Manila Standard - 2021 December 17 - Friday

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Odette unleashes powerful winds, thousands flee path VOL. XXXV • NO. 305 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 FRIDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2021 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

CLOSE to 100,000 people fled their homes and beachfront resorts as typhoon “Odette” (international name Rai), which the US-based Joint Typhoon Warning Center classified as a super typhoon, lashed the country

Thursday, with a warning the storm could hit coastal communities "like a freight train." The powerful storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 185 Next page

A Coast Guard member accompanies evacuated residents as they cross a bridge over an overflowing river in Tubay town in Agusan del Norte amid heavy rains brought about by super typhoon 'Odette.' As of 5 p.m. yesterday, the center of the eye of the typhoon was located in the vicinity of Liloan, Southern Leyte. (Inset) Photo shows a female resident in a flotation ring during an evacuation from their homes next to a swollen river in Cagayan de Oro City. AFP

‘Don’t take Omicron lightly’ WHO warns mild effects not conclusive, risks include severe illness, death

By Willie Casas and Joel E. Zurbano

a public forum. “We do have some deaths associated with Omicron and that’s what we expectHE World Health Organization (WHO) has ed because omicron will circulate among cautioned against treating the COVID-19 Omicron the different populations,” Van Kerkhove said. variant as a mild strain, saying the virus will also She said the same risk factors for secause severe illness and death. vere disease and death apply for the elderly, people with underlying conditions, “We know that people infected with mild disease, all the way to severe dis- and those who are unvaccinated. Omicron can have the full spectrum of ease to death,” Maria Van Kerkhove, the She also cautioned against dismissing disease, from asymptomatic infection to WHO’s COVID-19 technical lead, said at the mild effects of Omicron, because the

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more it spreads, the greater opportunity the virus has to mutate and infect more people. “[I]ncreased transmissibility means you’re going to have more cases. More cases mean more hospitalizations, which means already overburdened health care systems will continue to be overburdened and some will fail," she said. "So some people will not get the care that they need because it’s two years into a global pandemic and if a system is over-

burdened, people will die," she added. The Omicron, a variant of concern, has so far been recorded by at least 77 countries. Britain on Wednesday recorded a record 78,610 laboratory-confirmed COVID cases, with scientists predicting even higher rates as Omicron is believed to spread much faster than the currently dominant Delta variant. The Department of Health on Thursday said that the new Omicron variant of Next page

7 close contacts of two Omicron cases test negative DepEd won’t pines’ first two cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, seven of whom tested negative for the coronavirus. Health Undersecretary Maria RoTHE Department of Health (DOH) iden- sario Vergeire said, one was the close tified eight close contacts of the Philip- contact of the 48-year-old returning

By Willie Casas and Vito Barcelo

Broadcaster wounded in murder try

overseas Filipino who arrived from Japan, while seven are close contacts of the 37-year-old Nigerian national from Nigeria. The close contact of the returning Filipino had tested negative on Dec. 4,

Vergeire said. She said the Filipino had only one close contact on the plane because he was seated in business class. Six out of the seven close contacts of the Nigerian national tested negative and Next page

Devotees crowd the open area outside the St. Joseph Parish in Las Piñas City early Thursday dawn for the first day of the nine-day Simbang Gabi. Norman Cruz

stop F2F plan despite strain

By Willie Casas and Maricel V. Cruz THE Department of Health said Thursday there was no need to close down schools or raise the alert level after the more transmissible after the Omicron variant was detected. Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Next page

THE sound of crack-thumping bullets continues to hound members of the media. On Thursday, police confirmed the shooting of broadcast blocktimer inside a public bus in Barangay San Roque, Cebu City, exactly eight days after Manila Standard correspondent Jesus Malabanan was shot dead inside his home, also in the Visayas. Police Major Edgar Labe, Cebu's Waterfront Police Station 3 chief, identified the victim as Rico Osmeña, who was immediately rushed to the hospital. Osmeña was at radio station dyLA for his radio program from 11 a.m. to noon. He left the radio station at 12:15 p.m. and took a public bus. Initial police investigation

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COVID slashes jobs for Santas CHRISTMAS is just around the corner but you may struggle to spot a Santa spreading joy in the United States this holiday season. That's because the pandemic has caused a shortage of Father Christmases, Next page

NBI likely to dismiss inside job in bank online hacking THE National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is "not inclined to believe" that an insider was involved in the "Mark Nagoyo" online hacking incident that involved two banks. Vic Lorenzo, head of the NBI's Cybercrime Division, in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB Thursday said: “Based on our experience and on the

behavior of the incident, on how it was executed, we are not inclined to believe that there is an insider, because there was actually no need for one.” The incident refers to the unauthorized transfer of funds from unsuspecting BDO Unibank Inc. account holders to a fictitious bank account with UnionBank under the name “Mark Nagoyo.”

Lorenzo said the hackers might have gotten the pertinent information from the victims not through an insider but through "phishing" -- a type of social engineering attack often used to steal user data. "We are looking at the compromised accounts, and we are seeing that in all

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News

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2021

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Vax panel to rule on booster gap T

“We will see by next week. What is important is the primary series,” Duque said. Presidential Adviser Joey Concepcion and OCTA Research Fellow Fr. Nicanor Austriaco had noted the possible need for

booster doses four months after the second dose, instead of the currently recommended six months. Citing what they called "significant" data, the two said that acquired immunity from COVID-19 vaccines significantly

decreased at around five months or sooner depending on the vaccine brand. Austriaco added the Philippines already had enough vaccines for a booster campaign. Their call came as the country confirmed two omicron COVID-19 cases involving international travelers. The World Health Organization earlier said Omicron was spreading faster than the Delta variant, while early evidence suggested the new strain caused “a reduction in vaccine efficacy against infection and transmission.” While efforts to curb the transmission of omicron are underway, the WHO urged the Philippines to focus on the administration of the primary COVID vac-

‘Don’t...

The government is implementing a second round of three-day national vaccination event from Dec.r 15 to 17 to ramp up its inoculation efforts and is expecting to administer 7 million doses within those three days. The administration aims to fully vaccinate 77 million people against COVID-19 by March 2022 and 90 million by June 2022. Cabotaje said almost 65 percent of senior citizens, around 6 million people, and nearly a quarter of minors, or more than 2 million children, are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Some 6 million out of 8 million senior citizens or about 75 percent, who are at risk of severe COVID-19, have received at least one vaccine dose. “The turnout is good among senior citizens who want to get booster shots. We just need to persevere more to vaccinate the rest of the senior citizens,” Cabotaje said. Meanwhile, about 62 percent of children aged 12 to 17 have received at least one COVID-19 shot. Twenty-four percent or 2.7 million have completed two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, Cabotaje said. Also on Wednesday, 3,696,900 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, representing jabs donated by the German government through the COVAX facility. German Ambassador to the Philippines Anke Reiffenstuel said she looked forward to seeing the scaling up of the Philippines’ vaccination drive following her country’s vaccine donation.

“I trust that these vaccines will be used in the upcoming [national] vaccination drive, contributing also to the vaccination of minors, which is so necessary in the opening of schools, as well as the boosters for the health care workers and frontliners,” said Reiffenstuel following the shipment's arrival at the airport. Assistant Secretary Wilben Mayor, National Task Force against COVID-19 head of strategic communications on current operations, thanked Germany for its vaccine donation, which will provide a major boost to the country’s vaccination program. “We would like to thank the government of Germany for donating these vaccines. This is very timely for us, especially now that we are ramping up the inoculation of our countrymen under phase two of the National Vaccination Days (NVD),” Mayor said. Mayor encouraged Filipinos to get vaccinated to protect themselves and their loved ones from COVID-19. As of Dec. 15, the Philippines has received a total of 24,261,160 doses of Moderna vaccines. On Tuesday, the Philippines also received 2 million doses of Sinovac vaccines donated by the Chinese government, bringing the total number of China-donated jabs to the country this year to 4 million. Huang Xilian, Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines, said the latest vaccine donation from his country is a testament of the strong bilateral ties between China and the Philippines. The ambassador also reaffirmed the

Chinese government’s continued support to the Philippines COVID-19 response efforts. In Cabanatuan City, top officials of National Task Force Against COVID-19, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, and the WHO visited a temporary treatment and monitoring facility that was converted into a vaccination site. The facility has 300 rooms equipped with oxygen concentrators and oxygen generators. “What I have seen today in this facility, the TTMF with 300 rooms, the oxygen plant, the expanded cold storage with ultra cold storage facilities. All these demonstrate the leadership and the commitment the city of Cabanatuan has shown in preparing [and] dealing with this pandemic,” said WHO representative to the Philippines Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe NTF chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez, Jr. commended the local government unit of Cabanatuan for its COVID-19 response and mitigation efforts. Galvez said the NTF gave 25,000 doses of the single-dose Janssen vaccines to Cabanatuan City after it surpassed its committed vaccination target during the first round of the event held from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1. City Health Officer Dr. Arminda Adecer said the local government is aiming to vaccinate 20,000 individuals during the second leg of the NVD. Health Secretary and IATF chairman Francisco Duque III also congratulated the LGU for vaccinating 67 percent of its target population with the first dose, and 55 percent with the second dose.

very heavy damage to structures and vegetation," along with widespread flooding and rain-induced landslides. More than 98,000 people sought emergency shelter as the storm charged across the Pacific Ocean, the national disaster agency said. Evacuations were still under way in areas in the typhoon's path. Among the evacuees were domestic tourists visiting the country's famed beaches and dive spots ahead of Christmas. Foreign travelers are still banned from entering the Philippines under COVID-19 restrictions. Verified video shot by tourists in Siargao showed trees swaying violently with the force of the wind as people waited for the full impact of the typhoon to hit. In the town of Dapa, families slept on the floor of a sports complex turned into a temporary evacuation center. Scores of flights have been canceled and

dozens of ports temporarily closed as the weather bureau warned several meter-high storm surges could cause "life-threatening flooding" in low-lying coastal areas. Weather forecaster Christopher Perez said the winds could "topple electric posts and trees" and damage houses made of light materials. "Brace for heavy rains, brace for strong winds too," Perez told a briefing. The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) announced on Thursday that 26,430 families or about 98,000 people have been moved out of the typhoon’s path in Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao, and Caraga. Odette has also affected 59 seaports in Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Central Visayas, Northern Mindanao and Caraga, all of which are now non-operational. In its latest maritime safety advisory, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said a total of 4,358 passengers, drivers, and car-

go workers are stranded in ports in Bicol, Central Visayas, northeastern Mindanao, Eastern Visayas, and Western Visayas. In its 2 p.m. tropical cyclone bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the center of the eye of Odette was around Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte. It had maximum sustained winds of 195 kph near the center, gustiness of up to 240 kph per hour, and central pressure of 915 hectopascals. It was moving west-northwestward at 30 kph and was expected to be in the vicinity of Sibonga, Cebu by 11 p.m. on Thursday. Odette on Thursday afternoon made its second landfall over Cagdianao, Dinagat Islands, hours after it hit land over Siargao in Surigao del Norte, the state weather bureau said. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

on Hong Kong, undermining many of its long-standing democratic freedoms. Myanmar was second with 53, followed by Vietnam (43), Belarus (32) and Saudi Arabia (31). The falling number of deaths since a peak in 2016 reflects changing dynamics in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, where a reduction in conflict means fewer journalists have been drawn to the region. Most of the 46 killings were assassinations: "65 percent were deliberately targeted and eliminated," the report said. The most dangerous countries were once again Mexico and Afghanistan, with seven and six journalist deaths respectively, followed by Yemen and India with four apiece. RSF also counted 65 journalists and colleagues held as hostages around the world. All are in the Middle East – Syria (44), Iraq (11) and Yemen (9) – apart from French journalist Olivier Dubois, held in Mali since April. A "people's tribunal" to achieve justice for murdered journalists opened in The Hague last month to defend media freedoms in an age of increasing authoritarianism and populism. Set up by a coalition of press freedom organizations, the hearings lasting six months will focus on the unsolved cases of three journalists murdered in Mexico, Sri Lanka and Syria. While it has no legal powers to convict anyone, the tribunal aims to raise awareness, pressure governments and gather evidence through what it calls its form of "grassroots justice." The tribunal was organized by Free Press Unlimited (FPU), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), and Reporters Without Borders. AFP

NBI...

BDO, meanwhile, has started processing the reimbursement of nearly 700 clients affected by the hacking. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, for its part, has formed a task force to investigate the incident, with 30 days to come up with a recommendation regarding possible sanctions and penalties. Lorenzo urged users to still use online transactions. "Let us not be afraid to use online transactions because when we compare the number of fraudulent transactions with successful transactions, we'll see that it's negligible,” he said.

By Willie Casas

HE vaccine expert panel's decision on the recommendation to shorten the gap between the second COVID-19 vaccine dose and booster shot is expected next week, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said Thursday.

From A1

COVID-19 infects households more than the Delta variant. Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje made the statement a day after the DOH confirmed at least two cases of the Omicron variant in the Philippines. "The Omicron variant targets households more. There are studies showing that 19 percent of households were infected by Omicron as compared with 8.5 percent for Delta," Cabotaje said during a briefing. "That is why it is important for all the people in the household to get vaccinated because the vaccine provides another layer of protection and it really decreases the COVID-19 infection rate," she added. Cabotaje said there are also studies in the United Kingdom that show the elderly and the children of the unvaccinated adults appear to be at risk of the Omicron variant. "Those already covered by the vaccination program should really get vaccinated so as to protect the children who are not yet eligible for vaccination," she added. The government's COVID-19 vaccination program started last March 1. However, the vaccination for those aged 12 to 17 and the administration of booster shots only started last month. More than 42 million Filipinos are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, which is still short of the target of 54 million Filipinos fully vaccinated by the year’s end.

Odette... From A1

kilometers an hour as it barreled towards central and southern regions of the country, the state weather bureau said. But it warned wind speeds could intensify to 195 kilometers an hour before it makes landfall near the popular tourist destination of Siargao island in the afternoon. It would be the strongest typhoon to hit the country this year, the agency added. "This monster storm is frightening and threatens to hit coastal communities like a freight train," said Alberto Bocanegra, head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in the Philippines. "We are very concerned that climate change is making typhoons more ferocious and unpredictable." The weather bureau warned "very destructive" winds could cause "heavy to

Broadcaster... From A1

said the lone gunman boarded the bus when it stopped to pick up a passenger then shot Osmeña twice. Witnesses said the gunman left onboard a motorcycle. Last July 22, radio blocktimer Reynante Cortes, 47, was shot dead in Barangay Mambaling, Cebu City outside the building housing his radio station. No suspect has thus far been charged but his wife said their family had received threats for a year. In related developments, the Parisbased Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontieres) has said there are currently 488 media professionals imprisoned around the world, the highest number since it began counting more than 25 years ago. By contrast, the number killed this year – 46 – was the lowest since it began issuing annual tallies, due to the relative stabilization of conflicts in the Middle East. "The number of journalists detained in connection with their work has never been this high since RSF began publishing its annual round-up in 1995," the NGO, which battles for freedom of the press, said in a statement. The number has risen by some 20 percent over the past year thanks largely to crackdowns on the media in Myanmar, Belarus and Hong Kong. RSF said it had also never seen so many female journalists detained, with the overall number of 60 representing a third more than 2020. China leads the way for imprisoned journalists with 127, thanks in large part to the national security law it imposed

From A1

probability there were victims of phishing," he said. Though investigators are not discounting the possibility that foreigners were involved, Lorenzo said they believed the perpetrators were likely local. Union Bank of the Philippines said Wednesday it had identified at least six “persons of interest” behind the hacking incident but did not name them.

Covid... From A1

according to a booking company and Santa Claus training school. After festivities were kept to a minimum last year due to Covid-19, parties are back for Christmas 2021 but the supply of plump, white-bearded men in red is way behind demand. "There's a tremendous shortage of Santa Claus entertainers," Mitch Allen, founder of Texas-based rental agency Hire Santa, told AFP. Allen said there has been a 120 percent increase in demand for Santas this season compared to 2020 as businesses, schools and shopping malls host celebrations again. But the number of Santas on his books has dropped 10 percent compared to 2019, meaning he has a shortfall of "over 1000 positions" this season. "Unfortunately, we're just not able to meet the huge demand that we're receiving right now," said Allen, wearing a green elf costume on a video call.

cine series to more people. Getting as many people fully vaccinated as soon as possible is still the best thing to do, said WHO Representative to the Philippines Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe. "The evidence we have at this point is that a full dose of vaccines protects people from severe disease and death. Even in the case of omicron, that is what we know as yet, but may change later," Abeyasinghe added. He warned, however, that breakthrough infections caused by omicron may still happen in fully vaccinated individuals, but maintained that protection against severe disease through the primary series remains top priority.

The supply slump is despite many organizations having decided to cancel activities, fearful of the highly transmissible Omicron variant that has once again put the world's health systems on high alert. Contributing to the shortfall have been the deaths from coronavirus of more than 335 of Allen's Santas this year, he said. Many, given that they are high-risk due to their age, have decided to hang up their red suit and bobble hat for the time being while others have opted to retire. In a good year, a Santa Claus can earn between $6,000 and $10,000 over the course of the early November to Christmas Eve season, said Allen. But the pandemic has meant fewer candidates are aspiring to be Old Saint Nick, according to the Professional Santa Claus School in Denver. The academy has suffered a 25 percent drop in applications since the pandemic, according to founder Susen Mesco, despite training moving online. "In the last two years, 28 Santas graduated when the usual number was 120," she said in an email to AFP. AFP

7 close... From A1

completed their mandatory quarantine, she said. The test results of the remaining close contact are still being verified. She said the Nigerian sat at the end of the plane, so the DOH counted only those in front of him and on his side. Vergeire said close contacts are identified by counting four seats in every direction from the positive case. Meanwhile, the samples of the two Omicron cases will be collected Thursday for their repeat RT-PCR test. Vergeire said there is no reason to raise the alert level system, despite the detection of the Omicron variant in the country, because the DOH follows certain metrics in lowering or raising the alert level system in an area. “For now, we see no reason to immediately raise our alert level system,” Vergeire said in Filipino during a media briefing. “We will continue to monitor [the situation] so that at the first sign of an increase in cases, our response will not be delayed,” she added. Currently, all areas in the Philippines are under Alert Level 2. Despite fears that the Omicron variant may lower the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, Vergeire said jabs can still offer protection. “Let me just remind you that even if the effectiveness of vaccines is lowered, it can still provide protection against COVID-19,” she said. “I urge everyone to get vaccinated. This is one of the things that we should do right now in order to protect ourselves and our family.” Vergeire also said the DOH has been discussing the test kits that can supposedly detect the Omicron variant. Should the government procure the test kits, she said these may be used in far-flung provinces. Meanwhile, Vergere said the travelers from Burkina Faso and Egypt did not test positive for the Omicron variant. The DOH previously reported that three travelers from South Africa, Burkina Faso, and Egypt tested positive for COVID-19. “The three from Burkina Faso, Egypt, and South Africa. The one from Burkina Faso tested positive for Delta, the one from Egypt has no lineage assigned,” she said. An infectious disease expert on Wednesday said there is no need to extend the mandatory 14-day quarantine period after the Philippines detected its first two cases of the Omicron variant 15 days after arrival in the country. On Dec. 15, the Philippines detected the variant of concern from two international travelers, a 48-year-old returning overseas Filipino that arrived on Dec. 1 and a foreign national that arrived on Nov. 30. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

DepEd... From A1

Vergeire said the DOH is coordinating with the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education on safely conducting face-to-face classes. “We are now coordinating with the Department of Education and what measures to take to prevent our students infecting each other,” Vergeire told a media briefing. The Philippines on Wednesday detected its first two cases of the Omicron variant from international travelers from Japan and Nigeria. On the other hand, Education Secretary Leonor Briones earlier said the conduct of face-to-face classes in the country would continue despite the threat of Omicron. So far, a total 272 public schools and 18 private schools have been conducting face-to-face classes in the country under the pilot implementation. Vergeire said the DOH was intensifying its efforts for active case finding and monitoring of clustering in areas and severe infections. “We need to prepare. So far, there is no cause for alarm,” Vergeire said. “Our surveillance system needs to be very active and very robust so we can see if there is an increase. We can already do some measures to prevent increases in cases,” she added. Meanwhile, a congressional leader has reiterated her appeal to the InterAgency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to prioritize vaccination of children 5 to 11 years old before they are allowed to go on faceto-face classes. San Jose Del Monte City Rep. Florida Robes, chairperson of the House committee on people's participation, said if face-toface classes in the college level were limited to fully vaccinated students, the same standard of protection should be given to children in kinder and elementary schools. “If only fully vaccinated students are allowed to attend face to face classes, how much more should we not make the same requirement for those in grade school," Robes said in a statement. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

News

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2021

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CHRISTMAS LIGHTS.

IN BRIEF

The facade of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) is illuminated with colorful lights and sound for the annual Christmas lighting event, dubbed “PASKO 2021: The CCP Façade Lights and Sound Show,” on December 15. Designed by the Technical Team from the CCP Production Design and Technical Services Division, the annual holiday event features projected images of Christmas symbols and select, well-loved Christmas carols. A Misa de Gallo or Simbang Gabi will also be held from December 16 to 24, 2021, 5am, at the CCP Main Ramp. Danny Pata

Rody reaffirms PH commitment to GCC PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte thanked the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) governments for their assistance to the Philippines’ COVID-19 pandemic response, as he has reaffirmed the Philippines’ commitment to further strengthen bilateral ties with the GCC member-countries, Malacanang said in a statement. “President Duterte reaffirmed the Philippines’ commitment to further strengthen bilateral affairs with GCC nations particularly the Sultanate of Oman, State of Qatar, State of Kuwait, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates,” the statement said. The President expressed his gratitude to the foreign governments “for their assistance to the Philippines’ pandemic response efforts and in the repatriation of Filipino nationals affected by the COVID-19 crisis.” Vito Barcelo

SC affirms sentence on Polish over shabu THE Court of Appeals (CA) has affirmed the sentence imposed on a Polish national for receiving more than three kilograms of shabu from an Indonesian contact 10 years ago. In its 37-page decision dated December 14 and written by Associate Justice Angelene Mary Q. QuimpoSale, the CA’s First Division affirmed the decision of the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 53 finding Barbara Ewa Ziontkowska guilty of transporting dangerous drugs and sentencing her to life imprisonment and a fine of P1 million. Ziontkowska, 48, was arrested in an entrapment operation at the Soriente Hotel, in Manila in May 2011 which came days after the arrest of Media Aprideri, an Indonesian national and a suspected member of the West African Drug Syndicate.

P15.5-m worth of ecstasy seized in Pasay City

Rody unveils new MRT-7 trains; project 60% done

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HE national government will ensure that the Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7) will be “partially operational” by the fourth quarter of 2022, President Rodrigo Duterte said on Thursday. Duterte made this remark during a ceremony to unveil the new MRT-7 train sets along Commonwealth Avenue in Diliman, Quezon City. “We can proudly say that this new metric rail transit system which spans more than 24 km from North Avenue in Quezon City to San Jose del Monte in Bulacan is a world-class mode of transportation for the benefit of the people. The project is more than 60 percent complete and we are committed to make it partially operational by [the] 4th quarter of 2022,” he said.

He noted that the MRT project will provide the public with a “fast, efficient, convenient, safe, and reliable” transportation system that would result in the increased productivity of workers and businesses in Metro Manila and its nearby provinces. Duterte said he is also pleased that the MRT-7 is expected to be a pollution-free mode of mass transit for commuters. “It is also good to know that this new train system will help minimize air pollution as it is a greener and more energy-efficient means of transportation,”

he added. He said the MRT-7 project is proof of his administration’s commitment to delivering long-lasting infrastructure development in the country amid the prevailing health crisis. “The arrival of the trains and the significant progress made on MRT-7 project confirm this administration’s strong commitment to pursue critical infrastructure projects even amidst the challenges of COVID-19 pandemic,” he said. Meanwhile, Duterte enjoined all government agencies to ensure the prompt implementation and completion of significant government projects while still upholding the transparency, integrity, and accountability in its operation.

By Joel E. Zurbano AUTHORITIES have intercepted smuggled shipments of party drugs “ecstasy” worth P15.5 million at the Central Mail Exchange Center in Pasay City. The three parcels from the Netherlands containing 9,160 tablets were misdeclared as clothes and shoes. The Bureau of Customs - Ninoy Aquino International Airport did not identify the owner but they said the shipments were consigned to a resident in Dasmarinas City in Cavite. The Customs men were able to intercept the shipments with the help of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and NAIA Inter-agency Drug Interdiction Task Group. “The seized illegal drugs concealed in three parcels declared as clothes and shoes were discovered through the intensified profiling and examination conducted by Customs personnel despite being surreptitiously hidden in-between spaces of the box containing the subject parcels,” said NAIA district collector Carmelita Talusan. “After full inventory, a total of 9,160 ecstacy tablets with an estimated market value of P15.572 million were seized,” she added. On Thursday, Talusan’s office turned over to PDEA the seized illegal drugs for further investigation and case build-up against personalities involved in the latest smuggling attempt.

DEMAND FOR WAGES. Labor

groups including construction workers that were not given their 13th month pay this Christmas season troop the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to conduct caroling and demand their right to wages, benefits, and secure jobs. Members of the labor groups express their calls with a jingle containing the words “Boom Barat Barat.” Danny Pata

WITH SANTA’S HELP.

Demonstrators from the Private Hospital Workers Alliance of the Philippines conducted a Christmas carol and protest before the gates of the Department of Health’s main office in Sta. Cruz, Manila on December 16. The group called for the distribution of benefits to serve as their ‘aginaldo’ that served as the theme of their protest. Norman Cruz

Palace welcomes approval of P5t budget for 2022 By Vito Barcelo MALACANANG on Thursday said it welcomes the decision of Congress to ratify the proposed P5.024 trillion national budget for 2022, saying the move is vital to the government’s COVID-19 response. “As we await its transmittal to the Office of the President, we reiterate our commitment to utilize our people’s hard-earned money to properly implement programs, projects, and services effectively and efficiently during the remainder of the President’s term of office,” Acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles said. He said the speedy ratification is of the 2022 national budget is vital to the country’s response and recovery efforts amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The P5.024 trillion proposed budget for 2022 is the administration’s last full-year budget since President Rodrigo Duterte’s term ends on June 30, 2022. The House of Representatives has ended its 2021 legislative session on a positive and hopeful note Wednesday with the ratification of the national budget. Speaker Lord Allan Velasco said the budget ratification capped the chamber’s months-long effort to craft policies needed to shepherd the country towards recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. He said the spending plan provided Congress the “single greatest opportunity” to shape the country’s priorities for next year as COVID-19 drags on. The House adjourned its session to go on a one-month legislative break for the holidays. Regular sessions will resume on January 17, 2022. With Maricel V. Cruz and Macon Ramos-Araneta

Senate ratifies law raising age for determining statutory rape By Macon Ramos-Araneta THE Senate has ratified the Bicameral Conference Committee’s report on the disagreeing provisions of Senate Bill No. 2332 and House Bill No. 7836, amending the Revised Penal Code to raise the age for determining statutory rape from twelve to below sixteen years old.

“I am very grateful to Sen. Richard Gordon, Chairman of the Committee on Justice, for entrusting me to co-chair the Senate bicam panel and see it through the bicam conference,” said Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri. Zubiri, a re-electionist is the cosponsor of the bill and co-chair of the Senate panel for the Bicameral Con-

ference Committee. “Many thanks also to the members of the Senate bicam panel for their valuable inputs and support of this bill, Sen. Sonny Angara, Sen. Lito Lapid and Sen. Risa Hontiveros.” “For the longest time, we have had the shameful distinction of being one of the countries with the lowest age of

sexual consent in the world,” he said. At present, only Niger has a lower age of consent, at eleven years old. “As a parent of three young kids, it’s really sad to think that the law does not protect against statutory rape,” said Zubiri. “At thirteen, fourteen years old, they still do not have the capability to give Informed sexual consent,” he added.

CDO school gets P2.2m learning tools By Rey E. Requejo THE United States government has donated various distance learning equipment worth over P2.2 million to a learning center in Cagayan de Oro. The US Embassy in the Philippines said the learning equipment such as 50 desktop computers, webcams, headphones, wireless routers, and other materials for distance learning was handed over to Cagayan de Oro City’s Alternative Learning System (ALS) e-Skwela Center on Wednesday, Dec. 15. The donation was made through the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The Cagayan de Oro e-

Skwela Center is one of five being supported by USAID. The other centers are located in Legazpi City, General Santos City, Angeles City, and Davao City. It was disclosed that the total package of USAID support for the centers amounts to P12 million ($240,000). USAID has been supporting DepEd ALS’ continuity and COVID-19 response plan through its Opportunity 2.0 program which helps restore access to education for vulnerable out-of-school youth. “The U.S. government, through USAID, has supported DepEd in reinvigorating education programs,” USAID Philippines Acting Mission Director Sean Callahan said, in a statement released by the US Embassy.

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News

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2021

IN BRIEF Comelec to tackle 1st Marcos DQ case

Big BBM lead in dzRH poll By Rey E. Requejo

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RESIDENTIAL candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. continues to dominate polls after he again took the lead in the face-to-face election survey conducted by popular radio station DZRH of the Manila Broadcasting Company (MBC).

Marcos, Partido Federal ng Pilipinas standard-bearer, got 49.2% of the votes from the 7,614 respondents in the survey. In far second was Vice President Leni Robredo with 16.2%, followed by Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso with 10.4%. In fourth was Sen. Manny Pacquiao with 8.2%; Sen. Bong Go with 5.8%; Sen. Ping Lacson with 4.9%; Ret. Gen. Antonio Parlade with 0.5%; and labor

leader Leody de Guzman with 0.3%. DZRH also noted that 4.5% of the respondents were undecided. Nerisa Nunag, MBC research director, said the “Desisyon 2022” face-toface election survey was conducted in 17 regions covering Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao on December 11-12. Nunag believes the influential Solid North voting bloc still holds sway and is responsible for Marcos Jr.’s big lead

against other aspirants, especially in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) and Ilocos Region. Marcos’ performance in recent surveys also showed that Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte’s decision to become his running-mate helped create a synergistic tandem. This complementary effect was evident in the wide margin of lead Marcos registered in the Davao region and Cagayan Valley, according to the DZRH survey. Marcos also obtained the lion’s share of votes in Mindanao, with 56% choosing him compared to Robredo’s 13.5%. Nunag explained that respondents in their F2F survey were all registered voters, and the question they were asked

was: “If the election were held today, who would you vote for?” “We gave a sample ballot. There, written were the running candidates… The respondents, they are the ones who shade the chosen candidate,” Nunag said. The BBM-Sara Uniteam is espousing a unifying style of leadership that sees unity as the path to progress and the country’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the UniTeam’s excellent performance in recent surveys and the massive crowds they are drawing in every sortie, both candidates have remained humble and have chosen to stick with positive campaigning, their camp said in a statement.

Lacson-Sotto tandem keeps rising in survey WITH their message of “aayusin ang gobyerno para maayos ang buhay ng mga Pilipino” (fix the government to improve the lives of Filipinos) now gaining adherents among the thinking electorate, the partnership of Partido Reporma chairman and standard-bearer Panfilo “Ping” Lacson and running mate Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III has just gotten stronger. Independent polling firm Issues and Advocacy Center (The CENTER) made this assessment in its latest “Pulso ng Pilipino” pre-election survey, which saw Lacson rising to third place in the 2022 presidential race and his tandem with Sotto still at second, as both aspirants kept their momentum to inch closer against their toughest political rivals. The long-time public servants have solidified their place as a trusted duo in the nationwide opinion poll conducted between December 6 to 12, showing that the LacsonSotto reform agenda has left a mark among Filipinos who want to see genuine change in their government over the next six years. The non-commissioned survey, which asked 1,200 respondents who are all registered voters, revealed that the Lacson-Sotto tandem gained four percentage points to 25 percent from the previous poll conducted last month. The CENTER attributed this uptick in their numbers to the “probity and propriety” of the Lacson-Sotto campaign as more and more Filipinos are now leaning towards candidates who only stick to the issues and frown upon dirty politics. Macon Ramos-Araneta

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) is set to resolve soon the first case seeking to cancel the certificate of candidacy (COC) of presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. This after the poll body’s Second Division has ordered the petitioners, Fr. Christian Buenafe and others, and the former senator to submit within five days, upon receipt of the order, their respective memoranda. It added that the case is submitted for resolution after the period expires. “The parties are hereby given a period of five days from receipt of this Order to file their respective Memoranda in accordance with Comelec Resolution No. 10673. The case is deemed submitted for resolution after the lapse of the said period,” stated the order penned by Commissioner Socorro Inting dated December 13 and made public Thursday. The Second Division also denied the request of the petitioners for the issuance of subpoena and prayer of the respondent for face-to-face argument.

BARMM to retake unused gov’t lands THE Department of Agrarian Reform-Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR) have issued rules and regulations on the retaking of unused governmentowned lands (GOLs) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) devoted to or suitable for agriculture for eventual distribution to qualified beneficiaries. To this effect, DAR-MAFAR issued a joint Administrative Order No. 07 of 2021. Under the administrative order, all departments, bureaus, offices and instrumentalities of the government in the BARMM shall identify their coverable GOLs, and submit a list to the DAR, indicating the location and area of the lands, actual use and legal basis of ownership. AO 7 mandates that the DAR should provide central direction and coordination to the agrarian reform program to ensure the effective implementation of Executive Order No. 75 of 2019. Rio N. Araja

PH, Korea ink deal for Pinoy workers

MASSIVE SELFIE. Presidential candidate Sen. Manny Pacquiao takes a selfie with hundreds of supporters who packed a mall in Tagum City, Davao del Norte on Tuesday. Pacquiao paid a courtesy call on Davao del Norte Governor Edwin Jubahib and former Speaker and Davao del Norte 1st district Rep. Pantaleon “Bebot” Alvarez – allies of another presidential bet -- at the Governor’s residence in Tagum.

Leni to ask Comelec to let OVP programs continue By Rio N. Araja VICE President and presidential bet Leni Robredo is set to file a petition with the Commission on Elections to allow her to pursue her office’s COVID-19 response programs even during the campaign period, to ensure the projects would not be impeded especially amid the threat of the Omicron coronavirus variant. Robredo said the Office of the Vice President will continue with their COV-

ID-19 response programs with help from the private sector. But she lamented that the official campaign period could hamper their COVID-19 response. She disclosed that the OVP is planning to petition the Comelec to allow the continuity of her programs. “The only problem that we see as of now is, since I am the head of the office and am running in the elections, and by February 8, it’s the official campaign period already. So, we would like to ask... We are preparing a

petition asking that we be allowed to continue the office’s programs,” she said. But she promised not to visit the areas of their programs. “However, I wish that they would let us continue the programs, especially for COVID-related operations, such as Vaccine Express, the Swab Cab, the Bayanihan E-Konsulta, even if it’s the campaign period already. Because we need that. So, I wish the office would be allowed to do that,” Robredo said.

JABS FOR SEAFARERS.

In Loving Memory

PATRICIA L. TOMELDAN, 82 Patricia Laroya Tomeldan, older sibling of Manila Standard Managing Editor Ramonchito L. Tomeldan, died on Dec. 11, 2021. She was 82. A retired public school teacher, Patricia is survived by her brothers Cesar, Ramonchito and Arsenio; sisters Estrella and Virginia; nephews, nieces and their sons and daughters. Her remains lie in estate at the family residence in Binalonan, Pangasinan. Interment rites will be on Dec. 18 at Solemn Place in the family hometown in Binalonan, Pangasinan . Her family requests the pious readers to pray for the eternal rest of her soul. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. — Psalm 73:26

THE Department of Foreign Affairs on Thursday said the Philippines and South Korea have vowed to elevate their economic interaction, including the move to allow the entry of Filipino workers to the foreign country’s employment permit system. Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. and South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong reaffirmed several areas of cooperation when they met on Dec. 12 at the sidelines of the recent ASEAN-G7 Foreign Ministers Meeting in Liverpool, United Kingdom. The two countries agreed to elevate their relations towards a “strategic partnership,” stressing the two countries’ already robust bilateral cooperation in various areas especially in defense, trade and investment, people-to-people exchanges, and in COVID-19 response and recovery efforts. Rey E. Requejo

Vice President Leni Robredo meets with the frontliners serving the vaccination hub of the Office of the Vice President’s Vaccine Express for Seafarers at the Mall of Asia (MOA) in Pasay City on Thursday. More than 200 seafarers availed of the OVP Vaxx Express. OVP Photo

Isko: Don’t bite on other bets’‘false promises’ PRESIDENTIAL candidate and Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso on Thursday urged the public not to be taken in by false promises amid the torrent of misleading claims made by candidates that is typical in any election cycle. “Be careful countrymen. They are now offering false promises. Can’t you hear? They are saying prices of rice will go down. Don’t believe that rice will be P12 (per kilo) again. It is not true that they will return it to their time. That is not true, that is in the past,” Moreno told about 2,000 traders and transport sector members in the CMA market in Antipolo City, Rizal.

Moreno said it is for this reason and his love for the ordinary people that made him decide to apply for President of the Republic, to offer to the public a serious and highly qualified candidate willing to change the system of governance in the country that was ruled mostly by elitist politicians for the past 60 years. The 47-year-old presidential aspirant sees it as an obligation to bring about an inclusive and equitable government focused on uplifting the lives of the masses because he is one of them, having been raised in the slums of Tondo where he was forced to scavenge for leftover food, and later collected trash and became a pedicab driver.

Opinion Nullity of marriage: a defense in bigamy cases SOME people, as a consequence of their youth and immaturity, infatuation, or the need to escape family squabbles, prohibition, and poverty, plunge into marriage without thinking of its legal consequences. As we know, not all married couples live happily ever after. These marriages are sometimes turbulent, unharmonious and physically violent, forcing one or both of them to end it. With these unsettling realities, some rush out of their marriages without having them nullified or annulled, exposing them to criminal charges of bigamy. This is what happened in the 2021 case of Pulido v. People. The records of the case show that on September 5, 1983, then 16-year old Luisito Pulido (Pulido) married his teacher, a 22-year old private complainant Nora S. Arcon (Arcon) in a civil ceremony at the Municipal Hall of Rosario, Cavite (G.R. No. 220149, July 27, 2021).

Not everyone has a ‘happily ever after.’ The marriage was solemnized by then Mayor Calixto D. Enriquez. The couple lived together and were blessed with a child. They lived together until 2007, when Pulido stopped going home to their conjugal dwelling. When confronted by Arcon, Pulido admitted to having an affair with Rowena Baleda (Baleda). Arcon likewise learned that Pulido and Baleda married on July 31, 1995, as solemnized by Reverend Conrado P. Ramosc(G.R. No. 220149, July 27, 2021). The marriage certificate of Pulido and Baleda indicated Pulido’s civil status as single. Hurt by the betrayal, Arcon charged Pulido and Baleda with bigamy on December 4, 2007. In his defense, Pulido insisted that he could not be held criminally liable for bigamy because both his marriages were null and void. He claimed that his marriage with Arcon in 1983 is null and void for lack of a valid marriage license while his marriage with Baleda is null and void for lack of a marriage ceremony (G.R. No. 220149, July 27, 2021). In her defense, Baleda claimed that she only knew of Pulido’s prior marriage with Arcon sometime in April 2007. She alleged that even prior to the filing of the bigamy case, she already filed a Petition to Annul her marriage with Pulido before the RTC of lmus, Cavite (G.R. No. 220149, July 27, 2021). Pulido’s first marriage with Arcon and second marriage with Baleda were judicially declared void for lack of a valid marriage license and for being bigamous, respectively. Pulido interposed the defense that the subsequent judicial declaration of

nullity of his first marriage should exculpate him from criminal liability for bigamy (G.R. No. 220149, July 27, 2021). Who commits bigamy? Any person who contracts a second or subsequent marriage before the former marriage has been legally dissolved, or before the absent spouse has been declared presumptively dead by means of a judgment rendered in the proper proceedings commits this crime (Article 349, Revised Penal Code). The rationale for prosecuting an individual who contracted a second or subsequent marriage before the former marriage has been legally dissolved is to preserve and ensure the juridical tie of marriage as established by law (G.R. No. 220149, July 27, 2021). For one to be held guilty of bigamy, the prosecution must prove that: (a) the offender has been legally married; (b) the first marriage has not been legally dissolved, or in case his or her spouse is absent, the absent spouse could not yet be presumed dead according to the Civil Code; (c) he or she contracts a second or subsequent marriage; and (d) the second or subsequent marriage has all the essential requisites for validity (G.R. No. 220149, July 27, 2021). It is vital in the prosecution for bigamy that the alleged second marriage, having all the essential requirements, would be valid were it not for the subsistence of the first marriage. It is undisputed that Pulido married Arcon on September 5, 1983. Thereafter, he contracted a second marriage with Baleda on July 31, 1995 without having his first marriage legally dissolved. Pulido and Baleda’s marriage had all the essential requisites for its validity had it not been for the existing first marriage (G.R. No. 220149, July 27, 2021). In the case of Morigo v. People as cited in Pulido v. People, the Supreme Court held that the marriage of Lucio and Lucia was considered a void and inexistent marriage, meaning there was no marriage to begin with, in view of the absence of an actual marriage ceremony performed by a solemnizing officer between the contracting parties. The Court held that such a declaration of nullity retroacts to the date of the first marriage (G.R. No. 220149, July 27, 2021). Hence, for all intents and purposes, from the date of the declaration of the first marriage as void ab initio, it retroacts to the date of the celebration of the first marriage, and the accused is considered to never have been married in the eyes of the law. Consequently, with the declaration of nullity of the first marriage, the first element of bigamy, that is, that the accused must have been legally married, was lacking. Thus, the accused was acquitted based on the subsequent declaration of nullity of the first marriage (G.R. No. 220149, July 27, 2021). In the same manner, when the accused contracts a second or subsequent marriage that is void ab initio, he/she cannot be held liable for bigamy as the effect of a void marriage signifies that the accused has not entered into a second or subsequent marriage, being inexistent from the beginning. Thus, the element, ‘’that he or she contracted a second or subsequent marriage”, is lacking (G.R. No. 220149, July 27, 2021). Full version on www.manilastandard.net

Czech Christmas glass, from love affair to UNESCO status By Jan Flemr SPARKLING with colourful glitter, the small glassware shop in the Czech mountains lights up a grim, foggy day, as Christmas shoppers stream in to the constant chime of the doorbell. They come to buy blown-glass beaded decorations including stars, angels, snowmen, Santa Clauses or cribs made by a small company in Ponikla, a village in the northern Czech Republic. The “handmade production of Christmas tree decorations from blown glass beads” earned a place on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage last year. The practice has survived until today only in Ponikla, whose local tradition has roots in a 19th-century love affair. “A certain Mr Hajna fell in love with a local maid, they got married and he brought the very basics of the craft to Ponikla,” says Marek Kulhavy, owner of the local Rautis factory, the only one left. Hajna came from a nearby region where glass making had already flourished, and the craft spread fast as his neighbours were quick to learn it to make their living in the poor mountainous region. Stanislav Horna opened the current Rautis factory in 1902 to produce fancy trimmings for clothes and costumes and met with great success, employing as

many as 200 glass blowers at one point. The company managed to stay afloat even after an act of espionage forced it to redirect its focus to Christmas ornaments. “In the 1920s, a group of Japanese industrial spies disguised as tourists copied the process and started to produce the trimmings, taking the eastern markets away,” Kulhavy told AFP. “The warehouses were full of beads and somebody decided to start making Christmas decorations as Christmas trees were a hit at the time.” ‘Blessing in disguise’ In 1948, all of the glass factories were nationalised as the Communists took power in the former Czechoslovakia, and Horna’s son was even thrown into prison like many entrepreneurs. But the business benefited from the move as the Communists limited blownglass bead manufacturing to Ponikla. “It was a blessing in disguise,” says Kulhavy. “Glass beads were always on the fringe (of glass production) and they lived their own life even during Communism as nobody was really interested in them and so the business survived.” Shortly after the Communist regime was toppled in 1989, Kulhavy’s father bought the Ponikla factory which currently employs 50 people. Production begins with a glass pipe

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EDITORIAL

B

ADB-funded bridges

RIDGES are a critical link to the development of a modern city. They essentially ease traffic congestion in the cityscape by providing alternative routes and access to the rest of the bigger metropolitan area.

We need these to connect major cities and municipalities, and improve travel time. Highway–St. Mary Avenue Bridge, Homeowner’s Drive–A. Bonifacio Bridge and Kabayani Street– Matandang Balara Bridge. The bridges, in the words of the ADB, will create jobs, improve the living conditions of residents near the river and provide them with better access to the rest of Metro Manila. Metro Manila’s rapid urbanization has resulted in heavy traffic congestion that, in turn, causes “substantial loss of time and opportunities for commuters and businesses, respectively.” The National Economic and Development

Metro Manila needs such bridges to connect major cities and municipalities, and improve travel time. The Asian Development Bank offered timely assistance the other day after approving a $175-million (around P8.75 billion) loan to help the Philippine government build three new climate- and disasterresilient bridges over the Marikina River to improve road traffic flow, amid the rapid urbanization of Metro Manila. The new projects aim to connect motorists to the planned Marcos

Authority earlier estimated that the country lost P3.5 billion a day in 2017 due to Metro Manila’s traffic. The loss is projected to reach P5.4 billion a day in 2035 if no action is taken. The Philippines, perhaps, can learn from the Seoul experience. The South Korean capital supplemented its development as a modern metropolis through the construction of 31 bridges over the Han River linking metropolitan Seoul and some parts of Gyeonggi, the most populous province surrounding the capital city. The Pasig River and the Marikina River are two of the major waterways that snake around Metro Manila. More bridges over these two rivers will certainly decongest the traffic along the cities traversed by the waterways. New business and livelihood opportunities will then emerge from these infrastructure projects—and that’s progress.

The best argument in the BBM DQ cases THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) recently disallowed several parties from intervening in the disqualification (DQ) cases against ex-Senator Bongbong Marcos (BBM) pending before the poll body. BBM is running for president, and those petitions want BBM disqualified from pursuing his candidacy, supposedly because BBM is disqualified pursuant to certain provisions of the Omnibus Election Code (Election Code) and the National Internal Revenue Code (Tax Code). The bulk of the legal arguments postulate that the DQ petitions are untenable and baseless, and that disqualifying BBM violates the latter’s constitutional rights. I discussed those arguments in an article published earlier under this column. Nonetheless, I wish to state that the best legal argument in favor of BBM has been overlooked. Section 2, Article VII of the Constitution enumerates in meticulous detail the qualifications for the presidency: “No person may be elected President unless he is a natural-born citizen of the Philippines, a registered voter, able to read and write, at least forty years of age on the day of the election, and a resident of the Philippines for at least ten years immediately preceding such election.” The Constitution imposes no other qualifications for the presidency. Section 3, Article VII of the Constitution states also in detail the disqualifications for the presidency: “No President shall be eligible for any reelection. No person who has succeeded as President and has served as such for more than four years shall be qualified for election to the same office at any time.” Take note that Section 3 above employs the words eligible and qualified. These terms clearly indicate that Section 3 is all about who are ineligible for the presidency. The Constitution mentions no other disqualifications for the presidency. Therefore, the only requirements for one to be President of the Philippines are: (1) one must possess all of the qualifications provided in Section 2 quoted above, and (2) none of the disqualifications listed in

The craft spread fast. which is heated and shaped by blowing inside a mould. The plant has more than 1,000 patterns, according to Kulhavy. The shaped pipe is silvered from inside with a solution and then dyed from outside, before being cut up, threaded with strings and turned into an ornament. “Some beads are also treated by a painter. For instance angel heads need painted details,” said Kulhavy. Jurassic Park The Czech market is crucial, but the Ponikla decorations also head to neighbouring Austria and Germany and other European countries, as well as Japan and the United States. Facebook fan Iren Hellerova was excited to receive the parcel she ordered,

Former Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno Anita F. Grefal Baldwin R. Felipe Edgar M. Valmorida

Section 3 likewise quoted. May the legislature enact a law which will add to the qualifications and disqualifications listed in Sections 2 and 3, Article VII, respectively? No, it cannot do so. To hold otherwise is to vest in Congress the power to amend the Constitution through mere legislation—which is unconstitutional.

A ruling allowing BBM to run for president has legal precedent. Congress has no constitutional power to amend the Constitution through the mere exercise of its legislative power. If Congress wants to amend the Constitution, it must first convene as a constituent assembly, formally propose the amendments it wants, and then submit those proposed amendments for ratification by the Filipino people in a plebiscite called for that purpose. A mere law enacted by the legislature cannot validly amend the Constitution. Accordingly, any legislative enactment that amends any provision of the Constitution is unconstitutional. Being unconstitutional, that legislative enactment cannot be enforced for any reason whatsoever. The DQ petitions invoke, as supposed grounds for disqualifying BBM, provisions of the Election Code and the Tax Code, which are not among the grounds for disqualification listed in Section 3, Article VII of the Constitution. Since the provisions of the Election Code and the Tax Code cited against BBM have the effect of adding to the list of the grounds for qualification and/or disqualification listed in Sections 2 and 3 above, those provisions in both codes are unconstitutional. Clearly, therefore, the DQ

calling the Christmas beads “beautiful”. She said the ornaments make for unique gifts as “no one else in the world has this!”. Some beads still end up on regional costumes in the Czech Republic, Germany, the Baltics, the Balkan countries or Latin America. Standing in front of a rack with glass motorbikes, cars and spiders in cobwebs, Kulhavy said the company had about 300 products to offer. “We once made Jurassic Park and Wild West collections to attract US buyers in the 1990s, they were pretty ugly,” he chuckled. UNESCO listed the production as a “specialised and technically demanding” craft, hailing the factory for safeguarding the tradition as the sole survivor. “Glass beads were always a Cinderella. They entered the spotlight thanks to the listing,” Kulhavy said. “When you cast light on a star, it simply shines.” AFP

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petitions against BBM are based on unconstitutional provisions of law. Therefore, the outright dismissal of those petitions is inevitable. Elective barangay positions are created by law. Congress has the power to decide who may and who may not run for barangay posts. The presidency is created by the Constitution. Congress has no power to decide who may and who may not run for president. A ruling allowing BBM to run for president has legal precedent. After President Ferdinand Marcos put the entire country under martial law in September 1972, then Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, Jr., the top political opposition leader back then, was detained at Fort Bonifacio, and charged before a military tribunal. The jurisdiction of the military tribunal over Ninoy Aquino was upheld by the Supreme Court in 1975. In 1977, the military tribunal sentenced Aquino to death by musketry. Despite having been convicted of a capital offense, the Comelec and the Supreme Court allowed Aquino to run for a seat in the Interim Batasang Pambansa in 1978. The DQ petitions invoke a final and executory ruling of the Court of Appeals regarding the failure of BBM to file his income tax returns (ITRs) in 1985. Surely, the failure to file ITRs pales in comparison to what Aquino was convicted of by the military tribunal. Since the Constitution says sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them, then the Comelec should let the voters decide in their sovereign capacity if they want BBM to be president.

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Beijing hits US sanctions on Chinese painkiller firms BEIJING hit out at the United States on Thursday for its decision to impose sanctions on Chinese painkiller makers as Washington tries to curb an addiction epidemic that killed a record 100,000 Americans last year. As people dealing with addiction increasingly turn to cheaper pills bought online from abroad, President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Wednesday that makes it easier for the United States to target foreign drug traffickers. The actions “will help disrupt the global supply chain and the financial networks that enable synthetic opioids and precursor chemicals to reach the United States,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. China said it “resolutely opposes” the move. “These kinds of erroneous acts, in which one side is sick but forces the other to take the medicine, is not constructive,” foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters.

US law enforcement says China remains a major source of both fentanyl and chemicals used to make both the powerful opioid, as well as other synthetic drugs. Beijing insists it has taken measures to control fentanyl production and precursors. Under Biden’s new executive order, the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on four Chinese chemical companies and one individual, Chuen Fat Yip, whom it described as “one of the largest, if not the largest, producer of anabolic steroids in the world.” The US State Department also put up a reward offer of up to $5 million for the arrest of the 68-year-old, who is believed to live in the Chinese city of Wuhan. In federal charges filed in 2018, his company was accused of producing some $280 million of anabolic steroids over five years and sending ingredients for the painkiller fentanyl through small packages sent around the world. AFP

SEEING DOUBLE.

People admire a Christmas tree illuminating CityCenter in downtown Washington, DC on December 15, 2021. AFP

AMID OMICRON-DRIVEN RECORD SURGE IN INFECTIONS

France bans non-essential UK travel

F

rance will ban non-essential travel to and from Britain from the weekend to slow the spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant that is causing record numbers of cases on the other side of the Channel, the government said Thursday.

From midnight Saturday (2300 GMT Friday) there will be a “requirement to have an essential reason to travel to, or come from, the UK, both for the unvaccinated and vaccinated... People cannot travel for tourist or professional reasons,” the government said in a statement. “Faced with the extremely

rapid spread of the Omicron variant in the UK, the government has chosen to reinstate the need for an essential reason for travel from and to the UK,” the statement said. It added that French citizens and EU nationals could still return to France from the UK. “We will put in place a system of controls drastically tighter than the one we have already,” government spokesman Gabriel Attal told BFMTV channel. Attal said the policy was aimed at “tightening the net” to slow down the arrival of Omicron cases in France and give time for the French vaccination booster campaign to make more ground.

“Our strategy is to delay as much as we can the development of Omicron in our country and take advantage to push ahead with the booster drive,” he said. In addition, returning travelers will need a negative test less than 24 hours old, and a blanket quarantine would be enforced on return to France. “People (coming back) will have to register on an app and will have to selfisolate in a place of their choosing for seven days – controlled by the security forces – but this can be shortened to 48 hours if a negative test is carried out in France,” he said. Britain on Wednesday recorded a re-

Four children killed in bouncy castle tragedy

CLEANSING. Sikh devotees take a dip in the holy Sarovar (water tank) during a foggy day at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on December 16, 2021. AFP

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES REGIONAL TRIAL COURT NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION BRANCH 221, QUEZON CITY IN THE MATTER OF THE CHANGE OF NAME OF RYAN CARLO HORATIUS TIMOLA AQUINO TO CARLO AQUINO PIÑERO, CARLO AQUINO PIÑERO a.k.a. RYAN CARLO HORATIUS TIMOLA AQUINO Petitioner, -versus-

SP. PROC. CASE NO. R-QZN-21-04311-SP For Change of Name

THE LOCAL CIVIL REGISTRAR OF QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINE STATISTICS AUTHORITY, CARLOS D. PIÑERO, GLORIETTA A. PIÑERO AND ALL PERSONS/ENTITIES WHO MAY BE AFFECTED THEREBY, Respondents. x------------------------------------------------------------x

ORDER A verified Petition was filed before this Court on June 3, 2021 by petitioner, CARLO AQUINO PIÑERO, a.k.a. RYAN CARLO HORATIUS TIMOLA AQUINO, praying that after due notice, publication and hearing, an order be issued directing the Philippine Statistics Authority to effect the necessary corrections in his Certificate of Live Birth, from RYAN CARLO HORATIUS TIMOLA AQUINO to CARLO AQUINO PIÑERO. Finding the verified Petition to be sufficient in form and substance, the Court gives due course thereto. WHEREFORE, let a copy of this Order be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the Philippines once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks at petitioner’s expense, upon coordination with the Office of the Clerk of Court, Regional Trial Court, Quezon City. Hearing on the verified Petition is hereby set on January 17, 2022 at 10:00 A.M. before this Court at Room 608, 6/F, Hall of Justice Annex, City Hall Complex, Quezon City, at which date, time and place all interested persons are required to appear and show cause why the petition should not be granted. Let copies of this Order be posted by the Branch Sheriff thirty (30) days before hearing date at the following places at the expense of the petitioner: 1. At the main entrance of the City Hall Building, Quezon City; 2. On the bulletin board of the Court, Hall of Justice Bldg., Quezon City; and 3. At the Barangay Hall of the barangay where the petitioner resides. Likewise, let a copy of this Order be furnished the Local Civil Registrar of Quezon City, the Office of the Solicitor General, Makati City; the Office of the City Prosecutor, Quezon City; the Civil Registrar General, and the Philippine Statistics Authority. Further, petitioner through counsel is ordered to furnish respondents Carlos D. Piñero and Glorietta A. Piñero, a copy of this Order with the Petition and its annexes thereto at their given address, and to show proof of compliance hereof before the hearing date. SO ORDERED. Quezon City, June 28, 2021. Copy furnished:

(Sgd.) JOCELYN A. SOLIS-REYES Presiding Judge

Carlo Aquino Piñero No., Windsor St., Victorian Heights, Brgy. Sauyo, Q.C. MARTINEZ LAW OFFICE 23 Saint Theresa St., San Jose Village, Alabang, Muntinlupa City Carlos D. Piñero Purok 4 Brgy. San Miguel, Bacong, Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental Glorietta A. Piñero No. 4, Windsor St., Victorian Heights, Brgy. Sauyo, Q.C. Office of the Local Civil Registrar, Quezon City Office of the Solicitor General, Makati City Office of the City Prosecutor, Quezon City Civil Registrar General Philippine Statistics Authority

(MST-Dec. 17, 24 & 31, 2021)

Springsteen music catalog sold for $500m BRUCE Springsteen has sold his music rights to Sony in an estimated $500 million deal, US entertainment publication Billboard and the New York Times reported Wednesday. The sale includes the singer’s recorded music catalog as well as his body of work as a songwriter – including classic hits such as “Born in the U.S.A.” – sources familiar with the deal told by both media outlets. No public announcement has been made. A spokeswoman for Sony Group declined to comment, and Sony Music did not immediately return AFP’s request for comment. Springsteen is the latest star to reportedly sell his catalog, following deals made by Bob Dylan, Stevie Nicks, and Neil Young for part or all of their works. Song rights are seeing a purchasing boom as financial markets are increasingly drawn to the lucrative portfolios as an asset class. Last year, Dylan sold his full publishing catalog for a reported sum of $300 million to Universal Music Publishing Group, while Fleetwood Mac’s Nicks sold a majority stake in her catalog reportedly for $100 million. Springsteen, 72, has been with Sony’s Columbia Records for the entirety of his 50-year career, selling more than 150 million records. AFP

cord 78,610 laboratory-confirmed COVID cases, with scientists predicting even higher rates as Omicron is believed to spread much faster than the currently dominant Delta variant. The tight travel restrictions are also being imposed during what analysts see as a breakdown of trust between the British and French governments in the wake of Brexit over a host of issues from migrants to fishing. French President Emmanuel Macron last week accused UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government of failing to keep its word on Brexit, saying “the problem with the British government is that it does not do what it says.” AFP

Maxwell lawyers to open defense in sex crimes trial GHISLAINE Maxwell’s lawyers will begin their case that the British socialite did not recruit and sexually abuse girls with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein when her high-profile trial resumes Thursday. The defense has indicated that it plans to call 35 witnesses as it seeks to persuade the New York jury to acquit Maxwell of six counts of enticing and transporting minors for sex. Attorneys for the 59-year-old intend to challenge the recollections of the case’s four accusers by calling to the stand psychologist Elizabeth Loftus, an expert on “false memories.” She told the sex abuse trials of Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby that memories become distorted over time, particularly during questioning years later.

The defense counsel is also expected to ask forensic psychiatrist Park Dietz to describe the “halo effect” to explain that a person may not be aware of crimes committed by someone they are enamored with. Maxwell’s lawyers have unusually requested that three witnesses be allowed to testify using just their first names or a pseudonym. It is common for alleged victims of sexual abuse to give evidence anonymously, as three of Maxwell’s accusers did, but it’s virtually unheard of for defense witnesses. The government has opposed the request and Judge Alison Nathan is due to rule on it. The prosecution rested its case on Friday, taking just 10 days to question its witnesses. AFP

FOUR young children were killed and several others were seriously injured when a gust of wind blew their bouncy castle into the air at an endof-term party in Australia Thursday. Police said the pupils at a primary school in northern Tasmania were celebrating the last week of classes before the Christmas break when they were thrown from a height of about 10 meters (33 feet). “I can now sadly confirm that four children have died and four are in a critical condition and one in a serious condition,” Tasmanian police commissioner Darren Hine said. The victims were two boys and two girls from grade six – aged around 11 years old. Several rescue helicopters and ambulances had rushed to the scene after the incident, which occurred around 10 a.m. local time on an otherwise sunny, early summer day. Images showed attending police officers in tears, and blue tarpaulin sheets shielding what officers described as “a very confronting and distressing scene.” A police investigation is underway. Witnesses, friends, family, teachers and first responders are being offered counseling. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the incident was “just shattering” and “unthinkably heartbreaking.” “Young children on a fun day out, together with their families and it turns to such a horrific tragedy, at this time of year, it just breaks your heart,” he said. AFP

‘Forgotten’ animals rescued after Indonesia volcano eruption AS RESCUERS comb the ash-covered landscape looking for people after Indonesia’s Mount Semeru erupted earlier this month, volunteers are searching for even more vulnerable survivors: cats, cows and other animals. The disaster killed 48 people, according to the latest toll, and rescuers are still seeking bodies in the mud and rubble. As deadly ash destroyed villages in East Java’s Lumajang district, at least 767 cows also died, while 648 sheep were killed in sheds and thousands of chickens were buried by the mudflow, according to authorities. Satria Wardhana, along with a team of 15 volunteers from the CentER for Orangutan Protection (COP), has so far rescued and treated 76 cows and scores of goats and sheep abandoned by villagers who fled the area. “We only evacuated animals who have owners. For strays, if they are injured, we treat them on the spot,” Wardhana told AFP in Curah Kobokan, the village closest to the volcano. The team evacuated two goats whose owners died and incinerated goat carcasses to prevent the spread of disease. “We also... feed animals who survived, like chickens, dogs and cats,” said Wardhana, who works in the disaster rescue division at COP. Surviving cows, goats, sheep and cats have injuries such as burns on their ears and feet, said COP’s veterinarian Dian Tresno Wikanti. AFP

SURVIVOR, TOO. A veterinarian and a volunteer examine a cat injured during the eruption of Mount Semeru volcano, in the village of Sumber Wuluh in Lumajang, Indonesia. AFP CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Business PSEi December 16, 2021

TOP GAINERS 1 2

CAB REG

LAST PRICE 60 2.95

% CHANGE CHANGE 12 25.00% 0.25 9.26%

3 4 5

DELM GLO VMC

15.94 3600 2.54

1.34 294 0.19

9.18% 8.89% 8.09%

6 7

PRIM MB

1.21 0.445

0.09 0.03

8.04% 7.23%

8 9 10

SLI DWC WEB

2.89 1.8 1.97

0.18 0.1 0.1

6.64% 5.88% 5.35%

TOP LOSERS 1 2

MACAY OPM

LAST PRICE 5.41 0.01

% CHANGE CHANGE -0.59 -9.83% -0.001 -9.09%

3 4 5

OPMB OM IPO

0.01 0.32 7.11

-0.001 -0.03 -0.54

-9.09% -8.57% -7.06%

6 7 8

ABG RCI AB

5.45 0.62 5.9

-0.4 -0.04 -0.35

-6.84% -6.06% -5.60%

9 10

ACE LSC

1.4 0.9

-0.08 -0.05

-5.41% -5.26%

B3

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2021 || extrastory2000@gmail.com

Stock market surges; PLDT, Globe advance

T

HE stock market surged Thursday after the US Federal Reserve laid out a more hawkish path by speeding up the taper of its pandemic financial support and indicated a number of interest rate hikes over the coming years. The Philippine Stock Exchange Index jumped 100.68 points, or 1.4 percent, to 7,233.26 on a value turnover of P87.52 billion after a a block sale of Aboitiz Power Corp. shares.. Gainers beat losers, 109 to 65, with 54 issues unchanged. Globe Telecom Inc. of the Ayala Group, the second-biggest telecommunications firm, advanced 8.9 percent to

P3,600, while rival PLDT Inc., the largest, rose 5.1 percent to P1,810. Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co., the third-biggest lender in terms of assets, climbed 5 percent to P52.60, while AC Anergy Corp. of the Ayala Group gained 4.5 percent at P10.76. The rest of Asian markets rose Thursday and the dollar held gains. While the much-anticipated decision spells an end to the age of ultra-loose monetary policy, investors cheered the fact the US central bank had outlined a plan to overcome a months-long surge in inflation that many fear could threaten the economic recovery. Policymakers said they would end their bond-buying program in March, allowing them to begin hiking borrowing costs. A closely watched gauge of likely rate moves suggests they could lift them six times before the end of 2023. The announcement, which met expec-

tations, helped soothe concerns on trading floors that officials were falling behind the curve and risked letting prices run out of control, with some warning of stagflation where economic growth stalls. It also comes as consumer inflation sits at a four-decade high. All three main indexes on Wall Street rallied after the decision, which analysts said removed a large amount of uncertainty among investors. And much of Asia followed suit, with Tokyo up more than two percent as the dollar’s rise against the yen helped exporters, while Shanghai, Singapore, Seoul, Taipei and Bangkok were also up. Hong Kong reversed early losses but slipped as tech firms were hit by concerns that the United States would impose fresh sanctions on Chinese firms in what would be the latest volley in a standoff with Beijing in the sector. With AFP

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

SMPH TEL MBT MONDE ALI GLO JFC MER SM CNVRG

VOLUME 22,851,300 233,355 7,786,230 23,169,700 10,427,100 98,405 1,417,180 941,540 212,880 6,307,500

VALUE (PHP) 785,936,705 417,725,165 407,544,831 369,910,704 367,888,925 344,163,290 319,552,590 284,148,722 206,585,475 196,345,490

WTO members to target fossil fuel subsidies GENEVA, Switzerland—Dozens of countries pledged on Wednesday to intensify efforts to get rid of fossil fuel subsidies and tackle plastics pollution in an effort spearheaded by the World Trade Organization (WTO). The European Union and Britain, but none of the other principal global polluters, were among 45 signatories to a WTO ministerial statement pledging to “seek the rationalization and phase out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies.” US climate envoy John Kerry said last month that trillions of dollars had been spent on subsidizing fossil fuels in recent years, labelling the practice “the definition of insanity.” The WTO statement said ending the subsidies—which can be tax breaks or payments for companies, or measures that cut fuel prices for consumers—would “effectively contribute” to efforts to keep increases in the global temperature below two degrees Celsius. China, Russia and the EU—but not the United States—were among 67 signatories pledging to reduce the usage of harmful plastics by ramping up efforts around recycling and development of alternative materials. A third statement backed by 71 countries including the US and China agreed to intensify work to “expand opportunities for environmentally sustainable trade in an inclusive and transparent way.” WTO chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said on Wednesday the three statements were “truly a historic moment” for her organization and called on ministers to back up their words with actions. “There’s too much at stake for us to wait decades more for results,” she said. The text of all three statements encourages other WTO members to join, with EU trade commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis saying they send a “strong political signal.” AFP

NATIONWIDE STRIKE. Bank employees shout slogans and hold placards during a protest as part of two-day nationwide strike against the government’s plan to privatize public sector banks, in Ahmedabad on December 16, 2021. AFP

US Fed moves quicker to quell price increases WASHINGTON—The Federal Reserve on Wednesday announced a more aggressive stance to quell the wave of price increases that has affected cars, housing, food and other goods in the United States and become a political liability for President Joe Biden. The central bank’s policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) announced it will accelerate the phase out of its stimulus measures to end them in March, which would then allow it to as soon as May deploy its most powerful weapon against inflation by raising lending rates. While acknowledging the risk that the price increases could continue, Fed Chair Jerome Powell nonetheless maintained a steadfastly upbeat picture of the US economy, which he said was poised to continue its strong recovery and ready to be weaned off the central bank’s easy money policies. “Economic activity is on track to expand at a robust pace this year, reflecting progress on vaccinations and the reopening of the economy. Aggregate demand remains very strong,” Powell told reporters following the two-day FOMC meeting. Powell admitted recently that he and his colleagues miscalculated how far prices would rebound in the wake of the pandemic crisis, and pledged to fight back. But on Wednesday, he also stressed that any actions taken will depend on the economy’s performance, which still faces risks from the COVID-19 pandemic. “We need to see how the inflation data and all the data evolve in coming months, but we are prepared to use our tools to make sure that higher inflation doesn’t get entrenched,” Powell said. The committee in early November made the first step to taper its bond purchases, lowering the total by $15 billion a month, which would have ended the program around June. Now, it will cut by $30 billion a month, ending the program two months earlier and putting the Fed in a position to raise the benchmark interest rate off zero, where it has been since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. Powell said “the economy no longer needs increasing amounts of policy support” and painted a picture of a strong economy “in which it’s appropriate for interest rate hikes.” AFP

Brands from Ferrari to Nike rush toward ‘metaverse’ future By Thomas Urbain NEW YORK—The metaverse vision for the internet is far from reality, but brands from Ferrari to Nike are already rushing in to experiment and build an audience, in part for fear of missing out. The clamor over virtual goods comes amid feverish predictions that the metaverse—a virtual reality version of the internet—will eventually replace the web of today. But some virtual worlds, for example the Fortnite and Minecraft games or the Roblox platform, are already open for business. “I think a lot of it is experimentation,” said Ryan Mullins, founder of virtual sneaker app Aglet. “If it turns out that we make a couple of grand or something like that... great, but I think a lot of (companies) are thinking ‘innovate, disrupt or die,’” he added, echoing a Silicon Valley ethos of sometimes brutal evolution. Fashion has been at the forefront, with a line of digital clothing from Uniqlo on Minecraft or Balenciaga

outfits and sneakers available in Fortnite. Designers are also entering the new field of NFTs—non-fungible tokens that are unique digital objects such as drawings or animations. “This represents a massive opportunity for brands, who will get in early and will be able to build persistent presence... on a truly global scale,” said Christina Wootton, vice president of partnerships at Roblox. Welcome to ‘Nikeland’ During the Halloween holiday, Mexican fast-food chain Chipotle opened a virtual and ephemeral restaurant on Roblox, the first of its kind. The brand offered coupons to get a free burrito in a real-life restaurant, but also virtual costumes to dress up one’s avatar and a treasure hunt. In July, Ferrari launched a replica of its new 296 GTB model with Fortnite, which will not be available in the real world until 2022 but could be driven in the game. Nike had already opened “Nikeland,” a virtual showroom on Roblox, and

announced Monday it has bought digital sneaker company RTFKT— pronounced “artifact.” For companies that exist primarily in the physical world, the metaverse concept is first and foremost a giant laboratory with direct avenues to the young demographic prized by advertisers. “Revenues will come if this thing sticks around, but we want to make sure that our brand is in these early environments,” said Mullins from Aglet. As the first restaurant in Roblox, Chipotle said it sees future “opportunities to directly drive sales.” The metaverse is also a wealth of data, offering valuable insights into the perception of a product, even if it doesn’t yet exist in the real world. To fully control the environment in which the brand is introduced, some companies like Louis Vuitton have created their own version of the metaverse. To celebrate its 200th anniversary, the brand launched in August “Louis the Game,” which includes a hunt for

NFTs by digital art pioneer Beeple. ‘Authentic’ in metaverse However, since there is still no unified platform yet, users cannot carry a Gucci bag bought on Roblox over to other games like Sandbox or Animal Crossing. This is one of the priorities for Mark Zuckerberg, who leads Facebook’s parent company that was re-baptized “Meta” in October to signal the platform’s metaverse shift. Since the world’s leading social network unveiled its ambitions, “things have accelerated even further,” said consultant Cathy Hackl, who has been contacted by many brands seeking metaverse advice. “Not every brand needs to jump in to the metaverse,” she said, noting though that firms have to be at least familiar with it. Unless companies build their own virtual world, they will need to follow the codes of each platform on which they appear. “It’s about showing up and trying to be authentic in the space,” said Mullins. AFP

European Central Bank policymakers ready stimulus exit as inflation looms

SOARING PRICES. Pedestrians wearing face coverings to combat the spread of COVID-19, carry shopping bags as they walk past stores on Oxford Street in central London on December 15, 2021. British inflation rocketed to its highest level for more than 10 years on broad price gains, data showed on Wednesday on the eve of a Bank of England interest rate decision. AFP

FRANKFURT, Germany—European Central Bank policymakers will gather on Thursday for a crunch meeting, as soaring inflation heaps pressure on the bank to wind down its stimulus just as a new coronavirus variant threatens to derail the recovery. The Frankfurt-based institution is expected to confirm the planned end of its massive pandemic-era stimulus plan in March, currently hovering up around 70 billion euros ($78 billion) worth of assets every month. The 1.85-trillion-euro pandemic emergency bond-buying program (PEPP) is the ECB’s main crisis-fighting tool, aimed at keeping borrowing costs low to stoke economic growth. The challenge for the ECB’s 25-member governing council is finding a way to smooth the transition to avoid upsetting markets or jeopardizing the eurozone’s fragile rebound from the initial coronavirus shock. Boosting the bank’s pre-pandemic asset

purchase programme (APP), currently running at 20 billion euros a month, or creating a new envelope for financial support through 2022 and beyond are two of the options discussed by observers. The ECB will want to avoid a “cliffeffect” in asset purchases and would settle on an overall rate “between 40 and 60 billion euros” in the second quarter next year, said Konstantin Veit, portfolio manager at Pimco. In November, prices rose 4.9 percent year on year in the eurozone, a record in the history of the single currency. While the ECB has up to now described the spike as “transitory,” attributing it to one-off pandemic related factors, inflation has progressed at a rate that has exceeded observers’ expectations. The emergence of the more contagious Omicron variant has raised fears of more pandemic-related disruption, aggravating supply bottlenecks that have pushed prices up faster and hampered economic growth. AFP

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

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2021

Policy rate kept at 2% in MB’s last meeting this year By Julito G. Rada THE Monetary Board, the policymaking body of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, kept the benchmark interest rate at a record-low of 2 percent in its last meeting for the year Thursday, to support the economy that is gradually recovering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno, who is also the board chairman, said in an online briefing the interest rate on the overnight reverse repurchase facility remained at 2.0 percent. The interest rates on the overnight deposit and lending facilities were also kept at 1.5 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively. “The latest baseline forecasts for 2021 and 2022 are slightly higher from the previous assessment round owing to the higher-than-anticipated inflation outturn in November. Nevertheless, the projected inflation path remains within the inflation target band of 2-4 percent over the policy horizon,” Diokno said. He said the average inflation was seen to settle close to the midpoint of the target range in 2023. Inflation expectations also continue to be anchored to the target level. “The risks to the inflation outlook also continue to lean towards the upside for 2022 while remaining broadly balanced for 2023. Upside risks are linked mainly to the potential impact of continuing constraints on the supply of key food items and petitions for transport fare hikes,” he said. Diokno said the strong global demand amid lingering supply-chain bottlenecks could exert further upward pressures on international commodity prices. “The effective implementation of non-monetary interventions to ensure adequate domestic food supply must be sustained in order to mitigate potential supply-side pressures on inflation,” he said. Diokno said the emergence of new COVID-19 variants continued to pose downside risks to the outlook for growth and inflation. He said the Monetary Board observed that economic growth now appeared to be on firmer ground, supported by the government’s accelerated vaccination program and calibrated relaxation of quarantine protocols.

Megaworld sells 4 office buildings to REIT company MEGAWORLD Corp. said Thursday it approved the sale of four prime office buildings to real estate investment trust firm MREIT Inc. for P9.11 billion. Megaworld said in a disclosure to the stock exchange the four office towers have a combined gross leasable area of 55,700 square meters, which will increase MREIT’s portfolio GLA by 25 percent to 280,000 sq. m. The transaction will also increase MREIT’s property value by 19 percent to P58.5 billion, it said. These buildings include Two Techno Place, Three Techno Place and One Global Center in Iloilo Business Park and World Finance Plaza in McKinley Hill, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig. These are located within the economic zones of Philippine Economic Zone Authority. The office towers have an average occupancy rate of 99 percent and will start contributing to MREIT’s revenues upon execution of the deed of absolute sale before the end of the year. MREIT finalized a 10-year fixed rate loan facility amounting to P7.25-billion with a local bank to finance the transaction. The balance from the acquisition cost will be paid using the company’s existing cash. “This transaction marks the beginning of our significant growth journey. We do not have any debt on our balance sheet at the moment, so we decided to lever up in order to take advantage of the current favorable interest rate environment and enhance our returns,” MREIT president and chief executive Kevin Andrew Tan said. “Consequently, the infusion of these prime assets will result in a 5.3-percent increase in our expected dividends for calendar year 2022 from P0.95 per share to P1.00 per share,” Tan said. The transaction is in line with MREIT’s investment plan to acquire around 100,000 sq. m. of additional office GLA, equivalent to roughly 45 percent of its total portfolio before end-2022. Jenniffer B. Austria

Business JERA of Japan completes $1.43-b Aboitiz Power deal By Alena Mae S. Flores

A

BOITIZ Equity Ventures Inc. and JERA Co. Inc. of Japan finalized on Friday the sale of a 25.01-percent stake in Aboitiz Power Corp. after the turnover of a $1.463-billion payment.

This followed the fulfillment of several conditions, including a confirmation of non-coverage from the Philippine Competition Commission and the ratification of the transaction during the AEV special stockholders’ meeting on Dec. 10. JERA, Japan’s largest power generation company, acquired a 27-percent stake in AboitizPower, which included a 1.99-percent interest from the Aboitiz family’s privately held parent company, Aboitiz & Company. AEV, which still owns a controlling stake of 52 percent in Aboitiz Power,

said it would use the cash proceeds from the sale to fund long-term growth strategy, including expanding the non-power share in its business portfolio, increasing overseas activity and refinancing higher-cost debt. Aboitiz Group president and chief executive Sabin Aboitiz said during the special stockholders meeting the JERA deal is another significant milestone in the company’s history and an exciting new phase in its continuous transformation and evolution. “The partnership leverages JERA’s experience and expertise for AboitizPower… It expands our network outside the country and increases our optionalities,” he said. “We have been contributing to our country’s economic growth for over 100 years, and promoting clean energy represents the next chapter in o1ur history of driving change for a better world,” Aboitiz said. JERA welcomed the strong partnership with the Aboitiz Group as it will leverage the strengths of both companies

and unlock new growth opportunities. “As the Philippines continues to experience rapid economic growth and increased electricity demand, we will work together to meet these needs and develop additional clean and renewable electric power generation capacity,” said JERA president Satoshi Onoda. JERA, which is operating in more than 10 countries with total portfolio of 80 gigawatts, is operating large-scale renewable energy such as wind power and liquefied natural gas. It is considered one of the largest LNG purchasers in the world. The Japanese firm has expertise in the development of RE and zero-emission thermal power generation, using ammonia and hydrogen, as well as development of zero CO2 emissions 2050 roadmap. Aboitiz Power and JERA identified potential areas for collaboration across multiple fronts including joint development of LNG-to-power projects, the fuel sourcing and management of LNG, potential participation in aspects of plant O&M and exploration of the use of new generation technologies.

PSE INDEX CLOSING Thursday, December 16, 2021 100.68 PTS. 7,233.26

TOTAL VOLUME TOTAL TRADES

2,915,713,837 93,747

TOTAL VALUE ADVANCES

87,520,207,209.95 109

DECLINES UNCHANGED

65 54

F oreign e xchange r ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2021

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

50.3340

Japan

Yen

0.008770

0.4414

UK

Pound

1.326600

66.7731

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128169

6.4513

Switzerland

Franc

1.081315

54.4269

Canada

Dollar

0.779423

39.2315

Singapore

Dollar

0.732547

36.8720

Australia

Dollar

0.716700

36.0744

Bahrain

Dinar

2.653294

133.5509

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266560

13.4170

Brunei

Dollar

0.729874

36.7375

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000070

0.0035

Thailand

Baht

0.029940

1.5070

UAE

Dirham

0.272279

13.7049

Euro

Euro

1.128900

56.8221

Korea

Won

0.000844

0.0425

China

Yuan

0.157035

7.9042

India

Rupee

0.013099

0.6593

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.236518

11.9049

New Zealand

Dollar

0.677800

34.1164

Taiwan

Dollar

0.035996

1.8118 Source: BSP

IN BRIEF Banaag assumes post as Bright Kindle director

CLARK Banaag became the youngest mining director at 25 when he assumed office as a director of Bright Kindle Resources, a publicly-traded company listed in the Philippine Stock Exchange on Dec. 15. The company elected 11 directors with four new directors (two regular and two independent directors). Banaag was elected as one of the regular directors for 20212022. Banaag said he would contribute his management vision to secure the company’s success. He is serving as the chief risk officer and director of BenguetCorp Nickel Mines, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Benguet Corp. and vice president of Arrow Freight Corp., a logistics and warehouse company based in Valenzuela City. In 2018, he was elected in public office as the SK Chairperson of Sampaga, Batangas City where he established Banaag Project, a free college entrance exam review program for underprivileged youth of Batangas province. Banaag earned his agricultural economics degree at UP Los Banos and his Juris Doctor at UP Diliman.

JLL sees recovery of real estate sector

ISO-CERTIFIED. The Networks Group of Manila Electric Co. is awarded an ISO 9001:2015 certification for incorporating quality management system in its operations. This is a testament to Meralco’s commitment in #KeepingTheLightsOn and in providing service excellence to its customers, the community and the country despite the challenges brought about by the pandemic. Attending the awarding ceremony at the Meralco headquarters in Pasig City are (from left) Jerah Duran of SOCOTEC Philippines Inc.; Jose Reyes Jr. of Meralco; Gilmore Rivera of SOCOTEC Philippines; Ronnie Aperocho, Marvin Gonsalves and Sheena Santos of Meralco.

URC closes purchase of Malaysia’s Crunchy Foods for P22.9b By Jenniffer B. Austria SNACK maker Universal Robina Corp. said Thursday it completed the acquisition of Malaysia’s Crunchy Foods Sdn. Bhd. for P22.9 billion. URC said in a disclosure to the stock exchange subsidiary URC Snack Foods (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. bought 683,964,000 ordinary shares, which represent 100-percent equity interest in Crunchy Foods. “The transaction will allow URC to become a market leader in Malaysia in the biscuit segment, which is consistent with URC’s overall purpose. Crunch Food is also expected

to enjoy some synergy in Malaysia with the local affiliate of URC— URC Malasysia,” the company said. Established in 1991, Crunchy Foods is Malaysia’s No.1 biscuit firm. Its brands include Munchy’s Cream Crackers, LEXUS Cream Sandwich, Oat Krunch, Muzic Wafer and Choc-O cookies. It also expanded its footprint outside Malaysia and is now present in more than 50 countries. It was owned by CVC Asia IV, a fund managed by private equity firm CVC Capital Partners, which invested in Crunchy FoodS in 2018. URC is one of the largest branded food product companies in the

Philippines and established a strong presence in the ASEAN region. The company is involved in a wide range of food-related businesses, including the manufacture and distribution of branded consumer foods. The acquisition of Crunchy Food was announced four months after URC exited the salty and sweet snacks business in Australia and New Zealand. URC reported a net income of P11.2 billion in the first nine months, up by 38 percent from a year ago, as sales grew 3 percent to P102.6 billion despite the COVID-related constraints in key markets affecting consumer demand.

PROPERTY consultancy firm JLL Philippines forecasts a gradual and steady recovery of the Philippine property and real estate sector between the fourth quarter of 2021 and the middle of 2022. “Positive outlook on commercial real estate capital markets was boosted by real estate investment trust launches in 2021. There is no doubt that the outlook for the local real estate capital markets will be more robust as the pandemic situation improves next year,” said JLL Philippines vice chairman Joey Radovan. He said the Philippines’ situation mirrors the prevailing insights in the Asia Pacific region where the office market is expected to add 6.9 million square meters of supply, up 13 percent from this year. JLL predicts net absorption levels to rise by 20 percent in 2022, driven by expansion of financial, technology and flexible space operators. JLL head of research and consulting Janlo de los Reyes said the Philippine recovery would be in tandem with the pace of economic rebound over the coming quarters and influenced by the policy landscape on workfrom-home and the national elections. Othel V. Campos

Davao del Norte wants new power distributor

DAVAO del Norte Governor Edwin Jubahib appealed to the management of Northern Davao Electric Cooperative Inc., formerly Davao del Norte Electric Cooperative, to allow the province to seek other power service providers. “We hope Nordeco will respect the decision of the people of Davao del Norte. Our people can no longer pay P2 to P3 per kWh, while having more brownouts and bad service and having no representation in the board. We have given Daneco 40 years to improve. My administration even tried to dialogue with them, but they refused to recognize us,” said Jubahib in a statement. He said Nordeco could continue serving Davao de Oro and the other LGUs who chose to stay, but the people of Davao del Norte have decided. “We are appealing to Daneco, please let us go,” Jubahib said. The municipality of Maco in Davao de Oro earlier asked Congress that they be allowed to join the franchise area of Davao Light and Power instead, because of alleged high costs and frequent interruptions in the service of Nordeco. Alena Mae S. Flores

MRT-7 seen to start partial operations in 2022 By Darwin G. Amojelar THE Department of Transportation said Thursday it expects the Metro Rail Transit Line 7 to start partial operations, with test runs by April and actual passenger operations by December next year. Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade and President Rodrigo Roa Duterte unveiled the rail line’s brand-new train sets, following their arrival from South Korea in September. Six train sets or 18 rail cars were already shipped. The entire MRT-7 system will have 36 train sets or 108 rail cars. MRT-7 trains will use a “third rail” electrification system, instead of overhead catenary lines. This means that instead of tapping power from electric lines above the railway track, the trains will get its electric power from a “third rail” along the track. The MRT-7 unsolicited proposal was first submitted to the then Department of Transportation and Communications in August 2001, while the concession agreement with San Miguel Corp. was signed

in August 2008. Stagnant for almost two decades, the actual construction of MRT-7 project started in August 2016. The rail line’s overall progress rate is now at 62.10 percent. Once completed, the 22-kilometer railway will link North Ave. in Quezon City and San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, reducing travel time from as long as three hours to just 35 minutes. The project is also expected to serve 38,000 passengers during peak hours daily. MRT-7 will have 14 stations at Quezon North Ave. Joint Station; Quezon Memorial Circle; University Avenue; Tandang Sora; Don Antonio; Batasan; Manggahan; Dona Carmen; Regalado; Mindanao Ave.; Quirino; Sacred Heart; Tala; and San Jose del Monte. Through the Quezon North Ave. Joint Station, the MRT-7 will link with MRT-3 and LRT-1. The project is part of the Duterte administration’s flagship “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure development program which aims to ease traffic congestion and spur economic growth.

VIVANT’S DONATION. Vivant Foundation, represented by executive director Shem Jose Garcia (fourth from left), donates equipment and materials to help Luyongbaybay Elementary School implement limited face-to-face learning. Luyongbaybay is one of eight Cebu schools selected for the pilot implementation of the limited in-person classes. With Garcia during the turnover ceremony are (from left) Chloe Garrucha of Bantayan I District; Luyongbaybay barangay chairman Epifania Pastoriza; school principal Wennie Pastor; Bantayan Mayor Arthur Despi; Dr. Anileto Bongcawil, assistant superintendent Cebu province schools district; Isla Norte Energy Corp. plant manager Carlo Bautista; and Tomas Pastor, chief education supervisor.

Sports

Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Randy M. Caluag, Assistant Editor FRIDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2021

Malixi routs Midlands’ field by 15

Katherine Khay Santos upsets veteran Marestella Torres-Sunang in the long jump competition of the Ayala Philippine Athletics Championships.

Baguio City bet Santos secures long jump, century dash golds By Peter Atencio

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AGUIO City — Fourteen athletes, led by hometown favorite Katherine Khay Santos, met the qualifying standards set for those who wish to earn slots for the national team in the first day of the Ayala Philippine Athletics Championships on Thursday.

The comebacking Santos did this after clearing 6.06 meters on her first attempt in the women’s long jump, upsetting another returning veteran in Marestella Torres-Sunang, who settled for the silver at the same distance. The Baguio-born standout earned the first of her two gold-medal wins in the athletic tournament also known as the National Open, achieved at the Baguio Athletic Bowl, where Santos had been competing and training in since her elementary days. The 31-year-old Santos could have

gone higher than what Sunang has cleared. But the 5’5” Santos abandoned her sixth try in favor of a chance to get a second gold medal in the women’s 100-meter dash. Having barely enough time to recover from her clash with Sunang, Santos engaged Palarong Pambansa standout Erica Marie Ruto in a quick race to the finish line to end up with the gold medal in 12.61 seconds. “Hindi ko na tinapos ang sixth jump ko. Alanganin na ako sa 100 meters. Baka hindi na ako makatakbo. Iyung

fifth jump ko ay 6.01 meters, gusto ko pa iangat iyun. Dahil apat lang kami (competing), konti lang ang recovery. Kaya humabol na ako sa 100 meters,” said Santos, a single mom, cheered on by family members and her son Nathan. The 40-year-old Torres-Sunang, who postponed plans to retire, also had 6.06 meters, but she missed a chance to go higher after admitting that she got rusty on her landing technique, reasoning out that she needed to get her feet straight, but could not. Santos earned a chance to join Torres-Sunang in the national team for the coming 2022 Southeast Asian Games since both surpassed the qualifying standard that the Philippine Athletic Track and Field Association set at 5.5 meters. A chance to claim a slot in women’s 100-meter dash is also possible for Santos and Ruto, who settled for the silver

in 12.61 seconds as both have eclipsed the qualifying time of 13 seconds. SEA Games gold medallist Clinton Kingsley Bautista, getting no help from injured Anfernee Lopena, topped the men’s 100-meter sprint in 10.86 seconds, meeting the qualifying time of 11 seconds. Lopena, a bronze medallist in the 4x100 meter relays, slowed down after the first 20 meters and gave in because of pain in his right hamstring, allowing Rocky Feller Ramos to get the silver in 11.02 seconds. Vince Buhayan took the bronze in 11.03 seconds. John Albert Mantua came up with a new personal best in making the qualifying standard in the discus throw (47.76) on his fourth try. University of the Philippine standout Edwin Giron claimed the gold in the men’s 800-meter run, breaching the qualifying time of 2:10 in 1:53.15.

Southwoods pads golf lead to 31 BAGUIO CITY – After missing a year of the biggest and longest-running amateur golf event, many-time champion Manila Southwoods appears mightier as it is turning the premier Fil-Championship into a solo performance, thanks to another big performance of its five players at the shorter but trickier Baguio Country Club in the penultimate round today on Thursday. Josh Jorge had 30, backed by the 29, 28 and 27 outputs from Masaichi Otake, Sean Ramos and Ryan Monsalve, respectively, as the Carmona, Cavite based team tallied 114 points for a three-day total of 382 and a 31 lead on Luisita Golf and Country Club. Lance Uy, after a team best 37 on day two did not count with 26. It was a rally that came short for the Tarlac team as it only produced 104 points on the 27s of Joaquin Hernandez, Gabriel

Manotoc and Andres Lorenzo, who finally counted after so-so performances at the longer and easier Camp John Hay golf course the first two days and a 23 from Jed Dy. Leandro Bagtas did not count with his 22. “I told the boys to just play their games tomorrow and not mind the scores,” said Southwoods skipper Thirdy Escano. Luisita team captain Jerich Hechanova earlier said that all the boys need their Southwoods opponent by at least three points the next two days. However, only Manotoc won over his flightmate, Uy, 2726, while the rest came up short. Time Cargo moved down to second spot after 94 for 320 points on the pair of 26s from Junjun Plana and Joseph Tambunting, Gary Sales and Ruel Cabral added 25 and 17, respectively for the team.

X1R Mizuno fell to third spot with 315 after and 89on the 24 of Gabriel Macalagum, the 23 of Brixton Aw, 22 of Ace Stehmeier and 22 of Antonio Arce. “We did not expect to take the lead, the course played hard to-day,” said Bunquin, Forest Hills captain, after they surged to the first spot after starting out third and 13 off Time Cargo. “We will still go for good scores on the last day tomorrow,” added Bunquin, who was the first to socre a course record at CJH with six under 63 when it re-opened in 1998 under the Camp John Hay Development Corporation and after years under American management.

Outgoing PJF President Dave Carter (sixth from left) and Deputy Chief of Mission Minister Yamamoto Yasushi (seventh from left) are shown after the turnover of the donation of tatami mats and judo uniforms from All-Japan Federation held at the Embassy of Japan last Wednesday. Witnessing the event was PJF Treasurer Ma. Lyn Versoza (fifth from left) and the athletes and coaches of the national team.

simple turnover rites held at the Japan Embassy in Pasay City. Carter accepted the donation of the AJF, led by Japan Olympic Committee President Yamashita Yasuhiro, of 97 tatami mats and 100 judo uniforms from Deputy Chief of Mission Minister Yamamoto Yasushi under the Japanese government’s “Sport for Tomorrow” program Witnessing the turnover was PJF Treasurer Ma. Lyn Versoza, national judokas John Viron Dalafu Ferrer, Marco Tumampao, Khrizzie M. Pabulayan and Dylwynn Keith Gimena and national coaches Rick Jayson Senales, Gilbert Ramirez and Paul Michael de Vera. “We are happy to be able to contribute to Filipino athletes through judo, the sport that has a close relationship with Japan,” noted Yamamoto, who was also a judo practitioner during his younger days. He also cited the country’s success in winning its first Olympic gold medal

TAGAYTAY – Amateur Rianne Malixi flirted with a record shattering romp but slipped with a backside mishap, settling for a 15-stroke romp over Harmie Constantino on a closing 70 in the ICTSI Midlands Ladies Classic here yesterday. Malixi was on course to breaking Princess Superal’s 16-stroke winning margin over Cyna Rodriguez at Highlands in 2018 after matching it with a running eagle-aided three-under card after 12 holes for a four-under overall total. But she double bogeyed the par4 No. 13 then birdied the 16th to finish with a 33-37. Still, it was an imposing triumph for a 14-year-old making her first appearance on the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour, her 54-hole total of three-under 213 underscoring her dominant run she anchored on a second round 70 that put her unassailably ahead by nine over Daniella Uy. She could’ve scored high and would’ve still won by a mile but Malixi nevertheless played like she was the pursuer, putting up instead another underpar round that proved as an exception rather than the rule at the wind-raked Midlands layout. “It’s a great experience. I’ve been able to compete with the great pros and I was able to manage myself great and I’m very happy with that,” said Malixi, who came into the P750,000 event hoping to provide a stiff challenge to the pros but instead came out practically spared of any kind of tests. For she proved a cut above the rest, controlling the pace despite a 73 start then pulling away over her nearest pursuer with a second round 70. With a lead too big like the Midlands greens, Malixi showed no signs of slowing down, birdying the par-5 second hole then gunning down an eagle on No. 6. She tried to pound the course – and the record – at the back but got derailed by a double bogey on the 13th. With Malixi clinching the overall championship and the low amateur trophy in runaway fashion, the pros slugged it out for runner-up honors and the top purse with Constantino pouncing on Uy’s backside fumble with birdies on Nos. 12 and 14 to salvage a 75 and a 228 total.

Rianne Malixi displays her trophies

DepEd disallows residency rules for transferees Raymond Bunquin of Forest Hills

All-Japan Judo Federation donates equipment, gear to PH AS A parting gift and legacy to the lo- Carter last Thursday received close to cal judo community, outgoing Philip- P1 million in equipment and gear from pine Judo Federation President Dave the All-Japan Judo Federation during

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through weightlifter Hidylin Diaz in the last Tokyo Summer Games. “When our big brother, Mr. Yamashita Yasuhiro, President of the All-Japan Judo Federation and Japan Olympic Committee and a judo legend, whispered to me the last time we met if we still needed mats and judo gear, of course, I said yes,” Carter said in accepting the donation. “The donation of mats and uniforms will go a long way as these shall be distributed to the member clubs of the Philippine Judo Federation. They will be used for strengthening our grassroots program as we expand our outreach in encouraging young people to take up the sport,” Carter noted. Carter will remain as secretary general of the federation under the new leadership of former national team standout Alexander Sulit, who was elected as PJF President over the weekend and whose term will begin in January 2022.

STUDENT-ATHLETES who are planning to transfer to another school will no longer allowed to follow residency rules imposed by collegiate leagues in the country. The Department of Education is set to enforce this after passing the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) for RA 10676, also known as the “Student-Athletes Protection Act. The act covers all public and private basic education schools, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), Technical Vocational Institutions (TVIs), and athletic associations. Because of this, student-athletes enrolling or transferring in another junior/senior high school, a college, or university will not be required to render residency. At the same time, the student’s current school is prohibited from reimbursing scholarship benefits and other incentives given. The student-athletes’ school of origin is also directed to release school records, grades, clearances, and eligibility for transfer at the behest of the student-athlete. School officials are also prohibited from imposing other forms of sanctions on student athletes who are seeking to transfer to another school. Many member schools in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines and the National Collegiate Athletic Association have been known to impose sanctions and requires residency for any student athletes, who decide to leave their care. Peter Atencio

expected effect on the operation of the other’s facilities and operations, the contingency’s expected duration and the corrective action to be taken. Said notification shall be followed by written notification not later than the following day after the occurrence of such contingency or event.

Republic of the Philippines ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION Pasig City IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF THE SALE FOR RESALE AGREEMENT BETWEEN LANAO DEL NORTE ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC. (LANECO) AND ILIGAN LIGHT & POWER, INC. (ILPI), WITH PRAYER FOR PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY

2.4

Meters for Billing Purposes 2.4.1 ILPI shall install and maintain the necessary billing meter or meters, instrument transformers, and other devices at the Delivery Point with accuracy class conforming to power industry standards set by ERC or appropriate government agency.

2.4.3.1.

2.4.3.2.

TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES: Notice is hereby given that on 02 November 2021, Lanao Del Norte Electric Cooperative, Inc. (LANECO) and Iligan Light & Power, Inc. (ILPI) filed their Joint Application dated 10 May 2021, for the approval of their Sale for Resale Agreement (SRA), with prayer for provisional authority. THE PARTIES Applicant LANECO is a non-stock, non-profit electric cooperative duly organized and existing under and by virtue of the laws of the Republic of the Philippines, with principal office address at Sagadan, Tubod, Lanao del Norte. It holds and exclusive franchise from the National Electrification Commission to operate an electric light and power distribution service in all the municipalities of the province of Lanao del Norte, namely: Linamon, Matungao, Poona Piagapo, Kauswagan, Bacolod, Munai, Maigo, Kolambugan, Tangkal, Magsaysay, Tubod, Baroy, Lala, Salvador, Kapatagan, Sapad, Sultan Naga Dimaporo, and Baloi; Applicant ILPI is a private distribution utility duly organized and existing under and by virtue of the laws of the Republic of the Philippines, with principal office address at Bro. Jeffrey Road, Pala-o, Iligan City, Lanao del Norte. It holds an exclusive franchise from the Congress of the Phils. to construct, maintain and operate an electric light, heat and power system for the purpose of generating and distributing electric light, heat and power in Iligan City.

2.4.4.1.

2.5

6.

7.

Joint applicants are filing the instant Application with the Honorable Commission for the approval of their Sale for Resale Agreement dated 26 July 2019 pursuant to ERC Resolution 02, Series of 2009 dated January 26, 2009 otherwise known as the “Rules for Recovery of Costs Associated with the “Sale for Resale Agreements” By, Between or Among Distribution Utilities” and other pertinent laws, rules and regulations applicable hereto. The Municipality of Tagoloan is within the service area of LANECO. However, two (2) of its barangays namely, Bgry. Dimayon and Bgry. Inagongan, are isolated from the cooperative’s main distribution system. In case LANECO will extend its existing distribution lines to said barangays, it would be financially costly and technical problems involving power reliability and efficiency in the area are anticipated to occur; Brgys. Dimayon and Inagongan are geographically closer to ILPI’s existing electric power distribution network at Sitio Fatima, Brgy. Abuno, Iligan City. Thus, for purposes of maintaining a reliable and efficient power supply to these two barangays, it is deemed reasonable and more practical for LANECO to source out the supply of electricity from ILPI; LANECO offered to connect the two barangays to ILPI’s nearest distribution system and for ILPI to supply the power requirements of these barangays on the basis of Sale for Resale arrangement governed by ERC Resolution No. 02, Series of 2009. ILPI agreed with the said proposal of LANECO;

1.1

ILPI shall provide, and LANECO hereby agrees to take and pay, the power supply and distribution services rendered, in accordance with this Sale for Resale Agreement (SRA).

1.2

Subject to the approval of ERC, either provisional in nature or with finality, this Agreement shall take effect upon execution and shall remain binding and effective for a period of three (3) years (counted from its execution) and shall, upon expiration, be automatically renewed for another three (3) years, unless the following occurs:

Notice of disconnection to LANECO shall specify the grounds and the basis for disconnection, as supported by relevant information.

2.5.1.2.

In cases of emergency, however, ILPI may proceed with the disconnection of LANECO’s line after failure of LANECO to remedy the cause/s within reasonable time.

2.5.2.1.

Hazardous condition exists (including peace and order) in going to, or within the area of, subject installation.

2.5.2.2.

LANECO is operating any installation or equipment in such manner as to create objectionable operating conditions for ILPI or would adversely affect ILPI’s equipment or service to other consumers;

2.5.2.4.

2.5.2.5.

2.6.

2.6.1.2.

1.2.3. ILPI cannot provide the capacity and energy to LANECO due to unavailability of power supply; or 2.6.1.3.

1.2.4. ILPI cannot provide the capacity and energy to LANECO due to security issues at the delivery point.

1.4

2.7.

2.8.

2.

System Loss

2.8.2.4.

Distribution

2.8.2.5.

Supply Charge

2.8.2.6.

Metering Charge

1.5.1. Actual costs incurred associated to this endeavor shall be equally shared by the Parties.

2.8.2.7.

Senior Citizen Subsidy

2.8.2.8.

Feed-In Tariff Allowance, subject to ERC Resolution and Approval

2.8.2.9.

Local Franchise Tax

The following Terms and Conditions of this Agreement shall be governed under the provisions provided for in the ERC Resolution No. 02, Series of 2009; Amended Distribution Service and Open Access Rules (DSOAR); Philippine Distribution Code (PDC); the Philippine Electrical Code (PEC), Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM), if applicable; Republic Act No. 7832 otherwise known as the Anti-Pilferage Law; and other applicable laws relative to the operation of ILPI in the performance to this Agreement:

2.2

Safety, Power Quality and Reliability ILPI and LANECO shall ensure that all equipment installed at the connection point shall comply with the technical standards as prescribed in the above-mentioned regulations.

2.3

2.16.1. The Bill Deposit shall be equivalent to 100% of the estimated monthly power bill of LANECO and shall be updated annually in the event that the actual average monthly bill for the immediately preceding year is less than ten percent (10%) of the prevailing Bill Deposit. The updated Bill Deposit shall be calculated based on the average monthly billings of the immediately preceding year. 2.16.2. The Bill Deposit shall be paid upon effectivity of this Agreement and shall be in the form of cash, manager’s check or cashier’s check. 2.16.2.1.

2.16.3. ILPI shall pay interest equivalent to Peso Savings Account Interest Rate of the Land Bank of the Philippines or other government banks on the first working day of the year, as approved by the ERC. The interests shall be credited yearly (on the anniversary date) to the bills of LANECO. 2.16.4. The Bill Deposit shall be refunded within one month from the termination of service provided all bills have been paid and documentary requirements have been complied with. 2.16.5. In the event that LANECO has paid its power bills on or before its due date for three (3) consecutive years, LANECO may, at any time during the effectivity of this Agreement, demand for the full refund of the Bill Deposit prior to the termination of service. 2.16.6. In the event that LANECO fails to post or replace in full amount the Bill Deposit as herein required, LANECO fully recognize and confirms that ILPI may, at its sole option, disconnect and discontinue the service until LANECO’s posting of the required bill deposit and full compliance other requirements. 3.

DISPUTE SETTLEMENT 3.1

The Parties shall exert reasonable efforts to amicably settle all disputes arising in connection with this Agreement, within thirty (30) days from notice of the dispute by either Party.

3.2

Should the Parties fail to agree within the said period of time, the matter in dispute, unless under the exclusive jurisdiction of the ERC, shall be finally settled by arbitration in accordance with the Philippine Dispute Resolution Center, Inc.’s arbitration rules as presently in force, and the details in respect of the conduct of such arbitration shall be as follows: 3.2.1 The number of arbitrators shall be three (3); 3.2.2 The Parties shall each appoint one (1) arbitrator and the two (2) appointed arbitrators shall appoint the third (3rd) arbitrator, who shall be the Chairperson; 3.2.3 The place of arbitration shall be in Iligan City; and 3.2.4 The language to be used in the arbitration proceedings shall be English.

2.8.3. In compliance to ERC Resolution No.2, Series of 2009, ILPI shall not include in its billing to LANECO the Universal Charges and the applicable Lifeline Rates (these are charges imposable only on electricity end-users). 2.9.

3.3.

Any award of the arbitrator(s) shall be final and binding and not subject to appeal.

3.4.

An amount of twenty percent (20%) of the value of the award by the arbitrator or the ERC shall be paid by the losing party to cover legal fees and other expenses of litigation, but in no case shall such amount be less than Fifty Thousand Pesos (P50,000.00).

Contract Demand and Energy 2.9.1. The Contract Demand and Energy shall be as enumerated in “ANNEX A” hereof. 2.9.2. For consumption in excess of one hundred twenty percent (120%) of the contracted levels as indicated in “ANNEX A”, the generation charge shall be 10% higher than the blended generation rate, applicable to the billing period, as computed by ILPI based on prevailing ERC-approved guidelines.

Prompt Notification of Contingency

2.9.3. In the event that LANECO fails to consume the Contracted Demand and Energy, LANECO shall be billed based on the Contracted Demand and Energy, as indicated in “ANNEX A” hereof.

The Party shall provide the other Party with prompt verbal notification by phone or other means of any contingency or event involving their respective equipment that may reasonably be expected to affect the other Party’s operation of its equipment or facilities. This notification shall indicate the reasons for the contingency, the contingency’s

2.9.4. In addition, LANECO shall be billed of any applicable penalties imposed on ILPI by PSALM, Mindanao Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (Mindanao WESM) and other generators supplying power to ILPI, due to non-consumption or underconsumption by LANECO of the Contracted Demand and Energy.

Once the Bill Deposit is drawn partially or fully by ILPI, LANECO shall replace the Bill Deposit within fifteen (15) days following notice of such drawing by ILPI.

2.16.2.2. LANECO undertakes and fully confirms that it shall, at all times, maintain the Bill Deposit equivalent to 100% of the estimated monthly power bill.

2.8.2.10. Other Charges and Adjustments which shall include, but not be limited to, Over/Under Recoveries and other passthrough charges as approved by the ERC.

Service Specifications

2.1.5 Delivery Point: Brgy. Dimayon, Tagoloan, Lanao del Norte

2.16. Bill Deposit

Billing and Applicable Charges

It is understood that Parties shall jointly file and seek approval with the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to undertake this Agreement.

: 13.8 kV, 3 phase, 60 Hz

In the event that a billing is found to be erroneous due to wrong reading, arithmetical mistakes or omissions, ILPI shall send LANECO a debit/credit memo, as soon as reasonably practicable, following the discovery of the error.

Failure of Billing Meters

Transmission

2.1.4 Metering Installation Specification: Primary Metering

2.15. Adjustment due to inaccurate Meters

Reconnection shall be subject to payment of a reconnection fee equivalent to PhP 10,000.00, subject to ERC approval.

2.8.2.3.

2.1.3 Delivery Voltage

2.14.2. In the event that a power bill remains unpaid within five (5) days after its due date, ILPI has the option to call on or draw against the Bill Deposit as provided for in this Agreement.

Recover from LANECO the cost of repair and replacement of ILPI’s equipment and facilities.

2.8.2.2.

: Schedule 41

2.14.1. Any power bill or account of LANECO not paid on its due date shall be imposed an interest of 1.16% per month, or a fraction thereof, on all unpaid accounts.

Disconnect and discontinue supply service and demand for the cost of the unmetered demand and energy consumption as determined by ILPI in accordance with the methods prescribed by law, rules and regulations, without prejudice to the imposition of surcharges and filing of criminal charges under the Anti-Pilferage Law.

1.4.2. Book value (of the subject assets) is computed by deducting the accumulated depreciation from the total costs of the assets installed.

2.1.2 Rate Schedule

2.14. Overdue Accounts

Failure to pay on time any outstanding obligation to ILPI in relation to this Agreement.

Generation

2.1.1 Customer Classification: GENERAL POWER

2.13.4. In the event that the billing dispute is found in favor of LANECO, LANECO shall be entitled to a refund of any overpayment plus interest equivalent to the Peso Savings Account Interest Rate of the Land Bank of the Philippines from the date the overpayment was made until the same is fully settled by ILPI.

Failure to permit ILPI, without justifiable reasons, reasonable access to its premises or equipment where metering facilities are installed for purposes of meter reading, testing, inspection or any other related purpose; or,

2.8.2.1.

ILPI shall, and LANECO confirms, deliver electric power and energy to LANECO with the following service specifications:

2.13.3. Disputed bills shall be paid by LANECO without deductions or offsets and ILPI shall evaluate the claim and adjust the billings in accordance with its findings. Disputed billing shall not be an excuse or ground for LANECO to delay payment of succeeding billings or unilaterally deduct any amount therefrom.

Any of ILPI’s equipment relating to the provision of distribution service to LANECO has been tampered or interfered with by LANECO;

2.8.2. The charges that ILPI shall bill LANECO every billing period shall be as follows:

TERMS and CONDITIONS

2.1

2.13.2. Unless the ground for the dispute could not have reasonably been determined by LANECO within the period prescribed in Section 2.13.1, failure to question such bills on the specified period shall constitute a waiver by LANECO of any claim on such bills. Failure of ILPI to act on the claim of LANECO within the thirty (30) days from receipt of the claim shall be deemed decided by ILPI in favor of LANECO.

2.8.1. ILPI shall bill LANECO based on its applicable rate schedule (Rate Schedule 41 - General Power), as indicated hereof.

In the event that LANECO will terminate this Agreement before the expiration (either the original period or the extended period), it undertakes and fully agree to pay ILPI the book value of the assets subject of this agreement. 1.4.1. Upon full payment, ownership of such assets shall be transferred to LANECO.

1.5

2.13.1. Bills may be disputed in writing by LANECO within thirty (30) days from the date of its receipt and shall be resolved within thirty (30) days from the date of filing of the claim.

2.7.1. Should the billing meter/s fail to operate normally or in case of loss of data of the billing meter during the billing period, the power consumption shall be estimated in accordance with the methods prescribed by law, rules and regulations. ILPI will, on the basis of its records, available technical evidence, LANECO’s consumption history and other relevant circumstances, make retrospective adjustment to LANECO’s account with respect to the consumption and demand, to such extent and for such period as may be determined by ILPI, subject to the concurrence of LANECO.

In case LANECO will avail the automatic renewal clause provided in Section 1.2, it shall submit to ILPI its Annual Contract Demand and Energy requirement for succeeding twelve (12) months, amending “Annex A” of this Agreement, not later than sixty (60) days prior to expiry, subject to confirmation by ILPI based on supply availability, otherwise, ILPI shall have the right to determine the supply allocation to LANECO. 1.3.1. In the event that LANECO failed to submit its Annual Contract Demand and Energy, as indicated in “Annex A” hereof, ILPI shall use the immediately preceding year’s Annual Contract Demand and Energy.

2.13. Disputed Bills

Interference and Tampering with Metering Facilities

2.6.1.1.

1.2.2. After expiry, ILPI or LANECO will not renew the Agreement; or

1.3

2.12.2. Payments shall be made at ILPI’s principal business office, through its authorized collecting agents or its depository banks.

2.6.1. LANECO shall comply with the provisions set forth in Republic Act No. 7832 or the Anti-Pilferage Law and violation thereof shall give ILPI, in addition to item 2.5, the right to:

1.2.1. Before the expiry, ILPI or LANECO will terminate the Agreement; or

The party terminating shall submit (to the other party) a Notice of Termination to the other Party not later than sixty (60) days prior to the expiry of the Agreement.

2.12.1. Power bills for the services rendered by ILPI to LANECO during a billing period shall be served by ILPI to LANECO through email or courier not later than five (5) days from the conduct of meter reading and shall be paid by LANECO within nine (9) days from receipt of the said billing without necessity of demand.

In addition to the test mentioned in 2.4.4, LANECO may request ILPI to conduct additional testing; activity that is free of charge unless no defect or inaccuracy being determined, in which case, LANECO will pay ILPI the actual cost incurred in the requested additional testing.

2.5.1.1.

The salient provisions of the SRA are quoted hereunder, as follows: EFFECTIVITY, TERM and COVERAGE

2.12. Time and Place of Payment

LANECO confirms that three (3) day notice may be dispensed (by ILPI) if upon its judgment, inspection, testing, or adjustment/s is immediately necessary.

Disconnection of Power Service

2.5.2.3.

Hence, on 26 July 2019, LANECO and ILPI executed the Sale for Resale Agreement (SRA) subject matter of the instant Application. Under the SRA, LANECO will connect Brgys. Dimayon and Inagongan to the distribution system of ILPI and will source power from ILPI for resale to all end-users in the two barangays to ensure a continuous, stable, reliable and efficient supply of electricity.

“1.

Payments may be in the form of cash, demand drafts, checks or other cash equivalents.

2.5.2. The following shall be grounds for disconnection:

SALIENT PROVISIONS OF THE SALE FOR RESALE AGREEMENT (SRA) 8.

2.11. Form of Payment

2.5.1. Subject to 2.5.2., and written notice to LANECO at least five (5) days prior to the scheduled date of disconnection, LANECO recognizes that ILPI has the full authority to disconnect power service provided to LANECO.

STATEMENT OF FACTS

5.

For purposes of inspection, testing, or adjustment/s, LANECO confirms that ILPI have the full authority to break the meter seal/s with ILPI having the obligation sending written notice three (3) days from the date intended.

2.4.5. If any of the test/s would disclose that the error of any billing meter exceeds +/- 2%, ILPI shall, at no cost to LANECO, immediately replace the said billing meter with a new billing meter having accuracy level allowed by the Rules.

LEGAL BASIS FOR THE APPLICATION

4.

2.10.2. Billing energy for generation, distribution and other ERC-approved energy-related charges of ILPI shall be the Actual Registered Energy or the Contract Energy, whichever is higher, subject to other provisions hereof.

2.4.4. At least once every two (2) years, ILPI shall conduct an accuracy and reliability test on the installed kWh meters (for billing purposes). The test shall be at no cost to LANECO and the presence of authorized LANECO personnel is necessary.

The pertinent portions in the said Joint Application are hereunder quoted, as follows:

3.

2.10.1. Billing demand for transmission, distribution and other ERC-approved demand-related charges of ILPI shall be the Actual Registered Demand or the Contract Demand, whichever is higher, subject to other provisions hereof.

2.4.3 The meters and other metering devices shall be sealed with ILPI’s ERC-authorized meter seals.

NOTICE OF VIRTUAL HEARING

2.

2.10. Billing Demand and Energy

2.4.2 Meter reading shall be conducted every 26th day of the billing month. LANECO’s representatives, if they so desire, may witness each meter reading.

ERC Case No. 2021-087 RC LANAO DEL NORTE ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC. (LANECO) AND ILIGAN LIGHT & POWER, INC. (ILPI), Applicants. x-------------------------------------------------x

1.

2.9.5. Without prejudice to the right of ILPI to implement the buy-out provision and subject to submission of a written request and approval of ILPI, LANECO may be allowed to reduce its Contract Energy and Capacity. Provided, further, that the written notice is received by the ILPI not later than thirty (30) days prior to the effectivity of the reduction.

4.

FORCE MAJEURE EVENTS 3.3

ILPI and LANECO shall be relieved of their respective obligations to supply electricity and receive electricity under circumstances constituting to Force Majeure.

3.4

Neither party shall be considered in default in the performance of any of its obligations under this Agreement when failure in performance is due to Force Majeure Event.

3.5

The Force Majeure event must render it impossible for a Party to fulfil its obligation in a normal manner despite the exercise of due care.

3.6

Force Majeure shall not excuse either Party from exercising due care to prevent it or minimize its effects.

3.7

The affected Party shall in writing notify the other party of the occurrence of force majeure, which shall not be later than forty eight (48) hours from the occurrence of the event.

Entertainment

Nickie Wang, Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com FRIDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2021

Angelica Panganiban

promotes sex-positivity in raunchy comedy ‘Kangks Show’

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eTV is teasing the season with the irreverent sex-positive comedy The Kangks Show starring Angelica Panganiban. In the series, Panganiban is a feisty sex guru named Dr. Kara Teo who hosts a long-running midnight sex advice program, The Kangks Show. Ratings are at an all-time low when Gen-Z

influencer Cassandra (Maris Racal) launches a competing advice channel on TikTok. As the network threatens to cancel her show, Doc Kara, with the help of her best friend and producer Nikki (Angelica Bayani), pulls out all the stops to deliver the most outrageous and over-the-top stories yet. She also unwittingly finds herself in the middle of a slew of unexpected personal drama. JC De Vera and Kit Thompson play the two men competing for her affections. The raunchy comedy series is the brainchild of top director Antoinette Jadaone, who describes it as a show within a show. Over eight episodes, you’ll get to meet

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Angelica Panganiban plays a feisty sex guru named Dr. Kara Teo.

different personalities in need of Dr. Kara Teo’s sage sex advice. Portraying these colorful characters are a talented group of actors that include Sheenly Gener, Yesh Burce, Arkin del Rosario, Mariella Laurel, Teetin Villanueva, Carlon Matobato, Mean Espinosa, Phi Palmos, Kych Minemoto, Abed Green, AJ Sison, Rachel Coates, Gene Padilla, Dolly de Leon, and Awra Briguela. Rounding out the cast are Nonie Buencamino and Nour Hooshmand. The WeTV Original series premieres tonight at 8:00 exclusively on WeTV. Stream new episodes for free every Friday.

Miss Universe Philippines biggest fan BEYOND the glitz, glamor, and showstopping performances in Miss Universe lies the heart of the competition: advocacy. This is why, like every pageant fanatic in the country, Sendwave, a fee-free money transfer app with close connections to the communities it serves, is thrilled to announce its sponsorship of Miss Universe Philippines. Sendwave, which recently expanded its service in the Philippines, chose to support the service-driven mission of this global pageant by helping Miss Universe Philippines, Bea Gomez, on her road to the crown. “Filipinos are passionate about beauty pageants and love to show support for their contestants — no matter where they are in the world,” said Gazini Ganados, Miss Universe Philippines 2019 and Sendwave brand ambassador. “I’m proud to represent a company that truly cares about the community it serves,” the beauty queen added. “The pandemic revealed a need to shift toward more digital options for sending money,” said Will Fogel, CEO of Sendwave. “We wanted to help address that for the F i l i p i n o community and provide them with a more affordable way to send funds to the people they care about.” To celebrate its sponsorship of Miss Universe Philippines, Sendwave is launching a special promotion. To learn more, visit sendwave. com or find them on Facebook at @sendwave or Instagram and Twitter at @sendwaveapp. ••• Bicolana beauty to represent North Pacific Asia in Mrs. Universe 2021 Mrs. UniversePhilippines

Luzon 2021 Marissan BelangelConche has been named one of the Philippine representatives to the Mrs. Universe pageant to be held in South Korea in February. Conche will represent the title Mrs. North Pacific Asia, previously held by Ellen Poyaoan – Santos. She will compete in Korea along with Mrs. Universe Philippines 2021 Claudeline CuntapayMolero. “I’m honored to be appointed as Mrs. Universe-Philippines North Pacific Asia 2021,” said Conche during the official crowning and sashing event led by Maria Charo Calalo, national director of Mrs. Universe Philippines Foundation. A native of Virac, Catanduanes, Conche has been married for fifteen years and was blessed with four children. A graduate of Nursing from Catanduanes State University, she works as a professional aesthetician and beauty consultant. She is also a teacher at the International Permanent Make-up Academy in Europe. “My commitment to social cause has brought me to where I am. I want to be the starting point of a chain reaction that involves women uplifting women. As an empowered woman, I have a moral responsibility to extend myself and weave an advocacy that equips and boosts self-image. I’m

tirelessly working on helping women suffering from Alopecia, her chosen advocacy,” said Conche who can perform stage magic to entertain audiences. Miss Universe Philippines Beatrice Luigi Gomez

K-channel tvN now on Smart’s GigaPlay LEADING mobile services provider, Smart Communications, Inc. partners with Korea’s No. 1 network and premier K-channel tvN to stream nonstop content on the GigaPlay App. Smart subscribers can now enjoy tvN K-dramas and Korean variety shows in the streaming platform that gives subscribers exclusive access to curated content including live concerts, sports events, films, and more. “We ourselves are fans of K-dramas like most of our Smart customers. With tvN on Smart’s GigaPlay App, we can all bingewatch on our favorite K-dramas and TV shows. Watch and rewatch series such as Crash Landing On You and take advantage of fresh Korean content 24 hours after Korean TV broadcast because we now have tvN on GigaPlay,” said Jane J. Basas, SVP and Head of Consumer Wireless Business at Smart. “More than a platform, GigaPlay

provides a variety of content for our subscribers. From live sports to local and foreign entertainment, we are making it simple and easy for our customers to make the most out of their passions—all they really need to do is just tap the app on their smartphones,” added Basas. Apart from the latest Korean dramas, tvN also offers lifestyle and variety shows featuring some of our favorite Korean celebrities. Enjoy access to the tvN Premium Channel 24/7 only on the GigaPlay App. The GigaPlay App also houses local pay-per-view (PPV) content. Catch Love Is Color Blind, the romcom starring Donny Pangilinan and Belle Mariano. Expect more from GigaPlay’s PPV offers by following Smart’s official social media accounts. Download the app now on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store or click on this link: smrt.ph/gigaplay.

Smart ambassadors Hyun Bin and Son Ye Jin in K-drama series ‘Crash Landing On You’

Life

Nickie Wang, Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com

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PEOPLE AND EVENTS

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2021

Rising model at 65 Singapore’s Ong Bee Yan proves modeling knows no age limits By Tet Defensor

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F YOU think modeling is only for the young, check out the stylish Ong Bee Yan of Singapore.

The 65-year-old grandmother and business owner is also a part-time model. She caught the fashion scene by storm when she graced pages of Vogue, L’officiel, the cover of Harper’s Bazaar, and other lifestyle publications. Ong Bee Yan isn’t your 65-yeartypical 60-something female. old Ong Bee Yan from While she admittingly enjoys being Singapore a grandma, the “senior influencer” or “granfluencer” actively runs a cold brew coffee business, attends regular exercise classes, and enjoys café hopping with her husband. Her Grey Evolution IG account has inspired seniors to look beyond their numeric age and leave their comfort zones. atten She first caught media attention in 2016 when she and her husband opened 1 degree C, a cold brew coffee business. Ong Bee Yan “We received a lot on the cover of of media coverage. Harper’s Bazaar Most of them said, Singapore. ‘You are an elder and yet you dare The senior influencer to venture into launched Grey Evolution on Instagram a business like to empower seniors to this,” Yan exembrace their age, but citedly shared without allowing it to with Manila define their happiness.

Standard Life. Taking advantage of the attention from media, Yan launched Grey Evolution on Instagram to empower seniors to embrace their age, but without allowing it to define their happiness. “I am a Christian, and I feel it is my mission to do this. I want to encourage seniors to get out of their comfort zone, to face their fears, if I can do it, they can do it,” she said. Brand experts worldwide have acknowledged the growing popularity of “granfluencers” in the digital segment. According to The Social Standard website, a US-based Marketing, and Advertising agency, the segment is breaking stereotypes with its authentic content, “better captions” and by encouraging followers to “ live freely without fear of judgment.” Yan’s Grey Evolution on IG promotes aging in a whole perspective. It talks about embracing one’s age, but also doing the unexpected. “Even at our age, we should remain active. We are still alive and just sitting around will not be good for us, physically and mentally.” Her interesting posts also cover the benefits of healthy eating and regular exercise, with stylish photos of her elegant silver tresses together with finely curated fashion pieces. The name Grey Evolution actually symbolizes freedom from hiding her grey strands. “When I decided to grow out my grey hair it was empowering. This hair is me, and who cares?” she said. Never in her wildest dream did she ever see herself being photographed in haute couture. “My perception of a model when I was young, was someone tall, lean, drop-dead gorgeous with a beautiful body. I am none of that. Actually, I am camera shy. I feel awkward, I feel I am not pretty. To actually be in front of the camera is very daunting, I start to freeze,” she said. All that changed during a family photo ses-

sion several years ago. As she was having a hard time posing for the camera her son sensed her difficulties and said “it’s just a family photo, what’s the fuss?” His reaction prompted her to release all inhibitions, and just strike a pose. That same comment continues to play on her head until now, during her photoshoots. Yan’s modeling stint started two years ago (at 63) in the midst of the media frenzy for her cold brew business. “I was approached to showcase clothes. For me, if you want to collaborate and showcase my drinks. Then I do not mind. So, when Harper Bazaar approached me, I said ‘okay, I did not hesitate at all. If I have to encourage seniors to get out of their comfort zone I should walk the talk.’” She describes her style sense as “street smart and monochrome, nothing elaborate. “I prefer clothing that is flexible and multi-functional, like a shirt that can be an outerwear, it has to have a few functions, to help minimize my wardrobe size.” Fashion has no rules according to Yan simply because everyone is unique. “If you can carry it off, even at your age why not! There are lots of grandfluencers and senior models in the US who flaunt themselves in bikinis, and they look gorgeous,” she concluded.

The “senior influencer” or “granfluencer” first caught media attention in 2016.

‘Classical To Crossover’ on Sunshine Place online THE Sunshine Place completes this year’s Sunshine Classics online concert series with Classical to Crossover featuring award-winning Filipino soprano-songwriter Lara Maigue and pianist Mariel Ilusorio. This can be viewed until Dec. 31 via the Sunshine Place: Senior Recreation Center’s YouTube Channel. Viewers can get a private link to the concert upon ticket purchase. With one click, registrants can access the concert video as many times as they want. Maigue will delight music lovers with wellloved classics like “The Doll Song” (Donizetti), “Der Hölle Rache Kocht in Meinem Herzen” (Mozart), “Nessun Dorma” (Puccini), and Broadway hits like “If I Loved You” (Rodgers/ Hammerstein), “Phantom of the Opera” (Webber), “Tonight” (Bernstein), “Can’t Help Falling in Love” (Peretti, Creatore, Weiss), and “On My Own” (Schönberg). She will then crossover to contemporary masterpiece “Con Te Partiro” (Sartori/Quarantotto), and Filipino songs “Sa Kabukiran” (Velez), and her own award-winning composition, Nasaan. Lara Maigue is a graduate of the University of the Philippines College of Music major in Voice. She was recognized by the Aliw (Entertainment) Awards Foundation as Best Female Classical Performer for 2017 and Best Female Crossover Artist for 2018. She also won Best Jazz Recording at the 2019 Awit (Sing) Awards. She was a finalist at the Singapore Lyric Opera ASEAN Vocal Competition in 2018 and was chosen to participate in Sumi Jo’s masterclass during the 2018 Hong Kong International Oper Operatic Singing Competition where she was praised by the Grammy Award-winning soprano for her “supernatural high notes.” Her foray into songwriting came in 2013, where she became one of the top five finalists in the songwriting competition headed by Ryan Cayabyab and Manny V. Pangilinan,, the Philippine Popular Music Festival (Philpop) for her composition, “Sa’yo Na Lang Ako,” interpreted by singer/actress Karylle. Award-winning Filipino sopranosongwriter Lara Maigue

Lara recently finished a 10-city Asian tour including performances in the Middle East. She currently divides her time as a performer and as managing partner in her family’s music school, the Maigue Music Studio (MMS). Reserve your tickets now, just contact Mariel Ilusorio at (0917) 709-2255 or marielilusorio@ hotmail.com. Package ticket rates are available for all five concerts, as well as choose four, choose three, or solo concerts. This series is made possible through the generosity of individual sponsors, as well as 98.7 DZFE and Clark Trading Freeport Trading Resources, Inc. The Sunshine Place, a senior recreation center under the Felicidad Tan Sy Foundation, is a venue for adults to live actively, through engaging in recreational classes and age-appropriate physical training programs. It is the venue to be entertained, to socialize, and to reflect; a place of happiness and wellness for one’s mind, body, and soul. For more inquiries and information, visit www. sunshineplaceph.com or like and subscribe to its Facebook Page and YouTube channel, Sunshine Place: Senior Recreation Center. Or follow its Instagram account @sunshineplaceph.

Pinky Tobiano with Gil Cuerva

‘Grateful Tuesdays’ gives Christmas aid to solo parents EVERYDAY these ‘Ber’ Months is a Tuesday for Chemist-Philanthropist Pinky Tobiano, because her giftgiving continues in several barangays visited by her team. As of today, Grateful Tuesdays has already helped 120,000 families since the onset of the pandemic. The gift-giving happened last Saturday afternoon of Dec. 11, in the covered court of ‘Barangay Pag-ibig sa Nayon’ along Pineda St., Balintawak, Quezon City. That day, the recipients of the Christmas Aid were all solo parents. “This is a special day for me because we gave help to 200 solo parents,” Chemist Pinky happily disclosed. Councilor Bernard Herrera supports this charity work with the allout help of sponsors, like Super Sam of Gerry Sy, and Nikki Sarmiento, EVP for Vitarich, Cook’s Fresh Chicken, Rocko’s Fried Chicken, and Mega Sardines.

Lending the glitter to the event were celebrities Nicole Cordoves, Aaron Villaflor, and Kapuso actor Gil Cuerva. “All we want is to give aid and cheer this Christmas season to solo parents who are all alone in raising their own children. May they feel the love of Christmas despite this pandemic. “I have no political motives in doing this. No plans of running…I just want to help ease their burdens and make you solo parents happy this holiday season,” Chemist Pinky told the solo parents who came and claimed the aid from Grateful Tuesdays. “A grateful heart is a magnet for Miracles,” Chemist Pinky ended.

Nicole Cordoves

Aaron Villaflor