(AS OF 4 PM MARCH 17)

PUSH-UPS AND ‘PASAWAY’. Some of about 60 residents

635,698

who violated the unified curfew hours and minimum health protocols were made to do push-ups at a covered court in Barangay 228, Tondo, Manila on Wednesday midnight. Meanwhile, those caught violating the curfew in Dasmarinas, Cavite (inset) are made to wear IDs with ‘ako ay pasaway’ (I am hardheaded) before they are sent home. Norman Cruz and JR Josue

TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES

4,387 61,733 NEW

ACTIVE

12,866

561,099

374

DEATHS

RECOVERIES

Minors allowed domestic travel, but with families

NEW

Groups seeks SC probe on judge being red-tagged

By Joel E. Zurbano and Maricel V. Cruz

By Rey E. Requejo, Rio N. Araja and Maricel V. Cruz THE Supreme Court has been asked to investigate the red-tagging of a Mandaluyong City judge who earlier dismissed the case filed against Manila Today editor Lady Ann Salem. The Public Interest Law Center (PILC) asked the Court to take action against the red-tagging of Judge MoNext page

RISING NUMBERS. Department of Health data based on the Google COVID-19 Community Mobility Trends shows that with an increase in mobility of people in the country starting December, an upward trend in cases is seen.

THE spokesperson of the National Task Force Against COVID-19 clarified Wednesday that minors were allowed to travel domestically with their families, contrary to his earlier announcement, amid a surge in new infections. Ret. Gen. Restituto Padilla said earlier Wednesday that only those aged 18 to 65 would be allowed to travel, in efforts to curb a recent surge in coronavirus infections. But hours after his announcement, Padilla said, “I stand corrected.” Next page

6 Asians killed in Atlanta shooting Guiuan marks ATLANTA—Six Asian women were among eight people shot and killed at spas around the US city of Atlanta, raising fears Wednesday that it might be the most violent chapter yet in a wave of attacks on Asian-Americans. A white man is in custody on suspicion of staging all three attacks, police

said as a Georgia state Democratic party leader suggested the attack matched “a pattern” of violence on Asian-Americans during the pandemic. Four of the victims were killed at Young’s Asian Massage near Acworth, a suburb of Georgia state capital Atlanta, the Atlanta Journal-Con-

500 years of Cross arrival By Ronald O. Reyes

GUIUAN, Eastern Samar—Filipino and Spanish officials are looking forward to yet another 500 years of strong collaboration in the Christian faith and other areas to strengthen bilateral cooperation as Manila and MaNext page

FOR YEAR 500. Fr. Neil Tenefrencia celebrates mass on Homonhon Island in Eastern Samar on Wednesday to mark the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Ferdinand Magellan and Christianity in the country. Alren Beronio/ABS-CBN

FVR at 93 is still sharp, keeps abreast of news By Ben Cal SHOOTING TRAGEDY. A handout booking photo released

by the Crisp County Sheriff’s Office on March 16 shows 21-yearold shooting suspect Robert Aaron Long (inset) as eight people were killed in shootings at three different spas in the US state of Georgia. AFP

FORMER President Fidel V. Ramos turns 93 today with an exclusive birthday celebration with his family due to the coronavirus pandemic, which hit the one year mark this

week in the Philippines with Cely Dimaculangan, Ramos’ spokesperson, said the former military and defense chief had been in self quarantine since the deadly coronavirus hit Philippine shores from Wuhan, China.

Ramos, born in Asingan, Pangasinan to Narciso Ramos, who served the Marcos administration as Foreign Secretary, and the former Angela Marcos Valdez, first cousin of Mariano Marcos, father of Ferdinand

News

THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Rody to visit Region 8, talk to poor By Maricel V. Cruz

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte is scheduled to visit today (March 18) Region 8, one of the poorest regions in the country, for the second leg of nationwide meetings with the local chief executives and to lead the implementation of Barangay Development Program in the Visayas.

massacre and internal purging in Leyte. “Region 8 has historically been one of the poorest regions in the Philippines. One of the major contributory factors to this is the destructive and counterproductive presence of the NPA,” Esperon said. Citing data from the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), Esperon said that the poverty incidence in Region 8 was at 42.6 percent. “This alarming double-digit poverty incidence is indicative of the dire economic situation experience in Region 8, especially in Samar. This historical data set illustrates the gravity of the situation in the region, particularly the World Bank estimates the national poverty rate in the Philippines to be at 19.8 percent in 2020,” Esperon said. The official added that taking into

consideration of the deplorable poverty rate, it is ideally suitable for the Region 8 to be recipient of the NTF-ELCAC’s development programs through BDP and other projects. Esperon also said that BDP envisioned the insurgency-free communities through influx of social-economic development programs. The P20 million will be earmarked to farm-to-market road (P12 million); school buildings (P3 million); water and sanitation systems (P2million); electrification (P1.5 million) and health sanitation (P1.5 million). These programs are aimed at addressing issues that the CPP-NPA utilize in their propaganda and recruitment, such as poverty, isolation, disease, hunger and lack of educational and livelihood opportunities.

Duterte, also the chairman of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), will grace the implementation of the BDP where barangays cleared of New People’s Army (NPA) threat and influence will be getting P20 million each that can be used for several projects. A total 200 barangays in Region 8 are expected from the NTF-ELCAC’s flagship program this 2021. For this year,

about P16.4 billion was allocated by the Duterte administration for the 822 barangays under the BDP, NTF-ELCAC said. In a statement made available to Congress reporters, National Security Adviser and NTF-ELCAC vice chairman Hermogenes Esperon said the President would be visiting Region 8 to emphasize the government’s longstanding commitment to bring justice to the families of those killed by communist rebels during the Inopacan

EU... From A1

House body OKs bill to pay taxes easier

prudent to put AstraZeneca inoculations on hold just as vaccination campaigns were beginning to gather pace. Experts at both the World Health Organization and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) met Tuesday to discuss the vaccine, with the European organization expected to publish conclusions Thursday. While millions of doses of the vaccine developed with Oxford University have been administered, small numbers of people have developed blood clots, prompting countries including the EU’s three largest nations -- Germany, France and Italy -- to suspend injections. The EMA insisted that countries should continue using the vaccine. “We are still firmly convinced that the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine in preventing Covid-19 with its associated risk of hospitalization and death outweigh the risk of these side effects,” EMA chief Emer Cooke said Tuesday. Cooke noted however that the regulator was “looking at adverse events associated with all vaccines.” France and Italy welcomed the news. The preliminary statements from the EMA “are encouraging,” read a joint statement from French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi. French Prime Minister Jean Castex vowed he would be vaccinated “very quickly” with the AstraZeneca vaccine to give the public confidence in the jab if it is ruled as safe by the EU medicines agency. Castex also said that new restrictions could be put in place for the Paris region, such as the weekend lockdowns already imposed in the Nice and Calais regions. “We are in a worrying and critical situation and, clearly, measures of the type that have been used in other parts of the territory are on the table,” he told BFM TV in a live interview. In Britain, which has administered more than 11 million AstraZeneca doses, experts see no evidence of more frequent blood clots among the inoculated. Prime Minister Boris Johnson wrote in The Times newspaper that the shot “is safe and works extremely well.” One British scientist argues that COVID-19 itself -- and not the vaccine -- could be to blame, as it was known to cause such problems. With AFP

Guiuan... From A1 drid started marking Tuesday the quincentennial celebration of the arrival of the Cross in this town facing the Pacific Ocean. “We commemorate the arrival, the discovery – not of the country, not of the

FVR... From A1 Marcos, of Ilocos Norte. According to Dimaculangan, “The ex-president spends most of his time with his family now. As his exercise he walks around the garden every morning to have sunlight. “In addition he reads books and newspapers, watches television, and listens to the radio to keep him abreast of the latest news day in and day out. That is his routine.” Dimaculangan added “what is amazing about FVR is that he has retained his memory in perfect con-

Senate: Dito has complied with commitments By Macon Ramos-Araneta AMID questions over the control of its franchise, DITO Telecommunity Corp. had complied with the commitments it promised to deliver, said Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel “Migz” F. Zubiri and Sen. Grace Poe, chairperson of the Committee on Public Services on Wednesday. “We had several committee hearings and discussions on this issue and Sen. Grace said we want to see your commitments,” related Zubiri to DITO officials. “And they have complied. Even the National Telecommunications Commission and a third-party non-government organization had conducted an accounting of their actions,” Zubiri said during the interpellation on House Bill No. 7332, which seeks to renew the franchise of DITO for another 25 years. Poe noted that DITO, previously called Mindanao Islamic Telephone Company, Inc. (Mislatel), was able to fulfill its commitment to attain 37 percent coverage of households and businesses, maintain minimum average broadband speed of 27 mbps and cover 7,425 barangays, among others. But Sen. Risa Hontiveros questioned China’s control over DITO, noting that the state-run China Telecom has a 40-percent share of the company. She also said the company borrowed $500 million from the Bank of China to fund the first phase of its network development program with a commercial launch this month. The opposition senator noted that access to data, information and knowledge should be a basic human right, and that ensuring access to affordable and reliable data services is essential to the continued development and economic growth of the country.

Revenue and invest in the Philippines; establish an office of the taxpayer advocate, and codify a Bill of Rights for Taxpayers to encourage tax compliance and protect taxpayer welfare. Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda, principal author of the bill, said the measure was already approved by the Committee on Ways and Means, that he chairs. “I thank the Rules Committee for prioritizing this urgent reform. It approval

means we move on to the plenary next, where I am certain it will pass. We have both majority and minority support,” Salceda said. The bill includes provisions that will allow most processes in tax payment to be accessible remotely. This will allow even Filipinos abroad to file taxes, apply for taxpayer identification numbers which are requirements for investing, and engage in and settle property transactions.

sas were allowed to enter the country starting August 1 as the country continued to ease air travel restrictions. Last February 16, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATFEID) expanded the list of foreigners who could enter the Philippines – those who had visas issued as of March 20, 2020, as well as those who have valid and existing visas at the time of entry. Authorities have blamed the infection surge on poor compliance with health protocols, such as wearing a mask and face shield in public, and more contagious variants of the virus. “The reproduction number in NCR increased to Rt = 1.96, its highest level since May 2020,” the OCTA Group said in its latest report, released just as the country marks one year under quarantine to stem the spread of the coronavirus. A reproduction number or R naught of more than 1 means that the infection is spreading to more people, since one infected person can pass the virus to one or more individuals. A reproduction number of 2 means 2 people can be infected by one COVID-19 patient. A year after ordering the first lockdown that crippled the country’s economy, threw millions out of work and triggered record hunger, President Rodrigo Duterte urged Filipinos to “not despair.” “It’s a small thing in our lives. We went through (things that) are more se-

vere, more difficult and brought more tears,” Duterte said Monday. His remarks sparked anger among social media users and opposition lawmakers who accused him of belittling the suffering of health workers and people who have lost loved ones to the disease. The Department of Health Epidemiology Bureau said the current surge is as serious as the peak of the pandemic last year in July 2020. The bureau’s chief, Alethea de Guzman, said Metro Manila had also reached last year’s peak of COVID-19 infections. A “steep rise” in the number of cases has also been observed in Bohol, while a “gradual slowdown” has been seen in Cebu province, and the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, and Lapu-Lapu, De Guzman said. Members of the OCTA Research group said the country could see 11,000 new COVID-19 cases daily by the end of March. De Guzman said that while several coronavirus variants of concern have been detected in the Philippines, only 7 percent of samples that underwent genome sequencing tested positive for the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Brazil variants. However, the Philippine Genome Center can only sequence 750 samples each week due to logistical constraints.

stitution reported. Captain Jay Baker of the Cherokee County sheriff’s office told the paper the victims were two Asian women, a white woman, and a white man, while a Hispanic man was wounded. Adriana Mejia, niece of one of the victims, said the family was “devastated” after her uncle was shot and that they were praying for his recovery. “We never know when we’re at the

wrong place at the wrong time because this was so all of a sudden,” she said. Police separately confirmed that four women had been killed in attacks on two other spas in the northeast of the city. Describing the scene in northeast Atlanta, the city police department said: “Upon arrival, officers located three females deceased inside the location from apparent gunshot wounds.” While on the scene, officers were advised of shots fired across the street, where they found a fourth female victim. Police told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that all four were Asian women.

South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported the country’s foreign ministry had confirmed that four of the victims were of Korean descent. President Joe Biden was briefed on the “horrific shootings” in Atlanta. White House officials have been in touch with the mayor and will stay in contact with the FBI, press secretary Jen Psaki said. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking during a visit to South Korea, said “We are horrified by this violence which has no place in America or anywhere.” AFP

Philippines – of the astonishing beauty of the country, humanity of its people,” said the Spanish Ambassador to the Philippines Jorge Moragas Sanchez during the launching of the Guiuan Museum design and the Quincentennial Commemorative Exhibit on Tuesday. “In that critical time when Magellan’s men were starving, dying, out of water -- then the first (human) touch took place,

between the Spanish expeditioners and the people of Suluan who brought (food and water for) them, served them good food, fish coco liquor,” added the ambassador. Guiuan, as second class town, played a significant part in Philippine history. In the 16th century, when Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan, sailing under the flag of Spain, discovered for Europe the Philippines, some historical ac-

counts said he first landed on the island of Homonhon, which lies within this town. During the Second World War, Guiuan served as one of the naval bases for the Allies commanded by Gen. Douglas MacArthur.Now all that is left of the American occupation are concrete slabs which once served as the foundations of a vast supply depot, and an air strip, which now serves as the town’s own airport.

Meanwhile, the flag carrier Philippine Airlines reminded its clients that minors were allowed for domestic air travel. “Minors are allowed to travel domestically with their families, including air travel around the Philippines, according to an urgent clarification issued by the Philippine Government’s National Task Force Against COVID-19,” the PAL management said in a statement. The Task Force made the clarification in response to numerous queries received from airlines and travelers about the restriction concerning minors following a policy imposed in Metro Manila prohibiting persons aged 17 year-old and below from going outside their home. “This paves the way for family travel during the upcoming Holy Week,” the PAL stated. “The NTF allows minors to travel with their families point to point. The only restriction is their movement within Metro Manila specially to malls and crowded areas consistent with the announcement of the MMDA,” Padilla said in a text message. “They may also avail (themselves) of domestic air travel with their families specially during the season of Lent and their academic break,” he added. Metro Manila from Wednesday banned minors outside their residences as new daily COVID-19 infections surged to levels similar to the early months of the pandemic crisis last year. The inter-agency task force leading the country’s pandemic response has yet to discuss whether or not to ban domestic travel of minors, said Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat. Romulo-Puyat said she only learned of Padilla’s previous announcement after some social media users asked her if they might not bring along minors on tourist trips.

and members of the legal profession from threats and killings. In a letter to Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta and the other members of the high court, the lawyers said they are “deeply troubled and concerned” by the recent reports that the Philippine National Police has asked trial courts to compile a list of lawyers who represents personalities being linked with the communist terrorist group (CTGs). The University of the Philippines College of Law through Dean Edgardo Carlo Vistan II led the 157 faculty members and the other lawyers in seeking action from the Court. A separate letter signed by 736 inde-

pendent lawyers was also sent to Peralta asking the Court to provide protection for lawyers against impunity. In their letter-request, the UP College of Law expressed its outrage over police action which violates the independence of the judiciary through its attempt to secure the names of lawyers representing so-called communist terror groups. They also expressed concern over lawyers who have been killed after having been “profiled” and “red-tagged.” Vistan cited the letter sent by Lt. Fernando Calabria to the Calbayog City Clerk of Court seeking the names of lawyers serving as counsel for alleged members of CTGs.

By Maricel V. Cruz THE economist of the House of Representatives on Wednesday expressed elation over the approval by Committee on Rules headed by Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez of House Bill 7881, or the Ease of Paying Taxes Act. The measure will allow Filipinos abroad to secure Tax Information Numbers from the Bureau of Internal

PH... From A1 the population and a third of the country’s economy -- posted a 78 percent increase in new cases on Tuesday compared to a week ago. The government’s temporary measures come after the number of daily cases hit a seven-month high of 5,404 on Monday, and experts predict the figure could double by the end of March. Most of the active infections are in Metro Manila where targeted lockdowns, night-time curfews, and a stayat-home order for all children are being used to curb the spread. The ban on overseas arrivals was announced late Tuesday by the government’s COVID-19 task force and takes effect March 20. Overseas Filipino workers will be exempt, but the number of passenger arrivals will be limited to 1,500 a day, it said.

Ban first enforced last year

The Philippines first enforced a ban on travelers from countries with confirmed localized transmissions of the novel coronavirus on March 12 last year. Filipino citizens and their dependents, foreigners who are permanent residents of the Philippines, and holders of Philippine diplomatic visas were exempted. Foreign nationals with long-term vi-

6FromAsians... A1

dition, remembering all the names of his friends, chatting with them over the phone, and his update of (sic) what is happening in the news here and abroad.” Physically, FVR is careful in his movement because of his age, but mentally he is alert, she said. With COVID still around, his doctors have advised the Ramos not to go out, or go to his Makati office, Dimaculangan said. The last time he was in his RPDev office was last February when he met with his close friends, including Gen. Cirilito E. Sobejana, now the chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and this writer.

Groups... From A1 nique Quisumbing-Ignacio of Mandaluyong City Regional Trial Court Branch 209, who ordered the immediate release of Salem and labor organizer Rodrigo Esparago. Shortly after their release, a tarpaulin with communist logos was seen along EDSA Shaw, thanking the judge for the quick release of Salem and Esparago. The appeal against red-tagging came as more than 900 independent lawyers and members of various law faculties urged the Supreme Court to take proactive measures to protect judges, lawyers

Surge matches July peak

Minors... From A1

News

THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

Mandatory life, health insurance pushed S

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

AYING workplaces are becoming “hot spots” for Covid-19, Senator Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday renewed her call for the immediate passage of mandatory life and additional health insurance for private and public sector workers.

NOT A DEPOSIT. A Mitsubishi Montero SUV is seen inside the Landbank Edsa Congressional branch in Quezon City on Wednesday after it crashed into the bank and stopped at the cashier’s counter. Traffic police then employ a wrecker to remove the sport utility vehicle. Manny Palmero

IN BRIEF ‘P10-b not enough for companies hit by COVID’ Villar pushes urban gardening DEPUTY Speaker and Las Piñas Rep. Camille Villar says urban gardening is a viable means to promote a sustainable livelihood and an essential source of healthy food for the city’s dwellers. “We continue to empower our citizens through urban farming as we are actively promoting this as an alternative and additional source of livelihood especially for those affected by the pandemic. Not only do they have extra income but they also help ensure food security as they have an immediate solution to possible food shortages due to crisis,” Villar said. She recently spoke about the importance of urban farming in an online forum during the celebration of the International Women’s Day. She said she salutes Filipino women for leading their way toward becoming agrichampions and helping promote food security. According to Villar, produce from urban gardens make their way to local communities. “Hindi lang natin sila tinuturuang maging self-sufficient kundi pinapaalalahanan din natin ang importansya ng recycling, composting at paggamit ng kitchen wastes bilang organic fertilizers sa kanilang mga tanim,” Villar said.

Kaybiang Tunnel now ‘no-tourism’ zone TERNATE, Cavite—Due to the continuous receipt of reports to the office of the provincial chief executive that the Kaybiang Tunnel in Ternate-Nasugbu road causes traffic, garbage, and chaos among the tourists, the area has been declared a no-tourism zone. Lots of cyclists, motorcycle riders and vehicles park on the side to take pictures with the tunnel in the background and others take a snack in the vicinity that causes heavy traffic in the area from the entrance to exit going to Sta. Mercedez, Maragondon. As a result, Cavite Governor Juanito Victor ‘Jonvic’ Remulla Jr. issued an order starting on Friday, March 19, 2021, the area of Kaybiang Tunnel is strictly a No Tourism Zone. As per Remulla’s order, No Parking in the vicinity of the Kaybiang Tunnel, No Bike and Motorcycle Riders using the tunnel for leisure purposes. No Eating in the vicinity of the tunnel, No Selfies in the vicinity of the tunnel, No Loitering in the vicinity of the tunnel and honking while passing through the tunnel is now prohibited.

17 nabbed in anti-drug raids in Angeles City ANGELES CITY—Anti-narcotics operatives arrested 17 persons during simultaneous raids at suspected illegal drugs dens in separate areas in Barangay Balibago, where 25 grams of methamphetamine hydrochloride worth P170,000 was seized from the suspects shortly before midnight Tuesday. Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency 3 director Christian Frivaldo said the raid was the second major anti-illegal drugs operations in that community. The first was conducted early last year. In his report to PDEA Director General Wilkin Villanueva, Frivaldo said the target of the operations were the illegal drug dens being maintained by siblings Alexander and Eldrix Albarillo, both of Sto. Nino Street, Bgy. Balibago, Angeles City. He said 10 of the suspects were women who were caught by the raiding teams while on pot session in separate shabu dens. Jess Malabanan

SENATE Minority Leader Franklin Drilon yesterday questioned the inadequacy of the P10 billion allocation for assistance to companies in danger of insolvency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Drilon stressed the P10 billion fund was “just a drop in the bucket” as compared to the P19.5 billion allocation for anti-insurgency activities which he considers as pork barrel. He said the rescue of companies should be given priority since they are the generators of the economy. He said around

30,000 workers would be retrenched if the government would not assist these large employers. “P10 billion is just a drop in the bucket if you look at the P1.5 trillion loss in the economy as a result of the pandemic,” said Drilon during the Committee on Banks, Financial Institutions and Currencies Subcommittee hearing on Government Financial Institutions Unified Incentives to Distressed Enterprises for Economic Recovery (GUIDE) bill. “I hope the subcommittee will include

in its report as to the inadequacy of the P10 billion and I question the priorities of this government in so far as allocating funds are concerned,” also said the Senate leader. He also called a “joke” the plan to give P10 billion funds to Landbank at Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) under GUIDE Act. “P10 billion as a rescue package is a joke, especially if we look at it in the context of P19.5 billion anti-insurgency fund which is to me a pork barrel,” said Drilon. Macon Ramos-Araneta

She says this is an ‘essential’ legislative measure that will protect workers’ health and well-being especially with the rising COVID-19 cases in work spaces. “Our workers deserve better working conditions, full coverage and protection against today’s risks, especially now that their places of work are becoming hot spots,” said Hontiveros as she pushed once again the passage of Senate Bill 1441 or the “Balik Trabahong Ligtas Act”. Her statement came after Quezon City confirmed that the surge in COVID-19 infections was also emanating from the workplace. Likewise, a group of healthcare workers has called on private companies to decongest workplaces and encourage work from home arrangements to contain infection surges. Hontiveros says with workplaces potentially turning into COVID ‘hot spots’, it is of utmost importance that safety nets are put in place for workers as they expose themselves to higher risks of infection. Once the bill is passed, Hontiveros says, workers will be provided “flexible sick leaves” that they can avail of on top of their existing 15-day statutory sick leave credits, presuming they have been infected while at work or if they have to go on leave in compliance with COVID-19 occupational safety guidelines of the government.

Solon pushes water resource department By Maricel V. Cruz THE chairperson of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Ways and Means took the cudgels for the creation of the Department of Water Resources, saying “disjointed” regulations on water management will cause supply and sanitation problems. Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda, also chairman of the technical working group tasked to determine the feasibility of activating the Department of Water Resources mandated by a substitute bill, said the measure was supported by water sector stakeholders in the push for a new cabinet-level agency for water resource management. The first task of the new department, Salceda said, would be to resolve the disjointed regulation of the sector. Salceda made the statement during Tuesday’s Virtual Forum on the Philippine Water Sector Reform Agenda, that was attended by leading industry players, economists and civil society groups. In his remarks to introduce House Bill 4944, which would create the DWR, Salceda assured stakeholders that “no one in the House is pushing against the bill. If we can get it prioritized, it will pass. “All water belongs to the State, which shall develop it for the common good and the future generations. Those who use water now are borrowing it from their children. This is the guiding principle of the bill,” Salceda said.

NEW LAB. Mandaluyong Mayor Menchie Abalos and other health officials inspect the Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory facilities during the inauguration event on Wednesday. Manny Palmero

Ex-president Ramos honored as ‘Father of CDC’ CLARK FREEPORT— Top officials of Clark Development Corporation are set to pass a resolution recognizing the role of former President Fidel V. Ramos’ contributions to the development and growth of the Freeport and the international airport here. In a resolution signed by the CDC board chaired by Edgardo Pamintuan, Ramos was cited as the “father of CDC.” This was initiated by CDC President and CEO Manuel Gaerlan, also a member of board. The CDC board resolution was recently approved during the 3rd special board

meeting on March 12, 2021. Because of the vision of the former President, he was cited by the stateowned firm as a “major catalyst for nation building and economic development” in the Freeport during his presidency from 1992 to 1998. He became the lead advocate in promoting Clark and other economic and Freeport zones that ushered in more foreign investments in the country during his time. The CDC was also established through his leadership after he signed Executive Order 80 on April 3, 1993. This catapult-

ed the creation of CDC as the implementing arm of Bases Conversion and Development Authority in this Freeport. CDC will be celebrating its 28th anniversary in April this year. Ramos’ leadership was also vital in the “recovery efforts as the country reeled from the devastation brought about by Mt. Pinatubo’s eruption, the withdrawal of the US Military Forces from Clark Air Base and the need to address the employment and livelihood opportunities, resettlement and relocation sites in Central Luzon.” Jess Malabanan

Firemen’s sacrifices honored By Macon Ramos-Araneta COMMUNITY SERVICE.

An officer of the Ifugao Provincial Police Office cuts the hair of a young boy as his unit conducted a joint outreach program to the residents of Sitio Bila, Maggok, Hungduan, Ifugao on Wednesday. Dave Leprozo

IN THE observance of Fire Prevention Month, Senator Cynthia Villar and Las Piñas Rep. Camille Villar acknowledged the heroic deeds and sacrifices of firefighters during a seminar aired live on Facebook, which also offered “tips” to guarantee fire safety and response. Senator Villar and Rep. Villar cited the firemen for their dedication and selfless services, even risking their own lives while battling fires. They have also been at the forefront in responding to other forms of emergencies, tragedies and disasters. “It’s difficult to lose our homes and our properties to fires especially if we lost everything. It’s very hard to recover. So we should learn safety standards and preventive measures to reduce, alleviate and minimize the occurrence

of fires and secure our belongings and even our lives,” stressed Senator Villar. She further noted that her office, through the Villar SIPAG, has embarked on the programs and projects to broaden the knowledge of the public on what to do during fires and how they can be prevented. The FB seminar, in coordination with the Bureau of Fire Protection, had for its theme “Sa pag-iwas sa sunog, hindi ka nag-iisa!” It was also sponsored by the Villar SIPAG Foundation. The projects of the BFP Las Pinas and the initiatives of Senator Villar and Rep. Villar were tackled during the FB program. It also delved on the role of the BFP during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. In the seminar proper, fire prevention tips, first aid and demonstration video were also aired.

News

THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

The 8.5 km- Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX) was picked as one of the key sites related to the 500th anniversary of the first circumnavigation of the world achieved by the MagellanElcano expedition.

Bridge chosen for 500th year of 1st around the world sail THE Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX), now in its final stages of construction in the Queen City of the South, has been selected as one of the key sites related to an epic milestone -- when the Philippines played a key role in helping achieve the circumnavigation of the world 500 years ago. History books have recorded the first circumnavigation of the world achieved by the Magellan-Elcano expedition which sailed from Seville, Spain in 1519, crossing the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans – and reached the Philippines in March 1521, landing in Cebu one month after. Historians have asserted and the National Quincentennial Commission (NQC) has affirmed that 1521 was not the year of the discovery of the Philippines, because the country had been earlier visited by many voyagers ahead of Magellan and his crew. The same historical commission has chosen the modern iconic bridge CCLEX among history-making structures built in time for the half-a-millennium anniversary when the country loomed large in the world’s navigation map. History has told and retold the epochmaking narrative when Ferdinand Magellan’s Spanish fleet, the Armada de Molucca, crossed the Atlantic, spent winter in South America, navigated the Straits of Magellan, then spanned the Pacific to the Philippines. The 8.5-kilometer CCLEX, set for substantial completion in December 2021, will be an addition to Cebu City’s skyline, hovering over world class infrastructure and stateof-the art tollway technologies that have been the signature design of its builder, the Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC).

Warning raised after attack on DAR official By Rio N. Araja AGRARIAN Reform Secretary John Castriciones on Wednesday warned all field officials and employees to stay alert at all times following an attack on a provincial officer whose vehicle was shot Tuesday. He said the police are still facing a blank wall as to who could have been responsible for the shooting incident where a slug of a 38-caliber revolver was found in a bullet hole on the side of the vehicle of Nueva Vizcaya provincial agrarian reform program officer Dindi Tan. “Nobody has claimed responsibility for the incident,” he said. “While it was considered an isolated incident…be extra careful,” Castriciones added. “That incident should not deter us from doing our job of emancipating small farmers from the bondage of the soil and helping uplift their economic condition,” he said. According to Tan, some groups may have resented the latest program of the government to include rebel-returnees among the potential beneficiaries of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.

Lacson: Senate COW to probe DA ‘tongpats’ By Macon Ramos-Araneta

ENATOR Panfilo Lacson on Wednesday filed a resolution calling for the constitution of the Senate Committee of the Whole (COW) to investigate the alleged “tongpats” mess at the Department of Agriculture.

“I am recommending that the Senate convene into a Committee of the Whole to handle the investigation. The ‘tongpats’ mess has an impact on foregone revenue and corruption, food security, and health,” Lacson said in filing Resolution No. 685. He said the COW is best suited to conduct the probe instead of having the Blue Ribbon Committee and the Committees

on Agriculture, Ways and Means, and Health handle it separately. “My resolution seeking the investigation in aid of legislation may also seek to revisit Republic Act 10611 or the Food Security Act of 2013 to address possible loopholes that are being exploited,” Lacson added. The senator earlier disclosed that a syndicate operating within the DA stands to

gain billions of pesos from the department’s recommendation to lower tariff rates on imported pork production and increase the minimum access volume to augment local supply amid the African swine fever outbreak in the country. The anomalies, Lacson said, will amount to a triple whammy that threatens to kill the domestic hog industry, raises health concerns and costs the government forgone revenues. Lacson said if the tariff for importations is brought down and the MAV is increased, the syndicate can jack up its “tong-pats” from the current P5-7 per kilo to P10-15 per kilo -- easily earning at least P4 billion from the planned 400,000 MT allocation.

VAX DISTRIBUTION. The local government of Las Piñas conducts its vaccination roll-out with Sinovac and AstraZeneca doses

given to hospital frontliners. In photo are (from left) Dr. Jose Edzel Tamayo, executive officer of the city’s Medical Affairs Office; Dr. Ma. Paz Corrales, Assistant Regional Director of the DOH-NCR; Vice Mayor April Aguilar Nery; and nurse Neil Jaymalin. Norman Cruz

Arroyo resigns as appropriations vice chairman By Maricel V. Cruz PAMPANGA Rep. Juan Miguel Arroyo on Wednesday clarified he was not axed from his position as vice chair of the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations. “Before we get drowned in speculations as to why I was removed from my post as vice chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, please let me clarify that I did not get the axe. I personally asked Speaker Lord Allan Jay Velasco that I be relieved,” Arroyo said in a

statement. Arroyo, a deputy majority leader, said it was his “personal request” to Velasco to be relieved of the post that tackles the national government budget, among other budgetary measures. He said he already has too many responsibilities, being also the chairman of the chamber’s energy panel. “Actually, I already made my intention to be relieved of my duties as Appropriations vice chairman known to him when I assumed the chair-

manship of the Energy Committee. Being the Deputy Majority Leader also, I was expecting to have my plate full with the new responsibility bestowed upon me,” Arroyo explained. He said he “was doing the institution a great injustice with my failure to attend to my responsibilities as vice chairman of the Appropriations Committee and that there are other members of the House who are qualified to take over the post I am to vacate.”

Customs donates laptops to DepEd By Joel E. Zurbano THE Customs bureau has donated to the Department of Education personal computers and laptops as well as other electronic devices it previously seized at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and bonded warehouses. Port of NAIA district collector Carmelita Talusan said the bureau has a commitment to support the Education department by giving various educational gadgets and

other school supplies in line with the agency’s Bridge and Distant Learning programs. “This donation is also in line with the directive of Customs commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero to help the government in its distance learning program and as the bureau’s contribution in addressing the ill-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said. The pandemic has prompted the government to suspend face-to-face or regular classroom classes and shift to a distance learning program.

The erroneous caption that bore the trending hashtag #DutertePalpak. The state-run PTV has vowed to sanction members of its social media team responsible for the mistake.

‘SC recognizes limits on powers of the President’ WHILE the Supreme Court dismissed two petitions questioning the validity of the government’s withdrawal from the Rome Statute for being moot and academic, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said the decision acknowledged the limitations on the power of the President as chief architect of foreign policy. Drilon said in the press statement issued by the Supreme Court, it said the decision acknowledged that the President, as primary architect of foreign policy, is subject to the Constitution and existing statutes. “Therefore, the power of the President to withdraw unilaterally can be limited by the conditions for concurrence by the Senate or when there is an existing law which authorizes the negotiation of a treaty or international agreement or when there is a statute that implements an existing treaty,” the High Court said. Drilon said the most striking point is the acknowledgement that the power of the President to withdraw “unilaterally” can be subject to limitations by the Senate. “It is a highly interesting decision,” Drilon added. In a unanimous decision penned by Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, the SC “dismissed the petitions questioning the unilateral withdrawal for being moot and academic.” In March 2018, Duterte announced the country’s withdrawal from the ICC, citing “baseless, unprecedented and outrageous attacks” against him and his administration. In a diplomatic note to the United Nations Secretary General, the Philippines said that “the decision to withdraw is the Philippines’ principled stand against those who politicize and weaponize human rights, even as its independent and well-functioning organs and agencies continue to exercise jurisdiction over complaints, issues, problems and concerns arising from its efforts to protect the people.” Macon Ramos-Araneta

PTV blames predictive text for socmed gaffe THE People’s Television Network (PTV) has blamed text for a tweet Tuesday night that mentioned the trending hashtag #DutertePalpak. The state-run network said members of the social media team responsible for the erroneous post will face sanctions. “PTV New Media deeply regrets the error and takes full responsibility for the oversight. The management will certainly institute disciplinary actions against members of the social media team who are behind the erroneous posting,” it said. PTV said the hashtag was the result of “predictive systems in the text entry phase and a failure to adequately review and screen the message that actually got posted.” The trending hashtag was used in PTV’s Twitter post of link to a story on Duterte’s call for local government units to provide more face masks amid the surge in COVID-19 cases. The social media caption of its tweet read: “President Rodrigo R. #dutertepalpak BTS reiterated his order to provide free masks for the public especially to those who cannot buy their own.” The tweet was deleted immediately but not before netizens were able to take screenshots.

Opinion Corrupt agencies should not be rewarded

AFTER the public outrage over the revelation last year of big-time corruption in the management of its finances, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) cannot have been unprepared for the widespread opposition to the implementation of the membercontribution increases authorized by the Universal Health Care Act, which established the national health care insurance institution. Whether its management was surprised or not, the timing of the increases could not have been worse for PhilHealth. The announcement of the increases has come at a time of great public indignation and disgust over the national health care insurance corporation has been - and, despite the appointment of a new president, probably is still being—run. Alternatively, the timing of the public disclosure of the corrupt practice at PhilHealth was so bad, considering that a statutory increase in member contributions lay just ahead. In appointing as the new PhilHealth president a man with a background in investigative work—NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) deputy director Dante Gierran, a lawyer-accountant - President Duterte obviously was sending to the Filipino people that the PhilHealth mess will be thoroughly investigated and that the corrupt officials will be held to account. Mr. Gierran lost no time giving the nation the assurance that thoroughly cleaning up PhilHealth was what he intended to do, bringing to bear all his experience in investigative work. The new president announced

recently that all the funds that COA (Commision on Audit) flagged as “unaccounted for” have been restored. But did Mr. Gierran say that the same thing would not happen again during his watch? No one can say because he has not told the Filipino people what new, corruption-proof procurement, fund allocation and internal audit systems he has installed. Let us not forget that President Duterte assured us that Mr. Gierran’s immediate predecessor, retired Gen. Ricardo Morales, was going to straighten out PhilHealth.

PhilHealth must first show that it has mended its ways. The Duterte administration— especially the Secretary of Health —and the PhilHealth community may not realize it, but as of today PhilHealth continues to be regarded as damaged goods by the Filipino people. Mr Gierran may really be able to turn things around at PhilHealth and reverse the Filipino people’s impression of this very important institution. Mr. Gierran has everyone’s best wishes and prayers. Until the new president has demonstrated that he has put an end to the culture of corruption at PhilHealth and that PhilHealth can once again be trusted with the funds at its disposal, the scheduled increase in member contributions should be deferred. Many Filipinos have voiced this sentiment. A government institution that has been shown to have misused taxpayers’ money and abused the public trust should not be given more funds until it has shown that it has mended its ways. Doing otherwise would be rewarding wrongdoing.

Annual call for better water sources AT AROUND this time every year for the past few years, this column seems to serve as a sounding horn of the summer fast approaching and the looming water shortage in the country. In the early 1990s, the country suffered from intermittent water supply which eventually led to the enactment of the National Water Crisis Act of 1995. This law paved the way for the privatization of water utilities. Since then, admittedly, water services have improved. However, the increasing demand for water as urbanization and industrialization rapidly took place could not be sustained by our existing water sources. Hence, we need to prudently use and tap water sources that are more sustainable and efficient. By sustainable, we mean that there will be lower costs and less detriment to the environment. By efficient, we mean that it can supply a larger amount of water to Metro Manila and nearby areas. There were several proposals for the construction of new dams for Metro Manila’s water supply. We have been well-acquainted with this as various issues surround the winning project—the Kaliwa Dam project. As now governor of Quezon, and even when I was in Congress, I have firmly expressed our dissent to this project. Several manifestations have already been made regarding its adverse impact

on the environment as well as on the indigenous communities that will be displaced by this project. While this is so, sadly, the project continues. I have repeatedly explained the cons of this project as well as the advantages of other dam projects. I am baffled at the preference of the national government to implement the project through foreign loans while we have local firms who are as capable and competent to do the project at a significantly lower cost. Apart from that, if these projects will be given to local companies, then more Filipinos would benefit as the much needed employment opportunities would also flow in amidst the pandemic. It is not a hard puzzle to solve. All these benefits for the Filipinos are apparent. Hence, it is high time that we, once again, push for better alternatives to this Kaliwa Dam project. I reiterate our vehement opposition to this as it is deemed that the pros do not outweigh the cons. In 10 years time, we will be looking at these projects with regret that sustainable development was set aside. Let us not make such a mistake.

Adelle Chua, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

EDITORIAL

Not so excellent

HE irony was not lost on us that the Palace spokesman who declared the administration’s response to COVID-19 as “excellent” has himself fallen victim to the disease.

Reimpose a curfew, deploy police commandos to man checkpoints round the National Capital Region where the spread is greatest, and bar public displays of affection.

Faced with a sharp rise in new infections, the administration’s immediate response is a military one.

The fact is, with new cases hitting more than 4,000 in a day in the last five days, and breaching 5,000 on March 16, and a second wave poised to overtake the peak of the first, the official response to the pandemic has fallen considerably short of “excellent.” What is worse is that health officials seem to have learned very little from our experience with the first wave, during which we endured one of the world’s longest and most stringent lockdowns. None of this stopped us from becoming the hardest hit country in the Western Pacific, with 626,893 cases and 12,837 deaths as of March 16, according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO). Faced with a sharp rise in new infections, the administration’s immediate response is a military one:

In the meantime, the national vaccination program has managed to inoculate only 12 percent of its priority target to protect some 1.76 million medical workers in the first two weeks, and less than 1 percent of the 24.7 million Filipinos targeted for inoculation under Priority Group A-1. At this pace, herd immunity and vaccines for all adults who want them seem like pie in the sky. An assessment of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies in December that social distancing and lockdown policies are not “well nuanced.” “Contact tracing protocols have

not improved as much as testing and treating. Leadership is lacking, with several members of the InterAgency Task Force only focusing on controlling people movement. There are also massive communication gaps in policy: some government and police officials went unpunished for violating protocols, while several people were arrested for not wearing masks,” the assessment published in the East Asia Forum said. “During the long lockdown, public transport was curtailed and intercity travel prevented, disrupting domestic value chains. Even after the lockdown began to ease in June, excessive permits were required and rules were not uniformly implemented across locales,” the PIDS analysis said. Before the recent spike in new cases, members of the President’s Cabinet pushed to lift restrictions to bolster the economy that had been battered by the pandemic and the long lockdown. Now those hopes seem distant again. As the PIDS analysis notes, “there is unanimous agreement that a successful economic recovery hinges on the proper management of the health crisis, which the government is still struggling to achieve.” And that, we are compelled to say, isn’t all that excellent.

Palawan voters reject division beneficiaries would be the politicians themselves -- not the people. For one, with three provinces, there would be more representatives in Congress. There would also be three governors with the corresponding increase in board members and bureaucracy. Because the current resources of the province would be split into three, the resources of the three provinces would be much smaller. Economies of scale, which the province currently enjoys, would be distributed to the three small provinces which would only retard economic growth instead of fast tracking it.

THE Palawan plebiscite shows that the collective wisdom of Filipino voters can be trusted to make the right and responsible decisions. According to the Commission on Elections, unofficial count from 18 out of the 23 towns of Palawan indicate that the “No” votes are ahead by several thousands. Although the governor of the province has already conceded defeat, let us hope that the plebiscite results stay that way. Well-deserved credit should therefore go to the Palawan voters who appear to have rejected the proposal to divide the huge province into three separate and smaller provinces. They showed the country that they know how to safeguard their interests. It is obvious that the voters clearly saw what the division is all about and voted against it. And why not? Even a blind person can see the underlying reasons for the division. This is to be able to establish separate and smaller political kingdoms in order to perpetuate political dynasties which the constitution prohibits. Political dynasties, as we know, allow a political family to continue holding political power indefinitely by simply allowing a wife, son or daughter to take over the reins of power every time the term limits expire. One of the biggest reasons given by the politicians why the province should be divided was to be able to provide better services to the people and for economic development to be faster. The people easily saw through their subterfuge and soundly disagreed. The politicians claimed that the biggest beneficiaries will be the people themselves. Actually, in many cases, the

I am baffled at the preference of the national government to implement the Kaliwa Dam project. I therefore call on the national government to, again, seriously reconsider the construction of the Kaliwa Dam project, and instead, look into alternative projects such as the Kanan Dam or the Sumag

The politicians think this is a way to make everybody happy— except perhaps the people they are sworn to serve. If I recall correctly, there were only about 53 provinces in the early 1950s and 120 representatives in Congress. That was when the country was second to Japan. Those were the glory years of the early republic. Today, we are only about 16th in the whole of Asia. We have 81 provinces and 307 congressional representatives – and the numbers are increasing. Just a few days ago, a report in the papers stated that the province of Maguindanao might also be divided. Very soon, politicians from big provinces like Cagayan, Isabela, Pangasinan, Bulacan, Cebu and others might also move to divide these provinces to accommodate political clans so that they can have their own little political kingdoms. That way, very expensive political

River Diversion Project, or the utilization of Agos and Umiray rivers. While promoting water conservation are proper and should be relentless, we really have to look for other water sources to augment our current water supply. As much as we endeavor to save resources, our growing population, rapid development, and climate change make it difficult to cope with our limited supply. The only compromise we can make is to ensure that our projects will have the least damage to the environment and to the people.

fights, which could sometimes be draining to the financial resources of these political clans, can be avoided. Everybody can then be happy— except perhaps the people they are sworn to serve. This is part of the reason why the effort to draft a law that would effectively implement the constitutional prohibition of political dynasties never could get to first base. There is really no incentive for politicians to go along that route. Given the current political culture now in place, I cannot say that I blame them. Although not all provinces and cities are run by political clans, the number is increasing. I have not seen any study made to compare provinces and cities run by the same political family and places whose leaders are regularly replaced by different people. But if we observe the provinces and cities whose leaders are changed regularly, there is a lot more dynamism in them and they are often more progressive. This is because change ushers in new ideas, new approaches and new leadership styles. The European monarchs of old learned of this the hard way. Some of them lost their heads because they tried to be kings or queens for too long. The monarchs of Europe still reign but they no longer govern. Governance is vested in elected officials who are replaced or re-elected in every election. We also have regular elections and in fact instituted term limits. As always, though, we Filipinos can always find ways to circumvent the prohibition which I must admit we are good at. Hopefully, in the not-toodistant future, we would find a leader with the vision and the political will to finally put a stop to the scourge of political dynasties. Public service has always been marketed as a labor of love for the country. Public officials are supposed to serve the people and not become filthy rich. Unfortunately, it does not always work that way.

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World

US expands list of China execs stifling HK freedoms H

ONG KONG—The United States on Wednesday identified 24 more senior Chinese officials it classifies as being instrumental in quashing Hong Kong’s freedoms as it warned foreign banks were now banned from doing any business with them.

GENERAL BIDDING GUIDELINES ON THE SALE OF IP-RUs: 1. Sale of GSIS Investment Properties – Retail Units (IP-RUs) shall be through competitive public bidding. 2. Acceptance of Purchase Offers shall start on the scheduled bidding date and time. 3. Dropping of bid envelopes shall be on the date of bidding from 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM only. Opening of Bids shall immediately follow. Late bid envelopes shall not be accepted. 4. The sale of IP-RUs shall be on an “As-Is, Where-is” basis. Interested bidders are enjoined to personally inspect the GSIS IP-RUs for sale. “As-Is, Where-Is” is defined as the present physical condition of the retail unit that GSIS is selling and the buyer is buying, “with all attendant faults, if any,” whether or not immediately apparent and without any express or implied warranty. The buyer takes this condition at his or her own risk, without recourse against the GSIS as to their condition. This includes knowledge by the buyer of the presence of occupants in the retail-unit being purchased. 5. Strictly, “One bidder, One specific property” only, which means that a bidder cannot submit two (2) or more bids for one property. A bidder may submit one bid each to as many properties as he/she wants to buy, as long as, he/she posts the required 10% bid deposit of the total bid price for each property. The bidder must present valid government IDs upon registration on the date of public bidding. 6. Purchase offers shall only be accepted in CASH or MANAGER’S CHECK/S payable within thirty (30) calendar days from the date of bidding, without the privilege of extension. 7. A downloadable bid form shall be properly accomplished with the following information: A. B. C. D. E. F. G.

Date of Bidding Name of the bidder The exact address of the property you are interested to bid Transfer Certificate of Title No. Mode of Payment Amount of bid (in numbers and words) Signature of the bidder/representative

8. The bid proposal shall be written in words and figures and must not be lower than the Minimum Acceptable Offer of the property. Should there be a difference in the amount in words and figures, the amount in words shall prevail. 9. Bidders’ deposit equivalent to at least 10% of the Bid Offer shall be in the form of a MANAGER’S CHECK payable to the Government Service Insurance System. 10. ALL participating bidders shall insert the following documents in a bid envelope: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5)

properly accomplished bid form; Manager’s Check payable to Government Service Insurance System representing deposit equivalent to at least 10% of the Bid Offer; Duly signed Certificate of due diligence (the form is downloadable); Special Power of Attorney (SPA), if the bidder is being represented by another person. Two (2) proofs of occupancy, if the bidder is the occupant of the subject property: a. b. c.

Barangay certificate stating that the bidder is occupying or residing in the subject property, Valid Government Issued ID indicating the address of the subject property as home address, or Latest Billing Statement under the Bidder’s Name indicating the address of the subject property as home/billing address.

11. The following information shall be written outside the sealed bid envelope (mailing envelope)

12. The existing tenant or occupant or his duly authorized representative through a valid Special Power of Attorney (SPA) has the right to match the offer of the declared highest bidder, provided: A. B.

He/she participated in actual bidding and Inserted the two (2) proofs of occupancy inside his/her bid envelope as indicated in Number 9 of these guidelines

13. If the occupant exercises his/her Right to Match the offer of the declared highest bidder, he/she shall adjust his/her initial deposit based on the bid amount of the declared highest bidder. He/she must also pay the adjusted deposit on the day of bidding. 14. The declared highest/winning bidder shall submit within fourteen (14) calendar days of the actual bidding, the following documents: A.

If the winning bidder is an individual; a. b.

duly accomplished Personal Profile (downloadable) photocopy of two (2) valid IDs. (one should be a government-issued ID)

If the winning bidder is a company or corporate entity; a. b. c. d.

duly accomplished Company/Corporate Profile (downloadable) Articles of Incorporation/Partnership, By-Laws, and current General Information Sheet, for corporation/partnership Registration Certificate from SEC for corporation/partnership, DTI for sole proprietorship and CDA for cooperatives, or any proof of such registration current Mayor’s Permit issued by the city or municipality where the principal place of business of the winning bidder is located.

15. A Notice of Approval of Sale (NOAS) shall be issued to the highest/winning bidder on the day of bidding. The Bidder’s deposit of the other non-winning bidder/s shall be returned immediately. 16. The deposit equivalent to at least ten percent (10%) of the Bid Offer shall be paid not later than 3:00 P.M. on the day of the bidding. The 90% balance of the bid amount shall be paid either in cash or manager’s check within thirty (30) calendar days from receipt of NOAS, without the privilege of no extension. 17. Non-compliance with the terms and conditions stated in the NOAS shall result in the forfeiture of the bidder’s total deposit. 18. In case the highest/winning bidder fails to comply with the requirements within the specified time, the said NOAS shall be deemed automatically revoked and the highest/ winning bidder shall be informed in writing. The second highest bidder, if any, shall be informed in writing of the award of the property to her. If she confirms acceptance of the awards, he/she shall pay the non-refundable 10% deposit within three (3) working days after receipt of said notice.

The decision came shortly before talks were set to begin between senior US and Chinese officials in Alaska -- the first such meeting since President Joe Biden took office -- and Beijing blasted the latest designation. US relations with China have plunged in recent years over a swathe of issues, including Beijing’s crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong after the city was rocked by huge and often violent democracy protests nearly two years ago. Under the Hong Kong Autonomy Act—a law enacted last year with bipartisan support -- the State Department has to identify any Chinese and Hong Kong officials involved in eroding the financial hub’s freedoms. The report added two dozen new names bringing the total number listed to 34. “Foreign financial institutions that knowingly conduct significant transactions with the individuals listed in today’s report are now subject to sanctions,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. All those on the list are already subject to sanctions by the Treasury Department or through ex-

ecutive orders from Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump. They are mostly top Communist Party officials in Beijing as well as senior national security police officers in Hong Kong. “This fully exposes the sinister intention of the US to interfere in China’s internal affairs, destabilise Hong Kong and obstruct China’s stability and development,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhai Lijian told reporters. Blinken said the expanded list came as Beijing moved last week to “unilaterally undermine Hong Kong’s electoral system” by introducing new rules that will effectively stop any real opposition from standing in the city’s already limited local elections. “This action further undermines the high degree of autonomy promised to people in Hong Kong and denies Hong Kongers a voice in their own governance,” Blinken said. Blinken and White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan are set for talks with senior Chinese official Yang Jiechi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday in Alaska. AFP

Japan same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional—court TOKYO—Japan’s failure to recognise same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, a court ruled Wednesday, in a landmark first verdict on the issue that was welcomed with joy by campaigners. More than a dozen same-sex couples filed lawsuits in district courts across Japan in 2019, accusing the government of discrimination as the only G7 nation that still does not recognise gay unions. The first of the cases to reach a verdict, in the northern city of Sapporo, sets the stage for more pressure on lawmakers and represents a significant win for equality activists. The court said not providing ways for same-sex couples to “enjoy even a part of the legal effects that arise from marriage... violates article 14” of the constitution, which stipulates equality of all people under the law. Opposition lawmaker Kanako

Otsuji, one of the few openly gay Japanese politicians, said in a tweet she was “truly, truly happy” about the verdict. “With this ruling, I urge the Diet, as the legislative branch of the government, to deliberate a proposed amendment to the civil code to make same-sex marriage possible,” she wrote. The plaintiffs had requested damages of one million yen ($9,000) per person, arguing they were being denied the same legal rights as heterosexual couples. Their request for compensation was turned down by the court, which said lawmakers may have struggled to legislate on the issue as the matter has only become a topic of parliamentary debate in recent years. But the wording of the verdict -which ruled that sexual orientation is like gender or race in that it is not chosen at will -- sparked celebrations outside the courthouse. AFP

Myanmar’s biggest city burns YANGON—Plumes of smoke rose Wednesday above a part of Myanmar’s biggest city that has turned into a battle zone, with burning barricades and security forces firing at unarmed anticoup protesters to enforce martial law. Manila NOTICE OF EXTRAJUDICIAL Traumatised residents have fled the Standard SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE TODAY AMONG HEIRS WITH WAIVER industrial neighbourhood in Yangon that OF RIGHTS has become one of the flashpoint sites in a Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late JULIETA P. nationwide uprising against the military’s LOBITAÑA, who passed away last March 3, 2012 at Otis, Paco, coup nearly seven weeks ago. Manila and left a real property pursuant to a contract to sell The junta has increasingly deployed executed between Plus Builders heavier force to quell the demonstraInc. and Jesus H. Lobitana and Julieta P. Lobitaña dated Feb. tions, with more than 200 protesters re11, 1997, has been the subject of an “Extrajudicial Settlement ported to have been killed in the crackof Estate with Waiver of Rights” executed on March 10, 2021 down. by her legal heirs before Notary Public Atty. Ramil S. Sasi as per Sunday was the deadliest day since Doc. No. 158; Page No. 33; Book No. XIII; Series of 2021. the coup, with a local monitoring group documenting more than 70 people killed -- the bulk of them in the industrial HlaNOTICE OF EXTRA-JUDICIAL ing Tharyar township in Yangon that has SETTLEMENT Notice is hereby given to become the battle zone. the public that the Extra Judicial Settlement of the The junta on Sunday imposed martial Intestate Estate of Teresita law on Hlaing Tharyar and later on other C. Trinidad has been executed by and among her protest hotspot townships -- effectively heirs, namely: Melissa Mae T. Maronilla, Ana Margarita placing nearly two million people under T. Maronilla, Imelda Rose complete control of military commanders. M. Sison and Julie Ann M. Manas, as per Doc. No. Residents -- many of them migrant 158; Page No. 33; Book No. IV; Series of 2021 of the workers -- have since fled back to their Notarial Register/Book of home states, piling their belongs and famAtty. Henson M. Montalvo, Notary Public for and in the ilies onto flat-bed trucks and the backs of City of Makati. motorbikes. AFP (MS-MAR. 18/25/APR. 1, 2021

19. GSIS reserves the right to waive any formality or to reject any or all bids received. The list of properties available for sale may be updated without prior notice. 20. For bidding inquiries, you may call the Real Property Accounts Management Department (RPAMD) at trunkline number (02) 3479-3500, (02) 3479-3600, or (02) 79764900 local number 3228, 3374, or 3396 or send an email at mbgonda@gsis.gov.ph, chplogdat@gsis.gov.ph, mmmagbanua@gsis.gov.ph, amqjulian@gsis.gov.ph, or jsvicaldo@gsis.gov.ph. HEALTH PROTOCOLS UNDER NEW NORMAL 1.

Only the participating bidder shall enter the bidding room.

The bidder must properly wear a facemask and face shield any time.

Social distancing must be strictly observed.

Bringing of ballpen is encouraged.

Please follow the health and safety protocols before entering the GSIS Building.

Additional health and safety measures shall be published on the GSIS website page once the IATF issues additional or new guidelines. (MS-MAR. 18, 19 & 20, 2021)

(MS-MAR. 18/25/APR. 1, 2021

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Business

THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021 || extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market rises; DITO, ICTSI lead gainers PSEi March 17, 2021

TOP GAINERS 1

PRIM

LAST PRICE 4.2

% CHANGE CHANGE 1.35 47.37%

2 3 4

MVC AB BKR

4.4 9 1.95

0.9 1.69 0.33

25.71% 23.12% 20.37%

5 6 7

TFC PHES OV

52.2 0.43 0.012

7.2 0.045 0.001

16.00% 11.69% 9.09%

8 9 10

ARA LCB MBC

1.3 0.14 10.8

0.1 0.01 0.76

8.33% 7.69% 7.57%

TOCKS rose for a second day with focus on the Federal Reserve’s crucial policy meeting, which comes against a backdrop of heightened inflation fears fueled by an expected surge in economic activity this year.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, gained 7 points, or 0.1 percent, to close at 6,566.83 Wednesday, as five of the six subsectoral indices ended in the green. The broader all share index also picked up 10 points, or 0.3 percent, to

settle at 3,964.78, on a value turnover of P6.85 billion. Gainers outnumbered losers, 122 to 94, while 47 issues were unchanged. Eleven of the 20 most active stocks ended in the green, led by Prime Media Holdings Inc. which surged 47 percent to P4.20. DITO CME Holdings Corp. climbed 4.5 percent to P10.64, while International Container Terminal Services Inc. advanced 2.1 percent to P127.60. Jollibee Foods Corp. was also up 2 percent to P185. Meanwhile, Asian investors drifted away Wednesday While the battle against coronavirus continues to rage and some countries re-impose containment measures, the rollout of vaccines, signs of slowing infections and huge government and central bank largesse

are providing massive support to equities. But that has also raised concerns about soaring prices and the prospect the Fed will have to wind back the loose monetary policies—including record low interest rates—that have powered a year-long rally. US benchmark 10-year Treasury yields—a guide to future interest rates—have risen to a one-year high in recent weeks. Highlighting the importance of the issue to markets, a survey by Bank of America Merrill Lynch found that the virus as not traders’ main concern now. “That honor goes to higher-thanexpected inflation, with a bond market tantrum at number two,” said Axi strategist Stephen Innes. “So indeed, inflation

Honda to briefly suspend ‘most’ North America auto production

TOP LOSERS 1

CEU

LAST PRICE 6.51

% CHANGE CHANGE -0.86 -11.67%

2 3 4

ATNB BC ABSP

0.83 2.6 10.8

-0.06 -0.18 -0.58

-6.74% -6.47% -5.10%

5 6 7 8 9 10

NRCP BHI PSE LPZ RLT APC

0.77 0.089 144 3.37 0.25 0.385

-0.04 -0.004 -6 -0.14 -0.01 -0.015

-4.94% -4.30% -4.00% -3.99% -3.85% -3.75%

MOST ACTIVE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

SM DITO MBT ICT BDO ALI BHI TEL PRIM SMPH

VOLUME 424375 39554000 8808400 3092180 3687180 9295700 2905810000 197615 66710000 6270500

VALUE (PHP) 425346242.5 421347048 410723015 392426603 382538460 331745815 281461420 258511745 245588420 220751705

Some businesses thrive, others ache during pandemic PARIS, France—The coronavirus pandemic initially brought the global economy to a halt but business adjusted, with the more nimble taking advantage of the move online while others struggle to find a way forward. Here are some of the economic winners and losers of the Covid era so far: Amazon, online champion Lockdowns, curfews and travel restrictions all seemed to play to the strengths of Amazon, which pioneered the transition to online retail. The company headed by Jeff Bezos, who started out selling books and losing massive amounts of money, seemed perfectly suited to the changed times as bored and anxious consumers confined to their homes stocked up. The results were stunning—a 40 percent increase in sales to $387 billion dollars last year. Food delivery The home food delivery business also came of age as people dined-in instead of out, with restaurants and bars either restricted or closed completely. Anglo-Dutch group Just Eat Takeaway saw its revenues soar 54 percent to 2.4 billion euros while British competitor Deliveroo jumped 64 percent to 4.1 billion pounds. Entertainment What else is there to do if one cannot go out except slump on the sofa to watch television and play video games while munching on your latest dine-in delight? With the cinema out of bounds, the home-based version took off big time, with Netflix building an audience of 200 million on an offer of high-class films and series typified by “The Crown,” the story of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II. Disney, not to be left behind, launched its Disney+ service late 2019 and had 95 million subscribers by early 2021. Among the game makers, Sony and Microsoft launched new consoles and ramped up sales. Families also played more classic games, with Danish toy brick maker Lego enjoying a new lease of life in helping keep children—and adults—amused and busy for long periods of time. The family-owned business chalked up a 19 percent rise in net profit to a record 1.3 billion euros last year. AFP

tops the markets new ‘Wall of Worry’.” With that in mind, the end of the Fed’s two-day policy meeting later in the day and boss Jerome Powell’s comments have taken on increasing significance. “The Fed will be loath to send any hawkish signal,” Innes added. “Still, the board faces a tricky balancing act as incorporating the US stimulus into their forecast will lower unemployment and push inflation over two percent in 2023.” He added that this could mean a rate hike in two years. After a tepid lead from Wall Street, Asia struggled, with Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai barely moved, while Sydney, Seoul, Mumbai, Taipei, Jakarta, Bangkok and Wellington all fell. Singapore and Manila edged up. With AFP

MALAYSIAN GARDEN. A visitor poses for photos at a sunflower garden in Bagan Datuk in Malaysia’s Perak state on March 17,

2021. AFP

Fed faces ‘balancing act’ between inflation, faster growth WASHINGTON, United States—The Federal Reserve has made it clear it is too soon to think about pulling back on stimulus for the pandemic-battered economy, but finds itself stuck between an improving outlook and inflation fears. The US central bank will wrap up its two-day policy meeting on Wednesday, where it will likely comment on the accelerations in Covid-19 vaccine campaigns and reopening of businesses, which are fueling optimism that life in the United States can return to normal. And into that improving economy comes a flood of government funds: a $1.9 trillion relief package President Joe Biden signed last week, and the remainder of the $900 billion measure approved in December. Economists expect that influx of cash to shore up businesses and boost spending, but markets worry it will bring with it an upward spiral of prices.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell will have a chance at his post-meeting news conference to allay those concerns and repeat his assertion that while prices will rise this year, any spikes from the depressed levels of 2020 will be transitory and no reason for the bank to take action. In fact, the Fed wants prices to rise to some extent, since they have lagged below its two percent target for years. The Fed faces “a delicate balancing act,” BNP Paribas chief economist William De Vijlder said. Members of the policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) are expected to raise their economic projections from December to take into account the stimulus and improving outlook. But De Vijlder said that will just “add fuel to the fire” of potential price increases and cause yields on US Treasury debt to rise again—the inflationary

red flag that has sent stock markets on a roller-coaster ride in recent weeks. Powell has made it clear the Fed will wait until employment has recovered and inflation is securely above two percent before it will roll back its easy money policy. And he notes it has the tools to ward off any uncontrolled price spike. “Fed officials would happily raise rates to cool what would be an overheating economy for the first time in, well, decades,” Grant Thornton economist Diane Swonk said. “That would mark a policy achievement for the Fed, rather than the failure the bond market is anticipating.” But she noted that this crisis is unique so “we can’t completely rule out a more vicious inflation cycle.” Powell’s “hardest job” will be to clarify the central bank’s plans when faced with “a temporary flare in inflation this spring and summer.” AFP

WASHINGTON, United States—Japanese automaker Honda will be “suspending production” for one week at most of its plants in the United States and Canada due to factors that include a shortage of parts, the company said Tuesday. The company is dealing with “a number of supply chain issues related to the impact from COVID-19, congestion at various ports, the microchip shortage and severe winter weather over the past several weeks,” especially in Texas, a Honda spokesperson in Japan told AFP. “In some way, all of our auto plants in the US and Canada will be impacted, with most of the plants temporarily suspending production during the week of March 22,” the spokesperson said. Since the situation is “fluid,” the timing and length of “production adjustments could change.” Even when production is suspended Honda workers will still be able to work at the impacted plants, the spokesman said. The Covid-19 pandemic has scrambled supply and demand patterns worldwide, leading to backups at major ports. A shortage of silicon chips is also forcing automakers to cut back on production across the globe. Ford said it would drastically reduce output of its top-selling F-150 truck because of the shortage of semiconductors, while General Motors has announced it will suspend work at three North American factories. With microchips in strong demand across various industries—especially as sales of computers exploded during lockdowns—chip makers have turned their attention to other clients. US President Joe Biden has promised to address the problem and to make supply chains safer and more reliable by increasing the production of certain key elements in the United States. AFP

With migrant workers stuck at home, Russia leans on its own MOSCOW, Russia—Russian construction executive Vitaly Lychits bemoans a shortage of cheap foreign workers during the coronavirus pandemic as he walks across frostcovered ground at a building site in southwest Moscow. For years, Russia has relied on migrant laborers to do some of the hardest and worst paying jobs, especially in industries like construction and agriculture that face chronic labor shortages. Now, with millions of foreign laborers from the former Soviet Union stuck at home due to pandemic-induced border closures, Russian companies have had to adapt, hiring more expensive workers from the country’s regions. “Migrants worked until the end of the year, then they went home for the holidays and now it’s problematic for them to come back,” Lychits, deputy director of construction at Granelle, a Moscow-based developer, told AFP. “We’re hiring workers from Russian provinces despite the fact that we have to factor in extra labor costs.” Granelle, which is mainly active in and around Moscow, typically employs workers from Armenia, Ukraine, Belarus, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. With temperatures hovering around

Laborers work at a housing construction site of Granelle, a Moscow-based developer, in southwest Moscow on March 12, 2021. AFP

minus 14 degrees Celsius (6.8 degrees Fahrenheit) at the Moscow construction site, several Armenian workers huddled around a makeshift fire pit. Aged between 20 and 50, they said they missed home.

Some have been able to visit Armenia and come back since the start of the pandemic; others have been stuck in Russia for nearly a year. The tiny Caucasus nation has been reeling from six weeks of bloody clash-

es with neighbor and arch enemy Azerbaijan that broke out last year, and the workers said it was especially important for them to be back at home now. “We all know people who died in the war,” one laborer told AFP. “We would have preferred to be there rather than here.” Before the outbreak of the pandemic, Russia had around 10 million migrant workers and roughly 70 million Russian employees, according to estimates from migration experts. Migrant workers’ remittances are essential for the economies of their countries of origin, particularly poor ex-Soviet nations like Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Russia’s interior ministry said last year that nearly half of all migrants living in the country before the pandemic had left. Alarm over shortages Russian authorities have sounded the alarm over labor shortages, and President Vladimir Putin in January ordered the government to simplify entry requirements for migrant workers. In late December, Deputy Prime Minister for Construction and Regional Development Marat Khusnullin said that nearly 1.5 million migrants working in construction had not returned to Russia after border closures were put in place in March 2020. AFP

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

THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

PSE INDEX CLOSING Wednesday, March 17, 2021 7.75 PTS. 6,566.83

TOTAL VOLUME TOTAL TRADES TOTAL VALUE ADVANCES DECLINES UNCHANGED

4,616,988,744 114,538 6,851,375,060.79 122 94 47

F oreign e xchange r ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2021

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

48.5680

Japan

Yen

0.009175

0.4456

Pound

1.389700

67.4949

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128781

6.2546

Switzerland

Franc

1.081315

52.5173

Canada

Dollar

0.803665

39.0324

Singapore

Dollar

0.743550

36.1127

Australia

Dollar

0.774200

37.6013

Bahrain

Dinar

2.655408

128.9679

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266667

12.9515

Brunei

Dollar

0.740796

35.9790

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000069

0.0034

Thailand

Baht

0.032520

1.5794

UAE

Dirham

0.272272

13.2237

Euro

1.190500

57.8202

Korea

Won

0.000885

0.0430

China

Yuan

0.153704

7.4651

India

Rupee

0.013791

0.6698

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.243191

11.8113

New Zealand

Dollar

0.718900

34.9155

Taiwan

Dollar

0.035491

1.7237 Source: BSP

BOI approves P356-m bicycle manufacturing project in Bulacan

Business Gov’t incurred P14.1-b budget deficit in January T By Julito G. Rada

HE government incurred a P14.1billion budget deficit in January, a reversal of the P23-billion budget surplus it posted a year ago, as spending picked up while revenue collection fell.

Data from the Bureau of the Treasury showed that government spending increased 1.18-percent yearon-year in January while revenue collection sank 11.51 percent in the first month of the year. The Treasury said in a statement revenue collection in January reached P260.7 billion, down P33.9 billion from P294.6 billion a year ago. Tax collection made up 89 percent or P232.7 billion of the total while non-tax sources

contributed 11 percent or P28.0 billion. Collections by the Bureau of Internal Revenue declined 6.54 percent yearon-year to P182.2 billion in January on the continued economic disruptions brought about by the health crisis. Customs’ collection also lagged behind last year’s revenue performance by 15.41 percent or P8.6 billion, totaling P47.3 billion. The Bureau of the Treasury posted a 34.27-percent or P9.7-billion contraction in revenue to P18.7 billion in January. The decrease was attributed to a high base effect of dividend remittances from government-owned or -controlled corporations in January, particularly the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas which remitted P17.3 billion last year, and the 58.69-percent or P1.9-billion drop in government share from the income of state-run Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. Other offices contributed P9.4 billion in January, registering a 24.97-percent or P3.1-billion decline over comparable

UK ASSISTANCE.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas joins the Department of Finance, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Insurance Commission in signing the memorandum of inderstanding with the British Embassy of Manila for the country’s participation in the United Kingdom’s Prosperity Fund for the ASEAN Economic Reform Programme and ASEAN Low Carbon Energy Programme. Leading the virtual signing of the MOU are (from top left) Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, British Ambassador Daniel Pruce, BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno, SEC Chairman Emilio Aquino, Insurance Commissioner Dennis Funa and Finance Assistant Secretary Paola Alvarez (host).

By Othel V. Campos THE Board of Investments said Wednesday it approved the P356.4million bicycle manufacturing project of TRINX Bicycle Sport Technology Corp. under the export activities category of the 2020 Investment Priorities Plan. TBSTC will manufacture road and mountain bikes, foldable electric bikes (e-bikes) and other bike variants in a plant in Sta. Maria, Bulacan. The company said it would export at least 75 percent of its production to the United States and Europe and sell the rest to the domestic market. “This is timely and relevant, as it will not only supply the local demand for bicycles and electric bikes but also strengthen our position as a net exporter of bicycles with strong demand from overseas markets, including those in which we enjoy zeroduties under the Generalized System of Preferences scheme,” said Trade Undersecretary and BOI Managing Head Ceferino Rodolfo. He said the government was actively encouraging the public to adopt alternative modes of transportation, like cycling, especially in cities or urban areas. Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that the Philippines was a net exporter of bicycles with a surplus of $10.2 million in 2019. The country exported $39.1 million worth of bicycles while importing $28.9 million in the same year, with the United Kingdom and Ireland as top export markets. TBSTC is a 60-percent Filipinoowned and 40-percent Chinese company, representing the Guangzhou, China-based Trinity Group which owns the Chinese TRINX brand, a top brand in China. It has more than 1,000 terminal sales outlets in over 30 provinces, cities and autonomous regions in China. The TBSTC facility in Bulacan will open in September 2021. The facility is capable of producing up to 200,000 units annually and employs 65 personnel at the onset with plans to increase its manpower to 100 by the fifth year.

LIVELIHOOD PACKAGE.

Members of ‘Samahan ng may Iba’t-ibang Kakayahan sa Dabaw’ or SAKADAB in Davao receives the bakery starter package from the Aboitiz Group represented by Fermin Edillon, reputation enhancement department of Davao Light (third from left). Aboitiz Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of the Aboitiz Group, is helping nine cooperatives get back on track after being gravely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

collections recorded a year ago. Meanwhile, government expenditures in January amounted to P274.8 billion, reflecting a modest increase of 1.18 percent or P3.2 billion from last year’s P271.6 billion spending. “The uptick was moderated by lower interest payments, which declined by 23.43 percent or P14.4 billion year-onyear to P47.0 billion mainly due to the redemption of global bonds in 2020 and the settlement of premiums on reissued Treasury Bonds,” the Treasury said. As a percentage of revenue and expenditures, interest payments for January accounted for 18.04 percent and 17.11 percent compared to previous year levels of 20.84 percent and 22.61 percent, respectively. Net of interest payments, spending grew by 8.37 percent year-on-year, or P17.6 billion from P210.2 billion recorded a year ago on higher allocations for local government units and disbursements by line agencies.

Lucio Co injecting P22.5b worth of assets into publicly-listed Da Vinci Capital Holdings By Jenniffer B. Austria BUSINESSMAN Lucio Co is injecting P22.5 billion worth of assets to publicly-listed company Da Vinci Capital Holdings Inc. DAVIN said in a disclosure to the stock exchange its management approved the valuation of three liquor firms to be infused by Cosco Capital Inc. in the company in the amount of P22.5 billion in exchange for shares. The three liquor firms are Montosco Inc., Meritus Prime Distributions Inc. and Premier Wine and Spirits Inc. Following the transaction, DAVIN will be engaged in the distribution and marketing of local and imported wines, liquors, beer, other beverages and related products. It intends to widen its market coverage in the Philippines, engage in e-commerce, add more brands in its portfolio and buy or build its own liquor production or manufacturing facilities in the future. Cosco reported in February that it

signed a deed of exchange of shares with DAVIN, where DAVIN will issue common shares of stock to Cosco and, in exchange, Cosco will assign 100 percent of its liquor businesses in favor of DAVIN. DAVIN said it would conduct a follow-on-offering to comply with the minimum public ownership requirement as the transaction could result in Co owning 99 percent of the company and public float of only 1 percent. The fresh capital that will be raised from the share sale will also be used to finance new business. Meanwhile, DAVIN will also seek shareholders’ approval to change its corporate name to The Keepers Holdings Inc. and to increase its authorized capital stock to P2 billion. Montosco Inc., is the exclusive Philippine importer and distributor of Spanish brands Alfonso Brandy and Vino Fontana, while MPDI distributes premium wine and whiskey brands from Beam International, Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark.

FDA admits getting over $150,000 from anti-tobacco NGO to regulate vapes TOP officials of the Food and Drug Administration, which is in charge of drafting the regulations on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, confirmed in a congressional investigation on Tuesday that they solicited and received money from a foreign anti-tobacco organization funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the charity of American billionaire Michael Bloomberg. FDA director-general Rolando Enrique Domingo told the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability chaired by Rep. Michael Edgar Aglipay that the regulatory agency applied for and received a grant of $150,430 from the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) in 2016 mainly to hire “job order” employees who would draft the tobacco control policies of the agency. The Union manages the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use Grants Program, a campaign that is dedicated to tobacco and vaping control policies. “We worked with the World Health Organization, the Asian Development Bank, and non-government organizations such as the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union). The Union is a part of the Bloomberg Initiative grants program,” Domingo said during the hearing which was convened to discuss House Resolution 1396 filed by Deputy Speaker Rep. Deogracias Savellano and Nueva Ecija Rep. Estrellita Suansing to shed light on the receipt of private funding by the FDA and other government agencies and institutions. The FDA said that in February 2017, a grant was given by The Union for the project titled “Strengthening the Regulatory Systems on Tobacco Control under the Food and Drug Administration”.

ICTSI taps AI solution for yard management at Manila port By Darwin G. Amojelar INTERNATIONAL Container Terminal Services Inc. teamed up with a New Jersey-based AI and digital transformation company for its yard management solution at the Manila International Container Terminal. The solution, YardSight, is a part of a larger AI Solution Suite-AiCON, developed by Avlino, in partnership with IGO Solutions, a UK-based leading solutions provider for container terminals. “The YardSight AI module, in its current form, provides logic for the most efficient stacking positions based on optimal work balancing of our rubber tired gantries. This results into increased productivity for internal and external trucks, reduced traffic clashes and minimized yard rehandles when stacking import containers. We are closely working together to expand the application into dynamic allocation of CHE ranges and focusing efficiencies for the export yard cycle for internal/ external trucks in the coming months as well,” said MICT chief executive and executive director Anders Dommestrup. “We are already seeing very encouraging signs that this new approach can deliver significant efficiencies to equipment utilization and truck turnaround time, which will be passed on to our customers to further support ICTSI’s conscious effort to reduce its greenhouse gas emission,” he said. Dommestrup said the AiCON Solution Suite ushered in a real paradigm shift on how the company could better manage end-to-end container terminal operations. “YardSight’s adaptability to changing operational metrics within its code has actually helped bridge the gap between operational business fundamentals and technology. It has also enhanced our operation team’s interest in technology and the IT team’s interest in operational realities even further, the result of which benefits the entire business as we journey towards various degrees of automation,” he said.

IN BRIEF

Russian home builder to invest in PH real estate

PIK, the largest homebuilder in Russia and Europe in terms of market capitalization among public homebuilders and 2020 area of construction, is set to expand its footprint to key markets in Asia, starting with the launch of its first real estate project in the Philippines. With over 25 years in the industry, PIK, with its headquarters in Moscow, Russia, has built homes in major cities in Russia, giving about 500,000 households high-quality urban homes. An active trader in the Moscow Stock Exchange, PIK has a market capitalization of $6.7 Billion and has gained $4.3 billion in revenue in 2019 alone. The homebuilder also leads in landbank with 11 million square meters as well as area under construction at seven million square meters. Classified as a systemically important company for the Russian economy especially since it has proved to be resilient to ride out the pandemic, PIK plans for long term expansion in the Philippines, building its landbank in key areas in Metro Manila. PIK said the country was its main choice for expansion in Asia due to its favorable market conditions and its rising demand for quality homes.

Meralco PSAs to help consumers save P20b

CONSUMERS of power retailer Manila Electric Co. are expected to generate total savings of about P20.93 billion if the 20-year power supply agreements with two San Miguel Corp. companies are approved. Meralco filed separate applications for approval of its PSA with Masinloc Power Partners Co. Ltd. and Excellent Energy Resources Inc. for the supply of a combined 1,800 megawatts of baseload capacity. Meralco filed two separate applications with MPPCL and EERI after the Third Party Bids and Awards resolved to issue the notices of award to the two firms following the successful competitive selection process. Under the PSA, MPPCL will construct a 600-megawatt coal-fired thermal power plant in Masinloc, Zambales that will start commercial operations not later than April 26, 2025. EERI will construct three units of 425.7 MW units of combined cycle power plant in Ilijan, Batangas City capable of supply 1,200 MW to Meralco. The power plants will be in operation not later than Nov. 26, 2024. Alena Mae S. Flores

Slow vaccine rollout to delay PH recovery

A BANK economist said Wednesday he expects the Philippine economy to grow modestly by 5 percent this year, as the country is one of jurisdictions in the region expected that might have a delayed recovery from the devastating impact of the global health crisis. “We had previously priced-in a vaccine rollout to extend into second half of 2022 given the tight global supply and challenges for distribution to an archipelagic country. The lack of vaccine availability, persistent spread of new infections and the ongoing economic recession have all combined to deflate once-vibrant consumer sentiment,” ING Bank Manila senior economist Nicholas Mapa said Wednesday. “With the labor market in tatters, remittances in contraction and cases on the rise, we continue to forecast that GDP will post a modest expansion in 2021 (5 percent), driven primarily by favorable base effects from last year’s tumble of 9.5 percent,” he said. He said the recent rapid acceleration in cases complicated the economic recovery, fueled in some parts by the entry of the new variants that would undermine the economic bounce back and sap even more momentum from the economy. “Rising inflation and the threat of rising borrowing costs compound the challenges faced by Filipinos exponentially as 2021 is now starting to look a lot like 2020,” he said. Julito G. Rada

Sports

Philcycling postpones national championships THE PhilCycling has postponed its planned national championships for road, mountain bike and BMX in May and June, respectively, because of the spike in Covid-19 infections. PhilCycling President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino made the announcement on Wednesday, citing the intensified campaign against the spread of the coronavirus, which breached the 5,000 a day mark in the recent week. “The priority is always the health and safety of everyone—cyclists, officials and fans,” Tolentino, also the president of the Philippine Olympic Committee, said. “No questions asked.” “We’ll just have to wait until the pandemic is contained,” Tolentino added. PhilCycling Secretary General Atty.Billy Sumagui has been working on the national championships since January, a week after the federation elected its new set of officers last December 29 for the next Olympic cycle. The Road and Track Commission headed by Sunshine Joy Vallejos, Oversight Commission led by Jun Lomibao and national coaches for road Ednalyn Calitis Hualda and Reinhard Gorantes have already identified the routes for the road championships at a supposed bubble environment at the Subic Bay Freeport. The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority headed by Atty. Wilma Eisma was already informed of the event that were supposed to be scheduled from May 5 to 8. MTB and BMX Commission head Oscar “Boying” Rodriguez and coaches Eusebio Quiones, Frederick Farr and Renz Viaje were also laying the ground work for the disciplines’ national championships in Tagaytay City in June. The PhilCycling’s letter of intent to stage the championships was also forwarded to the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases. The national championships were part of the criteria for the selection of riders for the Vietnam 31st Southeast Asian Games set from November 21 to December 2. Competitions for road included individual time trial, team time trial, criterium and massed start for men and women. For MTB, lined up were the cross country, downhill and cross country mixed relay, while the racing event was set for BMX. Close to 300—cyclists, commissaires, support personnel and staff— are expected at the national championships.

THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

Davao Occidental’s Mark Yee (left) looks for a teammate to pass the ball to in Game 1 of the Tigers’ MPBL Lakan best-of-five National Finals showdown against the San Juan Knights.

Tigers bank on 3 freebies, defense to draw 1st blood S

UBIC—Davao Occidental-Cocolife bucked the lack of time to prepare as the Tigers used the painful memory of last season’s finals as an inspiration to draw first blood in the Chooks-to-Go MPBL Lakan best-of-five National Finals on Wednesday night.

The Tigers, who only had a day to prepare for the national finals, needed three game-changing free throws from Mark Yee and a huge defensive stop by Billy Robles to escape San Juan-Go for Gold in overtime, 77-75, to take Game One, at the Subic Bay Gymnasium here. Trailing 70-74, the defending champions went on a quick 5-0 run capped by Mike Ayonayon’s alley-oop layup off a CJ Isit inbound to take the lead with 48.4 ticks left, 75-74.

Diaz leads PSA citation awards OLYMPIC silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz leads a short but powerhouse list of sportsmen and entities to be handed out with citations in the SMC-PSA (Philippine Sportswriters Association) Annual Awards Night Saturday next week at the TV5 Media Center. The 30-year-old pride of Zamboanga City completed a three-gold sweep in the women’s 55 kg division of the Roma Weightlifting World Cup in Italy last year just before the pandemic to virtually assure her of a berth in the Tokyo Olympics. Diaz, who ended the country’s 20-year medal drought in the Olympics after bagging the silver in the 2016 Rio De Janeiro Games, and 19 others are going to be cited by the country’s oldest media organization headed by Tito S. Talao, sports editor of the Manila Bulletin, during the March 27 virtual event co-presented by the Philippine Sports Commission and Cignal TV, with 1 Pacman Partylist and Rain or Shine as major backers.

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

Also to be cited aside from Diaz are co-weightlifter Vanessa Sarno, Olympicbound Eumir Felix Marcial and Irish Magno of boxing, and pole vaulter EJ Obiena, the skateboarding pair of Margielyn Didal and Motic Panugalinog, the track and field quartet of Kristina Knott, Natalie Uy, William Morrison, and Christine Hallasgo, and OJ Delos Santos of karate. The rest of the citations include Sander Severino of chess, sambo’s Sydney Tancontian, cyclist George Oconer and the Philippine Navy-Standard Insurance cycling team, and the four major leagues that successfully held their respective seasons in a bubble during the COVID-19 pandemic, namely the Philippine Basketball Association, Philippine Football League, Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3, and the National Basketball League. Lady golfer Yuka Saso is on top of the awards’ list as the recipient of the prestigious Athlete of the Year Award, an honor solely handed out by the PSA.

In the ensuing play, Davao committed a costly shotclock violation after Yee’s shot hit nothing, giving the Knights the possession with 24.2 seconds. However, John Wilson turned the ball over in the next play as Yee recovered the loose ball and got fouled. The 39-year-old calmly sank his freebies to regain the lead, 76-75, with 19.3 ticks remaining. Then the biggest defensive play of A Lifetime Achievement Award will also be given to three pillars of Philippine sports in former Gintong Alay Project Director Jose A. Romasanta, the PBA’s seventh commissioner and current Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas Executive Director Renauld ‘Sonny’ Barrios, and former Ambassador and Philippine basketball godfather, the late

the game happened as Ayonayon skied for a layup but was erased by Billy Robles. Yee split his two shots at the charity stripe with 2.7 ticks left. But with no timeouts left, Orlan Wamar’s outlet pass off the inbound was caught by Tiger Emman Calo to secure the victory. “This just shows the character of our team. We don’t give up. Siyempre playing with San Juan, it’s different, we kind of like (thinking about) payback,” said Davao head coach Don Dulay. Calo led the way for Davao with 15 points, including nine in the fourth quarter where they came back from an 11-point deficit. Yee, who was given the Manok ng Bayan post-game award, also had 15 markers of his own to go with eight re-

Eduardo ‘Danding’ Cojuangco. The Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines will be bestowed the National Sports Association of the Year award for the second straight time, while rising tennis prodigy Alex Eala and world boxing champions Johnriel Casimero and Pedro Taduran are recipients of major awards.

Jenelyn Olsim

Olsim brings Lakay champ mindset into Mazar fight Hidilyn Diaz

Bike Safety 101: Tips newbies should know before hitting the road WITH the ongoing pandemic, transport options have narrowed down for many Filipino commuters. Due to limited transport options as well as strict health protocols that make public transit more difficult, a number of people in the metro have turned to biking as an alternative means to get around. Since launching its Ride Safe campaign last year, Allianz PNB Life has been hard at work promoting bike safety and green mobility across the metro, partnering with the San Juan City government to make San Juan one of the most bike-friendly cities in Metro Manila. They collaborated on new bike lanes around the city, as well as set up the country’s first solar-powered pit stop for cyclists. Since launching its Ride Safe “At Allianz PNB Life, we want to encampaign last year, Allianz courage more Filipinos to think of cycling PNB Life has been hard at as an alternative and more sustainable work promoting bike safety and green mobility across the means of transportation,” said Gino Riola, Chief Marketing Officer for Allianz PNB metro

bounds, four steals, and three dimes. Datu Cup Finals MVP Ayonayon showed up for San Juan with 27 points and five assists opposite five errors. Wilson also contributed 15 markers on a 5-of-15 shooting clip, alongside seven rebounds, five steals, and two blocks. Game Two will be played tomorrow, March 18, at 4PM in the same Subic arena. The Scores: Davao Occidental 77 - Yee 15, Calo 15, Custodio 12, Mocon 9, Robles 9, Balagtas 6, Terso 5, Saldua 2, Ludovice 2, Gaco 2, Albo 0. San Juan 75 - Ayonayon 27, Wilson 15, Clarito 9, Rodriguez 9, Isit 4, Tajonera 3, Gabawan 2, Estrella 2, Pelayo 2, Reyes 2, Wamar 0, Aquino 0.

Life and an avid cyclist himself. “A very big part of that is of course safety, which is why we put a primer on promoting and spreading awareness on bike safety and education.” Riola shares the following tips to help new commuters-turned-bikers navigate the busy streets of Metro Manila safely: 1. Find the right ride. The right bike ensures comfort and safety while cycling. Hybrid bikes or road bikes are usually an amateur’s best bet for navigating a mix of bumpy to paved roads and slow-moving traffic. Additionally, a bike with the correct size should correspond to a rider’s height. 2. Gear up. When it comes to cycling gear, the first and most important one to get is a safety helmet. A proper fitting helmet should cover the forehead about an inch above the eyebrows and not tip forward or backward. Bright, reflective

clothing is another must while riding. Neon or fluorescent-colored wear such as hi-vis (high visibility) jackets or stickon reflectors is recommended, especially when biking during early morning, cloudy days or evenings. 3. Practice biking techniques. Practice is key to building confidence on the road. Ascending, descending, keeping balance when turning corners, and looking over one’s shoulder without swerving are basic skills to master. Even knowing how to change flat tires using a patch kit could come in handy. In San Juan, riders can actually rest and repair their bikes through pit stops. 4. Check equipment. Before setting off, it’s important to ensure all parts of a bicycle are secure and working. Tires should be properly inflated, and the seat should be adjusted to and locked at a proper height, ideally at the same level or just slightly lower than the handlebars.

ONE Warrior Series product Jenelyn Olsim of the Philippines is ready to make her ONE Championship main roster debut. Olsim steps into the Circle opposite no. 5-ranked women’s strawweight mixed martial artist Maira Mazar of Brazil at ONE: FISTS OF FURY III, a previously recorded event from the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore scheduled for broadcast this Friday night, March 19. Wanting to make a good impression in hopes of boosting herself up the rankings, the newest Team Lakay woman warrior is ready to showcase her skills and make a statement in her promotional debut. “It’s my first time on the big stage, and I feel both excited and nervous. I’ve worked with Team Lakay for a while now, and since joining the team, everything has changed for me,” Olsim told ONE Championship in a recent interview. “Getting a belt isn’t on my mind right now, but definitely something I want in the future. For now, I just want to be the best I can be. I’m working on that.” Olsim counts herself fortunate to be able to train alongside some of the Philippines’ greatest mixed martial artists, guys like two-time ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang, and reigning ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio.

Sports

THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

LeBron adds Red Sox, race team to Liverpool in sport empire

with 29 points while Jaylen Brown added 28 as the Celtics fell to 20-19 to remain in sixth place in the Eastern Conference. Elsewhere Tuesday, the New York Knicks pushed the Eastern Conferenceleading Philadelphia 76ers all the way before losing their road game 99-96. The Knicks, who ran the second-placed Brooklyn Nets close on Monday, led for long periods but were overpowered in the fourth quarter as the Sixers outscored their opponents 26-14. Tobias Harris led the Sixers scoring with 30 points while Ben Simmons had a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Seth Curry had 20 points as Philadelphia improved to 27-12. Julius Randle and Alec Burks led the New York scorers with 19 points apiece. In Miami meanwhile, Jimmy Butler had 28 points as the Heat extended their winning streak to five games with a comfortable 113-98 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Miami improved to 22-18 with the win to remain in fourth place in the Eastern table. AFP

LOS ANGELES—LeBron James has added ownership stakes in baseball’s Boston Red Sox and a US stock car race team to England football champions Liverpool in his sports empire, according to multiple reports Tuesday. The superstar playmaker for the NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers and business partner Maverick Carter have become partners in the Fenway Sports Group, according to the Boston Globe, USA Today, ESPN and other US reports. James, 36, already had a 2% stake in Liverpool but now likely has a firmer share in the Premier League team as well as a stake in Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox, a sports management firm, a regional sports cable network and Roush Fenway Racing of NASCAR, the closed-cockpit series that is the most popular form of US auto racing. Liverpool is also among the group’s holdings, having been taken over by Fenway in 2010. James also owns an entertainment production company in Hollywood and has a movie debuting later this year, “Space Jam: A New Legacy”. Meanwhile, the New Orleans Pelicans staff, reportedly including several players, were among team employees who received Covid-19 vaccinations under Louisiana state guidelines expanding eligibility, the NBA team said Sunday. “On March 9th, the State of Louisiana expanded the eligibility for Covid-19 vaccines to include people 18 years of age or older (16 years or older for the Pfizer vaccine) who meet certain health criteria that may result in a higher risk of disease,” the Pelicans said in a statement released to NOLA.com and other media outlets. “Yesterday, individuals within the New Orleans Pelicans organization who met the state health department’s eligibility requirements received the vaccine.” On Tuesday, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards encouraged anyone 16 years or older with medical conditions that put them at a higher risk of contracting coronavirus, including asthma, hypertension and being overweight, to get vaccinated. Reserve guard Sindarius Thornwell tweeted on Friday that he would get vaccinated at the weekend. AFP

Antonio Tiu, who heads Agri Nurture Inc. (ANI), one of the leading agricultural businesses in the country. “Notwithstanding the pandemic, we hope to come up with sports programs, including on-line training and seminars, that will keep the studentathletes mentally active and vibrant during the pandemic times.” The FESSAP is the sole national university sports organization officially recognized by the International University Sports Federation. It is also affiliated with other prestigious international organizations such as Asian University Sports Federation, Asia Pacific University Sports Union and ASEAN University Sports Council as the country’s representative. The current FESSAP Board of Trustees is headed by Alvin Tai Lian, the Chairman of the Board. Atty. Baldomero C. Estenzo from the University of Cebu is the Vice-Chairman. Other than Tiu and Prof. Calo, the other members of the FESSAP Board of Trustees are co-Vice President Dr. Jesus Rodrigo Torres of the Technological University of the Philippines (TUP) and Mr. Felix O. Tiukinhoy Jr. of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc (CESAFI); Secretary General Graham C. Lim; Treasurer Miss Jeane E. Monteverde; Board Secretary

Miss Maria Cecilia V. Sarmiento; and Directors Miss Alma M. Jocson from the Private Schools Association (PRISSA), Miss Lualhati Dela Cruz from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), Miss Ann Janeth G. Garcia (her alternate Mr. JC A. Clarito) of FISU Ambassador, Mr. Sean Elijah W. Siy of the FESSAP’s StudentAthletes Union (SAU), Mr. Joseph A. Sy from the Philippine Inter-School Sport Association (PISSA), Mr. Allan D. Soria from the State Colleges Association, and Miss Loren Chloe Balaoing from the Cordillera Administrative Region. FESSAP intends to take part in the 31st Summer Universiade in Chengdu, China in August 2021 and the 30th Winter Universiade in Lucerne, Switzerland in December 2021. Moreover, a joint-cooperation and partnership between the FESSAP, headed by Tiu and the Philippine Inter-School Sport Association (which is recognized by the International School Sport Federation -ISF), led by its President Alvin Tai Lian and his Secretary-General Joseph Sy, has been struck to jointly support the high school student-athletes that will compete in the 18th Gymnasiade, also known as the 18th World School Games, in Jinjiang City in China in October 2021.

Tiger Woods, a 15-time major champion recovering from injuries suffered last month in a car crash, is making a comeback in golfing videogames, announcing a new deal on March 16, 2021 with 2K. AFP

Tiger makes digital return in golf video game deal NEW YORK—Tiger Woods, a 15-time major champion recovering from injuries suffered last month in a car crash, is making a comeback in golfing video games, announcing a new deal Tuesday with 2K. The company and Woods have agreed upon a long-term exclusive partnership and 2K announced it has struck a deal to obtain HB Studios, developers of the PGA Tour 2K21 as well as The Golf Club franchise. Woods has won 82 PGA Tour titles, level with Sam Snead for the all-time record, and had partnered with EA Sports on one of the most successful golf video games ever created for 15 years before the deal ended in 2013. Woods suffered career-threatening leg injuries in an accident last month in California. “I am looking forward to making my return to the video game landscape, and with 2K and HB Studios, I’ve found the right partners to make it happen,” Woods said in a statement. “I’m honored to take part in this opportunity and look forward to sharing my expertise and insights as we build the future of golf video games together.” The partnership includes rights to use Woods’s name and likeness to appear exclusively in the PGA Tour 2K franchise and other games. Woods will serve as an executive director and consultant with PGA Tour 2K. AFP

Jordan Clarkson of the Utah Jazz looks to shoot a three point basket during the game against the Boston Celtics on March 16, 2021 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. AFP

Jazz bounce back; Sixers thwart Knicks L

OS ANGELES—Donovan Mitchell scored 20 points as the Utah Jazz bounced back from a run of disappointing recent outings with a battling 117-109 road victory over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday.

Utah arrived at Boston’s TD Garden still smarting from a 12-point loss to the Golden State Warriors on Sunday, a fourth defeat in six games for the Western Conference leaders. However after a sluggish start on Tuesday, which saw the Celtics race into an 11-point lead midway through the first quarter, normal service resumed as Utah asserted themselves late on. A 40-point fourth quarter wrapped up a morale-boosting victory which saw the Jazz improve to 29-10 at the top of the Western Conference. While Mitchell led the scoring for Utah, Jordan Clarkson provided an invaluable stint off the bench with 20 points -- including five three-pointers -- in just

over 30 minutes on court. Clarkson said Utah had been determined to regroup after Sunday’s defeat to the Warriors. “This is our last big road trip, and after losing that one to the Warriors we just wanted to come back and get something tonight,” Clarkson said. “We’re just trying to string these wins together. “We know we can handle our business at home, but on the road we’ve got to take everything into account, do all the small things well, and that’s going to help us win.” Point guard Mike Conley had 17 points and French international Rudy Gobert added 16 points with 12 rebounds for Utah. Jayson Tatum led the Boston scoring

Tiu elected FESSAP president By Graham C. Lim PROMINENT businessman-philanthropist Antonio L. Tiu was unanimously elected as the new president of the Federation of School Sports Association of the Philippines following a recent onlinemeeting by its Board of Trustees. This development was announced by Prof. Robert Milton Calo, FESSAP Executive Vice President, who presided over the regular Board of Trustees due to the absence of erstwhile president Angel Ngu, who was unavailable due to an international trip. Prof. Calo and Atty. Maria Luz Arzaga-Mendoza, who was designated the Chair of the Election Committee, oversaw the election proceedings that brought Tiu to the organization’s highest post. Tiu is not new to the FESSAP, for he was the Philippines’ Head of Delegation to the 27th Summer Universiade held in Kazan, Russia in 2013, when the country bagged its first-ever gold medal in Universiade history by way of Grandmaster Wesley So in men’s chess.

Another role for me? TIME sure does fly very fast. Two weeks have passed since I underwent a major heart quadruple bypass operation, and obviously, I survived it as you read this piece. And now that I have a lot of time on my hands, I started online searching on the matter. But even before that, in a chat with colleague Virgi Romano, I share the same fortune (but misfortune looks more appropriate) with former Filipino world boxing champions Ro-

At the time, Tiu headed the FESSAP Board of Trustees and was subsequently named as the Honorary Chairman of FESSAP from 2013-2015. Tiu has a herculean task ahead as the year-long pandemic remains unchecked and sports competitions worldwide have slowed down, if not totally scrapped for the health and safety of the athletes. But Tiu is not to shy away from challenges that have come in his way as evidenced by his past contributions to FESSAP. Under Ngu’s leadership, the Philippines copped its second Universiade gold medal through national athlete E.J. Obiena’s victory in the men’s pole vault. Tiu will also serve for a two-year term (2021-23) and is expected to pursue some of the activities and programs left behind by Ngu. The Board confirmed that Ngu is also named FESSAP Honorary Life President, the same honor conferred on former FESSAP president David U. Ongafter his term ended in 2017. “I am ready to serve the FESSAP to my best of my ability,” said the much-revered Antonio Tiu lando Bohol and Morris East, now relocated in Las Vegas in the United States for a long time. Bohol, who once held the International Boxing Federation light flyweight crown in 1988, had his by pass operation in 2016, while Olongapo native East, a Fil-American, who had his fling with boxing glory when he emerged World Boxing Association’s youngest light welterweight in 1992, went under the knife mid last year. So I can say I am in good company when it comes to what I just went through, with two boxing champions at that. But of course, the comparison ends with the fact that Bohol and East actually fought in the ring, while I was limited to writing about sports. It’s good all three of us survived to tell our stories. Right now, I am undergoing a slow healing process in our house under the care of my family, but believe it or not, the day after I was discharged, I already started walking outside, averaging 3,500 hand-counted steps daily (oh yes, I still can count). It was my heart that was operated on, not my brain.

But my formal rehabilitation is ongoing at the cardio vascular gym at the Makati Medical Center, under the supervision of a licensed physical therapist and doctor. The results are all forwarded to my attending physician Dr. Paul Quetua, for monitoring. Cardiac rehabilitation is a medically supervised progressive exercise program, which helps and guides patients to recover from heart attacks, bypass surgeries like my case, or other serious cardiac situations. Part of the program is continuing medical attention to achieve full recovery. The place actually looks like an under-fitted fitness gym, which most people are familiar with, complete with all sorts of fitness machines, weights, etc. Where I go, I only see and use three machines, treadmill, stationary bike and stepping on ladder contraption. On my second session, I met Dr. Adolfo Belosillo, head of the Cardiac Rehab Unit, and we certainly had a very interesting discussion. He explained that the ultimate objective for them is to present back to the community their patients in a normal as normal can be condition.

I asked him what are my chances of that and how long do I still have in this physical world of ours. The reply was that there are good chances, but anchored on a perpetual healthy lifestyle regime, but are also dependent on age, comorbidities, extent of damage on the heart, and of course, one’s lifestyle and diet. Remember before this happened to me, I lived an active lifestyle, having been into running in my younger years, kayaking and mountain climbing/trekking, caving, even doing adventure team-building workshops in Mt. Banahaw, where I go regularly for summer to give school bags and supplies to indigent kids, same with an annual Christmas gift giving that goes back to maybe the last 18 years. I also do not smoke nor drink. And so I thought I was a healthy senior with no maintenance medicines, only to find out that it was not enough, and I paid the price for not knowing. This is where things got interesting for me and the good doctor. He cited that lack of awareness and education on the subject is one big factor for people being surprised, some fatally, that they have an

existing heart condition. On that premise, Dr. Belosillo established the Foundation for Lay Education on Heart Diseases in 2000, following a medical world congress here in the Philippines. The Foundation’s objective is simple, educate the public more on the matter through public fora, seminars, symposiums, reaching out to the general public, including seniors, teachers, and government health workers, stopped only by the pandemic. And you know what I did? I volunteered my services as a testimonial speaker, believing what I went through in life and my background on sports, management, communications, and facilitating seminars, will help convince people that it is high time we took a second look on their current lifestyle, and make a change. Of course, we need to get things back to normal before resuming the foundation’s activities, where I might get involved in the future. That is the new role for me. Now, excuse me but I need to go back to my rehab.

Entertainment

nickie.standard@gmail.com THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

After Gerald Anderson exclusive, Boy Abunda returns in ‘THE BEST TALK’

FEW weeks after his trending exclusive interview with Gerald Anderson, King of Talk Boy Abunda is poised to take conversations to the next level as his showbiz-oriented online show, FYE Channel’s The Best Talk, is back on Pinoy livestreaming app kumu for its second season.

“Expect some entertainment, some fun, some laughter,” the Kapamilya host said. “It’s going to be bigger and better now that it’s more structured.” Streaming every Saturday starting March 20 at 9:00 p.m., viewers can look forward to Boy’s most awaited chat with Pinoy Big Brother Connect Big Winner Liofer Pinatacan along with the rest of the PBB Big 4—2nd Big Placer Andrea Abaya, 3rd Big Placer Kobie Brown, and 4th Big Placer Jie-Ann Armero for the new season’s premiere episode. The award-winning host will open The Best Talk with the KumuNow segment featuring a brief commentary on trending celebrity news of the week, followed by Drop and Ask, which

King of Talk Boy Abunda’s ‘The Best Talk’ promises to bring more celebrity updates and revelations in its new season.

Boy Abunda (left) in his controversial and trending interview with Gerald Anderson

will give kumunizens a chance to ask a question upon drop of a Miss Kumuniverse virtual gift at the right time. The show’s highlight will be Kumustahan with Boy where the esteemed host will ask his celebrity guests questions that all start with ‘kumusta.’ Then, he will get up close and personal with rising streamers on kumu who will showcase whatever talent they want to bring to the table via the May K Ka! portion. Boy will end the weekly show with the K-Talk segment stressing relevant insights, quotable quotes, and learnings from a particular episode. He shared, “May K Talk din where we synthesize the show, the things

A woman entrepreneur's pandemic journey to digital media PEN de Leon Manahan is the epitome of success in the business world. She has all the elements - smart, beautiful, fashionable, and very elegant. Highly successful as a health professional and as an entrepreneur since emigrating to the USA, Ms. M, as she is fondly called by her followers and staff, is also known to venture into new and exciting trades. Show business called on her and she tried concert promotion as she launched Spotlight Media Productions in 2019. She was able to bring forth sold-out concerts with the likes of Kaye Brosas and Angeline Quinto, and while sadly, the COVID-19 pandemic foiled the rest of her plans in the pipeline in terms of musical events, she managed to come up with something greater, a way to reach out to the rest of the world: the digital Spotlight Media Magazine; a toast to her relentless enterprising spirit. "I am always willing to try new things and am not afraid of challenges. I always trust my instincts in the changing marketplace. I thought a digital publication is perfect for a market of readers which is multiplatform," she explains. Since launching in September of 2020, Spotlight Media Magazine has already released 3 well-accepted issues, in both print and digital formats and is gaining many followers online. In fact, rockstar Arnel Pineda was even part of this mesmerizing Journey, gracing the festive cover of the Winter 2020 issue. "The magazine aims to illuminate the triumphs of Asian Americans as they migrate to the US and live exemplary good lives. This reading material becomes inspirational to all immigrants. I want to make this as a bridge of hope as we provide Asian Americans their stories their struggles and their successes." Ever-elegant, Ms. M is beyond a business maven who takes the needs of those whom she serves, planting them as seeds while infusing them with her own creative ideas into life, writing out what it means to “bloom where you are planted.” "I formed a formidable team of creative writers and designers at a time where starting a new business in a very unstable time is very challenging. But I am looking forward. The digital media arts is the way to go in these pandemic times and beyond." she adds. With this digital publication's noble intentions, Ms. M was also able to share much of her style and practical views. Most notably her fashion sense through the highly-followed Fashion segment; her heirloom recipes that readers have fun replicating in the comfort of their own kitchens and most of all, her gracious advice to readers struggling to cope with a personal

I learned, how much fun the audience had. Kasi the good thing about this platform is immediate ang reaction na nakukuha natin mula sa ating tagapanood.” There will also be a 15-minute pre-show every Saturday where he will greet and chat with viewers and do special shout outs. Launched just last October, The Best Talk is one of the most-watched shows on kumu’s FYE channel, which offers a variety of entertaining and enlightening livestreams featuring Kapamilya streamers. The Best Talk is also streaming live on Cinema One Facebook page and YouTube channel. Viewers may also catch its replays on Cinema One channel and TFC.

YUGEL LOSORATA

Orange County-based businesswoman Pen de Leon Manahan talks about publishing Spotlight Media Magazine for Asian Americans and her values in life.

issue through her very own advice column, “Dear Ms. M,” touted as a heart to heart talk with someone who truly cares, and hopes the best for those around her, especially for Spotlight Media Magazine readers. The pen is mightier than the sword Pen De Leon- Manahan’s story harks us back to 1987 when she first emigrated to the United States of America. Such a bold, and daring move of course, takes a lot of might and courage. Pen states that she was “lucky enough,” to have a good start in the USA, thanking her educational background as the compass that set her first steps in this country, when in truth, her origins as an immigrant is already a glimpse of her might as a person! It is never easy to move to another country, to be far away from your comfort zone and everything you had ever known, but Ms. M, clearly, the writer of her life’s story, was able to ease so gracefully, even through the daunting waters of uncertainty. Read full story on manilastandard.net

CHEMISTRY between two artists singing a duet track is best developed not during studio sessions, but on how they interacted prior to recording. In the case of Alisah Bonabora and Myko Mañago, months of hosting a livestream show together proved valuable when it’s time for them to record a new song to feature their voices. It’s easy to notice the two had real, fun time delivering their vocals for “Pangako,” the first duet release for RJA Productions, LLC, with two of its premier talents on board. The song, penned by vocal coach Arnie Mendaros, will be dropped in digital stores tomorrow, Friday (March 19). The well-produced, searing pop ballad piece showcases their vocal strengths with equal aplomb. For months now, the Alisah-Myko pair has been livestreaming for a weekly online show called Winner Ka Sa RJA. It’s a major plus that the songwriter has also been guiding them closely in artistic terms. Arnie noted, “I’ve got great confidence with these artists since I’m their vocal coach. I know what they’re capable of and I believe they could do it right.” Exactly the point. Listening to the track reminds one of the classic vocal pairings like those of Ray-An Fuentes and Tillie Moreno for “Umagang Kay Ganda” and Gino Padilla and Rocky for “Let The Love Begin.” Somehow, it’s a blessing in disguise that the duo couldn’t do duets during their livestream appearances because of the usual syncing problem in live feeds. So, the sessions at Wild Grass studio (formerly Pink Noise) were highly anticipated by all those involved. After several months together in the interactive online game show for

Livestream duo records new duet song

followers of RJA talents, they have grown close to each other and developed deeper connections with their fans. Alisah expressed delight on the outcome of their duet, saying, “Hindi ko ma explain ang excitement ko about the song which sincerely expresses yung ibig sabihin ng long and lasting love. Pati yung mismong project wherein nararamdaman ko talaga na we’re one family sa RJA.” After proving her mettle in X-Factor UK and Voice of the Philippines stints, the internationally acclaimed siren has enjoyed a consistently growing fan base dubbed Alisahwarriros. The pride of the City of Manila even beefed up her resume as she is currently taking online music classes through the UST Conservatory, with emphasis on voice performance and piano playing. It’s a move partly initiated by RJA’s commitment to supporting its artists beyond producing and booking. Also a noted vlogger and online gamer, Myko, who has released five songs last year, pointed out, “Sobrang privileged and honored ako na maka-duet si Alisah. Salamat sa nadevelop na bonding sa livestream. Walang ilangan nung nasa studio na kami.” In “Pangako,” Myko sings, “Sa hindi inaasahang pagkakataon tayo’y pinagtagpo sa tamang panahon," while Alisah warmly responds, “Lungkot napawi na magmula nang makita ka.” The song’s integrity is sealed by the time they mesh it up singing “Walang ibang makakapigil sa pag-ibig natin.”

Livestream show co-hosts Myko Mañago and Alisah Bonaobra, both recording artists under the same management house RJA Prod., recorded a new song ‘Pangako’ to be dropped in digital stores tomorrow (March 19).

Spike Lee to head Cannes Film Festival jury

Lee's 'BlacKkKlansman'picked up a prize at Cannes in 2018.

US DIRECTOR Spike Lee will head the jury at the Cannes Film Festival in July, organizers said Tuesday, making him the first black person to take on the role. The feted New York film-maker was supposed to perform the function at last year's event, but it was canceled due to the pandemic. Accepting the invitation in a recorded Twitter message, Lee said he was "very humbled.” "Way back in 1986, my very first film Shes Gotta Have It played there and it was my introduction to the world of cinema, so Cannes will always have a deep, deep spot in my heart," he said.

With COVID-19 still circulating at high levels in France, and the country making slow progress in its vaccination campaign, doubts remain over whether this year's edition will go ahead as planned from July 6 to 17, having already been delayed from its usual slot in May. It would be the biggest get-together for the global industry in more than a year, with most other festivals either canceled or relegated to online versions in recent months. Lee, 63, has been a fixture at Cannes over the years, premiering seven of his films there and winning the second-place

Grand Prix in 2018 for BlacKkKlansman about a black police officer infiltrating the Ku Klux Klan. "Throughout the months of uncertainty we've just been through, Spike Lee has never stopped encouraging us," said festival president Pierre Lescure in a statement. "We could not have hoped for a more powerful personality to chart our troubled times." Lee exploded on to the film scene at Cannes in 1986 with She's Gotta Have It, which took home the Youth Award. Shot on a shoestring in New York, the story of a young New Yorker trying to

choose between three men has become a cult classic and was recently remade as a Netflix series. When he returned to the Cote d'Azur three years later, he was in the main competition with Do The Right Thing, his landmark film about one sweltering day of charged race relations in Brooklyn. Jungle Fever (1991), Girl 6 (1996), Summer of Sam (1999), Ten Minutes Older (2002) have also featured at the festival. The last Palme d'Or winner was South Korea's Bong Joon-ho for Parasite in 2019. AFP

Life

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

HOUSEHOLD

THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

Sleep better to get better sleep By Bernadette Lunas

OOD sleep, a sleep expert says, is practically free, “you just have to help yourself.” But truth is, it is often the free things that are taken for granted.

In celebration of World Sleep Day on March 19, bed mattress manufacturer Uratex presents a series of expert-led talks that highlights the importance of good sleep. Studies link sleep deprivation to a number of health problems, including increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, memory and concentration issues, and injuries from accidents. Lack of sleep also weakens immunity, lowers sex drive, and leads to weight gain. Despite the science-backed findings

that show taking sleep for granted is bad for everyone, sleep deprivation remains a problem among a third of adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Sleep is a basic human need, much like eating and drinking, and is crucial to our overall health and well-being,” emphasizes Dr. Keith Aguilera, president of the Philippine Society of Sleep Medicine, Inc. Many factors are involved in poor sleep, and the current situation—the

pandemic that is—further lowers the sleep quality of many. “The most common complaint we get is insomnia,” says Dr. Aguilera. The reason of majority of those not being able to sleep on a regular schedule, the sleep expert reveals, is they’re not having anything to do the next day. “Because they didn’t have anything to do the following day, they would watch TV or Netflix throughout the night,” he shares. “And that would disturb your sleep. If you keep changing your sleep time and rise time, that will lead to misalignment of your sleepwake cycle.” Establishing and maintaining a regular bedtime and waking time is the number one step to getting a better sleep, according to Dr. Aguilera.

SLEEP TIGHT. Sleep expert, Dr. Keith Aguilera says using a comfortable mattress— suitable for the kind of sleeper a person is—and bedding helps improve sleep quality. Other ways to getting a good quality of shuteye include, taking a nap “if you’re tired,” avoiding caffeine at least six to seven hours before bed, avoiding cigarettes and alcohol four hours before bedtime, reserving bed for sleep and sex and not for work or general recreation like watching TV, and using comfortable mattress and bedding. “If you have a nice mattress, you save yourself from having back aches, from having sleepless nights,” seconds Cheska Kramer. Dr. Aguilera will talk more about “Covidsomnia” and other pandemicinduced sleep problems during his Facebook Live talk, entitled “Better Sleep, Better Health,” on Uratex Philippines’ page on March 19 at 7:00 p.m. The talk

In celebration of World Sleep Day, Uratex Philippines hosts a four-day Facebook Live session featuring experts tackling the value of good sleep.

is part of Uratex’s #BetterSleepBetterU campaign that runs until March 31. On March 20, professional football player Alyssa Valdez will take the reins as she discusses on the value of maintaining an everyday routine in order to be healthy. The “Better Sleep, Better Performance” talk will go live at 4:00 p.m. Previous sleep-related talks included “Better Sleep, Better Skin” led by Dr. Winlove Mojica and “Better Sleep, Better Diet” which had Dr. Dex Macalintal as the guest speaker. In addition to the four-day Facebook Live session, Uratex also has an ongoing #BetterSleepLook challenge that invites everyone to post their “Bagong Gising Look” on Facebook and Instagram for a chance to win prizes.

Get work done: Taguig mall offers free co-working space REMOTE workers looking for a space to get some work done or meet with clients while at the mall, are welcomed to the co-working space at SM Aura Premier in Taguig. Located at an open space on the third level, The Meeting Pods has several workspaces—complete with tables, chairs, couches, and electrical outlets— where anyone can conduct meetings, or stay to work or to take a break for free. They can also enjoy three hours of free Wi-Fi by simply scanning the QR codes found on the tables. The Meeting Pods’ layout follows health protocols, and guests are reminded to clean the tables and throw their waste on the bins provided at the corners of the hub before they leave.

A two-person co-working space complete with comfortable couch, table, electrical outlets, and three-hour free Wi-Fi access.

Prestige by ilaw atbp. is located at Plazuela de Molino in Bacoor Cavite.

The Meeting Pods at SM Aura Premier is open to anyone who like to conduct meetings, get some work done, or take a break while at the mall

DOMESTIC LIVING The newly opened store houses high-end and decorative lighting pieces

Lighting retailer opens first high-end brand LIGHTING solutions retailer ilaw atbp. opens its first Prestige branch which will be home to high-end decorative and designer lighting pieces. The store, located at Plazuela de Molino in Bacoor, Cavite, offers a range of carefully selected and crafted decorative lighting pieces, including its first designer series by Italian architect and lighting designer Gabi Peretto. The store is open Monday to Sunday, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. To inquire, contact 0963-621-9587 or email ilawatbp.molino@gmail.com. Much like its mother company ilaw atbp., president and chief executive

Edwin Pimentel says Prestige aims to partner with more interior designers, architects, and contractors in bringing small-scale and large-scale lighting projects to life. Ilaw atbp.’s clients include hotels like Seda and The Sky Suites, food establishments such as Islas Pinas and Dean & Deluca, and malls and other commercial establishments including, among others, Ayala Land, San Miguel Corporation, Filinvest Corporation, and MerryMart Grocery. The lighting retailer currently has 18 branches all over the country, and offers franchise packages—more details are available on www.ilawatbp.com.

New vacuum cleaner packs more power

The Mi Vacuum Cleaner G10 features a digital motor that is 25 percent more powerful than the brand’s previous generation.

COINCIDING with the launch of its new flagship smartphone, Mi releases its latest vacuum cleaner with a new and more powerful motor. The Mi Vacuum Cleaner G10 features a digital motor that spins at 125,000rmp, creating a max of 150 air watts suction power, which, the brand says, is 25 percent more than the previous generation. It also comes with HEPA filter with 99.97 percent whole filtration rate, as well as a TFT screen that displays realtime status of modes, battery charging, language, and defaults. It also has a wall-mounted dock charging with detachable battery (up to 65 minutes on eco mode), smart torque, and 0.6L detachable dustbin. The Mi Vacuum Cleaner G10 is available at authorized Mi stores and other official retailers at P10,990.