Manila Standard - 2022 June 8 - Wednesday

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IATF OKAYS 100% CAPACITY FOR BUSINESSES IN ALERT LEVEL 1 AREAS By Vito Barcelo and Willie Casas THE Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases has allowed all establishments, including those indoors, in areas under COVID-19 Alert Level 1 to operate at 100-percent capacity as long as proof of full vaccination is presented, Malacanang said Tuesday. Acting presidential spokesman Martin Andanar said presenting COVID-19 vaccine cards is necessary, especially

in indoor establishments or mass gatherings. Meanwhile, President Rodrigo Duterte said the Philippines avoided another surge in COVID-19 cases through continuous vaccinations and adherence to minimum public health standards. In a prerecorded public address aired Monday night, Duterte touted his administration’s success in containing COVID-19 infections and reopening the economy. Next page

VOL. XXXVI • NO. 113 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 • WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8, 2022 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Palace: Oil excise tax stays

Leaves matter to Marcos administration DA calls on FAO to keep open access to agricultural markets By Alena Mae Flores and Maricel V. Cruz

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HE Palace this week refused to suspend the collection of excise taxes on oil products to provide relief to consumers struggling under the weight of constantly increasing fuel prices, saying it would leave it to the incoming Marcos administration to address the problem.

“We will leave it up to the next ad- acting presidential spokesperson and ministration to decide on these calls Communications Secretary Martin to suspend the excise tax on fuel,” Andanar said in a Palace press brief-

ing Tuesday. Andanar said President Rodrigo Duterte has not changed his mind about rejecting proposals to suspend the excise tax on fuel products. In March, Duterte instead approved the recommendation of the Department of Finance to provide direct aid to the most vulnerable sectors, allocating P33 billion for unconditional cash transfers to poor families.

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By Othel V. Campos and Vito Barcelo THE Department of Agriculture (DA) called on the United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to launch a global appeal to keep food and agricultural markets open amid the on-

going Ukraine-Russia war. In a letter to FAO director general Qu Dongyu, Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar appealed for FAO to “spearhead another global appeal to various countries to keep unhampered the movement of food and agricultural Next page

SKY HIGH PRICES.

A worker reaches for a hanging petrol pump to fill up a vehicle at a gas station in Quezon City on June 7, 2022. Members of various militant groups and workers stage a protest calling for the scrapping of excise taxes on oil and petroleum products following another big-time oil price hike that took effect Tuesday. Manny Palmero, AFP

Higher food prices push inflation BBM to ‘recast’ govt budgets for health, education to 5.4%, a 42-month record high By Julito G. Rada INFLATION in May 2022 shot up to a 42-month high of 5.4 percent from 4.9 percent a month ago, driven mainly by higher prices of food, non-alcoholic beverages and transport, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said Tuesday. The May inflation was the highest since the 6.1 percent registered in November 2018, and brought the fivemonth rate to 4.1 percent, slightly high-

er than the upper end of the target range of 2 to 4 percent for the year. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin Diokno said the inflation rate was consistent with the BSP’s expectations. “The inflation path continues to be driven primarily by supply-side factors amid volatile global commodity prices,” Diokno said. “Supply chain disruptions could also contribute to

By Rey E. Requejo and Francisco Tuyay

PRESIDENT-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has ordered a review of budgets for different government agencies so that some funds could be

“recast” to the health and education sectors, incoming Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said Tuesday. Marcos issued the directive during a recent meeting, Laguesma said. He did not specify when the meeting occurred and who attended, but the soon-to-be

Labor chief was among the incoming Cabinet secretaries under the so-called economic cluster that met with the President-elect on Monday. Returning Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, who was Next page

SPRUCING UP. Workers clean the Emilio Aguinaldo monument in Kawit, Cavite in preparation for the country’s 124th Independence Day on June 12, 2022. Danny Pata

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Inoue stops Donaire in 2nd round, unifies bantamweight world titles JAPAN’S unbeaten Naoya Inoue stopped Nonito Donaire of the Philippines in the second round Tuesday to add the WBC ba nt a mweig ht world title to his WBA and IBF belts.

Inoue, who also beat Donaire in a 2019 classic, floored the 39-year-old veteran at the end of the first round and stopped him 1 min, 24 sec into the second to take his record to 23 wins, 20 of them by knockout. Inoue and Donaire’s previous bout in Saitama, north of Tokyo, Next page

CBCP’s ‘Center for Exorcism’ for poorest of poor DOMINANT ‘MONSTER.’ Japan’s Naoya Inoue (left) defeats Philippines’ Nonito

Donaire during their Bantamweight unification boxing match at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama on June 7, 2022.

THE Archdiocese of Manila has started the construction of a structure that will serve as a “center for exorcism” -- a first in Asia. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) news website reported on Tuesday that the building will be known as the St. Mi-

chael Center for Spiritual Liberation and Exorcism in Guadalupe Viejo, Makati City. Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula and Fr. Francisco Syquia, director of the Archdiocese of Manila Office on Exorcism (AMOE), were present when the project broke ground

on May 17. “This center will minister to those in bondage to the devil who are therefore the poorest of the poor and are usually overlooked,” Syquia said. The facility will house the archdiocese’s Commission on Extraordinary Next page

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News

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8, 2022

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

NKTI, PGH emergency rooms overfilled By Willie Casas

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MERGENCY rooms of two big government hospitals have seen a deluge of non-COVID-19 patients over the past week, forcing them to open other facilities or direct patients with non-life-threatening conditions to other medical facilities.

The National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) has opened its gymnasium to accommodate its usual dialysis patients, as its emergency room, which could hold up to 40 patients, received as many as 158 admissions in recent days or over four times its capacity, a hospital official said Tuesday. “There are too many patients here, (especially) in the last three days of the past week,” NKTI Deputy Executive Director for Hospital Support Services Dr. Joseph Jaro said during a television interview.

The Philippine General Hospital (PGH) has also temporarily halted its elective procedures after its emergency room exceeded its capacity, its spokesperson said Tuesday. In an interview on Laging Handa, Dr. Jonas del Rosario said the hospital’s emergency room is currently housing 150 patients, most of which are non-COVID patients, exceeding its 70-bed capacity. PGH is thus only accepting patients with life and limb-threatening emergencies.

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also at the meeting, said Tuesday agriculture and manufacturing will be among the priority sectors of the incoming administration. “The purpose of this [meeting] is to ensure that we can hit the ground running as soon as we get to assume our offices in July... (we were) meeting essentially to identify programs and projects that we can launch quickly and also prepare longer term priority,” Balisacan said in an interview with ANC. “We all agreed that our priorities will be agriculture, manufacturing and the intention there is to raise productivity,” he said. Balisacan, the incumbent Philippine Competition Commission chair, is Marcos’ pick to become the next directorgeneral of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). In an interview last month, Marcos said he would fix the country’s value chain to lower the price of rice. The value chain refers to the series of stages involved in producing a product or service that is sold to consumers, with each stage adding to the value of the product or service. The President-elect also said he asked traders to freeze prices of rice. Meanwhile, Marcos Jr. received courtesy calls from German Ambassador to the Philippines Anke Reiffenstuel, Spanish Ambassador Jorge Moragas, and Ambassador Mohammed Rida El Fassi of Morocco at the BBM Headquarters in Mandaluyong City. The President-elect and Reiffenstuel talked about issues on human rights, food security, climate change and renewable energy, among others. “There’s one important thing that President-elect Bongbong Marcos ordered, to review and recast the budgets of different departments if possible, and reallocate available government resources this time onwards 2022 to sectors involved in health and education,” Laguesma told ABS-CBN’s TeleRadyo Reports that many Filipinos do not know how to read and write prompted the President-elect’s directive, said Laguesma. He said the meeting also touched on the importance of teaching manners at schools “to develop our readiness and strengthen the moral fiber of society.” Vice President-elect Sara DuterteCarpio will oversee the Department of Education, which is responsible for the K-12 curriculum taught to over 27 million students. The agency is also trying to improve education quality following the Philippines’ poor standing in international learning assessments, and is in the process of gradually reopening schools for in-person classes, which were banned in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Marcos Jr.¹’s administration will face challenges such as economic and jobs recovery, food supply woes and higher debt and inflation. With Mervin Vince Lopez

Under this cash aid, qualified households would receive P200 a month or a total of P2,400 as aid. Citing Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, Andanar said the excise tax on oil products must be retained because the amount has been budgeted for salaries of school teachers; “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program; and other expenses. Dominguez earlier warned that suspending excise taxes on fuel products would force the government to borrow money and result in P105.9-billion revenue losses in 2022 or around 0.5 percent of the country’s gross domestic product this year. The administration of Marcos is also against suspending excise taxes on fuel products anytime soon. In an interview over CNN Philippines’ The Source, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor and Finance chiefdesignate Benjamin Diokno said cutting taxes on fuel would be a “wrong move” at this time. President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said there are other ways to address the rising costs of fuel aside from suspend-

Higher... From A1 inflationary pressures, and thus warrant closer monitoring to enable timely intervention to arrest the emergence of further second-round effects.” “The latest assessment also indicates that domestic economic activity has gained stronger traction with the easing of mobility restrictions. However, heightened geopolitical tensions, a resurgence in COVID-19 infections in some countries along with fasterthan-expected monetary policy normalization in advanced economies have clouded the outlook for global economic growth,” Diokno said. He said the balance of risks to the inflation outlook leaned toward the upside for both 2022 and 2023. The upside pressures emanate from the potential impact of higher oil prices, including transport fares, as well as the continued shortage in domestic pork and fish supply. “Meanwhile, downside risks are linked mainly to the potential impact

Inoue... From A1 was voted fight of the year by the Boxing Writers Association of America, with the Japanese fighter recovering from a fractured eye socket and double vision to claim a unanimous points win. The hotly anticipated rematch at the

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IATF...

Phenomena, the Ministry of Exorcism Office, and the Ministry on Visions and Phenomena Office. It will serve as the headquarters of the Philippine Association of Catholic Exorcists, which is under the CBCP and also affiliated with the International Association of Exorcists based in Italy. The St. Michael Center’s chapel will be dedicated to Our Lady of the Angels. The AMOE said the project is a product of more than seven years of “prayers, planning, and fundraising” and “will be the first of its kind in Asia, if not the world.”

Also, three more cases of the COVID-19 Omicron BA.5 subvariant were detected in the Philippines in the latest genome sequencing, raising its total to five, the Department of Health (DOH) said on Tuesday. According to Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, two of the patients were from the Calabarzon region, while the location of the remaining case is still being verified. Vergeire said the patient with an unknown location is fully vaccinated, while one case from Calabarzon is unvaccinated. The status of the remaining patient is still being verified, she said.

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“Because of this, we have this socalled code triage where we only accept life and limb-threatening emergencies,” del Rosario said. “Right now, we also stopped accommodating elective procedures so we can focus on the emergencies,” he added. The Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center also reported non-COVID-19 patients filling their emergency room over the past few days. Jaro stressed that the majority of NKTI’s 158 patients were dialysis patients, and only eight of them were infected with COVID-19 and were already transferred to their COVID-19 unit. “It is difficult. We have beds and wheelchairs in the hallway. Those who were having a hard time were placed in beds, but many of the patients were in

wheelchairs,” he said. Because of this, Jaro said the hospital had to reopen NKTI’s gym and transfer at least 20 patients there just to cater to their medical needs. “We think that these are patients who are suffering because, at the height of COVID, they did not want to leave the house out of fear of getting COVID-19. Dialysis patients are very high morbidity patients and some of them are diabetic and hypertensive,” he added. Jaro noted that only 55 patients remain in NKTI’s emergency room after seeking help from other hospitals and discharging other patients. He also called on registered nurses to apply to a government hospital such as NKTI, as they are currently in need of 90 nurses to work immediately.

ing excise tax on oil products. He also said he may reconsider the proposal, however, should there be a study showing that removing excise taxes on fuel products would be beneficial. An opposition lawmaker on Tuesday said measures that will immediately ease the economic burden of Filipinos should be top priority of the next Congress. Gabriela party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas made the statement as another huge oil price hike was imposed Tuesday and as the government announced that inflation in May was the highest in three years. “We will prioritize the scrapping of excise taxes on petroleum products through amendments to the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law as well as the removal of other regressive taxes on consumption goods. Fuel subsidies are insufficient in easing the oil price shock that we are experiencing right now,” Brosas said. She added that the renewed push for Charter Change should never be a priority of the incoming 19th Congress. The Gabriela lawmaker said foregone revenues from the removal of oil excise taxes could be offset by the implementation of a wealth tax on super-rich Filipinos. “Estimates by IBON Foundation have shown that imposing a 1-3 percent

wealth tax on the richest families could generate P467 billion – which is more than enough to offset the oil excise taxes,” Brosas said. The Department of Energy (DOE) said pump prices are unlikely to reach P100 per liter despite the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. “We are seeing that prices will go up and down. There are factors which would reflect fluctuation, where even if prices will move under existing circumstances, it will not reach P100 per liter,” Gerardo D. Erguiza, Jr., DOE assistant secretary, said during a briefing. “As they said, what goes up must come down. It will eventually go down,” Erquiza said. Erquiza said the strong global demand for oil products increased world oil prices and urged the public to conserve energy. Based on the latest monitoring of the DOE, pump prices have not reached P100 per liter, although some oil companies sell gasoline at a high of P90 per liter. PetroGazz announced it would roll back its diesel prices by P3.50 per liter from 6 am June 8 to 10 pm June 11 at selected stations nationwide. PetroGazz said the price cut is a company initiative to help the transport sector cope with the rising fuel prices.

of a weaker- than-expected global economic recovery,” Diokno said. Economic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua said the issuance of Executive Order 171 and the government’s fuel subsidy program would help ease the impact of global inflationary pressures. “The Russia-Ukraine conflict has disrupted the global supply chain and elevated commodity prices, particularly for fuel. We have seen how a single crisis can set us back, so the Duterte administration has pursued both shortand long-term interventions to increase the resilience of our domestic economy against external shocks,” Chua said. Price increases for both food and nonfood commodity groups contributed to the increase in headline inflation. Food inflation further accelerated to 5.2 percent in May from 4.0 percent in April due to faster inflation rates for vegetables, fish, and meat. Corn inflation remained high at 24.4 percent due to limited global supply. In contrast, rice inflation remained stable and decelerated to 1.5 percent amid the implementation of

the Rice Tariffication Law and EO No. 135, which diversified the country’s rice sources. Meanwhile, non-food inflation continued to increase to 5.6 percent in May from 5.4 percent in April, driven by transport inflation which increased to 14.6 percent in May from 13 percent in April due to high world oil prices. Private transport inflation accelerated to 47.9 percent from 44.4 percent, while public transport remained muted at 1.6 percent due to fare regulation. Household inflation for electricity, gas, and other fuels also remained high even with a slight deceleration at 18.8 percent from 19.9 percent. To help cushion the impact of higher fuel prices on the most vulnerable, the government has increased the total budget for targeted subsidies to P6.1 billion. As of June 1, 2022, over 180,000 public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers and operators have received their P6,500 fuel subsidy under the Pantawid Pasada program. At the same time, more than 158,000 farmers and fishermen are also set to receive P3,000 as fuel discounts.

inputs as part of the global effort to build more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable agriculture and food systems.” Dar noted that the war waged by Russia in Ukraine has caused inflation and food security issues worldwide to reach alarming levels, triggering huge spikes in prices of wheat and other important commodities such as oil, fertilizers, and grains. “As the Ukraine-Russia war persists, we are in for a food crisis, as with the rest of the world. It is imperative and urgent for the Philippine government to ensure that we have adequate, affordable and accessible supply of basic food items and agricultural inputs to ensure continued productivity,” Dar said. With the disruption in the global food chain to cause a staggering effect on food affordability and accessibility, the DA continues to employ measures to mitigate these impacts. On top of the list is to boost the country’s local food production. The DA restructured most of its programs since the advent of COVID-19 pandemic, to cater to the emergency needs of farmers, fishers, and the consuming public. These involved easy and affordable financing services, technical support, farm inputs, equipment and machinery that were provided to farmers and fishers. In addition, the DA launched a food marketing program through the Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita to help consumers have access to more affordable food. To cushion the effects of price hikes in fuel, the DA also provided fuel subsidies through its fuel discount vouchers totaling to P1.1 billion, which were distributed to corn farmers and fishers. Meanwhile, industrial bakers are poised to again increase the price of branded breads by July 2022, as the cost of baking ingredients such as sugar and flour, including fuel, continue to rise unabatedly. Industry leader Gardenia Bakeries Philippines, Inc. said bakers are feeling the pinch of steady rise in the cost of raw materials, despite cost-cutting remedies. “We are still consolidating all ingredients and production cost increases this month. We may increase prices in July,” said Gardenia Bakeries president Simplicio Umali. He added the company is bound by social responsibility to consumers to inform them when and how much the price hike will be. “We will announce (the price increase) when ready. Meanwhile we are exploring more cost reduction efforts in operating cost to counter inflation such as fuel, electricity and labor cost. On ingredients, we are not making any changes as we want to assure the market of consistent product quality,” Umali said. Branded bread manufacturers raised their prices by 2 to 4 percent in April 2022. The planned hike may coincide with the requested price adjustment for budget breads, which is likely to be approved by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in July 2022. The DTI’s Consumer Protection Group (CPG) said there are only three items with remaining unfulfilled price adjustment in the May 11 Suggested Retail Price (SRP Bulletin). These are budget breads, a detergent bar brand and a canned sardines brand. These will be included in the next SRP bulletin along with other stock keeping units (SKUs) with standing requests for price increases.

same venue turned out to be a completely different contest, with Inoue living up to his “Monster” nickname by dominating the Philippines veteran. Inoue sent Donaire to the canvas with a right hand at the end of the first round, then picked up the pace when the bell rang to start the second. He landed a heavy shot that wobbled Donaire on his feet, before a barrage

of punches sent the “Filipino Flash” to the floor and convinced the referee to stop the fight. Inoue can now aim to become the undisputed bantamweight world champion after taking Donaire’s WBC belt, with Britain’s current WBO titleholder Paul Butler the only obstacle left in his way. He has said he wants to become the

undisputed champion before the end of the year. Butler captured previous champion John Riel Casimero’s vacant WBO title when he beat Jonas Sultan by unanimous decision in April. Butler was elevated from interim to full champion last month when the WBO stripped Casimero of the full title. AFP

All patients have been tagged as recovered, but the health agency is looking into the symptoms they experienced and their close contacts, Vergeire said. Seven more cases of the BA.2.12.1 were also detected in the latest genome sequencing run composed of 190 samples on June 6, she said. Of the total samples, 114 or 60 percent were omicron, 14 or 7.4 percent were delta, one had ‘other lineages,’ and 61 had no lineage, Vergeire also said. The daily average of new COVID-19 cases in the National Capital Region (NCR) has increased by 10 percent, independent monitoring OCTA Research Group noted Tuesday. OCTA fellow Dr. Guido David said the daily average of new cases increased, from 78 recorded in the May

24 to 30 period to 86 in the May 31 to June 6 period, based on their analysis of data from the DOH. The NCR’s reproduction number rose to 1.24 from 1.08, David said. In a statement, Andanar said the IATF amended the guidelines on the Nationwide Implementation of Alert Level Systems for COVID-19 on June 4, as the government pandemic task force recognizes the need to further identify the establishments and/or activities that are allowed to operate or be undertaken in Alert Level 1 areas. “The IATF allowed full 100% capacity under Alert Level 1, subject to presentation of proof of full vaccination before participating in mass gatherings or entry into indoor establishments,” he said. Under previous guidelines, there were no

restrictions in terms of indoor and outdoor capacities in areas under Alert Level 1. All establishments, persons, or activities are likewise allowed to operate, work, or be undertaken at total on-site or venue seating capacity, provided these are consistent with minimum public health standards, Andanar added. Meanwhile, the President said: “If I were to judge myself, the one single thing that my government did was to contain Covid-19 in a very much earlier span of time. And to think that other countries are having a surge simply because maybe the citizens of that country do not want to follow regulations. But here, we are afraid.” Duterte commended Filipinos’ compliance with Covid-19 health protocols, adding that this also allowed them to regain the confidence to return to work.

News DFA paves way for OFW entry into Israel hotel services sector By Rey E. Requejo PHILIPPINES is working on the deployment of professionals for mid-level management positions in the Israel hotel industry following the hiring of Filipino hotel workers there. In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs revealed that the Philippine Embassy in Israel “continues to initiate discussions” to facilitate the entry of Filipinos in the Israeli hotel sector. “The Embassy continues to initiate discussions with relevant Philippine and Israeli partners in order to facilitate the entry of Filipino workers into other areas of the Israeli hotel workforce,” the DFA said. The prospect areas include professionals for mid-level management positions, as well as concierge and front desk sections, culinary graduates for kitchen and bar services, and possibly on-the-job training arrangements for Filipino students. The DFA said the embassy also sees potential opportunities for Filipino workers in the Israeli aerospace and medical sectors. At least 61 Filipino hotel workers recently deployed to Israel will work in hotels in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Nazareth, Caesarea, and Tiberias and resorts and spas near the Dead Sea. The group arrived in the Holy Land on June 2. Philippine Ambassador to Israel Macairog Alberto, who welcomed the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), encouraged the group “to not only do their best in their jobs but to also enjoy their work.” Alberto told the OFWs that the Embassy will assist them as they fulfill their goals to help their families back home. Upon arrival, they were briefed on common work-related issues encountered by Filipinos in Israel. The deployment of the hotel workers fulfills the bilateral labor agreement signed during the visit of President Duterte to Israel in 2018, which facilitates the hiring of Filipinos for the Israeli hospitality sector.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8, 2022 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Graft raps filed vs. 42 BI staff By Rio N. Araja, Rey E. Requejo

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HE Office of the Ombudsman has filed graft charges against 42 Bureau of Immigration (BI) employees for their alleged involvement in the so-called “pastillas” bribery scam that led to the illegal entry of numerous Chinese citizens into the country.

Meanwhile, the Department of Justice (DOJ) will soon issue a resolution on the administrative cases against the BI officials and personnel implicated in the irregularity. In a 17-page information, the Ombudsman charged that former Deputy Commissioner Marc Mariñas of the Port Operations Division connived with other immigration personnel and Liya Wu of Empire International Travel and Tours to “willfully, unlawfully and give unwarranted benefits, preference or advantage to foreign passen-

gers, particularly Chinese nationals.” “Bosses or Chinese suppliers acted as conduits between the travel agencies and the Immigration Officers manning the Immigration counters at NAIA Terminals 1 and 2. They receive a list of passenger names from travel agencies and cascade said list to the administrators of Viber chat groups,” the charge sheet stated. The Chinese suppliers allegedly received the regular pay-outs from travel agencies, usually wrapped like pastillas candies for distribution to intended recipients.

Based on the complaint, the accused collected P100,000 per passenger, for a total amount of P1.43 million. The Ombudsman said the respondents violated Section 3 of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. Senior immigration officers Grifton Medina, Edwin Ortañez and Glenn Comia were included in the charge sheet. According to the prosecutors, Mariñas and his team controlled the incoming passengers and distributed commissions or payouts to the other participants in the scam. Wu was accused of providing the list of Chinese passengers who would like to avail of the “VIP treatment” for a fee of P10,000 per passenger, and identified them as one of travel agency owners who paid money for seamless entry of Chinese individuals in the country. “The above acts of accused public officials thus allowed entry of foreign passengers in the country without going

PNP GETS NEW ARMAMENTS. A PNP official checks one of the 45 anti explosive detection devices during the blessing rite for the newly procured equipment at the PNP Transformation Oval, in Camp Crame, Quezon City. The newly procured armaments worth over P764 million include 16 units brand new vans, 3 units light transport vehicles , 8,358 units 9mm striker fired pistosl, 8,500 units 5.56 mm basic assault rifles, 34 units 7.62 mm light machine guns, 45 units explosive detector dogs , 620 units Autogated night vision gadgets, and 5,298 units all-purpose vests and undershirt vests. Manny Palmero

sion on Human Rights (CHR). A portion of the facility was mistakenly demolished during a clearing operation conducted on March 19 to broaden the space for the city’s Health Center VII. Investigators Norberto Fontillas and Joel Ocampo responded to the complaint of the Senior Citizens Association, pav-

ing the way for a dialogue between the group and local barangay officials. The village officials of Muzon said they only intended to clear obstructive structures, including a garage attached to the back of the Senior Citizen Center. Taking full responsibility, they admitted having inadvertently damaged the

senior citizens’ center, CHR said. The barangay officials vowed to rebuild and repair the facility, including replacing the old roof with a new one. In the meantime, the barangay hall’s annex served as the temporary center of the elderly while the reconstruction was going on. Rio N. Araja

BI forges accord expanding access to Interpol database By Vito Barcelo THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) has forged an agreement expanding its access to International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) systems, as well as for its other offices nationwide. The BI, in a memorandum of agreement with the Philippine Center for Transnational Crime (PCTC), agreed to expand and install the Interpol Global Communication System (I-24/7) in all BI offices, including seaports and field offices. Initially, access to the Interpol system was limited to BI personnel at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Clark International Airport, Bohol-Panglao International Airport, Subic International Airport, Cagayan North International Air-

through regular and stringent profiling or screening processes in violation of existing immigration rules and procedures, to the prejudice of the government and public interest, contrary to law,” the complaint stated. Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said the resolution of the separate administrative cases “is also forthcoming. “It is the resolution of the administrative cases that will determine the disciplinary action that may be taken against the respondents therein,” Guevarra said in a text message to reporters. Guevarra stressed that the DOJ conducted a parallel administrative investigation after a fact-finding inquiry by the BI. However, Guevarra said “the list of respondents in the administrative complaint is not the same set of respondents in the criminal complaint, which was submitted by the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) to the OMB.”

Villar stresses need to address global warming

Senior citizens regain hall mistakenly demolished by LGU THE senior citizens of a barangay in San del Monte City in Bulacan got back their public hall partly torn apart earlier by a demolition crew of the city government. Reconstruction of the senior citizens’ center within the money Hills subdivision in Barangay Muzon began in earnest upon intervention by the Commis-

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port, and Zamboanga International Airport. According to BI Commissioner Jaime Morente, the BI-Interpol lateral coordination has led to the arrest of foreigners and fugitives involved in transnational criminal activities. “The use of the I-24/7 was limited to screening passengers the international ports,” said Morente. “We see this as an effective tool in intercepting undesirable aliens, hence we sought expansion of its use,” he added. The move, according to Morente, is also related to the BI’s implementation of Executive Order 122 signed by President Rodrigo Duterte on the adoption of the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS). BI APIS Operations Center Chief Melvin Mabulac detailed that the Interpol database will serve part of the country’s advance security vetting of incoming foreign nationals.

MMDA bares Caloocan traffic reroute on June 12 FISHERMEN GRAPPLE WITH SPIRALING DIESEL PRICES. A Navotas City fisherman refills his boat’s diesel tank before heading out to fish at the Manila Bay. The man says they are compelled to go out more often to make up for the frequent adjustments of oil prices. Danny Pata

Angeles cited for good fiscal practices

HE AIN’T HEAVY, HE’S MY BROTHER. Filipino soldiers take part in military drills during the 12th annual international warrior competition at Jordan’s King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Centre (KASOTC) in Zarqa, northeast of the capital, on June 6, 2022. AFP

SENATOR Cynthia Villar has called for responsibility and passion in doing one’s part to help heal Mother Nature. Villar, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, issued the call in line with the global observance of the 49th World Economic Day on Sunday (June 5). The senator gave assurance that the people’s collective efforts would make a difference in the protection and conservation of our environment. Speaking during the installation of Verde Island Passage (VIP) Marker on the occasion the of the UN World Environment Day organized by environmentalist lawyer Tony Oposa, Villar noted that the United Nations has warned that the earth faces a triple planetary emergency. She identified these challenges as: the climate heating up too quickly for people and nature to adapt, continuing habitat loss and other pressures resulting in estimated one million species threatened with extinction, and pollution continuing to poison the air, land and water. “Due to this, the United Nations finds it fitting to adopt the “Only One Earth” slogan as a reminder for us, earthlings, that while there are billions of galaxies, planets and stars, the Earth is just our one solitary home and we should take care of it,” Villar said. “All of us are being encouraged to be more connected to it, focus on living sustainably in harmony with nature, and shift our lifestyles from harming the Earth to healing it,” she added. The invitation of Oposa, the senator said, has brought into her consciousness the need to accord the appropriate protection status to VIP, the channel that cuts through the Philippines by the south of Luzon. Macon Ramos-Araneta

ANGELES CITY—The local government here under Mayor Carmelo Lazatin, Jr. has been cited as one the qualifiers in the search for 2021 Good Financial Housekeeping recipients. This is according to the after-assessment compliance of the Department of Interior and Local Government for the additional passers of the CY 2021 Good Financial Housekeeping as of May 27, 2022. Lazatin said that the Good Financial Housekeeping citation is one of the criteria for the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG). “This citation is for the city government’s efforts in showcasing excellence in fiscal accountability and transparency,” Lazatin added. “Simula pa lamang po noon, hangad po natin ang tapat na pagseserbisyo sa mga Angeleños, added bonus na lamang po ang mga ganitong citations. Maraming salamat po sa DILG,” Lazatin quipped.

While this gives distinction to remarkable performances by local governments, it also shows good auditing standards and financial handling in the recent Commission on Audit (CoA) findings and opinion. Other assessment criteria aside from financial administration and sustainability includes disaster preparedness, social protection and sensitivity, health compliance and responsiveness, and many more governance areas. City Treasurer Juliet Quinsaat meanwhile said the city government is doing its best to sustain good performance for the public welfare, especially that the Lazatin administration continues to provide programs prioritizing social services. “Ang layunin po talaga ng administrasyon ni Mayor Lazatin ay maging effective service-providers para sa mga Angeleños. This is fueled by the desire for honest and trust-worthy service,” Quinsaat said. Butch Gunio

THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Tuesday announced it will close to vehicular traffic the Bonifacio Monument Circle in Caloocan City beginning midnight on June 12 in line with the commemoration of the country’s 124th Independence Day. Portions of McArthur Highway, Samson Road, Rizal Avenue, and Epifanio de los Santos Avenue in the area will also be closed to traffic. The MMDA advised affected motorists to take the following alternate routes to avoid inconvenience: Vehicles coming from Sangandaan Samson Road going to EDSA and Manila may take Heroes Del 96 Street, left turn to 10th Avenue to destination. Those coming from Rizal Avenue to McArthur may turn left to 10th Avenue right to Heroes Del 96 Street, right to Samson Road left to Dagohoy, left to Caimito Road, right to Langka Street to destination. Vehicles going to EDSA may utilize 10th Avenue left to B. Serrano to EDSA while those coming from EDSA going Samson Road may turn right to McArthur then left turn to Gen. Pascual to destination. Vehicles coming from McArthur going Rizal Avenue and Samson Road may take Gen. Pascual to destination and vehicles going to EDSA may use the zipper lane of Northbound, left turn on 8th Street and left turn to destination. The road closure will be lifted until after the culmination of the activity, the MMDA stated. Joel E. Zurbano

Police files two cases against hit-and-run driver

News A4

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8, 2022

MEETING. President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and German Ambassador to the Philippines Anke Reiffenstuel talk about human rights, food security, climate change and renewable energy among others during the latter’s courtesy call at BBM Headquarters in Mandaluyong City on Tuesday.

Duterte: Drug trade continues because of huge sums of money By Vito Barcelo PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has expressed fear that the drug trade will continue in the country because of the huge amount of money involved, as he asked law enforcers to maintain the ongoing fight against the proliferation of illegal drugs. Duterte made the remarks during his Talk to the People program aired on Monday night, saying the current drug transactions now run into billions of pesos and the country only has a small window to operate. “There is a little window to operate and the good thing is that our institutions are there really. I still trust the police. If there are scalawags, into drugs—a few of them. And yet the police had to police its own ranks,” he said. Aside from the police, he also called on the military to throw its support in the drug fight, stressing the danger posed by illegal narcotics especially to the young generation of Filipinos. However, Duterte said he is putting his trust in the next administration to continue his fight against illegal drugs, otherwise “we are finished as a nation.” “I trust that the next administration will also do its very best to confront the problem with drugs. Otherwise, we will end up killing each other again,” he said. He again advised the law enforcers not to be intimidated by the powerful drug personalities. Meanwhile, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año reported that law enforcement agencies such as Philippine National Police (PNP), Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) have conducted a total of 1,772 anti-drug operations in the last two weeks and confiscated less than P1 billion worth of shabu and marijuana.

ISIS leader killed in Maguindanao, says military report ABDULFATAH Omar Alimuden or Abu Huzaifah, the alleged spokesperson of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria – East Asia (ISIS-EA) was killed in an operation in Maguindanao on Monday. In a statement, the Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) confirmed Huzaifah’s death. The military said Abu Huzaifah was also in charge of the financial transactions of the Daulah Islamiyah - Philippines to the ISIS Central. The military reported that joint elements of the 601st Infantry Brigade, 40th Infantry Battalion, and intelligence units launched the special operation at Crossing Salbo, Barangay Poblacion in Datu Saudi Ampatuan. Westmincom chief Lieutenant General Alfredo Rosario, Jr. lauded the operating troops for the operation and urged them to keep these efforts against rebel groups, GMA News reported. On June 1, the military also conducted an operation in M’lang, Cotabato against members of Daulah Islamiyah who are believed to be responsible for the recent bombings in Mindanao, the report said. One member was killed and another was arrested, according to the military. Reports said on May 26, a tricycle driver was hurt in an explosion inside a bus in Koronadal City, South Cotabato and another explosion at a vacant lot was reported in Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat, on the same day. On May 30, explosions also hit a parking lot near a fast-food chain and a motor pool of a bus company in Isabela City, Basilan, reports said.

AUTHORITIES filed two cases against the owner of the SUV in a hit-and-run of a mall security guard on Sunday. Mandaluyong chief of police Col. Gauvin Unos told ABSCBN News cases of frustrated murder and abandonment of one’s victim or violation of Article 275 of the Revised Penal Code were filed with the city prosecutor’s office late Monday afternoon. The respondent had been verified with the Land Transportation Office (LTO) as the registered owner of the vehicle that bumped into and later ran over the 31-year-old mall security guard in the incident caught in a viral video, ABS-CBN reported. Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo, in a radio interview said it is police procedure in vehicular incidents to file charges versus the registered owner even if the driver has yet to be identified. The burden of proof would be on the owner to prove they were not driving or involved in the incident, Fajardo said. “Frustrated murder po dahil obviously ay may intention on his part na deliberately sinagasaan ang security guard pati na violation ng Article 275 or abandonment of one’s victim,” Fajardo, in an interview, said. The vehicle owner was earlier issued a show-cause order by the LTO to explain why he or she should not face reckless driving charges. Officials say they have yet to determine if the registered owner or someone else was driving the SUV. Police also reported that lawyers from the camp of the vehicle’s owner gave assurance that they would cover the victim’s hospitalization expenses.

Agri damage due to Bulusan hit P20 million—NDRRMC

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HE National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said an estimated P20 million worth of damage in agriculture has been reported due to the activity of Bulusan Volcano in Sorsogon. “The assessment that was provided was only an initial assessment so currently we’re still at P20 million,” NDRRMC spokesperson Mark Timbal, in an ABS-CBN report said. The Department of Agriculture set up evacuation sites for livestock to protect them from the dangers of ashfall and provide assistance to affected local farmers, ABS-CBN reported, quoting the official.

Timbal said ashfall from Bulusan has already stopped and cleaning activities are now being done in the concerned areas. Bulusan Volcano had a phreatic eruption on Sunday that lasted for 17 minutes prompting the local government to evacuate residents. The municipalities of Juban, Casiguran, and Irosin experienced ashfall. President Rodrigo Duterte meanwhile assured the people affected by the eruption that help is coming as the government

agencies will be there to extend assistance. “I will just reiterate that you — people who are affected there in Sorsogon, especially those in barangay which the government has — forecasted to be the worst scenario, there will be a lot of movement of people. But I’m sure that the government can cope up and will be there to help everybody,” Duterte said during his Talk to the People program. Office of Civil Defense administrator Undersecretary Ricardo Jalad said that in a worst-case scenario, there is a total of 446 evacuation centers available in Sorsogon to house evacuees. Mandatory or forced evacuation for the municipality of Irosin in Sorsogon will be carried out once the alert level is raised to three or four, said Jalad,

who is also the executive director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC). Irosin sits on the caldera of Mt. Bulusan and a major eruption will force people to evacuate outside the 9-kilometer danger zone, he added. Also part of the contingency plan of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council in Bicol Region is asking the support of nearby provinces in case Mt. Bulusan erupts further. “All in all in Bicol Region has a total of 2,425 evacuation centers that are available. And should our kababayan allow­—they will be evacuated to as far as Masbate, Catanduanes and Camarines Norte have enough evacuation centers,” he said. With Vito Barcelo

WPS dispute can be settled thru bilateral talks—Chinese envoy

CLEARING OPERATIONS. A member of the Manila Disaster and Risk Reduc-

tion Management Office (MDRRMO) conducts cleaning operations at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila, on June 7, after the Manila City drive-thru vaccination site was removed. Norman Cruz

DIFFERENCES with the Philippine government regarding claims in the West Philippine Sea can be managed with “bilateral consultation and friendly communication,” China’s Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian said. “We are two neighbors who have some differences, but what is crucial is the way and manner we handle the differences. We need to manage our differences with bilateral consultation and friendly communication,” Huang, in a GMA News report said. Xilian made the comment during the turnover of various broadcast equipment donated by China to Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar. GMA News reported that Huang made the response when asked about the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)’s move to summon a

senior official of the Chinese Embassy in Manila a week a ago to protest the harassment by Chinese Coast Guard of a Philippine vessel engaged in research activity in the West Philippine Sea Earlier, the DFA, in a statement, said “illegal activities around Ayungin Shoal are subject of diplomatic protests in the exercise of the Philippines’ sovereign rights and jurisdiction over Ayungin Shoal which forms part of the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf of the Philippines as affirmed by the 2016 Award on the South China Sea Arbitration.” “I would refer you to the statement of the Secretary of Defense just recently. We have been in communication with them in a diplomatic and peaceful manner as part of our joint efforts to secure peace and stability in South China Sea,” Huang in the GMA News report said.

BBM spent P623m in 90-day campaign period for May elections PRESIDENT-ELECT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. filed his Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) with the Commission on Elections (Comelec), which showed more than P623 million worth of expenditures in the May elections campaign. The SOCE was filed through Marcos’ legal counsel. Lawyer George Briones, general counsel of Marcos’ Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), earlier said the Marcos camp spent some P272 million during the 90-day campaign period. The Commission on Elections warned

candidates who participated in the recent national and local elections to submit their respective Statements of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) by June 8, 2022 or risk not being able to assume their posts until they have met the requirement. Comelec Acting Spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco issued the reminder after the political party of president-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. filed its SOCE. He said candidates who withdrew their candidacy and political parties will still have to submit their expenses as well as

the contribution they received during the campaign period. “The SOCE of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas consists of 400 pages. The PFP spent P272 million by way of expenses in the last 2022 presidential campaign, which is well below the maximum expenditure of P337 million allowed by law for a national political party,” Briones said. Under the law, all political parties are allowed to spend P5 for every voter currently registered in the constituency or constituencies, where it has official candidates.

Briones said the PFP’s SOCE was signed and prepared by its national treasurer, Antonio Ernesto “Anton” Lagdameo, who is nominated as Marcos’s Special Assistant to the President (SAP). The Comelec said Marcos Jr. is still required to file a separate SOCE, as Republic Act No. 7166 states that “every candidate and treasurer of the political party shall, within 30 days after the day of the election, file in duplicate with the offices of the commission the full, true and itemized SOCE in connection with the election.”

Warrant out vs. suspect in Malabanan shooting By Ronald O. Reyes TACLOBAN CITY—A court in Calbayog City in Samar has issued an arrest warrant for the suspect in the murder of Manila Standard correspondent Jesus “Jess” Malabanan on December 8, 2021. Judge Cicero Lampasa of Branch 32 of the Regional Trial Court of Calbayog ordered the arrest of Aries Solomon of Barangay Bugtong, Calbayog, after the Prosecutor’s Office found probable cause against the suspect for the murder of the 58-year-old veteran journalist. “Even with the looming change in administration, our government remains steadfast in its commitment to bring justice to all victims of media violence,” said Undersecretary Joel

Egco, executive director of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS), on Tuesday. The PTFoMS executive director praised the Philippine National Police and the National Prosecution Office “who worked tirelessly” in investigating the killing of Malabanan. The Police Regional Office-Eastern Visayas’ Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) “Malabanan” earlier discounted the case to be work-related and drug-related. “Accordingly, the statements of witnesses having been interviewed by investigators can be analyzed that the biggest possible motive of the killing is personal grudge attributable to a land dispute,” the police regional command said in December 2021.

OATH OF OFFICE. House Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez (left) administers the oath of office to from (right) Laguna Board Member Danzel Fernandez, Laguna 3rd District Rep. Lorento Amante, Sta Rosa Lone District Rep. Danilo Fernandez and Laguna 1st District Rep. Ann Matibag during the Oath Taking Ceremony at the Lakas-CMD Headquarters in Mandaluyong City. Ver Noveno

Opinion What can we expect from today’s Senate?

THE Senate is considered the training ground of the country’s top leaders, and a stepping stone to the highest elective post, the presidency. In the 60s and 70s we were reading news reports on the speeches delivered in the halls of the Senate by the likes of Lorenzo Tañada, Jose W. Diokno and Jovito Salonga who captured the popular imagination with their consistent stand defending democratic rights and upholding freedom and justice. In the 50s, we’re told, Claro M. Recto enthralled his fellow lawmakers as well as the public with his fervent assertion of national identity and stinging critiques of the colonial mentality of Filipinos. Alas, those days when the Senate was a bastion of democracy and superior intellects are long gone. Sad to say, the Senate restored since 1987 has been populated by politicians whose qualifications for the job are anchored only on what’s enumerated in the 1987 Constitution.

The fundamental law does not require that those who aspire to become senators should have sterling reputations and unquestioned integrity These are: natural-born citizen of the Philippines, at least 35 years of age; able to read and write; a registered voter; and a resident of the Philippines for not less than two years immediately preceding the day of the election. Those basic qualifications, by the way, apply to almost all seeking election to public office: from president down to barangay officials, with minor differences, such as age. The fundamental law does not require that those who aspire to become senators should have sterling reputations and unquestioned integrity. In other words, even if they have been involved in the past in corruption scandal or civil case -charged before a court of law with any crime; or spent time in jail for a criminal offense -- they can still run for senator. The senatorial candidates do not even have to have competence and proven track records in their line of work or area of expertise, or experience in crafting laws of local and national importance. Nor do they have to have excellent work ethic, such as attending all session days and taking part in committee and plenary deliberations on pending bills. The Constitution only requires senatorial candidates to prove that they seek a seat in the august halls of the upper chamber of the legislature because they really want to serve the nation and genuinely contribute to nation-building, not lust after the P300

million in pork barrel funds that every senator is entitled to these days. Finally, since the Constitution does not require senators to take a principled stand on key issues -such as national sovereignty and territorial integrity; human rights, due process and the rule of law -- they can just coast along and agree to whatever the Chief Executive or the ruling party or coalition wants. The minimum qualifications to become senator in this country listed in the Constitution have opened the floodgates to candidates with the right skills, work ethic and personal integrity to make it to the Senate. But it has also attracted those who have capitalized mainly on their popularity or name recall and zero experience in public office, much less in crafting quality laws requiring intelligent debate on key national issues, to win the senatorial race. The 2022 senatorial race for 12 Senate seats attracted around 200 candidates, if I’m not mistaken. This number was winnowed down by the Commission on Elections to 97, the rest eliminated because clearly they were nuisance candidates who clearly had no capability and resources to launch a nationwide campaign, or could not adequately explain what laws they wanted to write, or amend, or simply wanted the media attention for at least 15 minutes of fame – or infamy. Of the 12 winners in the 2022 senatorial elections, nine are either reelectionists or returning to their old post: Loren Legarda; Sherwin Gatchalian; Chiz Escudero; Alan Peter Cayetano; Juan Miguel Zubiri; Joel Villanueva; JV Estrada Ejercito; Risa Hontiveros; Jinggoy Estrada. The only new senators are movie actor Robin Padilla, broadcaster Raffy Tulfo; and former DPWH Secretary Mark Villar They will all serve for six years, or until 2028. The 12 incumbent senators who will serve for three more years are Nancy Binay; Pia Cayetano; Ronald de la Rosa; Bong Go; Lito Lapid; Francis Tolentino; Bong Revilla; Cynthia Villar; Imee Marcos; Grace Poe; Koko Pimentel; and Sonny Angara. Those who failed the cut in the May 9 elections include former Vice President Jejomar Binay; detained former Justice Secretary Leila de Lima; human rights lawyer ‘Chel’ Diokno; and former congressman and human rights advocate Neri Colmenares. That leaves only Sen. Risa Hontiveros by her lonesome to carry the opposition torch in the Senate at least until 2025. At any rate, if the line-up of senators in the 19th Congress doesn’t exactly make you jump for joy but instead leaves you wondering how some of them have managed to go so far on so little, you’re not alone. Be that as it may, maybe we ought to be charitable and give everyone the benefit of the doubt. But we should really temper our expectations and recognize that only the most capable of them, if ever, can carve a successful path to the highest elective post because of uncanny ability to dissect issues, engage in intelligent discourse on national issues, including foreign policy, and forge alliances and coalitions for future political gain. We may not have the likes of Claro M. Recto or Jose W. Diokno in the Senate these days, but we should not be made to suffer those who wear mediocrity and disdain for an independent stand on crucial issues like tattoos on their foreheads. (Email: ernhil@yahoo.com)

(Part 1 of 2)

cious ratios” in the recent election results. Historically, he said senators tend to get more votes than the presidential candidate, and this was the trend in the 1992 (Ramos), 1998 (Estrada), 2004 (Arroyo), 2010 (Aquino), and 2016 (Duterte) elections, where the top 15, top three, top four, top five, and top three senators beat the winning presidential candidate in terms of number of votes. However, Daily said that in 2022, Marcos Jr.’s votes were around 15 percent more than Robin Padilla’s, the top winning senatorial bet.

Data analyst Phil Daily presented historical trends and ‘suspicious ratios’ in the recent election results This has never happened before, he said, adding, “We vote for 12 senators and just one president. This is why, historically, the senators have more votes than the president, not the other way around.” He can’t explain, he says, why this time around, Marcos Jr. got more votes than Padilla. Daily also presented a slide on “suspicious ratios” in terms of Padilla votes versus Marcos Jr. votes. These numbers show that Padilla had more votes than Marcos Jr. in only 20 percent of the provinces. Historically, Daily said, “it’s usually the other way around – it’s usually 80 percent of the provinces, the senators will have more votes than the winning president.” However, in 73 percent of the provinces that Leni Robredo won, Padilla had more votes than Marcos Jr., in line with the historical trend. It was only in 10 percent of the provinces that

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EDITORIAL

Fil-Ams query election results

THE group U.S. Filipinos for Good Governance (USFGG) held an online press conference yesterday and presented the analyses of two experts probing “possible irregularities” in the May 2022 Philippine national elections. The speakers were forensic election fraud expert and University of Michigan political science and statistics professor Walter Mebane and seasoned big data analyst and engineer Phil Daily. The rationale of the USFGG for their press conference is that “fair elections are the foundation of any democracy,” adding that “when the legitimacy of elections is called into question, democracy is threatened.” While the presscon was more of an “academic exercise,” according to Erik Lachica of USFGG, “we are preparing for the midterm elections in 2025 and the [presidential elections in] 2028.” It’s “lessons learned,” he added, that will enable the taking of steps to ensure “a fair and accurate elections in the midterms.” Lachica also said that based on the analyses and recommendations, there should be a move from fully automated vote counting to a “hybrid” type of vote counting “where we do manual counting at the precinct level to ensure accuracy and transparency.” Due to lack of space, I’ll be reporting on Daily’s analysis first, and Mebane’s next week. Historical trends in senator vs. president ratios Daily discussed his analysis of the correlation between presidential votes and senatorial votes from the recent election and past elections, and the “improbability” of the 2022 election results count. Using “all published data and published numbers,” Daily presented historical trends and “suspi-

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8, 2022

A show of force

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ENSION in East Asia has risen yet once more after the United States and South Korea, responding to North Korea’s display of missile Sunday, fired ballistic missiles into the sea a day later in an exhibition of force that has extended a provoking dash in weapons demonstrations. Sunday’s display was Pyongyang’s 18th round of missile tests this year alone, a stripe that included the North’s first launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles or ICBMs in nearly five years. The North Korean state media have thus far been silent on Sunday’s launches, which came after the US aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan concluded a threeday naval drill with South Korea in the Philippine Sea last weekend. It was apparently their first joint drill involving a carrier since November 2017, with Washington and Seoul moving to upgrade their defense exercises in the face of Pyongyang’s warnings. North Korea has long denounced the allies’ combined military exercises as invasion run-through which the former often countered with its own missile drills, including short-range launches in

2016 and 2017 that replicated nuclear attacks on South Korean ports and US military facilities in Japan. Hours soon after Pyongyang’s launches, Tokyo and Washington conducted a joint ballistic missile exercise aimed at showing latter’s “rapid response capability” and “strong determination” to counter any clear writing on the wall.

Such tension can put East Asia and Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, in a state of deep anxiety And then Washington and Seoul did live-fire exercise in an undisclosed location south of the Demilitarized Zone that separates North Korea and South Korea, following Pyongyang’s Sunday missile display, which involved eight Army Tactical Missile System missiles – one American and seven South Korean – fired into the Northeast Asian country’s waters across 10 minutes following notifications for air and maritime safety. Certainly, the rigid nervousness in the Korean peninsula has notched a higher line, which may not be paid attention to by some – although such tension can put

East Asia and Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, in a state of deep anxiety. The South Korean military has said the comeback launches were aimed at demonstrating the ability of the allies to respond swiftly and accurately to North Korea’s attacks. On Sunday, Seoul’s armed forces detected North Korea firing eight short range missiles over 35 minutes from at least four different locations, including from western and eastern coastal areas and two inland areas north of and near Pyongyang in what appeared to be a single-day record for the country’s ballistic launches. Pyongyang’s 38-year-old Kim Jong Un, in the eyes of allies, has been pushing peril aimed at cementing his nation’s status as a nuclear power and negotiating economic and security concessions from a position of strength. But Seoul and Washington were quick on the draw as they conducted a similar live-fire exercise following Pyongyang’s previous ballistic launches last month, which involved an ICBM flown on a medium-range trajectory and two short-range weapons. The tests came as the 79-year-old US President Joe Biden wrapped up his trip to South Korea and Japan, where he reaffirmed his country’s commitment to defend both allies.

Mega projects NO PRIVATE enterprise has had a more pervasive impact on the life and work of Filipinos than San Miguel Corporation. SMC produces public goods at a scale, intensity and costs never undertaken before by any other corporation. And the conglomerate creates tremendous measurable impact on society without neglecting its bottomline. In so doing, San Miguel creates value, in the short and long term, both for its stakeholders and the people in general. Under Ramon S. Ang, San Miguel has redefined capitalism and the motive power for doing business. Its brand of capitalism is less financially driven and more public-good driven. Plainly, San Miguel’s capitalism is nourished by an overweening desire to do the public good, to provide solutions to the problems of people and the planet. This may explain why futurely, the life and work of many Filipinos will be suffused with a product, commodity or service produced by San Miguel, often at a reasonable price. Ramon Ang is undertaking at least nine mega projects that will define and epitomize the San Miguel of the future. They include: The P740-billion New Manila International Airport in Bulakan town, Bulacan province, north of Manila. A game changer and pace-setter, this is the single largest investment by any company in the Philippines Operational by 2025 with an initial two runways each 2.5 kms long and expanding that with four runways by 2027, the new Manila International Airport can handle 100 takeoffs and landings per hour. That means the new MIA can handle 360,000 passengers per day or 130 million passengers per year. More than 60 percent of those passengers will be Filipinos or domestic passengers because domestic tourists outnumber foreign arrivals by a ratio of four to one. RSA expects foreign arrivals to increase from 7 million at present to 30 million per year. Each foreign tourist usually is serviced by one person. So 30 million foreign tourists mean 30 million jobs. While under construction, the new MIA will create one million jobs. With a single runway that is wrongly designed, the present NAIA is overcrowded with 42 takeoffs Marcos Jr. won that Padilla had more votes. So in 90 percent of the provinces, Marcos Jr. garnered a huge margin of votes versus the top senatorial bet, bucking the historical trend. “It’s possible that this can happen,” Daily said, “but it’s highly improbable.” In a slide labeled “more suspicious ratios,” Daily showed that in the 2016 elections, the top senatorial bet, Franklin Drilon, beat Marcos Jr. in over 80 percent of the provinces, while in 2022, Padilla beat the latter in only 10 percent of the provinces. The ratio in 2022, Daily said, is half that in 2016. However, when compared to Robredo’s ratio, in 2016 and 2022, the ratio of senator votes to her votes were very similar, with the ratio in 2022 be-

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

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

and landings per hour. With new MIA’s four runways, plane fares will come down dramatically. Today a return flight from Manila to Cebu costs an exploitative P24,000 or $460. With airlines having plenty of space at new MIA, Manila-Cebu fares could be reduced to just $100 or by 78 percent in five years.

A game changer and pace-setter, this is the single largest investment by any company in the Philippines The Bulacan airport will bring about four major benefits: one, solve congestion at NAIA which costs the economy P1 trillion a year; two, solve traffic congestion in Metro Manila which costs another P1 trillion a year; three, solve severe joblessness; about 30 million Filipinos have no jobs; and four, modernize the Philippine economy, improve its image before foreign investors and, thus, stimulate investments at a scale never experienced before. The Bulacan airport will be linked by high speed train that can carry passengers from the airport to Rizal Park in just 20 minutes, if not less. President Duterte’s P5 trillion Build, Build, Build last year alone brought in $10 billion of foreign direct investments, up 54 percent in one year. The ambitious Aerocity which seeks to create seven modern satellite cities around the Bulacan airport sprawled over 9,000 hectares of what is today mostly land under water. A companion to the Aerocity is an industrial processing zone that will become the Silicon Valley of the Philippines. Power generation. SMC is one of the largest power producers in the Philippines. It has 4,734 megawatts of capacity. That is 26 percent of the Luzon Grid, 19 percent of the National Grid, and 7 percent of the Mindanao Grid. Renewable energy. SMC is tapping major renewable energy sources such as hydro, wind, ocean waves. It will produce 1,000 megawatts of Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in 32 locations in the country. ing in fact higher than in 2016. Daily says the historical ratio of votes of top senators to winning president is between 1.1 to 2.23. In 2022, the ratio was 0.85. He added if the ratio were adjusted to historical trends, the adjusted votes for Marcos Jr. would be dramatically different – it would not be 31 million. If the ratio were 1.25, more in line with the historical trend, Marcos Jr. would have 20 million votes; in other words, he would lose 11 million votes. Now, if half those 11 million votes were actually Robredo votes, “then the election results would have been, Leni, 20.5 million, and [Marcos Jr.], 20.1 million,” Daily explained. In sum, Daily said, the question he sought to

Of the 1,000 MW of BESS, 690 MW are already operational, insuring no brownouts in many areas. Using the latest and cheapest in battery technology, SMC’s BESS is the first in the Philippines and first in Asia Infrastructure. Aside from the airport in Bulacan and the airport in Caticlan (Boracay), SMC has a huge portfolio of tollways whose total length is 787.54 kms, or 75 percent of private tollways in the Philippines. SMC’s tollways will start from Pagudpud in Ilocos Norte down to Sorsogon in the south and will link the major seaports and airports on the west side of Luzon island. Food processing. SMC is spending P100 billion in 10 mega chicken processing plants to produce 80 million processed chickens (plus processed byproducts) yearly for local and export consumption. Chicken today is the least expensive meat. Pork is now priced the same as beef. Nearly all of Luzon’s entire pork production has been wiped out by an insidious pig disease imported from China. SMC is the largest and most valuable food manufacturing company in the Philippines and one of the biggest in Southeast Asia in key food product categories carrying among the most recognizable brands, from chicken, to ice cream, fresh and marinated meats, hotdogs, canned meat and seafood lines, and ready to eat meals. Resort destination. SMC is developing a 2,500-hectare beach resort in Bugsuk island, Palawan. It will have 10 kms of white powdery coral beach on each side of the island, with a 4-km-long runway that can now take in jet planes as wide-bodied as an Airbus A-380. When fully developed, Bugsuk is certain to usurp the present Boracay as the premier and most beautiful beach resort in the Philippines and in the region. Mass Transportation. MRT-7 is no ordinary infrastructure. It expands Metro Manila’s rail system with a 22-km railway with 14 stations to connect Manila, the capital, to the northern Quezon City and the northern province of Bulacan. Under it is a 22-km six-lane asphalt highway that connects the North Luzon Expressway to an intermodal terminal in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan. Bulk water. SMC seeks to help solve the water shortage in Metro Manila and Bulacan with the Bulacan Bulk Water Supply project. biznewsasia@gmail.com answer was, “Was the 2022 Philippine presidential election an example of a perfectly executed campaign, or the greatest scam ever?” His answer is, “Unfortunately, we will never really know.” Short of, perhaps, Robredo asking for a recount, which is costly at P500 or so per voter. In any case, Daily said the reason for the presentation is “not to overturn the election results” – “it’s too late for that” – but rather, to “mention election integrity and democracy.” In my column next week, I’ll be reporting Professor Mebane’s “e-forensics” analysis of the 2022 elections, as well as the implications of such analyses in the future. (To be continued) *** FB and Twitter: @DrJennyO

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Joyce Pangco Pañares Jimbo Owen Gulle

Associate Editors News Editor City Editor

Honor Blanco Cabie Opinion Editor Lino M. Santos Chief Photographer

Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board

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Fierce battle rages for key Ukraine city Largest nat’l S security trial TREET fighting raged Tuesday for control of Ukraine’s flashpoint city of Severodonetsk, with the situation changing “every hour,” an official said, as Kyiv warned its troops were outnumbered by Russian forces.

Just days ago, Moscow seemed close to taking the strategic industrial hub in the east but Ukrainian forces have managed to hold out. “Our heroes are holding their positions in Severodonetsk. Fierce street fights continue in the city,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address late Monday. Concerns about a global food crisis also grew as Zelensky warned of tightening grain supplies – Ukraine is a top producer of the commodity – due to what Washington described as a Russian strategy of “blackmail.”

Thousands of civilians have been killed and millions forced to flee their homes since President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops into Ukraine on February 24. After being repelled from other parts of the country, including Kyiv, Russia has concentrated its assault on the eastern Donbas region and had been making slow but steady progress. Severodonetsk -- the largest city still in Ukrainian hands in the Lugansk region of the Donbas – has been the focal point in recent weeks, and officials described a fast-changing situation on the ground. “The situation is changing every hour, but at the same time there’s enough forces and resources to repel attacks,” said mayor Oleksandr Striuk on Monday. “We have hope, we have faith in our armed forces, no one’s going to abandon” Severodonetsk, he added. Zelensky warned Ukrainian forces in the key city were outnumbered and the Russians “are stronger,” speaking to journalists after visiting frontline positions in Lysychansk, across the river from Severodonetsk. AFP

SMASH HIT FOR YOUNG AND OLD ALIKE. A boy plays badminton in front of a painted wall at the Xinshang Park in Taipei on June 7, 2022. AFP

Relief, caution in Beijing as virus curbs lifted AFTER staying home for more than a month, Chen Chunmei joined a long line of customers at a popular Beijing restaurant where diners tucked into massive bowls of crayfish following an easing of COVID restrictions in the Chinese capital.

Last month, the city of 22 million stopped people from eating out, closed gyms and sealed off dozens of subway stations to try and stamp out a coronavirus outbreak. The curbs are now finally easing, including at restaurants. “I’m very excited, mainly because we’d been sealed off for so long,” Chen told AFP. “I’ve been ordering takeout or cooking every day. I really wanted to come out for meals.” At its peak, Beijing logged just dozens of infections every day. But authorities in China are DEED OF EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF committed to a zero-COVID ESTATE OF THE LATE BIENVENIDO TUASON CONTI strategy—using rapid lockdowns, Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late mass testing and severe travel BIENVENIDO TUASON CONTI who died on July 15, 2001 at Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, have restrictions to eliminate even the

smallest outbreaks. Chen, 28, said her compound was initially locked down for two weeks but when she was finally allowed to leave, the nearby subway station was closed. “Since then, I’d been staying at home,” she said. “At first I thought working from home was pretty good but after a while, I got bored.” As Beijing’s case numbers fell – it reported just two local asymptomatic infections on Tuesday – authorities told residents they could return to work this week, while schools would reopen from June 13. The Universal Beijing resort said it will reopen on June 15, while Chinese media reported that cinemas and gyms will run at 75 percent capacity from this week in most areas. AFP

begins against HK activists

HONG KONG’S largest national security case was sent to trial on Tuesday, after lingering 15 months in pretrial procedures during which most of the 47 defendants were denied bail. Under the security law, which Beijing imposed in 2020 following huge, sometimes violent democracy protests, the pro-democracy figures are charged with “conspiracy to subversion” for organizing an unofficial primary election. Subversion is one of the four major crimes under the security law and can carry a punishment of up to life in prison. The defendants, aged between 24 and 66, include democratically elected lawmakers and district councillors, as well as unionists, academics and others, whose political stances range from modest reformists to radical localists. The case was first brought to court in March 2020, when most of the 47 were denied bail after a four-day marathon hearing before a judge handpicked by the government to try national security cases. Most of the pre-trial hearings over the past 15 months, though held in an open court, have been subject to reporting restrictions—with the court repeatedly refusing applications from defendants and journalists for them to be lifted. Family members and legal representatives have told AFP that the opaqueness has made the defendants “frustrated and depleted”, and allowed the prosecution to “move the goalposts.” After a three-and-half-day hearing that began Wednesday and Thursday last week and finished Tuesday, all but one of the 47 defendants were committed to a senior court by Principal Magistrate Peter Law, one of the national security judges. Last Wednesday, Law announced that seventeen defendants had been committed for trial. They included veteran activists “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung, barrister Lawrence Lau, and journalistturned-activist Gwyneth Ho. Twenty-nine others—including legal scholar Benny Tai, who was also one of the leaders of the “Occupy Central” movement in 2014—were committed on Monday and Tuesday. AFP CYAN

been extra-judicially settled among heirs before Notary Manila

Public Atty. Dennis Arvin L. Chan of Makati City as Standard per Doc. No. 92; Page No.: 20; Book No.: 15; Series of 2022.

TODAY

BEAUTY IN REPETITION.

(MStandard - June 8, 15 & 22, 2022)

Regional of the Philippines REGIONAL TRIAL COURT 5th Judicial Region Branch 6 Naga City

A man crosses on June 7, 2022 a pedestrian bridge in Dubai’s Al-Shindaqa district, where many Indians reside in the Gulf emirate. Anger in the Middle East has been spreading over comments made by an official of India’s ruling party about the Prophet Mohammed, with various countries summoning New Delhi’s envoy in protest. AFP

JENNIFER P. PANTE, Petitioner, -versus-

CIVIL CASE No. 2021-00 For: Declaration of Nullity of Marriage under Article 35 (2) of the Family Code

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES, THE LOCAL CIVIL REGISTRAR OF MANILA, THE PHILIPPINE STATISTICS AUTHORITY/THE CIVIL REGISTRAR-GENERAL and RALPH SAMUEL HADDON, Respondent. x-----------------------------------------------x

ORDER A verified complaint for Declaration of Nullity of Marriage was filed by the petitioner, Jennifer P. Pante. The complaint alleges the following factual matters: the parties met online thru a common friend sometime in 2003. At that time, petitioner was in the Philippines while the respondent was in Australia. After three (3) weeks of courtship, they became boyfriend and girlfriend. In 2004, the respondent came to the Philippines and proposed marriage to the petitioner who accepted his proposal. Eager to be married to each other, they took up the advice of their friend to find a “fixer” at Manila City Hall to arrange their marriage The fixer led the parties to a certain “Atty. Rufino Bagsic” who asked some questions on them after which he declared that they can be married anytime. Despite entertaining some doubts about being married by a lawyer, they agreed to be married immediately. After they filled out application forms and answered about their personal circumstances including the matter about their religion, the parties were married by Atty. Rufino Bagsic in the presence of petitioner’s cousin and her spouse. After the marriage, the parties lived together at Obiedo Subdivision, Cararayan, Naga City but their relationship was marred by respondent’s lazy attitude, frequent drinking sessions and womanizing. Two (2) months after they were wed, respondent abandoned the petitioner. No children were born out of their marriage, neither did the parties acquire property. After petitioner secured a certificate of marriage, she discovered that indicated in the said certificate of marriage, she and the respondent were wed in the Office of the Solemnizing Officer located at Aroceros Street, Ermita, Manila when in fact they were married at a small room located in Manila City Hall. She likewise discovered that solemnizing officer “Rufino S. Bagsic” was indicated as minister of UACCP, lNC (or the United Apostolic Christian Church of the Philippines) when in fact, he introduced himself as a lawyer and not a minister. At the time of their marriage, the petitioner and the respondent were not members of UACCP, lNC. Moreover, petitioner discovered that Marriage License No. 5197590 was issued to them on the same day of their marriage, i.e. on May 24, 2004 by the Local Civil Registry of San Juan, Manila, when in fact, she and the respondent did not apply for a marriage license in LCR, San Juan Manila. Petitioner thus instituted this petition seeking for the declaration of nullity of her marriage to respondent Ralph Samuel Haddon on the ground of lack of Authority of the Solemnizing Officer pursuant to Article 35 (2) of the Family Code. As summons could not be served either personally nor substituted in accordance with the Rules, service by publication may be effected pursuant to A.M. 02-11 -10-SC. Petitioner’s counsel, Atty. Jake Rupert T. Tabora’s motion to serve summons by publication is GRANTED. WHEREFORE, in view of the foregoing, let this Order be published at the expense of the petitioner in a newspaper of general circulation, once a week for two (2) consecutive weeks in the Philippines and in addition, a copy of the summons shall be served upon respondent at his last known address at 21 Cirai Crescent Cranbourne, Victoria, Australia and Blk 11, Lot 70 Villa Obiedo Subd., Cararayan, Naga City both by registrered mail, pursuant to section 6, par.1 of A.M. No. 02-11-10-SC. Likewise, respondent is hereby required to file his answer at the Regional Trial Court, Branch 6 (FC), Naga City, within thirty (30) days from the last day of publication of this Order and at the same time, serving a copy thereof to petitioner’s counsel, Atty. Jake Rupert T. Tabora at Bagumbayan Norte along`Taculod Road, Naga City. SO ORDERED Given this 10th day of February, 2022 in Naga City, Philippines. (SGD.) AGATON S. FAJARDO Presiding Judge (MS-JUNE 8 & 14, 2022)

IN BRIEF

Homeless man drowns as three US cops watch A HOMELESS man drowned in the US state of Arizona while three police officers watched, according to a video and transcript released to the public on Monday. The officers have been suspended pending the results of multiple investigations into the incident, according to a statement by the city of Tempe. On May 28, police responded to a “reported disturbance” between the man, 34-year-old Sean Bickings, and his partner, who were near an artificial lake, the statement said. Video footage released by the city shows officers speaking to his partner, then Bickings, who after a few minutes climbs over a fence and slowly wades into the lake. The officers tell him swimming in the lake is not allowed, but he continues to swim out and under a pedestrian bridge. The video then stops, with the city claiming the remainder is too “sensitive” and instead offers a transcript of the audio. “So what’s your plan right now?” asks one of the officers, according to the transcript. AFP

Australian KFC patrons mad over lettuce-cabbage switch FRIED chicken chain KFC said Tuesday that high lettuce prices in Australia have forced it to switch to a cabbage mix in burgers and other products, prompting customers to complain the result is less than “finger lickin’ good.” The local price of the verdant leaf has soared by as much as 300 percent in recent months, forcing the fast-food chain to tweak the Colonel’s recipe in some stores. “We’re currently experiencing a lettuce shortage. So, we’re using a lettuce and cabbage blend on all products containing lettuce until further notice,” the company told customers.

The company blamed widespread flooding in the country’s east for the problem. But supply chain expert Flavio Macau of Edith Cowan University said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was also a factor, pushing up diesel and fertilizer prices. A single head of iceberg lettuce in Sydney or Melbourne that once sold for about $2 now goes for close to $8. The company told customers: “If that’s not your bag, simply click ‘customize’ on your chosen product and remove lettuce from the recipe :)” The change was certainly not the “bag” of some social media users. “The fact that you are replacing lettuce with cabbage makes me rethink my whole meal at KFC. There’s 4 or 5 other things I would eat before cabbage Its such a weird choice,” said one disgruntled tweeter. “Feels like a sign of the apocalypse,” said another. AFP

Mexico nabs alleged head of int’l child sex syndicate MEXICAN police have arrested a Dutch citizen accused of being the leader of an international pedophile ring, Mexico City’s attorney general said on Monday. The man, identified only as Nelson ‘N’, was caught “in flagrante delicto,” said Attorney General Ernestina Godoy, adding that he is the “possible leader of an international association of pedophiles created in 1982.” The arrest was the result of a “broad investigation” by prosecutors in collaboration with the NGO Operation Underground Railroad (OUR), Godoy said in a video posted on social media. The NGO, dedicated to combating the sexual exploitation of children, reported the Dutchman’s presence in Mexico to the authorities. The group “had information that Nelson ‘N’ was in our country, possibly in order to expand his human trafficking and child pornography network,” Godoy said. The investigation observed his “modus operandi and location” and made it possible to determine his routines, aimed at getting in touch with other possible pedophiles, the authorities said.AFP

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Australia hikes interest rates to curb prices

PSEi June 7, 2022

TOP GAINERS

1 SOC 2 PRIM

LAST % PRICE CHANGE CHANGE 0.6 0.05 9.09% 2.06 0.17 8.99%

3 4

COAL MB

0.239 0.365

0.017 0.02

7.66% 5.80%

5

SLI

3.13

0.16

5.39%

6 7 8

APVI PSE SPNEC

16.2 199.8 1.65

0.8 9.7 0.08

5.19% 5.10% 5.10%

9

UPM

0.0065

0.0003

4.84%

10

SLF

2400

100

4.35%

TOP LOSERS 1 FFI

LAST % PRICE CHANGE CHANGE 3.82 -1.21 -24.06%

2

TFC

43.15

-13.3

-23.56%

3 4

CAB ASLAG

39.1 1.89

-6.5 -0.16

-14.25% -7.80%

5 6

ACEX EVER

9.61 0.265

-0.75 -0.02

-7.24% -7.02%

7 8 9 10

LPZ AB BSC X

2.98 7.01 0.425 0.345

-0.21 -0.49 -0.025 -0.02

-6.58% -6.53% -5.56% -5.48%

MOST ACTIVE

1 SMPH 2 ALI

VOLUME 15,998,800 10,554,700

VALUE (PHP) 633,608,365 320,990,635

3

BDO

1,840,300

236,537,536

4

GLO

90,580

216,717,450

5

ASLAG

105,821,000 208,158,150

6

BLOOM

31,784,400

198,991,209

7 8

ICT CNVRG

841,670 6,919,400

179,578,328 166,967,785

9 10

AC ACEN

228,250 19,537,000

154,382,550 144,987,251

Syed Hyder from a stall at Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market holds an iceberg lettuce on June 7, 2022, with the local price soaring by as much as 300 percent in recent months. Fried chicken chain KFC said on June 7 that high lettuce prices in Australia have forced it to switch to a cabbage mix in burgers and other products, prompting customers to complain the result is less than ‘finger lickin’ good.’ AFP

Market gains slightly; Ayala stocks advance

T

HE stock market rose Tuesday on mild bargain hunting, shrugging off the latest inflation report that showed prices surging to a 42-month high of 5.4 percent in May from 4.9 percent a month ago.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index added 37.13 points, or 0.6 percent, to 6,754.01 on a value turnover of nearly P5 billion. Gainers edged losers, 96 to 90, with 42 issues unchanged. Major property developer Ayala Land Inc. of the Ayala Group advanced 3.3 percent to P30.95, while parent Ayala Corp. climbed 2.6 percent to P678.50. Fiber broadband provider Converge ICT Solutions Inc. rose 1.5 percent to P24.20, but newly-listed solar power generator Raslag Corp. slumped 7.8 percent to P1.89. The rest of Asian stock markets strug-

gled Tuesday on long-running worries inflation.” over surging inflation and rising interAnd SPI Asset Management’s Steest rates, which overshadowed hopes phen Innes added: “Investors are hyperthat China would ease off its regulatory focused on inflation, economic growth, drive against the country’s beleaguered and future Fed policy. tech giants. “Most assume the worst and think a A spike in US Treasury yields took financial tsunami will hit the US and the wind out of the sales for Wall Street, global markets thanks to the quorum with focus now on the release of inflaof US-based bank CEOs that have givManila tion data from the United States and en the gloomy growth narrative their Standard TODAY China at the end of the week. imprimatur. Anything less than that Analysts are tipping the Federal Re- outcome is going to surprise a lot of serve to lift borrowing costs by half a folks.” With AFP point at its next three meetings as officials try to get a grip on runaway prices. But that is causing discomfort on trading floors as investors fret over the impact on MEGAWIDE CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION No. 20 N. Domingo Street, Barangay Valencia, Quezon City economic growth and firms’ Tel. No. (02) 8655-1111 bottom lines. “Inflation concerns are not going anywhere fast,” Fiona NOTICE OF ANNUAL STOCKHOLDERS’ MEETING Cincotta, at City Index, said. To the Stockholders of MEGAWIDE CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION (the “Company”): “Rising crude oil prices and a strong labor report have lifted Notice is hereby given that the Annual Stockholders’ Meeting of the Company will be held on 30 June 2022, at 2:00 P.M. The meeting will be conducted via remote communication and can be accessed through the following bets that the Fed may need link: Please click here. to act aggressively to rein in The agenda of the meeting is as follows: 1.

Syria’s climate-scorched wheat fields feed animals, not people

UMM HAJRAH, Syria—Moussa Fatimi’s wheat field was once part of a thriving Syrian breadbasket. Now, he can’t even grow enough to feed his family, and the land has been turned over to animals. Fatimi’s crop has withered from a climate crisis, adding to fears of supply shortages sparked by the war in Ukraine as Syria grapples with record-high rates of food insecurity. “For the second year in a row, we face drought,” Fatimi, 85, told AFP at his parched plot. “We haven’t even harvested enough this year to secure our own supply of bread. Our losses are in the millions,” he said. Syria is among the countries most vulnerable and poorly prepared for climate change, which is forecast to worsen, posing a further threat to the wheat harvests that are an essential income source for a war-battered population. The trend is most evident in Syria’s once-fertile northeast where wheat fields are drying to a crisp because of severe drought and low rainfall, challenges also faced by Iraq and other neighboring countries. In Umm Hajrah, a village northeast of Hasakeh city, Fatimi meandered through a wheat field dotted with sheep munching on the crops. “It’s just straw. There’s no seeds,” he said after pulling up a stunted stalk. Trucks used to queue to ferry bags of Fatimi’s wheat to granaries, but now he largely relies on income from other farmers who use his field to graze their animals. “I feel sorry when I see the sheep eating from the field,” he said. Syria’s wheat production averaged 4.1 million tons in

Call to Order •

2.

years prior to its war, which erupted in 2011 after the repression of anti-government protests. Years of subsequent fighting have left around half a million people dead and displaced millions. Before the war, Syria’s wheat production was enough to meet local demand. Harvests then plunged to record lows, leading to increased dependence on imports especially from regime-ally Russia. Those shipments have continued since Russia’s February invasion of Ukraine but the war in Kyiv has sparked fears of a supply crisis as wheat fields shrivel. Hotter and hotter Northeast Syria is about 0.8 degrees Celsius hotter today than it was 100 years ago with a decreased mean rainfall of about 18 millimeters (0.7 inch) per month over the same period, according to a report released in April by iMMAP, a data-focused non-profit organization based in Washington. By 2050, temperatures are expected to be at least two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) higher while precipitation falls by 11 percent, iMMAP said. The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization said that the 210,000 tons of wheat grain produced in Hasakeh province during the 2020-2021 winter cropping season were only 26 percent of the previous year. The low harvest came with an estimated 60 percent of Syria’s population food-insecure, according to the UN, and prompted Salman Mohammed Barko to turn his wheat plot into a grazing ground as Fatimi did. But the money he makes doesn’t even cover what he paid to plant the area. “Climate change has affected us as farmers, with water scarcity, poor production, less rainfall and weather changes” posing a great challenge, said Barko, 55. AFP

3.

The Chairman will call the meeting to order.

Proof of Notice and Quorum •

Sheep graze in a dry wheat field in the countryside of Syria’s northeastern Hasakeh province on May 28, 2022. Syria is among the countries most vulnerable and poorly prepared for climate change, which is forecast to worsen, posing a further threat to the wheat harvests that are an essential income source for a war-battered population. AFP

By Delil Souleiman

SYDNEY, Australia—Australia’s central bank raised interest rates more than expected Tuesday and warned of more increases as officials try to rein in “significantly” high inflation. Governor Philip Lowe said the Reserve Bank’s main lending rate would go up half a percentage point to 0.85 percent, surprising analysts who had tipped a quarter point lift. He also said “extraordinary” support for the economy via low rates would continue to be unwound. The move comes as inflation has seen the price of lettuce increase 300 percent and sent already sky-high house prices in major cities soaring by a quarter since the start of the pandemic. “While inflation is lower than in most other advanced economies, it is higher than earlier expected,” Lowe said. “Global factors, including COVID-related disruptions to supply chains and the war in Ukraine, account for much of this increase in inflation,” he added, while warning that “domestic factors are playing a role too.” The governor cited a tight labor market and widespread floods as local reasons helping inflation rise to 5.1 percent. The pandemic forced Australia’s economy into its first recession in a generation, and the recovery has been patchy. Rate rises hit hard in a country where debt levels from pricey mortgages are particularly high. Lowe said the bank would be looking closely to see if that dual shock causes consumption to decrease more than expected. AFP

The Corporate Secretary will certify that notices of the meeting have been duly sent to the stockholders of record date as required by the By-Laws. He will also attest to the attendance at the meeting and whether a quorum is present. Except as otherwise provided by law, a quorum shall consist of stockholders owning majority of the outstanding capital stock (exclusive of treasury stock) participating in person, in absentia, or by proxy.

Approval of the Minutes of the Annual Stockholders’ Meeting held last 30 June 2021 •

The Minutes of the Annual Stockholders’ Meeting held last 30 June 2021 will be submitted for approval. It contains the following matters: (a) Approval of the Minutes of the Annual Stockholders’ Meeting held last 30 June 2020; (b) Approval of the Minutes of the Annual Stockholders’ Meeting held last 21 May 2021; (c) Chairman’s Address and President’s Report; (d) Election of Directors; (d) Approval of the 2020 Audited Financial Statements; (e) Appointment of the External Auditor; and (f) Ratification of All Acts of Management and the Board of Directors.

A copy of the Minutes of the Annual Stockholders’ Meeting held last 30 June 2021 is available in the Company’s website and attached to the Information Statement as Exhibit “5”. 4.

Chairman’s Address and President’s Report •

5.

Election of Directors •

6.

The stockholders will approve the appointment of Punongbayan & Araullo as the Company’s external auditor.

Approval of the Amendment of Articles of Incorporation •

9.

The 2021 Audited Financial Statements of the Company will be submitted for the approval of the stockholders.

Appointment of the External Auditor •

8.

The stockholders will approve the election of the regular and independent directors to hold office until the next Annual Stockholders’ Meeting and until their respective successors have been elected and qualified. The nominees were evaluated on the basis of all qualifications required by the Company’s By-Laws, New Manual on Corporate Governance, and that no provision on disqualification would apply to them. The profile and qualifications of the nominees are in the Company’s Information Statement and Annual Report (“SEC Form 17A”) which are available in its website.

Approval of the 2021 Audited Financial Statements •

7.

The Chairman and President of the Company will give a welcome address and provide the operational highlights of 2021.

The Amendment of Article Second of the Articles of Incorporation of the Company will be submitted for the approval of the stockholders. The proposed amendments are intended to expressly remove the development of real estate in the purposes of the Company, given that it does not engage in the business of real estate development.

Approval of the Amendment of By-Laws The Amendment of Article II, Sections 1 to 7, and Article III, Section 1(h) of the By-Laws of the Company will be submitted for the approval of the stockholders. The amendments to the By-Laws are intended to align with the provisions of the Revised Corporation Code and SEC Memorandum Circular No. 06, Series of 2020. Ratification of All Acts of the Board of Directors and Management •

10.

•

11.

For ratification of the stockholders are all acts of the Board of Directors and Management in the ordinary course of the Company’s business. A list of such acts is too voluminous to be included in the Information Statement. These acts pertain to obtaining government permits and clearances, execution of contracts, availment of services from banks, and other acts necessary for various construction projects of the Company.

Other Matters •

The floor will be open for questions from the stockholders.

All stockholders of record at the close of business on 13 May 2022 are entitled to notice of and vote at the annual meeting and at any adjournment thereof. The stock and transfer books of the Company will be closed from end of business day on 14 May 2022 until 30 June 2022. Please refer to Exhibit “1” of the Information Statement (available in the PSE EDGE website) or visit https://mcc-stockholders-meeting.web.app/ for the full details on the submission of proxies, procedure for voting, participation in the Annual Stockholders’ Meeting, and to view the SEC Form 17-A. Quezon City, Philippines, 08 June 2022. ______________________________ CHARLOTTE Y. KING Corporate Secretary

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

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Gov’t turns over 1,200-MW Ilijan natural gas power plant to SMC By Alena Mae S. Flores

S

TATE-OWNED Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. turned over the 1,200-megawatt Ilijan natural gas-fired power combined cycle power plant in Batangas province to conglomerate San Miguel Corp.

San Miguel unit SMC Global Power Holdings Corp. said in a disclosure to the Philippine Dealing & Exchange Corp. on Tuesday that PSALM and South Premiere Power Corp. executed the deed of sale on June 3. SMC Global said the move was pur-

suant to the administration agreement of SPPC with PSALM on the Ilijan plant that took effect on June 26, 2010. PSALM did not provide a separate statement. Under the administration agreement, PSALM should turn over the plant upon

SPPC’s full settlement of the monthly payments. SMC through SPPC administers the output produced by the Ilijan power plant under its independent power producer administration agreement with PSALM. SPPC was appointed the IPP administrator for the project in 2010. SMC won as the highest bidder for the appointment of an IPPA to manage the contracted capacity of the National Power Corp. in the 1,200-MW Ilijan power plant in 2010 with a bid of $870,000,473. Before the turnover, the Ilijan power plant was operated by Korea Electric Power Corp. through KEPCO Ilijan

Corp. under a build-operate-transfer contract which expired on June 4. The Ilijan power facility, which started commercial operations on June 5, 2002, is a flagship project of the government that uses natural gas from the Camago-Malampaya gas field in northwest Palawan. PSALM/NPC supplies natural gas to the Ilijan power plant from the Malampaya gas project under a gas supply agreement with Shell Exploration Philippines B.V. which also expired on June 4. Shell Philippine Exploration B.V. earlier said the Malampaya gas field would end its supply and purchase agreement with Ilijan gas-fired plant.

North Star Meats cancels IPO, cites volatility, inflation By Jenniffer B. Austria FRESH meat supplier North Star Meats Merchants Inc. shelved its planned P4.5-billion initial public offering on heightened market volatility and rising inflation rate, a top executive said Tuesday. North Star president and chief executive Anthony Ng said in a letter to the stock exchange the company would fund its expansion projects from other sources. The company, in consultation with local underwriters, decided to defer the IPO after conducting a book-building exercise, which is undertaken to determine investors’ appetite for the planned offering. “While reception to the company and its plans has been positive, the company was constrained to defer the IPO due to increased market volatility amid inflationary concerns,” Ng said. “The company intends to proceed with its expansion plans, albeit with an adjusted timetable and funding source. The company continues to believe in its growth prospects and hopes to be able to tap the capital markets in the future,” he said. The meat vendor was supposed to offer up to 392 million common shares, with 58 million over-allotment shares. The IPO shares were priced at P10 apiece. The offering was supposed to run from June 13 to 17, while the listing on the PSE was targeted for June 24.

Tuesday, June 7, 2022

37.13 PTS. 6,754.01

TOTAL VOLUME TOTAL TRADES

877,074,291 77,075

TOTAL VALUE (IN PHP) ADVANCES DECLINES

4,958,793,362.99 96 90

UNCHANGED

42

F oreign E xchange R ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • TUESDAY, JUNE 7, 2022

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

52.9160

Japan

Yen

0.007582

0.4012

UK

Pound

1.253400

66.3249

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.127476

6.7455

Switzerland

Franc

1.030184

54.5132

Canada

Dollar

0.795165

42.0770

Singapore

Dollar

0.726586

38.4480

Australia

Dollar

0.719300

38.0625

Bahrain

Dinar

2.653153

140.3942

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266610

14.1079

Brunei

Dollar

0.723956

38.3089

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000069

0.0037

Thailand

Baht

0.029150

1.5425

UAE

Dirham

0.272287

14.4083

Euro

Euro

1.069500

56.5937

Korea

Won

0.000798

0.0422

China

Yuan

0.150277

7.9521

India

Rupee

0.012854

0.6802

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.227946

12.0620

New Zealand

Dollar

0.649000

34.3425

Taiwan

Dollar

0.034094

1.8041 Source: BSP

IN BRIEF Hanjin enjoyed big tax breaks—Finance

THE government has lost billions of pesos in tax breaks granted to the defunct shipyard of Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Philippines Inc. at the Subic Freeport. The Fiscal Incentives Review Board said a statement Tuesday Hanjin received tax incentives amounting to P370 million in 2015 alone. The data is based on the company’s audited financial statements on operations in 2015. It posted a net taxable income of P1.234 billion after deducting an income tax holiday equivalent to P370 million in foregone revenues for the government that year. HHIC-Phil, a subsidiary of the South Korean shipbuilding giant Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Co. Ltd., registered with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority and the Board of Investments to avail of tax perks in 2006 and 2009, respectively. The company received seven years of income tax holiday and a special corporate income tax rate of 5 percent on gross income earned upon the expiration of its income tax holiday. Apart from these perks, the company received tax and duty-free importations on raw materials and capital equipment. Julito G. Rada

NLEX Corp. spending P162m on Subic road

MODERN PUVS. Around 150 individual members of transport cooperatives in the Bicol region attend the Hyundai BiyaHenyo Caravan in support of the nationwide Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program. In partnership with Hyundai Trucks and Buses Alabang, 30 local transport cooperatives with 150 members joined the roadshow at Proxy by The Oriental Albay Hotel and solidified their commitment through the signing of a memorandum of understanding to acquire 450 units of modern Hyundai PUVs.

34 solar power firms qualify to join green energy auction THE Department of Energy said 34 solar power companies passed the qualification to participate in the Green Energy Auction Program for the supply of 900 megawatts of solar capacity to the Luzon grid. It said 12 wind companies also qualified to join the auction and supply for 360 MW of wind capacity to the Luzon grid under the GEAP. The GEAP is a new market development support program introduced by the DOE to promote RE as one of the country’s primary sources of energy through a transparent and competitive selection process.

Three companies also passed the qualification to join the auction for 50 MW of biomass power, while four companies would participate in the supply of 80 MW of hydro capacity to the Luzon grid. It said that in the Visayas grid, six bidders qualified to participate in the auction for 260 MW of solar capacity. Three companies qualified to bid for the supply of 120 MW of biomass capacity and two others will join the auction to supply 20 MW of wind capacity to the Visayas grid. It said that in Mindanao, two solar companies would participate in the auc-

tion for the supply of 100 MW of solar capacity. Five hydro companies and four biomass power plants qualified to join the auction for 50 MW of hydro and biomass capacity, respectively. The Energy Regulatory Commission earlier set the Green Energy Auction Reserve prices for solar, wind, biomass and run-of-river hydro technologies in support of the government’s thrust to accelerate the development of renewable energy. It set the GEAR price for solar at P3.6779 per kWh, wind at P6.0584 per kWh, biomass at P5.0797 per kWh and run-of-river at P5.4913 per kWh. Alena Mae S. Flores

NLEX Corp. said it spending P162 million to upgrade the Subic Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) toll system. “These comprehensive and integrated enhancements are part of our goal to serve our motorists more efficiently. We always ensure that we continually upgrade our system and equipment to deliver convenient and reliable service to our motorists,” said NLEX president and general manager J. Luigi Bautista. The project includes the upgrading of the radio frequency identification (RFID) system and network switches, the installation of RFID early detection feature, automatic license plate recognition (ALPR), and contactless card readers, and the replacement of toll system equipment such as the toll fare indicator, lane status indicator, traffic control gate (TCG), automatic vehicle classification (AVC) device, and loop detector. NLEX expects to complete the SCTEx toll system upgrade within the year. All toll lanes in SCTEX this year will be furnished with new toll system equipment once the replacement of 46 units of old equipment for 33 toll lanes is completed. Darwin G. Amojelar

AbaCore bares plan to list shares of unit

RESILIENT MCDONALD’S. With the Philippine economy in an upward trend, Golden Arches Development Corp., which owns the franchise of McDonald’s in the Philippines, remains resilient and has sustained its recovery momentum in the first quarter despite the Omicron surge. Attending the 2022 McDonald’s Worldwide Convention in Orlando, Florida are (from left) McDonald’s PH president and chief executive Kenneth Yang, McDonald’s Corp. chief executive Chris Kempczinski and McDonald’s PH master franchise holder and chairman Dr. George Yang.Convention.

ABACORE Capital Holdings Inc. plans to list its wholly-owned unit Philippine Regional Investment Development Corp. (PRIDE), through a process called listingby-way-of-introduction, or without public offering. AbaCore said in a disclosure to the stock exchange Tuesday its board of directors approved the declaration of property and cash dividend to shareholders in accordance with its dividend policy. Shareholders of AbaCore owning 1 share will be entitled to receive 0.0009 share in PRIDE and P0.01 cash dividend. Each PRIDE share has a par value of P100, equivalent to a P0.09 dividend. The dividend will be paid to shareholders of record as of June 28. The payment of the dividend is subject to the approval of the Securities and Exchange Commission. AbaCore said the move will enable PRIDE to be listed on the local bourse through listing-by-way-of-introduction. Jenniffer B. Austria

Innovative products to cut smoking-related diseases A RENOWNED cancer doctor advised Filipino medical professionals to look at smoke-free alternatives like e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products as tools to help address smoking-related diseases in the Philippines, while declaring that nicotine is not a source of cancer. Dr. David Khayat, a French oncologist, said smokers who would not quit even when afflicted with cancer should be given alternatives that can reduce their exposure to toxicants and carcinogens. “All of these alternatives such as snus, electronic cigarettes [vapes] and heated tobacco products are showing very significant efficacy in

helping people switch from real cigarettes that are very bad to health,” Khayat said during a virtual presentation before members of the Philippine Medical Association. Dr. Khayat, a professor of Oncology at Pierre et Marie Curie University and head of Medical Oncology at La Pitié-Salpétrière Hospital in Paris, discussed the topic “Smoking, Cancer and Tobacco Harm Reduction” during the 115th PMA Annual Convention and Scientific Meetings on May 19 to 22, 2022. He said nicotine is not a source of cancer, as health experts even prescribe nicotine replacement therapy

to help smokers quit. “If you want to reduce exposure to carcinogens, you must identify the nature, production and exposure source of carcinogens,” said Khayat. “Smokers commonly misperceive that nicotine is a major carcinogen,” he said, adding that it is contrary to the conclusion of Cancer Research UK, which found that nicotine is not responsible for the harmful effects of smoking. “Nicotine does not cause cancer, and people have used nicotine replacement therapy safely for many years. NRT is safe enough to be prescribed by doctors,” the Cancer Research UK said.

Sports

Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Randy M. Caluag, Assistant Editor WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8, 2022

Lady Bulldogs a win away from UAAP volley sweep

The NU Lady Bulldogs give teammate Pearl Denura a victory ride after their win over the FEU Lady Tamaraws in the UAAP Season 84 women’s volleyball tournament.

SBP to focus on World Cup, Asian Cup, U-16 FIBA meet

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HE Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas would rather concentrate on the bigger battles ahead than dwell on the past. Focus for the country’s governing body for basketball now shifts to the national teams’ coming major tournaments as well as ongoing preparations being undertaken for the hosting of the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Appearing in the virtual Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum on Tuesday, SBP executive director Sonny Barrios said the Gilas Pilipinas team has begun training for its campaign in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers in New Zealand and Manila, and later on in the FIBA Asia Cup Championship in Indonesia. Nenad Vucinic will handle the Gilas team for the World Cup qualifiers, before Chot Reyes takes the coaching job anew for the Asia Cup Championship, an arrangement which Barrios said has been approved even before the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam. And then there’s the U-16 FIBA Asian Championship in Doha, Qatar, where the Gilas Youth team under coach Josh Reyes, hopes to clinch a berth in the U-17

World Cup in Malaga, Spain, and the U-16 women’s team of coach Pat Aquino that’s also seeing action in the Asian Championship in Amman, Jordan. “We are very inclusive in planning out how to move forward for this 2023 World Cup, which we are hosting para ng sa ganu’n ang ating buong bayan will support and be behind our Gilas Pilipinas team kasi alam nilang pinaghandaan ng mabuti yung tournament,” said the SBP official. Barrios admitted there are lessons learned in Gilas Pilipinas losing the basketball gold to Indonesia in the Hanoi SEA Games. “Fielding the best that we can is of utmost importance para ‘yung cohesion and preparing for an extended period of time and not just a couple of weeks or even a month ay mas maganda. Mas matagal, mas maganda,” offered the former PBA commissioner in the session presented by San Miguel Corporation, Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, MILO,Amelie Hotel Manila, Unilever, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation. “The value of scouting the opposition is also a lesson learned moving forward for any tournament for that matter.”

Sonny Barrios

Simultaneous with the preparations being undertaken by the national teams is the groundwork being made by the SBP for the successful staging of the World Cup next year which the country is co-hosting with Japan and Indonesia. Barrios said the basketball federation is in constant communications with its Japanese and Indonesian counterparts

to ensure the success of the quadrennial showpiece being co-hosted in three different countries for the first time in history. FIBA officials personally inspected the three venues where the games will be held here, namely the Mall of Asia Arena, Smart Araneta Coliseum, and the Philippine Arena, last April.

Wu-Pegels reigns in 19th Forest Hills Invitational ANLI Wu and partner Violy Pegels posted the lowest net score of 132 after an 88 in aggregate play and 44 in best ball format to win the overall title in the 19th Forest Hills Invitational held at the Forest Hills Golf and Country Club in Antipolo. Mark Gruba with guest Michael Lim, meanwhile, produced the 151 (aggregate) and 71 (best ball) to capture the low gross trophy in the tournament, which returned after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. The four-day event, sponsored by Golforce, MegaForce Security Services, Cherrylume/Mileage Asia and Escala Tagaytay, also saw Ronnie Littaua and Eric Vil-

lafranca crowned as Class A champs with 123 (82-41). Other winners were Jerome Ngo and Park Seung Jin 130 (86-44) in Class B; Marc Tio and Jose Co 130 (8644) in Class C; Bernardo Ngo and Jose Lim 118 (76-42) in Class D; and Human’s Fit owner Rudy dela Cruz 141 (71-70 System 36) in the guests/sponsors’ division. Cherrylume/Mileage Asia, SJK-Guahan, Eatwell Supermarket, J-Ten and Tee One, Emirates Airlines, Microtel and Tryp by Windham and Pascual Consumer Healthcare were silver sponsors, while hole-in-one sponsors were Taishan Insurance, Silicon Computers & Telecoms, J-Ten, Evolution Electric Cars PH and The Turf

Company plus media partners Business Mirror and The Perfect Drive PH. Bronze sponsors were Andelein Land, Aqua Haus, Aqua Terra Integrated Solutions, Interconnect Systems, Pixel Data, Primepower Manpower, Waterworld Trading, PMC, Agrexplore, Hydrotech, Gotobox, Romari Construction, Eurotel, Robinsons Lux, Zepar Environment, Torre Lorenzo Dev., CJH Golf Club, G&W Clubshares, Manila Southwoods, Manila Southwoods Manor, The Manor @CJH, Eagle Ridge, Beverly Place, Empire Golf, Humans Fit, Pacsports Phils., and Ayala Land Premier.

Team BTK stuns Sibol at RMC Grand Finals realme, the PH’s no. 1 smartphone brand for 2021 based on Canalys and IDC sell-in reports for Q1-Q4 2021, concluded the 6th season of its most star-studded tournament to date, the realme Mobile Legends Cup Grand Finals last June 5 at the SMX Convention Center, which had a shocking twist with Team BTK scoring victory against Team Sibol. The event last Sunday had viewers on their seats as they waited whether SEA Games Gold Medalist Team Sibol will battle the M3 World Championship Bronze Medalist Team BTK for the most anticipated showmatch of 2022. The two teams’ feud on social media was the talk of the town days before the event as BTK’s team captain “MobaZane” previously challenged Team PH during one of his livestreams, with

Team Sibol with its conqueror, Team BTK

Team Sibol retaliating with an ultimatum showed up and they were in it to win! of battling them on the RMC Grand FiTeam Sibol had a strong start as they nals. To everyone’s surprise, Team USA scored the first win by killing 3 BTK

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members. Team BTK tied the score (1-1) during the 2nd round, thanks to Filipino member Ichiji who managed a kill despite being cornered by Team Sibol, which got back on their feet during the 3rd round as they eliminated Team USA’s tanks one after another. By the 4th round, Team BTK proved unbeatable when they unleashed heroes “Thamuz” and “Julian” for their counter-attacks, eventually shutting down Team Sibol’s “Estes” and tying the score at 2-2. Ultimately, Team BTK surprised everyone when they took home the victory against Sibol. But aside from the thrilling showmatch that went down between the two teams, realme subtly hinted a new addition to its photography powerhouse 9 series line-up. Later on, it was confirmed by the realme PH team that the all new realme 9 will be coming. Designed to #CaptureBeyondLimits, the realme 9 is equipped with a

NATIONAL University overcame a shaky start, trouncing Far Eastern University, 24-26, 25-17, 25-19, 25-10, to move a win away from sweeping telimination round, Tuesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. The Lady Bulldogs will go for 14-0 and an outright Finals’ berth on Thursday against third seed University of Santo Tomas at 4 p.m. With FEU down, 23-24, Lady Tamaraw Chenie Tagaod delivered a powerful hit for the tie before NU’s Alyssa Solomon and Mhicaela Belen committed two attack errors to give the FEU belles the first set, 26-24. “’Yun ‘yung consequence ‘pag hindi kami naglaro nang maayos, hindi kami nag effort,” said Lady Bulldogs’ head coach Karl Dimaculangan on their sluggish start. “’Yung mga ganoong game, ‘yung nire-remind ko sa kanila na hindi kami puwede maging complacent kahit sinong kalaban, good thing na lang din nakarecover kami.” With the score knotted at 14 in the second salvo, NU uncorked an 11-3 surge to equalize, 25-17, before nabbing the third canto, 25-19. And in the fourth set, it was all NU as it roared to a 25-10 victory for the 13-0 win-loss card. Belen topscored for the Lady Bulldogs with 18 points, while Sheena Toring had 12 points of her own. Solomon chipped in 10 points while Nierva tallied 18 digs and 12 excellent receptions. FEU was led by Jovelyn Fernandez with 16 points while Tagaod had 11 points, 11 digs, and eight excellent receptions. The Lady Tamaraws slipped to 1-12 ahead of their matchup against winless University of the East on Thursday as well, 10 am.

Lefty joins Saudi golf series, plans US Open play WASHINGTON—Phil “Lefty” Mickelson confirmed on Monday he has signed to play in the lucrative Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series, saying he also plans to play major events, including next week’s US Open. The six-time major winner will be in the field of 48 at the controversial new tour’s inaugural event in London this week. “I am ready to come back to play the game I love but after 32 years this new path is a fresh start,” Mickelson wrote in a statement posted on Twitter. Mickelson later Monday told Sports Illustrated that he plans to play all eight LIV Golf events and compete in majors after talks with major sanctioning bodies. “I’m looking forward to playing the US Open,” Mickelson told SI. “I’m under the understanding that I’m able to play.” Mickelson told SI he will keep his US PGA Tour membership, unlike some who joined LIV Golf, but has not spoken with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan or long-time rival Tiger Woods. “I’m uncertain how I will play given that I haven’t played in a few months,” Mickelson told SI. “But I’m optimistic.” Mickelson has not played since the publication of comments in February where he criticized the PGA Tour and LIV Golf’s Saudi backers. In an interview with author Alan Shipnuck, the 51-year-old American left-hander said the Saudi-funded LIV Golf was an opportunity to gain leverage over the PGA Tour. However, Mickelson described the new venture’s backers as “scary” with a “horrible record on human rights,” noting the death of US journalist Jamal Khashoggi in a Saudi consulate. “I certainly do not condone human rights violations. And addressing what happened to Jamal Khashoggi is awful,” Mickelson told SI on Monday. “But I have seen the good that game of golf has done throughout history.

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Sports

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8, 2022

Mangat eyes performance to remember against Geje

Celtics hope to give bid a big boost at Garden BOSTON—Desperate to reduce turnovers and avoid third-quarter slumps, the Boston Celtics hope coming home will spark a revival in their NBA Finals performance. The Celtics and Golden State Warriors are deadlocked 1-1 in the best-of-seven championship series entering game three Wednesday at Boston Garden. After an epic fourth-quarter rally brought Boston a game one triumph, the Warriors took advantage of 33 points off 19 turnovers and a big third quarter for a 107-88 victory in game two on Sunday. “Didn’t give ourselves a chance with a lot of those turnovers,” Celtics coach Ime Udoka said. “We weren’t strong with the ball. For us that was a little disappointing.” The Celtics are 5-4 at home in the playoffs, while going 8-3 on the road, but star Jaylen Brown is ready to forget such things. “We’ve got to come out and play our best version of basketball,” Brown said. “We can’t let stuff that’s happened in the past affect our mindset going forward. “We’ve just got to come out and do a better job taking care of the basketball.” The Celtics need to avoid falling into deep holes in the third quarter as they have in the first two games in San Francisco as well. “We’ve got to come ready to play, come ready to meet that physicality on both ends,” Brown said. “We’re not a perfect team, but we’ll figure it out going forward. We’ve just got to play for 48 minutes. “We know the Warriors are a thirdquarter team. We talked about it. They still came out and were able to go on a run. We’ve just got to be able to answer.” Boston forward Jayson Tatum stresses cutting down on turnovers. “They got a lot of points off our turnovers. That’s something we’ve got to be better for next game,” he said. “Throughout the playoffs, the games we have high turnovers result in a loss. “That’s definitely a point of emphasis. We’re a really good team when we take care of the ball. But we have those lapses where—snowball effect —we pile on turnovers and dig ourselves into a hole.” AFP

Ramon Suzara (left), president of PNVF, is shown with Quezon City Vice Mayor Gian Sotto during the press conference announcing the staging of the Volleyball Nations League. Manny Palmero

PH hosts world-class FIVB Nations League By Peter Atencio

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SERIES of exhibition games will be in store for the Philippine national men’s and women’s teams before the start of the Manila leg of the FIVB Volleyball National League Week 2. Top-caliber women’s squads from Thailand and Japan arrived on Tuesday, a week ahead of their scheduled matches in the women’s division of the VNL, a series of tournaments formerly known as the World League and the World Grand Prix. And they are set to play Team Pilipinas on June 11 and 12 at The Arena in San Juan, a few days before the Thais and the Japanese plunge into action against an elite VNL cast, led by Tokyo Olympic gold medallist Team USA. Joining Team USA are China, Japan, Belgium, Thailand, Bulgaria, Poland and Canada. The men’s side includes Tokyo Olympics champion France and bronze medallist Argentina, together with Slovenia, Netherland, Japan, China, Italy and Germany.

“World-class volleyball action is back in the country. This is the first time that the Philippines is hosting the VNL. As you know, we have been hosting the World Grand Prix,” said Philippine National Volleyball Federation president Ramon “Tats” Suzara, as he launched the VNL’s staging with Quezon City Vice Mayor Gian Sotto. The Philippine side won’t be fielding a single team since only the top 16 squads in the world can join. But the Philippine men’s team will clash in tuneup matches with Japan and Germany later on June 15 and 27. “We are happy to have it at the Araneta Coliseum. And this will be a twoweek event for the men’s and women’s divisions,” added Suzara. Quezon City is one of four cities play-

ing host in the men’s and women’s division of the VNL. Week 1 was held in ShreveportBossier City, USA and Ankara, Turkey from May 31 to June 5. Action is now in Week 2 in Brasilia, Brazil and in Quezon City from June 14 to 9. Calgary, Canada and Sofia, Bulgaria will play hosts to Week 3 from June 28 to July 3. The men’s pool play has already started in Brasilia and in the Canadian capital Ottawa as matches are slated from June 7 to 12. Quezon City and Sofia have already welcomed the 16 participating teams for Week 2 from June 21 to 26. Osaka, Japan and Gdansk, Poland will next host Week 3 from July 5 to 10. The competition will conclude in the women’s finals in Ankara from July 13 to 17. The men’s championship is in Bologna, and will be played from July 20 to 24. The Quezon City government will help in the hosting the of the games through COVID-19 antigen testing, according to Sotto, with the prevention of the spread of the virus in mind. AFP

GURDARSHAN “Saint Lion” Mangat believes that he will put on a performance to remember should he get a shot at former ONE Flyweight World Champion Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio. Mangat called out Eustaquio after his win over Yodkaikaew “Y2K” Fairtex at ONE 158: Tawanchai vs. Larsen on 3 June, doubling down on his challenge to the Filipino spitfire. “I think it does [have the potential to be a classic]. That’s why he and I are so interested [in fighting],” Mangat said. “For me, personally, it’s a great contest because it’s the Philippines versus India, and I fought Filipinos before, and it’s always been a great, respectful rivalry.” But challenging Eustaquio doesn’t just stem from personal gain; it’s something deeper. While Mangat was preparing for the Filipino in each of their two previously postponed fights, he trained with veteran MMA fighter Kyle Reyes. Unfortunately, Reyes passed away last year. So, Mangat is motivated to beat “Gravity” for his fallen comrade. “[Reyes] helped me almost two to three times back-to-back getting ready for that fight [with Eustaquio], but those fights never happened,” Mangat said. “It’s nothing against my opponent. It’s just something personal I hold in my heart, that we prepared, dayin and day-out, three times a day for almost two years, and now he passed away. But I still want to complete [the fight].” There’s a lot of fighters on Mangat’s mind right now, including #5-ranked f lyweight Reece “Lightning” McLaren, but his entire focus is making the Eustaquio fight happen. “In the future, for sure [I’d like to face Reece]. But I definitely want to do the Geje fight first. I think we both do. I’ve been seeing him posting articles,” he said. “Maybe fall or closer to winter time we’d do that, and it’d be quite an exciting fight.” Catch all the ONE Championship action by downloading the ONE Super App.

Maligaya-Agojo tandem tops Camp John Hay Invitational OSMUNDO Maligaya and partner Manolo Agojo combined for 157 team points built on 88 and 69 in two rounds to come out on top in the 2022 Invitational of the Camp John Hay Golf Club in Baguio City. The winning pair shared honors with Lee Sang Duk and Brian Jeon, who assembled 303 (157146) for the low gross championship of the twoday event sponsored by Golforce Inc.and Emirates with The Manor and Forest Lodge at Camp John Hay, Le Chef, CJH Dev. Co. and Baguio Blue Bloods.

Ime Udoka

The champions per class were Manny Solis and Noel Beltran 129 (65-64) in A; Pacifico Fiesta and Jonathan Ebol 138 (72-66) in B; Tony Fernandez and Ranz Balay-Odao 145 (71-74) in C; and Marlo Quadra and Rae Dayasen 133 (55-78) in D. Overall individual seniors’ titlist was Juanito Butche 79 (41-38). Hole sponsors were Pugad, TOBI Group of Companies, Warbird Securities & Investigating Agency, G&W Clubshares and Abomar Equipment Sales Corp while hole-in-one sponsors were Hole in One sponsors: Baguio Crown Legacy Hotel, Jten Sports,

Asiatraders Corp. and GPS Tracker. Bishop Carlito Cenzon Foundation, Federal Management and Maintenance Inc., MRT Dev. Co., Poblador Bautista & Reyes Law Offices, Solid North Transit and The Turf Company were minor sponsors. Baguio Country Club, Forest Hills Golf and Country Club, Sherwood Hills Golf Club, Globe Telecom, Escala Tagaytay, Dusit Thani Manila, Luisita Golf Club, Mario’s Restaurant, Zen Asia, Amare La Cucina, and Hill Station Baguio were backers.

BRIA Homes joins OSHDP’s Shelter Cup ‘22 on June 20 FOR years now, BRIA Homes has been building modern and high-quality abodes for average Filipinos, fulfilling their aspirations for homeownership and for thriving in safe, secure, and strategically located communities nationwide. By offering affordable and value-formoney homes, BRIA shares in the mission of the Organization of Socialized and Economic Ho using Developers of the Philippines (OSHDP), an association of real estate developers that serve the country’s vibrant economic housing market. Together, BRIA Homes and other members of the OSHDP are aligned with their foremost objective: giving ordinary Filipinos access to quality homes of choice. To support the OSHDP’s vision and advocacies, BRIA Homes signed up to be one of the sponsors in the organization’s annual sports event—the Shelter Cup 2022, a golf tournament to be attended by major stakeholders in the real estate industry and other important guests. As such, Shelter Cup 2022 is primed to give participants the opportunity to reconnect and network with the best and brightest in the field.

Set to take place on June 20, at the Sta. Elena Golf & Country Estate in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, Shelter Cup 2022 is slated to raise funds for the OSHDP’s Corporate Social Responsibility projects. ET Aguilar, Division Head of BRIA, says that because BRIA’s vision is aligned with that of the OSHDP, he is excited about the company being part of Shelter Cup 2022. “BRIA not only offers viable housing options to Filipinos but is also greatly invested in building these homes in wholesome environments across the country,” Aguilar affirms. “The event will be a fine time to foster greater goodwill among real estate industry players,” Aguilar adds, sharing that “the success of Shelter Cup 2022 stands to benefit all of us in this sector.” Aguilar likewise ensures that BRIA Homes remains steadfastly committed to building quality homes of choice in communities that feature top-notch amenities such as multipurpose halls, covered basketball courts, kiddie playgrounds, and wide open green spaces. Such facilities spur the formation of strong community bonds among residents. Sustainability, one of the core principles of the OSHDP, is likewise a major

concern of BRIA communities, which are illuminated by solar-powered lights at night. At the same time, BRIA’s 50-plus residential projects offer reliable internet connectivity as a top priority. During the pandemic’s intermittent lockdowns, BRIA residents easily transitioned to the digital landscape when health protocols kept them cloistered at home. BRIA communities are likewise close to bustling economic centers, making them idyllic locales for growing families. Schools, churches, hospitals, and shopping outlets nearby, while major road networks afford great mobility to BRIA homeowners. To date, BRIA Homes and the OSHDP have forged a productive partnership, with the aim to continue moving towards their goal: bringing quality affordable homes closer to all Filipinos at all times. Interested homebuyers can immerse themselves through Bria’s 360 Virtual Tours in www.bria.com.ph and inquire online through our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ BriaHomesIncOfficial They can also reserve a house online through https://www.bria.com.ph/online- Shelter Cup 2022 is slated to raise funds for the OSHDP’s Corporate Social Responsibility projects. reservation/

Entertainment

Nickie Wang,, Editor Patricia Taculao, Editorial Assistant E-mail: lifeandshow.manilastandard@gmail.com WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8, 2022

EARLY this week, concert promoter Live Nation Philippines announced that American indie pop band LANY is finally returning to Manila as part of its Asian tour. According to the announcement, the Los Angeles superband will be at the Mall of Asia Arena for a three-night residency from November 11 to 13. Tickets – priced from P6,550 for the most

expensive, to P1,950 for the general admission – will go on sale for the general public beginning June 10. This will be LANY’s sixth visit to the Philippines. The first time the band performed in the country was in March 2017. In 2018, the group had soldout Manila shows at the Araneta Coliseum. The year after that, LANY again held back-to-back sold-out shows at the Mall of Asia Arena. The Asian tour announcement, which also includes Taipei, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, and Jakarta as pitstops, comes off the heels of Surfaces’ Good 2 Be Back summer 2021 tour, which coincided with their Pacifico album released last June. Nominated for Pollstars 2021 “Best Pop Tour,”

LANY’s global fan base continues to expand, with over +3.5 billion in streaming, 750 million in video views, and +500,000 in worldwide tickets sales, this latest announcement continues LANY’s forward momentum following their highly successful gg bb xx fall 2021 tour which included sold-out Forum and Radio City dates and the release of their tremendously successful pop-focused gg bb xx album in September 2021. Tickets will be available to the public starting June 10 via http://smtickets.com/, with Fan Club Presale on June 8 and Live Nation Members’ Presale on June 9. For more information, visit https://www. livenation.ph/.

Ariel Rivera returns to GMA for another drama-filled series W By Patricia Taculao

E ALL want to dream of a life where we’re comfortable and happy. Living a life of authenticity according to our liking gives us a sense of fulfillment that’s second to none. But what would happen if the life we know isn’t what we thought it was? With secrets and lies around the corner, it’d be hard to deal with and trust the people we once loved.

That situation is what viewers can expect from notable actor Ariel Rivera’s return to GMA 7 for the drama series The Fake Life, and he couldn’t be happier with this decision. “I love GMA. I’ve always loved GMA. I’ve so many friends here in GMA, and I hope we have plans. I like the atmosphere here in GMA and how the staff is. The people we work with are more down to earth than some people I’ve worked with,” he said during the online media conference for The Fake Life. Ariel also shared that he didn’t like working during weekends because he allots that time for himself and his family, hinting that returning to weekend shows isn’t an option for him at present. He plays the role of Onats Villamor, a loving husband and devoted father. Onats runs a bee farm to provide for his family. Joining Ariel in The Fake Life Beauty Gonzalez,

who plays his wife, Cindy Villamor, who’s also dedicated to her family but has a dark secret that will rattle their quiet life and change the course of their fate. Upon learning that she’ll be starring alongside veteran actors like Ariel, Beauty began preparing herself for the role. She also shared that she always gives her best during her scenes with her co-stars. Compared to her previous roles, Beauty admits that she’s ready to face the ire of the audience because she’ll play the wife who made a

Marian Rivera is the new face of Fresh Hairlab by FRESH Philippines

Ariel Rivera plays the role of Onats Villamor in ‘The Fake Life’

and it’s a privilege to portray those roles na hindi nila masabi in real life pero masasabi nila na, ‘Ay, ako yan’ or ‘Ay, naiintindihan ko siya,’” she said. Internationallyacclaimed director Adolfo Alix Jr., known for his work in independent films, directed The Fake Life. He shared that aside

Beauty takes on the challenge of a wife who wronged her husband

mistake. “Ako kasi pag tumatanggap ng role, hindi ko jina-judge yung role na binigay sa akin. I read the script, nagustuhan ko siya, and I took the challenge. I know people who failed the way Cindy failed

Marian Rivera scores new endorsement A TRUE embodiment of hashtag “goals” in both her personal and professional life, Marian Rivera knows the importance of keeping her tresses presentable, which is why she’s the new face Fresh Hairlab by FRESH Philippines. As a veteran in the entertainment industry, she learned that her hair also plays a crucial role in booking endorsements. “I’m able to secure projects and good roles, including product endorsements, because of my hair. Dapat maganda ang buhok mo, tapos maayos ka tingnan sa mga photoshoot,” she explains. The screen star takes care of her hair for herself because it impacts her wellbeing. She admitted that “Nakakadagdag ng self-confidence when you know that you look good. Lalo na bilang babae, yung buhok, para mo na siyang crowning glory, sabi nga nila.” Marian knows that the demands of her job, especially photoshoots and endorsements, could stress her hair. “My hair gets chemically-treated, colored, permed, relaxed, rebond, blow-dry, kung ano ano na,” she shared. What made her say yes to becoming an ambassador for Fresh Hairlab? The actress said that by partnering with Fresh Hairlab seemed the most obvious solution, especially when she heard of its campaign Skin Care is Hair Care. “ B a k i t mga skincare ingredients yung

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‘A November to Remember’ with LANY in Manila

American indie pop band LANY will return to Manila this November for its Asian tour

nabibida ninyo tapos shampoo and conditioner? Then na-realize ko, oo nga ‘no. Yung scalp mo ay skin. So kapag naglalagay ka ng shampoo, diba from the scalp naman, so skin care is hair care pala talaga.” Marian was an obvious choice to be the brand ambassador for Fresh Hairlab. The skincare brand was searching for someone who knows the importance of self-care in spite of the demands of a personal and professional life. “Marian’s different roles and hair transformations from all her television appearances and roles have proven her skills and confidence in all aspects of her life,” said Melody Chung, Vice President for Sales and Marketing, FRESH Philippines. “We wanted an endorser that represents what it means to be confident, strong, smart, and beautiful. Marian carries all these qualities and more, which is why we found her fit to be the new face of our hair care line.” FRESH Philippines is a Filipino brand that offers Korean-value skin and personal care products that are affordable and high quality. It promotes a home-use concept with beliefs centered on the fact that looking your best is achievable w i t h o u t spending on high-value treatments.

A behind the scenes look at the cast of ‘The Fake Life’

from being a family drama, the series also combines known actors from different generations. They’re varying takes on their roles make it an exciting watch because the cast has their take on how to portray their characters appropriately and push the story forward. “As a director, I also respect their space as actors kung paano nila ginagawa yung mga roles nila. I just see to it na binibigay ko lang sa kanila kung ano yung mga kailangan lang namin based on the script,” he said. Other characters appearing in The Fake Life include Sid Lucero, Tetchie Agbayani, Shanelle Agustin, Carlos Dala, Will Ashley, Saviour Ramos, Rina Reyes, Faye Lorenzo, Jenny Miller, Kristoffer Martin, Bea Binene, Jake Vargas, and Candy Pangilinan. The Fake Life premiered on June 6 on GMA Afternoon Prime.

Heartbroken Moira dela Torre to send ‘Malaya’ song to the moon BGYO and BINI . Their works will be part of The Lunar Codex, an archive of art, literature, music, and film bound for the Moon that uses both digital and analog technology to preserve c o n t e m p orary Moira’s ‘Malaya’ is included in the list of songs for The Lunar works for future Codex time capsules generations to discover. Included in the SINGER Moira dela Torre is among the Filipino artists who are set to preserve list of moon-bound songs are massive some of their songs through The Lunar hits from ABS-CBN’s premier record Codex time capsules to be launched to label Star Music—Angela Ken’s selfthe Moon in 2023 as a ‘message-in-a- love anthem, “Ako Naman Muna,” and Moira’s song on letting go, “Malaya.” bottle’ to the future. P-pop sibling groups BGYO and Moira will be joined by young singer Angela Ken, and P-pop sibling groups BINI also have their share of hit songs

to be placed on the Moon. The BGYO collection includes “He’s Into Her,” “Kundiman,” and “The Baddest” popularized by members Gelo, Akira, JL, Mikki, and Nate. The BINI collection, on the other hand, houses the tracks “Golden Arrow” and “Kapit Lang” performed by Aiah, Colet, Maloi, Gwen, Stacey, Mikha, Jhoanna, and Sheena. These OPM songs will comprise The Lunar Codex’s Polaris Collection, which will include several award-winning and contemporary compositions from other territories, including the U.S., Canada, Italy, Germany, South Korea, Georgia, and Bhutan. The Polaris Collection is bound for the Moon’s Lunar South Pole in the fall of 2023. Also part of the Lunar Codex are the works of Filipino artists Apo Hiking Society, Gary Valenciano, Kiana V, and Ryan Cayabyab, to name a few.

A musical about sad and happy tales of Filipinos abroad WE HAIL the migrant Filipinos as our for the Arts. It is scheduled for show at TicketWorld. This production enjoys the special heroes while downplaying their challenges the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo of the of trying to cope with life abroad. Multi- Cultural Center of the Philippines, on July support of the Embassy of France in awarded playwright Bienvenido Noriega, 15, 16, and 17. Tickets are available at the Philippines, which has designated Jr., provides us an eye on their diverse the play as part of their series and heart-warming, and sometimes, of celebrations for the 75th anniversary of the Philippines heart-breaking experiences, and how - France diplomatic relations. important relationships with fellow The Embassy has sponsored the Filipinos are in providing a strong participation of French actress, Ms. coping mechanism. Uno Zigelbaum, for a special role Noriega’s Bayan Bayanan: Letters from Home is more than a stage play, in this musical. it is a tribute to Filipinos who are The play is directed by bravely living through the realities of internationally celebrated film and life overseas. This classic play, which theater director, Anton Juan, who has been transformed into a musical, has also written the lyrics to most is produced by the Cultural Center of ‘Bayan Bayanan: Letters from Home’ depicts the lives of of the new songs composed for this the Philippines and Erehwon Center overseas Filipinos play.

Life

Nickie Wang, Editor Patricia Taculao, Editorial Assistant E-mail: lifeandshow.manilastandard@gmail.com

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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8, 2022

Rara Avis #3 is part of the exhibit that reflects the artist’s personal philosophy

Rara Avis #6 uses colors and shapes that transform into feathers or tails as viewers look at it closely

Rara Avis #9 is made with acrylic paint on canvas

From films to artworks

Tikoy Aguiluz shares philosophy in latest artistic endeavor

Filmmaker Tikoy Aguiluz embarks on his second one-man exhibit in Rara Avis 2

OR filmmaker Tikoy Aguiluz, the pandemic is both a curse and a blessing.

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“I saw the pandemic as a curse because one can not interact with fellow artists, and a blessing because it gave so much time for reflection, to be alone and develop your art,” said the seasoned director. He looks at it as “the perfect situation for the artist to find himself always working alone. I guess it is the search for my own voice, my own vision — the rare bird in me searching for himself.” His latest artistic endeavor – Rara Avis 2 – reflects his personal philosophy. This would be his second one-man exhibit, on view from June 21 to 30 at SM Aura. The exhibit features drawings, sketches, paintings, and installations. “Rara Avis is a play on my initials aravi, which I also use to sign my works. A rare bird is what I have always wanted to be, to become. That is the spirit of the exhibit,” Aguiluz simply Rara Avis 2 features artworks by Tikoy puts it. Aguiluz “In Rara Avis 2, the flight continues. It starts with a

Araneta City harnesses modern tech to create interactive murals and exhibits AUGMENTED Reality (AR) is the next frontier in the enhanced user experience promised by technology. Soon, all of our gadgets can seamlessly blend with the world around us, prompting us with helpful tips, directions, and even recommendations. But as early as now, the City of Firsts has been utilizing this groundbreaking new technology to bring to life new experiences that can be had at Araneta City. At the activity area of Gateway Mall, visitors can enjoy the benefits of AR technology at the Binibining Pilipinas 2022 Glam Shot Photo Exhibit. At first look, you’ll see the striking 7-ft tall portrait images of 40 Binibining Pilipinas. But what’s novel about this exhibit is that once you train your phone on the images, you’ll see the candidates come to life and display all their fierceness right on your screen. To try out this AR experience, download the UniteAR app on their smartphones, open the AR camera on the app, and scan the QR code in any of the panels. From there, the images of the Binibinis will spring to life offering us a glimpse of their beauty and grace. “We believe in always elevating the experience of our customers. Through the use of AR in activities like this photo exhibit, we are bringing technological innovation to our patrons that allows them to have an exciting virtual Binibining Pilipinas experience,” Marjorie Go, AVP for Marketing of Araneta City, said. The Binibining Pilipinas 2022 Glam Shot Photo Exhibit will stay at the Gateway

Mall Activity Area until June 11 and will be moved to other Araneta City malls like Farmers Plaza and Ali Mall in the days leading to the pageant’s Grand Coronation Night. Elsewhere in the City of Firsts, huge artworks and murals are also powered by AR technology. There’s the Tropical Mural near the Gateway Mall skybridge (near Miniso), the Pet Pals Mural beside the Gateway Mall-General Roxas Ave. exit (beside Conti’s Bakeshop), the Waterfalls Mural at the New Frontier Theater Arcade (beside McDonalds), and the Kobe Bryant Mural at the Shopwise Arcade (beside Bonchon) -- all of which can come to life on your smartphones when you scan the QR codes near these artworks. AR technology is also currently being used by Araneta City’s Gateway Gallery for its groundbreaking SiningSaysay: Philippine History in Art exhibit, which features 30 large history paintings that mark various pivotal moments in Philippine history. Visitors who will scan the paintings via the Gateway Gallery mobile app will be greeted with an informational video about the artwork. “AR technology adds a layer of innovation to the experience of the Araneta City-zens. Whether it’s used to showcase the Filipina beauty or the very rich and diverse culture around the world, AR can create opportunities to engage customers like never before, so expect to see more offerings with this interactive feature at the City of Firsts,” Go added.

passionate line, or a meandering river, or a path teeming with bends and curves. The lines, the paths, and the rivers transform themselves into feathers, wings, tails, or burning fires with fiery eyes. Or it begins with a curve, or a half-moon, or a full one. It grows and multiplies; they soar and fly,” shared Aguiluz. “The lines are like melodies singing in different voices. The circles are like notes playing tunes in different tones and pitches; they recur and return in different variations and transformations.” Young people would probably not know that Direk Tikoy was actually a recipient of the CCP Thirteen Artists Awards in 1976. He received the prestigious award alongside visual artists Augusto Albor, Lao Lianben, and Impy Pilapil, among others. “It was basically hanging out at the UP College of Fine Arts while I was taking my comparative literature classes. I sat in Bobby Chabet’s classes and took part in the group exhibitions that he organized,” shared the filmmaker. That year he received the award was also the year he made his first film, a documentary on Mt. Banahaw. “I got tired of organizing film

screenings [in UP] and decided to learn the craft. That film took me everywhere, and I ended up getting a John D. Rockefeller scholarship in New York. I guess that it was a message from the universe — that film would be my life from then on.” He went on to make his mark in the film industry, producing and directing award-winning films such as Segurista (1995), Rizal sa Dapitan (1997), and Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story (2011), among others. His last film to date was Tragic Theater, a supernatural horror film exploring the urban legend of the Film Center. GLAZING LIFE (GL): Your last film was in 2015. Are you planning to produce another film soon? TIKOY AGUILUZ (TA): I was scheduled to shoot a film about a town wiped out entirely by the eruption of the Taal Volcano. The pandemic put a stop to it. I am waiting for things to clear out before I will call Viva again for a film project. I am happy doing my art pieces now. GL: Which is more challenging for you – directing a film or creating artworks? TA: Directing films, of course. Because you have to deal with more

than a hundred egos on the set. You have to be a good conductor and make sure everyone is playing his instrument right. It’s very challenging. In creating artworks, it is just you wrestling with your demons. GL: Do you find that social scenes in the Philippines influence or inspire your arts? TA: It is impossible to remove oneself from your social milieu, from your environment. But an artist must try to distill and filter the experiences brought about by his milieu, or try to search for the reality — the truths — behind his personal experiences. In a sense, our social reality always defines our acceptance and rejection of it. GL: What are your thoughts on the current movement in the art industry? TA: I see a lot of activity, a lot of confidence, and a lot of talent. I am always looking for original talent, and always shriek “Eureka!” whenever I find one. I think that the Philippine art movement is on its way to greater things. GL: What role does the artist have in his community? TA: The artist, traditionally the outsider, has always played the role of the shaman, the pariah, the black sheep, the priest, the wise old man in any community. It is the job of the community to recognize the artist for what he is and the role he plays in society.

Exhibit on masterpieces of Ben Farrales to open this month FARRALES@BENILDE, a physical exhibition on some of the most desired pieces in Philippine fashion by the legendary couturier Ben Farrales opened on May 27 at the 12F Main Gallery of the Design and Arts Campus, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde. Known as the Dean of Philippine Fashion, Farrales was considered an artist ahead of his time since he stepped into the industry in the ‘50s. His 60 years of success introduced signature Musliminspired gowns, traditional ternos, and sophisticated traje de mestizas as well as a series of contemporary loungewear, cocktail dresses, and draped frocks. With over 200 runway shows here and abroad, he instilled his significant role in strengthening the identity of local fashion on a global scale. Produced by the Center for Campus Art (CCA) of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, the exhibition showcases an assemblage of Filipiniana ensembles, beaded ball gowns, pleated dresses, satin garments, and single items from skirts to capes. These all demonstrate the outstanding craftsmanship, as well as the range of artistry and talent of the esteemed designer. “The collection was a gift from the family of Ben Farrales,” curator and Benilde CCA Director Architect Gerry Torres shared. “His niece-in-law, Cynthia Pendatun, works at De La

Salle University and, through Lasallian East Asia District Brother Visitor Br. Armin Luistro FSC, contacted Benilde President Br. Edmundo Fernandez FSC to offer it to us.” Forty pieces from this exemplar body of work form part of the FARRALES@ BENILDE gallery. The FARRALES@BENILDE exhibition likewise features 40 14-inch miniature designs by Benilde Fashion Design and Merchandising (FDM) students, inspired by the works of the late icon. These creations were made from home through the guidance of award-winning couture doll dressmaker Cholo Ayuyao and the fashion educators and mentors from Benilde FDM program. FARRALES@BENILDE will be available on view until September 10 at the 12F Main Gallery of the Design and Arts Campus, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, 950 Pablo Ocampo Street, Malate, Manila. For viewing appointments, visit Benilde CCA on Facebook and Instagram. For more information, visit www. benildecampusart.com.

White and lilac terno with detachable sleeves, matching train, and headdress embellished with capiz shells (1990)

Grey double-tiered skirt gown embellished with gold roses

Gold and white three-piece Maria Clara gown with veil (1999)

SNAPSHOTS Araneta City leverages the power of AR technology to bring urban art to life

The Sky Line at SM City Clark SPECTACULAR fireworks light up the sky to celebrate the opening of the Sky Line, a 9,000 square meter elevated connector at the north edge of SM City Clark. Inspired by New York’s iconic Highline, it will give shoppers a brand new state-of-the-art urban experience as a vibrant location for performances, retail, restaurants, park-like oases, and cutting-edge art.