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on A4) PDP-LABAN MOVES FOR DU30(Story VP RUN; PACQUIAO'S ROLE HANGS IN BALANCE RULING PARTY.
PDP-Laban, the political party of President Rodrigo Duterte, holds its National Council Meeting in Cebu City on Monday with Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, the party’s vice chairman, presiding (seated center, in white). PTV video grab
By Macon Ramos-Araneta, Vito Barcelo, Maricel V. Cruz and Macon Ramos-Araneta THE ruling PDP-Laban on Monday approved a resolution to convince President Rodrigo Duterte to run for vice president and to choose his running mate in the 2022 elections during the party's National Council meeting in Cebu City that was boycotted by the party’s national president, Sena-
tor Manny Pacquiao. PDP-Laban vice chairman, Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, declared the resolution approved as no member objected. Members who attended the meeting were then asked to sign the resolution. The camp of Pacquiao, however, accused the conveners of the Cebu City meeting of violating party rules. Ron Munsayac, the party’s executive director and a spokesman for Pacquiao, noted that the Next page
NCR Plus GCQ up to June 30 13 others including 7 in Mindanao placed under stricter MECQ
By Joyce Pañares, Othel Campos and Vito Barcelo
P
RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has extended the General Community Quarantine with restrictions for the NCR Plus area for the entire month of June, while 13 other areas were placed under the stricter Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine, including seven from Mindanao, which logged a "faster rate" of COVID-19 case surges.
VOL. XXXV • NO. 106 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 TUESDAY, JUNE 1, 2021 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
In a public address late Monday night, the President also announced the country will donate $1 million to the COVAX Facility. "It is now our turn to return the goodwill they have shown," Duterte said.
PH donating $1m to COVAX—Rody The COVAX Facility is a global initiative to support early vaccine access for 92 countries, including the Philippines, which received AstraZeneca and Pfizer jabs. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said more than 5 million COVID-19 vaccines have already been administered as of Monday. Duterte said the following areas will be under GCQ: NCR Plus (Metro Manila, Cavite, Rizal, Laguna and Bulacan), Kalinga, Mountain Province, Abra, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Batangas, Quezon, Iligan City, Davao City, Lanao del Sur and Cotabato City. The areas that will be under the more restrictive MECQ from June 1 to 15 are
CROWDED. Social distancing is not observed as beach goers wait for a resort to open in Cavite over the weekend. Meanwhile cops from the Manila Police District prevent protesters from organizing at Mendiola Bridge on Monday (inset) as they call for a P10,000 subsidy for all workers displaced due to the COVID-19 pandemic. JR Josue and Danny Pata
By Alena Mae S. Flores
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COVID-19 PH
CONSUMERS may experience additional power outages in the next few days due to the continued shutdown of several power plants and higher temperatures pushing up demand, Department of Energy officials said Monday. Luzon experienced rotating power
AT A GLANCE
(AS OF 4 PM MAY 31)
1,230,301 6,684 54,290 ACTIVE
20,966
107
1,155,045
6,098
DEATHS
RECOVERIES
NEW
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By Maricel V. Cruz
POLL PREPARATION. In preparation for the 2022 elections, Marikina City workers supervised by local Comelec officials clean ballot boxes used in the 2019 local elections at the Marikina Sports Center in Marikina City on Monday. Manny Palmero
Biden writes to Duterte, hopes for VFA extension By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz
pines said on Monday, as a troops agreement between Manila and Washington remains up in the air. The US, which will celebrate 75 years of PRESIDENT Joe Biden of the United diplomatic ties with the Philippines in July, States hopes to meet President Rodrigo is "hopeful" that Duterte would extend the Duterte in person, an envoy of the Philip- two countries' Visiting Forces Agreement or
WEATHER ‘Dante’ strengthens, hits Samar on exit THE state weather bureau raised tropical cyclone wind signals in portions of Northern and Eastern Samar on Monday due to Tropical Storm Dante, which it projected to intensify further. Next page
outages starting at 1:11 p.m. Monday after grid operator National Grid Corp. of the Philippines announced it was implementing manual load dropping amid the lack of power supply. NGCP placed the Luzon grid on yellow alert from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. and on red alert from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Next page
Romualdez toasts Sara on B-Day
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Public warned of power, water interruptions due to low supply
LAWMAKERS led by House Majority Leader and Leyte 1st District Rep. Martin Romualdez greeted Davao City Mayor “Inday” Sara Duterte-Carpio, who celebrated her 43rd birthday on Monday. “I join the Filipino nation in praying that our Lord God will continue to bless you Mayor Inday Sara with long life and
excellent health,” Romualdez, chairman of the House Committee on Rules, said. Romualdez flew to Davao City Monday morning to personally greet President Rodrigo Duterte’s daughter. Romualdez, president of the LakasChristian Muslim Democrats (CMD), also lauded Mayor Inday Sara’s strong leadership, especially during the pandemic Next page
VFA, said Manila's ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez. "President Biden wrote to President Duterte not only for the occasion of the 75th anniversary, but also to inform him of how strongly the relationship Next page
Longer travel ban on 7 nations eyed By Vito Barcelo and Willie Casas THE Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases has recommended keeping the country’s borders closed to incoming travelers from India and six other countries until mid-June, Malacanang said Monday.
The Philippines initially banned the entry of travelers from India last April 29 to May 14. The ban was extended to May 31 and now for the third time until June 15, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said. The ban was issued due to a new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) variant from India found to infect people faster. Roque said there is no memorandum Next page
NATAL DAY BOUQUET. House Majority Leader and Leyte Rep Martin Romualdez (left) greets Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte a happy birthday with flowers during his visit to Davao City Hall. Romualdez assured the mayor that Lakas-CMD Party will support her whatever she plans for the future. Ver Noveno
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News
TUESDAY, JUNE 1, 2021
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Trillanes found guilty in libel case Makati City Regional Trial Court branch 148 Judge Andres Bartolome Soriano sentenced Trillanes to pay a fine of P100,000 aside from the P500,000 in moral damages and costs of suit for the complainant. The former senator made the state-
ment on April 7, 2015, which was aired in various radio and television programs in the country. Trillanes said the court's decision was a "price to pay for standing up against very powerful people." "We intend to exhaust all legal rem-
edies to overturn (the) ruling. Regardless, we will not let this legal setback discourage us in pursuing our advocacy to purge our (government) of corrupt and abusive public officials," he said. In February 2016, Trillanes posted P10,000 bail, a week after Makati City Branch 142 Judge Dina Pestaño Teves issued an arrest warrant in connection with the case. The case stemmed from the senator's statements that Mayor Junjun Binay and his family bribed the Justices of the Court of Appeals for the issuance of the temporary restraining order against the preventive suspension order issued by the Office of the Ombudsman in 2015. Before he posted bail, Trillanes filed
NCR...
Under the guidelines of the InterAgency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), those eligible for vaccination include private sector workers required to be physically present at their workplace outside their residences; employees in government agencies and instrumentalities; and informal sector workers and self-employed who may be required to work outside their residences, and those working in private households. Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said local government units may prioritize vaccinating economic front-liners aged 40 to 59. Roque encouraged those belonging to A1 to A3 priority groups to also get vaccinated against COVID-19 and refrain from being choosy over vaccine brands. “The most effective vaccine is the vaccine that is available,” he said. Meanwhile, presidential adviser for entrepreneurship Joey Conception said the private sector is already thinking about what quantities of a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine might be needed, if the jabs have to be administered annually.
The private sector, he said, is working on increasing people’s confidence in vaccines, noting that most of the resistance to vaccines is coming from the poor. He said the government should allow greater mobility for those who have been vaccinated. “They (vaccinated people) should be allowed to go out. People who want to travel to different domestic areas in our country should be allowed to travel,” Concepcion said. In a radio interview, Concepcion also said the delivery of AstraZeneca vaccines procured by the private sector would be delayed by as much as four weeks. About 1.17 million doses will arrive by July 14 instead of the fourth week of June, Concepcion told Teleradyo. In other developments: * Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairperson Benhur Abalos said that the management of COVID-19 vaccines is "calculated" amid concerns that some stored doses will soon expire. At a Palace press briefing, Abalos noted that no doses of COVID-19 vaccine have expired so far. He said that when a supply
of vaccines arrives, the bulk is considered for first doses, while some doses would be set aside for the second shot. * The Palace said at least 3.4 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccines from Sinovac, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna will be delivered in the Philippines in June, Malacañang said. Roque said the government is targeting to vaccinate 10 million Filipino people by the middle of the year as the bulk of Sputnik, Pfizer, and AstraZeneca orders arrive within June. * The national vaccination program is hoping to reach 10 million doses by the middle of the year as the bulk of Sputnik, Pfizer, and AstraZeneca orders arrive within June. On June 6, one million doses of China’s Sinovac are expected while 1.3 million and 900,000 US-made Pfizer jabs are arriving on June 7 and 11, respectively. Moderna vaccines, also from the US, are scheduled for delivery on June 21. * The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday said it will also deploy its Medical Reserve Force (MRF) to help speed up the COVID-19 vaccination drive in some areas that may require assistance.
Duterte’s decision, but assured that PDPLaban has a lot of members and personalities who would be formidable presidential candidates. On the issue of replacing Pacquiao as chairman, Matibag said by party law, the term of the council president lasts for two years, which is why PDP-Laban will hold a National Assembly on July 17 to elect a new set of officers for the council. "Everybody right now is overcapacity. It is better that we have the national assembly to decide the leadership, but we do not want to preempt (what positions will be filled)," said Matibag. Matibag also dismissed the possibility of removing Pacquiao from the party, saying they will assure a "fair" process in the removal of its members. Cusi said PDP-Laban members who joined the meeting online would be provided a copy of the approved party resolution for their signature. Among the members who joined the meeting via Zoom were Senators Francis Tolentino and Ronald dela Rosa. Former party president Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel did not attend, citing scheduling conflicts. PDP-Laban vice president for external affairs Raul Lambino said he had
asked the National Council to adopt a resolution after receiving several petitions from different regions of the country asking Duterte to run for vice president. During the meeting, Leyte Gov. Mic Petilla, Bohol Gov. Arthur Yap and Eastern Samar Gov. Ben Evardone listed the accomplishments of the Duterte administration. A recommendation was also made to suspend Munsayac from the party for "misinformation" without going into specifics, but the leadership said they should adhere to democratic processes. The President’s spokesman said Duterte would run for vice president in next year’s election if he receives a message from God. “If it is God’s will, he will make the proper announcement in due course,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque said. Roque also played down the rift within the party and said the President had no plans to step in to fix it. “I think it's enough that the President signed in writing a memorandum authorizing Secretary Cusi to call the meeting today and made me announce it yesterday,” he said. He said Duterte has decided to skip his
PDP-Laban national assembly since he had a “full schedule” on Monday. Duterte’s vice presidential run was broached by Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo, who said the President should serve as the running mate of his daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte. While his party members squabbled, Duterte called on the PDP-Laban to remain united in focusing on the people’s welfare. In a taped message during PDPLaban’s national assembly on Monday, Duterte urged his party mates "to stand together and remain united not by personal interest but by our principles and values as we chart the future of our party and the rest of the nation. Earlier, Pacquiao, the party's acting president, told party members to ignore Cusi’s invitation to attend the gathering, saying it was being held in violation of the party’s constitution. Cracks in the party seemed to deepen in the House, where a party member attending the meeting online questioned the conduct of the national assembly. Negros Oriental Rep. Arnie Teves moved for the adjournment of the event less than an hour after the national assembly was convened. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)
franchise area are Caloocan, Manila, Marikina, Muntinlupa, Pasig, Quezon City, Taguig, Valenzuela, Lucena and parts of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal. Energy Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella said DOE is coordinating with the power distributors and the local government units to ensure vaccine supply will not be affected by the outages. "There should be triple back up for facilities storing COVID vaccines. That being the situation we have to call on those that will be affected, the facilities storing the vaccines should have their back up gen sets ready. We also call on their partner facilities to call on their back up," Fuentebella said. Energy Assistant Secretary Redentor Delola said several power plants continue to be on an extended shutdown after suffering technical problems while hydro facilities.
Biden...
- Chinese fishermen are free to fish in the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) Duterte's spokesman Harry Roque said he did not have access to Biden's letter, when asked for more information during the briefing. "I will ask and inquire," he said. Last February, President Duterte said Washington must "pay" a fee he did not disclose, if it wanted to keep the VFA with Manila. The VFA provides the legal framework under which US troops can operate on a rotational basis in the Philippines. Experts say without it, other bilateral defense agreements, including the Mutual Defense Treaty, cannot be implemented. The MDT states the two countries will come to each other's defense in case their metropolitan areas or territories are attacked. The pact will mark its 70th anniversary in August. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)
"I assure you that we are behind you in all your advocacies and thrusts for good governance.” Tingog party-list Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez, wife of Romualdez and chairperson of the House Committee on the Welfare of Children, also greeted the Davao mayor a happy birthday. “May you be blessed more as you have blessed others! Happy birthday to a remarkable public official!” Rep. Yedda said. Meanwhile, former Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Senator Imee Marcos also went to Davao City to meet with DuterteCarpio during her birthday celebration last weekend. Lawyer Vic Rodriguez, spokesman of the former senator, confirmed this to GMA News Online via text message. "Yes, Senators Imee and Bongbong Marcos were in Davao to personally greet Mayor Inday Sara on the occasion of her birthday," said Rodriguez.
Longer...
By Joel E. Zurbano
F
ORMER Senator Antonio Trillanes IV was found guilty of libel in connection with the statement he made in 2015 against former Makati City Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay Jr. and justices in the Court of Appeals.
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the City of Santiago in Cagayan, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Puerto Princesa City, Iloilo City, Zamboanga City, Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, Cagayan de Oro City, Butuan City and Agusan del Sur. The rest of the country will be under a Modified GCQ. "The number of cases at Greater Manila Area/NCR Plus is plateauing, but Mindanao cases are increasing at a faster rate. Visayas is seeing a gradual increase," Duque said. Mindanao recorded 1,485 new cases per day between May 25 to 31, while Visayas logged 863 per day for the same period. To stem the transmission and inch closer toward achieving herd immunity before the year ends, the government will start vaccinating qualified individuals under the A4 priority group this month, including those who work outside their homes and government workers.
PDP-... From A1
position of vice chairman was a passive one, and the person occupying that post becomes acting chairman only if the chairman becomes incapacitated, is suspended, resigns, or is expelled from the party. Since the PDP Laban chairman is not incapacitated, suspended, resigned, or expelled from the party, he said the vice chairman cannot usurp the functions of the chairman as provided for in the PDP Laban Constitution. “The vice chairman cannot call for a meeting of the National Council, since only the real chairman can,” Munsayac said. Munsayac also said the agenda for the Cebu meeting had not been cleared with the party’s president, Pacquiao. Lawyer Melvin Matibag, PDP-Laban acting secretary-general, said assuming Duterte will run for Vice President, he has great weight in deciding who will run as a presidential candidate and the members will honor it. Matibag refused to name potential candidates the President would choose, saying he would not want to second-guess
Public... From A1
Affected areas include parts of Ilocos Norte, La Union, Zambales, Quezon, Camarines Norte, Albay and Metro Manila. Meanwhile, some 500,000 customers of the Manila Water Company Inc. are set to experience a 10-hour service interruption this week as the company conducts maintenance operations. In an advisory, Manila Water said it will cut and plug its old 500mm mainline along Ortigas Avenue near EDSA in Barangay Ugong Norte, Quezon City. The interruption will start at 11 p.m. on Wednesday, June 2, and will last until 9 a.m. on Thursday, June 3, 2021. This will affect a population of 500,000 in 110,355 households, and commercial and business establishments across 39 barangays in Metro Manila. Among the affected areas in Meralco’s
Romualdez... From A1
to ensure a safe and better environment for her constituents. “I have been immensely gratified and inspired by your unwavering pursuit of goodness in the entire country. Your very determined leadership to serve the people has profoundly influenced us to further extend malasakit to our constituents,” Romualdez said even as he thanked the presidential daughter for the friendship and opportunity to work closely with her, especially in promoting good governance. He wished her continued success in the fulfillment of her aspirations for the Filipino people. “Under your stewardship and guidance, you have shown that you are a steady source of inspiration for the Filipinos,” Romualdez said.
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between the United States and the Philippines would continue, and that he hopes he will be able to meet in person with the President at some point in time," he said in a Malacañang press briefing. Meanwhile, faculty members of the University of the Philippines College of Law reminded President Rodrigo "to act in the best interest of the Philippines and the Filipino people" as they urged him to retract his controversial statements on the West Philippine Sea. In a statement, the educators said the following statements of Duterte "betray the interests of the country he swore to protect." - The 2016 Arbitral Award is a mere scrap of paper that should be “thrown to the wastebasket” - China is “in possession” of the West Philippine Sea
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yet from the Office of the President on the continuation of the travel ban, although the IATF has recommended to extend the existing travel bans until June 15. “But I repeat, the President has made no decision on the matter yet,” he said. Roque said the regulation covered those coming from India or those with travel history to India within the 14 days preceding their arrival in the Philippines. Meanwhile, the Department of Health (DOH) on Monday urged the public not to panic over news of a hybrid coronavirus variant reported in Vietnam. Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the World Health Organization has not yet received details of the apparent variant. The WHO keeps a list of variants detected in different countries. “The process is, when we detect ad-
a motion asking the court to suspend the hearings and other court proceedings, but Judge Teves rejected the plea. Trillanes posted his bail for his temporary liberty following his official visit in the United States, where he said, he was invited by members of the US Congress. Judge Teves issued the warrant of arrest against Trillanes on Feb. 5 after finding probable cause in the libel case. Trillanes had said he will continue his personal crusade to expose the truth about the massive anomalies in Makati despite the filing of the libel charge against him. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)
ditional mutations or new variants in a country, we submit it to the WHO. Because the WHO manages it, it's a system where you classify the variants of concern so that all countries would know, and would take precautionary measures,” she said in an online forum. Reports said Vietnam has discovered a new COVID-19 variant, which spreads quickly by air and is a combination of the Indian and British strains. Vietnam is struggling to deal with fresh outbreaks across more than half of its territory, including industrial zones and big cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Roque said an exception was given to passengers who are part of the government’s repatriation efforts. More than 6,700 cases including 47 deaths have been reported in Vietnam -the lion's share have occurred since April. Vietnam -- a country of 97 million people -- has vaccinated a little over a million citizens.
Gasoline, diesel, kerosene, LPG prices all go up By Alena Mae S. Flores THE country's oil firms raised pump prices by as much as P0.80 per liter effective 6 a.m. Tuesday to reflect the movement of world oil prices. The oil firms raised the price of gasoline by P0.80 per liter, diesel by P0.40 per liter, and kerosene by P0.25 per liter. Meanwhile, Petron announced it will implement a P2.20 per kilo increase (VATinclusive) in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) prices effective 12:01 am, June 1. Petron will also increase AutoLPG prices by P1.25 per liter at the same time. "Petron will implement the following price increases effective 6 a.m. on June 1: P0.80/li for gasoline; P0.40/li for diesel; and P0.25/li for kerosene. These reflect movements in the international oil market," it said in its advisory. Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp., Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, Chevron Philippines, PTT Philippines, Seaoil Philippines, Cleanfuel, and PetroGazz issued separate advisories of the latest oil price movement.
IN BRIEF Israel summons PH envoy over UN vote ISRAEL has summoned the Philippine ambassador to Tel-Aviv to clarify Manila's vote supporting the United Nations Human Rights Council's investigation into crimes that may have been committed during the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza this month. The Philippines had voted at the UN Human Rights Council in favor of the establishment of an investigative committee against Israel over its "Operation Guardian of the Walls." The vote is "unacceptable to Israel, and constitutes a reward for terrorism," said Gilad Cohen, Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs' deputy director general for the Asia-Pacific.
51 cases of S. African variant in Zamboanga ZAMBOANGA City has confirmed 51 cases of the B.1.351 COVID-19 variant first detected in South Africa and one case of the P.3 variant first detected in the Philippines, Mayor Isabelle “Beng” Climaco said Monday. Climaco said the Department of Health and Philippine Genome Center conducted genome sequencing on 257 samples. "Out of the 52 cases of variants of concern, 37 have fully recovered while 15 have expired. Some of those who expired had comorbidities," Climaco said in a statement. Of the 52 cases of variants of concern, Climaco said 37 recovered while 15 died. "Some of those who expired had comorbidities," she noted. Willie Casas
Weather... From A1
In its 5 p.m. weather bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Dante was spotted at 4 p.m. approximately 375 km east northeast of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur, packing maximum sustained winds of 75 kph near the center and gusts of up to 90 kph. Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No.1 is hoisted over the eastern portion of Northern Samar (Mapanas, Gamay, Lapinig, Palapag, and Laoang) and the northeastern portion of Eastern Samar (Arteche, San Policarpo). It may cause slight damage to some houses of very light materials or makeshift structures, PAGASA said. The country's fourth storm of 2021 will likely remain over the Philippine Sea before moving northwestward in the next 36 hours, the weather agency said. It will then turn north-northwestward on Wednesday afternoon and generally northeastward on Friday. The weather disturbance is expected to reach severe tropical storm category by Wednesday before dissipating throughout its movement. In a press conference, PAGASA weather forecaster Chris Perez said 'Dante' now packs maximum sustained winds of 75 km. per hour (kph) near the center, and gustiness up to 90 kph. "Based on (Dante's) forecast track, we don't expect it to make landfall," Perez said. On Wednesday, "Dante" is expected to be 265 km. east of Legazpi, Albay, and may exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Saturday, he added. "Those in Eastern Visayas and the eastern section of Mindanao should avoid venturing out to the seas. Moderate to rough seas are expected
News IN BRIEF Duterte certifies POGO tax bill as urgent measure PRESIDENT Duterte has certified as urgent Senate Bill 2232, entitled “An Act Taxing Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations, in a move that was quickly lauded by Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, chairman of the House ways and means committee. “Today, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque confirmed that the President indeed certified the bill as urgent. This means that the Senate can approve it on 2nd and 3rd reading on the same day,” Salceda said in a statement. The Senate bill is the counterpart of Salceda’s House Bill 5777 which the House of Representatives approved in February. In the House version, POGOs will be subject to a five percent tax on gross gaming receipts. Their service providers will be subject to regular taxes. Non-resident employees of both will be subject to a withholding tax of 25 percent of gross income, with a presumed income of P600,000. The Senate version adopted these rates in its Committee Report. Salceda’s proposed language, which the Senate adopted, also establishes a system of exchange of information betweenthe Department of Labor and Employment, the Bureau of Immigration, and the Bureau of Internal Revenue to ensure compliance with all laws, incluing taxes. Maricel V. Cruz
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SMC deploys 100 medics to jab hubs
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onglomerate San Miguel Corporation has deployed doctors and nurses who helped administer over 55,000 COVID-19 vaccination shots throughout Metro Manila, as part of the company’s ongoing efforts to help in the government’s vaccination rollout.
From 19 doctors and nurses deployed initially last April 26, the company has now activated and deployed over 100 healthcare personnel to 11 vaccination sites, including the Mandaluyong City Hall, Pedro P. Cruz Elementary School, Isaac Lopez Integrated School, Andres Bonifacio Integrated School, and Hulo Elementary School in Mandaluyong City; Potrero Elementary School, Malabon Elementary School, Ninoy Aquino Elementary School, and Epifanio Delos Santos Elementary School in Malabon, and Pinyahan Elementary School, and Ateneo de Manila Grade School, in Quezon City. The 100 healthcare personnel are part of 300 medical professionals SMC is looking to hire, to support the con-
tinuous and efficient implementation of government’s vaccination program and help implement the company’s own free vaccination program for its employees nationwide, when vaccines ordered by the private sector become available. “Right now, apart from availability of vaccines, another issue that’s hindering the faster and wider rollout of government’s vaccination program— done through our local government units—is the shortage of medical personnel to administer the vaccines,” said SMC president Ramon S. Ang. “One of the practical ways we thought we could help address this is by hiring medical professionals ourselves, providing them with good pay, benefits, and deploying them for free to our under-
staffed LGUs. This way, our LGUs will have all the support they need. We will be deploying more doctors and nurses to other areas in the comings days and weeks,” he added. Recently, in his first Zoom meeting with the newly-hired medical personnel, Ang, expressed his gratitude for their willingness to serve and be assigned to different locations. “I am so grateful to our team of doctors and nurses for the sacrifice they are making every single day to give our countrymen protection against the coronavirus, and for helping achieve our goal of ending this pandemic. Despite the long hours and constant risk of exposure, they continue to step up when called on, and show strength throughout these tough times,” he said. Ang said that the company is set to field medical professionals in the City of Manila next, with ten doctors and nurses initially set to be deployed. More will come later this month, he said. Earlier this year, SMC became among the first companies to commit
to provide free COVID-19 vaccinations to its estimated 70,000 employees and extended workforce. The company will also provide access to vaccines to their families and referred individuals to widen its reach. “Taking responsibility to get our people, their families, and close circle vaccinated is another way we are supporting the goal of achieving mass immunization and effectively speeding up our economic recovery,” says Ang. The company has set aside close to P1 billion for the program, with the goal to administer vaccines in various sites across the country. “Recovery is in sight, but a faster and more effective vaccination rollout throughout the country is critical. For our part, we will continue to support all government efforts and share our resources to help rebuild our economy,” says Ang. “I also hope our efforts help address vaccine hesitancy among Filipinos and emphasize its key role in allowing us to return to normalcy,” he adds.
SC clears way for arrest, trial of ex-Budget usec
Guevarra panel to find out first if three killings EJK-related THE Department of Justice will first determine whether the deaths of three persons, including two peace consultants of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, should be investigated by the inter-agency committee on extra-judicial killings. “The DOJ will conduct a preliminary assessment of the subject incidents,” Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said. Guevarra serves as the chairman of the Administrative Order (AO) 35 InterAgency Committee on Extra-Legal Killings, Enforced Disappearances, Torture and Other Grave Violations of the Right to Life, Liberty and Security of Persons. The DOJ chief said he has already issued the directive to make the assessment whether the AO 35 committee should investigate the killings of peace consultants —former Roman Catholic priest Rustico Tan and Reynaldo Bocala as well that of Bocala’s aide, Arguelles Epago. “The AO 35 mechanism has been duly advised to start rolling,” Guevarra said. Rey E. Requejo
TUESDAY, JUNE 1, 2021 mst.daydesk@gmail.com
By Rey Requejo
Over 100 doctors and nurses from San Miguel Corporation fan out to 11 Metro Manila vaccination sites to help the government in its intensified COVID-19 vaccine rollout. SMC’s healthcare personne are also preparing for SMC’s vaccination program for its 70,000 employees and extended workforce in the coming months.
The Supreme Court has paved the way for the Sandiganbayan to proceed with the trial and enforce the warrant of arrest against former Budget Management Undersecretary Mario Relampagos and several other employees of the department, in connection with the multi-billion peso Priority Development Assistance Fund scam. The SC’s Third Division upheld the ruling issued by the anti-graft court on September 18, 2017, which denied the motion of Relampagos and his co-respondents for the immediate dismissal of the two counts of graft and two counts of malversation of public funds filed against them for allegedly facilitating the disbursement of P9.3 million pork barrel funds intended for former Davao Del Sur Rep. Douglas Cagas. The Sandiganbayan also junked the respondents’ motion to hold in abeyance the issuance of warrants of arrest against them.
Apart from Cagas, Relampagos, the other respondents in the case are DBM employees Rosario Nunez, Lalaine Paule, and Marilou Bare. The SC did not give credence to the claim of Relampagos and the other respondents that the Sandiganbayan committed grave abuse of discretion in finding probable cause for the issuance of a warrant of arrest against them considering that the Special Allotment Release Orders (SAROs), “which are indispensable in any government expenditure, and the Notice of Cash Allocations (NCAs) are prepared by the DBM Bureau-G and not by petitioners at the Office of the Undersecretary. The petitioners claimed that the SAROs are forwarded to the DBM Secretary for signature and it is only in the absence of the DBM Secretary that the Undersecretary for Operations will sign the SARO. However, the SC disagreed with the petitions.
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Palace: No need to rush Bayanihan 3 M ALACAÑANG does not see a problem should Congress fail to pass the proposed Bayanihan 3 bill on third and final reading before it adjourns sine die on June 5.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the country’s economic managers have assured there is enough available funds from the 2021 national budget and the Bayanihan to Recover As One Act or Bayanihan 2 to sustain the government’s COVID-19 response and economic recovery efforts. “We are grateful to the House for Bayanihan 3 but the consistent position of the economic team led by Finance Secretary [Carlos III] Dominguez is we will first see if we have enough in our budget for 2021. And apart from that, we still have remaining funds from Bayanihan 2,” the Palace official said in a briefing Monday. He said the Bayanihan 3 is a good “fallback” but said there is no need to rush its passage. “We welcome Bayanihan 3 as a fallback but it
looks like there’s no urgent need to pass it because we are still spending funds from our existing budget,” Roque said. “There will be no problem if Bayanihan 3 is not passed during the second regular session of the 18th Congress,” he added. On May 25, the House of Representatives approved on second reading the proposed Bayanihan 3 bill which provides funds amounting to over P401 billion to those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the proposed Bayanihan 3 bill was not certified as urgent by Malacañang, the bill would face final reading three session days after it was approved on second reading. Its counterpart measure in the Senate has yet to move forward. Meanwhile, the proposed economic revisions in the 1987 Charter remained “very much alive and can still succeed within this year,” a congressional leader said on Monday. Quezon City Rep. Precious Hipolito Castelo, an assistant majority leader, made the statement in reaction to speculations that the measure is dead in the water as the Senate would no longer tackle it before Congress goes on its annual mandatory adjournment. Maricel V. Cruz
READY FOR SMOKING. A worker stacks
round scad fish on drying boards to make tinapa in Rosario, Cavite on May 31, 2021. The government will start vaccinating essential workers this month, including those employed in the food sector. JR Josue
Rules on property seizure in AMLA cases set by SC COURTS can now issue orders allowing the seizure for preservation of pieces of property, real or personal, which are suspectedly acquired in violation of the Anti-Money Laundering Act even prior to the filing of criminal charges against their owners who allegedly violated the law. Under the “Rule on Asset Preservation, Seizure, and Forfeiture in Anti-Money Laundering Cases” issued by the Supreme Court, the government, through the AntiMoney Laundering Council, may ask the court to issue an order for the provisional asset preservation for a period of 20 calendar days. After determining probable cause, the court can issue an order to prevent and forbid any transaction, withdrawal, deposit, transfer, removal, conversion, concealment or other disposition of the property sought to be preserved. However, the rule provides that the “real estate property ordered preserved shall not be physically seized before a final order of forfeiture, nor shall its owners and occupants be evicted or deprived of its use and enjoyment.” It also states that “when the property preserved is perishable or is disproportionately expensive to keep or store, it may be released from preservation upon deposit of an equivalent cash bond or sold in public auction, the proceeds of which shall be deposited with the clerk of court to be disposed of according to the final judgment of the court.” A bond to discharge the asset preservation order may be required by the court. The rule applies to all criminal actions before any court involving crimes or offenses defined as “unlawful activity” or “money laundering offenses” under AMLA. Prior to the approval of the rule, the SC said there were no clear-cut rules regarding the forfeiture or preservation of property that is the subject of an unlawful activity or money laundering. Rey Requejo
Duterte gives P2m reward for rescue of ASG victims PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte gave a P2 million reward to the soldiers who rescued Indonesian kidnap victims in Tawi-Tawi, killing an Abu Sayyaf leader in the process. In a ceremony held at the 2nd Marine Brigade headquarters in Tawi-Tawi last Sunday, Armed Forces chief of staff Gen. Cirilito Sobejana conferred medals to two ranking officers for their role in the rescue operation in March. Sobejana awarded the Distinguished Navy Cross to Col. Nestor Narag, deputy commander of Joint Task Force TawiTawi, for leading the Fleet-Marine operation which led to the killing of Abu Sayyaf Group leader Majan Sahidjuan, alias “Apo Mike,” and two followers. A Silver Cross Medal was awarded to the Special Intelligence Team under the 2nd Marine Brigade for providing intelligence information that led to successful military operations from March 19 to 24 in Tawi-Tawi. “To the commanders, let us always strike a good balance on mission accomplishment and the morale and welfare of our soldiers,” Sobejana said. The ceremony was also attended by Western Mindanao commander Lt. Gen. Corleto Vinluan Jr., Naval Forces Western Mindanao commander Rear Admiral Toribio Adaci Jr., and Joint Task Force Tawi-Tawi commander Brig. Gen. Arturo Rojas. Vito Barcelo
NO HORSING AROUND SWAMP FEVER. The Baguio City
Veterinary and Agriculture Office, in coordination with the Cordillera office of the Agriculture Department, will be conducting the required Coggins test for the horses at Wright Park to ascertain how many have contracted Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA). Coggins test is a blood test identifying if a horse is a carrier of EIA, otherwise known as swamp fever. City Veterinarian Dr. Brigit Piok said that to date, some 20 horses have been quarantined after testing positive for EIA. Dave Leprozo
Digital tech to transform healthcare sector
(MS-JUNE 1, 2021)
AMID the huge challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, digital technologies can play a pivotal role in the transformation of healthcare institutions to promote efficiency, reduce cost, and achieve overall quality healthcare for Filipinos. Maridol Ylanan, Head of Strategy and Marketing for Small and Medium Business, said Globe Business is leading strategic partnerships and collaborations with the country’s healthcare sector to implement the right digital solutions for efficient transactions and services.
“We believe that strategic alliances and collaborations are critical in establishing digital innovations in the healthcare sector, achieve efficient and affordable services, and improve the overall quality of healthcare for Filipinos,” said Ylanan. She said they are committed to support the digitization and future-proofing of healthcare institutions to create a better experience for both patients and healthcare providers, and improve their services at reduced operational cost. Macon Ramos-Araneta
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Climate negotiations resume online as pressure on UN to act intensifies
ANOTHER SHOOTING. A dead body is seen in front of Billiard’s club that was rented for a concert, after three gunmen killed two people and injured 20 overnight in the Hialeah area of Miami Dade county on May 30. AFP
PARIS—For the first time since 2019 and following a flurry of net-zero pledges from the world’s largest emitters, UN climate negotiations resume Monday in a virtual format just six months before the crunch COP26 summit. The talks, nominally hosted by the United Nations climate change programme in the German city of Bonn, will all be informal, meaning that no decisions will be taken during the threeweek dialogue. But with increasingly dire warnings from scientists that the pace of global warming is already outstripping humanity’s best plan to cut emissions, the pressure for progress to be made on a number of thorny issues is high. In 2018, countries agreed to many elements of the Paris agreement “rulebook”, governing how each nation implements its goals. But several issues remain unresolved, including rules about transparency, car-
bon markets, and a unified timeframe for all countries to ratchet up their emissions cuts. At the last UN climate summit in December 2019, countries also failed to agree upon a universal system of reporting climate finance. Nathan Cogswell, a research associate at the World Resources Institute, said a deal on greater transparency was “a central component of the effective implementation of the Paris agreement”. “The upcoming session will hopefully help parties get closer to that.” One of the thorniest debates during recent UN climate talks has been Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, which deals with the trade of emissions cuts. A major sticking point remains over rules to avoid double counting emissions reductions within both bi-lateral and international carbon markets. AFP
China lets couples have three children
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EIJING—China will allow couples to have three children after a census showed its population is rapidly ageing, state media said Monday, further unwinding four decades of strict family planning controls in the world’s most populous nation which have strangled the birthrate.
In 2016 China relaxed its controversial “one-child policy” -- one of the world’s strictest family planning regulations -- to a “two-child policy” due to widespread concerns over an ageing workforce and economic stagnation.
Despite government efforts to encourage couples to have children, China’s annual births have continued to plummet to a record low of 12 million in 2020, the National Bureau of Statistics said last month, as the cost of living
rises and women increasingly make their own family planning choices. The slump threatens a demographic crisis which has alarmed the ruling Communist Party headed by President Xi Jinping, booking in a shortage of young workers to drive an economy experts say will by 2050 will have to support hundreds of millions of elderly. A Monday meeting of the elite Politburo leadership committee hosted by Xi announced a further loosening of the state’s control over the size of families. “To actively respond to the ageing population ... a couple can have three
children,” state media Xinhua reported. The Politburo meeting also promised “accompanying support measures” that are also “conducive to the country’s population structure”, though these were left unspecified. China’s fertility rate stands at 1.3 -below the level needed to maintain a stable population, the National Bureau of Statistics revealed. The once-in-a-decade 2020 census results published last month also showed that China’s population grew at its slowest rate since the 1960s, reaching 1.41 billion. AFP
IN BRIEF ‘Tarzan’ among 7 dead in plane crash
WASHINGTON—All seven passengers aboard a plane, including Tarzan actor Joe Lara and his diet guru wife, are presumed dead after it crashed in a lake near the US city of Nashville, authorities said. The small business jet crashed at around 11:00 am local time on Saturday, shortly after taking off from the Smyrna, Tennessee airport for Palm Beach, Florida, Rutherford County Fire & Rescue (RCFR) said on Facebook. The plane went down into Percy Priest Lake, about 12 miles (19 kilometers) south of Nashville. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed seven people had been aboard the plane, CNN reported. By Saturday night, operations had switched from search and rescue to recovery efforts, RCFR incident commander Captain Joshua Sanders told a press conference. “We are no longer in an attempt to (look) for live victims at this point so we’re now recovering as much as we can from the crash site,” he said. AFP
‘Grandma Wong’ nabbed for protest
HONG KONG—Hong Kong police have arrested an elderly democracy activist as she made a solo demonstration over China’s deadly Tiananmen crackdown in a vivid illustration of the zero protest tolerance now wielded by authorities in the financial hub. Alexandra Wong, 65, was detained on Sunday on suspicion of taking part in an unlawful assembly as she walked towards Beijing’s Liaison Office in Hong Kong. Wong—known locally as “Grandma Wong”—was a regular fixture of the huge democracy protests that swept Hong Kong in 2019. She could often be seen waving a Union Jack flag, a symbol of her dissatisfaction with Beijing’s rule since the city was handed to China by former colonial power Britain in 1997. Protest is now all but outlawed in Hong Kong. Authorities have used both the threat of the coronavirus and security concerns to ban demonstrations. AFP
Seminary children abducted in Nigeria KANO, Nigeria—Gunmen kidnapped scores of children from an Islamic seminary in central Nigeria, officials said, the latest in a string of such incidents plaguing the populous African nation. Some 200 children were at the school in Niger state on Sunday during the attack, the local government tweeted, adding “an unconfirmed number” were taken. The abduction came a day after 14 students from a university in northwestern Nigeria were freed after 40 days in captivity. Niger state police spokesman Wasiu Abiodun said the attackers arrived on motorbikes in Tegina town and started shooting indiscriminately, killing one resident and injuring another, before kidnapping the children from the Salihu Tanko Islamic school. AFP
OUT IN DROVES.
Palestinians gather at the beach in Gaza City on May 28, a week after a ceasefire brought an end to 11 days of hostilities between Israel and Hamas. AFP
Crew of burning cargo ship grilled; ecological damage gauged NEGOMBO—Sri Lanka’s criminal investigators began questioning the crew of a burning cargo ship Monday, as the Singapore-registered carrier smoldered for a 12th straight day in one of the island’s worst-ever marine ecological disasters. A fire broke out aboard the MV X-Press Pearl, which was carrying 25 tonnes of nitric acid and a huge amount of plastic raw materials, as it was about to enter Colombo harbor on May 20. The intense flames, still burning at the rear of the 186-metre (610-foot) vessel, have destroyed much of the cargo, some of which has fallen into the Indian Ocean. Tonnes of microplastic granules from the ship and its nearly 1,500 containers
have inundated Sri Lanka’s famed beaches, forcing a fishing ban and sparking fears of ecological devastation. The Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) chief Dharshani Lahandapura said they were still assessing the ecological damage, but believed it was the “worst ever in my lifetime”. The Police Inspector-General has ordered the Criminal Investigation Department to investigate the fire as well as the huge environmental damage caused, an official said. “The 25-member crew have completed their quarantine and we are able to question them today,” a police spokesman said. MEPA said the captain of the vessel
had known about a nitric acid leak on May 11, long before the vessel entered Sri Lankan waters. Authorities are moving to sue the owners of the vessel and its crew and claim damages from insurers. The fire has been under control since Sunday, officials said, adding, however, that the vessel continued to smoke on Monday and that high monsoon winds were fanning flames at the back of the ship. They said it was still too hot for them to attempt boarding the stricken ship. International salvage firm SMIT is leading efforts to douse the flames and is being assisted by Sri Lanka’s navy and the Indian coast guard. AFP
Probe urged as Colombia death toll via unrest rises
BOGOTA—Colombia’s government resumed negotiations with demonstrators to end more than a month of protests Sunday, as the UN called for an independent investigation after at least 13 people died in clashes in the city of Cali. President Ivan Duque’s team and some of the demonstration representatives resumed talks in Bogota after nearly a week’s pause. But a resolution seemed far off, as the protesters denounced the Duque administration’s “complicit silence” in the face of “excessive” use of force by law enforcement. The government responded that an agreement could be reached once the blockades choking up the country’s transport infrastructure are lifted. In just over a month of unrest, 59 people have died across Colombia according to official data, with more than 2,300 civilians and uniformed personnel injured. The NGO Human Rights Watch says it has “credible reports” of at least 63 deaths nationwide. The crackdown by the armed forces on the anti-government protests has drawn international condemnation, and on Sunday UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet voiced “deep concern” over the ongoing violence. - Cali deaths Clashes in Cali, Colombia’s thirdlargest city and one of the major centers of the protests, pitted police against armed civilians late Friday, leaving 13 dead, according to officials. Calling for an investigation, Bachelet’s office said it had received reports that 14 people had been killed, and that 98 people were injured, 54 of them by firearms. It added it had been told that armed individuals, including an off-duty judicial police officer, had opened fire on demonstrators, journalists covering the protests, and passers-by. The policeman was subsequently beaten to death by a crowd, it said, and in parts of Cali civilians were seen firing shots at demonstrators as police looked on. AFP
Israel inches closer to government sans longest-serving PM Netanyahu JERUSALEM—Israeli nationalist hardliner Naftali Bennett said Sunday he would join a potential coalition government that could end the rule of the country’s longest-serving leader, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Lawmakers opposed to right-wing Netanyahu have been in intense talks ahead of a Wednesday deadline, as a ceasefire held following the latest deadly military conflict with Islamist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu, 71, who faces trial on fraud, bribery and breach of trust charges, which he denies, has clung to power throughout a period of political turmoil that has seen four inconclusive elections in under two years. A March vote saw Netanyahu’s Likud party gain the most seats but he
again failed to form a government. Opposition leader and former TV anchor Yair Lapid now has until Wednesday evening to build a rival coalition. Lapid, 57, is seeking a diverse alliance the Israeli media has dubbed a bloc for “change”, which would include Bennett as well as Arab-Israeli lawmakers. In his determination to bring down the hawkish prime minister, Lapid has offered to share power and let Bennett, 49, serve the first term in a rotating premiership. Bennett, after meeting members of his religious-nationalist Yamina party, said Sunday: “I will do everything to form a national unity government with my friend Yair Lapid.” AFP
DOGGO SAVED. This handout photo taken on May 30 and received on May 31
from the New Zealand Defence Force shows army soldiers helping evacuate residents and pets near the Canterbury town of Ashburton, as authorities declared a state of emergency after the region was pounded by heavy rain. AFP
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Stocks fall on profit taking; Puregold drops T HE stock market retreated Monday on profit taking, with many investors unloading issues that spiked in two consecutive sessions last week.
The Philippine Stock Exchange Index dropped 46.02 points, or 0.7 percent, to 6,628.49 on a value turnover of P5.4 billion. Losers beat gainers, 103 to 85, with 57 issues unchanged. Puregold Price Club Inc. of retail tycoon Lucio Co tumbled 5.1 percent to P37.25, while fiber internet service provider Converge IT Solutions Inc. fell 3 percent to P19.40. Aboitiz Power Corp. of the Aboitiz Group also shed 3 percent to P22.70, while Megaworld Corp., the biggest lessor of office spaces, declined 2.9 percent to P3.04.
The rest of Asian investors on Monday struggled to build on last week’s gains as profit-takers stepped in while awaiting the next buying catalyst, with eyes on the upcoming release of key US jobs data. Still, despite worries that the expected surge in economic activity this year will send prices soaring and force central banks to tighten monetary policy, a forecast-beating jump in a closely watched US inflation gauge was taken in stride. The calm reaction marked a change from recent times, with benchmark 10-year Treasury yields, a key gauge of future interest rates, inching down slightly. “There is likely more upside to go on the inflation scare front in the months ahead as base effects, the lagged impact of commodity price hikes and bottlenecks continue to feed through, but there are now a few more signs that it will be transitory,” AMP Capital’s Shane Oliver said.
All three main US indexes ended Friday with ing economies. It said it saw expansion of 5.8 percent, small gains, though Asia fluctuated. up from a previous estimate of 5.6 percent. Tokyo, Hong Kong, Sydney and Singapore Patrik Schowitz of JP Morgan Asset Managedipped but there were gains in Shanghai, Seoul, ment said: “It still feels like a market looking for Manila Mumbai, Taipei, Jakarta, Bangkok and Wellington. direction in the face of uncertainty around the inStandard TODAY terplay between much-feared inflation and muchThere was little reaction to figures indicating growth in China’s factory activity slowed slightly hoped-for growth recovery. With AFP in May. Focus is now on the release of US jobs figures this week, which will provide a fresh update on the state of the world’s top economy as it emerges from last year’s pandemic-induced collapse. TO ALL STOCKHOLDERS: Meanwhile, the OECD raised its global growth forecast for this year Please be informed that the Annual General Meeting of the Stockholders but warned that “too many head- of VITARICH CORPORATION (the “Corporation”) will be held on Friday, 25 June 2021, 2:00 P.M., through Zoom video-conferencing to be winds persist” as not enough CO- conducted pursuant to SEC Memorandum Circular No. 6, series of 2020, VID vaccines are reaching emerg- as approved by the Board of Directors of the Corporation. The annual The Stockholders’ Annual General Meeting shall have the following agenda:
Kuwaiti businessman Jassem Buabbas displays superworms at his farm in Kabad, 50 km northwest of Kuwait City, on May 20, 2021. Jassem Buabbas has spent years breeding ‘superworms’ for animal feed and now hopes the creatures will find their way into the diets of Gulf citizens. AFP
1. Call to order; 2. Certification of Notice and the Existence of a Quorum; 3. Approval of the Minutes of the Previous Stockholders’ Annual General Meeting; 4. Report of the President on the Results of the 2020 Operations and the 2020 Audited Financial Statements; 5. Ratification of the Acts of Directors and Officers; 6. Election of Directors; 7. Appointment of External Auditor; 8. Appointment of Stock Transfer Agent; 9. Other matters; and 10. Adjournment. A brief explanation on each item which requires the approval and/or ratification by the stockholders as well as the registration requirements and voting procedures are provided in the Definitive Information Statement. Stockholders can get the electronic copies of the Definitive Information Statement, SEC 17-A Annual Report (with 2020 audited financial statements) and other pertinent information from the PSE’s EDGE system and the Corporation’s website at https://vitarich.com/ company-disclosure/sec-filings/. Only stockholders of record as of 25 May 2021, which is the record date fixed by the Board, are entitled to notice of, and to vote at, this meeting.
Kuwaiti breeder eyeing superworms as new superfood By Salima Lebel KUWAIT CITY—Kuwaiti businessman Jassem Buabbas has spent years breeding “superworms” for animal feed and now hopes the creatures will find their way into the diets of Gulf citizens. In a small, dark room outside Kuwait City, Buabbas places the worm-like larvae of the darkling beetle, famed for their high protein content, into a transparent box on a bed of bran and cornflour. In another, he puts the mature beetles for mating. “My ambition is for worms to be a successful food alternative for humans,” he told AFP. Insects are widely eaten around the globe, with an estimated 1,000 species appearing on the dinner plates of some two billion people in Africa, Asia and Latin America. But apart from traditional diets, cricket pasta and mealworm smoothies have become the latest food trend in some world capitals, with edible insects being promoted as a sustainable alternative to regular protein sources. Some Gulf states have a tradition of eating
Activists prepare draft complaints against ‘cookies’ VIENNA, Austria—A group of online privacy activists said Monday it is taking action against hundreds of websites over their use of pop-up banners asking users to consent to “cookies,” the files that track users’ activity. The Vienna-based NOYB group (an acronym of “none of your business”) said it would be presenting more than 500 draft complaints to companies over what it calls the “cookie banner terror” which has turned the internet into “a frustrating experience for users all over Europe.” NOYB says many of the consent pop-ups which have become almost ubiquitous on the internet do not conform to EU laws, including the landmark General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The group says the pop-ups in question do not give the user the simple “yes or no” to data collection that the law requires. It says the banners are often designed in a way that make it “extremely complicated to click anything but the ‘accept’ button.” The draft complaints are being lodged with companies in 33 countries, among them every European Economic Area (EEA) member state except Malta and Liechtenstein. NOYB says it will file the complaints to regulatory authorities in a month’s time if the sites haven’t taken action to make the cookie banners comply with the requirements of privacy laws and rectify what NOYB calls their “unfair” and “frustrating” design. The founders of NOYB include Austrian activists Max Schrems, who has notched up a series of legal victories over online privacy, including scuppering major EU-US data exchange arrangements. AFP
meeting shall be purely virtual in order to comply with social distancing requirements and the utmost need to prevent the spread of COVID19.
dried and baked locusts, which can appear in plague proportions. They are considered a delicacy by some, although consumption has fallen out of favor in modern times. While superworms—in high demand among owners of birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles—have not yet been approved for human consumption in Kuwait, Buabbas is hopeful that people will be willing to try them. He aims to expand his business beyond the pet trade and get the invertebrates onto dinner plates, in what would be the first such restaurant in the Gulf. He is now experimenting with recipes before seeking permission from the Kuwaiti authorities. “I have so far created three types of sauces... and colleagues of mine have tried and liked them,” said Buabbas, who apart from breeding superworms works in the government sector. Regulation is catching up with the food trend—in May, the European Commission approved dried mealworms for human consumption after the 27-nation bloc’s food watchdog said they were safe to eat.
The decision was good news for the burgeoning insect farming industry in Europe. Ever tried them? Buabbas said a fascination with the secrets of superworms prompted him to travel to Thailand in 2018 to learn more about the animals which are a popular snack there. “At first, I was disgusted by them, but... then I got used to the worms, understanding their behavior and what poses a danger to them,” he told AFP. He spends two hours with the creatures every day, feeding them oats, bran, potatoes and carrots, as well as tweaking humidity and temperature levels. He usually produces between 3,000 and 6,000 worms every three months, and at times up to 10,000. The superworms take about 90 days to mature enough to be ready for sale—each weighing approximately a gram at six centimeters (two inches) long. They fetch $3 for 25 larvae. Buabbas said the superworm business has been lucrative, with bird-breeder customers buying thousands of dollars worth at a time to feed their cardinals and nightingales.AFP
NOTICE OF ANNUAL STOCKHOLDERS’ MEETING TO:
ALL STOCKHOLDERS
NOTICE is hereby given that there will be an annual meeting of the stockholders of A BROWN COMPANY, INC. on June 24, 2021 (Thursday), at 1:00 p.m. The meeting will be conducted virtually via remote communication and can be accessed at the link provided in the Company’s website at https://www.abrown.ph/asmvirtual2021/. Items in the agenda of the meeting are as follows: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.
AGENDA Call to Order Proof of Notice of Meeting Certification of Quorum Approval of the Minutes of the Previous Annual Stockholders’ Meeting Approval of 2020 Operations and Results Ratification of All Acts of the Board of Directors and Officers Amendment to Articles of Incorporation (AOI) – Reclassification of Part of Unissued Common Shares to Preferred Shares Issuance and Public Offering of Preferred Shares Retention of Independent Directors Election of Directors Appointment of External Auditors Other Matters Adjournment
The close of business on April 30, 2021 has been fixed as the record date for the determination of the stockholders entitled to notice of and vote at said meeting and any adjournment thereof. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic resulting in the imposition by the government of regulations limiting mobility and mass gatherings, the Company will not be conducting a physical annual stockholders’ meeting. In lieu thereof, the annual stockholders’ meeting will be held virtually through an online webinar platform for stockholders to attend by remote communication. They can join by registering online at https://www.abrown.ph/asmregister2021/ on or before 5:00 p.m. on June 14, 2021. The identities of those registering to participate online will be going through a process of verification, after which an email from the Company will be sent to them giving instructions as to how they will be able to watch the livestream of the annual stockholders’ meeting. Please see attached Guidelines for Participating by Remote Communication and Voting in Absentia. The stockholders are likewise encouraged to participate in the meeting by either of the following: (i) by submitting duly accomplished proxies to the Office of the Corporate Secretary at 2704 East Tower, Philippine Stock Exchange Centre, Ortigas Center, Pasig City or via electronic copy by emailing corporatesecretary@abrown.ph on or before 5:00 p.m. on June 14, 2021. For corporate stockholders, the proxies should be accompanied by a Secretary’s Certification on the appointment of the corporation’s authorized signatory. (ii)
by registering your votes on the matters to be taken up during the meeting through the e-voting platform set up for the purpose which can be accessed at https://www.abrown.ph/asmevoting2021/. The e-voting portal will be open until 12:00 noon of June 24, 2021.
Validation of proxies is set on June 15, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. The votes already cast using the e-voting platform by that time will also be verified on said date.
All stockholders and proxyholders who will attend the annual meeting shall inform the Chairman of the Board and the Corporate and Assistant Corporate Secretaries by email to vc2021asm@vitarich.com or by https:// bit.ly/vc2021asm of his or her intention to attend the annual meeting, and submit their proxy forms and registration requirements stated in the Definitive Information Statement. The registration period will run from 01 June 2021 to 14 June 2021. All proxies shall be validated on 18 June 2021. For stockholders who submitted the complete requirements, the log-in details for the virtual meeting shall be sent not later than 22 June 2021 via e-mail to the verified e-mail address of the stockholder or proxyholder submitted to the Corporation. A visual and audio recording of the meeting shall be made for future reference. ATTY. AISON BENEDICT C. VELASCO Corporate Secretary Manila
ATTY. MARY CHRISTINE DABU-PEPITO Assistant Corporate Secretary/ Compliance Officer/ Corporate Information Officer
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NOTICE OF THE ANNUAL STOCKHOLDERS MEETING OF ALLIED CARE EXPERTS (ACE) MEDICAL CENTER-BUTUAN INC. DEAR STOCKHOLDERS: Please take notice that the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Allied Care Experts (ACE) Medical Center – Butuan Inc. will be held on June 21, 2021, Monday at 8:00 in the morning; the meeting will be conducted via Zoom Webinar. Kindly register thru the following link, on or before June 14, 2021, to enable you to participate in the meeting: bit.ly/acebutuan21 The link will take you through the process of registration. You will receive a confirmation email once you have successfully registered in the platform, including the details and procedures in the conduct of the meeting. The confirmation email will also contain a link and instructions for the online voting which will be conducted via an online platform. The meeting shall be recorded (visual and audio) for future reference. The Agenda: I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI.
Call to Order Invocation Determination of Quorum Welcome Message from the Chairman of the Board Reading and Approval of the Minutes of the Y2020 Annual Stockholders’ Meeting Annual Financial Report President’s Report Ratification of the Acts and Proceedings of the Board of Directors, Officers, and Management of the Corporation Election of the Board of Directors Appointment of External Auditor for the year 2021 Adjournment
Only stockholders of record at the close of business on June 1, 2021 (Record Date) shall be entitled to notice of and to vote at the meeting. If you cannot personally attend the meeting, you may opt to send your proxy to attend in your behalf. Kindly submit your duly executed proxy form with the undersigned, via email, at acebutuan2021@gmail.com not later than June 18, 2021, but preferably before June 14, 2021, to enable your proxy to register in the Zoom Webinar. The sample proxy form is available at the Corporation’s website, for your reference. [NOTE: Management is not soliciting proxies] The Information Statement with the Management Report and SEC Form 17-A are posted at the Corporation’s website at www. acebutuan.com.ph. You may contact the undersigned via email at acebutuan2021@ gmail.com, or through telephone/mobile numbers: 0915 735 5076 (Globe/TM) or 0933 051 6947 (Sun/Smart/TNT), if you have inquiries or concerns regarding the meeting. Very truly yours,
For details and rationale of each agenda item, and the draft resolutions, if applicable, please refer to the Information Statement at https://www.abrown.ph/asmvirtual2021/. City of Pasig, Metro Manila, May 28, 2021. (SGD.) JASON C. NALUPTA Corporate Secretary (MS-JUNE 1 & 2, 2021)
DR. MARIE ANTOINETTE A. DELLOSA Corporate Secretary (MS-MAY 31 & JUNE 1, 2021)
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PSE INDEX CLOSING Monday, May 31, 2021
-46.02 PTS. 6,628.49
TOTAL VOLUME TOTAL TRADES TOTAL VALUE ADVANCES DECLINES UNCHANGED
1,391,666,461 84,315 5,386,166,024.77 85 103 57
F oreign e xchange r ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • MONDAY, MAY 31, 2021
Currency
Unit
US Dollar
Peso
United States
Dollar
1.000000
47.9010
Japan
Yen
0.009104
0.4361
UK
Pound
1.419600
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Canada
Dollar
0.828500
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1.7295 Source: BSP
Lim: REIT initial public offerings to fuel recovery
Business Globe obtains 799 permits to put up more cell towers G By Darwin G. Amojelar
LOBE Telecom Inc. on Monday said it is building more new cell towers after securing a total of 799 permits in the first three months of 2021.
“We are very grateful to local government units (LGUs) which are very supportive of our plans to improve our services in their respective areas,” said Joel Agustin, Globe senior vice president for Program Delivery, Network Technical Group. “This appreciation on how LGUs may make or break efforts to give their people much needed internet connectivity is most welcome,” he added. The company received 219 permits in different areas in North Luzon and 191 more in Visayas. Local government units in the National Capital Region released 179 permits while those in Mindanao and South Luzon issued 113 and 97 permits ,respectively. In January, Globe gained a total of 253 permits, followed by 242 in February and 304 in March. Overall, Metro Manila topped the provinces with the most permits, followed by Cebu, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan and Davao del Sur. Thirteen other provinces have issued 10 or more permits. On a per-city basis, Makati City issued the most with 56; followed by Cebu City with 39; Davao City with 33; Manila
with 27; and Pasig City with 25. Agustin clarified that the construction of cell towers would take time and that it was important to secure the permits way ahead of time so customers could enjoy the improved services at once. “It will take us at least three months to install a new tower and it will also depend on its location, accessibility, logistics and quarantine protocols implemented in the area where we secured the permits. We would like to assure our customers, however, that we will build the new cell sites as soon as possible,” Agustin said. Globe’s aggressive network builds and network modernization to 4G LTE and 5G has resulted in improved services to its customers nationwide. According to Ookla’s Q1 2021 data, the telco’s nationwide consistency score is now more than 70 percent. Metro Manila registered Globe’s best score with more than 76 percent while impressive percentages were also noted in Rizal, Bulacan, Cavite, Cebu City and Davao City. Globe earlier said Wednesday it was seriously looking at exploring satellite services to access rural areas where wired services have yet to be established. “We see the satellite service as a promising deployment model that can reach the rural areas where there’s not much household density and will be challenging to roll out wired services,” said Globe vice president and head of broadband business Darius Delgado.
By Jenniffer B. Austria THE slew of initial public offerings of real estate investment trust companies (REITs) is expected to help fuel the recovery of the domestic economy. “For investors, REITs implement the constitutional policy of democratization of wealth. REITs also help build a more vibrant capital market and spur infrastructure development,” Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (FINEX) president Francisco Lim said. He said REIT companies planning to list are raising capital to fund their expansion plans, which can spark more economic activity. Aside from generating more jobs and wealth amid the current health crisis, REITs will deepen the Philippine capital markets and provide investors with more options. Since the listing of the Philippines’ first REIT offering in the local stock market in late 2020, REITs have attracted around 90,000 investors, said Lim. REITs are companies that own and operate income-generating real estate assets, such as offices, apartment buildings, hotels, shopping centers, warehouses, hospitals, retirement homes, student housing, airports, seaports, highways, transmission towers. Their income stream can come from lease rentals or other forms of recurring income of the property portfolio of the REIT. By buying shares in a REIT, investors can tap into different areas of the market and potentially earn dividends without buying or managing the property on their own. So far two companies, AREIT Inc. of Ayala Land Inc. and DDMP REIT of DoubleDragon Properties Corp. have conducted REIT offeings. Two more companies have filed applications with the Securities and Exchange Commission, namely Filinvest REIT Corp. (FILRT) of Filinvest Land Inc. and RL Commercial REIT of Robinsons Land Corp. FILRT plans to raise as much as P14.9 billion in proceeds from its planned maiden share offering. FILRT owns and operate a portfolio consisting of 16 office buildings on the 18.7-hectare Northgate Cyberzone, one of the first Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) accredited IT Parks in Filinvest City in Alabang, Muntinlupa; and one office tower with a retail component in Cebu Cyberzone, also a PEZA-registered economic zone in the gateway to Cebu IT Park, Lahug, Cebu City. These properties have a total gross leasable area of 301,362 square meters.
BSP says May inflation likely slowed to 4.4% By Julito G. Rada BANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin Diokno said inflation in May likely slowed to 4.4 percent from 4.5 percent a month ago, due mainly to lower food prices for the month. Diokno said in a statement Monday the BSP’s inflation projection for May was 4.4 percent. “The BSP projects May 2021 inflation to settle within the range of 4.0– 4.8 percent. Higher prices of meat and domestic petroleum products along with the upward adjustment in Meralco electricity rates are the main sources of upward price pressures for the month,” Diokno said. “These could be offset by the decline in prices of key food items, such as rice, vegetables, and fish, due to improved supply conditions, along with the appreciation of the peso,” he said. He said the BSP would remain watchful of economic and financial developments going forward to ensure the monetary policy stance remains consistent with the BSP’s price stability mandate. The manageable inflation outlook compelled the Monetary Board to keep the record-low benchmark interest rate of 2 percent during the May 12 policy meeting. The interest rates on the overnight deposit and lending facilities were also kept at 1.5 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively. Latest inflation forecasts indicate that inflation is likely to settle within the target range of 2-4 percent in 2021 and 2022 Diokno said inflation was now projected to track a slightly lower path in 2021 to average near the upper end of the target band. He noted that price pressures on food commodities were abating with improved weather conditions, the impact of Executive Orders No. 128 and 133, s. 2021, and the implementation of direct nonmonetary interventions to alleviate supply constraints.
IN BRIEF
Aboitiz Equity eyes P10b from bond issue
Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. vice president for finance group Recto Baltazar Jr. (right) hands over to Deputy Treasurerofficer-in-charge Ed Marino the cash dividends check for P1.345 billion at the Bureau of the Treasury office in Intramuros, Manila.
PAGCOR remits P1.345b to Treasury as cash dividend to help fight COVID STATE-RUN Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. has turned over P1.345 billion to the National Treasury on May 28, 2021 as advance cash dividend, bringing its remittance this year to P3 billion. PAGCOR’s said in a statement Monday the latest cash dividends remittance was in “support of the government’s revenue generation effort to fund the various health and economic measures to mitigate the impact of the pandemic.” The gaming firm made its latest remittance only two weeks after it turned over P1.655 billion in cash dividends on May 12, 2020. The amount represented PAGCOR’s entire net earnings in 2020. Chairman and chief executive Andrea Domingo said PAGCOR was seriously committed to help source more revenues for the government’s COVID-19 response, in spite of huge revenue losses due to the temporary suspension of gaming operations. “After more than a year into the pandemic, PAGCOR is still doing its best to fulfill our mandate and commitment
to nation-building. We may be in a very challenging time, but we are all in this together. Because of PAGCOR’s prudent use of funds and continuous effort to generate revenues, we are able to help fund necessary government programs amidst the crisis,” she said. Vice president for Finance Group Recto Baltazar Jr. led the turnover of the agency’s latest cash dividends contribution to Deputy Treasurer-Officerin-Charge Ed Marino at the Bureau of the Treasury office in Intramuros, Manila. Marino said the agency’s latest cash dividends remittance would further boost the government’s initiatives to survive the pandemic. “The government really needs all the help it can get to be able to set in motion vital steps that are meant to lessen the sufferings of the people who are greatly affected by the pandemic. We are very thankful that PAGCOR continues to supply the lifeblood that keeps many important government programs up and running,” Marino said. Julito G. Rada
GAMES HOST. Clark Development Corp. expressed elation after the free port was selected as the host of the upcoming basketball FIBA Asian Cup qualifiers on June 16 to 20, 2021.
AgriNurture’s Q1 profit rose 26% to P40m FARM produce wholesaler AgriNurture Inc. said net income in the first quarter of the year rose 26 percent to P40 million, boosted by strong sales of its food and beverage products coupled with the decline in expenses both for local and foreign operations. ANI said in a disclosure to the stock exchange Monday first-quarter consolidated revenues jumped 45 percent to P1.2 billion from a year ago. Gross profits totaled P160.5 million, up one percent from P158.57 million a year ago, as revenue from both local and foreign operations increased despite the difficult business environment due to COVID-19. Domestic operations contributed 44 percent while sales from foreign operations accounted for 56 percent of consolidated sales. By business segment, ANI’s export sales amounted to P438.82 million, 10 percent higher from a year ago. ANI attributed the increase to the stable selling prices of bananas and coco products in the international market, constant supply of raw materials and increased customer demand, especially in the Chinese and US markets. “The slight increase was due to logistical challenges in China because of the pandemic but sales increased significantly (both volumes and sales price) after the Chinese government lifted the lockdown. Also, sales for coco juice went up due to increasing demand in the United States of America during the period,” ANI said. Local sales surged 173 percent to P93.35 million during the period from P34.23 million on year. “Sales increased significantly especially during the start of the Enhanced Community Quarantine. Further, the group launched its own e-commerce platform through its ANI Express website where customers can order fresh produce, canned beverages, rice and other essential goods for delivery to customers,” the company said. Jenniffer B. Austria
CONGLOMERATE Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. plans to raise up to P10 billion from the issuance of fixed rate bonds. AEV said in a disclosure to the stock exchange Monday it filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission a request to issue P5 billion in fixed rate bonds wit an oversubscription option P5 billion. The bonds will be the third tranche to be issued from the company’s P30-billion bond shelf registration program earlier approved by the SEC in 2019. AEV plans to use the net proceeds from the fund raising activity to finance the early redemption of certain outstanding bonds of the company, finance future funding requirements of Aboitiz InfraCapital Inc. and other general corporate purposes. Subject to market conditions, the bonds would be offered to the general public during the third quarter of 2021. AEV intends to list bond with Philippine Dealing and Exchange Corp. Meanwhile, AEV reported that the latest bond offering received a credit rating of PRS Aaa, with a stable outlook, from Philippine Rating Services Corporation (PhilRatings). Jenniffer B. Austria
Tugade offers jobs to displaced drivers
THE head of the Department of Transportation wants displaced drivers, conductors of public utility vehicles as well as overseas Filipino workers to be hired and work in DOTr projects, such as the Philippine National Railways (PNR) Clark Phase 1 Project. Transport Secretary Arthur Tugade said some former 200 OFWs are now working in the project as he encouraged more displaced OFWs to join. Tugade also called on other displaced workers in the transport sector, including PUV drivers who lost their jobs due to the pandemic, to work in DOTr projects. At least 7,500 workers were employed during the construction of the rail project, while 2,000 additional jobs would be made available once it became operational, said Tugade. The PNR Clark Phase 1, the railway system that will connect Tutuban in Manila and Malolos in Bulacan, is now at 45.82 percent overall progress rate. Upon completion, the 38-kilometer rail line aims to carry 300,000 passengers daily, and shorten travel time from Malolos, Bulacan to Tutuban, Manila in just 35 minutes from 1 hour and 30 minutes. Darwin G. Amojelar
IC bares shift to new accounting policies
THE Insurance Commission has started the countdown for insurance companies to transition to a new set of accounting policies that will make their financial reports more transparent and universally comparable, especially for the investing public. In a webinar on the new accounting system conducted recently, IC Deputy Commissioner Ferdinand George Florendo said insurance companies may start the shift to Philippine Financial Reporting Standard (PFRS) 17—from the current PFRS 4—starting January 2023 in time for the industry-wide application in 2025. He said firms were given enough time to complete the transition as these need to change their data administration, financial presentations and actuarial calculations. The main difference between the currently used PFRS 4 and the succeeding PFRS 17 is that PFRS 4 is an intermediary standard which allows insurers to apply existing local generally accepted accounting principles resulting in diverse practices for reporting insurance contracts. The new set of rules uses a single accounting approach. Julito G. Rada
Suns bounce back to even series; Davis injured again LOS ANGELES—Chris Paul overcame an injured shoulder and Jae Crowder busted out of a playoff slump Sunday as the Phoenix Suns took a 100-92 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, who lost Anthony Davis to another injury. Paul had 18 points and nine assists, while Crowder delivered 17 points as half a dozen players finished in double figures for the Suns, who clawed their way level at 2-2 in the Western Conference playoff series against the reigning NBA champions. Paul had to plead with the coaching staff to get into the game, but the move paid off as he had his best game of the first-round series after injuring his shoulder in game one. Paul said Suns coach Monty Williams was going to sit him, but Paul said he petitioned: “Give me a couple of minutes, see what I can do.” “He said, ‘Coach, let me start, and if you don’t think I’m looking like I normally do, then take me out and we’ll have to go in a different direction,” said Williams. “This is one of those situations that I had to trust the player.” Crowder also had his best game so far, his 17 points the same number he scored in games two and three combined. He grabbed seven rebounds in front of a pandemic-limited crowd of 8,000 at the Staples Center. Heading into game four, Crowder had made just 7-of-27 shots and was 2-of-20 from three-point range. But all he wanted to talk about after the game was the play of Paul. “He’s a big part of the puzzle. It’s a little challenging when we don’t have him doing things he normally does. It’s definitely monumental that he’s out there for our team,” said Crowder. Devin Booker also scored 17 points, Deandre Ayton finished with 14 points and a team-high 17 rebounds, Cameron Payne netted 13 and Mikal Bridges tallied 11 for the Suns, who can take their first lead of the series with a win in game five on Tuesday. LeBron James scored a team-high 25 points and had 12 rebounds for the Lakers, who had to play half the game without eight-time NBA All-Star Davis. “For me, it’s putting our team in position to be successful,” James said. “These shoulders were built for a reason, and if it takes a little more to put on top of it, I’m ready for the challenge.” Davis fell hard and went to the locker room with an apparent left leg injury. He finished with just six points after leading Los Angeles in scoring in game three with 34. The Lakers said Davis, who missed 30 games in the regular season, had a strained groin and would be examined by team doctors on Monday to determine the extent of the injury. AFP
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LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers defends against Chris Paul of the Phoenix Suns during the second half of Game Four of the Western Conference first-round playoff series at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. AFP
4 PH surfers advance to Round 2 of world tilt By Peter Atencio
S
INGLE mom and Southeast Asian Games gold medallist Nilbie Blancada outscored Amuro Tsuzuki, one of Japan’s top-notchers in women’s shortboard, at the start of the 2021 Surf City El Salvador ISA World Surfing Games in El Salvador. A mother of one, Blancada emerged as the highest-scoring Philippine entry when she topped Heat 12 with 12.3 points. Tsuzuki, ranked no. 18 in the World Tour, was close behind with 12.26 points when the women’s first round ended at the beach of El Sunzal. The 29-year-old Blancada, with her twoyear-old son Clyde serving as one of her inspirations, advanced to the second round with three other Filipino bets seeking qualifying slots to the Tokyo Olympics. “Laban lang. Para sa bayan ito,” said Blancada in a video to her supporters before the start of the competitions.
Blancada, who is from Catangnan in General Luna, Surigao del Norte, last saw action in a major international meet 17 months ago in the 2019 SEA Games, where she claimed the gold medal, only three months after giving birth to her son. The SEAG triumph made up for her absence in numerous international meets that year because of pregnancy. Gabrielle Gittens of the Barbados checked in with 4.13 points to also reach the second round with Blancada and Tsuzuki. John Mark Tokong was the secondhighest scoring Filipino surfer as he moved on to the second round, with Edito
All athletes in PH team, pool to be inoculated GOVERNMENT has approved the inoculation of anti-Covid-19 vaccines on all athletes other than those bound for the Hanoi 31st Southeast Asian Games, according to Philippine Olympic Committee president Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino. “This is another great news for our national athletes and for all of Philippine sports,” Tolentino said on Monday, only three days after the successful inoculation of SEA Games-bound athletes last Friday at the Prince Hotel in Manila. More than half of the 730 SEA Gamesbound athletes who registered for the vaccination got their first dose of the Sinovac vaccine last Friday. Most of those who didn’t get their vaccines were either in the provinces or abroad. “This next round of vaccinations will also include those athletes and coaches who missed last Friday’s vaccination,” Tolentino said. Vince Dizon, deputy chief imple-
Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Randy M. Caluag, Assistant Editor
Philippine Olympic Committee President Rep. Abraham “Bambol”Tolentino and the members of the Gilas Pilipinas pool strike a pose after receiving the first dose of the vaccine last Friday.
menter of the National Task Force “We thank the government for putting Against COVID 19, relayed the good priority on our athletes and coaches for news to the POC chief on Monday. the vaccine rollout,” Tolentino said.
Alcala Jr. and Daisy Valdez. Tokong, a SEA Games bronze medallist, tallied 11.9 points behind Heat 16 top notcher Anthony Fillingen (12.97) in the men’s division over at La Bocana. Grayson Grant of Sweden came in third (7.06) Alcala placed second in men’s Heat 24 with 8.44 points, with Australian Ryan Callinan in front (13.74) and Cristian Portelli in third (6.26). Valdez, a bronze medallist in the 2019 SEA Games, grabbed a women’s berth to the second round in Heat 24, with Japanese Shin Matsuda ahead of her with 14.4 points. Grace Doyle of Ireland took third with 3.66 points. Vea Estrellado did not reach the second round following an encounter with World Surfing League veterans in Heat 5, which saw up-and-coming star and 2017 ISA World Junior Champion Alyssa Spencer of the USA emerging as the top performer after tallying a 16-point total. There are close to 1,600 athletes and coaches in the national team and pool on the Philippine Sports Commission roster. The list includes the SEA Games-bound athletes and para athletes. The turn of events on the inoculation of athletes was swift and efficient. Tolentino wrote the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases through Health Secretary Francisco Duque III last May 18 and on May 24, got a positive response. The inoculation happened four days later. “And this—the absolute vaccination of all national athletes—whether or not they are going to Hanoi—is a relief for Philippine sports,” Tolentino said. Tolentino said the date and venue of the next round of vaccination will be announced soon. Members of the national men’s basketball team, meanwhile, thanked Tolentino and the government for giving them a “peace of mind” to train and compete in two upcoming International Basketball Federation (FIBA) competitions.
PSA Forum tackles NCAA, MILO’s new partnership THE approaching opening of National Collegiate Athletic Association Season 96 and the new partnership between MILO and the Philippine Jump Rope Lester Castillo Association will be tackled in the online edition of the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum on Tuesday. NCAA Management Committee (ManCom) Chairman Fr. Vic Calvo talks about the kickoff of the country’s oldest collegiate league on June 13 and the virtual staging of sports events such as taekwondo, volleyball, chess, and basketball. On the other hand, discussing the latest collaboration MILO will be having with PJRA are Lester Castillo, Rob Layco, Veronica Cruz, and DepEd Undersecretary Tonisito Umali. Presented by San Miguel Corporation, MILO, Amelie Hotel Manila, Braska Restaurant, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, the Forum starts at 10:00 a.m. PSA President Rey Lachica, sports editor of Tempo, enjoins members to join the discussions through the PSA Fa c eb o ok page fb.com/ PhilippineSportswritersAssociation and join the Fr. Vic Calvo discussion. Powered by Smart and Upstream Media as official webcast partner, the public sports session is also shared by Radyo Pilipinas 2 Facebook page.
A refugee’s rocky road to his Olympic dream SYDNEY—Asif Sultani has been fighting his way to the Olympics since he was seven years old, enduring persecution in Afghanistan and a grim journey to refuge in Australia. But the karate black belt is now within punching distance of a spot at the Tokyo Games. At 25, Sultani says he has seen “some of the darkest parts of humankind”. As he vies for a spot on the Refugee Olympic Team, he is spurred on by memories of his harrowing journey to Australia, on a rickety boat where he nearly lost his life. When the vessel broke down in the dark somewhere off Indonesia, panic gripped the more than 100 asylum seekers crammed onboard. Others fought over the small number of life jackets, but Sultani never tried to find one for himself -- he could not shift his gaze from a child playing as waves
threatened to sink the boat. “(The child) didn’t have any idea we were about to drown; it just reminded me of my own childhood,” he told AFP in a dojo in Sydney’s west. Although the boat eventually kicked back to life and delivered Sultani to Australia, the child’s vulnerability shook him deeply, fuelling his Olympic ambition of representing the tens of millions of forcibly displaced children around the world. “I have millions of reasons” to compete at the Games, he said. He is now one of the 56 refugee athlete scholarship-holders competing for a place on the Refugee Olympic Team, which made its debut at the 2016 Rio Games. The team will be announced on June 8. “That inspired me, seeing that first Refugee Olympic Team in Rio, and I said, ‘Finally, I can be part of that team, that not only represents myself but mil-
lions of other people around the world.’”
Spat at, beaten
Sultani’s nine-year journey to Australia started when his family fled Afghanistan because of war and the persecution of their Hazara community. On a “horrifying” trip to Iran, which Sultani compares to a nightmare, they were robbed by gunmen and terrified of being kidnapped or killed at any moment. But any hope of a peaceful life in Iran was short-lived. Spat at, beaten and bullied relentlessly, Sultani turned to martial arts to defend himself, training at an Iranian studio. But as an undocumented refugee, he was kicked out of the gym within months. “I was heartbroken, and it was really, really hard for me because that’s the only thing that I had,” he said. Without a gym or a trainer, he turned his backyard into a makeshift dojo and used classic Bruce Lee kung
Afghan-born refugee and karate competitor Asif Sultani trains on the outskirts of Sydney as he competes for a place on the Refugee Olympic Team at the Tokyo Olympics in July. Sultani has been fighting his way to the Olympics since he was seven years old, enduring persecution in Afghanistan and a grim journey to refuge in Australia. AFP
fu films for guidance—watching “He inspired me as a kid, you them repeatedly, and practising his know, to never give up on my Turn to C2 best moves with friends. dream,” Sultani said.
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Tokyo fans need vaccination or virus test Sports Summit T to discuss OKYO—Tokyo Olympics fans may have to be vaccinated or test negative for the coronavirus before being allowed into venues, a Japanese newspaper report said Monday. Cheering, eating, high-fives and drinking alcohol would also be banned under controls now being considered, the Yomiuri Shimbun daily said, citing unnamed government officials. Organizers are set to decide in June how many spectators—if any—will be allowed to attend the pandemic-postponed Games. Overseas fans are already barred, and the report warned domestic spectators may be denied entrance or kicked out for breaking the rules. “The plan is to stop the spread of infections during Games time with strict countermeasures,” the paper said.
Under the plan, spectators must be able to show a vaccination certificate or a negative test taken at their own expense less than a week before entering the venue. They must wear masks and fill in health-check sheets, and once inside must not cheer loudly or high-five each other. Security guards would be stationed around venues monitoring behaviour, the report said, with public viewing venues cancelled or scaled down. Japan’s vaccine rollout has been moving slowly, with less than 2.5 percent of the population fully vaccinated so far.
Tokyo and other parts of the country are under a virus state of emergency which was extended on Friday until June 20, just over a month before the opening ceremony on July 23. The Yomiuri also published a new poll on Monday that shows 49 percent of people living in Tokyo want the Games to go ahead, while 48 percent want them cancelled. A total of 25 percent said they wanted the Games go ahead with a limited number of spectators, while 24 percent said they wanted them to be held with no fans. A new country-wide poll by the Nikkei newspaper found that 62 percent of respondents wanted the Games to be cancelled or postponed again, while 34 percent were in favour of them being held this summer. Organizers have repeatedly ruled out the Games being postponed again.
Meanwhile, Olympic delegations from India and five South Asian neighbours will be vaccinated before the Tokyo Games, organizers said Friday, as concern rises over the risks of coronavirus variants spreading at the event. The move affects delegations coming from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Nepal, Tokyo 2020 and the International Olympic Committee said. The six countries are all subject to Japan’s highest level border restrictions, in part because of concern about the socalled Indian variant of the virus. The IOC said national Olympic committees from the six countries had also agreed to conduct additional testing of delegation members, beyond the two tests within 96 hours of travel to Japan already required under current rules. AFP
PREPARING FOR PBA. Members of the Blackwater Bossing team are shown during their practice sessions in Batangas in preparation for the 46th season of the Philippine Basketball Association.
Osaka threatened with French Open disqualification over media boycott PARIS—Japanese superstar Naomi Osaka was on Sunday threatened with disqualification from the French Open if she persists with her controversial media boycott, officials said. “We have advised Naomi Osaka that should she continue to ignore her media obligations, she would be exposing herself to possible further code of conduct infringement consequences,” said a statement from the four Grand Slam tournaments after the world number two was fined $15,000. “Repeat violations attract tougher sanctions including default from the tournament and the trigger of a major offence investigation that could lead to more substantial fines and future Grand Slam suspensions.” Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam title winner and sport’s highest-earning female athlete, was sanctioned for refusing to hold a press conference after her opening 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) victory over Romanian world number 63 Patricia Maria Tig. The 23-year-old had said on the eve of the tournament that she would not carry out any media obligations, claiming news conferences are detrimental to her mental health. She likened traditional post-match inquests to “kicking people when they’re down”. French Tennis Federation president Gilles Moret-
Naomi Osaka
ton had described Osaka’s vow of silence as “a phenomenal error”. The four Grand Slam events—Wimbledon, the French, Australian and US Opens—said they had written to Osaka “to check on her well-being and offer support”. “She was also reminded of her obligations, the con-
Most Valuable Points FREE THROW SHOOTER NATHANIEL DELA CRUZ THE first and only time I was nominated for the Most Valuable Player award was when my basketball team Rascals swept the local 3-on-3 tournament and won the championship. The other nominee for the award was my younger but taller brother Norman, who played forward. He was our defensive specialist, a real hustle guy on the court who is good at reading passing lanes and deflecting passes. He was our secondary rebounder and shot-blocker next to Melvin, taller and just as lanky. Norman’s style of basketball is economical. No lengthy, fancy, and unnecessary dribbling. No careless crosscourt passes. And he was always disinclined to take reckless, circus shots for his personal entertainment or amusement. He will finish a game with a solid stat line every time. I, on the other hand, played point—by circumstances, not by choice. I never had the dribbling savvy, the court vision, or the passing instinct. I thrived as a shooting guard, and since I can only field a team of four players in the tournament, I picked two forwards and a center. My job was to decide (often arbitrarily) how the offense will go after the inbound. Pass it
to my cousin Wendell on the post, swing the ball to the right, or make a move myself with a slashing drive or a jump shot? Among the four of us, I was the one with the range as a jump shooter and the speed as a slasher. My brother—himself gifted with solid offensive skills and great instincts—prefers making an extra pass before opting to shoot. This was our dynamic as teammates, and it helped us win several championships together. But in all my years of playing basketball, I was in the MVP running just once, and against my brother who won it, deservingly. I was proud because he was my brother and he bested other equally talented players from other teams that are good, but not good enough to win the championship. There was no bitterness or resentment on my part because I know that among the four of us who played together, he was the most valuable in our successful pursuit of winning the championship. If we hadn’t won, the question of who is the most valuable is a moot point—we all failed in the end. I think that experience helped me understand and simplify the concept of the MVP. Every team has one, and among them, primus inter pares: the first among equals. For me, that would be the one who won the team the championship. This is also the reason why I think an MVP awardee from a team that didn’t win the championship is unfair to the best player of the team that won the championship. His/hers
sequences of not meeting them and that rules should equally apply to all players. “Naomi Osaka today chose not to honour her contractual media obligations. The Roland Garros referee has therefore issued her a $15,000 fine.” Later on Sunday Osaka’s position became more entrenched when she tweeted in response to her fine: “Anger is a lack of understanding. Change makes people uncomfortable.” After her match, Osaka agreed only to a cursory oncourt TV interview. “For me, playing on clay is a work in progress,” said the reigning US and Australian Open champion on a sun-kissed Court Philippe Chatrier. “Hopefully the more I play, the better I will become.” And that was that from a player who has now strung together 15 successive Grand Slam match wins. ‘It’s not good’ The Grand Slam Board said Osaka’s refusal to take part in media duties put opponents at a disadvantage. “There is nothing more important than ensuring no player has an unfair advantage over another, which unfortunately is the case in this situation if one player refuses to dedicate time to participate in media commitments while the others all honour their commitments.” If Osaka was to be disqualified, it would be as sensational as Novak Djokovic’s default at last year’s US Open where the world number one was booted out for hitting a line judge with a ball. “I was always trying to follow the rules and be fair not only on the court but off the court as well. Now it’s up to them to decide what’s going to be,” said former two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova after her opening win. AFP
is the effort first devalued. How can a player’s performance be ranked as the most impressive, most valuable, when there is someone out there whose outstanding performance helped the team to win a championship? I dislike the current trend of announcing the NBA MVP as a suspenseful (sometimes even controversial) event, and how I think it is rooted in a flawed system. In the NBA, a panel of basketball writers and broadcasters select the regular season MVP. This has been the practice since 1981. Before that (which would be from 1956 to 1980), the MVP was selected by the NBA players. Circling back to the current method of selecting the MVP— here’s one question: why is it done this way? I praise the work of sports media and what it has done to affect how we enjoy sports today. But with all due respect, I think it should be data—statistics, performance, accomplishment—that should identify who is the most valuable player, not sports media. One thing I learned as a sports writer is that sports is a numbers game. The numbers tell the story. And if sports is a numbers game, then performance—good or bad—can be defined by mathematics, unencumbered by opinions vulnerable to bias. The merit for being the most valuable player should not be affected by popularity, publicity, public and media relations, or other non-related agendas. The numbers should speak for themselves, plain and simple. And the first and most important number to consider is this: 1. One championship won for the season. How is the effort of a player from a team who didn’t even make it to the conference finals
be more valuable than the effort of the player who won his team a championship? The rationale here is this: the MVP is for regular season excellence, which I think is something that should be changed, too. Give the MVP to someone who did great from start to finish. And if, for some reason, some other player played bigger in the championship series, then make him or her the Finals MVP. Take for example the 2013-14 NBA season. The NBA should’ve named Tony Parker the regular season MVP (which they didn’t) considering his 16.7 PPG, 5.7 APG, and 2.3 RPG averages playing for the San Antonio Spurs who had the league-best 62-20 and won the championship that year, and Kawhi Leonard the Finals MVP (which they did). This makes sense. Parker was good all year long, and Leonard was above-par during the Finals. What does not make sense is how Kevin Durant won the MVP when the league’s leading scorer plays for a team that can’t even win the Western Conference. This is not against Durant or the other MVP winners who didn’t win the championship. This is merely a criticism of a flawed system that needs to be changed. I think the MVP award is sacred. This esteem belongs to someone who deserves it. Go ahead and name the most outstanding player for each team every season, but in the end, only a champion deserves the league MVP. If the most valuable player is not a champion, then what is the value of winning the championship? What is the value of all the effort, the hard work, and the excellence of an outstanding player who was successful in winning all the way?
public-private partnership
LEADING sports consumer brands Nestle Philippines Inc.-Milo and Otsuka-Solar Philippines Inc. grace the 16th session of the National Sports Summit 2021 to provide an overview on public-private partnerships this June 2. Nestle Philippines Inc., Assistant Vice President-Milo, Marketing Lester Castillo, Otsuka-Solar Philippines Inc. President and Managing Director Kohei Oyamada, and Brand Development Manager Nelia Ramos will discuss their respective partnerships with government institutions, highlighting their collaboration with the Philippine Sports Commission. As known sports advocates, Nestle Philippines Inc.- Milo and Otsuka-Solar Philippines Inc. have shown tremendous support to the Philippine national team through the years. “We are elated with their willingness to share their partnership dynamics with our summit stakeholders since their support to the national athletes has always been a great help in improving the country’s sports,” said PSC Chief of staff and NSS Project Director Marc Velasco. The summit’s 16th session speakers all have extensive experience in the field of marketing and brand development. Castillo has over 15 years accumulated in marketing, sales, and business development. He was behind Above-The-Line and Below-The-Line marketing campaigns of their brand and the “Get Your Child Into Sports” campaign serving over 8 million children across the country. Oyamada, prior to heading the nutraceutical brand in 2018, also served as Strategy and Planning Section Chief / Middle East & Egypt Area Manager at Otsuka Pharmaceutical Otsuka International Asia Arab and Strategy and Planning Specialist at the Human Resource Department Otsuka Pharmaceutical Tokyo Headquarters. Ramos, on the other hand, served as Ethical Marketing Manager until 2019 and now leads the marketing and advertising projects of POCARI Sweat. This batch’s past speakers include Pilipinas Obstacle Sports Federation president Alberto Agra, University of the Philippines Prof. Gerard Lico, and University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigresses, and Enderun Lady Titans head coach Haydee Ong.
A refugee’s... From C1
But at 16, he was deported alone, back to Afghanistan. Without his family and with conflict still raging, Sultani fled Afghanistan again, reaching Indonesia before boarding the boat to Australia. ‘Born a refugee’ After his dangerous voyage, he would spend months in Australian immigration detention, where his commitment to training brought him support from the guards. One officer would arrive early in the morning to run with Sultani, and others would encourage him too. The difference from his early life was stark. “When we’re born, we don’t have a choice—we’re just born a refugee,” he said. “People’s support means everything to us because we’ve lost everything... I’m really grateful to this day to those officers that they actually encouraged me.” After gaining refugee status, he settled in Maitland, north of Sydney, and began shaping his new life. Aged 18, it was the first time he could get an education, so he enrolled in school and found a dojo. With little money and no car, he would wake at 5am every morning and run to the dojo and back—clocking up 20 kilometres (12 miles) a day—before heading to school. Since then, his commitment to the sport has only grown, and he credits karate with giving him the drive to overcome his life-threatening obstacles. “Martial arts is about respect; it’s about discipline, about honour, loyalty, and resilience,” he said. “It has been a big part of my life, and it did save my life as a child.” As he waits to hear if he has made the team for Tokyo, he eyes a goal beyond gold—to give refugee children a role model they can relate to. AFP
Entertainment Yassi Pressman is‘ROLLING IN IT’
F
RESH off the success of her acting stint in FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano, Yassi Pressman goes back to her hosting roots and is now taking centerstage as the game show’s host of Rolling In It Philippines — a game of luck, mind, and strategy — the local adaptation of the United Kingdom’s number one game show in 2020.
Presented by TV5 and Cignal TV Inc. and produced by VIVA Entertainment, the program debuts on June 5. Rolling In It Philippines is a luck-based game show and contestants can be twice luckier as they are given a chance to play with a celebrity partner to help them through the rounds and win. Our weekends will surely be star-studded as new sets of celebrities team up with our contestants weekly for the chance to win up to P2,000,000. The teams will test their luck through the roll of a coin on a giant arcade machine and will compete through a series of questions and choices together. They can opt to Play to roll again and
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Screen star Yassi Pressman is tapped to emcee TV5's newest game show, 'Rolling In It,' a local adaptation of the popular UK program.
answer another question, increasing their chances to earn, or to Pass the opportunity to a different pair, especially when the risk of losing their earnings is at stake. The pair who earns the most money after 9 questions advances to the Jackpot Round. Only those who think quickly, strategize willfully, and have lady luck on their side will go home as the winner in this game show. Rolling In It Philippines premieres on TV5 on June 5 at 7:00 p.m. with catch-up episodes airing on Sari Sari every Sunday, 8:00 p.m., starting June 6, available on Cignal TV CH. 3 and SatLite CH. 30. It can also be watched Live and Ondemand via Cignal Play App.
HOW does one celebrate her 93rd birthday in this time of pandemic? For multihypenate Celia Diaz Laurel, she opted to celebrate it by launching her latest coffee table book aptly titled My Lives Behind the Proscenium on May 29 via Facebook Live. The mother, wife, philanthropist, writer, painter, thespian, theater production, and costume designer dedicated to the women and men whose encouragement and confidence helped her become an actress namely: Mother Immaculada (Assumption Convent); Wilfredo Ma. Guerrero (UP Dramatic Club, University of the Philippines); Sonia Rifkin and Doña Trining Legarda (Manila Community Players); James B. Reuters S.J. (Ave Maria Players and The Cathedral Players); Constance Welch (Drama Department, Yale University); Behn Cervantes (who persisted in urging her to write this book about her life in the theatre); and husband Salvador “Doy” Laurel, who understood her calling and allowed her to grow not only as an actress but as a person. The book chronicles the life that Celia Diaz Laurel led with chapter titles: Stage-struck at Five, Wartime Years, Dramatic UP Days, Yale Years, Back to the Stage at Repertory Philippines. “Celia has written an entertaining story about her theatrical life in a straightforward, simple, style that not only will give the curious reader an insight into her life and the social milieu of her time but is a historical narrative of the early years of Manila theatre and the personalities who were part of it. She writes about her early personal life as the background for the successful career she carved out for herself—not only as an actress but as a set and costume designer,” wrote Joy Virata in the foreword of the book. Celia Diaz Laurel shares her in insights about her book. “To become a painter one needs a medium such as charcoal, pas pastels, watercolor, oils or acryl acrylic. Armed with an instrument such as a brush, a palette knife, or even your fingers to
The bomb
‘Gameboys’ lead stars Kokoy De Santos and Elijah Canlas Celia Diaz Laurel with husband Doy Laurel
apply the medium on any surface you choose, you are free to paint anywhere you please - indoors or outdoors. But to become an actor one needs a good script, a director, actors to work with, a producer, a stage, lights, and most of all---an audience. Not too many realize that the positive energy from an audience is an essential ingredient that makes, or un-makes, a show” “Living more than a hundred lives behind the proscenium made me understand the human heart. From my first role to my last – I offered each performance as a sign of my gratitude to my Heavenly Producer,” she ended. My Live Behind the Proscenium is edited by Suzie LaurelDelgadon and Cocoy Laurel; Dulce Festin-Baybay (Editorial Consultant), Miriam R. Castillo (Project Coordinator), Sarah L. Sanz (Photo Editor), Nestor Amador Malgapo Jr. (Book Design and Cover).
‘KMJS’ now most followed Philippine TV show on Facebook
WITH over 23 million followers, Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho (KMJS) marks another milestone as it becomes the most followed Philippine TV program on Facebook. Data as of May 13 showed KMJS’s official Facebook page leading Eat Bulaga and Wowowin, which have 18.9 million and 14.7 million followers, respectively. This feat comes just over a month after KMJS surpassed its 22 million followers mark on the popular social media platform. Hosted by Jessica Soho, the awardwinning magazine TV show has been raking in impressive engagement with its posts: tallying over three million organic interactions including likes, comments, and shares per week. Just five months into 2021, KMJS has already recorded over half a billion video views on Facebook. Its top story on
the platform is “Kinagat!” with over 20 million video views. This is followed by “Hating Kapatid” with over 19.9 million views and “Baby Switching (part 2)” with more than 16.7 million video views as of writing. The show also took the top spot on Facebook Philippines' trending topics on Local News Entertainment for March according to communications consultancy and management firm BluePrint.PH. On air, KMJS continues to be one of the most watched programs nationwide and is considered the Filipinos’ Sunday viewing habit. Every week, it features stories that both inform and inspire viewers, especially during these trying times. Soho said that this feat would not have been possible without the support of the viewers.
'Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head' singer B.J. Thomas dies US SINGER B.J. Thomas, known for his popular song "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," has died at the age of 78, his agents announced. His death Saturday in Arlington, Texas came after a lung cancer diagnosis. Thomas won five Grammy Awards between 1977 and 1981, but he first came to public attention in 1966 with his rendition of the Hank Williams country standard "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry." He followed that two years later with "Hooked on a Feeling," which hit the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. But his greatest fame came with "Raindrops," part of the soundtrack of popular film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, starring Robert Redford and Paul Newman. The song, a sunny ode to optimism
TUESDAY, JUNE 1, 2021
GAME MASTER.
Celia Diaz Laurel launches new book
KMJS, the longestrunning news magazine program in the country, is also the most followed local show on Facebook.
Nickie Wang, Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com
written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, brought him an Oscar and propelled him to the top of the US hit parade. It later provided background music in at least a half-dozen other movies. Thomas struggled with drug and alcohol dependence in the 1970s, but reached a turning point when he became an evangelical Christian in 1976, his agents said. He turned to gospel music, and his album Home Where I Belong, released that year, sold more than a million copies. Thomas had revealed in March that he was suffering from an advanced form of lung cancer. Near the end, he posted a statement to fans, saying, "All I am is just another guy. I've been very lucky. I've had a wonderful life." AFP
American singer BJ Thomas, seen here in a photo taken in the 1970s, has died, aged 78.
THIS week’s biggest bomb that sent shockwaves to the fans of Kokoy de Santos and Elijah Canlas, the main leads of BL series Gameboys, is the movie trailer of the much awaited film adaptation of their hit drama. That’s not all, the sophomore season of Gameboys will transpire after the showing of the Ivan Andrew Payawal directed cinema feature. The series will have seven episodes and will air in a free TV station. All of these were made known during the more than three hours World Gameboys Day presentation in the digital platforms of The Idea First Company. These declarations from
ARIAS ALWIN IGNACIO
Perci Intalan were received by the Cairo and Gavreel adoring public with cheers, the surprises accepted wholeheartedly and the aftermath ecstasy from it, without a doubt, difficult to contain and
most expected What did the Gameboys the movie offer? Top answer, its most striking catch phrase, “Parting is such sweet sorrow.” This line came from the bittersweet romantic tragedy “Romeo and Juliet.” This was uttered by the restless Juliet after the love of her life left her at the balcony of the House of Capulet in Verona. Read full story on manilastandard.net
Chasing post-party bliss in Arthur Tan’s new EP DJ-PRODUCER Arthur Tan has dropped the After the Party electronic play (EP), a coming-of-age in the big city account reminiscent of his post-night-outs in New York City and Manila. The artist, known for his penchant for dreamy dance music, was inspired to produce four nostalgic electronic house tracks that manifest post-party ‘feels’ that people long for these days. “I really wanted to capture the story of how I felt during those post-club parties, hence the EP is called After the Party,” he said. “I also wanted to release the EP now because I feel like it’s the type of dance music that people may need at the moment, with everything that’s going on,” Arthur added. The After The Party EP drop coincides with the release of its fourth and final single, “Slow Breaths.” It also includes the track “Sleepwalking,” which was released independently in September last year. “City Runs” and “Night Cap” followed this year and were released under Tarsier Records. “For personal reasons, I believe this EP portrays another side of myself, a part that people don’t really see, and it is something that I felt was authentic to me, a collection of songs that I can truly say I put myself into wholeheartedly,” he revealed. A launch event co-presented by Tarsier Records and After the Noon Records happened on Saturday to celebrate the release. Titled After the Party EP Release Concert,, the show featured performances from Arthur, Tom Suplico,, and Tarsier Records artists, Dotty and daze. Arthur grew up in the Philippines and has been active in the music industry as a
DJ, musician, and dancer for at least 15 years, bringing passion to electronic house music. In 2018, he pursued his craft in the US, performing all over New York for two years. He recently came home with a bang and is now ready to tell his story through music. After The Party is now available on various music streaming services. DJ and music producer Arthur Tan
Life
Bernadette Lunas, Editor manilastandardlife@gmail.com @manilastandardlife @MStandardLIFE
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HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT
TUESDAY, JUNE 1, 2021
Medicine cabinet essentials in one store THE pandemic has made many people aware of the value of wellness and hygiene. Stocking up the medicine cabinet with vitamins that help strengthen immune system has become as important as ensuring there’s enough food in the kitchen. Leading wellness and beauty store Watsons provides Filipinos easy access to vitamins and supplements as well as over-the-counter and prescription drugs what with its over 800 stores scattered across the country and online channels. Essential immune-boosting vitamins such as vitamin C is present in Berocca, which also has B vitamins, magnesium, zinc, and more. Get the benefits of antioxidant vitamin E from Myra E and Watsons Vitamin C + Vitamin E + Glutathione Effervescent Tablets. Vitamin D, which is said to help maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus, thereby strengthening the bones, can be obtained from Propan Fit which has Korean ginseng, vitamins A, C, D, E and others. It also helps fight fatigue. Zinc, another nutrient that helps
strengthen immune system, also contributes to wound healing, enables body to make proteins and DNA, and has antioxidant properties. Conzace has a high level of zinc, and vitamins A, C, and E. More vitamins and supplements are available at Watsons, such as Essentiale Forte, which is recommended for individuals with liver problems as it is clinically proven to promote the repairing function and regeneration of liver cells. Watsons also carries a wide range of hygiene products. Senka Perfect White Clay Cleanser keeps skin clean without stripping of moisture, while Gyne Pro Ultra Protection Feminine Wash gives extra protection especially during red days. Also available are Oral B Cross Action Indicator Toothbrush and Listerine Total Care All-In-One Mouthwash for oral hygiene. To find the Watsons store nearest you, go to www.watsons.com.ph/store-finder, or order online via www.watsons.com. ph, through the Watsons mobile app, or via call and delivery service (www. watsons.com.ph/call-and-delivery-listof-stores).
CALL YOUR GRANDPARENTS. Experts advise family members who do not live in the same house as their senior loved
ones to check up on them regularly to help ease the feeling of loneliness and isolation. Better yet, call them via video chat apps to do things like eating meals together.
Dr. Jose Dimaano, Jr., nutrition medical director of Abbott Asia Pacific
Dr. Sandy Dumlao, president of the Philippine Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology
By Tet Defensor
Keeping seniors healthy
T
HE lockdown has not been a pleasurable experience for our elders. Nobody wants to be stuck at home, especially stuck at home for over a year and banned from entering establishments.
Health experts have raised concerns about the dangers isolation could pose to seniors’ mental and physical state. An associate professor of psychiatry at Stanford University said, long duration of sheltering in place had led to feeling of sadness and hopelessness among older adults. Aside from loneliness possibly affecting their appetite, their being not allowed to go out and walk around and stretch their muscles can weaken their bodies and make them susceptible to illnesses. A study, entitled “Evidence-based recommendations for optimal dietary protein intake in older people”, discussed the possibility of low muscle mass among aging adults. Poor diet and reduced physical activity can lead to sarcopenia, a condition associated with the gradual loss of muscle mass. Its symptoms include weakness and loss of stamina. In Singapore, Changi General Hospital, SingHealth Polyclinics, and Abbott conducted the SHIELD study on oral nutritional supplements for older adults at risk of malnutrition. SHIELD stands for Strengthening Health in ELDerly through nutrition. The results of the study were shared by Agnes Tey, senior scientist and Shield lead author, during the Ensure Gold Shield Sessions: A Dialogue on Healthy Aging, Inside and Out. “Assessing the nutritional status of the older persons is pivotal to their muscle health, making a big difference in their quality of life,” said Tey. In the study, she shared that the group that consumed the supplement that contains beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) showed improvements in overall health. HMB is a metabolite of amino acid
Encourage grandma to be productive at home by asking her to cook her specialty meals.
If our senior adults are weak, they become prone to infection. leucine. It improves muscle strength by reducing protein breakdown. In the study, the group that had HMB showed a weight gain of at least 5 percent, and enhanced physical function like increased leg and hand grip strength. “Muscle strength is not just for mobility, it has a metabolic function. It improves the body’s immune system. If our senior adults are weak they become prone to infection,” explained Dr. Jose Dimaano, Jr. nutrition medical director of Abbott Asia Pacific. Muscles produce and release compounds which play an important role in the activation of some immune cells. And the loss of muscle mass has also been linked to compromised immunity and infections. Regular exercise and good nutrition help keep our muscles in good condition. Strength training that can be done at home is a good start. There also fun exercises on YouTube, but make sure to seek medical advice before starting any program. Family members must also pay close
attention to the eating habits of the senior adults in the household. “Nutrition is fundamental. Abbott has been researching the impact of nutrition in adults for more than 45 years. The latest clinical research on aging confirms that oral supplements with HMB together with dietary guidance, can help improve nutritional status, mobility, strength, and immunity of older adults,” emphasized Dr. Dimaano. Aside from exercise and proper diet, Dr. Sandy Dumlao, president of the Philippine Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology advises families to find ways to spend time with their senior loved ones. “If they do not live in the same house, maybe we can have ‘Zoom meals’ with them so that the grandchildren can talk to their lolo and lola while eating.” Finding activities to make them productive and happy can ease their worries about the pandemic. “If they like to cook, maybe we can ask them to prepare their specialty dishes. We should encourage them to be productive, so that they feel needed,” advised Dr. Dumlao.
Healthcare products, including vitamins, supplements, and more, available at Watsons.
Frontline doc sees curative power of kindness THERE are days she feels as though things are moving at a crawl, or she just wants to shut out all the suffering and sorrow she witnesses every day, and sleep. Her moments of frustration, however, are always fleeting. Dr. Marissa Lim, an internist nephrologist at Diliman Doctors Hospital and Philippine Heart Center, has a deeprooted sense of duty, borne of years of training. She also constantly draws inspiration from colleagues and, most of all, her patients. “Patients remind me why I do what I do,” she shared. She is touched by their stories and their determination to survive. She spoke of a blind grandmother who had been turned away in two hospitals and had to wait for hours in the tent outside the hospital where she works before finally being admitted, thanks to a woman who called the doctor’s attention.
Kindness amid darkness
“In these dark times, there is still kindness in this world,” said Dr. Lim. She shared her stories with members of the PLDT-Smart Foundation and the Tulong Kapatid consortium of companies led by Group Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan, who has been providing food and PPEs to frontline healthcare workers.
Dr. Marissa Lim, internist nephrologist at Diliman Doctors Hospital
Dr. Lim is driven by her sense of duty and inspired by her colleagues and patients.
“I love what I do. I love helping people, even on days when it is not so easy,” Dr. Lim intimated. During challenging days, her rigorous training at med school kicks in, and instinctively she sails through, simply because “there are so many who need help”. The same is true of her colleagues. “No matter what, we carry on with our commitment and duty to serve,” added the doctor whose day begins at 7:00 a.m.
Driven by purpose
One nurse, in particular, impressed her with his initiative in better managing the cases assigned to him. “He asks questions to help fill the gaps in patient care, often due to the sheer volume of work. He’s not only efficient and has good work ethic, he also shows compassion toward patients,” related Dr. Lim. Feeling spent once, she exclaimed, “Bakit ganito (Why are things like this)?” But He heard her, she said, and replied, “Doc, manalig ka (have faith).” People sometimes ask Dr. Lim if she ever feels scared stepping into a COVID room and being in contact with infected patients. Her answer: “You don’t feel scared, you just feel compelled to do everything you can to make them feel better.”