Manila Standard - 2021 December 27 - Monday

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‘Evict residents on shoreline’ Duterte's order covers those living within 40 meters of coastal border By Joyce Pangco Pañares

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RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the immediate eviction of residents living on coastal easements within 40 meters of the shoreline to prevent loss of lives and damage to property during natural calamities such as Typhoon Odette. VOL. XXXV • NO. 315 • 2 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 MONDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2021 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

“It will be a summary eviction,” the conference with military and police President said in a recent command officials in Cebu. Next page

DEVASTATED COASTAL AREA. An aerial view

of the destruction caused by Super Typhoon Odette in Barangay Punta Bilar, Surigao City.

Damage toll: Odette-hit areas won't get power yet, but maybe water deaths 378, housing P29b restored in 15 days, government officials said Sunday. In an interview on radio dzBB, Mark REGIONS battered by Typhoon Odette may have to wait until February 2022 to Timbal, spokesman for the National Diget power back but water service might be saster Risk Reduction and Management

By Alena Mae Flores

Council (NDRRMC) said it could take up ment would need to take care of that first to February next year before power is re- before restoring power. stored in all affected areas. Power has been restored to 150 of 269 He said in areas where houses have cities and municipalities that suffered outbeen destroyed, the governages due to the typhoon. Next page

DEATH toll from Typhoon Odette, which lashed Mindanao, Visayas and Palawan last week, has climbed to 378 —including 218 who have remained unidentified, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said.on Sunday. Some 742 were injured while 60 remain missing. Odette, the 15th and strongest typhoon Next page

2,838,640 433

9,522

51,200

13

2,777,918

283

(As of 4 PM, DECEMBER 26)

Oil price cut by P0.70/L set Tuesday By Alena Mae S. Flores THE country's oil firms are set to roll back pump prices by as much as P0.70 per liter to reflect the movement of prices in the world oil market. Next page

ELBOW-TO-ELBOW. Shoppers flock to Divisoria on Sunday, December 26, 2021, where sidewalk vendors sell colorful horns that are used to celebrate the incoming New Year. The country's COVID-19 reproduction rate slightly went up, which the independent OCTA Research Group described as a holiday uptick. Norman Cruz

Uptick signs in infections noted By Willie Casas

which measures how many people can be infected by one case—rose to 0.72 THERE were signs Sunday that on Dec. 22, up from 0.42 on Dec. 15 in COVID-19 infections were on the rise Metro Manila. Despite the uptick in cases on again as the daily number of new cases Next page rose to 433 and the reproduction rate—

World’s powerful space telescope now in orbit THE world's most powerful space tele- technical hitches. scope on Saturday (Sunday, Manila time) The James Webb Space Telescope, blasted off into orbit, headed to an outpost some three decades and billions of dollars 1.5 million kilometers (930,000 miles) in the making, left Earth enclosed in its from Earth, after several delays caused by Next page

WORLD'S MOST POWERFUL. Seen here during a test at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, the James Webb Space Telescope’s 6.5-meter primary mirror comprises 18 hexagonal gold-coated segments optimized for infrared light. The telescope, the most powerful space observatory ever built, blasted off to space aboard Arianespace's Ariane 5 rocket Saturday (Sunday Manila time). An engineering marvel, it will help answer fundamental questions about the Universe, peering back in time 13 billion years. NASA, AFP

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News

MONDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2021

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Police arrest armed man inside grounds of Queen’s home BRITISH police have arrested a man suspected of breaking into the grounds of Windsor Castle, where Queen Elizabeth II was spending Christmas, with what was reported to be a crossbow. "An investigation is ongoing following this incident and we are working with colleagues from the Metropolitan police," the local force said in a statement late on Saturday (Sunday, Manila time), adding that the 19-year-old man was found at 08:30 GMT on Christmas Day. The Queen spent a low-key Christmas Day at the castle, west of London. The man was arrested on suspicion of breach or trespass of a protected site and possession of an offensive weapon. The Sunday Mirror newspaper said CCTV operators spotted a man carrying what appeared to be a crossbow, while the Mail on Sunday said the man used a rope ladder to scale a fence. "We can confirm security processes were triggered within moments of the man entering the grounds and he did not enter any buildings," said police. "Members of the royal family have been informed about the incident." AFP

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SAFEGUARD THE FAMILY. Pope Francis delivers the Sunday Angelus prayer from the window of his study overlooking St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on December 26, 2021. He urged the faithful to learn how to listen and handle the challenges together as a family, and to become aware of the "dictatorship of the 'I'” where people only hear themselves and pass the blame on others. AFP

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“Don't wait for the court to issue an order. They [residents] will usually seek court intervention through a writ of injunction. Let us just tell the judge: 'You know, Judge, this is what the government wants [to do] to protect its citizens,” Duterte said. Interior Secretary Eduardo Año reported to Duterte that some residents living along coastal easements have resisted efforts to have them relocated despite an existing law that there should be no hous-

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The Department of Energy on Saturday assured the public that power in some areas of the Visayas and Mindanao would be completely restored before the May 2022 elections. The National Electrification Adminis-

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to whip the country in 2021, affected 3,953,880 people or 1,012,997 families in Mimaropa, Region 5, Region 6, Region 7, Region 8, Region 9, Region 10, Region 11, Region 12, CARAGA, and BARMM. The typhoon also displaced 546,100 persons, including 270,063 people who are outside evacuation centers and 276,037 who are staying within the 1,198 evacuation sites in their respective areas. The NDRRMC also said agricultural damage is estimated to be valued at P3,963,676,507. Housing damage has been estimated to be worth P29,209,218. Meanwhile, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao has sent its Solidarity Mission

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Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou Space Center in French Guiana. "What an amazing day. It's truly Christmas," said Thomas Zurbuchen, head of scientific missions for NASA, which together with the European and Canadian space agencies, ESA and ACS, built the telescope. ESA chief Josef Aschbacher said he was "very happy to say that we've delivered the spacecraft into orbit very precisely... that Ariane 5 performed extremely well." This was key, since placing the spacecraft in orbit helps economize on the fuel the telescope will need to reach its final destination and perform well after that. It is expected to take a month to reach

ing structures within 40 meters of the shoreline. “We will work with the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development and the National Housing Authority. We have to implement that law. That was our lesson learned from super typhoon Yolanda [in 2013],” Año said. Duterte directed the NHA to provide P100 million in aid each to the provinces devastated by Odette. He said the DILG will supervise the distribution "to make sure that everything goes smoothly.” "The building materials are on their way. I think Housing will be the one to

distribute that.” "The military and the police will be there to maintain peace and order. That’s the only reason, nothing else. They’re just there to ensure discipline so that government workers can do their job well," he said. The Department of Social Welfare and Development said Odette, which at one point was classified as a super typhoon, destroyed 108,082 homes across Visayas and Mindanao. Some 216,371 houses sustained partial damage. In Eastern Visayas, around 85 percent of houses in Southern Leyte were damaged, Danilo Atienza of the province’s

disaster council said. In the far south, Tubajon, Dinagat Islands Mayor Fely Pedrablanca said almost all homes in the entire town had been damaged due to Odette. “Only nine were really not damaged. The rest of the over 2,000 households were really damaged. Around one-fourth of the homes are totally damaged,” Pedrablanca said in an earlier interview. “Everywhere you will see houses flattened to the ground or their rooftops blown away,” added Charlito Manlupig, chairman of the Balay Mindanaw Foundation.

tration, in its latest report, said six electric cooperatives still did not have power, affecting more than 2 million customers in 167 municipalities. Power had been partially restored to 87 municipalities, the agency added. Meanwhile, the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) said it aims to fix water systems that were damaged by Odette in 15 days.

About half of 181 water districts in six regions were affected by Typhoon Odette, LWUA administrator Guiling Mamondiong told radio dzBB. A disaster official in Bohol said the province is still in need of food and water as relief efforts continued. Talking to ABS-CBN's TeleRadyo, Anthony Damalerio with the Bohol Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Man-

agement Office appealed to donors to coordinate with local officials to ensure equal distribution of aid. "We will be needing more food items, ready-to-eat food items and water,” Damalerio said. The Armed Forces of the Philippines said residents in Bohol were also in need of generator sets as power remains a problem in the province.

to Northern Mindanao with 30 truckloads of relief goods for residents hardly hit by Typhoon Odette in the islands of Siargao and Dinagat in Surigao del Norte. Officials said the region had earmarked P13 million in relief goods for Typhoon Odette victims, consisting of P 2,500 bags (125,000 kilos) of rice, as well as 1,600 water containers, and 3,200 boxes of water purification tablets. BARMM’s Solidarity Mission was headed by Minister Raissa Herradura Jajurie, of the region’s Ministry of Social Services and Development. Jajurie said the BARMM Solidarity Mission’s flagship also carried along 2,000 cooked food packs prepared by the Bangsamoro Rapid Emergency Action on Disaster Incidence (READi), under the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government (MILG), and some 1,500 hygiene kits from the region’s Project Tabang. Nash B. Maulana

Oil... Unioil Petroleum Philippines said in its weekly advisory consumers could expect fuel prices to go down starting December 28 to January 3. "Diesel should go down by P0.60 to P0.70 per liter. Gasoline should go down by P0.20 to P0.30 Pesos per liter," the company said. World oil prices took a downward plunge last week amid increased cases in the US and Europe, the world's biggest economies due to the Omicron variant. The increasing number of coronavirus cases prompted fears of a slowdown in global oil demand. On December 21, the oil companies implemented a price increase in domestic oil products amid optimism that the Omicron variant will have a mild impact and increased oil supply from the US. Both gasoline and diesel increased by P0.55 per liter while kerosene increased by P0.70 per liter. The Department of Energy ordered a price freeze on kerosene in areas under a state of calamity in Visayas and Mindanao due to Typhoon Odette. Also, some oil companies did not implement price hikes in gasoline and diesel in provinces hit by the said typhoon. Last week's oil price hike resulted in year-to-date adjustments to stand at a total net increase of P17.85 per liter for gasoline, P14.95 per liter for diesel and P12.39 per liter for kerosene.

its remote destination. It is set to beam back new clues that will help scientists understand more about the origins of the Universe and Earth-like planets beyond our solar system. Named after a former NASA director, Webb follows in the footsteps of the legendary Hubble – but intends to show humans what the Universe looked like even closer to its birth nearly 14 billion years ago. Speaking on social media, Webb project co-founder John Mather described the telescope's unprecedented sensitivity. "#JWST can see the heat signature of a bumblebee at the distance of the Moon," he said. All that power is needed to detect the weak glow emitted billions of years ago by the very first galaxies to exist and the first stars being formed. US President Joe Biden congratulated

NASA and the Webb team for the launch, saying on Twitter the telescope "is a shining example of the power of what we can accomplish when we dream big." The telescope is unequaled in size and complexity. Its mirror measures 6.5 meters (21 feet) in diameter – three times the size of Hubble's mirror – and is made of 18 hexagonal sections. It is so large that it had to be folded to fit into the rocket. That maneuver was laser-guided with NASA imposing strict isolation measures to limit any contact with the telescope's mirrors from particles or even human breath. Once the rockets have carried Webb 120 kilometers, the protective nose of the craft, called a "fairing," will be shed to lighten the load. To protect the delicate instrument from

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changes in pressure at that stage, rocketbuilder Arianespace installed a custom decompression system. "Exceptional measures for an exceptional client," said a European Space Agency official in Kourou on Thursday. Once it reaches its station, the challenge will be to fully deploy the mirror and a tennis-court-sized sun shield. That intimidatingly complex process will take two weeks and must be flawless if Webb is to function correctly. Its orbit will be much farther than Hubble, which has been 600 kilometers above the Earth since 1990. The location of Webb's orbit is called the Lagrange 2 point and was chosen in part because it will keep the Earth, the Sun and the Moon all on the same side of its sun shield. Webb is expected to officially enter service in June. AFP

Sunday, infectious disease expert Dr. Rontgene Solante said it was possible that the country would be placed under the lowest COVID-19 alert level if the average daily infections remained below 500 until the end of the year. “I think that if the cases are still low and we’re still averaging below 500 until the end of December, then we might have enough reasons or basis to ease to Alert Level 1,” Solante told radio dzBB, speaking in Filipino. The whole country is under an Alert Level 2 for the remainder of the year. The independent OCTA Research Group, said the holiday uptick could explain the increasing reproduction number and positivity rate. OCTA fellow Guido David added that on Dec. 25, the City of Manila had the highest number of new COVID-19 infections nationwide with 58, followed by Quezon City with 25, and Las Piñas with 20. "The reproduction number in the NCR (National Capital Region) based on testing has also increased to 0.79 (this is a more accurate measure of the reproduction number because it is not affected by backlog)," David added. David advised the public to remain vigilant and observe COVID-19 safety protocols as they celebrate the rest of the holiday season. "Whatever the case may be, we must continue to be vigilant and practice minimum public health standards as we enjoy the rest of the holidays. People with colds symptoms should be mindful of mingling with other people," he said. The Philippines logged 433 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, bringing the total case count to 2,838,640. The positivity rate went up to 2 percent, based on test results of samples from 21,116 people on Dec. 24. This is still within the World Health Organization's requirement target of less than 5 percent positivity rate. There were 13 new fatalities, bringing the COVID-19 death toll to 51,200. The Department of Health (DOH) also reported 283 new recoveries, bringing the total number of recoveries to 2,777,918. There were 9,522 active cases, with 458 of which were asymptomatic; 3,574 of which were mild; 3,339 of which were moderate; 1,777 of which were severe; and 374 of which were critical. Nationwide, 17 percent of ICU beds; 20 percent of isolation beds; 10 percent of ward beds; and 10 percent of ventilators, were in use. In Metro Manila, 17 percent of ICU beds; 18 percent of isolation beds; 15 percent of ward beds; and 11 percent of ventilators, were in use.

News Unmask, arrest bank hackers immediately, solon tells NBI

LEISURELY SUNDAY STROLL. Visitors enjoy strolling inside Paco Park on Sunday, December 26, 2021. Danny Pata

By Rio N. Araja ANAKALUSUGAN party-list Rep. Mike Defensor on Sunday said hackers of over 700 deposit accounts of BDO Unibank customers “must be captured fast” to prevent further attacks. He urged the National Bureau of Investigation to swiftly arrest those behind the hackers of affected BDO depositors as he raised the possibility it may be a dry-run of an even bigger threat. “Until and unless the suspects are apprehended and interrogated in custody, we may never know their real motives, aside from the cyber theft of a few million pesos,” he said. “Assuming the suspects are planning further attacks elsewhere, then their capture should effectively thwart them,” he added. He said the arrest of those hackers and their prosecution would be the “best deterrence” to other bigger cyber threats. He said authorities must not discount the possibility that the hackers were merely out to stage a “rehearsal” ahead of potentially bigger attacks against other financial institutions. “What is clear is that the hackers succeeded in breaching the defenses of a bank’s computer system, and they now have an idea as to how much time they need to break in and escape with the loot before they are discovered,” he said. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas confirmed the hackers of nearly 700 BDO Unibank accounts have already been identified. Two to four persons, who are neither BDO nor Union Bank of the Philippines employees, were also unmasked, and that the real persons behind “Mark Nagoyo” were also identified. The BSP said they filed the necessary information with the National Bureau of Investigation and Philippine National Police.

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MONDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2021 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

‘Give officials chance to correct SALN data’ By Rey E. Requejo

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HE Supreme Court has ruled that while the laws on Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth aim to curtail the acquisition of unexplained wealth, they “do not automatically impose liability on erring public officials or employees.”

The SC made the ruling while ordering the dismissal of the administrative charges against Hurley Salig, who was then officer-in-charge of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) of Cavite, when he was slapped with an administrative case in 2005 for allegedly committing corrupt practices and amassing unexplained wealth.

“Wherefore, the petition is granted. The Decision dated May 23, 2014 and the Resolution dated Nov. 17, 2014 of the Court of Appeals . . . are reversed and set aside. The administrative charges against respondent Hurley D. Salig are dismissed without pronouncement on costs of suit. So ordered,” the SC declared, in a decision that was made public last December 20, 2021. Salig was employed in 1986 as a forester under the Bureau of Forest Development. He rose from the ranks until he was designated officer-in-charge of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) of Cavite. In 2005, a complaint was filed against him alleging that he committed corrupt practices and acquired unexplained wealth. The anonymous complainant alleged that Salig owned a three-story building in Calamba in Laguna, five vehicles, two nightclubs in Calamba, and other real properties. The complaint was transmitted to

the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission which endorsed it to the Office of the Ombudsman since Salig was not a presidential appointee. In his counter-affidavit filed on Oct. 23, 2007, Salig said that his and his wife’s properties were lawfully acquired and that they took out loans to fund their business ventures. He said that he inherited the house and lot in Los Banos, Laguna from his parents and that he acquired the property in Calamba City through a bank loan. For their businesses, Salig said he obtained loans for them. For his vehicles, he said they were financed by various banks to support their car rental and travel and tour business. The Office of the Deputy Ombudsman for Luzon did not agree. On March 26, 2012, the anti-graft body found Salig guilty of grave misconduct, serious dishonesty and violation of RA 6713 for failure to declare his wealth in his SALNs for 2002 to 2005. He was ordered dismissed from the service.

Cybercrime arm of DOJ acted on 150 online fraud, harassment cases THE Department of Justice through the Office of Cybercrime has acted on 150 reports of alleged unfair debt collecting schemes and cyber harassment by online lending companies. In a report to Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, OOC Officerin-Charge Charito Zamora said the 150 reports were “endorsed by the Office of the President-Presidential Management Staff.” Zamora said the reports were subjected to initial assessment if these are covered by the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 and other related laws, and subjected to “technical surveillance and opensource investigation on the subjects involved.” She said that if a report warranted a full-blown investigation, it would be endorsed to law enforcement agencies like the National Bureau of Investigation and Philippine National Police. According to her, some reports were “endorsed to the Securities and Exchange Commission for appropriate action.” Should a report be ripe for the filing of formal complaints, the victims are advised “to execute a complaint affidavit through a private lawyer, public attorney, or law enforcement authority, for filing with the appropriate prosecution office.” Last April, the DOJ-OCC had advised the public to report harassment and other illegal schemes by OLCs. The OOC executive stressed that the advisory was issued “in response to the increasing number of reports received and endorsed to it involving unfair debt collection practices and cyber harassment by online lending companies.” Rey E. Requejo

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Opinion

MONDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2021 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

The scandal of Christmas

MY SEMINARY classmate, Fr. Paulino Cabahit, who now serves as the parish priest of Our Lady of Fatima Parish, gave an insightful reflection during this Christmas midnight mass. With his kind permission, I would like to share excerpts from his homily on this column. There is a story that I love to tell when I officiate weddings. It is a short story from the book the Gift of the Magi by O. Henry. It is in fact familiar to many. It tells of a young couple named Della and Jim. In the story, they were newly married and deeply in love. However, they were poor. The only thing of value to the husband was his locket watch given to him by his father and the only thing of value to the wife was her beautiful hair. When it was Christmas time, they thought of giving each other a gift but secretly. Since the wife saw that the locket of her husband didn’t have a chain she decided to buy one for him as a gift. But considering that she was poor, she did not have money, and the thing of value to her was her hair she decided to have her hair cut and sell it. The husband in turn observed that her wife had a beautiful hair but did not have a beautiful comb for it so he decided to buy an expensive set of beautiful combs. Having no money himself he decided to sell his beautiful locket watch.

Christmas serves more than just to make us feel good. When the time for them to exchange their pointless gifts came - pointless because there was no beautiful hair to comb anymore and no locket watch to put the chain on, they wept. But they did not weep because their gifts were pointless, they wept because they understood their great love for each other since they were willing to sacrifice the thing that is of most value to them. That is what true love is. Since God is love, what God did for us, he did out of love. God the Father sacrificed His only Son for us. Jesus sacrificed Himself, embracing our humanity. That is what Christmas is all about. It is about God becoming man, an ultimate sacrifice made out of love. Unless we understand this reality of God becoming one with us, we would not be able to understand Christmas. Christmas is actually a wild idea. Imagine God becoming man. Imagine the Father sacrificing His Son. We cannot even imagine a human father sacrificing his son for a stray dog in order to save the dog’s life or even if it’s their favorite pet dog. The family will just let it die and just get a new one. But the distance between man and God is even greater and abysmal than the distance between a human being and an animal. But that was what happened when God became man and because of his great love sacrificed himself for humanity. Unfortunately, society, the popular

culture has domesticated the supposedly wild idea of Christmas. We have oversentimentalized it. For many it is a season that is supposed to make us feel good. And the reason for feeling good is so superficial. Because it is time for receiving gifts. It has become a time for bonuses, vacations, and for families to get together. Don’t get me wrong, families getting together is very good, is a great value but even non-Christians value it too. Christmas is particularly Christian so Christmas should be more than that. It is meant for all of us to understand God’s great love for humanity. It is a love that, according to St. Ignatius of Loyola, is supposed to confound or confuse us. That is why theologians even go to the extent of calling Christmas as a great scandal. The scandal of the incarnation. Scandal not because it is immoral but a scandal because it is something outrageous and unacceptable. It is confusing. The incarnation—God becoming man—understood well is actually counter intuitive. It is not what our intuition would easily accept. For us to go deeper into this reality, let me give you an example. Suppose for example you were drunk and despite of being drunk you still drove. Because of being irresponsible by drunk driving, you met an accident killing a boy and the boy is the only child of a rich couple. A most awaited child of the couple but you ended up killing the boy. Just imagine you are in prison and in prison you meet the parents and the parents will hug you and tell you that everything is ok, they forgave you and they are not pressing any charges. How would you feel? Surely you would be confused. That is not what I deserve. I deserve to be punished! But that is God’s love—counter intuitive, confusing! That is what Christmas is all about. But wait there’s more! After a week of that accident, the couple calls you telling you that since their son died, they are making you their heir. How could this happen? Counterintuitive, confusing! That is what God’s love is. If you find the example surreal, the truth even sounds more bizarre! The Church Fathers time and again made this declaration and it is echoed until now by the Church. “Deus fit homo ut homo fieret deus.” It means that God became one of us so that we might become god! In order to save us, he became man but in saving us we even got more, we were given divinity not by possession of course but by participation. Haven’t we been hearing - We are now adopted children of God. After Christ’s death on the cross, God adopted us as his children. How bizarre is this? But this is the truth. We have been forgiven from our sins. But more than that when God redeemed us, he forgave us and gave us even something more, he made us into his children. The idea of romanticizing Christmas or over sentimentalizing it is not bringing us to the true meaning of Christmas. Christmas serves more than just to make us feel good, it should bring us to the realization of what God did for us out of love. It should inspire to think even more deeply on the scandal of the incarnation, on the scandal of God’s radical love that comes to us in Jesus Christ! “For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16) Happy Christmas everyone!

South Africa’s moral compass SOUTH African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who died Sunday at the age of 90, was the moral compass of his beloved “Rainbow Nation”, never afraid to speak truth to power, whatever its creed or color. A tireless activist, he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for combatting white minority rule in his country. “The passing of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu is another chapter of bereavement in our nation’s farewell to a generation of outstanding South Africans who have bequeathed us a liberated South Africa,” President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement. Famously outspoken, even after the fall of the racist apartheid regime, Tutu never shied away from confronting South Africa’s shortcomings or injustices. “It’s a great privilege, it’s a great honor that people think that maybe your name can make a small difference,” he told AFP shortly before his 80th birthday in 2011. Whether taking on his church over gay rights, lobbying for Palestinian statehood or calling out South Africa’s ruling African National Congress on corruption, his highprofile campaigns were thorny and often unwelcome. None at the top were spared—not even his close friend, late president Nelson Mandela, with whom Tutu sparred in 1994 over what he called the ANC’s “gravy train mentality.”

Yet “the Arch” brought an exuberant playfulness to all his endeavors. Quick to crack jokes -- often at his own expense—he was always ready to dance and laugh uproariously with an infectious cackle that became his trademark. It was Tutu who coined and popularized the term “Rainbow Nation” to describe South Africa when Mandela became president. At the time, Tutu was serving as the first black Anglican archbishop of Cape Town. Ordained at the age of 30 and appointed archbishop in 1986, he used his position to advocate for international sanctions against apartheid, and later to lobby for rights globally. ‘Moral titan’ Along the way, he won a host of admirers. “I believe that God is waiting for the archbishop. He is waiting to welcome Desmond Tutu with open arms,” said Mandela, who stayed at Tutu’s home on his first night of freedom in 1990, after 27 years in apartheid jails. “If Desmond gets to heaven and is denied entry, then none of the rest of us will get in!” The Dalai Lama called Tutu his “spiritual older brother.” Irish activist and pop star Bob Geldof praised him as “a complete pain in the arse” for those in power, and US President Barack Obama hailed him as “a moral titan.”

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EDITORIAL

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Meaning and merriment

OPE Francis’ Christmas message this year was addressed to the global Catholic population, but may as well have been delivered directly to us Filipinos. For a second year, we celebrated Christmas under the cloud of COVID-19. Some restrictions have been lifted and the economy has picked up, but the threat of a resurgence due to a new variant looms. And then last week, a typhoon brought devastation to a large part of the archipelago, killing at least 376 with many more missing, and causing damage worth billions of pesos in infrastructure and agriculture. We face these problems given the backdrop of an election next May that promises to be as exciting as it is divisive. Online and offline, the exchange of words has been acrimonious, and many things are being passed off as truth when they are, in fact, propaganda. “Our capacity for social relationships

The pandemic has repeatedly reminded us of the truly important bare essentials. is sorely tried; there is a growing tendency to withdraw, to do it all by ourselves, to stop making an effort to encounter others and do things together,” the Pope said. And true enough, we have stayed close only to the people who think and talk like we do, hating the same enemy and using the same language. We view the others who are not like us as others, and speak about them in disdain. The conflicts, the Pope said, “never seem to end; by now we hardly even

notice them. We have become so used to them that immense tragedies are now being passed over in silence; we risk not hearing the cry of pain and distress of so many of our brothers and sisters.” There is much noise about the candidates and their likelihood of winning or losing in the next elections. But the election is not so much their battle as it is ours. Its outcome will determine our ability to finally break free from the clutches of the pandemic, and our quality of life in the next few years and more. Ultimately, it is a high-stakes exercise not for the candidates but for ordinary Filipinos who have to worry about finding jobs, putting food on the table and sending their kids to school. It is so tempting to be dazzled by the trappings of the holiday season. By all means let us be merry, but more importantly, may our days be meaningful and purposeful, especially now that the pandemic has repeatedly reminded us of the truly important bare essentials.

A state of calamities We are now seeing the totality of the calamity and with the private sector and civil society mobilizing to fill in for the expected delays from the government system, relief will reach Odette’s victims. Clearing operations of the local government units will be critical and will need heavy equipment and personnel to open up and quickly repair the roads and bridges damaged by the floods. All relief operation and the pace of recovery of these disasterstricken regions will greatly depend on how fast transportation, electricity and telecommunications are restored.

THESE times are profoundly traumatic, an episode of life that we want to leave behind as soon as possible. Things have never been the same. I say this with a mix of hope and concern as many of us try to find much deserved holiday respite though still on guard from the evolving risks of these crises. Personally, I have this feeling of great gratitude for all the blessings that I certainly needed to get this far, even as I am still anxious as I anticipate more challenges in the new year ahead. Just as the country’s COVID-19 alert levels were downgraded to “lowrisk” sparking a welcome, though cautious resurgence of economic and social activities, super typhoon Odette wrought a cross-country swath of destruction. As of this writing, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council says Odette has reportedly affected well over 3.56 million people in 11 regions of Visayas and Mindanao. Destroyed infrastructure is estimated at P4 billion; another P2 billion in food producing agricultural assets has been ruined. Deaths have reached 367 with scores still missing. This huge scale of devastation became a “dead spot” as all power and telecommunications facilities were downed, two critical services that are critical to rescue, rehabilitation, and recovery in any calamity situation. These two services, power and telecom, must both be functional on Ground Zero to support all aspects of disaster relief operations. When we all learned to shift to digital modes of transactions since the lockdowns, it became our virtual connector for continuity and survival. Imagine the situation of millions of our countrymen suddenly cut off from electricity and communication services. Among Tutu’s critics were Zimbabwe’s veteran former president Robert Mugabe, who described him as an “evil and embittered little bishop.” Even with his global celebrity, his faith remained an integral part of his life. His family’s road trips included quiet time for prayers, and his missives blasting the evils of apartheid were signed off with “God bless you.” “I developed tremendous respect for his fearlessness. It wasn’t fearlessness of a wild kind. It was fearlessness anchored in his deep faith in God,” said apartheid’s last leader, F.W. de Klerk. Tutu was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1997 and underwent repeated treatment. He had retired a year earlier to lead a harrowing journey into South Africa’s brutal past, as head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. For 30 months, the commission lifted the lid on the horrors of apartheid. Tutu, with his instinctive humanity, broke down and sobbed at one of its first hearings. A recipient of numerous awards, his causes

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

We need a dignified and inspiring leader. Like the pandemic, this new crisis will highlight a set of resilience and sustainability gaps that should have been addressed since Yolanda – which caused an estimated 6,000 (some say thousands more) tragic deaths. Local governments and national agencies like the DPWH must have first-responder capacity that can spring to action during and immediately after a disaster strikes. Though there was early warning and improved evacuation protocols, the rising death count still shows the need for stricter execution. Sadly, even evacuation centers did not have the structural strength to withstand the gusts of Odette’s winds. The extent of devastation has again highlighted the vulnerability of our country to more frequent occurrences of super typhoons that climate change experts have warned is now at an existential tipping point if the world does not reverse global warming. Building resiliency and sustainability needs strategic thinking based on scientific data. Since this is a skill that we don’t require, and only wish

Desmond Tutu was never afraid to speak truth to power. ranged from child marriage to Tibet to calls for Western leaders to be tried over the Iraq war, and in later year for the right-to-die. He also swore he would never worship a homophobic God. “I would refuse to go to a homophobic heaven. No, I would say sorry, I mean I would much rather go to the other place,” he said. Post-apartheid frustrations Born in the small town of Klerksdorp, west of Johannesburg, on October 7, 1931, Tutu was the son of a domestic worker and a school teacher. Following in his father’s footsteps, he trained as a teacher before anger at the inferior education system set up for black children prompted him to become a priest.

He lived for a while in Britain, where, he recalled, he would needlessly ask for directions just to be called “Sir” by a white policeman. Tutu believed firmly in the reconciliation of black and white South Africans. “I am walking on clouds. It is an incredible feeling, like falling in love. We South Africans are going to be the Rainbow People of the world,” he said in 1994. But post-apartheid South Africa increasingly became a source of his despair, as the high hopes of the early days of democracy gave way to disillusionment over violence, inequality and graft. Never a member of the ANC, Tutu said in 2013 that he would no longer vote for the party, though President Cyril Ramaphosa —an old friend—re-built bridges after coming to power in 2018. Tutu made a rare public appearance in May 2021 to receive his vaccine for Covid-19. He appeared outside of the hospital in a wheelchair, and waved but did not speak. He married his wife Leah in 1955. They had four children. AFP

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Board Member & Chief Legal Adviser Treasury Manager Head—Ad Solutions Circulation Manager

our political leaders should have, advocating our leaders to seriously invest in the right infrastructure and contracting the competent companies to execute such projects is a challenge in itself. Modernizing the regions’ transportation, power, and digital infrastructure has been in the development plans of too many administrations and tweaked so many times with every new presiden. It is time for a new democratic leadership that has the thinking power and resolve to flank these linear bureaucratic systems that cannot keep pace and are actually incompatible with the emerging digital economies of the world. We need a leadership mindset that understands the value of harnessing digital technologies in all infrastructure development projects in the context of Environment, Social, Governance (ESG) principles. A new set of building standards will need to be set and strictly enforced for all new public and private – commercial and residential buildings – that will have innovative designs and stronger materials and not fall when hit by a typhoon signal number 4. Our country has survived and recovered from so many calamities, many borne by nature, and I would say even more damaging are our calamities in governance. With the pandemic and Odette setting us back with another economic blow, the corruption scandals and rising political intramurals just add to the anxiety of our crisis fatigued people. As we end another political cycle, we need to look for an enlightened and highly competent leadership. We need a dignified and inspiring leader who can be upright exemplars of good values and character. A leader who knows how to work with and harness the developmental potential of the private industries and all of society as enabling partners to build back better.

Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Joyce Pangco Pañares

Managing Editor Associate Editors News Editor

Emil P. Jurado

Jimbo Owen Gulle City Editor Honor Blanco Cabie Night Editor Lino M. Santos Chief Photographer

Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board

World

MONDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2021

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S. African anti-apartheid icon Desmund Tutu, 90

17 YEARS LATER. Women perform rituals during a ceremony for the victims of the 2004 tsunami at Pattinapakkam Beach in Chennai on December 26, 2021. AFP

SOUTH African anti-apartheid icon Desmond Tutu, described as the country’s moral compass, died on Sunday aged 90, President Cyril Ramaphosa said. “The passing of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu is another chapter of bereavement in our nation’s farewell to a generation of outstanding South Africans who have bequeathed us a liberated South Africa,” he said in a statement. “Desmond Tutu was a patriot without equal; a leader of principle and pragmatism who gave meaning to the biblical insight that faith without works is dead,” he said. “A man of extraordinary intellect, integrity and invincibility against the forces of apartheid, he was also tender and vulnerable in his compassion for those who had suffered oppression, injustice and violence

under apartheid, and oppressed and downtrodden people around the world.” A tireless activist, Tutu won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for combatting white minority rule in his country. Famously outspoken, even after the fall of the racist apartheid regime, Tutu never shied away from confronting South Africa’s shortcomings or injustices. It was Tutu who Desmond Tutu coined and popularised the term “Rainbow Nation” to describe South Africa when Nelson Mandela became the country’s first black president. However in recent years, Tutu slammed even the ruling African National Congress (ANC)— the vanguard of the fight against white-minority rule—for cronyism and nepotism after apartheid ended in 1994. AFP

AS OMICRON HITS CHRISTMAS WEEKEND TRAVEL

Over 6,000 flights scrapped worldwide M ORE than 6,000 flights have been canceled worldwide over the long Christmas weekend and thousands more were delayed, a tracking website reported Sunday, as the highly infectious Omicron variant brings holiday hurt to millions. Compounding the travel chaos in the United States, severe weather in the country’s west is due to wreak havoc on roadways and other routes there although it may well bring a white Christmas weekend to northwest cities Seattle

and Portland. According to Flightaware.com, more than 2,800 flights were scrubbed around the globe on Saturday, including more than 990 originating from or headed to

US airports, with over 8,500 delays as of 0500 GMT. On Friday, there were around 2,400 cancellations and 11,000 delays, while Sunday cancellations were at nearly 1,500 with more than 1,400 delays also reported. Pilots, flight attendants and other employees have been calling in sick or having to quarantine after exposure to COVID, forcing Lufthansa, Delta, United Airlines, JetBlue, Alaska Airlines and many other short-staffed carriers to cancel flights during one of the year’s peak travel periods.

“Help @united flight cancelled again. I want to get home for Christmas,” one exasperated traveler from the US state of Vermont tweeted to the airline early Saturday. Flightaware data showed United canceled around 200 flights on Friday and nearly 250 Saturday – about 10 percent of those that were scheduled. A scramble to reroute pilots and planes and reassign employees was underway, but Omicron’s surge has upended business. “The nationwide spike in Omicron cases this week has had a direct impact on our

flight crews and the people who run our operation,” United said in a statement Friday. “As a result, we’ve unfortunately had to cancel some flights and are notifying impacted customers in advance of them coming to the airport,” the airline said. Similarly, Delta scrapped 310 flights Saturday and was already canceling over 100 more Sunday, saying it has “exhausted all options and resources – including rerouting and substitutions of aircraft and crews to cover scheduled flying.” AFP

Bodies of 16 killed in Channel boat disaster repatriated to Iraq THE bodies of 16 people killed when their boat sank in the Channel while trying to reach England were repatriated early Sunday to Iraqi Kurdistan where their families were awaiting them, an AFP photographer saw. The plane carrying them arrived around 2:00 am at Arbil, capital of the autonomous region in northern Iraq. The remains were transferred to ambulances to transport them to their hometowns of Darbandikhan, Ranya, Soran and Qadrawa. At least 27 people perished in the November 24 tragedy, the deadliest disaster since the Channel became a hub for clandestine migrant crossings from France to England. At the terminal at Arbil airport, emotional families waited for the arrival of the remains of their loved ones, some hugging each other or showing photos of their late relatives.

Suicide bomb attack at bar in Congo kills 5 A SUICIDE bomber killed at least five people at a crowded night spot in the city of Beni in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo Saturday, local officials reported. Officials blamed the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militia, one of the deadliest armed groups in the region and claimed by the Islamic State group as its central Africa arm. “The suicide bomber, prevented by security from gaining access to the bar, packed with clients, activated the bomb at the entrance,” said a statement from military officials running North Kivu province. Another 13 people were being treated for their wounds in hospitals, the statement added, describing the death toll as provisional. Shortly after the blast, Narcisse Muteba, the colonel running the city during the state of emergency in the east of the country, had called on residents to return to their homes for their own safety. An AFP correspondent saw the remains of three bodies at the site of the explosion, the In Box restaurant. The remains of tables, chairs, bottles and glasses were scattered across the blast site. One city hall source told AFP that two children were among the dead, as well as two local officials. More than 30 people were celebrating Christmas there when the bomb went off, two witnesses told AFP. “I was sitting there,” local radio presenter Nicolas Ekila told AFP. “There was a motorbike parked there. Suddenly the motorbike took off, then there was a deafening noise.” AFP

Originally scheduled for Friday, the repatriation had been postponed twice. The 27 victims were mostly men but also included seven women, a 16-yearold and a seven-year-old child. Besides the 16 Iraqi Kurds, the 26 identified included an Iranian Kurd, four Afghan men, three Ethiopians, a Somali and an Egyptian. Only two people were rescued after their inflatable boat capsized, an Iraqi Kurd and a Sudanese national, according to the French interior ministry. According to the Iraqi survivor there had been a total of 33 people aboard. French investigators are still trying to establish a clearer picture of what happened during the disaster. They have been investigating reports the passengers had telephoned both French and British emergency services, appealing for help when the vessel began sinking. AFP

BLEAK HOLIDAYS. A house stands amid the remains of homes destroyed by a tornado, on Christmas Day, in Cambridge

Shores, Kentucky. At least 79 people lost their lives in the tornados, which passed over several states from the night of December 10 to the early morning of December 11. AFP

Saudi-led coalition strikes Yemen rebel camp THE Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said Sunday it struck a Huthi rebel camp in the capital Sanaa, as it intensified an aerial bombing campaign against the Iran-backed insurgents. The coalition, which backs Yemen’s internationally recognised government against the Huthis in a civil war, said it destroyed weapons storehouses in the rebel-held capital, according to the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA). “The operation in Sanaa was an immediate response to an attempt to transfer weapons from Al-Tashrifat camp in Sanaa,” it said in a statement, adding it “destroyed weapons warehouses.” The coalition is scheduled to hold a news conference on Sunday at which it has said it will show evidence of involvement by Lebanon’s Iran-backed

Hezbollah militia in the Yemeni conflict. Saudi Arabia has long accused Iran of supplying the Huthis with sophisticated weapons and its Hezbollah proxy of training the insurgents, charges the Islamic republic denies. Yemen has been wracked by civil war since 2014 pitting the government against the Huthis who control much of the north. Tens of thousands of people have been killed, in what the United Nations has described as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. The coalition launched a “large-scale” military operation against the Huthis on Saturday, the Saudi authorities said, after missiles fired by the rebels killed two people in the kingdom, the first such deaths in three years.

Those air raids left dead three civilians, including a child and a woman, Yemeni medics told AFP. The coalition maintains its operations are carried out in accordance with international humanitarian law, repeatedly urging the Huthis against using civilians as human shields. It said it will present during Sunday’s news conference “evidence of involvement of Lebanon’s terrorist Hezbollah in Yemen and use of (Sanaa) airport to target the kingdom”, according to SPA. The coalition has intensified its air strikes on Sanaa, targeting earlier this week the airport, whose operations have largely ceased because of a Saudi-led blockade since August 2016, with exemptions for aid flights. AFP

Burnt remains of over 30 people found in Myanmar THE charred remains of more than 30 people, including women and children, were found in burnt-out vehicles in Myanmar on Saturday, a rebel group and a monitor said, accusing the junta of the attack. Myanmar has been in chaos since the February coup, with more than 1,300 people killed in a crackdown by security forces, according to a local monitoring group. “People’s Defense Forces” (PDF) have sprung up across the country to fight the junta, and have drawn the military into a bloody stalemate of clashes and reprisals. On Saturday, photos appeared on social media purporting to show two burnt-out trucks and a car on a highway in Hpruso township in eastern Kayah state, with the charred remains of bod-

ies inside. A member of a local PDF group said its fighters had found the vehicles Saturday morning after hearing the military had stopped several vehicles in Hpruso after clashes with its fighters nearby on Friday. “When we went to check in the area this morning, we found dead bodies burnt in two trucks. We found 27 dead bodies,” he told AFP on condition of anonymity. “We found 27 skulls,” said another witness who did not want to be named. “But there were other dead bodies on the truck, which had been burned to pieces so we couldn’t count them.” The Myanmar Witness monitor said it had confirmed local media reports and witness accounts from local fighters “that 35 people including children

and women were burnt and killed by the military on 24th December Hpruso township.” Satellite data also showed a fire had occurred around 1:00 pm (0630 GMT) on Friday in Hpruso, it added. AFP was unable to confirm the reports, but AFP digital verification reporters said the images purporting to show the incident had not appeared online before Friday evening. The Myanmar military denied the claims. A junta spokesman said a clash had broken out in Hpruso on Friday after its troops attempted to stop seven cars driving in a “suspicious way”. Troops had killed a number of people in the following clash, spokesman Zaw Min Tun told AFP, without giving details. AFP

Togo charges 2 journalists with ‘contempt’ TOGO has charged two journalists who have been critical of the government with “contempt of authority” and “spreading false statements on social media,” their lawyer said Saturday. Ferdinand Ayite and Joel Egah, editors of the bi-weekly L’Alternative and the weekly Fraternite respectively, were arrested and detained on December 10 over comments made during an online broadcast. “The two journalists were transferred on Friday to the Lome prison” in the capital, their lawyer Elom Kpade said. A third journalist who also took part in the broadcast, Isidore Kouwonou, had been placed under judicial supervision, he added. Amnesty International earlier this month called for Ayite and Egah’s release, denouncing what it called an “arbitrary detention” and accusing the authorities of wanting to “silence critics.” The small West African state, which has been ruled since 2005 by President Faure Gnassingbe, is often accused by rights groups of cracking down on opposition figures and the media. L’Alternative was suspended in February for four months in a case involving Housing Minister Koffi Tsolenyanu. Before that, it had already been suspended in March 2020, after a complaint from the former French ambassador to Togo. AFP

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News

MONDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2021

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IN BRIEF Army men arrested over Taguig shooting THREE members of the Philippine Army have been arrested following a shooting incident that left six persons wounded in Taguig City on Christmas Day. National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Maj. Gen. Vicente Danao Jr. on Sunday identified the suspects as Capt. Nheiljay Maguddayao Garcia, 31; Probationary 2Lt. Felomino Maguddayao Garcia 30; and 1Lt. Minalyn Awat Ladyong, 29. Capt. Garcia is with the Training and Doctrine Command in Capas, Tarlac; 2Lt. Garcia is assigned at the Army Headquarters in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig; and Ladyong is detailed with the Army Signal Regiment, also in Fort Bonifacio.

‘Reds’ brought nothing but suffering: Lorenzana CATCHING TRASH. A Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) worker places a water boom trap made of used soft drink plastic bottles to prevent trash from families living beside Manila Bay in Baseco Compound in Manila on Sunday, December 26. Danny Pata

‘Future-proof’ plan will be Ping’s focus By Macon Ramos-Araneta PARTIDO Reporma chair and standard-bearer Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said implementing his proposed futureproof strategic measures to lift the entire nation from the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic remains a priority should he receive the executive mandate from the electorate. He said included in this wide-ranging agenda is the creation of jobs to curb the unemployment rate, overhauling the budget system to cut the national debt, providing funds for the universal health care coverage of Filipinos, and stamping out unbridled corruption in the bureaucracy, among others. Lacson also mentioned he and running mate Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III would like to get to the bottom of the rampant agricultural smuggling they recently uncovered as well the perennial diplomatic, trade, and national security issues involving the West Philippine Sea. “There are so many problems that need to be addressed; sometimes they are connected, sometimes they are independent of each other. We will keep our focus on addressing the pandemic,” he said In his pre-election consultation meetings with various stakeholders around the country, Lacson pushed for his Budget Reform Advocacy for Village Empowerment (BRAVE) program, which he believes is an effective solution that could address our most pressing problems at once. By fixing how the national budget should be distributed equitably across the regions, the Universal Health Care Act could be properly funded, thus allowing all Filipinos to get the standard level of care and medical treatment promised to them by the state under the law, Lacson said.

OCTA survey: Marcos enjoys wide lead over other prexy bets By Rey E. Requejo

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HE latest OCTA Research pre-election poll showed Partido Federal ng Pilipinas standard-bearer Ferdinand ‘Bongbong” Marcos Jr. leading with 54 percent compared with 14 percent for Vice President Leni Robredo.

The OCTA Research survey was conducted from December 7 to December 12. The trend was similar to a survey conducted two months ago. Manila Mayor Francicso Isko Moreno Domagoso received 12 percent, Senator Manny Pacquiao has 10 percent and Panfilo Lacson has 5 percent. The survey said Marcos also gained high ratings in the National Capital Region with 37 percent preference as com-

pared to Robredo’s seven percent. Marcos also garnered 57 percent in Luzon, and 50 percent in Visayas 50 percent. In Mindanao, Marcos leads with 63 percent compared to Robredo’s eight percent. In the socio-economic class, 63 percent of respondents from Class ABC said they will vote for Marcos if the elections were held today, Class D recorded 55 percent, while the Class E

bracket registered 46 percent. At least five percent of the respondents are still undecided. The latest results showed that Marcos will dominate the May 2022 presidential derby in all areas in the country and all social classes. In the vice-presidential race, Davao City Mayor Duterte is also a runaway winner if the polls were held today with her 50 percent mark, as opposed to her closest pursuer Sen. Vicente Sotto III, who received 33 percent of the votes. In Mindanao, Duterte garnered 71 percent preference, as compared to Sotto’s 17 percent. In the socio-economic class, Inday Sara consistently held her ground with 61 percent in the ABC Class, 41 percent in the D Class, and 58 percent in the E Class.

BLAST FROM THE PAST.

None other than vice presidential front-runner Mayor Sara Duterte of Davao City spotted her photo with Mayor Evelio Leonardia at the Mayor’s Office when she visited him recently at the Bacolod City Government Center. The photo, Leonardia recalled, was taken about four years ago when she witnessed the city’s MassKara festivities. Duterrte suggested the photo opportunity with the mayor then she held the picture frame with her and Leonardia on it. The President’s daughter, who was given a festive welcome, also took time to have a photo opportunity individually with barangay captains present during her close to two-hours stay where she was mobbed by supporters and admirers. Duterte relayed her wishes to the officials and people of Bacolod, a happy Christmas and a healthy New Year. The Davao City mayor gave relief assistance as well to Negrenses affected by the recent typhoon Odette.* Milo Jimena photo. Bacolod City PIO

Pacquiao says 50-year master plan needed for disaster resiliency By Macon Ramos-Araneta PRESIDENTIAL aspirant Senator Manny Pacquiao has called for a 50year master plan on disaster resiliency for the country. He said the country’s lack of a disaster resiliency master plan has turned government actions into a hodgepodge

of reactionary responses with no real long-term strategy on how to minimize the loss of lives and reduce damage to infrastructure. Pacquaio said that while no amount of preparation can stop powerful typhoons like Odette, or powerful earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, the government should be able to quickly restore power

and telecommunications. It should also have a faster and more efficient delivery system of essential aid such as food and water. If elected president, Pacquaio said he will immediately ask Congress to pass a law creating a 50-year infrastructure masterplan which must be funded and implemented by every administration.

Isko wants to restore iconic City Hall clock to attract more tourists By Rey E. Requejo PRESIDENTIAL aspirant and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso said he is expecting an influx of local and foreign tourists to the Manila City Hall’s iconic clock tower once all the renovations are completed and the view deck is opened to the public. Considered as the Philippines’ version of London’s “Big Ben,” Moreno said improvements were done to the historic clock tower as part of the local city government’s efforts to make it one of Manila’s premier attractions.

Moreno was very impressed with the materials used in the renovation of the viewing deck as this will attract more tourists both local and foreign. Comfort rooms where were also constructed at the clock tower for use of visitors. “That’s correct. It’s not like the government is saving because it will be a tourist attraction for foreigners,” Moreno declared, during his inspection of the clock tower Wednesday. He was accompanied by Manila City Engineer Armand Andres as well as other city hall officials and employees.

This infrastructure master plan should not just focus on the construction of roads, bridges, railways, subways, airports, and seaports but should also focus on improving our country’s disaster preparedness and resiliency. This could include the construction of disaster-resilient housing for those who still live in danger zones.

THE Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), which is marking its 53rd anniversary on Dec. 26, brought nothing but suffering to the country and its people, a Cabinet official said Saturday night. “As we celebrate the Christmas season, we are also reminded of the national cancer that continues to ravage our country -- the Communist Party of the Philippines. For more than five decades, the CPP has brought nothing but misery, loss of lives, destruction of property, and denial of a bright future for many Filipinos,” Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said in a statement.

‘More vaccines bought from Western countries’ THE Philippines purchased more vaccines developed by Western countries than those developed in China for the country’s vaccination program against COVID-19 National Task Force Against COVID-19 medical adviser Dr. Ted Herbosa also said the country bought more Moderna and AstraZeneca than the China-made Sinovac. He also said those who are claiming that the government purchased more Sinovac vaccines might have gotten the wrong information or data. In a radio interview, he said “they have the wrong data. We bought 40 million doses of Pfizer, 20 million doses from Moderna, and 17 million AstraZeneca. We bought more Western vaccines than Chinese-made vaccines.”

Leni recalls ‘heartbreaking’ Visayas visit By Rio N. Araja

VICE President and presidential aspirant Leni Robredo on Sunday said she was heartbroken after visiting the victims of “Odette” in the Visayas region. During her BISErbisyong Leni weekly program over dwIZ, Robredo through video messages shared her “heartbreaking” experiences of typhoon victims still suffering from hunger, and lack of power, potable water to drink, and communication services. In Bohol, most roads remained impassable, and that many of the people there continued to stay on top of their roof, she lamented. She said victims in Dinagat Islands were crying out of “helplessness” and” also of joy” when they saw her visit the place to provide relief assistance. “The problem in Dinagat was that all prepositioned goods were rainsoaked due to the typhoon,” she said.

NO PHYSICAL DISTANCING?

Local tourists watch and feed koi fish in one of the parks found at Nuvali, Sta. Rosa, Laguna. Observers say some health protocols were not followed by the local tourists who gathered in the said leisure park. Physical distancing is still recommended to avoid the spread of COVID-19. Jr Josue

Sports Early drama in COVID-hit Sydney to Hobart race

MONDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2021

Curry carries Warriors past Suns; Nets whip Lakers

Flags fly at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games village in Beijing. AFP

SYDNEY—Australian super maxi LawConnect snatched the lead in a dramatic start to the annual Sydney to Hobart race Sunday as a Coviddepleted fleet of 88 yachts embarked on one of the world’s toughest ocean events. Heading into the teeth of brisk southerly winds, LawConnect grabbed the front position from rival 30-metre (100-foot) super maxi SHK Scallywag from Hong Kong, which hit a major technical problem with a jib sail fitting after having led the fleet out of Sydney Harbour. Some four hours after the race started, LawConnect was in first position ahead of another super maxi, Black Jack. SHK Scallywag, which had to hoist a less powerful storm jib while the crew tried to effect repairs with waves crashing over them, lay in third place. Spectator boats had crowded into a cloudy, breezy Sydney Harbour to enjoy the return of the blue-water classic, which was forced by Covid into an outright cancellation last year for the first time since it began in 1945. The pandemic still cast a shadow, with some of the fastest yachts kept away this year, including the previous line-honours winner super maxi Comanche and nine-time line honours winner Wild Oats XI. Four yachts withdrew over the past two days because of Covid concerns, including one that was announced less than 10 minutes before the traditional Boxing Day starting cannon. Another yacht dropped out because of crew injury. Among those forced out by the virus was Willow, one of the favourites for line honours, which had several crew members test positive. That left 88 entrants, including 17 two-handed yachts, which are allowed to take part for the first time. It was a sharp reduction from the 157 boats that set out in 2019. AFP

Beijing plans for Olympic bubble with no holes, hugs

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EIJING—February’s Beijing Winter Olympics look set to be the strictest mass sporting event since the coronavirus pandemic.

AFP Sport looks at what measures ath- the duration of the Beijing Games. letes and others can expect to face in the That includes for sleeping, eating and “bubble” and how that compares to last travel between the three Games areas, summer’s virus-delayed Tokyo Games. which are as far as 180 kilometres (100 miles) apart. For example, people in the “closed What is the ‘closed loop’? China, where the virus emerged to- loop” using high-speed railway bewards the end of 2019, has pursued a tween the Olympic zones will be kept “zero-Covid” strategy and is taking the in a separate train carriage. same no-nonsense approach to the February 4-20 Olympics. Who is in it? Organizers hope to limit the spread of Pretty much everyone. In Tokyo, athinfections and keep the Games running letes remained in a bubble but there was smoothly by cocooning almost every more flexibility for others involved in person involved in a “closed loop”, ef- the Games, such as the army of volunfectively a big bubble containing thou- teers who are central to any Olympics. sands of people. Tokyo was a bubble -- but it had holes They will be in there from the mo- in it. ment that they land in the Chinese capiBut in Beijing, athletes, media, volunteers, cleaners, cooks and coach drivtal to the time they leave. Unlike Tokyo, where for example me- ers will all be in the bubble. Organizers dia were able to leave the bubble after two have not said how many people that will weeks and venture into public, nobody be, but there will be nearly 3,000 athwill be able to leave the “closed loop” for letes for starters.

Djokovic won’t go to pre-Aussie Open ATP Cup

PICTURE OF THE YEAR. Serbia’s Novak Djokovic reacts after falling on the court while playing against Italy’s Matteo Berrettini during their men’s singles quarter-final tennis match on Day 11 of The Roland Garros 2021 French Open tennis tournament in Paris on June 9, 2021. AFP

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Whereas the Tokyo Olympics took place in front of mostly empty arenas, there will be crowds in Beijing, but spectator numbers look likely to be limited. Fans will not be in the “closed loop” so organisers will somehow need to ensure that they do not mingle with athletes and others inside the bubble. For people living in China, they will need to quarantine after they exit the bubble.

What are the rules?

Unlike Tokyo, everyone must be fully vaccinated or they will have to do 21 days’ quarantine when they touch down in China. Organizers are not insisting that people have booster shots, but the International Olympic Committee says it is “strongly encouraged”. Everybody in the bubble will be tested daily for the virus and must wear face masks at all times. In Tokyo that extended to medallists on the podium, although they were allowed to remove their masks briefly for pictures after the medal ceremony. Beijing looks likely to have the same rule. AFP

BELGRADE, Serbia—Novak Djokovic will not play in the ATP Cup ahead of the Australian Open, where his participation is in doubt because he refuses to say if he has been vaccinated against Covid-19, his team have told Serbian newspaper Blic. “It is 99 percent sure that Novak won’t go to the ATP Cup. He is training here (in Belgrade) but he has decided to give that tournament a miss,” an unnamed member of his team said. The ATP Cup in Sydney is a team tournament that traditionally kicks off the men’s season. World number one Djokovic could win a record 21st Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, which starts on January 17, but to enter Australia he and members of his entourage will have to be vaccinated and the 34-year-old has previously expressed his opposition to the vaccine. His father Srdjan said in late November that Djokovic would probably not play the Australian Open and accused the organisers of “blackmail”. AFP

LOS ANGELES—Stephen Curry scored 33 points to power Golden State to a 116107 victory over Phoenix that moved the Warriors ahead of the Suns for best record in the NBA on Christmas Day. The surge of Covid cases around the league robbed the festive five-game slate of some star power on Saturday, but there was no lack of drama. “The fact that it came on Christmas, we’re on the road, what a great Christmas gift for our guys,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “They obviously gave it to themselves, but it’s fun playing on Christmas, there’s a special vibe and obviously this game with the two teams with the best record in the league had a special feel to it.” Otto Porter Jr. scored 13 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter as the Warriors pulled away to win a back-and-forth battle that featured 12 lead changes. The Warriors arrived in Phoenix for the marquee clash with three of their top four scorers -- Andrew Wiggins, Damion Lee and Jordan Poole -- sidelined by Covid concerns. Curry mostly filled the void and for the first time in nine Christmas games scored more than 20 points -- despite connecting on just 10 of 27 shots from the field, including five of 16 from three-point range. “I’m proud of everybody, man, because not a lot of people picked us to win tonight,” said Curry, who praised Porter’s poise after the Warriors ended the Suns’ 15-game home winning streak. Porter, making his second start of the season after he was thrust into the lineup for the first time on Thursday, scored eight points in the final two and a half minutes, draining a threepointer that sealed the win with less than a minute remaining. “He can shoot the ball,” Curry said.

Giannis makes big return

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 36 points in his return from Covid protocols, powering the NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks to a 117-113 comeback win over the coronavirus-depleted Boston Celtics. There would be no miracle comeback for the Los Angeles Lakers, however, as their bid to rally against a Brooklyn Nets team returning from a week-long Covid hiatus came up short. The Nets, who had a league-high 13 players sidelined by Covid last week and had three games postponed, led by 23 points in the fourth quarter but saw the Lakers tie it up with 45 seconds remaining, before scoring the final seven points in a 122-115 victory in Los Angeles. James Harden, who missed three games because of Covid, posted a triple-double of 36 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Patty Mills added 34 points for the Nets, whose Covid absentees included superstar Kevin Durant and LaMarcus Aldridge. Nic Claxton dunked over Lakers star LeBron James to break a tie with 40.7sec remaining and the Lakers, despite 39 points from James, suffered a fifth straight defeat. AFP

Redemption for Basilan in Chooks-to-Go MPBL WHEN Philip Manalang nailed the buzzer-beating trey that gave BasilanJumbo Plastic Medical Depot the 2021 Chooks-to-Go Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Invitational powered by TM crown in the wee hours of Friday, he turned his back, sobbing in front of the jampacked SM Mall of Asia Arena. It was worth more than the P2,000,000 pot at stake. It was the culmination of a year-long journey of redemption for the point guard out of University of the East. “Siguro destiny ito, God’s will ito at para sa amin talaga,” said the 24-year-old guard out of San Fernando, Pampanga. Back in March of 2020, Basilan was supposed to take on Davao OccidentalCocolife in a do-or-die Game Three Southern Finals tilt in the MPBL’s Lakan season. But it was postponed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A year later, the league was able to clear clearance to resume the playoffs inside a bubble in Subic. Basilan though was not able to play

out the game as two of their players and some of their staff members tested positive for COVID-19. And one of those players was Manalang. “Kasi ‘yung bubble na ‘yun, ako ‘yung nag-positive sa COVID nu’n, tsaka si [Anthony] Bringas,” he admitted. “Tumawag si Coach Jerson sa akin nu’n tapos ‘yun, umiiyak ako sa kanya na nag-positive ako. Nahihiya ako sa kanila since ako pa ‘yung naging reason. Nandu’n na kami e,” he continued. “Asymptomatic po ako pero hirap na 14 days ako naka-quarantine tapos ‘yung kasama ko, nag-severe. Du’n ako natakot,” he said. For the next few months, Basilan went on a redemption tour in various leagues in the country. They went on to win the inaugural Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup title last August in Pagadian. Two months later, the same team, now carrying the name Manila AICC, ruled the Filbasket tournament in Subic. Despite winning two tournaments, Basilan head coach Jerson Cabiltes

wanted one thing -- the MPBL crown. “When Basilan was asked to join the Chooks-to-Go MPBL Invitational, it was not about redemption anymore, not about us redeeming ourselves after not being able to play the last championship game,” he said. “If this would be one of our reasons to play, then this would be unfair to the new additions to our team. “The truth is I just wanted to create an opportunity for my team to play the sport that we love and to have work this holiday season,” he continued. Basilan showed character all throughout the tournament, winning close games en route to a 6-0 record heading into the final. But they had to hurdle the fancied Nueva Ecija team that had the likes of Roi Sumang, tournament MVP Michael Mabulac, and top prospect Justin Gutang. For 40 minutes, the two teams slug it out with no team leading by more than five points. By the end of four quarters, the two teams were deadlocked at 74-all. For his part, Manalang was cold

Philip Manalang is embraced by Basilan teammates.

from the field, going 0-of-8. Still, he never lost his confidence as he waited for his moment. “Sabi ko, tiwala pa rin ako sa sarili

ko kasi araw-araw naman ako nagshooshooting. Kahit nagstra-struggle ako nu’ng first half, nandu’n pa rin ‘yung tiwala ko sa sarili ko.”

Sports

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

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MONDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2021

Rodgers sets record; Packers win over Browns

DONATION FOR TYPHOON VICTIMS. NLEX coach Yeng Guiao (center) announced the team’s check donation of P150,000 for the victims of typhoon Odette on behalf of the Alagang Kapatid Foundation and PLDT-Smart Foundation during the halftime break of the NLEX-Phoenix game at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Others in photo are Ronald Dulatre, NLEX team executive, PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial, representatives from the Alagang Kapatid and PLDT-Smart Foundations and members of the NLEX Road Warriors team.

POC chief: Hanoi SEAG preparations intensify POC president Rep. Abraham Tolentino

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HILIPPINE Olympic Committee president Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino on Sunday said that a Chef de Mission meeting is set in early January as preparations for the 31st Southeast Asian Games shift to high gear with under only five months left before its opening ceremony in Hanoi on May 12 next year. The meeting will be held face-to-face— the first to be organized by host Vietnam for the postponed Games that end May 23, Tolentino added. “Although the SEA Games are just months away, we believe the hosts are doing everything for a successful

George out for at least a month after injuring elbow LOS ANGELES—Los Angeles Clippers leading scorer Paul George will miss at least four weeks with a torn ligament in his right elbow, the NBA team said Saturday. George sprained his elbow on December 6, missed two weeks and returned to play in just two games. After playing against the Sacramento Kings on Thursday, George felt pain in the elbow, the Los Angeles Times reported. “Paul George suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow,” the Clippers aid in a statement. “George will rest and be re-evaluated in 3-4 weeks, at which point next steps will be determined.” George’s extended absence comes as the 17-15 Clippers are already missing injured Luke Kennard and Isaiah Hartenstein. Covid concerns have also sidelined point guard Reggie Jackson and forward Marcus Morris Sr. George was averaging 24.7points per game, his highest in three seasons, with 7.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists. AFP

Tributes pour in for Badolato

hosting,” Tolentino said. “They’re prepared, because if not for the pandemic, the Games should have been done and over with this time.” The SEA Games, the second time Vietnam is hosting the multi-sport event, was originally scheduled for November 21 to December 2. The Philippines’ chef de mission to the Games, Philippine Sports Commission Commissioner Ramon Fernandez,

and his deputies—Atty. Alberto Agra of obstacle sports and Pearl Managuelod of muay thai—are expected to fly to Hanoi with his deputies, Tolentino said. The meeting is set in Hanoi with the organizers setting the dates and agenda within the week. The Philippines intends to send a 626-athlete delegation which will compete in 29 of the 30 sports in the Hanoi program. The second Chefs de Mission and Technical Delegates Meeting is set on March 13. Also up on the POC task this week is the submission of entry by numbers to the Huangzhou 19th Asian Games on or before December 31.

LOS ANGELES—Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers’s record-setting night and a late interception by Rasul Douglas helped the Packers to a 24-22 NFL victory over the Cleveland Browns on Saturday. The narrow victory saw the Packers improve to 12-3 and stay in control in the race for the top seed in the NFC playoffs. As Green Bay consolidated their position, the Arizona Cardinals failed to clinch a playoff berth for the third straight week, falling 22-16 to the determined Indianapolis Colts. Carson Wentz threw two touchdown passes and Jonathan Taylor ran for 108 yards for the Colts, who have won three straight games and six of their last seven. Wentz connected with Dezmon Patmon in the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown that gave the Colts a 22-13 lead for good with 6:45 remaining in the fourth quarter. Arizona had chances to regain the lead, but settled for a field goal with 42 seconds remaining. Cardinals kicker Matt Prater missed two field goal attempts as well as an extra point. Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray threw for 245 yards and a touchdown and ran for 74 yards. He hit Antoine Wesley for a 24-yard touchdown that put Arizona up 13-12 early in the third quarter. But the Cardinals couldn’t hold on and are now 3-5 since starting the season 7-0. In Green Bay, Rodgers broke Packers great Brett Favre’s franchise record for touchdown passes with a TD toss to Allen Lazard in the first quarter that took his career tally to 443. A message from Favre was displayed on the jumbotron scoreboard at Lambeau, congratulating Rodgers on the achievement. “Hey 12, congratulations, man, on passing my touchdown record,” Favre said. “I have one request: Go get us another Super Bowl.” Rodgers, who connected on 24 of 34 passing attempts for 202 yards and three touchdowns, said that remained the ultimate aim. “That’s the goal,” he said. “For sure this was an important one -- a team fighting for their playoff lives... It’s not pretty, but it’s a win.” AFP

Organizer seeks bigger Fil-Am golf staging in ‘22 FOR almost two years, amateur golf tournaments took a backseat due to the pandemic. When the protocols eased up a few months ago and with the approval of the local government unit of Baguio City and Inter Agency Task Force of Emerging Infectious Diseases, the Fil-Am Golf Invitational made a successful return last week. The Fil-Am executive committee submitted a proposal to the LGU, IATF and National Golf Association of the Philippines, early this year but it was only granted with the go-ahead in October, thus, giving only a month to prepare for the four-day event in the country’s Summer capital. “I believe they all waited for the Covid-19 alert level to slide down. And when it did, that’s the time that we were given the green light,” said Robert John Sobrepeña, chairman of Camp John Hay, co-host alongside the Baguio Country Club of the Fil-Am golfest. For this 71st edition, the Fil-Am was

Robert John Sobrepeña

By Peter Atencio FOR LA Tenorio, the late coaching legend Edmundo “Ato” Badolato played a significant role in his life and career. Badolato, who passed away recently at age 74, has left a big mark on Tenorio when was still a young player with the San Beda Red Cubs back in high school. “Doon nag-start ang career ko sa kanya as a player. Kaya malaki ang utang na loob ko kay coach Ato,” said Tenorio when he visited his former coach’s wake last week, alongside many players, who Badolato developed in junior play. Tenorio, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel’s top point guard, talked about his thoughts on Coach Ato during his internment at San Beda-Mendiola on Monday. Under Badolato’s watch, a lot of junior players emerged from the SBC high

school basketball program as among the most sought-after cagers in college. Badolato began developing players back in the 1960s soon after the Red Cubs tasted their first junior championship in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. “Siya ang nag-mold sa akin as to who I am right now. I was with coach Ato nu’ng time na developmental stage ko as a basketball player,” said Tenorio, who played for the Ateneo Blue Eagles in college later. Badolato was considered as one of the best high school coaches then, before he retired and became San Beda’s basketball and athletic director in 2004 as he continued looking for potential standouts in their pre-teens, whom he can help develop. In the cases, where he couldn’t to do it by himself, Badolato would usually refer these standouts to good coaches, who in turn took good care of them.

With Badolato handling the San Beda Red Cubs, the squad won 15 of their 23 high school cage championships. Among the players that blossomed under Badolato were Tenorio, champion coach Eric Altamirano, Borgie Hermida, Benjie Paras, Dindo Pumaren, Ronnie Magsanoc, JVee Casio, Ren Ren Ritualo, Britt Reroma and Baser Amer. “We learned a lot from him. We will never forget him,” said Ritualo, who eventually played for La Salle in college and is now an assistant coach of the Adamson Falcons. Two of the Philippine Basketball Association’s 40 Greatest Players include Magsanoc and Benjie Paras, and Badolato was influential on how they grew as players back in high school. La Salle standouts LA Revilla and Ateneo cager Nico Salva also traced their roots from Badolato’s coaching

played in a semi-bubble to ensure the health and safety of the participants. As it was a semi-bubble, the players have had three Antigen tests done throughout the week. That translated into zero (0) COVID-19 case, Sobrepeña happily noted. “Our staff and the people involved at CJH and BCC were fully vaccinated and have had antigen tests too. It safeguarded everyone. This is in compliance with the LGU’s guidelines. The good news was, it worked,” he said. Sobrepeña also said that the Fil-Am executive committee is hoping to have the tournament back to normalcy in 2022. “We are hoping to have a better situation next year so we can bring in more participants,” he said, noting that only 288 played, a far cry from the usual 1,300 it lures every year for the world’s largest amateur golf tournament in the Guinness Book of World Records

Ato Badolato

Business Wellex Group launches bid to buy rest of PHES shares By Jenniffer B. Austria THE Wellex Group of the Gatchalian family will conduct a mandatory tender offer to acquire remaining shares it does not own in listed unit Philippine Estates Corp. Wellex made the move after a recently-concluded rights offering that resulted in an increase in ownership of Wellex and its affiliates in PHES to more than 50 percent. “Wellex is required to make a tender offer under Sec 19.2.5 of the SRC (Securities Regulation Code) for all the outstanding equity securities to all remaining stockholders of PHES at a price supported by a fairness opinion provided by an independent financial advisor or equivalent third party,” PHES said. PHES raised as much as P1.44 billion from the rights offering which it will use to fund land acquisitions to support the company’s pipeline projects and for general corporate purposes. PHES sold 1.44 billion in rights shares during the offering period. The Wellex Group acquired 1.37 million shares in the offering. PHES had its last capital raising in September 1995 when it was still listed as Philippine Cocoa Estates Corp. Philippine Stock Exchange president and chief executive Ramon Monzon cited during the listing ceremony that some listed companies that have not had any equity fund raising in a decade or so returned to the stock market this year, including PHES. “As Philippine Estates continues to expand its property portfolio, there is no question that the funds raised from this SRO will support the company’s initiatives and provide new windows for growth,” Monzon said. PHES has seven mass housing projects in Cebu and Iloilo and two ongoing developments in Malolos, Bulacan and Mactan, Cebu.

IN BRIEF

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com MONDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2021

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Work on Southeast Asia’s biggest solar project starts By Alena Mae S. Flores

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EWLY-LISTED Solar Philippines Nueva Ecija Corporation (SPNEC) has begun construction of what is planned to be the largest solar project in Southeast Asia.

The company began mobilizing for the construction last week, led by the in-house engineering, procurement and construction team of parent firm Solar Philippines. SPNEC is using part of the proceeds from its P2.7-billion initial public offer-

ing to build the first 50-MW phase of solar project and the interconnection facilities for the full 500-MW project, and acquire land to expand the project. The company said the first 50 MW is targeted to begin delivering power to the grid by the end of 2022, paving the way for SPNEC to reach profitability and construct the rest of the project by 2023. The project is designed for the full 500 MW, using land that SPNEC has been developing since 2016. Once the first 50 MW begins delivering power to the grid, SPNEC plans to install solar panels for the next 175 MW in six months and be ready to install solar panels for the rest of the 500 MW after over a year, given the relative ease of adding capacity to an already operat-

ing solar farm. Solar Philippines’ EPC team implemented the company’s now operational solar farms in Calatagan, Batangas and Concepcion, Tarlac. Located in Peñaranda, a fourth class municipality in Nueva Ecija, the project is expected to create over 5,000 jobs during construction and over 500 jobs during operations. The company is investing in training locals in solar panel installation, given the expected scale of projects in this area over the coming years. SPNEC earlier announced that it was using the rest of its IPO proceeds to develop a 1,000-hectare expansion for a joint venture with a partner who can help turn the plan into a reality.

Damage to electric coops reach P183b

THE National Electrification Administration reported that damage from 26 electric cooperatives due to typhoon Odette has reached P1.83 billion. NEA said in its latest report that six ECs were still experiencing total power interruption, namely Bohol Electric Cooperative I and II, Cebu Electric Cooperative, Dinagat Island Electric Cooperative, Siargao Electric Cooperative and Southern Leyte Electric Cooperative. Around 2.25 million customers continue to be affected by typhoon Odette from around 169 municipalities. Around 19 ECs are experiencing partial power interruption while only Negros Occidental Electric Cooperative has yet to give its damage update to NEA. Transmission operator National Grid Corp. of the Philippines, meanwhile, said it deployed 1,100 personnel to conduct restoration works for the remaining transmission facilities affected by Typhoon Odette. Alena Mae S. Flores

PLDT firms up hold in enterprise market

PLDT Inc. said it is cementing its foothold in the enterprise market as the preferred solutions partner among key industries, large and small businesses, and the public sector. “We are aggressively growing strength on IoT, Cloud solutions, and data centers because the hyperscale business—with a huge focus on ICT—is significant to us. As we mentioned, our third quarter revenues for Enterprise is at an all-time high. I am confident that they will do even better in the fourth quarter,” said PLDT and Smart Communications president and chief executive Alfredo Panlilio. PLDT’s Enterprise segment’s revenues grew to P 31.1 billion in the first nine months. The segment’s revenue scaled an all-time high of P10.7 billion in the third quarter, buoyed by the strong uptake of ICT, and Data Center and colocation services growing 26 percent year-on-year. Darwin G. Amojelar

BDO serving clients in Odette-hit areas

PHES RIGHTS OFFERING. Philippine Estates Corp. concludes its P1.4-billion stock rights offering with a listing ceremony held on December 24 at the Philippine Stock Exchange. PHES will use the proceeds from the offering for the acquisition of la and in Bulacan, Cavite, Cebu and Iloilo as well as for general corporate purposes. At the bell-ringing ceremony are (from left, by row) PHES chairman Arthur Lopez, PSE chief operating officer Roel Refran and CEO Elvira Ting, PHES director Dee Hua Gatchalian, PSE president and CEO Ramon Monzon, PSE Issuer Regulation Division head Marigel Garcia, PHES director Sergio Luis-Ortiz Jr., PHES treasurer and director Richard Ricardo and Securities Clearing Corporation of the Philippines chief operating officer Renee Rubio.

Distribution utilities ordered to offer franchise areas to qualified operators THE National Electrification Administration ordered all distribution utilities to submit to the Department of Energy a comprehensive electrification master plan (CEMP) to achieve the total energization of their respective areas as part of their compliance to Executive Order 156. The utilities were also asked to waive part of their franchise areas to enable other companies to adequately distribute power supplies in these sectors. NEA directed the electric cooperatives to submit the report within 30 days from December 21. NEA administrator Emmanuel Juaneza also ordered the DUs to submit an inventory of all inadequately served areas within their respective franchises and actions plans to achieve the timely implementation of their total electrification program, including proposals to waive areas for alternative service providers and qualified third parties pursuant to Section 59 of R.A. No. 9136 or the EPIRA Law. The utilities must prepare specific timelines to implement each action plan and

program to deliver continuous, reliable and affordable service, and funding sources and budgetary requirements. The move is in compliance with Executive Order No. 156, instituting measures to ensure consistent and reliable electricity service in inadequately served areas, improve performance of ineffective distribution utilities and achieve total electrification of the country. President Rodrigo Duterte issued E.O. 156 on December 9, requiring measures to ensure the consistent and reliable electricity service in inadequately served areas in line with government’s efforts to accelerate total electrification. The EO also stressed the need to use advance technology that will facilitate the development of integrated systems, such as microgrids, distributed energy resources, delivery and consumption of electricity for unserved and viable areas. The EO noted that some DUs and ECs that continue to demonstrate poor performance, thus hampering the government goal of total electrification. Alena Mae S. Flores

Industry group pushing coco oil as COVID cure By Othel V. Campos THE Federation of Philippine Industries is pushing for the use of coconut oil as alternative treatment for COVID-19 infections. FPI president Jesus Arranza said the government should explore the use of coconut oil, which is a ready, local preparation, that may help in combatting the effects of COVID-19 virus in positive patients. “The government then should encourage the use of virgin coconut oil in preventing the surge of COVID-19 cases since COVID-19 is one the envelope viruses,” he said. The group, he added, had previously commissioned a study of coconut oil. Among the finding was its effectiveness as a deactivating agent of lipid envelope virus, “which is exactly what COVID is.” The Department of Science and Technology had confirmed this in clinical studies, he added. The FPI also encouraged the government to communicate with the World Health Organization so that the findings of the study and, lately of the Department of Science and Technology, can be introduced globally. “This will help not only our coconut indus-

try, our coconut farmers but also the government since if it will be accepted by the WHO, just imagine the export quantity that will be coming out from the country to the world market,” Arranza said. The group, he noted, was worried over the exorbitant price of imported medicines used to treat COVID-19 patients. “Many of the families with COVID patients even go to as far as the black market to buy these medicines at prices twice or thrice more than the original price,” Arranza said. While the group does not necessarily support importation of foreign-made medications for COVID, it sought importation rights for farmers in the event of food shortage. “We strongly believe that in event, like what is happening today, where the harvest of palay and other crops is affected by typhoon, by flood and pork is also affected by the African Swine Fever (ASF), it should be the farmers, who incurred losses in both livestock and agricultural farming, who should be the one to import, not any third party who has nothing to do with agriculture, specifically those who did not even incur losses,” FPI said.

BDO branches located in areas affected by Typhoon Odette will continue to serve clients on shortened banking hours. For the updated schedule and list, visit www.bdo. com.ph/branch-updates. The bank regularly replenishes the cash supply of ATMs in these areas. However, the ATM availability will depend on the area’s power supply and telecommunications connectivity. BDO is a full-service universal bank in the Philippines. It provides a complete array of industry-leading products and services including lending (corporate and consumer), deposit-taking, foreign exchange, brokering, trust and investments, credit cards, retail cash cards, corporate cash management and remittances in the Philippines.

Business

B2 || MONDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2021 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Odette impact, Omicron worry market and the positivity rate in the country due to increased social gathering and reHE stock market will unions taking place during the holiday are also causing a concern. likely trade sideways season Fears over the severe impact of the reduring shortened cent typhoon on the economy, especially on the agriculture sector, have made intrading week on thin vestors tentative. volume as investors weigh The government earlier reported that the agricultural damage caused by the impact of Typhoon the onslaught of Typhoon Odette had Odette and the spread of reached more than P3 billion. the Omicron variant on the The 30-member Philippine Stock Exchange Index last week slipped 1.6 Philippine economy. Analysts said Omicron was casting percent to 7,181.86, while the broader dark shadow over the near term period. All Shares Index dropped 0.8 percent to The recent increase in COVID-19 cases 3,822.26.

By Jenniffer B. Austria

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Except for the mining and oil index which rose 1.2 percent, all other subindices posted week-on-week declines. Holdings firms fell 2.2 percent, services retreated 1.9 percent; property slumped 17 percent, financials decreased 1.2 percent and industrial dipped 0.02 percent. Foreign investors were net sellers for the week by P530 million, while the average daily value traded fell to P5.2 billion from the previous week’s average of P25.5 billion. Weekly top price gainers were Shakey’s Pizza Asia Ventures Inc., which climbed 9.7 percent to P10.40 after the company reported it acquired Potato Corner, while AC Energy Corp.,

rose 6 percent to P11.26. Weekly top price losers were DITO CME Holdings Corp., which fell 6.5 percent to P5.09; Globe Telecom Inc., which decreased 4.7 percent to P3,360; and JG Summit Holdings Inc., which dropped 4.3 percent to P53.50. World stock markets, meanwhile, wavered Friday in subdued Christmas Eve trade as investors mulled over receding Omicron coronavirus fears, with European bourses wrapping up early before the long holiday weekend. Asian equities mostly rose in thin volumes after Wall Street finished its trading week Thursday with strong gains on solid economic data. With AFP

Climate crisis puts oil, fossil fuels in focus PARIS, France—The climate crisis has put the end of oil onto the agenda, but achieving that is a colossal task given the world economy’s deep dependence on petroleum. “In 2021, several developments showed clearly that (the petroleum) industry doesn’t have a future,” said Romain Ioualalen at the activist group Oil Change International. The International Energy Agency warned in May that an immediate halt to new investment in fossil projects is needed if the world is to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and to stand any chance of limiting warming to 1.5C. The call was a revolution for an agency created in the wake of the first 1970 oil shock to protect the energy security of rich, oil-consuming nations. Another major moment in 2021 was the emergence at the COP 26 climate summit in Glasgow of a coalition of nations that pledged to phase out oil and gas production, although no major oil and gas producing nation joined that group. “It is no longer taboo to talk about the end of the extraction of hydrocarbons during international climate summits,” said Oil Change International’s Ioualalen. And fossil fuels—which still represent 80 percent of energy consumed—were explicitly blamed for driving climate change, which was not the case when the Paris climate pact was reached in 2015. More recently, environmental defenders scored a symbolic victory when oil giant Shell decided to exit the development of the controversial Cambo oil field off Scotland saying the investment case was “not strong enough”. AFP

NO LOCKDOWN. Shoppers, some wearing face coverings to combat the spread of COVID-19, pass High Street stores on Christmas Eve in Guildford, south of London on December 24, 2021. The government has opted not to introduce tougher restrictions in England ahead of Christmas, focusing instead on a campaign to increase vaccine protection through a booster program. AFP

China eyes bill to tackle work discrimination vs. women BEIJING, China—Chinese lawmakers are discussing new rules to prevent workplace discrimination and sexual harassment against women amid a string of high-profile cases in recent months. A draft bill published Friday includes a ban on employers stating gender preferences on job ads and quizzing female applicants about their marital or pregnancy status–-a common practice that has been criticized for decades. Rapid economic growth in the past four decades coupled with the one-child rule has opened up more educational and employment opportunities for Chinese women. But women’s participation in the workforce has dropped, due to genderbased filtering when hiring and as more

This photo taken on December 10, 2021 shows a man (center) riding a bicycle down a street in Sheung Shui, a town in northwest Hong Kong near the border with mainland China. AFP

HONG KONG, China—Three years of democracy protests followed by a pandemic have devastated Hong Kong retailers who had grown used to relying on cash from mainland Chinese tourists. In a city that once boasted some of the world’s highest retail rents, the market has cratered. But a border town has seized the chance to evolve its local economy. Sheung Shui is the first town from the main overland border crossing and once thrived as a place where tax-free goods could be snapped up for resale back in mainland China—a process known as parallel trading. “People’s impression of Sheung Shui is of parallel traders and mainland China,” said Eugene Chan, 22, who has lived in the neighborhood since childhood. Chan recalled pavements swamped by people filling their luggage with cosmetics, baby formula or household supplies to meet

TOP GAINERS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

PA PIZZA PTC BKR ANI IPO UPM FDC MA AB

LAST PRICE

% CHANGE CHANGE

3.23 10.4 109.8 1.67 4.27 7.6 0.0064 7.98 0.0091 5.79

0.31 0.85 8.8 0.13 0.28 0.49 0.0004 0.46 0.0005 0.28

10.62% 8.90% 8.71% 8.44% 7.02% 6.89% 6.67% 6.12% 5.81% 5.08%

TOP LOSERS

Hong Kong retailers forge new path without mainland Chinese tourists

By Holmes Chan

PSEi December 24, 2021

huge demand across the border. But all that vanished in the wake of huge democracy rallies followed by pandemicrelated border closures. In January 2019, just before the protests began, arrivals from the mainland reached an all time high of 5.5 million, a remarkable figure given Hong Kong’s population is 7.5 million. Two years later that figure fell below 3,000. “That’s a huge loss of demand,” Simon Smith, senior director of research and consultancy at Savills, told AFP. “That wave of mainland spending, particularly focused on luxury, watches, jewelry, designer goods, it really propelled rents to world-beating levels.” Hong Kong’s popular shopping districts previously boasted “golden streets” where store rents were more expensive than those in New York City’s Fifth Avenue. Now, Smith said, shop rents in prime locations have undergone a “substantial correction” and regressed to 2003 levels, down more than 75 percent from peak levels in 2013.AFP

women care for families amid a severe shortage of affordable childcare options. A report by Human Rights Watch in June found that one in five civil service job postings in 2019 specified a preference for male applicants. The report also says that it was a common practice for employers including schools to force female staff to sign contracts promising not to get pregnant for several years as a pre-condition for being hired. The proposed new rules come amid concerns that China’s new threechild rule could make employers even more reluctant to hire women and as officials crack down on the local #MeToo movement after a string of cases that led to a public outcry over sexual assault in the workplace. Earlier this month, e-commerce gi-

LLOYD CHRISTIAN DIAZ

Green LiGht

I ENJOY traveling because it is therapeutic for me. Traveling, in my opinion, is a type of self-discovery and visual learning. Traveling to different countries allows me to observe their people, tourist attractions, cultures and traditions, which I believe is significant for me as a visual learner for overall human development learning. “We live in a wonderful world full of beauty, charm, and adventure,” said Jawaharlal Nehru. “There are no limits to the adventures we can have if we seek them with our eyes open.” Traveling is to see and spend a few hours sitting alone in a park or on a busy street corner just watching day-to-day life happen in front of you. Slow down your thinking and focus on the details around you. It’s a type of meditation in which you’ll see a lot of things you’ve never seen before. God has gifted me with the beautiful gift of sight, and I am grateful for it. Some people, however, can only envision things with their minds or cannot imagine at all since they do not have the gift of sight. Thirty-seven million people worldwide are blind, with the majority living in developing countries. This could be prevented for 28 million people if they received competent medical care. I had the opportunity to volunteer for the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital

ant Alibaba group fired a female staffer who had accused a manager of sexual assault. The proposed amendments will make enforcement easier by clearly defining what sexual harassment is, state-run Xinhua news agency said. According to a draft text published Friday, it prohibits “vulgar speech,” “inappropriate physical behavior” or “the display or dissemination of sexual images, information, text, audio or video.” It also requires employers to set up mechanisms to prevent, investigate and respond to such complaints “without delay,” but there were no details on any penalties for failing to do so. The amendments are open for public comment until January 22, 2022. AFP

LAST PRICE

% CHANGE CHANGE

1

OPM

0.01

-0.001

-9.09%

2 3

PHES SEVN

0.51 87.8

-0.04 -6.2

-7.27% -6.60%

4 5 6 7 8

PERC LBC LAND WEB DNL

4.05 21 0.86 1.87 9.03

-0.27 -1 -0.04 -0.08 -0.32

-6.25% -4.55% -4.44% -4.10% -3.42%

9 10

TECHW NRCP

0.88 0.59

-0.03 -0.02

-3.30% -3.28%

MOST ACTIVE 1 2

CNVRG ACEN

VOLUME 3,683,100 10,481,800

VALUE (PHP) 121,717,135 118,074,936

3 4 5 6 7 8

SPNEC CNPF AC SMPH BDO TEL

94,050,000 3,290,900 98,680 2,196,300 587,820 34,180

108,180,950 88,760,405 85,756,845 76,017,835 72,250,777 62,869,625

9 10

MONDE ICT

3,645,300 293,270

58,209,192 56,963,512

FedEx’s Orbis Flying Eye Hospital Activity in our Clark, Pampanga site. FedEx helps children and adults in developing countries who suffer from cataracts and other curable forms of blindness get access to medical treatment from Orbis medical teams through volunteer pilots who fly up to a dozen missions a year for Orbis International, a nonprofit humanitarian organization. The program will strengthen the delivery of eye care services in Central Luzon. Exposure to the visiting doctors and surgeons will improve the skills and knowledge of the local ophthalmic community in cataract, pediatric ophthalmology, orbits and oculoplastics, adult glaucoma and medical retina. This program is in partnership with the Jose B. Lingad Memorial Hospital and with support from the Central Luzon Society of Ophthalmology. I had a chance to tour the aircraft they were using, and the setup amazed me. The plane is a fully equipped, flying hospital. The volunteer doctors are passionate about what they are doing. I volunteered because I believe there is still hope to prevent and cure blindness with proper medical care. I want to give hope for all blind people to see the world and experience its beauty and wonder. Orbis has been working for many years to improve the quality of ophthalmic services in the Philippines through different training

programs and working to continue eliminating avoidable blindness. In addition, FedEx is sponsoring a fellowship to a promising ophthalmologist in the Philippines. This will enable commitment to delivering world-class healthcare. Our eyes are called: “the windows to our soul.” Jesus taught us how our eyes reflect either spiritual light or great spiritual darkness within our souls. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness.” Matthew 6:22-23 This volunteering opportunity has been a blessing since I assisted those in need. It made me appreciate FedEx’s vast network. My fellow volunteers extended their whatever-ittakes mentality, imaginative energy and loving hearts to assisting us. I am grateful for this opportunity. The author is an MBA student at the Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business, DLSU. He can be reached at lloyd_christian_diaz@ dlsu.edu.ph. The views expressed above are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official position of DLSU, its faculty, and its administrators.

Entertainment Bea Binene, Benjamin Alves, and Sunshine Cruz are the stars of the drama ‘Kapag Nahati ang Puso’ airing in Brunei as ‘Broken Hearts.’

Top-rating GMA dramas captivate viewers in Brunei

GMA brings three of its top-rating dramas to Brunei through its partnership with distributor DM Don Square Entertainment. Daytime dramas Ang Forever Ko’y Ikaw (Close To You) and Kapag Nahati ang Puso (Broken Hearts) debuted this year on the weekend primetime block of RTB Aneka, Brunei’s pioneer free-to-air TV channel. Both series earned good ratings and received rave reviews from Bruneian viewers. Meanwhile, top-rating primetime romantic-comedy series, Love You Two will air in the first quarter of 2022 also on RTB Aneka. Dramatic series, Kapag Nahati ang Puso (Broken Hearts) premiered on Oct. 22 on RTB Aneka. It stars Bea Binene, Sunshine Cruz, and Benjamin Alves. The series is about an

unsuspecting mother and daughter who unwittingly become fierce rivals. Ang Forever Ko’y Ikaw (Close To You) premiered earlier this year, also on RTB Aneka. The series is top-billed by Camille Pratts and Neil Ryan Sese, together with Bruno Gabriel and Ayra Mariano. Finally, Love You Two, GMA’s toprating primetime romantic comedy is set to captivate Bruneian viewers as it premieres on RTB Aneka in Q1 2022. It stars Jennylyn Mercado, Gabby Concepcion, and Shaira Diaz. Through its long-standing partnership with DM Don Square Entertainment, GMA continues to bring the best of Filipino entertainment to its neighboring country of Brunei and continues to be the premier source of content from the Philippines.

SNAPSHOT

PayMaya pays it forward DIGITAL financial services leader PayMaya recently paid it forward to the frontlines of the National Center for Mental Health. The company distributed 100 Christmas food baskets to the NCMH Crisis Hotline responders and the Emergency Room and Psychiatric Acute Unit staff. “Promoting mental health is important, especially among our young people during this pandemic. We are paying it forward to our mental health frontliners who have been helping fight this silent battle. We admire them for bravely dedicating their time and effort to help those suffering from mental health issues,”

said Nick Wilwayco, Head of Public Affairs and Communications at PayMaya. According to NCMH, the average volume of monthly calls they received during the pandemic nearly quadrupled versus pre-pandemic numbers. PayMaya’s gift to NCMH is part of PayMaya’s initiative under the MVP Group’s Tuloy Pa Rin Ang Pasko campaign, which aims to keep the Christmas spirit alive amid the pandemic. Early this year, NCMH was also a beneficiary of the PayMaya It Forward Flash Donation Drive for COVID-19 frontliners.

TRUTHFUL CINEMA THERE are three films that deserve a massive share of audiences, and yes, critical acclaim. Two of them, are currently motion pictures in competition in the annual Metro Manila Film Festival, Jun Lana’s Big Night and Carlo Francisco Manatad’s Kun Maupay Man It Panahon. The third one, is a coming soon full-length feature attraction, Joel Lamangan’s Walker. The trio con brio of Lana, Manatad, and Lamangan gives us cinema that not only pokes, it also pierces the heart and acts as a slap so forceful it stings our collective faces. They show to us all the potency, power, and the why and wherefore of cinema, being one of the seven major arts. Lana’s Big Night screams why “story is king” is an important ingredient to a film. The many realities that we have considered

Christian Bables as Dharna in a scene from Jun Lana’s MMFF entry ‘Big Night.’

routine and gossip fare – killing in broad daylight, the power-tripping of those who see ALWIN themselves as high and IGNACIO mighty, innocence lost when faced to choose between the devil and the deep blue sea, and the sad truth that at times, one must and should learn how to swim with the sharks, to ensure survival are all masterfully depicted in this societal and political film commentary. What Lana’s film wants us to do, is to wake up from our stupor and bear the reality they can no longer afford to look the other way. It is high time to take a stand and the apathy that we are in, is not what this throbbing democracy needs. Adding gravitas to the Lana-helmed and written MMFF entry are the topnotch performances of its ensemble. The apparent artifice of Eugene Domingo as the barangay kapitana. The scene-stealing John Arcilla as a former action superstar who cannot let go of his glory days. Janice de Belen as the barangay’s midwife who with valid arguments. The lovable Ricky Davao who loves his gay children to bits for as long as they protect their family’s name and honor, Nico Antonio as the aging macho dancer paramour who is clueless about current events and whose main dream is to just win a title and of course, Christian Bables, as Dharna, the beautician of the barangay who experiences the worst day of his life after knowing that his birth name is on the drug-addicts watch list. Bables showed to everyone why it hurts more when we all laugh and yes, hell is indeed brought about by other people. Manatay’s Kun Maupay Man It Panahon is more painful to watch since the super typhoon Odette recently ravaged major cities and provinces in the Visayas and Mindanao. Read full story on manilastandard.net

ARIAS

Nickie Wang, Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com MONDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2021

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Al Tantay’s hit comedy gets a sequel on Vivamax T

HE sequel to the hit comedy movie Sanggano, Sanggago’t Sanggwapo, still written and directed by Al Tantay, starring Janno Gibbs, Dennis Padilla, and Andrew E premieres this New Year’s Eve on Vivamax.

Sanggano, Sanggago’t Sanggwapo: Aussie! Aussie! O sige! follows the misadventures of Johnny (Janno), Dondon (Dennis), and Andy (Andrew) as managers of the newly-opened resort owned by their long-time friend, Rico (Julianna Parizcova Segovia). Now working at Bonggacious Resort, the three are surprised to welcome their former workmates (Rose Van Ginkel, Stephanie Raz, Ali Forbes, Angela Morena) as their first clients. It could have been the best time for them and their sexy guests. But Sir Gustavo (Pepe Herrera), the naughty boss, is present too. They will have to deal with him first before they can have their chance with the ladies. “The sequel is naughtier and funnier. We have grown older but it doesn’t mean we have gone stale. Actually, mas nag-improve kami, I think. And this film is testament to From left: Dennis Padilla, Andrew E, and Janno Gibbs reunite in the sequel of Al Tantayhelmed comedy produced by Viva. that.” “We had more time to bond in this sequel, mas masaya kami sa lock in shoot kasi sabay sabay kami kumain, kwentuhan, matulog, at gumising. We have a solid friendship for 30 years now, really great camaraderie. At kahit wala kaming shoot, we always text each other, kumustahan to keep in touch,” the comedian added. Rapper Andrew E confirms that the sequel saw their friendship evolve just like their film project. “Mas makulit ito,” added Andrew. “Of course, these are different times and we have evolved as well but for the better, of course. Mas masaya, mas makulit kesa dati.” The sequel to their blockbuster 2019 comedy movie Sanggano, Sanggago’t Sanggwapo now has the catchy theme song, “Aussie! Aussie! O sige!” by Andrew E., which The complete cast of Vivamax’s comedy movie for the New Year, ‘Sanggano, Sanggago’t Sanggwapo 2.’ became a hit TikTok trend.

Ruben Soriquez’s ‘Pandemiocracy’ represents PH at Barcelona Human Rights fest FILIPINO-ITALIAN actor and director Ruben Soriquez with his feature documentary Pandemiocracy, has just represented the Philippines at the 18th Barcelona Human Rights Film Festival, one of the oldest and most widely internationally established festivals on Human Rights, that has taken place this December in Spain. Soriquez’s work, shot in 2020 in Europe, Asia, including the Philippines and the United States, denounces the violation of human rights across the globe during the most difficult period of the pandemic. Pandemiocracy, follows the journey of a young mother and her two children who leave Italy to join her husband in Manila. A journey that proves difficult amidst prohibitions, quarantine, restriction, and violation of human rights. Scientific contributions and touching stories of humanity and hope make this documentary a historical memory. Also, the interventions of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and

former President of Chile Michelle Bachelet, and the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres make this documentary precious and relevant. Soriquez says that he has always been sensitive to human rights issues. In fact, his multi-awarded film Of Sinners and Saints, is centered on human trafficking and violence against women and children. The Official Selection of Pandemiocracy to the 18th Barcelona Human Rights Film Festival, comes after Soriquez›s work had already been awarded five times at international film festivals, with the last being the Best Documentary Award at the 7th Los Angeles International Film Festival and Awards. Ruben Soriquez says that he is working on a series of films to be produced and distributed by the Hollywood company Leomark Studios, and that he is also working on a Philippine-Italian co-production in which he is going to play the lead role. Pandemiocracy will be available in the Philippines starting January, in streaming The poster of Ruben Soriquez’s feature on the platform iwatchmore.com. documentary ‘Pandemiocracy.’

OPM singers salute today’s unsung heroes

TWENTY-FIVE Filipino artists have come together for a special song called “Bayaning Tunay” dedicated to the many frontliners who have become today’s reallife heroes. Performed by Ogie Alcasid, Regine Velasquez-Alcasid, Gary Valenciano, Lea Salonga, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Pops Fernandez, Martin Nievera, Lani Misalucha, Noel Cabangon, Piolo Pascual, Bamboo, Ely Buendia, Rico Blanco, Erik Santos, Christian Bautista, Jed Madela, Nyoy Volante, Angeline Quinto, KZ Tandingan, Morissette, Klarisse, Janine Berdin, Jason Dy, Sam Concepcion, and Lara Maigue, “Bayaning Tunay” is meant to honor the frontliners’ courage and commitment during About 25 OPM artists lend their voices for the tribute song ‘Bayaning Tunay’ dedicated the pandemic. This initiative was relayed to Dr. Tony to COVID-19 frontliners.

Leachon who is the chairman of Kilusang Kontra Covid (KilKoVid), a civil society group formed in Quezon City to help the QC government with its COVID-19 pandemic efforts. KilKovid then connected with the health care workers sector through Dr. Maricar Limpin of the Philippine College of Physicians to apprise them of this forthcoming support. Released by Star Music, “Bayaning Tunay” is arranged by Homer Flores, mastered by Tim Recla, and overall produced by ABS-CBN Music creative director Jonathan Manalo, with Ogie and Gary V as production consultants. The song was formally launched in ASAP Natin ‘To two Sundays and is now available on music streaming services worldwide.

Life

Nickie Wang, Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com

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MONDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2021

M

ERRY Christmas, dear readers!

May this joyous season mark the end of our pandemic-related miseries, as our Lord continues to pour upon us His bountiful blessings. It was the perfect way to start this year’s holiday season. After more than two grueling years of getting aimlessly trapped in our tourism industry’s forced hibernation, I was hankering for a cool, stress-relieving refuge where I could relax my tired nerves and soothe my aggravation. Taal Vista Hotel, my favorite hotel “up in the clouds,” sent me an invitation at the perfect time. This property is one of my favorite stress relievers because any day I spend at this hotel is a day of heavenly bliss. The novel way the hotel celebrated its Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony was impressive because a trio of beautiful events were appended to it. First, we were given a tour of the front garden where organic herbs and vegetables grow in abundance. This garden is part of the hotel’s venture into farmto-table dining through its Taza Restaurant, which serves only meals using organic and sustainable ingredients. Next on the schedule was the opening of the Walk Through Time Exhibit. Now on its 82nd year, Taal Vista Hotel, undoubtedly, is rich in history. The exhibit highlighted the glorious heritage of the hotel, the Taal Lake and Volcano, and of Tagaytay City. The gallery of historical photographs bannered the hotel’s valuable contribution to the culture and tourism of the city. The exhibit was opened by Aniela Tolentino, an international entrepreneur and environment advocate. It was curated by SM Hotels and Conventions Corp.’s Art Consultant Nestor Jardin and all of us, guests, were guided through the gallery by Mabuhay Guides’ Dennis Maristany who shared with us a wealth of interesting trivia about each of the photos on exhibit. There was one poetic photograph (shown on this page) that I thought stood out in the gallery. It was a long shot of the young Henry Sy, Sr., seated alone on the ground, in the garden facing Taal Volcano and Lake. It was taken, circa 1950s, by his wife, Felicidad, during one of their trips to the then Taal Vista Lodge. I am sure Mr. Sy was enamored by the view, the ambiance, and the peace and quiet that made him decide to purchase the

The beautiful giant Christmas Tree, all aglow in Taal Vista Hotel’s garden and view deck.

Mabuhay Guide Dennis Maristany, giving us interesting trivia about the photos on display.

‘Christmassing’ up in the clouds property several decades later. From the exhibit, we proceeded to the hotel grounds and view deck for the ceremonial lighting of the giant Christmas Tree led by Department of Tourism Regional Director Marites Castro, SM Hotels and Conventions Executive Vice-President Peggy Angeles, and Taal Vista Hotel General Manager Ramon Makilan. This culminated with a ceremonial giftgiving for the children of Augustinian Sisters Servants of Jesus and Mary, the beneficiaries of the celebration. Of course, they saved the best for the last--the elaborate In The Mood Wine Dinner. The hotel’s covered terrace was meticulously decorated with fresh, local flowers and black accent pieces. Classic musical favorites from the 1930s and 1940s, including some Christmas songs, were performed live by a musical duo.

Laid out was an extensive seven-course dinner inspired by that era, created by the hotel’s culinary team led by Executive Chef Jayme Natividad. Dishes served were paired with matching wines from Happy Living Philippines Corporation. The exquisite menu consisted of: Chicken Relleno paired with Little Miss Rose 2020; Sopa Aristocrata; Pansit Buko Salad; LapuLapu De La Reina paired with Beringer NV Chardonnay 2016, and Filet de Boeuf Prince Albert paired with Ramón Bilbao Gran Reserva 2011. The delicious dessert, Cathedral Windows, was paired with Brachetto D’ Acqui 2019. This fit-for-royalty menu was indeed an indication that the Season of Plenty is upon us once again and that now is the time to forget the trials and challenges we have been through the past two years. It is time to gather

our strength, heal the scars from a well-fought battle and prop ourselves up to face a brighter and happier tomorrow. With hopeful and joyful hearts, let’s continue to gather and share beautiful memories worthy to be cherished and remembered, like this happy event at Taal Vista Hotel. May this Christmas be merrier than last year’s, as families reunite and celebrate the birth of our Savior, while we remind ourselves that peace on earth will come to stay when we live Christmas every day! Merry Christmas! ----------O---------YOUR WEEKEND CHUCKLE: QUESTION: Did you ever wonder why we never see a headline that reads---”Psychic Wins Lotto”? ----------O---------For feedback, I’m at bobzozobrado@ gmail.com

The young Henry Sy, Sr., captured on film in the 1950s by his wife, Felicidad, would eventually purchase Taal Visa Lodge and turn it into the popular landmark and tourist destination that it is today.

The beautifully decorated covered terrace made the occasion even more special.

The unique appetizer, Pancit Buko Salad, is actually Fresh Lumpia, in peanut garlic sauce, precariously set vertically inside a fresh buko.

Score the Ultimate Year-End Deals from Shopee’s Best of 2021 Awards Prepare for the new year and enjoy big discounts on these crowd favorites from Shopee

GOT lots of aguinaldo left to spare from the holidays? Why not pick up a few items to help you prep yourself for the coming year? To make the most out of your budget, check out Shopee’s Best of 2021 Awards, which features exclusive deals on a selection of the past year’s most-loved and best-selling products. You can get even more discounts on your purchases with promos such as ₱1 Deals, free shipping with no minimum spend, and 11% off vouchers at Shopee’s 1.1 New Year Sale. Below, check out a few must-haves for the new year from Shopee’s Best of 2021 Awards:

houette and a long-lasting silkscreen graphic print. Put your best face forward at all your New Year’s Eve festivities! After applying your makeup, blot any excess shine with Perfect Diary MagicStay Loose Powder. Pinoys love this makeup kit staple, which provides lightweight feel, a flattering blurring effect, and 12-hour oil control, all without breaking the bank.

more. Its large capacity dust box is perfect for vacuuming large areas daily.

Over the past couple of years, Pinoys leveled up their loungewear for work-from-home video calls and online reunions. This 2022, toss all the old, ratty pambahay you’ve been wearing for years and stock up on new comfy shirts that’ll make you look more presentable. INSPI’s premium cotton Oversized Shirt Collection features a trendy, loose sil-

A lot of us recently turned into home decor enthusiasts, and Deerma’s Ultra Quiet Vacuum Cleaner became a trendy yet practical must-have for keeping the house clean. Use it to remove dust from a variety of surfaces, such as hardwood, carpet, tile floors, cars, beds, and

Pinoys continue to love realme for its wide array of quality tech products at attractive price points. The realme Pad 3GB+32GB is a particularly popular choice among young techies. This tablet features a 10.4” WUXGA display, a screen resolution of 2000x1200, and luxurious Dolby Atmos speakers, perfect for an immersive reading or viewing experience. With online shopping becoming an integral part of our daily lives, Pinoys look to Shopee to find irresistible deals on groceries and home essentials, such as Surf

Pro Laundry Powder. This detergent effectively removes stubborn stains by penetrating deep into the fabric, achieving a brilliant clean and leaving your clothes smelling fresh with a mild rose scent. Find all the irresistible deals in one place and start your year-round shopping at Shopee’s 1.1 New Year Sale: https://shopee.ph/m/1-1-sale. To enjoy more discounts on your purchases, use ShopeePay, Shopee’s all-in-one e-wallet where you can buy load, pay bills and scan to pay at thousands of partner merchants nationwide. This 1.1 New Year Sale, enjoy all-day free shipping with no minimum spend and discounts up to 11% off exclusively with ShopeePay. This January 1, you can also get up to 50% cashback on your monthly bills from participating billers such as Meralco, Maynilad, PLDT, Globe, Smart, Manila Water, and Converge. If you need to stock up on groceries or go on a much-needed food-trip, get big savings with ShopeePay ₱1 Deals. Redeem your discounts by paying with ShopeePay at partner merchants such as Potato Corner, Bonchon, Papa John’s, Wendy’s, Shawarma Shack, Dunkin Donuts, Moonleaf, and Go! Salads. If you’re going on a getaway this New Year, you can also book hotels with ShopeePay. Get 30% cashback on all your hotel bookings, including EstacioUno Boracay, Sea Wind Resort Boracay, White House Beach Resort Boracay, Mithi Resort and Spa Bohol, and White Breeze Palawan. Get a chance to win extra cash for your shopping sprees with ShopeePay as well. Send at least ₱1 to any ShopeePay user for a chance to win ₱100,000, or send money to a new ShopeePay user for a chance to win ₱50 each. Plus, you can also get up to ₱25 cashback on your InstaPay fee when you cash in with ShopeePay. Download the Shopee app for free via the App Store or Google Play.