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DEPED: 1 YEAR MAYORS APPROVE

TO REVIEW K-12 SINGLE TICKETING
CURRICULUM SYSTEM FOR NCR
NEWS / A2 NEWS / A3
VOL. XXXVI • NO. 353 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P20 • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2023 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

COVID crisis ends, worst over

PBBM drops calamity state but orders DOH to pay frontliners’ allowance
By Joyce Pangco Pañares
and Willie Casas

P
RESIDENT Ferdinand
Marcos Jr. will no
longer extend the
state of calamity that expired
Dec. 31, 2022, signaling
that the government believes
the worst of the COVID-19
pandemic is over, the Palace
confirmed Wednesday.

The President also ordered the De-

partment of Health (DOH) to ensure
that health workers continue to re-
ceive their COVID-related allowanc-
es even though the state of calamity
has expired.
“That (the allowances) will continue.
I used to be concerned that the compen-
sation for our health workers would not
continue…We carefully studied their
allowances and even if the state of ca-
lamity is not extended, their benefits
will not be affected,” the President said.
Although there was no formal an-
nouncement, Presidential Communica-
tions Office Secretary Cheloy Garafil
said “yes” when asked if Mr. Marcos’
decision not to extend the state of ca-
lamity was final. FLOWER POWER. After a two-year hiatus, the month-long Baguio Flower Festival

Mr. Marcos to sign 7 bilateral pacts

Next page returns in full bloom. Dave Leprozo

Members of review panel in PNP cleansing bared during five-day state visit to Japan
By Joel E. Zurbano high-ranking police officials who have Teodoro, Jr. and former Cordillera Po-
submitted their courtesy resignations. lice Regional Office commander and
INTERIOR and Local Government The advisory group will be composed retired P/Maj. Gen. Isagani Nerez. By Vince Lopez and Rey E. Requejo ties,” DFA Assistant Secretary Nathan-
Secretary Benjamin Abalos, Jr. on of Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Maga- Abalos declined to identify the fifth iel Imperial said.
Wednesday announced the names of long, Philippine National Police (PNP) member. THE Department of Foreign Affairs The agreements include humani-
four members of the five-man panel Chief Director General Rodolfo Azurin Abalos, who called for the courtesy (DFA) said Wednesday that Manila tarian assistance on disaster relief or
tasked to review records and profiles of Jr., former Defense secretary Gilbert Next page and Tokyo will sign seven bilateral HADR cooperation, he said.

?
agreements during President Ferdi-
nand Marcos, Jr.’s official visit to Ja-
pan next week.
The visit seeks to “maximize the full
potential of the Philippine-Japan stra-
tegic partnership in all its aspects and
facilitate closer defense, security, po-
litical, economic, and people-to-people
“Japan has been a very important
partner providing assistance in rela-
tion to disaster relief and we certainly
welcome this agreement,” Imperial told
reporters in a Palace briefing.
Imperial said that there will also be
discussions on a security agreement
Next page

FIVE-MAN PANEL. Four members of the advisory group tasked to review records of police officials who may have links to illegal drugs
have been named: (from left) Philippine National Police Chief Director General Rodolfo Azurin Jr., Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong,
former Cordillera Police Regional Office commander and retired P/Maj. Gen. Isagani Nerez and former Defense secretary Gilbert Teodoro, Jr.
The fifth member has yet to be identified

President creates Water Mgt. Office FM brood fails

to reduce reliance on groundwater in move to hold
By Vito Barcelo and Vince Lopez
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
water resources and respond to current
environmental challenges.
The Presidential Communications Of-
‘frozen’ assets
By Maricel V. Cruz
on Wednesday approved the creation fice (PCO) said Mr. Marcos approved
of a Water Resource Management Of- the WRMO during a multi-sectoral THE Marcos family’s attempt to take
fice (WRMO) to manage the country’s Next page control of their assets being held by the
government has been rejected by the
Sandiganbayan.
In a resolution, promulgated on Jan.
25, the anti-graft court’s Third Division,
denied the motions filed by former first
lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos and her ALLIES. This handout photo taken on February 1, 2023 and released by Western Mindanao
Command shows US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (left) shaking hands with Philippine
daughter Irene Marcos-Araneta. Armed Forces chief General Andres Centino during a visit to the Westmincom headquarters
The Marcoses asked for the issu- in Zamboanga City. AFP
ance of a writ of execution on the

US Defense chief Austin to tackle

properties denominated as “frozen
accounts, surrendered by virtue of
compromise agreements, sequestered

security initiatives with PH officials

(but) not in the PCGG (Presidential
Commission on Good Government)
Next page
VISITING Defense Secretary Lloyd initiatives, and advance our shared vi-
Austin III will meet with President Fer- sion of a free and open Pacific.”
BLESSING. A chaplain at Manila Police dinand Marcos Jr. and Defense Secre- The US official, who arrived in Ma-
District Command (MPDC) blesses the 150
tary Carlito Galvez Jr. today. nila Tuesday evening, visited US troops
units of bikes and bike patrols that will be
deployed to various schools and crowded On Twitter, Austin said his meetings stationed at a Philippine military camp
places in Manila to avert criminality. aim “to build on our strong bilateral re- in Zamboanga City.
Danny Pata lationship, discuss a range of security Next page
A2 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2023
mst.daydesk@gmail.com NEWS

PBBM gives DepEd a year US...

From A1

“Our working relationship with them is very

to revise K to 12 curriculum
strong,” said Lt. Gen. Roy Galido, head of the
Western Mindanao Command.
“They [US troops] are here to help us in our mis-
sion, especially in counter-terrorism, humanitarian
assistance, and disaster response,” Galido added.
Austin also met with AFP chief General An-
dres Centino during his visit in Zamboanga City.
By Maricel Cruz committee chair and Pasig City Rep. Roman “It’s an ongoing relationship that we’ve had with

P
RESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. gave the Department of Education a year to
complete its review of the K to 12 curriculum, DepEd spokesman Michael Poa
said in a television interview.
“The President gave us a timeline of around a
year to finish the review,” Poa told CNN Philip-
pines’ The Source.
He said the review for the curriculum for
kinder to Grade 10 has been concluded while
the review for the senior high school grades
has just started.
“We are trying to decongest our curriculum to
focus on the essential subjects and the basics, like
math, reading, science,” he said.
“We want to really look at literacy in a way that
we’ll be able to inculcate not just foundational lit-
eracy but also functional literacy,” Poa added.
Vice President and Education Secretary Sara
Duterte earlier said the government wants a more
responsive curriculum.
She said in its present form, the K to 12 curricu-
lum is “congested.”
“Some prerequisites of identified essential
learning competencies are missing or misplaced,”
Duterte said.
The chair of the House Committee on Basic
Education and Culture on Wednesday said it
is crucial to introduce adjustments to the K to
12 curriculum that will equip graduates with
the necessary skills and competencies to make
them employable.
During the Laging Handa public briefing,
Romulo said he agrees with Duterte’s plan to
revise the curriculum to ensure graduates are
more job-ready.
“Just like what Vice President Sara said, we
need to start with curriculum adjustment. Be-
cause these are what [industries] are looking
for—the competencies, skills, talents. We must
equip our students with these and build their
capacity. That’s why we need to adjust the cur-
riculum to make it simplified and attuned to the
needs of the Filipino youth who want to get jobs
after K to 12,” he said.
“We just have to ensure that whatever the K to
12 students will learn would prepare them for the
jobs that await them. If we are able to do that, then
I think, the additional burden of two years would
gradually be lifted,” he added.
According to the Bureau of Curriculum De-
velopment, 83 percent of SHS graduates pursued
higher education, while only 10 percent of gradu-
ates were employed.
the United States. As President Marcos has point-
ed out, it’s evolving. So our military alliance, our
Mutual Defense Treaty, our Visiting Forces Agree-
ment are obviously part and parcel of that entire
relationship that we have with the United States so
obviously that visit will reinforce all of these agree-
ments that we have,” Philippine Ambassador to the
US Jose Manuel Romualdez said Tuesday
He, however, deferred to the DND when asked
if an agreement on the five additional facilities un-
der the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement
(EDCA) would be firmed up during Austin’s visit.
Manila and Washington DC are expected to
discuss “speeding up the implementation” of the
EDCA during Austin’s trip, the US Department
of Defense said in an article dated Jan. 29.
The US Defense chief, it added, would fo-
cus on capabilities and interoperability as “key
to deterring any challenge in the region” amid
the complex security environment in the Indo-
Pacific region.

gistical needs of the DOH. Philippines-Philippine Genome Center,

President...
From A1
meeting with officials of the Depart-
ment of Environment and Natural Re-
sources (DENR).
The WRMO, which will be under
the DENR, will be a transitory body
pending the creation of a Water Re-
sources Department.
President Marcos said the WRMO’s
first action should be reducing the
country’s reliance on groundwater
and deep wells and managing surface
water supply.
“There’s enough water in the Phil-
ippines. It’s just that we’re not using
it, we’re throwing the supply away,”
he said.
He likewise underscored the need
for a plan that will serve as a roadmap
for waste management agencies.
“We need to stick to the plan. That’s
why we have to strengthen the man-
date of the Water Management Office.
We have to bring them together so
that they are all following the overall
plan,” the President said.
An executive order (EO) will
be crafted to enable the National
Water Resources Board (NWRB),
Metropolitan Waterworks and
Sewerage System (MWSS) and Lo-
cal Water Utilities Administration
(LWUA) and the other water-relat-
ed agencies of the DENR to have a
collaborative mechanism under the
WRMO to implement water man-
agement programs.
“Whatever the relationship we
come to with MWSS, LWUA, and
the Water Board, DENR and this
new Water Management Office, it
has to be cohesive in the sense that
the recommendation needed of the
management office would be fol-
lowed,” the President said.
The WRMO’s main functions in-
clude formulating and ensuring the
implementation of the Integrated Wa-
ter Management Plan (IWMP), which
will integrate various plans of differ-
ent agencies.
The IWMP, which will serve as
the main guiding document for the
WRMO, will respond to the current
environmental challenges and man-
age water resources through a con-
certed government effort engaging
various sectors.
The WRMO will also be tasked to
champion, together with the Presi-
dential Legislative Liaison Office
(PLLO), the passage of a law creating
an apex body; collaborate closely with
all relevant agencies, including local
government units (LGUs), private sec-
tor, civil society and the communities;
as well as perform other functions un-
der the DENR.
Water is crucial to food security and
supporting cities and urban growth.
Based on government data, irriga-
tion accounts for a 35.6 percent con-
tribution to the agriculture sector’s
Gross Value Added.
The Philippines ranks among the
world’s rapidly urbanizing coun-
tries, with over 47 percent of its
population living in cities in 2021,
requiring large water projects, in-
cluding bulk water supply and san-
itation infrastructure.
It also has a significant part in
the country’s energy mix, as hy-
dropower represents 7 percent of
the total energy production in the
country, and its contribution can
be increased by as much as 15 per-
cent by 2030.
COVID...
From A1
This was also confirmed by DOH of-
ficer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire.
“Yes, the state of calamity will no
longer be extended,” she told Manila
Standard.
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri
on Wednesday threw his support behind
the President’s decision, saying it would
greatly boost the country’s image, espe-
cially to foreign tourists.
“I support the President’s non-exten-
sion of the COVID-19 state of calamity
because it would really [cast]… a bad
light on the Philippines [if it were ex-
tended]. And… as we know, it’s almost
back to normal,” Zubiri said in an inter-
view Wednesday.
He said foreign tourists would be very
hesitant to visit the country if they see
online that there is a prevailing state of
calamity in the country due to the pan-
demic, and assume that the government
could not control the spread of cases.
“The point is the President does not
want to tarnish the image of the coun-
try by extending the state of calamity.
He wants it rectified by legislation,”
he said.
The DOH earlier requested President
Marcos to extend the state of calamity
after the proposed bill for the creation
of Philippine Center for Disease Pre-
vention and Control (CDC) was not en-
acted on time.
Zubiri said the Senate was now focus-
ing on the passage of that bill, and in-
corporating the DOH requests for spe-
cial powers, particularly those related to
the vaccination program.
Zubiri said they are also working on
the swift approval of the bills creating
the Medical Reserve Corps and the Vi-
rology Science and Technology Insti-
tute of the Philippines.
The Senate President said Congress
has also approved an additional P25
billion in COVID response fund that
will be used to cover the allowances for
health frontliners, logistics and other lo-
FM...
From A1
custody, and sequestered under the
PCGG’s control and supervision.”
But the Sandiganbayan denied the
plea “for lack of merit” and sought to
clarify the status of some assets and
properties pertinent to the case.
The court said it could not rule on
properties that had already been recov-
Mr. Marcos...
From A1
that could happen in the future, but the
HADR cooperation would come first.
Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Sec-
retary Enrique Manalo will lead “an
exchange of notes” on some $3 billion
worth of infrastructure loan agreements
for the North-South Commuter Railway
and its extension. This will later on be
signed by the Department of Finance,
Imperial said.
Imperial said Manalo would also sign
an agreement on information and com-
munications technology on behalf of
Information and Communication Tech-
nology Secretary Ivan John Uy.
“We are already exporting a lot of
Proclamation No. 929, signed by for-
mer President Rodrigo Duterte, declared
a state of calamity across the country in
March 2020, when COVID-19 began to
spread in the country.
The state of calamity was supposed
to last for six months but was ex-
tended for a year up to Sept. 12, 2021,
via Proclamation No. 1021, and was
extended for a second time through
Proclamation No. 1218.
Mr. Marcos on Wednesday also as-
sured the public that the country has
a sufficient supply of COVID-19 vac-
cine doses.
“The vaccines aren’t as necessary as
they were in 2021 when we were scram-
bling to get them because the risk is
lower now so we should adjust based on
the scientific assessment of the COV-
ID-19 situation,” he added in Filipino.
He also welcomed the continued de-
cline in cases.
Data from the DOH showed that a to-
tal of 1,206 new COVID-19 cases were
recorded during the week of Jan. 23-29.
The average number of new cases per
day during the period stood at 172, re-
flecting a 36 percent decline from the
cases logged on Jan. 16-22.
The DOH has so far vaccinated 73
million individuals, or 94.54 percent
of the target population, while 21 mil-
lion individuals have received their
booster shots.
A total of 6.9 million senior citizens,
or 79.47 percent of the target A2 popula-
tion, have received the primary series of
COVID-19 vaccines, while 2.76 million
senior citizens had their booster shots.
The Philippines has found 613
new cases of Omicron COVID-19
subvariants.
Based on the DOH’s latest report,
252 were classified as BA.2.3.20,
201 as XBB, 25 as BA.5, 15 as XBC,
2 as BA.2.75, and 118 as other Omi-
cron sublineages.
Of the BA.5 cases, 18 were classified
as BQ.1, the DOH said.
Results of the samples, which were
processed by the University of the
ered by the government or transferred
to third persons, or those that have been
the subject of court decisions and com-
promise agreements.
“What remains to be determined, how-
ever, is the list of properties which are
included in the dismissal of the Third
Amended Complaint for failure of the
plaintiff to prove its allegations by pre-
ponderance of evidence,” it added.
Subject to the finality of the decision,
the court, meanwhile lifted the seques-
agricultural products to Japan. [We
hope]… this visit will result in more ex-
ports of agricultural products to Japan,
especially our bananas and avocados,”
he said.
President Marcos will visit Japan
from Feb. 8 to 12.
The DFA said Wednesday said one is-
sue the President will not raise is repa-
rations for “comfort women” who were
forced to provide Japanese soldiers sex-
ual services during World War II.
Imperial said all war-related compen-
sation claims by the Philippine govern-
ment are already settled, so there is no
need for the Chief Executive to bring
them up during the visit.
“All war-related claims are deemed to
have been settled by our 1956 reparations
agreement with Japan,” Imperial said.
were released on Jan. 28.
The DOH said that all additional
BA.2.3.20 and XBB cases were local
cases from all regions except Regions 8,
10, and 11.
To date, the BA.5 is still the dominant
strain in the Philippines, with 12,687
cases, Vergeire told
ANC’s “Headstart” on Tuesday.
It is followed by BA.2.3.20 with
34,173 cases, XBB with 1,170 cases,
XBC with 626 cases, and BA.4 with
325 cases.
The total tally also showed 42 BA.2.75
cases, 38 BQ.1 cases, seven BF.7 cases
and seven BN.1 cases.
“Right now what we are trying to be
cautious about would be the XBB1.5,
which is circulating in the US... and
other countries,” Vergeire said.
Despite the presence of more trans-
missible subvariants, closing borders
is no longer an option in the country’s
COVID-19 response, she added.
Three years to the day after the
World Health Organization (WHO)
sounded the highest level of global
alert over COVID-19, it said on Mon-
day the pandemic remained an inter-
national emergency.
WHO director-general Tedros Ad-
hanom Ghebreyesus reached that
conclusion following the recommen-
dations of the United Nations health
agency’s emergency committee,
which on Friday held its 14th meeting
since the start of the crisis.
The WHO first declared a so-called
public health emergency of interna-
tional concern—its highest possi-
ble level of global alert—on Jan. 30,
2020, over what was then called the
novel coronavirus.
When it sounded the alarm, fewer
than 100 cases and no deaths had been
detected outside China.
Since then, more than 752 million
confirmed cases of COVID-19 have
been reported to the WHO, includ-
ing more than 6.8 million deaths,
though the true numbers are thought
to be far higher.
tration orders earlier issued on at least 14
properties. It also recognized the prop-
erties without sequestration orders and
those that remain under the full control
and supervision of the Marcoses.
Associate Justice Michael Frederick
Musngi wrote the ruling with Associ-
ate Justices Maria Theresa Mendoza-
Arcega and Maryann Corpus-Manal-
ac concurring.
In their motion, the Marcoses asked for
a writ of execution of their assets “consid-
However, he said the government will
not stop private individuals from pursu-
ing claims.
“We will not stop… the victims be-
cause this is an atrocious violence against
the women during the war,” he said.
On Tuesday, Jan. 31, surviving Filipi-
no women who were sexually enslaved
by the Japanese military during World
War II called on the Japanese govern-
ment to acknowledge its war crimes and
resolve the “comfort women” issue.
In a statement, Lila Pilipina, an or-
ganization helping the Filipino women
in their fight for justice, said Japan must
“take the necessary steps toward a fair
and long-overdue resolution of the com-
fort women issue.”
During the Japanese occupation
of the Philippines, Japanese soldiers
Members...
From A1
resignation of full colonels and gener-
als, formed the panel to help weed out
high-ranking police officials involved
in the illegal drug trade.
He said the five-man team will go
through the pertinent records to find
out who are involved in drug dealing
and trafficking.
Abalos said the advisory group will
begin their screening immediately and
the entire process is expected to be
completed in three months.
“We have high respect for these five
volunteer advisors who accepted the
challenge and responsibility of con-
ducting an investigation to continue to
suppress illegal drugs in the country,”
Abalos said.
He said he is confident the review
will be fair and impartial “because
these men are known to have credibil-
ity, integrity and possessed good track
records in their respective fields.”
“I just want to clarify that this is
a legal process because it is only an
advisory group that will make recom-
mendations to the Napolcom (Nation-
al Police Commission) and eventually
to President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.
They will receive no salary or allow-
ance here,” he said.
Abalos asked the public to support
this initiative to win the war against
the drug trade.
He said only one high-ranking po-
lice official out fo 955 has refused to
file a courtesy resignation but he de-
clined to name the officer.
While 12 officials have yet to
submit their resignations, five have
already retired and six are retirees,
he added.
“We fully respect his right. We are
not ordering or commanding anyone.
It was just an appeal. No sanctions will
be done, nothing at all. But of course,
we will find out why he refused,” he
told Palace reporters in a mix of Eng-
lish and Filipino.
ering that there was allegedly no evidence
that this trust account was ill-gotten.”
The Marcoses added that they did
not give consent with respect to the
compromise agreements on the sur-
rendered assets.
In response, the anti-graft court said
that while the appeal was “timely in the
instant case,” the prayer for the issuance
of a writ of execution “cannot prosper
as the judgment or order that disposes
of the action is not yet final.”
forced about a thousand Filipino women
to serve them.
At the same time, Imperial said the
controversy over four Japanese fugi-
tives wanted for crimes in Japan and
detained in the Philippines would not
affect the President’s trip to Japan.
“If there is a decision to deport
these concerned Japanese nation-
als, the Philippines will follow the
timeline of deportation proceedings
in accordance with the Philippine
laws,” Imperial said.
“We feel that this is totally unre-
lated to the visit of the President. This
is a consular matter being handled by
the Department of Justice and the Jap-
anese Embassy here and our embassy
in Japan with the Ministry of Justice
in Tokyo,” Imperial added.

NCR mayors approve single ticketing system
By Joel E. Zurbano
T
HE local government
units (LGUs) of
Metro Manila have
given the green light for
the implementation of a
single ticketing system in
the National Capital Region
(NCR) as spearheaded by the
Metro Manila Development
Authority (MMDA).
The Metro Manila Council (MMC),
composed of 17 NCR mayors, have
ratified the Metro Manila Traffic
Code of 2023 embodying the rules
on the single ticketing system
which provides for interconnectivity
among government instrumentalities
involved in the transport and traffic
management in the metropolis with
common fines and penalties.
The standardized fines and
penalties will also be endorsed to the
Land Transportation Office and local
councils for adoption.
Based on Resolution No. 23-02,
the single ticketing system “will
harmonize the existing national and
local laws on traffic enforcement
to establish and effective transport
and traffic management in Metro
Manila.”
The code is also designed to address
different procedures of apprehension;
payment of fines; redemption of licenses
and plates; as well as uncoordinated
implementation of traffic laws resulting
in confusion of the driving public, loss
of money and productive hours.
IN BRIEF
Air Asia inaugurates
Manila-Narita route
AIR Asia Philippines on Wednes-
day announced it has started operat-
ing its commercial service flights
to and from Narita in time for the
various festivities in Japan this month.
Airline chief information of-
ficer Steve Dailisan said the maiden
flight took off at the Ninoy Aquino
International Airport - Terminal 3
at 4:15 am and arrived at Narita
International Airport at 9:45 am
(Japan Standard Time).
Its return flight departed Narita at
11:25 am and landed at NAIA T3 at
2:55 pm (local time).
Dailisan said the daily Tokyo via
Narita flight, which was recently
tagged as the second top-sell-
ing international destination, is
expected to revitalize Japan as
among Air Asia’s top destinations in
East Asia. Joel E. Zurbano
Las Piñas rolls out
mental health drive
THE Las Pinas City government
has launched a campaign to raise
awareness on mental and repro-
ductive health issues among city
residents, especially the youngsters.
Mayor Imelda Aguilar said some
400 high school students, out of
school youths, and members of
Sangguniang Kabataan joined the
roll out of the program dubbed
“Kalungkutan ay Agapan, Ka-
bataan ay Protektahan” held at the
Verdant Covered court in Barangay
Pamplona 3 on Tuesday.
She said the project was organized
by the City Health Office led by Dr. Jul-
ie Gonzales “to build community re-
silience in attending mental problems
of residents, especially the students,
youths and adolescents for treatment
and counseling.” Joel E. Zurbano
BOC-Limay surpasses
’22 tax target by 48%
THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) at
the port of Limay, Bataan has chalked
up a record collection of P78 billion
for 2022, over-shooting its P53-bil-
lion target by 48 percent.
This was revealed in a report by the
Commission on Audit (COA) which
showed that the BOC-Limay headed by
William Balayo mustered revenue col-
lections totaling P78,729,645,419.07
for 2022, surpassed its target by nearly
P25.7 billion.
“Due to the Port’s efficient collec-
tion strategies, it is noteworthy that the
Port registered consistently monthly
surpluses and by the end of September
2022, it already had met its actual tar-
get,” the COA report stated.
COA commended the BOC-Limay
for its “aggressive strategies” em-
ployed to collect taxes and duties
and to promote local and interna-
tional investments, the digitization
and streamlining of processes, and
the enhancement of trade facilitation.
Butch Gunio
SINGLE TICKETING CODE. The Metro Manila Council (MMC) has approved the code on the single ticketing system being spearheaded by the Metro Manila Development
Authority (MMDA) for implementation in the National Capital Region. Photo taken following approval of the code in a ceremony held Monday at the MMDA headquarters in Pasig
City shows (seated from left) San Juan City Mayor and MMC head Francis Zamora, acting MMDA chairman Romando Artes, and MMD general manager Procopio Lipana. Standing
at the back are (from left) Malabon City Mayor Jeannie Sandoval, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, Valenzuela City Mayor Wes Gatchalian, Muntinlupa City Mayor Ruffy Biazon, and
Marikina City Mayor Marcy Teodoro. Manny Palmero
The resolution also stated that it
might create chaos if left unattended, to
the detriment of the public in general.
MMDA acting chairman Romando
Artes said the single ticketing system
will be convenient for apprehended
motorists as they can now pay for their
Lawyers seek thorough probe on slay attempt vs. IBP Abra prexy
By Rey E. Requejo
THE Integrated Bar of the Philip-
pines (IBP) has called for a thorough
investigation on the reported assassina-
tion attempt against the president of its
chapter in Abra province last January 29.
The IBP, the country’s mandatory
organization for Filipino lawyers,
identified the target of the slay bid as
Hamilcar Bigornia. The assault was
reportedly staged by two men right in
NATIONAL HIJAB DAY. Muslim women at the Philippine Senate help each other put on their hijabs to drum up support for a
bill filed by Senator Robinhood Padilla declaring February 1st of every year as National Hijab Day. Lino Santos
IPOPHL set to tackle counterfeiting in Greenhills market
By Othel V. Campos
THE Intellectual Property Office
of the Philippines (IPOPHL) has
proposed a work plan to tackle long
standing counterfeit activities in
the Greenhills Shopping Center.
Greenhills, a prominent mar-
ketplace in San Juan City tagged
Tax relief eyed for special kids’ parents
By Maricel V. Cruz
A PARTY-LIST lawmaker on Wednes-
day filed a bill seeking to give tax
deductions to parents or guardians of chil-
dren or youth with special needs (CSYNs).
“While we applaud the effort of the
national government for recogniz-
ing the educational inclusivity needs
of children with special needs with
the signing into law of Republic Act
RA 11650, or the ‘Instituting a Policy
of Inclusion and Services for Learn-
ers with Disabilities in Support of In-
clusive Education Act,’ in March last
year, we believe that their parents and
guardians should also be empowered
NEWS
traffic-related violations wherever,
regardless of the locality where they were
caught.
“This is a historic moment for
all of us because after more than
twenty years, Metro Manila is
finally adopting the single ticketing
Bigornia’s office at about 9:30 a.m.
“While one of them waited (outside),
the other approached Atty. Bigornia
who was ordered to go out together
with his aide. The person outside then
handed his companion a knife who
then repeatedly stabbed the aide
before also stabbing Atty. Bigornia,” the
IBP said in a statement.
Fortunately, another aide of Bigor-
nia came and shot one of the assailants
dead, the IBP said.
notorious for the proliferation
of counterfeit products, land-
ed anew on the 2022 Notorious
Markets for Counterfeiting and Pi-
racy report of the United States
Trade Representative’s (USTR).
“Truly, clearing Greenhills of IP
infringement activities will not be
an easy feat. Its long-standing rep-
and given assistance as well as they
support their children in their everyday
lives,” Pinuno party-list Rep. Howard
Guintu said.
Guinto filed House Bill 6960 which
grants parents or guardians of children
and youth with special needs tax deduc-
tion of ₱50,000 for any of the following:
tuition fees for a private school; therapy;
diagnostic evaluations by a medical pro-
fessional; tutoring services; transportation
expenses to school or a medical facility;
and specialized instructional materials.
The parent or legal guardian must
provide more than half of the total
financial support for the child to qualify
for the deduction.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2023 A3
mst.daydesk@gmail.com
system that will highly benefit our confiscated during apprehension,” he
motorists,” Artes said. added.
“The single ticketing system would MMC president and San Juan City
help avoid confusion among our Mayor Francis Zamora thanked the
driving public, as well as option to panel for passing the resolution. He said
pay electronically for their violations. the system would be in effect within the
Driver’s license will also not be first quarter of 2023.
“We thus appeal to our broth- climate of dread,” the IBP lamented.
ers in the NBI (National Bureau But the lawyer’s group stressed that
of Investigation), PNP (Philippine they would not be cowed or stifled.
National Police), and other law en- “Lawyers must be able to advo-
forcement agencies to investigate cate their clients’ causes free from the
this matter as well as any other corrupting elements of fear and in-
unsolved instances that seriously timidation. For if lawyers who are
impinge upon the rule of law,” the sentinels of the rule of law and who
IBP said. serve the poor are themselves assassi-
“The incisive and growing impunity nated or attacked with impunity, no one
towards lawyers, judges, and officers of would feel secure or have faith in our
the Court has fostered an overwhelming justice system,” the IBP said.
DFA: Negotiations
underway to bring
home eight Pinoys
held in Myanmar
THE Philippine government is explor-
ing all avenues to to bring home as soon
as possible eight Filipinos currently held
in Myanmar, the Department of Foreign
Affairs (DFA) said.
In a statement, DFA spokesperson
Ma. Teresita Daza said coordination
is continuing to assist the distressed Fili-
pinos, among them tourist Kiela Samson
who was arrested at the border of Thai-
land and Myanmar last month.
“The Philippine Embassy in Yangon
maintains active and regular contact
with Myanmar’s law enforcement au-
thorities in Nay Pyi Taw and Myawaddy
to secure the safety and well being of the
said Filipinos and assist them in return-
ing home the soonest time possible,”
Daza said.
She said the group could leave Myan-
mar upon completion of their repatria-
tion proceedings, notably the immigra-
tion protocols.
Daza also said Myanmar authorities
have vowed to cooperate with Manila on
utation as a market for Class As the matter.
and Bs and pirated DVDs has cut Among the eight were alleged human
across generations. The problem
demands the close and consistent col-
trafficking victims who were rescued by
Myanmar authorities from in Myawaddy.
laboration among NCIPR members, Last Monday, Daza urged on eyeing
local governments, brand owners and overseas employment to follow govern-
Greenhills—both its managers and ment regulations and be duly registered
vendors,” said IPOPHL director gen- as overseas Filipino workers instead of
eral Rowell Barba. leaving the country as tourists.
NEW MILESTONE FOR MAKATI MEDICAL CENTER. The Makati Medical
Center marks another milestone with the inauguration of its newest acquisition, a 3Tesla
MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) that has been accreditated by the Department of
Health and the Food and Drug Administration. In photo taken during the opening rites
are (from left) Dr. Reynaldo Lim, vice-president for service operations; Dr. Jackson Dy,
head of radiology department; Atty. Pilar Nenuca Almira, president and CEO; Dr. Saturnino
Javier, Medical director; and Dr. Noel Rosas, director of professional services.
A4 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2023
mst.daydesk@gmail.com
Remulla assures
prompt action on
BI blacklist scheme
JUSTICE Secretary Jesus Crispin
Remulla on Wednesday assured prompt
action on reports of a group offering
services online to Chinese nationals
to have their names removed from the
Bureau of Immigration (BI) blacklist in
exchange for a hefty fee.
“We will work on those measures one
by one. We will not stop. We will do what
needs to be done to straighten out the
system,” Remulla told reporters.
Remulla was commenting on an anti-
crime group’s revelation made during
a hearing of the Senate Public Order
and Dangerous Drugs Committee on
Tuesday which bared reports about the
new modus involving online offers.
“We received reports of advertisements
offering to lift immigration blacklist for
a fee of P1 million to P5 million were
circulating in Chinese social media
platforms,” Movement for Restoration of
Peace and Order (MRPO) chairperson
Ka Kuen Chua said.
Chua also cited claims that “dens of
iniquity,” especially those in Cavite and
Pampanga, are under the protection of
police officials.
“Furthermore, victims that we have
assisted claimed that police personnel
served as their guards, but we have yet
to confirm the veracity of their claims,”
Chua said.
He added that in some instances,
the victims whom they have assisted
who were so eager to file case later on
retracted these.
“And it is claimed that their affidavits
of desistance were prepared either by the
police or by the prosecutors themselves,”
he added.
Authorities have denied the claims.
Chua earlier bared the scheme during
a hearing of the Senate Public Order and
Dangerous Drugs Committee.
Let us respect
Muslim rights,
Romualdez says
By Maricel V. Cruz
SPEAKER Ferdinand Martin G.
Romualdez on Wednesday called on Fil-
ipinos to respect each other’s freedom of
religion, including the right of Muslim
women to wear the hijab.
Romualdez made the call during the
celebration of World Hijab Day 2023 at
the North Wing Lobby of the House of
Representatives at the Batasan complex
in Quezon City.
He said wearing the hijab means hav-
ing to live a modest life.
“We celebrate the 10th World Hijab
Day, an annual event that we celebrate
with the rest of the world in recognition
of a very basic human right: the right to
the free exercise of religion, a right that
is enshrined in our very Constitution,”
Romualdez said.
However, he lamented that “instead
of demonstrating the rich cultural and
religious significance of the hijab to the
Islamic faithful, the opposite occurs.”
“It often becomes the object of dis-
crimination. And we can all agree that
discrimination hampers our ability to
grow and mature as a country with di-
verse religious and ethnic backgrounds,
and is therefore a deterrent to nation-
building,” he said.
This is the reason why the House, dur-
ing the 18th and 19th Congresses, passed
the National Hijab Day Bill, authored prin-
cipally by Hataman, Romualdez said.
Sen. Robinhood “Robin” C. Padilla
meanwhile stressed that positive steps
have been taken to drum up public con-
sciousness about our Muslim brethren
through the commemoration of World
Hijab Day.
NEW LEASE. Tabaco City Mayor Krisel Lagman-Luistro and Antonio Tan, president
and CEO of Liberty Commercial Center shake hands during the signing of another 12-
year lease contract for the Tabaco City mall ground floor. Norman Cruz
NEWS
ARTS MONTH. Miss Universe 2018 and National Culture and the and Culture Arts (NCCA) Ambassador Catriona Gray poses with members of the Sindaw Philippines Performing
Arts Guild during the opening of the NCCA’s 2023 Arts Month celebration and press conference at the Metropolitan Theater Ballroom in Manila on Wednesday. Danny Pata
Tulfo lambasts PhilHealth
chief over ‘no corruption’
ENATOR Raffy Tulfo lambasted Emmanuel Ledesma Jr.,
S
the new acting president of PhilHealth, after Ledesma said
he personally does not see corruption happening in the
agency.
During the inquiry of the Senate actively looking since I joined, although
Committee on Health and Demography I’m telling you, so far, I don’t see any
on the several measures amending the corruption.”
Universal Health Care (UHC) law, Tulfo While admitting that he promised
asked Ledesma to clean and remove the President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos
corrupt personnel in PhilHealth. Jr. that he would address the possible
“Maybe you should clean PhilHealth. shortcomings of PhilHealth, Ledesma,
Investigate those who are involved in who took his oath on November 24 last
corruption. From then on, we will believe year, appealed to the committee to give
that PhilHealth will do better,” Tulfo, him a “honeymoon period” to do so,
quoted by GMA News, said. GMA News further reported.
Ledesma, however, said, Tulfo said he was “offended” by
“personally, I don’t know if there’s Ledesma’s “no corruption” remark,
all this talk — if it’s there, if considering that there have been
it’s not there.” He added that he has “been investigations into the alleged corruption
NEW LAKAS MEMBER. Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez administers the oath-taking of La Union 1st District Rep.
Paolo Ortega as new Lakas-CMD member. Witnessing the event are Senior Deputy Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and House
Majority Leader Manuel Jose “Mannix” Dalipe. Ver Noveno
Senators air concern on Maharlika Fund loopholes
By Macon Ramos-Araneta Chiz Escudero said he found sev-
eral loopholes in the MIF which
SEVERAL senators said they have mis- he stressed the government needs to ad-
givings on the proposed Maharlika In- dress.
vestment Fund (MIF) on the first day of Sen. Risa Hontiveros said that the MIF
the hearing on the proposed sovereign may instead become a liability fund that
wealth which President Ferdinand “Bong- would balloon the nation’s already enor-
bong” Marcos Jr. extolled at the World mous foreign debt and make life harder
Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. for the present and future generations of
During the hearing, Senator taxpayers.
Gatchalian seeks probe on PAGCOR auditor
By Macon Ramos-Araneta
SEN. Win Gatchalian is asking the Sen-
ate Blue Ribbon Committee to conduct
an inquiry into the alleged anomalous
procurement of the Philippine Amuse-
ment and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) of a
third-party auditor.
The third-party auditor, he said, was in
charge of determining the gross gaming
revenues of Philippine Offshore Gaming
Operators (POGOs) in the country.
In a resolution filed on January 30,
Gatchalian said the inquiry should aim to
identify accountability and make amend-
ments to the procurement laws, if neces-
sary, about the alleged irregularities in
the procurement of Global ComRCI Con-
involving PhilHealth’s fund, especially
amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“That issue has been in the media, and
it has spread. Issues on the bogus claims
were repeated over and over in the media,
some were already investigated, but you
still say you don’t see any corruption,”
Tulfo said.
Tulfo, quoted by GMA News,
further told Ledesma that “you have to
accept that there is a real problem in
PhilHealth.”
“Don’t be in denial and say that you
are clean. Then, I’m sorry, sir, then you
are not good for that position. For you to
be able to clean your organization that
has been tarnished with corruption, first
you have to accept that there is really
corruption. Don’t be in denial. That’s
the only way you can solve the problem,”
Tulfo further said.
Sen. Win Gatchalian, chairperson of
the Committee on Ways and Means,
noted that those investors who would
put their money in the MIF seem to en-
joy too many tax exemptions compared
to those who avail other mutual funds.
“With this fund (MIF), number 1, they
don’t pay any taxes and then, number 2,
aren’t we skewing the returns also? “ he
said.
sortium, the third-party auditor contract-
ed by PAGCOR for the POGO industry.
The resolution follows findings at a re-
cent hearing conducted by the committee
showing that PAGCOR failed to comply
with existing procurement rules in con-
tracting a 10-year P6 billion contract with
the third-party auditor in 2017.
The PAGCOR meanwhile said its new
management is revalidating the veracity of
the documents submitted by Global Com-
RCI.
Gatchalian further cited the need to
thoroughly scrutinize the questionable
choice of Global ComRCI as a third-party
auditor of POGO. If there is a violation of
laws, he said there is a need to know who
committed the violations.
IN BRIEF
DSWD chief vows
to ‘fix’ beneficiary list
NEWLY-APPOINTED Depart-
ment Social Welfare and Develop-
ment (DSWD) chief Rex Gatchalian
said he will prioritize fixing of the
agency’s list of beneficiaries.
“There’s new technology. We just
have to make sure that the list is
good. So that is our first priority, we
have to make sure that the list is cor-
rect,” Gatchalian, quoted by GMA
News, said.
Lawmakers led by Speaker Martin
G. Romualdez on Wednesday said
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. made
a great choice in appointing Gatchal-
ian as DSWD secretary.
Gatchalian was sworn in as the
new DSWD secretary in Malacañang
on Tuesday, coinciding with the cel-
ebration of the department’s 72nd
founding anniversary.
Romualdez believes Gatchalian is
an excellent choice to head the DSWD,
citing the latter’s outstanding track
record and long experience as a
public servant.
“Cong., now Secretary Rex, the
loss of Congress is the gain of the
DSWD. We wish you the best of luck,”
Speaker Romualdez said in a media
interview. Maricel Cruz
Senators cheer
Chiz Escudero’s ‘return’
SENATORS hailed the participa-
tion of Senator Chiz Escudero dur-
ing the Senate hearing on the Maha-
rlika Investment Fund.
“It’s the first time in a long time
that we’ve seen that smile on his
face with a wonderful aura,” Sen.
Grace Poe, said.
Escudero has remained silent fol-
lowing reports that his marriage to
actress Heart Evangelista was on
the rocks. It was unusual for Escu-
dero, one of the Senate’s legal ea-
gles, to be quiet on very important
and sometimes, controversial issues
hounding the government.
Senate President Migz Zubiri,
during the Senate hearing, said,
“the reason why we suspended the
session is because I want to give a
big hug to my dear friend and class-
mate in Congress and our idol.”
Macon Ramos-Araneta
SRA awaiting approval
on new sugar imports
THE Sugar Regulatory Admin-
istration (SRA) said on Tuesday
it is awaiting the approval of the
Department of Agriculture (DA)
on its draft import plan of 450,000
metric tons of sugar for buffer
stock.
During the Laging Handa brief-
ing, SRA board member and
planters’ representative Pablo Luis
Azcona said they have considered
the feedback of sugar producers
and other stakeholders in the fina-
lization of their draft import plan.
“We have already received the
recommendations and comments
of our stakeholders,” he said.
“What SRA will do is moni-
tor the outstanding stocks of local
sugar, and once we anticipate that
we are about to lose supply, we will
slowly release from the 450,000
(metric tons) that we are talking
about. So, this will be a pure re-
serve stock po,” he added in mixed
English and Filipino.

Good tourism policies
THERE is a good side to being peripatetic, an
inclination our president does not deny.
Because of it, he and the first lady have had
plenty of experience traveling to other countries
even before his election to the presidency.
President Marcos Jr. has announced several
policies and practices which would facilitate
inbound and even domestic travel, the better to
promote tourism which is a major driver of any
economy.
The relaxation of travel restrictions owing to
the long pandemic is one, and it has certainly
shown instant results in our fourth quarter tourism
arrivals, both from neighboring countries as well
as balikbayans.
When travelers found the One Health Pass too
cumbersome, government simplified the process
after several complaints.
The NAIA complex under its new management
and the leadership of DoTr’s Jimmy Bautista has
made checking-in more efficient, doing away with
redundant X-ray and security checks.
We just hope that the immigration bureau can
find ways to deal with long queues at peak hours,
even as we understand that space in our obsolete
terminals are a constraint.
The president’s recent directive to our
embassies and consulates in China, Japan, South
Korea and India, to adopt electronic visas for
inbound visitors is another good move.
These are major nearby markets whose tourism
potential have yet to be optimized by the country.
The Manila Economic and Cultural Office,
our de facto embassy in Taiwan, has been issuing
electronic visas since 2015, an innovation started
by the late Chairman Amadito Perez and the
MECO board.
The singular
exception should
be June 12, when
we commemorate
our National Day
when we declared
independence from
foreign domination
When I took over in July 2016, 20 to 25 percent
of our travel visas for Taiwanese visitors were
done electronically.
Before the COVID pandemic struck and we
locked down travel, we were already hitting 70 to
75 percent usage of the e-visa service.
We tied up with Taiwan’s CTBC, which had
several branches and ATM machines all over the
island, including 7-Eleven convenience stores
to facilitate payment of the visa fee, which is
MECO’s main source of income.
The e-visa should be very expedient, especially
for large countries like China and India where our
embassy and consulates are few and far between.
In China, for instance, we have an embassy in
Beijing, and consulates in Shanghai, Guangzhou,
Chongqing, Xiamen, Macau and Hong Kong. An
e-visa would allow tourists coming from other
provinces to apply without visiting our consular
offices.
The president in fact adverted to MECO’s
Taiwan e-visa, and directed the BID and DFA to
use the same as template.
***
Another good policy is that of granting VAT
refunds for tourists who shop while in the country.
Shopping is part and parcel of travel, and
giving VAT refunds for tourists is certainly a
welcome idea.
There are a few major considerations when it
comes to the effective implementation of the VAT
refund.
The first is obvious: what locally-made
products are worth the while of the tourist? If they
buy signature items and apparel made elsewhere,
the effect on our economy is minimal.
But Joey Salceda has a solution, which is to tax
by 25 percent all such designer-branded luxury
goods, on top of the VAT.
By Samir Tounsi
MEXICO is on tenterhooks awaiting fresh
revelations from the US trial of former security
chief Genaro Garcia Luna, accused of receiving
vast sums of money to allow the notorious Sinaloa
cartel to smuggle cocaine.
The trial of Garcia Luna, who was Mexico’s
public security minister from 2006 to 2012, began
on Monday at the same New York court that
handed convicted drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo”
Guzman a life sentence in 2019.
The prosecution’s first witness, an ex-police
officer who later worked for Guzman’s Sinaloa
cartel, said he had witnessed former gang boss
Arturo Beltran Leyva, who was killed in 2009,
give bribes to Garcia Luna.
“He was paid until Beltran’s last day,” Sergio
Villarreal Barragan said in Spanish.
In exchange for money, Garcia Luna provided
information about police operations, Villarreal
Barragan testified -- claims denied by lawyers for
the 54-year-old ex-minister, who has pleaded not
guilty.
Published Monday to Sunday by Philippine Manila Standard
Publishing Inc. at 6/F Universal Re Building, 106 Paseo
de Roxas, corner Perea St., Legaspi Village, Makati City.
Telephone numbers 8-5646225 and 8-5646229
(connecting all departments), (Editorial) 832-5554,
(Advertising) 832-5550. P.O. Box 2933, Manila Central Post
Office, Manila. Website: www.manilastandard.net
OPINION
Anyway, luxury good fanciers among tourists
can always go elsewhere for these. And nouveau
riche Filipinos can always shop in Singapore and
Hong Kong, and pay the travel tax on their way
there.
What we need to do, and this is where the
DTI, the DOT, and LGU’s should put their heads
together is in promoting well-designed, well-
crafted and reasonably priced locally-produced
items which can compete with those of other
countries.
A good example is Don Papa Rum, a local
brand that makes use of our cane sugar, and has
become a hit especially in Europe. It was blended
and introduced initially for the Negros market
10 years ago, and became popular in the UK and
Spain.
Recently Don Papa was bought by Diageo
from its owners for 260 million euros, a genuinely
successful and strategically-marketed Philippine
product.
Imelda Romualdez Marcos, if memory serves
me right, initiated the establishment of Design
Center Philippines precisely to make good design
available to Filipino artists, craftsmen and small
manufacturers.
DTI’s Citem has in the past been quite active
in promoting Filipino-made products abroad. But
the variety, packaging, quality and other product
development aspects should be improved.
The other major consideration is how to equip
our shopping malls with convenient tax refund
centers. Getting tax refunds at our decrepit
airports where there is little space (excepting
Cebu International and Clark) is impossible.
I was in Spain late last year and getting my tax
refund was a cinch at the Barcelona International
Airport.
In less than a week, my card-issuing bank
received the VAT refunds. I guess we will have
to wait for Bulacan and/or Sangley to replace our
NAIA terminals for good.
***
Though some would disagree, holiday
economics is the way to go, especially to spur
domestic travel.
In the short-lived Erap regime, then ES Ronny
Zamora approved my proposal as Philippine
Tourism Authority head, to bunch up holidays to
the nearest Friday or Monday, something which
the successor GMA government implemented.
Scuttled by PNoy and retained as such by
PRRD, President Marcos Jr. is now reviving
holiday economics.
But wait! Productivity is hampered here in the
benighted land, not by holiday economics, but
by far too many holidays -- religious (I thought
we are a secular state), historical, special (by
presidential order) or local, such as those idiotic
Araw ng whatever city, or even quasi-religious
and practice-wise bacchanalian fiestas in honor of
patron saints the residents do not even properly
recognize.
The last time I counted, we have 18 national
holidays, not to include two local holidays (the
Araw ng… and the religious fiesta) for a total of
20. By contrast, the US of A has 10, and France
which our president will visit in June or July, has
11.
As for those who cry about losing the
sentimental importance of commemorating heroes
and others on inexact dates, the US of A has been
moving almost all their commemorations to the
nearest Monday or Friday for six decades.
My extreme proposal which I have written
about in the past, but which is an aspiration that
will certainly merit wholesale disapproval, is for
all holidays in the first semester to be bunched up
into an entire week to coincide with Holy Week.
Likewise all holidays for the second semester
to be bunched up into a long holiday beginning
December 24 up to January 1 of the following
year.
The singular exception should be June 12, when
we commemorate our National Day when we
declared independence from foreign domination.
***
As we write this piece, we are happy to know
that Valenzuela’s ideal public servant, Rex
Gatchalian, has been named DSWD Secretary.
Congratulations!
Incidentally, Rex was told on Tuesday morning
that the president wanted him to join the cabinet,
and could he rush to the palace in the afternoon to
take his oath of office?
This was to be after a DSWD commemoration
in the morning where no hints were given about
the new head of agency.
In any case, Rex brings both an excellent
mastery of public communications and
managerial competence which would be a credit
to the DSWD.
Mexico gripped by ex-security chief’s US drugs trial
Mexican media have given blow-by-blow
accounts of the proceedings, while President
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has promised daily
updates at his morning news conferences.
Lopez Obrador called the allegations
“shameful,” while his government is seeking to
recover $700 million allegedly embezzled by
Garcia Luna.
A lawsuit was filed on September 21, 2021 in
Florida against 39 companies belonging to Garcia
Luna or his relatives.
The objective is “to return to Mexico all the
property that exists in the name of Genaro Garcia
Luna in Florida,” Foreign Minister Marcelo
Ebrard said.
Lopez Obrador, who took office in 2018,
suggested three hypotheses on the situation
surrounding Garcia Luna:
First, if he’s innocent, he must be released
“even if it’s a fiasco” for the United States.
The second possibility is that Garcia Luna acted
alone, deceiving Mexican authorities including
former president Felipe Calderon (2006-12).
Lopez Obrador’s third conjecture is that Garcia
Luna may have acted with a “green light” from
ManilaStandard
Former Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno
can be accessed at:
ONLINE manilastandard.net
MEMBER
PPI
Philippine Press Institute
Edgar M. Valmorida
The National Association
of Philippine Newspapers
It’s sovereign power, ICC
ANY have had their eyes and ears up when
M The Hague-based International Criminal Court
granted its prosecutor’s request to reopen the
investigation into Manila’s war on drugs during the
incumbency of President Rodrigo Duterte.
The tribunal said, after examining
submitted materials from the Philippine
government, the ICC prosecutor Karim
Khan, and drug war victims, the collections
of information “do not amount to tangible,
concrete and progressive investigative steps
in a way that would sufficiently mirror the
Court’s investigation.”
We agree with Justice Secretary Jesus
Crispin Remulla who laid down the law
the Philippines has a functional justice
system and described the decision of the
ICC to resume its “drug war” probe an
“irritant.”
Remulla also vowed to prevent the ICC
from imposing upon the Philippines, which
is a sovereign country.
In law, the sovereign is the one who
exercises power without limitation and,
as the English jurist William Blackstone
said, the term sovereignty exercised by a
sovereign power carries implications of
autonomy and to have sovereign power is to
be beyond the power of others to interfere.
Presidential legal counsel Juan Ponce
Enrile himself has said the government
will not allow any of its officials to be
investigated or tried by the ICC whose
jurisdiction he added he did not recognize
since it has no sovereign power over the
Philippines.
Another Filipino murder victim
ONCE again, another Filipino woman working
as a domestic helper in Kuwait was not only
raped and brutally murdered but also burned
after being killed.
I do not have the number of our womenfolk
who have been killed, sexually assaulted or
physically abused while working as domestic
helpers in the Middle East.
But the number must run in the hundreds if
not thousands by now.
In fact, about 80 Filipino overseas workers
were just repatriated from the Middle East who
were also victims of abuse.
Lucky for them, they came home alive.
This latest murder case is such that
the government must now take a decisive
action.
But the shocking response of the Department
of Migrant Workers under Secretary Susan
Ople is only to improve the protection of our
workers with a more stringent government- to-
government agreement rather than immediately
suspending the deployment of domestic
workers to Kuwait.
DMW also wants to sanction the agency
that recruited Jullebee Ranasa which in effect
is washing its hands from any responsibility to
what happened.
Why must DMW be so quick to throw the
blame on the recruiting agency?
Our senior officials in the DMW must get it
thru their thick skulls that no amount of written
agreements can protect domestic helpers who
live with their employers. Common sense
dictates that women who work as domestics in
places where there are no women’s rights are
always in danger of sexual abuse especially the
younger ones.
Yet, we continue to send our women to these
countries.
Do we not have any national pride left in us?
Can’t the country survive without the foreign
exchange sent by our domestic helpers? By
now, the country should have graduated from
deploying women domestic helpers and simply
concentrate on sending skilled and professional
workers.
Before being drafted in government to
head the DMW, Secretary Ople was a voice in
migrant worker affairs.
Mexican media
have given blow-by-
blow accounts of the
proceedings, while
President Andres Manuel
Lopez Obrador has
promised daily updates
at his morning news
conferences
Calderon as well as former president Vicente Fox
(2000-06).
A left-wing populist, Lopez Obrador regularly
accuses his “conservative” predecessors of
corruption, and even organized a referendum
Board Member & Chief Legal Adviser
Anita F. Grefal Treasury Manager
Baldwin R. Felipe Head—Ad Solutions
Circulation Manager
EDITORIAL
We agree with
Remulla when
he reiterated the
government’s position
that the ICC can
rightfully conduct
proceedings only in
states without a
functioning
government and
justice system
Remulla has given assurances the
Philippines is “not closing the doors to
dialogue” but stressed “we will not accept
impositions on our country...we are doing
what it takes to fix the system.”
“Remember they are talking about
problems that cropped up 12 years ago. We
were not even in this office yet and expect
us within seven months to answer every
When cases happen like this most recent
one, she was always in the forefront in trying
to provide assistance.
Now that she is in government, it seems her
priorities have changed to sending as many
of our women overseas to work as domestic
helpers.
Maybe this is the right time to ask what
exactly is the mission of the DMW and priority
What happened
to Jullebee Ranasa
should outrage us all
and Secretary Susan
Ople should ban the
deployment of domestic
workers to Kuwait
immediately
of the government.
Is it the deployment of domestic helpers
so that they can contribute to the dollar
remittances to the country or the protection of
Filipinos deployed abroad?
If the priority in the deployment is simply
for the sake of the remittance, then there must
be something terribly wrong with our priorities.
I understand the importance of remittances.
The latest worldwide figures indicate that
about $850B was remitted by citizens of
various countries working overseas in 2022,
with the Philippines coming in fourth with
about $38B.
India, Mexico and China are the first three.
India gets $100B followed by Mexico with
$60B and China with $51B.
The $38B remitted by our overseas workers
is admittedly a lot of money and helps in
keeping the country afloat because we are
always spending more than we earn but the
price that we are paying is too high.
in 2021 on whether former presidents should be
prosecuted for graft.
The poll’s result in favor was non-binding due
to low turnout.
US cooperation
Garcia Luna, who was arrested in December
2019 in Texas, was Washington’s interlocutor
when he was Calderon’s security chief.
Meeting then-secretary of state Hillary Clinton
in 2009 as the neighboring countries launched a
joint initiative to fight cross-border organized
crime, the pair were all smiles as they shook hands
in front of the cameras.
As the boss of the police, the former minister
was a pivotal player in the war against drug cartels
launched by Calderon in 2006.
At the time, the super-cop was already allegedly
profiting from his influence with “El Chapo,” US
authorities charged in 2020.
“From 2001 to 2012, while occupying high-
ranking law enforcement positions in the Mexican
government, Garcia Luna received millions
of dollars in bribes from the Sinaloa Cartel in
exchange for providing protection for its drug
trafficking activities,” the Justice Department said.
Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher
Chin Wong Associate Editors
Joyce Pangco Pañares News Editor
Jimbo Owen Gulle City Editor
Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2023
Honor Blanco Cabie, Editor
B1
mst.daydesk@gmail.com
question they have. Is that reasonable?”
Remulla argued.
The International Criminal Court is not
part of the United Nations but is governed by
the Rome Statute, the first permanent, treaty-
based, international criminal court established
to help end impunity for the perpetrators
of the most serious crimes of concern to the
international community.
Interesting that dozens of countries are
not ICC members, including China, India,
Russia, and the United States. The court has
angered non-members by launching probes
into possible war crimes in Afghanistan, the
Palestinian territories, and Ukraine.
Enrile also said ICC investigators
must ask permission to enter the country,
otherwise he would “cause their arrest.”
Earlier, Solicitor General Menardo
Guevarra said the Philippines intends
to appeal the resumption of the ICC’s
inquiry into the country’s anti-illegal drugs
campaign before the ICC Appeals Chamber.
We agree with Remulla when he reiterated
the government’s position that the ICC
can rightfully conduct proceedings only in
states without a functioning government and
justice system.
“We are doing what it takes to fix the system.
We have a functional judicial system and I
don’t see where they can come in unless they
want to take over our legal system and take
over our country. I don’t see that happening,”
Remulla said.
He said the “unreasonable” decision
by Karim Khan is not welcome in the
Philippines and DOJ “will not stand for
any of these antics that tend to question our
sovereignty and our status as a sovereign
country.”
Aptly said.
It does not have to be this way with better
planning and getting our priorities right.
We can still deploy our citizens to work
abroad but we have to be more selective and
deploy only those that are easy to monitor.
We must not send our vulnerable citizens
who will work basically as indentured servants
in private homes where monitoring is extremely
difficult if not almost impossible.
How many more Jullebee Ranara cases
are we prepared to accept to convince the
government to stop deploying domestic helpers
to countries where sexual assaults and murders
are happening?
I really wonder how much of the $38B being
remitted to the country are coming from our
domestic helpers.
My guess is that it constitutes only a small
part of what is being remitted.
If we look at the countries where remittances
are coming from, the United States is still the
top with about 40.5 per cent of all remittances.
Among the top 10, Saudi Arabia, United
Arab Emirates and Qatar are the Middle
Eastern countries on the list.
Singapore, United Kingdom, Japan, Canada,
Taiwan and South Korea round up the rest.
And if I am not mistaken, the deployment of
workers to Kuwait was just recently resumed
because of another case that happened during
the term of then President Duterte.
As we already know, about 10 per cent of
our population are scattered all over the globe
working and sacrificing to send money to their
families.
The best thing the government can do is to
develop programs that ensures the safety of our
citizens and one of these is to stop sending our
women to work as virtual slaves in countries
with no women’s right for the sake of the
money that they send home.
What happened to Jullebee Ranasa should
outrage us all and Secretary Susan Ople should
ban the deployment of domestic workers to
Kuwait immediately.
That is the least that she can do.
Before becoming a government minister, Garcia
Luna, an engineer by training, headed Mexico’s
since-renamed Federal Investigation Agency, a
branch of the police.
Hailing from a modest district of Mexico City,
Garcia Luna entered the security services at the
age of 21.
It was there that Garcia Luna, known for
always being elegantly dressed, met his wife, an
intelligence analyst.
According to journalist Francisco Cruz,
who wrote a book about the ex-security chief,
Garcia Luna sought to model himself on the late
American J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI’s first director
who served for nearly a half-century.
The nature of his work meant that Garcia Luna
crossed paths with US security agencies, whose
presence in Mexico is an open secret.
“We had a close relationship with him on the
themes of crime and drug trafficking,” said Mike
Vigil, a retired chief of international operations at
the US Drug Enforcement Administration .
The trial is expected to last several weeks and
if convicted, Garcia Luna could face up to life in
prison. AFP
Honor Blanco Cabie Opinion Editor
Lino M. Santos Chief Photographer
B2 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2023
mst.daydesk@gmail.com WORLD

Biden, Speaker clash, with economy at stake

P
RESIDENT Joe Biden and the new Republican speaker
of the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, face
off Wednesday at the White House to discuss the US
debt standoff – but so far apart they can’t even agree on how to
describe their get-together.
At stake is the stability of the US
economy.
Republicans are threatening to block
the usually rubber stamp approval for
raising the nation’s credit limit if Demo-
crats don’t first agree to steep future
budget cuts. The White House, mean-
while, accuses the Republicans of taking
the economy “hostage” in order to exact
politically motivated budget concessions.
Fail to raise the debt ceiling by around
June, the Treasury says, and the United
States will be forced into default on its
$31.4 trillion debt – a historic first that
would leave the government unable to
pay bills, undermine the US economy’s
reputation, and likely panic investors.
McCarthy said in a tweet Tuesday,
he’s going “to negotiate for the Ameri-
can people.”
Biden, though, doesn’t even want
to hear the word negotiation when it
comes to the debt ceiling. “The presi-
dent firmly believes there should be no
negotiation over this,” as Biden’s na-
tional security spokesman John Kirby
said Tuesday.
There have been other showdowns
over the years when Republicans balked
at allowing US debt to spiral ever high-
er. But on most occasions the dispute
was quickly smoothed over, Congress
extended the ceiling and the economy
kept going without a hiccup.
This time, the political heat is so high
that things may be different.
Two years through his first term, Biden
is widely expected to be on the cusp of
announcing his bid for a second term in
the 2024 election. And Republicans, who
have just taken over control of the House,
are eager to show their muscle.
Even if McCarthy is minded to show
flexibility, his power in Congress de-
pends almost entirely on the desires of a
far-right group of Republicans who are
more likely to play chicken, regardless
of the global financial consequences.
The White House says it won’t allow
the current debt ceiling to be part of
any negotiation on future government
spending because that $31.4 trillion is
money already agreed to by Congress.
In other words, refusal to raise the debt
ceiling would be like refusing to pay an
already existing credit card bill.
There could be room for negotiating
on changes to future budgets.
McCarthy says his goal is to tackle
“runaway spending.”
But when it gets down to brass tacks,
it’s hard for either party to say where
they can find significant reductions
-- unless they go into the usually po-
litically untouchable Social Security,
Medicare, Medicaid or other govern-
ment subsidized healthcare.
Biden is signaling he wants to call
McCarthy’s bluff by insisting that the
Republicans lay out where exactly
they’d make cuts. AFP

SILENT
STRIKE.
IN BRIEF
A man
crosses an
almost empty
street near
Shwedagon
Pagoda during
a ‘silent strike’
to protest
and mark
the second
anniversary
of the coup
in Yangon on
February 1, Haruki Murakami
2023. Streets
in commercial Murakami to publish
hub Yangon new novel in 6 years
were largely
emptied from CELEBRATED Japanese author
late morning Haruki Murakami will release his
after activists first new novel in six years this
called for April, publisher Shinchosha an-
people across nounced on Wednesday.
the country There was little detail given
to close
about the new work, which will be
businesses and
stay indoors Murakami’s first novel since
from 10 a.m. to “Killing Commendatore” was pub-
4 p.m. AFP lished in February 2017.
In a brief statement in Japanese,
Shinchosha said the new work would
be published on April 13, but gave
neither its title nor details of the plot.
The bookYELLOW
CYAN MAGENTA is expected to be pub-
BLACK
lished in Japanese initially, with
Manila
Standard translations following later.
TODAY Shinchosha told AFP it could not
confirm when translations of the
book might be released, or even

Ukraine hopes Empty streets in protest on Myanmar coup anniversary

when the name of the book would
be announced.
The title will be 1,200 Japanese

for progress on
STREETS emptied and shops closed
in protest across Myanmar on Wednes-
day, the second anniversary of the coup
ing the junta off course.
Streets in commercial hub Yangon
largely emptied from late morning,
manuscript pages long, but the ex-
It was similarly quiet in the second
act number of book pages that will
city of Mandalay, a resident told AFP.
amount to was also not yet con-
“There are a few people walking here
firmed, the publisher added. AFP

path to Europe that toppled Aung San Suu Kyi’s gov-

ernment, with the junta hinting it may
extend a state of emergency and delay
new elections.
AFP correspondents said, after ac-
tivists called for people across the
country to close businesses and stay
indoors from 10 am (0330 GMT) to
and there in neighbourhoods but almost
no activity on the main roads,” the resi-
dent said, requesting anonymity.
Local media images showed empty
UKRAINE will hold a summit with Myanmar has been in turmoil since 4 pm. streets in the eastern city of Mawlamyine.
the European Union in Kyiv this the military’s power grab and bloody Roads leading to the famous Shwed- A pro-military group of “patriots,
week, the government announced crackdown on dissent, which has agon pagoda – a Buddhist shrine that military lovers, monks and the public”
Tuesday, as it expressed hope the sparked fighting across swathes of the dominates Yangon’s skyline and is usu- was set to march through the streets of
conference would bring the war-bat- country and tanked the economy. ally thronged by worshippers – were downtown Yangon later Wednesday.
tered nation closer to membership in Western powers launched a fresh largely deserted. The US embassy in the city has
the bloc almost a year after Russia broadside of sanctions against the gen- Most buses on roads elsewhere in the warned of “increased anti-regime activ-
launched its invasion. erals on the anniversary, but previous city were empty and there was a heavy ity and violence” in the days around the
Kyiv also announced it expected rounds have shown little sign of throw- security presence. anniversary. AFP
to receive up to 140 modern bat- Priscilla Presley
tle tanks from its Western allies,
while the prospect of more advanced WAITING Elvis’ widow disputes
weapons for Ukraine came from the FOR THE late daughter’s will
United States. POPE.
In his evening address to the nation, A girl looks on ELVIS Presley’s widow Priscilla has
President Volodymyr Zelensky said as attendees disputed their late daughter’s will,
gather ahead claiming that an amendment which
he hoped the Friday summit would re- of the arrival of
flect a high “level of cooperation and would remove her as a trustee is inva-
Pope Francis for lid, court documents show.
progress” with the 27-member bloc, the mass at the
which Kyiv has long sought to join. N’Dolo Airport
Lisa Marie Presley died suddenly
“We are waiting for news for in Kinshasa, in Los Angeles earlier this month
Ukraine,” Zelensky said. Democratic from cardiac arrest at the age of 54.
The fact the summit is being held Republic of According to court documents,
in the Ukrainian capital sends “a Congo (DRC), Lisa Marie had in 2010 named her
powerful signal to both partners and on February 1, mother Priscilla and former business
enemies”, Prime Minister Denys 2023. Up to a manager Barry Siegel as co-trustees
million people of her estate, both during her lifetime
Shmygal said. are tipped to
“It is a message that Europe believes and in the event of her death.
celebrate the But Lisa Marie appears to have
in Ukraine’s victory and supports our papal mass in
rapid movement towards EU member- DR Congo’s
amended that plan in 2016 to re-
ship,” he said. capital. AFP move them, and to declare that her
Ukraine gained EU candidate status older children Riley and Benjamin
in June last year, several months after Keough should inherit the trust in
Vladimir Putin sent Russian troops the event of her death.
rolling across the border. According to a filing last week
No details were provided on who by her lawyer, Priscilla Presley only
would attend the summit from the Eu- “discovered” the changes after her
ropean Union side. AFP daughter died on January 12. AFP

NATO chief hails Japan plans to expand defense spending

NATO’s chief on Wednesday applauded Ja-
pan’s plan to double its defense spending,
saying that the pledge reflected the coun-
EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE
OF THE LATE FELICITAS DAMUYA MIRALLES
Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late Felicitas
Damuya Miralles who died intestate on December 28,
2018, have been extrajudicially settled with adjudication
for the Two Hundred Seventy Six (276) Square meters
parcel of land with TCT No. 204913 (PR39610) situated
in Brgy. Kaligayahan, Novaliches, Quezon City
before Notary Public Atty. Joshua P. Lapuz as per Doc.
No. 428; Page No. 89; Book No. 10; Series 0f 2022.
MS-(JAN. 19, 26, 2023 & FEB. 2, 2023)
(MStandard - Feb. 2, 9 & 16, 2023)
try’s resolve for greater security involve-
ment in a volatile world.
Speaking in Tokyo, Jens Stoltenberg said
Japan’s renewed focus on security made the
nation “even more” of a partner “for peace.”
“I am glad that Japan is planning (a military
budget) to reach the NATO benchmark of two
percent of GDP devoted to defence,” he said at
an address at Keio University in Tokyo.
For decades, Japan has capped military
spending at around one percent of GDP,
but late last year Prime Minister Fumio
Kishida’s government approved a new se-
curity strategy, including plans to increase
defence spending to two percent of GDP by
fiscal year 2027.
“This demonstrates that Japan takes inter-
national security seriously,” said Stoltenberg
on Wednesday.
Rising threats from China and North Ko-
rea, as well as Russia’s war on Ukraine, have
fuelled public support for greater military
spending in Japan.
Stoltenberg stressed that Russia’s war was
a global problem that also affected the secu-
rity landscape of Asia.
He said Russian President Vladimir Putin
had “totally underestimated Ukraine” and
the strong unity among NATO members in
supporting the country.
While stressing NATO did not see Chi-
na as an adversary, he said Beijing’s mili-
tary build-up and ambitions were an issue
to address.
“Today, the global order that has served
us so well for so many decades is under
threat. Moscow and Beijing are at the
forefronts of... authoritarian pushback,”
Stoltenberg said.
“In a more dangerous world, Japan can
count on NATO to stand with you,” he
said. AFP
 BUSINESS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2023
extrastory2000@gmail.com
B3

PSEi February 1, 2023

US sets up new
TOP GAINERS panel on dairy
LAST
PRICE
%
CHANGE CHANGE trade complaint
against Canada
1 TFC 55 7 14.58%
2 HOME 2.77 0.32 13.06%
3 VUL 1.03 0.09 9.57%
WASHINGTON—The United States
4 RCI 0.58 0.05 9.43%
announced Tuesday it is once again
5 DMC 11.8 0.8 7.27% turning to a dispute settlement panel
6 ACEN 7.5 0.5 7.14% in its challenge to Canada’s dairy
import policies, which Washington
7 ION 0.64 0.04 6.67% says undermine market access that
8 TECHW 0.65 0.04 6.56% Ottawa agreed to provide.
Canada’s policies limit a large
9 GLO 2150 130 6.44% share of American dairy exports—
10 TEL 1428 86 6.41% including milk, butter, yogurt, and
LAST BOEING 747. Artist Jeff Barlow of Boeing’s creative department shows off his sketch of the last Boeing 747 aircraft in a ice cream—to Canadian processors
ceremony to mark its delivery, at the Boeing Future of Flight Museum in Everett, Washington, on Jan. 31, 2023. Boeing officially bids
TOP LOSERS
under a system known as tariff rate
farewell to the original jumbo jet, the 747, as it makes its final commercial delivery of an aircraft that democratized flying and serves quotas (TRQs).
US presidents. AFP
A TRQ applies a preferential tariff
LAST % to a set volume or quota of product,

Stock market rebounds;

PRICE CHANGE CHANGE and a higher duty for amounts above
1 KEP 2.8 -1.16 -29.29% that level.
US officials argue that the system
2 IMP 1.15 -0.17 -12.88%
restricts market access for American
3 ZHI 0.139 -0.011 -7.33% producers, despite an earlier attempt

PLDT, ICTSI lead gainers

4 MAH 0.73 -0.05 -6.41% by Canada to bring its policies into
compliance with commitments under
5 PRMX 2.02 -0.13 -6.05% the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
6 CEI 0.081 -0.005 -5.81% “Although the United States won
a previous USMCA dispute on Can-
7 BKR 1.4 -0.07 -4.76% ada’s dairy TRQ allocation policies,
8 CAT 10 -0.5 -4.76% the Canadian government’s revised
measures have not fixed the prob-
9 MBC 7.6 -0.32 -4.04% TOCKS bounced billion. Gainers outnumbered losers, ally adjusts wages growth, unlike other
10 PBB 10

MOST ACTIVE
-0.4 -3.85%
S back from two days
of losses as traders
tracked a Wall Street surge
143 to 49, while 43 issues were un-
changed.
All ten most active stocks ended in
the green, led by PLDT Inc. which
climbed 6.41 percent to P1,428.00 and
more timely measures,” said National
Australia Bank’s Tapas Strickland.
“More important for the Fed is one
of the subcomponents, the wages and
salaries for private sector workers
lem,” said United States Trade Rep-
resentative Katherine Tai in a state-
ment Tuesday.
She added that the United States is
setting up a dispute settlement pan-
VOLUME VALUE (PHP) fueled by data pointing to International Container Terminal Ser- excluding incentive paid occupations, el in an attempt to enforce its trade
agreements and ensure its workers,
1 BDO 7,203,530 898,881,155 slowing US inflation and vices Inc. which gained 5.40 percent which rose 0.9 percent on-quarter from
farmers, processors, and exporters
hopes the Federal Reserve’s to P218.60. 1.2 previously.”
2 ALI 26,520,100 797,179,525 Most Asian markets also traded high- He added that the reading was “a receive full benefits of the pact.
3 ICT 2,355,260 507,030,484 rate hike drive is coming to er Wednesday. The gains will provide notable deceleration and in quarter an- According to the United States,
Canada’s revised measures impose
4 TEL 302,775 422,159,310 an end. some relief to investors after January’s nualized terms would be equivalent to
new conditions that effectively pro-
rally appeared to have hit the buffers 3.6-3.7 percent. That is close to being
5 SM 385,740 360,980,995 The PSE index, the 30-company this week on lingering concerns about consistent with at-target inflation if re- hibit retailers, food service operators,
benchmark of the Philippine Stock Ex- the economic outlook. peated next quarter.” and other types of importers from
6 UBP 3,204,270 311,067,999 utilizing quota allocations.
change, jumped 242 points, or 3.57 per- Expectations the Fed will hike borrowing The ECI reading came as another
7 SMPH 8,098,200 298,905,690 cent, to close at 7,035.76 Wednesday as costs by just 25 basis points on Wednesday report showed a slowdown in the US “Through these measures, Cana-
all six subsectors posted gains. were ramped up after a key gauge of wage housing market as well as a dip in con- da undermines the market access it
8 GTCAP 570,470 293,435,745 agreed to provide in the USMCA,”
The broader all-share index also went increases came in below forecasts. sumer confidence, suggesting the Fed’s
9 URC 1,876,170 269,051,767 up by 96 points, or 2.70 percent, to settle “The employment cost index is close- tightening campaign is beginning to said the USTR.
at 3,687.17, on a value turnover of P9 ly watched by the Fed as it composition- kick in. With AFP The panel is expected to issue a re-
10 CNVRG 14,498,600 259,977,526
port later this year. AFP

Agri remains weakest link; Electric cars gain record market share in European Union
Scoot airline disappoints By Taimaz Szirniks should change with the generalization of electric cars, accord-
ing to ACEA president. AFP
AGRICULTURE’S gross domestic PARIS—Electric car sales set a new market share re-
product performance is something cord in the European Union in 2022, industry figures Manila

not to cheer about. The farm sector,
which now accounts for less than 10
percent of the Philippine economy,
always disappoints economists and
analysts alike, and is seen as a drag to
the overall GDP growth.
Its dismal performance last year is
a reflection of the sector’s decades-
deficit would have been a different
story if the Philippines had developed
a strong agriculture export base.
showed Wednesday, as the region seeks to rid itself of
Standard
TODAY
fossil fuel cars.
Battery-powered electric cars accounted for 12.1 16th to 22nd Floors, Fort Legend Towers
percent of new car sales, compared to 9.1 percent 31st Street corner 3rd Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City 1634
in 2021 and 1.9 percent in 2019, according to the Statement of Condition
European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association
(Head Office and Branches)
As of December 31, 2022
(ACEA).
AMOUNTS

long retardation. The lack of post- The EU has agreed to ban sales of new petrol and ASSETS CURRENT QUARTER PREVIOUS QUARTER
Singapore Airline’s pride dented diesel cars from 2035 as part of the 27-nation bloc’s
harvest facilities and outdated farming Singapore’s flag carrier airline
Cash and Cash Items
Due from Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP)
607,134,738.78
3,184,802,213.82
509,261,059.20
3,095,317,174.21
systems have kept farmers’ income effort to build a carbon-neutral economy by 2050. Due from Other Banks 875,457,110.92 668,564,566.38
prides itself for its multiple travel Sales of electric vehicles rose 28 percent last year,
Financial Assets at Fair Value through Profit or Loss 314,332,276.30 646,269,836.03
to a subsistence level. The Philippine accolades and supposedly impeccable
Available-for-Sale Financial Assets-Net 4,324,979,592.30 4,685,166,612.60
with more than 1.1 million vehicles sold.
Held-to-Maturity (HTM) Financial Assets-Net 11,077,099,086.74 10,800,717,589.89
economy cannot claim an inclusive service standards that are embodied in Loans and Receivables - Net 45,433,028,592.24 44,489,509,828.60
Interbank Loans Receivable 2,185,596,000.03 2,683,237,500.02
growth if farmers remain at the bottom its kebaya (traditional nonya dress)- These rises were notably driven by the German Loans and Receivables - Others 43,976,670,672.88 42,422,136,349.48
General Loan Loss Provision 729,238,080.67 615,864,020.90
of the food chain. clad flight attendants, famously known market, where sales accelerated at the end of the year, Other Financial Assets 524,403,589.29 478,261,195.63
Agriculture and fisheries production as the Singapore Girl. just before a drop in purchase bonuses. Bank Premises, Furniture, Fixture and Equipment-Net
Real and Other Properties Acquired-Net
951,255,907.37
207,671,550.20
997,048,174.18
197,803,397.44
contracted 1 percent in the fourth quarter Singapore Airlines’ globally
Other Assets-Net 2,060,471,117.95 1,225,996,733.39

from a year ago, on lower crop harvests acclaimed standards, so the carrier’s
TOTAL ASSETS 69,560,635,775.91 67,793,916,167.55

and fisheries output, per the data of the promo claims, have won the
LIABILITIES
Financial Liabilities at Fair Value through Profit or Loss 130,366,861.19 635,626,242.62
Philippine Statistics Authority. organization multiple awards, ranging Deposit Liabilities 46,444,412,374.28 48,479,141,848.34
“At current prices, the value of from a place on Fortune Magazine’s list
Bills Payable
a) Interbank Loans Payable
8,275,600,000.00
8,275,600,000.00
4,572,750,000.22
4,572,750,000.22
production in agriculture and fisheries of Top 50 Most Admired Companies
Other Financial Liabilities
Other Liabilities
470,225,610.38
3,904,996,307.12
1,082,733,214.15
2,706,533,311.28
amounted to P611.52 billion or 9.4 in 2021 to being awarded the Highest TOTAL LIABILITIES 59,225,601,152.97 57,476,784,616.61
percent higher compared to the level Diamond Rating in the APEX Health STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
in the same period last year,” says PSA Safety powered by SimpliFlying audit Capital Stock 5,506,763,497.62 5,505,833,769.57
report, noting the growth in current of global airlines.
Other Capital Accounts
Retained Earnings
(505,461,357.67)
5,333,732,482.99
(522,434,701.63)
5,333,732,483.00
prices reflected the higher inflation A quick search on the web, however, TOTAL STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY 10,335,034,622.94 10,317,131,550.94
in the fourth quarter. The production belies Singapore Airline’s reputation. TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY 69,560,635,775.91 67,793,916,167.55
value of agriculture and fisheries for Its budget airline unit, Scoot, is the CONTINGENT ACCOUNTS
the full year of 2022 fell 0.1 percent subject of many complaints, mainly Financial Standby Letters of Credit 2,597,149,970.12 1,782,147,998.45
Performance Standby Letters of Credit 144,865,822.22 96,949,695.19
Crop harvests, which accounted about lost baggages of passengers Commercial Letters of Credit 308,639,782.52 647,417,129.22
for 59.1 percent of the total value Luca de Meo, ACEA president Trade Related Guarantees 00.00 00.00
The web will tell you about the Commitments 320,810,024.13 50,000,000.00
of production in agriculture and nightmares experienced by Scoot’s In Norway, a record four out of five new cars (79 per-
Spot Foreign Exchange Contracts
Trust Department Accounts
1,877,065,446.28
1,951,827,456.90
2,198,437,500.00
1,941,932,003.92
fisheries, dropped 1.0 percent in the passengers. Most of the baggages cent) sold last year were electric, in a major oil-produc-
a) Trust and Other Fiduciary Accounts
b) Agency Accounts
591,844,320.42
1,359,983,136.48
578,980,053.98
1,362,951,949.94
fourth quarter, while rice and corn appeared to have been lost between ing country that aims to end the sale of new fossil fuel
Derivatives 12,189,262,847.84 18,567,603,020.00
output shrank 2.5 percent and 6.9
Others 511,830,502.21 28,233,667.28
connecting flights. cars by 2025—a decade ahead of the EU’s ban.
percent, respectively. Fisheries, with a
TOTAL CONTINGENT ACCOUNTS 19,901,451,852.22 25,312,721,014.06
The Straits Times/Asia News The Italian market was the only one to put a brake ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
13.8-percent share in the total value of Network recently narrated the Gross Total Loan Portfolio (TLP) 47,105,882,969.09 46,129,271,006.98
the sector, slumped 6.6 percent. on the electric engine in 2022, with sales falling by Specific Allowance for credit losses on the TLP 943,616,296.18 1,023,897,157.48
increasing number of travelers flying 26.9 percent.
Non-performing Loans (NPLs)
The nation’s policy makers into Singapore, who were reporting
a. Gross NPLs
b. Ratio of gross NPLs to gross TLP (%)
760,664,540.85
1.61%
829,093,661.06
1.80%
will cringe when they learn about It was also a strong year for hybrid cars, which c. Net NPLs 268,235,038.30 250,129,102.32
lost or damaged luggages. Many d. Ratio of Net NPLs to gross TLP (%) 0.57% 0.54%
Vietnam’s successful agriculture story. travelers have to wait longer to collect achieved a market share of 22.6 percent. e. Ratio of total allowance for credit losses to gross NPL (%) 219.92% 197.78%
f. Ratio of specific allowance for credit losses on the gross TLP
The state-run Vietnamese New Agency their luggage after arrival. ‘Moving fast’ to gross NPL (%) 124.05% 123.50%
reported on Dec. 30 that Vietnam’s A manpower crisis seems to be partly Traditional petrol and diesel-fueled cars continued Classified Loans & Other Risk Assets, gross of
allowance for credit losses 4,723,570,886.21 5,006,976,959.07
agricultural sector met all goals set responsible for the lost baggages. to lose ground, despite still accounting for more than DOSRI Loans and receivables, gross of
allowance for credit losses 18,175,315.35 17,810,131.27
in 2022, including a growth rate of Singapore’s aviation sector lost about half of EU car sales in 2022 at 52.8 percent. Ratio of DOSRI Loans and receivables, gross of
allowance for credit losses, to TLP (%) 0.04% 0.04%
3.36 percent. Its animal husbandry a third of its 35,000-strong workforce Diesel, hit by heavy penalties and a shrinking offer Gross Non-performing DOSRI loans and receivables 0.00 0.00
Ratio of gross non-performing DOSRI loans and
and cultivation sector expanded 2.88 in the last two years because of in manufacturers’ ranges, continues on its downward receivable to TLP (%) 0.00% 0.00%
percent, fisheries rose 2.88 while pandemic-induced travel restrictions.
Percent Compliance with Magna Carta (%)
slope, dropping by almost 20 percent with 1.5 million a. 8% for Micro and Small Enterprises 2.02% 2.26%
forestry grew 6.13 percent. b. 2% for Medium Enterprises 1.58% 1.90%

More impressive is Vietnam’s

But the manpower crunch should vehicles sold. Return on Equity (ROE) (%)
Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) on Solo Basis
2.64% 3.28%
never be an excuse for bad service. European automakers are investing 250 billion eu- a. Total CAR (%) 17.64% 17.79%
agricultural exports. Outbound One horror story tells how a South b. TIER 1 Ratio (%) 16.74% 16.89%
shipments of agro-forestry-fishery ros ($272 billion) in their electrification, said Luca de c. CET 1 (%) 16.74% 16.89%
Australian mother felt “helpless, Meo, ACEA president, and chief executive of French
Deferred Charges not yet Written Down
Unbooked Allowance for Credit Losses on Financial Instruments Received
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
products, according to the VNA, reached hopeless and alone” after losing a Basel III Leverage Ratio (BLR) on Solo Basis, as prescribe under
a new record of US$53.22 billion, up 9.3 automaker Renault. existing regulations
luggage that contains the life-saving i. Capital Measure - Tier 1 9,404,311,690.30 9,730,211,044.27
percent from a year ago, with a a trade medication for her 13-year-old son. “The auto industry is moving fast,” he said on ii. Exposure Measure
iii. Total BLR (%)
72,907,616,494.39
12.90%
68,419,849,108.20
13.70%
surplus of over $8.5 billion. Singapore Airlines lost that critical Tuesday. Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) on Single Currency Basis,
Vietnam’s farm exports already
as prescribed under existing regulations
medication. But De Meo said Europe needs more public charg- i. Total High-Quality Liquid Assets (HQLA)
ii. Total Net Cash Outflows
18,321,568,718.50
14,597,671,896.12
17,666,669,212.90
13,299,592,919.92
account for two-thirds of total Poor airline service has no place ing stations, with installations limited to 2,000 per iii. Total LCR (%) 125.51% 132.84%
Philippine exports in 2022, which rose in the modern aviation sector. Guilty week in the EU, while 14,000 are needed weekly to
Net Stable Funding Ratio (NSFR) on Single Currency Basis,
as prescribed under existing regulations
just 5.6 percent to $78.84 billion. airlines like Singapore Airlines and its ensure the continent’s transition.
i. Available Stable Funding
ii. Required Stable Funding
45,198,460,050.59
37,417,109,086.94
42,495,407,512.44
35,660,392,904.30
The weak rise in Philippine exports, budget airline Scoot should put up or “Despite many announcements and recent prog-
iii. Net Stable Funding Ratio 1.21% 1.19%

coupled with the 17.3-percent jump shut up. ress, infrastructure development is lagging behind the I/ We hereby certify that all matters set forth in this Published Balance Sheet are true and correct, to the best of my
in imports to $137.16 billion, resulted knowledge and belief.

in the country’s record trade deficit E-mail: rayenano@yahoo.com or industry efforts,” De Meo said. (Sgd.) ANDREW A. FALCON (Sgd.) OLIVER D. JIMENO
Chief Finance Officer President and CEO
of $58.32 billion in 2022. The trade extrastory2000@gmail.com With their high prices, electric cars are currently (Signature Over Printed Name) (Signature Over Printed Name)
being purchased by “wealthy” households, but that
 BUSINESS
B4 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2023
Roderick T. dela Cruz
Cruz, Editor
Alena Mae S. Flores, Assistant Editor
business@manilastandard.net
extrastory2000@gmail.com

US bank sees
BSP increasing
BSP
CONFERENCE.
Bangko Sentral ng
Pilipinas Governor

borrowing rate
Felipe Medalla
addresses the central
bank’s regional
partners and
stakeholders during

to 6% in 1 half
the 4th Regional

st
Macroeconomic
Conference for South
Luzon on Jan. 18,
2023. Held online,
the presentations
discussed recent
developments in
By Julito G. Rada the economy and
the general banking
system with a focus on

C
ITI, the largest foreign bank in the Philippines, South Luzon.
expects the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to increase
the policy interest rate by another 50 basis points
in the first half of 2023 to 6 percent to tackle the elevated
inflation.
Citi Philippines economist Nalin “GDP growth in 2022 beat expec-
Chutchotitham said in an online brief- tations, and we continue to see some
ing Wednesday inflation remained a
concern in the medium term.
upside risks to 2023 growth outlook,”
Chua said.
PSE INDEX CLOSING Meralco to continue delivery of stable
Wednesday, February 1, 2023
power despite CA ruling on supply deal
“Thus we expect the BSP to remain The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said
hawkish and hike the policy rate by 50 inflation in January likely settled within 242.51 PTS. TOTAL VOLUME 1,062,569,025
TOTAL TRADES 103,243

basis points to 6 percent in the first half a range of 7.5 percent to 8.3 percent, TOTAL VALUE (IN PHP)
ADVANCES
8,987,461,940.54
143
of 2023,” Chutchotitham said. amid the higher prices of electricity, 7,035.76 DECLINES 49

“The continuation of the hike is fuel and food items. UNCHANGED 43

By Alena Mae S. Flores resolves the petition for certiorari filed
meant to tackle inflation this year and Inflation in December reached 8.1 F oreign e xchange r ate by SPPC,” the company said.
next year. We see inflation in 2023 to hit percent on faster increases in prices of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2023
POWER retailer Manila Electric Co. SPPC cannot be compelled to con-
5.3 percent and 3.3 percent next year. food and nonalcoholic beverages. The Currency Unit US Dollar Peso said Wednesday it will exhaust all mea- tinue to supply Meralco under the 2019
We expect inflation to be within the tar- December outturn was faster than 3.1 United States Dollar 1.000000 54.5710 sures and work with industry stakehold- PSA following the CA decision.
get band by October this year,” she said. percent in the same month in 2021. Japan Yen 0.007687 0.4195 ers to find ways to mitigate the impact Meralco said it would continue to
She said food prices remained high, This brought the average inflation UK Pound 1.232100 67.2369 of the Court of Appeals’ issuance of source power from the Wholesale Elec-
and weather disturbances could impact to 5.8 percent in 2022, above the gov-
Hong Kong Dollar 0.127549 6.9605
a writ of preliminary injunction on a tricity Spot Market, the trading floor
Switzerland Franc 1.091584 59.5688
agriculture this year. ernment’s target range of 2 percent to 670-megawatt supply deal with a power of electricity where prices are more
Canada Dollar 0.751597 41.0154
“Inflation is very much on the mind 4 percent and faster than 3.9 percent in Singapore Dollar 0.761325 41.5463
unit of San Miguel Corp. volatile, until it finds a new supplier to
of the BSP, although bigger hikes are 2021. Australia Dollar 0.705400 38.4944 Meralco said in a statement it would bridge the supply gap.
not needed anymore [just] like they did The BSP earlier reaffirmed its readi- Bahrain Dinar 2.653012 144.7775 ensure the continued delivery of stable SPPC ceased to supply Meralco start-
last year to defend the peso and give the ness to tweak its monetary policy stance Saudi Arabia Rial 0.266468 14.5414 and reliable power to 7.6 million cus- ing Dec. 7, 2022 following the CA’s
market enough confidence,” she said. if necessary to rein in inflation in the Brunei Dollar 0.758438 41.3887 tomers following the CA ruling. grant of a 60-day temporary restraining
Chutchotitham predicted that eco- coming months. The BSP in an open Indonesia Rupiah 0.000067 0.0037 The company said it received the order last year.
nomic growth in the Philippines would letter to President Ferdinand Marcos
Thailand Baht 0.030469 1.6627
CA’s 13th Division’s decision grant- “Meralco maintains its position that
settle at 6.2 percent in 2023, slower Jr. on Jan. 24 said any further monetary
UAE Dirham 0.272279 14.8585
ing the WPI sought by South Premiere preserving the PSA serves the best in-
Euro Euro 1.086400 59.2859
than 7.6 percent in 2022. policy actions would depend on perti- Korea Won 0.000811 0.0443
Power Corp. on the 2019 power supply terest of its customers as this would
Chutchotitham said based on her nent economic data. China Yuan 0.148080 8.0809
agreement. protect them from potentially higher
forecast, inflation might have peaked at Economic growth in 2022 was the India Rupee 0.012234 0.6676 The WPI stopped Meralco from electricity rates,” Meralco said.
8.1 percent in December 2022. highest in 46 years and exceeded the Malaysia Ringgit 0.234577 12.8011 implementing the order of the Energy ERC chairperson Monalisa Dimalan-
Joanna Chua, head of Citi Asia Eco- 6.5 percent to 7.5 percent target range New Zealand Dollar 0.643900 35.1383 Regulatory Commission to honor their ta said the regulator was seeking guid-
nomics and Strategy, said the bank re- despite the global headwinds highlight- Taiwan Dollar 0.033340 1.8194 fixed-rate PSA. “With the WPI, imple- ance from its legal counsel, the Office
mained bullish on the economy despite ed by higher interest rates and elevated
Source: BSP
mentation of the PSA will remain sus- of the Solicitor General, on the latest
a challenging macro-environment. inflation. pended until such time that the court CA resolution.

IN BRIEF CEB’S GOLDEN

CA confirms Pascual
as DTI secretary
THE Commission on Appointments approved on
Wednesday the ad interim appointment of Department
of Trade and Industry Secretary Alfredo Pascual.
Members of the CA led by Rep. Johnny Pimentel
attested to Pascual’s physical and intellectual
capabilities and his readiness to steer the department
into the path of stability and growth.
Pascual has actively contributed both to the
private sector and the academe, serving prominent
institutions such as the Management Association of
the Philippines, Institute of Corporate Directors, Asian
Development Bank, University of the Philippines and
Asian Institute of Management.
He also served board memberships that included
non-profits and other organizations such as the
Philippine Institute of Development Studies,
International Rice Research Institute, Institute for
Solidarity in Asia and Financial Executives Institute
of the Philippines.
Pascual also led the University of the Philippines
system in his capacity as president and co-chair from
2011 to 2017. He implemented bold initiatives and
programs to transform UP into a research-intensive
university, raised its profile as a global university
and strengthened its capabilities as a leading public
service university. Othel V. Campos
PAGCOR reviews documents
submitted by POGO auditor
STATE-RUN Philippine Amusement and Gaming
Corp. said Wednesday its new management is
revalidating the veracity of the documents submitted
by third-party auditor Global ComRCI.
This followed a Manila Standard’s report that
Soleil Chartered Bank issued a statement denying the
issuance of a bank certification to Global ComRCI,
PAGCOR’s third-party auditor for offshore gaming
licensees, whose contract commenced in December
2017.
“In relation to this report, PAGCOR would like
to reiterate that since the assumption of its new
management in August 2022, all contracts – including
that of Global ComRCI—were put under review in
September 2022,” PAGCOR said.
“Should PAGCOR be able to prove that the
documents submitted were spurious, it will
immediately take legal action and cancel the contract
of its third-party auditor, if found warranted,” it said.
The state-run gaming firm said it conscientiously
looked into the matter and would take the necessary
actions to safeguard public interest. “PAGCOR
upholds strict adherence of its offshore licensed
operators and accredited service providers to whatever
laws which may be applicable to them,” it said.
NPC seeks higher power
rates to recover P1.24b
STATE-RUN National Power Corp. asked the Energy
PEZA-approved investments grew 83% to P6.4b in January
INVESTMENT pledges approved by
the Philippine Economic Zone Author-
ity climbed 83.69 percent in January to
P6.39 billion from P3.48 billion a year
ago as more locators plan to expand
their facilities and ramp up operations
in the country.
PEZA acting director-general Tereso
Panga said the board approved the in-
vestments in its meeting in the last week
of January.
“With the positive start of the year,
we are bullish with our outlook this
year, targeting a 10-percent investment
growth based on the initial locator sec-
tor targets,” said Panga.
ARROW.
Cebu Pacific general
counsel Atty. Anne
Romadine Tieng (center)
accepts the Golden
Arrow Award for the
airline from the Institute
of Corporate Directors
in recognition of its
continuous adherence
to the best corporate
governance standards
and practices among
Filipino publicly-listed
companies. CEB was one
of the 86 companies
that won the Golden
Arrow Award for
garnering at least 80
points in the ASEAN
Corporate Governance
Scorecard Assessment, a
globally-benchmarked
scoring system that
aims to improve the
corporate governance
performance of
companies and make
them attractive to
investors.
The PEZA board approved a combi- the implementation of the economic
nation of 18 new and expansion projects zones development program with the
with investments totaling P2.27 billion. launch of the new Philippine Develop-
These include 11 export manufacturing ment Plan 2023-2028 on Jan. 30, 2023.
enterprises, four facilities enterprises, “With the inclusion of the ecozone
two IT enterprises and 1 domestic mar- development program in the new Philip-
ket enterprise. pine Development Plan, we are positive
It also approved an economic zone that more ecozones will be approved
development project valued at P 4.12 and created especially in the country-
billion. side. Ecozones can be shields to soften
These projects will be located in the landing of the headwinds, the ex-
PEZA-accredited establishments in ternal constraints, and all these global
Makati City and Pasay City and within disruptions happening especially during
the economic zones of CALABARZON, this time. Ecozones can be economic
Cebu City and South Cotabato. drivers to accelerate economic recovery
Panga said PEZA aimed to strengthen and growth,” he said. Othel V. Campos
Manufacturing
index sustained
growth in January
By Othel V. Campos
THE manufacturing industry’s pur-
chasing managers index rose to 53.5
percent in January from 53.1 percent
in December 2022, according to the
latest report from S&P Global Market
Intelligence.
A PMI is a gauge of a country’s
manufacturing activity. A reading
above 50 indicates growth or expan-
sion of the sector compared to the pre-
vious month, while a reading under 50
suggests contraction.
Rizal Commercial Banking Corp.’s
market analytics unit Hexagon Per-
spective said the positive PMI was
partly supported by the near record
high remittances, increased revenues
from the business process management
sector, higher exports and imports, im-
proving local unemployment, contin-
ued increase in infrastructure spending
and foreign direct investments revert-
ing to pre-pandemic levels.
It said the sustained improvement
in PMI is a good signal of economic
growth, after the seasonal increase in
economic activities during the holiday
season.
“The latest local manufacturing
PMI gauge generally improved in re-
cent months amid measures to further
reopen the economy towards greater
normalcy. Further improvement of for-
eign and local tourism in recent months
and the resumption of the nationwide
face-to-face/in person schooling sup-
ported the recovery of many affected
businesses/industries, including some
manufacturers,” said RCBC chief
economist Michael Ricafort.

Four PSE-listed companies included in Bloomberg’s gender-equality index

Regulatory Commission to allow it to recover P1.248
billion worth of deferred fuel costs equivalent to an
average of P1.0838 per kilowatt-hour for off-grid
consumers.
NPC, in a filing with the ERC, sought to recover
the fuel costs, which it incurred from July to By Jenniffer B. Austria and Manila Electric Co. nology and utilities, which continue to and Semirara chairman Isidro Consunji
December 2020. NPC said that if approved, charges The index measures gender equality have the highest company representa- said in a statement.
in Small Power Utilities Group areas in Luzon would
go up by P1.1203 per KWh, Visayas by P1.9080 per
FOUR publicly listed firms in the Phil- across five pillars including leadership tion in the index from 2022. DMCI Holdings and Semirara sub-
kWh and Mindanao by P0.9402 per kWh. ippines made it to Bloomberg’s gender- and talent pipeline, equal pay and gen- This is the third straight year for both mitted a social survey created by
“Since these expenses were already incurred in the equality index which tracks the per- der pay parity, inclusive culture, anti- DMCI and Semirara to be included in Bloomberg in collaboration with sub-
second semester of 2020, immediate recovery of the
needed adjustment would help alleviate the operational formance of companies committed to sexual harassment policies and external the list. ject matter experts globally. Those
funding of applicant NPC,” the company said. transparency in gender-data reporting. brand. “Diversity and representation mat- included in this year’s index scored
It asked ERC to allow it to impose the generation rate The four firms are DMCI Holdings The Philippine firms joined 480 oth- ter. When different voices and perspec- above a global threshold established
adjustment mechanism directly to consumers in SPUG
areas and authorize the continued collection of the Inc. and Semirara Mining Corp. of er companies as members of the GEI. tives are included in the conversation, by Bloomberg to reflect disclosure and
GRAM adjustments even with the entry of private sector the Consunji Group, Robinsons Retail Member companies represent a variety companies benefit from a wider range the achievement or adoption of best-in-
players in specific SPUG areas. Alena Mae S. Flores Holdings Inc. of the Gokongwei Group of sectors including financials, tech- of ideas and insights,” DMCI Holdings class statistics and policies.
 SPORTS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2023 C1
Riera U. Mallari, Editor;
Randy M. Caluag, Assistant Editor

Lebanese
big threat to
Strong Group’s
Dubai title bid
AS expected, the Lebanese teams are
emerging as the top threat to Strong
Group’s bid to bring the title back to
Philippine shores in the 32nd Dubai
International Basketball Champion-
ship in Dubai, UAE.
So far, Strong Group, owned by
Frank and Jacob Lao, has already
clinched a quarterfinals seat along
with three other Lebanese teams
namely the Al Riyadi, Sports Club
Beirut and Dynamo.
“All teams very tough,” said coach
Charles Tiu.
Among the three, Dynamo seemed
to be the better offensive team av-
eraging 99.6 points through three
games on an average winning margin
of 23 points.
Dynamo is currently the No. 1 club
team in Lebanon because of its explo-
sive imports in Ibrahima Thomas and
Cleanthony Early.
SMB’s Jericho Cruz drives to the basket in a PBA Governors’ Cup game won by the Beermen over the Blackwater Elite Bossings, 105-86.

Cruz bounces back, lifts

Al Riyadi is no pushover as it
bannered by Lebanon national team
members Wael Arakji, Amir Saoud,
Hayk Gyokchan and import and for-
mer NBA second round draft pick
AJ Majok.
Even Sale of Morocco, the tail-

Beermen past Bossings

ender in Group B, is another cause
of concern for the team backed by
Mighty Sports and Acrocity.
“Morocco is super big,” added Tiu,
Good thing, the Philippine represen-
tatives is playing Dynamo in its last
game in the elimination which means
they would not be facing in the knock-
out stage until the semifinals at least.
The game though will certainly
give Strong Group an idea how it
would fare against the other Lebanese
squads with former NBA player Nick
Young nursing a knee injury.
“It’s game time decision,” said Tiu.
Arakji, a familiar face for Filipinos
after he towed Lebanon past a Jordan
Clarkson-led Gilas Pilipinas in the
fourth window of the FIBA World
Cup Asian qualifiers, has been aver-
aging 16.5 points per game while Ma-
jok has been norming 16 points and
14 rebounds per outing.
Sports Club Beirut is also a formi-
dable squad with Gerard Hadidan and
Kenneth Hays forming a deadly one-
two punch for the team.
By Peter Atencio Beermen, who already had the game un- made 18 points, five rebounds, and sev-
der control near the end of the first half. en assists. Newbie Allyn Bulanadi shot
ERICHO Cruz bounced back from a bad first game The Beermen, now coached by 16 points, including 13 in the first half.
J with a game-high 22 points as the San Miguel Beermen
repulsed the Blackwater Elite Bossings, 105-86,
on Wednesday in the Philippine Basketball Association
George Gallent, enjoyed their biggest
edge at 30 points, 63-33, at the 52-sec-
ond mark after Clark knocked in two
free throws.
“We just had to learn how be smart
on defense and play smarter. In the first
Simon Enciso knocked in 14 points,
while Marcio Lassiter added 11
markers as the two combined for seven
of the Beermen’s 14 three-pointers.
The Scores:
San Miguel Beermen 105—Cruz
Governors’ Cup at the Philsports Arena in Pasig. half, we were running and it just sud- 22, Clark 20, Fajardo 17, Perez 14, Las-
denly stopped,” said Gallent. siter 13, Enciso 9, Tautuaa 7, Ross 3,
Cruz said encouraging words from the The 6’2” shooting guard was held Gallent recently replaced Leo Austria, Bulanadi 0, Brondial 0
coaching staff pushed him to be better to just two points when the Beermen who had a total of nine championships in Blackwater Bossing 86—Glover 16,
this time around for the Beermen, who turned back the Phoenix Super LPG the last eight years for the Beermen. Torralba 11, Ilagan 10, Taha 8, Banal 8,
posted their second straight win. Fuel Masters, 114-93, last Sunday in Six Beermen ended up with double Hill 8, Ular 6, Casio 6, Ayonayon 5, Amer
“Binigyan nila ako ng kumpiyansa. the Philippine at the Ynares Center in figure outputs. 4, Suerte 2, Escoto 2, DiGregorio 0
Masama kasi ang una kong laro. Bu- Antipolo City. June Mar Fajardo finished with 19 QUARTERS: 33-24, 63-35, 83-68,
mawi ako,” said Cruz. Cameron Clark shot 20 points for the points and 13 rebounds, while CJ Perez 105-86

PNVF Under-18 Cebuano scores 11-second stoppage at URCC 82

championships IT took only 11 seconds for the with only bare fists. John Marvin “Marble” Callueng

set February 17
newest bare-knuckle sensation “Rugby Boy is here...kung sino defeated Jovanie Bualan via sub-
Dondon “Rugby Boy” Serrano pa ang maghahamon, call ninyo mission in a 155-pound tiff, before
from Cebu to dismantle veteran ako anytime, anywhere!,”said the Mark “Deadshot” Sadang scored

at Rizal arena
SIXTEEN senior high schools and
club teams have so far confirmed
their participation in the Philip-
pine National Volleyball Federation
(PNVF) Under-18 Championships for
Boys and Girls that kick off February
17 at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
PNVF President Ramon “Tats” Su-
zara said the federation expects the
number of participants to increase
this week after several schools and
clubs sent letters of intent to join the
tournament that is being revived after
decades of hibernation.
“This Under-18 Championships aims
mixed martial artist Richard “The
Cannibal” Redman of Fist Gym
to rule the 170-lb weight class of
the URCC 82 Royal Knuckle Fight
Night on Tuesday at the Royal
Knight Club in A-Venue St., Po-
blacion, Makati City.
A barrage of lightning punch-
es and telling blows by Ser-
rano right after the opening bell
caught Redman off guard and it
spelled doom to his overhyped
pre-fight challenge to a former
amateur boxer-turned knuckle
fighter nicknamed “Rugby Boy”
in the new combat sport armed
31-year-old golden-haired Ser-
rano.
In the undercards, Tirso “The
Mechanic” Torres won over Rocky
Vergara via majority decision in
the 125-lb division, while Edemel
Catalan of Catalan Fighting Sys-
tem outpointed Rexelmar Liloc in
a 115-pound fight.
In the 145 category, Leonard
“Deadshot” Pornia defeated Jeffrey
Suble via TKO.
Allan “Manunusok” Wycoco
manhandled Stephen Atok to
score a second-round, referee-
stopped-contest.
a first-round knockout of Rogelio
“Thunder Flash” Enumerables.
A second-round stoppage by Mar-
vin Malunes over Wilson “Ongbak”
Managuio capped the blockbuster
supporting bouts.
After the awarding ceremony
of the event witnessed by GAB
chairman Atty. Richard Clarin and
supported by CrazyWin, Nueve
Gaming, Top 1 Play and ALV
Events, URCC founder/ chief Al-
vin Aguilar announced the newly
hyped Rugby Boy Serrano vs
Manunusok Wycoco to be sched-
uled next at The Okada Manila. Dondon “Rugby Boy” Serrano is declared as winner.

Van der Valk wary of TCC Invitational repeat bid

to keep the pool of young players ac-
tive,” Suzara said. “This tournament
serves as a feeder for future national teams.”
Five teams—California Precision
Sports-Antipolo City, Paranaque
Thunderbolts Volleyball Club, Santa
Rosa City, Angeles City and Sto. Nino
de Praga Academy (Trece Martires,
Cavite)—are fielding squads in both
the boys and girls divisions.
Also joining the PNVF’s season-
opening national tournament are Phil-
ippine Christian University (Manila),
Queen Ann School (Santa Rosa), Jus-
tice CM Palma High School (Quezon
City), Hermosa Volleyball Club (Bata-
an), Municipality of Nagcarlan (Lagu-
na) and Mayamot National High School
(Antipolo City) in the boys division.
Competing in the girls’ side are
Ateneo de Manila University, Grace
Christian College Foundation (Taguig
City), New Gen-Municipality of Sta.
Cruz (Laguna), Mayamot Nation-
al High School (Antipolo City),
UVL-Science City of Munoz and
Parañaque Berets.
Competition director Oliver Mora
said the matches will be played on
weekends with the finals for both gen-
ders set on March 12. Yul Benosa is
the event director.
GUIDO Van der Valk is just as thrilled and inspired as
the rest of the men of the tour for the Philippine Golf
Tour restart next week but still striving to reach top
form in time for rich The Country Club Invitational un-
folding Feb. 7 at the TCC course in Laguna.
“I’m very excited to have the season start again,
especially to play TCC after two years,” said the
Dutchman, who nipped Clyde Mondilla by one
to claim the last TCC trophy in 2020 and join the
elite circle of winners in the flagship tournament
of each PGT season.
While he topped the seven-leg PGT edition last
year with victories at Splendido Taal and Pradera
Verde, Van der Valk’s TCC Invitational preparations
suffered a snag weeks before his defense of the TCC
championship.
“I’m about a 6 at the moment,” he said when asked
how he would rate his game at this stage. “It’s tough to
sharpen my game as the club where I’m member at is
closed for its member-guest tournament the week be-
fore the TCC Invitational.”
But he said he’s been working on his swing the last
few weeks, saying: “Swing is slowly progressing to
where I want it. I’m working hard to get as good in
shape as I can.”
The rest of the stellar cast, made up of the past win-
ners and/or the Top 30 players in last year’s PGT Order
of Merit, are also in the thick of preparations for the 72-
Guido Van der Valk eyes repeat.
hole championship, which offers a record P6 million
total purse with the winner pocketing P1.5 million.
“I know if I play well I can win again. Just got to
get my game in shape in the next few days,” stressed
Van der Valk.
But a slew of aces will be going all-out to foil his
back-to-back title drive in the Pilipinas Golf Tour-
naments, Inc.-organized event, including Mondilla,
who won the last Philippine Open, also at TCC,
in 2019, Tony Lascuña, Reymon Jaraula, Jhonnel
Ababa, Lloyd Go, Ira Alido, Joenard Rates, Ruper-
to Zaragosa III, Sean Ramos, Rico Depilo, Orlan
Sumcad and Jerson Balasabas.
Last year’s leg winners Zanieboy Gialon and Mi-
chael Bibat are also both primed for a shot at the pres-
tigious championship, along with Gerald Rosales, Jay
Bayron, Dino Villanueva, Marvin Dumandan, Fidel
Concepcion, Albin Engino, Enrico Gallardo, Richard
Sinfuego and Art Arbole.
Three-time winner Angelo Que and former cham-
pion Miguel Tabuena, however, won’t be around as the
former is booked to compete in the rich Saudi Interna-
tional this week and in International Series Oman on
Feb. 9-12 where the latter will join him.
The traditional pro-am tournament will be held on
Feb. 6, featuring a select number of pros and ama-
teur guests of the sponsoring ICTSI, with the practice
round set in the afternoon.
C2 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2023 SPORTS

Gomera BEST Center

resumes
title hunt
in PPS Bais
MCLEEN Gomera hopes to start out
strong coming off a break as he
shoots for a “double” in the PPS-
PEPP Mayor Luigi Goñi national
tennis juniors championships, which
get going today (Thursday) at the
Bais City Tennis Club courts in Ne-
gros Oriental.
Gomera kicked off the new season
with an MVP romp with a victory in
the 16-U division of the Masters Top
8 in Negros Occidental last month but
the Lanao del Norte find skipped the
stops in Iloilo, Roxas City and Ba-
colod, which Brice Baisa dominated to
emerge the new toast of junior tennis.
But the Palawan City native won’t
be around this week to compete in
his first International Tennis Fed-
eration tournament—the ITF Junior
Circuit in Colombo, Sri Lanka—
which starts on Friday.
Gomera, however, expects to have his
hands full just the same with the likes
of Ariel Cabaral, Josh Lim, the Masters
Top 8 winner in 14-U, and Kurt Barrera
kicks off 2023
clinics at Ideal
center in QC
THE multi-awarded Basketball Effi-
ciency and Scientific Training Center
(BEST CENTER) fires off the year
with a basketball clinic on February
4 at the Ideal Subdivision Sports and
Training Center in Quezon City.
BEST Center, founded in 1978 by the
late national coach Nicanor Jorge, plans
to bring more clinics closer to the young
students, who want to follow in the foot-
steps of their sporting idols.
The clinics will be held from 1 to
p.m. on Saturdays from February to
March 25.
Students aged 5 to 8 years are wel-
come to join the Preparatory classes,
while those aged 9 and up can join the
Level 1 class.
For further inquiry, call 3411-6260 or
email bestcenter.inquiry@ gmail.com.
The Ideal Subdivision Sports and
Training Center is at Abelardo St.,
Ideal Subdivision, Quezon City.
The BEST Center is a Philippine
JUNGOLF CHAMPS. Overall winners in the girls’ 8-to-16 division of the inaugural Junior Philippine Golf Tour at The Country Club Olympic Committee Olympism award-
display their trophies and medals. Shown here are (from left) Colo Ventosa, The Country Club Manager, and jungolf champs Georgina ee and a Hall of Fame member of the
Handog, Precious Zaragosa, Ana Cedo Anya and Rafa Anciano. Manny Marcelo Philippine Sportswriters Association.

James set to surpass

all primed up for battle in 16-U play
of the five-day tournament hosted by
Mayor Luigi Goñi in his continuing ef-
fort to boost local tennis and keep the
youngsters busy and prevent them from
gadget addiction.

all-time scoring record

Gomera also faces an uphill battle in
the 18-U class with Vince Serna, Her-
man Illusorio and Cabaral all set for a
title crack even as Angel Vosotros and
Therese Gauran brace for a showdown
in the girls’ side of the premier divi-
sion of the country’s longest talent-

search put up by Palawan Pawnshop
president/CEO Bobby Castro.
Gauran is also ranked No. 2 in the
16-U division topbilled by Louise Pali-
wag, Alexa Cruspero and Queen Villa
gear up for a title clash in the 14-U divi-
sion, while Lim banners the boys’ 14-U
cast that includes Rafa Callao, Murray
Bolongaita and Andrian Rodriguez.
Callao also gained the top seeding in
12-U class that also drew Gabrio Serillo,
also winner of the Masters Top 8.
Meanwhile, action shifts to Manila
next week for the Women’s Open (sin-
gles and doubles) at the PCA courts
in Plaza Dilao with the collegiate
championship, featuring team and in-
dividual competitions, to be held the
following week. For details, contact
tournament organizer Bobby Mangu-
nay at 0915-4046464.
N
EW YORK—
LeBron James said
Tuesday it’s only
a “matter of time” before
he passes Kareem Abdul-
Jabbar as the greatest
scorer in NBA history after
edging closer to the long-
standing NBA record.
James’ 28-point triple-double in
the Los Angeles Lakers’ win over the
New York Knicks means the 38-year-
old superstar needs just 89 more
points to eclipse Abdul-Jabbar’s
mark of 38,387.
At his current rate of scoring, James
is on target to pass Abdul-Jabbar next
Tuesday when the Lakers host the Okla-
homa City Thunder.
James said Tuesday, however, that
the prospect of making NBA history is
not weighing heavily on him as his date
with destiny looms ever closer.
“No, it’s not getting heavier, be-
cause I’m going to do it,” James told
reporters.
“I mean, it’s just a matter of time
when I’m going to do it.
“I’m not going anywhere—I’m going
to be in this league for at least a few more
years, so I’m going to do it.
“It’s not heavy at all.”
James, meanwhile, said he had not
allowed himself to be distracted by
chasing the scoring record as he con-
centrates on helping the Lakers try to
claw their up the Western Conference
standings.
“I didn’t get to this point of my career
by thinking about records or how many
points I have,” James said.
LeBron James AFP
“I just try and play the game the
right way. I approach the game ev- a moment to reflect with pride on the
ery night by trying to be a triple fact that Tuesday saw him pass Steve
threat—scoring, rebounding and as- Nash and Mark Jackson to move into
sisting. So let the chips fall where fourth in the all-time NBA rankings
they may. for career assists.
“I think maybe when I get super-dup- “It’s amazing. Because that’s what I
er close (to the record) it might be in the
love to do—get my guys involved. Try
back or the front of my mind.
to put the ball on time and on target
“But I don’t put that kind of pressure through my career,” James said.
on myself. I just go out and play.” “Any time you’re linked with the
James, however, did allow himself greats, it’s a super cool thing.”

PH’s top chessers clash for bragging rights

THE country’s top wood pushers,
headed by defending champion
International Master Daniel Quizon,
Grandmasters John Paul Gomez,
Darwin Laylo and Joey Antonio, battle
it out for glory in the Philippine National
Chess Championship at the Malolos
City Auditorium.
Host Malolos City Mayor Atty.
Christian Natividad ushered in the
nine-round tournament on Wednesday,
along with Asia’s first GM Eugene
Torre, National Chess Federation of
the Philippines chairman-president
Butch Pichay and tournament director
GM Jayson Gonzales and chief arbiter
Reden Cruz.
The 19-year-old Quizon was
battling Dasmarinas teammate Mark
Jay Bacojo in the opening round at
press time and the former hopes to
retain the crown he won in the last
staging two years ago in Lapu Lapu,
Cebu.
Gomez and Laylo, who were part of
the national team that saw action in the
Chennai World Chess Olympiad last
year, were battling IM Michael Concio,
Jr. and Woman GM Janelle Mae Frayna
at press time, respectively.
Antonio, a many-time national
champion, for his part, was tackling
Olympiad regular Paulo Bersamina
Also seeing action in this event
backed by Philippine Sports
Commission chair Richard Bachmann
and Philippine Olympic Committee
president Abraham Tolentino and
staking a total cash purse worth
P322,000 including P100,000 to
the winner are reigning women’s
champion WIM Antoinette Mae San
Diego, IM Jan Emmanuel Garcia.
After the opening round, two rounds
will be played each today and tomorrow,
and takes a break on Saturday and
resumes with two games each on
Sunday and Monday.
Also being staked are P80,000
to the second placer and P50,000,
P30,000 and P20,000 to the third to
fifth placers.
The rest will receive P15,000,
P10,000, P7,000, P5,000 and P5,000,
respectively.

Karpov, Korchnoi, Fischer responsible for SEA chess boom

Chess icon Anatoly Karpov with GM Eugene Torre
By Peter Atencio
FOR former world champion Anatoly Kar-
pov, playing the game of chess at the highest
level in the Philippines more than four de-
cades ago led to the development of the sport
in the Southeast Asian region
Back then, a young generation of Filipino
woodpushers grew to love the sport.
But for him to win a title, Karpov felt that
he needed to learn how to take a break.
Watching a game of basketball gave Kar-
pov find his wits again and win his second
world championship in Baguio City.
The 71-year-old Karpov, who was wel-
comed by Philippine Sports Commission
chairman Richard Bachmann and Grandmas-
ter Eugene Torre, vividly recalled that time
during a visit to the Rizal Memorial Colise-
um in Manila on Tuesday to meet and greet
his fans and supporters.
Karpov remembered Soviet Chess Fed-
eration president Vitaly Sevastianov bringing
him to the Araneta Coliseum so that they can
watch the 1978 World Championship finals’
game between Russia and Yugoslavia.
He had fun watching the game, which saw
Yugoslavia taking the crown from Russia
with an 82-81 overtime win on Oct. 14, 1978.
This gave Karpov time collect his wits after
his encounter with Victor Korchnoi got tied at
15.5-all, when the latter won Game no. 31 in 71
moves of a Queen’s Gambit Declined.
When he returned to the City of Pines,
he had more time to relax and get ready
for Game 32, winning it in 31 moves of the
Classical Opening.
“The problem was not in my preparation.
But it was more of mental health and psychol-
ogy. I was kind of drained,” said Karpov.
He recalled that his winning drive returned
after Karpov managed to get enough rest for
his final game.
“The basketball team lost. But that brought
back excitement with me watching the game,”
added
“That game brought me excitement,”
Karpov went on.
Karpov would eventually win five world
championships, two of which were won in the
Philippines, made possible with the support
of Florencio Campomanes, the FIDE Deputy
President for Asia between 1974 and 1982.
During that time, Campomanes was
credited with organizing the 1978 Karpov-
Kortchnoi World Championship Match in
Baguio City.
Karpov, who is the 12th World Chess
Champion from 1975 to 1985, and is a three-
time FIDE World Champion (1993, 1996,
1998), recalled that interest in the game of
chess eventually grew and exploded in the
Philippines when he, Korchnoi and Bobby
Fischer played here.
“(Chess in) the Philippines grew to the
level of the top chess countries became of the
level of games that were played here. Even af-
ter I had fought for the World Championships
20 times, six times in the Olympiad and eight
times as a member of a team,” added Karpov.
Karpov’s visit to the country was first
planned back in 2018 when Filipino GM Eu-
gene Torre joined the sixth Vila de Platja D’
Aro International Chess Festival Battle of
Legends in Spain with Karpov, former world
title contender Ljubomir Ljubojevic of Yu-
goslavia, and four-time world seniors titlist
Anatoly Vaisser of France.
But this was delayed because of the CO-
VID-19 pandemic lockdowns.
It finally became a reality when the Rus-
sian embassy contacted the City of Manila
last year.
Returning to the City of Baguio will be
one of Karpov’s plans in his return to the
Philippines.
His visit drew a lot of excitement after chess
aficionados coming all the way from Dasma-
rinas, Imus, and Carmona in Cavite braved
the traffic just to get a glimpse of Karpov.
He was quickly whisked away, avoiding
autograph seekers and excited fans, and was
not around to view the film, “The Champion
of the World.”
Also welcoming him to Manila was National
Chess Federation of the Philippines president
Prospero Pichay, executive director Jayson
Gonzales, Russian Ambassador to the Philip-
pines Marat Pavlov and Zuleika Lopez, chief of
staff for the Office of the Vice President.
After retiring from playing chess in 2012,
Karpov has done other things like heading
the Commission for Ecological Safety and
Environmental Protection of the Civic Cham-
ber of the Russian Federation in 2006.
Since 2007, Karpov has been a member
of the Public Council under the Russian
Ministry of Defense.

Louie Ocampo
celebrates
45 years
with concert
C
OMPOSER, arranger,
and media celebrity
Louie Ocampo is set
to mark his 45th anniversary in
the entertainment business with a
concert series titled Composer Ka
Lang at The Theatre in Solaire on
February 4 and 5.
Produced by Viva Live Inc., in
cooperation with Solaire Resorts
Entertainment City, Composer Ka Lang
stars Ocampo and features famous artists
who will perform his hit songs.
These are Sharon Cuneta, Basil
Valdez, Martin Nievera, Gary
Valenciano, Marco Sison, Katrina
Velarde, Janine Tenoso, Lyca
Gairanod, and Jim Paredes and Boboy
Garrovillo of the Apo Hiking Society
on February 4 and 5; Zsa Zsa Padilla
and Sarah Geronimo on February 4;
and Regine Velasquez on February 5
and other surprise guests.
The show will focus on the music that
Ocampo has created over the years as
well as his experiences and memories
as the favorite songwriter and arranger
of some of the biggest names in the
business.
Ocampo started out playing the piano
and the organ as a child. This was
followed by composing. His earliest
hit songs were “Maghihintay Ako Sa
‘Yo” recorded by Anthony Castelo,
“Hagkan” popularized by Sharon Cuneta,
and “Ewan” by the Apo Hiking Society.
“Ewan,” co-written with world-
famous classical pianist Rowena
Arrietta bagged Second Place at the
Second Metro Manila Popular Music
Festival in 1979.
Ocampo soon became a popular
TNT completes ‘KathNiel’ as
Daniel Padilla joins telco as endorser
MUCH like an early Valentine’s Day treat
for their millions of fans, value mobile
brand TNT has announced Daniel ‘DJ’
Padilla as its newest endorser, joining
his real and reel life sweetheart Kathryn
Bernardo as a “TNT katropa.”
“I’m happy and grateful to join TNT
with Kath. Together, we’re excited to
give more saya and kilig to our fans
and for millions of TNT subscribers
nationwide who can always rely on TNT
to keep us always connected,” said DJ.
“We’re very excited to have Daniel
with us. Finally, we were able to add
‘Kathniel’ to Tropang TNT. We look
forward to collaborating with them to
give more fun to subscribers through
our value-packed offers, powered by
the Philippines’ strongest and widest
network,” said Francis E. Flores,
SVP and Head of Consumer Wireless
Business-Individual at Smart.
KathNiel’s much-awaited TNT
campaign comes on the heels of their
recently concluded hit TV series, 2
Good 2 Be True, which drew praises and
accolades from viewers for the cast’s
Tarsier Records artists mark 2023 with wins and new music
IÑIGO Pascual, Maki, SAB, Zion, and
other Tarsier Records artists continue
to make waves in music with several
milestones achieved last year and new
music drops this month.
Singer-actor
Iñigo Pascual
ENTERTAINMENT
music director and arranger but he kept
up with his songwriting and has since then
produced some of the biggest and most
enduring hits in the area of Philippine pop
music.
Among these are: “Ikaw” by
Sharon Cuneta; “Tell Me” by Joey
Albert; “You are My Song” by Regine
Velasquez and Martin Nievera; “Say
That You Love Me” by Basil Valdez;
“Ikaw Lang Ang Mamahalin” by Joey
Portrait of Soul Diva as guest
Daniel Padilla (left) and Kathryn Bernardo
are both excited to give kilig to their fans as
TNT endorsers
stellar performances and dominated the
online trending topics throughout its run
from May to November 2022.
Asked how they keep their saya going
in between projects, KathNiel reveals
they usually spend quality time with
loved ones and friends.
“‘Pag free days, I spend time with
Kath or eat together with my family and
Options, Iñigo’s international album
featuring the hit single “Catching
Feelings” surpassed 20 million streams in
2022. Following its success, the Monarch
star released a reimagined version of
the album called Lockdown Sessions on
January 20. It includes stripped-down,
acoustic versions of the songs “Options,”
“Neverland,” key track “Not Him,” and
more.
Newcomer Maki made an R&B twist to
the viral hit “Gusto Ko Nang Bumitaw”
late last year, which crossed the half-a-
million mark on Spotify by year-end.
TikTok star Zion Aguirre meanwhile
achieved over 300,000 streams for his
debut EP Bigkas.
The music video of Pinoy soul icon
Kyla and “Marry Your Daughter”
hitmaker Brian McKnight Jr.’s song
collaboration “Cuz Of You (COY)”
garnered over 130,000 YouTube views
and its official hashtag was trending for
Composer,
arranger, and
media celebrity
Louie Ocampo
Albert and Martin Nievera; “Don’t Say
Goodbye” by Pops Fernandez; “So
Many Questions” by Side A; “Kahit
Isang Saglit” by Vernie Varga; “Si
Aida Si Lorna at si Fe” by Marco
Sison; “Babalik Ka Rin” by Gary
Valenciano; and “Closer You and I” by
Gino Padilla, to name a few.
Tickets are now available at www.
ticketworld.com.ph or you can call
telephone number 8891-9999.
katropa. I also play basketball and golf,”
Daniel said.
“I like to treat myself to some “me
time” once in a while. Gusto ko sa free
days ko pinapamper ko yung sarili ko,
which for me means spending time with
friends and family, and also surrounding
myself with people around me who give
me happiness. I like to appreciate the
people around me and find happiness
through them,” Kathryn said.
What do they look forward to this
year?
“I hope to explore new projects and
roles na di ko pa nagagawa. I also hope
to be able to perform my music again to a
live audience,”DJ said.
“For 2023, I just want to continue
learning new things. We just finished 2
Good 2 Be True but I feel like there’s
still a lot to be explored for me to
improve my craft in acting, and I’m
looking forward to trying new things
that will challenge me. Second is to
protect my peace. As much as possible,
I choose my battles and find a way to
protect that inner peace,” Kathryn said.
24 hours on Twitter. It features Kapamilya
stars Anji Salvacion and Brent Manalo.
Marina Summers is the first drag
queen to be part of Tarsier Records’ roster
of artists. Her debut single “Divine”
produced by Moophs gained 10,000
Spotify streams in less than 24 hours. The
label continues to champion drag pop
music and has just introduced another
drag queen, Viñas Deluxe.
From milestones to new offerings,
young artist SAB dropped the “Happy
You Stayed” music video that also stars
Kaori Oinuma and Shanaia Gomez on
January 20 with over 73,000 YouTube
views as of writing.
Dotty and Malli are also starting off
the year with a fresh vibe through their
collaboration “icy,” a rap track that talks
about protecting one’s energy from
negative people. The two also dropped
the song’s music video on YouTube two
Fridays ago.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2023 C3
Nickie Wang, Editor; Patricia Taculao, Editorial Assistant
E-mail: lifeandshow.manilastandard@gmail.com
Ocampo is the creative
mind behind some
of the biggest and
most enduring hits in
Philippine pop music
‘Composer
Ka Lang’ will
focus on
Ocampo’s
music over
the years
TOUCHBASS
BY YUGEL LOSORATA
AS a marquee guest artist in a Los Angeles-
held birthday concert of a friend, the Queen of
Soul Jaya made everybody feel that she had Garth Garcia (left) with Jaya
no intention of upstaging the main act. She
was there to support Garth Garcia, a beloved
Filipino-American star in his own right.
True enough, Jaya added glitter to a “shining,
shimmering” show by just being herself,
effortless and naturally brilliant. She gave
definitive meaning to how one need not push
herself too much while on stage, and should
just enjoy the crowd, either while singing or
delivering a spiel.
“That was sweet. Thank you for your
wonderful welcome to me,” said the soul diva
after the crowd applauded long and loud to
Filipino-American singer Garth Garcia
acknowledge her presence.
Perhaps due to her numerous accolades, most “Do You Miss Me,” popularized by Fil-Am
Filipinos have somehow forgotten that Jaya is Jocelyn Enriquez, is unmistakably delightful
the first Filipino recording artist to chart in the to the ear, and so is his take of Selena’s
United States. Her Tagalog hits “Wala Na Bang
Pag-Ibig,” “Dahil Tanging Ikaw,” and “Laging
Naro’n Ka” have made her a household name.
signature hit “Dreaming of You,” both songs
included in his EP Hits Reimagined released
in 2021.
Last Saturday at the Herbert Zipper While the statuses of both Jaya and Garth
Concert Hall in Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, were crucial to the crossing of their paths, it
the daughter of the late comedienne-singer is destiny that put them together onstage.
Elizabeth Ramsey wowed the Fil-Am The latter had been poised to get deep into
crowd with her duet with Garth of Dodjie the Fil-Am artist community, the former was
Simon’s composition “Ikaw Lamang.” She brought back to America after a stellar run in
complimented the birthday boy by saying she the Philippines.
found the perfect stand-in for Janno Gibbs who Jaya climaxed her spot at Garth’s stylish
did the famed record of the classic piece with birthday bash by singing her most recent,
her. pre-pandemic hit, “Hanggang Dito Na Lang,”
My Time: A Birthday Concert, brought to penned by StarPop label head Rox Santos.
life by Starlink Promotions and TGM Group of She shared, “It’s a song that has not been heard
Companies, also featured several promising Fil- for two to three years. Then it was submitted to
Am artists in Southern California. Garth shone a Koreanovela which carried it.”
brightly in his, yes, “shining, shimmering” She added, “Sometimes God has His own
outfits and stage allure that complemented his ways of maneuvering things. He makes you
smooth singing and properly timed quips. wait.”
Garth took the opportunity to promote his The album Queen of Soul, from which the
latest single “Round Round” released on the song came, garnered awards. Jaya said she
same day. It is a pop dance track that puts was already 50 when it happened. She noted,
emphasis on his reputation as a singer delivering “Ang dami kong dapat ipagpasalamat. I’m so
upbeat, recallable songs and mellowing down thankful that this song kind of happened before
with heartfelt acoustic ballads. His version of I made the move to live in America again.”
C4 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2023

Nickie Wang, Editor

Patricia Taculao, Editorial Assistant
E-mail: lifeandshow.manilastandard@gmail.com LIFE
HAIR STORY
Making women feel confident
one hair extension at a time
is booming with tourists, so I felt so homesick at that

“B
ORROWED
confidence” is the phrase
that always comes
to mind whenever we talk about
something that makes us feel and
look good temporarily—like how a
woman feels more attractive when
she’s in her high heels or when she
puts her makeup on. Some argue
that this idea leads to frustrations
when the source of our confidence
runs out.
But I say, building self-confidence is a process.
Since it is not innate, we start somewhere by borrow-
ing that confidence until we own it.
Talking to Denise Aquino, CEO and president of
Tokyo Posh—the pioneer of premium hair exten-
sions in the Philippines – making a woman feel bet-
ter about the way she looks, albeit temporarily, is
already life-changing.
Denise welcomed me into her “very pink” bou-
tique located on the 4th level of The Podium Mall in
Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong. The afternoon tête-
à-tête with the young mother and entrepreneur cen-
tered on how she started the business in 2009 when
she opened a shop in Valle Verde in Pasig and how
her hair extensions changed the lives of ordinary
women —from celebrities to beauty queens, from
models to bride-to-be, and from young profession-
als to stay-at-home moms.
Tokyo Posh was born in the streets of Harajuku, Ja-
pan, where Denise stayed as a fashion design student
at the prestigious Bunka Fashion College. Exposed to
a culture where hair was seen as an accessory, fashion-
forward Denise decided to bring this lifestyle home
to Filipinas, introducing hair extensions that were not
only easy to put on, but also came in a wide array of
styles in colors and highlights all suited to complement
the Asian look and style preference.
“Two weeks after graduating from Ateneo in 2006,
I flew to Tokyo to study Fashion Design. Well, To-
kyo wasn’t always the city that we know now, which
time. So, to combat that, I made myself busy aside
from being serious with my studies,” she started.
Denise asked a friend to photograph her amid the
cherry blossoms at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.
Wearing hair extensions, she used the photos to ini-
tially sell the products online through platforms like
Multiply and Friendster.
“My mom uploaded my photos online and she
started swelling the hair extensions from our house in
Antipolo. And she was selling at least one hair exten-
sion a day,” Denise said of the early days of her now
booming business.
Self-expression
“In Tokyo, fashion is everything, it’s from head to
toe. Yes, including the hair. Hair extension there is a
normal thing and already a booming business. Since
I’m so exposed to using hair extensions, I thought of
bringing that aspect of Japanese fashion to the Philip-
pines,” Denise shared and further said that she put up
Tokyo Posh as a back plan.
“I was thinking, If I wouldn’t be able to finish Fash-
ion Design, at least I have a fallback.”
This fallback is now the go-to boutique for pre-
mium hair extension services in the metro. It has
two other branches in Powerplant Mall in Rockwell
(her first branch in a big mall after closing the first
shop in Pasig) and in UP Town in Quezon City — The brand has two unique products,
key locations that make her shops accessible to their the semi-permanent and the clip-ons
target market.
Denise is very particular about the quality of
their product, which is why, being the pioneer in
the country, she confidently says that their hair
extensions are exactly what they’re made to do—
be an extension of your real hair.
“No glue or sewing is required in the applica-
tion process, we only use clips and tapes with a
special adhesive to avoid hair damage,” she said
even asking the author to touch her hair if he would
notice any difference or notice if she’s wearing any
hair extension at all.
The young entrepreneur believes that hair, apart
from being every woman’s crowning glory, is an
extension of self-expression that can be changed on
a daily basis—depending on her mood and the look
she wants to achieve.
Hard work pays off
Tokyo Posh basically started a new category in

Maureen Wroblewitz for Tokyo Posh

Denise Aquino, CEO and president of Tokyo Posh

Philippine fashion. It’s not just a brand that its
CEO and President introduced. During the initial
stage of her business, Denise had to do talks in
schools and hospitals and even hold bazaars to
“just educate people about hair extensions.”
“Back in 2009, we just had salons, we didn’t have
any hair extension specialist shops. Fast forward to
2022 to 2023, and we’re happy to say that the indus-
try is growing. We have a lot of competitors now and
I think it’s good for the business, the hair extension
industry is growing and that means, we’re here to
stay,” Denise exclaimed.
Being the first brand to introduce such a category,
Tokyo Posh prides itself on offering the best products
and best solutions to all hair needs.
“People will not find our product anywhere. We
Tokyo Posh prides itself on offering the best products and best solutions to all hair needs have two categories, the semi-permanent, and the
clip-ons. And we are the exclusive distributor of the
Hair Talk brand,” Denise said.
Unlike most extensions, these do not involve
weaving, sewing, braiding, or gluing, but are simply
clipped on, and worked into real hair. High-quality
fiber from Japan ensures that these extensions look
and feel natural, and are lightweight enough to carry
any posh girl through all her day-to-night activities
with confidence.
“I feel so humbled and honored to see a lot of
women make their dreams come true with a simple
activity as putting on hair extensions. It sounds so
shallow but it’s so true. After putting your hair ex-
tensions on, you get that sense of confidence that’s
hard to explain. Since we opened shop 14 years ago,
we’ve seen a lot of women transformed simply be-
cause of this quick fix,” Denise ended.

Emerging home trends that you’ll be seeing everywhere in 2023   

WORKING with top designers and industry
insiders, Antoine Besseyre Des Horts, Leader
(VP), LIXIL Global Design, Asia at LIXIL,
shares the standout emerging trends for 2023
that are beginning to impact the real estate sec-
tor and the designs of home interiors.
As working from home continues to be the
norm for many, people are looking for more
convenient yet stylish solutions, especially for
their homes. However, new trends will emerge
as concerns about global warming arise and the
prices of construction materials spike.
We will see greater demand for new tech solu-
tions for homes that can help consumers reduce
their water consumption, carbon footprint, and
utility bills.
So, what does 2023 hold? Sustainability, in-
clusivity, and innovation are the main areas in
interior design where we will see a shift in the
next few months.
Sustainability, water conservation, and
plastic reduction
Sustainability is becoming a priority for many
people, especially younger generations, who are
increasingly more conscious of the need to adopt
sustainable solutions.
In 2023, more home products will be designed
to enable people to be more sustainable in their
daily lives without compromising their experi-
ence. We will see a mindful shift to sustainabil-
ity and circularity, and a more responsible use of
resources will be incorporated in interior design
products and services, using recycled materi-
als where possible and designing products with
long life spans and recyclability in mind.
In particular, we will continue to see innovations
that help reduce plastic and water use. Only in Sin-
gapore, the consumption of plastic and water con-
sumption is on the rise, with each person using 158
liters of water a day and 467 million PET bottles
being used each year across the country.
Being the main source of water consumption
at home, toilets, showers, and faucets that use
less water and help reduce plastic will slowly
take over our living spaces. Like GROHE Blue,
a revolutionary water system that can filter, chill,
and carbonate water directly from the kitchen
faucet, contributing to reducing up to 800 plastic
bottles, water, and CO2. The process of creat-
ing more sustainable solutions at LIXIL has in-
volved looking at pain points in the design of the
products and identifying ways to improve water
conservation without compromising user expe-
rience and accessibility.
More inclusive designs, especially for the
ageing population
While inclusivity has been a buzzword for
many years – inclusive workplace, inclusive
education, inclusive language, etc. – little has
been said about inclusive design for physical
spaces. It is often left out of the mainstream
conversation regarding diversity and inclu-
sion initiatives.
However, in 2023, we will start to see a
tendency to incorporate inclusive design in
both existing structures and new develop-
ments. Products that ensure the built envi-
ronment is accessible and accommodating
to all individuals regardless of demographic
will become more popular.
More specifically, we will see inclusivity
when it comes to the ageing population. As peo-
ple grow older, they become less physically able
to navigate the structures in their homes, and
designers will account for this reality, especially see more products like GROHE’s Smart
with Asia-Pacific likely to see the most rapid in- Control shower system, which uses
crease in older citizens between now and 2050, innovative technology that allows Antoine
according to the UN. Bathtubs, for example, are users to personalize their shower Besseyre
areas where designers will provide significant according to the way they like it, Des Horts,
benefits to ageing populations; widened bathtub such as having intuitive control Leader (VP),
LIXIL Global
ledges can facilitate the transition into the tub, of the temperature and volume
Design, Asia
while walk-in tubs provide much easier acces- of water.
at LIXIL
sibility and prevent slippage. To conclude, whether it’s remain-
The trend of inclusive design will continue to ing on top of trends, implementing new
expand to many areas and intensify. We’re see- technologies, or prioritizing sustain-
ing the beginnings of a shift from status-based ability, designers, builders, and
products toward those that are simpler and more architects have the power to
practical. These products are still beautiful and styl- accelerate the progression
ish, but more user-friendly and straightforward, to of inclusive design, water
accommodate a diverse range of users. Designers conservation, and sustain-
and architects should keep this trend in mind as ability. But more impor-
they work to stay ahead of the design curve. tantly, the ones who view
Technology will serve simplicity the design from an empa-
and practicality thetic, careful, and criti-
Technology will play a significant role in ad- cal eye are those that
vancing the 2023 trends in sustainability, inclu- will stand out among
sive design, and making homes more stylish and others while chang-
convenient as we continue to work from home. ing the lives of so
However, we won’t see “one-size-fits-all” in- many.
novation approaches in interior design projects.
The scale at which designers will incorporate
technology will depend more and more on the
audience and environment.
For example, touchless faucets and flushing
systems that help to minimize user contact will
continue to exist in public spaces to optimize hy-
giene and minimize the spread of germs. How-
ever, concerns over safety are not as prevalent
inside the home.
The integration of technology in the home
will be more about convenience. So we will