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BIDEN INVITES MARCOS TO VISIT US, SARA TO ATTEND UNGA SIDE EVENT By Rey E. Requejo and Mervin Vince Lopez

President Marcos Jr.

AMERICAN President Joe Biden has invited President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to visit Washington, Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez said Sunday. No date has been set for the visit yet, he said. It was unclear if it would be a state visit or an official visit. The invitation was handed to Marcos

by the husband of US Vice President Kamala Harris, Douglas Emhoff, when he headed the US delegation to attend the Philippine President's inauguration on June 30. “It is really an open invitation for President Marcos to come to the White House,” Romualdez added. “There is no schedule yet on Marcos’s possible visit to Washington as this matter will be mutually agreed upon by their teams,” Romualdez said.

He added that it might take “a couple of months” to set up such a visit, as the President needed to give priority to domestic issues. Meanwhile, Romualdez confirmed that Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio will be going to a side event on education of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Marcos was invited to attend the UNGA on Sept. 20. Emhoff had invited Duterte-Carpio

US President Biden

P500 aid for poor resumes

DSWD chief says 12.4m beneficiaries to get cash grant, relief goods By Rio N. Araja

HE government will resume distributing P500 in monthly cash aid to poor families to help them cope with rising commodity prices starting today, Social Welfare Secretary Erwin Tulfo said Sunday. The cash grant was a result of an order issued in May by previous President Rodrigo Duterte and was supposed to VOL. XXXVI • NO. 138 • 4 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 MONDAY, JULY 4, 2022 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

MORE 'AYUDA'.

BILL EYES P10B AID FOR SMALL FARMS

Some of the 97 members of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) assist the Department of Social Welfare and Development in repacking relief goods at the National Resource Operations Center in Pasay City on Friday. The DSWD prepared and distributed 426,587 family food packs during the implementation of COVID-19 Alert Level 1 in Metro Manila. PCG Photo

NEWS / A3

DIVORCE BILL FILED ANEW IN CONGRESS NEWS / A4

Voter registration for barangay, SK elections in December starts THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) reminded Filipinos eligible to vote in the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) polls in December to go to their local poll body offices and sign up beginning today. In an advisory posted on its Facebook page, the Comelec said the Office of the Election Officer (OEO) in the respective districts, cities, and municipalities will be ready to accept applications for registration starting Monday (July 4) up to July 23. They will be open during office

last six months, with each family getting P3,000 total. However, the Department of Budget and Management only released on Friday P6.2 billion for monthly assistance to low-income families. But Tulfo said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had called him up Saturday to ask him about the release of the cash aid. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) aims to get this aid to 12.4 million beneficiaries under its targeted cash transfer program. Besides this, the department continues to distribute food packs to over 426,000 families affected by COVID-19 lockdowns in Metro Manila and surrounding provinces. Next page

Ople creates unit for OFW repatriation By Macon Ramos-Araneta THE newly-created Department of Migrant Workers will have a separate office that will handle requests for the repatriation of overseas Filipino workers, DMW Secretary Susan Ople said Sunday. Ople said she already discussed the central office for OFW repatriation with Overseas Workers Welfare Administration administrator Hans Leo Cadac. Next page

Crew missing as ship breaks in half in storm

hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays to Saturdays. The poll body reminded the public that application for registration as voters has to be filed personally. On the other hand, Filipinos filing for reactivation of their registration records are advised to send their applications to the official e-mail address of the OEO in their locality. The Comelec will also accept applications for transfer, change/ corrections of entries in the registration

MORE than two dozen crew members are unaccounted for after their ship broke into two during a typhoon in the South China Sea on Saturday, with rescuers scrambling to find them, officials say. Next page

SPLIT IN 2. This handout photo taken and released by the Hong Kong Government Flying Service on July 2 shows a ship after it broke into two amid Typhoon Chaba, during a rescue operation of the crew members in the South China Sea 160 nautical miles southwest of Hong Kong. AFP

Cops net P1.7b shabu in raids in Cavite, QC BIG HAUL. Authorities label some of a total of 40 kilos of shabu seized following a buy-bust operation on Sunday while the suspect, a Chinese national named Hai, looks away to avoid the cameras along Maria Clara St. in Brgy. Lourdes, Quezon City. Manny Palmero

AUTHORITIES seized over P1.7 billion worth of suspected shabu in separate raids in Cavite and Quezon City on Sunday. In Quezon City, the Philippine National Police Drug Enforcement Group and Philippine Drug Enforcement Next page

OVP opens satellite offices in 6 cities THE office of Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio has opened satellite offices in six cities across the country to bring its services closer to more Filipinos. Duterte-Carpio said OVP satellite offices were set up in Dagupan City in Pangasinan; Cebu City, Tacloban City, Zamboanga City, Davao City, and Tandag in Surigao del Sur. "We opened satellite offices in different parts of the country to help

our fellow citizens get easier and immediate access to the services of the Office of the Vice President," she said in a Facebook post. Duterte-Carpio, who is the concurrent Education secretary, earlier said she would continue to reside in Davao City even as she would spend her weekdays working in Metro Manila. She earlier held transition talks Next page

News

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2022

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Gun ban violators may lose licenses for good

Maj. Gen. Valeriano de Leon, PNP formulating for violators of gun control Director for Operations, said it is one laws. of the stiffer punishments they are "We expect that all licensed firearms

are responsible firearms holders. On the part of the PNP, we have been announcing any gun ban implementation very early and would even repeatedly remind them of this," De Leon. The former head of the Firearms and Explosive Office said there should be no excuses if violators are caught and they should be ready to face the consequences.

PNP data showed there were more than 3,000 violators during the gun ban on January 9 to June 8 for the nationwide election period, June 16 to 21 in Davao Region for the inauguration of Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio, and June 27 to July 2 in Metro Manila for the inauguration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

The PNP Firearms Revocation and Restoration Board handles cases involving violations of the conditions of owning firearms and carrying them outside of the residence. Under the law, unlawful acquisition or possession of firearms and ammunition carries corresponding jail terms, fines, and revocation oflicense.

world,” Tulfo said. The beneficiaries who will receive assistance consist of 4 million families from the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, six million non-4Ps who were former beneficiaries of the unconditional cashtransfer program, and 2.4 families on the DSWD list. The DSWD chief appealed to the beneficiaries to put their grant to good use by buying food and other needed

necessities and warned them that using them for illegal activities, such as gambling, could result in the forfeiture of their grants. Earlier, Tulfo said he would tap informers to identify persons who should be delisted from the conditional cash transfer program, otherwise known as 4Ps, as they are not eligible to receive the assistance. He said these people were defrauding the government.

Tulfo said he planned to implement a reward system to encourage people to report unqualified 4Ps beneficiaries. This, he said, is aligned with the directive of President Marcos to clean up the list of beneficiaries in the DSWD’s social assistance programs. Tulfo said thousands of Filipinos who are still waiting to be included in the 4Ps list would benefit from the purge.

COVID tally hits highest mark since Feb. 25

for illegal recruiters and human traffickers. To achieve this, she will lead the DMWTask Force Against Illegal Recruitment and Trafficking in Persons (TF-AIRTIP). “In fact, last Friday, some people approached us saying that his son was a victim of human trafficking in Cambodia. So, those are the cases that the task force will discuss," she said. Ople said she sought assistance from Justice Secretary Boying Remulla to develop mechanisms on how to get the task force up and running. At present, the Inter-Agency

Council Against Trafficking is led by the Department of Justice. Ople said she was instructed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to enhance the database on OFWs to see what services could be provided to them. "President Marcos would like to have programs for OFWs returning home who want to find work, retool, reskill, or want to be an investor. We will link them to government programs that suit them," she said. "President Marcos wants to focus on caring not only for OFWs but also for

their families, especially those children whose parents or one of the parents is an OFW," she added. Meanwhile, Senator Jinggoy Estrada, who will chair the labor committee, vowed to continue protecting the rights and welfare of OFWs "The fight continues because millions of OFWs also continue to fight for basic rights, benefits, and humane treatment abroad," he said. "The plight of the Filipino labor -whether here or abroad, will always be my advocacy," Estrada said.

HE Philippine National Police is considering perpetual disqualification from owning firearms as a penalty for gun ban violators.

P500... From A1

Tulfo said depositing the grant to the beneficiaries' cash cards would take only five to six days. “The amount will be of great help to our poor countrymen, especially at times when prices continue to go up because of the crisis facing the whole

MORE PATIENTS.

Heath workers assist patients suspected of COVID-19 into the Manila COVID-19 Field Hospital on Sunday. The Department of Health has reported 9,105 new active cases nationwide. Danny Pata

Ople... From A1

"We agreed that only one office within the department will accept the requests for repatriation," Ople said. "We will release this week the numbers that can be contacted or how they can get in touch with the One Repatriation Command Center through Facebook," she added. Ople also assured OFWs that the DMW will have a zero-tolerance policy

THE Philippines recorded 1,323 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, the highest daily tally since February 25, or in over four months, data from the Department of Health (DOH) showed. As of Sunday, the number of people currently positive for the coronavirus stood at 9,703, the highest since April 27 this year. There were also 14 new deaths. The country's total confirmed cases since the pandemic began in 2020 climbed to 3,708,271. Its first infection was reported on Jan. 30, 2020, involving a Chinese woman who arrived from Wuhan City, China where the disease is believed to have first emerged. Of the additional cases reported during the day, 663 are from Metro Manila, the DOH said. The positivity rate from June 26 to July 2 is at 6.8 percent, higher than the 5.0 percent recorded the previous week, according to ABS-CBN Data Analytics Team head Edson Guido. DOH data also showed that the total number of COVID-related deaths in the country has reached 60,592 after 14 new deaths were confirmed. Total recoveries, meanwhile, stood at 3,637,976. More than 70 million people in the Philippines have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Metro Manila and dozens of other areas will stay under COVID-19 Alert Level 1 until July 15, Malacañang said, even as the capital region recorded a rise in new infections. Under Alert 1, all indoor establishments and public transport may operate at 100 percent capacity, but only for those with full vaccination status. Willie Casas

OVP... From A1

Biden... From A1

to attend an education-related side event ahead of the UNGA, adding that the Vice President “looks forward” to visiting the United States this year. Marcos had tapped "Inday Sara" to head the Department of Education, and

Crew... From A1

An engineering vessel that was 160 nautical miles southwest of Hong Kong "suffered substantial damage and broke into two pieces" and the 30-member crew abandoned the ship, according to the Hong Kong Government Flying Service. Three people had been rescued as of 3:00 pm local time (0700 GMT) and were taken to hospital for treatment, authorities said. Dramatic footage provided by Hong Kong authorities showed a person being airlifted onto a helicopter while waves crashed over the deck of the semi-submerged ship below. The three survivors said other crew members may have been swept away by waves before the first helicopter arrived, according to a government statement. Typhoon Chaba earlier formed in

Cops... From A1

Agency led the operation in Barangay Lourdes in the Banawe area where some 40 kilos of a white crystalline substance, believed to be shabu, placed inside tea bags were recovered. Authorities put the street value of the haul at P272 million. A Chinese national identified as Jia Zhu, 33, was arrested in the QC raid. "We have been monitoring this group

the UN side event was about education, Romualdez said. “The Vice President was very, very articulate in telling the Second Gentleman and his party that the relationship is really good and strong and that she looks forward to going to the United States sometime this year,” the diplomat said. In a previous statement, the Dethe central part of the South China Sea and on Saturday afternoon made landfall in Guangdong province in southern China. Rescuers in Hong Kong were notified of the incident at 7:25 am local time (2325 GMT on Friday) and found the ship near Chaba's center, where harsh weather conditions and nearby wind farms made the operation "more difficult and dangerous". The ship's location recorded wind speeds of 144 kilometers per hour and waves that were 10 meters high, authorities said. The Government Flying Service dispatched two sorties of fixed-wing aircraft and four helicopter sorties, with mainland Chinese authorities also dispatching a rescue boat. Rescuers said they would increase the search area "due to the large number of people missing" and extend the operation into the night if conditions allowed. AFP for some time already. They thought they weren't being checked," said PDEA director general Wilkins Villanueva. Meanwhile, a follow-up operation in Barangay Salawag in Dasmariñas City, Cavite yielded around 220 kilos of the suspected shabu with an estimated street price of P1.46 billion. Another Chinese national named Hai Lin, 41 years old, was arrested. The operation in Cavite was conducted in coordination with Task Force NOAH and Team Navy. Rio N. Araja

partment of Foreign Affairs said of Duterte-Carpio's visit: “The Vice President-elect is expected to continue her engagement with the US on the education front during planned visits to Washington DC and New York in September 2022.” Earlier, Norwegian Chargé d’Affaires Bjørn Jahnsen also invited Marcos to a conference the European country was

organizing. Jahnsen also said Norway wanted the newly inaugurated President to discuss renewable sources of energy projects in the Philippines. Previously, Marcos said he was inclined to attend the UNGA in New York in September, citing the importance of the event and his desire to meet with other world leaders.

NOT CHEAP CHILI.

A woman shows her sili labuyo or chili on Sunday at the Blumentritt Market in Manila, which she has been hard-pressed to sell as its cost has risen to over P500 per kilo owing to high fuel prices. Norman Cruz

Voter... From A1

records, the inclusion of registration records and reinstatement of name on the list of voters, and transfer of registration records from a foreign post to a local one. “It does not include applications for reactivation with a transfer outside of the locality where the voter intends to transfer to,” itadded. On the other hand, an election watchdog group called on the public to register for the elections at the soonest possible time as the registration period will only run for less than a month. "Make sure that you are registered in time for the Dec. 5 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE),"

with former Education Secretary Leonor Briones. A joint farewell and welcome ceremony will be held for Briones and Duterte-Carpio today at the Education department. The Vice President said she is looking at the possibility of a full resumption of face-to-face classes even as the country remains under a state of public health emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She also disclosed discussing with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. the possible review of the implementation of the K-to-12 program in schools. "It is something that President Marcos and I have talked about. And he already gave instructions with regard to the review of the implementation of the K-to-12 program of the Department of Education," Duterte-Carpio said in an earlier interview. The K-to-12 curriculum, first introduced in 2011 and implemented during the administration of the late President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, has been under review for the past two years.

the National Movement for Free Elections said in a social media post. "Find out where your local Comelec is and go as early as you can," it added. Earlier, the poll body projected that the total number of registered voters for the barangay polls will be 66,053,357. As for SK voters, the body expects the number to reach 23,059,227 after the end of the registration period. During the May 9 national and local polls, there were a total of 65.7 million registered voters. The number of youth voters registered in the May 2018 barangay and SK elections was 20.6 million. Registrants should have a government-issued ID, their own pen, and alcohol for disinfection amid the COVID-19 threat.

News IN BRIEF

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2022

PLASTIC-FREE BAGS. Women pose with their reusable bags at the R. Calalay Frisco Market in time for the celebration of International Plastic Bag Free Day on Sunday. Hosted by Ban Toxics, the group encourages customers and vendors to abandon single-use plastic bags in favor of reusable and eco-friendly alternatives. Manny Palmero

Cloudy skies, rains in Luzon due to habagat THE western section of Luzon, including Batanes and Babuyan Islands will experience cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms, the weather bureau said. PAGASA also said flash floods or landslides may result during times of moderate to heavy rains in those areas. In its afternoon update, PAGASA said Metro Manila and the rest of the country will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms.

Angeles entrepreneurs get support from LGU ANGELES CITY — Local entrepreneurs will receive full support from the city government to further introduce their products not just nationwide but worldwide. This was announced by Mayor Carmelo Lazatin, Jr. on June 30, 2022 during his inaugural speech in Barangay Cutud. Lazatin said his administration will extend every possible support to export industries and enter into viable and strategic partnerships with cottage, small, and medium-scale enterprises. Through the help of the Angeles City Economic Development and Investment Promotions Office (ACEDIPO), the city will participate in trade fairs locally and abroad to promote and establish possible markets. Butch Gunio

Lazatin eyes upgrade of local health units ANGELES CITY — Mayor Carmelo Lazatin, Jr. aims to modernize the city’s rural health units in his second term where there will be 24-hour birthing stations, a dedicated dental clinic and readily available free medicines. These will be similar to the Puso Centers established at the city hall as well as in the RHU in Barangay Pulung Cacutud. “We will not stop until the remaining five RHUs will be converted into Puso Centers,” Lazatin shared. Aside from this, the city government, under his leadership, will allocate some ₱30 million to repair and equip all the remaining 28 subhealth centers. Butch Gunio

PCG says cargo ship ran aground in Zambales THE Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported that a cargo vessel ran aground Saturday in the shallow waters off Masinloc, Zambales. The PCG said strong winds and big waves pushed cargo vessel LCT Aviva 80 to run aground off Barangay Bani, GMA News reported. “The joint search and rescue (SAR) team, composed of PCG and Philippine National Police (PNP) personnel, used a life raft connected to a rope to rescue the crew members of the distressed vessel,” the PCG said The PCG said 22 of the 24 ship’s crew have been rescued. They were brought to the Rural Health Unit of Masinloc town and were eventually declared in good health condition. The PCG further said search and rescue operations were ongoing for the ship’s captain, identified as Allan Boyboy, and chief mate Felix Gepillano Jr. who remained on the vessel. The PCG’s Marine Environmental Protection Group in Zambales said there was no trace of oil spill around the area where the vessel was stalled, GMA News reported.

GRADUATION. Navotas Mayor John Rey Tiangco congratulated 39 fellow Navoteños who are former users of illegal drugs. The 39 individuals graduated from the Bidahan community-based rehabilitation program. Andrew Rabulan

House bill seeks lending program for small farms By Rio N. Araja

BILL filed by Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez is seeking a P10-billion aid to secure jobs on small farms.

The bill also calls for two government financial institutions to expand lending programs to help small businesses throughout the country recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. House Bill No. 1, entitled, “An Act providing for government financial institutions unified initiatives to distressed enterprises for economic recovery (GUIDE),” allocates P7.5 billion to the Land Bank of the Philippines and P2.5 billion to the Development Bank of the Philippines or a total of P10 billion to carry out their mandates. Romualdez, House majority leader in the recently concluded 18th Congress, co-authored the measure with Repre-

sentatives Yedda Marie Romualdez of the Tingog party-list, presidential son Ferdinand Alexander Marcos of Ilocos Norte, and Jude Acidre, also of Tingog. “The proposed legislative measure seeks to strengthen the capacity of the Land Bank of the Philippines and the Development Bank of the Philippines to provide the needed assistance to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and other strategically important companies,” the bill’s explanatory note read. “To this end, the government financial institutions are mandated to expand their credit programs in order to assist MSMEs to meet their liquidity needs. In particu-

lar, the LBP and DBP are mandated to expand their credit and rediscounting facilities to affected MSMEs in the agriculture, infrastructure, manufacturing, and service industries,” it stated. Under the bill, the term MSME “refers to any business activity or enterprise engaged in industry, agribusiness and/or services, whether single proprietorship, cooperative, partnership or corporation whose total assets, inclusive of those arising from loans but exclusive of the land on which the particular business entity’s office, plant and equipment are situated, must have value falling under the following categories: micro, not more than P3 million; small, P3 million to P15 million; and medium, P15 million to P100 million.” The GUIDE bill also increases DBP’s capital stock from P35 billion to P100 billion divided into one billion shares of P100 each to be fully subscribed by the national government.

SARINGAYA AWARD. Tabaco City Mayor Krisel Lagman-Luistro receives the the first place award of the DENR Saringaya Awards 2022,

LGU category.

Congress OKs bills on marine hatcheries in PH

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

CONGRESS passed into law 11 local bills for the establishment of multispecies marine hatcheries in various locations nationwide. The bills were sponsored by Senator Cynthia Villar during the 18th Congress. Villar, the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, has pushed for these measures to be enacted into law due to the high agriculture poverty incidence in the fisheries sector. “The productivity of our marine fisheries resources has been declining because of environmental degradation and ineffective natural resources management,” Villar said, adding that “the significant reduction in the country’s fish catch, Villar said, has compromised food sufficiency and income of our people.” Furthermore, the country’s fisheries sector provides an inexpensive source of animal protein for the population, livelihood for over one million Filipinos, and generates foreign exchange. “With the growing population of the Philippines, fishing is one of the major industries seen as a positive contributor to the developing economy,” Villar said, adding that “thus the need for hatcheries be established in our country which provides the seed for aquaculture and some commercial fisheries.” “A hatchery is where fish and shellfish are spawned, hatched, and cared for. They remain at the hatchery until they are large enough to be transferred to a fish or shellfish farm or released into the wild as part of a stock enhancement program,” Villar said. The fishing industry sectors- commercial, aquaculture, and shellfish farms require a steady, predictable source of juveniles from hatcheries to stay in operation and provide a consistent product.

PopCom to continue focusing on family planning, poverty issues

THE Commission on Population and Development (PopCom) will continue pursuing key policies on family planning and addressing poverty thresholds under Undersecretary Juan Antonio Perez III, who has been reappointed executive director for another six years by the Marcos administration. Perez said in a statement Sunday that

a stable population growth rate of one percent, single-digit population poverty rate, and zero hunger at household levels will be the center of the Philippine population and development program for 2022 to 2028. Under his renewed tenure at PopCom, the implementation of the country’s reproductive health and family

planning programs; upholding sexual and reproductive health and rights of couples, individuals, and adolescents; and advocating for Filipino families’ improved quality of life through decent living wages across the archipelago will continue. Among the issues that Perez wants to look into is the lack of professionals

trained to do ligation and vasectomy operations. He is planning to join forces with the Department of Health to form teams in regions that will go around to conduct such procedures. “Maybe just one or two hospitals in every region that can do a ligation regularly,” he said in a previous interview.

PHLPost launches online payment THE Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) recently inked a landmark memorandum of agreement to provide clients an improved online payment system for customs duties and taxes. The online payment system through the PHLPost website www.phlpost.gov. ph aims to eliminate fraud in compliance with Republic Act 11032, also known as the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act. The agreement will make the process of clearing and delivery of parcels and other mail matters faster and simpler, benefitting thousands of consumers who rely on the postal service to send

and receive packages from abroad, and boost the e-commerce industry. The two agencies shall have access to the systems only in relation to the corresponding input of charges of duties and taxes by the BOC and for the verification of payment. A separate set of Implementing Rules and Regulations shall be issued in relation to the collection of duties, taxes, and other charges which shall form part of the agreement “Digital innovation will enhance the competitiveness of the Post Office in the local and International market,” Postmaster General Norman Fulgencio said during the signing with Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero.

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2022

Lagman refiles divorce bill for 19th Congress

News

By Rio N. Araja

DOLOMITE SCENES. Trash litters the dolomite sands and salt water occupy some portion of the new attraction along Roxas Boulevard in Manila, while a woman jumps across the water that is partly stocked at the middle portion of the beach on Sunday. Danny Pata

SAYS IMEE AFTER BBM REJECTS BULACAN AIRPORT ECOZONE BILL

Veto shows gov’t independence By Macon Ramos-Araneta

HE rejection of a measure creating the Bulacan Airport City Special Economic Zone is proof the branches of government under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. are independent, his sister Sen. Imee Marcos said Sunday.

“The President’s veto of the BACSEZFA highlights the independence of the executive and legislative branches of government, which bodes well for a thorough treatment of national concerns under the Marcos administration,” the senator said in a statement.

“As the saying goes: Trabaho lang, walang personalan (It’s just work, nothing personal),” she added. President Marcos vetoed the proposed measure establishing the airport zone over “fiscal risks” and its “lack of coherence” with the country’s laws.

While he finds the veto of the Freeport bill in his home province of Bulacan unfortunate, Senator Joel Villanueva said he respects the President’s decision. “As a true-blooded Bulakenyo, we find this decision unfortunate, as the proposal has the potential to create jobs for Filipinos,” stressed Villanueva. Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, who is poised to take over as Senate President in the 19th Congress, also said he respects the veto powers of the Chief Executive under the Constitution. “I also respect and recognize the position of the Department of Finance that

no new economic zone shall be established,” said Zubiri. However, he noted that the CREATE Law does not ban the establishment of new economic zones “as long as it conforms with the new fiscal and nonfiscal incentives.” Zubiri said it should also conform with the strict regulatory powers of the Fiscal Incentives Review Board (FIRB). In her statement, Sen. Marcos said that in voting in favor of the creation of the BACSEZFA, the Senate asserted that an ecozone would help create jobs for communities outside of Metro Manila.

FOR the nth time, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman has filed a bill legalizing divorce, hopefully through the 19th Congress. Lagman was the principal author of previous bills legislating absolute divorce. Through House Bill No. 78, the solon is “finally” hopeful that “beleaguered and tormented wives can soon be liberated from irretrievably dysfunctional marriages or inordinately abusive marital relations.” A similar bill was passed on third reading by the House of Representatives in the 17th Congress but was not acted upon by the Senate due to time constraints. An identical divorce bill was approved by the committee on population and family relations in the 18th Congress but was marooned in the Committee on Appropriations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill reinstituting absolute divorce “is an apt sequel” to the Reproductive Health Act, which Lagman also authored, since in both measures the central figure is the woman, he said. The Philippines is the only country, aside from the Vatican, that still outlaws absolute divorce even as the Catholic hierarchy grants canonical dissolution of marriage. All other Catholic countries recognize absolute divorce in varying degrees of liberality, the lawmaker noted. Lagman’s bill reinstates absolute divorce because it was previously practiced by pre-Spanish Filipinos and during the American era and Japanese occupation. Paraphrasing the decision on Te v. Te (GR No. 161793, Feb. 13, 2009), Lagman said that “no less than the Supreme Court has ruled that the severance of a marriage bond is a decent interment of a long dead marriage.”

Adopt technology, Chief Justice urges Sandiganbayan workers By Rey E. Requejo SUPREME Court Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo has encouraged the Sandiganbayan to adopt modern technology quickly to enhance its mandate of dispensing justice swiftly and efficiently. Gesmundo said this when he joined Sandiganbayan justices, court officials and employees online in the celebration last Friday, July 1, of the anti-graft court’s 44th founding anniversary. The top magistrate stressed that through technology, “the Judiciary is gearing up not only for this pandemic but also for the future.” “We are making use of technological advancements to make sure that, regardless of the situation, the courts can continue with its duty of dispensing justice to all, swiftly and efficiently,” the Chief Justice said.

Gesmundo was a Sandiganbayan associate justice for 12 years until 2017 before his promotion to the Supreme Court as associate justice and then as head of the entire judiciary starting April 5, 2021. In his speech, Gesmundo highlighted the SC’s Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations (SPJI) 2022-2027. SPJI “is a plan guided by an Innovation Agenda to review and assess the organizational structure and operations of the various offices of the Judiciary, and to develop and establish an information and communication technology infrastructure for the Philippine Judiciary,” he said. SPJI “is founded on four guiding principles: Timely and Fair Justice, Transparent and Accountable Justice, Equal and Inclusive Justice, and Technologically Adaptive Management,” Gesmundo said.

KIND COUPLE. A couple offers free food to

residents of Barangay Caniogan in Pasig City in connection with the celebration of Pasig Day over the weekend. Manny Marcelo

Rodriguez town DOJ issues manuals, guidelines to improve operations nationwide back to being Montalban RIZAL Rep. Fidel Nograles on Sunday welcomed the reversion of the municipality of Rodriguez to its old name, Montalban, after a measure he had filed lapsed into law. “Finally, the decades-old confusion is now resolved. Republic Act No. 11812 now puts a stamp of authority on the widely accepted practice of calling our town Montalban, and ourselves, Montalbeños,” he cited. House Bill 8899, which sought the renaming of Rodriguez to its original name of Montalban, lapsed into law on June 2, or exactly a month after the bill was transmitted to the office of President Rodrigo Duterte. The town is the most populous in the country with a population of 443,954 based on the 2020 census. Founded in 1909, its original name Montalban is derived from the Spanish word “monte” (mountain) in reference to the numerous hills found within and surrounding the town. In 1982, the name of the town was changed to Rodriguez in honor of the late Senate President Eulogio “Amang” Rodriguez Sr., a native of the municipality. Rio N. Araja

THE Department of Justice has issued three manuals and guidelines to further improve the operations of DOJ Action Center (DOJAC) nationwide. In a statement, DOJAC said the manuals and guidelines, which include Data Privacy Manual, 8888 Guidelines, and Revised Procedural Manual, have been released last June 29. The DOJ Action Center was set up in

1985 to assist and speed up actions on the concerns of the people especially those from the marginalized sectors of our society. “DOJAC attends to and acts upon written, phone-in and walk-in requests for legal assistance by the ordinary Filipino especially on pending transactions with different agencies of the government,” then Justice Secretary Menardo Guevar-

ra, now solicitor general, had said. “DOJAC has also expanded its services to provide mediation for disputants to resolve conflicts before they escalate further,” Guevarra added. The sixth DOJAC was launched in Legaspi City last Friday, June 23. The other regional offices of DOJAC are in Region I in San Fernando City, La Union; Region III in Palayan City, Nueva

CHURCH COVER.

Colorful umbrellas hang outside the street beside Quiapo Church in Manila, protecting the faithful hearing Mass outside it—shade for both the end of summer and the upcoming rainy season. Norman Cruz

PAO chief Acosta not aiming for elective post WHILE Public Attorney’s Office chief Persida Rueda-Acosta is retiring in 2025 at age 65, she said she is not aspiring to join politics. Acosta said Sunday she has never dreamed of becoming a politician, citing “all I just want is to serve (the people and the country) in whatever position I am into.” “I will always be there whenever my help is need-

ed, just what we did in the cases of ‘tanim bala’ and the Dengvaxia cases,” she added. When pressed if she would ever plan to run for office, Acosta replied: “It is not yet the right time. Maybe in God’s time.” “But if you (people) would insist, I may be forced (to do so). I am leaving it all to the will of God. If there are signs, I will serve the people,” she said. Rio N. Araja

Ecija; Region VII in Cebu City; Region X in Cagayan de Oro City; and Region XI in Davao City. “The completion and publication of these major documents are a concrete manifestation of DOJAC’s commitment to provide quality legal advice, referral and mediation services, among others, to walk-in, phone call, Facebook, and e-mail clients nationwide,” DOJAC said. Rey E. Requejo

Kanlaon had 41 quakes since June 30—Phivolcs KANLAON Volcano in Negros province had 41 volcanic earthquakes since June 30, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said on Sunday. Phivolcs placed Kanlaon under alert level 1 (low level unrest). The Kanlaon Volcano Network said the tremors included seven very shallow tornillo signals associated with volcanic gas movement along fractures within the upper volcanic slopes. Based on the ground deformation data, the volcano edifice has slightly deflated. “These are consistent with continuous electronic tilt recording of inflation of southeastern flanks since mid of March 2022,” Phivolcs said. Entry into the four-kilometer radius permanent danger zone of Kanlaon is not allowed, as well as flying of any aircraft close to the volcano. Possible hazards that can occur are sudden steamdriven or phreatic eruptions. Phivolcs noted that ground deformation data from continuous GPS measurements indicated short-term slight inflation of the lower and mid slopes since January 2022. Rio N. Araja

Opinion Geopolitical uncertainties

ON JULY 12 it will be the sixth anniversary of the Philippine victory in the Arbitral Tribunal Ruling that unanimously declared China’s so-called “nine-dash line” claim of nearly the entirety of the South China Sea without legal basis. To this day, this remains an escalating risk to regional security. Coercion and intimidation layered with China’s continuing militarization of occupied islets and to assert territorial possession has threatened the free flow of global maritime commerce and is causing wanton destruction of marine food resources critical to littoral states. Concurrent tensions with China sending military aircraft into Taiwan’s Air Defense Zone signal the possible use of force in what President Xi Jinping has said is a “reunification” that “must be fulfilled.” On the other hand, US president Joe Biden has said he would be willing to use force to defend Taiwan. The economic shock waves of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is now causing supply chain disruptions and high inflation that will further kick down recovery timelines just as countries are struggling to re-open economies and have really no choice but to go on and live with the lingering, though less deadly, COVID-19 variants. The 2016 Arbitral Award is a historic milestone that the Philippines has contributed to assert the international rules-based order and affirmed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. It is a feat that the international community has praised and reaffirmed in rejection of China’s expansive incursions and baseless claims in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and continental shelf. This is indeed a remarkable achievement that many have called a David vs. Goliath legal triumph of right over might that establishes an international legacy in the spirit of peace, cooperation, and co-prosperity. As the prime proponents of asserting Philippine maritime and territorial rights stated in the Arbitral Award, the Stratbase Albert del Rosario Institute (ADRi) is hosting a hybrid event themed “Redefining Maritime Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific in an Age of Uncertainty” on July 12, 2022. This is yet another rare gathering of international geopolitical thought leaders organized by the institute to share their perspectives and analyses of the current context and how Philippine foreign policy will be critical in addressing challenges and open opportunities in emerging scenarios. Ambassador Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez, Philippine Ambassador to the United States, will give the keynote address. There will be two groups of panelists, first of which will discuss the sub-theme on “The Philippine Outlook for Regional Cooperation and Engagement”. Participating in this session are: Lisa Curtis, Director of the Indo-Pacific Security Program and Senior Fellow of the Center

for a New American Security; Murray Hiebert, Author of “Under Beijing’s Shadow: Southeast Asia’s China Challenge”, a Senior Associate of the Center for Strategic and International Studies and Director for Research of BowerGroupAsia. From the diplomatic community are H.E. Jana Sediva, Ambassador Czech Republic and Alistair White, Deputy Head of Mission British Embassy in the Philippines. From the academe are: Yusuke Takagi, an Associate Professor of the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, and Prof. John Blaxlan of the Australia National University International Security & Intelligence Studies.

This is indeed a remarkable achievement that many have called a David vs. Goliath legal triumph of right over might The second sub-theme on “The Philippine Perspective on The Current Indo-Pacific Maritime Security Architecture” will be tackled by Dr. Renato de Castro, a Trustee and Program Convenor of Stratbase ADRi and DLSU Professor, and RADM Rommel Jude Ong, the Executive Director of the Security Reform Initiative and Professor of Praxis, Ateneo School of Government. According to the institute’s president, Prof. Victor Andres “Dindo” Manhit, the Indo-Pacific region faces a new age of uncertainty in the maritime domain, given the competing claims in the South China Sea. Realizing maritime security in the region demands like-minded states to work together to effectively respond to present and emerging threats in the region. The archipelagic geology of the Philippines is blessed with vast marine resources that must be protected as China still refuses to acknowledge the Arbitral Ruling and has continued to circumvent international rules and norms to push forward its expansionist ambitions with continuing incursions into Philippine sovereign territory and depleting marine resources well within the country’s exclusive economic zone. The geopolitical challenges confronting the Philippines creates an opportunity for President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to assert an independent foreign policy that prioritizes the welfare and security of Filipino citizens and uphold the legacy of the 2016 arbitral ruling. There must be an unambiguous stand against China’s disrespect of UNCLOS and Philippine territories. I encourage you to hear the top geopolitical thinkers’ dissecting complex nuances but more importantly finding peaceful paths to move forward in the July 12, 2022 live online event of Stratbase ADRi. You are welcome to the free registration posted at the ADRi facebook page or via this link: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/ register/WN_1tglfKOpR4KlRlWQz-kPsw?fbcli d=IwAR3koJ3DNhLTldDUmrsQgixQBMa8N qAnecVw9QPnYDVMJkYXV9du9QVTmWs

HK’s blurring border with China raises sign of things to come By Holmes Chan FROM the hill in northernmost Hong Kong where Jasper Law stood, the border with China was obvious — a narrow river dividing farmlands and fishponds from the gleaming skyscrapers of megacity Shenzhen. July 1 was the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s transition from British to Chinese rule. While the view from the hilltops of Lok Ma Chau suggests Hong Kong remains clearly distinct from mainland China, the territory is fast being subsumed into Beijing’s blueprint for southern China. And as the border is chipped away, the lack of public consultation has done little to ease the lingering discomfort some Hong Kongers feel about living on the mainland’s doorstep. “In the 25 years since the handover, the border has become more and more blurry,” said Law, a pro-democracy politician from the border area. The softening boundary has preoccupied many Hong Kongers. And it was one of the catalysts for the huge democracy protests in the finance hub three years ago, a movement initially triggered by an attempt to allow extraditions to China’s mainland. Beijing’s subsequent crackdown has only sped up Hong Kong’s absorption. Security agents roam free The integration of Hong Kong’s population and economy with mainland China has been under way for decades. Between 1997 and 2021, more than 1.1 million people migrated from China via a limitedquota “one-way permit” scheme, almost a seventh of Hong Kong’s current population.

Mandarin was increasingly pushed in schools, sparking resentment among those who felt the city’s distinct Cantonese culture was being eroded. Hong Kong’s borders were also tweaked, most notably in the 2010s with an expansion of China’s high-speed rail into the city. Part of the terminus in Hong Kong came under Chinese jurisdiction, meaning the mainland’s Communist Party-controlled legal system applied there. Beijing’s imposition of a sweeping national

And as the border is chipped away, the lack of public consultation has done little to ease the lingering discomfort some Hong Kongers feel about living on the mainland’s doorstep security law to curb dissent following the 2019 protests has further eroded the legal firewall between Hong Kong and the mainland. Under the law, imposed by Beijing directly rather than passed through the legislature, the mainland’s security agents can now operate freely in Hong Kong, immune from the city’s laws. Beijing says it can now also try the most serious national security offences in mainland China. And the COVID-19 pandemic has further

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EDITORIAL

PH-US ties

E USED to observe Independence Day every July 4th in this country, since that marked the day in 1946 when the United States officially ended its presence in these islands after more than three decades of colonial rule and three years of the Japanese occupation during the Second World War.

The Diosdado Macapagal administration decided to move our Independence Day to June 12 every year as fitting observance of the inauguration of the First Philippine Republic in 1898. The vestiges of American presence remain to this day, however, in the Mutual Defense Treaty under which the two sides commit to help each under in the event of an armed attack by a third party. Today, we observe July 4th every year as Philippine-American Friendship Day. The two sides like to cite “special relations” owing to their long historical engagement encompassing economic, diplomatic, cultural and security arrangements in the post-war era. But these “special relations” have been tested over the years. The Philippine Senate voted in 1991 not to extend the Military Bases Agreement under which we hosted two large air and naval bases which the Americans used as launching pads for increased military involvement during the Vietnam War in the mid- 60s to early 70s. The extraterritoriality provision in the MBA allowed American servicemen

accused of murder and other crimes to escape prosecution in Philippine courts and be spirited away through the backdoor, triggering anti-American sentiment among nationalist groups.

The vestiges of American presence remain to this day, however, in the Mutual Defense Treaty under which the two sides commit to help each under in the event of an armed attack by a third party The Subic Naval Base and Clark Air Base may have been closed down, but the security cooperation continues to this day in the Visiting Forces Agreement where the Philippines agreed to host military exercises between the two countries and the rules governing their presence here.

There’s also the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement where we agreed to the prepositioning of armaments as well as the deployment of military personnel in selected areas in the country to assist the armed forces in the training of local troops and intelligence gathering against suspected terrorist groups. Economic assistance continues today through the Millennium Challenge Corporation, a foreign aid agency created by the US Congress in January 2004 that seeks to assist countries in fighting poverty. The MCC model focuses on policy reforms and economic growth opportunities. It forms partnerships with some of the world’s poorest countries, but only those committed to good governance and investments in their citizens. The Americans suspended the economic assistance to the Philippines during the Duterte administration in the wake of its bloody war on drugs. The congratulatory message recently sent by US President Joe Biden to Ferdinand Marcos Jr. when it became clear that he had won the presidency in the May 9 election and the invitation extended by US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman for Marcos to attend a top-level meeting in Washington with other ASEAN leaders indicate a thawing of relations strained by human right issues during the previous administration that could pave the way for expanded bilateral ties in the next six years.

Day One THAT inaugural address, delivered almost as if he had memorized it, was well-crafted. Even as it stressed his over-arching message of unity, President Marcos Jr. recognized the major problems besetting the country in these turbulent times, and promised that “he can do it.” More details of his plans for the country will be fleshed out in the forthcoming State of the Nation address, as he stated. That is just around the corner -- July 25 to be exact, when he addresses the two houses of Congress in joint session assembled at the Batasang Pambansa hall the construction of which his mother Imelda supervised. The tone has been set. Unity, hard work, sacrifice. And, hopefully, a better future, forgetting bitter political divisiveness and moving forward. ••• First off, the morning after the official ceremonies, the President appointed a seasoned career diplomat, Ambassador Enrique Manalo, academically trained as an economist, to head the premier position of Secretary of Foreign Affairs. That was a most welcome appointment after weeks of speculation, considering how pivotal the department is especially in the light of external developments the world over which will impact, like it or not, on our country. A diplomat’s diplomat who has much experience in trade negotiations is what we need at a time when we should be promoting the country as a Philippines Incorporated, trying to attract FDI’s in tandem with our trade and industry department under Sec. Fred Pascual. Manalo has also been involved in the tricky relationship between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea/West Philippine Sea dispute, and needs no learning curve, having been acting secretary during the hiatus between the late Perfecto Yasay and the appointment of Alan Peter Cayetano in 2017. ••• Malacañang also issued a directive on Day One, Memorandum Circular 1, ordering all coterminous appointees of the preceding administration to vacate their posts effective immediately, and turn their offices, records and important documents to their next-in-line career officials. Absent this pronouncement, signed by Executive Secretary Vic Rodriguez, some “political” appointees might stay in their respective offices while awaiting their replacement, on fear or exwhittled away at the boundaries. While the border has been mostly closed under China’s strict zero-COVID rules, mainland medics were granted exemptions to work in Hong Kong’s hospitals. Construction teams were also sent across the

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

cuse of being charged with abandonment of service. And start covering their tracks, or still pursue midnight deals. While this order should be standard practice, what I found quite interesting, and hopefully a portent of things to come, is the directive that declared vacant the positions of “all presidential appointees occupying positions in excess of the authorized staffing pattern.”

Manalo has also been involved in the tricky relationship between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea/West Philippine Sea dispute, and needs no learning curve ‘nine-dash’ claim of almost the whole of South China Sea In our article in this space last June 23, titled “A most challenging role” where we discussed the president himself taking over the problematic Department of Agriculture, we recalled that the DA used to have only four plantilla undersecretary positions, which has since ballooned to 11 undersecretaries and nine Asecs. Instead of being helpful to outgoing Sec. Willy Dar, the excess baggage inherited from his predecessor’s stint may have actually hobbled him in the proper and effective discharge of his functions. In the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, with its contradicting mandates, there are eight Usecs and 11 Asecs. In the Department of Transportation, six Usecs and nine Asecs, although former Sec. Arthur Tugade’s functional division of labor, re-defining responsibilities for air, land, marine and rail, and assigning undersecretaries therein, is quite a worthy undertaking. One wonders if the same is true in many other departments and agencies, where positions were created to give political favorites cushy positions through several presidencies. Prime example is the position of “Undersecretary for Special Concerns” as in a Usec for “pakialam.” In our June 23 article, we wrote that “hopefully, border to build emergency health facilities, even constructing a new bridge with Shenzhen to ease their travel. ‘Power imbalance’ Hong Kong’s government now mulls transforming the border area with a two-decade plan

he (the new president) will move quickly and decisively.” With the Day One directive, he has. ••• But something that raised eyebrows, especially in the business community, is the Day One presidential veto of the previous congressional passage of “An Act Establishing the Bulacan Airport City Special Economic Zone and Freeport.” Citing, among others, “fiscal prudence…particularly at times when resources are scarce and needs are abundant,” the veto message states that “RA 11534, (also known as the CREATE law), already allows eligible enterprises to apply for and avail [themselves]of tax incentives outside economic zones…subject to the usual “review of the Fiscal Incentives Review Board” (which is controlled by the executive through the economic managers, particularly DOF, NEDA and DBM). “Furthermore, the proposed economic zone is located in close proximity to the Clark Special Economic Zone, which is against the government’s policy on creating special economic zones in strategic locations.” But that is an argument already raised before, yet even the managers of the Clark Development Corporation did not object before Congress when the bill was being deliberated upon. There may be cogent reasons for the presidential veto of San Miguel’s Bulacan Aero-City development that aims to replace a decrepit single usable runway (there is a perpendicular, not parallel existing runway from the old domestic MIA) international airport which is the NAIA, with separated terminals 1, 2, 3 and even 4 with a worldclass four, eventually six-runway facility, and we all deserve to be enlightened. But in the veto message, it is stated that the “NEDA and the Regional Development Council of Region 3 assert the need to thoroughly study and assess the costs to ensure that the establishment of the economic zone would be beneficial to the whole country” is begging the question, which is, why only now? After connecting highways to the proposed SEZ and airport have already been started, and private sector funds have been invested in the road connectivity. There is supposed to be a healthy transition between an outgoing administration not necessarily adversarial to the incoming one, unless of course, the continuum between the old economic managers and the “new” ones prepared this deft legerdemain which will roil the business community and continue to ask questions, days and weeks after Day One. that will place integration with Shenzhen at the heart of economic development in the city’s northernmost areas, shifting focus away from Hong Kong’s glitzy Victoria Harbor. Full version on www.manilastandard.net

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

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Standard Republic of the Philippines

TODAY

ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION Pasig City IN THE MATTER OF THE JOINT APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF THE POWER SUPPLY AGREEMENT BETWEEN SN ABOITIZ POWERBENGUET, INC. AND IFUGAO ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC., WITH PRAYERS FOR PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY AND CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT OF INFORMATION,

K-1

Amended ECC CAR 0808-077-4021 issued for the proposed rehabilitation and upgrade of the Ambuklao Plant on December 1, 2010

K-2

ECC CAR 0903-032-4021 issued for the proposed rehabilitation and upgrade of Binga Plant on April 21, 2009

K-3

Amended DENR ECC CAR 0903-032-4021 issued for the proposed rehabilitation and upgrade of Binga Plant in 2011

ERC CASE NO. 2022-040 RC SN ABOITIZ POWER-BENGUET, INC. AND IFUGAO ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC., Applicants. ---------------------------------------------------

Energy Regulatory Commission (“ERC”) Provisional Authority to Operate (“PAO”) for the 104.550 MW Ambuklao Plant and its 0.634 MW Emergency Diesel Engine Sets for a period of one (1) year from August 31, 2021 to August 30, 2022

L-2

Proof of Application for the Renewal of COC of Binga Plant Statement of Account and Official Receipt for payment for COC-IPP renewal of the Binga Plant

Department of Energy (“DOE”) Certificate of Endorsement (“COE”) No. 2020-08-003 for the Renewal of ERC COC for the Ambuklao Plant dated September 2, 2020

M-1

DOE COE No. 2020-08-004 for the Renewal of ERC COC for the Binga Plant dated September 2, 2020

NOTICE OF VIRTUAL HEARING

The pertinent allegations of the Joint Application are hereunder quoted as follows: l.

NATURE OF THE APPLICATION 1.

Pursuant to Republic Act No. 9136 or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (“EPlRA”), a Distribution Utility (“DU”) shall have the obligation to supply electricity in the least cost manner to its captive market, subject to the collection of retail rate duly approved by this Honorable Commission.1 To promote true market competition, DUs may enter bilateral power supply contracts subject to this Commission’s review.2 Under Rule 3, Section 4(e) of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the EPlRA (“EPlRA IRR”), this Honorable Commission shall be responsible for any application or petition for rate adjustment, and may grant provisional authority for the relief prayed for.3 Thus, this Application is being filed for the approval of the Renewable Power Supply Agreement executed on January 20, 2022 by and between SNAP-BI and IFELCO (the “PSA”) pursuant to Rule 20(B), in relation to Rule 14, Section 1, of the Revised Rules of Practice and Procedure of the ERC (“Revised ERC Rules”).4

II.

THE APPLICANTS

IFELCO 5.

IFELCO has been granted Certificate of Franchise by the National Electrification Commission (“NEC”) to operate an electric light and power selvice in the municipalities of Banaue, Hungduan, Kiangan, Lagawe, Lamut, and Mayoyao. IFELCO also operates in the Municipalities of Hingyon, Asipulo, Aguinaldo, Alfonso Lista and Tinoc (the 11 municipalities shall collectively be referred to as the “Franchise Area”).

IFELCO’s Articles of Incorporation dated May 16,1977

IFELCO’s By-Laws adopted on April 28, 1977 together with Amended By-Laws adopted on July 3, 1984

B-1

IFELCO’s Certificate of Franchise dated September 24, 1980

C B.

Articles of Incorporation dated February 13, 2007 (in the name of SN Aboitiz Power Hydro, Inc., SNAP-Bl’s former name)

D-1

Certificate of Filing Amended Articles of Incorporation dated April 22, 2008 (Amending Articles 1 and III)

D-2

Certificate of Filing Amended Articles of Incorporation dated August 15, 2008 (Amending Articles II and VII)

D-3

Certificate of Filing Amended Articles of Incorporation dated September 7, 2011 (Amending Article II Primary Purpose)

D-5

Certificate of Filing Incorporation dated (Amending Article VII)

D-6

Certificate of Filing Amended Articles of Incorporation dated January 13, 2016 (Amending Article VII) Certificate of Filing Amended Articles of Incorporation dated April 12, 2019 (Amending Article II Primary Purpose)

By-Laws adopted on February 13, 2007 (in the name of SN Aboitiz Power Hydro, Inc., SNAP-BI’s former name)

E-1

Certificate of Filing of Amended By-Laws issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on October 31, 2008

E-2

Certificate of Filing of Amended By-Laws issued by the SEC on November 19, 2010

E-3

Certificate of Filing of Amended By-Laws issued by the SEC on December 3, 2014

SNAP-BI’s latest General Information Sheet (“GIS”) submitted to the SEC on June 8, 2021 with SNAP-BI’s list of shareholders

Certification dated August 16, 2021 with attached Conglomerate Map of SN Aboitiz Power Corporation as of June 30, 2021 Latest GIS of SNAP-BI’s affiliate companies submitted to the SEC on June 8, 2021:

G-1 G-2 G-3 G-4 G-5 G-6 G-7 G-8 G-9 G-10 G-11

H H-1

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Neptune Hydro, Inc. SN Aboitiz-Cordillera, Inc. SN Aboitiz Power-Energy, Inc. SN Aboitiz Power-Generation, Inc. SN Aboitiz Power-Greenfield, Inc. SN Aboitiz Power-Ifugao, Inc. SN Aboitiz Power-Magat, Inc. SN Aboitiz Power-Projects, Inc. SN Aboitiz Power-Renewable, Inc. SN Aboitiz Power-RES, Inc.

Latest GIS of SNAP-BI’s parent company, ManilaOslo Renewable Enterprise, Inc., submitted to the SEC on June 8, 2021 [Confidential] Shareholders’ Agreement dated August 27, 2015 [Confidential] 2021 Amended and Restated Shareholders’ Agreement dated September 28,2021 Certificate of Incorporation issued by the (sic) on March 12, 2007 (in the name of SN Aboitiz Power Hydro, Inc., SNAP-Bl’s former name)

SNAP-BI owns, operates, and maintains the 104.550 MW Ambuklao Hydroelectric Power Plant (the “Ambuklao Plant”) located in Bokod, Benguet and the 140.080 MW Binga Hydroelectric Power Plant (the “Binga Plant”) located in Brgy Tinongdan, Itogon, Benguet. Copies of the documents relating to SNAP-BI’s operations as a generation company are attached as follows: Annex

Document

Board of Investments (“BOI”) Certificate of Registration No. 2008-214 issued to SNAPBI on August 12, 2008 as New Operator of the Ambuklao Plant with Specific Terms and Conditions

J-1

BOI Certificate of Registration No. 2008-213 issued to SNAP-BI on August 12, 2008 as New Operator of the Binga Plant with Specific Terms and Conditions

12.2. Technical Specifications and Fee Schedule.7 Capacity Fees will be based on the peak demand consumption of each month, capped at the Contracted Demand. Energy Fees will be based on the Adjusted Metered Quantities (”AMQ”). However, the Minimum Annual Energy requirement should be met. Annual Adjustment shall be observed for the periods with total Annual Bilateral Contract Quantity (“BCQ”) Nomination below the Minimum Annual Energy requirement, following this formula: Annual Adjustment = (Minimum Annual Energy - Annual BCQ Nomination) x Contracted Energy Charge Where: Minimum Annual Energy

32,500,000 kWh

N-1

Hydropower Service Contract No. 2016-05-620 dated June 24, 2016 between the Government and SNAP-BI for the Binga Plant

Annual BCQ Nomination

Final AMQ for the previous 12-month Billing Cycle

DOE Certificate of Registration (“COR”) No. HSC 2016-04-619 issued by the DOE on June 2, 2016 to SNAP-BI as a Renewal Energy Developer (“RE Developer”) of the 104.55 MW Ambuklao Plant issued by DOE

Contracted Energy Charge

Contracted Energy Charge for the previous 12-month Billing Cycle

The table below shows Contracted Demand and Energy

DOE COR No. HSC 2016-05-620 issued by the DOE on June 24, 2016 to SNAP-BI as an RE Developer of the Binga Plant dated June 24, 2016

O-2

ERC’s Letter to SNAP-BI dated June 7, 2021 explaining that there is no need for declaration and confirmation of commerciality for the Ambuklao Plant and Binga Plant

National Water Resources Board (“NWRB”) Water Permit No. 10-08-039 issued on October 4, 2013 for the Ambuklao Plant (Bokod, Benguet)

P-1

NWRB Water Permit No. 10-08-038 issued on October 4, 2013 for the Binga Plant (Itogon, Benguet)

Contracted Demand (kW) per hour

7,500

Minimum Annual Energy (kWh) per Contract Year

32,500,000

12.2.1.

Contracted Demand and Energy Charge for the first year is broken down as follows:

Contracted Demand Charge (Php/kW) Capacity Fee

1,843.7372

Contracted Energy Charge (Php/kWh) Fixed O&M Cost Variable O&M Cost Total O&M Cost

0.8202 0.3049 1.1251

The Contracted Energy Charge is subject to an annual escalation based on the formula below:

As mentioned above, DUs (such as IFELCO) may enter into bilateral supply contracts to supply electricity in the least cost manner to its captive market and ensure continuous and reliable electricity to its customers.

Energy Chargen-1

Effective Fixed and Variable O&M Cost for the previous year

CPln-1

Average CPI for the previous year, starting January until December

CPlo

Average CPI for the base year (2020), starting January until December

IFELCO’s forecasted demand and supply scenario for the years 2020 to 2029 is consistent with its Power Supply Procurement Plan, as shown in the power supply and demand scenario in the Franchise Area.

Annex

Document

Demand Side Management (DSM) of IFELCO

Certification by IFELCO on Transition Supply Contract capacity and energy (not applicable)

Forecasted Consumption Data and Forecasted Supply vs. Demand of IFELCO

Power Supply Procurement Plan 2020 of IFELCO

T-1

IFELCO’s Supply and Demand Scenario, Details of Existing Suppliers, Contract Utilization and Average Daily Load Curve

T-2

IFELCO Single Line Diagram Connection

T-3

IFELCO Performance Assessment of the System

T-4

Estimate for Reduction in Load Supplied by IFELCO due to Retail Competition

12.3. Replacement of Energy during Plant Outage. SNAP-BI has the right to source replacement energy from its own back-up facilities or any third party, as long as it is Renewable Energy Technology, for reasons other than those SNAP-BI Force Majeure Event and shall have the same effect as though sourced from SNAP-BI’s facilities.8 12.4. Force Majeure. No payment shall be required on the portion of the Capacity Fee, proportionate to the number of intervals under Force Majeure.9 Neither party shall be considered in breach of its obligations if it is prevented from fulfilling such obligations (except payment obligations) due to a Force Majeure Event provided that: (a) the Party claiming occurrence of a Force Majeure Event gives notice of such event to the other party within seven (7) days from occurrence of Force Majeure Event; (b) the Party claiming Force Majeure exerts due diligence to mitigate the effect of Force Majeure; and (c) the effect of Force Majeure does not exceed thirty (30) days.10

Competitive Selection Process (“CSP”) for the Supply of Energy 9.

Following the conduct of CSP for the procurement of baseload capacity, IFELCO executed the PSA with SNAP-BI. The conduct of CSP proceeded as follows:

12.5. PAYMENT OF FEES. The Fees due for Contracted Demand and Energy shall be subject to ERC’s approval and subject to annual adjustment based on the Philippine Consumer Price Index. 11

9.1. Pursuant to DOE Department Circular No. DC2018-02-0003 (the “DOE 2018 CSP Rules”), IFELCO submitted to the DOE the Terms of Reference (“TOR”) which was subsequently approved by the DOE. 9.2. On April 14 and 21, 2021, IFELCO caused the publication of an Invitation to Bid (the “Invitation”), containing the TOR, indicating a summary of the process and timelines of the CSP, and inviting power generation companies to submit an Expression of Interest and Confidentiality Undertaking on or before the deadline set out in the Invitation.

Amended Articles of December 3, 2014

D-7

The salient features of the PSA are summarized below: 12.1. Term. The PSA shall commence on the Effective Date of the PSA which shall be on the next immediate 26th day of the month following the completion of condition precedents to supply and after ERC’s approval of the PSA. Any Provisional Authority granted by ERC shall be considered as approval for purposes of determining the Effectivity Date.5 The PSA shall then remain in full force and effect for a period of nine years or 108 months from the Effective Date of the PSA.6

Fixed and Variable O&M Cost for the current billing period

Certificate of Filing Amended Articles of Incorporation dated November 19, 2010 (Amending Article VII)

D-4

The CSP conducted by the TPBAC was well-structured, fair, and transparent. Under Rule 20(B) of the Revised ERC Rules, an application for approval of a Power Supply Contract should be submitted before this Honorable Commission. Hence, this Joint Application.

SALIENT PROVISIONS OF THE PSA 12.

Copies of the documents showing the power supply and demand scenario in the Franchise Area are attached as follows:

9.3. On June 15, 2021, the bidders submitted their compliance with the Bid Requirements and the respective submissions of the bidders were opened by the Third-Party Bids and Awards Committee (“TPBAC”).

Document

IFELCO Invitation to Bid, ITB No. TPBAC 202101

U-1

IFELCO Invitation to Bid published on April 14 and 21, 2021

U-2

[Confidential] IFELCO Instruction to Bidders

U-3

IFELCO Bid Bulletins

U-4 U-5 U-6

[Confidential] SNAP-BI Envelope

U-7

IFELCO shall pay in full the amounts indicated in the Invoice on or before the last calendar day of the succeeding month of the subject Billing Period.12

12.5.2.

IFELCO is entitled to a 3.50% Prompt Payment Discount on the Fees due for a Billing Period provided that IFELCO satisfies all of the criteria provided in the PSA.13

12.5.3.

IFELCO shall provide SNAP-BI with a Guarantee Bond in the form of cash, stand-by letter of credit, or bond issued by providers duly approved by SNAP-BI.14

a. b. c.

Copies of the documents relating to SNAP-BI’s selection and qualification as the winning bidder under the CSP are attached as follows: Annex

12.5.1.

12.6. TERMINATION. The PSA may be terminated upon the occurrence of any of the following events:

9.4. The TPBAC issued Resolution No. 02 series of 2021 dated July 2,2021 declaring SNAP-Bl’s bid as the lowest calculated responsive bid and recommending approval and award for the supply of the 7.5 MW base load requirement of IFELCO through CSP. 10.

for

Joint Sworn Statement on Compliance with CSP Policy and Guidelines

Energy Chargen

Copies of the documents relating to SNAP-Bl’s registration as a generation company are attached as follows:

Motion

Where:

(sic) SNAP-Bl is a corporation duly organized and existing under the laws of the Republic of the Philippines, with principal address at Binga Hydro Electric Power Plant, Brgy. Tinongdan, Itogon, Benguet Province. SNAP-BI may be served processes, pleadings, and orders through its undersigned counsel at the address indicated below.

Document

IV.

EDC’s

List of IFELCO’s Board of Directors

Annex

11.

The Power Supply and Demand Scenario in the Franchise Area

SNAP-Bl 3.

IFELCO’s Reply Reconsideration

STATEMENT OF FACTS 7.

Document

U-24-B

12.2.2. Ill.

Copies of the documents proving IFELCO’s incorporation, registration, and permit to operate as a DU are attached as follows: Annex

Motion for Reconsideration filed by EDC

Hydropower Service Contract No. 2016-04-619 dated June 2, 2016 between the Republic of the Philippines (the “Government”) and SNAP-BI for the Ambuklao Plant

O-1

(sic) IFELCO is a rural electric cooperative formed primarily for the purpose of supplying, promoting, and encouraging the fullest use of electric service to its members which is duly organized and existing under the laws of the Republic of the Philippines, with principal office in the Municipality of Lagawe, Province of lfugao. IFELCO may be served processes, pleadings, and orders through the undersigned counsel at the address indicated below.

U-24-A

U-25

ERC Certificate of Compliance (“COC”) No. 17-03-M-00309L for the 140.08 MW Binga Plant dated March 9, 2017 and valid for the period of March 12, 2017 to March 11, 2022

L-1

TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES: Notice is hereby given that on 26 May 2022, SN Aboitiz Power-Benguet, Inc. (SNAP-BI) and Ifugao Electric Cooperative, Inc. (IFELCO) filed a Joint Application dated 04 April 2022, seeking the Commission’s approval of their Power Supply Agreement (PSA), with prayer for provisional authority or interim relief and motion for confidential treatment of information.

Environmental Compliance Certificate (“ECC”) CAR 0808-077-4021 issued for the proposed rehabilitation and upgrade of the Ambuklao Plant on August 12, 2008

e. V.

Event of Default by either party; 15 Extended Force Majeure; 16 Either Party having been prevented from continuing operations by reasons of Force Majeure; 17 The shareholders of either party passes a resolution for winding-up or either party commences proceedings before any court or administrative tribunal for windingup, dissolution, bankruptcy, or similar relief; or18 Valid expropriation by government authority of SNAPBl’s Facilities or IFELCO’s Facilities.19

OTHER RELATED DOCUMENTS 13.

In compliance with the Revised ERC Rules, copies of the following “Related Agreements” are also attached in support of this Joint Application: 20 Annex

Document

IFELCO Terms of Reference

[Confidential] Power Supply Agreement (the PSA)

[Confidential] EDC Envelope

Transmission Service Agreement between National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (“NGCP”) and SNAP-BI for the Ambuklao Plant

[Confidential] TPBAC Resolution No. 02, s. 2021 dated June 23, 2021

W-1

Transmission Service Agreement between NGCP and SNAP-BI for the Binga Plant

U-8

[Confidential] IFELCO’s Board Resolution No. 49, Series of 2021 confirming approval of TPBAC evaluation report

Connection Agreement between NGCP and SNAP-BI for the Ambuklao Plant

[Confidential] Notice of Award dated July 7,2021

X-1

U-9

Connection Agreement between NGCP and SNAP-BI for the Binga Plant

U-10

Certification from General Manager of IFELCO on the conduct of CSP issued on July 7, 2021

Metering Service Agreement NGCP and SNAP-BI for the Ambuklao Plant

Y-1

Metering Service Agreement between NGCP and SNAP-BI for the Binga Plant

Write up on the inapplicability of certain documentary requirements to the Joint Application

U-11

[Confidential] Matrix and Type of CSP

U-12

[Confidential] Minutes of the Meetings for the PreBid Conference dated May 5, 2021

U-13

[Confidential] Minutes of the Meeting for the conduct of Due Diligence dated May 10,2021

U-14

[Confidential] Minutes of the second Pre-Bid Conference dated May 25, 2021

U-15

[Confidential] Minutes of the Opening of Bids dated June 15, 2021

U-16

[Confidential] Minutes of the Evaluation of Bids dated June 16, 2021

U-17

[Confidential] Minutes of the Post Qualification of Bids dated June 23, 2021

Annex

U-18

[Confidential] Abstract of Bid

A. Details of the PSA

U-19

[Confidential] Bidding Tally Sheet during Opening of Bids

U-20

[Confidential] Bidding Tally Sheet during PostQualification

B. Generation/Power Rate

U-21

DOE Approval of the TPBAC Membership

U-22

Invitation of CSP Observers at different stages of the Bid

U-23

DOE Notice to Proceed for the conduct of CSP

U-23-A U-24

NEA Notice to Proceed for the signing of the PSA Notice of Ineligibility issued to EDC by IFELCO

VI.

COMPLIANCE WITH DOCUMENTARY REQUIREMENTS 14.

In compliance with Rule 20(8.1), Section 2 of the Revised ERC Rules and this Honorable Commission’s Checklist of Pre-Filing Requirements for Applications for Approval of Power Supply Agreement (PSA) (Form No: LS-CL-001; the “ERC Pre-Filing Checklist”), attached are the following documents providing further details on (a) the PSA, and SNAP-Bl’s: (b) sources of funds/financial plans, (e) generation rate and derivation, and (d) cash flow: Document

[Confidential] Executive Summary of the PSA Salient Features (PSA Salient Features)

[Confidential] TCGR & Rate Derivation

BB-1

[Confidential] (RFR) PHP-BVAL-Reference-Rates Benchmark-Tenors_ 2019-01-02

BB-2

[Confidential] Beta 2019

BB-3

[Confidential] MRP 2019

C. Sources of Funds/Financial Plans CC

[Confidential] Bank of the Philippines Islands (“BPI”) Loan Certificate with Loan Schedule

CC-1

[Confidential] BDO Unibank, Inc. (“BDO”) Loan Certificate with Loan Schedule

18.

D. Audited Financial Statements DD

SNAP-BI’s Audited Financial Statements 2019

DD-1

SNAP-Bl’s Audited Financial Statements 2021

DD-2

SNAP-Bl’s Audited Financial Statements 2013

Rule 6, Section 2 of the Revised ERC Rules also requires the Applicant to publish the entire Application, excluding its annexes, in a newspaper of general circulation within the Applicants’ franchise area or area where they principally operate.21 In compliance thereof, the Applicants caused the publication of the Application in a newspaper of general circulation in the Philippines, as shown by the following:

E. Other Documents

VII.

[Confidential] Sample Computation of Power Rates with the supporting documents on the assumptions taken

Technical and Economic Characteristics

WESM Registration

GENERATION RATE IMPACT 15.

16.

IFELCO conducted a rate impact simulation to determine the impact of the implementation of the PSA on IFELCO’s generation costs. Without the PSA in place, IFELCO may be exposed to relatively volatile Wholesale Electricity Stock Market (“WESM”) prices which, based on IFELCO’s latest available data as of October 2021, resulted in a weighted average generation rate of Ᵽ5.5/kWh. The prices under the PSA would enable IFELCO to reduce the generation rate by around Ᵽ0.27/kWh. In addition, if IFELCO can meet the requirements to avail of the prompt payment discount, it would enjoy a substantial reduction in generation rates by as much as Ᵽ0.45/kWh. A copy of the rate impact simulation and analysis is attached as Annex HH [confidential] and is made an integral part hereof (with motion for confidential treatment).

Document

Affidavit of Publication executed by the editorin-chief or duly authorized representative of the publisher

A copy of the newspaper wherein Application was published

ALLEGATIONS IN SUPPORT OF THE APPLICANTS’ PRAYER FOR PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY 19.

Under Rule 14, Section 1 of the Revised ERC Rules, this Honorable Commission is authorized to issue provisional authority or interim relief prior to a final decision, provided that the facts and circumstances alleged warrant such remedy.

20.

The facts and circumstances in this Application warrant the issuance by this Honorable Commission of the provisional authority prayed for. Indeed, a provisional authority is needed to prevent a delay in the implementation of the PSA - so that IFELCO would have sufficient electricity with which to supply its consumers in the Franchise Area. There is an urgent necessity for the approval of the PSA to address the electricity requirements of IFELCO and its consumers and to avoid power interruptions in the Franchise Area.

21.

VIII. COMPLIANCE WITH PRE-FILING REQUIREMENTS 17.

Annex

In compliance with Rule 6, Section 2 of the Revised ERC Rules, the Applicants have furnished copies of this Application to the legislative bodies of each of the local government units where they principally operate, as shown by the following: 22.

In a statement published on January 18, 2022,22 the NGCP warned of thin power supply due to higher demand in the new normal with the DOE forecasting a total peak demand of 12,387 MW for Luzon in the last week of May, a 747MW increase from the actual 2021 peak load of 11,640MW which occurred on May 28,2021. In addition, the NGCP stated that yellow alerts have been issued as early as January 10 and 11, 2022 and red alerts were issued over the Luzon Grid last year on May 31, June 1, and June 2, 2021 when a similar round of extended and unplanned maintenance shutdowns and derations occurred.

Manila

Standard

27.

The information contained in the bid documents (i.e., enumerated under par. 26(A)) pertains to the bidding process and the evaluation TODAY of bids undertaken by IFELCO. The information contained in these documents should be treated as confidential to safeguard the integrity of the bidding process.

28.

The documents enumerated under par. 26(B) above should not be disclosed to any other party or third person since the information contained therein are confidential and proprietary to SNAP-BI. SNAP-BI has an actual and valuable proprietary interest to protect the information contained in these documents, which are not generally available to the public. These details are part of SNAP-BI’s competitive advantage in the power generation industry with an economic value (actual or potential) derived from not being generally known to, and not being readily ascertainable by, other persons such as SNAP-BI’s competitors, who can obtain economic value from the disclosure of the pieces of information to the detriment of SNAP-BI.

29.

The nature of the information in these documents, which go into SNAP-BI’s pricing and business, is so significant that unquantifiable damage could result to SNAP-BI if the information were to be shown to its competitors, including other power generators. Furthermore, the information contained in these documents are not in the possession of this Honorable Commission on a nonconfidential basis and have not been declared as non-confidential in nature in any previous decision or policies by the Commission.

30.

For the same reasons discussed above, IFELCO similarly manifests that it has an actual and valuable proprietary interest to protect the information in the Rate Impact Simulation (i.e., Annex HH) which is not (a) generally available to the public. and (b) readily ascertainable by other persons, including IFELCO’s competitors.

31.

In Air Philippines Corporation vs. Pennswell Inc.,23 the Supreme Court defined “trade secret” as follows: A trade secret is defined as a plan or process, tool, mechanism or compound known only to its owner and those of his employees to whom it is necessary to confide it. The definition also extends to a secret formula or process not patented, but known only to certain individuals using it in compounding some article of trade having commercial value. A trade secret may consist of any formula, pattern, device, or compilation of information that (1) is used in one’s business; and (2) gives the employer an opportunity to obtain advantage over competitors who do not possess the information. Generally, a trade secret is a process or device intended for continuous operation of the business, for example, a machine or formula, but can be a price list or catalogue or specialized customer list. It is indubitable that trade secrets constitute proprietary rights.

The NGCP’s January 18, 2022 statement is reproduced in full below: Power transmission operator NGCP warns of thin power supply this summer due to higher demand in the new normal, and highlights the need for policies to supporting demand side management to ensure adequate power during the upcoming presidential elections in May. The Department of Energy (DOE) forecasted a total peak demand of 12,387 MegaWatts (MW) for Luzon to occur in the last week of May, a 747MW increase from the actual 2021 peak load of 11,640MW which occurred on May 28, 2021.

32.

The protection of trade secrets was likewise recognized by this Honorable Commission in its Decision in ERC Case No. 2015- 111 RC: In the case of PNOC RC, the documents sought to be protected from disclosure contains formula and pricing structures used in arriving at their proposed tariff. The prices cited in the documents were components of the proposed tariff. In fact, all three (3) documents were used by the Commission in evaluating the reasonableness of the proposed rate. In electric power industry [where] prices are a major consideration in selecting one’s supplier, it is apparent that the assumption used in arriving at one’s proposed tariff is considered a competitive leverage by one player against its competitors.

For Visayas, the peak demand occurred in December, mainly due to the activity brought about by the holiday season, while in Mindanao, the peak demand occurred in August.

Grid

2021 Actual Peak

2022 DOE Forecast Peak

Luzon

11,640 MW (May 28, 2021)

12,387MW

Visayas

2,252 MW (December 13, 2021)

2,528MW

Mindanao

2,144 MW (August 4, 2021)

2,223MW

Thus, the Commission resolved to treat the said documents confidential and may not be publicly disclosed.

Thin operating margins (power in excess of demand, which is used to manage and balance the grid) is forecasted in the Luzon grid from April to June due to increase in demand during the summer, which includes the critical election period. NGCP coordinates the preparation and submission to the DOE of an annual Grid Operating and Maintenance Program (GOMP), which is the consolidated preventive maintenance schedules of power plants, considering the needed supply to meet the projected demand. The 2022 GOMP was approved by the DOE on 10 January 2022. In compliance with the directive of the DOE, no maintenance shutdowns were scheduled during the summer months. “NGCP, in compliance with its mandate, coordinated with the generation and distribution sectors so that we could optimize and rationalize our own maintenance schedules, to ensure sufficiency, at least on paper, of power supply throughout the year,” the company said.

33.

Considering the foregoing, the Applicants hereby respectfully ask that the annexes enumerated in paragraph 26 be treated as confidential information during the pendency of this Application and any time thereafter, and that these be used solely for the purpose of evaluating this Application. The Applicants also respectfully move that these documents be the subject of a Protective Order pursuant to Rule 4. Section 2 of the Revised ERC Rules.

34.

The Applicants hereby submit one (1) copy each of the foregoing confidential documents in a sealed envelope. with the envelope and each page of the documents marked with the word “Confidential.” PRAYER

WHEREFORE, the Applicants most respectfully pray that this Honorable Court:

However, as early as January, some generating units extended their maintenance shutdowns while others derated to decrease their committed generation output. As a result, yellow alerts were issued on 10 and 11 January. A yellow alert is issued when the excess power is insufficient to meet the transmission grid’s regulating and contingency requirement, pegged at the time at about 495MW and 647MW respectively. “On paper, there appears to be sufficient supply to meet demand; but the plan on paper, the GOMP, is not always followed. It is when there are unscheduled shutdowns and derations, and extensions of maintenance duration, that grid operations may be disrupted enough to warrant the issuance of a grid alert status,” explained NGCP. “As the transmission service provider, NGCP can only give an overview of the current supply and demand situation, and endeavor to dispatch any and all available grid resources. It cannot intervene on matters concerning power generation,” said NGCP. A red alert status is issued when supplies are insufficient to meet consumer demand and the transmission grid’s regulating requirement. Red alerts were issued over the Luzon Grid on 31 May and 01-02 June 2021 when a similar round of extended and unplanned maintenance shutdowns and derations occurred, depleting excess supplies and leading to rotational power interruptions implemented across the entire Luzon.

The continuous increase in demand due to various factors produces another level of volatility in the WESM and risk of higher prices for the end-consumer.

24.

Thus, the PSA is crucial for IFELCO as it guarantees the satisfaction of its forward power needs, without compromising the reasonableness of the generation rate to be passed on to its member-consumers.

25.

In the absence of a provisional authority, IFELCO would be exposed to the volatile WESM prices. The immediate delivery of power from SNAP-BI to IFELCO, pursuant to the PSA, will alleviate IFELCO’s power supply requirements and that of its end users. A copy of the Judicial Affidavit executed by Romeo V. Acuesta to support the prayer of the issuance of provisional authority is attached as Annex MM. ALLEGATIONS IN SUPPORT OF THE APPLICANTS’ PRAYER FOR CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT OF INFORMATION

26.

The Applicants respectfully request that the information contained in the following documents attached to this Application be treated as confidential information pursuant to the Rule 4 of the Revised ERC Rules:

Upon initial review of the present Application and pending trial on the merits, ISSUE AN ORDER GRANTING PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY/ APPROVAL for the Applicants to implement the provisions of the PSA, including the rates therein, pending the issuance of a final decision on this Application;

(b)

After trial on the merits, ISSUE A PERMANENT APPROVAL OF THE PSA, including the generation rate and adjustment mechanisms indicated therein;

(c)

DECLARE the annexes enumerated in paragraph 26 as CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION within the purview of Rule 4 ofthe Revised ERC Rules; and

(d)

ISSUE A PROTECTIVE ORDER treating the annexes enumerated in paragraph 26 as confidential information pursuant to Rule 4, Section 2 of the Revised ERC Rules and prescribing the guidelines for the protection thereof.

Other just and equitable reliefs are likewise prayed for. The Commission hereby sets instant Joint Application for determination of compliance with the jurisdictional requirements, expository presentation, pre-trial conference, and presentation of evidence on the following dates and online platform for the conduct thereof, pursuant to Resolution No. 09, Series of 202024 dated 24 September 2020 and Resolution No. 01, Series of 2021 dated 17 December 2020 (ERC Revised Rules of Practice and Procedure):25

To alleviate possible power shortages, NGCP appeals to policy makers to immediately explore demand side management strategies to mitigate any possible power supply issues in the coming summer months, especially at or around the time of the presidential elections. 23.

(a)

Date

Platform

Activity

02 August 2022 (Tuesday) at two o’clock in the afternoon (2:00 P.M.)

Microsoft Teams

Determination of compliance with the jurisdictional requirements and expository presentation

09 August 2022 (Tuesday) at two o’clock in the afternoon (2:00 P.M.)

Microsoft Teams

Pre-trial Conference and presentation of evidence

Accordingly, SNAP-BI and IFELCO are hereby directed to host the virtual hearing at IFELCO’s principal office located at the Municipality of Lagawe, Province of Ifugao, as the designated venue for the conduct thereof, and ensure that the same is open to the public and the community quarantine guidelines are observed at all times. Moreover, SNAP-BI and IFELCO shall guarantee that, during the conduct of the expository presentation, the participation of the public shall not be impaired. Any interested stakeholder may submit its comments and/or clarifications at least one (1) calendar day prior to the scheduled virtual hearing, via electronic mail (e-mail) at docket@erc.ph, copy furnish the Legal Service through legal@erc. ph. The Commission shall give priority to the stakeholders who have duly submitted their respective comments and/or clarifications, to discuss the same and propound questions during the expository presentation. Moreover, all persons who have an interest in the subject matter of the instant case may become a party by filing with the Commission via e-mail at docket@erc. ph,copy furnish the Legal Service through legal@erc.ph, a verified Petition to Intervene at least five (5) calendar days prior to the date of the initial virtual hearing and subject to the requirements under Rule 9 of the ERC Revised Rules of Practice and Procedure, indicating therein the docket number and title of the case and stating the following: 1)

The petitioner’s name, mailing address, and e-mail address;

The nature of petitioner’s interest in the subject matter of the proceeding and the way and manner in which such interest is affected by the issues involved in the proceeding; and

A statement of the relief desired.

Likewise, all other persons who may want their views known to the Commission with respect to the subject matter of the case may file through e-mail at docket@erc. ph, copy furnish the Legal Service through legal@erc.ph, their Opposition or Comment thereon at least five (5) calendar days prior to the initial virtual hearing and subject to the requirements under Rule 9 of the ERC Revised Rules of Practice and Procedure. No particular form of Opposition or Comment is required, but the document, letter, or writing should contain the following: 1)

The name, mailing address, and e-mail address of such person;

A concise statement of the Opposition or Comment; and

The grounds relied upon.

Any of the persons mentioned in the preceding paragraphs may access the copy of the Joint Application on the Commission’s official website at www.erc.gov.ph. Finally, all interested persons may be allowed to join the scheduled initial virtual hearing by providing the Commission, thru legal.virtualhearings@erc.ph, with their respective e-mail addresses and indicating therein the case number of the instant Joint Application. The Commission will send the access link/s to the aforementioned hearing platform within five (5) working days prior to the scheduled hearing. WITNESS, the Honorable Commissioners ALEXIS M. LUMBATAN, CATHERINE P. MACEDA, FLORESINDA G. BALDO-DIGAL, and MARKO ROMEO L. FUENTES, Energy Regulatory Commission, this 07th day of June 2022 in Pasig City.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

AGNES VST DEVANADERA Chairperson and CEO

See EPlRA, Sec. 23. See EPlRA, Sec. 45 (b); ERC Resolution No. 21, Series of 2005 See EPlRA IRR, Rule 3, Section 4 (e) Revised Rules of Practice and Procedure of the Energy Regulatory Commission, Resolution No. 01, Series of 2021. See Power Supply Agreement (Annex A), Clause 3.2. See Power Supply Agreement (Annex A), Clause 3.1. See Power Supply Agreement (Annex A), Annexes C and D. See Power Supply Agreement (Annex A), Clause 8.1. See Power Supply Agreement (Annex A), Clause 10.1. See Power Supply Agreement (Annex A), Clause 6.1. See Power Supply Agreement (Annex A), Clause 9.1. See Power Supply Agreement (Annex A), Clause 9.2.2. See Power Supply Agreement (Annex A), Clause 9.2.3. See Power Supply Agreement (Annex A), Clause 9.3.1. See Power Supply Agreement (Annex A), Clause 11.2 in relation to Clause 11.1. See Power Supply Agreement (Annex A), Clause 12.1.1. See Power Supply Agreement (Annex A), Clause 12.1.2. See Power Supply Agreement (Annex A), Clause 12.1.3. See Power Supply Agreement (Annex A), Clause 12.1.4. See ERC Res No. 11-2005, Article II, Section 3; see also Case Filing Procedures - Applications for Approval of Power Supply Contract, Section 3. (Last accessed December 15, 2021 from http://www.erc.gov.ph/ContentPage/106). See Revised ERC Rules, Rule 6, Section 2. Uploaded on the NGCP website: https://www.ngcp.ph/ article?cid=16516(last accessed April15, 2022). G. R. No. 172835,13 December 2007. A Resolution Adopting the Guidelines Governing Electronic Applications, Filings and Virtual Hearings Before the Energy Regulatory Commission. A Resolution Adopting the Revised Rules of Practice and Procedure of the Energy Regulatory Commission. (MS-JULY 4 & 12, 2022)

World

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2022

IN BRIEF 19 die in Pakistan bus crash, says official AT LEAST 19 people died and 14 were injured when a bus plunged into a ravine near a small town in Pakistan’s west, an official said on Sunday. The bus skidded off a slippery road near Danisar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province as it was en route to Quetta from Rawalpindi, local official Ejaz Jaffer told AFP. Pakistan has an appalling road safety record, with frequent accidents due to poorly maintained routes and vehicles – as well as reckless driving. At least 22 people died when a minibus plunged into a ravine in Balochistan last month. AFP

Thousands to evacuate before Sydney flood

HONORING THE DEAD. A woman looks at little Ukrainian flags reading the names of the victims of the war, displayed on the grass of a park in central Kyiv amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. AFP

HK lawmaker ‘THEY’RE EVERYWHERE:’ COVID positive after photo with China leader Xi A HONG Kong lawmaker who posed for a group photo with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the leader’s visit to the financial hub this week confirmed Sunday he has since tested positive for coronavirus. Xi visited Hong Kong under strict security measures to mark the 25th anniversary of the city’s handover from Britain in his first trip outside mainland China since the outbreak of the pandemic. Steven Ho, a 42-year-old member of Hong Kong’s largest pro-Beijing party who sits in the city’s rubber stamp legislature, was one of about 100 officials granted close contact with Xi for a photo call on Thursday afternoon. Ho was standing two rows directly behind Xi, according to the photos released by the government. The lawmaker tested negative on the first day of Xi’s visit on Thursday and returned an uncertain test on Friday, he said. He did not take part in any events on Friday after the uncertain test result, he said in a statement on social media. “The sample of July 1 was one with extremely low infectivity and it was categorized as ‘uncertain,’ but for the sake of public security, I did not participate in the events on that day,” Ho wrote. Ho was the second member of the DAB party to have tested positive around Xi’s visit. Tam Yiu-chung, Hong Kong’s sole representative to Beijing’s top lawmaking body, tested positive on Thursday and was absent from all events. China is the only major economy still pursuing a zero-COVID approach of eliminating outbreaks as they emerge, using snap lockdowns and mass testing. AFP

Microplastics in oceans, air, and human bodies

ROM ocean depths to mountain peaks, humans have littered the planet with tiny shards of plastic. We have even absorbed these microplastics into our bodies – with uncertain implications. Images of plastic pollution have become familiar: a turtle suffocated by a shopping bag, water bottles washed up on beaches, or the monstrous “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” of floating detritus. Millions of tons of plastic produced every year, largely from fossil fuels, make their way into the environment and degrade into smaller and smaller pieces. “We did not imagine 10 years ago that there could be so many small microplastics, invisible to the naked eye, and that they were everywhere around

us,” said Jean-Francois Ghiglione, a researcher at the Laboratory of Microbial Oceanography in France. “And we could not yet envisage finding them in the human body.” Now scientific studies are increasingly detecting microplastics in some human organs – including “the lungs, spleen, kidneys, and even the placenta,” Ghiglione told AFP. It may not come as much of a shock that we breathe in these particles present in the air, in particular microfibers

from synthetic clothing. “We know that there’s microplastics in the air, we know it’s all around us,” said Laura Sadofsky, from the Hull York Medical School in the UK. Her team found polypropylene and PET (polyethylene terephthalate) in lung tissue, identifying fibers from synthetic fabrics. “The surprise for us was how deep it got into the lungs and the size of those particles,” she told AFP. In March, another study reported the first traces of PET found in the blood. Given the small sample of volunteers, some scientists say it is too early to draw conclusions, but there are concerns that if plastics are in the bloodstream they could be transported to all organs. AFP

RISKY SHOTS.

People take photos at a promenade next to Victoria Harbor as Typhoon Chaba passes Hong Kong. AFP

Russia accuses Kyiv of firing missiles at Belgorod, near Ukraine RUSSIA accused Kyiv on Sunday of firing three missiles at the city of Belgorod near the Ukraine border in strikes that killed at least three people. “Russian anti-aircraft defenses shot down three Tochka-U cluster missiles launched by Ukrainian nationalists against Belgorod,” said Russia’s defense ministry spokesman, Igor Konashen-

kov, adding that “after the destruction of the Ukrainian missiles, the debris of one of them fell on a house.” At least three people were killed and four injured, according to the governor of the region. “We are currently trying to establish the circumstances of the incident. The anti-aircraft defenses were in opera-

tion,” Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram. Eleven residential buildings and 39 houses were damaged in the explosions which occurred in the early hours, he said, but stopped short of accusing Ukrainian forces of being behind the strikes. Gladkov said he visited the site very soon after the explosions, which hit five

streets to the north of the city center. Two of the injured – a man and a child – were hospitalized, while the other two were treated at the scene, he said. Since Moscow launched its military operation in Ukraine on February 24, Russia has repeatedly accused Kyiv of conducting strikes on Russian soil, particularly in the Belgorod region. AFP

THOUSANDS of Australians were ordered to evacuate their homes in Sydney on Sunday as torrential rain battered the country’s largest city and floodwaters inundated its outskirts. Roads across the city were cut off and authorities said at least 18 evacuation orders were in place in western Sydney, an area that was inundated with severe flooding in March. “This is a life-threatening emergency situation,” Stephanie Cooke, emergency services minister for the state of New South Wales, told reporters. Australia has been at the sharp end of climate change, with droughts, deadly bushfires, bleaching events on the Great Barrier Reef and floods becoming more common and intense as global weather patterns change. AFP

Sierra Leone wants abortion decriminalized SIERRA Leone’s government has approved a draft law that would decriminalize abortion in a country with one of the world’s highest maternal mortality rates. President Julius Maada Bio told the 10th Africa Conference on Sexual Health and Rights in Freetown on Friday that his government had unanimously backed a bill on riskfree motherhood. The law would guarantee the health and dignity of all girls and women of procreation age in the country, he added, after the US Supreme Court removed American women’s constitutional right to abortion. Bio said he was “proud” that Sierra Leone was implementing a “progressive reform” while women’s rights in sexual and reproductive health were being overturned or threatened. AFP

Start-up seeks to turn caterpillars into tasty snacks A START-UP entrepreneur from South Africa wants to change the way edible caterpillars popularly known as “mopane worms” are viewed and eaten. For many people, particularly from western European backgrounds, the idea of eating insects is still riddled with fear and inhibition. But they can be a valuable source of nutrition and farming them is not detrimental to the environment. South African chemical engineer Wendy Vesela has found ways of turning the spiky green and black caterpillars – which are packed with protein and iron – into a flour that can be used in savory biscuits, sweet chocolate protein bars, cereals or smoothies. When steamed and sliced, mopane pieces can also be used as pizza toppings. Vesela says she has found domestic and international customers for her organic products. Edible insects and worms may indeed be gaining popularity in Western cultures. But food anthropologist Anna Trapido insists that the trend should not be seen as just another dietary fad, a “kind of adventure tourism, where you get a badge” for eating them. AFP

Fossil discovery solves mystery of how pandas became vegetarian

THE discovery of panda fossils in China has helped researchers solve the mystery of how the giant species developed a “false thumb” and became the only dedicated vegetarian in the bear family. Fossils dating back about six million years found in southwest China’s Yunnan province included a greatly enlarged wrist bone called a radial sesamoid. It is the oldest known evidence of the modern giant panda’s false thumb that allows it to grip and break heavy bamboo stems, scientists wrote on a research paper published in the latest edition of the Scientific Reports. The fossils belong to the now-extinct ancient relative of the panda called an Ailurarcto that lived in China six to eight mil-

lion years ago. “The giant panda is... a rare case of a large carnivore with a short, carnivorous digestive tract... that has become a dedicated herbivore,” Wang Xiaoming, curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, said. “The false thumb in Ailurarctos shows... for the first time, the likely timing and steps in the evolution of bamboo feeding in pandas.” Researchers had known about the panda’s false thumb, which works similarly to a human thumb, for about a century. But the lack of fossil evidence had left unanswered questions about how and when the extra digit – not seen in any other bear – evolved. “While the giant panda’s false thumb is

not the most elegant or dexterous... even a small, protruding lump at the wrist can be a modest help in preventing bamboo from slipping off bent fingers,” Wang wrote. The fossils found near Zhaotong city in the north of Yunnan included a false thumb that was longer than that found in modern pandas, but without an inward hook on the end. The hook and a fleshy pad around the base of the thumb evolved over time since it had to “bear the burden of considerable body weight,” the paper said. AFP

EVOLVED. This photo taken on June 27, 2022 shows a panda enjoying a cake made with ice during its birthday at a zoo in Nanning, in China’s southern Guangxi region. AFP

ANN n IVERSARY SPECIAL ISSUE

Price stability for a stronger PH economy

ased on its charter, the main responsibility of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is to formulate and implement policies in the areas of money, banking, and credit, with the primary objective of preserving price stability.

5.6%

“Price stability” refers to a condition of low and stable inflation. By keeping prices stable, the BSP helps ensure strong and sustainable economic growth and better living standards. ADJUSTMENTS OF THE KEY POLICY INTEREST RATE The BSP’s key policy interest rate—which influences the interest rates imposed by banks— was at its peak of 4.75 percent in early 2019. Following the assumption of Benjamin E. Diokno as central bank governor, the BSP implemented a series of rate cuts that brought down its key policy rate to just 4.0 percent by the end of the year. The rate cuts were done based on the BSP’s assessment of a benign inflation environment. After peaking at 6.7 percent in September 2018, inflation had dropped to a three-year low of 0.8 percent in October 2019. When the inflation outlook is benign, the BSP has the flexibility to cut its key policy rate in support of economic growth. Low interest rates encourage credit-taking activities, such as to fund investments and infrastructure projects, which then help spur economic growth. Meantime, upon the onset of the COVID-19 crisis in early 2020, the BSP continued with the series of rate cuts to support economic recovery and growth. It had brought down its key policy rate to a record low of 2.0 percent in November 2020. The low interest rate environment helped encourage credit activities, which were important in reversing the pandemic-driven recession. Aided in part by low interest rates and the other policy responses of the BSP and the National Government, the economy bounced back from the crisis. Following the recession in 2020, the Philippine economy grew by 5.7 percent in 2021 and further by 8.3 percent in the first quarter of 2022. The record-low rate was in effect until the Philippine economy’s solid recovery, which prompted the BSP to start normalizing the policy rate. On 19 May 2022, the BSP raised the key policy rate by 25 basis points, followed by another 25 basis points on 23 June 2022. These adjustments brought the current policy rate to 2.5 percent. The rate hikes were also implemented amid an outlook of elevated inflation. The RussiaUkraine war has led to a rise in global prices of oil and other commodities, and this is seen causing second-round effects to domestic prices, including wage hikes. When the inflation outlook is elevated, the BSP may hike its key policy interest rate. Higher interest rates temper demand for loans, thereby easing demand for goods and services and slowing down inflation. Based on inflation forecast of the BSP as of 23 June 2022, inflation will average at 5.0 percent in 2022, 4.2 percent in 2023, and back to within-target of 3.3 percent in 2024. The higher-than-target inflation projections for 2022 and 2023 are due mainly from external supply shocks, such as rising global prices amid the Russia-Ukraine war.

With its timely adjustments of the key policy rate, the BSP remains committed to its price stability mandate, while supporting growth of the economy. Looking ahead, the BSP affirms its support for the economy while keeping an eye on the potential risks to future inflation. The BSP stands ready to respond to potential secondround effects, in line with its price and financial stability objectives. MONETARY OPERATIONS Besides interest rate adjustments, the BSP also fulfills its price stability mandate through its monetary operations. When the inflation outlook is elevated, the BSP may accept more deposits from banks or sell more debt securities to absorb excess liquidity in the financial system. By doing so, it helps temper demand for goods and services and helps slow down inflation. The BSP made sure to capitalize on its recently regained authority to issue its own debt securities to pursue its price stability mandate. Republic Act No. 11211, the amended charter of the BSP that was signed into law in February 2019, brought back its authority to trade its own securities. As of 26 April 2022, total outstanding amount absorbed by the BSP via its facilities stood at about ₱1.6 trillion, almost double the ₱854 billion recorded before the pandemic in December 2019. The bulk of the BSP’s monetary operations to absorb excess liquidity had been conducted through its term deposit facility (TDF), which accounts for 36 percent of total (or about ₱576.8 billion). Placements in the BSP Securities facility, overnight reverse repurchase facility, and overnight deposit facility made up about 31.8 percent (₱509.6 billion), 19 percent (₱305.0 billion), and 13.2 percent (₱211.9 billion), respectively, of the total amount of liquidity absorbed by the BSP. Moreover, effective 10 December 2021, the BSP has allowed trust entities to participate in the secondary market for BSP Securities. The move is in line with the BSP’s efforts to strengthen the effectiveness of its marketbased instruments for monetary operations. In addition, the BSP has included digital banks as eligible participants in its monetary operations effective the same date. A part of its digital banking framework, the measure aims to further improve the transmission of monetary policy. All these initiatives and reform measures reflect the BSP’s strict commitment to price stability. The BSP recognizes the importance of price stability in achieving a better economy for all Filipinos, in that it helps provide an enabling environment for businesses and helps maintain the purchasing power of households. The BSPs’ commitment to price stability is consistent with its agenda of bringing the central bank closer to the Filipino people.

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ANN n IVERSARY SPECIAL ISSUE

Ensuring a safe, efficient, and reliable payments and settlements system

N EFFICIENT, secure, and reliable payment system reduces the cost of exchanging goods and services. It is also an essential tool for effective implementation of monetary policy, and for smooth functioning of money and capital markets.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) leads in promoting an efficient payments and settlements system by providing the necessary infrastructure through the operations of the Philippine Payment and Settlement System (PhilPaSS); and the policy and regulatory framework, also known as the National Retail Payment System (NRPS), to establish a safe, efficient, and reliable retail payment system in the country. PHILPASS AND PHILPASSPLUS In 2019, the BSP focused on advancing the robustness and interoperability of the PhilPaSS and began to develop the PhilPaSSPLUS. The new system, which was launched on 26 July 2021, can accommodate a growing number of settlements between financial institutions; has rigid controls to support transaction security in fund transfers; and has enhanced system availability. With broader access channels, PhilPaSSPLUS enables integration with other payment systems locally and abroad and allows for transparent, low-cost, and quick exchange of richer payment information for business and regulatory purposes. It facilitates real-time processing of financial transactions. As the country recovers from the pandemic, the value of PhilPaSSPLUS transactions surged by 104.2 percent to ₱42.43 trillion in February 2022 from the same period in 2019. Transaction volumes rose 15.1 percent to 96,000 over the same period. The PhilPaSSPLUS is designated as a” systemically important payment

system” (SIPS). A SIPS is a payment system that poses or has the potential to pose systemic risk. As such, Philippine Peso Real-Time Gross Settlement (PhP-RTGS) participants shall ensure the safety, efficiency, and reliability of the payment system by adhering to the relevant regulations prescribed by the BSP for SIPS, such as the adoption of Principles for Financial Market Infrastructures (PFMI). The BSP shall continue to evaluate and identify payment systems that shall be designated as SIPS and “prominently important payment systems” (PIPS) for oversight strategies that are commensurate to their business activities, systemic importance, and risk profiles. Designated payment systems, such as SIPS and PIPS, shall be subject to closer BSP oversight and to relatively more comprehensive risk management standards and governance arrangements, compared with their nondesignated counterparts. ISO 20022 In 2019, BSP’s Monetary Board approved the mandating of the adoption of the ISO 20022 as the messaging and communication standard to be implemented by all banks, non-bank financial institutions, and third-party service providers that transmit electronic payment instructions to PhilPaSS. The ISO 20022 standardizes financial messages for all initiatives with different counterparties, business domains, and networks, thereby facilitating the interoperability of payment and settlement systems and other financial initiatives, allowing for straight-throughprocessing of payments. Aside from allowing transmission of useful transaction details along with payments, the adoption of ISO 20022 enhances the interoperability of the country’s RTGS with the payment systems both onshore and offshore. Interoperability is key to achieving payment system efficiency, which is vital in keeping pace with the growing demand for faster payment services in the interbank market and in the retail space.

NATIONAL RETAIL PAYMENT SYSTEM The emergence of innovative payment technology is revolutionizing the payments and settlements system. Promoting payments digitalization while maintaining the safety and efficiency of the national payment system is at the forefront of the BSP’s policy agenda as the country transitions into a cash-lite society. As such, the BSP launched a three-year

Digital Payments Transformation Roadmap (2020-2023) that charts its current initiatives and strategy toward an efficient, inclusive, safe, and secure digital payments ecosystem. The digital transformation of the national payment system is crucial in broadening financial inclusion. It enables households, businesses, and the government to conduct financial transactions amid the social mobility restrictions and health protocols

against the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic became an essential catalyst for greater digital payments adoption. The BSP’s pre-pandemic initiatives to lay the groundwork for interoperable payment systems proved critical in expanding digital payments adoption during the COVID-19 health crisis. The NRPS capitalizes on the benefits of digital payments to support the country’s economic competitiveness and inclusive growth. It has paved the way for the creation of two automated clearing houses—the Philippine Electronic Fund Transfer System and Operations Network (PESONet) and InstaPay, which allow interoperable fund transfers among accounts from different participating bank and non-bank financial institutions. Since the pandemic started, there has been a sustained rise in the adoption of digital payments in the Philippines. The latest e-payments measurement report showed that as of end-2021, the share of monthly digital payments volume rose to 30.3 percent from 20.1 percent in 2020. The value of digital payments in the country represents 44.1 percent of total retail payments in 2021—close to the BSP’s target of converting at least 50 percent of retail payments to digital form by the end of 2023. PESONET AND INSTAPAY Combined transactions using PESONet and InstaPay—the two interoperable platforms for electronic fund transfers—rose by 44 percent in terms of volume and 46 percent in terms of value as of end-December 2021 compared with2020. Volume and value of transactions using InstaPay—the platform of smallvalue transactions worth ₱50,000 and below—surpassed ATM withdrawals for the period January-December 2021. Volume and value of transactions using PESONet—the platform for bigger-value transactions—may approach check volume over time if it will maintain its steady increase.

Promoting a sound, stable, and resilient financial system DESPITE the challenges from the COVID-19 crisis, the country’s financial system remained sound and stable, with more-than-ample liquidity, sufficient capitalization, and satisfactory loan and asset quality. Three years of close supervision, sustained reforms, and timely pre-emptive measures by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) spelled resilience and robustness for the banking sector and the entire financial system.

SUSTAINED SAFETY AND SOUNDNESS OF THE BANKING SYSTEM

At the core of this resilience is prudent regulations. During the crisis, the banking industry served as a pillar of strength for the economy, guided by the BSP’s forward-looking and riskbased supervision. The Philippine banking system (PBS) sustained its solid footing, as shown by the continued growth in assets, deposits, healthy profits, stable capital and liquidity buffers, and ample loan-loss reserves. Total assets of the banking system reached ₱20.70 trillion as of April 2022, up by 6.7 percent year-on-year. Similarly, total deposits of 16.13 billion as of the same period also reflected the sustained confidence of depositors amid the pandemic with a 7.2 percent year-on-year growth. Alongside improving economic conditions and credit activity, loan quality remained manageable. The PBS’ gross non-performing loan (NPL) ratio stood at 3.9 percent as of end-April 2022, a solid rebound from the pandemic-record of 4.5 percent in July 2021. The latest total loan portfolio (TLP) figures as of April 2022 also marked an expansion of 7.0 percent year-on-year with ₱11.4 billion against the recorded ₱10.65 billion in 2021. The enactment of the Financial Institutions Strategic Transfer or FIST Act has further supported resilience of banks to the crisis. The law allowed banks to sell non-performing assets to asset management companies, so called FIST corporations, to keep their exposure to bad assets manageable. Sustained profitability has also been evident in the banking industry as net profit went up by 26.3 percent year-on-year to ₱66.3 billion as of end-March 2022. This growth reflected a reversal from the recorded 5.7 year-on-year decline in net profit during the same period in 2021. The BSP also ensured ample capitalization that helped banks absorb pandemic-induced shocks. The capital adequacy ratio stood at 16.2 on solo basis as of March 2022, which is well above the 10 percent and 8 percent thresholds of the BSP and the Bank of International Settlements, respectively. This means banks have adequate capital for their risk-taking activities at the time of the crisis. In addition, the liquidity coverage ratio of 200.3 percent on solo basis at end-February 2022 indicated strong liquidity position to support short-term funding requirements. Continued financial services amid the pandemic The BSP ensured that the banking industry and other BSP-supervised financial institutions remained supportive of the country and the Filipinos’ financial needs, especially amid challenging times. Regulatory relief packages were initiated to help ease the financial burden of households and businesses amid weaker economic activity during the pandemic. Such measures included forbearance on loan payments without incurring further interest on interest, fees, penalties, and other related charges. At the same time, the BSP also imposed a ceiling on interest or finance charges for credit card receivables to induce consumption and promote responsible credit card lending in the country. The BSP extended the effectivity of these prudential and operational relief measures until endDecember 2022 to ensure continued provision of credit and access to financial products and services for all.

INSTITUTIONALIZED ISLAMIC BANKING

The pandemic did not stop the BSP from advancing the domestic Islamic finance industry. The BSP created the Islamic Banking Supervision Group (IBSG) on 18 June 2021. IBSG is the focal for the BSP’s strategic initiatives and prudential policy reforms meant to implement the Islamic Banking Law and promote Islamic banking. Likewise, the BSP inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) as part of the BSP’s initiatives to develop Islamic banking and finance in the country. This pioneering work of the BSP continues to fortify a whole-of-government approach toward greater inclusivity and broadened access in the financial system. Introduced rural bank reforms A fundamental root cause of many rural banks (RBs)’ weaknesses is inadequate capital which limits their ability to cover operational costs and constrains the viability of their operations, management, and governance. These constraints restrict opportunities to expand operations and enhance income potential. The BSP’s Rural Bank Strengthening Program (RBSP) aims to address these concerns.

ANN n IVERSARY SPECIAL ISSUE

BSP takes on various initiatives to promote financial inclusion IN EARLY 2020, the COVID-19 global crisis ravaged the country, forcing massive lockdowns and necessitating unprecedented response measures. Against this backdrop, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) continued to deliver on its commitment to financial inclusion. On 23 June 2022, the Office of the President issued Memorandum Circular No. 97 that institutionalized the Financial Inclusion Initiative, which is the whole-of-government support for the implementation of the National Strategy for Financial Inclusion (NSFI) 2022-2028 and the adoption of financial inclusion as a development agenda at both the national and subnational levels. The NSFI was launched in January 2022 to support the Filipino people’s aspiration for a “matatag, maginhawa, at panatag na buhay” as espoused in both the government’s Philippine Development Plan and the AmBisyon Natin 2040. The Circular directs all government agencies to support the successful implementation of the NSFI by incorporating relevant priority initiatives in the agency work programs, policies, and budgets. It also encourages the regional development councils and the local development councils to adopt financial inclusion objectives, targets, and programs, in line with the NSFI, in their respective plans. Local government units (LGUs) are also encouraged to promote financial inclusion in their jurisdictions, particularly through, among others, their capacity development programs and provincial development and physical framework plan. Prior to this, BSP has been leveraging on technological innovations as a key strategy with the intent of bringing BSP closer to the Filipinos despite the pandemic. Among the many initiatives was the 2020-2023 BSP Strategy, which underscored the commitment of the BSP to contribute to the goal of a better quality of life for all Filipinos. The BSP aims to establish an inclusive financial system by year 2023, with at least 70 percent of adult Filipinos having a transaction account. An inclusive financial system is one where every Filipino has effective and convenient access to a wide range of financial services appropriately designed and relevant to the individual’s needs and capacity. Toward this goal, the BSP launched numerous initiatives on financial inclusion that include: INCREASING UPTAKE OF TRANSACTION ACCOUNTS The Basic Deposit Account (BDA) policy

enhancement work was done in 2021. This led to the issuance on 12 January 2022 of Memorandum No. 2022-003, which provides additional guidance and further clarifications on the implementation of the BDA Framework (Circular No. 992 issued in 2018). Unlike other bank accounts, a BDA, which is designed to promote financial inclusion, is easier to open and maintain. Among other features, it does not require a maintaining balance, does not have dormancy charges, and may be opened for as low as ₱100. As a result of BSP’s initiatives, 8.0 million people were onboarded to the formal financial system for the first time with their own bank accounts as of 25 May 2022. This was a significant increase from the 7.6 million people who had BDA accounts as of Q3 2021 that had an aggregate deposit amount of ₱4.8 billion placed in 137 banks. This was also a radical increase from the 6.2 million depositors with ₱4.5 billion deposits in 130 banks as of Q3 2020. A related initiative was the BSP’s support to the co-location strategy of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and the Land Bank of the Philippines (Landbank) in the rollout of the national ID program. Under the strategy, Landbank co-locates in the registration areas for the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) so that the registrants may open bank accounts. The BSP also promoted the digital distribution mode for the various cash assistance programs of the government. Under this approach, cash assistance was disbursed directly to the accounts of the beneficiaries. Following these developments and in line with the PhilSys co-location strategy with LBP, on 26 January 2022, the DILG issued an advisory enjoining LGUs to, among others, implement digital disbursement for the local and national cash assistance programs. ENHANCING THE DIGITAL FINANCE INFRASTRUCTURE The BSP continues to provide strong support for the development of digital finance infrastructure crucial for financial inclusion. The BSP is actively involved in the implementation of the PhilSys, as partner of PSA, in the production of the PhilSys ID cards. The BSP is supporting the creation of necessary policies, guidelines, and standards to promote PhilSys use cases, particularly toward its broad adoption in the financial sector to promote inclusion.

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2022 advertise@manilastandard.net

EXCITING NEW FEATURES INCLUDE PERSONAL GOALS, NEW CRYPTO COINS, AND MORE

All-in-one money app Maya introduces fresh features to bring financial services to more Filipinos

MAYA is making waves anew as it introduces new features to make it even easier for Filipinos to master their money. The fresh updates from the country’s allin-one money app include a new savings feature called Personal Goals, new crypto coins, higher transaction limits, and exciting promos. With the new features, Maya also stepped up its close collaboration with young Filipino artists and creators starting with Shanti Dope, through a trailblazing music video that creatively incorporates an “easter egg hunt” for a chance to win a portion of P1 million in prizes. “The customer response to our relaunch has been overwhelmingly positive, and our Early Access program was a smashing success. Maya’s unique allin-one money app, which seamlessly combines digital banking services, crypto, and an e-wallet for the customer, clearly addresses the pent-up demand for world-class financial services,” said Pepe Torres, Chief Marketing Officer of Maya. To further make it easier to save, Maya recently introduced Personal Goals, a Savings feature with a 6% interest rate* that enables customers to set aside money for specific purposes - whether it is for a new laptop for school, airfare for a long-awaited vacation, tickets for a music fest, down payment for a condo unit, an emergency fund, or starter fund for a small business. With Personal Goals, customers can create up to five savings goals at a time and set target amounts and deadlines within six months. The Personal Goals feature makes it easier for customers to keep track of their finances. It also complements Maya Savings, now available for all upgraded Maya customers. Maya Savings is a digital savings account with a 6% interest rate* that’s as easy to use as an e-wallet. On top of offering Personal Goals, customers with Maya Savings will automatically be upgraded as Maya Power Users, allowing them to cash in up to P500,000 to their Wallet and quickly transfer it to their Maya

Savings account. Best of all, Maya customers can enjoy 99.94% app uptime reliability, enabling access to their savings anytime. On top of digital banking services powered by Maya Bank, Maya also offers cryptocurrency at the back of PayMaya Philippines’ Virtual Asset Services Provider license. Five new currencies were recently added to the app: Algorand, Ape Coin, Avalanche, Doge, and Stellar. Maya now offers 15 coins to help customers diversify their portfolios. What makes Maya Crypto better is the seamless, integrated experience - no need to cash in/ out or buy crypto using another app - it’s an all-in-one experience with Maya. Filipinos can also expect a more personalized experience with Maya. Soon, customers can set up their own @username that will serve as their Maya identity, allowing them to send and receive money without using your mobile number or QR code. To make financial services more popular, especially among the young Filipinos, Maya is also blazing the trail through a creative collab with rap phenom Shanti Dope for the music anthem of this generation, entitled Maya. Maya revealed the creative collab for the trending single through a first-of-its-kind easter egg hunt promotion for P1,000,000 worth of cash prizes hidden in plain sight throughout the music video. Visit www.maya.ph/shanti to know more about the Shanti X Maya Cash Code Hunt promo. Maya is the all-in-one money platform bringing Filipinos bolder ways to master their money. It is powered by the country’s only end-to-end digital payments company, PayMaya Philippines, and Maya Bank for digital banking services. For more information and updates on Maya, visit www.maya.ph.

Cebuana Lhuillier, the leading microfinancial services provider in the Philippines, recently launched its microfinancial super app, Cebuana Xpress (CebX). This brings complete financial mobility to millions of Cebuana Lhuillier clients who can now easily conduct pawning and money transfers transactions through the app. CebX provides clients the chance to do their full pawning transaction online, with services such as New Pawn, Pawn Renewal, and Pawn Redemption made available at the comfort of their homes. Ka-Cebuanas can check real-time and accurate appraisals through the app’s calculator, and use the app’s nationwide delivery service for new pawn and redemption transactions. Meanwhile, clients will also enjoy the app’s full money transfer service capability: they can send and receive money, pay bills, load their eWallet, cash-in and cash-out all within CebX, and also buy mobile load for GLOBE and SMART. Cebuana Lhuillier president & CEO Jean Henri Lhuillier shares, “The launch of the CebX app is a step towards the direction in our role as one of the leading innovators in fintech. As the needs and lifestyles of our clients change through the years, our response is to provide them with digital channels and solutions that not only address this, but also put focus on the importance of accessibility and convenience as essential tools in empowering a nation of financially-included Filipinos.” To get the most of the app’s features, CebX users may be verified using their existing pawn ticket number and 24k card number, or through eKYC (electronic Know Your Customer) for first time clients. App users are also eligible to free one-month insurance coverage and earn 24k loyalty points when they pawn using the app.

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

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2022

IN BRIEF

Stock market likely to trade sideways SHARE prices are expected to remain on sideways trading as inflationary pressures continue to weigh down on investor sentiments. Analysts said rising inflation rate due to spikes in fuel and commodity prices will continue to hound the market over the near-term period amid a lack of positive catalysts. Investors this week are focusing on the release of the June inflation rate that will indicate the next move of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. The central bank may implement a bigger rate hike during its policy meeting next month to curb inflation. The BSP on Thursday said inflation in June likely reached as high as 6.5 percent, up from 5.4 percent in May, on weaker peso and higher oil and power rates. Online brokerage firm 2TradeAsia. com, however, noted that the current market environment could provide investors opportunity to gradually accumulate stocks that offer growth over the longterm period. The Philippine Stock Exchange last week slipped 0.8 percent to 6,165.35 while the All Shares Index was flat at 3,340.12. Jenniffer B. Austria

PH firms hiring more in the next 12 months PHILIPPINE companies plan to hire more workers in the third quarter this year and the next 12 months as the economy recovers from the impact of the global health crisis, the second-quarter Business Expectations Survey conducted by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas shows. The employment outlook index, according to the results of the the survey, increased to 25.4 percent for the third quarter from 24.7 percent in the first quarter 2022 poll results. It further rose to 30.7 percent (from 28.9 percent) for the next 12 months. “The higher positive readings for Q3 2022 and the next 12 months suggest that firms are looking forward to hiring more people in the next quarter and the next several months,” said the BSP. However, the percentage of businesses in the industry sector with expansion plans for the third quarter of 2022 declined to 17.9 percent from 20.8 percent in the first-quarter 2022 survey results. Similarly, the percentage of industry firms with expansion plans for the next 12 months decreased to 24.4 percent (from 25.6 percent). Julito G. Rada

MARINA employees criticize appointments EMPLOYEES of the Maritime Industry Authority criticized the alleged illegal appointments of officers-in-charge (OICs) made by former MARINA administrator Robert Empedrad, saying they were non-compliant with the guidelines set by Malacañang. Employees belonging to the Alliance of MARINA Employees (AME) said Memorandum Circular (MC) Order No. 1 issued by Executive Secretary Victor Rodriguez on June 30 stated that vacancies in the heads of departments or agencies should be filled by OICs who are next-in-rank or the most senior official in the department or agency. Empedrad did allegedly did not comply with the order when he appointed erstwhile OIC-deputy administrator for planning Sonia Malaluan as OIC-Administrator, former director for shipyard regulation service Ramon Hernandez as OIC-Deputy Administrator for Operations; former director for planning and policy service Arsenio Lingad as OIC-Deputy Administrator for Planning; and division chiefs Harold Tarun as OICExecutive Director and and Ronnie Gernato as OIC-deputy executive director.

Business PEZA willing to accredit Bulacan airport ecozone T By Othel V. Campos

he Philippine Economic Zone Authority said over the weekend it is willing to consider the application of San Miguel Corp.’s proposed Bulacan Airport City Special Economic Zone and Freeport, after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. rejected a bill creating a new investment promotion agency on his ﬁrst day in ofﬁce. PEZA director-general Charito Plaza said San Miguel could register its project with the premier investment promotion agency if it meets the requirements under the laws. “If Bulacan airport will apply with PEZA, we can accept their application following the criteria and parameters provided in the CREATE [Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises] law and SIPP [Strategic Investments Priorities Plan],” said Plaza.

She said President Marcos vetoed the House Bill 7575, or the proposed Bulacan Airport City Special Economic Zone and Freeport Act, because it was creating a separate investment promotion agency and freeport zone that would be a “ﬁnancial burden” to the government. “Legislating the approval of the project will create another bureaucracy that must have annual budget allocation which is the case for legislated economic zones,” she said.

Plaza said for legislated economic zones, the national government should provide the seed capital and the yearly budget for maintenance and operations. “But with Ramon Ang, he can definitely finance his ecozone development. However, since it’s legislated, the government is compelled to provide yearly budget for other needs that can’t be funded outside the private ecozone of Ramon Ang,” said Plaza. Plaza said if the project would apply for registration with PEZA, it should pass the scrutiny of the the Fiscal Incentives Review Board, which is tasked to the fiscal incentives given to all big ticket projects. “They can vie for the most generous incentives if their project will meet the minimum $1-billion capital investment. Under our framework, they will have to apply first as an ecozone developer. Aerotropolis is a good model for them,” Plaza said.

FIRST BALFOUR INITIATIVE. First Balfour Inc., the Lopez Group’s engineering and construction arm, reaches an agreement with The Plastic Flamingo Philippines, a pro-environment social enterprise and recycler, to help reduce the country’s problem with plastic waste. The PLAF operates facilities in Muntinlupa for recycling plastic trash into sustainable construction materials, such as ecoboards, ecolumbers, pellets, emergency shelters, benches, racks, tables and other furniture items. Signing the agreement are (from left) First Balfour human resources group head Carlos Pedro Salonga, The PLAF chief operating officer Erica Reyes and First Balfour strategic business planning and corporate communications head Vicente de Lima II.

Weak peso, higher WESM charges to raise Meralco rates this month By Alena Mae S. Flores CONSUMERS of Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) may have to brace for higher power rates in July due to the peso depreciation and higher charges at the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM). “There is strong pressure towards an increase in the July generation charge from the peso’s depreciation and from WESM prices,” said Meralco vice president and head of utility economics Lawrence Fernandez. The WESM is the trading ﬂoor of electricity, where prices go up when supply is tight and demand is high. “The secondary price cap was implemented for 16 of the 31 days in the June supply month, indicating sustained high

WESM prices. The situation was aggravated by the red and yellow alerts recently experienced by the Luzon Grid,” Fernandez said. National Grid Corp. of the Philippines placed the Luzon grid on red and yellow alerts for several hours on June 18 due to transmission line trippings. NGCP identiﬁed the cause of the outage on Saturday as the “underbuilt” lines owned by Peninsula Electric Cooperative Inc. (PENELCO). Due to insufﬁcient reserves, the grid operator continued to place the Luzon grid on yellow alert for several hours from June 20 to June 23. “The only factor that may (partly) offset these factors is the reduced use by the

First Gas plants of more expensive alternative fuel,” Fernandez said. He said the shutdown of the 1,200-megawatt Ilijan natural gas plant in Batangas, with the end of their gas supply and purchase agreement (GSPA) with the Malampaya consortium, led to the delivery of more supply to First Gas. However, reserves of the Malampaya gas ﬁeld are depleting, forcing First Gas to use liquid fuel for its power plants. Fuel charges from the First Gas power plants last month rose 8 percent with the increased usage of more expensive liquid fuel amid the Malampaya supply restriction. WESM prices also increased 12 percent last month to P6.9253 per KWh from P6.4865 per kWh in May.

PSE INDEX CLOSING Friday, July 1, 2022

9.92 PTS. 6,165.35

TOTAL VOLUME

508,216,773

TOTAL TRADES TOTAL VALUE (IN PHP)

49,900 3,706,599,139.39

ADVANCES DECLINES

94 83

UNCHANGED

F OREIGN E XCHANGE R ATE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • FRIDAY, JULY 1, 2022

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

54.9700

Japan

Yen

0.007368

0.4050

Pound

1.218000

66.9535

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.127452

7.0060

Switzerland

Franc

1.047120

57.5602

Canada

Dollar

0.776759

42.6984

Singapore

Dollar

0.719787

39.5667

Australia

Dollar

0.690100

37.9348

Bahrain

Dinar

2.653012

145.8361

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266532

14.6513

Brunei

Dollar

0.717206

39.4248

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000067

0.0037

Thailand

Baht

0.028329

1.5572

UAE

Dirham

0.272279

14.9672

Euro

1.048300

57.6251

Korea

Won

0.000776

0.0427

China

Yuan

0.149252

8.2044

India

Rupee

0.012665

0.6962

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.226963

12.4762

New Zealand

Dollar

0.624000

34.3013

Taiwan

Dollar

0.033720

1.8536 Source: BSP

GFNI buying Palawan nickel mine, 20% of Chinese firm

By Jenniffer B. Austria

NICKEL producer Global Ferronickel Holdings Inc. (GFNI) plans to complete two acquisitions this year in a bid to expand mining assets and diversify revenue sources. GFNI president and chief executive Dante Bravo said during the recent stockholders’ meeting the company is acquiring the Ipilan nickel mine in Palawan and a 20-percent stake in Guangdong Century Tsingshan Nickel (GCTN) in China. Ipilin has a mine life of 10 years with an annual production rate of between 1.25 million and 3 million wet metric ton (WMT) of nickel ore. It has 36.9 million WMT of proven and probable ore reserve with a 1.37 percent nickel average grade. Bravo said with Ipilan mine, GFNI’s mining operations would become allyear long. Ipilan’s dry season is from November to July, while that of Global Ferronickel’s mines in Surigao province is from March to October. Bravo said GFNI also plans to complete the purchase of a 20-percent stake in a Chinese nickel processor. Bravo said the move would “enhance synergy” between the company as an ore supplier and GCTN as a value-added processor. GTCN is an nickel alloy enterprise with an annual production of 30,000 tons of pure nickel on a 33-hectare facility in Guangdong, China. Meanwhile, the GFNI is pursuing its diversification into steel manufacturing. GFNI plans to begin the operation of its planned steel rebar plant in Mariveles, Bataan in 2023. The plant will have an annual production capacity of 1 million metric tons of 10 millimeter (mm) to 20 mm of steel rebars. The company is finalizing plans to build a dry bulk terminal also in Mariveles, Bataan. Bravo said the terminal will have an annual capacity of 3 million MT cargoes. “Although we strongly believe in the growth potential of the nickel mining business. were are also proactive in diversifying investments towards high growth industries and businesses we think can provide optimal operation synergies and improve our cost efficiencies,” said Bravo.

Cebu Pacific resumes Sydney flights; PAL vows to help revive travel sector

Cebu Pacific resumes direct flights to Sydney, Australia starting July 1 following the easing of travel restrictions both in the Philippines and Australia. CEB operates flights between Manila and Sydney three times weekly, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

By Darwin G. Amojelar CEBU Pacific said over the weekend it resumed direct flights from Manila to Sydney, Australia, following the easing of travel restrictions in both countries. “With this route resumption, we are pleased to fly once again to and from this destination after more than two years. We know that many are excited to visit Sydney’s attractions like the Sydney Opera House, Harbour Bridge, Bondi beach, Taronga Zoo and many more,” Cebu Pacific chief commercial officer Xander Lao said. “This also allows Filipinos to reunite with friends and family. We will continue working on boosting seamless connections across our network to address demand,” he said. Cebu Pacific said offers seats to Sydney for as low as P8,999 all-in fare from July 1 to July 6. Travel period is from Feb. 1 up to June 30, 2023.

Sydney requires arriving tourists to present printed copies of their COVID-19 vaccination certificate upon check-in. Travelers should also complete and submit digital passenger declaration form at least 72 hours before departure. Cebu Pacific said it continues to offer guaranteed low fares to stimulate travel across its flight network which covers the widest Philippine destinations. It continues to implement a multi-layered approach to safety, while it operates with a 100-percent fully vaccinated crew, 95 percent of whom received booster shots. Meanwhile, the management of Philippine Airlines vowed to support the new administration in reviving the air travel industry. “PAL commits to the new government to continue serving the air transport needs of the Filipino people as it had done through the last eight decades,” the country’s flag carrier said.

SteelAsia eyes opening of 600,000-ton melt factory in Lemery, Batangas by 2024 with green technology STEELASIA Manufacturing Corp. plans to start the operations of the country’s ﬁrst industrial-scale melt shop in 2024 using the latest green technology from Tenova, a top executive said over the weekend. SteelAsia president Benjamin Yao said the 600,000-ton plant in Lemery in Batangas would use local scrap metal to produce high-grade billets, the raw materials for building and port construction, shipbuilding and other large other projects.

Yao said the melt shop would formalize and organize the collection, consolidation and recycling of scrap metal throughout the country, creating a business sub-sector with opportunities for individuals and small businesses like junk shops. “This is part of the vision of SteelAsia to put in place an integrated steel industry, the backbone of a country’s industrial base. SteelAsia, the largest steel producer in the country, already has six operating

plants and has lined up several more in a multi-billion-dollar plan to keep the country abreast of its neighbors,” he said. The company said that aside from generating business opportunities and thousands of jobs, it will also save the country precious dollars used to import billets. Yao said to minimize the carbon footprint of the project, SteelAsia would use the latest green technology of Tenova—a global leader in steel

and mining technology. Tenova’s consteel evolution technology saves energy, decarbonizes steel production and reduces environmental impacts through efﬁcient energy recovery and pollution control innovations. SteelAsia previously announced it completed the investment of P100 billion for its expansion program with projects in various degrees of construction. The investment will cover more up-

stream facilities with the establishment of new integrated steelmaking plants using recycling technologies and expansion of midstream and downstream products to include H beams, sheet piles, wire rods, steel plates and reinforcing steel mesh. The projects will help quadruple SteelAsia’s capacity by 2023 with the establishment of about 30 new mills in its plants and ﬁve new sites dispersed across the country. Othel V. Campos

Sports

Tsitsipas: Nick Kyrgios a bully with an evil side LONDON—Stefanos Tsitsipas branded Nick Kyrgios “a bully” with an “evil side” after losing a stormy Wimbledon clash on Saturday. “It’s constant bullying, that’s what he does,” the Greek fourth seed said in his post-match press conference after their third-round match. “He bullies the opponents. He was probably a bully at school himself. I don’t like bullies. “He has some good traits in his character, as well. “But... he also has a very evil side to him, which if it’s exposed, it can really do a lot of harm and bad to the people around him.” The mercurial Australian prevailed 6-7 (2/7), 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (9/7) in the match, during which both players were handed code violations by the umpire. Kyrgios even demanded the Tsitsipas be defaulted for hitting the ball into the crowd. Tsitsipas admitted he deliberately hit the ball at Kyrgios at one stage in an effort to quieten the Australian. “I was aiming for the body of my opponent but I missed by a lot,” he said. “This needs to stop. It’s not okay. Someone needs to sit down with him and talk. I’m not used to play this way. “But I cannot just sit there, act like a robot and act like someone that is completely cold and ignorant. “It felt like a bit of a circus. You get tired of the constant talking, the constant complaining,” he added.

Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Randy M. Caluag, Assistant Editor MONDAY, JULY 4, 2022

Kyrgios, in his own press conference, said he understood why Tsitsipas would be upset after losing two times in recent weeks, including in Halle. “Maybe he should figure out how to beat me a couple more times first and then get to that,” he said. Kyrgios claimed he had been the victim of bullying on the court. “I’m not sure how I bullied him. He was the one hitting balls at me, he was the one that hit a spectator, he was the one that smacked it out of the stadium. I didn’t do anything. ‘Stefanos ‘soft’ “I did nothing towards Stefanos today that was disrespectful.” “He’s soft to come in here and say I bullied him. We’re not cut from the same cloth. If he’s affected by that, then that’s what’s holding him back,” he added. After sealing his victory, the 2014 quarter-finalist said he had fancied his chances coming into the match after his recent win against the fourth seed on the grass in Germany. “He’s a hell of a player. He knows how to beat me—he’s beaten me once,” said the 40th-ranked Australian, who now has a 4-1 winning record against the Greek player. Australia’s Nick Kyrgios celebrates beating Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas during their men’s singles tennis match on the sixth day of the 2022 “It’s amazing, everywhere I go I Wimbledon Championships at The All England Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London. AFP seem to have full stadiums. The media loves to say I’m bad for the sport but points he faced and winning 81 percent of first-set tie-break. Kyrgios said Tsitsipas should be kicked clearly I’m not.” his first-serve points. But the match descended into mayhem out of Wimbledon, recalling the incident at Kyrgios, who received an obscenity Drama when a frustrated Tsitsipas hit the ball into the US Open in 2020 when Novak Djokovic warning, did not lose his serve in the There was little hint of the drama to the crowd after losing the second set, for was defaulted from the tournament after entire match, saving all five break come when 23-year-old Tsitsipas edged a which he received a warning. hitting a line judge with a ball. AFP

Filipinas kick off AFF stint vs young Australian squad By Peter Atencio

Games Today

YOUNG Australian squad looking for experience will face the Philippines at the start of the 2022 ASEAN Football Federation Women’s Championships on Monday at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium in Malate, Manila. The team known as the Commbankk Young Matildas is led by head coach Melissa Andreatta, who said that their encounters with Group A teams, including the Philippines, will allow their players to gain valuable experience. “We focus on continuing to build and bank on tournament experiences with the players, and get those match minutes in international football,” said Andreatta as she discussed

their coming games. Andreatta said her players will be tested during the competition and this will help them identify those who can see action in the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023. The Young Matildas will have Charlotte Grant as the only holdover from their recent stint in the AFC Women’s Asia Cup qualifiers last January. Most of the Aussies are aged below 23, except for two veterans, Larissa Crummer and Matilda McNamara.

(Rizal Memorial Stadium) 4 p.m. – Singapore vs. Malaysia 7 p.m. – Philippines vs. Australia U-23 (Binan Football Stadium) 4 p.m. – Indonesia vs. Thailand

Former Matildas and now Philippine national women’s head coach Allen Stajcic, also discussed the status of the Filipinas’ preparation, along with coaches from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand. Andreatta’s squad will be a 28-player team that will face the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia in Group A. Stajcic said the Filipinas are continuously improving their game and hopes it will show when they meet the Commbank Young Malditas.

The Philippines’ bronze-medal finish in the recent Southeast Asian Games is lifting up the team’s spirits, according to Stajcic, going into their 7 p.m. match with the Matildas. “We’ve had a good seven months now and it’s already been a meteoric rise in a lot of different areas and we got a bronze medal in the SEA Games for the first time,” said Stajcic. The Philippines is also riding high on their qualification to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup with Vietnam during their stint in the AFC’s WAC qualifiers. The Filipinas will be bannered by the likes of Quinley Quezada, Sarina Bolden, Sofia Harrision, Malea Cesar and Tara Shelton. Earlier today, Singapore clashes with Malaysia at 4 p.m., also at the Rizal Memorial Stadium. Over in Binan, Laguna, Indonesia battles Thailand at 7 p.m.

Obiena keeps Jump and Fly tournament title in Germany

Ernest John Obiena

ERNEST John “EJ” Obiena has retained his crown in the Jump and Fly meet on Sunday morning at the Weiherstadion in Hechingen, Germany. The 26-year-old Obiena made a 5.80-meter clearance for his second gold in a week, after coming out empty handed at the Wanda Diamond League in

Stockholm, Sweden. Obiena was ahead after he leapt 5.70 meters and made his highest clearance on his third and final attempt at that height. There was a bid to set a new continental record at 5.94 meters, but Obiena was unable to clear it after two tries. Chinese pole vaulter Huang

Bokai settled for the silver with 5.50, while local bet Vincent Hobbie took the bronze at 5.10. Obiena won the the crown last year in Mossingen with a Philippine record of 5.85 meters. He will be in the United States this week for the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon. Peter Atencio

Fiery duels up in PVL Invitationals Games Saturday

2:30 p.m. – Cignal HD vs Army 5:30 p.m. – Choco Mucho vs Chery Tiggo

COACHES of the seven local squads priming up for the Premier Volleyball League Invitationals all agree the battle will be tight and fierce with no team holding a distinct advantage over the other when the mid-season conference is fired off Saturday at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan. While Cignal HD mentor Shaq delos Santos guarantees his wards’ readiness after losing steam in the stretch of the PVL Open Conference, he said his team is all geared up for a duel of power and style with the best and the brightest. “We prepared hard for this conference, so you may consider us as one of the teams to beat. But all teams have also toughened up, so it will all depend on game-situations,” said delos Santos, whose HD Spikers have lorded it over the field in pool play and in the quarterfinals of the season-opening conference before blowing a 1-0 lead and eventually bowing to the Petro Gazz Angels in their best-of-three semifinal series. “But it will be fierce since everybody would want to win given the single round elims format. We really have to dish out our best since only four (teams) will advance,” he added. Unlike in previous conference which featured pool plays, all seven teams are grouped in one in the Invitationals with the top four teams advancing to the next stage where Japan’s Kobe Shinwa Women’s University and Chinese-Taipei’s Taipei King Whales will join the qualifiers in another round-robin competition. “All teams are intact and have leveled up, so I guess everybody has a chance,” said Choco Mucho coach Oliver Almadro. “So we really have to be fit and focused given the high level of competition.”

Grace heats up late to win Portland LIV Golf Invitational LOS ANGELES—Branden Grace grabbed five of his eight birdies on the back nine on Saturday to pull away for a two-shot win in the Portland LIV Golf Invitational and capture the $4 million first prize. The 34-year-old ranked 128th in the world pulled level with Carlos Ortiz with a birdie at the 13th, then birdied the 15th, 16th and 17th to secure the win in the second event of the controversial Saudi-funded series, which has raised the hackles of the established US PGA Tour and DP World Tour and sparked criticism over Saudi Arabia’s human rights record. But controversy appeared far from Grace’s mind as the celebratory champagne was sprayed on the 18th green at Pumpkin Ridge outside Portland, Oregon. “This new format, everything is amazing and everybody is having a blast,” Grace said after the win in the 54hole event in which there is no cut and all

48 entrants earn some piece of a purse of more than $20 million. Grace carded a final-round 65 and finished two strokes in front of Mexico’s Ortiz, who closed with a three-under par 69. Two-time major-winner Dustin Johnson, at 17th in the world the highestranked player so far to bolt for the new series, started the day tied for the lead with Ortiz but finished tied for third with compatriot Patrick Reed on nine-under. Johnson carded a one-under par 71 while former Masters champion Reed moved up with a five-under 67 that included a chip-in eagle at the 17th. Hours before the event teed off on Thursday, family members of people killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks held a press conference near Pumpkin Ridge to voice their outrage. Insisting that Saudi Arabia should be held accountable in the attacks -- in which 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals -- they joined with human

rights groups who say the lucrative series is an attempt to boost the kingdom’s image through sport. The series’ Saudi ties also hit close to home in Oregon, where in 2016 15-yearold Fallon Smart was killed in a hit-andrun traffic accident in which Saudi college student Brahmanda Ameer Norah faced a first-degree murder charge. He removed his monitoring device before his trial and US authorities said they believed the Saudi government had helped him leave the country. Nevertheless, the golf event drew enthusiastic crowds, organisers saying Pumpkin Ridge was sold out on Saturday without offering an attendance figure. Grace had taken the outright lead with his birdie at 15 when his tee shot at 16 skipped through the fairway into a strip Branden Grace of South Africa acknowledges the crowd as he is introduced as the of rough alongside a cart path. champion of the LIV Golf Invitational - Portland at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in North His second shot went through the Plains, Oregon. AFP green, but he strengthened his grip on the lead by chipping in for birdie. American quartet of Johnson, Reed, pocketing $750,000 in addition to their The team title went to the All- Tolar Gooch and Pat Perez, each individual earnings. AFP

Sports

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2022

LPGT amps up ICTSI golf Eagle Ridge title chase

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Republic of the Philippines REGIONAL TRIAL COURT National Capital Judicial Region Branch 221, Quezon City MERLIE D. SANTOS and GINA SANTOS DEMONTEVERDE, Petitioners, - versus-

CIVIL CASE NO. R-QZN-22-01927-CV For: Judicial Settlement, Appointment of Administrator, Partition of Estate

CARISSA JOY S. SICCION, Respondent. x--------------------------------------------------x ORDER In a verified Petition filed before this Court on March 1, 2022, petitioners pray for the judicial settlement of the estate of the late Spouses Arsenio & Apolonia Santos, the appointment of petitioner Merlie D. Santos as administrator, and the partition of the said estate, and in support thereof allege: 1. The petitioners, Merlie D. Santos, Gina Santos Demonteverde, and respondent. Carrisa Joy S. Siccion, are the legal and compulsory heirs of the late Spouses Arsenio & Apolonia Santos who died intestate without leaving any will nor any debt on January 14, 2011 and August 16, 2013, respectively; 2. Petitioners are legitimate children of the deceased spouses, while, the respondent is the granddaughter of the deceased spouses. Respondent’s mother, Maria Theresa Santos-Siccion is also the daughter of the deceased spouses; 3. That the address of respondent Carrisa Joy S. Siccion could not be ascertained despite the diligent efforts made by the petitioners in order to locate her; thus, the petitioners were forced to file this petition and to serve summons to the said respondent by publication pursuant to and in accordance with the applicable laws and jurisprudence; 4. That the deceased spouses left behind several properties and while the petitioners exerted their best effort in order to execute an extra-judicial settlement of the subject estate, respondent, however, could not be located and is not cooperative. Hence, the petitioners were compelled to file the instant petition; 5. That the deceased spouses, at the time of their death, left behind the following real properties registered in their name, to wit: TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. RT-114026 (252348) A parcel of land (lot 15-C-1 of the subdivision plan (LRC) Psd-42203, being a portion of Lot 153-C; described on plan (LRC) Psd-35198; LRC (GLRO) Rec. No. 5975), situated in the Barrio of Talipapa, Quezon City, Island of Luzon. Bounded on the NE., points 2 to 3 by Lot 153-C-2 of the subdivision plan; on the SE., points 3 to 4 by LOT 153-B, (1086) Fls-850-B; on the SE., points 4 to 1 by Lot 153-B (LRC) Psd-35198; and on the NW., points 1 to 2 by Lot 153-I, (LRC) Psd-35198. Beginning at a point marked “1” on plan, being S. 61 deg. 07’E., 128.13 m. from L.M. No. 7, Piedad Estate; thence N. 68 deg. 08’E., 12.62 m. to point 2; thence, S. 21 deg. 54’E., 19.81 m. to point 3; thence, S. 68 deg. 14’W., 12.62 m to point 4; thence N. 21 deg. 54’W., 19.73 19.79 m. to point of beginning; containing an area of TWO HUNDRED FIFTY (250) SQUARE METERS, more or less. All points referred to are indicated on the plan and are marked on the ground as follow; points 1 and 4 by old PLS., and the rest by P.S. all cyl. Conc. Mons. 15x60 cms., bearings true; decln. 0 deg. 48’E., date of the original survey, July 1-Dec. 14, 1907 and that of the subdivision survey, February 7, 1965. TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. V-17268 A parcel of land (Lot 1712-A-I of the subd. plan (LRC) Psd-282997, approved as a non subd. Project, being a portion of Lot 17-12-A (LRC) Psd-12287, LRC Rec. No. 5941), situated in the Mun. of Valenzuela, Prov. of Bulacan, Island of Luzon. Bounded on the NE., points 6 to 1 by Lot 1712-B (LRC) Psd-12287 on the SE., points 1 to 2 by Lot 1712-A-2 of the subd. Plan and on the SW. points 2 to 5 by Lot 13 44 (Now) Malinta Est, and on the NW.points 5 to 6 by Lot 1388 (Now) Malinta Estate. Beginning at a point marked “1” on plan being S. 24 deg. 17’W., 343.47 m. from L.M. No. 34 Malinta Est, thence S. 18 deg, 00’W., 29.17 m. to point 2, thence N. 82 deg. 08’W., 26.25 m. to point 3, thence N.28 deg. 25’W., 20.12 m. point 4, thence N. 28 deg. 25’W., 1.66 m. to point 5, thence N. 52 deg. 58’E., 14.00 m. to point 6, thence S. 84 deg 18’E., 34.34 m. to the point of beginning, containing an area of ONE THOUSAND (1,000) SQUARE METERS, more or less. All points referred to are indicated on the plan and are marked on the ground as follows: Point 4 by X on sampaloc tree (30 mm. diam) point 5 by Old stk. Point 6 by old P.S. point 3 by Old P.L.S. and the rest by P.S. cyl. conc.mons. 15x60 cm; bearings true, date of the original survey June 24-Sept. 20, 1930 and that of the subd., Survey executed by Felipe F. Lazaro, Geod. Engr. On July 9, 1978. TCT NO. – 195253 - ) PR – 20043 A parcel of land (Lot 100 – J of the subdivision plan (LRC) psd-23756, being a portion of Lot 100 of Piedad Estate, LRC (GLRO) Record No. 5975), situated in the Barrio of Talipapa, Quezon City. Bounded on the SW., points 4 to 1 Lot 100-I; on the NW., points 1 to 2 Lot 100-N; on the NE., points 2 to 3 by lot 100-K, all of the subdivision plan; and on the SE., points 3 to 4 by Lot 153, piedad Estate. Beginning at a point marked “1” on plan, being S. 8 deg. 48’W., 165.87 m. from L.M. No. 8, Piedad Estate; thence N. 62 deg. 39’E., 33.90 m. to point 2; thence S. 26 deg. 54’E., 30.41 m. to point 3; thence S. 65 deg. 07’W., 33.49 m. to point 4; thence N. 27 deg. 45’W., 28.97 m. to point of beginning; containing an area of ONE THOUSAND (1,000) SQUARE METERS, more or less. All points referred to are indicated on the plan and are marked on the ground by P.S. cyl. conc. Mons. 15x60 cms; bearing true; declination 0 deg. 48’E., date of the original survey, July 1 – December 14, 1907, and that of the subdivision survey, October 19-21, 1962. TCT NO. 291987-R A parcel of land (Lot 1 of the subd. plan Psd-03002476, being a portion of Lot Psu-53865, L.R.C. Rec. No. ), situated in the Bo. of Sto. Tomas, Mun. of Lubao, Prov. of Pampanga. Bounded on the SE., along line 1-2 by Sapang Mayagus; along lines 2-3-4 by 6056 (Heirs of Esteban Victorio); on the SW., along lines 4-5-6 by Lot 6062; on the NW., along lines 6-7-8 by Lot 6063 (Mun. of Lubao Cemetery), all of the Lubao Cad.; on the NW., & NE., along lines 8-9-1 by Lot 2 of the subd. Plan. Beginning at a pt. marked “1” on plan, being N.09 deg. 15’E., 696.38 m. from BLLM 2, Lubao Cad.; thence S. 85 deg. 35’N., 3.38 m. to pt. 2. thence S. 89 deg. 28’W., 276.64 m. to, pt. 3; thence S. 82 deg. 21’W., 83.01m. to pt. 4; thence N. 04 deg. 41’W., 11.16 m. to pt. 5; thence N. 04 deg. 41’W., 3.37 m. to pt. 6; thence N. 80 deg. 47’E 102.96 m. to the pt. 7; thence N. 03 deg. 55’W., 84.41 m. to pt. 8; thence N. 77 deg. 45’E., 235.20 m. to pt. 9; thence S. 14 deg. 01’E., 155.85m. to the pt. of beginning, containing an area of THIRTY THREE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED FIFTY EIGHT (33,558) Square Meters. All points referred to are indicated on the plan and are marked on the ground as follows: pt. 9 by P.S. cyl.conc. mons.,; and the rest by the Old Pts. Bearings true; date of the orig. Survey Sept. 20-24, 1926 and that of the subd. Survey July 22-23, 1989 and was approved on Aug. 30. 1989. TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. N-269279 A parcel of land (Lot 101-B-2-C as shown on subdn., plan, of Psd-007404-020396-D being a portion of Lot 101-B-2, Psd-34168, LRC Record No. 5973), situated in Brgy. Of Talipapa Q. City, Metro Mnla. Is. of Luzon.

Bounded on the SW., along line 1-2 by Lot 101-B-2-B of the subdn. Plan; on the NW., along line 3-4 by Lot 101-B-2-D (Road); on the SE., along line 4-1 by Lot 101-B-2-A, both of the subdn. Plan. Beginning at a point marked “1” on plan being N. 68 deg. 17’E., 21.14 m. from LM #7, Piedad Estate; thence No. 37 deg. 26’W., 21.07 m. to pt. 2; N. 35 deg. 28’E., 3.62 m. to pt. 3; S. 32 deg. 26’E., 22.22 m. to pt. 4; S. 53 deg. 55’W., 3.46 m. to pt. of beginning, containing an area of SEVENTY FIVE (75) SQUARE METERS, more or less. All points referred to are indicated on plan and are marked on the ground by: PS cyl.conc.mons. 15x40 cm. bearings true; date of the original survey July 1-Dec. 14, 1907 that of the subdn. date of survey June 9, 1991 as surveyed by Engr. M.B. del Mundo and approved in Dec. 03, 1991. TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. N-196667 A parcel of land (Lot 100-D-2-B of the subdn. plan (LRC) Psd-343216, approved as a non-subdivision project, being a portion of Lot 100-D-2, (LRC) Psd-29921, L.R.C. Rec. No. 5975), situated in the Bo. of Talipapa, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Island of Luzon. Bounded on the NE., points 2 to 3 by Lot 100-E (LRC) Psd-23756 on the SE., points 3 to 4 by Lot 100-N, (Road), (LRC) Psd-23756, (MRC Street); on the SW., points 4 to 1 by Lot 100-D-2-A of the subdn. plan; and on NW., points 1 to 2 by Lot 101-B-3, Psd-34163. Beginning at a point marked “1” on plan; being S.9 deg. 49’W., 123.73 m. to from LM No.8, Piedad Estate; thence N. 60 deg. 25’E., 10.60 m. to point 2; thence S.27 deg. 52’E., 29.75 m. to point 3; thence S. 62 deg. 39’W., 10.60 m. to point 4; thence N. 27 deg. 52’W. 29.33 m. to the point of beginning; containing an area of THREE HUNDRED THIRTEEN (313) SQUARE METERS, more or less. All points referred to are indicated on the plan and are marked on the ground as follows: points 2 & 3 by Old PS and the rest by P.S. cyl.conc.mons. 15x60 cm; bearings true, decl. 0 deg. 48’E., date of the original survey July 1-Dec.14, 1907 and that of the subdn. Survey, executed by Marceline B. del Mundo, Geodetic Engineer, on April 10, 1988. TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. RT-115451 (68488) A parcel of land (Lot 100-I of the subdivision plan (LRC) Psd-23756, being a portion of Lot 100 of Piedad Estate, LRC (GLRO) Record No. 5975), situated in the Barrio of Talipapa, Quezon City. Bounded on the SW., points 3 to 4 by Lot 100-B on the NW., points 4 to 1 by Lot 100-N; on the NE., points 1 to 2 by Lot 100-J, all of the subdivision plan; and on the SE., points 2 to 3 by Lot 153, Piedad Estate; Beginning at a point marked “1” on plan, being S. 8 deg. 48’W. 165.87 m. from LM. 8, Piedad Estate; thence S. 27 deg. 45’E., 28.97 m. to point 2; thence S. 65 deg. 07’W., 35.06 m. to point 3; thence N.29 deg. 35’W., 27m. to point 4; thence N.62 deg. 39’E., 35.90 m. to the point of beginning, containing an area of ONE THOUSAND (1,000) SQUARE METERS, more or less. All points referred to are indicated on the plan and are marked on the ground by P.S. cyl.conc.mons. 15x60 cm; bearings true; declination 0 deg. 48’E.,date of the original survey, July 1-December 14, 1907, and that of the subdivision Survey, October 19-21,1962.

HE Ladies Philippine Golf Tour is doubling the size of the ICTSI Eagle Ridge at Aoki Invitational purse to P1.5 million, perking up the chase for top honors in the 54-hole championship beginning Tuesday in Gen. Trias, Cavite. Chanelle Avaricio, winner of three of the first six legs of this year’s LPGT, banners the compact 18-player field all primed up for a three-day battle of shotmaking, putting and wits on a daunting course kept in top form all-season long. Harmie Constantino, who logged her first two career victories at Aoki in her pro debut last year, seeks to snap out of a mini-slump and extend her reign at one of Eagle Ridge’s four championship courses, while Chihiro Ikeda, with a victory and a runner-up finish in the last three stops of the circuit put up by ICTSI, also exudes confidence and ready for another crack at the crown. Pamela Mariano is also due for a

5150 boosts Sun Life’s health, wellness drive THE 5150 triathlon in Panglao, Bohol next Sunday (July 10) will not only be a test of speed and endurance among beginners and regular multi-sport campaigners but it also underlines Sun Life’s continuing commitment REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES REGIONAL TRIAL COURT NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION OFFICE OF THE CLERK OF COURT & EX-OFFICIO SHERIFF MANDALUYONG CITY

TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. RT-114027 (338379) A parcel of land (Lot 100-K-1 of the subd. plan (LRC) Psd- 3267 58, approved as a non subd. Project, being a portion of Lot 100-K, (LRC) Psd-23756, LRC Rec. No. 5975), situated in the Bo. of Balintawak, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Island of Luzon. Bounded on the NE., points 1 to 2 by Lot 100-K-2 of the subd. Plan; on the SE., points 2 to 3 by Lot 153, Piedad Estate; on the SW., points 3 to 4 by Lot 100-J (LRC) Psd-23756; and on the NW., points 4 to 1 by Lot 100-N (LRC) Psd-23756. Beginning at a point marked “1” on plan being S.7 deg. 40’E., 142.25 m. from LM. 8, Piedad Estate; thence S.27 deg. 39’E., 31.11 m. to point 2; thence S. 65 deg. 07’W., 16.47 m. to point 3; thence N. 26 deg. 54’W., 30.41m. to point 4; thence N. 62 deg. 39’E., 16.05 m. to the point of beginning; containing an area of FIVE HUNDRED (500) SQUARE METERS, more or less. All points referred to are indicated on the plan and are marked on the ground as follows: points 3 & 4 by old PS and the rest by PS cyl.conc.mons 15x60cm; bearings true; date of original survey, July 1-December 14, 1907, and that of the subd. survey, by Marceline B. del Mundo, Geodetic Engineer, on Feb. 3, 1985. TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. RT-115452 (77965) A parcel of land (Lot 100-A of the subdivision plan (LRC) Psd-23756, being a portion of Lot 100, of Piedad Estate, LRC (GLRO) Record No. 5975), situated in the Bo. of Talipapa, Quezon City. Bounded on the NE., points 4 to 1 by Lot 101-B-1 Psd-34163; on the SE., points 1 to 2 by Lot 100-B of the subdivision plan; on the SW points 2 to 3 by Lot 97, Piedad Estate; and on the NW., points 3 to 4 by the Provincial Road. (Manila-Novaliches Road). Beginning at a point marked “1” on plan, being S.31 deg. 11’W., 195.80m. from LM. 3, Piedad Estate; thence S. 60 deg. 25’W., 15.57m. to point 2; thence N. 44 deg. 07’W., 28.68 m. to point 3; thence N. 58 deg. 33’E., 18.40m. to point 4; thence S. 38 deg. 21’E., 28.70 m. to the point of beginning; containing an area of FOUR HUNDRED SEVENTY EIGHT (478) SQUARE METERS, more or less. All points referred to are indicated on the plan and are marked on the ground as follows: point 2 by PS cyl. conc.mons. 15x60 cm and the rest by old PLS stone mons., bearings true; declination 0 deg. 48’E, date of original survey, July 1- December 14, 1907, and that of the subdivision survey, October 21, 1962. 6. That the petitioners agreed to nominate as administrator of the estate petitioner Merlie D. Santos who possesses no disqualification, and that she is willing to comply with the requirements to be set by the Court for her to be the appointed administrator of the estate in accordance with law. WHEREFORE, finding the petition to be sufficient in form and substance, the same is hereby set for hearing on September 5, 2022 at 9:00 am before this Court sitting at Room 608, 6/F, Hall of Justice-Annex, City Hall Complex, Quezon City, at which date, time and place all interested persons are required to appear and show cause why the petition should not be granted. Let a copy of this Order be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the Philippines once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks at petitioners’ expense, upon coordination with the Office of the Clerk of Court, Regional Trial Court, Quezon City. Likewise, let copies of this Order and Notice of Hearing fixed for the judicial settlement of the estate of the late Spouses Arsenio and Apolonia Santos and issuance of letters of administration be addressed to the known heirs and creditors of the decedents, and to any other persons believed to have an interest in the estate at their places of residence, and deposited in the post office with the postage thereon prepaid at least twenty (20) days before the hearing, if such places of residence be known, or be personally delivered on such persons at least ten (10) days before the date of hearing. Lastly, let a copy of this Order be posted at the main entrance of the City Hall of Quezon City, the main entrance of the Hall of Justice Bldg., Quezon City, and this Court. SO ORDERED. Quezon City, March 30, 2022.

big finish after a string of Top 5 finishes while former leg winner Sarah Ababa hopes to build on her joint runner-up effort the last time out at Pradera, and the likes of Marvi Monsalve, Gretchen Villacencio and Florence Bisera, along with rookies Martina Miñoza and Lesley Icoy, are also eager to go all-out for the elusive win this week. But nobody comes into the Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.-organized event with as much fire and poise than Avaricio, who dominated the Pradera Classic by six on a Tour record eight-under 64 in the first round. The former Alabama State U product, who nailed her first LPGT win at Riviera Couples, also

Email: rtc1mdlocc@judiciary.gov.ph Hotline: 639952598147

SECURITY BANK CORPORATION Mortgagee, -versus-

FRE-MC22-1424 APPLICATION FOR EXTRAJUDICIAL FORECLOSURE OF REAL ESTATE MORTGAGE UNDER ACT NO. 3135, AS AMENDED

SPOUSES RYAN DE GUZMAN FIÑONES AND CHERRIE MARTIN FIÑONES, Mortgagor/Debtors, x--------------------------------------------------------------x

NOTICE OF SHERIFF’S SALE Upon Extra-Judicial petition for sale under Act 3135 as amended by Act 4118 filed by SECURITY BANK CORPORATION, Mortgagee, with principal office at Security Bank Centre, 6776 Ayala Avenue, Makati City against Mortgagors/Debtors SPOUSES RYAN DE GUZMAN FIÑONES AND CHERRIE MARTIN FIÑONES with postal address at Unit 325 3/F 588 Residences, Cordillera corner Arayat Street, Barangay, Malamig, Mandaluyong City to satisfy the mortgaged indebtedness which as of May 02, 2022 amounts to ONE MILLION NINE HUNDRED SEVENTY-THREE THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED PESOS AND 63/100 (Php 1,973,700.63), inclusive of interest, penalty and other charges, the Ex-Officio Sheriff of Mandaluyong City or his duly authorized deputy will sell at PUBLIC AUCTION to the HIGHEST BIDDER FOR CASH OR MANAGERS CHECK and in Philippine Currency on the 1st day of August, 2022 at 9:00 A.M. or soon thereafter in front of the main entrance of the Hall of Justice Building, Maysilo Circle, Mandaluyong City. The condominium unit with parking unit together with all the improvements existing thereon to wit:

CC: Merlie D. Santos Gina Santos Monteverde Petitioners Atty. Robert H. Samarita SAMARITA MANALOTO & SANTIAGO LAW OFFICES Counsel for Petitioners Carrisa Joy S. Siccion (thru publication) (MStandard - June 27, 2022, July 4 & 11, 2022)

to help promote a healthy lifestyle among Filipinos. The event, put on the back burner the last two years due to pandemic, has drawn enthusiastic reception from all over with longtime triathlon backer Sun Life taking the initiative to re-launch the event with the IRONMAN Group given the ever-improving situation and at the same time provide the Filipinos various avenues to enrich their health and wellness journey. “For Sun Life, the 5150 Triathlon stands for what we strongly advocate – the importance of living healthier lives. Over the years, we have been committed to helping Filipinos in this pursuit,” said Carla Gonzales-Chong, Chief Client Experience and Marketing Officer of Sun Life Philippines. The 5150, to be disputed over the Olympic distance of 1.5k swim, 40K bike and 10K run in one of the country’s top triathlon hubs, features various age-group categories while also serving as an introductory race to those looking to get into triathlon in the future. “We laud the beginners participating in the race. Training for

the first Olympic-distance triathlon in these extraordinary times is no easy task but by taking on this challenge, you exemplify great passion and perseverance,” said Gonzales-Chong. Organized by the IRONMAN Group/Sunrise Events, Inc., the event also serves as a venue for people to gather and bond over similar interests with Sun Life’s commitment extending to the greater community, where it has partnered with Health Futures Foundation, Inc. to build barangay health stations, thus making quality healthcare accessible to those in remote communities. The event, supported by the Province of Bohol, the Municipality of Panglao, Finis, the official swim cap partner, Rudy Project, Sante, Active, the official registration partner, and media partners Manila Bulletin, Crosstrain.PH, MBody.PH and Tempo with Amorita and Bluewater as the other official hotel, also features the men’s and women’s relay competitions and the mixed relay plus the Sunrise Sprint, a short-distance event mdae up of the 750m open-water swim, 20km bike ride and 5km run.

CONDOMINIUM CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO.

008-2016003225 Registry of Deeds for Mandaluyong City IT IS HEREBY CERTIFIED that the unit identified and described as: RESIDENTIAL UNIT FLOOR: 3 UNIT CALLOUT: 325 UNIT AREA: 18.00 BALCONY AREA: 3.00 TOTAL AREA: 21.00 (MORE OR LESS) UNIT TYPE: 1 BEDROOM OF THE “588 RESIDENCES” CONDOMINIUM PROJECT In the diagrammatic floor plan appended to the enabling or master deed of the condominium project annotated on TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. 2012000249; 2012000250; 2012000251 which embraces and describes the land located at MANDALUYONG CITY with an area of (ONE THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED TWENTY TWO (1,222) Square Meter CONDOMINIUM CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO.

008-2016003224 Registry of Deeds of Mandaluyong City IT IS HEREBY CERTIFIED that the unit identified and described as: PARKING UNIT FLOOR LEVEL: BASEMENT LEVEL UNIT CALLOUT: BP-11 DESCRIPTION: COVERED PARKING AREA: 12.50 OF THE “588 RESIDENCES” CONDOMINIUM PROJECT In the diagrammatic floor plan appended to the enabling or master deed of the condominium project annotated on TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. 2012000249; 2012000250; 2012000251 which embraces and describes the land located at MANDALUYONG CITY with an area of (ONE THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED TWENTY TWO (1,222) Square Meter “In the event the public auction should not take place on the said date, it shall be held on 16th day of AUGUST, 2022 at 9:00 A.M. or soon thereafter without further notice.” Prospective bidders or buyers are hereby enjoined to investigate for themselves the title of the said real property and the encumbrances thereon, if any there be. Mandaluyong City, Philippines, June 20, 2022. FOR THE EX-OFFICIO SHERIFF: (Sgd.) MARTE JOY Y. MAGISTRADO Sheriff-in-charge WARNING: It is absolutely prohibited to remove, deface or destroy this Notice of Sheriff’s Sale on or before the date of Auction Sale under penalty of the law. Copy Furnished:

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

in runaway fashion, last year, edged multi-titled Princess Superal in sudden death at Hallow Ridge then held off Ikeda by one at Caliraya Springs last April. A third placer in the kickoff leg at Luisita ruled by amateur Rianne Malixi, Avaricio finished solo second to Ikeda at Mt. Malarayat and shared runner-up honors with Sunshine Baraquiel and Constantino at Splendido Taal, easily making her the player to beat in the event also held simultaneously with the men’s tour. “My goal is to keep on improving and hopefully, produce more wins,” said Avaricio, eyeing to double her P90,000 Pradera winnings this week. Meanwhile, amateurs Eagle Ace Superal and Mikha Fortuna of Team ICTSI join the title chase along with pros Shery Villacensio, Lovelynn Guioguio, Lucy Landicho, Eva Miñoza, Kristine Fleetwood and Korean Joyoung Yang.

SECURITY BANK CORPORATION Security Bank Centre, 6776 Ayala Avenue, Makati City SECURITY BANK CORPORATION LARIBA PEREZ MANGROBANG MIRALLES DUMBRIQUE FULGENCIO SALAS AND REGONDOLA 4th Floor, Security Bank Centre Building 6776 Ayala Avenue, Makati City SPOUSES RYAN DE GUZMAN FIÑONES AND CHERRIE MARTIN FIÑONES Unit 325 3/F 588 Residences, Cordillera corner Arayat Street, Barangay Malamig, Mandaluyong City (MStandard-June 27, 2022, July 4 & 11, 2022)

Will McAloney dominates inside for the Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards.

Bataan foils Valenzuela in 2 OT; Nueva Ecija thwarts Sarangani BATAAN repulsed Valenzuela in double overtime, 99-96, to share the spotlight with Nueva Ecija in the OKbet-MPBL 4th conference presented by Xtreme on Saturday at the sweaty, people-packed Orion Sports Complex in Bataan. The star-studded Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards flaunted their strength over the erstwhile unscathed Sarangani Marlins, 87-79, and cruised to their sixth straight win in as many starts to in the 22team, 2-division tournament. Will McAloney sparkled with 23 points and 9 rebounds as the Rice Vanguards led by as many as 26 points, 80-54, and pulled down the Marlins to 5-1. Other major contributors for Nueva Ecija were Jay Collado with 12 points and 4 rebounds, Pamboy Raymundo with 11 points, 5 as-

sists, 2 steals and 2 rebounds, and Michael Juico with 10 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists. YouTube sensation Kyt Jimenez found his range in the fourth quarter, drilling in 18 of his 27 points, but all he could do was cut Sarangani’s deficit to single-digit. While Nueva Ecija-Sarangani turned out to be lopsided, BataanValenzuela was a thriller. The Camaya Coast-supported Bataan drew 6 points from James Darwin Castro in the second extension to finally subdue Valenzuela XUR Homes Realty Inc. and climb to 3-1. The Bataan Risers were ready to celebrate earlier, but Valenzuela’s Patrick Cabahug canned a 3-pointer, his seventh for the night, off two defenders with 18 seconds left to force the first overtime, 77-77.

Entertainment

Nickie Wang,, Editor Patricia Taculao, Editorial Assistant E-mail: lifeandshow.manilastandard@gmail.com MONDAY, JULY 4, 2022

Rising loveteams, biggest Kapamilya stars kick off ‘Star Magic’ concert tour THE biggest and brightest names in ABS-CBN have joined forces as they headline Star Magic’s 30thanniversary concert Beyond the Stars on July 23 (Saturday) in the Newport Performing Arts Theater in Resorts World Manila.  Gear up for an evening filled with “Tatak Star Magic” performances from Kim Chiu, Carlo Aquino, Charlie Dizon, Andrea Brillantes, and Maymay Entrata.  Feel the “kilig” from two of the hit loveteams of the generation

today, Donny Pangilinan and Belle Mariano and KD Estrada and Alexa Ilacad.  The celebration continues with more astounding vocal treats from BGYO, Janine Berdin, AC Bonifacio, SAB, Lian Kyla, Angela Ken, Kyle Echarri, and Gigi de Lana. Eric Nicolas and Shanaia Gomez will serve as the hosts of the concert.  For three decades, Star Magic has been bringing its household artists closer to our fellow Filipinos in the US and other parts of the world. Don’t

miss the opportunity to see Star Magic stars stage shows at the Kings Theater in Brooklyn, New York on August 6, at the Warfield Theater, San Francisco on August 12, and at the Saban Theater in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles on August 14 for the first time in two years since the pandemic started.  For those interested to watch the US shows live, visit mytfc.com to avail tickets. Meanwhile, for the Manila leg, call SM Tickets (02) 8470 2222. For more updates, follow Star Magic’s official social media accounts.

Martin Nievera’s triumphant Theatre comeback

TRIUMPHANT is the adjective encapsulating the one-night-only shindig of Martin Nievera, billed Martin Live Again at the Theatre at Solaire. The Concert King delivered a performance like no other, it screamed “world-class” and Nievera, with his repertoire of pop classics, Broadways spectaculars, and his trademark humor and engaging chitchat with the audiences. The full-packed crowd did not hide the fact that they missed live concert performances and Nievera made certain that what they would experience was a truly enchanted and unforgettable evening. My top favorite concert segments include the opening number, which was an electric mashup between two iconic Broadway songs, “Corner Of the Sky” from Pippin and “Defying Gravity” from the musical with the same title which was originated by Idina Menzel from Wicked. The tribute portions that featured the hits of Lionel Ritchie and Stevie Wonder, showcased the perfect pronunciation and enunciation of Nievera as a singer, and wonderful to hear him perform the fast song numbers of the music icons. Another feel part was Martin’s presentation of his most popular soap opera and Filipino songs such as “Ikaw Ang Pangarap” from “Lobo”, “Ikaw Lamang” from “Nasaan Ka Elisa” and yes oh yes, and the melodramatic anthem “Ikaw” which was an artistic collaboration of the late great National Artist for Music George Canseco and Louie Ocampo. During the concert, Martin announced that he is also celebrating his 40th anniversary in show business this November with a wish that a concert in The Theatre transpires to commemorate it. This led to him singing his signature hits such as “Be My Lady,” “Pain,” “Please Don’t Throw Your Love Away,” and “On The Right Track”. The most spectacular number of the night was definitely the Broadway suite that included the anthems from West Side Story” namely “Something’s Coming”, “Maria” and “Somewhere,”

the homage to the past, Grizabella’s aria, “Memory” from “Cats”, the hauntingly beautiful “Music of the Night” from Phantom of The Opera and it ended with an exclamation point with “This Is The Moment” the monumental anthem from Jekyll and Hyde. What Martin Nievera showed to all the audiences who trooped to the Solaire last June 25 is that he is in top form and shape, especially vocally. As always, the truths, subtexts, and stories of all the songs he performed are made known and the spectators loved all of them. Kudos to his musical director Marvin Querido for the repertoire that truly befitted the Concert King for it highlighted his gifts of voice and performance. His charisma and star power are not only apparent but palpable and undeniable. Nievera knew how to engage in conversation, the manner in which he tickled the funny bones that elicited instantaneous guffaws, and how he enthralled the spectators with his authority and command of the stage, and these givens truly amazed and awed all present. Another important ingredient that added to the concert’s success, was, of course, its venue of choice, the Theatre at the Solaire. The sound was crisp and crystal. The stage dazzled with state-of-the-art lights and LED projections. The orange chairs were always comfortable and despite it being packed, no pores opened, no sweat glands working overdrive because the air-conditioning system worked! What added more relevant feels to the shindig was that it was a fundraising concert for The Gift of Life Project by the Rotary Club of Makati West. Martin Live Again signals the reality that there are people who not only clamor but want live entertainment. And mind you, what they desire is not just the run-ofthe-mill entertainment dare, but the worth our while and hardearned money kind of enjoyment, That the Concert King presents is a fact. Always electric and spectacular. w o r l d - c l a s s entertainment is what Martin Nievera gives his adoring public and newfound fans. And what is more, the Theatre at Solaire as his concert home and artistic playground gives it that special la extravaganza.

Martin Nievera wows the audience at the ‘Martin Live Again’ concert

(From left) Edward Barber, SAB, KD Estrada, Alexa Ilacad, Maymay Entrata, Zanjoe Marudo, Andrea Brillantes, Belle Mariano, Donny Pangilinan, Janine Berdin, and Eric Nicolas

Ruru Madrid rekindles love for acting through ‘Lolong’ By Patricia Taculao

FTER two years in production, the actionpacked series from GMA Public Affairs will finally hit the small screen. Entitled Lolong, the series is headlined by Ruru Madrid, who gave his all in playing the titular role. The series also marks Ruru’s return to primetime television. His last project was a romantic-comedy series, TODA One I Love, in 2019. Since then, he has been The cast of ‘Lolong’ with Direk Rommel Penesa (leftmost, seated) during the show’s preparing for his role as media conference Lolong. Despite their early preparations, the series kept getting pushed back due to the pandemic and other problems such as natural calamities and having someone on set test positive for COVID-19 during their first taping. These struggles and more left the actor doubting his future in showbiz. “Umabot sa point na Ruru Madrid as Lolong nawalan ako ng gana sa career ko. I felt na maybe this is not the right career for me, maybe hindi talaga eto ‘yung tama na para sa akin. Parang gusto ko na bumalik sa pag-aaral noong mga Shaira Diaz (right) posing beside Arra San Agustin (left) and Shaira Diaz panahon na ‘yon,” Ruru said during the Christopher de Leon, another are Ruru’s leading ladies in ‘Lolong’ notable actor included in the cast online media conference for Lolong. He also shared that he countered his reluctance with faith and listening to the overcome other curveballs life throws his the audience is looking forward to people who believed in his skills. In the way. watching is the giant crocodile named end, believing in himself paid off as he Within the two years in Dakila, made of a fiberglass body and landed a significant role worthy of production, the team behind silicone skin. The production team his 10th year in the industry. Lolong had ample time uses pneumatic technology and an air “Malaki ang pinagbago ng to write a compelling compressor to operate Dakila. They also buhay ko because of Lolong. Bago script, apply impressive use CGI to make the giant crocodile’s gawin ‘tong Lolong, hindi ko computer-generated actions more realistic. pinapahalagahan kung anong meron imagery (CGI), and Sitting on the director’s chair for Lolong ako. But because of this project, prepare a talented is Rommel Penesa. The series is Penesa’s sobrang bumalik ‘yong fire. Bumalik roster of first television show where he’s the lead ‘yong passion ko, ‘yong commitment actors. One director, which is why he poured all his ko sa trabaho ko,” the Kapuso element creativity and experience into creating an hunk said. action-packed series mixed with elements All the challenges of drama and romance. Ruru faced during “Hindi magiging ganito ka-ganda ang production programa na ito kung hindi dahil kay became relevant Direk Rommel Penesa,” Ruru gushed. life lessons for In the series, Ruru comes from a tribe him. He believes called Atubaw, a group of people who that if he could lived peacefully alongside crocodiles for surpass these years. Because of the time and proximity struggles, then they spent living beside each other, the he can also Atubaws slowly adapted some of the crocodiles’ abilities, like rapid healing. Although some viewers might be dismayed, Ruru clarified that his character doesn’t transform into a giant crocodile. Joining Ruru in Lolong is a starstudded cast composed of Shaira Diaz, Christopher de Leon, Paul Salas, Jean Garcia, Arra San Agustin, Malou de Guzman, Rochelle Pangilinan, and Bembol Roco, among others. Lolong premieres today on GMA Telebabad after 24 Oras. Ruru Madrid returns to primetime television in the much-awaited series ‘Lolong’

Setting sights on emerging Filipino creators Lunch Boxer is a food blog that posts food hacks, unboxing videos, and stories about small food businesses worth supporting

KROMA Entertainment’s publishing arm Kroma Pub Co. announces its partnership with food content brand Lunch Boxer as it sets its sights on empowering today’s promising Filipino creators. Lunch Boxer is a food blog that gained momentum over the pandemic, amassing followers across TikTok and Instagram. It posts food hacks, unboxing videos, and stories about small food businesses worth supporting. A passion project of founder Fil Nacion, Lunch Boxer started as a platform for food and restaurant reviews in 2011. When COVID-19 happened,

Nacion stumbled upon a surprise calling: directing friends and followers to small Filipino food businesses just as local entrepreneurs grappled with trying times. He has since combined content with community, and storytelling with advocacy. As Kroma Pub Co. seeks to amplify the voices of more creators, the group also sees the limitless potential of diverse storytelling in the online space. “We wanted to see how we, as a publishing group, can elevate the idea of collaboration further. Through this series of partnerships, we not only

want to champion today’s most promising storytellers but see how their stories can be told in new, exciting ways,” said Sarah Santiago, Head of Kroma Pub Co. Kroma Pub Co. endeavors to partner with up-and-coming Filipino content creators for its sister companies FreebieMNL and Wonder.ph, two online lifestyle destinations under tradigital company KROMA Entertainment. “That’s the beauty of the media publishing landscape today— the sky’s the limit when it comes to how you create and how you get your stories to your readers. It can

be a new experience every time,” said Jebby Fronda, B2B Lead of Kroma Pub Co. Kroma Pub Co allows audiences to connect with their favorite brands, and brands to their consumers via high-quality content provided by its portfolio of digital publishers. It also has B2B solutions such as content strategy development and implementation for web, social and other media; production and management; and tracking and reporting. To learn more about KROMA Entertainment, visit https:// www.kroma.ph/.

Life

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

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2022

Tourism Department rolls out Calabarzon green corridor circuits Don Leon Nature Farms in San Juan

The well-manicured Lakeview Le Jardin botanical garden in Cebu’s Busay Hills

A tourist in my own hometown The ultramodern CebuCordova Link Expressway is the longest bridge in the country

Culifarm Filipino Cuisine of Farmshare Agri Park in Cavinti

Bukid Amara in Lucban

AS PART of the reboot of the tourism industry in the Calabarzon Region, the Department of Tourism recently rolled out its culinary circuits caravan to showcase its notable farm tourism sites and their unique farm-to-table dining experiences. Also known as the Southern Tagalog Region, it is composed of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon, and is among the most visited areas for Metro Manilans because of its proximity and good road network. According to DOT-Calabarzon OIC regional director Marites Castro, the farm tour circuits consist of accredited establishments which tour operators and travelers can customize to savor the rich culinary and cultural heritage of the five provinces. She noted that the region currently has 26 accredited farm tourism establishments, which blend the charm of agrarian lifestyle and a touch of basic modern comfort and recreational facilities for those offering overnight stays. Many of these are also recognized by the Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) as community farm schools. In addition, there are also scores of farm-

themed resorts and restaurants accredited by the government tourism agency. The DOT launched last December the Green Corridor Initiative circuits which have been validated to be compliant with the government’s health and safety protocols, and these include farm tourism sites. Castro also noted that farms are safe alternatives to crowded tourist spots because of their vast open spaces, fresh air, physical distancing, and freshly-cooked dishes. Among the region’s exciting farm tourism sites recommended by the DOT are Terra Verde Ecofarm, Bounty Harvest Farm, EMV Flower Farm Indang, Luntiang Republika Ecofarms, and The Weekend Farmer in Cavite. In Laguna, Graco Farms & Leisure, Silent Integrated Farm, Farmshare Prime in Laguna, Jasif Integrated Farms, and Casa San Pablo in San Pablo City. Meanwhile, in Batangas, there’s Don Leon Nature Farm, Mileah Bee Farm, and Lica Farms in Lipa City. Flor’s Garden and Nature Haven in Antipolo City, FDRJ Camping Sites Rental, and Pili Paninap Farms in Rizal; and for Quezon, there’s Francesca de Banahaw, Bukid Amara, and Linang ni LK Restaurant.

KaSa-KaZa 2022 successfully launched DESPITE the unpredictable weather, a surge of affable people still flocked to different venues KaSa-KaZa 2022. As it is emphasized by the new administration, it The excited crowd during the launch of KaSais, after all, their celebration – Hudyaka sa KaZa 2022 Kadaugan sa Katawhan sa Zanorte. The week-long celebration began on ments. It is to be noted that the scheduled June 27 with the Kadaugan Run Challenge, date for the transition assembly was made a beach volleyball tournament, a reggae known to both parties a month ago, giving night, and a fireworks display. them ample time to prepare. On June 28, a beach volleyball tournament The festive booths for Hudyaka Agro Fair took place at Sunset Boulevard in Dapitan are still present at the Zamboanga Del Norte City, and one of the highlights that day was Sports Complex Oval. Plenty of root crops the LGBT Night: The Search for ZANSAGA and other goods are available for sale. Queen 2022. On both occasions, a massive Known as the place where our national audience reverberated the field with loud cheers hero was exiled, Dr. Jose Rizal created a and applause. A transition meeting between sustained impact on the lives of the natives, the incoming and outgoing administrations making it a place where one can witness a also happened during the second day of the juxtaposition of the past and present. GoverKaSa-KaZa festival. nor Rosalina “Nanay Nene” Jalosjos can According to Apple Marie A. Agolong, only hope that the people’s victory continDapitan City Tourism Officer who is also ues, as she has promised that her victory in one of the members of the transition team, the recently concluded election was not hers, there was a peaceful turning over of docu- but the people’s victory.

HEN my fun group of retired travel industry professionals decided to visit Cebu, I volunteered to be their tour guide, but of course. To be sure that there won’t be any unexpected hitches during their visit, I flew to Cebu earlier than the group so that I could personally attend to the details needed for them to have an enjoyable stay.

through the mountains. It is owned by a Cebuana who is married to a Frenchman who, I learned, personally designed the garden himself. It showcases thousands of flowers and colorful plant varieties that certainly make the place Instagram-worthy. Since we were already in the area, we decided to have dinner at the Top of Cebu, a popular Filipino restaurant with a breathtaking panoramic view of the city. Not only is the food very good, the prices are also very easy on the pocket. I had a big chunk of Norwegian Salmon for only P390. Where else can you find a dinner price like that? But, then again, Cebu has always been paradise for diners because you can easily have a very good meal for a pittance. The following day had another full schedule for the visitors. They went to the famous Simala Shrine in the town of Sibonga, approximately a two-hour drive from the city. Known as one of the most beautiful churches in Cebu, the Miraculous Mother Mary Church is visited by hundreds of pilgrims every day after the statue of the Blessed Mother housed inside the shrine was seen crying and many miracles have been attributed to it.

lic market. Of course, the facility is new, very clean, no flies at all, and is something first-time visitors would enjoy themselves. After the hearty lunch, we did a little tour, visiting a couple of Heritage Houses that the city is known for. The 163-year-old Balay Na Tisa is one of the oldest in the country and is the only ancestral structure in town that has retained its original terra cotta roof tiles. The house, with its beautiful interiors showcasing expensive antiques, is still being used by the owner for family reunions and gatherings, especially during Holy Week, as the family owns a beautiful Santo Intierro used for the Good Friday procession. We also visited the Mancao Ancestral House, an American-era home with an elegant interior--- wooden walls and floors, and a high ceiling. It has large windows to easily let air in and freely circulate. What I like most about the house is its majestic wooden staircase leading to the second floor and its beautiful circular driveway that blends perfectly well with the impeccably designed front garden. After making a short stop at the Shrine of St. Catherine of Alexandria, for us to be able to go through its Holy Door, we proceeded to the Archbishop Teofilo Camomot Shrine. Msgr. Camomot, lived all his 74 years serving and loving the poor, the sick, the homeless, and the suffering. He was the parish priest of Carcar and the shrine houses some of his personal belongings, most especially his bed which is reported to be miraculous. I learned that, before the miracles were widely known, pilgrims who were sick would lie down on his bed and would get cured of their ailments. Now, the nuns of the Daughters of St. Theresa have cordoned off the bed. Msgr. Camomot was killed in a vehicular accident and the shrine is also where he is buried. Pope Francis recently declared him as Venerable, a step closer to sainthood. After the tour, my visitors proceeded to Toledo City, to be hosted by Ingrid Baltao, another member of our group, whose family runs a business empire in that city. Since I’ve already been to that city before, I decided to drive to the beach, instead, and spend time with my own family. It was fun being a tourist in my own hometown and I felt proud sharing with my friends the “gems” that it offers. Cebu is not just the birthplace of our country’s Christianity…it is also the birthplace of beautiful moments.

Since most of them have been to Cebu before, I crafted an itinerary that would take us to new attractions, most of which I, myself, haven’t been to. I became a tourist in my own hometown. With two de luxe vans in tow, I met the group’s early morning arrival at Mactan International Airport and, after a quick breakfast, immediately made available to them their favorite pastime – shopping. They wanted fashion accessories and, based on my research before their arrival, there is a factory near the airport selling those, as export surplus items. Naturally, they were in seventh heaven as their favorite bangles and beads were being sold for not more than P200 each. After the shopping spree, we took the longer route to Cebu City’s South Road YOUR MONDAY CHUCKLE Properties (SRP) by driving around Mactan island so that we could use the newly What did the left eye whisper to the right inaugurated Cebu-Cordova Link Ex- eye? “Between you and me, something pressway (CCLEX) to get to our destina- smells!” tion. This beautiful, 8.9-kilometer-long, ultra-modern bridge is now the longest in Since I have been to the Simala Shrine the country. When we reached the SRP before, I decided not to go with them but, area, we immediately proceeded to the instead, proceed directly to Carcar City, Chapel of San Pedro Calungsod, which as I had promised to host lunch for them, was donated by the late Henry Sy, Sr. and to make them taste the very famous Carhis wife, Felicidad, to the Archdiocese of car Lechon. This delicious, one-of-a-kind Cebu. Of course, it is located right next to culinary specialty is eaten best right after the humongous SM Seaside Mall. the roast is completed. Since this is sold in After a quick lunch at the mall, I brought the city’s Public Market, I had to make arthe group to Cebu’s main attraction – the Ma- rangements for a private area on the second gellan’s Cross and the adjacent Basilica Mi- floor of the market for the group to immenore del Sto. Nino de Cebu. Everybody in the diately feast on the famous lechon, away group lit votive candles as homage to the Sr. from crowds or other diners. Sto. Nino and requested the women on the Aside from the other Cebuano delicacies church premises to offer a Sinulog Prayer for which I ordered to complement the sumptheir respective personal intentions. We then tuous Lechon, I also made sure my visiproceeded inside the Basilica to venerate the tors tasted another Cebuano specialty, the miraculous statue of the Sto. Nino, which is Puso’ or Hanging Rice. It is rice wrapped encased on the altar. and boiled inside a diamond-shaped pocket It was time for them to check in at their of woven coconut leaves, and hung in hotel and freshen up a bit before we went bunches in the vendor’s food stall. The to another attraction in the city. This time, leafy container gives the rice its unique it is up in the hills of Busay, a little over flavor. I’m happy that they all enjoyed the an hour from the city center. The Lakeview typical Cebuano lunch spread out for them, Le Jardin is approximately a hectare-wide and am even happier that they were game For feedback, I’m at bobzozobrado@ botanical garden with a view of the lake enough to have feasted on it inside the pub- gmail.com

Redefined, industry-led tourism management degree program now offered in Benilde BACHELOR of Science in Tourism Management (BSTM), the newest program of the School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Institution Management (SHRIM) of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB),

De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde’s Angelo King International Center

is now accepting college freshmen applicants for the first term of Academic Year 2022 to 2023. This is the institution’s timely response to the increased demand for relevant educational courses and professionals in the tourism and hospitality scene as the businesses begin to open up again amid the pandemic. Envisioned as a redefined program, BSTM aims to produce new-age experts, all knowledgeable in the foundations of the discipline, skilled in applicable competencies, and innovators of products and services. The program offers three specializations. Tourism Relations is in collaboration with the School of Diplomacy and Governance (SDG), with courses such as International Tourism Relations, Foundations of Tourism

The elaborately decorated Santo Interrio is kept in the private chapel of the Balay Na Tisa

Diplomacy, and Current Issues and Trends in Tourism. Tourism Creations is a partnership with the School of Design and Arts (SDA) with subjects including the Fundamentals of Tourism Documentary and Non-Fiction Production, Business Ventures in Tourism Multimedia, and Writing for New Tourism Media. Tourism Entrepreneurship is in association with the School of Management and In-

In front of the Basilica Minore del Sto. Nino de Cebu are (from left) your columnist, Celine Vicencio, Helen Hao, Annette Feliciano, Chona Paredes, Merle Villacorta, Mary Ann Bringas, Marian Vicencio, and Imelda and Bob Sison

formation Technology (SMIT) with classes like Business Process Applied in Tourism, Fundamentals of Tourism Business Analytics, and Advance Tourism Entrepreneurship. Undergrads will be mentored on how to evaluate the country’s competitiveness as a destination and develop a comprehensive study in line with the trust of the Department of Tourism (DOT), recognize the contribution of tourism to the sustainable development goals (SDGs), and promote national

pride in Filipino heritage and culture. Classes will be conducted under the mentorship of seasoned academe educators and licensed or experienced practicing professors, with occasional sharing from industry leaders and movers. Senior high school graduates with general education program are welcome to apply. For more information about the program, other courses, and application procedures, visit www.benilde.edu.ph.