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PH, SOUTH KOREA 10.8K LAW GRADS

SIGN FREE TRADE GEARING UP FOR
AGREEMENT BAR EXAMS—SC
NEWS / A2 NEWS / A2
VOL. XXXVII • NO. 207• 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P20 • SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2023 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

PH resupplies Ayungin anew

But condemns ‘illegal’ acts of China ships that interfered with operation
By Vince Lopez, Charles
Dantes and Rey E. Requejo
Gibo defends funding for EDCA bases, stronger US ties
T
HE Philippines
successfully By Vince Lopez Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) then we lose our independence,” Teodoro the government’s move to restore
with the United States, saying the country said during a congressional hearing that strong ties with the United States, after
resupplied its and Maricel V. Cruz needs to spend on them despite assistance eventually approved the Department of Kabataan party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel
from Washington. Defense budget of P229.93 billion for said this might be giving up the country’s
Marine contingent on DEFENSE Secretary Gilbert Teodoro "This is American aid and logistics 2024. sovereignty.
the BRP Sierra Madre on Jr. on Thursday defended funding for assistance, but these arePhilippine bases... At the hearing of the House committee “We are defending the rules-based
military bases covered by the Enhanced We really need to spend [on them]. If not, on appropriations, Teodoro also defended Next page
Ayungin Shoal in the West
Philippine Sea Friday
but condemned “illegal”
actions by Chinese vessels
that interfered with the
operation.
The National Task Force for the
West Philippine Sea, which includes
key Philippine government agencies,
said it "strongly deplores and condemns
the continued illegal, aggressive, and
destabilizing conduct" of Chinese coast
guard and "militia" vessels in the wa-
ters.
On Friday morning, the Philippine
Coast Guard escorted supply vesselsto
Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal in the
Spratly Islands, where ahandful of Fili-
pino Marines are stationed on a crum-
bling navy ship, the BRP Sierra Madre,
the task force said.
While the mission was successful,
Next page

STRAIGHT TO AYUNGIN. These screen

grabs from a Philippine Coast Guard video show PCG
boats assisting the routine Rotation and Resupply
(RoRe) mission to Ayungin Shoal conducted by the
Armed Forces of the Philippines, despite attempts by
the Chinese Coast Guard to block the flotilla. The PCG
deployed its two 44-meter vessels, the BRP Cabra (MRRV-
4409) and BRP Sindangan (MRRV-4407), as escort ships
for the resupply boats. PCG Photo

DOTr to hasten P3b fuel subsidy release as pump prices rise again Retailers dread
By Darwin G. Amojelar, vehicle operators and drivers after the release of the
funds for the P3 billion subsidy program was approved
the world oil market.
Department of Energy director for the oil industry
P40,000 weekly
Alena Mae Flores and Julito Rada on Friday.
This is as oil firms are expected to implement a
THE Department of Transportation (DOTr) said it will minimal price increase next week amounting to P0.10
management bureau Rodela Romero said crude oil
prices surged on worries about a potential supply
shortage during peak winter demand after Saudi Arabia
losses over rice
hasten the distribution of fuel vouchers to public utility to P0.20 per liter to reflect the movement of prices in Next page GRAIN retailers could incur P6,000
in losses daily or up to P40,000 a week
due to the price ceiling on rice that

Meralco rates up took effect Tuesday, with the P15,000

subsidy barely covering the foregone

50 cents in Sept.
revenues.
Grains Retailers Confederation of
the Philippines Inc. Eastern Visayas

on supply costs
president Frederic Dy said at P2,450
per cavan of rice, retailers are spending
P49 per kilo of rice.
Selling the rice at P45 per kilo would
By Alena Mae S. Flores mean an automatic loss of P4 per kilo.
Next page
POWER distributor Meralco said it
will increase electricity rate by P0.5006
per kilowatt-hour this month due to
higher costs from its suppliers. Palace: DOF Usec.
was ‘maligning’
Residential customers consuming
an average of 200 kWh will see an
increase of around P100 in their total

electricity bill.
The rate hike followed two consecu-
tive months of price reductions totaling
P1.0121 per kWh.
Meralco's overall rate for a typical
household is P11.3997 per kWh this
month from P10.8991 per kWh in Au-
gust.
Meralco said its generation charge
for September went up by P0.4323 to
P6.8252 per kWh from P6.3929 per
kWh last month due to higher costs from
power supply agreements (PSA) and in-
dependent power producers (IPP).
PSA charges increased by P1.0362
Next page
administration
G'DAY, MATE. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. extends a warm welcome to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
(right) during his official visit to the Philippines on Friday, the first by an Australian leader since 2003 (see related story on A2). By Charles Dantes and
PCO Photo Julito G. Rada
MALACAÑANG on Friday confirmed
Unemployment rate lower than last year, higher than in June the termination of Finance Undersec-
retary Cielo Magno following reports
that she was “maligning” the adminis-
By Julito G. Rada to reopen, resulting in more economic ac- line briefing that the July 2023 jobless tration.
tivities, the Philippine Statistics Authority rate was, however, higher than the 4.5 In a statement, Executive Secretary
THE country’s unemployment rate in said Friday. percent a month ago partly due to the Lucas Bersamin said Magno had al-
July 2023 fell to 4.8 percent from 5.2 per- National statistician and civil regis- impact of recent weather disturbances. ways been critical of the government's
cent a year ago as the economy continues trar general Dennis Mapa said in an on- Next page Next page
 A2
NEWS
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2023
mst.daydesk@gmail.com
PH, South Korea ink free trade pact
By Othel V. Campos
P
HILIPPINE banana and pineapple exporters scored
victory in the Korean fruit market with the signing of the
Philippine-South Korea free trade agreement (FTA) during
the sidelines of the recently-concluded 43rd ASEAN Summit in
Jakarta, Indonesia.
The FTA allows for a graduated tariff de-
crease for both commodities in 5 to 7 years
upon entry into force (EIF) of the agreement.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and
South Korean President Yoon SukYeol
PH...
From A1
the task force said it was informed that
"China coast guard and Chinese maritime
militia" vessels had carried out "harass-
ment, dangerous maneuvers, and aggres-
sive conduct" toward the Philippine boats.
China claims almost the entire water-
way, through which trillions of dollars in
trade passes annually, and has ignored an
international ruling that its assertion has
no legal basis.
In a statement, the China Coast Guard
spokesperson accused the Philippine
boats of entering the waters around the
reef "without obtaining permission from
the Chinese government.”
"The Chinese Coast Guard issued
stern warnings, trailed their entire course,
and effectively regulated the Philippine
ships in accordance with the law," the
spokesperson said.
Ayungin Shoal is about 200 kilometers
from Palawan, and more than 1,000 kilo-
meters from China's nearest major land-
mass, Hainan island.
The resupply mission came a day after
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. told the
18-nation East Asia Summit in Indone-
sia to oppose the use of "coast guard and
maritime militia vessels" in the South
China Sea.
Marcos told the gathering, which was
attended by China, that Manila was con-
cerned about the installation of military
facilities on reclaimed features such as
outcrops and reefs, as well as violations
of international law.
"We are concerned over consistent ac-
tions that are in violation of obligations
under international law," Marcos said,
according to a transcript of his remarks
Gibo...
From A1
international order. What constrains other
countries is international law and the
United Nations Convention on the Law
of the Sea. Our allies are enforcing the
UNCLOS,” Teodoro said.
Teodoro said China’s 10-dash line
map, which claims Philippine territory
as its own, was evidence of Beijing’s
“expansionist agenda.”
While the Philippines is taking the
diplomatic route in asserting its rights
Unemployment...
From A1
“In terms of level, the number of un-
employed in July 2023 was estimated
at 2.27 million, posting a decline of
329,000 from the 2.60 million reported
in July 2022,” Mapa said.
The employment rate in July 2023
was registered at 95.2 percent, higher
than the reported rate in July 2022 at
94.8 percent, but lower than the estimate
in April 2023 at 95.5 percent.
“Around one million in the agriculture
sector did not participate in the labor force.
These are in planting and growing of veg-
etables and tubers… so that subsector’s
participation was affected [by the weather
disturbances],” Mapa said.
The country’s Labor Force Participa-
tion Rate in July 2023 decreased to 60.1
percent from 65.2 percent in July 2022
and 65.1 percent in April 2023. This LFPR
translates to 46.90 million who were either
employed or unemployed.
Mapa also said that the drop in labor
force participation could be attributed to
those who shifted to household or family
duties.
“We found that 1.99 million focused on
household duties. Others said they were too
young to work, while others said they could
DOTr..
From A1
and Russia extended their voluntary
supply cuts to the end of the year.
Transportation Secretary Jaime
Bautista, for his part, ordered the
Land Transportation Franchising
and Regulatory Board (LTFRB)
loss could reach P6,000 for a minimum
Retailers... of 20 sacks sold per day.
From A1 "In a week, retailers stand to lose as
much as P40,000. How long can a small
“That is just for the grain alone. How retailer survive at that level of loss?” he
about the cellophane? The rent? added.
The manpower?” he said in a In MegaQ Mart in Quezon City,
television interview, adding that daily retailers complained that they incur
witnessed the signing of the FTA between
Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual and South
Korean Trade Minister Ahn Duk Geun.
Mr. Marcos said the trade agreement
would further enhance the vibrant relation-
released by the presidential palace.
"We must oppose the dangerous use of
coast guard and maritime militia vessels
in the South China Sea."
He did not mention any country by
name at the summit, which was attended
by Chinese Premier Li Qiang and US
Vice President Kamala Harris.
China deploys hundreds of vessels to
patrol the South China Sea and swarm
reefs.
Its coast guard and navy ships routine-
ly block or shadow Philippine boats in the
contested waters, Manila has said.
The Philippines, a longtime US ally,
has outposts on nine reefs and islands in
the Spratlys, including Ayungin Shoal.
The Philippine Navy deliberately
grounded the World War II-era BRP Si-
erra Madre on the shoal in 1999 to check
China's advance in the waters.
The troops stationed on the rusty ship
depend on regular deliveries for their sur-
vival.
Manila and Beijing have a long history
of maritime disputes in the South China
Sea.
Tensions between the countries flared
last month when China Coast Guard ves-
sels used water cannon against a Philip-
pine resupply mission, preventing one of
the boats from delivering its cargo.
Armed Forces of the Philippines
(AFP) spokesman Col. Medel Aguilar
said Friday’s operation was a manifesta-
tion of its resolve to assert the Philippines'
sovereign rights and jurisdiction over its
maritime zones.
"The unprofessional act and dangerous
maneuvers conducted by the ChinaCoast
Guard and its maritime militia will never
prevail over our conduct of legal and le-
gitimate operations that support rules-
based international order," he added.
over the West Philippine Sea, it should
also continue to upgrade its defense
capabilities,” he said.
“Who is shooting water cannons at us?
The US or China? Who is on war footing,
us or them? I don't want a war,” Teodoro
said.
“We will not back down. We will
continue to do what we are doing. We
will continue to build alliances with
like-minded nations in order to enforce
international law... When China states
that we are puppets of the United States
and other hegemons in order to contain
them, they implicitly admit by using
not find a job,” Mapa said.
The number of underemployed
persons or employed persons who ex-
pressed the desire to have additional
hours of work in their present job or to
have an additional, or to have a new job
with longer hours of work was registered
at 7.10 million translating to an under-
employment rate of 15.9 percent. This
was higher than the reported rate in July
2022 (13.8 percent) and April 2023 (12.9
percent).
On average, employed persons
worked 42.3 hours per week, which was
higher than the average hours worked in
a week in July 2022 at 40.5 hours and in
April 2023 at 36.9 hours.
National Economic and Development
Authority Secretary Arsenio Balisacan
said the entire government remained com-
mitted to improving the business climate
in the country to attract more investments,
which could lead to the creation of high-
quality and high-paying jobs.
Balisacan also cited the importance of
fast-tracking the implementation of the
FY 2023 budget and the government's
infrastructure programs bannered by the
'Build-Better-More' infrastructure flagship
projects that aim to strengthen the coun-
try's competitiveness and create more job
opportunities for workers. (See full story
online at manilastandard.net)
to immediately distribute the fuel
assistance to PUV drivers once the
funds have been downloaded to the
agency.
“Now that the funds have been
approved by the DBM, we will make
sure that our PUV drivers get immediate
assistance,” Bautista said.
A total of 1.36 million beneficiaries
will receive fuel assistance, LTFRB data
ship and partnership between the Philippines
and South Korea, expressing optimism that it
would go beyond the government-to-govern-
ment partnership to involve private firms and
private sector partners.
“The signing of the FTA is certainly a
very big step in that regard.
It can only be a successful arrangement
for both our countries. I look forward to the
expansion of the trade agreement between
your country and mine,” he told Yoon.
The Philippines and South Korea be-
gan their negotiations for the FTA in June
2019 and concluded them in October 2021.
They were supposed to sign the agreement
in June 2022 but both sides had to do some
China, on the other hand, claims with-
out legal basis that it has sole rights to
the islands inside their 10-dash line and
opposed what it called “the illegal trans-
portation of construction materials” by
Filipino sailors to the BRP Sierra Madre.
The China Coast Guard (CCG) main-
tained that it would continue “to carry out
law enforcement activities in the sea ar-
eas under China’s jurisdiction according
to law.”
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri
thanked and congratulated the Philippine
Navy and the Coast Guard for complet-
ing another resupply mission to the BRP
Sierra Madre.
“I salute our men and women of the
AFP and PCG for fearlessly stayingon
track to complete their mission, despite
intimidation from the Chinese Coast
Guard and militia vessels," Zubiri said.
“As long as the law and truth are on
our side, illegal barriers to what is ours
will continue to be pierced, by the sharp
tip of world opinion that upholds our
cause as just,” he said.
On Thursday night, President Marcos
returned from Indonesia, where he at-
tended the 43rd Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit.
“I emphasized the importance of a
rules-based international order especially
in the disputes in the South China Sea, in
as much as they affect not only our nation
but the entire region,” he said in his report
about the recently concluded summit.
In a video posted on his YouTube
channel, the President said that during the
East Asia Summit, leaders were able to
discuss the current regional and interna-
tional issues.
“I reaffirmed that the Philippines is
committed to the peaceful resolution of
disputes and called other countries to
the word contain, that they have an
expansionist agenda, and that is proven
by the new administrative map where
they added another dash line. So that is
the best evidence of their expansionist
agenda, to dominate the whole South
China Sea and perhaps beyond,” he
added.
Amid such threats, the funding
deficiency for the revised Armed Forces
of the Philippines modernization program
is at P328.57 billion, he said.
“It would leave gaps in our command
and control, gaps in ouractivities to
deter… and detect incursions in the West
Palace:...
From A1
policies even before President Ferdinand
Marcos Jr. assumed office.
"She has been against the policies of
this administration and made it known
to the public on social media long before
the President even assumed office," Ber-
samin said in a statement.
"Instead of working together with col-
leagues in the government to address any
concerns, they were instead constantly
done so through public fora," it added.
Magno announced her resignation on
Thursday, days after she posted a graph de-
picting the law of supply and demand, which
social media users saw as a subtle jab at the
administration’s use of price ceilings on rice.
"The termination of her appointment
could only be expected as she clearly does
not support the administration and its pro-
grams for nation-building," the statement
read.
"While we support anyone's right to
free speech, it would be counter-intuitive
to have someone be part of the adminis-
tration who was clearly set on maligning
it to begin with," Bersamin said.
In a Facebook post, Magno said it was
an honor to serve in the government.
“Thank you. It was an honor serving the
showed.
The transport regulator will
distribute P10,000 to Modern Public
Utility Jeepney (MPUJ) and Modern
UV Express (MUVE) operators, while
operators of other modes of transport
will receive P6,500.
Tricycle and delivery riders, on the
other hand, are set to receive P1,000 and
P1,200 assistance, respectively.
an P8 loss for every kilogram of rice
sold.
"They [government] said they will
help us, that they will give us asubsidy
to cover our losses. For now, we are
cooperating,” rice retailer Rachel Saner
said.
Agriculture Senior Usec. Domingo
“legal scrubbing” on the concluded chapter
texts of the bilateral pact.
Yoon said he is eager to elevate the stra-
tegic partnership between the Philippines
and South Korea.
“And in this regard, I believe that the
Korea-Philippines Free Trade Agreement
signed later today will set another impor-
tant milestone in our bilateral relations,” he
told Mr. Marcos.
Pascual, meanwhile, said the FTA
serves as a “clear demonstration of the in-
tent to elevate the current bilateral relations
with South Korea to a stronger strategic
partnership.” (See full story online at
manilastandard.net)
continue upholding freedom of naviga-
tion and overflight in the South China
Sea,” he said.
The President also said that he had
urged other parties to practice “self-re-
straint and refrain from doing unilateral
and assertive activities that could increase
tensions and could lead to misunderstand-
ings and miscalculations in the South
China Sea.”
He said he was also able to meet Japa-
nese Prime Minister Fumio Kishido and
US Vice President Kamala Harris to dis-
cuss how to strengthen cooperation in key
areas of mutual interest.
On the sidelines of the ASEAN Sum-
mit, the Philippines, the US and Japan
forged a commitment to ensure the status
quo in the Indo-Pacific region.
During the gala dinner hosted by In-
donesia during the ASEAN Summit an-
dRelated Summits, President Marcos,
Harris and Kishida discussed the situation
in the South China Sea.
The meeting paved the way for the
three leaders to review means to “enhance
trilateral maritime cooperation, including
humanitarian assistance and disaster relief
efforts,” the White House said in itsreadout.
The Foreign Ministry of Japan said
Marcos, Harris and Kishida agreed
"to jointly tackle unilateral attempts to
change the status quo by force."
While there was no mention of China
in the readouts, Manila, Washington, and
Tokyo recently launched a week-long
trilateral naval drills off the Philippine
waters to deter China’s aggression in the
South China Sea.
Japan, through its ambassador to the
Philippines, also expressed the need to
boost its military alliance with the Philip-
pines and the US to realize its “Free and
Open Indo-Pacific” dream.
Philippine Sea and our overall defense
posture,” Teodoro told the panel.
He also defended the P75 million
budget allocation for the Vice Presidential
Security and Protection Group, which
comes from the budget of the Armed
Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
The Commission on Audit earlier
flagged the expense, noting that the
security detail for the vice president
increased more than four-fold to
433 people in the second half of last
year, when Sara Duterte assumed
the post. (See full story online at
manilastandard.net)
country. I can sleep soundly knowing that I
did my best serving our country and advo-
cating the interest of our people. Always for
the people. Honor and excellence,” Magno
said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Earlier reports said Magno filed her
resignation effective Sept. 16, 2023. In
a Facebook post, Magno wrote: “A wise
man told me, if you do your job with in-
tegrity, you will be back in UPSE soon,”
referring to the University of the Philip-
pines School of Economics. Magno had
also posted that “I miss teaching.”
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier
approved the recommendation to impose
mandated price ceilings on rice nation-
wide to ensure the availability of the
staple at a reasonable price.
As an undersecretary at the Depart-
ment of Finance, Magno oversaw theFis-
cal Policy and Monitoring Group, which
is responsible for recommending fiscal
policies, formulating tax reform propos-
als, and forecasting and programming
national government revenues.
The advocacy group Action for Econom-
ic Reforms said Magno was “mostprofes-
sional” and said statements that she “clearly
does not support the administration and its
programs for nation building” and “was
clearly set on maligning [the administration]
to begin with” were baseless and unfair. (See
full story online at manilastandard.net)
At least 280,000 drivers will receive
the one-time cash grant from the
agency, while 930,000 tricycle driver/
operators and an estimated 150,000
delivery service riders will receive
the assistance from the Department of
Interior and Local Government (DILG)
and Department of Information and
Communications Technology (DICT),
respectively.
Panganiban said the government is
aware of the predicament of the retailers,
thus the approval of the P15,000 aid
from the Department of Social Welfare
and Development.
DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian, in
a separate interview, said there are other
government programs being eyed to
PH, Australia sign
strategic pact for
security, economy
THE Philippines and Australia shored
up their security and economic alliance
Friday with the signing of a strategic
partnership, as they seek to counter
China's growing regional influence.
The agreement was finalised fol-
lowing a meeting between Philippine
President Ferdinand Marcos and Aus-
tralian Prime Minister Anthony Alba-
nese in Manila.
Albanese's visit, which marks the
first bilateral talks with an Australian
prime minister in Manila in 20 years,
follows a series of trips by senior mem-
bers of his government to the archipel-
ago nation since Marcos took office in
2022.
Australia is the Philippines' sec-
ond largest partner in defense and one
of only two bilateral partners that has
signed a Visiting Forces Agreement.
Under a strategic partnership, the
countries will seek to expand coopera-
tion in several areas from defence and
security to climate change and education.
"This elevation is an important sym-
bol of the strength of our relationship
and our shared commitment to do more
together," Albanese told officials, diplo-
mats, and reporters after the two leaders
signed the agreement. AFP with Charles
Dantes and Rey Requejo (See full sto-
ry online at manilastandard.net)
10.8k law grads
gearing up for
Bar exams—SC
By Rey E. Requejo
THE Supreme Court announced on Fri-
day that 10,867 law graduates are, so far,
set to take the 2023 online and regional-
ized Bar examinations which will be ad-
ministered by the Supreme Court (SC) on
Sept. 17, 20, and 24.
The SC stressed that the number of
examinees may decrease before the ac-
tual date of the examinations because of
the pending withdrawals by those who
earlier registered.
The examinations will be held in 14
local testing centers (LTCs) nationwide.
In the National Capital Region, the
LTCs will be at the San Beda Univer-
sity, Manila; University of Santo Tomas,
Manila; SBCA; University of the Philip-
pines, Quezon City; Manila Adventist
College, Pasay City; and University of
the Philippines, Bonifacio Global City.
In Luzon, the LTCs will be at Saint
Louis University in Baguio City; Cagayan
State University, Tuguegarao City; and
University of Nueva Caceres, Naga City.
In the Visayas, the University of San
Jose-Recoletos in Cebu City, the Univer-
sity of San Carlos also in Cebu City, and
Dr. V. Orestes Romualdez Educational
Foundation in Tacloban City will be the
LTCs. (See full story online at manil-
astandard.net)
Meralco...
From A1
per kWh due to higher fuel prices and
the peso’s depreciation against the US
dollar, which affected around 30 per-
cent of PSA charges that are dollar de-
nominated.
IPP charges likewise went up by
P0.4776 per kWh due to the same factors.
PSAs and IPPs accounted for 39
percent and 36 percent of Meralco’s to-
tal energy requirement for this period,
respectively.
Charges at the Wholesale Electric-
ity Spot Market (WESM) decreased by
P0.5034 per kWh, mainly due to reduc-
tions in adjustments and other charges.
WESM’s share to Meralco’s re-
quirement was 23 percent this month
from 17 percent in the previous month.
The transmission charge for resi-
dential customers, on the other hand,
registered a slight reduction of P0.0081
per kWh, Meralco said.
The National Grid Corporation of
the Philippines ceased collection of 3
percent national franchise tax as direct-
ed by the ERC starting the September
billing period, but this was offset by
higher ancillary service charges.
Universal charges also registered a
reduction of P0.0239 per kWh while
taxes and other charges increased by
P0.1003 per kWh.
Meralco’s distribution charge, mean-
while, has not moved since the P0.0360
per kWh reduction for a typical residen-
tial customer in August 2022.
help affected retailers.
“I’m sure there are other
government programs. The
Department of Trade and Industry,
for example, can do microfinance.
I know that is one of the mix of
interventions that can be rolled out,”
Gatchalian said.

Garin to DOH:
Follow correct
consultant hiring
By Maricel V. Cruz
and Macon Ramos-Araneta
DEPUTY Majority Leader and Iloilo
Rep. Janette Garin has urged the De-
partment of Health (DOH) to follow the
correct process of hiring consultants.
Garin cautioned the DOH after it
hired a consultant without undergoing
a through search committee, which
will be needed to assess the qualifica-
tions of the applicant.
The House appropriations panel
vice chairperson said it might be a
duplication of the tasks of experts and
program directors working full-time
in DOH.
“Will it not be a duplication of ex-
pertise of the people within the depart-
ment?” Garin asked DOH Secretary
Teodoro Herbosa during the budget de-
liberations of the agency on Wednesday.
“Why don’t we instead align with
specialty societies if we’re talking about
non-communicable diseases? Why don’t
we tap the Philippine Society of Cardi-
ologists, why don’t we tap the Philippine
College of Physicians?” she added.
The lawmaker also raised concerns
over the possible chaos that may arise
if the unqualified consultant has an
opposing view as compared to the ex-
perts of the DOH.
As the country needs more health
workers, Garin also called to mini-
mize unnecessary expenses and hire
more admin staff for the medical as-
sistance program rather than high-
paying consultants.
Herbosa disclosed that DOH has
five consultants as of now.
Meanwhile, barangay health workers
will be protected from their jobs following
the issuance of a circular by the Depart-
ment of Interior and Local Government
(DILG) and the Department of Health,
said Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go.
Go, chairperson of the Senate Com-
mittee on Health and Demography,
commended the DILG and the DOH
for the recent issuance of a Joint Mem-
orandum Circular (JMC).
He branded the JMC as a “right
step” towards recognizing their sig-
nificant contributions to the health of
the country’s communities.
Describing BHWs as heroes, espe-
cially during pandemic, Go stressed
they should be protected in their jobs.
“They are sincerely serving our
community every day. It is just right
they should be afforded safety in
their work and benefits due to them,”
said Go.
Villar: PH tuna
industry to be
given a boost
SENATOR Cynthia Villar has assured
businessmen of the continuous promo-
tion of the country’s tuna industry.
As chairperson of the Senate Agri-
culture and Food, Sen. Villar vowed to
continuously craft and push for enact-
ment into law of measures to propel
the growth of our tuna industry and
fishery sector.
The senator was the guest speaker
at the 23rd Tuna Congress in General
Santos City.
The two-day Tuna Congress at-
tended by industry stakeholders came
up with 24 resolutions which they en-
dorsed to Villar and the House of Rep-
resentatives for drafting of bills and
BFAR and the Mindanao Authority.
The senator commended for this im-
portant event Soccsksargen Federation
of Fishing and Allied Industries with its
President and National Tuna Congress
chairman Dominic Salazar for the impor-
tant gathering. Macon Ramos-Araneta
AGRICULTURE
REACHES
NEW
HEIGHTS.
Agriculturists are
being trained to
operate the T30
Drone which is
used as a modern
farming tool in
Kidapawan City.
Willie A. Clamor
ANTI-DEBT, CLIMATE CHANGE RALLY. Climate activists hold a protest in front of the Ninoy Aquino Monument on Ayala Ave., Makati City, urging, among others, G20 world leaders
to avert climate catastrophe by shifting from fossil fuels to renewable energy. APMDD photos
1m displaced by storms,
3.2k still in evac centers
By Vince Lopez
T
HE National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Council (NDRRMC) on Friday said that based on their
records, the number of individuals affected by tropical
cyclones Goring, Hanna, and Ineng, as well as the southwest
monsoon or habagat, has breached one million.
Meanwhile, the Office of Civil
Defense (OCD) and the NDRRMC
thanked the public, the academe, the
private sector, government agencies, lo-
cal government units, and other stake-
holders for joining the Third Quarter
Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake
Drill (NSED) held Thursday afternoon.
In its latest report, the NDRRMC said
1,084,632 people or 291,545 families
were affected in Ilocos, Cagayan, Cen-
PH advocacy groups join Asia-wide protests ahead of G20 Summit
By Ronald O. Reyes
FILIPINO advocacy groups joined the
Asia-wide protest actions against cli-
mate and debt crises ahead of the Group
of 20 (G20) Summit hosted in New Del-
hi, India, on September 9-10.
“We demand that the G20 govern-
NEWS
tral Luzon, Region IV-A (Calabarzon),
Region IV-B (MIMAROPA), Western
Visayas, Cordillera Administrative Re-
gion (CAR), and the National Capital
Region (NCR).
Of this number, 3,219 individuals or
921 families were staying in 71 evacua-
tion centers, while 740 others or 213 fami-
lies were taking shelter in other places.
A state of calamity was declared in Cor-
on, Palawan; Leganes, Pototan, and Oton in
ments commit to bolder measures to
address the multiple crises, including
mobilizing much-needed resources
through inclusive debt cancellation,
adoption of wealth taxes for spending
on urgent economic and climate action,
and the rechanneling of public funds
away from fossil fuel subsidies towards
Iloilo; Sibalom, San Remigio, and Hamtic
in Antique; and Bago, Bacolod, and San
Enrique in Negros Occidental.
Two persons were reported dead in
Western Visayas and CAR, while two
were missing in Calabarzon and Western
Visayas. Three people were also injured
in Central Luzon and Calabarzon.
Over P996.45 million worth of dam-
ages were reported in the agricultural
sector and P905,69 million in infra-
structures. The National Irrigation
Administration reported P 2.1 million
worth of damages.
Power interruptions were still being
experienced in three of the 52 affected
areas in Western Visayas, the NDR-
RMC said. Water supply problems
were still reported in one of the affect-
ed areas in the same region.
PH-U.S.
EDUCATION
PARTNERSHIP.
United States Agency
for International
Development
mission director
Ryan Washburn and
Education Committee
II executive director
Dr. Karol Mark Yee sign
a memorandum of
understanding for a new
bilateral cooperation on
education. Looking on
are (from left) USAID
Office of Education
director Thomas LeBlanc,
Senator Sherwin
Gatchalian, Pasig City
Representative Roman
Romulo, and USAID
Office of Education
deputy director Yvette
Malcioln. USAID photo
renewable energy systems,” said Lidy
Nacpil, coordinator of Asian Peoples’
Movement on Debt and Development
(APMDD), on Friday.
Similar protests were held in Jakarta,
Dhaka, Kathmandu, Karachi, Lahore
and Colombo.
The groups maintained that G20 coun-
Tulfo slams failed police operation
By Macon Ramos-Araneta
and Vince Lopez
SENATOR Raffy Tulfo has slammed
the Philippine National Police (PNP) for
alleged repeated failure to follow police
operational procedures.
Meanwhile, the PNP released a re-
port offering comparative insights into
the state of criminality in the country
for the period January 1 to September
5, 2022 and 2023.
In particular, the Index Crime Volume
has shown a decrease of 2,514 cases which
translates to an 8.80% decline from 28,558
cases in 2022 to 26,044 cases in 2023.
Due to this. Tulfo filed Senate Reso-
lution No. 767 which seeks to investi-
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2023 A3
mst.daydesk@gmail.com
IN BRIEF
DOTr team tracing
MRT bomb threat
THE Department of Transportation
(DOTr) on Friday assured passengers
of MRT 3 that the mass rail system is
safe notwithstanding a bomb threat.
Upon receipt of an alleged bomb
threat via e-mail early this morning,
Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista
immediately activated an inter-agency
task force to “enhance security deploy-
ment in all transportation sectors.”
The task force consisted of the
DOTR Office for the Office for the
Transportation Security, Depart-
ment of Information and Commu-
nications Technology (DICT) Cy-
bercrime Investigation Coordinating
Center, Philippine National Police
and Railway Security
‘LTO must learn
from license fiasco’
AGRI Party-list Rep. Wilbert T. Lee
on Friday hailed the decision of the
Land Transportation Office (LTO)
to adopt the recommendation of au-
tomatically extending the validity of
driver’s licenses for 12 months.
This comes after delays in the re-
lease of license cards as a result of a
temporary restraining order (TRO)
halting the LTO from utilizing 5.2 mil-
lion plastic cards. Maricel V. Cruz
BARMM hands out
3,910 armchairs
THE Bangsamoro Autonomous Re-
gion in Muslim Mindanao (BAR-
MM) is preparing local children and
youth through education by providing
schools with 3,910 armchairs in three
of its five component provinces.
Minister Mohagher Iqbal said Camp
Darapanan Integrated School which
used to be a military realm for the
Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)
decades ago, was among the schools-
recipient of the BARMM’s Ministry
of Basic, Higher and Technical Educa-
tion’s customized MBHTE-designed
armchairs. Nash B. Maulana
tries together contribute to 75 percent of
global trade and almost 85 percent of the
world’s gross domestic product, while
they also account for 80 percent of world
power sector emissions, with per capita
CO2 from coal power at 1.6 tons in 2022,
up from 1.5 tons in 2015 and significantly
higher than a global average of 1.1 tons.
gate the PNP for alleged abuse, killings,
and human rights violations.
The senator cited several PNP failed
operations, including those in Pandi,
Bulacan and Rogriguez, Rizal.
He recalled the Aug. 12 Pandi in-
cident where police barged inside the
property of Rodelio Vicente, claiming
they were conducting a manhunt for
alias “Elmer.”
Vicente, who sought Tulfo’s help
through his program “Raffy Tulfo in Ac-
tion,” was taken into custody and arrested
for allegedly committing direct assault
and disobedience to a person in authority.
During the operation, the senator said
the police officers were not in uniform,
but wore ski masks.
A4 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2023
mst.daydesk@gmail.com
VIRGIN
MARY’S
DAY.
Various
images of the
Virgin Mary
are exhibited
at San Juan
Nepomuceno
Church in
Malibay, Pasay
City, on Friday,
in time for
the Catholic
Church’s
celebration of
the Feast of
the Nativity
of Mary.
Norman Cruz
Teves seeks to stave off jail time
T
HE camp of expelled Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo
“Arnie” Teves Jr. on Friday said they will look into all
legal options to counter the e-warrant of arrest issued by a
Manila court against the former lawmaker for the alleged killing
of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo.
“We are seriously considering our op-
tions because the appeal, the warrant,
procedurally you ask the higher court…
on a petition of certiorari to say there
was grave abuse of discretion in finding
probable cause,” said Teves’ legal coun-
sel Ferdinand Topacio.
The Department of Justice (DOJ)
announced last August that charges of
murder, frustrated murder, and attempt-
39 BSKE bets
warned about
socmed posts
By Vito Barcelo
THE Commission on Elections has is-
sued show cause orders to 39 barangay
and Sangguniang Kabataan candidates
who may face stiff sanctions, including
disqualification for premature campaign-
ing ahead of the October 30 village polls.
In a radio interview, Comelec chair-
man George Garcia said the candi-
dates were ordered to explain why the
agency “would not file disqualifica-
tion cases against them after the poll
body saw them on social media.”
“The 39 candidates are separate from
the 128 petitions for disqualification
submitted to Comelec after the period
of filing of certificates of candidacy,”
Garcia said over TeleRadyo Serbisyo.
He said there were no complaints
against them, but the commission saw
them on social media.
“There are too many posts on social
media and reported to us through text
messages,” he added.
Garcia said Comelec will issue a de-
cision on the disqualification petitions
before the polls next month.
“We will charge you and will surely
disqualify you since you have already
filed your Certificate of Candidacy
(COC) and are engaging in premature
campaigning, which is prohibited,”
Group says P50 Calabarzon wage hike not enough
By Vito Barcelo
THE Kapatiran ng mga Unyon at Sa-
mahang Manggagawa (Kapatiran)
has rejected the P35 to P50 wage in-
crease for Calabarzon areas, saying it
failed to meet the principal demands
for wage recovery and living wages in
the region which amount ranges from
Poe insists on ‘live selfie’ requirement for SIM reg
By Macon Ramos-Araneta
AS TEXT scams persist despite
the SIM Registration Law, Senator
Grace Poe on Friday renewed her
call for a “live selfie” requirement
to register a SIM card with local
mobile networks.
NEWS
ed murder have been filed against Teves
over the March 4 killing of Degamo and
nine others.
Shortly after, the Manila Regional
Trial Court Branch 51 issued an e-
warrant of arrest against Teves, Angelo
Palagtiw, a certain “Gie Ann” or “Jie
An,” and Capt. Lloyd Cruz Garcia II.
According to Topacio, they have yet
to receive a copy of the DOJ resolution
KALINGA SA MAYNILA. Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna addresses beneficiaries of the “Kalinga sa Maynila” program in Singalong,
Manila on Friday. The one-stop shop delivery of services to the city’s residents includes free medical consultations, free legal assistance, free
notarial services, and job fairs. Norman Cruz
LTO revokes ex-cop Gonzales’ license for 2 years, Fortun wants more
By Rio N. Araja and Vince Lopez
THE Land Transportation Office on
Friday announced the revocation of the
driver’s license of ex-police officer Wil-
fredo Gonzales, who was caught on a
viral video pulling a gun on a cyclist,
for two years.
LTO chief Vigor Mendoza III said
P100 to P750 per day.
The increase, which takes effect on
September 24, sets the new minimum
wage in the region between P385 to P520
for the non-agricultural sector and from
P385 to P479 for the agriculture sector.
“It is too little and it cannot even buy a
kilo of rice. Despite the wage increase,
the real wage value of the minimum wage
Poe prodded concerned agencies
and telecommunications companies
to make selfies a requirement for SIM
registration as deterrence against fraud
and scamming.
She said the selfies, or one’s photo-
graph taken by oneself, should be part
of the implementing rules and regula-
indicting Teves, as well as the order of
the court for an e-warrant of arrest.
“On Monday we will be undertak-
ing more steps in order to secure more
copies, not just the warrant, even the
resolution of the DOJ we will ques-
tion,” he said.
Topacio said they will also study
the possible liabilities that may be
imposed against the panel of prosecu-
tors for supposedly not taking into
account the recantations of the 10 ac-
cused in the killing.
“We want to know why so we can
take the next step, not only with re-
spect to the procedure of going up to
the Court of Appeals (CA) but possibly
Gonzales was culpable for four charges
against him -- reckless driving, obstruc-
tion of traffic, and improper person to
operate a motor vehicle.
“Why only two years? This is so
because such cases are punishable
only up to four years revocation,”
Mendoza added.
Since there was no incident of death
today in Region 4-A is only P428.80,” Ka-
patiran chair Rey Almendras said.
Almendras also criticized the nu-
merous wage classifications in the
region that make enforcement and
compliance very complicated, not-
withstanding the blanket exemption
available for firms employing not
more than 10 workers.
tions (IRR) of Republic Act 11934 or
the SIM Registration Act.
While the SIM Registration law
is already there, the scammers
have continued to deceive people,
as the senator noted that the law
“was made to protect our people
against scammers.”
in seeing whether those prosecutors
who decided it are administratively or
criminally liable for deliberately ignor-
ing certain evidence,” he said.
Teves, who has yet to return to the
country, may be going back and forth
between Timor-Leste, Cambodia, and
Thailand, according to Justice Secre-
tary Jesus Crispin Remulla.
For Topacio, the arrest warrant may
give Teves more reason to not return
due to “unfairness.”
Asked if Teves was considering
returning to the country to face the
charges against him in court, Topacio
said they will first exhaust all remedies
available even without Teves’ presence.
or injury, he said the LTO cannot im-
pose a lifetime revocation of Gonzales’
driver’s license.
“So that is our basis… because there
was no death or injury. What aggravat-
ed the situation is that he pulled out a
gun,” Mendoza emphasized.
But lawyer Raymond Fortun urged
the Philippine National Police to file
KADIWA SA BUCOR. To help the government in providing the public with basic
commodities at affordable prices, the Bureau of Corrections and the Department of Agriculture
launched on Friday its Kadiwa Pop-Up Store inside the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City.
BuCor Director General Gregorio Pio P. Catapang Jr. (left) said the store will sell vegetables,
fruits, eggs, sugar, dried and smoked fish, and eventually rice daily. Joseph Muego
IN BRIEF
NKTI warns vs. illegal
sale of human kidneys
THE National Kidney and Trans-
plant Institute (NKTI) warned the
public against the illegal sale of hu-
man kidneys.
The warning was raised following the
arrest of a broker who had tried to sell
the kidney of a friend on social media.
According to the victim “Carlo”,
he was enticed by the suspect to sell
his kidney for P250,000. He said he
needed the money to pay his rent.
NKTI Deputy Executive Director
for Medical Services Romina Dan-
guilan said illegal organ trafficking
showed the desperation of some pa-
tients looking for a donor as well as
middlemen who were trying to take
advantage of potential donors.
“You can see and you can feel the
desperation of our dialysis patients,
that they don’t like this life of dialysis.
They want to go back to a more nor-
mal life. It’s really a problem,” she said
in a TeleRadyo Serbisyo interview.
Danguilan said the donation of a
kidney should be done freely and not
through financial rewards.
MTRCB told: Step up
campaign vs. indecency
A CONGRESSIONAL leader on
Friday urged the Movie and Televi-
sion Review and Classification Board
(MTRCB) to step up what he referred
to as its “campaign versus indecency”
as he stressed the importance of en-
suring that daytime television shows
should be fit for family viewing.
Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante
Jr, chair of the House Committee on
Human Rights, pointed out that the
MTRCB’s decision to suspend “It’s
Showtime” for 12 airing days “is justi-
fied as it sends a very clear and very
loud message to television show pro-
ducers and artists who oftentimes for-
get that their content is inappropriate
for young viewers.”
Abante stressed: “The MTRCB has
a mandate to protect Filipino audienc-
es against indecency in our airwaves
and to protect our children against
obscenity. They did the right thing.”
Maricel V. Cruz
QC wants 350km
of bike networks
QUEZON City Mayor Joy Belmonte
wants a 350-kilometer bike network
before her second term ends in 2025.
Assistant city administrator Al-
berto Kimpo, in an interview, said
the mayor has instructed him to pro-
vide more bike lanes across the city
that shall provide better stops for cy-
cling facilities linking them to other
modes of public transportation.
In a turnover ceremony at the Qu-
ezon City hall path walk, Kimpo
thanked MBC executive director
Coco Alcuaz, executive vice presi-
dent for external relations Serge
Bernal, and Shell representatives
for their support of the city govern-
ment’s initiative. Rio N. Araja
more cases against Gonzales, a Su-
preme Court employee who was caught
slapping and wielding a firearm against
cyclist Allan Bandiola in Quezon City
last month.
Fortun said he believes that the alarm
and scandal case filed by the Quezon
City police against Gonzales was lack-
ing, citing its lighter penalty.
B1 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2023
Honor Blanco Cabie, Editor
mst.daydesk@gmail.com
‘De-dollarization’
of the US currency
MANY countries are now aching to break away
from the US-controlled financial institutions and
openly manifesting their disgust and contempt
by threatening to join the newly-formed financial
bloc made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and
South Africa, or known as the BRICS.
In the recently concluded meeting of BRICS in
Johannesburg last week, the bloc opted to admit
10 new members.
By 2023, BRICS will accept Saudi Arabia,
Ethiopia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and
Argentina as added members.
The hotly contested issue in the formation of
this international organization is the eagerness
of the members to abandon the US dollar as the
international reserve currency.
To date, the members have yet to arrive at a
consensus of completely junking the US dollar in
favor of an alternative reserve currency.
Some view the US dollar has been around for
almost a century.
Yes, it has brought prosperity but has created
an enormously wide gap between rich and poor
nations.
Development has not been fast as expected,
and, in that situation, the dominance of the US
dollar resulted as the only recognized reserve
currency, and underdeveloped countries have
long suspected is being used to advance US
interest principally through its various financial
institutions like World Bank and the International
Monetary Bank.
The Bretton Woods Agreement created the
World Bank in 1944.
It was the first attempt to financially fix the
To date, the
(BRICS) members
have yet to arrive
at a consensus of
completely junking
the US dollar in favor
of an alternative
reserve currency
value of the US dollar as an international reserve
currency.
Under the Agreement, the US dollar was
pegged at $32 per ounce of gold.
The US then stood as the most powerful nation
on earth considering that it was the only nation
to escape from the ravages of the Second World
War and coming out as the leading industrialized
country manufacturing nearly 70 percent of the
world’s total manufactured goods.
The US managed to corner both the export and
import of goods until it was awakened to realized
that its economy was incurring huge trade deficit
because of the unwinnable Vietnam War in the
70s.
The US never conceived it would incur deficit
despite its involvement in the War.
It was its expenditure in the war that depleted
much of its of income and resources.
President Nixon in 1973 decoupled the US
dollar from the gold standard, meaning other
countries will, from then on, be prohibited from
buying and selling gold.
Instead, the US federal reserve will measure
the value of the dollar on its aggregate GNP which
many considered as rather unique because most
countries based the value of their currency on their
total productive output.
The very concept of just measuring the nation’s
economy through its own GNP was, as some
would say, totally flawed.
It exactly allowed the US to have an unlimited
access to borrow from other countries by issuing
treasury notes which the US guarantees as payable
by its government.
As a result, the US today stands as the world’s
biggest debtor.
The irony is the US borrows from countries it
treated as unfriendly to it.
US is heavily indebted to China, Japan and
Russia where it has imposed sanctions.
In fact, it has even banned Russia from SWIFT
as when the US imposed trade embargo.
This ambivalent posturing of the US, viz in
bolstering its own economy, has put instability to
the US dollar.
This explains why many countries, mostly
members of the BRICS, have been agitating
to drop the dollar as the international reserve
currency.
This is a tectonic shift in geopolitics. In fact,
Grisly case of missing friends haunts tormented Mexican city
LAGOS DE MORENO, Mexico—Bloody
handprints in an abandoned house offer a clue
to the fate of five young Mexicans believed to
have been tortured and murdered by drug cartel
hitmen, traumatizing their community.
The childhood friends have joined more than
111,000 people missing across the country, where
insecurity is expected to be a major topic in next
year’s presidential election.
The five men, aged 19 to 22, are presumed
to have been killed -- but with no proof, their
families are unable to mourn.
“We still hope that the body will be returned to
us for a Christian burial,” said Armando Olmeda,
father of Roberto Carlos.
The 20-year-old engineering student and
boxing fan had planned to leave his home town of
Lagos de Moreno, in the western state of Jalisco,
and move to Canada.
Murders and kidnappings are common in
Mexico, but the five friends’ abduction on August
11 while socializing at a viewpoint shocked the
country.
The reaction was due in large part to grisly
leaked images showing the men kneeling and
gagged with their hands tied.
One clip appeared to show a friend attacking
another, presumably forced by their captors.
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
China and Japan sold 30 percent of their treasury
bonds.
It was through this system of measuring the
value of one’s currency that allowed the US to
borrow from other countries.
In effect, it was the US that measured how
much it can secure for their loans from other
countries by the quick process of printing the
dollar or “quantitative easing” to ease inflation.
Backed up by the formation of the International
Monetary Fund, the World Bank and later by the
creation of the Asian Development Bank, the US
was able to finalize its stronghold of the world
economy.
It was through these US-controlled financial
institutions that made the adjustments and in the
valuation of other countries’ currency.
It was through this system of perpetual
indebtedness that financial institutions coined the
concept being mired in a debt trap.
The US controlled the other countries’
currencies by adjusting their loans.
The easiest way which the US can do is to
pressure states to make a drastic devaluation of
their currency.
That way, indebted countries are forced to
increase their cost of wage consequent to the
decline in the value of their currency. These are
mostly drawn by US banks.
The most blatant of this banking practice is the
limited amount of currency which the client-states
are forced to convert their reserve currency or
limit the amount they need for their developmental
plans.
More than anything else, why should we give
the US treasury the freedom to choose the precious
metal states should base?
To every twist of this change in valuation in
currencies which China say is more of a unilateral
practice has the shade of power hegemonism
amounting to undue collection of fees.
This explains why many of our projects run
short of funds, not to mention the practice of
currency devaluation which eats up the bulk of the
funds.
The US has been complaining that it cannot
compete with China in trade and American
economists argue that Chinese-made products are
simply too cheap to be overwhelmed by US trade
competition.
But American businessmen do realize they
cannot compete under the rules of fair competition.
The Americans now suspect that China is
resorting to unfair trade practices which summarily
accuses that country of illegality.
The US completely forgot or ignores the fact
that China produces more goods at a cheaper price
at a greater volume.
For every stage of China’s manufacturing
capability, Chinese factories come out with a
better quality and much improved products.
Repeatedly, through the import and export
of manufactured goods, China gains in terms of
exports.
Its gains may not be measured in volume but
more on the value of the goods China can deliver
to countries patronizing its products.
This we can surmise because to every
improvement China introduces into its products,
added value are made into them.
Thus, from the time China opened up trade
with the US, the US, as importers, cannot say that
for the last 10 years that it has been importing
the products from China that the latter had not
introduced improvements on their products.
Even if we say that Chinese exports are based
mostly on raw materials such as oil and natural
gas, just the same the value of export will increase
based on the system of an added system of refining
the product, not to mention the increased valuation
of the currency.
This explains why BRICS as a new international
organization has gained clamor for the change of
the US dollar as an international reserve currency.
Any decision by the members of the BRICS
to fix the value of their reserve currency to yuan,
rubble, rupees, or rand or to refer back to precious
metals as in gold would greatly eliminate the US
financial practice of “quantitative easing” or the
printing of its money to ease inflation.
Observing these basic rules in trade, it thus
becomes difficult for the US to impose the rules
governing unfair trade competition without
tangible support of its demand.
For as long as China observes the rules of fair
competition, it would be much difficult for the US
to accuse China of violating the same.
(rpkapunan@gmail.com)
“Nobody deserves that,” said Ana Martinez,
whose brother Jaime is among the missing.
She remembers the 21-year-old as a
football fanatic who gave up his dream of
being a professional player to earn a living in
construction.
“My brother was in the wrong place at the
wrong time,” she said.
Cartel turf war
In the house where the murders are believed
to have taken place, graffiti on the walls reads:
“Welcome MZ.”
It is an apparent reference to Ismael “Mayo”
Zambada, one of the leaders of the Sinaloa
Cartel, which is at war with the rival Jalisco New
Generation gang.
Authorities are still investigating the motives
for the crime, but residents of Lagos de Moreno
have their own theories.
They include forcible gang recruitment and
a show of force by the drug traffickers, said
Mauricio Jimenez, a priest in the city of 112,000
people.
Young Mexicans are the “soldiers” of the
cartels, which use lies to recruit them, he said.
After the friends went missing, authorities
detained 85 people on suspicion of involvement
in crimes such as the disappearance of persons,
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
Era of ‘global boiling’
W
E HEARD the chief of the United Nations
when he spoke recently in New York where he
described the blistering heat across the northern
hemisphere as a “cruel summer.”
Underlying that climate change, a terrifying
episode, is here, United Nations Secretary-
General Antonio Guterres said, “For the entire
planet, it is a disaster,” and noted that short of
a mini-Ice Age, July 2023 shattered records
across the board.
Guterres called for radical action on climate
change, stressing the record-shattering July
temperatures showed Earth has passed from a
warming phase into an “era of global warming.”
He added: “Climate change is here. It is
terrifying. And it is just the beginning. The era
of global warming has ended; the era of global
boiling has arrived.”
Ahead of the Climate Ambition Summit he
is set to host on September 20, Guterres called
on developed countries to commit to achieving
carbon neutrality as close to 2040 as possible,
and for emerging economies as close as possible
to 2050.
The Summit would be participated in by
governments, business, finance, local authorities
and civil society including “first movers and
doers” or those who have geared up to address the
phenomenon.
We see the Summit represents a critical
Critique on the National Security Policy
THE National Security Policy constitutes a
fundamental set of principles meticulously crafted
to steer decision-making processes with a singular
aim: the safeguarding and enhancement of a nation’s
interests, well-being, sovereignty, and territorial
integrity.
It is a guiding compass that aids in the
establishment of priorities, particularly when it
comes to allocating finite resources and striking a
delicate balance between fortifying defenses against
external threats and fortifying defenses against
internal challenges.
This framework is all-encompassing, delving into
a multitude of issues connected to national security.
Moreover, it serves as an overarching blueprint,
offering invaluable direction for the assessment,
enhancement, and formulation of various policies
relating to national security.
At the heart of this crucial policy framework is the
President, entrusted with the profound responsibility
of conceiving and overseeing the National Security
Policy.
The President’s pivotal role stems from the
multifaceted positions as the Head-of-State, Head-of-
Government, and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed
Forces, making the person uniquely positioned to
shape and manage the nation’s security policy.
In practice, the implementation of the NSP is
orchestrated by the National Security Council, a
body that emerges as the principal advisory entity to
the President concerning the seamless coordination
and integration of plans and policies that bear on
national security.
The NSC, with the President at its helm, brings
together a diverse array of Cabinet members and
other officials whose collective expertise and insights
contribute to the formulation of cogent national
security strategies.
In the context of the Philippines, the National
Security Council (known as Sanggunian sa
Pambansang Seguridad in Filipino) plays an
indispensable role.
It stands as the preeminent decision-making hub
for the President, carrying the weighty responsibility
of addressing matters of paramount significance
linked to national security and foreign policy.
Within its ranks, senior national security advisors
and Cabinet officials engage in exhaustive and
comprehensive deliberations, marked by precision
and care, as they navigate the intricate terrain of the
nation’s security concerns.
The NSC is divided into two integral components:
the Council Proper, presided over by the President,
and the National Security Council Secretariat, which
offers essential technical support to the Council. The
Council Proper comprises distinguished officials
from both the Cabinet and Congress.
Notably, the President holds the authority to
extend invitations to government representatives
and private individuals, ensuring a well-rounded and
inclusive forum for tackling the complex tapestry of
national security matters.
The roots of the National Security Council in
the Philippines can be traced back to the Quirino
Authorities are
still investigating the
motives for the crime,
but residents of Lagos
de Moreno have their
own theories
Jalisco security official Ricardo Sanchez told
AFP.
Near the scene of the tragedy, a brickyard
remains cordoned off after the prosecutor’s office
found bones there on August 21.
Experts are investigating whether they are
remains of the missing men.
The case has stunned young people in Lagos
de Moreno, home to a thriving dairy industry and
charming colonial buildings and flower-filled
parks honored as a UNESCO World Heritage
Site.
Board Member & Chief Legal Adviser
Anita F. Grefal Treasury Manager
Baldwin R. Felipe Head—Ad Solutions
Circulation Manager
EDITORIAL
Populations
that are the least
responsible for the
climate crisis are
suffering from its
impacts and need
immediate help to
adapt and recover
from loss and
damage
political milestone for demonstrating that there
is collective global will to accelerate the pace
Administration, when it was officially established
through Executive Order 330 in 1950. Acknowledging
the imperative need to adapt to the evolving national
security and foreign policy landscapes, the NSC
underwent significant reorganization under EO 115
in 1986, a move aimed at ensuring its continued
relevance and efficacy in modern times.
The historical backdrop reveals the genesis
of the Philippines’ national security program.
Commonwealth Act 1 set in motion the creation of
a Council of National Defense, tasked with offering
guidance to the President on matters of national
defense policy.
This council embodied a comprehensive and
knowledgeable advisory body, a precursor to the
NSC.
The 1987
Constitution of the
Philippines ushered in
a paradigm shift by
introducing civilian
control over the
military
Following World War II and the Philippines’
ascent to sovereignty, President Elpidio Quirino
bestowed official recognition upon this advisory
body, naming it the National Security Council.
The 1987 Constitution of the Philippines ushered
in a paradigm shift by introducing civilian control
over the military, designating the President as the
Commander-in-Chief, and positioning the President
at the helm of the National Security Council as the
primary policy-making and advisory authority for
national defense.
(Editor’s Note: Article II, Sec 8 of the 1973
Constitution, says “Civilian authority is at all
times supreme over the military.” And the 1935
Constitution also provides, under Section 3, Article
I1: “Civilian authority is, at all times, supreme over
the military. The Armed forces of the Philippines is
the protector of the people and the State. Its goal is to
secure the sovereignty of the State and the integrity
of the national territory.”)
In 1986, during the tenure of President Corazon
Aquino, critical changes were instituted, which
included the establishment of the National Security
Council director and the Secretariat, enhancing the
NSC’s organizational structure and functionality.
However, in the early 1990s, the NSC convened
on a limited basis, holding only two meetings during
that period, while the Department of National
Defense assumed primary responsibility for national
“Being young in Lagos and going out at night
is like putting a gun in your mouth,” said one
student.
The city, where criminals watch every corner,
has registered more than 400 missing persons
since 2009.
Many are believed to have ended up in
clandestine graves and crematoria, or their
remains dissolved in acid.
The police “are conspicuous by their absence,”
complained a local union leader who did not want
to be named, reporting a sharp drop in business.
Search for bodies
Jalisco has the most missing persons among
Mexico’s 32 states—around 15,000 since 1962.
Most disappearances happened after the
launch of a controversial military anti-drug
offensive in 2006.
Since then, the country’s murder rate has
tripled to 25 per 100,000 inhabitants.
In June, authorities reported finding at least
45 bags containing human remains in a ravine
in Zapopan, a suburb of Jalisco’s capital city
Guadalajara.
Relatives in the state continue searching for
their missing loved ones using picks and shovels.
Jose Servin, who has been looking for his
son Raul since 2018, uses a rod and his sense of
Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher
Chin Wong Associate Editor
Joyce Pangco Pañares Managing Editor
Jimbo Owen Gulle News Editor
Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board
and scale of a just transition to a more equitable
renewable-energy based, climate-resilient global
economy.
Doubtless, climate change is the crucial issue
of our time and we are at a defining moment.
From shifting weather patterns that threaten
food production, to rising sea levels that increase
the risk of catastrophic flooding, the impacts
of climate change are global in scope and
unprecedented in scale.
The “destruction” unleashed by humanity
“must not inspire despair, but action,” Guterres
said, warning that to prevent the worst outcomes
humanity “must turn a year of burning heat into a
year of burning ambition.”
The latest scientific assessment by the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has
once more highlighted the urgency to act.
The damage from the climate crisis is
extensive, and global greenhouse gas emissions
remain at record levels.
The world needs immediate and deep
reductions in emissions now, and over the course
of the next three decades, to limit global warming
to 1.5°C degrees above pre-industrial levels and
prevent the worst impacts.
Meanwhile, populations that are the least
responsible for the climate crisis are suffering
from its impacts and need immediate help to adapt
and recover from loss and damage.
As authorities have pointed out, this is an
issue of equity and climate justice which requires
immediate attention from governments and
international financial institutions.
EAGLE EYES
security, with a civilian Secretary of National
Defense advising the President on defense matters.
In 2002, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
reconvened the NSC to address a pressing issue—the
deployment of U.S. soldiers in the Philippines as part
of the global war on terrorism.
This decision underscored the Philippines’
commitment to supporting the United States in
combating terrorism, aligning with a UN Security
Council resolution, and upholding the strategic
alliance between the Philippines and the United
States.
In 2016, President Rodrigo Duterte breathed
new life into the NSC, convening it to deliberate on
key initiatives, including the war on illegal drugs,
peace negotiations with rebel groups, and territorial
disputes with China.
The composition of the National Security Council
is delineated in the Administrative Code of 1987.
It encompasses the President as chairman, the
Vice President, Secretaries of Foreign Affairs,
Executive Secretary, National Defense, Justice,
Labor and Employment, Local Governments, the
National Security Director, and the Chief of Staff of
the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
The President is also vested with the authority
to appoint additional government officials and
private individuals to the Council, thereby ensuring
flexibility in its structure and harnessing diverse
expertise.
In 1992, President Fidel Ramos expanded
the Council’s membership to include additional
Secretaries and government officials.
However, in 2001, President Gloria Macapagal
Arroyo reverted the Council to its current
composition.
The core mission of the NSC is to provide counsel
and guidance to the President, forging alignment
among domestic, foreign, and military policies in the
realm of national security.
It stands as the central instrument for orchestrating
and harmonizing these policies across government
departments and agencies, fostering a cohesive and
united approach to national security matters.
All told, the National Security Council occupies a
pivotal and indispensable position in the Philippines.
It functions as the guardian of the nation’s security
interests, safeguarding them with unwavering
commitment and ensuring a meticulously coordinated
response to both domestic and international security
challenges.
In the next two columns, I will provide a critique
of the most recent iteration of our national security
policy.
smell to look for human remains in an abandoned
house.
He continued his search despite a halt called
by authorities after an explosives attack on a
police patrol in July left six people dead in a
Guadalajara suburb.
Authorities said at the time that the patrol was
responding to a report from a member of a group
searching for missing relatives.
In Lagos de Moreno, the five friends’
disappearance has reopened old wounds.
Ana Teresa Hernandez’s 19-year-old
son Angel was murdered in 2013, his body
disintegrated in acid.
She cannot sleep thinking about the pain of the
latest victims, which reminds her of Angel.
Only one of his bones was returned to her,
which she gave up anyway to be used as DNA
evidence.
“It’s a wound that pains me every hour,” she
said.
The father of Roberto Carlos, named after
the Brazilian footballer, hopes that his healing
process will begin when his son is found.
Meanwhile, he plans to keep working to take
his mind off the devastating loss.
“We need to continue living and alleviating
the pain,” he said. AFP
Honor Blanco Cabie Opinion Editor
Lino M. Santos Chief Photographer
B2 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2023

mst.daydesk@gmail.com WORLD
Hong Kong flooded
by heaviest rainfall
in nearly 140 years
ONG KONG – Hong Kong was flooded by the

H heaviest rainfall in nearly 140 years on Friday,

leaving the city’s streets and some subway stations
under water and forcing its schools to close.
Just across the border, authorities in
China’s tech hub Shenzhen recorded
the heaviest rains since records began
in 1952.
Climate change has increased the in-
tensity of tropical storms, experts say,
with more rain and stronger gusts lead-
ing to flash floods and coastal damage.
The heavy rainfall in Hong Kong
started on Thursday and in the hour
leading up to midnight, the city’s weath-
er observatory recorded hourly rainfall
Secretary Eric Chan described the deluge
as “a once-in-a-century heavy rainstorm,”
adding that extreme conditions would con-
tinue until midnight local time.
“It’s like putting four bathtubs of wa-
ter into one bathtub... it will spill,” Chan
said, when asked if the government had
done enough to prevent flooding.
The Hong Kong Observatory said HEAVIEST IN 140 YEARS. A man takes a photo of a flooded road in Hong Kong on Friday. Record rainfall in the city caused
it recorded more than 600 millimeters widespread flooding in the early hours, disrupting road and rail traffic just days after the city dodged major damage from a super
of rainfall at its headquarters over 24 typhoon. AFP
hours—roughly a quarter of the city’s

Cyclone-hit Brazil braces for new storms

of 158.1 millimeters at its headquarters,
the highest since records began in 1884.
“It’s absolutely shocking,” said
Jacky, 52, who lives in the Wong Tai
Sin district with his elderly parents. “I
don’t remember floods ever being this
bad in our district.”
“The bottom floor of the mall is com-
pletely flooded, the water level is higher
than the storefronts... it’s turned our day
into chaos,” he added.
Authorities issued flash flood warn-
ings, with emergency services conducting
rescue operations in parts of the territory.
“Residents living in close proximity
to rivers should stay alert to weather
conditions and should consider evacu-
ation” if their homes are flooded, the
observatory said.
It also warned of potential landslips,
telling motorists to “keep away from
steep slopes or retaining walls”.
Hong Kong’s stock exchange can-
celed all trading sessions on Friday.
At a press conference, Hong Kong Chief
average annual rainfall.
On Friday afternoon, the Hospital
Authority said at least 110 were hospi-
talized due to injuries, with four in seri-
ous condition.
Earlier in the day, taxis struggled
through flooded roads as commuters
attempted to make their way to work,
with some cars stranded in the deluge.
“It felt like the whole neighborhood
was isolated by the floodwater. One of the
underground car parks is totally underwa-
ter,” Olivia Lam, who lives on the eastern
side of Hong Kong Island, told AFP.
“The water was almost waist-deep
outside my building, and that’s not the
worst (case) in the neighborhood.”
An AFP reporter saw boulders and mud
from a landslide block off a two-lane road
in the Shau Kei Wan district.
“It’s a bit of a painful experience,”
Eli, a stranded commuter, told AFP,
adding that he had “no chance” of mak-
ing it to his destination on the south side ing a meteorologist.
of Hong Kong Island.AFP
ROCA Sales, Brazil – Brazil is bracing merged whole neighborhoods in Rio “This was no flood, it was a tsunami,
for new storms just days after a devas- Grande do Sol, forcing many people to a cyclone, which passed through here
tating cyclone killed at least 41 people climb onto roofs while awaiting rescue. and took everything. There is nothing
in the country’s south, officials said More than 10,500 people were forced left,” said the 75-year-old.
Thursday (Friday in Manila). to leave their homes in 83 municipali- Brazil is not used to cyclones, but it is
Twenty-five people remain missing af- ties hit by the cyclone. becoming “more and more frequent” for
ter an extratropical cyclone this week hit Almost a thousand rescuers and a them to make landfall in the country, ac-
the state of Rio Grande do Sul, which is dozen helicopters were involved in cording to Francis Lacerda, a researcher
also the target of the new weather system. rescue efforts that continued Thursday, at the Pernambuco State Agronomy In-
An estimated 9.5 million of Brazil’s complicated by the destruction of two stitute’s Climate Change Laboratory.
203 million people live in areas at high bridges and 16 roads fully or partially Unchecked urbanization and irregular
risk of flooding or landslides. blocked, officials said. housing built on hillsides are also mak-
Late Thursday, “a cold front will ad- In the hard-hit town of Roca Sales, ing weather disasters deadlier in Brazil,
vance along the border with Uruguay residents with picks and shovels were experts say.
and will reinforce instabilities in the trying to recover whatever possessions In June, another cyclone left 13 dead
southern regions of the state, expand- they could from destroyed homes. in Rio Grande do Sul and forced thou-
ing to northern areas between Thursday “Everything fell apart. I never saw sands of people from their homes.
night and early Friday,” according to a anything like it here. It was crazy,” resi- And in February, 65 people died in
CYAN
warning from theMAGENTA YELLOW
state government, cit- BLACK
dent Nelson Noll told AFP, pointing to landslides caused by record flooding in
a now-empty space where three houses the southeastern resort town of Sao Sebas-
Flooding from the earlier storm sub- previously stood. tiao, on the coast of Sao Paulo state. AFP

China premier
AFFIDAVIT OF SELF-
ADJUDICATION BY
SOLE HEIR NEW CHAPTER.
Notice is hereby given
This picture taken the other

that the estate of the late
Jacqueline Cañizares
Salayo who passed away on
March 13, 2022 in Quezon
meets Widodo,
day and released by North
Korea’s official Korean Central
News Agency Friday shows

vows deeper ties

City, Philippines has been
extrajudicially settled to Cesar
Rupert Cañzares Salayo. The
deceased left a condominium
new submarine No. 841, named
unit at 9A Embassy Terrace
Homes, Brgy Pasong Tamo
Quezon City and among
others, before Notary Public
Atty Rosalinda Adriano
Montenegro as per Doc no.
171, page no. 35, book no. 1,
series of 2023.
(MS-SEPT. 2/9/16, 2023)
the unveiling ceremony of the
the Hero Kim Kun Ok, at an
undisclosed location in North
JAKARTA—Chinese Premier Li
Korea—as part of its effort
to strengthen its naval force, Qiang met Indonesia’s president for
the state news agency KCNA talks Friday, agreeing to boost coop-
reported. AFP eration and trade including expanding
imports from Southeast Asia’s big-
gest economy, Chinese state media
reported.
Li met with Joko Widodo in the In-
donesian capital Jakarta after leaders’
summits this week with the 10-mem-
ber Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) bloc which was
snubbed by President Xi Jinping.
The Chinese premier said Beijing
would deepen practical cooperation

North Korea launches new ‘tactical nuke attack submarine’
SEOUL—North Korea has launched
its first “tactical nuclear attack subma-
rine” as part of its effort to strengthen
its naval force, state media said Friday.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un
presided over the unveiling ceremony
on Wednesday, saying the sub was part
of a “push forward with the nuclear
weaponization of the Navy,, according
to state news agency KCNA.
Images in state media showed Kim,
wearing a light suit and sun hat, speak-
ing to white-uniformed sailors next to
the submarine, whose bow was deco-
rated with the North Korean flag.
The launch of submarine No.
841—named the Hero Kim Kun
Ok—“heralded the beginning of a
new chapter for bolstering up the na-
val force of the DPRK”, KCNA said,
referring to the abbreviation of North
Korea’s formal name.
Kim said the sub “will perform its
combat mission as one of core under-
water offensive means of the naval
force of the DPRK”, the agency added.
North Korea will turn its existing
submarines into attack vessels equipped
with nuclear weapons, Kim said.
On Thursday, KCNA said Kim in-
spected the submarine as it prepared
for a test cruise, and entered it “to ac-
quaint himself with its weapon system
and underwater operation capability”.
During the launch ceremony, which
involved confetti and balloons, Kim
stressed “the strategic and tactical plan
to continuously enhance the moderni-
ty of underwater and surface forces”,
KCNA said.
North Korea has conducted a record
number of weapons tests this year, and
last month failed in its second attempt
to put a spy satellite into orbit.
Seoul and Washington have ramped
up defense cooperation in response,
staging joint military exercises with ad-
vanced stealth jets and US strategic as-
sets, and holding naval drills with Japan.
According to the Nuclear Threat Ini-
tiative, a US-based think tank, North
Korea is estimated to have between 64
and 86 submarines, one of the world’s
largest fleets.
However, experts doubt if all of
them are operational given their age,
according to NTI. AFP
and strategic mutual trust with Jakarta
including expanding imports of bulk
commodities, and agricultural and
fishery products, Xinhua state news
agency reported.
He told Widodo that Beijing would
work with Jakarta on several new
joint flagship projects of its Belt and
Road Initiative that would push rela-
tions to a new level, Xinhua reported.
He also said China was ready to
work with Indonesia to prepare for
the operation of a high-speed railway
funded by Beijing that is set to open
later this year after delays, running
from capital Jakarta to the Javan city
of Bandung.
Li trialled the train with senior In-
donesian minister Luhut Pandjaitan
earlier in the week before its official
opening in October. AFP

Biden’s Vietnam trip aimed at reining in China

HANOI, Vietnam—President Joe
Biden arrives in Vietnam on Sunday
on a mission to bolster US influence,
but the heavy emphasis on counter-
ing rival China will likely confine hu-
man rights concerns to the margins.
Biden will become the latest in
an unbroken line of US presidents
since Bill Clinton in 2000 to visit the
Southeast Asian former foe.
The trip also includes a poignant visit
by Biden to the memorial to his friend
John McCain, the former US senator
shot down and held captive during the
Vietnam War who in later years helped
rebuild ties between the two countries.
The underlying goal will be much
the same as during Biden’s time at
the G20 summit in New Delhi this
week—to shore up support against
China’s growing influence.
“For decades, the US and Vietnam
have worked to overcome a painful
shared legacy of the Vietnam War,”
National Security Advisor Jake Sul-
livan told a briefing this week.
“This visit is a remarkable step in
the strengthening of our diplomatic
ties, and it reflects the leading role
that Vietnam will play in our growing
network of partnerships in the Indo-
Pacific as we look to the future,” he
said, using another term for the Asia-
Pacific region.
On Sunday in Hanoi, the 80-year-
old US president will meet the lead-
er of Vietnam’s ruling Communist
Party, Nguyen Phu Trong, the White
House said.
There will be a welcome ceremo-
ny, speeches by the two leaders and a
press conference by the US president
—who on Tuesday awarded the top
US military honor to a helicopter pi- POIGNANT MEMORY. A woman cycles Friday past a sculpture depicting the capture of
lot who rescued four soldiers during the late US Navy pilot and politician John McCain, when his fighter jet was shot down
the Vietnam War. AFP in 1967 during the Vietnam War, next to Truc Bach Lake in Hanoi. AFP
 BUSINESS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2023
extrastory2000@gmail.com
B3

US interest rates PSEi September 8, 2023

in ‘good place’ TOP GAINERS
but more hikes LAST
PRICE CHANGE
%
CHANGE
may be needed 1 IPO 6.9 1.09 18.76%
2 LODE 0.55 0.075 15.79%
WASHINGTON, United States—
High US interest rates are doing 3 NRCP 0.45 0.055 13.92%
their job in the fight against inflation, 4 ROX 0.74 0.09 13.85%
but more hikes may yet be needed,
senior US Federal Reserve officials 5 T 0.57 0.05 9.62%
said Thursday.
The comments from three regional 6 LSC 0.59 0.05 9.26%
Fed presidents with a vote on setting 7 LCB 0.091 0.006 7.06%
interest rates will likely solidify
expectations that the US central 8 WPI 0.385 0.025 6.94%
bank intends to hold rates steady
later this month amid growing signs 9 MPI 5.16 0.31 6.39%
of weaker labor market conditions.
The Fed has raised its benchmark
10 APL 0.017 0.001 6.25%
lending rate 11 times over the past
CHILI FACTORY. In this photo taken on September 7, 2023, workers load chili peppers into baskets in a chili drying factory in
TOP LOSERS
18 months to a level not seen for 22
years as it grapples with inflation Bijie city, in China’s southwest Guizhou Province. AFP
still stubbornly above its long-run

Stocks climb after release

target of two percent. LAST %
After rapidly raising interest rates PRICE CHANGE CHANGE
last year, the Fed slowed down the
pace of its hikes over the summer, 1 ECP 2.72 -0.47 -14.73%

of PH unemployment data
holding rates steady in June and
then raising them by just 25 basis 2 FPI 0.2 -0.03 -13.04%
points in July. 3 ABSP 3.08 -0.3 -8.88%
Traders currently put the chances
of a September pause at more than 4 MACAY 5.56 -0.45 -7.49%
90 percent, according to data from
CME Group. 5 IPM 4.5 -0.3 -6.25%
Skip ‘could be appropriate’ By Jenniffer B. Austria the Philippines and South Korea, which meeting on September 20.
6 WEB 1.74 -0.11 -5.95%
“Another skip could be could boost investments, employment and Markets largely expect data-driven
US officials to keep rates on hold at a 7 ANI 3.2 -0.16 -4.76%

L
appropriate when we meet later this OCAL stocks overall economic growth.
month,” Dallas Fed President Lorie Meanwhile, Asian markets sank again two-decade high, having seen inflation
Logan told a conference in Dallas returned to positive Friday after another report pointing come down in response to more than a 8 PSE 162 -8 -4.71%
on Thursday, according to prepared territory Friday after to a resilient US jobs market added to year of hikes and signs of a softening
9 PNX3B 22.8 -1.05 -4.40%
remarks. the misery for investors who fear the labor market.
the government reported Federal Reserve is not finished with its
“But skipping does not imply However, the latest set of strong 10 CTS 0.75 -0.03 -3.85%
stopping,” she continued, adding improved employment data. campaign of monetary tightening. readings -- including on the services

that “further evaluation of the data
and outlook could confirm that
we need to do more to extinguish
inflation.”
The Fed should keep the “water
bucket” of future interest rate
hikes close at hand in case inflation
returns, and “must not hesitate to
use it as necessary,” she said.
Logan’s support for a possible
September pause echoes comments
from Fed Governor Christopher
Waller earlier this week in which
he suggested that data showing a
weakening jobs market meant the
Fed should “proceed carefully.”AFP
Climate change pushes Bordeaux winemakers to harvest at night
MARCILLAC, France—In France’s
southern Bordeaux region, the grape
MOST ACTIVE
The losses extended a sell-off sector and jobs -- and a surge in oil
The benchmark Philippine Stock endured for most of the week as various prices have sparked fears the Fed will
Exchange index climbed 39.87 points, indicators suggested the world’s top announce one more hike before the end
or 0.64 percent, to close at 6,222.94, economy was in rude health and the of the year or keep borrowing costs
VOLUME VALUE (PHP)
while the broader all-shares index rose battle against inflation was still far elevated for an extended period, risking
13.24 points to settle at 3,360.23. from won, while Chinese data showed a recession. 1 BDO 3,170,620 419,546,971
Philstocks Financial Inc. research continued weakness. Those worries were compounded
engagement officer Claire Alviar It followed a tough day on Wall Thursday by news that jobs claims came 2 GTCAP 534,820 312,757,220
said investors welcomed reports that Street, which was also hit by a sharp in below forecasts last week.
employment rate in July remained strong drop in Apple fueled by concerns about “The higher-for-longer interest rate 3 BPI 1,795,030 190,652,665
at 95.2 percent, while unemployment China’s decision to ban government narrative and the inevitable lag effect 4 ALI 6,789,500 190,056,230
rate eased to 4.8 percent in July from departments from using iPhones. of monetary policy create uncertainty
5.2 percent a year ago. Traders are now gearing up for around the Federal Reserve’s ability to 5 SMPH 6,211,300 186,141,460
RCBC chief economist Michael policy decisions by major central banks steer its monetary policies precisely,”
Ricafort said investors also cheered the towards the end of the month, with the said Stephen Innes at SPI Asset 6 SM 222,260 183,215,735
signing of free trade agreement between Fed concluding a much-anticipated Management. With AFP 7 JFC 680,730 158,178,976
8 AEV 3,172,800 153,455,580
9
10
BLOOM
ICT
11,057,500
504,330
125,121,012
104,832,390

US ‘carefully’
A worker drives a
harvest is often now done at night to tractor during a
ensure the peak freshness required to grape harvesting

monitoring China
obtain the best wine but this is also a before sunrise at
response to climate change. the Tutiac vineyards
With the country sweltering in a in Val-de-Livenne,

economy amid
late heatwave, it is 20 degrees Celsius southwestern France,
(68 degrees Fahrenheit) at five in the on September 6,
morning as a harvester crawls along 2023. Better for the

a row of vines, powerful headlights
helping guide its way through the
darkness.
“Harvesting at night is done for the
quality of the grapes, their freshness
and taste,” said the driver, Loic
Malherbe, who has been at it for three
hours already.
“It isn’t bad, it’s just life at a different
rhythm... It’s better for the equipment
and for people.”
It is already a common practice in
several winemaking countries with
hot summers but one that is likely to
become even more common as climate
change accelerates.
Harvesting at night can also help
financially strapped growers save
money, according to Kees Van
Leeuwen, a professor of viniculture at
Bordeaux Sciences Agro university.
It means they can skip refrigerating
grapes while they are being hauled to
be pressed, he explained.
“If harvesting is done at night the
temperature of the grapes is lower,
especially compared to the very hot
days we’ve had this week,” he said.
Dry ice
The harvester dumps the merlot
grapes into bins which the vineyard’s
owner Stephane Heraud hitches to his
tractor to haul to the cooperative.
“It’s been 15 years that we’ve
harvested the whites and the roses at
night, and maybe one day we’ll do that
for the reds as well,” said Heraud, who
also heads the cooperative Vignerons de
Tutiac.
“If we harvested at night, we’d have
wine that is more oxidised, which in
terms of taste is not nearly as nice.”
Heraud climbs up onto his tractor and
spreads dry ice (-80C, -112F) onto the
grapes.
This not only helps keep the grapes
cool but reduces the oxygen level in
the bins as he drives to the cooperative,
which is the largest in one of France’s
protected designation regions with 500
growers.
Tutiac has specialized in roses and
accounts for nearly a third of the total
produced in the Bordeaux region.
Its pesticide-free rose caused a stir
at a blind tasting conducted by the
French wine magazine La Revue des
vins de France, being placed fourth
among roses from the Provence region
which traditionally take top marks in the
category.
Earlier harvests
That night, growers were expected
to dump some 500 tonnes of grapes
into the various stainless-steel tanks at
the wine press, enough to make half a
million bottles of wine.
Tutiac’s chief oenologist Paul Oui
said consumers like roses that are light
colored and clear.
To achieve that “you have to limit
the transfer of the color from the skin
to the juice and the earlier and cooler
we harvest the more we can limit the
transfer”, he said.
Night harvesting is already common
in Australia and California due to the
heat, and the practice is spreading in
mechanics, better
for the picker...
and better for the
rosé: the harvest
is carried out at
night to preserve
the freshness of the
grapes, a practice
that is becoming
more widespread
in the face of global
warming. AFP
the Bordeaux region according to Van
Leeuwen.
“For whites and roses, one can
imagine that it will become common
practice,” said the specialist.
Nor did he exclude that it might one
day concern grapes for red wine, which
account for 85 percent of Bordeaux’s
production.
Rising temperatures make grapes
mature faster and push the harvest
sooner and into warmer periods, and
Heraud confirmed that harvests were
indeed happening sooner and sooner.
“I remember when I was small
watching my parents harvesting in
November,” he said.
“Last year, we were finished on
September 30...,” he added.
“Anyone who says climate change isn’t
real isn’t a Bordeaux winemaker.” AFP
growth concerns
NEW DELHI, India—The United
States is “carefully” monitoring
China’s challenges, US Treasury
Secretary Janet Yellen said Friday, as
the slowdown in the world’s second
largest economy raises concerns for
global growth.
Many are worried about the Asian
giant’s struggles, with the threat of
recession in Europe and high inflation
in many major economies contributing
to a plunge in demand for Chinese
goods.
“China faces a variety of both short
and longer term global challenges,
economic challenges that we’ve been
monitoring carefully,” Yellen told
reporters in New Delhi, ahead of a
two-day G20 summit.
“That said, China has quite a bit
of policy space to address these
challenges,” she added.
China’s President Xi Jinping will
miss the leaders’ meeting at a time
of heightened trade and geopolitical
tensions with the United States and
India, with which it shares a long and
disputed border.
China’s challenges included “less of
a pick up in consumer spending that
had been anticipated in the aftermath
of the Covid restrictions, as well as
long standing issues with respect to
the property sector and... debt related

Global rice prices hit 15-year high in August after India curbs—FAO report
PARIS, France—Global rice prices reached a 15-year
high in August after top exporter India banned some
overseas sales of the grain, the Food and Agriculture
Organization said Friday.
While global food prices eased in August, those
of rice rose 9.8 percent compared to the previous
month, “reflecting trade disruptions in the aftermath
of a ban on Indica white rice exports by India”, the
FAO said in a monthly report.
“Uncertainty about the ban’s duration and concerns
over export restrictions caused supply-chain actors
to hold on to stocks, re-negotiate contracts or stop
making price offers, thereby limiting most trade to
small volumes and previously concluded sales,” the
UN agency said.
Rice is a major world food staple and prices on
international markets have soared in the wake of the
Covid pandemic, the war in Ukraine and the impact
of the El Nino weather phenomenon on production
levels.
India announced in July a ban on exports of non-
basmati white rice, which account for around a
quarter of its total.
The consumer affairs and food ministry said
at the time that the move would “ensure adequate
availability” and “allay the rise in prices in the
domestic market.”
India accounts for more than 40 percent of all
global rice shipments.
The ban was expected to hit African nations,
Turkey, Syria and Pakistan, all of which were
already struggling with high inflation, data analytics
firm Gro Intelligence warned in a note in July.
The Philippines, one of the world’s top importers
of rice, reached a five-year agreement with Vietnam
on Thursday to buy rice.
World rice stocks are forecast to reach an all-time
high of 198.1 million tons, with India and China
holding nearly three quarter of this volume like in
previous seasons, according to the FAO.
This total represents around 38 percent of rice
consumption forecast over the same period. AFP
to that”, she said.
G20 host India overtook its northern
neighbor as the world’s most populous
country earlier this year, and Yellen
added that China’s “labor force is
beginning to shrink”.
Xi’s absence will impact
Washington’s bid to keep the G20
the main forum of global economic
cooperation and its efforts towards
a financing push for developing
countries.
That includes a plan to increase World
Bank and International Monetary Fund
lending power for emerging nations by
some $200 billion as a better alternative
to Beijing’s “coercive” Belt and Road
Initiative. AFP

B4 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2023
Roderick T. dela Cruz, Editor
Alena Mae S. Flores, Assistant Editor
business@manilastandard.net
extrastory2000@gmail.com
Gov’t debt rises to all-time high of P14.2t
By Julito G. Rada
HE national government debt climbed to a record
T P14.24 trillion as of end-July 2023 from the
previous month’s P14.15 trillion on increased
public borrowing to finance the budget deficit, the Bureau
of the Treasury said Friday.
“The NG’s [national government’s]
total debt stock increased by P96.44 bil-
lion or 0.7 percent month-over-month,
primarily due to the net issuance of do-
mestic securities,” the Treasury said in
a statement.
IN BRIEF
Metrobank named best
domestic lender again
METROPOLITAN Bank and Trust Company was
recognized for the second time as the country’s
best domestic bank for its strong financial perfor-
mance and financial education efforts at the 2023
Asiamoney Best Bank Awards.
This is the second time that Metrobank re-
ceived the award from the international finance
magazine, after 2021 at the height of the pandem-
ic. The publication said Metrobank’s exceptional
performance versus competitors, success in grow-
ing its market share and remarkable strategy to
cope with difficult or changing market conditions
earned the bank the title.
Metrobank, amid the reopening of the econ-
omy in 2022, committed to enabling Filipinos –
both individuals and businesses to take advantage
of the gradual economic recovery. This fueled the
bank’s performance across the board.
“The previous fiscal year posed many chal-
lenges for banks and other financial institutions
as the world’s economies were not yet fully re-
covered from the pandemic. Despite this hurdle,
Metrobank still posted an all-time high profit of
P32.8 billion in 2022, a significant 47.9-percent
growth from its P22.2 billion income in 2021. The
bank also saw gains across the board with rising
loans, increased profit margins, substantial fee in-
come levels, well-controlled operating expenses,
lowered provisions and stable asset quality,” said
Asiamoney.
DBP bags five awards
for investment deals
STATE-OWNED Development Bank of the Phil-
ippines won five awards from an association of
investment houses for its contributions in advanc-
ing the development of capital markets, a top ex-
ecutive said Friday.
DBP president and chief executive Michael
de Jesus said the Investment House Association
of the Philippines cited the bank for its support
to various public-private sector undertakings that
promoted innovation in the areas of infrastruc-
ture, agriculture and tourism.
“We are grateful to IHAP for recognizing
DBP’s critical role as an essential developer and
driver of the Philippine capital markets,” de Jesus
said. “We are committed to formulating new and
innovative ways to support investment transac-
tions that will boost critical sectors such as infra-
structure, agriculture, and tourism.”
DBP is the eighth largest bank in the country
in terms of assets and provides strategic financing
support to critical economic sectors such as infra-
structure and logistics, micro, small and medium
enterprises, social services, and the environment.
IHAP is a non-stock, non-profit organization
established in 1974 to raise public awareness on
the investment houses in the country and their
contribution in the growth of Philippine busi-
nesses and the economy through the development
of the capital markets.
Meralco’s Giga Summit
invites nuclear power experts
MERALCO Power Academy is bringing together
more than 30 local and international power indus-
try experts for the first Giga Summit on Sustain-
able Energy, Energy Efficiency and Future Grid
that will take place from Sept. 11 to 13 at The
Fifth at Rockwell in Makati City. The summit
aims to foster knowledge exchange among indus-
try leaders, policymakers and experts from across
the globe and become a platform for exchanging
insights, shaping power and energy trends and
sharing best practices.
The sustainable energy discussions on the first
day will revolve around accelerating the transition
towards cleaner and more progressive sources of
energy that benefit both people and the planet.
This will feature nuclear power experts includ-
ing Canada-based Filipino nuclear scientist Dr.
Francisco Dimayuga of Atomic Energy of Canada
Limited, Ultra Safe Nuclear Corp. executive vice
president Roland Backhaus, University of Cali-
fornia Berkeley director of international partner-
ships for College of Engineering Dr. Matthew
Sherburne and University of Illinois Urbana-
Champaign director of Illinois Microreactor R&D
Center Dr. Caleb Brooks.
“Giga Summit will serve as an avenue to spark
relevant discussions on the role of next genera-
tion technologies in our transition towards stable
and sustainable energy supply. With the growing
interest on nuclear power, our invited experts will
shed light on the opportunities and exciting de-
velopments in the area of small and micro modu-
lar reactors and share experiential learnings that
will be relevant as we put forward plans to utilize
these technologies,” said Meralco executive vice
president and chief operating officer and MPA
vice chairman Ronnie Aperocho.
AEV gets SEC nod to sell P17.45-b bonds to partly support Coca-Cola acquisition
By Jenniffer B. Austria
ABOITIZ Equity Ventures Inc. said
Friday it obtained the Securities and
Exchange Commission’s approval
to issue up to P17.45 billion worth
of fixed-rate bonds that will partly
finance the acquisition of Coca-Cola
Beverages Philippines Inc.
AEV said it would issue the bonds
as second and final tranche from the
company’s P30-billion bond shelf
registration program approved by
the SEC in 2022.
BUSINESS
It said of the total debt stock, 31.1 per-
cent was sourced externally, while 68.9
percent represented domestic borrowings.
“Debt as a percentage of GDP im-
proved to 61.0 percent as of end-June
2023 from 62.1 percent a year ago as
RICE ON WHEELS. The Department of Trade and Industry, in coordination with Bulacan rice millers and traders, are rolling
out the ‘Rice on Wheels Program for Retailers’ to ensure the availability of affordable regular and well-milled rice to the general public.
Through this caravan, the DTI targets to supply retailers in the public market with affordable rice stock. Before the roll-out in different
public markets on Sept. 11, 2023, the DTI launches the program in Quezon City on Friday, with a simultaneous dry-run in public
markets in Makati, Parañaque and Manila.
Citicore signs $100-m funding facility for solar projects
By Alena Mae S. Flores
CITICORE Renewable Energy Corp. said
Friday it signed a $100-million financing
deal for solar development vehicle Citi-
core Solar Energy Corp. with Pentagreen
Capital, a sustainable infrastructure debt
financing partnership established by
shareholders HSBC and Temasek.
CREC said the landmark funding fa-
cility structured by Pentagreen is a mez-
zanine construction green loan facility
with an initial tranche commitment of
$30 million for a portfolio of six solar
power projects with capacity of 490
megawatts across Luzon.
The solar projects includes the 36-
MW Arayat 1 and 22-MW Arayat 2 in
Pampanga which are already opera-
Citicore Renewable Energy Corp., a Philippines-based integrated renewable
energy platform, signs a landmark financing deal for solar development vehicle
Citicore Solar Energy Corp. with Pentagreen Capital, a sustainable infrastructure
debt financing partnership established by shareholders HSBC and Temasek. The
$100-million mezzanine construction green loan facility, with an initial tranche
commitment of $30 million, will finance a portfolio of six solar power projects
with capacity of 490 megawatts across Luzon. Leading the financing deal are
Pentagreen Capital chief executive Marat Zapparov (left) and CREC chairman Edgar
Saavedra.
The bonds will have a base offer
of P11 billion and an oversubscrip-
tion option for another P6.45 billion.
The offer period commenced on
Sept. 7, 2023 and will end on Sept
13, 2023.
AEV said it would use the net pro-
ceeds from the fund-raising activity
to pay maturing debt and partially
finance the acquisition of Coca-Cola
Beverages Philippines.
The company appointed BDO
Capital & Investment Corp., First
Metro Investment Corp., BPI
economic conditions continue to recov-
er from the impact of health and geopo-
litical events,” it said.
Domestic debt amounted to P9.81
trillion, P109.54 billion or 1.1 percent
higher than the end-June 2023 level.
“The increment in the domestic port-
folio was attributed to the P110.39 net
issuance of government bonds driven
by the government’s financing require-
ments, offsetting the P0.85 billion effect
of local currency appreciation against
the US dollar on onshore foreign cur-
rency-denominated securities,” the
Treasury said.
External debt reached P4.43 trillion,
tional and the 125-MW Lumbangan and
the 72-MW Luntal projects in Batangas
which are under construction.
It also includes the Bolbok 1 and Bol-
bok 2 projects with a capacity of 72 MW
and 100 MW, respectively which are ex-
pected to begin construction in the fourth
quarter.
The financing will enable Citicore
Solar to allocate capital efficiently to
accelerate the development of its proj-
ect pipeline in line with the planned roll
out of 1 gigawatt of renewable energy
capacity per year in the next five years.
“Pentagreen’s partnership with Citicore
Renewables is a vote of confidence in our
ability to scale up, enabling us to achieve
our planned 1GW project roll out this
year, in line with our 5GW in five years
Capital Corp., China Bank Capi-
tal Corp., First Metro Investment
Corp., SB Capital Investment
Corp. and Union Bank of the Phil-
ippines as the joint bookrunners
and joint lead underwriters for the
offering.
AEV intends to list the bonds with
the Philippine Dealing & Exchange
Corp.
AEV reported in August it teamed
up with Coca-Cola Europacific Part-
ners Plc. to acquire CCBPI for $1.8
billion. The acquisition is part of the
down by P13.10 billion or 0.3 percent raised borrowing costs of the govern-
from the previous month. “For July, the ment, weaker peso exchange rate vs. the
US [dollar] in recent years that raised
reduced debt was due to the effect of
peso appreciation against the US dollar
amounting to P42.87 billion. This more
than offset the P9.97 billion net impact
of third-currency fluctuations against
the US dollar and P19.81 billion net
the peso equivalent of the government’s
foreign debts and continued increase in
infrastructure spending.”
“Tax and fiscal reform measures
would help narrow the country’s bud-
availment of foreign loans,” it said. get deficit and also curb the increment
Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. in the outstanding national debt, going
chief economist Michael Ricafort said forward,” he said.
the new record-high outstanding nation- Ricafort said the government’s debt in
al government debt could be attributed peso terms could still rise in the com-
to “wider budget deficit amid higher ing months in view of the upcoming US
inflation that also bloated government dollar-denominated retail bond issuance
expenditures, higher interest rates that in the third quarter this year.
MPIC extends tender
offer period, pursues
voluntary delisting
By Jenniffer B. Austria
INFRASTRUCTURE conglomerate
Metro Pacific Investments Corp. said
Friday it expects to proceed with volun-
tary delisting from the Philippine Stock
Exchange after securing more than 18
percent of outstanding shares held by
minority investors in its tender offer.
The consortium conducting the ten-
der offer to take the company private
reported that 5.36 billion MPIC shares
held by minority were tendered as of
Sept 7.
This was equivalent to 18.7 percent
of MPIC’s total issued and outstand-
ing listed shares. Together with the
excluded shares and the non-public
shares, they totaled 96.87 percent of
MPIC’s total issued and outstanding
listed shares.
MPIC said that once the tendered
shares were accepted and crossed,
its public float would fall below the
10-percent required threshold, which
would pave the way for the company’s
voluntary delisting.
MPIC also said it would extend
the tender offer period until Sept. 19
roadmap. We appreciate Pentagreen’s
support for our solar projects as it unlocks to give other minority investors who
the development of our renewable energy missed the Sept. 7 deadline more time
capacity pipeline in an accelerated man- to make a decision.
ner,” said CREC president Oliver Tan. The new crossing and settlement dates
The initial tranche will provide fund- are Sept. 26 and Sept. 28, respectively.
ing for the construction of four green- The consortium, consisting of Metro
field projects and two more that were Pacific Holdings Inc., GT Capital, Mit-
recently completed. Pacific Infrastructure Holdings Inc.
These projects are expected to add and MIG Holdings, offered to acquire
all MPIC shares held by the minority
around 691 gigawatt-hours of renew-
able electricity supply to the Luzon grid investors at P5.20 per share.
annually and result in avoided green- MPIC is a leading infrastructure
house gas emissions of 430,000 tons of holding company with 47.5-percent
carbon dioxide annually, in line with the stake in Manila Electric Co. and con-
methodology established by the Interna- trolling shares in Metro Pacific Toll-
tional Financial Institutions Technical ways Corp. and Maynilad Water Ser-
Working Group on Greenhouse Gas Ac- vices Inc.
counting.
PSE INDEX CLOSING Converge ICT gets
Friday, September 8, 2023
39.87 PTS. TOTAL VOLUME 445,340,455 DICT contract for
free Wi-Fi project
TOTAL TRADES 38,620
TOTAL VALUE (IN PHP) 3,845,485,534.80
ADVANCES 91
6,222.94 DECLINES
UNCHANGED
83
46
By Darwin G. Amojelar
F oreign e xchange r ate
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2023
CONVERGE ICT Solutions Inc. said
Currency Unit US Dollar Peso
United States Dollar 1.000000 56.8490
Friday it secured a contract with the
Japan Yen 0.006790 0.3860 Department of Information and Com-
UK Pound 1.247400 70.9134 munications Technology to deploy
Hong Kong Dollar 0.127569 7.2522 free Wi-Fi in the towns of Ilocos
Switzerland Franc 1.120574 63.7035 Norte, Ilocos Sur and La Union.
Canada Dollar 0.730941 41.5533
The DICT said that in line with
Singapore Dollar 0.732332 41.6323
Australia Dollar 0.637700 36.2526
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s
Bahrain Dinar 2.652872 150.8131 promise to provide digital connec-
Saudi Arabia Rial 0.266617 15.1569 tivity across the country, it awarded
Brunei Dollar 0.729661 41.4805 Converge the contract to supply free
Indonesia Rupiah 0.000065 0.0037 Wi-Fi connectivity to 36 municipal
Thailand Baht 0.028066 1.5955
sites in the Ilocos provinces and four
UAE Dirham 0.272301 15.4800
municipal sites in La Union.
Euro Euro 1.070000 60.8284
The DICT said it was working
Korea Won 0.000750 0.0426
China Yuan 0.136431 7.7560 tirelessly to guarantee that every
India Rupee 0.012026 0.6837 Filipino in every barangay in the
Malaysia Ringgit 0.213812 12.1550 nation would have access to afford-
New Zealand Dollar 0.587500 33.3988
able, fast and reliable Internet con-
Taiwan Dollar 0.031272 1.7778
nectivity. The department activated
Source: BSP
over 4,000 free Wi-Fi stations in 17
regions, 75 provinces and the Na-
tional Capital Region under the Free
WiFi for All Program.
“We are very thankful to Converge
AEV’s diversification strategy. for their support and commitment to
our Free Wi-Fi for All Project: Provi-
AEV has investments in power
sion of Internet Connectivity Services
generation, infrastructure, property in Municipalities,” said DICT region-
development, financial services and al office 1 director Reynaldo Sy.
agribusiness. “This partnership will enable us to
The conglomerate earmarked P78 provide fast and reliable internet con-
billion for 2023 capital expendi- nectivity to all local government units
tures, up 10 percent from P70 billion in the provinces of Ilocos Sur, La Union
it spent in 2022 primarily to invest in and Ilocos Norte Second District. We
more renewable energy projects and believe that this project will help us
bridge the digital divide and empower
support the expansion of new busi-
our citizens to stay connected, access
nesses. vital information, and participate in the
The share price of AEV advanced digital economy,” he said.
by P0.35 Friday to close at P49.
 SPORTS
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2023 C1
Riera U. Mallari, Editor
Randy M. Caluag, Assistant Editor

Mondilla steals
show at home,
edges Jaraula
by 1 stroke
BUKIDNON—It boiled down to a fin-
ish that wins big-time championships
and Clyde Mondilla delivered to snatch
victory from the clutches of defeat, top-
ping the ICTSI Del Monte Champion-
ship with a 69 in a riveting duel of skills
and nerves at Del Monte Golf Club here
on Friday.
Mondilla blew a one-shot overnight
lead with a mediocre frontside stint but
fought back from three-down in the last
four holes of a day-long battle of shot-
making, iron play and putting and stole
the victory on a blazing closing three-
birdie splurge in sweltering conditions.
He edged Reymon Jaraula and Justin
Quiban by one with a tap-in birdie on
the final hole to the delight and cheers of
the hometown gallery.
“This win is very special,” said Mon-
Clyde Mondilla is doused with water by his peers after he won the ICTSI Del Monte Championship on Friday. Manny Marcelo
dilla, whose 18-under 270 total on his
home course, worth P437,500, matched

Cone wants Gilas to be

his output in essaying a five-shot romp
over Angelo Que and Dino Villanueva
at Forest Hills last June.
“It’s actually my goal to win here at
home, where I learned to play the sport,”
he added. “So I’m really, really very

defense-oriented team
happy and thankful.”
Unlike in his Forest Hills triumph,
however, Mondilla needed to rally in the
stretch, capping his startling comeback
with a chipshot infront of the 18th green
which he has probably mastered while
growing up, the ball bouncing once be-
fore rolling two feet left of the cup.
Jaraula, who also grew up here,
By Randy Caluag present will be included in the team.
chipped way past the hole and missed
“Some were convinced to come back,
Tim Cone a playoff-clinching birdie putt from six
and some cannot decide yet. How long

N
EWLY designated men’s national basketball do we have for them? The decision was
feet and also finished with a 69 while
head coach Time Cone said he will devote more Quiban reached the green in two but
to set a deadline and that is on Mon- three-putted also for a three-under card.
focus building the defensive form of Gilas day,” said PBA chairman Ricky Vargas. “I was 3-down with four holes left,
Among those Cone requested to be so I thought I should at least fight for
Pilipinas, which only has a little more than two weeks of his assistant is LA Tenorio, who just re- second although I had to do better,” said
preparation for the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. cently completed his cancer treatment Mondilla. “But after birdying Nos. 16
in Singapore. and 17, I found myself tied at the lead
“My first step (after building to team) Calvin Oftana (of TNT Tropang Giga),” “He (Tenorio) will be able to help the and I knew I had the edge to go for a
is to focus on my style. It (team) should said Cone, who was Chot Reyes’ assis- team a lot and share his experience and closing birdie after I hit a solid drive on
be a defense-oriented team and that’s tant at Gilas before the latter resigned leadership,” added Cone. No. 18.”
gonna be our edge, “said Tim Cone. from his post just after the team com- The Philippines has been drawn “There was pressure, grabe. But I was
The multi-titled Ginebra admitted that pleted its World Cup games. with Jordan, Thailand, and Bahrain excited, iba kasi ang feeling na alam
with only a short preparation, he will The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas in the group stage of the basketball mong maraming sumusuporta sa ‘yo,”
have to rely on the individual skills of and the Philippine Basketball Associa- event of the quadrennial multi-meet added Mondilla, who thanked the Del
his players, to be built around the current tion jointly announced the appointment of event where it aspires to improve its Monte Golf Club and cited his father-
World Cup pool, including his wards Jus- Cone on Wednesday night and promised fifth-place finish in the 2018 edition caddie Arsenio’s tournament-long help.
tin Brownlee, JuneMar Fajardo, Scottie that the final lineup will be completed on in Jakarta, Indonesia “Ang tatay ko talaga ang magaling,”
Thompson and Japeth Aguilar. the first day of practice on Monday. Gilas will take on Bahrain, Thailand, he said in jest.
and Jordan on Sept. 26, 28, and 30, re- Jaraula, who took control with a solid
“We already have a solid eight and we Cone and his coaching staff have set the
spectively, in the preliminary round. four-under card after 10 holes, bogeyed
will just add. We also need shooters like final call on Monday and only those who are No. 15 and failed to match any of Mon-
dilla’s closing birdies, missing forcing a

Quiambao, Mangrobang brace for ‘Bagong Bayani’ duel

playoff with a flubbed birdie putt on the
72nd hole.

MULTI-TITLED 5150 campaigner Bea Quiam-
bao and three-time SEA Games gold medalist
Kim Mangrobang gird not just for a furious bat-
tle for overall honors in 5150 Dapitan but also
Ice and Santé Fitness Lab’s Erika Burgos, the re-
cent winner of Sun Life 5150 Bohol.
Disputing the Bagong Bayani trophy in the
men’s side are Fernando Casares, Maynard Pec-
male, all-female winners and mixed relay will each Bernaldez
goes for PPS
get P10,000 plus trophies, while the Liga ni Rizal
awardee (most represented, team with most mem-
bers in both 5150 and Sunrise Sprint) for TriClub af-

Davao swing
for the Bagong Bayani award when the OIym- son, Satar Salem, Raymund Torio, Josh Gellane filiates will get P50,000 and trophy.
pic-distance race is held Sunday (Sept. 10) in and Jacob Taylor. The Lipi ni Rizal (best team award—top 5 fastest
Zamboanga del Norte. The 5150 Dapitan, also held to promote local tour- times from the same team regardless of age and gen-

Formerly known as Filipino Elite, the Bagong
Bayani is offering P40,000 and trophy to the
Olympic 5150 male and female winners on top of
the P175,000 prize staked in the overall champi-
onship put up by the host city led by Mayor Seth
“Bullet” Jalosjos.
The second and third placers will also pocket
P20,000 and P10,000 plus trophies, respectively.
Out to foil Quiambao of The Next Step Tri
and TRI SNB Barracuda’s Mangrobang for the
Bagong Bayani award are Diana Gellane of Tri-
ism, also features the Go for Gold Sunrise Sprint, set
over 750m open-water swim, 20km bike ride and a
5km run distance.
The Noli Run, a 4km fun run, will usher in the
main event tomorrow (Saturday).
The Sunrise Sprint top three placers, on the other
hand, will get P20,000, P10,000 and P5,000 plus tro-
phies, respectively, aside from the top P75,000 prize,
according to the organizing The IRONMAN Group/
Sunrise Events, Inc.
Meanwhile, the Fuertes Juntos (5150 relay) all-
der—will also get P50,000 and trophy (5150 Olym-
pic) and P30,000 plus trophy (Sunrise Sprint).
All prize packages are exclusive in the 5150
Dapitan race.
For details, log on to www.ironman.com/5150-
dapitan-philippines.
Close to 600 entries are set to vie in the event
to be held for the first time in Dapitan City where
national hero Dr. Jose Rizal was exiled with the
roster spiced up by the presence of bidders from at
least 10 countries.
tennis sweep
CHELSEA Bernaldez will have every-
thing going for her as she sets out for a
sweep of the girls’ 18-and-under titles
in the Davao region swing of the PPS-
PEPP national junior tennis series at
the DavNor Tourism Sports Complex
courts in Tagum, Davao del Norte.
Bernaldez topped the girls’ premier
age group category in Maragusan,
Davao de Oro and in Mati, Davao Ori-

Third-generation PH statistician
ental the past two weeks and added the
16-and-U trophy in the last leg, mak-
ing her A-ready for another shot at the
crown in her side of the Gov, Edwin

making family proud in World Cup Jubahib tournament beginning today

FIBA World Cup 2023 statistician Trisha Concepcion with
mascot JIP
PATRISHA Mae Concepcion is the
only woman among table officials
keeping a close eye on the Final
Phase of FIBA World Cup 2023.
It’s nothing big for her, however.
After all, the job runs in her blood.
Patrisha, nicknamed “Trisha,” is
the granddaughter of the late Joe Con-
cepcion and the daughter of Merit and
Gloria. Joe once suited up for Ateneo
de Manila University during the Blue
Eagles’ time in the NCAA before be-
coming the PBA’s official statistician
until his death in 1999. Merit has been
a fixture of stats teams in the UAAP,
NCAA, and Filoil EcoOil Preseason
Cup, while Gloria was one of the first
female statisticians in the Philippines
before her passing.
That’s why even though she’s
actually in rarified air during the
world meet, it’s all just part of the
job for Trisha.
“Nu’ng una, intimidating, siyem-
pre. ‘Di ko rin in-expect na mag-
stats ako sa FIBA. Pero inisip ko
lang, kung kaya nila, kaya ko rin,”
she said after mentioning that sit-
ting alongside men who are hard at
work as well is an honor.
Unlike her grandfather and par-
ents, though, the third-generation
statistician is keeping tabs on the
best players in the world—most-
ly—for fun. She’s actually a full-
time senior analyst for Philippine
Ratings Services Corp., after grad-
uating from Ateneo with a degree
in Applied Math.
“Parang stress-reliever ko ‘to
kasi mahilig ako sa basketball ta-
laga,” she said, with a smile.
While the now-27-year-old has
covered leagues like the UAAP and
Filoil Preseason with her dad as a
“stressreliever” since she was in col-
lege, her love for basketball started
from a well-early age. A loud and
proud citizen of Lakers Country, aka
the Philippines, she shared that Kobe
Bryant is her all-time favorite.
“Numbers talaga hilig ko ever
since, pero napamahal ako sa math
on my own lang. Siguro, ‘yung
pinaka-influence pa nina daddy is
‘yung basketball,” she said.
As the lone woman statistician in
Manila, Trisha is, for sure, making
her family proud —and at the same
time, giving Filipinos a good name
in the eyes of FIBA.
“Patrisha Concepcion’s remark-
able performance as statistician in
the FIBA World Cup 2023 should
inspire other girls who would like
to be active in basketball and follow
her path,” said FIBA Asia Eligibil-
ity, Statistics, and Data Head Maar-
ouf Mawloud.
(Saturday).
What bolsters her confidence is that
Bernaldez will be playing on her home
turf although she remains guarded of her
bid with a host of others going all-out to
stall her charge, including Sanschena
Francisco, Jasmen Kadalum, Dhea Cua,
Faith Lazaro, Sittie Manangking and
Samantha Gilhang, among others.
Meanwhile, Francisco, Bernaldez,
Cua and Lazaro also top-bill the 16-and-
U cast with Camille Clar, Aika Salahu-
din, Wendelyn Anino, Angela Casanova
and Jamaica Jawod spicing up the title
chase in the Group 2 tournament pre-
sented by Dunlop.
Over 200 entries are vying for top
honors in various divisions and rank-
ing points in the week-long event,
which serves part of the country’s lon-
gest talent-search put up by Palawan
Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Cas-
tro to discover talents, particularly in
the countryside.
For details, contact event organizer
Bobby Mangunay at 09154046464.
C2 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2023
Joel D. Lacsamana, Editor
E-mail: jdlacsamana@gmail.com HOME/DESIGN
T ‘Now is the time to buy’
HE CEO and co-
founder of Leechiu
Property Consultants
is convinced that the

‘Prophet of boom’ — David Leechiu talks real estate

Philippines today presents
many opportunities in the
real estate sector, despite
the continued threats faced
by the global economy. The
situation, he believes, calls
for businesses to succeed
using the time-tested
approach of working hard
David Leechiu believes in the importance
of giving sound advice to clients, especially
with the presence of post-pandemic trends in
real estate. Speaking to the Manila Standard
recently, the property expert acknowledged
the difficult and painful years of COVID-19.
But he looks back on it with pride as his
company Leechiu Property Consultants
(LPC) managed to uphold its commitment
to its clients and staff.
“Our employees are our biggest assets
and we took care of them the best we could
during the difficult years of the pandemic,”
he revealed. “For our company’s primary
thrust, we collated as much information,
simplified it, and made it relevant and
accessible to everyone. This enabled us to
give as much fact-based property advice to
clients across industries.”
Performing gracefully
“The Philippines, despite everything
that’s going on in the world, is one of
only three countries performing gracefully one stands to gain from a resilient sector like appreciate in value despite the pandemic,” Subway, North-South Commuter Railway Traditional occupiers also accounted for
economically, and certainly more gracefully real estate—considered by Leechiu as the Leechiu added. and Samal Island-Davao City Bridge. 144,000 sq m of the first quarter demand
in the property sector,” said Leechiu. “What “best instrument for investment in the last 60 Data from LPC showed that Ayala Land’s Amid all these developments and the figure.
keeps the Philippines afloat in the last 20 years” and “the most resilient asset class in gated village projects in Makati, including country’s strong performance, the Philippine Vacancy rates
years are the business process outsourcing the world.” Forbes Park, Bel-Air Village, San Lorenzo real estate sector today is indeed rife with Data from Leechiu Property, however,
(BPO) sector, remittances (from overseas Despite the numerous crises, natural Village, Dasmarinas Village, and Urdaneta viable prospects. Whether for own use or show that office vacancy rates remain
workers), consumption, demographics and disasters, political upheavals, election Village, have seen CAGRs of up to 16 investment, these are ideal opportunities to elevated at 18.2 percent in Metro Manila
huge government spending.” cycles and most recently the pandemic, the percent. Prices of Ayala Land’s residential consider investing on now more than ever. after recently completed projects boosted
He listed the reasons that trigger optimism Philippine property sector has remained condominium projects in Metro Manila are Revival of POGOs available supply.
amid the impact of external factors. These vibrant over the last 22 years. There are now also seeing steady CAGR of 6 percent to 14 On the return of the Philippine Offshore There was another 1.3 million sq m in the
include the passage of the country’s 2023 169 townships spanning 62,500 hectares percent and capital appreciation of as much Gaming Operators or POGOs, Leechiu said pipeline for the year “but supply is expected
budget, fiscal consolidation, favorable across the country. Data from LPC showed as 254 percent from 2008. it is indeed happening. to significantly fall starting 2024.”
demographics and economic environment, that in Metro Manila alone, there are Such developments, according to LPC, For the residential condominium market, Among all the Metro Manila districts,
continued infrastructure spending, strong 13,264 hectares comprising townships and are in high demand among buyers “due to LPC said this grew eight percent from the Bonifacio Global City is expected to lead the
credit rating and sound financial system, reclamation projects in varying stages of [their] appealing combination of open space, previous quarter, with over 12,000 units sold. market recovery.
slowing inflation, among others. completion. quality amenities and efficient property Office space demand up Residential condos on an uptick
“These would eventually drive a lot Office and residential capital values also management.” For example, Ayala Land’s Demand for office space accelerated in Meanwhile, Leechiu said the residential
of economic activity in the Philippines,” continue to appreciate amid the boom-bust Serendra in BGC, which was launched in the first quarter of the year and is on track to condominium market grew 8 percent from
Leechiu said. cycles of the past two decades. For example, 2008 has seen capital values appreciate by as match or exceed the takeup in 2022 despite the previous quarter, with over 12,000 units
In particular, he pointed to the Ayala Land’s projects have seen tremendous much as 254 percent, while over 119 percent an expected slowdown in the economy, sold. Sales in the luxury segment remain
government’s P9-trillion infrastructure capital appreciation with exponential is seen for Portico, Alveo Land’s signature according to Leechiu. healthy, registering over 400 percent growth.
program that will not only help drive the compounded annual growth rates (CAGR) development in Pasig. “We seem to have reached new highs for Eleven new residential towers with 4,900
country’s growth and expected recovery in and impressive rental yields. Park East Place in Bonifacio Global City the first quarter, which historically has been units were launched during the quarter.
2025, but will also help the real estate sector “Look at Forbes Park today which is at offers exciting opportunities for real estate the slowest quarter of the year,” Leechiu What keeps the prophet going?
to build momentum. P500,000 per sqm. What was once worth investors. said. “I always draw inspiration from Jack Ma,
“Historically, increased infrastructure P50 million is valued at P1 billion 23 years This is why now is the best time to invest Office demand transactions from January a quote that’s apt in today’s times which
spending has helped boost growth as seen after,” Leechiu illustrated. What changed? in these properties for value and price to March this year more than doubled to I share with everyone: “Today is hard,
in the “drastic increase in our (economic) He pointed to LPC research showing that appreciation, especially over the long term, 264,000 square meters (sq m) from the same tomorrow will be worse, but the day after
recoveries” over the last decade due per capita income changed from $1,500 in he averred. period in 2022. tomorrow will be sunshine,” he shared.
to the implementation of the public- 2000 to about $3,300 to $3,500 today. “The Build them and they will come “[Demand] could be on par with 2022 “I have been criticised repeatedly for
private partnership (PPP) and Build Build increase in per capita income will have a Currently, there are 256 national and local numbers, if not better, and that’s despite all being bullish, the so-called very naive “new
Build initiatives,” he noted. “Similarly, direct impact on how prices are going to PPP projects in varying stages of completion. the things that are going on in the world,” prophet of boom”—but we in the company
infrastructure has had a huge impact on real change in real estate. It is going to be buoyed Among those completed in 2022 and this Leechiu said. ground ourselves on the brutal reality of daily
estate, as one of its most important effects up just because of the sheer volume of year were the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Office leasing demand hit nearly 1 million life—we are fully aware of the problems and
is improved accessibility which, in turn, wealth being created in this economy,” he Expressway; Plaridel Bypass Road Phase 2; sq m in 2022—the third-best performing challenges of this country, that is why we are
has helped prop up property prices and land explained. Alabang-Sucat Skyway Extension; Central year to date, according to Leechiu research.. just cautiously optimistic, and it is driven
values over time. “If you look at the entire portfolio of Ayala Luzon Link Expressway; Estrella-Pantaleon This was driven by the IT and business by facts, such as but not limited to the OFW
Townships coming up Land, you’ll see how the projects continue Bridge; Binondo-Intramuros Bridge; NLEx- processing outscoring sector, which grew 67 remittances, BPO industry, tourism and
Given this aggressive infrastructure to appreciate from the time it was launched. Harbor Link; and Skyway Stage3. Much percent despite the hybrid setup that allowed President Marcos’ Build Better and More
buildup and the country’s continued recovery, Note that most of these projects continue to awaited meanwhile are the Metro Manila some employees to work from home. Infrastructure Program,” he said.

Grasping the ‘green premium’

HOTELS and resorts around Southeast names discussed environmental best
Asia are failing to understand the practices moving forward. He agreed
“green premium” and how to leverage that the hospitality industry in Southeast
it to attract quality guests, according to Asia needs to be more proactive about
leading figures in the region’s hospitality enacting meaningful changes.
industry. “It is important that the industry
The message that hotels and resorts develops green champions, best practice
are falling behind counterparts in other documents and training modules that
parts of the globe when it comes to can be modified by hotels, and thus stay
sustainable tourism, was one of the ahead of the curve,” he said.
major takeaways from PHIST (Phuket Shown in photo is Laguna Phuket,
Hotels for Islands Sustaining Tourism), transformed from a barren moonscape
Southeast Asia’s largest sustainability of scarred land—abandoned by the
forum, held last week. tin mining industry and declared
Jesper Palmqvist, STR Global’s as uninhabitable by the UN—into
Area Director for Asia Pacific, hosted a
roundtable where figures from top resort
Southeast Asia’s leading integrated
resort development. Building a more
resilient future
Building with bamboo MELODY del Rosario, President of
Metro Pacific Investments Foundation
IN CELEBRATION of National Bamboo Month, Base Bahay Foundation (MPIF), recently delivered an
(Base), has assembled a respected lineup of international bamboo experts to impassioned talk on the reality of
speak on “Building with Bamboo: the Future of Sustainable Construction” climate change and the critical role that
at the second annual Bamboost, a bamboo forum slated on September 15 nature-based solutions and science can
at the Loft at Manansala in Rockwell Center, Makati City. Registration play in mitigating its effects.
is now open for Bamboost which is free of charge for all professional The talk, titled “Shoring Up Coastal
architects, civil engineers, students, researchers, developers, and bamboo Communities in the Protection of
enthusiasts by clicking Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystems,”
the online registration link explored the devastating impacts of
posted on BASE social climate change, such as intensifying
media accounts. At the typhoons, rising sea levels, warmer
forum, participants will temperatures, and drought.
have access to the latest Del Rosario emphasized that these
research and innovations impacts are becoming increasingly
in bamboo connection frequent and destructive, necessitating
performance, life cycle urgent action by supporting
assessment, and design. For CREBA VISITS SENATE HOUSING COMMITTEE CHAIR. Top officials coastal communities through its
more information on Base of the Chamber of Real Estate & Builders’ Associations, Inc. (CREBA) paid a courtesy call on environmental program called Shore
Bahay Foundation Inc., its Senator Joseph Victor G. Ejercito, chairman of the Committee on Housing, Urban Development it Up. She highlighted the importance
Continuing Professional and Resettlements in the Philippine Senate. Senator Ejercito will be among real estate and
housing industry leaders and government dignitaries who will grace the upcoming 50th of Marine Protection Inspection
Development (CPD) series and Conservation Guardians, a
CREBA founding anniversary National Convention & Housing Expo slated from Sept. 26-28 at
and ongoing projects, visit the SMX Mall of Asia and Conrad Hotel Manila as speakers. The convention is geared towards program under Shore it Up, which
http://www.base-builds. mustering support to attain CREBA’s vision towards ‘a home for every Filipino.’ From left to monitors pollution, overfishing, and
com. right: CREBA national president Noel Toti M. Cariño; Senator Ejercito; executive vice-president unsustainable tourism practices.
Elsie D. Chua; and academic program director Avelina P. Acuña.
 AGRICULTURE
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2023 C3
Patricia Taculao, Editor
E-mail: agriculture.manilastandard@gmail.com

When life gave

Wilson Quindo Tan holding the lemons
he grows on his Makati rooftop

him lemons
Restaurateur grows citrus
fruits on Makati rooftop
By Patricia Taculao

M
AKATI is an urban hub known for its high-rise build-
build
ings and technological innovations that become the
benchmark for many metropolitan areas in the Phil- Phil
ippines. But among its towering skyscrapers and de- de
veloped spots, many residents still find time to return to nature and
add these elements to the city.

Wilson Quindo Tan, the owner of Top Meal Food Reaper plants, Tan applied a similar technique to grow calamansi plants because of his diligence in caring for
Haus, which serves authentic Bicolano calamansi and lemons. Yet it wasn’t entirely a them.
cuisine, utilized the space on his piece of cake. Because of his rooftop’s “Buy grafted fruit-bearing plants because, with
rooftop to grow citrus fruits, location, he faced challenges like this kind, you can be sure these will give you fruits. It
like calamansi and lime, to limited soil supply, adulterated is also advisable to buy plants with fruits to see their
supply his restaurant with environmental conditions,exact fruit. Use organic fertilizers like vermicast so
fresh produce that could and erratic weather in the that even though your plant is just growing in a pot,
elevate the dining ex- city. you can be sure that it can thrive because it would be
perience for his cus- Nonetheless, he pre-like it was planted in natural farm soil,” he advises.
tomers. vailed through consis- Another reason why he loves growing the citrus
“I love experi- tent and proper water fruits on his rooftop is because of the satisfaction he
menting with my feeding, added with receives when he sees them thriving. Even though his
feeding approach. the correct soil mix-produce can only grow in pots because of the limited
I actually started ture. space, Tan can harvest kilos, which he uses in his res-
out trying to grow Tan also bought taurant to cut the usual operating costs from buying
Carolina reaper grafted lemon and in the market.
chili because I am calamansi plants to “I have an ample amount of calamansi fruits that
a hot sauce mak- ensure they would I can readily harvest that I use in my small restau-
er, and this is the bear fruits. The res- rant here in Makati. One of our bestsellers is siomai,
hottest chili in the taurateur also mixed where we use calamansi. I saved a lot because of my
world. When I have three kinds of soil, own rooftop garden, especially now that calamansi is
successfully grown specifically vermicast, very expensive,” Tan shared.
this variety of chili, I carbonized rice hull, and The restaurateur made a similar approach with his
thought of other plants garden soil with pumice, Carolina Reapers by transforming them into hot sauce
that are very essential in to mimic the quality of natu- or other consumable products to augment his income.
our everyday life, like cala- ral farm soil. His rooftop now His urban farming journey is something Tan takes
mansi and lemons, which I use blooms abundantly with lemon and much pride in because of the success he reaps from
in my restaurant,” he said. the hard work and patience he put into growing fresh
Seeing the success of his Carolina A recent harvest of calamansi and lemon from produce that consumers can enjoy in his restaurant. The restaurateur can harvest kilos of calamansi, which he
Tan’s Makati rooftop uses in his restaurant

DA-BFAR, SFFAII kickstart 23rd National Tuna Congress and Trade Exhibit
DEPARTMENT of Agriculture Bureau of Fisher-
ies and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) National
Director Demosthenes R. Escoto delivered a mes-
sage of support highlighting the importance of the
country’s tuna fisheries during the opening of the
trade exhibit.
Escoto emphasized the industry’s relevance
amid challenges and natural changes, such as
rising sea temperatures exacerbated by climate
change, among many other industry concerns.
He also shared the various new and continuing
initiatives of the DA-BFAR for the Tuna Industry,
such as the continuous implementation of the Na-
tional Tuna Management Plan and the reconstitu-
tion of the BFAR Technical Working Group on
Tuna Fisheries.
DA Undersecretary Drusila Esther E. Bay-
ate opened the Congress Plenary as the Keynote
Speaker. In her message, she expressed her utmost
support for the tuna industry and its rich potential.
“With unwavering determination, we have el-
evated the Philippines to the ranks of the world’s
leading tuna producers. Last year’s impressive
production of over 475,000 metric tons speaks to
our diligence and the richness of our marine biodi-
versity–a remarkable achievement for a country of
our size. At sa kabila ng liit natin, nakakapag-export
pa tayo. More than 107,000 metric tons of tuna were
exported last year. Nakaka-proud talagang maging
Pilipino,” she said.
She underscored that despite the challenges, the
tuna industry successfully adapts. She shared current
initiatives of the Department of Agriculture through
the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in
further strengthening the tuna industry, such as
the establishment of the 12 Fisheries Management
Areas (FMA), the approval of three new Fisheries
Administrative Orders related to tuna fisheries man-
agement, the Philippine Fisheries and Coastal Resil-
iency (FishCoRe) Project, and the National MLam-
baklad and Payao Program, among other continuing
efforts.
The Congress Plenary covered topics on coop-
eration and partnerships on tuna fisheries, tuna catch
DA Undersecretary Drusila Esther E. Bayate underscores the potential of the local tourism inudstry in terms of estimation initiatives, and adaptive strategies by the
production and export tuna industry.

Siniloan village agriculture project opens

African Swine Fever (ASF) is a highly contagious and deadly swine disease that
affects pigs
with 9 greenhouses, one postharvest building
By Gumamela Celes Bejarin, DA-AFID crease the volume of vegetable production by 200 percent in the pilot com-
munities, and increase the income of participating farmers by 20 percent.
THE Department of Agriculture (DA), through the Bureau of Plant Indus- “By extension, what we learn from this endeavor establishes a mecha-
try (BPI) and the Korea Partnership for Innovation of Agriculture (KOPIA) nism whereby other local governments and farmer organizations can uti-
Philippines Center, formally opened its “Pilot Village Project on Protective lize the same technologies based on their terms. It is thus highly gratifying
Cultivation and Postharvest Management of Vegetables” in Siniloan, La- that so many – including national and local government executives and
guna on September 5, 2023. farmer leaders – are now ready to join with us in expanding these benefits
DA Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban, Republic of Korea nationwide,” Undersecretary Panganiban said.
Ambassador to the Philippines Sang-hwa Lee, DA-BPI Assistant Direc- As the project proponent and implementor, the LBNCRDPSC un-
tor Herminigilda Gabertan, and KOPIA Philippines Center Director Kyu der DA-BPI spearheaded the capacity building of farmers and extension
Seong Lee led the completion ceremony of the nine greenhouses and one workers and promoted the concepts of bayanihan (Filipino concept of

Balanga City, two Bataan postharvest building in Barangay Macatad. community cooperation) and Saemul Undong (Korean for self-help and
The infrastructure development is a component of the Pilot Village community development). It also provided vegetable production technol-
Project funded by KOPIA and implemented by the DA-BPI Los Baños ogy packages and technical assistance to empower the farmers in the pilot

towns remain ASF-free

National Crop Research, Development and Production Support Center villages.
(LBNCRDPSC). “KOPIA plays an important role as it works with the local community.
“I join the President in expressing the gratitude of the Filipino people Its pilot villages are designed to improve production through modern farm-
to the men and women of the KOPIA Center for the generosity and good- ing technology, knowledge transfer, cooperation on agricultural innova-
will with which they have shared their expertise, resources, and time in the tion, and food security. Therefore, this success story in Siniloan can serve
execution of this project,” Undersecretary Panganiban said. as a model for replication,” Ambassador Lee said.
By Greg Refraccion He also said that the technol- KOPIA is an innovative Official Development Assistance (ODA)
ogies promoted by DA-BPI and program of the Rural Development
ONLY two Bataan towns and its lone city are free from African swine KOPIA through the “project Administration (RDA), which is
promise outcomes that are both Korea’s most prominent agricultural
fever (ASF)— Limay, Mariveles, and Balanga City. technically useful and economi- research and development organiza-
Dr. Alberto Venturina, the Bataan veterinarian, said his office had not cally rewarding.” tion.
received any report of ASF cases in the said places. He said his office is The project will benefit Officials and representatives
at least one hundred Siniloan from partner state colleges and uni-
now processing pertinent documents to indemnify affected hog farmers farmers by providing and pro- versities, local government units,
from the nine towns. As to the amount of the indemnification rate, Ven- moting greenhouses with drip farmers’ cooperatives and associa-
turina said there was none yet “because we have yet to meet next week irrigation systems, postharvest tions, and other partners in the pri-
technologies, farm cultivators, vate sector also participated in the
to set a clear process of payment.” and good agricultural practices. completion ceremony.
In the last several months, the provincial veterinary office imple- It will also be implemented With the initial success of the
mented strict protocols for hogs taken to slaughterhouses. The lack of in Lucban, Quezon, and Zara- ongoing project as a model farm for
gosa, Nueva Ecija to help Fili- Filipino rural communities, the KO-
local hog raisers gave rise to the high cost of pork in the local market, pino farmers raise their produc- PIA and DA-BPI have agreed to de-
ranging from P320 to P380 per kilo of pork. Meat traders in Balanga tion and income levels. velop a project proposal for funding
import pork from as far as Tarlac and Pampanga provinces since local It is expected to improve by the South Korean government to
the technical proficiencies of scale up the project to 10 pilot vil-
hog raisers ceased operation two years ago and have yet to get back to extension workers and farmers lages in the areas covered by the five
business. in the partner communities, in- National Centers of the DA-BPI.
DA executives with KOPIA heads
C4 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2023
Riera U. Mallari, Editor
rumallari@thestandard.com.ph
rieramallari@yahoo.com TECH
MoneyMax,
Lista make
credit card
applications
easier
WITH the goal of improving access
to credit, Lista, the fastest-growing
financial management app in the
Philippines, announced a partnership
with the country’s largest personal fi-
Noushin Shabab, Senior Security Researcher for Global Research and Analysis Team Eugene Kaspersky, CEO of Kaspersky nance platform, MoneyMax.
(GReAT) Asia Pacific at Kaspersky Photo by Riera U. Mallari
The product of this groundbreak-

Using AI in fight
ing collaboration is the new Credit
By Riera U. Mallari Cards feature on the Lista app. It
gives users the ability to view curated
card offers, compare cards, and easily

B
ALI, Indonesia— apply for their preferred card in just a
Artificial matter of clicks.

Intelligence or AI
has seeped into practically
every facet of our human
existence, from education
to commerce, logistics and
entertainment. And just
like every new technology
that arises, AI in the wrong
hands, is bad news and
scary.
AI, which is the ability of a computer,
robot or machines to perform tasks that
are typically associated with human in-
telligence, such as learning and problem-
solving, is now even a tool, possibly used
in cyberattacks.
But in the same vein, AI is also a weap-
on to ward them off.
Noushin Shabab, Senior Security
Researcher for Global Research and
Analysis Team (GReAT) Asia Pacific at
Kaspersky, discussed the importance of
AI in the fight against cyberattacks dur-
ing Kaspersky’s annual Cyber Security
Weekend conference, titled “Deus Ex
Machina: Setting Secure Directives for
Smart Machines” at the Le Meridien
here recently.
“I think AI is very important because
all the information we shared today,
vs. cyberattacks
we discussed how AI is going to be
used by attackers to improve their tech-
niques and improve their attacks. And
obviously, it’s not just cyberattacks. It’s
every industry with accessibility of AI
services these days, every industry is
moving forward with AI and utilizing
AI in their environment,” said Shabab,
one of the resource speakers in the con-
ference with Eugene Kaspersky, CEO
of Kaspersky; Adrian Hia, Managing
Director for Asia Pacific at Kaspersky;
and Vitaly Kamluk, Head of Research
Center for Asia Pacific, Global Re-
search and Analysis Team (GReAT) at
Kaspersky.
Obviously, it’s very important for
the cybersecurity industry to use and
utilize AI. We all heard that we’ve
been using machine learning and AI
for a long time. It’s not something new
for us, but we also know that it might
be something new for cyber attack-
ers. And we have to make sure that
we understand this and we adopt our
investigation techniques and analysis
to address that,” she added.
Using AI, according to Shabab, is
most useful in research.
“In research, AI services can save a
lot of time for us, like when we investi-
gate cyber attacks. Also like doing some
automation tests for us, that actually can
be very useful and obviously eliminates
the need for being highly skilled in in
some areas like writing code or script-
ing and you would have more time to fo-
cus on other skills that can’t yet be done
through AI systems,” Shabab said.
To boost enterprises’ and organiza-
tions’ defenses against AI-assisted APT
attacks, Shabab suggests the following:
Advanced security solutions: Imple-
ment security solutions that use advanced
methods to monitor user and system be-
haviours. This can help identify devia-
tions from normal patterns, potentially
signalling malicious activities.
Regular Software Updates: Keep all
software, applications, and operating sys-
tems up to date to mitigate vulnerabilities
that attackers might exploit.
User Training and Awareness: Provide
employees with training on cybersecurity
Redefining convenience
In today’s economy, credit cards
are a convenient way to extend one’s
spending capabilities. However,
many Filipinos perceive applying
for a credit card to be a difficult and
stringent affair. Additionally, a re-
cent TransUnion Philippines study
on local perceptions towards credit
best practices, including recognising and
avoiding social engineering attacks and
found that despite most Filipinos
having a general understanding of
phishing attempts.
credit concepts, the penetration rate
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA):
Enforce MFA for accessing critical sys-
for credit cards in the country stood
at only 25%.
tems and applications, reducing the risk
of unauthorized access even if credentials
are compromised.
As a parting shot, Shabab stressed the
importance of cybersecurity in our homes
and industries.
“I think in this day and age that
we live, there are a lot of opportuni-
ties that bad guys can compromise
our safety and security, and also like
the physical safety of your life. So we
can we can’t just ignore the fact that
these threats are around us. If you
want to live with a peace of mind
and have an easy and quiet and
safe life, it (cybersecurity) is es-
sential. It’s not a luxury to have
cyber security solutions for your Lista joins forces with MoneyMax
individual life or organization. It is a
Better access to credit can help
must. There’s nothing that you can de-
foster greater financial inclusion.
bate for it. It’s something that is essen-
The integration of seamless credit
tial,” Shabab said.
card application on the Lista app
does away with many of the per-
ceived difficulties in applying for

San Juan, Batangas paves road toward

the province of Batangas, is making sig- a credit card. Having a side-by-side
nificant strides in constructing a Smart card comparison feature also makes
City utilizing new and relevant technolo- it easier for users to pick the card

‘Smart City’ vision with PLDT Enterprise

OFFICIALS of the local government
unit of San Juan, Batangas, officially
opened its new municipal building ret-
rofitted with cutting-edge PLDT En-
terprise connectivity and Internet of
Things (IoT) solutions attesting to the
municipality’s digital transformation
journey and commitment to provide
more effective and improved services
to its constituents.
San Juan Mayor Ildebrando D. Salud
shares his excitement about the comple-
tion of their new building and the imple-
mentation of PLDT Enterprise’s advanced
solutions. “We will be able to better serve
our constituents, communicate with them,
and collaborate with each other more ef-
fectively with the help of this digital infra-
structure,” Salud says. “We are thankful
for the partnership we have with PLDT
Enterprise, which has helped us get closer
to becoming a Smart City. This allows our
community to be more digitally inclusive,
fostering a sustainable and progressive en-
vironment for all.”
San Juan, a first-class municipality in
gies to improve the community’s liveabil-
ity, workability, and sustainability.
Structured Cabling, iGate, PABX, SIP
Trunks, and CCTV are among the PLDT
Enterprise solutions found in the brand-
new municipal building enabling the
LGU’s offices, management, and staff
with faster communications and effi-
cient work operations from its centralized
voice and data services which have been
strategically implemented.
According to William Batac, Enter-
prise Revenue Group Head at PLDT
Enterprise, “Data is the backbone in
building Smart Cities.” The Municipal
Government of San Juan can efficiently
capture, integrate, and manage data by
utilizing the dependable and cutting-edge
technologies offered by PLDT Enterprise,
which will ultimately lead to an improve-
ment in the quality of life for its citizens.
All offices, including the Command
Center, are interconnected by the PLDT
Enterprise PABX and SIP Trunks, re-
sulting in streamlined communication
channels.
The Municipal Government of San
Shown here are (from left) Edgar Cantillas, Sales Director at iGold; Glenn Sangalang, Juan, Batangas is also implementing
Workforce Management Supervisor at PLDT Zone; Gina Salud, Spouse of San Juan, a new hotline, #043-SAN JUAN (726
Batangas Mayor; Ildebrando Salud, Mayor of San Juan, Batangas; Allan Hechanova, 5826), as part of their transformation pro-
Senior Relationship Manager at PLDT Enterprise. cess to better serve its constituents.
that best fits their needs.
These user-centric solutions
provide Filipinos better control
and convenience over their finan-
cial choices —potentially opening
greater financial opportunities ;o
more people.
Bridging the gap to financial
empowerment
On the significance of the part-
nership with MoneyMax, Lista co-
founder Khriztina Lim said, “Lista
was created to provide Filipinos with
purpose-driven solutions for their
personal and business finances. Cred-
it plays an important role not only in
driving economic growth, but also in
helping people purchase goods and
services that can change lives for the
better. We are excited to work with
MoneyMax to streamline the credit
card application process through
Lista. Through this partnership, we
will utilize technology to bridge the
gaps that keep Filipinos from greater
financial inclusion—empowering
more people to live healthier finan-
cial lives.”

POCO Partners Southeast Asia Forum 2023 dissects evolving Gen-Z mobile consumers’ habits
By Patricia Taculao
IN line with POCO’s bid to provide mobile
consumers with the ideal products that meet
their daily needs, the young independent
brand born from the Xiaomi Corporation held
the POCO Partners Southeast Asia Forum
2023 last August 21 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Present at the forum, held in W Hotel
Bangkok, were industry experts from across
POCO business partnerships gathered with
regional and local media in Bangkok to pro-
vide their insights into the evolving nature of
the habits and preferences of Southeast Asia’s
Gen Z mobile users.
The POCO Partners Southeast Asia Fo-
rum 2023 provided a significant opportu-
nity to explore the rapidly changing con-
sumer environment driven by the evolving
usage and preferences of the region’s “mo-
bile first” Gen Z generation.
POCO is a consumer technology brand
based on the philosophy of “Everything you
need, nothing you don’t.” It focuses primar-
ily on its fans’ requirements and feedback.
It’s on the relentless pursuit of technology,
which its fans truly need, thus democratiz-
ing decision-making and continuous prod-
uct updates to evolve itself.
During the forum, POCO Global heads,
namely Quanxin Wang, General Manager of
Xiaomi Southeast Asia, Anne Wang, Head of
Marketing at POCO Global, and Angus Ng,
Head of Product Marketing at POCO Global,
discussed the evolving tech trends and data-
driven insights in e-commerce, gaming,
chipset, and smartphone markets in South-
east Asian countries with their stakeholders
and top executives from Lazada, MediaTek,
PUBG, Shopee, and TikTok Shop.
The survey covered 2,500 consumers tar-
geting Gen Z and Millennials in five South-
east Asian markets, Malaysia, Indonesia,
Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, who play
games on their mobile devices at least once
a month. The study showed how mobile be-
came the go-to platform for younger South-
east Asian users for entertainment due to the
recent pandemic. It also tackled how mobile
activities have dramatically increased over the
last three years, with surges in mobile gaming
(53 percent), online shopping (51 percent), and
video streaming (48 percent) activities.
Due to their affinity with technology, the
data from the survey showed how Gen Z
spends more hours engaged in mobile activi-
ties. They spend more hours per week than
their Millennial counterparts for all online
leisure activities, such as messaging and so-
cial media interactions, and intend to spend
even more time on their mobiles soon.
“For smartphones that are designed for
Gen Z, I’d say they’re all about being seam-
less. Gen Z is used to using mobile devices,
and they want phones that make everything
online easy. This includes things like having
engaging interactions with one another, shar-
ing fun moments or playing exciting games Shown here are (from left) Jenny Armshaw-Heak, Director at
within their community, or keeping track of YouGov; Tony Yuan, Senior Vice President of Lazada; Kit Chomcharn,
their health and knowing ways to improve Head of Shopee Thailand, Electronic Cluster; Angus Ng, Head of
their lifestyle,” said Liang Shuang, Head of Product Marketing for POCO Global; and Chunyan See, Country
Shopee Regional Electronic Cluster. Sales Manager for Mediatek Thailand.