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JOMA, NPA, ASG TOP 'TERRORISTS' LIST—ATC List dubious; Joma‘not bothered (Story on A4)

By Vito Barcelo, Rey E. Requejo and Willie Casas THE Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) has designated Communist Party of the Philippines founding chairman Jose Maria Sison and top National Democratic Front peace consultants Vicente Ladlad, Adelberto Silva, Rafael Baylosis, Wilma Tiamzon, and Benito Tiamzon and the New People’s Army as “terrorists.” Also listed in the ATC resolution are Jorge Madlos, Julieta De Lima Sison, Rey

VICENTE LADLAD

Claro Cera Casambre, Abdias Guadiana, Alan Valera Jazmines, Adelberto Albayalde, Ma. Concepcion Araneta-Bocala, Dionesio Micabolo, Myrna Sularte, Tirso Lagora Alcantara, Pedro Heyrona Codaste, Tomas Dominodo, Ma. Loida Tuzo Magpatoc and Menandro Villanueva. Ten other members of different “local terrorist groups” who are allegedly members of the Abu Sayyaf Group were listed in a separate resolution. National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr., vice chairman of the ATC, signed Resolution Nos. 16 and 17 dated

RAFAEL BAYLOSIS

Feb. 24, 2021 and April 17, 2021 which were made public yesterday. Esperon said the ATC has also identified 29 individuals designated as “terrorists.” In Resolution No. 16, the top listed terror suspect is Esmael Abdulmalik, belonging to the Islamic State (IS). Also tagged as terrorists in the resolution are nine other individuals affiliated with either the Dawlah Islamiya, Abu Sayyaf Group, or the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters. These are Raden Abu,

at all’; peace talks collapse seen

By Maricel V. Cruz

COMMUNIST leader Jose Maria Sison on Thursday dismissed the government’s decision to include him and his wife and the rest of the 19-member central committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines in a list of terrorists. In a statement, Sison said he and his wife Julieta are “not at all bothered” by their designation as terrorists by the AntiTerrorism Council (ATC). Next page “To start with, the list of names in the

JULIETA DE LIMA-SISON

JOMA SISON

BENITO TIAMZON

designation appears to be arbitrary, dubious and even contradictory or inconsistent with the various public and purportedly personal statements even of its own NTF-ELCAC (National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict) evil minions,” Sison said in a statement issued from The Netherlands, where he is in self-exile. “Moreover, it includes mostly publicly known political consultants of the NDFP (National Democratic Front of

WILMA TIAMZON

ADELBERTO SILVA

NCR Plus returns to GCQ

Duterte: Avoid fiestas; ‘heightened restrictions’ take effect May 15 By Joyce Pangco Pañares, Joel E. Zurbano and Willie Casas

WEATHER TS Crising threatens Davao-Surigao area

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte placed Metro Manila and four neighboring provinces comprising the NCR Plus bubble under General Community Quarantine with Heightened Restrictions starting May 15 as he ordered local chief executives to ensure that no fiesta (religious festivity) is held to avoid superspreader events amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

By Rio N. Araja and Alena Mae S. Flores TROPICAL “Crising” maintained its strength while moving closer toward Davao Oriental-Surigao del Sur area, but was forecast to weaken into a tropical depression while traversing the rugged landmass of Mindanao and emerging over the Sulu Sea on Saturday morning. It will move west-northwestward and is likely to make landfall over the Davao Oriental-Surigao del Sur area between Thursday night and Friday morning. It is forecast to remain a tropical storm prior to landfall and to weaken into a remnant low on Sunday morning after passing Next page over Palawan.

VOL. XXXV • NO. 88• 2 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 FRIDAY, MAY 14, 2021 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

“May is traditionally the month for fiestas. Do not just tone these fiestas down – forego them. God knows we love him... We are just being mindful because we are still in a pandemic and there is no way of knowing how long this will last,” the President said in his address to the public late Thursday evening.

COVID-19 PH AT A GLANCE

(AS OF 4 PM MAY13)

1,124,724

• Indoor dining at 20% venue capacity • Bars, cinemas, arcades still not allowed • Normal GCQ: CAR except Ifugao (MECQ) “I will not allow any violation of the guidelines given by the task force, and I will hold LGUs down to the last barangay level – meaning barangay captains – for laws that are not being enforced. If you want this country to recover from Next page

TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES

6,385 55,260

EID MUBARAK! Members of

the Muslim community maintain social distancing and strictly observe health protocols as they flock to the Golden Mosque in Quiapo, Manila during the celebration of Eid'l Fitr or the end of the holy month of Ramadan on Thursday. Norman Cruz

ACTIVE

18,821

107

1,050,643

4,289

NEW

DEATHS

RECOVERIES

GIFT FROM THE PHILIPPINES. This photo taken on

NEW

LOCAL ROUNDUP

May 12, 2021 shows Pope Francis wearing a hat given by Filipino devotee as he arrives at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican to resume his weekly outdoors general audience with the public after a six-month absence due to the novel coronavirus crisis. AFP

Roque insists on tackling WPS By Rey E. Requejo and Joel E. Zurbano

pine Sea, even though he was dressed down by Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. and several senators for saying that the Julian Felipe (Whitsun) PRESIDENTIAL spokesman Harry Reef was not inside the Philippines’ exRoque on Thursday said he would clusive economic zone (EEZ). continue speaking on the West PhilipNext page

OFWs on alert amid Gaza conflict A picture taken on May 13, 2021 shows a ball of fire engulfing the Al-Walid building which was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza city early in the morning. The Israeli army has launched hundreds of air strikes on the Gaza Strip since the begining of the week, while Palestinian militants have launched more than 1,200 rockets, according to Israel's army, in some of the worst violence in seven years in the area. AFP

NEW

THE Philippines is ready to facilitate emergency repatriation of Filipinos from Israel amid the heaviest fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants, Malacañang said Thursday. In a virtual presser, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque called the

Philippine Embassy in Israel and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) “experts” in ensuring the safety of Filipinos amid the latest escalation of violence in Gaza and Jerusalem. “So we are preparing for Filipinos’ Next page

• P75-b vaccines for teens, adults • Razon's Moderna • Rollout revved By Julito G. Rada and Willie Casas FINANCE Secretary Carlos Dominguez III on Thursday said the government would likely need around P75 billion to purchase vaccines for approximately 15 million teenagers and 70 million adults in the country. "With the announcement that some countries will inoculate teenagers and the expectation that we eventually will follow suit, we are anticipating an additional expenditure of about P20 billion to vaccinate the approximately 15 million kids age 12 to 17," Dominguez said in a message to reporters. Next page

FRIDAY, MAY 14, 2021

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News Joma... From A1

PULL! Fishermen pull their net for the day's catch in San Narciso, Zambales. The town's coastline facing the West Philippine Sea is famous among surfers because of its big waves and majestic sunsets. PonD News Asia

NCR... From A1

the onslaught of COVID-19, be mindful of how to prevent it,” he added. The areas under GCQ with Heightened Restrictions from May 15 to 31 are Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal. For the NCR Plus area, only essential travel into and out of the bubble shall be allowed. Public transportation shall remain operational at such capacities and protocols in accordance with the Department of Transportation guidelines. Indoor dine-in services in NCR Plus shall be at 20 percent venue or seating capacity while outdoor or al fresco dining shall be at 50 percent venue or seating capacity. Outdoor tourist attractions in the NCR Plus, on the other hand, may be opened at 30 percent with strict adherence to minimum public health standards. Religious gatherings and gatherings for necrological services, wakes, inurnment and funerals for those who died of

List... From A1

the Philippines) negotiating panel in the peace negotiations with the Manila government who are all entitled to the protection of the GRP-NDFP Joint Agreement of Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) and other binding bilateral agreements.” Kapatid spokesperson Fides Lim, wife of peace consultant Vicente Ladlad who was among the 19 individuals designated by the ATC, said her husband was an activist and not a terrorist. “My husband Vicente Ladlad is not a terrorist or a criminal. His long record of activism, which includes political im-

Roque... From A1

Roque’s remarks Wednesday contradicted official statements by the Foreign Affairs and Defense departments, which urged China to withdraw some 200 ships intruding on the Philippine EEZ. In angry tweets, Locsin said Roque should drop the subject and let him speak exclusively on the issue. But Roque said he and Locsin were “fine,” and that they had reached an agreement that he would continue to speak on international law. Senators pounced on Roque’s remarks, with Senator Francis Pangilinan asking if he was on China’s payroll. Senator Aquilino Pimentel III said the executive department should “follow a script written by the DFA.” Roque brushed aside these remarks, saying the senators were just playing politics. He also urged Congress to amend Presidential Decree 1596 to strengthen the Philippines’ claim over the Kalayaan Island Group. On Wednesday, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) said the country’s maritime patrol on May 9 spotted around 287 Chinese maritime militia vessels in various features of the municipality of Kalayaan. Maritime patrols conducted on May 9 showed “bigger groupings” of Chinese vessels were spotted in Chinese-built arti-

OFWs... From A1

possible repatriation and they ar given a warning to stay safe because of the escalating tensions in Israel and its occupied territory,” Roque said. Roque said the government would go on a special mission to fetch distressed

causes other than COVID-19 in NCR Plus shall be allowed up to 10 percent of the venue capacity. Also continued to be allowed in GCQ areas with heightened restrictions are non-contact outdoor sports and personal care services that allow for services not requiring mask removal, such as salons, parlors, and beauty clinics, among others at 30 percent capacity. Entertainment venues such as bars, concert halls, and theaters; recreational venues such as internet cafes, billiards halls, and arcades; amusement parks, fairs, playgrounds, and kiddie rides; indoor sports courts and venues and indoor tourist attractions; and venues for meetings, conferences, exhibitions shall not be allowed in NCR Plus Interzonal travel from NCR Plus areas, except those conducted by Authorized Persons Outside Residence (APORs), shall remain prohibited. Under normal GCQ status from May 15 to 31 are areas under the Cordillera Administrative Region – Apayao, Baguio City, Benguet, Kalinga, Mountain Province and Abra; Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya in Region 2; Batangas and Que-

zon in Region 4-A; Puerto Princesa in Region 4-B; Iligan City in Region 10; Davao City in Region 11; and Lanao del Sur in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. The City of Santiago and Quirino Province in Region 2; Ifugao in the Cordillera Administrative Region; and Zamboanga City in Region 9 shall be placed under Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine from May 15 to 31. All other areas shall be placed under Modified General Community Quarantine until the month’s end. The Philippines on Thursday logged 6,385 new cases COVID-19, bringing the total to 1,124,724, as all laboratories were operational and were able to submit their data on time, the Department of Health said. The DOH reported 55,260 active cases, which is 4.9 percent of the total. Of the active cases, 93.3 percent were mild; 2.2 percent were asymptomatic; 1.4 percent were critical; 1.9 percent were severe; and 1.18 percent were moderate. The Health department likewise recorded 4,289 persons who have recovered and 107 new fatalities.

prisonment for standing for country and people, is an open book,” she said in a statement. For his part, Renato Reyes, secretary general of the leftist Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), said it was absurd to tag peace negotiators as terrorists, adding this would hurt future peace talks. “All of this was done without due process. It is clear that the anti-terror law is easily abused as seen from this kind of arbitrary designation,” Reyes said. A member of the Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives denounced the ATC list. “The designation of 19 individuals alleged to be part of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the

Philippines, displays clearly how terror-listing can be extremely arbitrary and devoid of due process, and how the Anti-Terror Council can easily abuse its power,” said Bayan Muna Rep. Ferdinand Gaite. “No evidence is presented, no clear basis is presented, nor is there a clear statement of what specific crimes were committed," Gaite said. Gaite said the resolution "is truly illustrative of how they would be wielding the Anti-Terror Law to attack government critics, activists, and even ordinary citizens." He added that the ATC resolution gives merit to the position of petitioners questioning the legality of the Anti-Terrorism Law.

ficial islands, while some were observed near islands occupied by the Philippines, the NTF-WPS said. Two CMM and two Houbei-class missile warships were also found inside Panganiban (Mischief) Reef), one CMM at Lawak (Nanshan Island), 11 CMMs at about 29 nautical miles southwest of Recto (Reed) Bank, and one CMM at Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal. The NTF-WPS said one Chinese Coast Guard vessel was also seen at the shoal during an earlier patrol on May 7. Reacting to these reports, Roque said the NTF-WPS should put into proper context the exact locations of the Chinese vessels because not all of them were in areas claimed by the Philippines. He said the Philippines should only be concerned over its claimed areas in WPS that are being occupied by China. “So let’s not stress ourselves over issues concerning the entire West Philippine Sea because we do not claim the entire West Philippine or South China Sea,” Roque said in Filipino. On July 12, 2016, the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruled against China’s claimed historic rights over the entire WPS, but Beijing has refused to recognize the ruling. Other countries with competing claims in the highly-contested WPS are Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Roque also said that China’s building of artificial islands in areas within the Philippines’ EEZ should not be a cause for concern. Citing the international law, Roque Filipinos “if need be.” “Our government will of course fetch our fellow countrymen if need be and if they want,” he said. A total 29,473 Filipinos are currently working and residing in Israel. No Filipino casualties have been reported amid the escalating exchange of air strikes and rocket fires between Israel and Palestin-

Esmael Abubakar, Muhiddin Animbang, Salahuddin Hassan, Radzmil Jannatul, Majan Sahidjuan, Faharudin Bonito Hadji Satar, Mudsrimar Sawadjaan, and Almujer Yadah. In designating the 29 persons as terrorists, the ATC noted in the two resolutions that it “verified and validated information” and found “probable cause” in the process. The 19 CPP members were found in violation of Sections 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 of the Anti-Terrorism Act. On the other hand, the 10 local terrorist group members were cited for violation of Sections 6, 7, and 10 of the same law. The ATC’s power to determine probable cause in designating terrorists as provided for by ATA has made the law a contentious one. The ATC resolution dated April 21 described the 19 individuals as “central committee members” of the CPPNPA, the highest decision- and policymaking body of the CPP, which also supposedly leads and commands the NPA, “its main weapon in attaining the Party’s goal of overthrowing the dulyelected government by seizing and consolidating political power through

Weather... From A1

Meanwhile, power system operator and transmission service provider National Grid Corp. of the Philippines announced Thursday it had implemented the necessary preparations and precautions to minimize the impact of Tropical Depression Crising on transmission operations and facilities. State-run National Electrification Administration also directed the electric cooperatives nationwide to prepare for the tropical storm. "Preparations included ensuring the reliability of communications equipment, availability of hardware materials and supplies necessary for the repair of damages to facilities, as well as the positioning of line crews in strategic areas, to facilitate immediate restoration work," NGCP said. NGCP’s Integrated Disaster Action Plan prescribes these and other procedures to ensure the readiness of all power transmission facilities expected to be af-

violent means.” The Department of Justice on Thursday said the 29 people designated as terrorists may also face other criminal charges, aside from violating the provisions of the ATA. Justice Undersecretary Adrian Ferdinand Sugay said these charges would be apart from the criminal cases already pending against many of the designated people. He said the designation as terrorists paves the way for the Anti-Money Laundering Council to identify their assets and freeze them. Also on Thursday, a member of the National Task Force-End Local Communist Armed Conflict said a spate of “reprisal killings” by the New People’s Army (NPA) claimed the lives of at least 20 indigenous peoples and tribal leaders in 2020. In an interview over radio dzAR, the task force’s spokesperson on IP concerns, Gaye Florendo, said the victims were killed in front of their families and communities for refusing to join the communist movement. Florendo, also an official of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, added that the slain IP members were either riddled with bullets or died of stab wounds. At least four of them had their eyes gouged out, she said. fected by the passage of the weather disturbance. As of 4 p.m. Thursday, the center of “Crising” was estimated at 150 kilometers southeast of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur. It was moving west northwestward at 25 kms per hour, packing maximum sustained winds of 65 km/h near the center and gustiness of up to 80 km/h. Tropical cyclone wind signal no. 2 was hoisted over the southern portion of Surigao del Sur, southern portion of Agusan del Sur, northern portion of Davao Oriental, northern portion of Davao de Oro and the northern portion of Davao del Norte. Signal no. 1 remained in effect over the southeastern portion of Negros Oriental; Siquijor; Surigao del Norte, including Bucas Grande and Siargao Islands; the rest of Surigao del Sur; the rest of Agusan del Sur; Agusan del Norte; the rest of Davao Oriental; the rest of Davao de Oro; the rest of Davao del Norte; Davao City; Bukidnon; Lanao del Sur; Lanao del Norte; Misamis Occidental; Misamis Oriental; Camiguin, and the northeastern portion of Zamboanga del Sur.

said the use of violence to acquire territories in the disputed territories sea would “never ripen into title.” Locsin on Thursday said the country would file yet another diplomatic protest against China over the swarming of 287 Chinese ships in the West Philippine Sea. But China on Wednesday claimed it had “a smooth channel” to the Philippines and that the two sides were maintaining close communication amid tensions in the West Philippine Sea. In a press briefing in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said the two countries are "committed to properly handling the relevant issue through dialogue and consultation." Senator Panfilo Lacson on Thursday urged Filipinos to unite and make a strong stand on the issue on the West Philippine Sea. Lacson warned that if the people and their top leaders continue to bicker on the issue, Filipinos may wake up one day to find garrisons in Sabina Shoal. "We may wake up one day to see Chinese garrisons in our EEZ. They are already there, in our territory," he said. He said bickering among Filipinos would benefit only the Chinese government. "To them, so long as we are busy fighting among ourselves, they will do what they are doing," he said. Lacson said other countries are willing to help the Philippines maintain a balance of power in the WPS because they have their own national interests to pursue.

As the government is also anticipating to acquire booster shots for next year for about 85 million teenagers and adults, Dominguez said the government would be needing "another P55 billion." "To fund these but still maintain an acceptable fiscal deficit, we most likely will need to reallocate funds," Dominguez said. Dominguez said the vaccination for teenagers might start this year. "But the final decision will be with the health authorities," he said. Moderna vaccines Port magnate Enrique Razon said the private sector would receive some 70,000 COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna next month, which account for only 1 percent of the total 7 million vaccines conglomerates have ordered from the pharmaceutical giant. Moderna said the vaccines would arrive by the week of June 21, Razon told ANC's Headstart. The private sector has paid $93 million (P4.45 billion) for these vaccines, he said. "The government will have to pay more because the government's order is 13 million [jabs]," he said. The Philippines earlier allowed private firms to enter into a tripartite agreement so that they could procure vaccines for their respective employees. AstraZeneca Malacañang allayed concerns over the pace of the country’s vaccination rollout with 2 million doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine set to expire in one to two months. Citing the Department of Health, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque assured that the 2 million AstraZeneca vaccines will be used up before they expire. “There’s no problem because the expiration date is in July. It’s only May. We only need one month to finish those 2 million doses of AstraZeneca,” he said in a press briefing from PTV-4. Earlier, Health Undersecretary Myrna

Cabotaje said the government would deploy 1.5 million doses of the vaccines as first shots, while the remaining shots will be prioritized as second doses for individuals who received their first shot in March. Of the more than 2 million AstraZeneca vaccines that the Philippines received through the WHO-led COVAX Facility on May 8, some 1.5 million doses will expire on June 30, 2021, while 525,600 will expire on July 31, 2021. Sinopharm’s EUL Meanwhile, Roque said the Philippines was still determined to include China’s Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine in its vaccine portfolio. Roque said he was optimistic that Sinopharm would be cleared for emergency use in the Philippines after the World Health Organization included the Chinese vaccine in its emergency use listing. On May 5, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the withdrawal of Sinopharm over concerns that he received his first dose of the vaccine despite its lack of emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration of the Philippines. Duterte’s jab was covered by the compassionate permit use given to the Presidential Security Group hospital by the FDA. Sputnik V The Philippine government has received 15,000 second doses of Sputnik V vaccines against COVID-19 from Russia. The vaccines arrived past 9 p.m. at the NAIA Terminal 3 in Pasay City on Wednesday. Food and Drug Administration Director General Eric Domingo said the 15,000 doses sent were Component 2 or the Sputnik V's second dose. The FDA said the delivered vaccines made by Russia's Gamaleya Research Institute must be stored inside a dark place with a temperature not exceeding -18°C. The drug is only fit for use for six months, the FDA said. The drugs can also be administered to individuals aged 18 years old and above.

ian militant group Hamas, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday. Dozens of casualties, including children, were reported following the intense aerial exchanges between Israeli Forces and Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip since 2016. The Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv on Tuesday advised the Filipino com-

munity in Israel to stay vigilant and postpone or cancel travel plans to places near the border of Gaza. The embassy also told them to avoid approaching the Israeli security forces stationed in “sensitive areas.” Filipinos in Israel were also urged to find the nearest protected area when the need arises and take extra precautions when riding public ve-

hicles. In case of emergency, the embassy may be reached at +972.54.466.1188. Affected Filipinos may also contact the Israeli authorities at 100 (Police), 101 (Ambulance or Emergency Service), 102 (Fire), 104 (Home Front Command), 106/107/108 (Municipality Call Center).

Local... From A1

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FRIDAY, MAY 14, 2021

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Prison outbreaks fuel largest infections spike in Thailand

EMPTY CHAIRS AND EMPTY TABLES. A picture shows an empty beach in Israel’s mediterranean city of Bat Yam on

May 13, 2021. Israeli television the previous day aired footage of a far-right mob beating a man they considered an Arab until he lay unconscious on his back in a street in Bat Yam, near Tel Aviv. AFP

THAILAND reported its largest ever spike in coronavirus infections Thursday, with more than half coming from two Bangkok prisons where prominent democracy activists have been detained. The kingdom is battling a third wave of the virus that has forced the government to impose restrictions on movement, rules on mask-wearing and close public spaces. Alarm bells sounded this week when an activist at the forefront of Thailand’s democracy movement announced she had tested positive for COVID-19 five days after she was released on bail from a Bangkok jail. On Thursday Thailand reported more than 4,800 infections – its highest single-day jump yet – which included over 2,800 cases found in two prisons in the capital, according to Taweesin Visanuyothin, a spokesman for Thailand’s COVID-19 task force. Corrections department official

Gaza death toll climbs to 83

HE death toll from more than two days of Israeli strikes on Gaza has risen to 83, the health ministry controlled by the territory’s Islamist rulers Hamas said Thursday. The dead included 17 children, while 487 people have been wounded, the ministry said. The Israeli military said it had struck Gaza more than 600 times since Monday evening while Hamas has fired more than 1,600 rockets towards Israel. On Thursday, Israel faced an escalating conflict on two fronts, scrambling to quell

riots between Arabs and Jews on its own streets after days of exchanging deadly fire with Islamist militants in Gaza. Defense Minister Benny Gantz ordered a “massive reinforcement” of security forces to quell mob violence across the country, where police stations have been attacked and people savagely beaten on both sides.

Despite global alarm and diplomatic efforts to halt the spiralling violence, which US President Joe Biden said he hoped would end “sooner than later,” hundreds of rockets again tore through the skies over the Gaza Strip overnight. Israel’s air force launched multiple strikes with fighter jets, targeting what it described as locations linked to Hamas, the Islamist group that controls Gaza. Israel’s civil aviation authority said it had diverted all incoming passenger flights headed for Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport to Ramon airport in the south, as air raid warnings once more went off

across Israel. In southern Israel, seven people were killed, including one six-year-old, after a rocket struck a family home, the United Hatzalah volunteer rescue service said. Recent days have seen the most intense hostilities in seven years between Israel and Gaza’s armed groups, triggered by weekend unrest at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque compound, which is sacred to both Muslims and Jews. The unrest has been driven by anger over the looming evictions of Palestinian families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of east Jerusalem. AFP

IN BRIEF 2 foreign climbers die on Mt. Everest

A CLIMBER from the United States and another from Switzerland have died on Mount Everest, the first fatalities of this year’s season, expedition organisers in Nepal said Thursday. On average, around five climbers die every year on the world’s highest peak. But in recent seasons, Everest has seen a surge in the number of climbers, leading to overcrowding that has been blamed for multiple deaths. “Two climbers passed away on Wednesday,” Mingma Sherpa of Seven Summit Treks told AFP. Swiss climber Abdul Waraich, 40, died near the summit after reaching the top and suffering exhaustion, said Chhang Dawa Sherpa from the same organization. “We sent two additional Sherpas with oxygen and foods, unfortunately Sherpas couldn’t save him,” he said on Instagram. American Puwei Liu, 55, reached the Hillary Step – an outcrop just below the summit – but was helped back down after he suffered snow blindness and exhaustion, organizers said. He was able to reach Camp 4, “before he suddenly passed away” late Wednesday, Chhang Dawa Sherpa said. The bodies will be brought back down when the weather clears, organizers said. Eleven people died climbing the world’s highest peak in 2019, with four deaths blamed on overcrowding. On one day, 354 people were lined up to reach the top from Nepal’s southern side and Tibet’s northern approach.AFP

Buddhist monks split on junta issue

MYANMAR’S Buddhist monkhood led an earlier struggle against military rule but is split on the coup that ended the country’s nascent democracy, with some prominent religious leaders defending the new junta. Three months of turmoil have followed the February pre-dawn raids in which soldiers arrested civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her top allies, sparking furious and widespread opposition. Protesters have mobilized on the streets daily ever since, defying threats of lethal violence from security forces who have shot dead hundreds in an effort to bring the public to heel. Joining their ranks are a number of largely young, crimson-robed monks who have defied religious edicts against political activity to proclaim their condemnation of the generals. “I am willing to give up my precious monkhood and take part in the revolution together with the people,” said Shwe Ohh Sayardaw, 44, who is currently moving between different monasteries in an effort to evade arrest. The struggle against the military regime has drawn broad and vocal support from across Myanmar society and, with Buddhist worship a cornerstone of public life for most of the country, the monkhood is no exception. Security forces are closely watching monasteries for anti-coup activism, and about a dozen monks have been arrested, according to a local monitoring group.AFP

SNAP LOCKDOWN. A

deserted market is seen as government imposed 10-day lockdown to curb the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, in front of historical monument Charminar in the old city of Hyderabad on May 13, 2021. AFP

Asian cities most vulnerable to natural disasters OF THE 100 cities worldwide most vulnerable to environmental hazards all but one are in Asia, and most are in India or China, according to a risk assessment published Thursday. Across the globe, more than 400 large cities with a total population of 1.5 billion are at “high” or “extreme” risk due to some mixture of life-shortening pollution, dwindling water supplies, deadly heat waves, natural disasters and climate change, the report found. The sinking megalopolis of Jakarta – plagued by pollution, flooding and heat waves, with worse to come – topped the ranking, while two other Indonesian cities are in the top 10: Surabaya (fourth)

causes more than seven million premature deaths worldwide each year, including a million in India alone – the 20 cities with the worst air quality in the world among urban areas of at least a million people are all in India. Delhi is in pole position. “Together, China and India account for 286 million of the 336 million people living in cities at extreme risk for pollution,” the report found. The air pollution assessment was weighted towards the impact of microscopic, health-wrecking particles known as PM2.5, cast off in large measure by the burning of coal and other fossil fuels. AFP

Saudi releases Bin Laden patriarch in Ritz crackdown SAUDI Arabia has released construction magnate Bakr bin Laden, more than three years after his detention in a purge of the kingdom’s elite that upended his vast business empire, sources told AFP. The former chairman of the Bin Laden Group, Saudi Arabia’s biggest construction company, was reunited last week with his family in the Red Sea city of Jeddah after being freed from an undisclosed detention site, two people close to his family said. It was unclear whether the release of Bakr, a tycoon in his 70s once seen as a major powerbroker, was provisional as his movements are still curtailed, one of the sources said. “He was released and told to stay home,” he said. “People are allowed to visit him.” His family is “overjoyed,” the second source said, adding they hoped his release was not a temporary goodwill gesture by the government towards the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Bakr, a half-brother of the late AlQaeda leader Osama bin Laden, was not reachable for comment and Saudi authorities did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment. The Bin Laden family, branded as the Rockefellers of Saudi Arabia for their sprawling infrastructure projects, reaped enormous wealth for decades on the back of their proximity to the Al Saud royal family. But their fortunes tanked following the ascent of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has sought to remake the oil-reliant economy and dismantle top-down patronage networks that enriched a handful of elite families. Bakr and two other siblings, Saad and Saleh, were snared in a November 2017 purge that saw hundreds of royals, tycoons and government ministers locked up for months in Riyadh’s Ritz-Carlton hotel, then widely dubbed a five-star prison. The unprecedented crackdown, which rattled private investors just as the kingdom sought to lure capital to help diversify the economy, was described by the government as an anticorruption measure. AFP

Elisabetta Belloni: First woman to head Italy’s secret service police

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and Bandung (eighth). Pakistan’s two biggest urban agglomerations, Karachi (12th) and Lahore (15th), are not far behind. But India, home to 13 of the world’s 20 most risk-laden cities, may face the most daunting future of any country. Delhi ranks second on the global index of 576 cities compiled by business risk analysts Verisk Maplecroft, followed within India by Chennai (third), Agra (sixth), Kanpur (10th), Jaipur (22nd) and Lucknow (24th). Mumbai and its 12.5 million people is ranked 27th. Looking only at air pollution – which

Weerakit Harnpariphan confirmed that another activist held at a Bangkok jail —Panupong “Mike” Jadnok—had also tested positive and had been sent to the prison hospital. The young student leader was detained on multiple royal defamation charges for his role in a protest movement last year that included calls to reform the once-unassailable monarchy. Weerakit said Bangkok’s two prisons had tested “100 percent” of their inmates but he did not specify when the testing period began. Panupong’s lawyer Noraset Nanongtoom said he would file a bail request via video conferencing for the student leader, who suffers from asthma. “If the court does not allow an inquiry through video conferencing and does not grant bail, Mike will have to return to face a COVID-19 epidemic in prison,” Noraset said on Facebook. AFP

ERRATUM In the Extrajudicial Settlement published last Nov. 19, 26 and Dec. 3, 2020 re: ADELAIDA MANAS CARRION the ffg. should have read as follows: “Doc. No. 401; Page No. 81; Book No. 3; Series of 2020” and not as published. Our apology. (MStandard-May 14, 2021)

ITALY has for the first time appointed a woman, career diplomat Elisabetta Belloni, to head the country’s secret service, Prime Minister Mario Draghi announced Wednesday. Belloni, who has already been the first woman to hold key foreign ministry posts, will now lead Italy’s Security Intelligence Department (DIS), reporting directly to the cabinet, said the statement. The DIS’s brief includes handling intelligence and security matters at home and abroad as well as counterespionage and cybersecurity. Belloni came to public prominence when she led the foreign ministry’s crisis unit between 2004 and 2008, taking responsibility for operations involving Italians injured or killed abroad, whether in attacks or natural disasters. She was the first woman to hold that position. The unit also handled kidnappings, and one highprofile case she oversaw was the freeing of La Repubblica correspondent Daniele Mastrogiacomo who was abducted in Afghanistan. She also coordinated the search for Italian survivors of the December 2004 tsunami in Thailand. AFP

LONE UMBRELLA. A pedestrian crosses an intersection on a rainy day in Tokyo

on May 13, 2021. AFP

News

FRIDAY, MAY 14, 2021

Nayong Pilipino executive resigns

Mt. Pinatubo acting up, trekkers warned

By Vito Barcelo PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has accepted the resignation of Nayong Pilipino Foundation Executive Director Lucille Malilong-Isberto, according to Cabinet Secretary Karlo Alexei Nograles. “Yes, it’s been accepted. But I don’t know under what particular details it was accepted, there’s a resignation from Nayong Pilipino director and it was accepted by the President,” Nograles said in an ANC interview. “It was a resignation that was submitted to the President and the President accepted it. It was as simple as that,” he added. Isberto resigned following a feud with government officials over the construction of a mega vaccination facility in NPF grounds in Parañaque City. Isberto opposed the construction of a mega COVID-19 vaccination facility in the NPF land in Parañaque City, raising legal concerns on the use of the property and urged government officials to follow legal procedures. Nograles assured the public that the building of the mega COVID-19 vaccination site in the NPF land will push through and is above board even if the foundation’s board earlier opposed the building plan as it would entail the cutting of 500 trees. “In every aspect of the project nandiyan ang DENR. Wala namang mga environmental concerns. It’s a reclaimed land, it is not being utilized, it seemed like an appropriate site in terms of accessibility. Wala namang tatamaan na mga puno diyan,” Nograles added. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Wednesday supported the plan to use Nayong Pilipino as a temporary COVID-19 mega vaccination site, saying it is crucial to meet the government target of inoculating 500,000 Filipinos every day. “I have already agreed in principle that this facility will be used temporarily as a huge vaccination center to speed up our vaccination coverage,” Duque said in an ANC interview. The construction of the vaccination center will be shouldered by the ICTSI Foundation of tycoon Enrique Razon Jr. The government is targeting to vaccinate 120,000 people per day in the National Capital Region alone. The Nayong Pilipino mega vaccination center will be able to handle 10 percent of NCR’s requirement, or as many as 12,000 people a day, the ICTSI Foundation said in a statement. “As early as March this year, the ICTSI Foundation submitted an unsolicited proposal to the government to build a temporary mega vaccination center in aid of the government’s goal to inoculate as many Filipinos as possible to curb the further spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and to achieve herd immunity by yearend,” it said. The facility will feature an ambulatory vaccination station and a drivethrough area. It will also house the mega quarantine center run by the Armed Forces of the Philippines that was also built by the Razon Group at no cost to the government.

By Jess Malabanan

FOOD BANK. PNP Chief PGen Guillermo Eleazar led the distribution of food packs to the resident Muslim of Salaam Compound at Brgy. Culiat in Quezon City, during the Barangayanihan Food Bank Event as part of the celebration of Eid’l Fitr. Manny Palmero

PhilHealth told: Sort out claims, go after fraudsters

group of private hospitals on Thursday urged state insurer PhilHealth to file complaints against health facilities with fraudulent claims.

PhilHealth earlier launched an investigation into some 15,000 cases of “false claims” filed from 2019 to 2021. This figure is a “small” percentage of some 3 million claims that hospitals file, said Dr. Jose Rene de Grano, president of the Private Hospitals Associa-

tion Philippines Inc. “I hope they don’t brand all private hospitals like that because it affects those that do not engage in illegal activities,” De Grano said in Pilipino in an interview with ABS-CBN’s Teleradyo.

“It’s what they do every time they can’t pay. If they have proof then file charges,” he said in Pilipino. PhilHealth owes private hospitals more than P28 billion, De Grano earlier said, basing it on PHAPI’s assessment this month. PhilHealth also pays only 35 percent instead of 60 percent of their claims under the debit credit payment method (DCPM).

Group seeks policy review on crops, food importation By Othel Campos

FIRST DOSE. Residents of Taguig City receive the first dose of Pfizer vaccine against COVID 19 at Taguig Lakeshore vaccination training and information center on May 13 2021.

THE Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food, Inc. urged the government to rethink the current support structure on crops and other agricultural commodities as well as the import policies on food. In a virtual press briefing held Thursday, PCAFI president Danny Fausto said the government failed to respond to the needs of farmers since its attention focuses on only 4 major crops – rice, corn, coconut and banana. “We urge the government take a second look at the country’s livestock and poultry subsector and not to limit its focus on four major cash crops. The answer may not be in importation but an improvement on fiscal as well as non-fiscal support to industries in that needing urgent attention,” he said. PCAFI said the government response to issues besetting agriculture and farmers had been always sort of knee-jerk reaction “as in the case of pork importation where a recommendation

Samal resort faces DOT probe into Caloocan resort owner, execs charged with quarantine violations harassment case

THE Department of Tourism will investigate a resort in Samal Island over a sexual harassment and gender discrimination complaint against its employees and management. Isla Reta Beach Resort in Samal Island is under fire after Shannon Gonzaga, a transgender woman, rcomplained that she experienced discrimination from the management of the establishment after she was prohibited from using the women’s bathroom. The resort on Wednesday confirmed that it has a policy “not to allow transgenders to use the female shower area” and that the management has “no facility yet to cater to the transgenders’ demand for a separate shower room.” Supporting Gonzaga, the University of the Philippines (UP) Babaylan said the policy itself is “discriminatory” and emphasized that “trans women are women, and as this and many other cases have proven, trans people are actually the ones getting harassed in restrooms.” Several Filipino transgender advocacy groups, through a joint statement, also scored the resort, saying the policy violates a person’s basic rights and dignity.

ANGELES CITY—The Office of Civil Defense Central Luzon yesterday warned tourists and trekkers going to Mount Pinatubo to observe extreme precaution following a series of volvanic earthquakes in the past 24 hours. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology PHIVOLCS issued an advisory citing alert level 1 or abnormal activities of the volcano but no imminent eruption was foreseen. “There is a low level unrest that maybe related to tectonic processes beneath its edifice and that no imminenet eruption is foreseen,” stated in the PHIVOLCS advisory posted in its official Facebook page. OCD 3 reminded communities and local government units surrounding the volcano to be always prepare for both earthquake and volcanic hazard and to review and strengthen contingency and emergency plans. PHIVOLCS is closely monitoring the volcano condition as ‘abnormal’ prevails over the Mount Pinatubo, stated in the 8 a.m. Pinatubo Volcano Bulletin. “Alert level no. 1 is hoisted over the volcano. Entry into the Mount Pinatubo crater area must be conducted with extreme caution and should be avoided if possible,” PHIVOLCS said in its advisory. Mount Pinatubo crater had been a favorite destination by foreign and local tourists due to its natural scenery and the crater lake on top of the volcano. Mt. inatubo erupted some 30 years ago. The eruption and cascading lahar flow destoyed wide areas in Central Luzon and its volcanic ashes reached far and wide.

OWNERS of a resort in Caloocan City have been charged for operating amid the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), an official of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said on Thursday. DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said charges for violation of Republic Act 11332 or the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act and violation of City Ordinance 0863 (Physical Distancing) have been filed against Gubat sa Ciudad resort president Rodolfo de Guzman, general manager Aleli de Guzman and eight other members of the resort’s management before the City Prosecutor’s Office. Malaya in a virtual press briefing also confirmed that the DILG issued a show-cause order (SCO) to Barangay

FRESH SUPPLY.

A group of volunteers carries crates of fresh chicken to be distributed in the Barangayanihan Food Bank Quezon City on Thursday, May 13, 2021. Joey O. Razon

171 chairperson Romeo Rivera for the mass gathering incident. Rivera is now facing an administrative case for gross neglect of duty and acts prejudicial to the best interest of the service before the City Council. Malaya, meanwhile, said if the resort owner fails to surface, prosecutors will decide on the case without taking his side which means the case can be elevated to the court which may order his arrest. As for contact tracing efforts, he said authorities are having difficulties in tracing the resort’s 496 guests due to the incomplete information on the resort’s guest log book. Only 232 of them have cell phone numbers, Malaya said. Only 108 guests have been contacted and 72 of whom have so far undergone antigen testing.

was submitted without prior study.” “We owe it to the sacrifices of our hog farmers to have in place a more realistic price control on imported meat, particularly pork,” it added. Over the last three years, livestock and poultry lost almost 4 percent of its share in the total agriculture production, from more than 31 percent in 2018 to 27.5 percent during the first quarter of 2021, or around ₱72 billion in value of production. In 2020, the combined contribution of hog and chicken represented ₱424.6 billion or 2.5 percent of the Philippine total GDP, hog with ₱256.27 billion and chicken with ₱168.35 billion respectively. PCAFI highlighted the great disparity of support given to rice which was allotted P35.27 billion or more than half of the DA’s budget of ₱66.4 billion for 2021. On the other hand, livestock and poultry which contributes 28 to 31 percent of the total agriculture production, got ₱3.21 bllion or 3.68 percent of the total DA budget.

ARNOLD MOSS, 92 VETERAN journalist and book editor Arnold B. Moss died in his sleep on Thursday, May 13, 2021. He was 92. Moss, a product of the University of Santo Tomas, joined the Manila Chronicle even before graduation. He was also the chief copy editor of The Asia Magazine based in Hong Kong. Upon his return to the Philippines, Moss was recruited to the Bureau of National and Foreign Information. He later joined the staff of Editorial Associates. Moss was also the copy editor of Observer newspaper and later the Daily Globe. When the newspaper Today was established in the 1990’s, Moss was recruited to be its copy editor. He later joined the Manila Times. Moss is survived by his wife Cynthia, sons Jason and Nelson, and grandson Ethan.

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FRIDAY, MAY 14, 2021 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

DepEd jab drive for workers set By Maricel V. Cruz, Willie Casas and Rio N. Araja

HE Department of Education has launched a COVID-19 vaccination campaign for its teaching and non-teaching personnel to help ramp up immunization against the respiratory illness in the country.

In a statement Thursday, the department said its “Vacc2School: Ligtas na Bakuna, Para sa Balik-Eskwela” campaign aimed to educate and engage education stakeholders on the government’s COVID-19 vaccination drive. DepEd also created a microsite that would serve as a repository of campaign materials. In related developments: • Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte on Thursday supported calls to ramp up the country’s daily COVID-19 testing to

130,000 to 160,000 tests per day, using a combination of real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests and rapid antigen tests in high-risk areas such as the National Capital Region (NCR) and selected adjacent provinces in the “NCR Plus” bubble. • Health expert Dr. Tony Leachon urged the national government to speed up its immunization program against COVID-19, as some vaccines will expire next month. • The Big Dome, or the Smart Araneta

Coliseum, has been identiﬁed as one of Quezon City’s mega vaccination sites, according to Mayor Joy Belmonte. She said inoculations would begin there on Saturday, May 15. Education Secretary Leonor Briones, a COVID-19 survivor who was recently inoculated against the disease, said: “I am encouraging everyone, especially the teachers, and other education personnel to participate in this campaign, and make informed decisions on vaccination to further intensify and advance our chances of safely returning to school.” “It is not only a matter of protecting your personal rights, it is also a matter of protecting the lives and health of children which is also entrusted to our care,” she said. Briones has said COVID-19 vaccination of public-school teachers and personnel may start in June.

She also urged education workers covered by other priority groups—health workers, senior citizens, and people with comorbidities— o receive the jab through their local governments. The Philippines eyes to vaccinate 70 million of its population by the end of the year to achieve herd immunity. As of May 11, 2.5 million doses have been administered in the country. Meanwhile, Villafuerte said the government could ramp up its COVID-19 testing at a lower cost by increasing its use of the relatively inexpensive rapid antigen test in both point-of-care and laboratory settings to detect the SARS-CoV2, the virus that is responsible for this deadly disease. Test results are available in about 15 minutes, compared to the costlier but gold standard RT-PCR, the turnaround time of which usually takes 2 to 3 days, he added.

House-to-house vaccinations needed now, says ex-VP By Joel E. Zurbano and Maricel V. Cruz FORMER Vice President Jejomar Binay on Thursday urged the Duterte administration to conduct house-to-house vaccinations for the coronavirus and increase its coverage just like what the local government units are doing to prevent the vaccines against COVID-19 from getting expired. “Bring the vaccine to citizens, especially the seniors, the sick, and the disabled. Give the vaccines to the private sector, as has been suggested. Let them vaccinate their employees,” said Binay. This developed as a congressional leader urged the national government and LGUs to include persons with disabilities (PWDs) with mobility impairments in its house-to-house vaccination program against COVID-19. In ﬁling House Resolution 1727, Rep. Alfred Vargas, chair of the House Committee on Social Services, noted that several local governments have rolled out house-to-house vaccination programs for bed-ridden residents and those with co-morbidities. Binay also suggested that the LGUs and the private sector should be allowed to purchase vaccines directly without the need to go through the national government. “Remove the red tape that is delaying the vaccination of the general population, especially the economic frontliners. On this matter, the national government should act quickly. Hindi pwede ang makupad (we can’t be slow),” he said. On Wednesday, Bayan Muna Partylist Rep. Carlos Zarate said the government should deploy more medical personnel to administer vaccines, especially since some experts had voiced their worry that the vaccines would go bad by June. “The current pace of about 62,654 daily vaccination will certainly not make the Philippines attain the desired herd immunity at the end of the year; at this rate, it may be attained probably after six years or in May 2027,” he said. “Based on available data, the vaccine supply now is at 7,764,050 doses, which is enough to fully inoculate about 3.57 percent of our population but at the rate, we are going now, the bulk of the vaccines may reach its expiration date in June and would just be wasted,” he added. Dr. Tony Leachon, a former member of the Philippines COVID-19 panel, said the government should expedite its vaccination efforts and tap the help of the private sector before these vaccines expire in June. “Average rates of vaccination in the past 7 days: super slow,” he said. So far, the Philippines has vaccinated 2.4 million Filipinos, mostly senior citizens, persons with comorbidities, and health workers.

IN BRIEF Palace: Trillanes ‘free to dream’ MALACANANG said Thursday former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV is “free to dream” if he wants to become the next President of the Republic. Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque made the statement after Trillanes declared he will run in the 2022 presidential race should Vice President Leni Robredo decide not to run for president. Roque thinks Trillanes cannot run for president because Robredo will likely seek a higher post. “First, it’s free to dream, let us allow former Senator Trillanes to dream of becoming president, that’s his right as a Filipino,” Roque said during his regular press briefing. “Second, it seems he cannot even run because Vice President Leni clarified that the plan is still there. And third, the survival he is talking about is nonsense because there is no issue that we will not be able to win against COVID-19. And there is no threat against our democratic institutions,” he said. Roque also dared Trillanes to pursue his threat that he will send Duterte to jail for the killings of hundreds of people under his administration’s bloody war on drugs should he win in 2022. “If he has any case to file, he should file it now. The problem with Senator Trillanes is he just keeps on yakking. If he has any evidence that the President had ordered someone killed, he should file it now,” Roque said. Vito Barcelo

16 PH cities to bid for Planet City plum

MORNING PRAYERS. Filipino Muslims join the morning prayer outside Datu Esmael mosque in Dasmarinas, Cavite on Thursday in celebration of Eid’l Fitr, a holy feast to mark the end of Ramadan. Millions of Muslims around the world broke their month-long fasting with the feast. JR Josue

On ‘less festive’ Eid, Rody wishes for peace By Nash B. Maulana IN observance of the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday expressed hope for peace, unity, and healing, as the country “makes a significant step closer to beating the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic.” In his message, Duterte joined Muslim Filipinos in celebrating Eid’l Fitr, urging them to foster greater unity towards a more progressive future. “As you mark the end of a month-long journey of reflection, prayer and fasting, may Allah continue to instill in you the virtues of generosity and compassion for others,” Duterte said. “This joyous occasion celebrating personal sacrifice and unity is made more relevant as the country makes a significant step closer to

beating the Covid-19 pandemic,” he added. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana called the end of the holy month of Ramadan a good opportunity for all Filipinos to unite for peace and prosperity. “As our Muslim brothers and sisters mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan, we reflect and renew our sense of hope and devotion. Indeed, this celebration is an opportune moment to come together in our collective drive to achieve peace and prosperity for our country,” Lorenzana said in a statement. The country’s five million Filipino Muslims had to comply with public health protocols on an otherwise festive Eid’l Fitr, doing away Thursday with the traditional occasion of early morning prayers chants of “God is Great” in public assembly and family reunions on a day significantly marking the end of a month-long sacrifices daily

fasting on Ramadan. Thursday was a less festive, if not many Moro Muslims say, a “dull Eid (holiday) celebration,” held “less the public assembly of prayers” where individuals and families at odds openly make up with each other’s embraces and emotional kisses in public. Bangsamoro Mufti Abubakar Abu Huraira Udasan declared late Tuesday night that Eid’l Fitr fell on Thursday. He also upheld a 2020 decree by the Bangsamoro Dharul Ifta (House of Opinion) on the need to do away with public gatherings, like congregational prayers in public places, including Eid’l Fitr (the Feast marking the end Ramadan fasting) and Eid’l Adha (Feast of Sacriﬁce), two of the most signiﬁcant Muslim holidays celebrated in public congregational assemblies and festivities.

AT LEAST 16 cities in the Philippines have qualified in the search for One Planet City Challenge organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature and the ICLEI Southeast Asia. Joining the roster of qualifiers for the first time are the cities of Baguio, Legazpi, Ormoc, San Fernando in La Union, and Vigan. Meanwhile, Batangas City, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, Dipolog, Makati, Pasig, Quezon City, San Carlos in Negros Occidental, Santa Rosa, Tagum City and Zamboanga City will be returning for OPCC 2021-2022. “The addition of five Philippine cities to the OPCC roster is a welcome sign of a more sustainable future,” said WWFPhilippines One Planet Cities Project Manager Imee Bellen. “Also, we are grateful to the 11 recurring city participants that chose to continue their engagement as this means that OPCC provides greater encouragement to strengthen their commitments. We honor what these cities have achieved, and we look forward to working with them over the next two years,” she added. Participating cities will be submitting reports detailing their respective emissions, as well as their plans and goals for climate action in their localities. These plans will be checked by a panel of experts against a methodology derived from the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C. It will then undergo an assessment framework to evaluate the city’s climate targets and their alignment with the Paris Agreement. Participants will also receive guidance on the most effective actions to help them along this decarbonization pathway towards net zero by 2050 at the latest. Jess Malabanan

NEA, party-list parry PACC charges

INSPECTION. Public Works Secretary Mark Villar inspects the Cavite-Laguna

Expressway (CALAX) Subsection 5 Silang East Interchange on Wednesday. Behind Villar is MPCALA Holdings Inc. Vice President for Tollways Development and Engineering Art Monge. Roy Tomandao

Cebu airport to close for int’l flights on May 14-15 THE Mactan-Cebu International Airport will temporarily stop accepting international ﬂights for two days for lack of quarantine rooms for arriving overseas Filipino workers and other returning Filipinos, the governor of Cebu said on Thursday. “As of last night, we were facing a crisis. Why? Because the 2,500 rooms that were made available for OFWs and ROFs were already nearing full capacity,” Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia said in a brieﬁng at the capitol. “And for that reason, the MCIAA has declared that they will close tomorrow for two days, May 14 and May 15. Flights have already been canceled,” she added. The decision was arrived at in an emer-

gency meeting Thursday morning among the airport authority, regional directors from a number of government agencies, and the Hotels and Resorts Association of Cebu. Meanwhile, immigration authorities intercepted an underage overseas Filipino worker (OFW) bound for the Middle East at the Clark International Airport (CIA). BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said trafﬁckers of underage OFW are still in business, despite the ongoing investigations as pushed by the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality. “These criminals are not stopping their illegal business despite being exposed and even during the time of pandemic. They are

out to exploit the vulnerabilities of our children for their greed,” Morente said. The victim, whose name was not divulged following anti-trafficking laws, initially claimed she was 27 years old, and is traveling to work as a domestic helper in Saudi Arabia. However, primary inspection officer Gus Abergas noted inconsistencies in her statement and referred her for secondary inspection to the BI’s Travel Control and Enforcement Unit (TCEU). She claimed to be 27 but stated that her older brother is 23. When further asked, it was confirmed that she was only 21 years old, and a certain “Munalisa” instructed her not to reveal her true age. Vito Barcelo

NATIONAL Electrification Administration (NEA) chief Edgardo Masongsong on Thursday refuted recent allegations leveled by the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) as “baseless and malicious.” Contrary to the statement made by PACC Chairman Greco Belgica, Masongsong assured in a statement that no public funds were used to finance the campaign of the PHILRECA party-list during the 2019 elections, adding that this matter can easily be verified from NEA’s records. “My alleged ‘condoning of the use of public funds to fund the political campaign of PHILRECA Party-list’ is baseless, malicious and a reckless presumption considering that no public funds were ever manipulated for the said purpose,” the NEA chief said.

He also advised Belgica to be circumspect in his actions and statements and focus more in ﬁnding the misuse of public funds, “and refrain from being used by other sectors in their political tirades.” Masongsong has yet to receive a copy of the complaint, he said as of press time. PHILRECA Party-list Rep. Presley De Jesus also denied the allegations of receiving political contributions from electric cooperatives (ECs) for its campaign in the 2019 elections. In a statement, De Jesus categorically denied the allegations hurled by Belgica. “The inclusion of our name is baseless and reckless. We categorically deny the allegations and condemn any attempt to tarnish the name and reputation of the Party-list. We request that PACC be more circumspect in dealing with this matter,” he said.

VACCINE CROWD. Medical

frontliners wait outside Sta. Ana Hospital in Manila on Wednesday to get inoculated with the Pfizer vaccine against COVID-19 on Thursday. The government targets to vaccinate 25 million people from the most vulnerable sectors within the third quarter, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said. Norman Cruz

Sports

Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Randy M. Caluag, Assistant Editor

FRIDAY, MAY 14, 2021

Hawks, Knicks clinch playoff berths; Lakers edge closer

Russell Westbrook of the Washington Wizards comes face to face with Tony Snell of the Atlanta Hawks in an NBA game at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. AFP

Campaign for national athletes gains momentum AYUDA SA ATLETA, a campaign to help national athletes in this time of the pandemic, is gaining momentum as more individuals and companies pledged help both in kind and cash. The total amount raised to date is around P350,000, including the P250,000 seed fund from sports patron and ASAPHIL president Jean Henri Lhuillier, plus pledges for Primovit vitamins from Britton Pharmaceuticals and Biocare Lifesciences Inc., and Alaska’s PBA team for powdered milk and chocolate milk drinks. What was encouraging for the private sector group, headed by former Philippine Olympic Committee chairman Tom Carrasco and project initiator and Manila Standard columnist Lito Cinco, was the offer to help raise funds by a national para athlete in powerlifter Adeline Dumapong. “We are very happy that this campaign is inclusive of para athletes like us, that is why I volunteered to help raise funds, too,” she said. Athletics’ para athlete Maritess Burce seconded: “Malaking tulong po ito para sa amin sa panahon ng krisis na ito. Looking forward po kami sa programang ito.” Other para athletes like bowler Roger Carpio, blind para triathletes Jero and Joshua Nelmida, Aris Carbonel and Jerold Pete Mangliwan also welcomed the program. “We have finalized the first ‘ayuda’ packs containing vitamins, energy drinks and food, plus personal hygiene products and will start ordering them already,” said Carrasco on behalf of the group, that includes Karen Tanchanco Caballero, Nino Sinco and Alex Wang, who all donated personal funds to the program. “A lot of friends, who preferred to remain anonymous, readily gave when tapped for a little help. Whatever amount is welcome,” said Cinco, who can be reached at mobile no. 0920 9241981.

IOC: Olympics can bring world together L

AUSANNE, Switzerland—The International Olympic Committee insisted Wednesday that it was fully focused on implementing the Tokyo Games, calling them a “tentpole moment that can bring the world together”. The Tokyo Olympics were postponed from last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic and are now re-scheduled for July 23-August 8. But their hosting has been questioned not only by a Japanese public in a country battling a surge in coronavirus cases, but also top sportspeople such as tennis stars Naomi Osaka and Rafael Nadal. IOC spokesman Mark Adams insisted, however, that the Games would be a “key moment for the world”. “We are now very much in an implementation phase,” Adams said. “With 78 days to go, we are fully concentrated on the last implementation phase. “We are moving full ahead... and continue to plan for a full Games. We are confident we can deliver a good Games and we’re working towards that.” Adams added: “We understand the caution of people. We understand that these are tough times.” So tough, in fact, that IOC president

Thomas Bach was this week forced to postpone a visit to Japan after a coronavirus state of emergency was extended. Bach’s trip was scheduled for May 17-18 but organisers “decided to postpone it based on various situations including the (government’s) extension of a virus state of emergency”. “In terms of Japan and Tokyo we understand the caution,” Adams said. “We are fully in solidarity with them. People are very cautious. We have to fully trust Japanese authorities.” Give Japan confidence Japan’s COVID-19 outbreak remains much smaller than in many countries, with just over 10,500 deaths. But its vaccine rollout is moving slowly and some areas have seen record cases as more infectious variants drive fresh waves of contagion. More than 10,000 athletes from 200 countries and regions are set to travel to Tokyo for the Games, with a decision on how many domestic fans—if any—

can attend to be taken in June. Speaking from Lausanne, Adams expressed hope that the 12 test events held in Tokyo and elsewhere in Japan since April would give the Japanese people “confidence that the Games can be held in a safe and secure way”. He also played down recent polls that showed most Japanese people supporting the cancellation or another delay of the Olympics, saying that when they start “public opinion will be in favour of the Games”. Adams also highlighted the confidence shown in the IOC by the UN health agency, the World Health Organization (WHO), which backed the IOC, Japan and host city Tokyo to make the right choices in managing the Covid-19 risks surrounding the Games. “WHO came with a very strong message of confidence I hope that that... will also give the Japanese people confidence.” Last week, the IOC struck a deal with US drugs giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech to provide vaccines to competitors and staff at the Tokyo Games. And Adams tried to strike a reassuring note about the Olympic Village, which will be host to thousands of people from hundreds of different countries. AFP

Sangalang sees similarities with North Pole race, The Apprentice BACK in 2018, multi-sport athlete and cancer survivor Luisito “Louie” Sangalang was full of confidence when he flew to the northernmost point of the Earth as a sponsored athlete from the Philippines. But the challenges he experienced in joining the 2018 FWD North Pole Marathon were quite different from what he is going through in his latest undertaking these days as Sangalang is one of the remaining seven global candidates on “The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition.” The 42-year-old Sangalang said the North Pole adventure was riskier as it involved running on ice, snow and freezing weather. This time at The Apprentice, the risk is not as life-threatening as before, but there are similarities. “It’s mentally draining, both experiences. The only difference is, kapag nasa North Pole ka, iyung period of time na tumatakbo ka, nakakabaliw. Kasi ‘pag tumigil ka alam mong puwede kang maaksidente, or puwede kang mamatay, if you don’t manage yourself,” said Sangalang. Last March, Sangalang joined “The Apprentice: Louie Sangalang performs in the business challenge.

LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles Lakers raised their 2020 NBA championship banner Wednesday, then scraped a 124-122 victory over the hapless Houston Rockets to keep alive their hopes of direct entry to the 2021 playoffs. The Atlanta Hawks clinched their first playoff berth since 2016 with a 120-116 come-from-behind victory over the Washington Wizards, and the New York Knicks were assured of their first post-season spot since 2013 when the Boston Celtics fell 102-94 to the Cleveland Cavaliers. But with the regular season speeding toward its close on Sunday, the Lakers remained outside the top six in the Western Conference and likely looking at having to advance through the play-in tournament for the teams ranked seventh through 10th in each conference. Lakers reserve Kyle Kuzma drove for the go-ahead layup with 6.9 seconds remaining, putting Los Angeles up 123122 after they had surrendered nine straight points to fall one point down. Lakers forward Wesley Matthews then managed to poke the ball away from Houston’s Kelly Olynyk on what would be the Rockets’ final possession, and Talen Horton-Tucker made a freethrow to complete the scoring. Even with superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis sidelined by injuries, the Lakers wouldn’t have expected to cut it so fine against a Rockets team that owns the worst record in the league. Before tip-off, a crowd of 4,087 saw the Lakers finally raise the franchise’s 17th championship banner to the rafters. ‘This is for you’ The Lakers had waited until pandemic restrictions eased enough to allow some fans in the stands for the moment and James, still feeling the effects of a high ankle sprain suffered in March, was on hand to address the crowd. “We could not send this banner to the rafters without you guys,” he told fans. “This is absolutely for you guys. On the road to back-to-back (titles), starts in about a week.” The teams occupying the final two playoff spots in the West, Portland and Dallas, both won on Wednesday, Portland downing the league-leading Utah Jazz 105-98 and Dallas beating the New Orleans Pelicans 125-107. Luka Doncic scored 33 points with eight rebounds and eight assists for the Mavericks, whose victory eliminated the Pelicans from post-season contention. Kristaps Porzingis returned from a seven-game injury absence to score 19 points in 22 minutes on court for the Mavs. Portland, meanwhile, were fueled by 30 points from Damian Lillard and 26 from CJ McCollum. More pieces of the playoff puzzle fell into place in the East, where Trae Young scored 33 points to propel the Hawks past the Wizards. AFP

ONE Championship Edition,” which initially invited 16 candidates, handpicked from around the world to participate in a high-stakes game involving business and physical challenges. And the survivor, or winner, will receive a $250,000 job offer to work directly under ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong for a year as his protege in Singapore. “Ang maganda sa ‘Apprentice,’ wala kang risk na ganoon. Pero siyempre, ayaw mong matalo. Iyung impact sa self-esteem mo, iba iyung level,” said Sangalang, a teacher by profession and a former mixed martial arts practitioner before he had his battle with cancer and won. This time, Sangalang said he is in a contest with 16 people who are after the same goals as he is. “Sa North Pole, hindi ganu’n. While you are racing, you are all competitors, and you are helping each other finish. ‘Yun ang maganda doon,” said Sangalang, who added that the camaraderie he experienced back then lifted his spirits up. This time, Sangalang said the friendships and the bonding among competitors are still around, although each candidate may have his own agenda or plans. Sangalang said it is his part of his vision and mission to work directly under Sityodtong. “I think that vision comes from the fact that you can do so much more. Working for ONE will give me a lot resources to make a lot of impact. I have a lot to offer. I wanted to be in ONE because it embodies the values that I look up to,” added Sangalang. Peter Atencio

Chooks-to-Go continues support for regional cage leagues CONTINUING its mission to support regional basketball leagues, Chooks-to-Go will back the 2021 season of both the National Basketball League-Pilipinas and the Women’s National Basketball League-Pilipinas. NBL-Pilipinas is the country’s first regional professional league for homegrown basketball players, while WNBL-Pilipinas is the country’s first-ever professional league for women’s basketball. Unlike the NBL, the WNBL is an open tournament. Both leagues gained pro status back in August of last year. “The NBL shares the same vision as Chooks- is a league that is a breakthrough for all Filipina to-Go which is to bring out the best in our home- athletes,” said Chooks-to-Go president Ronald grown athletes. On the other hand, the WNBL Mascariñas.

“We are looking forward to helping both leagues in their new journey as professional leagues just like how we have helped the Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup and the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League. Mabuhay ang homegrown na Pilipino at ang atletang Pilipina.” “NBL and WNBL Pilipinas are pleased to extend its amazing relationship with Chooks-toGo. We are very excited to take the next step in championing athletes all over the country,” said NB Chairman Celso Mercado. With this, Chooks-to-Go will serve as the title sponsor of both leagues for their inaugural pro seasons. It will begin when the leagues hold their 1v1 basketball tournament later this month. Both the

NBL and WNBL are also looking to start their 5-on-5 basketball tournaments in the third quarter of the year. For its men’s 3x3 basketball tournament, all member teams of the NBL will compete in Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3, along with teams from the Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup and the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League. For women’s 3x3, Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 will work in partnership with the WNBL. “As seen through their numerous programs focusing on player development, Chooks-to-Go is the perfect partner for NBL and WNBL Pilipinas. I am thrilled to continue this wonderful journey with them,” said WNBL Executive Vice President Rhose Montreal.

Business URC says PH operations may start to recover by end of 2021 By Jenniffer B. Austria UNIVERSAL Robina Corp., the biggest snack food maker, said Thursday its Philippine operations may start seeing some recovery by the latter part of the year on the continued vaccination rollout and as the government further reopens the economy. URC president Irwin Lee said during the annual stockholders’ meeting full recovery may be expected next year. He noted that business recovery was being observed in different paces in countries where URC operates . URC’s operations in Thailand and Vietnam started to recover in the first quarter of the year. But the economic rebound in the Philippines, where the bulk of its operations are located, has not started because of the pandemic’s impact. Lee said the rising commodity prices were an added challenge to overall operations this year. URC posted a net income of P3.2 billion in the first quarter of the year, up 51 percent year-on-year, mainly driven by higher operating income and lower net foreign exchange loss. First-quarter sales rose three percent to P34.6 billion on year. Sales of branded consumer foods to the domestic market declined 5 percent P14.9 billion, as market sentiment continues to be challenged. International revenues, meanwhile, hit P10.8 billion, up 11 percent from last year’s, driven by the strong recovery of Southeast Asian markets, especially Vietnam and Thailand, as well as favorable exchange rates. Sales from agro-industrial and commodities group totaled P8.5 billion, up 10 percent from a year ago. URC last year acquired Central Azucarera de La Carlota and Roxol Bioenergy Corp. from Roxas Holdings Inc. to expand its sugar milling operations.

Fitch Solutions expects steady interest rates FITCH Solutions, a unit of Fitch Group, said Thursday it expects the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to keep the policy rate unchanged at a record low of 2 percent for the entire year despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Fitch Solutions said in a report the decision of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas on Wednesday to hold the policy rate was in line with expectations. “Indeed, we maintain our forecast for the key policy rate to stand at 2 percent by end-2021 and see downside risks to our outlook for three 25bps [basis point] rate hikes in 2022, given the Philippines continued struggles with managing the COVID-19 pandemic,” Fitch Solutions said. It said the surge in new COVID-19 cases and the lockdown measures implemented since late-March and through May would weigh substantially on domestic demand and threaten the longer-term outlook for the economy, given lost income, prolonged business disruptions and unemployment. “We have reduced our growth outlook from 5.8 percent in 2021 to 5.3 percent, following the economy’s 9.6-percent contraction in 2020. We highlight weak credit growth as a signal that monetary policy may need to remain accommodative over an extended period time,” it said. It said that as of March 2021, loans for production and household consumption contracted 3.2 percent and 9.9 percent year-on-year, respectively. The Monetary Board of the BSP kept the record-low interest rate of 2 percent on expectation that the annual increases in consumer prices would remain manageable in the next two years. The interest rates on the overnight deposit and lending facilities were also kept at 1.5 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively. Julito G. Rada

PSE INDEX CLOSING Wednesday, May 12, 2021

-90.43 PTS. Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor

FRIDAY, MAY 14, 2021

By Julito G. Rada

he Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas is strongly pushing for the amendments of Republic Act No. 10000, or “The Agri-Agra Law,” to address the persistent challenges in agriculture financing.

BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno said in a statement “the Agri-Agra bill will strengthen rural development by providing a holistic approach in addressing the financing needs of the broader agricultural financing ecosystem.” Diokno said the BSP’s legislative agenda would help usher the Philippines’ next stage of economic development. The proposed amendments to the Agri-Agra Law—House Bill No. 6134 or the bill approved in the House of Representatives—aim to principally tackle the persistent challenges in agriculture financing that emanate from both the

3,629,675,762 87,481 6,197,856,150.01 55 141 50

F oreign e xchange r ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 2021

BSP wants ‘Agri-Agra’ law revised to support farmers borrowers’ side and the banks’ and lending institutions’ side. Monetary Board Member Bruce Tolentino, in a statement at the Senate committee on agriculture, food and agrarian reform hearing, asserted the agricultural sector’s significant role in promoting inclusive and broad-based economic growth. “The BSP fully supports the objectives driving the various Agri-Agra bills which seek to strengthen rural development through holistic approaches that consider the broad context for agricultural financing and rural community development,” Tolentino said. Data showed the banking system extended P713.6 billion in Agri-Agra credit that as of end-December 2020. Even with such an amount, banks were still unable to comply with the mandatory Agri-Agra credit. Broken down, the P642.4 billion in agricultural credit during the period translated into a 9-percent compliance ratio, below the 15-percent requirement. Likewise, the P71.2 billion in agrarian reform credit translated into a 1.0-percent compliance ratio also below

6,236.40

business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com

TOTAL VOLUME TOTAL TRADES TOTAL VALUE ADVANCES DECLINES UNCHANGED

the minimum 10 percent. The proposed amendments are envisioned to strengthen rural development and improve well-being of agricultural and rural community beneficiaries through three main components. These include enhancing access by rural communities to private sector financing, such as by expanding the modes of compliance by banks; creating an Agribusiness Management Capacity and Institution-Building Fund [Special Fund] that will be used to finance organizational-, capacity- and institutionbuilding programs and activities of rural agricultural and fisheries households; and establishing an Agricultural and Fisheries Finance and Capacity-Building Council which will be responsible for the management and operations of the Special Fund. As part of the comprehensive amendments to the Agri-Agra law, the BSP, Department of Agriculture and the Department of Agrarian Reform approved the amendments to the implementing rules and regulations of the Agri-Agra Law in March 2021.

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

47.8700

Japan

Yen

0.009208

0.4408

Pound

1.414600

67.7169

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128730

6.1623

Switzerland

Franc

1.107420

53.0122

Canada

Dollar

0.826856

39.5816

Singapore

Dollar

0.754262

36.1065

Australia

Dollar

0.784300

37.5444

Bahrain

Dinar

2.655478

127.1177

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266652

12.7646

Brunei

Dollar

0.751428

35.9709

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000070

0.0034

Thailand

Baht

0.032165

1.5397

UAE

Dirham

0.272272

13.0337

Euro

1.215100

58.1668

Korea

Won

0.000893

0.0427

China

Yuan

0.155562

7.4468

India

Rupee

0.013630

0.6525

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.242954

11.6302

New Zealand

Dollar

0.727400

34.8206

Taiwan

Dollar

0.035809

1.7142 Source: BSP

IN BRIEF

Globe upgrading GCash application

GLOBE Fintech Innovations Inc. (Mynt) is transforming GCash into a financial and lifestyle app from a mobile wallet app in a bid to make Filipino lives better. “We want to make a real difference in the lives of every Filipino and break the existing boundaries to enable financial freedom,” said GCash president and chief executive Martha Sazon. “We envision a Philippines where people have equal access to financial opportunities and lifestyle choices, where everyone, whether rich or poor, has a chance to unlock and achieve their dreams,” she added. With new financial and lifestyle services, GCash now allows users to shop, save, invest and get insurance coverage all within the GCash app. With one in three Filipinos currently using the app after expanding its user base from just more than 20 million in January 2020 to over 40 million to date, GCash is going beyond just providing seamless and secure transactions through cashless payments. GCash continues to stand by its commitment of making finance accessible to all with its 2021 suite of affordable products and services built to kickstart success for everyone. Darwin G. Amojelar

Grab bares expansion of cloud kitchen set-up

GRAB Philippines has expanded its cloud kitchen in Manila and Parañaque to serve the growing demand of food delivery in the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Grab unveiled its latest and biggest GrabKitchen facility in Malate, Manila, bringing a wide selection of cuisines to the country’s capital city. GrabKitchen is a central commissary that brings together multiple food and beverage brands in one central kitchen. Such set-up allows customers to order items from different restaurants and have them all delivered to them in one go. Grab’s new cloud kitchen facility houses 15 delivery-only branches of popular merchants, namely Omakase, Frankie’s, Recovery Food, Paper Moon, Yogorino, Pepi Cubano, Dapo at Tisa, King Chef, La Tita, Selecta, So Mot, Blu Kouzina, Coco Fresh Tea and Juice, Merienda by Pan De Manila, and Go! Salads. Grab also expanded its delivery-only cloud kitchen in Parañaque. Darwin G. Amojelar

SEWAGE TREATMENT. West zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. is building several sewage treatment plants in Caloocan, Las Piñas, Central Manila, Valenzuela and Muntinlupa with a total cost of over P29 billion. The projects are part of the company’s commitment to protect the environment by making sure effluents meet legal standards.

Meralco starts operations of 50-MW solar project in Bulacan By Alena Mae S. Flores POWERSOURCE First Bulacan Solar Inc. said its 50-megawatt solar power plant started commercial operations to provide clean and renewable power to the Luzon grid amid the high demand during the dry period. BulacanSol, the newly completed plant, secured a clearance to operate from the Energy Regulatory Commission on May 12. The P4.25-billion project in San Miguel, Bulacan is a joint undertaking of MGen Renewable Energy Inc., which owns 60 percent of the project, and PowerSource Energy Holdings Corp. with 40 percent. MGreen is the renewable energy unit

of Meralco PowerGen Corp. which, in turn, is the power generation arm of Manila Electric Co. “This is a modest step into renewables but a significant one for Meralco. We look forward to many more investments in renewables, particularly solar, as we attempt to achieve that balance in fuel sourcing, which will ultimately be biased towards renewables,” Meralco chairman Manuel Pangilinan said in a statement. BulacanSol now plays a significant role in One Meralco Group’s long-term sustainability agenda. “In June 2019, Meralco made the first announcement that it would join the shift to renewable energy and it will adopt sustainable practices for the One

Meralco Group. And today, we realize the very first renewable power plant – the first of several that One Meralco has lined up for investment and sourcing,” said Meralco president and chief executive Ray Espinosa. PFBSI chairman Rogelio Singson said BulacanSol signified the commitment of One Meralco and PowerSource Group to help ensure energy security through clean, cost-competitive and sustainable power. “We pledge to continue building more environmentally conscious projects as part of our commitment to a sustainable energy transition for the future generations,” said Singson, who is also the president and chief executive of MGen.

Privacy body readies fines on controllers

THE National Privacy Commission is set to impose administrative fines on data privacy violations by personal information controllers or processors from the private sector. The NPC presented the draft circular on the guidelines on administrative fines to concerned organizations and stakeholders in an online public consultation on April 30, 2021. The commission made it clear that the proposed fines were separate from the criminal penalties provided under the Data Privacy Act and its implementing rules and regulations. Along with the University of the Philippines Law Center and an expert from the UP School of Economics, the NPC studied and adopted an economic analysis of law to come up with a range of fines that provides the proper deterrent effect to companies while also ensuring free flow of information to promote innovation and growth. Depending on the infraction committed, the draft circular proposes fines ranging between 0.5 percent to 5 percent of the annual gross income of the personal information controller or processor handling the personal data. Othel V. Campos

EDC thriving despite the pandemic— Tantoco By Alena Mae S. Flores ENERGY Development Corp., the leading renewable energy leader, said Wednesday its regenerative strategy helped the company weather and create value amid the COVID-19 pandemic. EDC last year posted P9.85 billion in recurring net income attributable to equity holders despite a significant reduction in electricity demand. EDC registered a 15-percent decline in recurring net income attributable to equity holders of the parent last year from P11.61 billion in 2019. “2020 is a year wherein I cannot reasonably complain about the performance of the company,” said EDC president and chief operating officer Richard Tantoco in the company’s recently launched 2020 Integrated Report. EDC disclosed a steady EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) of P21.5 billion in 2020 compared from the previous year’s P22.1 billion, despite the unforeseen challenges posed by the global COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was fortunate that when the crisis happened, EDC was in good financial health. Our Chairman [Federico R. Lopez] has prudently directed the group companies to practice fiscal discipline and keep debt at low manageable levels. We were able to build up and maintain our cash reserves well in advance,” said Tantoco. EDC invested in new projects in anticipation of post-COVID business resurgence, such as the 29-megawatt Palayan Bayan in the Bacon-Manito geothermal site in the Bicol region and the 3.6-MW Mindanao 3 binary plants in Mount Apo geothermal field, as well as the 100-MW Aya hydro project in Nueva Ecija and 20MW Tanawon geothermal plant, also in Bicol, later in the year. EDC said the financial performance of the company isone of six aspects of operations that it measures as part of its shift to the International Integrated Reporting Council’s integrated reporting (IR) framework, in line with a Lopez group–wide initiative last year toward a renewed mission of “forging collaborative pathways for a decarbonized and regenerative future.

PAGCOR DIVIDENDS. Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. vice president for finance group Recto Baltazar Jr. (left) turns over to Deputy Treasurer Ed Mariño the agency’s P1.6-billion cash dividend, representing the agency’s entire net earnings in 2020. The turnover of contributions was held at the Bureau of the Treasury office in Intramuros, Manila. With them is PAGCOR assistant vice president for fund management department Maria Cynthia Paz (right). The state-run gaming firm’s contribution is part of its support to the government’s revenue generation efforts to fund the various health and economic measures to mitigate the impact of the pandemic.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Manila

Standard

Republic of the Philippines TODAY ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION Pasig City

IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE EMERGENCY POWER SUPPLY AGREEMENT (EPSA) BETWEEN ISABELA I ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC. (ISELCO I) AND STRATEGIC POWER DEVT. CORP. (SPDC), WITH PRAYER FOR PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY AND PRAYER FOR CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT OF INFORMATION

12.

‘’Y and Series”

Proof of Service to the Sanggunian Pambayan of Alicia and the Sanggunian Panlalawigan of Isabela, of the copies ofthe Joint Application including its annexes.

xxx

“Z and Series”

Affidavit of Publication and complete issue of the newspaper where the Joint Application was published

Rate Impact on ISELCO I’s Overall Generation Rate

“AA”

Proof of Service to the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Pasig City, of the copies of the Joint Application including annexes.

“BB”

Board Resolution No. 011S.-2020 dated 3 February 2020, duly signed by Dir. Eduardo S. Bayani, Board Secretary of ISELCO I and attested by Dir. Brendon R. Lazaro, Board President, on authorizing the filing of an EPSA between ISELCO I and SPDC before the Honorable Commission.

“CC”

Secretary’s Certificate on the: a) authorized personnel of SPDC to sign and deliver contracts, agreements, instruments and/ or securities; and,

The indicative rate impact on ISELCO I’s overall generation rate with and without the supply from SPDC is as follows: SPDC PSA RATE IMPACT CALCULATION (DECEMBER 2019)

ERC CASE NO. 2021-025 RC ISABELA I ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC. (ISELCO I) AND STRATEGIC POWER DEVT. CORP. (SPDC), Applicants. x------------------------------------------------------x

b) authority of the authorized representatives of SPDC to appoint and designate representative to prosecute, defend, arbitrate, settle and/or collect in behalf of the company. 17.

NOTICE OF VIRTUAL HEARING

Furthermore, the Joint Application is consistent and in accordance with the first (Is’) and fifth (5’h) “Whereas clauses” of the DOE Circular No. 2003-12-11 which are quoted hereunder: “WHEREAS, Section 2 of Republic Act No. 9136, also known as the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 or EPlRA, declared as a policy of the State, among others, [to ensure the quality, reliability, security and affordability of the supply of electric power;” (first “whereas clause”, Department of Energy Circular No. 2003-12-11. Underscoring supplied.)

TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES:

Notice is hereby given that on 13 April 2021, Isabela I Electric Cooperative, Inc. (ISELCO I) and Strategic Power Devt. Corp. (SPDC) filed a Joint Application dated 15 February 2021, seeking the Commission’s approval of their Emergency Power Supply Agreement (EPSA), with prayer for provisional authority and confidential treatment of information. The pertinent portions of the said Joint Application are hereunder quoted as follows:

“WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 23 of EPlRA, all distribution utilities, as defined in the law, SHALL HAVE THE OBLIGATION TO SUPPLY ELECTRICITY IN THE LEAST COST MANNER TO ITS CAPTIVE MARKET subject to the collection of retail rate duly approved by the Energy Regulatory Commission;” (fifth “whereas clause”, ibid. Underscoring supplied.)

The Joint Applicants 1.

ISELCO I is a non-stock, non-profit electric cooperative duly organized and existing under the Philippine Laws, with principal office at Victoria, Alicia, Isabela. It holds a franchise to operate light and power services in the cities of Cauayan and Santiago, and in the municipalities of Alicia, Angadanan, Cabatuan, Cordon, Echague, Jones, Luna, Ramon, Reina Mercedes, San Agustin, San Guillermo, San Isidro, and San Mateo, all in the Province of Isabela (Franchise Area). It shall also be herein referred to as the “BUYER”;

SPDC is a corporation duly organized and existing under the laws of the Republic of the Philippines, with its office address at 2/F, 808 Bldg, Meralco Ave. cor. Gen. Lim St., San Antonio Village, Pasig City. It shall also be herein referred to as the “SELLER”;

SPDC is the Independent Power Producer Administrator (“IPPA”) of the 345 MW San Roque Hydroelectric Power Plant in Barangay San Roque, San Miguel, Pangasinan (the “Plant”) by virtue of an IPP Administration Agreement it executed with the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (“PSALM”);

The Joint Applicants may be served with the orders, notices and other processes of the Honorable Commission through their respective undersigned counsels at the addresses indicated herein;

18.

The Joint Application is, likewise, consistent with Section 1 of the same Department Circular which declares as State policy, that: “All distribution utilities must henceforth take cognizance and assume full responsibility to forecast, assure and contract for the supply of electric power in the respective franchise areas to meet their obligations as a distribution utility.” (Underscoring supplied.)

19.

By way of emphasis, Resolution No. 21, Series of 2005 of the Honorable Commission dated 19 October 2005 had directed all Distribution Utilities (DUs) “to enter into future bilateral power supply contract with power producers to be subjected to a review by the Commission.” (Underscoring supplied.)

20.

The EPSA with SPDC was made to ensure the continuous supply of power to ISELCO I and due to the former’s competitive pricing structure and other favorable terms of its contract, which will redound to the benefit of the latter and its end-consumers in terms of reliable and affordable power supply.

Nature of the Application 5.

Allegations in Support of the Motion for Issuance of a Provisional Authority

The Joint Application for approval of the Emergency Power Supply Agreement (“EPSA”) dated 07 February, 2020 entered into by and between ISELCO I and SPDC, is being submitted to the Honorable Commission for its review and approval pursuant to Sections 25 and 45(b) of Republic Act No. 9136, otherwise known as the “Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001” (EPIRA), Rules 5, Section 4(e) and 11, Section 5 of its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR), Rule 20(B) of its Rules of Practice and Procedure, and other pertinent rules and regulations; Pursuant to ERC Resolution No. 13, Series of 2015, entitled ‘“A Resolution Directing All Distribution Utilities (DUs) to Conduct a Competitive Selection Process (CSP) in the Procurement of their Supply to the Captive Market” adopted on 20 October 2015, all DUs are mandated to undertake a transparent and competitive selection process before contracting for the supply of electricity in their franchise areas;

21.

Applicants replead the foregoing allegations insofar as they are relevant to the instant Motion for Issuance of Provisional Authority.

22.

Section 1 Rule 14 of the Honorable Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure provides that the Commission may grant either a provisional authority or an interim relief upon motion included in the application or petition and in the caption of the pleading clearly indicating that such relief is requested.

23.

Pursuant to the aforesaid DOE CSP Circular, on 29 January 2020, ISELCO I and SPDC executed the EPSA, which is the subject of the Joint Application.

24.

The parties implemented the foregoing EPSA on 7 February 2020 in view of its emergency nature.

Incidentally, under the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Department Circular No. DC2018-02-0003 (Adopting and Prescribing the Policy for the Competitive Selection Process in the Procurement by the Distribution Utilities of Power Supply Agreement for the Captive Market”) adopted on 01 February 2018 (“DOE CSP Circular”), all PSAs shall be procured through CSP, except in some instances which warrant the issuance by the DOE of a Certificate of Exemption on the conduct of CSP;

25.

The immediate supply from SPDC was intended to prevent power shortage/rotating brownouts in ISELCO 1’s franchise area and possible exposure of its member-consumers to the volatile prices of the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (“WESM”) or to the higher prices of its current supplier / s or other generators. This emergency power supply from SPDC redounds to the benefit of ISELCO 1’s member-consumers in terms of ensuring a stable, secure, continuous and reliable supply of electricity at a reasonable price.

One of the aforesaid instances is the Negotiated Procurement of Emergency Power Supply, where the cooperation period of the PSA shall not exceed one (1) year, the rate shall not be higher than the latest ERC approved generation tariff for the same or similar technology in the area. The grant of a Certificate of Exemption authorizes the DU to immediately implement the PSA, without prejudice to the evaluation and final decision of the ERC;

26.

Attached and made an integral part hereof as Annex “DD” is the Judicial Affidavit in support of the Application for Provisional Authority.

Statement of Facts 9.

10.

11.

13.

Pursuant to the aforesaid DOE CSP Circular, on 29 January 2020, ISELCO I and SPDC executed an EPSA, a copy of which is attached as Annex “P” and made an integral part hereof, which is the subject ofthe Joint Application; The immediate supply from SPDC was intended to prevent power shortage/rotating brownouts in ISELCO 1’s franchise area and possible exposure of its member-consumers to the volatile prices of the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (“WESM”) or to the higher prices of its current supplier/s or other generators. This emergency power supply from SPDC redounds to the benefit of ISELCO 1’s member-consumers in terms of ensuring a stable, secure, continuous and reliable supply of electricity at a reasonable price; The salient features of the EPSA are as follows: xxx 13.1 Maximum Allowable Capacity (MAC). The SELLER shall make available to the BUYER the MAC of 19,000 kW energy requirement at any given trading interval for the duration of the EPSA. The BUYER shall furnish the SELLER with its monthly, weekly and binding day-ahead nominations of capacity in accordance with the Bilateral Contract Quantity (BCQ) Nomination Protocol. The SELLER guarantees supply to the BUYER, with no Replacement Power Charges, throughout the duration of the EPSA even during outages (scheduled and forced outages), except during Force Majeure events. 13.2

Contract Term. The supply of power under the EPSA shall commence on 26 February 2020 until 25 February 2021, or for a period of twelve (12) Billing Periods.

13.3

Power Source. 345 MW San Roque Multipurpose Hydroelectric Power Plant or from other sources including the WESM.

13.4

Contract Charges. 13.4.1

13.4.2

13.4.3

13.5

Fixed Energy Rate (FER). The SELLER shall bill the BUYER’s energy consumption at a FER of PhP5.90/ kWh, not subject to any adjustment due to fuel, forex and inflationary indices. Taxes. All applicable existing taxes, including Value Added Tax (“VAT”), Incremental Excise Tax and other taxes under Republic Act No. 10963 otherwise known as Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Act or TRAIN Law, as well as all other future taxes (except Corporate Income Tax and Local Business Tax), that may be imposed by the Government and which may be legally passed on by the SELLER to the BUYER in connection with the SELLER’s performance of its obligation under the EPSA, including any increase or adjustment thereon, shall be for the account of the BUYER. Other Associated Charges. WESM Charges including line rental and imbalances, transmission line loss, site specific loss adjustment, any interconnection charges, among others, shall be for the BUYER’s account.

Discounts. When warranted, the SELLER shall provide both Prompt Payment Discount (“PPD”) and Collection Efficiency Discount (“CED”), as follows: a)

PPD. The Buyer may avail of a PPD equivalent to one percent (1%) of the total ofthe generation charges, excluding Other Associated Charges and net of Collection Efficiency Discount (“CED”), if any, provided the same is paid in full on or before the 10th day of the calendar month following the current Billing Period; provided The BUYER shall not automatically deduct the PPD from the payments for its current power bill. Discount for the current power bill will be made available to the BUYER in the succeeding power bill.

Note: The above rate impact computation shows that the proposed PS.9 Kwh offer from the NEW SPDC Contract will not increase nor decrease the exiting Average Generation Rate.

CED. The BUYER shall be entitled to the following CED provided that the BUYER has no outstanding obligation arising from previous power bills, including VAT, if any, and the BUYER shall submit to the SELLER a copy of its Monthly Financial and Statistical Report (“MFSR”) submitted to the National Electrification Administration (“NEA”):

14.

15.

Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC). The National Environment Protection Council under the Ministry of Human Settlements has issued an ECC dated 26 November 1985 in favor of the National Power Corporation1;

Rule 4 of the Honorable Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure provides that ISELCO I and SPDC may request that information may not be disclosed.

28.

SPDC prays for the confidential treatment of the information contained in the following annexes, and not disclosed except to the officers and staff ofthe Honorable Commission: Annex

Certificate of Compliance (COC). On 6 August 2019, the Honorable Commission issued a COC with COC No. 19-08-Mooo01L to San Roque Power Corporation for its 382.5 MW San Roque Multipurpose Hydroelectric Power Plant, for a term of five (5) years or until 16 August, 2024;

Copies of the following documents and/or information are attached to the Joint Application as annexes and made integral parts hereof:

Annex

Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws of ISELCO 1.

“B”

Board of Directors of ISELCO 1.

“C”

Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws of SPDC.

“D”

Certification Stating the Applicability or Non-applicability of a Shareholder’s Agreement of SPDC.

“E”

Certificate of Incorporation issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).

“E-1”

Latest General Information Sheet (“GIS”) of SPDC.

“G”

Corporate Structure of SMC Global Power Holdings, Inc. (“SMCGPH”), its subsidiaries, including SPDC.

“H”

Corporate Structure of SMC Global Power Holdings, Inc. (“SMCGPH”), its subsidiaries, including SPDC.

“I”

ECC issued by the DENR to the 345 MW San Roque Multipurpose Hydroelectric Power Plant.

“J”

COC issued by the Energy Regulatory Commission (“ERC”) to San Roque Power Corporation (“SRPC”).

“K”

Certification on the Non-Applicability of a Renewable Energy Service/Operating Contract and Certificate of Registration or Certificate of Commerciality by an RE Developer from the Department of Energy (“DOE”).

“L”

Demand Side Management (“DSM”) of ISELCO 1. Explanation on the Non-applicability of the National Power Corporation (“NPC”) Certification in relation to the Transition Supply Contract (“TSC”) by ISELCO 1.

“N and Series”

Historical and Forecasted Supply and Demand Scenario, and Daily Load Curve of ISELCO I.

“O and Series”

Documents for Exemption from Competitive Selection Process (“CSP”).

“P”

EPSA dated 29 January 2020 entered into by and between ISELCO I and SPDC

“Q”

Transmission/Grid Connection Projects of SPDC.

“Q-1”

Transmission Service Agreement between NGCP and SPDC.

“R”

Executive Summary of the ISELCO I and SPDC EPSA.

“S”

Cost-based Calculation of SPDC’s True Cost Generation Rate (“TCGR”) including all cost analysis related to the pricing provisions in the contract such as operating expenses (Confidential).

“U”

Rate Impact Analysis of ISELCO I. Explanation on the Non -applicability of Fuel Procurement Process of SPDC. Relevant technical and economic characteristics of the generation capacity, installed capacity, mode of operation, dependable capacity, scheduled outage allowance, major maintenance outage, and forced outage allowance of SPDC.

Collection Efficiency Levels

Discount, PhP/kWh

96.00% and above

0.20

“W”

86.00% - 95.99%

0.15

76.00% - 85.99%

0.10

66.00% - 75.99%

0.05

65.99% and below

None

“X”

Latest Audited Financial Statements (“AFS”), Balance Sheet, Income Statement, and Statement of Cash Flows of SPDC.

“X-1”

Certification on the Non-applicability of the Net Heat Rate in liters per kWh from the engine manufacturer of SPDC.

“X-2”

Explanation on the non-applicability of Potential Cost of Ancillary Services.

“X-3”

Explanation of the non-applicability of the Minimum Energy Off-Take (“MEOT”) provision on the SPDC EPSA.

“T”

Schedule “I” of the IPPA Agreement between PSALM and SPDC. (Confidential)

(1)

the extent to which the information is known outside ofthe employer’s business;

(2)

the extent to which the information is known by employees and others involved in the business;

(3)

the extent of measures taken by the employer to guard the secrecy of the information;

(4)

the value of the information to the employer and to competitors;

(5)

the amount of effort or money expended by the company in developing the information; and

(6)

the extent to which the information could be easily or readily obtained through an independent source. (citations omitted, emphasis supplied).

The interest of the consuming public is sufficiently protected by the review and evaluation of the rates under the EPSA by the Honorable Commission, without the need to disclose the contents of Annex “S”. The reasonableness and transparency of the prices of electricity is to be assured by the Honorable Commission through its own review and verification of SPDC’s operating costs and expenses;

31.

More importantly, competitors of SPDC, should they obtain the information in Annexes “s” and “T”, will gain undue advantage thereon and have the opportunity to use the same in their operations. The negotiating power of SPDC with parties it plans to contract with or who it is currently doing business with, will clearly be thwarted if it is compelled to disclose such information.

32.

Accordingly, ISELCO I and SPDC submit one (1) copy of Annexes “S” and “T”, in a sealed envelope, with the said envelope and each page of the documents and/or information stamped with the word “Confidential”.

33.

Lastly and corollary to the foregoing, SPDC would like to implore the discerning wisdom of the Honorable Commission to include in its issuance for this purpose the “procedures for the handling or returning the confidential information, as appropriate, upon the close of the proceedings or at the end of the period for which the information is to be treated as confidentiaI3 “.

34.

This is guided by the fact that SPDC will seek for the return of these sought to be declared confidential annexes after its utilization as evidence in this case and/or at the close of the proceedings hereof, so as to relieve the Honorable Commission of the burden of safekeeping the trade secrets of SPDC enclosed in the subject annexes.

The Strategic Power Dev’t Corp. as an IPPA Project. Schedule “I” of the IPPA Agreement between PSALM and SPDC (Confidential).

Cost-based calculation of SPDC’s TCGR including all cost analysis related to the pricing provisions in the contract such as the operating expenses. (Confidential)

30.

“S-1” “T”

“S”

“A trade secret may consist of any formula, pattern, device, or compilation of information that: (1) is used in one’s business; and (2) gives the employer an opportunity to obtain an advantage over competitors who do not possess the information. Generally, a trade secret is a process or device intended for continuous use in the operation of the business, for example, a machine or formula, but can be a price list or catalogue or specialized customer list. It is indubitable that trade secrets constitute proprietary rights. The inventor, discoverer, or possessor of a trade secret or similar innovation has rights therein which may be treated as property, and ordinarily an injunction will be granted to prevent the disclosure of the trade secret by one who obtained the information “in confidence” or through a “confidential relationship”. American jurisprudence has utilized the following factors to determine if an information is a trade secret, to wit:

Certification Stating the Consistency/Inconsistency of the San Roque Multipurpose Hydroelectric Power Plant with the DOE’s Philippine Development Plan (“PDP”) or Certificate of Endorsement (“CoE”).

“M”

Documents and/or Information

Annexes “S” and “T” contain the details of the power rate calculations and financial model of SPDC as well as the manner by which these were derived. These information are proprietary in nature and should be protected as trade secrets as contemplated by law and jurisprudence. In the case of Air Philippines Corporation vs. Pennswell, Inc. 2 , the Supreme Court defined a trade secret, as follows:

Certificate of Filing of Amended By-Laws issued by SEC.

“F”

“K-1”

29.

Documents/Information

“A”

“V”

The formula to be used for the computation of the current Billing Period’s Collection Efficiency Level is as follows:

27.

Board ofInvestments (BOI) Certificate. On 26 January 2011, the Power Plant Project was registered with the BOI which issued Certificate of Registration No. 2011-025;

Compliance with the Pre-filing Requirements 16.

Allegations in Support of the Confidential Treatment of Annexes “S” and “T”

Prayer WHEREFORE, the foregoing premises considered, the Joint Applicants Isabela I Electric Cooperative, Incorporated (“ISELCO I”) and Strategic Power Dev’t Corp. (“SPDC”) most respectfully pray that after due notice and hearing, the Honorable Commission: 1.

Before and during the pendency of the pendency of the proceedings/ scheduled hearing(s) and the final resolution/approval of this case, that an Order be issued for the GRANT of: a)

a ProvisionalAuthority or Interim Relief allowing the Joint Applicants to immediately implement the EPSA subject of this case in its entirety;

an Order affording Annexes “S” and “T” confidential treatment in the handling and evaluation thereof from the time these annexes are received by the Honorable Commission up to the termination of the instant case, and,

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Entertainment

How series ‘Almost Paradise’ put Philippines on world map

Why Paulo Avelino can’t quit playing games SCREEN star Paulo Avelino takes his passion for gaming into business as the newest partner at LuponWXC, the country's premier esports, and streaming company. Founded by local gaming icon, Nico "KuyaNic'' Nazario in 2015, LuponWXC offers streamers, esports players, and professional groups in the Philippines new and diverse opportunities to connect with their viewers. Paulo comes on board with his extensive background in production and the media industry to help position LuponWXC for its entry into the mainstream. "I used to order a lot of streaming products to improve the broadcast quality of streamers in the local field," says Paulo. "One day our common friend asked me if I had any supplies lying around for a certain product that was out of stock everywhere. I asked who needed it, and he said it was KuyaNic. Knowing who he was, I offered to give him the product for free." "I've always believed that gaming is the future," explains Nico, who first broke into the scene in 2016 with his groundbreaking idea to create a broadcast platform for gaming

Award-winning actor Paulo Avelino partners with Filipino esports icon Nico ‘KuyaNic’ Nazario to launch the first communitybacked gaming company in the Philippines.

called WomboXCombo. With WomboXCombo, Nico would cast, cover events, and interact with gamers from his living room. "At the time, there really wasn't a blueprint for how things should be done, and I saw this as my chance to be a part of it and develop it," he explains. As a key partner in the company's development, Paulo plans to share his knowledge and use his experience to improve the quality of the company's curated content and the coverage of all current gaming events. The Philippines is seeing a significant increase in esports-related content since 2020. There is potential for Avelino and Nazario to tap into, bringing gaming to the forefront with authentic content and connecting brands to the online gaming market with LuponWXC. Later this year, Paulo and Nico look forward to the completion of their world-class gaming facility in General Trias, Cavite, with 11 broadcast studios, where they hope to further maximize their resources and take the company to new heights. LuponWXC currently has 6 operational studios focused on original content, Mobile Legends, DotA 2, original show concepts with Kumu, event activations, and major broadcast productions. The creators of LuponWXC regularly stream on YouTube, Facebook, and Kumu. They have also released a line of gaming merchandise and clothing called D'Armory, which is currently available online through Shopee. To learn more about LuponWXC, visit their official website at www.luponwxc. gg. Follow facebook.com/ luponWXCofficial on Facebook Paulo at the headquarters of and @luponwxc on Instagram for LuponWXC updates on their latest content. CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK c)

an Issuance concerning the procedures for handling the confidential information upon the close ofthe proceedings and its return/delivery to SPDC.

BS-CBN and Electric Entertainment’s historic crime drama series Almost Paradise overflows with Pinoy pride as it continues to champion Filipino talent in its last two weeks on Kapamilya Channel and A2Z.

Like in the previous eight episodes, the Filipino cast and crew of the American crime drama series promise world-class entertainment in the final two chapters in the story of former U.S. secret agent Alex Walker (Christian Kane), who was drawn back to his old life after retiring in the island paradise of Cebu. The first American TV series shot entirely in the Philippines, Almost Paradise features the beauty of Mactan, Cebu. But aside from the country’s natural beauty, also worth seeing in the program are the realistic sets that the local production team of ABS-CBN built for the show, such as the police station and yacht. The team gave their blood and sweat to the project in their desire to give Filipinos a program they will be proud of, and to prove that the local entertainment industry can stand toe-to-toe with Hollywood. All artists that played a role in the show underwent stringent auditions, including the main Filipino cast of Nonie Buencamino, Art Acuña, Samantha Richelle, Ces Quesada, and Angeli Bayani, and guest stars like ZsaZsa Padilla, Sophia Reola, Richard Yap, Raymond Bagatsing, Noel Trinidad, Lotlot de Leon, Ryan Eigenmann, and Ketchup Eusebio, among many others. Behind the camera, Almost Paradise showrunner Dean Devlin, the CEO of Electric Entertainment and famous Hollywood producer of films like Independence Day, Godzilla, and The Patriot also worked with a Filipino staff and crew. Moreover, the program has four Filipino directors in Dan Villegas (Episode 4), Francis Dela Torre (Episode 3 and 7), Hannah Espia (Episode 6 and 9), and Irene Villamor (Episode 8). According to Dan, while there were adjustments in the filmmaking process, they all took away new knowledge from their experience in the show. “I was surprised how professional foreign actors were. Pagdating nila sa set memorized na nila ang script. I also appreciated how everything is pre-approved before the shoot. ’Yung mga natutunan ko sa Almost Paradise, ina-apply ko na sa mga shoots ko,” shared Dan. “The themes are very universal and maraming nakapaloob na genres. It speaks to

After due notice and hearing. ISSUE a Decision approving the instant Joint Application in toto which will thereby allow/authorize ISELCO I to charge and collect the fees from its customers reckoned from the commencement of the supply to the later by SPDC.

The Commission has set the instant Joint Application for determination of compliance with the jurisdictional requirements, expository presentation, pre-trial conference and presentation of evidence on the following dates and online platform for the conduct thereof, pursuant to Resolution No. 09, Series of 2020,4 dated 24 September 2020:

04 June 2021 (Friday) at two o’clock in the afternoon (2:00 P.M.) 11 June 2021 (Friday) at two o’clock in the afternoon (2:00 P.M.)

Platform

Activity

Microsoft Teams (MS Teams) Application

Determination of compliance with the jurisdictional requirements and Expository Presentation Pre-trial Conference and Presentation of Evidence

Any interested stakeholder may submit its comments and/or clarifications at least one (1) calendar day prior to the scheduled initial virtual hearing, via electronic mail (e-mail)at docket@erc.ph. copy furnish the Legal Service through legal@erc. ph. The Commission shall give priority to the stakeholders who have duly submitted their respective comments and/or clarifications, to discuss the same and propound questions during the course of the expository presentation. Moreover, all persons who have an interest in the subject matter of the instant case may become a party by filing with the Commission via e-mail at docket@erc.ph. copy furnish the Legal Service through legal@erc.ph, a verified Petition to Intervene at least five (5) calendar days prior to the date of the initial virtual hearing and subject to the requirements under Rule 9 of the ERC Revised Rules of Practice and Procedure, indicating therein the docket number and title of the case and stating the following: 1)

The petitioner’s name, mailing address, and e-mail address;

The nature of petitioner’s interest in the subject matter of the proceeding and the way and manner in which such interest is affected by the issues involved in the proceeding; and

A statement of the relief desired.

Likewise, all other persons who may want their views known to the Commission with respect to the subject matter of the case may file through e-mail at docket@erc. ph and records@erc.ph. copy furnish the Legal Service through legal@erc.ph, their Opposition or Comment thereon at least five (5) calendar days prior to the initial virtual hearing and subject to the requirements under Rule 9 of the ERC Revised Rules of Practice and Procedure. No particular form of Opposition or Comment is required, but the document, letter, or writing should contain the following: 1)

The name, mailing address, and e-mail address of such person;

A concise statement of the Opposition or Comment; and

The grounds relied upon.

Any of the persons mentioned in the preceding paragraphs may access the copy of the Joint Application on the Commission’s official website at www.erc.gov.ph. Finally, all interested persons may be allowed to join the scheduled virtual hearings by providing the Commission, thru legal.virtualhearings@erc.ph, with their respective e-mail addresses and indicating therein the case number of the instant Joint Application. The Commission will send the access link/s to the aforementioned hearing platform within five (5) working days prior to the scheduled hearings. WITNESS, the Honorable Commissioners ALEXIS M. LUMBATAN, CATHERINE P. MACEDA, FLORESINDA G. BALDO-DIGAL and MARKO ROMEO L. FUENTES, Energy Regulatory Commission, this 22nd day of April 2021 in Pasig City.

AGNES VST DEVANADERA Chairperson and CEO

1 2 3 4

IPP counterparty in the IPPA. G.R. No. 172835, December 13, 2007. Letter Cd), Section 4 of the ERe Rules and Practice and Procedure. A Resolution Adopting the Guidelines Governing Electronic Applications, Filings and Virtual Hearings Before the Energy Regulatory Commission. (MS-MAY 7 & 14, 2021)

American actor Christian Kane in a scene from ‘Almost Paradise,’ an American series that features the artistry of local actors and directors.

Actor Miko Raval (right) is one of the local actors to be seen in the last episodes of ‘Almost Paradise,’ which was shot entirely in Cebu.

a wider audience,” Hannah also said about the global appeal of the show. Francis and Irene, meanwhile, both believe the series gave foreign audiences a different look at the Philippines. They and the local team surely got the admiration and respect of Dean, and the show’s lead star, Hollywood actor Christian Kane, who cherish the love they have been receiving during and after the filming of Almost Paradise. “I was treated more like family there than I have ever been my entire life. It just felt like home. I have some of the best people around me. They welcomed me in and so I got to concentrate on the character and not being away from home,” said Christian, who starred in U.S. TV series and movies like Angel, Leverage, The Librarians, Just Married, and Taxi. Dean also shared that among all the projects he has done, “everybody seems to like Almost Paradise,” especially among Filipinos abroad like him. “We are getting so many heartfelt letters and

DMs from Filipinos here and around the world who are saying that they feel seen. To have this show where we are really changing minds and hearts, it adds a sense of pride in the show not just for the Filipinos in the Philippines but for Filipinos everywhere. It captures the heart of why Filipinos are such wonderful and special people,” he said. Meanwhile, viewers should watch for the exciting events coming in Almost Paradise, which has brought light and joy to Filipinos since March 21. In this Sunday's ep[isode, which features guest actors Sophia Reola, Isay Alvarez, Teroy Guzman, Miko Raval, Boom Labrusca, Joel Molina, and Lesley Lina, Kai (Samantha Richelle) is in danger as Alex gets entangled in her undercover operation. In the finale, expect more drama and action as Alex tries to save her daughter when a person from his past returns for revenge. Almost Paradise airs every Sunday, 8:45 p.m. on Kapamilya Channel, A2Z, iWantTFC, Manila and Kapamilya Online Standard Live (KOL) on TODAY Facebook and YouTube.

STANDARD’S CHOICE

Other reliefs just and equitable under the circumstances are likewise, prayed for.

Date

FRIDAY, MAY 14, 2021 nickie.standard@gmail.com

PAGEANT CONCEPT ETON CONCEPCION

69th Miss Universe Hot Picks (second of three parts)

THE 69th Miss Universe pageant is happening on May 16 (May 17 in Manila). Twenty-one semi-finalists will be pre-selected from among the 74 contestants. Manila Standard reveals its traditional hot picks who have a chance to become Miss Universe 2020. With the WME/IMG talent agency, the current owner of the Miss Universe pageant, placing importance on girls who can speak, like Pia Wurtzbach (2015), Iris Mittenaere (2016), Demi-Leigh Nel Peters-Tebow (2017), Catriona Gray (2018), and reigning Miss Universe Zozibini Tunzi (2019), any one of these girls are capable to become an ideal spokesperson for the Miss Universe cause: 11. Nepal - Anshika Sharma This Shamcey Supsup dead ringer is 24 years old. More than her height and sensational body proportion, Anshika holds a degree in Information Technology from Queensland University. She currently works as a business analyst. As an advocate for quality education, she started her own foundation to support education for underprivileged children. 12. Canada - Nova Stevens This towering lady is 26 years old. She fled the civil war in Sudan with her family at age six. She is now an actress and a model in the country that embraced her unconventional beauty. Nova is the co-founder of “Freedom March Vancouver” and “Black Freedom Society” organizations that aim to eradicate hate and racism against black and indigenous people of color. An excellent speaker, Miss Canada is sashaying in the finals in a Michael Cinco gown.

13. Brazil - Julia Gama Brazil’s representative is a 27-yearold actress and drama arts degree holder. She had lived in China for three years starring in Chinese movies and worked as an international ambassador for Leprosy before pursuing her dream to become a beauty queen. This polyglot has received several distinctions from Chinese and other international organizations for the cause she supports.

14. Australia - Maria Thattil She is Indian-Australian beauty expert and fashion blogger. At 28, she has already achieved numerous academic successes. Maria is a Psychology graduate with Masters degree in Management. She was nominated for a Harvard scholarship, too. A corporate professional and digital creator for inclusivity and equality, this Australian bet is the shortest candidate in Miss Universe's record, and yet she walks tall and speaks eloquently.

15. Thailand - Amanda Obdam A graduate in Business Administration from University of Toronto, Thailand’s bet is a 27-year-old stunner. She volunteered with “Phuket Has Been Good To Us” Foundation that taught English to children affected by the tsunami after it devastated her hometown of Phuket in 2004. Another social media favorite, Amanda is very competitive as shown in her massive campaign organized by her team. ABS-CBN will bring the Miss Universe 2020 coronation finals live telecast via the A2Z channel at 8:00 a.m. on May 17 and will also be streaming commercial-free on iQiyi. (Read the part 3 on Sunday)

Life

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

TRAVEL & LEISURE

FRIDAY, MAY 14, 2021

My tale of the two cities

PANDEMIC PIVOT. Homegrown management group Discovery Hospitality Corporation pivots the business by offering its

trademarked allied businesses, property management, and shared services to other enterprises. Allied business programs include Home Safe (for hotel-grade sanitation), Safe Space (co-working program), Safe Care (medical care), and Laboral (employee wellness).

Hospitality group pushes forward, pivots business W

San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora cites the discipline and stamina he acquired as a former basketball player helps him run the city efficiently.

By Bernadette Lunas

HILE guest rooms remain closed for leisure travelers, a Filipino hospitality group keeps the business afloat by opening its doors to share its resources and expertise with other businesses.

“There was an initial denial that this (pandemic) would last long,” admitted Josephine Concio, strategic initiatives head of Discovery Hospitality Corporation (DHC). “We are faced with something that we couldn’t stop.” Recognizing that “denial will only hold us back”, the group started to work on things they can control. “The first thing we did was calm ourselves down. Then containment, ensuring our employees and our guests are safe. And after that, it’s time to push forward,” shared Concio. DHC offers its trademarked allied businesses, property management, and shared services that are tried and tested in their own brands. Hotel-grade sanitation Interested parties looking to learn and carry out stringent hotel-grade cleaning and sanitation protocols in their offices can take advantage of DHC’s Home Safe program. The program, developed in partnership with Lysol, aims to share with clients the best health and safety practices already implemented in the group’s hotels and resorts. Safe meeting spaces Through Safe Space, DHC opens rental spaces in its city hotels Discovery Primea in Makati and Discovery Suites in Ortigas to hybrid meetings and conferences, intimate gatherings, corporate events, and co-working or remote working. The program ensures safety for all guests, with the spaces cleaned and sanitized using US EPA-

DHC manages Discovery Primea, Discovery Suites, Discovery Shores Boracay, and Club Paradise Palawan.

accredited Lysol products following session consists of exercise sequences Home Safe protocols after each use. designed to target different high-tension areas of the body that take on the strain Medical care in hotel of desk work, especially the lower back, Patients who want to meet their neck, and shoulders. physicians or get medical care in a less DHC also offers its expertise in risky space can do so in a comfortable digital marketing, food and beverage, room of Discovery Suites Ortigas. information technology, human The hotel offers Safe Care program resources, business strategy, finance, and that connects guests with medical operational management. experts from Cardinal Santos Medical “We are grateful for the experiences Center. Each meeting space is sanitized that helped us grow as a company and following the Home Safe standard, and as individuals. It’s time for us to take health and safety measures mandated by part and provide the same hand to the Department of Tourism are in full our co-business owners and share our effect. knowledge and expertise,” said Jun Parreno, president of Discovery World Employee wellness Corporation and chief operations officer In partnership with labor gymnastics of DHC. company GPA Brazil, DHC offers Interested organizations may contact Laboral program designed to help DHC’s senior vice president and employees maintain better health and head of sales and operations Cathy achieve a more comprehensive wellness Nepomuceno at cathy.nepomuceno@ level. Held virtually once a week, each discoveryhospitality.com.

Platform offers multidimensional online events AS THE lights have dimmed at on-ground event venues, businesses have turned to video communications platforms to conduct events or brand activations. A virtual platform aims to take this digital experience a few notches higher with a multi-dimensional online event space. VEAP or Virtual Events and Activations Platform, owned by Tagline Group of Companies and developed by Binary Digital Advertising, is a low-touch digital space for clients looking to pursue immersive brand engagement efforts – bringing the experience of on-ground events to the digital space. It was launched on June 30 last year. Clients can create and customize themes and environments as well as integrate other features to make their events more immersive and exciting. Tagline touts VEAP as a synergy of expertise in traditional below-the-line (BTL) advertising, out-of-the-box thinking, and the power of digital and electronic systems. “It’s all about re-engineering brand experiences for multi-dimensional engagements in the digital landscape – a calculated modification of our services towards the behavioral shifts taking place across all market segments due to the pandemic,” said Tagline president and owner Jovy Rabelas. VEAP can be accessed via desktop or laptop computer, tablet, and smartphone. Its spaces include VEAP MOTION (a gamified exhibition space with customizable avatars that can navigate a

full 3D environment), VEAP LIVE (a lightweight environment in three-dimensional configuration best for multi-faceted engagements), and VEAP TV (an all-in-one livestream platform to supercharge and elevate online audience engagements). Go to tagline.veap.ph to experience this immersive event space.

Binary Digital Advertising managing director Anika Punzalan demonstrates how an event held on the multi-dimensional event platform VEAP looks like.

DON’T worry, we’re not going to have an English Literature session today because I don’t plan to do a review on Charles Dickens’ historical novel about London and Paris during the French Revolution. Instead, I’m going to share with you what I learned about two prosperous cities closer to home, at the sixth installment of the virtual Kapihan Sa New York the other day. Hosted, once again, by the Phil-Am Press Club of New York with the theme, “Fiesta Filipinas”, the session featured two young, good-looking, dynamic, and hardworking local government leaders who bannered interesting and attractive tourist attractions in their respective cities. Former De La Salle University basketball varsity standout Francis Zamora is the Mayor of San Juan and refers to his city as The Heart of Metro Manila because of its geographical location which is right smack in the center of the metropolis. He animatedly talked about the biggest pre-pandemic tourist draw in his city, the Wattah Wattah Festival (a phonetic reference to water) which takes place every June 24, the Feast of St. John the Baptist. The fun celebration calls for city officials to go around in firetrucks to spray water on everyone along the way and the receiving jubilant crowd in turn wildly douses water back at these officials and on each other. It’s not surprising that water is the main element in this enjoyable celebration because it commemorates the baptism of Jesus Christ by St. John. Last year, however, the city officials did it differently as the whole country was restrained by quarantine restrictions, and crowds were a no-no. They, instead, had the “Basbasan Sa San Juan”, during which the image of St. John was brought around the city while a priest blessed everyone along the way. With the contamination index currently still at its peak, it looks like last year’s sedate and quieter celebration will make a repeat this year. Mayor Zamora also talked about the interesting Historical Bike Tour which was actually launched right before the pandemic sneaked in – the reason why its popularity could not gain momentum as people were required to stay indoors. The tour starts at the City Hall and covers a number of exciting attractions. The Pinaglabanan Shrine, with a monument handcrafted by renowned sculptor Eduardo Castrillo, marks the location of the first battle of the Katipuneros against the Spaniards. The Katipunan Museum houses many historical artifacts and possessions of revolutionary leader Andres Bonifacio. The Marcos Mansion was the first residence of former President Ferdinand Marcos and family, where they spent 10 years before moving to Malacañang Palace. The Iglesia Ni Kristo premises has the former residence of the late Felix Manalo, the original leader of this religious congregation, and a beautiful art deco chapel. The Club Filipino, where President Cory Aquino was sworn into office after the EDSA Revolution, is the penultimate stop in the tour which ends at the Greenhills Shopping Center. It was in this massive shopping complex where TV luminary and author Martha Stewart

My good friend Mayor Richard Gomez of Ormoc is the best example of a seamless transition from being a showbiz box office draw to a consummate and effective government leader.

couldn’t contain her excitement over the pearls and jewelry she bought during her visit. On June 10, the El Deposito Underground Tunnel will be inaugurated and added to the tour. This 150-meter underground passageway marks the location of the large water reservoir which played an important role in Manila’s history, from the Spanish era to the Japanese occupation. Hopefully, by that date, quarantine restrictions would have been eased so we can sample San Juan’s revitalized Historical Biking Tour. Next on focus was my good friend, movie/TV actor and sportsman Richard Gomez, the Mayor of Ormoc City, who I am very grateful to for the endless things he has been doing to put my mother’s home city on the tourist map. Before his tenure, Ormoc was a sleepy town and was the drug capital of Eastern Visayas. But with the wave of Mayor Gomez’s magic wand, it is now a bustling city, the economic, cultural, and transportation hub of Western Leyte. It has also become the Concert Capital of Region 8. The Philippine National Police has declared it the first drug-free city in the country and one of the three safest cities, the others being Cotabato and Puerto Princesa. Thanks to its well-managed seaport terminal and the new Airport Passenger Terminal, Ormoc easily became a favorite of MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions, exhibitions) event organizers. Its biggest pre-pandemic mass event had thousands of athletes participating in the Eastern Visayas Regional Athletic Association (EVRAA), putting the city high up on the list of preferred destinations for sports tourism. This was followed by the National Teachers Day celebration which, again, brought thousands of educators to the city. Added to these well-attended events are the very popular pre-pandemic citywide celebrations which attracted thousands of tourists from neighboring towns and cities in the rest of the Visayas. The extravagant display of attractive colors in the Parade of Lights, hosted by the Rotary Club, takes place every June. But the bigger event is the Pinya Festival, a colorful and lively street dancing festival that pays homage to the city’s patron saints (Peter and Paul) and to its main produce, the Queen Pineapple, deemed one of the sweetest in the world and the symbol of Ormoc. There are many other attractions the city offers – the Dominador Tan Mansion, a 1930s relic of what used to be the Japanese military headquarters; Ormoc Bay Shipwrecks which divers will find very interesting as they show what’s left of five Japanese and three American battleships nestled several hundred feet below sea level. There is also the Tongonan Geothermal Plant, the most modern in the country. Of course, those who want a leisurely and relaxing tour will enjoy the Lake Danao Natural Park, the Alto Park, and the Veterans Park. After a very informative session with these two energetic and industrious mayors who, in my opinion, represent the new breed of government leaders, I could only wish that the rest would exhibit the same dynamism and dedication as these two. Then, maybe next time, this column would probably banner a tale of a HUNDRED cities. YOUR WEEKEND CHUCKLE: I finally decided to sell my vacuum cleaner. It was just gathering dust. For feedback, I’m at bobzozobrado@ gmail.com.