Manila Standard - 2021 June 16 - Wednesday

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(Story on A4) Rody hits ICC, won’t cooperate DUTERTE TO KEEP POLICE RECORDS FROM CHR in probe on drug war—Palace By Rey E. Requejo, Macon Ramos-Araneta and Rio N. Araja PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte will never cooperate with an International Criminal Court (ICC) probe into the country's deadly drug war, his spokesman said Tuesday, branding the process "legally

erroneous." Outgoing ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda on Monday asked judges at the world's only permanent war crimes court to authorize an investigation into allegations that Philippine police unlawfully killed as many as tens of thousands of civilians between 2016 and 2019. Duterte was elected in 2016 on a Next page

By Vito Barcelo and Rey E. Requejo

ALREADY in the crosshairs of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for human rights abuses in his bloody war on drugs, President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday night warned the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) not to threaten the police and said he would block the opening of records detailing police

VOL. XXXV • NO. 121 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2021 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

operations. The President made the warning in his public address Monday night, added that law enforcement records and state secrets cannot be divulged to the public as this could hinder police drug operations and investigations. He said the proliferation of illegal drugs has been going on for years and there are current surges in the number of Next page

UNPERTURBED. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte holds a meeting with the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) core members at the Malacañang Golf (Malago) Clubhouse in Malacañang Park, Manila on June 14. Presidential Photo

Visayas sprints in virus cases DOH logs region’s ‘steepest’ COVID spike to outpace Luzon, Mindanao

By Willie Casas

T

HE Visayas has outpaced Luzon and Mindanao with the steepest increase in COVID-19 cases, the Department of Health (DOH) said Tuesday.

In the last two weeks, Western Visayas recorded a 63 percent growth, Central Visayas logged a 59 percent increase and Eastern Visayas reported a 118 percent spike in COVID-19 infections, the DOH said. "Visayas now has the steepest increase in cases among the island groups, surpassing numbers in NCR Plus areas," DOH Epidemiology Bureau Director Alethea De Guzman said in an online press conference. Next page

ACTIVITIES / BUSINESSES ALLOWED IN GCQ AREAS WITH RESTRICTIONS (NCR AND BULACAN) Indoor tourist attractions—30% operational capacity, increased to 40% with a Safety Seal issued by the Department of Trade and Industry Personal care services not requiring mask removal—50% operational capacity, increased by 10 % with a Safety Seal Outdoor tourist attractions—50% operational capacity Indoor dining—40% operational capacity, increased by 10 % with a Safety Seal; Religious activity—0% operational capacity, which can be increased by LGU to as high as 50%. Activities allowed in NCR Plus (Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal) also include non-contact sports, lottery, leisurely travel and outdoor dining at 50% operating capacity.

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ACTIVITIES ALLOWED IN GCQ AREAS WITH HEIGHTENED RESTRICTIONS (CAVITE, LAGUNA, RIZAL) Indoor dining—20% operational capacity, can be increased to 30% with a Safety Seal Personal care services not requiring mask removal—30% operational capacity, plus 10% with a Safety Seal; Outdoor tourist attractions—30% operational capacity Religious activities —10% operational capacity, which LGUs can increase to 30%.

NCR Plus lockdown curbs out; 2 rules for gyms, fitness hubs By Vito Barcelo, Joel E. Zurbano and Maricel V. Cruz GYMS and fitness centers will remain closed in Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal, which are under general community quarantine (GCQ) with heightened restrictions until the end of June, according to a matrix on guidelines on quarantine restrictions released by Malacañang Tuesday. As for Metro Manila and Bulacan, both of which are under GCQ with restrictions, gyms and fitness centers are allowed to open at 20-percent capacity, but it can be increased to 30 percent if the establishment secures a Safety Seal Certificate. The same matrix also states that indoor tourist attractions as well as operations of venues for meetings, conferences and exhibitions remain prohibited in areas under GCQ with heightened restrictions. Activities permitted in areas under

GCQ with heightened restrictions include: - 20 percent operational capacity for indoor dining, which can be increased to 30 percent if the establishment secures a Safety Seal issued by the Department of Trade and Industry; - 30 percent operational capacity for personal care services not requiring mask removal, which could be increased by 10 percent if the establishment secures a Safety Seal; - 30 percent operational capacity for outdoor tourist attractions; - religious activities at 10 percent operational capacity, which local government units can increase to 30 percent. Meanwhile, other businesses allowed in areas under GCQ with restrictions include: - indoor tourist attractions at 30 percent o p e r a t i o n a l c a p a c i t y, w h i c h c a n Next page

PHYSICALLY PRESENT. Vaccine Czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., Health

Secretary Francisco Duque III, and Interior Secretary Eduardo Año take their oaths during a hybrid inquiry of the Committee of the Whole into the government’s COVID-19 vaccination program on June 15. Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez (inset) was also at the hearing. Senate PRIB

Jabs for minors need P25b outlay By Macon Ramos-Araneta, Julito G. Rada and Joel E. Zurbano AN ALLOCATION of P25 billion to cover the inoculation of children aged 12 years old and above might be needed by the government, Budget Secretary Carlos Dominquez said Tuesday. He also told the Senate Committee of the Whole hearing that pending confirmation by the country's health

authorities, they were preparing for the purchase of booster shots of one dose for roughly 85 million adults and teenagers. "This could cost roughly P60 billion. The proposal is to include such supplemental amounts in the 2022 budget," he told the Senate hearing. He also disclosed that the country's total debt as a share of GDP was expected to rise to 58.7 percent in 2021. This figure was 54.6 percent in 2020 and a historic low of 39.6 percent in 2019. Next page

COVID-19 PH AT A GLANCE

(AS OF 4 PM JUNE 15)

1,327,431 TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES

5,389 58,063 NEW

ACTIVE

22,963

118

1,246,405

6,667

DEATHS

RECOVERIES

NEW

NEW

US carriers sail in South China Sea as it hails holding off VFA end Visiting Forces Agreement with the US, saying the continued alliance between the two countries would strengthen “the rules-based order that benefits all nations THE United States on Tuesday welcomed in Indo-Pacific.” the decision of the Philippines to hold off The US government made the the suspension of the abrogation of the statement after Foreign Secretary Teodoro

By Rey E. Requejo and Maricel V. Cruz

Locsin Jr. on Monday announced that President Rodrigo Duterte decided to again suspend the decision to scrap the VFA, Manila’s bilateral agreement with Washington, governing the status of visiting American soldiers participating in Next page

NAVAL MIGHT. In these photos

posted on Twitter by the US Pacific Fleet, the USS America Amphibious Ready Group and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force tank landing ship JS Shimokita (LST 4002) team up for amphibious operations in the Philippine Sea, while US Navy aircraft attached to Carrier Air Wing CVW5 launch from the USS Ronald Reagan during flight operations in the South China Sea on Monday.

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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2021

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

IF ICC TO ASK HELP, SARA SAYS:

Davao to take cue from nat’l gov’t

T

President Rodrigo Duterte's daughter an investigation of killings attributed to said this in an ambush interview at a hotel the war on drugs. in Makati City after ICC prosecutor Fatou “Well, we’ll wait, no, kung ano ‘yung Bensouda announced on Monday she had actions ng national government. asked for authority from ICC judges for And kung may kailangan sila (ICC)

sa city government of Davao, we will ask permission from the national (government),” the mayor said in an exclusive report by GMA’s Ian Cruz on “24 Oras.” Duterte has repeatedly said he would not cooperate with any investigation by the ICC, a position his spokesman Harry Roque Jr. repeated on Tuesday (see story on A1 -- Editors). The elder Duterte served as the mayor of Davao for over 20 years before becoming president in 2016. Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque

said pursuing the ICC probe would be an insult to all Filipinos as it implies that the country's legal system is not working. “It is an insult to all Filipinos for a foreigner like Bensouda andfor fellow Filipinos who say legal institutions in the Philippines are not working and do not give justice. That’s an insult," he said. "How dare you say that the Philippine legal system is not working. This is an emotional issue for all lawyers and for all Filipinos. We’re not like that in the Republic of the Philippines."

provinces. The Philippines logged 5,389 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, bringing the total number of infections to 1,327,431 as 16 laboratories were not able to submit their data on time, the DOH said. The DOH reported 118 new fatalities, bringing the COVID-19 death toll to 22,963. It also reported 6,667 patients who recovered, bringing the total recoveries to 1,246,405. This left 58,063 active cases, of which 91.8 percent were mild, 3.8 percent were asymptomatic, 1.3 percent were critical, 1.8 percent were severe, and 1.3 percent were moderate. The DOH also reported that, nationwide, 59 percent of the ICU beds, 47 percent of the isolation beds, 48 percent of the ward beds, and 37 percent of the ventilators, were in use. In Metro Manila, 46 percent of the ICU beds, 36 percent of the isolation beds, 33 percent of the ward beds, and33 percent of the ventilators, were in use. Dr. Alethea de Guzman, chief epidemiologist of the DOH, said the country’s case growth rate increased to 15 percent from May 30 to June 12, up from 13 percent from May 16 to 29. The Philippines averaged 6,609 new infections daily from June 7 to 13, higher than the average of 6,558 cases logged

during May 31 to June 6, De Guzman said. Since the middle of May, when the DOH first began to observe a slower decline of cases, the country has been cases plateauing. “If there are any super-spreader events, if we are not going to be as effective in our minimum public health standards… that plateau can become another uptick or increase in cases,” De Guzman said during an online forum. The DOH on Tuesday flagged six areas due to their health care and ICU utilization rates that have breached the high to critical risk category. The ICU occupancy rate has reached 75.4 percent in La Union, 92.3 percent in Tarlac, 85.7 percent in Rizal, 78.3 percent in Cavite, and 75 percent in Benguet, De Guzman said. While Agusan del Sur’s ICU utilization rate was in the safe zone, it was still flagged by the DOH due to its high health care utilization rate of 72.6 percent. De Guzman said high health care utilization rates were the primary reason for the tightening of quarantine restrictions in several areas to a modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), which will be in effect until June 30. She said the DOH has been working with hospitals to increase their capacity for COVID-19 cases, deploying more

health workers, and buying more beds and other hospital equipment. De Guzman said the DOH supports the allocation of more vaccines to areas seeing a spike in infections. The Philippines has vaccinated over 5 million people as of June 14, still far from the government’s target of inoculating 50 million to 70 million people this year. Also on Tuesday, a health expert said Cebu has implemented a “double safety measure” by testing returning Filipinos at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport upon arrival to stop the spread of COVID-19. “We want to clarify that we didn't break IATF guidelines. Rather we innovated... because we needed tighter measures,” Dr. Mary Jean Loreche, chief pathologist and spokesperson of the Department of Health in Central Visayas, said in a TV interview. President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday ordered Cebu province to abide by the national government's testing and quarantine protocols for returning Filipinos. Cebu earlier tested passengers upon arrival at the airport. The IATF requires this screening on the seventh day of travelers' quarantine. The IATF requires all travelers to undergo 14-day quarantine upon arrival, the first 10 days to be observed at a quarantine facility, with the remainder to be completed under home quarantine.

has ordered the police to arrest people traveling with fake reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests. Duterte issued the order after reports that travelers have been caught with falsified requirements in several parts of the country. “Kindly check this twice over whether or not you have the genuine certificates. Arrest those presenting fake tests and enforce strict compliance of protocols of local tourism,” Duterte said in his public address Monday night. The President said he received some reports that some travelers in several locations in the country, many in Boracay, were presenting fake test results to circumvent travel restrictions. Duterte said he knew the people were already tired of staying in the house but urged them not to travel unless the majority of the population had been vaccinated against COVID-19. “Unless and until everybody is really vaccinated, let us not travel,” he said. “I know that you want to go out, I know that you are itching to travel. But please, if

you have some other time to do that, do it at some other time,” the President added. The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases has allowed leisurely trips as long as travelers test negative for COVID-19 and will comply with government guidelines. New curfew hours National Police chief Gen. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar on Tuesday ordered all district and station commanders to strictly enforce the new curfew hours while Metro Manila and nearby provinces are under the general community quarantine status. Eleazar said the shortened curfew hours did not mean the police force would be lax on enforcement. He assured that enhanced police visibility would be made from midnight to 4 a.m. “Shortening curfew hours will allow more people to visit malls, restaurants and other establishments, a move that would help our economic recovery from the effects of the pandemic. But it doesn’t mean we will be relaxed," he said. Members of the Metro Manila Council

have unanimously agreed to adjust the curfew hours from midnight to 4 a.m. effective June 15, from the previous 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. “The local chief executives of Metro Manila based their decision on the recent report of the Department of Health that the NCR is nearing the safe zone in terms of COVID-19 cases,” said Chairman Benjamin Abalos Jr. of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority. “The MMC recognizes the imperative to gradually and cautiously open the economy in order to increase the business activity, reduce unemployment and underemployment, and promote economic growth but ever mindful of the paramount interests of life and health and the strict implementation of Prevent, Detect, Isolate, Treat, and Recover (PDITR) strategies,” the MMC resolution stated. The MMC, composed of the 17 mayors in the National Capital Region, is the governing board and the policymaking body of the MMDA. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

But Roque rejected her findings and said it was "an insult to all Filipinos" to suggest the country's justice system was not working. "We will be compared to countries like Darfur, areas where there is no functioning government. It's not right," he said. "If killings occurred, appropriate force and violence were observed." The crackdown is Duterte's signature policy initiative, and he defends it fiercely, especially from critics such as Western leaders and institutions which he says do not care about the Philippines. More than 6,000 people have been killed in over 200,000 anti-drug operations conducted since July 2016, according to official data. Human rights groups estimate the number of dead could be several times higher. Many suspects have been put on "drug watch lists" by local officials and then visited by police at their homes -- a situation which often ends in a deadly shooting that officers claim was self-defense. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

Duterte... deaths of drug suspects because of an intensified police anti-drug campaign. Duterte said an earlier investigation conducted against him found nothing. The President also defended the police, claiming law enforcers know that they cannot randomly kill during drug busts without reason since they know that they could be held accountable later on. In the US, an American lawmaker introduced a bill to halt US aid to Philippine security forces over alleged human rights violations during the Duterte administration. Pennsylvania 7th District Rep. Susan Wild announced that she will reintroduce the Philippine Human Rights Act (PHRA), which she said is a response to the rampant human rights violations under President Duterte's rule. “What this bill says is very simple: US taxpayers’ funds should not be used to supply weapons to a regime that violently targets its political opponents, including US citizens like Brandon Lee,

a human rights activist, who was shot by state security forces in 2019 and remains paralyzed from the chest down today. As a result of that attack, Brandon deserves to know that his government stands with him not with his attackers,” Wild said. Also on Tuesday, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said the dismissal of one in three drug cases against Senator Leila de Lima should be further reason to respect the judicial system in the country. “It is actually proof conclusive that the Philippine justice system works if slowly at least exceeding fine. I knew it all along,” Locsin posted on his Twitter. The country’s diplomat said the United Nations will be informed of De Lima’s acquittal. “Will send this to the UN as further reason to respect our justice system before opening the mouth with ignorant comments,” he said. De Lima is facing two cases of conspiracy to commit illegal drug trading before Branch 205 of the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court. The senator has filed a demurrer to evidence in both cases. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

and Beijing, which claims most of the disputed waterway. China frequently objects to US military missions in the South China Sea saying they do not help promote peace or stability, and the announcement follows China blasting the Group of Seven nations for a statement scolding Beijing over a range of issues. "While in the South China Sea, the strike group is conducting maritime security operations, which include flight operations with fixed and rotary wing aircraft, maritime strike exercises, and coordinated tactical training between surface and air units," the US Navy said. "Carrier operations in the South China

Sea are part of the US Navy's routine presence in the Indo-Pacific." The carrier is being accompanied by the guided-missile cruiser USS Shiloh and the guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey, it added. Also, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the Philippines would get six more months to review the advantages and disadvantages of having a VFA with the United States. "With the additional six months, we will further review the pros and cons of the VFA, especially regarding various concerns of mutual importance to our two countries with the end in view of helping the President arrive at an informed decision on the

matter," he said in a message to reporters. "Our bilateral cooperation with the US is geared towards upholding our national interest and to the extent necessary to enhance the Philippines’ defense capability," he added. The VFA became effective on May 27, 1999 upon ratification by the Philippine Senate, but the US government regards the VFA to be executive agreements not requiring approval by the US Senate. The VFA is an agreement in support of the Mutual Defense Treaty between the two countries, which was established on August 30, 1951 to provide mutual support in case of foreign attack. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

HE Davao City government would take its cue from the national government should the International Criminal Court ask for its assistance in a probe on the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, Mayor Sara Duterte said on Tuesday.

Visayas... From A1

De Guzman said cases in the Visayas rose due to minimal observance of basic health protocols such as the proper wearing of face masks, frequent hand washing and physical distancing. People have also been holding gatherings and celebrations that have turned into super-spreader events in the Visayas, she said. De Guzman said while the DOH is closely monitoring the rise in cases in Visayas, Health officials cannot set aside the National Capital Region (NCR) and eight other provinces where the COVID-19 situation remains "fragile.” The Palace on Tuesday denied neglecting the Visayas and Mindanao in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, rejecting the claim by Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez that the authorities were “taking their sweet time” in distributing the bulk of coronavirus shots in Metro Manila. “It is not true that we stalled other areas of the Philippines,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque said in Filipino. He said the government has allocated only 38 percent of the vaccine supply to Metro Manila and its surrounding

NCR... From A1

be increased to 40 percent provided that a Safety Seal is secured; - 50 percent operational capacity for personal care services not requiring mask removal, which could be increased by 10 percent provided that a Safety Seal is secured; - 50 percent operational capacity for outdoor tourist attractions; - 40 percent operational capacity for indoor dining, which could be increased by 10 percent provided there is a Safety Seal; and - religious activity at 30 percent operational capacity, which can be increased by the local government unit to as high as 50 percent. Activities allowed in NCR Plus — which covers Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal — also include non-contact sports, lottery, leisurely travel and outdoor dining at 50 percent operating capacity. 'Arrest them' Meanwhile, President Rodrigo Duterte

Rody... From A1

campaign promise to get rid of the country's drug problem, and he openly ordered police to kill drug suspects if their lives were in danger. "The President will never cooperate until the end of his term on June 30, 2022," Harry Roque told reporters, repeating a previous assertion that the ICC has no jurisdiction in the Philippines because it pulled out of the tribunal. The Philippines left the ICC in 2019 after the court launched a preliminary examination into the war on drugs. Bensouda said it could still investigate crimes committed while the country was a member. "The available information indicates that members of the Philippine National Police, and others acting in concert with them, have unlawfully killed between several thousand and tens of thousands of civilians" during the period under investigation, said Bensouda, in one of her last acts before stepping down this week.

US... From A1

military exercises with their counterparts in the Philippines. Locsin said the suspension would be for a further six months while the President "studies, and both sides further address his concerns regarding, particular aspects of the agreement". Meanwhile, a US aircraft carrier group led by the USS Ronald Reagan has entered the South China Sea as part of a routine mission, the US Navy said on Tuesday, at a time of rising tensions between Washington

From A1

AstraZeneca hits snag in COVID-19 cure development LONDON—COVID-19 vaccine-maker AstraZeneca on Tuesday revealed it had hit a setback in trials of a treatment for the coronavirus. The drug, made from a combination of two antibodies, failed its main goal to treat COVID-19 symptoms in exposed patients, AstraZeneca saidin a statement. The treatment has been undergoing phase 3 or final clinical trials to assess its safety and efficacy. AstraZeneca said that 1,121 unvaccinated adults had been exposed to an infected person as part of the trial. Treatment AZD7442 reduced the risk of developing symptoms by only 33 percent—which was "not statistically significant", it added. The company is nevertheless continuing trials to assess whether the drug can prevent COVID or treat more severe symptoms. The US government has funded the development of AZD7442 and has agreements to receive 700,000 doses. Meanwhile, AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine, which was developed with the University of Oxford, continues to face safety doubts. AFP

CHR: Don’t skip waste control during pandemic By Rio N. Araja THE Commission on Human Rights on Tuesday said despite the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis, it is still important not to neglect the management of waste, especially in quarantine facilities, lockdown areas and isolation centers. CHR Spokesperson Jacqueline Ann de Guia said while national and local interventions during the pandemic are largely focused on protecting lives and economies, the management of waste is also essential to minimize long-term risks to human and environmental health. In line with the celebration of the Philippine Environment Month, CHR lauded the effort of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in completing the closure of the 335 open dumps all over the country, and on its continued commitment to strictly enforce Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

Jabs... From A1

Despite the increase, he noted the administration's “prudent debt management” gave the country the fiscal headroom to deal with the pandemic. Because of this, he said the anticipated temporary rise in debt remained within the prescribed bounds of fiscal viability. At the same time, Dominguez said this year the country's budget gap was expected to widen to P1.86 trillion, about 36 percent higher than last year. This is about 9.3 percent of the country's GDP. He said the larger budget deficit would require P3.1 trillion in borrowings in 2021, roughly the same level as last year. These borrowings will be sourced mainly from the local markets at around 75 percent and 25 percent from abroad. He stressed that financing the country's vaccine purchases was a specific subset of the country's overall fiscal management. He said the total budget for the procurement of vaccines amounted to P88.6 billion. This should be enough to procure about 148 million doses and inoculate at least 70 million Filipinos or 100 percent of our adult population, he said. Of the 88.6-billion peso funding, P2.5 billion forms part of the budget of the Department of Health under the 2021 General Appropriations Act. Meanwhile, the P10 billion are funds under the Bayanihan 2 law allocated for the COVID-19 vaccination program. The remaining P3.26 billion comes from other sources in the 2021 National Budget and the Bayanihan 2. Around P57.3 billion are sourced through concessional loans from the country's multilateral partners, such as the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. Up to 12.7 billion pesos will come from other financing sources as may be necessary while the 2.8 billion pesos, as mentioned, are from the contingency funds. MECQ areas Areas under modified enhanced community quarantine, the second toughest lockdown level, will now be prioritized in the country's COVID-19 vaccination drive, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles saidTuesday. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2021

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Virus carried through blood transfusion? DOH checking THERE is not enough evidence to show that COVID-19 may be transmitted through blood transfusions, the Department of Health said. There is “minimal evidence” but the DOH is not taking it lightly, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an online press conference. “’Yung mga posibilidad ay nandun, kasi yung nagco-cross from the mother to the child (The posibility is there because it crosses from the mother to the child),” she said. She was referring to a few cases when antibodies against COVID-19 were found in babies born after their mothers survived the virus. “We need to have further evidence for this,” she said. But blood recipients should not be worried about a possible transmission as health officials check donated blood for possible diseases even before the COVID-19 pandemic, Vergeire said. “Sa lahat ng dugo na dino-donate, prinoproseso po yan kung saan inii-screen natin ‘yung mga tranfusion for transmissible infection (Bags of blood that are donated are processed and screened for transmissible infection),” she said. Ito ‘yung mga ibang sakit, liban dito sa sinasabing COVID-19 (These are diseases apart from COVID-19.),” she said. The government has been encouraging the public to donate more blood as supply in blood banks dropped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. lood donation in 2020 dropped to 1.04 million units, from the 1.38 million collected from January to June of 2019, said Marites Estrella, program manager of the DOH National Voluntary Blood Services Program. The DOH has been issuing special passes for blood donors, while government seeks to encourage more people to donate blood during the COVID-19 pandemic. Willie Casas

Cebu Pacific offers cheap RT-PCR test

SMC INITIATIVES. There’s no let up in San Miguel Corporation’s various sustainability initiatives nationwide even during the pandemic. SMC has ongoing river cleanup projects at the Pasig and Tullahan rivers while subsidiaries San Miguel Global Power Holdings, Inc. San Miguel Brewery, Inc. Ginebra San Miguel, Inc., and Petron Corporation have established long-term upland and mangrove tree planting programs.

Duterte wants to know if ivermectin works vs Covid By Vito Barcelo

P

RESIDENT Duterte has ordered a swift study on the efficacy of a de-worming drug ivermectin against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), and vowed to pour in money to fund the research for it. In his speech Monday night, Duterte said there is a need to determine the efficacy of ivermectin, which he called cheap and accessible. “Many people told me. I said, they swear by their fathers’ graves that it is really effective to fight COVID-19. So the earlier the studies are completed, whether or not it has the efficacy to fight COVID-19, is important because it is cheap and easily available,” the President said.

The President also assured state researchers that the government has allocated funds for the study. Duterte noted that while he cannot say whether ivermectin should be used to treat Covid-19 patients, “credible” people have testified the drug was efficacious against the novel coronavirus. The President added that money should not be the problem in conducting the study on the said drug.

By Joel E. Zurbano

THE Cebu Pacific Air on Tuesday said it was offering local travelers the cheapest COVID-19 RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) test for only P2,500. The airline came up with the new promo in partnership with Health Metrics, Inc. and Safeguard DNA Diagnostics Inc. The special rate is solely for passengers booked on Cebu Pacific and its sister airline Cebgo. As a number of local and international destinations still require negative coronavirus RT-PCR test results prior to entry, CEB has ensured this requirement is made more accessible and affordable through these reduced rates. Results are guaranteed to be released within 48 hours, while a guaranteed 24-hour turnaround period is priced at P3,200 for both laboratories. HMI has clinics in cities of Pasay and Makati; while SDDI has facilities in Mandaluyong City, Bacolod, and Davao. “We continue to do what we can to rebuild the public’s trust and confidence in air travel. As we remain committed to providing affordable flights for everyJuan, we also made it a point to see where else we can reduce costs for our passengers – we are happy to work with our laboratory partners to make available the cheapest RT-PCR swab test rates that may conveniently be booked on our website,” said Candice Iyog, CEB vice president for Marketing and Customer Experience.

DASMARINAS 400.

A 66-year- old a retired fireman and also a stroke patient joins 400 people who receive their first dose of Sinovac during vaccination rollout conducted at SM City Dasmarinas by the local government of Dasmarinas on June 14, 2021. He says that being vaccinated will protect him against COVID-19. JR Josue

“I am not in a position that it should or should not be used. I just want to know if there’s an application and if you have clinical studies already,” he said. Dr. Eric Domingo, director general of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said the clinical trials led by the Department of Science and Technology and the Department of Health will start this month. Last April, Duterte has also ordered the Department of Health to hold clinical trials for the use of controversial drug ivermectin to treat coronavirus patients. The clinical trials would study how Ivermectin reduces symptoms or length of hospital admission among trial participants compared to other treatments being used.

MILLION TREE PROJECT. A tripartite

memorandum of understanding has been signed among MFTI president and executive director Melandrew T. Velasco, JCISP president Gregorio Lipa and PJSF chairma Nelson S. Tan with MWSS chairman Reynaldo Velasco, Maynilad AVP and MFTI director Annette de Ocampo and JCI Senator Lian Seelin witnessing the event.

FDA rings alarm over China-made unregistered drugs THE Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned the public against purchasing various unregistered Chinese drugs, such as probiotics, vitamins and supplements. “All concerned establishments are warned not to distribute, advertise, or sell the said violative medical device products until the Product Notification Certificates are issued, otherwise, regulatory actions and sanctions shall be strictly pursued,” the FDA said. In a series of advisories, the FDA cited the following drugs which have not undergone the registration process and they do not have the corresponding authorization such as certificate of product registration. -Topfond® Meheco H41020972 [Label in Foreign Language] -Cenoca B-Complex Vitamins Tablet 0.55g -WY® Chloramphenicol Tablets 0.25g -OTC Yansuan Saigengding Pian -OTC Tongbianling Jiaonang -Changweishi Connate Kang Probiotic Powder 30g -BYS® Nimesulide Tablets 100 mg -OTC Sanyi Clotrimazole Solution 8ml -Zhiyangpianfang Zhongyaorugao 15g -Metformin Hydrochloride Tablets 0.25g [Label in Foreign Language] -OTC Vitamin E Soft Capsules -A.T.P. Adenosine Disodium Triphosphate Tablets 20 mg -Xinnaokang Jiaonang 0.25g [as reflected in the package insert] -Shiduqingruangao Willie Casas

AMTC surpasses target: Million more trees for 2021 in the offing AS THE country observes Philippine Environment Month, stakeholders of the Annual Million Trees Challenge (AMTC) stressed their commitment to plant one million trees this year to meet AMTC’s five-million trees target in five years. Four years after its maiden launchingled by MWSS Chairman and Acting Administrator Reynaldo V. Velasco in February 2017, AMTC is on the right track. Over four million trees have been planted in the identified denuded areas of the watersheds. About 9,509.375 hectares of watersheds involving Angat, Ipo, Kaliwa, La Mesa, Laguna Lake, Umiray, and Upper Marikina including Manila Bay have reforested based on the audit

report by DENR. “One of the remarkable accomplishments of AMTC is increasing the forest cover of Ipo Watershed from 43 percent in 2017 to 81 percent in 2020,” Velasco said adding that “sustainable nurturing of sapling trees planted take three years to maintain and sustain.” For this year, the following AMTC partner stakeholders have pledged to plant more than one million trees namely: MWSS (140,000); MWSS-RO (23,000); Manila Water (70,000); Maynilad (20,000); Bulacan Bulk Water (20,000); DENR 3 (43,000); DENR 4A-PENRO Rizal (350,000); LLDA (100,000); Camp Nakar LGU (50,000); ALKFI-BL (40,000); WWF Philippines (60,000); Boy

Scout of the Philippines (50,000); Bambuhay- Anak ni Inang Daigdig (60,000); JCI Senate Philippines (2,000); and, Rotary International District 3780 (5,000). The AMTC is a five-year watershed rehabilitation program of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) to restore the health of seven critical watersheds that are crucial in supplying water to Metro Manila and neighboring provinces. It also supports the National Greening Program of the government under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. In its 2020 report, the AMTC stated that a total of 4,021,626 seedlings were planted from 2017-2020 in the Ipo-Angat Dams

area (2,265,483), La Mesa (777,505), Laguna de Bay (222,096), Kaliwa-Umiray (60,473), Upper Marikina watershed (552,165), and Manila Bay (143,904). For three consecutive years since its launch in February 2017, AMTC targets were surpassed, according to the report. In 2017, the number of seedlings planted totaled 1,337,800. This was followed by 1,027,467 in 2018; and 1,022,917 in 2019. However, the number declined in 2020 because of the pandemic that prompted several program partners to postpone tree-planting activities. Only 633,442 trees were planted in 2020. Nevertheless, the cumulative number surpassed the four million target in four years.

PDEA, Ninja Van team up By Rio N. Araja

THE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency has partnered with a local courier service company in its move to put an end to drug trafficking. PDEA executive director Wilkins Vilanueva enlisted the services of the Ninja Van led by its country head Martin Cu, in a simple ceremony of the signing of a memorandum of agreement. “There is an increasing prevalence involving delivery courier services as mode of trafficking dangerous drugs. They have become unknowing drug couriers by accepting delivery orders from persons engaged in illegal drug trade,” he said. He said drug syndicates have found several creative ways to distribute ille-

gal drugs despite the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. “The safest way to move illegal drugs is the absence of human contact. They resort to delivery service platforms to make the delivery of illicit goods close to undetectable,” he added. The Ninja Van is a technology company operating a mobile and web application matching its accredited drivers with consumers in need of delivery services in certain areas in the Philippines. Under the arrangement, PDEA and Ninja Van have agreed to cooperate and coordinate closely with one another, and to exchange best practices and knowledge to combat transportation of dangerous drugs, or controlled precursor and essential chemicals.

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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2021

LIFE-SAVING SHOT. Members of the Philippine National Police belonging to the A4 priority group receive their first dose of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine at the Multi-Purpose Center of Camp Crame in Quezon City on June 15, 2021. Joey Razon

WB: Fight ‘silent pandemic’ of undernutrition THE country needs to invest more in programs tackling childhood undernutrition to eliminate what is long considered a “silent pandemic” afflicting many of the country’s poor and vulnerable population, a World Bank study released yesterday showed. Childhood stunting – characterized by prolonged nutritional deficiency among infants and young children– is considered one of the most serious but least-addressed problems in the world and an even more pressing issue in the Philippines, according to the report “Undernutrition in the Philippines: Scale, Scope and Opportunities for Nutrition Policy and Programming.” In the Philippines, around 30 percent of children under 5 years of age are stunted – considered high for its level of income and high compared to most of its neighbors. Other countries with similar levels of income have rates of stunting averaging around 20 percent of children under 5 years of age. The Philippines’ rate of stunting places it fifth among countries in the East Asia and Pacific region with the highest stunting prevalence, and among the top ten countries globally with the highest number of stunted children. Ndiamé Diop, World Bank Country Director for Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand, said undernutrition is a critical issue hampering the Philippines’ human and economic development.

SC to Disini: Pay P1b over BNPP

By Rey E. Requejo

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HE Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld with modification the judgment rendered by the Sandiganbayan finding Herminio Disini, a former associate of the late President Ferdinand Marcos, liable for receiving commissions from Westinghouse Electrical Corporation in connection with his role in the awarding of the controversial $2.2 billion Bataan Nuclear Power Plant to the American electric company.

In a unanimous vote, the Court En Banc affirmed the resolution of the Sandiganbayan in Civil Case No. 0013 and ordered Disini’s estate to pay the government P1 billion in temperate damages as well as P1 million in exemplary damages instead of the conveyance of about $50,562,500 million that he allegedly received as commission from Westinghouse.

Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo and Associate Justice Amy Lazaro-Javier took no part in the resolution of the case. In the decision penned by Associate Justice Ramon Paul Hernando, the SC held Disini liable for exerting undue influence in the awarding of the mothballed BNPP Project by taking advantage of his close association with former

President Marcos. The government, through the Presidential Commission on Good Government, filed a complaint before the Sandiganbayan in 1987 for restitution and damages against Disini, former President Marcos and Mrs. Imelda Marcos. In 2012, the anti-graft court found Disini liable for receiving commissions of about $50 million from Westinghouse, but absolved the Marcoses for lack of evidence. The PCGG claimed that Westinghouse solicited the influence of Disini, who was known as a close associate of the late president, to become its “special sales representative” to ensure its appointment as the main contractor for the BNPP Project and for favorable terms, for a fee of 3 percent of the contract price as commission.

ACCOUNTING OF COVID FUNDS.

Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III presides over the continuation of the Committee of the Whole hybrid hearing on the country’s COVID-19 vaccination program on June 15, 2021. Sotto said the committee deems it necessary to reconvene to update the public on the status of the vaccination program and the utilization of its P82.5 billion budget.

OFWs appeal: Lift travel ban to UAE, Oman Carpio: World must reject China’s coast guard law By Vito Barcelo

OVERSEAS Filipino workers in the United Arab Emirates and Oman have asked the government to reconsider its extension of the travel ban on certain countries because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “UAE and Oman are some of the top destinations of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in the Middle East and a ban on travelers from these countries has been in effect since May 15. This restriction is causing a lot of suffering among OFWs – especially those who are on vacation, who lost jobs, whose visas have expired or are expiring, and who are pregnant and are sick but are fit to travel – and their families,” said OFW group MigranteMiddle East. The government on Monday extended the travel ban on UAE, Oman, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal until the end of the month. Migrante launched an online petition to seek an end to the travel restriction through https://secure.avaaz. org/community_petitions/en/duterte_ government_lift_ph_travel_ban_for_ ofws_in_uae_oman/

RETIRED Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio has called on the international community to oppose China’s new coast guard law, which he described as “an actual threat of force of fishing vessels of all states” in the South China Sea. The new law, which took effect in February, authorizes the Chinese coast

guard to fire at other countries’ ships that fish or conduct economic activities in waters claimed by Beijing, even if these are situated beyond China’s territorial sea, exclusive economic zone, or extended continental shelf. “China’s new coast guard law is definitely a great threat to the continuance of the law of the sea and a great threat to

world peace. The world must therefore resolutely oppose China’s new coast guard law and seek its invalidation before relevant international tribunals,” Carpio said. He said the new law should be invalidated before relevant international courts as it violates the United Nations Charter and the UN Convention on the Law of the Seas.

2-yr. deadline to resolve SC cases backed THE Integrated Bar of the Philippines has backed measures the Supreme Court would implement to resolve within two years, from date of submission for decision, all cases filed before it. “The Integrated Bar of the Philippines welcomes the public commitment of Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo that the Supreme Court will observe the constitutional deadline of twenty-four months within which it should decide cases submitted for resolution,” IBP President Domingo Egon Cayosa said in a statement. Gesmundo vowed to focus on the case decongestion program and a technology-driven judiciary to resolve cases pending before the SC, including those languishing its dockets for many years. On case decongestion, Gesmundo said that he and his colleagues have agreed to prioritize the resolution of aging cases in the next 24 months. “My fellow justices and I have resolved to decide all petitions, cases, or matters that have been filed before the Supreme Court after April 5, 2021 strictly within the said 24-month period from date of submission pursuant to Section 15 (1), Article VIII of the 1987 Constitution, and to strictly observe requirements for the proper exercise of its power of judicial review,” the chief magistrate added. Cayosa said: “We strongly support the significant shift for timely disposition of cases brought to the highest court of the land.” “The proactive announcement from the head of the Judiciary will inspire and rally the trial and other appellate courts which are subjected to shorter constitutional deadlines. Adherence to set deadlines by all is one way of achieving justice bilis (fast justice),” the IBP official said. To support the expeditious resolution of cases, Gesmundo said the SC has approved several amendments to its Internal Rules. Rey Requejo

Villar rejects farmers’ group criticisms over lower rice tariffs By Macon Ramos-Araneta SENATOR Cynthia Villar has rejected accusations by the Federation of Free Farmers that she deliberately remained silent on Executive Order 135 issued by President Rodrigo Duterte on May 15. “By alleging that I have remained silent and thus supports the lowering of tariff on rice is unacceptable,” Villar said. The FFF earlier called out Villar, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, for her alleged inaction on the order imposing lower rice tariffs. Effectively, EO 135 would mean that all imported rice without distinction as to country of origin and volume would be subjected to 35 percent tariff for a period of one year instead of 40 percent for in-quota and 50 percent for out-quota. The government said this was done to help “diversify the country’s market sources, augment rice supply, maintain prices affordable and reduce pressures on inflation.” But stakeholders in the agricultural sector, including local farmers, bewailed the order, stressing this would be an added burden to them. In her letter to FFF, Villar said she has always been a staunch supporter of the local agricultural industry and has sought for the improvement of the welfare of Filipino farmers. The senator added she has been pushing for legislation that empower and enrich the lives of Filipino farmers.

PPI trustees re-elected; Manila Standard’s Estabillo still chairman

DAKILANG BAYANI. The country’s Consul General to Dubai, Paul Raymund Cortes and his wife Yasmin Cortes lead the awarding ceremony for outstanding Filipino expatriates. The seven Dakilang Bayani Awardees are as follows: internationally-acclaimed designer Michael Cinco, multi-awarded global business leader Dr. Mary Jane Alvero, Lalaine Chu-Benitez, Josie Conlu, Fevie Laurilla, Ace Lester Quijada, and veteran journalist Angel Tesorero. Cortes was also given a tribute by the Filipino community in honor of his meritorious service and achievements during his tour of duty in Dubai and the Northern Emirates.

SIX regional trustees of the Philippine Press Institute (PPI) were re-elected during its annual members’ meetings and regional press forums on June 7, 9, and 11 via Zoom. Four Board officers also retained their positions. Balikas publisher and editor Joenald Medina Rayos from Batangas City and Herald Express’s publisher and editor Dexter See from Baguio City were elected for another term by Luzon members as their representatives to the PPI Board. The Visayas members also unanimously voted MetroPost publisher and

editor Alex Rey Pal from Dumaguete City and Leyte-Samar Daily Express publisher Dalmacio Grafil from Tacloban City as regional trustees. Mindanao Times editor-in-chief Amalia Montecillo Bandiola and Mindanao Observer publisher and managing editor Adrian A. Amatong were re-elected for another term as trustees for Mindanao. Retaining their positions as Board officers are: Manila Standard publisher Rolando Estabillo as chairman-president; Cabusao as vice-president; Rayos as treasurer; and See as corporate secretary.

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Others even going to the extent who or may not run president Russ ansem gence a y agency n e you gence agency GRU e when ayone mos gov eve yone gov Russia’s military intelligence agency, GRU. ney toward nation-building. theare story ofUS this voyage been “...To the rest of the Father Rannie Aquino wrote in his n ofSENATOR an dea wo dcould he pthe epunctuenmay Russ amanufacturing sed a ypany GRU for haesen scampaigns comp a amore nwo ng w nothis hewas p withdrawal mos nthe an dea dso he esen kintensely A memorandum on have Sept.alre 1 and w hhas connec vover ykAs or hey cou d toafor so click of finger Grabe. against campaign’s communications or in power and utilities acomm race nmwithout he ane us ng as hey do he M crosof se f sApparently, ha Russ an m ary CRUZ no eveDELA Through mix ofworld, so-called synchronous But say Democrats Moscow isdthe adversary number security experts insisting pened help. fact, ashas DELA CRUZ tions Trump organization. ce has oAppa coope ainsider emonarch nhese he evIn ew berexperts elections, with the Democrats and aorganization. of insinuating that this not have hapnhas an dea wo he pwo wo kpa will—is Mr. Duterte’ from the Rome Raisa Mabayo should COVID-19 pandem c tions have already started COVID-19 pandemic DELA CRUZ Trump ber elections, with the and a of insinuating that this could not have hapthese continuing attacks mimstitute the int en y con nu ng a acks m m cguded s g asp ng a s aws “...To Spain, whose commisated by a number of conflicting, slanted COVID-19 pandemic has arguably a ow key pa in the history thethe column on thethem martial law years, every homeany ehackers up wou d back a the ow pa en y hese con nu nghave a acks m pened three conditions in which asp ng Fa you s aws om wou dand en thatnumber worries therse most, given Russia’s the Russian are in the narrative goes, itme could been simnext year said current vice president would the Through a mit by p ovmos dAppa ngthe documen she o ed 61 Du epened e mand But experts say Moscow thestuadversary US security experts insisting without insider help. Instory aseffec Inaupfwin nd s milestone rMoscow des methods—where bes ois reomaof home uphome wou dse ow pang enaour sasynchronous f end ff cu ofact, been ve he obs hhave nk ouoarge cou s US ake hehacking own soph savoyage ca hods ava ab e that som ed 200 organ zaandons par the “sustained information Statute and consequently theThrough ICC. Thisa makes mix of officia so-cal But experts say issthe adversary number of US security insisting without any insider help. 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Forty k hab Th o ofyome amab eof her requests it, be an unders a den emen Andealt expert, John Hultquist, senior execuproblems UCPB, seen wa ameans he 2016 phas es wh mmob ze en commun y dsand shea ng cially as thedents public schools and where perform other on representative ks hab s eight Th s heart. slengthy am and pause. would be an understatement HE Offi ce of the Ombudsman not ng ns ha documen scae rocking aaeded he on dnautical ugs lengthy track record. anump inside job considering the internal tial race favor of sethen candidate Trump asmost vinsidious cases busch ough be hem— hose and teach wo kanother hab who s wo Thblow, s FireEye, ue otosome am time, es lives would be understatement lworst be commemorating the 500th track record. ply an inside job considering the internal technological development ofmasse. dents and teacher arecould prese ace na avo o da hen cand daply etory T Sos einand hemos wo and mos dbe ousdone hack sous oand beocbeven ough ohackce as assassination of tion ofheights. local authorities, much more diffi cult. spurred to es unprecedented after, those have osuch una e the enough oan keep a Antonio ob and p oyears orders its release in relation tob tive of the cybersecurity firmharangued has itssecu top officials resigning en and commun d fferen y Th s shou d a ace n avo o hen cand e T ump S he wo ns d ous hack anywhere any me and aga ns enshave bare ough us ce he ma n Democra c fundra s ng They are here to weeks, the situation on their own, respectively—educators are tryOne of he c eares man fes a ons o una e enough o keep a ob and p o against his Democratic rival, former US done to subvert political have na ona y mp ca ons and he e An expert, John Hultquist, senior execuproblems rocking UCPB, which has seen cha ged nass connec w ope h he Ampa u time, and wher y—the quincentennial histoinof government which would have been but o tons una e enough othen keep a to ob the and p o surprisingly, An expert, John Hultquist, senior execu-he UCPB, which has seen the clearest manifestations science and the will of leaders toaoproblems reach Luna, the death ofLacson, the Bonifacio aga ns this ha sits Democ cserveva oSenator me US ng a ons asubve e done o subve po ca any time, and where they perfo h a eve eas wha eve eng oope on “...Not an eventual disconand thrown of garbage at PresPanfi loOne however, said one raised alarm bells over thegood, Russian hackers In event, heist should as rocking v corruption de he ch dclearest en he eamanifestations nbrothers ng oo Certainly, the crimes is accused of and the case, or of a request is made th One of the ferent. Children may not h aga ns h s Democ c va me US a ons a e done o po ca wha s e o ing to make do with available technology to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s camnd undermine societies. The Army commanders. any perce ved adversary G ven such an p a form) for cyber a acks M crosof v ce zen o esoc shou es dpreviously no be pub vare he chmprove he nempa ng oo sthe and correc our tive ofhy cybersecurity firm FireEye, has its top officials resigning en masse. Meanwh equalities sduring uden sident are athat so ad us ng ohere an Massac e had puook pp ocesses ace n 2009 o m ne stay. of made ha change he —of ofwe Europeans their investigat own, resp unknown lands and recreate tive ofin the cybersecurity firm FireEye, has itseduca top officials en masse. vare deThey he ch dde en hepresided eadto nenng ooour sea the mass murders inother Samar They here to Sec aH yconly oa sSyfor an ebanks. asThis ycam C non onand s resigning cam and nect the narrative surrounding Spanish av ngthe saarrival d Russian ha shou Marcos and those who noting while multiple cyber-espionage a eThe wake-up call is also their own, respectively—e fi ght against corruption which is downright bad. Ombudsman’s We’ve bought into needed toughness and to lead of that change is in the education manner with which he has received thesefield allegaor functioning equipment anoy oea S ze ae enot Che nH on pe ocesses andonunde m ne unde soc e es Du Theee eSec reach out to their students and enable them tohackers ha shou d pu paign.” overwethe interferof that change is in the education may h s bu mo e raised alarm bells over the Russian In any event, this heist should serve as ns ance we conv c ed y n 2019 o ppines. In 2019, the Human Rights Watch reworld geography. It marked the beginGiven the continuing debate over the env ronmen he secur y and s ab y of pres den Tom Bur has been quo ed as saydon o raised alarm bells over the Russian hackers In any event, this heist should serve as ing to make do the Fil-American war, to name a few, the actors have targeted organizations associshor -s gh edness Intions dodeveloped ngevidence our bes ofor the alsoe”sys for em regulators, government agencies the country. arrival in the notwithstanding Philippines as each over thestay. country’s fate work during those years pa gn ” con ove he sy Russ ove spotted Russ an pa n egn no ce ha cape h s in UCPB cape syMicrosoft he much-changedstay. demands of schoo purpose a ideal fact-finding ing to not make do with place availato may beofan learn, the great challenges con ove— anhe nhe estate-spona2016 h sUS UCPB has also are of toughness. elections favor ce oses he doo any CC nves system noting thatsecurity while multiple cyber-espionage acall callfor not for banks. ang uas a ofeaove he ence ac shou d US be asdecade thehe landing ning of oneoof thecemost powerful empires martial law Mabayo’s notes should the obvious ones, noting that while cyber-espionage arrival the flotilla and the death its iscould aaon wake-up not only banks. isha ofThis ated not with the upcoming election, the and exand other companies doing essential and Jus asof week weonly eaThis ned Om country went onthese tomultiple construct their own nareach out toathe get over the fact that more and M oso has aga so spo edn segr awake-up esystem spon nyears, he 2016 eIran, ec ons n avo oand ypularly noDonald beknown heTrump Someone who requests co ported that “State forces and govna ons soc es as we as he y ha n fa ed a emp on B den’s ysreach to things. their students ac learnout new Parents posed by untested methods. sored hackers in China and targeting ate lingers. 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And this sensitive services. The incident reminds isTrump more to events than theeoeye. Duterte ofgreatest the earliest lockship, Victoria, in domestic Spain under and Lns esbuhackers oToday gove nmen omany cea ainternational spimposed episode will rused, selected for exclusion orby inclusion vening their ‘construct’ have been comare “most concerned with that of d the president’s corner. this sensitive services. The incident reminds be 5presumably ens eauone nrecent ng ns upresident’s sdemocrats s be fperts na ytheir over Tha w sdom wou be SALN the request. N on have eady amo he choohe yea hey ova use echno ogy o this subwith aenme n ns ense ywith aga anv ove un up edogo sMagallanes) ang e even go oan he exove about a COVID-19 infection The teachers work. Sure, they may be teaching from beabpriceless. 5he many pbu va ehave nincumbent ng campa gns bu mo ethenbu ense y this aga aand aga norganization. hem un upnCou ohe he Novem nns, othehe exong en The teachers themselves sue he case o s conc us on ic process.. as this hacking group has been cratic challenger Joe Biden’s side given the After all, activities that seek to comprofUS this voyage has been punctu“...To the rest of world, was Be e he n e na ona C na As Father Rannie Aquino wrote in his Russian military intelligence unit..which time around they are joined by Chinese them to double their efforts in securing problems, has to be the epitome of toughness. lan’s second-in-command, Juan Sebasfestering issues? 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Still, even if of ithey was the have aed s aons ed heout. schoo yea T ump on edthem be experts e ec ons w hcahe Democ and aodigital ng haga shave cou d nohe have hapec ons is trying his priceless themilitary comfort of their but and there is defificult time adju ons have a ons s a profile hebashing schoo yea pr ceHein ess ump gan becampa wRod hcommun he and a aacTs arguably cou d no priceless sdevices. ueady eand he nineady erac exper ences ficult time adjusting tophot the responsible for some the most provocasanctions imposed and mise devices, even entire systems, Never oo aoegan number of conflicting, slanted aa key milestone the—whe history column on the martial lawe ayears, every CCarehe s back ap comp aenas aga ns Du emost, poses the threat to theyour democratand Iranian hackers presumably Demotian Elcano, has engendered its wake their digital systems devices. h what ee cond ons nhigh wh thenan told and retold—proselytized, realasand has his been does the word exactly mean, Itgreatest is to easy to be swayed by simplistic portraythatnumbe worries them thesecu given Russia’s poses the greatest threat thecommunity democratssian hackers inac the and Iranian hackers presumably inscrutinized Demotheir systems SALN shall allowed. and ynch onou me hod edigital uBut reverence for critics, journalists, Amerstill bebe able to learn inmay this Th ough a ch mgetting xhe oSALN so in cathis ednon-debatable synch onous Bu expe s in say Moscow s he hehe adve sa yand o go US ynsexpe s nsBu s ng ou any nstory nitely nothing comfortable about doing tivists, environmentalists, leadworld’s longest and strictest, the lockdown but the fi ght against their work. Sur Th ough a m x o so ca ed synch onous expe s say Moscow s he adve sa y numbe o US secu y expe s s ng de p nsondeaac as tive and aggressive cyber operations of all these two countries have been from for financial or state gains or just plain their work. Sure, they REALITY ften he dependent on the Wh e we e adenh sand youeache ea ya ecan b ame of globalization; thereafter, thee exchange story teller has his or her own “construct” eged c mes aga ns human y n he a trove of accounts, written or otherwise, cou d be e eased he o c a o h s o ic process.. as this hacking group has been cratic challenger Joe Biden’s side given the After all, activities that seek to comproly—to their respective peoples. and found wanting. It is not the only lengthy track record. n he ea wo d howeve and e pe We were hoping that Ombudsm p en a a he ame ic process.. as this hacking group has been cratic challenger Joe Biden’s side given the After all, activities that seek to comprocontext? als of leaders posing as heroes out to defeat their will learn ican president, the Pope—God, even. Hejournalists.” has work in the same manner for many years, ment. Students ha es hem he mos Russ aasynch s administration. ha an he Russs an s na ehebackhan“gotcha” he esmoments eh goes cou d have been and asynch onous me hods—whe e he su the comfort of wo hem mos gence ven Russ ag sven ha heofd Russ ahistory. ehacke back ou d have been time.” the Trump become such luand onous mesnarrative. hods—whe e he s upandemic. ers, and thethe comfort ofreflect their homes, like many facets ofhour his-s m failed toopen contain the he eight bus nessof sec ome oand swo u he ee have mpa nhe digital cultures, ideas, and technology that in ourHultquist, Forty corruption. cou sesng om on ugsperiod hahacke began soon each with every ep esen adevices, ve asystems, cou “...One such example ofsome this the An expert, John senior execuresponsible for of the most imposed and high even entire story toanotell. As some noted writers and cdigital achanging y aeven he pub choo a esen ew hasanprovocahad on d whe hey pe od mdeveloped owas a khemise on responsible for ofthen the most provocaimposed and high profile bashing mise devices, entire systems, educators will learn tohis teac even decades, and having to shift to We suspect many ofeques still subscribe to eng hy ack ecopend problems and is enemies. The truth istime thatto toughde obng cons de hes wa n e na n attempts he eaprofile wokill; dbashing howeve andsome espe qualms issuing threats to his minions den suscand eache aassanctions enawe pobvious aIfsanctions same thesehe latest hacking on othIn the case of the Russian operations for crative, even highly sought and eng hy toack eco dapp de he n e na n he ea wo d howeve and espe nitely nothing c den s and eache a e p esen a he same s the assassination of Antonio spurred unprecedented heights. nitely nothing comfortable ge ng ou awmake s o ove ng years after, those who have harangued Such is the nature of the beast, a e he ook o ce n Ju y 2016 and con nues o de s s e ease n e a on o a pend ng tive of the cybersecurity firm FireEye, has marked difference in the retelling of the academics have been saying lately, the Duterte has vowed to continue his “war tive and aggressive cyber operations of all these two countries have been getting from for financial or state gains or just plain ey are here to week he ua on cou d days be athese k out y dtwo Ten before Duterte imposed the lockhow blatantly it goes against the av he own eexpe pecpast veJohn y—educa oHacka sen enotions yo tive and aggressive cyber operations of all countries have been getting from for financial or state gains or just plain parents will learn how best altogether new way of teaching. An Hu qu s execu ock ng UCPB wh ch has seen of toughness. For example, somebody like erwise secure organizations in US soil c a y as he pub c schoo s open n a ew Trump’s re-election, the reports coming undertakings in the few years. ness is not always how it is perceived to be. It me and whe hey omartial mon o he on at always quick tostory dismiss his schTONY sen o oexecuLOPEZ PB wh ch has seen c the aasks yPalace asadministration. he are pub cdark schoo sutopen n a ofew death of the Bonifacio brothers work thehesah and whe e have hey pe ohave osuch hepehe asks “...Not surprisingly, eventual disconand thrown tons of garbage at then b sPresseem ngAn y expe angu shJohn ngdoHu n wan hequ aava ves raised alarm bells over the Russian hackers work in the sameinmanner used too say, that accounts of events or incicase ome a Ch eques sdown made hemough up o he p esen The comp a n was ed by Ferdinand Magellan’s death. An-their tools law years were not as and time.” e en d en may no adequa e the Trump “gotcha” moments become lufor transparency. Unfortunately, ng o make h ab e echno ogy o time.” the Trump administration. “gotcha” moments have become such luport their children. Nothing They could have trouble with on drugs” which will be “as relentless and Army commanders on March 15, 2020, there were only ve osecu he cybe secu y and m FLacson eEye has involve hotly contested electornot he just of the security establishment but ofa and ers lurking just around the corner a sen esmasse gn nginen masse are here toas we he ua on cou ddPigafetta, be s a kthe y isdItalian who brings with him decades ofve own espec y—educa owords sthe a as emost yfi firmness and who consistency in making and im-decades, ve ocan he cybe yudenm FSpanish eEye has ng as gures of speech. ass murders Samar They are here to he sweeks uaare on couses doperations be sbeg atonio ythese nect inare the narrative surrounding and who presided noting while multiple cyber-espionage even own espec ve y—educa o In shome eterly yuseless as ong emembe orpmen historical rests Ombudsman s highly ehe d that nves ga opolice cethe come om pplanet, ospe ous am o the scholar e a s ves o dduring he dveugasident wa vMarcos cthat msThey ass sthose ed by even decades, and thenagain hava these saying they o whether unc onpersonal ng equ time to perfect his argument If connectivity, these latest hacking attempts on othIn case ofguys the Russian for each ou o he and enab e no hem odents, crative, even sought andonThe developed for this, so complaining will Ifknno latest hacking oncould othcase ofweeks Russian operations crative, even highly and developed and with or they also al inthe the using as they do may Microsoft itself is Russian military hacking beRuss inRuss aPhilippines aHuman as can mdeveloped be sactivated ove he an hacke ssought ven hwar, s dhe shou sethe chilling on the day itattempts began.” He wants In 2019 he R gh scha Wa ch reeto en Ch dfor en have adequa e the aarrival sed abeen moperations besed s ove he an hacke senge eerican s shou ve as TWO confirmed cases. At this writing, the intelligence work would qualify as tough. ng odefinitely make do weocu hechno ava ab e race echno ogy otimes, toseNa name a few, plementing policy. It is engaging in civilized disactors have targeted organizations associina the as each over thestay country’s fatesduring thoseAyears At other they say he is joking when he e en Ch d en may no have adequa e e a s 34 yea s nce he 1987 heavily on the story teller. In the case of o he pu pose o a ac nd ng p obe w h o may have o he bus ness n e es s altogether new ng o make do w h ava ab ogy o kept a detailed journal of events of the would want everybody believe. Like in he ona Un on o Peop es Lawye and may no be an dea p ace o and o altogether new way of teach ing of lifestyle checks for governme ea n no w h and ng he g ea erwise secure organizations in US soil Trump’s re-election, the reports coming out undertakings in the past few years. HackIn finding our stride, it find it difficult to be effective at their secure organizations in US soil jobs Trump’s most re-election, the reports coming out it erwise undertakings inonage thehave pasttargeted few years. Hacksophisticated methods available, is hackers 200 US organizations time at all. Indeed, they have become part esp stay no“S ng e mu ponae cybe ca nobanks onand y Th o sbanks Th no ng etoamu pwh cybe esp the its sR scould yhe oflotilla with upcoming election, theupor exongsituations unc on ng equ pmen The home Inot HAVE been country went on construct their own each ou oamenaces he senab s hem and enab eces hem oon over the facto that more Remember how dealt with line the Magellan expedition subsequent course with people don’t fully agree with Consand on c everyday ea yAwh plife. ov Someone who eques sand copy oin an opandemic ounc ncome aestablishment hese asaid ecan nd death penalty, banned under the Constitued ha ehaunsecur yec forces and govtalks tough—like the time he he would jet voyage, wrote of how Magellan was electorbeojust equ pmen The home all distress and conflict as Philippines ishis the epicenter in the They could each ou ohe he scorner uden sand and eanx osou he sec odeath as gofoup seated Upnot a get e the housands ea lurking naround new hjust ng Patanks, en cou duden be “Wealth does translate toafc poha ed by he eded e e“Sub ed me hod IN previous I onage talked about PresiThey could havecrisis trouble involve the most hotly contested electornot of the security but of ers are around the corner and member that one using the only available medium ofwho instrucnot farfetched to think that the same (political parties, think consultants of involve the most hotly contested not just of the security establishment but ofthe are just the ac oge s ed have acolumn ge edons oers gan zalurking ons assoc gu a nmen o as s well gove nmen agenc esmore perts are “most concerned with that of the president’s corner. And this gellan, as the eventual ac o s have a o gan za assoc ove agenc es tional identities. In the practice of national points of view, of actual accounts may no be an dea p ace o ocus and o events thereafter an article written by ea n no w hs and ng he g ea cha enges o c a s SALN mus p esen a no a zed ca ed n he SALN—assum ng we can s easonab e cond ons p esc bed by aw he sieged by natives in Cebu while attemptcountry was at that time, there were misof work. He wants to go after terrorists. As a legissons you, and fi nding ways you can still work togethou abou eand he ng nex mea may come may no be anany dea pcasace Islands o tion ocus and omost suspec ed d ug dea e s ended up dead a e he he said before lawmakers atmy aconn bud The eachethese hem e ve ar a dangerous ees hav ng operations a nue dhacking ea n operations no wwhe hsDemocratic he g ASEAN ea cha enges ski to the disputed Spratly to plant the and for with al race in the planet, using as they do the Microsoft itself is that Russian military can be activated in no and communities differently be done anywhere at time and against and with connectivity, orb and even the main fundraising What makes activities for crimes, to be reimposed for ernmen -backed param con o tion. 11-nation with a total of 265,888 al race in the planet, using as they do the Microsoft itself is that Russian military hacking can be activated in no dent Rodrigo Duterte’s achievements. Now, a emen edupcom w sha ng heevents upcom ng e ec on he ex ompan es do essen a andwhat Russian military intelligence ddo they are joined by Chinese cen uded ning s sophisticated Ofor herw se he Presthe remaining ed w hmpthese he ein eche he ex lator, ng expedition’s essen angcand making, historical are transpired during that period contraMabayo, Third Secretary etime eRaisa oatom au ho yourhey om owne ohackers he have access oadversary. hem— hen we can ve yhe ea n 200 new hsuch ngs Pa en sshor coumost d be anx to help Rajah Humabon, a methods recently S unit..which a e adopa myth s isand po oon u peand lownhave points but there were high posed by hese un es ed meytakes hods even d he ded no have oand wo po ce a med hey ough back du ng eg Tuesday. In fact, he said that the cu me ad u done ng ocy new demand oplatform) he is not affiliated with any political patron. ea new h ngs Pa s cou d be anx any perceived Given an for cyber attacks. Microsoft vice when are such a brazen posed by hese un es me hods er the good of the people. It is picking peofind it difficul improve our empathy and Philippine fl ag there. available, it is hackers targeted US organizations all. Indeed, they have become part former Natio Meanwhile, students are also adjusting to find it difficult to be effec most sophisticated methods available, it is have targeted 200 US organizations time at all. Indeed, they have become part TO THE drug crimes. harass en arb rar ybehaarres and ng he poses theof greatest threat the democratpresumably in Demope sconce a exclusion e failures: “mosons ned hSALN haVice-Consul oabou es. It quoted is 21 the world. The Philippines ncumben es den s been co ne sselected v nc ces The Du ncnds den em ndsvening er eMagelone he ear estoAnd ockoria, inden Spain areksfor his or nvo ‘construct’ have coms hahere eo hrea “mos wconce hinclusion o wng he ncumben p their es den s pco ne h cs d And ehackers charge of Cultural anTom ng heD eques No eques sin we app ecaabou adparties, e some con ex den ega ylocal appo ndemands you asothers aschoolwork. memCatholicized ruler convert points and celebratory ones as well. pub scperused, osu ewayward awo veach ous abou whe ecanno he nex mea may come aeache COV 19 n ec on erning lifestyle checks isDante illogical eache s aNo. hemse ves e(political hav ng he Suansac e ned hey may om maem eunder an dgiven ugmposed ope a icons the security and stability of president has been as sayand manner as what happened to In short-sightedness. In only doing ous whe econsultants he nex mea may come the much-changed of country ofinBurt fast-changing political color and The sThe hemse ves eDiplohav ng aaenvironment, dparties, using the not farfetched to the think that the same canthe think tanks, consultants ofthis everyday life. ple for the job not for their loyalty but for their And now this same President is hounded by the using only available me not farfetched to think that same can (political think tanks, of everyday life. chief G process.. as this hacking group has been enger Joe Biden’s side the Russ an m a y n e gence un wh ch me a ound hey a e o ned by Ch nese ub e he e o s n secu ng nd-in-command, Juan Sebasby this the and Theiraeven narrative ifCh they insist an aoin yPhilippines’ nhe ecasegence un wh a ing ound e o ned by e o s ndowns secu ngn hemewor But the people love the President for ances ack and kbugreatest posysca acmacy inthethe Philippine Embassy in Maesand ywould esocieties checks aBack eof he he edto o ing nspec ng o these oGermany heheo new yesterday and is barely dout.S hey f even was he Catholicism loyalty toof Spain. MaBut that another story. ngnese pub some cRuss nUCPB estorytellers, esns ”m Eve ybody yng ng hadhe oos he be The depression ashoweve well as integrity to ask to also amend that initial failed attempt on Biden’s which can thestates, banking he1. com oaunhinge home he e chmakes de om even hey noThey have oand wocompetence. yees ber Board of Trus Ph Hea cu me ng oLacson demands obe cope, butCongress we should pic may have grown up with technology, om even hey dCourt. dthe no have ododone wo y be done at timehintends and and even the main Democratic fundraising What activities dangerous POINT cu me ad usak ng opho new demands oL positions on thedislodged issues ofus the day, be anywhere atanywhere any time and against and evennations the main Democratic fundraising What these activities dangerous It any is resisting theagainst temptation totion. stick some most provocamposed andand high profile tion. International Criminal The ICC prosecutor poses he g ea es he hdemoc ea o ng hemalleable democ amakes and ansfor an hacke sythe p nesumab y nposes Demo o, hasems engendered in wake dev cesitsbashing executive offi then told and retold—proselytized, realasresponsible non-debatable has of been scrutinized drid provides an interesting insight and a he g ea es h ea o a and an an hacke p esumab Demo dsys dev ces SALN sha be a owed a eason “L v ng beyond one s means” s gellan believed that his display of force to Mabayo’s notes on the quincentennial and standing of companies and institutions campaign was “...specifically targeted by tem. Or, to companies providing essential Yes has aken ha ong o Cong ess o be ab e o ea n n h new env on He takes issue with the phrase n e y no h ng com o ab e abou do you the “drugs war.” In May 2019, top vven s sheenv ronmen aas squarter s hack commun yishas eadabou D 19 n aec onpres sons that will Meanwhile, come handy 23,000 cases below No. 20, Italy, 288,761. wor d’s onges sa rcaggressive ccha es enge hecyber ockdown but mostly foraround recreation and socialization. he wo Susuch ebe unlike hey may each ng om any perceived adversary. Given such platform) cyber Microsoft vice when these are in aeach brazen In ascrespective the second ofbeen the Philipabou afor COV D attacks. 19a nCOV ecvice on much more as den and CEO tivecfound and operations of gall ountries been from oand he wo k in Su edone hey may ng beom any perceived adversary. Given such antwo platform) for cyber attacks. ishas when these are such a kbrazen has cultivated an independent image, many Meanwhile, students arew after your time isyond up. It isanempathizing has applied authorization to open into accounts, orgetting phhe ocess hg soup g2020, oup been B s de ac seek v have eswritten seek o comp peoples. and wanting. theson only fresh perspective on how view We we edone hop ng ha Ombudsman no ahe anc uposted efor minMicrosoft buEve s a emen ac probe cly—to pgoods ocess s hack ng as cmore a c cha enge Joe B den Its Joe sisdenot gden ven he ha o ha comp ootherwise, would to oaccomplish those Thea Diplomat: of note can indeed be easily undermined by the Russian hackers via owe phishing attacks and services those in food Under men S uden w ea oshould n happened heMa e es on celebrations The Duterte ac 19— ha stheir co N NETEEN—b sngwayward one’s and insists th wo k nec manne oand many yeaand sis isofmeans” finallythe over. ThatSect wisd Today they have tohe use technology to subso oallies yenvironment, ng hmade s be o enough he he com homes bu e Eve sas de time.” dministration. environment, the security and stability president Tom Burt been quoted as saywayward manner as what ybody s hasyybody ng hThus s one he bes it handily into the Senate elecers and ourna same sinoesuch ” power thebes security and stability ofinstead president Tom Burt has been quoted as saymanner asocampaign’s what happened tohe he com ohistory he homes buswho he e to s de Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez says much-chan faeven ed aems nons he pandem he answer o ques on of the much-changed demand of his colleagues. Certainly, someone appears pine economy slumped to its lowest ever in ing narrative. with the downtrodden of blaming them “...One such example of this is the espons b o some o he mos p ovoca sanc ons mposed andewriters hbash gh p o e bash ng devwith cesevery eno con e sys story to tell. As c some noted and alleged crimes against humanity committed in and even teach in our schools and EMIL has had he me o e ec on h s dec on and ha says one s expenses exceed s n a click of a finger Grabe. against the communications manufacturing or and utilities tasks. That fateful decision and his misespons b e o some he mos p ovoca sanc mposed and h gh p o ng ven en e sys ems “...On March 16, 2021, we will como can wn unhinge ea n hothe each beo e ab and may only have (Universal “distorted values even decade hen havong no h oUCPB an educa ca ng o he passage o heand F eedom priceless. He theenv interactions and experiences theyintegrity If these latest hacking attempts on othse ofnature the Russian operations for sus be ab ean os new ea nBiden’s n hstitute s new on e y no ng com e abou do ng you nations and societies as well as the ing that the initial failed attempt on which banking sysnations and societies as well as the integrity ing that the initial failed attempt on Biden’s UCPB which can unhinge the banking syss be ab e o ea n n h env on n e y no h ng com o ab e abou do ng you They may have of the beast, as we They may have grown up closes the door to any ICC marked difference in the retelling of the academics have been saying lately, the tions which solidified Duterte’s power Du er e has vowed o con nue h s “war ve and agg ess ve cybe ope a ons o a to be his own person is a tough person. hese wo coun es have been ge ng om athe o s a e ga ns o us p a n “the decisive (lockdown) helped avert the younger generations. In this Mabayo Ten days before Du er e mposed he ockfor the systemic ills that consign them to their lot. whe her or no he appoforces, n men ofLapu G erran a aneny conns he comethe and oofhetheanniversary evenue aken ogedrugs, he name war against and into calculation of enemy led by thea 500th ofillegal the agg essnew ve cybe a ng ons a how b pa hese coun secure es haveorganizations been ge ngo om ga ns o theus p a coming n the country’s history --anaoOr, 16.5-percent wgoeseaaga n how be avowed hey canghupmemorate This, he says, is none of our aAc oge he way o ope each FOand ha wou d have been in ma US on soilve election, reports out woerwise men S uden wsand ea n resulted heand essons ommendation standing of and companies and ties.” institutions “...specifically by Or, ency to companies providing essential wo nmanne he manne o was many yea sauden companies institutions campaign “...specifically targeted by tem. tootem. companies providing essential Swas w City ncsatargeted he essons wo nmore he op used many yea scampaign that accounts ofbecome events incibut mostly foran Ferdinand death. Anlaw years were asa dark and utbut mostly for recreation me ” dMagellan’s he2020 Tnthe ump adm nnot s contested onon piece, oft-repeated is omen s have such umartial anspa Un odkuna enote—history y hhesame has hbes 3.5 Spec caEuropeans yinfections gove nmen oea ab estanding Lapu, inaide, Magellan’s death. arrival ofmen in sthe Philippines. ahe obvious brand would that me he T adm s most a here onhotly ve become such u orMarch Ither is Christopher giving and receiving criticism based on po kthe chsame enestimated No ng epa ed uJURADO agree that wealth does the killings in Davao during hisndepends long reignof asofnote cou have oub ew h en he ess ooPerhaps base. Longtime Go,Weand drugs” ch wg abe “as re and mpo anonstory s ”traction sofepThey nwh gh ng and co s ega on whe h s name was 1.3 to million accorddown on 15 were yelectorinvolve he security establishment but of ump in economic production. On top of investigation, the more can indeed be easily undermined by the Russian hackers via phishing attacks goods and services such as those in food educa o s w ea o each be e and of note can indeed be easily undermined by the Russian hackers via phishing attacks goods and services such as those in food even decades and hen hav ng o sh o an her personal or historical rests educa o s w ea n o each be e and Health, the Pr tonio Pigafetta, the Italian scholar who even decades and hen hav ng o sh o an terly useless as these guys are saying they Today they hav written by the victors—which has been me o pe ec h s a gumen aga ns he ho d o d ve a BMW on a ow mon h y amo hese a es hack ng a emp s on o h n case o he Russ an ope a ons o ntself h ghis ythat sough and deve oped Today they have to use te He was struck in the face by a Mactan It is a day that means different things to o h o comp a n ng w no he p hese a es hack ng a emp s on o h n he case o he Russ an ope a ons o ugh and deve oped sarily equate to corruption. Mr and w h connec v y o hey cou d a o variant from Davao. Remember how city mayor evidence and the desire for improvement, not for on ntheh s coun y he day contraction al race inAthe planet, usingng as up they do ch Russian military local chief executive Human rights ncommunications hansDavao’s susing for he Board of Trus ees dela police chief, Ronaldo ng on began ” He wan sessoin ing to researchers from our universities. The TWO conf cases he sec wr he a click of ascimitar. finger Grabe. campaign’s manufacturing power and utilities 0.7-percent the ashor click ofgroups aformer finger Grabe. against the campaign’s communications manufacturing oroge power and pa en sthere. how hey can sup thenew story teller. Inorganizations the of would Army commanders. aorou oge he way oc aoeach ng kept athe detailed of the of want to pa enthe swonde wand eawhe npeoples. how besea canbes sup de rigueur fornew most gets aobe better afirst way outilities each ng ng oUS equarchecks oainpeople, gove nmen s of zaagainst on—we ewdrug-war ha ex hey s—o stitute thefor inter warrior a local After, the e dewjournal secu secu eons o ec gan za nob umponeverybody s ehe onsbelieve. heavailable, epo com ngse ou countries their heyea pas ew yeacase sTrmed Hack presiden stitute the interactions ands ny he nd ng denew edifferent should not face. takecy’s Filipinos nd ozabe eevents atheons he w secu og gan nve US soinSara ump s becomes eT e ec epo com ngLike ousin s US Hack most sophisticated methods it eis estargeted 200 the tribunal Tha s why bus ness oups have ssued Duterte slapped sheriff at the height a taking down an adversary or saving estimate the number of deaths at 27,000 Iha reques repea reaI ch ’s pre ySpanish cships 2019, Rights Watch rean and subsequent spearheaded the “drug dea hveter yofonve banned he uhehealth deden No hwho ng p initially epa ed usfrom voyage, wrote how Magellan was distress situations lockdown enabled usosInhto reinforce our Ph pp nes heall pandem ep censhmen ery esthe nabu oub w he oo sHuman than even counterpoint far historical ho does noHAVE ans acou ebeen odas on buys mu pthe emy houses on aNo m sa a bas yed po he chpo d that en hconng pRosa, epa us retreated Cebu. 2020, the growth drop “...To the Philippines, first res -ushe They cou d They have oub ehave h am he” ed nvo he16.5 ho yebecon ed e ec no usand ocyconflict he secu abhe bu oupena ngexpedition aco ound he co no nes us and membe one cas aco ecwup ee oo thatWe many governmen ng he yhoava ab e-percent med o GDP nessquatters’ uc“Wea farfetched to that same can arties, think tanks, consultants nvo he mos y mos con es edum ec oCons onot he secu es think ab oshmen ound ne and oas nthepos on pape add essed o under Cong ess non-ex-officio demolition many years ago? are many waysWe to know be tough. have even police says the official count 7,000. ported govancan article sieged by natives Cebu while attemptataha that missons ef haoddup he appo nsathe men o of hya sforces so comp awar,” nheng noelected he * *p * There ha has nodas can nc eased hepisw sa and dand be he ocommun ehwith awmake budge hea ng convinced that no ande for wsystem vbuild yhou cou so othat h“State s gn so security comp nwideng wand ove no a phe ace needom heng poo ane us ng as hey do M cwas oso setime, sthere hamwere Russ ameans yon a ons vaASEAN ed nocountry dsvahmy eayconnec en yand Th were to the Senate. Dela Rosa be done anywhere at any time and against w connec o be hey cou ahey soour main fundraising on for crin mes redo mposed for capacity to do 11-na on w h a o of 265 888 casace nmos he ane us asbe hey he he Mby cn oso se sjustice Russ an ang yanheam neereafter be acDemocratic va edbe nacwritten no u g passage o F n o the country is now in recession Now This means The fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree. ernment-backed paramilitaries continue to seen the superfi cial ones—look where they The Justice Department has also sought to ayo, our Third Secretary and ing to help Rajah Humabon, a recently takes and low points but there were high yea ed agouan as was po ndenamed Tuesday hend saodbe hae cu he gov nas as nd ngIn s ear s bes o Ie sugges anyhacke adversary. Given such an cyber attacks. vice dNa oawbe ehe ecour ve of as hen he obs mp nove oucu empa hy and co soph shods ca ab s dacformer have aUS ge 200 US o gan za “Th ons hey have become pan ona Bureau Inves ga on n ha ndse ngves ou de bes oereco e meuden aava eme a ab ohods ad o end ec ve aec obs umn ed hacommittee he cluded in the shortlist. Otherw mos soph ca ed e u ava sng hacke s have a in gesed 200 oed gan za ons yrndeed have become pasbe ma on Ac sMeanwh psmos oposed eg s aed on has to head theus. Senate drug cr mes spread testing inou communities. From just esof I Microsoft No 21 he perceived wor dthis The Ph pp nes TO THE harass, threaten, arbitrarily arrest, and inArmy first semester drop in economic output of 9President, Duterte imposed one of the earliest lockcan obtained Sara’s father, the is famous—notoul inBurt Cultural DiploArmy commanders. point brought Next year, let’s go for the genuinely, commanders. Catholicized local ruler convert others points and celebratory ones as well. look into the records of these drug killings, but ident cannot legallyGierran appoint y e n ng es y e checks s og ca and ha he e on whe e o ook mo e c ose y environment, the security and stability of om has been quoted as sayNow, the lockdowns will make half of ho gh edne n do ng ou be o membe ha one c s s a ec s am es he much changed demand o choo wo k us ng he on y ava ab e med um o ns uc no a e ched o h nk ha he same can po ca pa es h nk anks consu an s e charge membe ha one c s s a ec s am es us nginhe on yefavaDan ab even eemed um o the ns pres uc a ehe ched oedheas nk VIRTUAL he can po ca pa es h nk anks consucons an s en no yto been denpeop ahatoegSpain. she asame ve ch G1,282 erran as den and ch ef Pres den d crea e a “the obs po cy” nWatch some attack killconpolitical ac- shou downs the world. Still, ifwhen it was charged with investigating police Bu ove Pres den for ber reof the Board of Trustees e Philippine inBiden’s Maaround actual PCR day dac sEmbassy odged Germany yes erday and sund bare yng 2019, Human Rights Catholicism and loyalty But that would another story. 2019, Human Watch re-matters his POINT admirably tough. IteBus worst recession inreally—for hissocieties as the integrity n ends oour esstough How dfartests cu results sper hand sand concep o gencouraging. asp? initial failed attempt soinstances the are poor. cope buCong we on hou do aamend otalk p ck ou hehe e de-tivists, They maydone have gthe own up w any hMaechno ogy commun d seIn enthe ydpeople Ththe sInshou d Rights be anywhe e aoups me and aga nsask and even hebe ma Democ asoBack c yund s percent. ng kesv hese v ous esondange ous nations and commun es dfar efrom en yes Th shou be adone anywhe ais any me and aga ns rious, andaeven he maand n Democ aasncwell ac es dange on country. painstitutions by he Ph pp nethat ness G environmentalists, community leadworld’s longest and strictest, the lockdown execu ve off cer of Ph Hea h s ega he wake of so many ob ess peop e as a reREALITY es an interesting insight and gellan believed his display of force to Mabayo’s notes on the quincentennial ported that “State security forces andmuch gov-more as president and C ported that “State security forces and govand standing of companies and was “...specifically targeted by He akes ssue w h he ph ase “ v ng be We a e aghas o hea ha hese wo ds and the “drug war.” he “drugs war ” In May 2019 wo op Remittances—a mainstay of the ha w ethe come handy when hlast c eweek ducted in thead ofmp March, our capacity 23a b000 cases ow No a ycybe 288 761 bucemo o cesa ecved ea onWe andsa oc za anysyadve pe adve y aGan venonfailed suchon ancontain tory. p acybe o20maI oacks a oso acks M c oso vpe ce se pa such e done nazen such ap babe azen mp ove ou empa hy and co ec ou any ved y G ven such Meanwh e s uden s a a so ad us ng o o m o M c v ce e n ove ou empa hy and co ec ou Jo n Fo e gn Chambe PBG JFC ac ers, and journalists.” Meanwh s uden s a e a so us ng o to pandemic. Thus, EMIL ective on how shouldattacks view celebrations be enough to accomplish those posted The Diplomat: of note can as indeed bein undermined bywouldToday hackers via we phishing Under on 1son of c has Ac ernment-backed to the answer to the ernment-backed paramilitaries to continue su pandem cparamilitaries a eDuterte be ng u vowed e 11223 edsho by ve yof“war o he cn4.aCOVID-19 yond one so means” and Tha ns sSec sw ha a pe economy because iscontinue the one that yhe ove dom wou d beRepub have echno env onmen ythe ymuch pCar esBu den Tom Bueasily has quo ed ashe manne as wha oary Failure contain communist inaenv essay made nesosecu Sena esubab e econmen secu and sphe abmisyand oo economy pand es den Tom has been quo edbeen as say to continue his asdcampaign’s wha happened ohappened she gh edness do ngo ou to bes o thatthe nance Secre Dom nguez says much changed demands oink the schoo wo k edness know edge audab ehey ahehand m o heoyybuhe o2020, oogy Ten days Duterte imposed lockwhether or not the appointm sho squarter gh n do ng ouperbes he changed demands o the schoo wowhose For the whole of isnabefore exer nhistory each inFour schools a“...On click ofMarch aos finger Grabe. communications tasks. That fateful decision and his 16, 2021, we will comfirst of 2020, bythe 16.5 TO harass, threaten, arbitrarily arrest, and in may on y have “d s o ed va ues and p o ob s o champ on anspa ency harass, threaten, arbitrarily arrest, and in Duterte imposed one of earliest lockDuterte imposed one of the earliest lockJURADO fuels consumption—fell by 4.2 perTONY LOPEZ p ce e (Un versa Hea hcare Ac ) upon he recu e he n e ac on and expe ence hey The Depar men of Labor and Emp oyna ons and soc e es as we as he n eg y ng ha he n a a ed a emp on B den s h can unh nge he bank ng sys on drugs” which will be “as relentless and is legal depends on whether down onmay March 15,g may 2020, there only na and soc es peop as as he Lapu ner ngo(ha he Bensouda n a the a 500th ed ad emp on Bmo den s and nge he bank ng sys s ons eng hen he eby s 10 gh oege’sy power bu we d We a he so pesckand ou the he es The They gwere up w h accoun echno ogy cope bu wecope d a and sonmen pshou ck9surgency ou CC P osecu Fa ou sa aanniversary have own up w hown echno ogy Muslim separatist moveons wh ch so d we f ed Du “ he s ve ockdown) he ped usheaver anng r generations. In dec this Mabayo calculation ofng enemy forces, led by memorate of the pected toescompan decline percent. BizNewsAsia concent in theinthe second quarter, VIRTUAL es ”They Th sconfirmed heVIRTUAL says s none o have ou bus ness and ab yshou nbegan.” gove some instances attack and kill ac- shortlist for the instances attack and kill political ac- political cent the first half. That 4.2 percent downs the world. even if peritsome was the in downs in the world. Still, even ifStill, it men was the in that Boar chilling on day itcome Heby wants TWO cases. At this writing, the PO ommenda on of he Board Trus ees of Ph and and ng o compan es and ns u ons campa gn was “ spec ca y a ge ed by compan es p ov d ng essen a w deny h s for sure bu a survey and s and ng o es and ns u ons campa gn was “ spec ca y a ge ed by p ov d ng essen a n o ma on by a ow ng c zens o eques sons ha w come handy when h s c ou se ha she wou d n a e a p e m na y ex bu mos y o ec ea on and soc a za on sons ha w handy when h s c bu mos y o ec ea on and soc a za on Lapu,estimates resulted ina Magellan’s death. of on Europeans in theaccordPhilippines. base Without ainspenalty, vaccine cent the first half. We are having the ag by eewhole ha wea h doesepicenter no neces alongest e world’s much alongest abanned med ove M ConstituMa es IisHAVE Long me deGDP sabout opher GoWe and tivists, environmentalists, community leadtivists, community leadequivalent to losing billion of It’s es note—history edo 1he 3n iscomp oRuss 3arrival 5an m nfec world’s and strictest, the lockdown and strictest, thement lockdown been environmentalists, requested to$1.4 repeat my reapretty basic. contraction the poft-repeated ofceshose death under the REALITY isHea the pandemic in the IN Acan previous I yChr talked ondeed no ethe can ndeed yPresiunde mPhilippines ned v aathings ph shto ngogove aHe acks se such asood ood no enmen be unde mngned by safor he v ahacke phons shsang acks ch nma clearly s om he ninocolumn maeas on nvo veas h oREALITY he Pres den sha appo n he agenam na onhose nahehacke beRuss othat es an aunch ng s s s na y ove Tha w sdom wou d be showed ha a mos ha f of he coun ry s Today hey have o ogy use echno ogy o sub s s na y ove Tha w sdom wou d be thevasvictors—which has been Today hey have use echno o sub was struck the face by abeMactan It ais day means different worst recession in our history. y equa e o co up on M Ma es d s o ed h nk ng Because s ou axes sons for my belief that the appointment of your dollar income. ers, and journalists.” ers, and journalists.” * * * failed to pandemic. contain tionfailed for the most crimes,the to pandemic. be reimposed for The killings of political activists and ala total of 265,888 cas-to contain ce ch efabepercent de au e ASEAN Duterte’s achievements. Now,do--11-nation EM ogets researchers our gn unsand vers essca The a nge cbe ascimitar. nge aga ns he campa commun ons ng most o and npeople, powe u ga as large asGAfter, 30 assuming ae with uaraeca cesdent ck oRodrigo aformer Gopo abe aga nsesdifferent he campa commun ons powe ub own esand pub c nDavao’s ocould gove nmen ansac ons aRona Army commanders. ung onfrom for anves better p ce ess s u e he n e ac ons and expe ences hey warrior using ack local the p ce ess countries theirgn peoples. for general use, the cy’s pres den and CEO from he Board’s s he n ac ons and expe ences hey About 75 percent of the economy was adu abor force of 60 m on are ob ess former National Bureau of Investigation shou d no ake F p nos o s mp e ons and ou we be ng ha a e a s ake he e In an earlier column, I sug Is there hope in that bleakhis has Duterte vowed continue “war has vowed continue “warnmen the drugbefore crimes. Ten days Duterte imposed theimposed lockTen to days before Duterte theDuterte lockes. It is No. 21 in the world. The Philippines hereand are sub his failures: law lion fully own a retail establishment. Un4Lift 43to m on Metoscenario? oand Man anshisthe gove needs the Human Rights re-Spanish anyWatch g ven me ec m a Cebu. onsfor ” eachhemonth leged NPA leaders have failed to dent Rosa who ao ytrillion spearheaded “drug enab ed “...To usInCC o2019, re nforce our hea hconDecembe 2019 he vowed o con ounterpointockdown asnfar as historical JUR loss ofnretreated P1.5 lockships from TONY LOPEZ drop the Philippines, that first TONY chief Dante Gierran as president chief President should create a “jo consumption, knowof ha many gove nmen o is down cbarely a s onsshut ve y down. much ouHousehold bus ness Well, the lockdowns which But the people love the2020, President for non-ex-off cLOPEZ oandmembers on drugs” which will be “as relentless and onyes. drugs” which will beend “as relentless and Germany yesterday San aa foreigner Banana hey are he new poor! March 15, 2020, there were only down on March 15, there were only 1.eTheanspa Philippines’ greatest depression We dislodged ported that “State security forces“Fo and govder 1180, enacted in 1954, could us 45 days—o Ju y 2021 a he a es The comp e ency we acknow nue assess ng he comp a n s aga ns Du e e executive officer of PhilHealth is illegal. the wake of so many jobless p recession could rage providing three-fourths of GDP, fell by 52-year old communist insurgency. Muslim ” were e ec ed o he Sena e De a Rosa our capac paramilitaries y o do w continue de- war have proved senseless and produced the the “drugs war.” In May 2019, two top 23,000 cases below No. 20, Italy, 288,761. down. This lockdown – the longest and severw h sys em and bu d upernment-backed chilling on the day it began.” He wants chilling on the day it began.” He wants In the second quarter of 2020, the PhilipTWO confirmed cases. At this writing, the TWO confirmed cases. At this writing, the Th s means hathe he Pres den ap-for a 7.8-percent Theelecnewes Under of he “new areAct to not gocanno into retail. OCTA Resea ch G some oup has uIsult gedofMARCOS hebeen goverequested nhaters need o nc ude documen s subm ed Section 1The ofpoor” Republic 11223 the COVID-19 pandem even hough he Ph pp nes had w hd awn edge he was cluded inSecretary the shortlist. Otherwise, Pres15.5 percent in Q2 allies made it handily into the Senate opposite effect. lockdowns were Finance Carlos Dominguez says HAVE to AS rem I HAVE been r pine economy slumped to its lowest ever in death penalty, banned under the Constituterrorists are on therenched warpath marked by ahe named omy Sena eA comm eeprevious death penalty, banned the Philippines ismember the pandemic inepicenter the isoftheepicenter pandemic theNCR spread es ngSlockes From IN previous I po talked PresiTO arbitrarily IN Acolumn column Ierran talked about Presiest world –will has run for seven months. of 9 one imposed of the earliest AUGUST 2021. (Universal Healthcare Act), upon recTheoDepartment Labor Athe s THE n about Gappoint un ess he sdecline aPhilippines he Meanwhile, the national or o4,000 a ocapeople e under 90the pe cenConstituosons amyvacc neforof my commande scommande byusp and va einAen es in who enhead e --n ohe dea ngs ident cannot legally asavert a mem119 000 oinfor 140 000 re eachers om he Rome anuour e harass, whcommun ch threaten, es ab shed he arrest, well into the lockdowns make half inwith H1 2020, according tocapital MaPRESIDENT Duterte hasyou extended tions which solidified Duterte’s power “the decisive (lockdown) helped us an 2021. supposed toformen from for belief that the dark days of Martial Law,” sons my be the Now, country’s history a 16.5-percent con-ofdent tionNCR most crimes, toyBoard be reimposed Board of Trus tion most crimes, to beoffor reimposed for 11-nation ASEAN a total of 265,888 11-nation ASEAN with a totalcasof 265,888 cassome instances killcon political acdent Rodrigo Duterte’s achievements. Now, he even it was the ua Rodrigo Duterte’s achievements. Now, ommendation ofsave the Trustees Philment will deny this, for sure That isofehow early Albay 2nd Rep.base. new phenomenon—suicide bombers. The w h nves ga ng po ce ma ers ber the Board of Trustees ofDistrict PhilHealth, around 1if 282 ac PCR es sattack persand day conshould power an economic upturn. cursupp o Me o Man a n 2019 he Human R gh s Wa ch nansac 2019 he Human R gh s Wa ch e ac scharged o traction ons o wha eve na u e POINT This means half of the economic production h world. s- Still, n e na ona buna The CC sa d ha the people poor. nila-based Asian Development Bank. the state of calamity for one year until Longtime aide, Christopher Go, and and s aff ou of he more han 700 pr va e estimated 1.3 to 3.5 million infections accorddying, people who would die anyway, former National Bureau in economic production. here On top of 21, they went on the usual former Nationa drug crimes. leaddrug crimes. es. It is No. 21 in the world. The Philippines ngest and strictest, the lockdown tivists, environmentalists, community Health, the President shall appoint the agenes. It is No. 21 in the world. The Philippines showed that almost half ofo are his failures: much more as president and CEO. here are his2021. failures: the Board reco Joey seesPlease the beginning ofupan rently accounts for half of COVID cases. But rema “S mp yosed by ncbecause eas budget, ng he vo ume oMarcos vac po ed ha “SyThat ain secu o the ces and gov pothehe ed ha “S econtraction secu oe ces and gov w hy heand gove nmen o aby awar gove agen had on ove he case as hadour beencapac has tripled its anti-insurgency “drug ” nmen former police more chief, Ronaldo dela Remittances—a mainstay Unemployment than tripled, Sept, 21, note: That is toup-Davao’s ingSalceda to researchers from our universities. The duc uedsdnc he as week of journalists.” March the firstyof quarchief Dante Gierran pres lockdown no lockdown, is0.7-percent gone now. cannot be recovered chief Dante Gi portraying as the dev sPNP wh ch w nCEO c send These ers, and cy’s president and from the Board’s But the people love the President for ntain the pandemic. adult labor force of 60as millio Butorcthe people love the President for dislodged Germany yesterday and isschoo barely Thus, thein answer to the question of dislodged Germany yesterday and is barely 1. The Philippines’ greatest depression 1. The Philippines’ greatest depression EMIL tick in the Philippine economy. It is also the with increased vaccinations, the region looks nes we o he NCR we w be ab e o e nmen backed pa am a es con nue o cy by wh ch he e s u za on o pub c e nmen backed pa am a es con nue o the President. Rosa, who initially spearheaded the “drug ed be o e he hd awaDuterte has vowed to continue his “war4terFa lockdown enabled usbefore to reinforce our health economy is growth the onedrop that seight from 5.1 percent in April 2019 17.7 months justthe the May 2022 Judicial Fund, basis 2020, the 16.5 -percent executive ofare PhilHea most them had fatal discsho uded he showtothe shave O “drugs he w seof he PIn esalready executive office c• The uded n 20, heDevelopment sn 20, O he se he Pnon-ex-officio es But didofficer not Shakespeare worrying sign. ure obecause con athat nGDP he commun nmembers. Santa they the ne has grown tobegins about 32,000 average daily tests imposed thewlockwhether orthe not appointment of Gierran the war.” May 2019, two four months. s before ex- Duterte 23,000 cases below No. Italy, 288,761. the “drugs war.” Inof May 2019, top schoo sa288,761. os ncome because ack of 23,000 cases No. Italy, quarter ofelections 2020, thecapacity PhilipInand the second quarter of 2020, Philipmonth when global economy to theDu first of 2020, byhe 16.5 perset be thebelow first show economic upturn. dec ease he ove atop casetwo oad oBanana, he pan TO THE were to theto Senate. Dela Rosa TO THE ha ea bbyaIn ywith ansecond es presidential n depend Howeve onhtheyea he documen ha ass enass a bish now a en ysinsubm aarecession es and system and build upon our tothe do wideewhich equarter onerelentless ounds eaand esmeans ock Du e on einhe mposed one owillhe es ock JURADO fuels consumption—fell 4.2the pern Decembe 2020 CC P mposed osecu percent inelected April 2020 “when lockdowns when we choose of the financial benefits the judiciary; country Under Section 1 of Repu Thus, befor eases than COVID. But several den canno ega y as appo nsays you other as aof mem Under Sectio dento canno ega yof appo nan you a Coddling mem that do lives after them. This means that the President cannot apThemen newest of the “new p drugs” beo ea “as i economy ega whe he lowest hin name wain war,” March 15, 2020, there were only The reasons are allies made it handily into the Senate elecFinance Secretary Carlos Dominguez says allies made it handily into the Senate elec5. the police and the military surgency and he Mus m separa s moveFinance Secretary Carlos Dominguez pine economy slumped to its lowest ever this (August).” pine slumped to its ever shift its focus on recovery, he says. enro ees Finance Dominguez As a cases. was tohehead the committee cent in on the second quarter, and by V RTUAL dem che” is exp a nedor OCTA ch ewith ow F bones.” spread by p9 perva e en es ndrop eack ainSecretary on okThat nCarlos ns ances agove ack and kof ca actesting some ns ances a first and pooutput ca ac 9po Duterte’s cent insome the half. 4.2 percent first semester economic downs dbegan.” S ed even was he downs nchilling he wo dnthe S was he werenamed widespread their most successor. • The Amusement and saVdAtRTUAL she “de ethe m ned ha he eheday s wo aeven (Universal Healthcare Act) point unless a member ofwill the esea 119,000 toPresident 140,000 retrenc thousands more are dying be ooSenate he Boa dan Ttions usHea ees Ph Hea hpeople be o Philippine Boa dand Tatus ees ooGaming Ph ho Gierran (Universal Hea interred their n ha ho in ourocommunities. he Boa d NT oFrom T“the u just eedecisive itea He wants irmed thishad writing, PO NT PO and which solidified Duterte’s power (lockdown) helped us avert tions which solidified Duterte’s power “the decisive (lockdown) helped us avert an the country’s history -a 16.5-percent concountry’s history --state a tests 16.5-percent conEverything, itactual seems, is anchored vac-charged with police Without vaccine cent in the first half. We having the around 1,282 per dayon conNhunger, cano hese Aus aco OP 2021brings Duterte has ofemployed more generals, It isvbeen the hismen unded ps explains ec s oonmen gove ansac vpercent. soIisHAVE env atonmen slosing srecession commun ead s that s worst env onmen a insbillion syourcommun yAnother ead Adds Dominguez: “Without the equivalent ofthe strict,” says ADB. Exports declined by year of calamity Corporation, provides an additional The group represen ng eachers deve s death onges sbanned caga esand hes are ockdown woa dand sc onges c esConstituhemen ockdown andThis staff, outommendation of the tha sonab eepicenter bas bethe ha he me ns requested to$1.4 repeat my reaommendation ofme the more Board pmoney e y ba c ofPCR “no matter how much ho e pandemic much moinvestigating ewhich as plockdown, es den and CEO much mo eaccordas pmatters es den and CEO die because malnutrition, andas May oT penalty, under the to ask, REAL TY REAL TYs owo is the in spelled out in base. Longtime Christopher Go,Juand be first appoin estimated 1.3 topercent 3.5 million base.aide, Longtime aide,and Christopher Go, and estimated 1.3 toinfections 3.5 million infections accordtraction incination, economic production. On top of the “drug war.” ducted specifically incontinuing the lastclearly week of our capacity when major regions traction economic On top like of and worst recession history. Th s the June ythan as many as 10 m ona hero? schools which will remain onsc shou beand cove ed o”de ointo ma nac a nv s economies, sons belief the of your dollar income. story. oufor sand spump 21.4 inhethe first half. means restrictions and reguenamy s n outhat na s s ”appointment source of revenue to fund the *production. * March, *rate Health, the President shall a ed ohas con he che aaforned o pandem con ain n our human y 265,888 o mua de been comm ed onpandem The Philippines needs Thus answe omiscellaneous hes aff ques on o tion most crimes, to be reimposed foredThe Thus he answe o he ques on o Health, the Pres diseases spawned by lockdowns. ASEAN a total of casMarcos a heel or from the military and the police, any k ngs of po ca s and a and c a m ha he P500 m on a othe of infections and deaths could have EMIL EMIL countries their their ng a with Davao’s former police chief, Ronaldo ing tohe researchers from our universities. The inDavao’s former police Ronaldo dela 4. Failure contain the communist ing to researchers from The inof first quarfor use, the 75 percent was North America, andin East if not the whole of 2020, economy is exthe the Asia, first schools have lost beca Trustees. former Bureau ofe the n anPrices ea Europe, econtraction cothe umn ugge ed haquarvacc ne doses wchief, adela ve n cy’s he Ph ppofnes Is he p vacy o For oNational phope oe ec pthe opbleak aInvestigation lations. prime commodities, activities oftoothe government; eand e there has vowed o that con nue hscenario? “wa and CEO fro Du ein has vowed oys0.7-percent con nue h 0.7-percent scontraction “wa drug crimes. be obe e days Du ebee1omposed ock e The ogeneral yPhilippines o heTen Phdays ppAbout nes ween JueofDu y thee economy Ten e mposed heDu ock whe he no he appo nuniversities. men o hem G nepresident an whe he oour no heother men oacting G ebefore an cy’s president . 21 in the he world. Said Economic Planning SecItpresident depends. Ifincome you look a the ca ed osappo s no enough him. than 45 eged NPA have fa ed oand den The reasons been much worse. latest data suggest that Rosa, who initially spearheaded the surgency and the Muslim separatist movelockdown enabled us to reinforce our health Rosa, who spearheaded “drug would have shrunk massively, anyway. JURADO ock-LOPEZ NY enrollees. TONY LOPEZ lockdown enabled us to reinforce our chief Dante president and chief by 10 percent. 2020, 16.5 GDP drop to recover from the Phe e-percent den hou d cgrowth ealaw. eJURADO ais “fish, obgrowth po cy”drop n The down. consumption, the world itself, nears what called herd terespecially 2020, the rice, 16.5 -percent GDP ha oinitially ha oare 5More m“drug on athe enon-ex-officio dep oyed nnon-ex-officio Me Well, yes. Lift the lockdowns which corn, and will beim•sThe Export Processing Authority to at-health n eo on mayefor on aon ng oeaders pa en sbe oas mu aenter on members. But the15 people President onpected ugs” wh ch w “as eBizNewsAsia on d Gierran ugs” wh ch w beess “as ethe en ess and Germany yesterday and is down barely ega depends on whe he h name was What is/are s ega depends on whe he h s name was m on shut Ma 2020 he e 2020 we 2016 and 16 Ma ch 2019 n ch he con exHousehold olove hethe retary Karl Kendrick Chua: down on Ma ch 15 he we eed GDP yto decline ble achievements and good Without a vaccine ment war,” were elected to the Senate. Dela Rosa The group representing executive officer of PhilHealth is illegal. system and build up our capacity to do widehe wake o o many ob e peop e a a e estimates the GDP contraction for the whole recession could rage war,” were elected to the Senate. Dela Rosa The obs po cy ha Pres den Du er e system build capacity do wideproviding three-fourths by means the country iss now recession with cabinet and civil52-year oonnot dproved commun shesize nsurgency mpackage point when theinCOVID-19 virus tract little over 1laws, percent ofn foreign all COVID-19 cases means the country is anow recession with clearly spelled out inhe have the the “drugs war.” In ugs May 2019, topch controlled. In infact, under current ooccupy Man athat hen na ona cap ameans can This that the Presi investments; es below No. 20, Italy, packag ng o ngpIt oduc sch nday esenseless ec ua pand ope ythe is sheer of verhaand sho he Boa dostar-rank oto T us ees ng hethe began ” produced He wanstimulus sMus ns up hao our sho s and he Boa dofficers o one T usanticipated ees This means tt ng on day began ”munity—the He wan “No the COVID med cases Ad hcases s wof ng two Gove nmen288,761. o TWO he Phcon ppTWO nes wa onmed he would be aook hero. For th con AGDP, h he sfell w he Gierran can b pandemic, dramatically The killings of political activists aland staff claim that the P500 Under Section 1 of Republic Act 11223 u o he COV D 19 pandem c was named to head the Senate committee could be as large as 30 percent -assuming a Mr. President, lift spread our communities. just named tod head the 15.5 percent in for semester drop economic output of 9epea spread From just stops jumping from one person to another allies it handily into thep for general use, the first semester drop inhaters economic output of effect. The lockdowns were unless he isvi a the price of anything, and its can Secretary Carlosa PDominguez says has o ian adop rthe ghwas away shou be ancommittee •in The Movie and Television and HAVE been eques edremembered o supply, my eaepea AS MARCOS “the o wa odanno unpSenate eceden edpoint boom HAVE been eques ed o 9testing my ea sor p testing eleaders y basin csour oduc on eshnthat ng and ke he pOur ecommunities. yFrom bas creview point dea pena yhods banned unde he Cons urecpandemic will [strike] the global positions in the government. error sopposite s me are on he warpa hfirst marked by ais dea h pena yhebut banned unde he Cons uin campa gn whoGierran envy his ingenuity, PhP pp nes s made he cQ2 ep cen eaSenate nepheelecin country are critical. morPh pppandem nes s he pandem c7.8-percent cen e loss acoked abou es”abou ushs umn ked es 2021. matters now also itfrom actualnve law. cated to them isBoard notGierran enough. leged NPA have failed to dent thecharged (Universal Healthcare Act), upon the The Depa men o the Labo and Emp oy severe the of uT ofheP1.5 trillion for each month ofwhether lockwell into with investigating police matters around 1,282 tests per condecline in H1 2020, according to265 NT Duterte has extended charged with investigating tions which solidified Duterte’s power percent. Itand is the worst recession in our hisaround 1,282 actual PCR tests per conwithers away unable to replicate itself. (lockdown) helped us avert an on supposed to save 4,000 people from be controlled by the government during sons my be e oof ha he appo nof men o52-year Classification Board; percent. Itowdays is the worst recession our his-appo dark of Martial Law,” on sons my be e inSeptember ha he n actual men oPCR * *day *emergency Me othree Man adominance a sure eofpolice athe s matters heof bThe gges con bwho * *day * emp d888 sca cas osu eMao888 wh ch can adve se y a ec o the lockdowns. They economy. In the first months on o mos c mes o be e mposed o sight, and those desire Board Trus ees Ph Hea h and un ess on o mos c mes o be e mposed o The a es deve opmen he e s ha he CC 11 na ASEAN w h a o a o 265 and fast. oymen scheme For 11 na on ASEAN w h a o o cas ach evemen s Now recession could rage jobs policy that Pres o Du e e s ach evemen s Now ommendation of the Board Trustees of Philold communist insurgency. Muslim men deny h o u e bu a u vey Despite the overwhelming new phenomenon—su c de bombers The tality ratio, on the other hand, is at 2.5 people down. This lockdown – thewould longestdie andanyway, severly the productive oftory. the economy. cof.3 on and the “drug ducted in the last oflast March, our capacity nila-based Asian Bank. calamity one base. Christopher Go, Section and the “drug war.” to 3.5 million accordducted in week of March, our capacity Optimists in the Duterte cabinet now think dying, people who o21, methey ona nves ga a state of Na calamity. InNa major election, • The Philippine Coconut Authority toha went on Bu the usual spree, nweek anon ea co umn ed he oa Board me ona eau ga no an eamarked esugges coby umn sugges edwar.” ha he uoyed oprioritized o can econom p oduc hetobadopt gges em away13 ceand comme csaving a world bus ness nfor e es story. ” parts quarantine, we lives on has definitely a heel. d est ug cin mes hasforoinfections ma year y eques ud an sau on dothe c– has mes esuntil ed s No 21cLongtime he woaide, dDevelopment nes right sho Health, President shall appoint the agenes Noho 21za nThe he Ph wop epp d ud The Ph pp nes howed ha mo haaeau o obashing heBu coun yo on terrorists are on theesense. warpath a of a u es he recommended hnves sdevelop appo nethe men he ranks he unemp onsaving ycthe worsthe runlockdown, seven months. make no generals, the Duterte administration has not PNP has ris pgug ed she an -ha nsurgency budge Davao’s former police more chief, Ronaldo dela 4.cy” Failure to the communist inwell into 2021. Unemployment than tripled, 2021. Please note: That ishupan to nves archers from our universities. The per a hundred thousand.” 4.contain Failure toused contain communist in-ces sec ch e Dan e G e an as p es den and ch e For the whole of 2020, the economy is exlockdown or no because This because the problem is not a systemic the price and supply of bellwether goods herd immunity, or 70 percent of the population, d n and enhance coconut production P es den shou d c ea e a “ obs po n ch Dan e G e an as p es den and ch portraying Marcos as the devil-incarnate. P es den shou d c ea e a “ obs po cy” n ance Act ofsche 20 For the whole of 2020, the economy is exp oye and s he cen e o he se v o — against COVID. We this time to Board of Trustees of PhilHealth, and unless Wh e he bus ness oups sa d hey emergency employment cy’s president and CEO from the Board’s Bu he peop e ove he P es den o adu abo o ce o 60 m on a e ob e o p oceed w ga on o he case Bu peop e ove he P es den o d s odged Ge many yes e day and s ba e y new phenomenon—suicide bombers. The d s odged Ge many yes e day and s ba e y rea depress on nes grea esthedepress on This means half of the economic production he Pres den The reasons Rosa, who initially spearheaded the “drug en he pover y prob em of he coun ry for enabled usbefore to reinforce our health from 5.1 percent in April 2019 to 17.7 thsppes just May 2022 surgency and the Muslim separatist moveexecu ve o not cebefore o apercent. Ph hopoo sPh surgency the separatist movemost of them had fatal dislike rice, corn, fish, even school he wake oitsso ob essbudget, peop eobasess athe epeop pected to decline by percent. BizNewsAsia efforts; execu ve oheHea ce Hea hPNP sand ega But did Shakespeare say: “The evil could be achieved, the middle ofega 2022, Board recommended hisMuslim appointment hemany wake oprincipal so many eour as ahealth eand proven itself any more competent any a288 worry ng swa gn the the unemployed c non-ex-officio members. The country’s three regions, Metwh ch system con bu es 57 7 nor petocen o ranks o a of GDP o The pected to decline by 10 BizNewsAsia improve capacity.” San a10 Banana hey efuel, new He notes that per 100,000, the EU member has grown o abou 32 000 average da y “es u sya ycomm ougs advoca oalready an FO Ac heis761 “d ”eThat nor May 2019 wo op has tripled anti-insurgency ed aga ns Du e e contraction a cyclical bust. Simply, neces23 000 cases be ow No 20 a y 288 761 he “d ugs wa ” n May 2019 wo op director shall 23 000 cases be ow No 20 o 2020 he Ph p gone by now. cannot be recovered in ond qua e o 2020 he Ph p war,” were elected to the Senate. Dela Rosa up our capacity to do wide- percent in April 2020 “when lockdowns eases Without vaccine albuild elections when we choose Unde Sec 1 and o“new Repub care 11223 Thus before erran can be appo ed as apandem vaccine the President. other than COVID. But several su oWithout heanCOV D 19 cless supplies, medicines, PPEs, Unde Sec on 1”daily Repub Ac 11223 en the poverty problem ofou th many oachieve come • The Philippine Authority asment one that men do lives after them. The good is oft This means that the President cannot apestimates the GDP contraction for the whole su Tourism oCalabarzon, he COV Dyears 19 pandem c ment at the latest. By July this year, the government The newe oon he poo aoAc e cruome “By the models ofcUP and Ateneo, ro Manila and could econom p oduc on and he hub o from SMEs estimates the GDP contraction forG the whole ha w upho d n eg y accoun ab y and a cworrying sign. clearly spelled has grown to about 32,000 average tests a es made hand y n o he Sena e e ec Th s comes a e he e a ves o he d ug wa F nance Sec e a y Ca os Dom nguez says a es made hand y n o he Sena e e ec corrupt than past administrations. four months. 5 Codd ng o he po ce and he m ary clearly sp F nance Sec e a y Ca os Dom nguez says states average 31 deaths, UK 70, Spain 61, o s owes eve n h s (Augus ) ” my s umped o s owes eve n a short-li sary mobility restrictions hamper aggregate guez was named to head the Senate committee ng in our communities. From just were widespread and at their most point successor. Thus, before Gierran can appointed The killings of may political and many to come. Un ve Hea hca Ac upon he Gierran unless he iseaumember ofwill the The men oa source Labo Emp oy 000 oPres 140 000 eand enched thousands or Un ve saemillion Hea hca eeache Ac upon ecDepa especially into battleground regions, of thehe engines serve asofDepa of and revenue; interred with their bones.” The men Labo and Emp oy The killings activists al-yearsIs could be large as 30 percent -assuming expects to secure up 30 doses of we averted some 59,000 to 171,000 den ofvacPh Hea hgeneral he mus immunity ahead the country’s 15 other wh chhave a activists eof 98political cen oalaoasbusand nesses 5. Coddling of to the police and theWh military be assa large as 30 percent --aCEO assuming aec anspa oFinance he nmen ” oyed hey ged eo When he Pres den sbepe gned nmust this119 ons ch somore demp ed Du s powe for general use, the vPCR ccen edcalamity o“ he such n““W dep hhou nves ga on uspolice Secretary Carlos Dominguez he alaw. heel decancharged sstrict,” ve he ped ave anency ons whpeople ch soare d edying ed Du eas ecould scial, powe heockdown dec s investigating ve he ockdown he ped us by ave anegove for the 16 pe con s ayear hactual s o5yof ams 16ca 5ofper pe cen con with matters 82 tests day conthe of the national capital’s Du erwh has more genera s(August).” and CEO ofrates PhilHealth, hethe Sweden 57, and the Adds Dom nguez ockdown While the President may ha says ADB. Exports declined state the law. Commission f and a for ou oomonth he mo elock700 p olockva ommenda on he Boa dhan Tthe us ees demand.” NPA have failed to dent oney men whit deny hw suse, odeny su ethrough bu ao su vey die because of hunger, malnutrition, and ommenda on othe he Boa dPh Te usUS ees oLaws Ph Hardest was island and most especially, when highest • 52. onNCR socialized housing asuPresident This brings me to ask, my gulay—Is menLuzon hwhich s leged e total buleaders achief suNPA vey leged leaders have failed to dent the cines—good 15 million Filipinos. loss of P1.5 trillion for each of deaths. Our death reduced from Duterte has employed more generals, Adds Dominguez: “Without lockdown, regions. produces 32.2 percent of The e a e s gns COV D s weaken ng nthe he loss of P1.5 trillion for each month of ha he app oved b shou d be “p o ec ve explains that “no matter how much money base Long me a de Ch s ophe Go and as h s “wou d de n e y se ve he n e es o us be f rs appo n ed as a member of he Board es ma ed 1 3 o 3 5 m on n ec ons acco d base Long me a de Ch s ophe Go and aw Bayan han 2 he b ons a o ed for h s esthepercent ma ed 1war.” 3 the o 3first 5 m half. on n ec ons accodiseases d oduc on On op on oour “drug he last week March, capacity econom crestrictions pof oduc On op o and be first appointed as a member of the Board law Bayanihan 2, the billions choo wh ch w ema n c o ed The e hero? 21.4 in ntinuing and reguHea h he P es den sha appo n he agen recession could rage showed ha a mos ha o he coun y s 52-year old communist insurgency. Muslim Hea h he P es den sha appo n he agen spawned by the lockdowns. produces 70 percent of total economic post of the land is at stake. series of legal issuances from the funding, showed ha a mos ha o he coun y s Marcos a heel or a hero? police force was caught on social media from he m ary and he po ce han any recession could rage 3. Unprecedented human rights violations from the military and the police, than any trolled Corpora he ra e of nfec ons and dea hs cou d have With recovery this year a good possibility, 52-year old communist insurgency. Muslim down. This lockdown – the longest and severa high of 17 percent to just 1.6 percent the rate of infections and deaths could have Government economists earlier projected economic output; Calabarzon 14.3 percent; coun y F om a peak o 10 686 cases n Ap he r countries pump into their economies, their o he gh s o comme c a unde ak ngs o down. This lockdown – the longest and severceon ache wsngqua de nose esea esom usun s o me po sceo ch Rona do ede aRona do o ea esea4.he che ou ve The Davao mee po ce ch de Failure toocontain ng che s cethe omscommunist oues un veinsDavao es The ofess Trustees. nofhe s n qua are only stop-gap me enon con ac ncommodities, choo have oTrus becau e oCEO ack oom ofthe ees pro ec are yaround saterrorists op-gap measures oaverted a have e- d project rices prime cy smuch padepends. es den and CEO om he Boa d other s mortgage adu o home cehim. o abo 60 mopercent. onohaving a45 eofob cy sIf pncome es den and heand Boa dabo s before Said acting Economic Planning production and isLuzon, to 50 percent What is not during aremarkastate terrorists are the marked by amarked adu ce 60 mon on eonob esswarpath and collection ofMore loans; Itthinks you look at his president than been worse. The latest data suggest that oraWhat deaths. We Salceda government should now are onrequirements the by the a sha est in the world –the run for seven months. would have shrunk massively, Central 10.4 16 2021 da ywarpath cases opped pUnder y oneeds.this asGDP we s can heanyway. breakfast party with more her hpave More han 45 esthe in world –controlled has run for seven months. The reasons What has made Duterte athe strong president, much worse sugges he CC wg ow no conduc o aed nes a da ethe Rosa who neve a before yhwho spea he “d ugpercent well into 2021. surgency and is/are4,000 thebirthday legal before ockdown enab us oanaMuslim enves nedo us ceseparatist hea h oou viate Rosa am y are spea headed “d ugee apres recovery of 7nheaded percent to 8Secin en ohas ockdown enab ooubus eha nnesses omovece hea hbe den enrice, ow hGDP dfish, op well into 2021. eway 16GDP 5 corn, pegbeen cen h dbe opThe and will Board of people’s Trustees of PhilHe non ex oGDP cpercent ohow membe sgood San a Banana hey a e he new poo Wha s are he ega requ remen s before non ex o c o membe s retary Karl Kendrick Chua: the population. of calamity is the government disv a e he peop e’s needs San a Banana hey a e he new poo Board ofand Truste • All specialty hospitals—the Philipstar-rank officers occupy cabinet and civilble achievements and performance, new phenomenon—suicide bombers. The a little over 1 of all COVID-19 cases some 1.3 to 3.5 million cases, of which It is not the sheer size of the stimulus package prepare for the start of an economic boom. This means half of the economic production new phenomenon—suicide bombers. The Usually, herd immunity is when 50 perbe ow 5 000 a day by ea y June As o June ithout a vaccine way o avo ab e econom c deve opmen n Gierran can be appointed as a member of This means half of the economic production ment What is essential urg ga on The n a on o an ndependen nves wa ” we e e ec ed o he Sena e De a Rosa The g oup ep e en ng he e eache sys em and bu d up ou capac y o do w de wa ” we e e ec ed o he Sena e De a Rosa pointed byrecom the sys em and bu d up ou capac y o do w de than 50 guests (despite strict lockdown proow n ecess on w h s ar-rank off cers occupy cab ne and c v the illegal drugs campaign, has also over percen of a COVID-19 cases y s anow ncurrent ecess 1 on w h clearly spelled out the Board recommended his .oun In fact, undere laws, Th s cannot means ha he Pvicious esOne, den canno ap growth rate 2021. That is now overly optikage The oThe henewes “new a“new e essen some sincumbent means ha he P es den canno apnewes ian positions inaCenter, the government. “No one anticipated that the COVID opoo he”perpoo ”PNP awould eits some the Board Investments contracted by Wha 53.5 penses money. The President pine Heart Lunch Center, National he would be aTh hero. those, however, in the country are severe orFor critical. Our morPNP has tripled anti-insurgency budget, thatnamed matters now butin also whether it in is actual68,000 be severe and critical G erran can be appo n ed as a member of Let me quote Justice Ma Two actions must be done: release the s a and urgen s a ongis gone by now. That be recovered in has tripled its anti-insurgency budget, the Board of Trustees? cent of country’s population is vaccinated. 12 he e we e 6 583 da y cases To a dea hs term jobs policy to prevent The killings of political activists and alhe coun y ” and a c a m ha he P500 m on a o is gone by now. That cannot be recovered in ga on p esen s a un que oppo un y o ee y was o head he Sena e comm ee Mr. President, lift sp ead es ng n ou commun es F om us was named o head he Sena e comm ee econom cnuse, ou pu ocoun 9ou ry sp ead es ngcan ou commun esan F om us the the President. efneral d op econom c pu o 9 po n G e an un ess he s a membe o he anything, and its supply, can Board of Tru 119 000 o 140 000 e enched eache s Despite the overwhelming dominance of po n G e an un ess he s a membe o he hibiting gatherings of ten or more people in tality ratio, on the other hand, is at 2.5 people pandemic will [strike] the global pos ons n he governmen 119 000 o 140 000 e enched eache s the President. cent in the second quarter and by 36.6 can get all the money he wants to have Kidney and Transplant Institute, Philippine who envy his ingenuity, vision and foregiven him one of his major failures—massive n he are severe or cr Our morly saving thelaw. productive parts of the economy. a worrying sign. cases on the peak day, which will overhas grown to about 32,000 average daily tests mistic. Without a vaccine for general use, the Lazaro, who was the Gove ua Section 13 of RA 10149 (GOCC Governthe lem of poverty. rules and regulations for the CREATE Law, four months. a worrying sign. ca ed o hem no enough leged NPA leaders have failed to dent the But America’s infectious disease expert, Dr. we e mo e han 22 000 has grown to about 32,000 average daily tests s a easonab e eques om he bus ness he Board of Trus ees? four months. erm obs po cy o preven a b gger proband a yhon es mony o282 saca emen he ged w cha h nves ga hngthree po months cegama epothe s cehis aouound ua s pe day ged w nves ngof masight, e s and ecess on n ou sakenduring aathe ound 1 PCR 282 om acesua PCR escon s pe cha day con Thus, before Gierran the sled hebywo s government h s 152-year and the s athe ou oadministration he mo e ohan 700 peCoddling va eAct Duterte hasinvestnot per aSalceda hundred thousand.” lockdowns. They and she a “Private ou70 he mo5. pCoddling vapolice e time), Thus, before economy. In the percent in first half. hands on and deploy to whoever Children’s Medical Center; those who desire revenge, he Thisawmake is because the problem is o not adom systemic ance of5. mandates that an appointing included incan th whelm our healthcare sector.” of2011) the and the military MyCounsel gulay, ifduring there’s one ele rate the Ma sion could rage this The ob po cy ha Pite rights den Duviolations. e(August).” eis generals, old communist Muslimand which principally authored; and two, one place at700 the same Duterte Desp e and hewa m nance of Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez of the police andrefused theomilitary human Critics say killed a ecess rao oheelection, on he o he her ahem 2chinsurgency. 5 ou peop Anthony Fauci, thinks percent isThese ayhan better The Ph pp nes needs ecove om he of this (August).” soverwhe ea yfirst ough con recession could rage well into 2021. omy Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez vduc c ms he w nesses he “d ” “d ed nand ashand week os Ma capac Sec on 13 of RA 10149 (GOCC Governhe ugbust. wa ”ng em of pover President and CEO PhilH duc ed n on he as week o sec Maoechyha ouaou capac y ug proven itselffirst any more any calamity. am In ayes major schoo s“Without wh ch wcompetent ema nnor cfor osed He notes that per 100,000, the EU member schoo s wh ch w ema n c osed These President and quarantine, we prioritized saving lives contraction or a cyclical Simply, necesment slumped in Q2 with outlays inand wherever he wants to send it. • The nuclear power plant in Southdirector shall be appointed by the President definitely a heel. it’s an urgent and lasting job ha o adop gh away hou d no be an “What we find in the last six months, Duterte has employed more generals, beneficiaries of the February terrorists are the warpath marked by Adds Dominguez: the lockdown, open up the economy by removing restricexplains that “no matter how much money by the GCG tC make no sense. Duterte has employed more generals, benchmark to target. pandem c d ama ca y and as Adds Dominguez: “Without the lockdown, s de and when hey do dec de o esu ec NAKED explains that “no matter how much money se ves as we as o exam ne and co ec ev dence to fire the erring general. genera s he Du er e adm n s ra on has no 4 Fa ure o con a n he commun s n nto 2021. more than 27,000 in the guise of eliminating per a hundred housand ” be first appointed as a memb 4 Fa ure o con a n he commun s n less corrupt than past administrations. 0 he economy s ex When the ofWe President came tostates power in s have osng o ayack em co 2020 nd esupply of bellwether goods average 31 deaths, 70, Spain 61, from a short-list prepared by them Governance ance Ac ofUK 2011) manda haschoo anmachinery appo ndeaths ho he economy s ex new phenomenon—suicide bombers. The saryBoard mobility restrictions hamper aggregate schoo scould have because os equipncome because o ack o the first place appointe tatalBanana, Ibe foresee a bleak against used this time to ofCOVID. Trustees PhilHealth, and unless My gu fothat here’s one equarantine emen sspolice, ng than dustrial andncome transport Combine those powers—control ofinvestthe east Asia; eme gency emp oymen cheme Fo u e es is the lower restriction event dent of time, and from the military and police, than any the rate of infections and have tions or limits on the entry of foreign countries pump into their economies, their from the military and the any The old threshold of 50 percent could still n he who e o 2020 he economy con he 19 p oposed FO b s ha a eady appea the rate of infections and deaths could have The reasons are countries pump into their economies, their cannot le n s o a y and con ex ” SO surgency and he Mus m separa s move The reasons are When the chief en of lower the national capital’s of Trustees. Sweden 57, the US 52. surgency and he m separa sgreatest move en ees for Government-owned or-Concorn, even school pe cenbyfish, B Philippines without assur the Board recommended hisMus appointment to price demand.” proven se2016, f our any more compe en nor any heand ank oand he unemp oyed can y conwo much o ees of Trustees. ccesne 10zNewsAs pefuel, cenno Baes zNewsAs a PNP improve health system capacity.” the pervasive illegal drugs curse. ment percent and for private supply of any commodity or He ha per 100has000 EU member • 62.1 Aohe geothermal power plant, one ofother the Commission THOUGHT he stumbled into the and tripledhe anti-insurgency budget, has actually opened more ofd45 the dmassively, rec or sha be onappo n ed by Pres den have andany sustaine ’s an urgen and asbefore ng obs posectors president him. More than been worse. The latest data suggest that ments in crucial sectors of the economy. GDP would have shrunk anyway. work, however, foresen Ithese counts acs ed by a cy ecoSan9 6 than pe cen nega ve other president before him. More 45fashioned dead n hemen wa Government eJuly been much worse. The latest suggest that aitsvaccine So can we now expec he case o move o GDP would have shrunk massively, anyway. force caught on social media What is/are the legal requt 3.clearly Unprecedented human trolled Corporations (GCG). ple can get employed when Without vaccine The gworld, oup ep ngdata eache s the the“By President. medicines, PPEs, are en he pove yclearly p ob em orights he violations coun y out o police economists projected men ber of the Boa ac on con os and he who The gNCR. oup ep esen ngonly hese eache What is/are the models of earlier UPnand Ateneo, construction 46.8 percent lower,” says sumer goods, redirecting taxpayers money first in thewas as an alternative source eto GDP aces onaverage oe daily he cruwho eWithout a worrying sign. 70 Spa a spelled out in about 32,000 average tests economy and helped bring back jobs.” barrage of adverse publicity biznewsasia@gmail.com ess corrup han pas adm s ra ons I SEE spelled in star-rank officers occupy cabinet and civilHuman Rights Watch says many of the a 31 dea hs UK n 61 a little over 1 percent of all COVID-19 cases Opening up the economy includes amendfrom a shor s prepared by he Governance longest economic expansion in the country’s ga e It is not the sheer size of the stimulus package a Banana I foresee a b eak fu ure for he vaccinated population. That threshold does g ow h he deepes n h s o y n he s star-rank officers occupy cabinet and civila little percent COVID-19 cases aPublic breakfast party with more this can only be ap- Gierran wa a ng a as e pace? finally ends! not the sheer of the package having What Duterte a stimulus strong president, can appointed can be appointed kThus, ngs po cato59,000 ac vbesto s ca and many yea o size come and sover a c1construction abirthday m ha he mbyheon a Under oMr. recovery ofbefore 7o percent 8o percent in GDP cially in 30 battleground regions, The kGierran ngs po aca vasItsV. sisand a has pe cenas assum a assum and s a of call aP500 m ha P500 m President, on alaw, o Gierran Gierran cantape bea we averted some 171,000 ADB. slipped a positions to anyone ormade anywhere, and the or restrictions of energy; 5. for Coddling of the police and the the military aThe a ge ped cen ng ageneral st).” a PhilHealth lift the lockdowns. for use the ident Marcos from the Is he a heel a CHARLIE ian in the government. general use in the country are severe or critical. Our moring three major measures –the Public Serthat matters but whether itss ismay actualnot with the number ofenough people who e inothe ecess nued wBoard h* * *of Trp When heeade ch ofof ona capthat aof ’s pointed byany thequa President as2021 agovernment. member of the on ian positions ernh @yahoo com 50 guests strict lockdown President and CEO PhilHealth, he must 27,000 areitGovernmen “vigilante-style killings perpetratin-owned the country are severe orincritical. Our morSweden 57 he US 52 has the vicious illegal drugs campaign, has also Wh elaw he Pbut eand den have gned n o than the Comm on for or-Conthecon Board ofthe Trustees? we eaoand yock don know cons de Luzon ng more matters now also whether is actualPh nes w hou assurance hahepeogrowth rate in 2021. That is now history—70 consecutive quarters growth. ca edreckon o (despite hem sed no enough eged NPA sef have ahe edsna ooverly den he the law Hardest hit employed was island which especially, when the ca oQ2. hem s pp noproeged NPA eade have aoptied onow den healso eachon mon hWe o ock deaths. Our death rates reduced from Duterte generals, marginal 0.9 percent in on flow of goods people under a lock• Exploration and drilling Malampaya; minguez: the lockdown, o“Without each mon hhighest They make no sense. I think even They pursued what notable LITO Take note Despite the overwhelming dominance of tality on the other hand, is at more 2.5 vice Act (PSA), the Foreign Acthibiting Board of Despite Trustees of PhilHealth was I don’t know whoever beforce appointed a for member ofMus the Board ly saving parts of the gatherings of ten or people in aw Bayan han 2ed he beconomy. onInvestments athe oons ed o hratio, have contracted the disease and survived it. dec ifnhengdominance by pe cen 13 given him one of his major the overwhelming of hero? tality ratio, on the other hand, is at 2.5 people MANALO Section ofSection RA 10149 Without a vaccine general use, could The obs po cy ha den Du eeseden lyproductive saving the productive parts of economy. yea ofirst d commun sas nsu mthe produces 70 percent total economic eockdown land is at–and stake. po52mistic. ce on soc athe med recession could rage The obs cy ha Pemp Du ehe eeconomy 13 ha of( ed by police officers themselves or by killers 3deaths Unpreceden human r gh s vrage oofapolice, onsthan from the military and the any ro Corpora (GCG) 52 yea ocaugh d commun s1.6 nsu gency Mus m he and seve a high of was 17 percent togency just percent ppeople ePpo can ge when h s you pandem c 4 2easing could have Duterte may not know it es but he down of whatever form orfailures—massive acronym—and •thousand.” Laws on culture in the life of the nation; Duterte himself added 14 quarters ofaoand growth cinfections edonges he onges andrecession seve ed without the win ard Maitland sharply observ included in thelockdowns, list submitted the one-meter social d generals, theoyed Duterte administration has not of Trustees. pthe ec athe e violations. on opaTrade gap mea u aehesystemic o aa hundred e oneper per (FIA), Retail Liberalization place atothe same time), Duterte refused human rights Critics say killed This is because problem isy not systemic Those people now have natural immunity. Acco d ngand ocan he Woance dnot Bank he your nam BANAYO generals, theprepared Duterte administration has recession could rage well into 2021. Act ofclude 2011) mandates th a hundred thousand.” has adop ghoemployment away shou daway no be an This is because the problem is not production and is home to 50 percent of not controlled during a state e o s s a e on he wa pa h ma ked by a other president before him. More than 45 has adop gh shou d no be an ance Act of 2011 worse. The latest data suggest that or around 4,000 deaths. We averted achieved almost full durDuterte can pick his successor—without • The Cultural Center of the Philippines e o s s a e on he wa pa h ma ked by a un o seven mon hs an election. hav ng a breakfas b r hday par y w h more o d – has un o seven mon hs tial matter of history is not h s aw G erran can on y be apUnder fmember na yEU ends! linked to the authorities.” Wha has made Du er e2021 a sinto rong 2021 pres den by the President. But Presiwell into tocol public Tob What is/are the legal requirements before vThe a than edthree he peop eees need before itPresident went negative ins the first quarter of GDP proven itself any tosu more competent toh fire the erring general. well He notes that per 100,000, the EUNational bills the laws more 27,000 indto the guise of eliminating When the came tocontraction power inAct. orregard aBoa cyclical Simply, necesMetro Manila, or Capital Region Ph ppany nes egnor sthe eany ed he nor wo s gin shall ow hbe petransport. director appointed o or Tbust. us ooamend Ph Hea hothree and un ess proven itself more competent any eme gency emp oymen scheme Fo su ethe GCG He notes that per 100,000, theoymen member the population. yeconom is how the government disBoa T us ees Ph Hea and un ess star-rank officers occupy cabinet and civilment as a mem contraction a cyclical bust. Simply, necesnew phenomenon—su c de bombe The eme gency emp scheme Fo e director shall be 1 percent of all COVID-19 cases some 1.3 to 3.5 million cases, of which ing his presidency, an unprecedented as to whether that guy is a geniand the Philippine International Convenc p oduc on new phenomenon—su c de bombe s The dent cannot legally appoint Gierran a mem- worsen buteg what wrote or by sai thepeople problem. Gierran can be appointed a ockdown member of the ha o hehe econom c p oduc Wha ehamper en a aggregate and uhhe gen an den ong ed by Pres as aton(NCR) member ofUK pervasive illegal drugs curse. less corrupt than past administrations. *y*corrupt *o smance 50 gues sstumbled (desp esevere s the r as c greatest proall by Salceda. states 31 deaths, 70, Spain 61, July 2016, he andare Authorities admit 7,000 deaths during c ous egaon ian drugs campa has a so han from a short-list prepared sary mobility restrictions produces 32.2 percent theyoyed country’s among pee s n he on such as he Boa d po ecommended s appo men oachievement. he anks he unemp oyed can on wo sof the 2020. op -Tha less than past administrations. states average 31he deaths, UK 70,of Spain 61, positions in the gn government. hen ecommended hobsaverage appo men o oEconomists ney. The incumbent President try are severe orvcritical. Our morhe anks osay hethat unemp can on wo from a there short-list sary restrictions hamper aggregate PNP has pPNP ed s anbepinto nsu budge 68,000 would critical when us, aauthored technocrat, aBoa nincompoop, or tion Center. quote Justice Manuel “Lolong” ber Board of Trustees, much more as anno be ecove ed ed gency anand nsu gency budge of Philhealth, Mark my words, the Board of has Trustees? biznewsasia@gmail.com emobility mLet obme po cy o pdredefines even amany b gge pthe Lazaro also said thatwills now canno be necove ed n Investments contracted by 53.5 perbiznewsasia@gmail.com Human Rights Watch says ofeven When the chief of the national capital’s longest economic expansion insorthe country’s Amending the PSA what is a Sweden 57, and the US 52. Commission for Governmen he P es den total economic production. Tha and 2 6 pe cen ndones a 0 7 Ma demand.” en he pove y p ob em o he coun y o Board of Trus ees of Ph Hea h f he was I don’ know whoever had he dea of Despite the overwhelming dominance of When the chief of the national capital’s h b ng ga her ngs of en more peop e n the other hand, is at 2.5 people he P es den cent in the second quarter and by 36.6 lon the money he wants to have Sweden 57, and the US 52. en he pove y p ob em o he coun y o the campaign. Any numbers above that are Commission for g ven h m one of h s ma or fa ures—mass ve demand.” a wo ySection ng sagn the peak which willGovernover- ameant hits 5law percent, practicaldog. today, the the people mustperpetratalready has g own ohas abou 32 000 ave age da ave y esage s da Insofar as Martial is concerned, it is a PhilHealth president/CEO, my gulay! Begun the expansion apove 4.2COVID-19 cases in the coun he Lazaro, whoy was Government Corpo- unemployment 13in of RAsday, 10149 (GOCC em oSo wo y 1999, ng gn ministrations have used law g own o abou 32 000 y cases es s on mine whether 27,000 are “vigilante-style consecutive quarters ofGovernment growth.utility police was caught on social media to enable foreigners to own majority 3. Unprecedented human rights violations (GCG). Thus oeconomists eduring G ee more an can be appo n“The edbe aslyappo many s many othat come 39.59 percent of one-me totalforce COVays ad 0s5the and Von epronam 5sought the Duterte administration hasinvestnot history—70 economists earlier projected ed Thus be oearlier ehe G eas an can nNCR edyea asaccounts police force was caught social media percent in the on and deploy it rtogh whoever yea s oits 3. Unprecedented human rights trolled Corporati Take note that GCG can in- 4trolled of thisCorporations nonsense. ance Act of mandates that anmof appointing nc uded nkillings sera. prepared and subm ed whelm healthcare sector.” eas ng he er soc abefore anc ng 5p fold Codd ngour he po ce he ary My gube ay he one eof emen m ng Government projected everyone needing afor job has acome job.violations It’s they want Duterte, or needless to say without proclamarate Counsel the Marcos one ace aincrease he same me) Du erand e refused Cathousand.” Dom 5o2011) Codd ng oand he po ce headecide—do mPutility ary classified “homicides under investigation.” sh nguez vs oAugus a generals, ons Cr csfirst he “Private k ednor to destroy or consic h”s itself Augus ”sayhalf. ed by police officers themselves or by killers in the size Philippine econoSec eosa 100,000, yhuman Ca nguez os Dom Duterte himself added 14 quarters of growth having a breakfast birthday party with more this law, Gierran Under es den and CEO o Ph Hea h he mus office. of franchise. At present, ownership What has made Duterte a strong president, Wh e he P es den may have s gned n o proven any more competent any that per the EU member ID cases—512,000 out of 1.293 million reported “The g ow h con ac on was ue ed by weak a recovery of 7 percent to 8 percent in GDP your name in for appointeshe den and CEO Ph Hea h having he mus They saynotwithstanding theUnder idea was mentnguez slumped innguez Q2 with outlays for in-group he wants tomoney send it. Adds Dom director shall be appointed by the President Wh e heoco den mayclude have shaving gned o the an breakfast birthday party more thistohi la uofgen and aGCG poheocy San What has made Duterte aPstrong president, “What we in the last six months, like a factory atesbe 95 peror none all? tion, the Philippines could now Du ehe e went has emp mo e oyed gene amo sof ea less, beneficiaries of the February accidenrecovery 7atPpercent tong 8 ob percent inPres GDP “Wof hou ockdown noted, the tried toDu make something out erver how much by o1986 den Bu he Pres -running oblivion, efind eoyed has emp gene aan nounder pub ranspor Tocshortlist me wou d withand linked to the authorities.” Adds Dom hou he it negative inFIFTH the quarter “no ma e how much oockdown f before remy ng genera Aside from the war killings, the THE more 27ofmoney 000 n he gu se mhe“W na ng as by the President as Pa be ssto appo nnow as membe he Boa corrupt than pasteadministrations. than (despite lockdown aw Bayan han 2The heCOVID b has ons a he o50 hcguests s as (from $72.2 billion in 1998 to $304.9 bilisgrowth limited Filipinos or 60 percent majority n31 age deaths, UK han 70, Spain 61, less vicious illegal drugs campaign, also ment aed member of the Board strict of Trustees drivers of public utility from aerr short-list prepared byfirst Governance so far. Since actual areons 3x demand dproven bypointed he comb naMy on gulay, growth rate in 2021. That is overly optibe see appo n deaths ed as membe odrugs he Boa d rule. atalBanana oed e That aa7,000 bisthe eak upersonalities, uo eathe oand he dcent machinery and transport equipe those powers—control aw Bayan han 2cases bed ato o4x odomes hguests s strict pointed by the than 50 (despite lockdown prothe vicious illegal drugs campaign, has also ishethat the quarantine restriction capacity. Duterte has imposed longest communist communists were event of time, place and om m a coming ylower and he po cethe han any rate in 2021. now overly optihe the a e odustrial nheecathe ons and deathe hsnational cou ddea have of the varying information out of China, edented achievements for th Authorities admit to during he econom es he om he m a y and he po ce han any 2020. e o n ec ons and hs cou d have ump n o he econom es he den canno ega y appo n G erran a memworsen he prob em Board of Trustees of PhilH When chief of capital’s o T us ees of the GCG needs to more deterpofoin ec aover e 2020, on smore op gap measu es a ePhilhealth, , and and the US 52.pervas ve rior and Local Government hibiting gatherings ofgatherings more people in espeople Commission Government-owned or-ConFilipino companies. Ph pp nelockdown woa vaccine hou any athegeneral uthe ance ha peo given him one his failures—massive T and us ees the reported number, could be asomany two conorafirst nmen weak dence Human Rights Watch has also noted the mistic. Without ahave vaccine for general he ega drugs curse pof oyhis ec athere e than on ythe s op gap measu es o ao eten ment 62.1The percent lower and forhaand private upply any or conBoard of TrustSj hibiting of tenmeasu or incon lion in 2016), aden reduction in poverty, has opened more sectors the But April 7.3 milmost strict inuse, world—for given him one major failures—massive already allmajor the country—in parliasustained a litany and oother heBegun psources den befor oGOSPEL hdramatic m Moowhys ee hhan 45 ident cannot mistic. Without for use, the been much wo a es a on sugges the campaign. Any numbers above that are nation and its people. WHO looking into the kcedented massof y commodity anyway in meant 4.2o1999, he pthe eseexpansion be maof Mo eSalceda’s han 45fashioned beense much wo seda The asocial es damedia a sugges haesactually have shvehuman unk mass veviolations y money anyway police force was caught mineatwhether youtime), are qualified to hold this ardo Año said that ifprepared this is tr included in the list Wha s a e he ega equ emen s be o e CROSSROADS rights trolled Corporations (GCG). v a e he peop e s needs p e can ge emp oyed when h pandem c one place the same Duterte refused ber of he Board of Trus ees much more as House Bill 1221 seeks to delete Mark my words here w be a surge of human rights violations. Critics say he killed Wha s a e he ega equ emen s be o e million (4x 512,000) who already have immunity and s ng n a on ” sa d he bank s June 2021 v a e he peop e s needs construction 46.8 percent lower,” says ds, redirecting taxpayers included in the recession could rage well into 2021. one place at the same time), Duterte refused economy helped bring back econojobs.” people lost theirhis jobs—“largely in more than six months now from March ment, media, academe, labor and even thekilled barrage of adverse publicity to efface Pres- lion human rights violations. Critics say he bDsznewsas a@gma com classified aswith “homicides under investigation.” afold ank omiddle-income sthe occupy cab ccab vbene politically motivated detention of most Human Rapackage gh esove Wa says of he recession rage well 2021. pea ebreakfast cen amany D and cases Imore could well repeat what increase inand size of Philippine wherefores of this deadly virus. and status for Filipinos, he ss mu package Health presid sce athis ank o Gierran ce s ne occupy and a1 ch oveo 1construction peCOV cen oparty a19 COV 19 cases office. jeepneys, buses, an having birthday with more law, canand only apUnder ycould end shee ze ousand he us sry’s made Duterte a sstrong president, the GCG towas the G cna e v an can bee appo ninto ed asinappo a membe oa 27,000 Wha s guise essen a eliminating and u genaThat sthis afire to the the provisions in the FIA relating to the “pracG an can nafter ed as membe more in of essen and uong generring a general. ong ADB. slipped byan alike or anywhere, themu restrictions by the Presiden GCG to from the virus inWha Metro Manila. 2.0 million econom cprocess! upda “Tep d ex by eadd na demand When the 15, President came to power aPresident Ph Hea hbe pres den CEO my guothe ay! COVID-19 cases he as eaThe resu Mr. President, lift theato lockdowns. services—mainly trade, ac2020. And what dowar we clergy. The Supreme Court recognized tosnfire thecoun general. ident Marcos the tapestry of history. Aside from thefrom drugs killings, thethan more than 27,000 in thestransport, guise of eliminating JUDE pos ons n security he gove nmen my (from $72.2 billion in 1998 $304.9 bilWhen the came toget power inSenator that “good deeds, nacalso heuacoun y50ay ePublic seve eyngs oa ce perpe ca lockdown Ou mo Questions “is this related? Is it nmen My gulay, it’s aerring long ry Pres- dent onow whe he scampaign, ac ua ofeloquently transportation—not ease t pointed by the President as member of the an pos ons n he gove * * * than guests (despite strict proprominent critic, Leila de Lima, the 27 000 are “v g an e-s e k ra n he coun seve e o c ca Ou mo illegal drugs has cannot legally appoint he Boa d o T us ees? bu a so whe he s e m obs po cy o p even a b gge p ob their per capita income exceeding $3,000. w h manent Comm he Boa d o T us ees? tice of professions” from among the items e m obs po cy o p even a b gge p ob the pervasive illegal drugs curse. dent cannot leg marginal 0.9 percent in Q2. goods and people under aalockis 15 percent of the capital region’s 12.87 million. d ven by he sha p con ac on n se v ces ex J.A. July 2016, he stumbled into the greatest and They make no sense. I think even commodation, restaurants, and entergiving up most of our basic liberties? when it ruled in favor of Marcos insofar as They pursued what notable poet Sir RichHuman Rights Watch has also noted the lion in 2016), a dramatic reduction in poverty, the pervasive illegal drugs curse. Take no e ha before he GCG can nDesp e he ove whe m ng dom nance o beneficial to the nation and the of h s nonsense ident cannot just pick anybody to be PhilJuly 2016, he stumbled into the greatest and a hibiting o on he oa he hand s he a more 2hand 5 peop ea Is tancing protocol. Board Trustees he dom was nance military? something dodgy going on?mif ng know whoeve he10149 dea o GOCC pa he of ten or people in one ofs o major e of he PhilHealth ove whe o on ACIDRE ber of the Board Trustees ahemse ygatherings omay on he oby 2 he 5there peop e of Desp Secdon 13 oin RA 10149 GOCC Gove n Rights em pove yherdoin p oduc ve paby sacronym—and opohece economy Sec on 13 had oand RA Gove n Rights removal in May 2018 of Justice Maedeconomy offay hund cers ves or kDuterte ers listed under the Foreign Investment Negative biznewsasia@gmail.com em pove berexpunged, ofofsay the Boar Duterte not know it sbut hatever orfailures—massive ex-officio me Human Watch says many ofy the Today, Duterte presides over the worst ecoTooChief achieve immunity for NCR, atHealth 50 perpo and s am d nge ng es and weak de ow h shisnoform longest economic the country’s politically motivated detention of his most without thethe lockdowns, you can win tainment—but also industry, espeWell, nothing—but misery poverty. ardexpansion Maitland sharply observed: ‘The essenMartial Law was concerned. and included middle-income status for Filipinos, with biznewsasia@gmail.com president CEO. The three per-c aons Health experts this Human Watch says many ofss the in list prepared and submitted be effaced or Goo ea ng he one me e oc a d anc ng p o gene a s he Du e e adm n s a on has no longest economic expansion in the country’s DELA CRUZ pe ed housand ” one place at the same time), refused What information are we not getting here?” violations. Critics say he killed bhts em a sys em c c ude your name n he shor s for appo n They say he dea was o he p opera ors gene a s he Du e e adm n s a on has no PhilHealth president/CEO ance Ac o 2011 manda es ha an appo n ng My gu ay he e s one e emen m ng pe a hund ed housand ” use he phisobnked em s no a sys em c achieved ance Ac oisgrowth. 2011 manda es ha an“vigilante-style appo nrevocation nggovernment My ay e perpetratswill one manent eonly emen m ssmand ng oof GCG athePhilHealth pre List (FINL). Itquarters will lower the minimum almost full employment durn pick successor—without 27,000 killings perpetratcent, the tohe inoculate 6.4Commissions n e naandona ou smWhat wh can e goods ex prominent critic, Senator Leila deme Lima, theemanper election. history—70 consecutive ofpo cially manufacturing. Lowerincome The Philippines today is the epicenter tial matter of not what I sincerely believe thatgu inneeds time, Marcos their income exceeding $3,000. the two (www.manilastandard.net) ria Lourdes Sereno, the of amhappen here is that o eliminating he au es ”peno Carlos Dom by the GCG tomo the President. theany Presinever. pub chistory an wou dare (www.manilastandard.net) triumphs in end. Marcos’ nomic performance ofBut the Philippines 27,000 are “vigilante-style killings er ofcyc oven secapita eexchanges compe en the erring history—70 consecutive quarters of growth. Hehor no to esfire haHe 100 000 EU000 membe in mp the yguise of became of the group’s daily not S Take note that th d oco ecany orequired sha be appo nChief edTo hehappened P es he den p any oven se any mo eno compe en no sesan uthemselves gen and as obs po cy San es general. ha pehean 100 he part EUpmembe men adirect member Board of Trus o27,000 awhether ca busneces S mp neces and dr vers of cmembers uSan veh ed c es In e- c seceverything dob ec oas sha beby appo nof ed by and he P den sees ana or u gen and as ng obs po cy Take note th ing his presidency, unprecedented tobus that guy is ay geniployment toem 15of employees for removal in14 May 2018 Justice Maedgrowth by police officers by killers ex-officio of Finance million. If you subtract 2ng million from that, a pub more po s y(Secretary ecove The pub osecure. was he nbefore wema have gained. Today, Duterte presides over the worstaecosemi-skilled workers, most of them of COVID pandemic in the whole of dentup cannot legally appoint Gierran membut what people wrote or said about it.’” Duterte himself added growth be vindicated. He was visionary, born ahead wo en he pquarters is The Marcos laws ab ed by police officers themselves or by killers ve illegal drugs curse. ess co han pas adm n s a ons Budget Secret s a es ave age 31 dea hs UK 70 Spa n 61 Duterte himself added 14 quarters of nesty given Senator (now retired) Antonio ACCIDENTS happen. This is what social because, as Lentzos puts it, we were conspiracy Au hor es adm o 7 000 dea hs dur ng clude your name in the short om a sho s p epa ed by he Gove nance ns agghampe ega e or a Banana o esee a b eak u u e o he The slump is also the worst in ASEAN. The ess co up han pas adm n s a ons s a es ave age 31 dea hssay UK 70when Spa n 61 om a sho s p epa ed by he Gove nance y hampe es ac nincompoop, ons aggeven ega e biznewsasia@gmail.com a Banana o esee a b eak u u e o he clude your nam achievement. Economists that nocrat, ria Lourdes Sereno, the revocation of amCarlos Dominguez and Department of a $100,000 foreign investment in small and * * * (www.manilastandard.net) berbiznewsasia@gmail.com ofhethechBoard Trustees, much more as Asia, of Ph hea h he rs needs o de ernomic performance ofhe thenaPhilippines ever. Ma k my wo dsaid he ew be a GCG u and ge adotof employed linked the authorities.” r or and Loca Governmen Secre ary Edurealistic vaccination target for Metro Manila is only d ve o g ow h w h an expans ona y budge ” only informally, were hit hard outside of India, Pakistan, Lazaro also that succeeding of his time. Generations free from the blemish before it went negative in the first quarter of fit us. They are embedded in ow Rights Watch says many of the linked to the authorities.” When e o ona cap a s Sweden and he US 52 before it went negative in the quarter ofowned andalready biological armaments expert theorists but “it isaslump our profession.” The ment asban a member Bo Comm ss19 on oe Gove nmen owned oe uCon SO Ph pp nes w hou any assu ance haassu peoanceSecretary have chacademic einalso omyhe naThe ona cap agiven sDworst Sweden 57 above and he IV who led mutinies in 2002 and he campa gn Any57 numbers ha52 arepracticalComm ss on ofirst Gove nmen o few Con Ph pp nesardo w hou any ha peo Budget Wendel Avisado) willhe also ment asofavote mem The of going tothe cem nesty Senator (now retired) PhilHealth gulay! unemployment hits 5 US percent, today, people must collapse makes him the 4 2- thescientist COV ca nTrillanes he coun yeven aAntonio aare Theeconomic is When alsopresident/CEO, thehe worst ASEAN. medium-sized domestic market industries. Authorities admit to 7,000 deaths during because had the option to work Bangladesh. With over 3,000 cases daily, 4.43 million. Athwill the current rate offrom 150,000 vacciWe ghed down by COV D 19 pandem cto ministrations have used laws as they of hate and revenge look more kindly on 2020. m ne whe her you qua f ed o ho d s “vigilante-style killings perpetratand continue to govern and g Año sa d ha f h s s rue we shou d Authorities admit to 7,000 deaths during po ce o ce was caugh on soc a med a of Philhealth, the GCG first 3 Unpreceden ed human r gh s v o a ons o ed Co po a ons GCG Filippa Lentzos said as she commented on who works out of Switzerland proceeded with 2020. p e can ge emp oyed when h s pandem c s s ea e p o ec ed SO I SEE po ce o ce was caugh on soc a med a have to vote whether to include you or not “Undas” or All Saints’ Day 3 Unpreceden ed human r gh s v o a ons o ed Co po a ons GCG Take note that before the GCG can inTrillanes IVto who led mutinies in 2002 and pAnti-Terror e the canhis ge empare oyed when h sallpandem osough h perfornon en e300,000 Philhealth, tha econom s s ea e as p “hom o ecored clydes everyone needing aga job on has ”a job. It’seconomic oen want more Duterte, the collapse also makes him the worst In seeking to amend the Trade Libnotes ADB. we are reaching cases and 2007, and the passage of ayacknowledge new c ass fofed under nves sought destroy consign Marcos to the campaign. Any numbers above that him, and achievements ohoff des oy gn Ma cos o home,” nations per day, government canand inoculate hecPh neher economy ecaswhether o in g of ow a shortlis Begun in 1999, the expansion meant aRetail 4.2e they themselves or by killers president ever in shortlist terms economic onoMarcos’ and foresigh the campaign. Any above that I numbers SEE you are quali ng aasb other eak bterms hof mo spassage aw Goor ehacons an can on ywill be ap Unde ce na ends add more eepneys buses andppoLITO meanss omine has Du eorigins a s Du ong what “groupthink” the even prominent scientists Begun 1999, the expansion meant aaan 4.2inare the shortlist. oofficers pecen cen Day is no vision problem for me and clude your name the for appointThey ay he dea wa ototal he pG ope oeccan havas ng a binhday eak as by whday paeeralization y wbe h ob mo ein 2007, and the of new Anti-Terror Unde s aw e on y be ap na y ends Whaon has made epher eesa den sresearch phav es den mine whether y president ever in of pa economic perforlikemade having ae factory running at ong 95 perall? one 7at8pe o nshe 8 GDP pecalls cen the nWha GDP Law of 2000, Salceda’s HB 1222 Ironically, Duterte had rescued six No. 20 in number of COVID oblivion, notwithstanding his solid unpreccontribution to the nation. v on no w hs and ng h s so d unp classified as “homicides under investigation.” the 4.43 million Metro Manilans in just one month. 4 7 pe cen h s yea be o e acce e a ng o 5 9 The GCG ebauthorities.” increase inpo then dsize Philippine econoforForgovernance arewe richly Act (ATA). As delongest from drugs war k dngs hethe byof Pnsize es asy Paveh membe LITO classified investigation.” * *under *of ranspor 50 gues sa and desp e sof sthe c desp ockdown mance. -now The GCG is ease akin to the Judicial of the pandemic. called her outfold many office. years, haveillni he v che ous ugs campa gn has a somedia fold increase inhe the of Philippine ment as han member Board and ve opo pub cden u ay cden noea he ahas sadmit ove op Act (ATA). My gu ’sgood ae econoong process! The Presed by as membe omeans heas “homicides on—no he socand a and dpeBar s-cen office. *an* a and 50colleagues gues efor sof Trustees cp oockdown pminimum oeded mance. v c dous ega ugsand campa gn han has a so centheega capacity. imposed the n 2021 Tha syCOVID-19 now ove during yand op BANAYO sets the paid-up capital and locally million from poverty—defined as*he cases in the world among 220 countries. edented achievements for the the *BANAYO *whoeve * life, eden ach evemen sPh ohe hees oof he ies to 7,000 deaths This by August, for the people for pe cen n 2022 6 n 2023 he Wo d Aside from the drugs war killings, the varied and numerous legal iss my (from $72.2 billion in 1998 to $304.9 bilCouncil. Befo My gulay, it’s a long pro Council. Before you can be appointed as Boa d o T us ees o Hea h he was cemeteries on those two da don know had dea o of Philhealth, the GCG first needs to deterAside from the drugs war killings, the o and Loca Gove nmen Sec e a y Edu h b ng ga he ngs o en o mo e peop e n “groupthink” Lentzos those and promoting an guse ven hWa m one o is hhtalking smma ahno usmore es—mass vees—mass (from $72.2 billion 1998 to $304.9 Recently, there been sensational Recently, there Human Ragh sarehe ch has aoneoso ed“asking he ne oyaAny gene aThe he Boa dhave oein T us ees op Ph Hea hhave heWatch Andve thath is allng due to second don know whoeve had he deaBank o has o ecas My an gulay, it’ bthat ga he oalterenbiggest othe moproduced emy peop e biggest nwe And isare allthengs due to second But in April 2020, mil-questions” ter lockdown inuse world—for g ven oabout ma othan a u7.3 canno us ckbilanybody obeen be -He ou vacc ne othe gene anc ng pro gn. numbers above that income ofwas $2 a Ph day. was going tong In fact, will be 15, dislodging stock requirements nation its people. Santa Banana, Isensational cannot believe this is oco na on and sinventory peop business, could be back to normal. Human Rights has also noted the If cannot only member to show examp 2016), a dramatic reduction in poverty, member ofng thep Board any GOCC, Phil- ident other days. What isth th mine you me toein hold justmatters pick ain do Año dhe hreduction we houed dfor uded naaden sin pTop epa edue and subm ed eas ng he one me e he soc a also dthat s eanc pthe Human Rights Watch has noted ace awhether hevirus. same Du e lion eme used killings of known political activists, human ispothe narrative native narrative about the human gh son vpeople oCOVID-19 a ons cs say he ofanyb 2016), dramatic poverty, nchauded nwhat he s in pknown epa and subm ed omonths 2021 eas ng one me soc aallocated do s ancLungs o andtobubbles ident cannot ju one p ace a hequalified same Duthis elion eeven enc used lion lost their jobs—“largely infailure. now from March human gh sCvof o adahons C k csed sayone he kpfailure. edOPEN killings of political activists, human susix “homicides under y mo va ed de en on s mos Opportunities dnhage we n prevailing ocainvestigation.” 2021 bring down poverty to an unheard of 12 Bangladesh. I could well repeat Lazaro said so coming from the Philippine National Police foreign retail business enterprises. w About 65 percent of the vaccines are politically motivated detention of his most Hea h pres den and CEO The hree perHealth included, you must pass through the and foresight of Marcos, here Hea h exper s say h s s dangerous ber and pray for our loved office. and middle-income status for Filipinos, with add mo e eepney bu e and o he mean Health president and CEO.o by he GCG by o and he P esfor den BuPPeople’s heden P es Bupolitically oco n pub c anspo To me wou d rights defenders, alleged New Opportunities o e he e ng gene a motivated detention of his most vanced by leading scientists including Dr. That alternative gained traction sometime 2. Pandemic mismanagement mo e han 27 000 n he gu se o e m na ng and middle-income status Filipinos, with he GCG o he es he P es oco n pub c anspo To me wou d came o powe n Health presiden Health includ services—mainly And dowarnen wekillings, o eit’s heaelong ngprocess! genetheir a The drugs the mo e Le han 27 000trade, he transport, guhe se o e acm na ng by 2022, from 30s in the The economy collapsed by 0.7 percent that deeds, especially eom P the es what den came oget powe nSena chief. He said that National Capital Region oquen ymanen “good deeds espec aprominent The 2000 Retail Trade law allows apercent wringerhere of the sGCG, and must ingone ahead ofstill us.apply My gulay, for Metro Manila—which means anhappen inoculation bha znewsas a@gma com manent oeeloquently an po aha on—no eaLib e defenders, he oc ayathose dhose critic, Senator de Lima, the2000s. suances that and New People’s prom crafter c the a de Ln ma perPrescapita income exceeding $3,000. Commissions of are GC canno ega yrights appo nega G an wo sen he pLeila ob em 2.noPandemic mismanagement Comm ons ofGand and he wo can weyou cou d be ose THOUGHTS prominent critic, Senator de Lima, the Fauci and World Health organin cu mid-2020 less than then President pe vas veheor ega d ve ugs cu den canno yess appo nmem eGCG analleged a mem wo sen heWha pLeila ob em theirden perinvestor, capita income exceeding $3,000. manent Commi nsoumb heofAnthony gour eahas and commodation, restaurants, andse enter-when most ghts Watch also noted the pe vas egase d ugs beneficial to the nation the people, cannot Police Office chief, Major General Debold bene che ooco he na on and he peop e mo canno ident cannot just pick anybody to be Philhe ed nes obasic he gliberties? ea he es and wringer of th foreign with aworst minimum $2.5 milanc ng pa oBoa rate of 97,500 per day. At that rate, to vaccinate removal in May 2018 of Chief Justice Maex-officio members (Secret be o d o T us ees much e as Today, Duterte presides over the ecoMa k my wo ds he e w be a su ge o remova n May 2018 of Ch ef Jus ce Mabformer znewsas a@gma com removal inFMay 2018 ofevery Chief Justice Maization (WHO), positing that the virus was of Trump, his Secretary of State Mike Pombe o he Boa d o T us ees much mo e as ex-off c o members (Secre ary of nance Ma k my wo ds he e w be a su ge o Human R gh s Wa ch says many o he ex-officio mem h ng we have ga ned ecoToday, Duterte presides over the worst econs on n he coun y s motivated detention of his most tainment—but also in industry, espeing—but misery and poverty. b znewsas a@gma com Health president and CEO. The three perHea h expe ay h dange ou Human R gh s Wa ch says many o he effaced or expunged, survives Sinas, deserves a promotion because he has be e aced o expunged Good su v ves and nom c expans on n he coun y s riaCEO Lourdes Sereno, revocation am-yn asheof Dominguez and a Ph Hea es den CEO my gu ay COV D the 19Sereno, cases nthe he of coun a coun esu nomic performance of thehapPhilippines ever. ORLANDO Rolando G.Carlos Estabillo Publisher Ph Hea hPhilippines p es den gu ay origin. IngSereno fact, peo Republican Senator Tom started COV D 19 cases y as*a* esu ria Lourdes revocation am-(www.manilastandard.net) Carlos Domin 000 a cially e Chinese “v g000 an e es “v y egkon angs critic, Lima, thehthe nomic performance of ever. elippines qua Senator e today snatural oa qua gLeila hs epicenter manufacturing. income isow the Commissions of GCG and net the two www manCotton astandard rve Lourdes revoca amWha can happen he ethe ha we cou eynmyexperience Car os Dom nguez Depar men ofnew * (www.manilastandard.net) man astandard net) triumphs end. Marcos’ in in training recruits. umphs nethe he end pplace ace n dhhistory soand ogiven ever 27he agovernment an ngs eof sLowerype e pe k and pe pemanent a (www consecu ede o 27 ow Budget Secretary Wendel Av Take noin ha beMa o ecos he GCG can nesty Senator (now retired) o can s nonsense The slump is also the worst in ASEAN. The Former Chief Justice Reynato S.hPuno Board Member &Antonio Chief Legal Adviser Board Member & Chief Legal Adviser Former Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno Take no e ha be o e he GCG n o h s nonsense Budget Secretar insisted after the first COVI-19 cases broke arguing that the virus could have been leaked May 2018 of Chief Justice Manesty given Senator (now retired) Antonio ManilaStandard ed by po ce o ce s hemse ves o by k e s ex-officio members (Secretary of Finance eve y h ng we have ga ned The slump is also the worst in ASEAN. The and semi-skilled workers, most of them D pandemic in the whole of 14 qua e s o g ow h ManilaStandard indications that collectively suggest this is a seTake the case of the more prominent accidents canebeThe accessed Honor Blanco Cabieto Nigh Ramonchito Tomeldan Managing Editor haveRamonchito can be accessed secure. Marcos laws bene-n Av What, when Sinas openly violated that of s secu Ma coshe aws abound and bene L. Tomeldan by po re ce ored) ce sAn hemse o by k eOXALES s Budge Secre ary Wende sado) w aat: so SO er es se addednes 14 qua even s o gSena ow h or ed(now The oL.oTreasury ceme dur ng y gvirus on oves to vote whether inc c is ude you name nat: sho sn ohe appo They say he dea was oand he pban ope aand oAnita sgopF.ng Trillanes IV who led mutinies in 2002he The economic collapse also makes him the worst manilastandard.net SO c ude you name sho s o appo n manilastandard.net Anita F. Grefal Treasury Manager They say dea was o he ope a s s Sereno, the revocation of amhave to vote wh Carlos Dominguez and Department of ONLINE * * * out, the came from the wilds through from the Wuhan Institute of Virology which had (www.manilastandard.net) Trillanes IV who led mutinies in 2002 Grefal Manager nked o he au ho es ” informally, hit hardPublished Monday to Sunday by Philippine Manila Standard side India, Pakistan, ONLINE economic also makes himdlegal the worst Jimbo Owen Gulle City Chin Editors in theChin n nega heof ve s qua e o s qua and rious possibility that following up by the inand recent memory. The Fukushima re-Wong/Ray S. Eñano us. our system Wong/Ray S. Eñano Enhanced Community Quarantine protocols us They aareeneeds embedded nBoa ou ega sys em I SEE nked ononly he au es ” were n anes he e o employed shortlist. men ascollapse atoof membe he o2007, T us eesnc dyou ve sor oand pub c u“Undas” ypub veh c uor esnuclear Published Monday Sunday by Philippine Manila Standard SOpresident and of apassage new Anti-Terror have ooTrue einPaseo whe her oas ude no Any S.eveh Sa nesPangco s’Board andSolutions AAssociate Sou IEditor SEE s’ ever infitThe terms economic perforTr IV who edes mu es nho2002 and Budget Secretary Wendel willinternational also as avo he Boa dthe o2007, Tpassage ees ban omen go ng omembe ceme edeoecalling du ng nnh.Senator (now retired) Antonio dChief ve sto o mind. cFor cFelipe nDay e Pañares in the shortlist. wors the Wuhan Market traditionally offered been conducting experiments coronavirus Former Justice Reynato Puno Member & Chief Legal Adviser Baldwin R.us Felipe Head—Ad Solutions and the of a new Anti-Terror Publishing Inc. at 6/F Universal Reon Building, 106Avisado) Paseo de Auwhich ho because adm o 7 000 dea hs du ng Lino M. Santos Chief few had the option to work from With over 3,000 cases daily, Joyce News Baldwin R. Head—Ad president ever in terms of economic perforcommunity.” to her actor melt down comes years, the Publishing Inc. at 6/F Universal Re Building, 106 de MEMBER Joyce Pangco Pañares continue to govern guide the nation. when he had a mañanita birthday party? and con nue o gove n and gu he na on ManilaStandard MEMBER LITO Au ho es adm SOo 7 000 dea hs Roxas, duhave ng to vote The GCG isRamonchit akinGCG to the J o“Unda Ph Perea hea hA he GCG ssTelephone needs o (ATA). de o de and Loca oGove nmen Sec e nmen a prob y Edu can accessed at: o Act corner Perea St., Legaspi Village, Makati City.SEE Telephone whether to include you or not Roxas, ” oSt., Sa nhea Day and Abe Sou mance. 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B1 EDITORIAL ED

Hacking and hackers hackers 1521: Theand quincentennial Hacking andHacking hackers

Better late than never and hackers Hacking hackers 1521:Hacking Theand quincentennial

g and hackers

B1

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EDITORIAL EDITORIAL EDITORIAL EDITORIAL EDITORIAL

T

‘Tough’ Learning curves blow from LearningAnother curves Learning curves the Ombudsman T T T A T Duterte’s failures

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Gierran’s appointment is illegal

e’s failures

Gierran’s appointment is ill Marco Gierra Gierran’s

Duterte’s failures Duterte’s failures Calamity elections Duterte’s failures

Recovery in August

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

lures Duterte’s failures Calamity elections uterte’s failures

Accidents happen

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eve Former y h ngChief we have ned S. Puno Board Member & Chief Legal Adviser u e e p esthat des “groupthink” ove he wo s view eco taking every available Justicega Reynato Lou des Se eno desheSeevoca am on o am ManilaStandard os DomCayou nguez and nguez Depa men ocan * * *the point bedinhaled without it...Could an that or Publisher some factor, it*happened. he Ph opp nes eve pp nesa eve be accessed Former Justice Reynato S. Puno Board Member & Chief Legal Adviser Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Rolando G.Ca Estabillo Publisher a Lou eno on he oevoca os realizing Dom and Depa men oat: beother *is*Chief Rolando G. Estabillo www man as anda ne ManilaStandard mance he of Ph can accessed at: Ramonchito manilastandard.net tidbit information to shed light on the issue. 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happen all over again

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standards to ensure that top level laboratories of which were dutifully carried by newspapers The lady has grace The possibility of an accidental lapse, a “lab guarded and heavily secured facilities. It is poso Ph pp ne Newspape s worldwide like the Wuhan Institute of Virol- worldwide including the New York Times and leak” has since been gaining traction to it also in Wuhan with Em GPsible Cha rman Emer tus Ed torallathe Board Ro the ando EsJurado abthat o Pub hehappened Ro ando G Es ab o it Pub he to the world. As ogy conducting research on pathogens and Post onatural deadly consequences brought Fo me Washington Ch e us ce Reyna S Puno origin.” Boa d Membe & Ch e Lega point Adv e that in the recent G-7 meeting in the UK, M nb d Hono Bher anco Cab eadvised, N gh Ed Fo me Ch e Lentzos us ce Reyna o S Puno Boa d Membethe & Ch e Lega Adv ecalled Ramonch o L Tome danrelease Manag ng Ed o Lentzos other deadly viruses are to Nonetheless, struggled on insisting M indeed capacitated participants for the of more and group it isoe time that n b d Hono B anco Cab N gh Eda o Ramonch o L Tome dan Manag ng Ed o m n nd d n An a F G e a Ttheory” ea u y Manage ONL NE ONLINE mbo Owen Gu efor such C y Edfacilities, o Ch and n Wong/Ray S Eñano Asecond o a e Ed o global safety m n nd d n that dismissing the “lab leak the An a F G e awasTpremaea u y Manage n M n n hilt. information the conduct of a instandard mbo Owen Gu e C whethy Ed o Ch n Wong/Ray S Eñano A oc a e Ed o un h n M n n CROSSROADS dw nshe R Fepublished pe Head—Ad So u on of n no M San Ch e Pho og aphe as in oyce Pangco Pañaof esVirology New Edopero At leastMthat’s ture. In an Ba article MB R what Lentzos and her colInstitute foroLresearch asos in Wuhan Ba dw n Rin Fethe peBulletin Head—Ad So quiry u on on the Wuhan uh n L no M Sanorosfor energy Ch e Pho og aphe oyce Pangco Paña es NewerEd M MB R MUn C n n P group n u consisting e Chua Op n oncase. Ed o toPhhanNppemail the Atomic 2020, posited ations at the time Ade EdgaScientists M Va mo in daMay C cu a onshe Manage M Cbelonging h n of the first COVID-19 the Fukushima and Three Mile Island reactors or nn Vnleagues Ph ppon n P n u Ade e Chua Op n on Ed o on A o Edga M Va mo da C cu a on Manage They’re copying n O nn n J AChina a on that “safety lapses in the course of basic scienofA “ex-intelligence, obioweapons h pp n N whspecialists, pNa p ona A oexOf course, that “lab leak theory” has since even Chernobyl, be put in place and strictly monO o Ph pp n N w pap M n W www n Em government P u ado Cha man Eme for u the Ed health o a Boa d safety of our world. We US State Department diplomats tific research caused the pandemic.” Of course, been dismissed by the Chinese n O fiperts, M n former W www as itored and DELA CRUZ Em P u ado Cha man Eme u Ed o a Boa d and others who have worked in arms control she acknowledged then that “as of yet, little baseless and a second investigation unneces- cannot afford yet another accident like this “lab and biological disarmaments” were into, O’Neal concrete evidence” but that there were “several sary. But, as Lentzos noted, accidents do happen. leak,” if true, happening all over again.

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‘NATO exaggerating China threat yarn’ B EIJING—Beijing on Tuesday accused NATO of exaggerating the threat from China and “creating confrontation”, after a vow from the Western allies to work together to counter the “systemic challenges” posed by its policies. Manila

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NATO leaders made the commitment on Monday, as US President Joe Biden renewed Washington’s transatlantic ties at his first summit with the allies. In a broad statement of intent, the leaders said China’s increasingly assertive actions in building a nuclear arsenal and space and cyber warfare capabilities threatened the international order. In an angry response, a statement from the Chinese mission to the European Union called for NATO to “view China’s development rationally, stop exaggerating various forms of ‘China threat theory’ and not to use China’s legitimate interests and legal rights as excuses for manipulating group politics (while) artificially creating confrontations”. It added that NATO’s accusations were a “slander of China’s peaceful development,

a misjudgment of the international situation said the allies would seek to cooperate with and its own role, and it is the continuation of China on global issues like climate change a Cold War mentality and the group’s political —but decried Beijing’s increasingly assertive psychology at work”. stance on other issues. Military tensions have increased over the G7 criticism past year between China and rival powers inThe exchange came a day after the Chinese cluding the United States and India, with flash- embassy in Britain hit back at the G7 for “popoints like the Himalayan border, Taiwan, and litical manipulation” after the group criticized the South China Sea. China’s human rights record. BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW China’s military budget —the second largIn a communique after a three-day sumest in the world after the US, though still less mit in England, G7 leaders slammed China than a third of Washington’s—is set to increase over abuses against pro-democracy activists by 6.8 percent in 2021, the finance ministry an- in Hong Kong and minorities in the Xinjiang nounced in March. region. Beijing has also poured billions into Human rights groups say China has rounded its space programme in a bid to make up up an estimated one million Uyghurs and other ground on pioneers Russia and the United minorities in Xinjiang into internment camps, States. which Beijing says is to eradicate Islamic exNATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg tremism. AFP

Chinese scientist denies lab-leak theory on COVID WASHINGTON—The Chinese scientist at the center of theories that the coronavirus pandemic originated with a leak from her specialized lab in the city of Wuhan has denied her institution was to blame for the health disaster. “How on earth can I offer up evidence for something where there is no evidence?” Dr Shi Zhengli told The New York Times in rare comments to the media. “I don’t know how the world has come to this, constantly pouring filth on an innocent scientist,” she told the US daily. US President Joe Biden last month ordered intelligence agencies to investigate the origin of the pandemic, including the lab-leak theory. The leak hypothesis had been floated earlier during the global outbreak, including by Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump, but was widely dismissed as a conspiracy theory. But it has gained increasing traction recently, fueled by reports that three researchers from the Wuhan Institute of Virology became sick in 2019 after visiting a bat cave in the southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan. AFP

BIDEN SITS IN. Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (left) and US President Joe Biden (right) attend a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the NATO summit at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) headquarters in Brussels on June 14. AFP

Trial of Myanmar’s Suu Kyi to begin with coronavirus, sedition allegations NAYPYIDAW—Myanmar junta witnesses were set to testify on Tuesday against deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi on charges of sedition and flouting coronavirus restrictions, in a trial that could see the Nobel laureate jailed for more than a decade. The country has been in turmoil since the military ousted Suu Kyi’s elected government in February and embarked on a brutal crackdown on dissent that has killed more than 850 people, a monitoring group says. Under house arrest and invisible bar a handful of court appearances, Suu Kyi has been hit with an eclectic raft of charges, including accepting illegal payments of gold and violating a colonial-era secrecy law. On Tuesday, the court will hear testimony from witnesses claiming she broke coronavirus restrictions during last year’s elections that her National League for Democracy (NLD) party won in a landslide.

A separate trial in which she is accused of sedition alongside ousted president Win Myint and another senior NLD member, is also scheduled to begin. If convicted of all charges, Suu Kyi, 75, faces more than a decade in jail. Journalists are barred from proceedings and there was a heavy security presence outside the special court in the capital Naypyidaw on Tuesday, an AFP reporter said. The long-delayed hearings come as fighting flares in several communities across Myanmar and diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis flounder. Myanmar’s ambassador to the United Nations, who has refused to leave his post despite being fired after the coup has called for the international community to take “effective collective measures” against the junta. “The lack of such actions... will further encourage the military to continue com-

GRADUATION DAY. This aerial photo taken on June 13 shows nearly 11,000 graduates,

including more than 2000 students who could not attend the graduation ceremony last year due to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, attending a graduation ceremony at Central China Normal University in Wuhan, in China’s central Hubei province. AFP

Terrorism raps for man in Canada truck attack

(MS-JUNE (MS-JUNE 16, 16, 2021) 2021)

OTTAWA—Canada is pressing terrorism charges against a man accused of mowing down a Muslim family with a pickup truck, killing four, prosecutors said Monday. Five members of the Afzaal family were out for a walk in London, Ontario -- around 125 miles (200 kilometers) southwest of Toronto -- on June 6, when a truck driver struck them on purpose, according to authorities. Salman Afzaal, 46, his wife Madiha, 44, their daughter Yumna, 15, and Salman’s mother Talat, 74, were all killed. The couple’s nine-year-old son Fayez survived, but was seriously injured. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau previously said the killings were “a terrorist attack, motivated by hatred.” Prosecutors revealed in a brief hearing Monday that they were adding terrorism charges to the four counts of premeditated murder and one of attempted murder lev-

eled last week against 20-year-old Nathaniel Veltman. “The federal and provincial attorneys general provided their consent to commence terrorism proceedings, alleging that the murders and the attempted murder also constitute terrorist activity,” the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said in a statement after the hearing. Veltman, who has no criminal record and no known link to any extremist group, told the court via video link that he does not have a lawyer. He has yet to enter a plea and is set to reappear in court on June 21. Several Canadian media outlets revealed on Monday that Fayez Afzaal had been able to leave hospital, and was being taken care of by relatives. He was “expected to recover—it’s going to be some time,” relative Saboor Khan told CBC News. AFP

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Emirates air carrier books loss of $5.5b DUBAI, United Arab Emirates— Dubai-based Emirates airline on Tuesday posted a $5.5-billion annual loss, its first in more than three decades, after the coronavirus pandemic devastated the aviation industry. The carrier said it received a capital injection of $3.1 billion from its owner, the government of Dubai, to help it survive the crisis. The Emirates group was “hit hard by the drop in demand for international air travel as countries closed their borders and imposed stringent travel restrictions,” said chairman and chief executive, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum. “No one knows when the pandemic will be over, but we know recovery will be patchy,” he said in a statement. The Middle East’s largest carrier said that the fallout triggered a loss of 20.3 billion dirhams ($5.5 billion) over the financial year to March, after last year’s 1.1 billion dirhams ($288 million) profit. The airline, which was forced to temporarily suspend operations last year, saw revenue fall 66 percent to $8.4 billion. Over the fiscal year Emirates carried 6.6 million passengers, down 88 percent from the same period in the previous year. “The COVID-19 pandemic continues to take a tremendous toll on human lives, communities, economies, and on the aviation and travel industry,” Sheikh Ahmed said. “Economies and companies that entered pandemic times in a strong position, will be better placed to bounce back.” The last time the airline reported a loss was in the 1987-88 financial year, when it was starting up its operations. Like other major carriers, Emirates began announcing heavy layoffs when its fleet of A380 superjumbos and Boeing 777s was grounded. In Tuesday’s statement, it said the Emirates Group’s employee base— which includes ground-handling firm Dnata—was slashed by 30.8 percent to 75,145 employees. Before the virus hit, Emirates airline alone employed some 60,033 staff, including 4,300 pilots and nearly 22,000 cabin crew. The workforce has now shrunk to 40,801 staff. AFP

PSEi June 15, 2021

TOP GAINERS

KOREA STRIKE. Parcel delivery workers scuffle with police officers as they try to bring loudspeakers, an unauthorized protest item, during a rally calling for improvement of working conditions in Seoul on June 15, 2021, as the delivery workers’ union launched a general strike last week to call for implementation of an agreement on preventing overwork. AFP

Stocks rally as investors cheer looser COVID rules S TOCKS climbed Tuesday to push the benchmark index closer to the 7,000-point mark, after the government eased the lockdown restrictions in Metro Manila and reduced the curfew hours.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index rose 59.24 points, or 0.9 percent, to 6,976.73 on a value turnover of P8 billion. Gainers edged losers, 106 to 101, with 59 issues unchanged. GMA Network Inc., the biggest broadcasting company, advanced 4.6 percent to P13.06, while AC Energy Corp., a unit conglomerate Ayala Corp., increased 4.2 percent to P8.34. Jollibee Foods Corp., the largest

fast-food chain, rose 3.8 percent to P215, while Aboitiz Power Corp. of the Aboitiz Group, added 2.5 percent to P24.60. Most stock markets in Asia also rose on Tuesday following a record-breaking day on Wall Street, but traders shifted cautiously ahead of the Federal Reserve’s next policy meeting later this week. Tokyo ended up one percent, while Wellington added a little more with gains also seen in Sydney, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei and Mumbai. Hong Kong fell, however, as investors returned from a long weekend, with eyes on a nuclear plant across the border in China following a US report of a potential leak. The Chinese central bank’s decision to drain liquidity from financial markets hit buying demand from investors north of the border. Shanghai, Bangkok and Jakarta

also slipped. With coronavirus vaccines rolling out and businesses reopening in many countries, investors are broadly upbeat about the global economic outlook while fears have eased that an expected inflation spike will force central banks to taper their ultra-loose monetary policies. The release of data last week showing US consumer prices jumped far more than forecast was taken in stride, suggesting a growing acceptance of the Fed’s insistence that spikes were to be expected owing to last year’s low base of comparison and supply bottlenecks, among other things. That puts the Fed’s latest meeting— and boss Jerome Powell’s comments— firmly in the spotlight with dealers looking for an idea about its plans for policy in light of the US economy’s blockbuster recovery. With AFP

LAST PRICE

% CHANGE CHANGE

1

CLI

4

0.74

22.70%

2 3

LAND ACEX

2.07 18.86

0.19 1.66

10.11% 9.65%

4

IDC

2.64

0.23

9.54%

5 6

PHR APL

2.3 0.192

0.19 0.014

9.01% 7.87%

7

MAXS

7.02

0.42

6.36%

8

I

1.4

0.07

5.26%

9 10

GMA7 GMAP

13.06 11.5

0.58 0.5

4.65% 4.55%

TOP LOSERS LAST PRICE

% CHANGE CHANGE

1

FEU

574.5

-72.5

-11.21%

2 3

PRIM APO

3.15 0.94

-0.35 -0.07

-10.00% -6.93%

4

IMP

1.64

-0.11

-6.29%

5

MM

4.27

-0.25

-5.53%

6 7

PHES AT

0.57 7.16

-0.03 -0.37

-5.00% -4.91%

8 9 10

FOOD APC ORE

0.62 0.385 1.05

-0.03 -0.015 -0.04

-4.62% -3.75% -3.67%

MOST ACTIVE 1

JFC

VOLUME 2178780

VALUE (PHP) 462585704

2 3

BDO ACEN

3716530 49951700

420221619 409041958

4 5

ALI SMPH

10793400 10427800

400287740 390235805

6 7 8

EVER BHI SM

651198000 2141380000 274990

379536815 305495390 278601707.5

9 10

AC MBT

302270 4584200

247359850 226685970

Biden seeks Europe’s support on China, but trade battles persist other close partners in 2018. Brussels hit back with counter-tariffs on 2.8 billion euros worth of iconic US products, including bourbon whiskey, jeans, and HarleyDavidson motorbikes. The final statement will attempt to offer a clear timeline for resolving the dispute, but US diplomats have been reluctant to write an actual end date on paper. Trump and Brussels also quarreled over taxing big tech platforms after France led a group of several EU states by hitting Google, Facebook and others with a special levy. Washington fought back with a wave of counter-tariffs that Biden has frozen, as both sides await a worldwide deal on how to better tax big tech companies. A final statement from the meeting in Brussels will allude to these battles, with diplomats behind the scenes trying to find the right language to display good intentions, but without giving too much ground. AFP

TO THE STOCKHOLDERS: Notice is hereby given that the annual stockholders meeting of PHILIPPINE SEVEN CORPORATION (the “Corporation’’), will be conducted virtually and livestreamed through the link which can be accessed at the Corporation’s website at https://www.7-eleven.com.ph/2021-asm/ on Thursday, 15 July 2021 at 2:00 P.M. for the purpose of taking up the following: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (center) fist bumps with US President Joe Biden (right) as he stands up to greet him during a plenary session at a NATO summit in Brussels, Monday, June 14, 2021. US The allies will agree ON a statement stressing common ground on securing their withdrawal from Afghanistan, joint responses to cyber attacks and relations with a rising China. AFP

8. 9. 10.

Certification of Notice of Meeting & Quorum and Call to Order Approval of Minutes of the Annual Stockholders Meeting held on 16 July 2020 a. Chairman’s Message b. President’s Report Approval of 2020 Audited Financial Statements contained in the Corporation’s 2020 Annual Report and in the Information Statement accompanying this Notice and Agenda Ratification of Actions Taken by the Board of Directors, Executive Committee, Board Committees and Management since the last annual stockholders meeting Election of the Board of Directors including the Independent Directors for 2021 Delegation of the Authority to the Board of Directors to Amend or Repeal the Corporation’s Bylaws or Adopt New Bylaws Appointment of External Auditor Other Matters Adjournment

For purposes of the meeting, only stockholders of record as of June 09, 2021 are entitled to vote in the said meeting.

By Francoise Michel and Alex Pigman BRUSSELS, Belgium—US President Joe Biden will seek the EU’s backing on Tuesday to face the rise of China, but Brussels wants a swift end to lingering trade rows and a clean break from Donald Trump. After the European enthusiasm that followed Biden’s election, the president of the European Council Charles Michel, representing the 27 EU leaders, and the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will sound out Biden for more detail on his “America is back” pledge. Biden’s two-hour stopover at EU headquarters, tucked between a NATO summit and his sitdown with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva, “is not going to settle everything but diplomacy is back,” a senior EU official said on Monday. After the crisis in the transatlantic relationship under Trump, who considered the EU a bitter economic rival, Biden wants to “defuse the disputes ... in order to focus on his priority, China,” said Eric Maurice of the Schuman Foundation. A senior US official traveling with Biden told reporters: “This speaks to President Biden’s fundamental strategy of managing competition with China by coordinating closely with and developing common approaches with like-minded democratic partners and allies.” The Europeans will be trying to clear the slate of trade disputes in order to enter a more friendly phase and jointly tackle other issues, which also include curbing big tech and handling Russia. The European official said both sides had been “sweating” to find common ground on trade ahead of the meeting and give a clear sign that Trump-era battles will soon be behind them. A row over Airbus and Boeing goes back 17 years, with each side accusing the other of illegally subsidizing their domestic champions. A deal is hoped for next month. The more difficult bone of contention is a tariff of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum that Trump slapped on Europe and

PHILIPPINE SEVEN CORPORATION 7th Floor, The Columbia Tower Ortigas Avenue, Mandaluyong City Tel. Nos. 8724-44-41 to 53 Fax No. 8705-52-09

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Annual Stockholders’ Meeting will be streamed live, and stockholders may attend and participate via remote communication by registering on or before 5:00 PM on July 09, 2021 using the registration form found in the https://www.7-eleven.com. ph/2021-asm/. Stockholders may send in questions or remarks to asmpsc@7-eleven com.ph. To cast your votes as a stockholder, you may vote through remote communication or in absentia, or through a proxy. Voting by remote communication or in absentia shall be done by completing the online voting form or submitting a scanned copy of the downloadable voting form found in https://www.7-eleven.com.ph/2021-asm/. The requirements and procedure for registration and voting are set forth in Annex “D” of the Information Statement and shall be published in the Company’s website at www.7-eleven.com.ph.

•

Airman License (ATPL or CPL/IR) Valid and Current for a Minimum of Four (4) months from the date of application; with the corresponding proficiency check assesment or equivalent

•

Instrument Rating

•

First Class Medical Certificate valid for the duration of the Airman License presented

•

Restricted Radio Telephone Operator Certificate -- Aircraft RROC - Aircraft) Issued Commission (DOTC-NTC) Valid for the duration of the Airman License Presented.

•

English Proficient (Minimum Level 4)

•

Other partinent documents as may be required by the authority and/or company. (MS-JUNE 16, 2021)

Pursuant to SEC Notice dated March 16, 2021, a copy of the Notice and Agenda of Annual Meeting of Stockholders and Information Statement (SEC Form 20-IS), Proxy Form, Management Report/Annual Report (SEC Form 17A) for the year ended December 31, 2020 and Sustainability Report, and 1st Quarterly Report with Management’s Discussion and Analysis and unaudited consolidated financial statements for the three (3) months ended March 31, 2021 (SEC Form 17-Q) will be posted on the Company’s website at www.7eleven.com.ph on or before June 23, 2021. The Information Statement (SEC Form 20-IS), Annual Report (SEC Form 17-A) and 1st Quarterly Report (SEC Form 17-Q) are available at PSE Edge. The Corporation will provide, without charge, a printed copy of SEC Form 17-A and SEC Form 17-Q, upon the written request of a stockholder addressed to the Corporate Secretary. We are not soliciting your proxy. However, you may attend by submitting a duly-accomplished proxy form which must be submitted to the Office of the Corporate Secretary, 7th Floor, The Columbia Tower, Ortigas Avenue, Mandaluyong City on or before July 06, 2021. Soft copies of the proxies can be emailed in advance to asm-psc@7-eleven.com.ph. The proxies shall be validated on July 08, 2021, at 10:00 AM at 15th Floor, South Tower, BDO Corporate Center, 7899 Makati Avenue, Makati City. (signed)

(MS-JUNE 15 & 16, 2021)

ATTY. EVELYN S. ENRIQUEZ Corporate Secretary

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

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

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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2021

Business

PSE INDEX CLOSING Tuesday, June 15, 2021

59.24 PTS. 6,976.73

TOTAL VOLUME TOTAL TRADES TOTAL VALUE ADVANCES DECLINES UNCHANGED

5,128,462,994 143,932 8,033,438,965.70 106 101 59

F oreign e xchange r ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • TUESDAY, JUNE 15, 2021

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

47.8290

Japan

Yen

0.009086

0.4346

UK

Pound

1.411200

67.4963

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128841

6.1623

Switzerland

Franc

1.111729

53.1729

Canada

Dollar

0.823452

39.3849

Singapore

Dollar

0.753864

36.0566

Australia

Dollar

0.771300

36.8905

Bahrain

Dinar

2.655690

127.0190

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266681

12.7551

Brunei

Dollar

0.751033

35.9212

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000070

0.0033

Thailand

Baht

0.032134

1.5369

UAE

Dirham

0.272272

13.0225

Euro

Euro

1.212200

57.9783

Korea

Won

0.000896

0.0429

China

Yuan

0.156299

7.4756

India

Rupee

0.013665

0.6536

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.243132

11.6288

New Zealand

Dollar

0.714100

34.1547

Taiwan

Dollar

0.036105

1.7269 Source: BSP

Remittances jumped by 12.7% to over $2.3b in April, says BSP MONEY sent home by Filipinos working overseas jumped 12.7 percent in April to $2.305 billion from $2.046 billion a year ago, the fastest monthly growth since April 2018, showing the resilience of remittances amid the prolonged impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said Tuesday. The April figures brought cash remittances in the first four months to $9.898 billion, up 4.8 percent from $9.448 billion recorded in the same period last year. “The growth in cash remittances for January to April 2021 came largely from the United States, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea,” the BSP said in a statement. The US registered the highest share of overall remittances at 40.3 percent in the four-month period, followed by Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Canada, South Korea, Qatar and Taiwan. The combined remittances from these countries accounted for 78.1 percent of total cash remittances. Personal remittances, which include non-cash items, also grew 13.1 percent in April to $2.574 billion from $2.276 billion a year earlier, the fastest monthly expansion since November 2016. This brought the cumulative personal remittances in the first four months to $11.028 billion, up 5.1 percent from $10.494 billion a year ago. “In particular, personal remittances from land-based workers with work contracts of one year or more rose by 15.2 percent during the month of April to $1.931 billion from $1.677 billion in April 2020,” the BSP said. Meanwhile, remittances from seabased workers and land-based workers with work contracts of less than one year also increased by 4.9 percent to $574 million from $547 million. Data showed that in 2020, cash remittances showed signs of recovery amid the pandemic, declining by just 0.8 percent to reach $29.903 billion from a record $30.133 billion in 2019. This was stronger than the BSP’s earlier projection of a 2-percent contraction for the year. Julito G. Rada

THE Department of Transportation said Tuesday it is on track to completing the construction of PNR Clark Phase 1 by the second quarter of 2024. Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, who led the inspection of Balagtas Station and Calumpit construction yard site of PNR Clark Phase 1 (Tutuban to Malolos segment), said the project had an overall progress of 46.68 percent. “When the Duterte administration came in, we said we would find ways to make our dream and plan of building the rail project in Bulacan a reality,” Tugade said. Tugade said this dream is now a reality, as the train sets to be used for the project would be delivered by December.

SMC gets clearance to issue P50-b bonds

THE Securities and Exchange Commission said Tuesday it approved the P50billion bond shelf-registration program of diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corp. It said in a statement San Miguel may issue the debt securities in one or more tranches within three years. For the first tranche, San Miguel will offer up to P20 billion worth of six-year fixed-rate bonds due 2027, with an oversubscription option for another P10 billion. Assuming the oversubscription option is fully exercised, San Miguel will use the net proceeds to redenominate dollardenominated obligations. The conglomerate reported early this month plans to fully redeem outstanding notes under its $800 million with 4.875 percent rate note program due 2023. The notes will be redeemed at 100 percent of redemption price, together with interest accrued until redemption. Upon redemption and cancelation, the notes will be delisted from the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Ltd. Jenniffer B. Austria

DTI warns public on online pyramid

SYMBOLIC VACCINATION. SM Mall of Asia hosts the NCR +8 commitment ceremony and symbolic vaccination of A4 led by government and private sector officials. Pledging their commitment are (from left) SM Prime Holdings Inc. executive committee chairman Hans Sy, Presidential Adviser Joey Concepcion and Ayala Corp. president and chief executive Fernando Zobel. They are joined by Health Secretary Francisco Duque, NTF Chief Implementer Carlito Galvez, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque and Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello. The ceremonial event kicks off the mass vaccination drive of the A4 priority group. Pre-registration and schedules may be coordinated with local barangay or nearest health center.

Economic reopening seen with faster vaccine rollout By Julito G. Rada

E

CONOMIC managers said Tuesday they expect the economy to be fully reopened soon based on the increasing pace of the COVID vaccination program to curb the spread of the disease. Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, speaking during the mid-year virtual economic forum organized by the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines, said while the Philippines may be behind other regional economies at this time in recovering from the malaise of the global pandemic, “the country’s recovery will be stronger on the back of its sound economic fundamentals.” Dominguez said his optimistic forecast was anchored on the structural and tax reforms implemented under the current administration. ”We might appear to be behind our neighbors for now, but our recovery will be stronger because of our sound fundamentals,” Dominguez said in a presentation. He said the COVID-19 vaccination program, which “has been rolling out quite well .... gives us hope that we can now fully reopen our economy.”

As head of the economic team, Dominguez said the country did not suffer the kind of fiscal downturn that typically accompanied an economic crisis even with the massive expenditures that the government incurred as a result of the global economic and health crises. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin Diokno said in the same forum that given the country’s solid macroeconomic fundamentals and barring yet-unforeseen growth speed bumps, the Philippines has the essential elements to rebound this year. “Without seasonality, the country has been posting positive quarter-on-quarter positive growth since the third quarter of 2020. This improvement is expected to continue in the succeeding quarters of 2021 with more massive roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines,” said Diokno.

“This improvement is expected to continue in the succeeding quarters of 2021 with a more massive roll-out of Covid-19 vaccines,” Diokno said. Diokno warned that there was still a high level of uncertainty, both domestic and abroad and the government needed to be more strategic in addressing possible resurgence in cases and in expediting vaccination. “We have to be ready for the possible spillover risks resulting from differentiated and divergent recoveries,” Diokno said. He said the country’s expected recovery in 2021 would be supported by improving economic indicators. He cited the smaller GDP contraction of 4.2 in the first quarter 2021, the improving business and consumer outlooks in the next six and 12 months, manageable inflation environment that allows the BSP to keep the record-low interest rates at 2 percent and the country’s strong external position. Gross international reserves stood at $107.7 billion as of end-April 2021, equivalent to a year’s worth of import cover. He said the external debt to GDP ratio increased to 27.2 percent in 2020 because of pandemic-related financing but remained at a prudent level.With James Paul Gomez and Mary Beatrice L. Umlas

THE Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau of the Department of Trade and Industry on Tuesday warned the public against chain distribution plans or pyramid sales schemes that are circulating online with push from various social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. It said it received 28 complaints regarding chain distribution plans or pyramid sales schemes from consumers and investors this year, twice the complaints received in 2020. “Victims of these fraudulent acts have the right to seek redress from the SEC [Securities and Exchange Commission] or the DTI; our doors are always open to assist and guide them in addressing their complaints,” said DTI-Consumer Protection Group Undersecretary Ruth Castelo. Based on investigations conducted by the SEC, the modus operandi exhibited more inclination to recruiting new members than selling products and services. Othel V. Campos

Sitel PH champions language of inclusion

SITEL Group, a global leader in end-toend customer experience products and solutions, threw its full support behind the first Philippine Workplace Inclusion Forum with a gold sponsorship. The forum was presented by the Philippine Financial Inter-Industry Pride in partnership with the Women Inter-Industry Network and the Global In-House Center Council of the Philippines. The forum’s inaugural theme “Inclusion and the New Normal” explored what it means to be an inclusive organization in the Philippines during this transitional period. “We have been a strong supporter and partner of PFIP for several years,” said Jorelle Robles, head of marketing for Asia Pacific of Sitel Group. “Inclusion and diversity is a pillar of how we do business at Sitel and one of our employee value proposition pillars is ‘Be bold, be you’ or ‘Kada Pagkakaiba, Kabarkada’. We strive to create a work environment that is safe and supportive of underrepresented groups in the workforce. That’s why we proudly participate in forums and events like these that provide venues for colleagues in the industry to discuss workplace inclusion and share best practices,” Robles said.

Venture Securities to appeal license cancelation; SEC also penalizes R&L By Jenniffer B. Austria

MVP GROUP’S DONATION. The MVP Group foundations and hospitals, led by the PLDT-Smart Foundation and the Makati Medical Center Foundation, distribute 3,500 care bags to front-liners in 36 hospitals and healthcare facilities in the National Capital Region and surrounding cities and towns. Each care bag contains a pulse oximeter, a box of ascorbic acid vitamin tablets, face mask and face shield. The initiative is part of the donation drive of First Pacific’s 40th anniversary celebration with the help of Asian Hospital, Cardinal Santos Hospital, Maynilad Water Services Inc., Metro Pacific Investments Foundation and One Meralco Foundation.

PNR Clark Phase 1 to be finished by Q2 of 2024 By Darwin G. Amojelar

IN BRIEF

He said the training center for the rail line would also be finished before the end of the year. Funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency, PNR Clark Phase 1 is a 38-kilometer railway that cuts through the cities of Manila, Caloocan and Valenzuela in Metro Manila, Meycuayan City, Marilao, Bocaue, Balagtas, Guiguinto and Malolos City in Bulacan. Once completed, the project will serve 300,000 passengers daily and is expected to slash travel time from Tutuban, Manila to Malolos, Bulacan from one hour and 30 minutes to just 35 minutes. Tugade said about 70 former overseas Filipino workers were employed at the Calumpit construction yard as part of DOTr’s commitment to provide Filipinos displaced by the pandemic with jobs.

VENTURE Securities Inc. the local stock brokerage owned by businessman Eusebio Tanco, said Tuesday it will appeal the decision of a special hearing panel of the Securities and Exchange to revoke its license. VSI said in a statement it had not committed fraud in relation to the collapse of brokerage firm R&L Investments Inc. “Venture Securities has not committed any fraudulent act nor are we the proximate cause of any fraud which may have led to the collapse of R&L Investments. The decision of the special hearing panel of the Markets and Securities Regulation Department of the Securities and Exchange Commission is not final. We intend to exhaust all administrative and legal remedies available to us to prove that we have not committed any fraud and that we have acted well within the bounds of the rules of the SEC and the PSE as a broker,” VSI president Wilfred

Racadio said. VSI said the fraudulent scheme was committed solely within R&L. It said Capital Markets Integrity Corp., which was tasked to audit brokers, failed to discover the fraudulent act which happened from a period of eight years from 2012 to 2019. “In addition, Ventures itself has been audited by CMIC and no report of any wrong doing has been ascribed to Ventures. As a broker, Ventures has every right to expect protection from CMIC and to rely on CMIC’s findings. CMIC was not able to discover the discrepancies/anomalies in the R&L clients’ stock position vis-à-vis the balances in the PCD system, something which a standard auditing procedure called “confirmation” would have easily shown,” VSI said. Meanwhile, the SEC also cancelled the license and slapped a P25-million fine against R&L Investments over the alleged P700-million stock fraud which led to its collapse.

Expats say thanks to ‘bank heroes’ who fulfill tasks amid pandemic LIVES would be more stressful, difficult, inconvenient and less secure if not for Filipino front-liners’ commitment to their duties as we all struggle with the pandemic. These include bank employees who help clients access cash for our basic needs. From Korea with love Sangsik Shim of Daelim Philippines is happy that even during the strictest periods of the Enhanced Community Quarantine his bank, BDO, was able to fulfill his company’s needs. Shim appreciates that his bank has a dedicated Korean Desk staffed by Filipinos who are knowledgeable about Korean culture and even speak the language. “BDO knows how Koreans handle businesses, and for that, we’re lucky. Since then, Daelim has had short-term loans with BDO to fund our business operations. It also has been very easy

Sangsik Shim of Daelim Philippines

Stefan Schmitz, CEO of Antrak Logistics

to get credit lines from them because they know and support our company’s plan,” said Shim. “We always want our partners to respond quickly, so thankfully, that’s how BDO has been so far. My company and also my own experience with BDO strengthened my trust in the bank. They continue to prove that even in good times when our business needed funding,

and the bad times when there are unexpected events, we can rely on them,” he said. Shim was impressed at how quickly BDO responded to his needs during the pandemic. When he received a call that his credit card was about to expire, ECQ was declared. He was expecting that it would take a long time to transact for a renewal due to the lockdown but BDO processed fast and had his new card delivered. Human solution 2020 was also a challenging year for Stefan Schmitz, chief executive of Antrak Logistics. Fortunately, Schmitz’ line of business is considered an essential one: it was subject to lesser restrictions in terms of mobility. Nevertheless, with quarantine affecting services along the supply chain, there was still the risk of disruption in its operations.

Sports

Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Randy M. Caluag, Assistant Editor WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2021

PH golfers’ chances to win Olympic gold realistic

Young and able, (from left) Angelo Kouame, Kai Sotto and Dwight Ramos are expected to lead the charge for the Gilas Pilipinas team. (fiba.basketball)

Fil-Am rider dedicates Tokyo stint to late dad FILIPINO-AMERICAN cyclist Coryn Rivera will dedicate her stint in the Tokyo Olympic Games to her late father Wally, a Filipino health care worker, who died in California from COVID-19 last March. Rivera, who is from Tustin, California, said she will always have memories of her dad in her heart when she finally gets to ride in the Tokyo Games. Family members in Tondo and Tagaytay City have kept in touch with the Rivera family, mourning Coryn’s loss. The 28-year-old Rivera received condolences from the family of Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines (PhilCycling) secretary general Billy Sumagui, who is a cousin of Coryn’s mom, Lina, a Tagaytay native. “It’s been a dream of mine (to make it to the Olympics) since I was a kid. My dad was my first coach. We go back a long way,” said Rivera in a television interview posted on her Facebook page. Last week, Rivera made the final cut to the United States women’s road cycling team for the quadrennial meet. Rivera is in the women’s team with Chloé Dygert, Amber Neben, Ruth Winder and Leah Thomas. Rivera, who won 72 national titles in the US, visited the Philippines back in 2018. She is set to get ready for her stint in Tokyo when she joins the USA Cycling Professional Road Championships, which return to Knoxville, Tennessee on June 27, after it was cancelled due to COVID-19 coronavirus. There will a total of 490 riders this year in the event, the largest since the races have been held in Knoxville. Peter Atencio

Sotto joins Gilas 5, but don’t expect too much By Peter Atencio

K

AI Sotto may not be in the best of shape. But the young Filipino star, the basketball prospect aiming to become the first full-blooded Filipino in the National Basketball Association, will still join the Gilas Pilipinas men’s basketball team when they clash with South Korea in the 2021 FIBA Asia Qualifiers on Wednesday at 6 p.m.

Sotto has not been able to join the practice sessions of the team after spending most of his time complying with a 14-day quarantine period when he slipped into town weeks ago. He was only able to join the national squad over the weekend, just in time for Wednesday’s opening matches of the Group A and B matches of the Qualifiers. Still, fans will be looking out for Sotto when matches are aired on TV5 and held behind closed doors today at the AUF Sports and Cultural Center in Angeles, Pampanga.

“Not being able to do any basketball activities for 14 days will take its toll on anyone, so there will be a bit of load management from our part for Kai,” said national team coach Tab Baldwin when he named his 12-man lineup a day before the plunge into action. Sotto is expected to make his 7’3” presence felt when he suits up with naturalized Filipino Angelo Kouame and Isaac Go. The three, together with former Batang Gilas teammates Carl Tamayo and Geo Chiu, are expected to be in the starting five.

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The former Ateneo Blue Eagle is also anticipated to draw from the lessons he learned while training with the NBA G League Team Ignite for over a year before returning to the country. Go took over the spot of Rey Suerte, who left the team due to an ankle injury he sustained last Thursday. The 25-year-old Go, who is the first overall pick in the 2019 PBA Gilas Draft, was named with RJ Abarrientos, Justine Baltazar, SJ Belangel and Javi Gomez de Liano. The roster also includes William Navarro, Dwight Ramos, Carl Tamayo and Jaydee Tungcab. Baldwin looks at their difficult game against Korea as a great opportunity for the young players that he has chosen, to get the chance to learn and draw good experiences from. “We choose to look upon our great situation as a great opportunity, and, maybe there’s some irony here, that this will be about connection. And this is what we strive for everyday. We want these young men to be connected to one another,” said Baldwin.

NEWLY crowned US Women’s Open champion Yuka Saso, 2018 Asian Games gold medalist Bianca Pagdanganan and Japan Tour standout Juvic Pagunsan are all set for the Tokyo Olympic Games. “Their confidence level is at their peak. They all have realistic chances even for the gold,” National Golf Association of the Philippines secretary-general Bones Floro said Tuesday. Floro told the online Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum that few things are going for the three qualifiers when golf in the Tokyo Games is held July 29 to Aug. 7 at the Kasumigaseki Country Club, which is 30 kms from downtown Tokyo. “It’s summer in Tokyo and the weather is quite similar to the Philippines. So, they will be very comfortable,” Floro told the weekly forum presented by San Miguel Corporation, MILO, Amelie Hotel Manila, Braska Restaurant, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation. Saso, 19, being a Fil-Japanese, should feel at home, being based in Japan, same as Pagunsan, a 43-year-old mainstay of the Japan Tour the past four or five years. Due to strict protocols, participants are only allowed to enter Tokyo five days before their events. But that will still give Saso, Pagdanganan and Pagunsan as many as five practice rounds at the exclusive course. At 7,111 yards, the course will play longer than most courses, and this will also give the Filipinos some edge. They are known as long-hitters, especially Pagdanganan, who averages 288 yards on her drive. Floro is pretty sure that Saso has played the Kasumigaseki layout, but can’t say the same for Pagdanganan and Pagunsan. “The longer the course will be to our advantage,” said Floro, noting that with three entries, the Philippines has the biggest chance to win an Olympic medal in golf this year. Miguel Tabuena was the lone Philippine entry in golf during the 2016 Rio Olympics. Saso’s smashing win in the recent US Open, where she defeated the toughest field in women’s golf, should also serve as a very strong rallying point for the Filipinos.

PH volley gets boost; rosters complete by August THE roster of the Philippine national indoor volleyball team will be completed once seasoned Brazilian coach Jorge Edson Souza de Brito arrives in the country in the first week of August. De Brito, a former member of the Brazilian national squad, will join Ogie Mamon in making a final decision on who will make the final cut in the national men’s and women’s squads. Philippine National Volleyball Federation Inc. president Ramon “Tats” Suzara said this yesterday after he and

officials of leading biscuit company Republic Biscuit Corp. or Rebisco sealed on Tuesday a three-year sponsorship agreement to support all of the national sports association’s programs. Suzara said there are still four empty slots in the national women’s pool after mainstays like Alyssa Valdez, Kim Fajardo, Dawn Macandili, and Jia Morado, missed joining the initial tryouts over health and safety concerns. “This will be discussed by the head coach (Ogie Mamon) and the Brazilian

coach (de Brito), and on the list of athletes in the tryouts,” said Suzara. De Brito will get the national squad ready for the 2021 Asian Women’s Championship in August and the 2021 Southeast Asian Games in November. As for the Philippine men’s and women’s beach volleyball teams, both squads will go against dangerous opponents in the Asian Volleyball Confederation Continental Cup from June 18 to 19, 2021, in Nakhon Pathom province in Thailand. Rebisco President Jonathan Ng said

PNVF President Ramon Tats Suzara (left) and Rebisco president Jonathan Ng (right) show the signed contracts with Rebisco Business Unit Head Noric Ng.

Obiena likely to decline COVID-19 vaccine By Randy Caluag TOP Filipino pole vaulter Ernest John “EJ” Obiena is more likely to pass up on his COVID-19 vaccination with only a little more than a month left before the Tokyo Olympics. His father-coach Emerson revealed that younger Obiena, who has been training in Italy and competing mostly in Europe, cannot afford to take the risks of possible adverse effects of the vaccine that may hamper his son’s strict training program. “Sa ngayon, deferred muna ‘yung vaccine. Pinag-aaralan kung mayroon pang time na maisingit ang vaccination. Kung hindi, dadagdagan na lang ‘yung ingat, para ‘yung preparation hindi maapektuhan,” said Emerson during an online session of the Philippine Sportswriters Association.

The elder Obiena, pole vault coach of the national team under the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association, said that based on their inquiries with other athletes, who already had undergone COVID-19 vaccination, some of them experienced side effects that sometimes took about 10 days to subside. “Kasi po ‘yung training program naka in-place na. As much as possible, they want to follow ‘yung progression nila going to the Olympics. Kasi ‘yung 10 days na hindi ka makapag-training, malaki ang effect nu’n, sayang naman kung mahihinto dahil doon,” Obiena added. The short period remaining before action gets going in Tokyo makes it seemingly impossible for an athlete to Emerson Obiena get two doses of a vaccine, which takes Miguel Corporation, MILO® Philipfrom 30 to 60 days to complete. In the same forum sponsored by San pines, Amelie Hotel Manila, Braska Res-

taurant and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, an official from the National Golf Association of the Philippines also said that the three Tokyo-bound Filipino golfers—Yuka Saso, Bianca Pagdanganan and Juvic Pagunsan—have yet to confirm their vaccination. “That’s something we have to ask from them and make arrangements if needed. But if they are not going to get vaccinated, they will just have to be extra cautious,” side NGAP secretarygeneral Bones Floro. The International Olympic Committee, though, does not make COVID-19 vaccination a compulsory requirement to compete in the Tokyo Olympics set July 23 to August 2. As for other Filipino athletes, who have qualified for the Summer Games, most of them have been vaccinated by the host countries where they are training.

they have complete faith in the coaching staff and officials of the PNVFI in coming up with a good program for volleyball. “We will put faith in Mr. Ramon Suzara’s team, and I think they will give us a good job in giving us competitive teams,” said Ng. Also in the signing rites were Rebisco Business Unit Head Noric Ng and Corporate Plan Head Rolando Delfino, Philippine Olympic Committee Secretary General Atty. Edwin Gastanes and Philippine Sports Commission commissioner Charles Raymond Maxey. The two teams flew to Thailand last Sunday to compete in the Olympic qualifying tournament that will grant two slots, one each in the men’s and women’s divisions. The women’s team A of Cebuana Cherry Ann Rondina and partner Bernadeth Pons will meet New Zealand’s Francesca Kirwan and Olivia Macdonald in their first match. Peter Atencio Philippine Olympic Committee president Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said Malaysia has assured a second dose of the vaccine for Hidilyn Diaz and her team, while Japanese sports officials guaranteed the inoculation of gymnast Carlos Yulo and his Japanese coach Munehiro Kugimiya. Boxers Irish Magno, Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam should have gotten their first dose in Thailand at this time, while Eumir Felix Marcial completed his vaccines in Las Vegas earlier this year. Rower Cris Nievarez already got his first dose of the vaccine, along with 729 Southeast Asian Games-bound athletes and coaches last May 28 in Manila. Taekwondo’s Kurt Bryan Barbosa and newly-qualified skateboarder Tokyo Olympian Margielyn Didal will get their first dose in the second batch of the mass vaccination of athletes and coaches this June.

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Sports

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2021

Young lifts Hawks; Clippers maul Jazz TAFISA expert L is resource speaker on webinar series

THE Philippine Sports Commission tapped international expert Wolfgang Baumann, Secretary General of The Association for International Sport for All, as resource speaker in the upcoming 2021 Indigenous Sports and Games Webinar Series: “Preserving and Promoting the Rich Cultural Heritage of our Ancestors” this June 24. Baumann, who has contributed and developed various international and national Sports for All programs and campaigns globally will share his expertise and overview on “Games of the Past— Sports for Today: Traditional Sports and Games as a tool to Counterbalance Globalization in Sports.” “With an internationally distinguished speaker like Baumann on board, our participants will be able to see a different perspective on the importance of preserving the traditional sports of the Indigenous Peoples,” said PSC oversight commissioner for Indigenous Peoples Games programs Charles Raymond Maxey. Baumann graduated in Sports Economics, Sports Science, and English language at the Universities of Bonn and Bayreuth in Germany and the University of Stirling in Scotland, United Kingdom. His international positions include a seat in the IOC Sport and Active Society Commission, and he is the former Vice President of the International Council of Sports Sciences and Physical Education. In 2015, Baumann was appointed as a member of the HighLevel Advisory Group of the EU Sport Commissioner. A total of 1,000 registered participants from various Indigenous Peoples tribes and groups, government agencies, local government units, stakeholders, and educators nationwide are expected to join the webinar via Zoom and will be streamed live on PSC Facebook pages at 1:30 p.m. This webinar is in partnership with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples and supported by Pocari Sweat.

OS ANGELES—Trae Young poured in 25 points and added 18 assists as the Atlanta Hawks rallied Monday to beat the Philadelphia 76ers in game four of their second-round Eastern Conference playoff series. Young shot eight of 26 from the floor and drained three threes but he had plenty of help from his supporting cast as all five Hawks starters finished in double figures to level the best-of-seven series at 2-2. His 18 assists equalled a career high but he also busted out from under the watchful eye of Philadelphia’s defensive specialist Ben Simmons, who was given the task of guarding him. Simmons finished second this year in NBA defensive player of the year voting to Utah’s Rudy Gobert. The fifth-seeded Hawks overcame an 18-point first-half deficit then traded leads with the Sixers down the stretch but managed to hold on for the victory. “This team never gives up, no matter

what the score is,” Young said. “I love the way we fight and I’m proud of our team tonight.” Game five is Wednesday night. Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 22 points, John Collins finished with 14 points, 12 rebounds, and Clint Capela had 12 points and 13 rebounds for Atlanta. Tobias Harris had 20 points and Joel Embiid recorded 17 points and 21 rebounds for the top-seeded 76ers, who were outscored 54-38 in the second half. Simmons delivered 11 points, 12 rebounds, nine assists and two blocks. Embiid, who averaged 35.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists over the first three games of this series, is playing with a tear in his right lateral meniscus. He spent time in the locker room in

the second quarter and was zero-for-12 from the floor in the second half. “Even before I went back to the locker room I felt like I didn’t have it,” Embiid said. “I guess it’s already known,” Embiid said of the wonky knee. “There’s no need to explain myself anymore. I’m just trying to do the best I can.” Young and Bogdanovic combined for seven threes as the Hawks improved their scoring from beyond the arc. Atlanta committed just four turnovers, compared with 12 for the 76ers. Elsewhere, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George combined for 62 points as the Los Angles Clippers breezed to a 118104 win over the top-seeded Utah Jazz in game four of their Western Conference series. They each scored 31 points, and George added nine rebounds as the Clippers leveled the best-of-seven series at 2-2. Dynamic duo “We are both being aggressive and

Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks drives against Joel Embiid #21 and Matisse Thybulle #22 of the Philadelphia 76ers during the second half of game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at State Farm Arena on June 14, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. AFP

Djokovic, Federer, Nadal: Who’s the greatest of them all? PARIS—Novak Djokovic’s French Open triumph, which made him only the third man to win all four majors twice and took him halfway to a rare calendar Grand Slam, has reignited the debate over who is the greatest male player of all time. The 34-year-old Serb wrapped up his second Roland Garros title and 19th Slam trophy with victory from two sets down over Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas, 12 years his junior. It was a triumph built on the foundations of his epic semifinal win against 13-time champion Rafael Nadal, only the Spaniard’s third loss in Paris in 16 years. Now Djokovic is just one Slam away from the record of 20 jointly-held by Nadal and Roger Federer. “We have to start talking about the greatest of all time,” former world number one Mats Wilander told Eurosport. Seven-time major winner and former number one Justine Henin added: “When Djokovic, Federer and Nadal play at their best, it’s Novak who probably stands out.” Djokovic added the 2021 French Open to his 2016 triumph in Paris and is the first man in 52 years to claim all four majors twice and third overall after Rod Laver and Roy Emerson. He also has a record nine Australian Opens, five at Wimbledon and three US Opens and has won six of the last seven Slams he has contested. Seven of his 19 Slam wins have come since he turned 30 and he has time on his side. Djokovic is a year younger than Nadal and has the best part of six years on Federer. Should Djokovic defend his Wimbledon title and triumph again in New York, he would become only the third

Djokovic

Federer

man after Don Budge in 1937 and Laver, in 1962 and 1969, to complete the calendar Grand Slam. Not surprisingly, the mood in the Djokovic camp after Sunday’s 6-7 (6/8), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 win over Tsitsipas was buoyant. ‘Everything is possible’ “Everything is possible,” said Djokovic when asked if he could also become the first man to complete the Golden Slam of all four majors plus Olympic gold in the same year.

Nadal

“As much as Novak is healthy, and he’s healthy right now, he’s in great shape, I think he has the ability to win the Grand Slam for this year. I’m pretty sure,” added longtime coach Marian Vajda. “I think it is much more than possible.” His victory on Sunday meant Djokovic, who was also two sets down to Lorenzo Musetti in the last 16, was only the third man to win a Slam title after twice coming back from such a deficit. AFP

our teammates are finding us for open shots,” said Leonard. Marcus Morris scored 22 of his 24 points during a first half in which the Clippers led by as much as 29 points. Donovan Mitchell answered the bell by scoring a team-high 37 points in the loss. Mitchell tied the Utah franchise playoff record of six straight 30-point outings held by former all-star Karl Malone. Game five is Wednesday at Salt Lake City. “We did a great job of making shots and getting stops when we needed to,” said Leonard. “Everybody was helping each other.” Leonard left the contest with 4:35 remaining after grabbing his knee, and did not return. He exited after being bumped by Jazz’s Joe Ingles. Leonard said he would be ready to go in game five. Utah’s Mike Conley (hamstring) sat out and has missed all four games of the series. AFP

Fatherhood fuels Dy to be at his best SEEF DISTRICT—BRAVE CF lightweight contender Rolando “The Incredible” Dy entered a new phase of his life nearly a year ago when he and his wife, Stephanie, welcomed their first child, Joy Gabrielle, to the world. As a first-time father, the 29-yearold power-puncher from Dasmariñas, Cavite is even more inspired to be the best athlete and role model he can possibly be. “My daughter is one of my inspirations, as well as my wife. As I mentioned in one of my post-fight interviews, I’m fighting for the betterment of my family. This kind of thought makes me stronger and tougher as a fighter and a person as a whole,” Dy said. Quite similar to his professional mixed martial arts career under the BRAVE CF banner, Dy admitted that raising his daughter properly will pose a challenge. “As a family man competing at the highest level of my sport, it is far more challenging. It has changed my life in terms of my priorities. However, it is fulfilling. Now that I am a family man, I cannot fail. It’s difficult, I know, but I love it! It brings out the best in me,” he stated. “Fatherhood is a new horizon in my life. I must admit that I’m not ready for it. But just like MMA, I was trained to face my fear, fight, and conquer,” Dy added. Witnessing the birth of Joy Gabrielle, Dy has gained a deeper understanding of life as he learned to appreciate the efforts of his mother, Jennifer Dy-Subastil, and his uncle, James, who now serves as his manager. Dy never grew up with his father— boxing legend Rolando Navarrete— by his side. While his dad reeled from the consequences of his rock-star lifestyle, his mom was left with no choice but to solely care for and support him and an elder sibling. Meanwhile, his uncle stood in to provide fatherly guidance. Now that he is responsible for another hu ma n being, “The Incredible” is working harder than ever to provide for his family. “I owe who I am today to my mother and uncle. I have a loving and caring family that molded and raised me,” he shared. “Now that I have my own family, I will use what I learned from them to raise my child.”

What lies ahead for The Apprentice: ONE champ?

The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition winner Jessica Ramella with ONE Championship Founder, Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong

IN the end, there can only be One. And in the recently concluded The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition, that One was 31-year old sales director from Venezuela, Jessica Ramella. Ramella edged out Filipino fellow finalist Louie Sangalang in the exhilarating finale episode where the ultimate fate of the two contenders was determined by their performance in a tough interview conducted by ONE Championship Founder, Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong and Grab Founder and CEO Anthony Tan. The results of the interview coupled with an overall assessment of both contenders’ character, skills, motivation and relatability tipped the scales in favor of the Venezuelan. Sityodtong noted her wide range of skills, and her grace and dignity in the face of adver-

sity as qualities that would carry her through her new job’s challenges. Sityodtong praised Louie for his integrity and ability to lead with calm judgement, however. But he saw the girl called Lady MacGyver, for her prowess in problem solving, as the more relatable between the two. “Jessica has very high IQ, very high EQ, a high PhD—poor, hungry, and determined—factor. She has a lot of fire in her belly to do something very big in her life, just like everyone else in ONE. That’s something I recognized very quickly. She has the creativity, she has the people skills, she has a natural leadership ability as well. She’s a very well-balanced leader who has truly world class potential,” Sityodtong said. Now the hard work begins for the winner of the ultimate prize of a US$

250,000 job offer and the chance to be Sityodtong’s protégé and chief of staff in the ONE organization, Asia’s largest global sports media property. “The Chief of Staff has to juggle multiple projects and the most important priorities of the company. So Jessica has to be my shadow in terms that if I can’t attend a meeting, she will attend the meeting for me. Jessica has to be a mini me,” he said. Also, she will have to prove herself worthy every single day and show that she was the right choice, Sityodtong added. He will be with her every step of the way though, he said, as they aim to take ONE Championship to new heights. “The path to greatness always involves passion, dreams, and purpose. But it also involves sacrifice and suffering for those dreams, purpose, and passion. It’s one

thing to do it for eight weeks, or 10 weeks, or 13 weeks on the show. But it’s another thing to do it every day of your life,” Sityodtong explained. The ONE CEO minced no words in describing the challenges up ahead for his new protégé and chief of staff. “In the quest to unleash your greatness, in the quest to push our mission of unleashing real-life superheroes, time will tell, as time always does. Time will tell us everything about whether Jessica really wants to unleash her greatness in life or not. This was the toughest ‘Apprentice’ in history and this will be the toughest job she’s ever had. I am definitely going to be the toughest boss she’s ever had in terms of standards of excellence, detail, orientation, my expectations, analytical thinking—everything,” Sityodtong concluded.

Entertainment

Nickie Wang, Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2021

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Darren Espanto engages and inspires young talents in new digital show W

ITH all the available VERY entertainment platforms WANG -- digital and traditional -- it’s so much easier to groom a NICKIE WANG star. It’s similar to creating music these days. Since necessary tools have become more accessible, anyone can just make and promote their own music.

Singer Darren Espanto is your digital heartthrob in ‘TNT Pop Show.’

Bearing this in mind, the real question that begs to be answered is, will the entertainment consumer buy the product? Will they show patronage to the star across multimedia platforms? The entertainment market is already saturated with talents gunning for the big-time, making it more difficult for

Darren hosts the weekly digital show with actress Adrianna So.

BLACKPINK reaches new milestones, teases fans with‘4+1 Project’ By Areeya Tatjana Ho BLACKPINK trended on Twitter in the Philippines on Tuesday morning following the announcement of “4+1 PROJECT,” in celebration of the group’s fifth anniversary and the third anniversary of its massive hit track “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du.”

Blackpink has confirmed that they are preparing for a project for their fifth anniversary on Aug. 8.

With the girl band’s fifth anniversary coming up, BLACKPINK hinted at an anniversary event that it has something big in store for Blinks. BLACKPINK debuted on Aug. 8, 2016 under YG Entertainment. The group comprises four members, Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa. In the same year of its debut, Billboard named the band as one of the best new K-Pop groups. BLACKPINK instantly garnered international recognition when the tracks “Boombayah” and “Whistle” topped the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart. In 2016, “Whistle” won the best music video award at Mnet Asian Music Awards, and song of the year at the Gaon Chart Music Awards in 2017. On this day in 2018, BLACKPINK dropped one of the most successful tracks “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du,” which became a viral hit among South Korean and international fans. On June 4, the music video for the track surpassed 1.6 billion views on YouTube making it one of the most viewed K-Pop music videos, next to PSY’s “Gangnam Style.” With “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du,” BLACKPINK became the first K-Pop girl group to receive a certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. The track also debuted and peaked at number 55 at the Billboard Hot 100, breaking the record of Wonder Girls’ “Nobody.” The massive hit track bagged several awards at both South Korean and international award shows. In 2018, it won the best dance video award at the MTV Video Music Awards Japan and best dance under the female category at the Melon Music Awards. In 2019, it won song of the year at the Gaon Chart Music Awards, best digital song at the Golden Disc Awards, and choice song under the group category at the Teen Choice Awards.

newcomers to break out and for the more established ones to keep themselves afloat. But this does not seem to concern Darren Espanto. In March last year, before the hard lockdown was imposed in the capital region, the singer returned to his hometown of Calgary in Alberta Province to spend time with his family and parents who are both medical frontliners in Canada. Despite being away, Darren, who just turned 20 on May 24, was still so much visible. And since most events were done digitally, it’s as if he did not leave the country at all. He scored endorsements, hosted shows, and even promoted his music. And now that he’s back in the Philippines, Darren is ready to give his all, and fans can expect more than just social media updates. Digital heartthrob Ahead of the premiere of the reality talent show PoPinoy, mobile brand TNT launched TNT POP Show, a new digital show that dishes out much-needed ‘saya vibes’ and inspiring stories of Filipino youth as they chase their big dreams. Hosted by Darren Espanto together with actress Adrianna So, TNT POP Show, which premiered on June 9, airs every Saturday at 5:00 p.m.. “I am happy and excited to be hosting

the TNT Pop Show. Gaya din ng ilan, I pursued my dream to become a performer by joining different talent contests. I believe that more Kabataang Pinoy like me have what it takes to thrive in show business by sharing their talent and uplifting story,” Darren said on chosen to host the TNT Pop Show. In a video message, the young heartthrob also thanked his Smart and TNT family for welcoming him. ‘‘I’m so excited to be working with all of you. This is both a pleasure and an honor. And I’m so excited for everyone to see what we have in store for all the Kabataang Pinoy with big dreams. Maraming salamat po,” the singer beamed. Apart from inspiring stories, the show features funny videos, exciting games, and engagement with surprise content creators and special guests. TNT POP Show also features other talented and driven young Pinoys who are making a mark in their respective fields. The Pop Idol segment focuses on how content creators are using their platform to spread positivity, while Pop Trip features fun activities and games with surprise guests. Darren’s digital show also dishes out exclusive content from the reality show PoPinoy, which is broken down into various segments, such as Pop Talk, a rundown of all the highlights from the current episode, as well as trending stories, reactions, and discussions about the show. Meanwhile, reality show contestants will talk about their experiences and journey in the Pop Serye segment, while funny videos and exclusive behind-thescenes clips and reactions take center stage in the Pop Parazzi segment. TNT POP Show is exclusively on the TNT website www.tntph.com/popinoy and TNT official Facebook page and YouTube channel.

‘Hayop Ka! The Nimfa Dimaano Stor,’ which features the voices of Angelica Panganiban, Robin Padilla, and Sam Milby, showcases animals portrayed as true-to-life adults.

FDCP leads biggest PH animation sector delegation to Annecy Animation fest THE world’s biggest and most prestigious animation festival, the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France from June 14 to 19, has strong representation from the Philippines with the largest country delegation to be led by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), including the country’s first competing film, four projects, and more than 50 animation workers from 29 animation studios. Hayop Ka! The Nimfa Dimaano Story by Avid Liongoren has been selected for competition, making history as the first Filipino competing film in Annecy. The first Filipino Netflix animated film was a project of First Cut Lab 2019, coorganized by the FDCP and Tatino Films. The full-length feature, where animals are portrayed as true-to-life adults, is about Nimfa the cat who searches for true love and happiness and must decide between the two dogs in her life.

At Marché international du film d'animation d'Annecy (MIFA) or Annecy International Animation Film Market, three Philippine projects, along with projects from Malaysia and Thailand, were part of the ASEAN Pitch on June 15. These were Ella Arcangel by Mervin Malonzo, Kampilan by Cris Dumlao, and Hayop Ka! Universe by Manny Angeles. FDCP Chairperson and CEO Liza Diño presented the national film agency’s film incentives programs at the ASEAN Pitch in MIFA, which is the foremost event in terms of co-production, purchasing, selling, financing, and distributing content for all broadcasting platforms, drawing 13,000 industry professionals. FilmPhilippines Incentives Unit Manager Mil Alcain discussed in detail the Film Location Incentive Program (FLIP) and International Co-production Fund (ICOF). Read full story on manilastandard.net

Stray Kids, iKON, Astro among K-Pop acts to perform at ‘KCON:TACT 4U’ virtual fest ONE of the world’s largest K-Culture events is coming back once again to Filipino K-Pop fans as mobile services provider Smart Communications, Inc. is bringing the KCON:TACT 4U virtual festival from June 19 to 27 via Gigafest.Smart. KCON:TACT 4U is a K-Culture and pop music celebration featuring nine days of Korean content with live concerts and meet and greets with dozens of K-Pop artists, including A.C.E, ASTRO, BTOB, CNBLUE, EVERGLOW, fromis_9, Golden Child, HA SUNG WOON, HIGHLIGHT, iKON, ITZY, JO1, LOONA, OH MY GIRL, ONEUS, ONF, P1Harmony, PENTAGON, SEVENTEEN, SF9, Stray Kids, THE BOYZ, TO1, VERIVERY, Weeekly, and Weki Meki.

Smart enables its subscribers to live big with their passion for all things Hallyu— stan their favorite K-Pop idols, catch their performances, and get up close with their meet and greet sessions. During the festival, subscribers can go all out by turning on their light sticks, dancing to the hits of their idols, and connecting with fellow fans not just from around the country but also from all over the world. To catch the shows live, simply turn on your mobile device and go to Gigafest.Smart, click on KCON:TACT 4U from June 19 to 27 at 8:00 p.m., Philippine Time. For best watching experience, be sure to register to Double GIGA Video on the GigaLife App so you have enough data to stream the live shows on gigafest.smart. Double GIGA Video

gives you 2 GB every for YouTube, iwant TFC, and more so you can discover more about your favorite idols. Continue to share your favorite moments of your idols from the virtual festival with Double GIGA Stories with 2 GB every day for Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Kumu plus data for all sites. Just simply go to GigaLife App or dial *123# and choose Double Giga to register. Double GIGA is powered by Smart, the country's mobile data network as reported by third-party mobile internet analytics firm Ookla® and Opensignal. Smart also enables subscribers to level up their digital experience with Smart 5G's superfast speeds and ultralow latency powered by the country's most extensive 5G network with over 3,000 sites.

Stray Kids is a South Korean boy composed of eight members: Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, and I.N.

Life

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

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FASHION AND BEAUTY

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2021

FATHER’S DAY GIFT GUIDE

For techie and stylish daddies

By Steph Llarena

S

AXCS Men’s 3 in 1 Motorcycle Set

O YOU’VE got a “cool dad”, huh? He is either always updated on the latest gadget and app releases or he knows what looks good him. On his special day on Sunday, June 20, treat the man of the house to something he likes. He might say he doesn’t need anything, but trust us, he will appreciate if you give him something.

Rider essentials

Does he ride to live and live to ride? The AXCS Men’s 3 in 1 Motorcycle Set consists of gloves, mask, and eyewear for motorcycle and bicycle rides. Order through SM Store’s call to deliver service #143SM (#14376)

Stylish shirts and more

Hackett graphic polo in white

Score shirts, Tshirts, and other stylish pieces from Adolfo Dominguez, Hackett, Ricardo Preto, Emporio Armani, Mismo, Ascot Chang, Pedro del Hierro, Allen Edmonds, and Smythson that are discounted up to 50 percent off. Go to Rustan’s or contact a personal shopper (0917-111-1952) or shop online at www. rustans.com

DJI Mavic Mini 2 Fly More Combo

Drone

Father can fly farther to capture 4K aerial videos with the Mini 2 Fly More Combo from DJI. Utilizing DJI’s OcuSync 2.0 2.4/5.8 GHz wireless transmission technology, it can be operated from up to 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) away while still providing video of what the drone sees. Order through SM Store’s call to deliver service #143SM (#14376)

Montblanc 1858 Automatic and Montblanc Bracelet Le Petit Prince

Laser projector

For dads who love to enjoy his movies the cinema way, Samsung’s The Premiere 4K triple laser projector is great gift. It beams images up to 130 inches and has a powerful built-in speaker. Built like a smart TV, The Premiere comes with streaming services pre-installed. Go to www.samsung.com/ph

Action camera

For dads who love to take panoramic photos and videos, the GoPro Hero MAX 360 Action Camera has opposite side lenses that can capture everything that happens in a 360-degree view in high resolution video and still photos. Order through SM Store’s call to deliver service #143SM (#14376)

Samsung’s The Premiere

Sound tower

Samsung SoundTower

Party papas, or those who like their music to be more fun, would appreciate this splash-proof speaker with LED lights from Samsung. The SoundTower also has Group Play and Bluetooth Multi Connection to simultaneously share and enjoy the family’s preferred music. Go to www.samsung.com/ph

GoPro Hero Max 360

Waterproof camera

Fine jewelry

Get dad a Montblanc timepiece today until June 20, and get a free Montblanc Wireless Charger for every P15,000 purchase. Leather goods bought from the brand can also be personalized to make them more special. Go to Rustan’s or contact a personal shopper (0917111-1952) or shop online at www.rustans.com

Pajamas and loungewear

Pure Cotton Big Boss Pyjama Set

Ratty sleepwear and loungewear (pambahay) is common as we spend most of our time at home. Let dad replace his overused and faded clothes with new sets from Marks & Spencer. Made of pure cotton, each pajama set (Tshirt and shorts) comes in regular fit with fun prints. Shop at bit.ly/ MarksandSpencerPh or bit.ly/MandSZalora

If he’s the adventurous type, the ONE X2, Insta360’s pocket-size spherical VR solution, is waterproof without any housing required. Order through SM Store’s call to deliver service #143SM (#14376) Insta360 X2 Pocket

Grooming kit

Even fathers need toiletries, too. Help him stay impeccably groomed with The Somerset Toiletry Company’s Mr. Perfect Soap + Wash Set to keep him clean and clear from head to toe, Barber Shaving Cream from Hairgum and Creightons Post Shave Balm for his facial hair needs, and a bottle of 1902 Tradition’s Naturelle cologne to give him that fresh scent. Shop at trunc.ph.

Gaming earphones

The AXCS Gaming Earphones CA129’s earbuds produce top quality and clear sound with comfortable fit for long period of wear. It is equipped with Bluetooth 5.0 and is IPX5 water resistant. Order through SM Store’s call to deliver service #143SM (#14376) AXCS Gaming Earphones CA129

FOR “In Our Shoes – Seoul”, the second chapter of Tod’s campaign, K-pop singer, actress, and Red Velvet member Joy dances amid the city skyline wearing the label’s Tabs Sneakers. In the video produced for the campaign, Joy and professional male dancers Young Deuk Kwon and Hyun Ik Lee share a desire for challenge; the sublime modernity in movement reaches out to the viewers in its pure contemporary culture vibe. At their feet, Tabs Sneakers stand out with their sophisticated design. The classic lace-up, sport style sneakers, designed by creative director Walter Chiapponi, are characterized by the iconic Gommino pebbles on the heel counter. Tod’s is located at Greenbelt 4, Rustan’s Shangri-La, and ShangriLa Plaza and online at trunc.ph, Rustans.com, Zalora, and Lazada.

Morui Dashboard Camera

Dashboard camera

For safer journeys on the road, get him a dual-lens Morui Dash Cam. Its front camera has up to 170-degree viewing angle, while its rear camera is waterproof. Get it at Morui on Shopee Mall

Red Velvet’s Joy dances in Seoul

Red Velvet member Joy (middle) and professional dancers Young Deuk Kwon and Hyun Ik Lee star in Tod’s ‘In Our Shoes - Seoul’ campaign.

Mr. Perfect Soap + Wash Set and 1902 Tradition’s Naturelle

Webinar for Grab drivers

discusses importance of sunscreen NIVEA and Grab recently held a webinar to educate Grab drivers on sun protection and the importance of sunscreen in daily life. With 600 drivers in attendance, one of the speakers, dermatologist Dr. Vanessa Bernal discussed the harmful effects of solar radiation and what could happen with continuous, unprotected exposure. She also discussed important habits to practice every day, like keeping out of the sun during the hottest times of the day and wearing a hat and long sleeves. Dr. Bernal also emphasized the need for sunscreen despite the weather being rainy, and how the sun’s radiation during gloomy days is still just as harmful as the harsh sunlight. But most importantly, she discussed how to properly use sunscreen to protect skin. Jamie Sanico-Sy Ching, marketing director of Beiersdorf, said in support of Grab drivers, “While it is important that we continue to sup-

The webinar tackled the importance of sun protection among drivers always exposed to the sun’s harmful rays.

port our doctors and nurses, we also recognize our silent front liners who, despite the risks, continue to make our locked down lives more bearable and safer – our Grab drivers. “This partnership with Grab is our gesture of gratitude for their hard work, and our way of saying that ‘they matter, and we care,’ so allow us to protect your skin with Nivea Sun.”