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PCSO admits minor glitch in 3-digit game draw; Senate sets probe | Charie Abarca | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 23:14:46 PST | MANILA, Philippines — Senator Raffy Tulfo said on Thursday evening that the Senate will investigate the glitch in the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office’s (PCSO) three-digit game draw on February 27.
“We will conduct a hearing to investigate the glitch. The public needs to know whether or not this is really a glitch or is it another suspicious action by the PCSO. It is bad timing for PCSO because the result of the investigation of the E-Lotto system is not yet finished, and yet this happened again,” said Tulfo in English and Filipino.
In a separate statement issued Thursday, PCSO confirmed that a “minor glitch” occurred during its three-digit game draw on February 27 after one of its draw machines failed to capture one of the drawn balls.
“It’s not the first time that this happen[ed] and we want to assure the public that we are prepared for this kind of unexpected incident with our established ISO-approved protocols,” said PCSO General Manager Mel Robles.
Robles said a similar glitch transpired in one of PCSO’s games in 2008. He noted that it is not an isolated incident as such cases also happened in the United States when lottery machines malfunctioned.
“In the past 25 years, this was only the second time that a minor glitch had happened at PCSO while conducting an official draw,” said Robles.
“For this thing to happen is very remote. But we are prepared and we assure the public that our commitment to a transparent, fair and authentic lottery games will never waver, and is as strong as ever,” he added.
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Bongbong Marcos says he remains firm in defending PH sovereignty | Reuters | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 08:23:58 PST | Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese walks with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr at the Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, February 29, 2024. REUTERS/Kirsty Needham
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese walks with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr at the Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, February 29, 2024. REUTERS/Kirsty Needham
Updated on February 29, 2024 at 11:59 a.m.
SYDNEY — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. told the Australian parliament on Thursday he would not allow any foreign power to take “one square inch” of the country’s territory, and that Manila was firm in defending its sovereignty.
Australia and the Philippines began their first joint sea and air patrols in the South China Sea in November, aimed at countering an increasingly assertive China, which claims the entire sea as its own.
READ: Marcos finds China actions in West Philippine Sea getting worrisome
“I will not allow any attempt by any foreign power to take even one square inch of our sovereign territory,” Marcos said in the address.
The South China Sea is a conduit for more than $3 trillion worth of ship-borne commerce each year, and is a major source of tension between the Philippines and neighbour China.
Manila accuses Beijing of committing aggressive acts inside its exclusive economic zone (EEZ); an international arbitration tribunal in the Hague said in 2016 that China’s claims inside the Philippines’ EEZ had no legal basis – a decision Beijing has rejected. China has chided the Philippines for encroaching on what it says is its territory.
Protecting the area is important to global stability, Marcos said on Thursday.
“The protection of the South China Sea as a vital, critical global artery is crucial to the preservation of regional peace and, I dare say, of global peace,” he said. “We have an abiding interest in keeping our seas free and open, and in ensuring unimpeded passage and freedom of navigation.”
Marcos is in Australia on an official visit, before he attends a special summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Melbourne next week.
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Australian senator stages ‘protest’ during Marcos’ speech | Luisa Cabato | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 11:18:59 PST | Australian senator Janet Rice, during President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. ‘s address to the Australian Parliament on Thursday, pulls up a placard urging the president to “stop the human rights abuses.” | PHOTO: Janet Rice ‘X’ account
Australian senator Janet Rice, during President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. ‘s address to the Australian Parliament on Thursday, pulls up a placard urging the president to “stop the human rights abuses.” | PHOTO: Janet Rice ‘X’ account
MANILA, Philippines — An Australian senator pulled out a placard that read “stop the human rights abuses,” during President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. ‘s address to the Australian Parliament on Thursday.
During Marcos’ speech, Greens senator Janet Rice held up the sign urging the president to end such abuses.
READ: Marcos arrives in Australia for state visit, talks on defense and trade
“Under President Marcos Jr, corruption in the Philippines is getting worse. There are hundreds of political prisoners, and ‘anti-terrorism’ laws are used as legal cover for extrajudicial killings,” Rice said in a post on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter).
“Yet the Australian Government invited him to address the Parliament today. Shame,” she added.
READ: Marcos: Australia is PH’s ‘natural partner’ in keeping int’l order
Rice was escorted out of the House of Representatives as Marcos continued his speech, a report from news.com.au said.
Marcos arrived in Canberra, Australia, on Wednesday for a state visit.
He is expected to sign three agreements on cooperation during the trip and discuss matters of defense and trade with Australian leaders.
The president is also set to return to the country on Thursday
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Pagasa: Expect light rains in Luzon as amihan weakens on Thursday | Luisa Cabato | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 07:41:31 PST | The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration says that the northeast monsoon, locally known as amihan, weakens and will only have a minimal effect on Luzon’s weather conditions on Thursday. (Photo courtesy of Pagasa)
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration says that the northeast monsoon, locally known as amihan, weakens and will only have a minimal effect on Luzon’s weather conditions on Thursday. (Photo courtesy of Pagasa)
MANILA, Philippines — The northeast monsoon, locally known as amihan, has weakened and will only bring light rains to Luzon on Thursday, the state weather bureau said.
Based on the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration’s (Pagasa) morning advisory, Aurora province may expect cloudy skies with light rains due to amihan.
READ: Caraga and Davao region to have scattered rain showers, thunderstorms
Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon, on the other hand, will have generally fair weather with slight chances of partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated light rains in the afternoon also due to the same weather conditions.
“Maaaring over the weekend mas kakaunti na lamang na lugar dito sa northern and central Luzon ang maaapektuhan [ng amihan],” said Pagasa weather specialist Benison Estareja.
(Over the weekend, fewer areas here in northern and central Luzon may be affected [by amihan].)
READ: Pagasa: February tropical cyclone chance low for PH
Pagasa said that no significant impact is expected in areas affected by amihan.
Meanwhile, overcast skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms will persist over the Davao Region due to the trough or extension of low-pressure areas outside the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR).
The state weather bureau warned of possible flash floods or landslides due to moderate to, at times, heavy rains.
“Base sa ating analysis ay mababa pa rin po ang tiyansa na may mabuong bagyo na papasok sa ating PAR hanggang sa mga unang araw ng Marso,” Estareja said.
(Based on our analysis, the chance of a typhoon forming and entering our PAR remains low until the first few days of March.)
For the rest of the country, Pagasa said that slightly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms will prevail due to easterlies and localized thunderstorms.
It added that this may result in flash floods or landslides during severe thunderstorms.
No gale warning alert is raised in any parts of the archipelago’s seaboard.
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However, Pagasa warned that waves measuring up to 2.8 meters are expected along the country’s eastern and northern seaboards due to amihan.
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Bayan-Australia holds protest during Marcos’ state visit | Faith Argosino | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 23:46:46 PST | President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. delivers his message at Maharlika Villamor Airbase, Pasay City, before he left for Canberra, Australia on Wednesday morning, February 28, 2024. Marcos will address the Australian Parliament during his two-day visit. He will return to the country on Thursday. (INQUIRER PHOTO / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA)
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. delivers his message at Maharlika Villamor Airbase, Pasay City, before he left for Canberra, Australia on Wednesday morning, February 28, 2024. Marcos will address the Australian Parliament during his two-day visit. He will return to the country on Thursday. (INQUIRER PHOTO / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA)
MANILA, Philippines — Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan)-Australia and other groups from Melbourne, Sydney, and Queensland staged a protest at the Australian Parliament Hill building during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s address.
In a statement, Bayan said Greens Senator Janet Rice likewise raised a protest placard saying “Stop the human rights abuses” during Marcos’ speech inside the building and was escorted out of Parliament.
The group said Rice joined them outside the building and was later accompanied by other Greens members, Senator Jordon-Steele John and Senator David Shoebridge, who also “denounced Canberra and Manila’s foreign relations policies in lockstep with US imperialist interests.”
The senators also said that the Philippines must develop its independent foreign policy and urged other Australian Parliament members to oppose the AUKUS alliance and joint military drills in the Asia-Pacific area.
Bayan-Australia commended their act for speaking up for the truth about the US-Marcos regime. It likewise denounced the current administration’s Charter change agenda — which it claimed may only “worsen the economic crisis being experienced by the majority of Filipinos today under the US-Marcos regime.”
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Sta. Lucia Land sustains growth as it fuels the fringe | INQUIRER.net BrandRoom | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 09:00:31 PST | The growth of trusted builder Sta. Lucia Land Inc. over the recent years has allowed it to be part of the Philippines Growth Champions 2024.
The list—compiled by the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Germany-based Statista, the world’s leading data and business intelligence portal—identified 30 Philippine companies that saw the highest percentage growth in revenues between 2019 and 2022.
Sta. Lucia Land registered a 26.5 percent growth in revenues to P9.9 billion in 2022 from P7.8 billion in 2019, delivering a compounded annual growth rate of 8.16 percent. It is also one of only two real estate companies that made it to the ranking.
Breadth of portfolio
Sta. Lucia is popular for the impressive depth and breadth of its portfolio: more than 300 projects on over 10,000 ha of land in 70 cities and municipalities across 10 regions and 15 provinces. The company’s developments range from townships, condotels, and golf courses to offices, commercial spaces, and housing units.
On record, the Cainta-based company was founded in 2007. Its parent firm’s beginnings, however, go back to 1971, when members of the Robles and Santos families decided to build residential subdivisions and communities for the middle class of Rizal province. At the time, that location east of the National Capital Region was slowly seeing spillover development.
The Sta. Lucia Group has further fueled growth in the east by building in the 90s the Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall, now an anchor of the eponymous Sta. Lucia City in Cainta, where it also has residential condominiums and office spaces. It is, in fact, a development that reflects the very growth of Rizal.
Economic vibrancy
Today, it is a virtual extension of the Philippine capital, enjoying similar economic vibrancy and access to opportunities.
This is what it has also done in many areas across the country, where it was fittingly the first mover—the first national developer to believe in the potential of the so-called fringe areas. The Sta. Lucia Group’s expansive portfolio, which continues to expand even after more than 50 years in the business, has long been helping fuel growth in the fringes.
Where the company did build, it also enjoyed great returns. With the government focusing on spreading out development from the capitals to the countryside, big-ticket infrastructure and other initiatives have facilitated progress in and around dozens of Sta. Lucia projects.
Positive impact
Sta. Lucia also made positive impacts akin to those it actualized for its pioneering projects in Rizal. It ignited a wave of development and raised property values, gave individuals a viable investment option, met the demands of discerning clients, and raised the standards of living for many more, among others.
The ability to make it to Philippines Growth Champions 2024 means that the proposition remains profitable after decades. It also encourages the company to redouble its efforts to introduce a Sta. Lucia products to more places across the archipelago.
ADVT.
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Sta. Lucia Land, Mindanao’s ARSM Land to develop mixed-use community in South Cotabato
Filinvest Land net income up 30% to P38B in 2023
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Man allegedly abducted in Batangas surrendered to military, police say | Faith Argosino | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 16:39:16 PST | MANILA, Philippines — A police official said on Thursday that the 27-year-old man seen in a video allegedly being abducted in Batangas surrendered to the military in Sorsogon last February 23.
In a phone interview with INQUIRER.net, Santo Tomas police chief Lieutenant Colonel Rodel Ban-o identified the alleged kidnapping victim as Jose Marie Estiller.
Ban-o said they received a report about the purported abduction from the owner of the apartment Estiller and his sister were renting along Barangay San Pedro.
CCTV footage showed Estiller walking towards their unit when five armed men in civillian clothes suddenly took him, which also matched the apartment owner’s report.
Ban-o said they invited Estiller’s sister, Jean, to file a formal complaint at the Santo Tomas City Police Station.
“When we were about to get her statement, Jean asked for permission to eat out and promised to return, but she did not return. We contacted her at first, but she is no longer answering our next calls,” the police officer said.
“Our personnel visited their home, but no one was there. We visited again the next day, but she was not there,” he added.
Further investigation showed that the siblings had just transferred to the area two months ago, and upon cross-checking with their military counterparts in the Bicol Region, Ban-o said their team learned that Estiller reportedly surrendered to the 903rd Infantry Brigade in Bicol.
“They are claiming that the person surrendered before their members and the local government of Sorsogon around 4 p.m. on February 23, shortly after the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group Region 5 served the arrest warrants against him for various cases of murder within the region,” Ban-o said.
He added that Estiller is currently under military custody in Bicol, and their record showed that he was an alleged former New People’s Army member with over 20 arrest warrants for a series of murder cases in the Bicol Region.
He said they asked Estiller’s sister about this, but she claimed to have no knowledge about it.
READ: Chinese man abducted in Pasay found in Batangas City
When asked if they identified the men who took Estiller, Ban-o said their investigation is still ongoing.
“We are going to continue our investigation, but based on our findings, it seems this is a purely military operation. They did not coordinate this with us,” he said.
Meanwhile, the League of Filipino Students condemned the alleged abduction of Estiller, whom they described as the elder sibling of Jean, a former political prisoner and activist from the National Federation of Peasant Women (Amihan).
“Two days before the commemoration of the EDSA People Power movement, this incident is a stark reminder of why the task of resistance is just and necessary. Although the Bill of Rights is enshrined in the 1987 Constitution, human rights are still violated with impunity, giving a glimpse of what will come when Marcos Jr. succeeds with Charter Change,” the group said.
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“We demand the immediate and safe release of Jose Marie Estiller. We call on all relevant government agencies to conduct a swift investigation into this issue in order to unmask the orchestrator of this crime,” it added.
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LTO chief wants e-trikes and e-bikes registered | Luisa Cabato | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 15:20:46 PST | This file photo shows an e-tricycle. Land Transportation Office (LTO) head Assistant Secretary Vigor Mendoza II on Thursday, February 29, 2024, proposed that electric bicycles (e-bikes) and electric tricycles (e-trikes) must be registered and that drivers of such vehicles must be licensed. INQUIRER FILES
This file photo shows an e-tricycle. Land Transportation Office (LTO) head Assistant Secretary Vigor Mendoza II on Thursday, February 29, 2024, proposed that electric bicycles (e-bikes) and electric tricycles (e-trikes) must be registered and that drivers of such vehicles must be licensed. INQUIRER FILES
MANILA, Philippines — The Land Transportation Office (LTO) is proposing the registration of electric bicycles and tricycles as well as the issuance of licenses to their drivers.
LTO head Assistant Secretary Vigor Mendoza II presented the proposal during a consultation meeting with representatives from various transport organizations and government agencies on Thursday.
“Our proposal is very simple as far as LTO is concerned: All light electric vehicles used in public highways, which means […] any roads funded and maintained by the government whether it’s local government or national government, that vehicle must be registered with LTO,” Mendoza said.
“The driver of the vehicle must be licensed, which means to say at least 17 years old [with a] valid license that passes through all the process,” he added.
READ: Transport agencies tackle rules for electric vehicles
Mendoza’s recommendation came a day after the Metro Manila Council (MMC) passed a resolution banning e-bikes and e-trikes on national roads under the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
The MMDA and MMC said in a press conference on Wednesday that starting in April, e-bikes and e-trikes should not be allowed on the following roads:
Violators will be apprehended and fined P2,500, as their units will also be impounded if they fail to present a valid driver’s license.
Both MMDA Acting Chairman Romando Artes and LTO chief Mendoza stressed that drivers and passengers’ safety concerns were the main reason for the ban.
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Metro Cebu will have generally fair weather until weekend — Pagasa Mactan | noliverio | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 17:07:58 PST | High-rise buildings over Cebu City. CDN Digital photo | Brian J. Ochoa
High-rise buildings over Cebu City. CDN Digital photo | Brian J. Ochoa
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Metro Cebu will experience “generally fair weather” until Monday, March 4, according to a weather specialist in Mactan.
Jhomer Eclarino, weather specialist of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) in Mactan, confirmed this to CDN Digital on Thursday, February 29.
Eclarino said that the temperature will range from 25 to 32 degrees celsius.
READ: Pagasa: February tropical cyclone chance low for PH
Moreover, the public can also experience a longer time without rain, but there will be isolated rain showers any time of the day.
“Taas ang time nga nindot ang panahon until this Monday,” Eclarino told CDN Digital.
(It will be a long time that the weather will be fine until Monday.)
Meanwhile, the wind conditions will be moderate today and tomorrow, February 29 to March 1, while on the weekend it will be light to moderate.
In the weather update of Eclarino earlier this morning, the forecasted heat index for the Visayas region ranges between 34 and 38 degrees celsius which falls under extreme caution category.
The weather bureau cautions the public for heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke.
READ: Fair, cool weather in Visayas on Tuesday
Meanwhile, the northeast monsoon, locally known as amihan, has weakened and will only bring light rains to Luzon.
The state weather bureau said this on Thursday, February 29.
Based on Pagasa’s morning advisory, Aurora province may expect cloudy skies with light rains due to amihan.
Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon, on the other hand, will have generally fair weather with slight chances of partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated light rains in the afternoon also due to the same weather conditions.
READ: Caraga and Davao region to have scattered rain showers, thunderstorms
“Maaaring over the weekend mas kakaunti na lamang na lugar dito sa northern and central Luzon ang maaapektuhan [ng amihan],” said Pagasa weather specialist Benison Estareja.
(Over the weekend, fewer areas here in northern and central Luzon may be affected [by amihan].)
Meanwhile, overcast skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms will persist over the Davao Region due to the trough or extension of low-pressure areas outside the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR).
The state weather bureau warned of possible flash floods or landslides due to moderate to, at times, heavy rains.
For the rest of the country, Pagasa said that slightly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms will prevail due to easterlies and localized thunderstorms. | With Inquirer.net report
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Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.
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Phivolcs logs increased sulfur dioxide emission on Taal Volcano | Adrian Parungao | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 20:43:03 PST | MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said on Thursday that it has detected an increased sulfur dioxide emission from the Taal Volcano.
“A total of 14,558 tonnes/day of volcanic sulfur dioxide or SO2 gas emission from the Taal Main Crater was measured today, 29 February 2024,” Phivolcs said in its advisory.
The agency said that the number is the second-highest recorded flux for 2024.
On average, the Taal Volcano emitted 9,450 tonnes per day of sulfur for February, the Phivolcs said.
READ: Taal ashfall paralyzes financial markets, businesses
No volcanic smog or vog was observed, and three volcanic earthquakes were recorded for the month of February, it added.
Currently, Alert Level 1 is raised on the volcano, which means that it is in a “low level of volcanic unrest.” Under the present level, minor eruptions, earthquakes, and ashfalls may occur.
READ: Phivolcs detects increased Taal Volcano sulfuric gas emission
Phivolcs also told local authorities to take necessary precautions against any possible effects of sulfur dioxide in their communities.
“Local government units are advised to continuously monitor and assess volcanic SO2 exposure of, and potential impacts on, their communities and undertake appropriate response measures to mitigate these hazards,” it said.
“DOST-PHIVOLCS is closely monitoring Taal Volcano’s activity and any new significant development will be immediately communicated to all stakeholders,” it added.
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PCG fully retakes hacked Facebook account | Luisa Cabato | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 08:35:16 PST | Philippine Coast Guard logo. (Photo from PCG/Facebook)
Philippine Coast Guard logo. (Photo from PCG/Facebook)
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) regained full access to its official Facebook account on Thursday, the agency said in a statement.
The hacking, which was reported on Monday, was the third cyberattack against the agency this year.
The PCG’s social media page even started uploading and sharing clips of various foreign movies and television series on Wednesday.
READ: Hacked PCG Facebook page sharing, uploading movie clips
“As of 5:45AM today, 29 February 2024, the Coast Guard Public Affairs Service (CGPAS) has recovered full access to its official Facebook Page,” the PCG said.
According to PCG Spokesperson CG Rear Admiral Armando Balilo, the combined efforts of the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) under the Department of Information and Communications Technology and the PCG led to the removal of three hackers with Facebook names: Fatima Hasan, Murat Kansu, and Vicky Bates.
“The CICC confirmed that the hackers utilized malware to breach the Facebook page’s security on 26 February 2024,” the PCG noted.
READ: Hackers attack PH Coast Guard Facebook page; third this year
The agency said that a “comprehensive hardware check” is scheduled on March 1 for all office laptops and computers being used by personnel from its public affairs service.
This is to remove remaining traces of malware, if any, and strengthen the overall cybersecurity against potential breaches of its social media accounts, the PCG added.
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Cebu Daily Newscast: Tommy Osmeña to run for Cebu City Vice Mayor in 2025 elections | jngojo | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 17:56:56 PST | Listen to Cebu Daily Newscast and get the latest stories in and around Cebu.
Here’s what you need to know on Thursday, February 29.
Former Cebu City Mayor Tommy Osmeña speaks in a press conference on Friday, February 29, 2024, in Cebu City. CDN Digital photo | Pia Piquero
Former Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña announced his plans to run for Vice Mayor in the 2025 midterm elections if his preferred mayoral candidate accepts his endorsement.
Osmeña made the announcement in a press conference held on Friday, February 29, 2024.
Osmeña expressed his intention to run alongside City Councilor Nestor Archival, whom he endorsed as a mayoral candidate for the 2025 elections.
“If I were to choose, I would choose [Nestor] Archival [to become] the mayor. He can make a good mayor. I will make him a good candidate… I will be his Vice Mayor,” he said.
Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama has had enough.
The mayor hit Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia on her orders to stop the construction of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in province-owned lots along Osmeña Boulevard.
He also swiped at Vice Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia, who gave a privileged speech last Wednesday, Feb. 28, backing the governor’s move.
In a livestream episode from the Public Information Office, Rama reminded Garcia that he is the mayor of a highly urbanized city, and dared her to face him squarely.
Rama also listed down the times the governor interfered in matters involving the Cebu city government, the latest of which was this year’s Sinulog festival when routes for the solemn foot procession were changed after Garcia opposed plans to close N. Bacalso avenue.
The mayor also lashed at Vice Mayor Garcia and some city council members for supporting the capitol’s memorandum over the BRT, accusing them of treachery for siding with the provincial government.
The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas is set to hold an elite combine in Talisay City on March 8 and 9 with bemedaled coach norman black leading the activities.
The event, announced by newly appointed Regional Director Popoy Navarro, is aimed to enhance the skill of Cebuano ballers.
Black, who heads SBP’s grassroots and talent identification, is considered one of the most prominent basketball figures in the Philippines.
He is an 11-time PBA champion coach with teams including San Miguel, Talk ’n Text, and Santa Lucia.
He is also known in collegiate basketball, having steered the Ateneo Blue Eagles to win five straight UAAP titles from 2008 to 2012.
When it comes to relationships, a question often gets to the young generation, specifically those who belong to Generation (Gen) Z: Do you believe in love?
In an interview with CDN Digital, Maria Lourdes Garilyos, a Population Program Officer of the Commission on Population and Development in Central Visayas, expressed her sadness about the kind of relationships Gen Zs face these days.
She adds that most younger people choose personal happiness over staying in a relationship and that technology has blurred the traditional forms of expressing love.
These may cause a lack of effort, communication, and commitment in a relationship
Garilyos added that these elements may explain why some people choose to be single or refuse to commit altogether.
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Bongbong Marcos to visit Australia from Feb 28 to 29 | Luisa Cabato | Sat, 24 Feb 2024 10:07:00 PST | Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrives in Malacañang to hold a bilateral meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday, September 8. | PHOTO: Official facebook page of the Presidential Communications Office
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrives in Malacañang to hold a bilateral meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday, September 8. | PHOTO: Official facebook page of the Presidential Communications Office
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. will visit Australia as a Guest of the Australian Government from February 28 to 29, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said on Saturday.
Marcos is set to address and discuss with the Australian Parliament the vision for the Strategic Partnership between the Philippines and Australia signed last year.
READ: Marcos leaves for Germany on March 12
“The President will have separate meetings with Australian senior officials where he is anticipated to have constructive discussions on defense and security, trade, investments, people-to-people exchanges, multilateral cooperation, and regional issues,” the PCO said in a Facebook post.
There would also be the signing of new agreements “in areas of common interest” between the Philippines and Australia during Marcos’ stay in the foreign country.
The PCO said that two countries will celebrate their 78th anniversary of diplomatic relations in November this year.
READ: Marcos’ foreign visits yield P427-B investments, says DTI official
As of 2022, it said that there are 408,000 Filipinos and Australians with Filipino descent who live in the land down under, which makes them the fifth largest migrant community in the country.
Australia remains one of the two countries with which the Philippines has a Status of Visiting Forces Agreement, it added.
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Task force: El Niño seen to spare only 2 provinces | Melvin Gascon | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 05:06:00 PST | WAITING FOR A DROP | Farms, like ricefields in Bulacan province, are starting to dry up due to the absence of heavy rains and a shortage of irrigation water. A government task force says 80 of the country’s 82 provinces will feel the impact of the El Niño weather phenomenon in varying degrees until June. (File photo by GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE / Philippine Daily Inquirer)
WAITING FOR A DROP | Farms, like ricefields in Bulacan province, are starting to dry up due to the absence of heavy rains and a shortage of irrigation water. A government task force says 80 of the country’s 82 provinces will feel the impact of the El Niño weather phenomenon in varying degrees until June. (File photo by GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE / Philippine Daily Inquirer)
MANILA, Philippines — The effects of strong El Niño will impact up to 80 of the country’s 82 provinces which may persist until June, an official of the multiagency task force said on Wednesday.
Communications Assistant Secretary Joey Villarama, spokesperson for Task Force El Niño, said the impact of water shortage had begun to be felt in two more regions this week, with farmers reporting damage to their dried-up farmlands.
“The last time I [presented a report], I mentioned 41 provinces were already affected. As of Feb. 25, this number has gone up to 51, and it is projected to further increase to 73, then up to 80 provinces, before it will again go down to just over 50,” he said.
Villarama announced this just as the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported that the prolonged dry spell had damaged an estimated P810 million worth of crops in the country.
He did not identify the only two provinces that will not be impacted by El Niño, but a chart provided by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) showed that only the island province of Batanes and coastal Sarangani province will be spared its effects.
“Last week, we received reports of crop damage in Regions 6 (Western Visayas) and 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula); this week, the damage is being reported in Regions 1 (Ilocos) and 4-B or Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan),” he said.
UPLAND BLAZE | Traces of a grass fire are still visible at Villa Verde Trail along the San Nicolas (Pangasinan)-Santa Fe (Nueva Vizcaya) Road in this photo taken on Feb. 18, 2024. Forest fires have been reported in northern Luzon’s mountains since January amid dry conditions accompanying El Niño. (File. photo by WILLIE LOMIBAO / Inquirer Northern Luzon)
While crop damage has been reported in Oriental Mindoro and Occidental Mindoro, these are still considered insignificant, Villarama said.
“The projection of NIA is about 275,000 hectares (ha) nationwide will be damaged by El Niño, but at the moment, it is still at 6,600 ha,” he said over the government television program “Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon.”
“But we are not discounting the fact that this will not cause any impact on our harvest because we are still in the early stages of the dry harvest season,” Villarama added.
According to projections of the Department of Agriculture (DA), the worst effect of El Niño will be felt in the country in April, with a total of 80 provinces seen to experience “drought,” “dry spell,” and “dry condition.”
Of these, 41 provinces will experience drought, 31 will be under a dry spell, and eight will have dry conditions, according to the DA.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) says an area is experiencing drought if rainfall conditions are “way below normal” (more than 60 percent reduction from the average) for three consecutive months or are “below normal” (21 percent to 60 percent reduction from the average) for five consecutive months.
Pagasa says a dry spell is characterized by three consecutive months of below normal or two consecutive months of way below normal rainfall conditions while dry condition occurs during two consecutive months of below normal rainfall.
By May, 40 provinces will still be experiencing drought, consisting of 17 provinces in Luzon, 14 in the Visayas and nine in Mindanao, the DA said.
Nineteen provinces will be under a dry spell, according to the agency’s projections: eight in Luzon, two in the Visayas and nine in Mindanao.
READ: Pagasa: Drought may hit 24 provinces due to El Niño
The effects of El Niño will continue to wane in June, with only 10 provinces still experiencing drought and only one—La Union—having dry conditions, data from the DA showed.
The DA, Villarama said, is calling on local governments in drought-stricken areas to declare their localities under a state of calamity to trigger mechanisms that would allow the government to assist affected farmers.
A declaration of a state of calamity will authorize the national government to tap the quick response fund, he said, which is supposedly used to provide added funds of up to P5,000 for farm inputs, or fuel subsidy.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development, through the Assistance to Indigents in Crisis Situations program, and the Department of Labor and Employment, through its cash-for-work program, may also come to the aid of farmers whose main concern is their daily sustenance, Villarama said.
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Such calamity state declaration may also allow the local government to provide cash aid from local funding, he said.
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DA probes sale of NFA rice stocks at low prices | Jordeene B. Lagare | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 05:50:00 PST | PROBE UNDERWAY | An investigation is underway into claims that National Food Authority officials sold tons of rice stocks without the usual bidding and at a loss to the government. (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)
PROBE UNDERWAY | An investigation is underway into claims that National Food Authority officials sold tons of rice stocks without the usual bidding and at a loss to the government. (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) has started an investigation into claims that officials of the National Food Authority (NFA) sold thousands of tons of rice to certain traders at a “disadvantageous” price to the government.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. has created a panel to review documents and hold interviews to establish the facts on the supposed sale of NFA rice stocks to unidentified traders without the usual bidding process.
According to the agriculture department, the rice stocks were sold at P25 per kilo when purchased as palay, at P23 per kilogram.
READ: Return of NFA rice for the poor eyed, but seen as tariffication failure
Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa did not provide more information about the transactions nor identify the officials investigating the claim, but he clarified that Tiu Laurel wanted to establish the facts and determine whether there were really irregularities or the claims were spawned by bureaucratic intrigue.
“[The secretary] wants the truth to come out as soon as possible, what really happened. For all we know, this could only have stemmed from internal squabbles,” De Mesa said.
“Actually, there’s been a lot of finger-pointing inside and outside the NFA, so the secretary himself announced the investigation to bring out the truth,” he added.
On Tuesday, Tiu Laurel said the DA does not “brush aside reports of impropriety” against its officials, and any government agency is welcome “to conduct their own probe to ferret out the truth.”
He also warned that the “harshest penalty under the law” would be meted out to those who profit at the expense of farmers, fishers and consumers.
“We are custodians of government funds — monies to be spent for the benefit of Filipinos, especially farmers and fisherfolk. Taxpayers’ money shouldn’t be squandered to line anybody’s pockets,” he said.
NFA Administrator Roderico Bioco, however, explained that the agency was allowed to dispose of aging stocks up to 10 percent lower than the mandated price (floor price of P22.50 per kg up to the maximum mandated ceiling price of P25 per kg) as well as damaged stocks for at least P6.50 per kg.
“The current NFA management was able to responsibly dispose [of] its rice stocks to government accounts by stretching to maximum shelf-life, minimizing the sale of residual volume to other accounts by implementing stricter guidelines and safeguards,” Bioco said in a statement posted on the People’s Television Network’s website on Wednesday.
He added that the NFA Council had been asked to raise the mandated maximum selling price for their old rice stocks because palay prices were much higher than their maximum price, making it difficult for the agency to increase or replace its buffer stock.
The NFA said the prevailing prices of clean and dry varieties ranged from P25 to P30 per kg as opposed to its buying price of P23 a kilo.
The agency is mandated to maintain an optimal rice inventory and dispose of it in case of emergencies and calamities under the Rice Tariffication Law. It can source palay only directly from local producers.
The NFA said it must keep and release 99.9 percent of its stocks in “good and consumable condition.”
As for the rice stocks sold, Bioco explained that while these were sold for P25 per kg, they still need to be remilled before they can be released to consumers.
Moving forward, the NFA plans to implement a contract-growing scheme to require farmers who received seeds and fertilizer from the DA to sell 10 percent of their crop, up to 10 bags per hectare per year, at P23 per kg on a clean and dry basis.
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The food agency is coordinating with the DA’s National Rice Program and the National Irrigation Administration to implement the program, which can generate at least 500,000 metric tons of palay for the NFA.
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Health workers seek government action on unpaid COVID-19 benefits | Dexter Cabalza | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 05:48:00 PST | In this June 2020 photo, health workers are on standby to help COVID-19 patients at a quarantine facility set up at the Philippine Arena complex in Bocaue, Bulacan. (File photo by NIÑO JESUS ORBETA / Philippine Daily Inquirer)
In this June 2020 photo, health workers are on standby to help COVID-19 patients at a quarantine facility set up at the Philippine Arena complex in Bocaue, Bulacan. (File photo by NIÑO JESUS ORBETA / Philippine Daily Inquirer)
MANILA, Philippines — Health workers have called on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to intercede in the payment of their long-delayed health emergency allowance (HEA) as their demands for its release have apparently fallen on deaf ears.
In a letter dated Feb. 27, the Alliance of Health Workers (AHW) said that since the lifting of the state of health emergency on July 21, 2023, the allowance has yet to be released to all health workers in public and private hospitals who placed their lives at risk by serving at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We respectfully request for a dialogue with you, President, to discuss this matter and seek your intervention in ensuring that the HEA is promptly given to us health workers by the Department of Health [DOH] and [Department of Budget and Management],” the AHW said.
The letter was personally delivered by AHW national vice president Jose Espanillo, along with officials of hospital unions, to Malacañang and the DOH main office in Manila on Tuesday.
READ: COVID-19 allowances to be fully paid by 2026 – DOH
“These allowances are crucial for our well-being and morale as front-line health workers who have been tirelessly working to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and provide essential health-care services to our fellow Filipinos. Despite the sacrifices and risks we faced, it is demoralizing to see that the HEA has not been provided to us,” the group said.
According to the AHW, the DOH is currently withholding the HEA funds totaling P316.6 million covering the period between July 2021 and July 2023 despite the issuance of guidelines and memorandums of agreement (MOA). The allowance is intended for government-owned and controlled corporation hospitals, such as the National Kidney and Transplant Institute, the Philippine Heart Center, and the Philippine Children’s Medical Center.
In December, the DOH released Department Order No. 2023-0638, stating the guidelines on the disbursement of HEA payments to health workers in these specialty hospitals.
On Feb. 8, the DOH issued a MOA to the respective heads of the hospitals, which immediately returned the signed agreements to the DOH.
“But until now, the benefits [owed by the government to us] are not yet provided. The DOH has been using the Commission on Audit as a reason for not releasing the benefits that we are entitled to,” the AHW said.
“More so, there is no full provision of HEA to private hospitals and [local government unit] hospitals from 2021 until now,” it added
Under the 2024 national budget, P18.96 billion has been allocated to cover the payment of HEA claims from public and private health workers.
Under Republic Act No. 11712 or the Public Health Emergency Benefits and Allowances for Health Care Workers Act which was enacted on April 27, 2022, health-care workers are entitled to the allowance for every month of service while the country is under a state of public health emergency.
It sets an allowance of P3,000 for those deployed to low-risk areas, P6,000 for those in medium-risk areas, and P9,000 for those in high-risk areas.
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In December last year, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa projected that it would take until 2026 for the government to pay in full its obligations to all eligible health workers amounting to P62.9 billion.
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Marcos: Developed nations must do more, act now on climate change | Melvin Gascon | Fri, 01 Mar 2024 05:48:53 PST | President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. addresses the Australian Parliament in Canberra, Australia, on Thursday, February 29, 2024. Photo from RTV Malacañang
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. addresses the Australian Parliament in Canberra, Australia, on Thursday, February 29, 2024. Photo from RTV Malacañang
President Marcos urged developed countries on Thursday to “do more” to address the threats posed by climate change, as he called an “injustice” the fact that the Philippines has been at the receiving end of its negative effects.
Speaking before the Australian Parliament in Canberra, the President affirmed the Philippine government’s commitment to achieve “carbon neutrality,” but reiterated that this effort would need the cooperation of other countries to work.
According to Marcos, the Philippines has the potential to be a net carbon sink—absorbing more carbon dioxide than it emits—but ranks first in the 2023 World Risk Index (WRI) on the most climate-vulnerable countries among the United Nations’ 193 members.
“This glaring disproportion between our share of responsibility and our vulnerability reflects an injustice that must be corrected. Developed countries must do more. And they must do it now,” he said.
President Marcos was in Australia for a two-day state visit as a guest of the Australian government at the invitation of Governor-General David Hurley, as the two countries seek to strengthen bilateral ties.
The WRI published by the Ruhr University Bochum-Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict ranked countries according to “exposure to natural disasters;” “susceptibility based on socioeconomic development;” “lack of coping capacities against social shocks, political stability, health care, infrastructure and material security” and “lack of adaptive capacities on education and research, investments and disaster preparedness.”
According to the study, the Philippines ranked first, followed by Indonesia and India. Australia was ranked 22nd.
In his speech, Marcos called on Australia and the rest of the global community to work together to address climate change, which, he said was today’s “most pressing vulnerability” that “threatens the very survival of our peoples [and] our very future.”
“My country accepts its part in our collective responsibility. My administration is committed to accelerating our just, affordable, sustainable and inclusive energy transition towards carbon neutrality,” he said.
As one of the supposed proof of the two countries’ long-standing “strategic partnership,” the President cited the help extended by Australia, which he likened to Filipinos’ “bayanihan” or “mateship” for Australians, when it provided help to survivors of supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name Haiyan) in Eastern Visayas in 2013.
He reiterated his commitment during Thursday’s state luncheon hosted by Hurley, expressing confidence in Australia’s influence on helping advance the Philippines’ position in mitigating the effects of climate change.
Marcos said that climate change and the rapid advancement of technologies compound the challenges posed by the “prevailing dynamic security environment” in the Indo-Pacific region, affecting all states and the individual lives of citizens.
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“Still, I remain confident and optimistic knowing that we have a like-minded and responsible partner in Australia that shares our positive outlook and is willing, as history has shown, to exert its influence for the benefit of our region and of our peoples,” he added.
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Marcos, Duterte advise Quiboloy: Face the music | Germelina Lacorte, Melvin Gascon | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 05:34:00 PST | Apollo Quiboloy (Photo from the official website of Sen. Christopher Go)
Apollo Quiboloy (Photo from the official website of Sen. Christopher Go)
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, gave similar advice to embattled televangelist Apollo Quiboloy: It’s time to face the music.
The president on Wednesday urged the controversial Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) founder to attend the respective inquiries of the Senate and the House of Representatives for the chance to air his side with respect to the allegations against him and his Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI).
“I would just advise him that if he has to say something, he has an opportunity in the hearings both in the House and in the Senate to say his side of the story. Now if he is saying all of those accusations are not true, then he should declare it [in those forums],” Marcos said.
Speaking with journalists before he departed for a two-day state visit to Australia, the president expressed concern over Quiboloy’s continued refusal to appear at the congressional hearings, saying it might make matters worse for him.
“If this situation goes on that he does not appear, he may be cited in contempt, which could get worse. [He] could end up in even greater trouble,” he said.
READ: PNP offering help to serve subpoenas on Quiboloy
“If he appears and answers all the questions, then that would be the end of it,” Mr. Marcos said.
As for Duterte, the former president said his friend and spiritual adviser should just “get arrested” if he wished to defy the summons from the Senate and the House, whose leaders had threatened to arrest and detain him if he failed to appear at the next hearings.
“This is a free country. If you don’t want to go there, then get arrested,” Duterte said at a press conference in Davao City late Tuesday night.
Asked whether he would advise the pastor to attend the hearings, Duterte said his friend had a free choice in the matter.
He noted, however, that Quiboloy, who was facing multiple charges in the United States, including for child sex trafficking, was at least not facing any such case in the Philippines; hence, he was free to move around.
“Extradition takes a long process,” Duterte said.
The Senate Committee on Women and Children is looking into allegations that Quiboloy and his sect are involved in the sexual abuse and trafficking of women and children and other forms of harassment committed against former church workers and followers.
The House Committee on Legislative Franchises, on the other hand, is investigating alleged violations of the franchise granted to SMNI, Quiboloy’s media network, such as threatening a lawmaker and spreading disinformation.
Quiboloy has snubbed the invitations from the two panels, prompting the issuance of subpoenas by the Senate and House leadership.
The next Senate hearing is on March 5, while that of the House is on March 12.
In a voice recording posted on YouTube earlier this month, Quiboloy said he was in hiding because of a supposed conspiracy between the United States and the Philippine government to have him killed.
The KJC leader is wanted by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation for a string of criminal charges, including conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion, and sex trafficking of children; sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion; conspiracy; and bulk cash smuggling.
On Wednesday, Marcos publicly responded to Quiboloy’s claims for the first time and laughed off his allegation that he and wife Liza Araneta-Marcos were conniving with the Americans to have him assassinated.
“No one wants to have him assassinated. Why would anyone do that? Why would anyone want him dead? Maybe, he’s just very, very… I can no longer understand what he is saying,” the president said.
“The cases against him in the US were filed before I became president. So, I guess he’s very worried,” he added.
The President assured Quiboloy that the subpoenas issued against him were meant to accord him due process.
Duterte also laughed off the allegations that cropped up during the Senate hearing that he and his daughter Vice President Sara Duterte were receiving bags full of firearms from Quiboloy.
“Pastor Quiboloy supplying us with firearms? That’s a stupid proposition,” he said.
“We could deliver cannons or machine guns to him tomorrow if he wants. Why does it have to be the pastor who should give me guns?” he asked.
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“He should get guns from me, I’ll give him one. As I told you earlier, I am a gun collector. I have a stash of 500 guns, all registered in my name.”
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Thailand Week 2024 brings the best of Thai products to Glorietta, Makati | INQUIRER.net BrandRoom | Fri, 23 Feb 2024 17:16:23 PST | Exciting news for all enthusiasts of Thai products! The highly anticipated Thailand Week is set to showcase the best of Thai merchandise at the Glorietta Activity Center in Makati City from February 29 to March 3, 2024. Organized by the Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP), Ministry of Commerce in Thailand, through the Thai Trade Center in Manila, this annual event is the biggest trade show of Thai products in the Philippines and has consistently brought high-quality Thai products to the forefront for over a decade.
Thailand Week 2024 marks a significant shift as it takes place at the Glorietta shopping mall for the first time, providing enhanced accessibility and convenience for consumers. Under the theme “Discover Excellence, Trade with Thailand,” the fair continues its tradition of highlighting the superior quality of Thai products.
Over 80 companies, including Thai exporters and Philippine importers with Thai products, will participate in Thailand Week 2024. The showcase will span various categories, featuring food and beverages, health and beauty products, household items, as well as fashion and lifestyle products.
Attendees will not only have the opportunity to explore and purchase high-quality and affordable products but also to delve into the rich tapestry of Thai culture. The event will host cooking demonstrations by renowned Thai SELECT restaurants, accredited by DITP, offering a tantalizing taste of authentic Thai cuisine. There will be also colorful Thai cultural performances during the event for you to witness the culture from the land of smiles.
For businesses seeking new opportunities, Thailand Week 2024 is an ideal platform to explore trade relationships and connect with potential agents or distributors. Whether you are a business professional, a discerning consumer, or someone with a love for Thailand and its culture, this fair promises an unparalleled experience.
Most importantly, admission to Thailand Week 2024 is free, making it an inclusive event for everyone. Save the dates, February 29 to March 3, and make your way to the Glorietta Activity Center for an unforgettable journey through the wonders of Thailand.
For more information, please contact the Thai Trade Center in Manila at the following contact details: Tel. Nos. 88940406, 88940403, Email: [email protected], Fax: 88160698.
ADVT.
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DOE orders LPG price freeze in Oriental Mindoro town | Adrian Parungao | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 19:29:46 PST | INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Energy (DOE) ordered a price freeze on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and kerosene products in the municipality of Bulalacao in Oriental Mindoro due to a state of calamity.
According to the DOE on Thursday, the municipality was placed under a state of calamity on Monday due to an extreme drought.
READ: Bulalacao, Or. Mindoro under state of calamity due to El Niño
“A State of Calamity (SOC) was raised in the Municipality of Bulalacao, Province of Oriental Mindoro, due to severe and prolonged drought,” the DOE said.
A price freeze will be effective for LPG in cylinders 11 kilograms and below and other kerosene products until March 11.
“Thus, a price freeze for household Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in cylinders (11 Kg and below) and kerosene products is now in effect and will remain valid for 15 days upon the declaration of the SOC,” it added.
READ: Drought may hit 30 areas in March due to El Niño – Pagasa
Under the price freeze, price increases are strictly prohibited, but rollbacks will be implemented.
“During the price freeze, the price implemented is that used before the implementation of the State of Calamity (SOC). Any rollback of prices, however, shall be implemented while price increases are strictly prohibited within the 15-day period counted from the day of SOC implementation,” the DOE added.
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Tommy Osmeña to run for Cebu City Vice Mayor in 2025 elections | bochoa | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 10:38:40 PST | Former Cebu City Mayor Tommy Osmeña speaks in a press conference on Friday, February 29, 2024, in Cebu City. CDN Digital photo | Pia Piquero
Former Cebu City Mayor Tommy Osmeña speaks in a press conference on Friday, February 29, 2024, in Cebu City. CDN Digital photo | Pia Piquero
CEBU CITY, Philippines — (UPDATED) Former Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña announced his plans to run for Vice Mayor in the 2025 midterm elections if his preferred mayoral candidate accepts his endorsement.
Osmeña made the announcement in a press conference held on Thursday, February 29, 2024.
Osmeña expressed his intention to run alongside City Councilor Nestor Archival, whom he endorsed as a mayoral candidate for the 2025 elections.
“If I were to choose, I would choose [Nestor] Archival [to become] the mayor. He can make a good mayor. I will make him a good candidate… I will be his Vice Mayor,” he said.
Osmeña disclosed that he has been talking to Archival to consider running for mayor, as he believes Archival has the potential to be a “good” leader for Cebu City.
“If Archival runs, I will run. That’s how far I am willing to go. If he’s not running, I don’t care. Why would I waste my time with someone else,” he remarked.
READ MORE: Daluz and Tumulak potential tandem for 2025 midterm election
Osmeña noted the importance of letting the position seek the individual rather than actively seeking a position.
He also voiced his desire to give Cebu back to its people
“I want to give Cebu back to the Cebuanos,” he said.
Osmena shared that what he appreciates about Archival is his concern for the youth. According to Osmeña, Archival has dedicated his whole salary for the last two decades to scholarships.
“He’s putting his money where his mouth is, and that is what is missing today – not sports, not Sinulog – but taking care of the next generation. We are not taking care of our youth,” he said.
Osmeña stated that he could assist Archival as his vice mayor by concentrating on the areas where he needs help, particularly in “project management.”
“The key to running the city is fundamentally wrong. We don’t think long-term. Our leaders think only about things that will make them win the next election. But if we want to see a community develop, we have to think ahead, just like children’s education. That’s not two or three years; our leaders do not have that kind of patience,” Osmeña stressed.
Moreover, Osmeña shared that many of his friends have been asking him to play an “active” role in politics.
However, he mentioned that he cannot realistically serve as mayor since his body is only 50 percent but his mind is 97 percent.
He said that if he wanted to play an active role, he would start by addressing the issues preventing Cebu City from moving forward.
“What is good for Cebu City, not what’s good for BOPK, what’s good for Tommy Osmeña. I’m taking into consideration what are the major obstacles preventing Cebu City from moving ahead,” he stressed.
Osmeña stated that he has spent 30 years building Cebu, and what he considered the “biggest” obstacle is the attitude of the people in general.
“It would be better off if it’s the people who will choose the mayor, not the mayor choosing himself,” he added.
Osmeña also commented on Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama’s vision for Cebu City to be Singapore-like with a touch of Melbourne.
“Does Basak San Nicholas really look like Singapore? He’s been mayor for so long. Look at Basak San Nicholas. Does it look like Singapore? Then he goes to Melbourne, then with a touch of Melbourne. You know what my nightmare is? If he might visit Disneyland, then all our barangay officials will be behaving like Donald Duck,” Osmeña said.
Meanwhile, when asked about Rama endorsing Cutie del Mar, Osmena bluntly said, “I don’t like Cutie.”
Previously, Rama announced that he will still have his nephew, Rep. Eduardo “Edu” Rama Jr., for south district congressman while Rep. Rachel Marguerite “Cutie” del Mar will be joining them for north district representative.
Del Mar, daughter of the late congressman Raul del Mar, was Rama’s ally when he was still with the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) of Osmeña.
“She thinks she can buy things off. I respect the father. Raul Del Mar is not Cutie. There’s a huge difference,” he said.
Osmeña also revealed his inclination towards City Councilor Mary Ann Delos Santos as a potential candidate for congress in the North District. However, he has not yet finalized his choice for the South District.
The tandem of Archival and Osmeña marks the third ‘potential’ political partnership to announce their candidacy for the 2025 polls. The first two are those of Jose Daluz III and Dave Tumulak and Mayor Mike Rama and Raymond Alvin Garcia.
Osmeña, 75, last served as mayor of Cebu City from 2016 to 2019.
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Quiboloy still undecided about attending congressional probe – lawyer | Zacarian Sarao | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 11:50:46 PST | FILE PHOTO: Apollo Quiboloy has not decided yet if he will appear in the congressional probe and comply with the subpoenas, his legal counsel says on Thursday, February 29, 2024. | PHOTO: Official website of Pastor Apollo Quiboloy
FILE PHOTO: Apollo Quiboloy has not decided yet if he will appear in the congressional probe and comply with the subpoenas, his legal counsel says on Thursday, February 29, 2024. | PHOTO: Official website of Pastor Apollo Quiboloy
MANILA, Philippines — Televangelist and alleged sex offender Apollo Quiboloy has not decided yet if he will appear in the congressional probe and comply with the subpoenas, his legal counsel said Thursday.
Atty. Ferdinand Topacio, however, said the legal options he offered are already being “considered seriously” by his client.
“Wala pa naman pong pagpapasya si Pastor Quiboloy sapagka’t kaming mga abogado po ay maaari lang kaming maglahad ng legal options … ‘yung kliyente naman namin ang nagdedesisyon,” Topacio said in an interview over Radyo 630.
(Pastor Quiboloy has not decided yet because we lawyers can only present legal options… it is our client who decides.)
READ: Marcos presses Quiboloy to face House, Senate over allegations
“All pieces of advice are being considered seriously by Pastor Quiboloy, and we shall expect a decision shortly regarding dito sa bagay na ito (this matter),” he added.
Nevertheless, Topacio said that Quiboloy’s camp is already coordinating with the Senate and House of Representatives regarding their respective summons for the self-declared “Appointed Son of God” to attend congressional public hearings.
The Senate committee on women, children, family relations and gender equality has been holding inquiries into the alleged crimes of Quiboloy and his sect Kingdom of Jesus Chrsit (KJC). The House committee on legislative franchises, on other hand, has been probing the alleged violations of the Quoboloy-linked Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI).
“All lines of communications are open,” Topacio added.
Aside from the congressional investigations, Quiboloy is also facing several criminal charges in the United States, including conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, and sex trafficking of children; sex trafficking by force, fraud; coercion; conspiracy; and bulk cash Smuggling.
He has been on the “most wanted” list of the FBI.
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The sect leader earlier claimed he was in hiding because there was allegedly a plot to kill him.
The Philippine National Police, however, already said it had not intercepted any information indicating threats to the life of Quiboloy.
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Metro Manila halts amusement tax for local films from 2025-2028 | Luisa Cabato | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 16:40:00 PST | POPCORN TO FOLLOW After being shuttered for months due to the pandemic, one of the movie theaters at Power Plant Mall in Makati City gets its first few viewers on Wednesday. Cinemas in Metro Manila are finally allowed to operate under alert level 2. —RICHARD A. REYES
POPCORN TO FOLLOW After being shuttered for months due to the pandemic, one of the movie theaters at Power Plant Mall in Makati City gets its first few viewers on Wednesday. Cinemas in Metro Manila are finally allowed to operate under alert level 2. —RICHARD A. REYES
MANILA, Philippines — The collection of amusement taxes for the screening of local films will be suspended in Metro Manila from 2025 to 2028.
In a resolution approved on Wednesday, February 28, the Metro Manila Council (MMC) explained its action saying the levy “adds a financial burden to local film producers, potentially affecting the sustainability of the Filipino film industry.”
During the MMC meeting held on the same day, director Jose Javier Reyes of the Film Development Council of the Philippines noted the significant decline of the Philippine film industry due to costly taxes and content piracy.
“A producer needs to pay three types of taxes for each film including 10% amusement taxes together with other taxes such as Value Added Tax and Income Tax, making us the most heavily-taxed movie industry in the world,” Reyes pointed out.
MMDA Acting Chairman and Metro Manila Film Festival Overall head Don Artes expressed support for the MMC resolution.
READ: Senate panel to tackle bills on PH movie industry
“In support of the resolution, they will amend their respective local revenue codes to waive the amusement tax for Filipino movies exhibited in Metro Manila from January 8 to December 24 of every year for the next three years,” Artes said in a statement on Thursday.
The MMDA noted that the suspension of amusement taxes excludes the period of the Metro Manila Film Festival, which is from December 25 of every year until January 7 of the following year.
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Philex Mining raises $70M more for Silangan project | Philippine Daily Inquirer | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 09:15:44 PST | MANILA, Philippines —Pangilinan-led Philex Mining Corp. has secured the entire $170 million financing it needed to develop the Silangan mine project in Surigao del Norte province.
In a disclosure on Wednesday, Philex Mining said its subsidiary Silangan Mindanao Mining Co. Inc. signed a deed of accession with local banks for an additional $70 million credit facility for the copper-gold project.
Executives of Philex Mining and Silangan Mindanao Mining signed the deed with lenders Philippine National Bank (PNB), Philippine Bank of Communications (PBCOM) and Security Bank.
SB Capital Investment Corp. served as the mandated lead arranger while PNB and PBCOM acted as joint lead arrangers.
Before this, Philex Mining signed last November an omnibus loan and security agreement for a $100-million syndicated debt facility with Union Bank of the Philippines, Security Bank and Bank of the Philippine Islands. BDO Capital and Investment Corp. was mandated as lead arranger.
READ: Philex borrows $100M for Silangan project
The latest transaction completed the $170-million loan funding requirement of Philex Mining following its stock rights offering last year and the capital infusion from Philex Mining’s cash reserves
Philex Mining managed to raise P2.6 billion from its stock rights offer in 2022, which it used to jump-start the first phase of the Silangan project covering the Boyongan Ore deposit.
READ: Pricey power, higher input costs eat into Philex Mining profits
The company intends to start commercial operations of the Silangan project, touted as one of the big three mining projects in the Philippines, by the first quarter of 2025.
“Development works continue in the Silangan project with the ongoing underground decline development now midway to the Boyongan ore body,” the firm said. INQ
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PhilHealth premium hike may still be suspended – Marcos | Philippine Daily Inquirer | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 05:10:26 PST | PhilHealth employees at work in Quezon City. (File photo by GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE / Philippine Daily Inquirer)
PhilHealth employees at work in Quezon City. (File photo by GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE / Philippine Daily Inquirer)
MANILA, Philippines— President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. remains open to suspending the 5-percent increase in monthly premiums implemented by the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) this year, saying he wants to make sure any hike in contributions will lead to improved insurance coverage and benefits.
READ: PhilHealth to give higher benefit packages effective Feb. 14
“What we are trying to determine is that if we are going to increase the contribution from 4 percent to 5 percent, what do we get in exchange? It’s really a cost-benefit analysis,” Marcos said on Wednesday in an interview with reporters before departing for a two-day state visit to Canberra, Australia.
He noted that the state health insurer has been expanding its healthcare services, including raising the number of covered dialysis sessions and improving coverage for cancer patients.
“If there are additional benefits, if we can justify the increase, then we’ll do it. But if we cannot, then we won’t. It’s as simple as that,” Marcos said, adding that his office would “come to a conclusion very, very soon.”
The push to suspend this year’s higher PhilHealth premium rates, as Health Secretary Ted Herbosa suggested, has been pending before the Office of the President since January.
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Bigger goods discount for seniors, PWDs set | Krixia Subingsubing | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 05:44:00 PST | ADDITIONAL BENEFITS | From P65 a week, the special discount on basic goods for seniors and persons with disabilities will go up to P125 starting next month, as soon as the agencies concerned issue an interagency circular. (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)
ADDITIONAL BENEFITS | From P65 a week, the special discount on basic goods for seniors and persons with disabilities will go up to P125 starting next month, as soon as the agencies concerned issue an interagency circular. (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)
MANILA, Philippines — The almost 100 percent increase in the special weekly discount on basic goods and other prime commodities granted to senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs) will take effect starting next month, according to House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
He said in a statement on Wednesday that the implementation of the higher discount for the elderly and PWDs in March was agreed upon during a discussion with officials of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). Citing a conversation with Trade Undersecretary Carolina Sanchez, Romualdez said the DTI was currently working on an interagency circular “so that the usual P65 per week discount for senior citizens and PWDs may be increased to P125.”
This would bring the monthly discount from P260 to P500.
Sanchez said that while consultations were still ongoing, they expect the circular reflecting the over 92 percent increase to be released in time for March. The circular would be issued by the DTI, Department of Agriculture (DA), and Department of Energy.
The hike in the weekly special discount on groceries and other prime commodities for seniors and PWDs was prompted by a request from a joint House committee led by Albay Rep. Joey Salceda on Feb. 18.
As ordered by Romualdez, the House panels on ways and means, and senior citizens is currently conducting a motu proprio investigation into the implementation of laws regarding benefits enjoyed by the two groups.5-percent discount
During the Feb. 18 hearing, Salceda asked representatives from the DTI and DA to consider raising the weekly discount cap from P65 to P125—for a total of P500 per month.
At present, seniors and PWDs are entitled to a special 5-percent discount on the regular retail prices — without exemption from the value-added tax — of basic necessities under DTI-DA Administrative Order No. 10-02, as part of Republic Act No. 9994 or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act. The total value of goods they can avail themselves of once a week is capped at P1,300, entitling them to a discount of P65 or 5 percent.
READ: Romualdez seeks probe into cases of denied discounts for seniors, PWDs
Sanchez clarified that the discounts apply only to basic goods and prime commodities, or typical items consumed daily such as rice, corn, bread, meat, fish, chicken, eggs, cooking oil, sugar, vegetables, fruits, onions, garlic, as well as fresh and processed milk, except medical grade milk.
Also covered are manufactured goods such as processed meat, sardines, and even corned beef, although the premium brands are not.
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Premium items, including nonessential food, such as cakes and pastries, are also exempted from the additional discount, according to Sanchez.
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Megaworld finished 2023 with record income | Miguel R. Camus | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 02:22:00 PST | MANILA, Philippines —Tycoon Andrew Tan’s Megaworld Corp. beat prepandemic earnings in 2023 to end the year with a record net income of P19.4 billion, fueled by residential sales and earnings from malls and hotels.
Megaworld, one of the country’s biggest developers, said profits in the past year grew by an annual 26 percent. The historic-high finish also breached its 2019 profit of P19.3 billion.
“2023 marked a pivotal moment for Megaworld as our financial milestones showcased our strategic agility and innovations in our product offerings,” Megaworld chief strategy officer Kevin L. Tan said. “This proves our ability to adapt and thrive in changing times to reach new heights,” he added.
In the filing, Megaworld said net income attributable to the parent company’s shareholders jumped by 29 percent to P17.3 billion. Total revenues expanded by 17 percent to P69.7 billion. Its real estate sales climbed by 16 percent to an unprecedented P42.7 billion while reservation revenues, a future indicator of earnings, grew 17 percent to P139 billion, beating its target of P130 billion.
Megaworld also rolled out new projects worth P72.6 billion, an increase of 61 percent over 2022. Meanwhile, Megaworld’s leasing revenues climbed 14 percent to P17.9 billion, also a record for the developer.
READ: Megaworld to build its tallest hotel to date
The surge in mall revenues, which jumped by 54 percent to P5.3 billion, was primarily due to the rebound in retail operations and tenant sales.
Megaworld’s office leasing revenues saw a modest growth of 3 percent, totaling P12.6 billion, as the work-from-home trend weighed on the segment.
Lastly, Megaworld Hotels & Resorts witnessed a 46-percent surge in revenues to P3.8 billion.
This growth was bolstered by a spike in local travel and meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (Mice).
READ: Megaworld to spend P350B on township developments
“The company’s well-positioned hotel offerings successfully captured the increased local travel and Mice activities, improving overall occupancy and room rates, especially in Belmont Hotel Manila, Savoy Hotel Manila and Twin Lakes Hotel in Tagaytay,” Megaworld said.
The builder, a pioneer in the urban township concept when it launched the 18.5-hectare Eastwood City in Quezon City in the mid 1990s, finished the year with 31 master-planned estates.
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These include the Newport City in Pasay City (25 hectares); McKinley Hill (50 hectares), The Mactan Newtown in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu (30 hectares); Iloilo Business Park in Mandurriao, Iloilo City (72 hectares); Boracay Newcoast in Boracay Island (150 hectares); and Twin Lakes in Laurel, Batangas near Tagaytay (1,300 hectares).
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PUP launches research program establishing ethics in AI-use | Zacarian Sarao | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 12:46:49 PST | MANILA, Philippines — The Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) launched a research program which aims to develop ethical guidelines for artificial intelligence (AI), addressing the need for responsible use of AI.
“As AI technology continues to transform how we Filipinos live our lives, it is important that we ensure its responsible use and development,” said PUP president Manuel Muhi in a statement on Wednesday.
“It is also crucial that higher education institutions like PUP should be at the forefront of promoting a culturally grounded AI governance,” he added.
READ: AI propaganda as effective as the real thing – study
According to Muhi, the program will utilize the knowledge of experts and scholars from various fields to develop guidelines and frameworks for AI governance that are aligned with the country’s values, culture, and priorities.
It will also cover various topics related to AI ethics and governance, such as: privacy and data protection, fair treatment, transparency and accountability, and societal impact assessment — while exploring the role of AI in various sectors, including healthcare, education, finance, and transportation.
READ: AI will be everywhere in 2024
With the program, a research-based book entitled “AI Ethics Primer for Filipinos” will be made accessible to the public for free in May 2024.
The said book, a result of collaborative endeavors involving scholars from PUP, University of San Carlos, Philosophical Association of the Philippines, and De La Salle University-Manila, would stand as one of the achievements of the program, said PUP.
Other target outputs include research works on Filipinos’ attitude, awareness and behavior on Artificial intelligence, and how Philippine media news outfits depict AI.
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Inayawan cops train barangay tanods to elevate community safety | rgabuya | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 18:59:42 PST | Inayawan Police launched a comprehensive training on Thursday, February 29, 2024, for barangay tanods in order to elevate community safety. |Photo by Mark Bandolon
Inayawan Police launched a comprehensive training on Thursday, February 29, 2024, for barangay tanods in order to elevate community safety. |Photo by Mark Bandolon
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Inayawan police station launched a training initiative aimed at enhancing the skills of barangay peace and safety officers.
Entitled “Capacity Building and Professionalizing of Barangay Tanods” the training was conducted on Thursday morning, February 29, 2024, in Barangay Bulacao, Cebu City.
The activity is aligned with the police’s commitment to the Barangay Ayaw sa Droga (BAD) initiative, aimed at eradicating drug-related issues in the barangay level.
The program aims to equip Barangay Public Security Officers (BPSO) with the necessary skills to effectively combat drug-related incidents.
Barangay chairpersons and BPSO personnel representing Barangay Bulacao, Cogon Pardo, Basak Pardo, Inayawan, Kinasang-an, and Poblacion Pardo, participated in the event.
Police Major Jeciree S. Basitao, chief of Inayawan Police Station, said that the event marks the beginning of a comprehensive series of initiatives.
Basitao highlighted the significance of prioritizing barangay tanods because they are the first responders and force multipliers of untoward incidents.
The program’s future activities will be tailored to participants, including seminars and self-defense training for women, focusing on Eliminating Violence Against Women and Children (EVAWC).
Additionally, youth-focused seminars on drug prevention will be provided, recognizing the vulnerability of this sector to substance abuse.
Basitao revealed that self-defense training will include training on arnis and martial arts under the guidance of an expert.
This ensures a sustainable program that extends beyond a one-time event.
The morning session of the inaugural training featured lectures on Katarungang Pambarangay, and other law issuances.
Meanwhile, the afternoon session featured hand cuffing training and basic self-defense techniques, emphasizing practical skills that are crucial for community safety.
Guests include Police Colonel Leoncio Baliguat, Regional Chief of the Police Community Affairs and Development Unit – 7 (PCAD-7); Police Colonel Albert Reevs Quilotorio, Chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (CCADU); Police Lieutenant Colonel Luis Ramos, Chief of the CPPU; and Police Lieutenant Colonel Jomar Medil, Chief of the Investigation and Detective Management Unit (IDMU) of the Cebu City Police Office.
Dave Tumulak, the barangay captain of Basak Pardo said the program greatly helps the physical and mental preparedness of the BPSO.
He said in an interview that the program will provide them with a comprehensive understanding of the laws and ordinances governing their respective barangays.
“Ang atong mga barangay tanod mafully equipped na sila with knowledge not only on mental but also physical… Basically makahibaw sad sila sa mga laws and ordinances nga giimplement sa mga tagsa-tagsa nga barangay,” Tumulak said.
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Lorraine Badoy is guilty of indirect contempt for red tagging judge – SC | Tetch Torres-Tupas | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 11:12:15 PST | FILE PHOTO: Lorraine Badoy during the House inquiry on the alleged fake news peddling and franchise violations of the Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI), November 30, 2023. The Supreme Court has found Badoy, former spokesperson of the government’s anti-insurgency task force, guilty of indirect contempt for red-tagging a Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) judge.| PHOTO FROM HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE
FILE PHOTO: Lorraine Badoy during the House inquiry on the alleged fake news peddling and franchise violations of the Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI), November 30, 2023. The Supreme Court has found Badoy, former spokesperson of the government’s anti-insurgency task force, guilty of indirect contempt for red-tagging a Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) judge.| PHOTO FROM HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE
MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court (SC) has found Lorraine Badoy-Partosa, former spokesperson of the government’s anti-insurgency task force, guilty of indirect contempt for red-tagging a Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) judge.
In a 51-page ruling penned by Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, Badoy was ordered to pay a fine of P30,000 and warned against repeating the same or similar acts in the future, or she would be meted a more severe punishment.
The former National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) spokesperson hurled scathing remarks against Manila RTC Judge Marlo Magdoza-Malagar on social media in September 2022.
READ: Judge attacked online for junking terror tag on CPP-NPA
Her attacks came after Magdoza-Malagar dismissed the government’s proscription case that sought to declare the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People’s Army, as terrorist organizations.
Badoy called Magdoza-Malagar an “idiot judge” who lawyered for the CPP-NPA. She even made a hypothetical situation about her “killing” the judge – but she can beg the judge for leniency because she did it out of her political beliefs. The post was later deleted and denied.
READ: Badoy, co-host sued for red-tagging on SMNI program
In another post, Badoy asked why Magdoza-Malagar was “so well-versed” about the constitution of the CPP-NPA that only members know. She also mentioned human rights lawyers Edre Olalia, Maria Sol Taule, and Rachel Pastores, asking if they were the ones who wrote the judge’s decision.
“For her vitriolic statements and outright threats against Judge Magdoza-Malagar and the Judiciary, respondent is found guilty of indirect contempt and is fined P 30,000.00 with a warning that repeating the same or similar acts will lead to a more severe penalty,” the SC said in its ruling released on Thursday.
READ: Ombudsman finds ex-NTF-Elcac execs Parlade, Badoy guilty of red-tagging
This SC decision granted the petition filed by legal experts that include former Philippine Bar Association president Rico Domingo; Ateneo Human Rights Center executive director Ray Paolo Santiago; former Ateneo law dean Antonio “Tony” La Viña; Soledad Deriquito-Mawis of the College of Law of Lyceum University; Anna Maria Abad, of Adamson University College of Law; and Rodel Taton, of the Graduate School of Law of San Sebastian College-Recoletos.
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2 ex-justices air views on 100-percent foreign ownership | Jeannette I. Andrade, Krixia Subingsubing | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 05:32:00 PST | Former Supreme Court Justice Adolfo Azcuna and former Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio (INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS)
Former Supreme Court Justice Adolfo Azcuna and former Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio (INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS)
MANILA, Philippines _There is no constitutional problem in allowing 100-percent foreign ownership in certain industries in the country, but there should be “reciprocity clauses” when amending economic provisions that limit foreign ownership in those sectors, two former justices said during the House of Representatives hearing on Resolution of Both Houses No. 7, which seeks to ease foreign ownership limits in public utilities, educational institutions, and advertising.
Constitutional framer and former Supreme Court Justice Adolfo Azcuna said such amendments were “constitutional as long as there is no showing that the effective control of Filipinos of the entire economy has been negated.”
READ: Carpio cites PH laws on foreign ownership of businesses
“If doing so (allowing full foreign ownership in certain economic sectors) would deprive Filipinos of effective control of the economy, then the legislation would be unconstitutional,” he added.
Azcuna’s comments were in response to ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro’s question about whether proposals to allow full foreign ownership in certain sectors would negate Article 2, Section 19, of the current Charter, which mandates the state to “develop a self-reliant and independent national economy efficiently controlled by Filipinos.”
There have been some propositions to simply delete this provision on self-reliance to avoid getting entangled in future legal challenges once proposals to amend the economic provisions pass.
However, Azcuna said the country “should still have an economy effectively maintained by Filipinos while allowing foreign investments to come in in certain areas.”
During the continuation of the House hearing on Wednesday, former Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio told lawmakers that if the country would allow 100-percent foreign ownership of public utilities and other services, then Filipinos “must likewise be able to own 100 percent of the same businesses in the countries of these investors.”
“This is fair and equitable to Filipinos and foreign investors alike,” he said.
Such a clause, he said, was not new as this was already included in the amendment to the Public Service Act, which prevents foreign nationals from owning more than 50 percent of capital in critical infrastructure unless their respective countries accorded reciprocity to Philippine nationals.
He suggested that, when opening up these provisions, to insert the clause “unless otherwise provided by law, subject to reciprocity and two-thirds vote of both the House and the Senate.”
Azcuna, now 85, has twice been part of the process to amend the Constitution—first as a member of the 1971 Constitutional Convention and as member of the Presidential Constitutional Commission in 1986. He later served as Corazon Aquino’s legal counsel, press secretary and spokesperson.
In 2002, he was appointed associate justice by former President and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Azcuna noted that the framers of the 1987 Constitution intended its economic provisions, particularly the three being considered for amendment through RBH 7, to be in effect only for five years and not for nearly fourwq decades.
Azcuna maintained that his peers expunged the phrase “unless otherwise provided by Congress” from the section pertaining to the ownership of educational institutions with the intention of possibly changing the provision after five years.
Azcuna said: “Why didn’t we put it originally? The reason was because we did not want Congress to change it then, precisely for at least five years. We wanted no change by initiative. There’s a five-year period, we wanted the economic framework to work for at least five years.”
“We did not expect it to be unamended for 37 years so the time frame, in our minds, is five years then it could be amended after. But we did not have any amendment, even on the economic provisions for 37 years,” he added.
“[E]conomic policies should not be frozen in time for a long period. It’s now 37 years from that time and the situation has changed. The strictly nationalistic approach has to be modified to be able to meet current trends in the world economy while still trying to maintain… an economy effectively controlled by Filipinos,” he said.
Still, the former associate justice appointed by former President Benigno Aquino III was not too keen on Charter change.
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Carpio argued that what was discouraging foreign investors were bureaucratic gaps and the absence of the rule of law in the country.
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3 men guilty of slaughtering dog ordered to pay P6,000 each | Jun A. Malig | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 18:57:31 PST | Angeles City, Pampanga. INQUIRER FILES
Angeles City, Pampanga. INQUIRER FILES
MABALACAT CITY, Pampanga — The court has fined three men who slaughtered and cooked a dog as “pulutan” (snacks accompanying drinks) in nearby Angeles City a year ago.
In a two-page judgment issued on February 13 by Judge Victor Soriao of the Angeles City Municipal Trial Court Branch, Amorsolo Guevarra, Renato Halili, and Jerry Mari were found guilty of accusations filed against them and were ordered to pay P6,000 each for violating Republic Act 8485 or the Animal Welfare Act of 1998.
READ: 300000 dogs killed for meat in Philippines every year
The city government of Angeles filed the case against the three men on February 9 last year, five days after the trio were caught killing and cooking a dog in Lourdes Sur village.
In a statement on Thursday, February 29, the Angeles City government said this is the first time in the history of the local government to win a filed criminal case of this nature.
Angeles City Mayor Carmelo Lazatin Jr. considers the conviction of the three men as a victory for the cause of animal welfare.
“Angeles City is a refuge for stray canines and felines rescued by the City Veterinary Office, and I hope that this victory will serve as a deterrent to those who would commit similar acts of cruelty,” the statement quoted the mayor as saying.
READ: ‘Oro’ sued over dog slaughter scene
The officer-in-charge of the Angeles City veterinary office Dr. Christian Xyric Arcilla, who witnessed the animal cruelty done by the trio, led the filing of charges against them on the directive of Lazatin. He filed the case along with city legal officer lawyer Ralph Macalino.
The city government said that it was Angeles City Vice Mayor Vicenta Vega-Cabigting who informed Lazatin’s office about the slaughtering and cooking of the dog after receiving a report from concerned citizens in Lourdes Sur village on Feb. 4, 2023.
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Farmer shot dead by stepson in Quezon province | Delfin T. Mallari Jr. | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 13:27:20 PST | Quezon province. INQUIRER FILES
Quezon province. INQUIRER FILES
LUCENA CITY — A 58-year-old farmer was shot and killed by his stepson on Wednesday, Feb. 28, in Lopez town in Quezon province, police said.
Quezon police, in a report Thursday, Feb. 29, said Rogelio Arganda was on the balcony of his house in Barangay (village) Sumalang around 8:30 p.m. when his stepson, “Louielito” arrived armed with a handgun which he used to repeatedly shoot Arganda.
The gunman fled after the shooting and left his target dead on the spot.
READ: Farmer who allegedly beheaded another farmer shot dead in Davao de Oro
According to the police, sometime on March 2022, Arganda raped Louielito’s daughter but no charges were filed.
The police are conducting a manhunt operation to arrest the killer.
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Imee Marcos: There’s no forever in politics | Maila Ager | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 17:34:31 PST | MANILA, Philippines — Take it from Senator Imee Marcos: No one stays in power forever.
“Walang forever sa pulitika,” Marcos said during the regular Kapihan sa Senado on Thursday.
Her father, late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. ruled the country for 21 years until he was toppled by a power revolt led by the late President Corazon Aquino in 1986. This sent Marcos and his family to flee to Hawaii where he died in 1989.
READ: A twist in history: The rise and fall and rise of Marcos
“Sabi ng nanay ko, ang buhay daw namin e parang tsubibo — asa taas, pinakatuktok o ‘di kaya sa ibaba. Kaya ngayon pa lang, matuto nang yumuko at hold on. ‘Yun ang nanay ko,” the senator continued.
(My mother said our life is like a carousel — sometimes we’re up, or at the peak, or down below. So this early on, we should learn to bend and hold on. That’s my mother.)
“Kaya dapat konting pakumbaba, konting hinay-hinay at maghawak-kamay sa mga kasamahan imbes na away-awayin,” she added.
(So we should learn to be a little humble, take things slowly, and hold hands with our companions instead of fighting).
READ: Marcos admits people’s initiative for Charter change politicized
According to the senator, her message was not directed at anyone in particular.
In the past weeks, though, she traded barbs with some members of the House of Representatives over proposals to change the 1987 Constitution through a people’s initiative.
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Eumir Marcial not losing sight on golden goal in Paris Olympics | Mark Giongco | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 18:35:42 PST | FILE–The Philippines’ Eumir Felix Marcial at right reacts after defeating Syria’s Ahmad Ghousoon in the Boxing Men’s 71-80Kg Semifinal bout for the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
FILE–The Philippines’ Eumir Felix Marcial at right reacts after defeating Syria’s Ahmad Ghousoon in the Boxing Men’s 71-80Kg Semifinal bout for the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
MANILA, Philippines–Eumir Marcial assured he remains focused on fulfilling his ultimate goal of winning the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Marcial is set for a homecoming fight on March 23 at Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila, where the Filipino boxing prospect aims to put on a dazzling performance and show how far he’s come in his Paris buildup.
“I am looking forward to this homecoming fight because the last time I fought in the country was during the 2019 SEA Games,” Marcial said. “And I intend to put on a great show for those who will watch and see me live. I believe that I will be more than ready by the time I get to Paris in July.”
“Even though I am fighting in March, my focus and concentration is on the Paris Olympics,” he added.
The 28-year-old Marcial, who will be competing in a stacked light heavyweight class, faces a steep climb in his bid for a historic boxing gold for the Philippines in the Summer Games with some familiar names standing in his way.
“The competition there is very tough since the Cuban super champion Arlen Lopez is there as well as the Chinese who beat me in Hangzhou. The Ukrainian who beat me in the semis of the Tokyo Olympics—Oleksandr Khyzhniak—is there so it’s a star-studded cast,” added Marcial, referring to Chinese-Kazakh Tanglatihan Tuohetaerbieke, who beat him by unanimous decision in the gold medal match of last year’s Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Arlen Lopez is a two-time Olympic champion while Oleksandr Khyzhniak outlasted Marcial in a semifinal slugfest at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.
Marcial (4-0, 2KOs), who is fighting Thai journeyman Thoedsak Sinam (23-13, 19KOs) in his first bout on home soil since winning the gold at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, has been holed up training in Las Vegas since the third week of January but will move to Tagaytay for the final stretch of his preparations beginning March 11.
Marcial is currently training under the guidance of American coach Kay Koroma and former Filipino amateur boxing standout Mario Fernandez, who was sent by the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (Abap) to lend a hand in the preparations.
The Zamboanga City native’s last pro fight was in February 2023 when he stopped a much experienced Ricardo Villalba of Argentina in just two rounds in San Antonio, Texas, USA.
Marcial turned pro back in December 2020.
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Mindoro folk, on oil spill anniv, vow to hold polluters accountable | Madonna T. Virola | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 05:02:00 PST | REMINDER | PHOTO: Fishers and residents in Pola, Oriental Mindoro, together with their supporters, unveil on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, a mural painted by the community reminding them of the importance of protecting the Verde Island Passage (VIP).. (Photo from the Facebook account of PROTECT VIP)
REMINDER | PHOTO: Fishers and residents in Pola, Oriental Mindoro, together with their supporters, unveil on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, a mural painted by the community reminding them of the importance of protecting the Verde Island Passage (VIP).. (Photo from the Facebook account of PROTECT VIP)
CITY OF CALAPAN, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines — Residents of coastal communities in Oriental Mindoro whose livelihood was disrupted by the oil spill from a vessel that sank off Naujan town last year vowed to continue the search for justice as they marked the first anniversary of the environmental tragedy on Wednesday.
Groups supporting local fisherfolk started the program in Pola town, considered the “ground zero” of the marine disaster, with a Mass at the Pola Community College celebrated by Oriental Mindoro Bishop Moises Cuevas.
M/T Princess Empress, carrying 900,000 liters of industrial oil, sank off the coast of Oriental Mindoro on Feb. 28 last year. The site is within the Verde Island Passage (VIP), an area between mainland Luzon and Mindoro island considered the “center of global shorefish biodiversity” due to the high density of marine resources there.
Fisherfolk, local officials, and representatives of environmental, youth, and religious groups called attention to the slow progress on compensation and recovery in the widespread oil spill that followed the tanker’s sinking.
READ: Mindoro oil spill ruins nearly P1 billion in livelihood sources
“Today, we gather in prayer and unity to commemorate the day that changed the course of the lives of the people of Oriental Mindoro. Pope Francis in his Laudate Deum (Praise God) reminds us that the most effective solutions will not come from individual efforts alone but, above all, from major political decisions,” Fr. Edwin Gariguez, lead convener of Protect VIP, said in a statement emailed to the Inquirer on Wednesday. Protect VIP is a coalition of different organizations advocating for the protection of the Verde Island Passage.
“Our fight does not end today and we will not cease to fight until we see a clear path towards … recovery, which would only be possible if justice is served, polluters are held accountable and communities are properly compensated,” said Gariguez.
“The marine life and the people who depend on the Verde Island Passage deserve nothing less than P41.2 billion, which is the estimated damage caused by the oil spill,” said the Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development (CEED), a think tank which earlier released a valuation report on oil spill damage, as assessed by experts.
“We hope that this number serves as a guidepost for the government and the agencies for tougher policies in protecting our waters and ensuring that no polluter walks free from their accountability,” said Gerry Arances, co-convener of Protect VIP and executive director of the CEED.
Arances underscored the need for decisive actions from policymakers to prioritize the urgent protection of Verde Island Passage.
A symbolic march to Pola Bridge showcasing a mural designed by artist AG Sano, in collaboration with local communities and youth groups, was also held Wednesday. A design for a commemorative marker that will be put up in Pola as a symbol of the courage and determination of the community was also unveiled.
“The mural and marker will memorialize the unwavering spirit of the people of Mindoro in the face of the oil spill. This will be a permanent reminder of what the polluters owe to the communities and what the government must do in protecting Verde Island Passage,” Gariguez said.
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In a telephone interview on Tuesday, Aldrin Villanueva, leader of the fisherfolk group Lapian ng Mangingisda sa Batuhan, said only 627 of the more than 4,000 claimants from Pola town, who lost their livelihood due to the fishing ban imposed last year, had received compensation as of Feb. 16.
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Mom of slain teen Jemboy Baltazar blames PNP for unfair court ruling | Jacob Lazaro, Marlon Ramos | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 05:42:00 PST | Rodaliza Baltazar weeps as she testifies before the Senate on the death of her son Jemboy on Tuesday, August 29, 2023. (INQUIRER PHOTO)
Rodaliza Baltazar weeps as she testifies before the Senate on the death of her son Jemboy on Tuesday, August 29, 2023. (INQUIRER PHOTO)
MANILA, Philippines — The mother of slain 17-year-old Jerhode “Jemboy” Baltazar on Wednesday blamed the Philippine National Police for the lighter sentences and acquittal handed down by a court against the six policemen involved in the teenager’s fatal shooting in August 2023.
“It’s as if they killed my son all over again because of the decision of the court regarding the six policemen,” Rodaliza Baltazar said in a press briefing at the Senate.
“This is just too painful for our family. It’s really difficult to get justice when you are poor,” the grieving mother said in between sobs.
Rodaliza and her husband, Jessie Baltazar, met with Sen. Risa Hontiveros a day after the Navotas City Regional Trial Court Branch 286 gave its verdict.
Hontiveros had pushed the Senate inquiry into the botched police operation near a river in Navotas on Aug. 2, 2023, that resulted in the killing of Jemboy.
During one of the hearings, the victim’s friend, witness Sonny Boy Augustilo, said the police officers had wanted him to issue an affidavit claiming that Jemboy, who was unarmed, was carrying a gun and illegal drugs purportedly to show that he had engaged them in a shootout.
The opposition senator said while the court ruling should be respected, it only mirrored the worsening culture of impunity in the country, which had allowed abusive law enforcers to get away with their crimes literally.
“Five of the six policemen will be freed while the other one will be jailed for only four years. On the other hand, (Jemboy) had lost his life and his dreams,” Hontiveros lamented.
According to Baltazar, they could have secured the conviction of all the six accused had the police officers who initially investigated the case done their job without prejudice.
For one, she pointed out, the police investigators did not thoroughly search the boat where Jemboy was shot and killed.
Had they inspected the boat, the policemen could have recovered a bullet slug that would have bolstered the allegation that the six accused directly shot the victim and Augustilo, contrary to their claim that they only fired into the water.
“From the start, the (killing of my son) was not investigated properly,” Baltazar said.
The victim’s family sued the six Navotas policemen for murder, but the court instead found Police Staff Sgt. Gerry Maliban guilty of homicide for shooting Jemboy, whom they had mistaken for another suspect they were supposedly pursuing at the time.
READ: One of six Navotas cops guilty of homicide in Jemboy’s death – court
Maliban was sentenced to up to six years in prison and also ordered to pay P50,000 in moral and civil damages.
One of the accused, Police Staff Sgt. Antonio Balcita Bugayong was acquitted due to the failure of the prosecution to prove that he had fired his gun during the operation.
Four other PNP officers — Police Executive Master Sgt. Roberto Dioso Balais Jr., Police Staff Sgt. Nikko Pines Corollo Esquilon, Police Cpl. Edmard Jake Blanco and Patrolman Benedict Danao Mangada — were found guilty of the lesser offense of illegal discharge of firearms.
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They were sentenced to a maximum of four months and one day in prison.
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BARMM to give lifetime aid to ex-revolutionaries | Sheila Mae Dela Cruz, Taher Solaiman | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 05:04:00 PST | BARMM headquarters. (File photo from the BARMM website)
BARMM headquarters. (File photo from the BARMM website)
COTABATO CITY, Maguindanao del Norte, Philippines — The Bangsamoro Parliament has approved a measure to provide financial aid to men and women revolutionaries of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) who are seniors or those who have disabilities.
At least 41 of the members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority present during the session on Monday, approved Bill No. 44 which would establish the Office of the Bangsamoro Mujahideen Under Special Circumstance, to oversee the implementation of the program. No one abstained or opposed during the deliberation presided by Deputy Speaker Omar Yasser Sema.
Under the measure, former MILF and MNLF combatants who are senior citizens or those with permanent, partial, or total disabilities will be entitled to a minimum monthly aid of P7,000.
Sema said the measure was a way to “reciprocate” mujahideen for the sacrifices they made for the Bangsamoro.
“The measure is a legacy legislation intended to provide for the former combatants of the MILF and the MNLF from legal and available resources of the BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) government, for them to know that their leaders are doing all they could to reciprocate in any way, big or small, their sacrifices for the Bangsamoro,” said Sema.
For the first year of implementation, recipients will receive a lump sum of P84,000, followed by quarterly allowances in subsequent years.
READ: Opening up of BARMM to investments cheered
Funding for the initiative will come from a total of P500 million that will be appropriated and integrated into the annual budget of the Office of the Chief Minister.
The eligibility criteria outlined in the bill include mujahideen who participated for a minimum of 20 years in the struggle for the right to self-determination of the Bangsamoro people between 1969 and 2014. They must also belong to the “underprivileged” sector.
Member of Parliament Aida Silongan, chair of its committee on social services and development, said 1969 was the reckoning point as it was the start of clashes between Moro revolutionaries who tried to defend Moro-controlled lands and communities against government-backed militias, months after the MNLF was formally organized on March 18, 1968.
Also, 2014, or exactly March 27, 2014, is when the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro was signed between the government and the MILF, Silongan explained.
The approved bill, which is awaiting the signature of Chief Minister Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim, also covers those who have permanent and total disabilities due to injuries or diseases causing complete, irreversible, and permanent incapacity that renders a member unable to work or engage in any gainful occupation, resulting in a loss of income.
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Silongan said it was important to reciprocate the sacrifices of the mujahideen by recognizing what they have done, respecting them, and allocating necessary financial support.
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Fire razes 5 classrooms in Zamboanga del Sur town | Leah Agonoy | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 14:43:23 PST | Bureau of Fire Protection personnel try to extinguish that fire that hit classrooms of the Parasan National High School in Molave town, Zamboanga del Sur on Wednesday, February 28, 2024. | PHOTO: BFP Molave Fire Station
Bureau of Fire Protection personnel try to extinguish that fire that hit classrooms of the Parasan National High School in Molave town, Zamboanga del Sur on Wednesday, February 28, 2024. | PHOTO: BFP Molave Fire Station
PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur — Authorities have estimated that some P3.7 million in infrastructure was damaged by a fire in a school in Molave town, Zamboanga del Sur on Wednesday.
Fire Senior Inspector Robert Soyum, chief of the Molave station of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), said the main damage that they have accounted, so far, is the five classrooms of Parasan National High School that were razed to the ground.
READ: 16 families left homeless after fire in Zamboanga del Sur town
Fire hits classrooms of the Parasan National High School in Molave town, Zamboanga del Sur on Wednesday, February 28, 2024. | PHOTO: BFP Molave Fire Station
A BFP investigation showed that the fire broke out at around 1:42 a.m. on February 28 and was eventually put off at around 3:15 a.m.
The BFP has yet to account the facilities and equipment that were lost to the blaze.
As of Thursday, authorities were still conducting a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the fire.
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Zamora fires back at Ejercito, rejects ‘vindictive’ tag | Charie Abarca | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 22:37:46 PST | San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora (Photo from Mayor Francis Zamora FB page)
San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora (Photo from Mayor Francis Zamora FB page)
MANILA, Philippines — San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora countered on Thursday allegations that his leadership is “vindictive,” maintaining that he embraced all the people that the Estrada clan left behind when they were no longer in power.
Zamora’s remarks came after Senator JV Ejercito’s allegation that some San Juan City residents were being “terrorized” by Zamora’s “vindictive” leadership.
Ejercito was a former mayor of San Juan City. So were his brother, Senator Jinggoy Estrada; his father, former President Joseph Estrada; and his mother, Guia Gomez.
“I have no idea what he’s talking about regarding vindictiveness kasi niyakap ko yung mga tao nila. Marami sa mga leaders and supporters nila na pinabayaan nila, especially when they both lost in the Senate in 2019, when his mother was not a mayor anymore and when they both lost in the Senate — noong pinabayaan nila ang leaders nila, namamatay, nagkakasakit, kanino sila lumalapit? Sa akin,” Zamora told INQUIRER.net in a phone interview.
(I have no idea what he’s talking about regarding vindictiveness because I embraced their people. Many of the leaders and supporters they abandoned, especially when they both lost in the Senate in 2019, when his mother was not a mayor anymore and when they both lost in the Senate — when they abandoned their leaders, dying, getting sick, who did they approach? It was me.)
“If I am terrorizing San Juan, then how come we won 15-0 in 2022. All positions from mayor, vice mayor, congresswoman and 12 councilors?” he added.
Zamora then stressed that every single city hall employee in San Juan in 2019 was an Estrada employee since the clan was in power from 1969 to 2019.
“Most of my department heads now are former Estrada department heads. I and these Estrada appointees [or] Estrada elected officials have been working hard with each other. In fact, San Juan has won so many awards because of our harmonious working relationship,” said Zamora.
To prove his point, Zamora even named some of these supposed Estrada elected officials:
Zamora specifically noted that Silvano eventually resigned to work for Ejercito but later on regretted his decision when he realized that his “salary was much lower.”
“I know how to work with people. There’s no truth to namumulitika, ‘pag supporter nila ay kinakawawa – anong proof nila?” he added, emphasizing that being vindictive is different from being accountable.
(I know how to work with people. There’s no truth that I am politicking, and to the allegation that I oppress their supporters – what proof do they have?)
Ejercito, in a separate forum on Thursday, likewise claimed that to date, some retired San Juan City workers have yet to receive their terminal pay.
Zamora, however, stressed that the city government – under his leadership – He added that even the terminal pay of former Mayor Gomez and former Vice Mayor Janella Estrada were immediately released. has released millions of local funds to pay qualified retired workers. He added that even the terminal pay of former Mayor Gomez and former Vice Mayor Janella Estrada were immediately released.
“Now, there are some that we really cannot [pay] terminal leaves yet because of pending investigation or those with uncomplied requirements, there’s clearance – so there’s a process that they have to go through for us to release the terminal leave,” Zamora explained.
But the mayor maintained that he was unaware of what Ejercito was talking about when the senator said that “11 out of 30” have yet to receive their terminal pay.
Despite this, Zamora has committed to immediately release the terminal pay of those 11 should they be cleared without any issues.
“If I get to see the names of the 11, I’ll be in a better position to know if indeed meron bang pending investigation, meron bang clearance na dapat tapusin, then pag wala namang nakikitang problema I would gladly and immediately release the terminal leave,” he noted.
(If I get to see the names of the 1, I’ll be in a better position to know if there is a pending investigation, if there is a clearance that must be completed, and then if there is no visible problem, I would gladly release the terminal leave.)
Zamora then challenged Ejercito’s allegation of corruption in San Juan City’s social aid programs.
In his privilege speech delivered during the Senate’s plenary session, Ejercito said the scheme was made through an “ayuda scam” concerning the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program and other social assistance initiatives.
Ejercito then presented two videos supposedly revealing some local officials in San Juan City “who exploited the system.”
But according to Zamora, his sources pointed out that the videos that Ejercito presented in the Senate were taken more than two years ago.
“The lady talking is already dead. Why didn’t he mention this? They are trying to make it appear as if it is of the present,” said Zamora.
The San Juan City mayor then questioned Ejercito for “moving away” from the TUPAD issue, further prodding the lawmaker what his evidence was in order to prove that San Juan is, indeed, involved in corruption.
Zamora said he would be willing to appear before the Senate should investigation on the alleged aid scam pushes through.
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The Estradas and Zamoras have long been political rivals in San Juan City. Zamora ended the 50-year grip of the Estrada clan over San Juan when he was elected city mayor in 2019.
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San Juan people are being ‘terrorized’ by the mayor, claims Sen. JV Ejercito | Charie Abarca | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 12:53:01 PST | Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito (File photo from Bibo Nueva España/Senate PRIB)
Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito (File photo from Bibo Nueva España/Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Victor “JV” Ejercito on Thursday claimed some San Juan City residents are being “terrorized” by Mayor Francis Zamora’s “vindictive” leadership.
Speaking at a Kapihan sa Senado forum, Ejercito accused the mayor of presenting two sides of his character — one that appears to be “soft-spoken” and one that is vengeful.
It was Zamora who ended the 50-year grip of the Estrada clan over San Juan when he was elected city mayor in 2019.
The political rift between the camps was only ignited by Ejercito’s recent exposé surrounding an alleged corruption in the city’s social aid programs.
“People are being terrorized, lalo na ‘yung super political. Kasi malayong malayo. Very deceiving kasi,” said Ejercito.
(People are being terrorized, especially those who are super political. It’s too far. It’s very deceiving.)
“Si Mayor Zamora, kapag nagsalita, soft spoken [at] akala mo napakabait,” the senator observed.
(Mayor Zamora, when he speaks, he seems to be soft-spoken [and] you’ll think that he is very kind.)
“Para itong pelikula lang eh. Kapag nasa on cam… Kaya lang, off cam, naaawa ako doon sa mga tao,” he went on.
(It’s just like a movie. When it’s on cam… However, off-cam, I feel sorry for the people there.)
“Ang sabi ko nga sa kanya, tayo na lang ang mag away [at] kawawa naman ‘yung mga tao,” he added.
(I told him, let us just fight between us, and the people are suffering.)
According to the senator, he was very hesitant to expose the alleged corruption in San Juan at first, knowing that “people get oppressed” every time he speaks.
He said he only exposed it because of the gravity of the situation.
“I think I also brought up the issue of City employees or Department heads that after 3 years, their terminal leave is still not being given, which is money that is theirs,” Ejercito recalled.
“As we are speaking right now, there are about 11 more out of the 30 plus who have yet to receive it,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.
“So you can see the pattern of his vindictiveness,” Ejercito added.
In the same forum, Zamora was likewise urged by Ejercito to spare the people from their families’ political rift.
“Magandang magkaharap harap tayo. Ang apila ko lang, sana kami na lang ang magbangayan sa politika,” the senator said.
(It will be good if we confront each other face to face. My only appeal is that I wish we would just spare the people from politics.)
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INQUIRER.net has sought Zamora’s comment on Ejercito’s remarks and allegations, but he has yet to respond as of press time.
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DOE: Economic cha-cha to create more jobs in renewable energy | Gabriel Pabico Lalu | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 18:38:16 PST | MANILA, Philippines — An official of the Department of Energy (DOE) believes that 1.5 million jobs may be created in the renewable energy sector if amendments to the 1987 Constitution’s economic provisions push through.
At the hearing of the House committee of the whole on Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 7, Energy Undersecretary Sharon Garin said 1.5 million new jobs are possible since an additional 357,459 individuals were employed in the renewable energy sector in 2022 when the government allowed 100 percent foreign ownership in the industry.
With this as a guide, Garin said there may be 10 direct jobs and 30 indirect jobs generated per megawatt (MW).
“[The] estimated direct and indirect job generation for 2023 new contracts based on potential capacity is at least 1.5 million positions,” Garin said during the committee of the whole hearing on Wednesday.
“Other than investments in the development of [renewable energy], other components that will come in because of the trillions of investment from foreign investors is port development. We will need at least 10 new ports in order to cater to offshore wind projects,” she added.
Additionally, there may be more jobs stemming from foreign investments in ports and mining of rare earth metals like vanadium, a critical component of steel alloys that are used in creating space vehicles, nuclear reactors, aircraft carriers, and various other applications.
“In mining, the battery components include rare earth metals from our indigenous resources, including Vanadium and Scandium […] The additional transmission lines, including a newly proposed smart green grid, will require more copper,” she noted.
However, former lawmaker and current Bayan Muna chairperson Neri Colmenares expressed concerns over opening the economy further, noting that ideally, the government should be in control of key utilities to ensure that operations are driven by service, not profit.
Colmenares was also present in the hearing as a resource person.
“In my opinion, it will have implications […] what are public utilities? These are important industries to a country — water, electricity, transportation, communication, that we hope are operated by the government. That should not be for private companies, because the moment it is privatized, of course, service is just an afterthought, and profit is the main motivation,” Colmenares said.
“The problem here is that it is not only privatized, it will also be foreign-owned. Public service to the Filipino people becomes service to foreign stockholders,” he added.
Colmenares also highlighted that having foreigners operate key industries presents a national security issue, citing a possibility that the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) can be controlled by Chinese investors who can manipulate the country’s electric supply when tensions rise on the West Philippine Sea.
READ: NGCP: China ownership is not a national security threat
“The second is, of course, national security implications. Are we not afraid that when a foreign country handles our electric grid, water supply, even transportation and communications, we will have a huge problem because this is the lifeblood of society, Mr. Chair?” he said.
“So if we open restrictions, can China increase from 40 percent to 80 (percent) or 90 percent in NGCP? Can other countries enter? When China handles, for example, Mr. Chair, our big generation or distribution utilities, then there is a dispute in the West Philippine Sea, they can just put Luzon on a blackout and we will have no choice but to kneel to China. Is that something we anticipate, Mr. Chair?” he asked.
This is not the first time people have been concerned over China’s involvement in NGCP. Last May 2023, Santa Rosa City Rep. Dan Fernandez questioned whether or not NGCP can be held accountable for the power outage that hit the Ninoy Aquino International Airport last January 1, 2023.
NGCP then “categorically denied” accusations of being behind the power issues, insisting that their system cannot be controlled remotely. NGCP officials also noted that they are a Filipino corporation and that they remain committed to providing electricity to the country.
Both the House and the Senate are hearing proposals to amend the 1987 Constitution’s economic provisions: the committee of the whole started discussing RBH No. 7 last Monday, while the Senate started deliberating RBH No. 6 in early February.
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Both proposals seek to amend Article XII, Article XIV, and Article XVI of the Constitution by inserting the phrase “unless otherwise provided by law” — allowing Congress to legislate laws that would dictate the percentage of foreign ownership in public utilities, basic education, and advertising.
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Marcos appoints Rogelio Quevedo as new PCGG commissioner | Jean Mangaluz | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 09:54:01 PST | Rogelio Quevedo was part of the Government Corporate Counsel, which acts as the lawyers of government corporations and financial institutions, such as the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.| PHOTO: Official facebook page of OGCC-EU
Rogelio Quevedo was part of the Government Corporate Counsel, which acts as the lawyers of government corporations and financial institutions, such as the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.| PHOTO: Official facebook page of OGCC-EU
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appointed Rogelio V. Quevedo as a new Commissioner for the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG), said the Palace on Thursday.
The PCGG is a body created to recover the ill-gotten wealth of the Marcos family while they were in power during the time of Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s father, the late Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
“Itinalaga si G. Rogelio V. Quevedo bilang Commissioner ng Presidential Commission on Good Government sa ilalim ng Department of Justice,” said the Presidential Communications Office in a Facebook post.
(Mr. Rogelio V. Quevedo has been named Commissioner of the Presidential Commission on Good Government under the Department of Justice.)
READ: Marcos names new PCGG commissioner, 3 other execs
Quevedo was part of the Government Corporate Counsel, representing government corporations and financial institutions, such as the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.
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Accusations hounding Quiboloy sadden Imee Marcos: ‘He has been kind to us’ | Maila Ager | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 16:39:30 PST | Sen. Imee Marcos (File photo from the Senate Social Media Unit)
Sen. Imee Marcos (File photo from the Senate Social Media Unit)
MANILA, Philippines — While recognizing the power of Congress to issue a subpoena, Sen. Imee Marcos reminded her colleagues about giving due process and respecting one’s right against self-incrimination.
At the regular Kapihan sa Senado on Thursday, Marcos was asked about the call of her brother, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, for pastor Apollo Quiboloy to face the congressional probes.
“We are aware that it is indeed the power of the Congress and the Senate to issue subpoenas, and that is a fundamental power,” the senator said, partly in Filipino. “But let us remember that substantive and procedural due process must be given, along with the right against self-incrimination.”
“What I mean is, I am deeply saddened by the events surrounding SMNI [Sonshine Media Network International] and Pastor Quiboloy,” she added. “He has been kind to us, and above all, he has truly helped many people. So, it saddens me that it has come to this. I hope that this can be resolved in a peaceful and quiet manner.”
The self-proclaimed “Appointed Son of God” is now the focus of separate investigations by the Senate and the House of Representatives.
In the Senate, Quiboloy is being investigated for alleged sexual abuse, forced labor, and other offenses within his church.
On the other hand, the House focuses its probe on the supposed violations of the SMNI franchise.
Pastor, founder of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, also reportedly owns SMNI.
He is now being compelled by the two chambers to attend their hearings.
“For now, it’s there. We are in a legal situation. That will just be followed through because that’s where we are now,” Senator Marcos said. “But even then, I hope it can be resolved as soon as possible. And then, those who are talking about extradition, there’s no extradition request. So why the rush? It’s too much.”
Quiboloy has been on the wanted list of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation for alleged “conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, and sex trafficking of children; sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion; conspiracy; bulk cash smuggling.”
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Janella Salvador, Win Metawin’s movie to premiere at Asian Film Awards | Anne Pasajol | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 11:23:56 PST | Thai actor Win Metawin and Janella Salvador. Image: screengrab from YouTube/28 Squared Studios
Thai actor Win Metawin and Janella Salvador. Image: screengrab from YouTube/28 Squared Studios
“Under Parallel Skies,” which stars Janella Salvador and Thai actor Win Metawin, is the first Philippine cross-country film to have its world premiere as part of the Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong.
This was announced by film director Sigrid Bernardo through her Instagram page on Wednesday, Feb. 28.
“‘Under Parallel Skies’ becomes the first Philippine cross-country film to have its world premiere in Hong Kong as one of the special events of the prestigious 17th Asian Film Awards (AFA),” she said.
“The gala will happen on March 11 at APM in Kwun Tong. Following the gala, the film will have its Hong Kong premiere at the B+ cinema,” she added.
Aside from Bernardo, Salvador and Metawin, executive producers from production company 28 Squared Studios, members of the AFA committee, the film’s partners and select guests of honor will also be in attendance at the Hong Kong event.
A post shared by Sigrid Andrea P. Bernardo (@sigridandreapbernardo)
Salvador also shared the announcement on her Instagram page, adding: “Hope you’re ready to meet Iris and Parin!”
A post shared by Janella Salvador (@superjanella)
“Under Parallel Skies,” which is set in Hong Kong, tells the story of a man struggling with a painful past and a woman who has a significant role in the story of his life.
Rumors of Salvador and Metawin, who gained a following in the Philippines after his hit boy love series “2gether: The Series,” joining together in a project first sparked in June 2023. The production company confirmed the project a month later.
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SC slaps PAO chief Persida Acosta with P180,000 fine | Jane Bautista | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 05:50:00 PST | FILE PHOTO: Supreme Court and PAO chief Persida Acosta. INQUIRER FILES
FILE PHOTO: Supreme Court and PAO chief Persida Acosta. INQUIRER FILES
MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court has ordered Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) chief Persida Rueda-Acosta to pay fines totaling P180,000 for her adverse remarks against the new code of conduct for lawyers, or the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability (CPRA).
Acosta was fined P30,000 for indirect contempt of court and an additional P150,000 for grossly undignified conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice. The penalty came with a stern warning that “a repetition of the same or similar offenses shall be dealt with more severely.”
According to the high tribunal, Acosta’s remarks and “innuendos” on her Facebook page about the CPRA provision allowing public lawyers to represent opposing parties in court cases “attributed ill intent and malice to the court.”
“Atty. Acosta’s actions violated Sections 2 and 14, Canon II of the CPRA, which enjoin lawyers to respect the courts, to submit grievances against court officers only through the appropriate remedy and before the proper authorities, and to refrain from making unfounded statements insinuating improper motive on the part of court officers,” the court’s Public Information Office said in a statement on Tuesday.
READ: SC cites PAO chief for indirect contempt over remarks on CPRA
The justices also ruled that Acosta violated her duty to observe and maintain due respect for the court and to promote respect for laws and legal processes when she issued an office order that “instigated disobedience” to the new conflict of interest rule for the PAO.
In addition, the court said the PAO chief attempted to “sway public opinion to pressure the court into yielding to her position” when she launched a public campaign against the new provision using public attorneys and PAO staff and clients and when she publicized the contents of the PAO’s letters to Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo requesting the deletion of the same rule.
The Inquirer sought Acosta’s comment on the matter, but she had yet to respond as of this writing.
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QC prosecutor OKs filing of raps vs mall guard who tossed puppy to death | Tetch Torres-Tupas | Thu, 29 Feb 2024 00:37:46 PST | This file photo taken in July 2023 shows mall security guard Jojo Malecdem following an incident involving a puppy being thrown from a footbridge near the mall. | PHOTO: Janine Santos
This file photo taken in July 2023 shows mall security guard Jojo Malecdem following an incident involving a puppy being thrown from a footbridge near the mall. | PHOTO: Janine Santos
MANILA, Philippines — The Quezon City Prosecutors Office has approved the filing of a criminal case against a mall security guard for throwing a puppy from an elevated footbridge in Quezon City, causing its death.
Facing a case for violating Section 9 of the Animal Welfare Act is Jojo Malicdem.
Section 9 of the law punishes any person who subjects any animal to cruelty, maltreatment, or neglect by either imprisonment, fine, or both.
In his defense, Malicdem denied tossing the puppy named Brownie. The incident happened in July 2023.
READ: PAWS files criminal complaint vs. mall guard for throwing puppy to death
He said one of the puppy’s owners shoved it in front of his face when he confronted them because vendors and beggars are not allowed to stay on the bridge.
Malicdem said he tried to push the puppy away from his face when he felt something sharp touching his skin. Thinking that he was bitten, he forcefully pushed away the hand of the teenager holding the puppy, causing the puppy to be thrown off the railing.
But the prosecutor said the complainant, Janine Santos, who witnessed the incident, clearly narrated and submitted proof of the incident. The Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) joined Santos as a complainant.
Santos said Malicdem grabbed the “object” and threw it outside the footbridge railing. She said she learned that the “object” thrown outside the railing was actually a puppy when a concerned pedestrian picked it up.
The prosecutor said Malicdem’s defense was evidentiary and “should be presented, proven, and subject to the court’s determination.”
A P12,000 bail was recommended for Malicdem’s temporary liberty.
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The resolution was recommended by Senior Assistant City Prosecutor Diovie Macaraig-Calderon and approved by Senior Assistant City Prosecutor Chief Division V Jaime Villanueva.
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T-bond yields fall on rate cut bets | Ian Nicolas P. Cigaral | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 10:01:54 PST | MANILA, Philippines —The government was able to borrow as planned during Tuesday’s auction of Treasury bonds (T-bonds) after rates sought by local creditors fell amid expectations of monetary policy easing at home and in the US.
The Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) raised its target amount of P30 billion from the sale of T-bonds, with demand exceeding the original size of the offering by over three times to P91.4 billion.
The healthy appetite for the long-term debt securities, which are payable in 20 years, helped push down borrowing costs for the state.
Auction results showed the 20-year T-bonds fetched an average rate of 6.209 percent, lower than the 6.631 percent recorded in the previous auction of the comparable bonds last March 21, 2023.
The yield was also lower than the 6.405 percent quoted for the same tenor in the secondary market as of Feb. 27, 2024.
Michael Ricafort, chief economist at Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., said expectations of a rate cut by the US Federal Reserve and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) also helped the government borrow at a lower cost.
“Average auction yield [was] much lower… amid the easing inflation trend already within the BSP’s inflation target of 2 to 4 percent that could support local policy rate cuts later this year, especially if the Fed starts cutting rates,” Ricafort said.
The BSP is widely expected to match the timing of Fed’s easing moves to avoid pressuring the peso, which may upset the inflation outlook at home by pushing up import costs.
READ: BSP keeps policy rate unchanged, as expected
At its first meeting this year, the central bank’s Monetary Board kept its key rate unchanged at 6.5 percent, the tightest in over 16 years, as it waits for a more convincing downtrend of inflation before deciding on loosening its monetary policy settings.
Data showed inflation softened to 2.8 percent in January, the lowest reading in over three years. That was the second consecutive month that price growth moderated to within the BSP’s 2 to 4 percent target after hovering above that range for 20 months.
READ: Gov’t unveils P585-B local borrowing plan for Q1 2024
The Marcos administration is planning to borrow P1.85 trillion onshore in 2024. Of that amount, P51 billion will be raised via Treasury bills while P1.8 trillion will come from weekly auctions of T-bonds.
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Those borrowings are needed to help plug a projected budget hole of P1.39 trillion this year, which is equivalent to 5.1 percent of gross domestic product.
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Top American CEOs to join PH trade mission in March | Miguel R. Camus | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 02:07:00 PST | FILE PHOTO: Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez (Photo by Andrew Harnik / POOL / AFP)
FILE PHOTO: Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez (Photo by Andrew Harnik / POOL / AFP)
MANILA, Philippines -The Fortune 500 cavalry is coming.
At least 30 top American CEOs from major corporations are joining US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo in a landmark presidential trade and investment mission to the Philippines from March 11 to March 12 this year.
Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez said on Monday the country was witnessing an uptick in investment interest under the Marcos administration, which has embraced closer economic and defense ties with the United States.
READ: Biden to send top-level trade mission to PH in March
This was a marked shift from former President Rodrigo Duterte’s pivot toward US global competitor China.
“I cannot overemphasize the fact that our relationship with the United States is at its best right now. This is the time we have to take advantage of this relationship because the interest is so high,” Romualdez said during a media briefing on Monday that was organized by the nonprofit US-Philippines Society.
READ: How US courted PH to thwart China
Romualdez, who said the final list of CEOs and corporations had yet to be finalized, claimed interest was so high from American businessmen that they had to pare down the list of delegates.
“Secretary Raimondo told us she wanted this to be very focused, she wanted to make sure something will come out of this delegation,” he recounted.
“This is a big deal for the United States. The White House has never organized something like this,” he added.
The US-Philippines Society meeting was also called to welcome the organization’s new co-chair, tycoon Jamie Augusto Zobel de Ayala. Romualdez was also joined in Tuesday’s discussion by Ambassadors John Negroponte, a co-chair at the US-Philippines Society and Thomas Hubbard. INQ
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SCHEDULE: 2024 PBA Philippine Cup | INQUIRER.net | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 15:59:26 PST | The 2024 PBA Philippine Cup, the second conference of the league’s 48th season, opens on February 28, Wednesday.
The PBA doubleheaders are scheduled every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 4:30 pm and 7:30pm on weekdays and 3pm and 6pm on weekends.
Aside from the usual venues of Smart Araneta Coliseum, Philsports Arena, Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig and Ynares Center in Antipolo, the PBA will also hold games at Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila and Caloon Sports Complex.
Out-of-town games highlight several Saturdays of the Philippine Cup with the league holding games in Candon, Ilocos Sur; Tiaong, Quezon; Cagayan de Oro and Batangas.
PBA games are now airing on the free-to-air channel RPTV in an arrangement started in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup finals.
RPTV is on Channel 9 Analog in Manila, Cebu and Davao; Channel 5 in Zamboanga; Channel 12 in Baguio; and Channel 8 in Bacolod. It is also available via pay TV at Cignal TV (Channel 10), SatLite (Channel 9). GSat (Channel 8) and over 300 cable and satellite providers across the country.
Games are also live on PBA Rush on Cignal TV (Channel 260 HD, Channel 90 SD).
The games will also be streamed on the Pilipinas Live app, live and on-demand.
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Marcos: Presence of Chinese warships in West Philippine Sea ‘worrisome’ | Jean Mangaluz | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 08:55:09 PST | FILE PHOTO: The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea says the water cannon attack by the China Coast Guard (CCG) on Saturday, December 9, 2023, caused “significant damage” to the Datu Bankaw (left). It condemned the CCG’s action as “not as only illegal but also inhumane” for it was directed at a humanitarian mission. —Screen grab from Philippine Coast Guard video
FILE PHOTO: The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea says the water cannon attack by the China Coast Guard (CCG) on Saturday, December 9, 2023, caused “significant damage” to the Datu Bankaw (left). It condemned the CCG’s action as “not as only illegal but also inhumane” for it was directed at a humanitarian mission. —Screen grab from Philippine Coast Guard video
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, on Wednesday called the presence of Chinese warships in the West Philippine Sea worrisome, but the government will continue to defend maritime security.
The signal of Philippine vessels was allegedly jammed by China when they traveled in the West Philippine Sea. Philippine Coast Guard Spokesperson Jay Tarriela also reported the presence of a Chinese aircraft in Bajo de Masinloc.
“We just defend our maritime territory. We continue to support all of our fisherfolk who make their living from these fishing grounds,” said Marcos in an ambush interview before his flight to Australia.
Marcos said that the government will continue doing its job to help the fisherfolk.
“It’s worrisome because there are two elements to that. One, dati Coast Guard lang ng China ang gumagalaw doon sa area natin, ngayon may Navy na, sumama pa mga fishing boat. So nagbabago ang sitwasyon,” said Marcos.
(It’s worrisome because there are two elements to that. One, before it was just the Chinese Coast Guard moving in our area, now it is the Navy with the fishing boats. So the situation is changing.)
“That’s the basic principle there is that the fishers must be allowed to fish in their traditional fishing grounds which belong in the maritime territory of the Philippines,” said Marcos.
Beijing’s aggression in the West Philippine Sea increased during the time of Marcos, with Philippine vessels being rammed by Chinese boats and the PCG being hit with a water cannon.
Filipino fisherfolk have also accused China of poisoning Bajo de Masinloc with cyanide.
Marcos earlier vowed not to surrender a single inch of territory to foreign forces.
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For comprehensive coverage, in-depth analysis, visit our special page for West Philippine Sea updates. Stay informed with articles, videos, and expert opinions.
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Marcos visits Australia twice in span of week for parliament talk, summit | Dona Z. Pazzibugan | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 05:25:58 PST | Ferdinand Marcos Jr. —PPA POOL
Ferdinand Marcos Jr. —PPA POOL
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will visit Australia twice within a week for a state visit and a special summit between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and Australia.
He will leave today for Canberra for a two-day visit from Feb. 28 to Feb. 29 upon the invitation of Governor General David Hurley.
As “guest of the government,” Mr. Marcos’ visit is akin to that of a state visit.
He will address the Australian Parliament, the first Philippine leader to do so, to discuss the two countries’ strategic partnership.
“The President’s visit and official activities in Canberra shall further strengthen existing bonds of cooperation and shall enable discussions for new avenues of collaboration,” said Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza at a press briefing in Malacañang on Tuesday.
Mr. Marcos will return to the country on Thursday then will leave again this time for Melbourne to attend the Asean-Australia Special Summit from March 4 to March 6.
His visit to Melbourne is upon the invitation of Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Asean-Australia relations.
During the special summit on March 6, Mr. Marcos will tackle the South China Sea dispute where the Philippines has been grappling mainly with China despite the country’s arbitration win under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) that invalidated China’s sweeping claims.
“For the leaders plenary, the President may take the opportunity to thank Australia for its unwavering support for the rule of law and for the 1982 Unclos and the 2016 arbitral award,” said Foreign Assistant Secretary for Asean Affairs Daniel Espiritu.
“The President may also highlight Asean-Australia cooperation on maritime issues, climate and clean energy track, people-to-people exchange and economic cooperation,” he added.
READ: South China Sea issue part of Marcos’ agenda in Australia visits – DFA
“As the leaders retreat, the President may encourage Australia to remain committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes and to maintain respect for the rules-based international order and multilateralism which is currently very much under challenge,” Espiritu said.
Prior to the special summit, President Marcos will speak before the Lowy Institute and meet with the Filipino community on March 4.
On March 5, he will promote the Philippine Business Forum organized by the Department of Trade and Industry.
He will deliver a speech at the Victoria International Container Terminal, a subsidiary of the Philippine International Container Terminal Services Inc.
Mr. Marcos will also hold bilateral meetings with Cambodia and New Zealand.
According to the DFA, there are about 408,000 Filipinos in Australia, constituting the fifth largest immigrant community. Most are crafts and related trade workers; professional service and sales workers; skilled agriculture, forestry and fishery workers; technicians; associate professionals; and managers.
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In 2022, there were around 17,825 Filipino students in Australia’s universities, government records showed. INQ
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DOJ to review decision on Navotas teen’s slay | Jane Bautista | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 05:55:00 PST | WAITING FOR JUSTICE Relatives and supporters of the family of Jemboy Baltazar, 17, who was mistaken for a murder suspect and killed by policemen last year, gather in front of the Navotas Hall of Justice on Tuesday to wait for the court’s decision on the case. —NIÑO JESUS ORBETA
WAITING FOR JUSTICE Relatives and supporters of the family of Jemboy Baltazar, 17, who was mistaken for a murder suspect and killed by policemen last year, gather in front of the Navotas Hall of Justice on Tuesday to wait for the court’s decision on the case. —NIÑO JESUS ORBETA
“Is that the only value of my son’s life?”
These were the words of Rodaliza Baltazar, mother of 17-year-old Jerhode “Jemboy” Baltazar, after five of the six policemen involved in his “mistaken identity” killing were ordered released by a Navotas court.
“I feel so much pain, it’s like nothing happened to my son… Only one was convicted and the other four [were sentenced to] only four months [in jail],” Rodaliza told reporters following Tuesday’s decision by the Navotas Regional Trial Court Branch 286.
The victim’s family also objected to the lighter charge of homicide for the convicted cop and the acquittal of another accused who was also ordered released.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) assured the family that it would exhaust all legal remedies as it reviews the ruling by Presiding Judge Pedro Dabu Jr.
The Baltazars originally filed murder charges against six Navotas policemen for shooting Jemboy in his boat after he was mistaken for another suspect they were chasing during a police operation on Aug. 2, 2023, at Barangay North Bay Boulevard South Kaunlaran in Navotas City.
But the court instead found Police Staff Sgt. Gerry Maliban was guilty of homicide. His sentence was four to six years in prison, and he was also ordered to pay P50,000 in moral and civil damages.
READ: One of six Navotas cops guilty of homicide in Jemboy’s death – court
According to the judge, Maliban “did not commit murder” since he “cannot be said to have employed means, methods, or forms in the execution of the crime.”
“There is no doubt PSSgt. Maliban was performing his duty during that fatal incident,” the judge said.
Released
The four other officers—Police Executive Master Sgt. Roberto Dioso Balais Jr., Police Staff Sgt. Nikko Pines Corollo Esquilon, Police Cpl. Edmard Jake Blanco and Patrolman Benedict Danao Mangada—were found guilty of illegal discharge of firearms and sentenced to a maximum of four months and one day in prison.
But since they had already served that sentence during their preventive detention at the Metro Manila District Jail in Taguig City, the court ordered their release.
Another officer, Police Staff Sgt. Antonio Balcita Bugayong was acquitted after the court said there was “doubt” as to whether he fired his gun during the operation.
The court noted the conflicting testimonies between the accused, who claimed that Bugayong fired his gun, and the witness, Jemboy’s friend, Sonny Boy Agustillo, who said he didn’t see the officer fire his weapon.
Bugayong also tested negative for gunpowder residue.
Appeal
In a briefing by the DOJ, Rodaliza said, “My family and I are feeling a lot of pain right now because we expected six of them to be convicted but the opposite happened—five of them were released and only one was convicted.”
“My son is dead, he will be gone forever, [while Maliban] will only suffer for four years for killing my son,” she said on the verge of tears, with her face masked to protect her identity while she wore a bulletproof vest.
Jemboy’s father, Jessie Baltazar, said: “It hurts that we lost our son—my partner in our livelihood.”
Justice Assistant Secretary Jose Dominic Clavano said Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla had ordered him to review the facts and arguments in the case to see what they could appeal.
Clavano said the DOJ plans to elevate the case to the Court of Appeals (CA), with the Office of the Solicitor General serving as counsel for the Baltazar family.
He said that based on the DOJ’s initial assessment, there were several arguments in the decision that could still be challenged, including conspiracy, intent to kill, and “reasonableness of the action taken by the police and the reaction that the police had when Jemboy ran away.”
ACCUSED Wearing prison shirts and in handcuffs, the police officers accused of shooting and killing Jerhode “Jemboy” Baltazar in August last year arrive at Navotas City Regional Trial Court on Tuesday. —NIÑO JESUS ORBETA
“At the end of it all, justice must be served, the decision today is not enough, in our opinion, because there are policemen who will be freed but the Baltazar family lost someone,” Clavano said.
‘Changed view’
The DOJ official said the Baltazars will remain under the government’s witness protection program for their security.
“Because it is dangerous when [the convicted are released] and, of course, the peace and security of the Baltazar family will also be at risk,” he said.
The Marcos administration, he pointed out, has a “changed view” regarding cases of extrajudicial killings like what happened to Jemboy.
“Before, during the past administration, the police were empowered, still, to do their mandate to protect and serve the country. But now, with the new administration, we think more benevolently,” he said, adding that law enforcers should perform their duties with self-restraint.
“This is a fight against a culture that has been hounding our society for a very long time, this culture of impunity… So we are taking this case very seriously so that the police treat the citizens differently,” Clavano said.
But rights group Karapatan said: “This lamentable outcome [of] Jemboy’s case shows how the Philippine justice system continues to fail the victims of police killings and brutality in the country in pursuing full accountability of perpetrators.”
“As in the case of the killings under the Duterte regime, victims, especially the poor, are still unable to obtain justice,” the group added.
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Meanwhile, Police Col. Jean Fajardo, spokesperson for the Philippine National Police, said the case should remind police officers “to adhere to their existing police operational procedures.” —WITH REPORTS FROM NESTOR CORRALES AND JACOB LAZARO INQ
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Cartoon art museum celebrates Pinoy comic book artists | Nimfa U. Rueda | 2024-02-29T02:22:28+00:00 | This painting by Alex Niño is featured at the Cartoon Art Museum. “Pinoy Power!” shines the spotlight on Filipino comic book artists. Photo from the Cartoon Art Museum
This painting by Alex Niño is featured at the Cartoon Art Museum. “Pinoy Power!” shines the spotlight on Filipino comic book artists. Photo from the Cartoon Art Museum
SAN FRANCISCO – The Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco is featuring “Pinoy Power! A Celebration of Filipino Komiks from the Archipelago to the Bay,” a two-gallery exhibition of original artwork spanning six decades of Filipino heritage and history.
The first component of the exhibition looks back at the first wave of comic book artists who immigrated to the United States in the 1970s as American publishers actively recruited the brilliant, hard-working and underpaid artists who were seeking more opportunities and a wider audience outside of their native Philippines.
The second half of the exhibition, co-curated by graphic novelist Rina Ayuyang, celebrates contemporary Filipino voices. Photo from the Cartoon Art Museum
“Pinoy Power!” shines the spotlight on several of these artists, including Alex Niño, Alfredo Alcala and Nestor Redondo, whose detailed and electrifying storytelling made them into household names on both sides of the Pacific.
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By the middle of the 1970s, many of the top Filipino comic book artists were dazzling readers in the pages of DC’s horror and mystery anthology titles including “House of Secrets” and “Weird War Tales,” as well as sword-and-sorcery comics and lavishly-illustrated tales inspired by the Bible and the legend of King Arthur and Camelot.
Cartoon Art Museum Executive Director Summerlea Kashar (left) accompanied Consulate representatives, including Vice Consul Adrian Baccay, during the guided tour of the “Pinoy Power!” exhibit. Photo from San Francisco PCG
The majority of the artwork on display in this installment of the exhibition comes from the collection of Manuel Auad, a San Francisco-based publisher who specializes in monographs celebrating the best in 20th century illustration.
Auad, a much beloved and celebrated comics historian, was instrumental in bringing many of these featured artists to the United States in the 1970s, and continues to preserve and celebrate the legacy of those artists today.
Rina Ayuyang, bus shelter comics funded by SFAC
The second half of the exhibition, co-curated by graphic novelist Rina Ayuyang, celebrates contemporary Filipino voices, including Donna Almendrala, Lynda Barry, Martin Cendreda, Trinidad Escobar, Tintin Pantoja and Bong Redila.
“The Philippines has always been shaped by the actions of revolutionaries, so it’s not surprising that a similar kind of drive and passionate spirit can be felt in the work made by Filipino comic artists through the years,” says Ayuyang.
“Whether injecting gorgeously detailed craftsmanship in portrayals of iconic American superheroes, or breaking new ground in the indie alternative comics scene, the Filipino comic artists included in this important and exciting exhibition all embrace the importance of change with a deep appreciation for what came before.
“Their work celebrates being Filipino, the power of representation, and the huge impact that Filipinos have made to American art and culture. I am so honored and full of Pinoy Pride to be involved in this exhibition, and grateful to the Cartoon Art Museum for putting Filipino voices and stories under the spotlight and center stage.”
The Cartoon Art Museum will host a series of panel discussions throughout the run of the exhibition, both onsite at the Cartoon Art Museum and online to allow artists from the Bay Area to Manila Bay to participate in the museum’s public programming.
The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco, represented by Vice Consul Adrian Baccay and Cultural Officer Cristine Clasara-Steylaerts, toured the groundbreaking exhibit last week.
Cartoon Art Museum Executive Director Summerlea Kashar accompanied consulate representatives during the guided tour of the “Pinoy Power” exhibit.
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PH okays WTO’s accord on subsidies to help disaster-hit fisherfolks | Adrian Parungao | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 17:56:02 PST | These fishermen are seen catching blue crabs along Sugar beach in Sipalay city, Negros Occidental. (From RONNIE BALDONADO / CONTRIBUTOR)
These fishermen are seen catching blue crabs along Sugar beach in Sipalay city, Negros Occidental. (From RONNIE BALDONADO / CONTRIBUTOR)
MANILA, Philippines — Philippines, through Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), has ratified the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies (FSA) of World Trade Organization (WTO).
According to DTI, Trade Secretary Fred Pascual has submitted Philippines’ instrument of ratification to WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on February 27.
“The Agreement allows Members to grant subsidies for disaster relief under certain conditions to support fisherfolks impacted by natural disasters,” Pascual said.
“This is vital to the Philippines, being a climate-vulnerable country, especially since small-scale and artisanal fisherfolks are heavily impacted by strong typhoons and the increasing sea temperatures exacerbated by climate change,” he added.
The FSA, which was adopted in 2022, aims to promote marine protection by prohibiting subsidies that allow illegal and unregulated fishing.
“The WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, adopted at the 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) on 17 June 2022, marks a major step forward for ocean sustainability by prohibiting harmful fisheries subsidies, which are a key factor in the widespread depletion of the world’s fish stocks,” WTO had said.
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Marcos revamps flagship infra list | Ian Nicolas P. Cigaral | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 02:08:00 PST | Arsenio Balisacan
Arsenio Balisacan
MANILA, Philippines -The Marcos administration added 23 new items to its list of infrastructure flagship projects (IFPs) while removing 36 projects following a “rationalization” meant to ensure faster implementation of priority undertakings.
The update brought the total number of IFPs to 185 from 198 previously, with a new total value of P9.14 trillion, according to a statement released on Tuesday following a meeting of the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) board, which is chaired by President Marcos.
But Neda clarified that certain projects deleted from the list “will still proceed as planned” as they were already part of the regular government programs.
“By rationalizing the list, we ensure the implementation of as many important infrastructure projects of high significance as possible,” Neda Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said.
The Marcos administration is hoping to supercharge infrastructure spending to 5 to 6 percent of gross domestic product. Past administrations had tried to bridge the Philippines’ wide infrastructure gap in a bid to attract more investments, especially in the countryside.
READ: Marcos bares 23 newly-approved infra flagship projects
Based on the old list of IFPs, 74 projects were ongoing as of fourth quarter of 2023, while 10 were awaiting government approval. Meanwhile, 30 had been approved for implementation and 83 were undergoing either project or pre-project preparation.
Among the 74 ongoing projects, 19 are scheduled to be completed this year.
Apart from revising the list of IFPs, the Neda board on Tuesday also approved changes in the scope of the Davao City Bypass Construction Project, which increased the needed financing to P70.8 billion after the pandemic hampered the project’s implementation.
READ: Marcos launches P46.8-billion road project in Davao City
The board likewise confirmed the Integrated Water Resources Master Plan that will serve as the comprehensive national policy for managing water resources in the country.
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“We will closely monitor our infrastructure flagship projects to ensure they are completed and delivered on time,” Balisacan said. INQ
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Filinvest Land net income up 30% to P3.8B in 2023 | Miguel R. Camus | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 16:22:48 PST | MANILA, Philippines —Gotianun-led Filinvest Land experienced a banner year in 2023 as net income jumped 30 percent to P3.77 billion on the back of “solid” contributions of its residential and mall leasing segments.
Total revenues and other income also hit P22.55 billion last year, a gain of 13 percent, a stock exchange filing on Wednesday showed.
“We are very pleased to report Filinvest Land’s financial results in 2023 which were driven by the consistent and robust performance of our residential business segment,” Tristan Las Marias, president and CEO of Filinvest Land, said in the filing.
“This was driven by increasing sales to our overseas Filipino workers, alongside the strategic expansion and regionalization of our sales network,” he added.
READ: OFWs seen keeping local property market hot despite steep loan rates
During the past year, the residential segment saw a 13-percent increase in revenue to about P14.5 billion, attributed to rapid construction progress of its housing and medium-rise condominium projects.
For malls, revenues expanded by 32 percent to P2.2 billion, driven by greater mall occupancy, a rise in shopper footfall, and stable rental rates, particularly in its key shopping centers like Festival Mall in Alabang and IL Corso in Cebu.
READ: Filinvest Land raises P11.4B from bond sale
The office segment experienced a modest 2 percent revenue growth to P4.7 billion. This was due to higher occupancy rates and strategic partnerships, like the joint venture with KMC Community, Inc., boosting the company’s presence in the co-working space market.
“We are also excited about the strong performance of our leasing businesses, including malls, offices, industrial spaces, co-living, and co-working spaces,” Las Marias said.
“We anticipate further expansion opportunities for [Filinvest Land] in the coming year,” he added.
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Only 627 of 4,000 fishers compensated for Mindoro oil spill | Madonna T. Virola | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 05:40:00 PST | BACK TO FISHING Fishermen in Barangay Lazareto in Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro, take theirboat to shore after another day of fishing on Tuesday, now that the almost six-month fishingban is over. They, however, could not forget how the oil spill from the Princess Empress gavethem sleepless nights after it disrupted their livelihood. Photo at right, taken in March last year,shows Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) personnel collecting water samples from the site wherethe tanker sank off Naujan town. —MADONNA T. VIROLA/PCG PHOTO
BACK TO FISHING Fishermen in Barangay Lazareto in Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro, take theirboat to shore after another day of fishing on Tuesday, now that the almost six-month fishingban is over. They, however, could not forget how the oil spill from the Princess Empress gavethem sleepless nights after it disrupted their livelihood. Photo at right, taken in March last year,shows Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) personnel collecting water samples from the site wherethe tanker sank off Naujan town. —MADONNA T. VIROLA/PCG PHOTO
CITY OF CALAPAN—Local fisherman Aldrin Villanueva, 54, of Pola town in Oriental Mindoro province, expressed frustration at the delayed restitution for coastal villages that bore the brunt of the massive oil spill from MT Princess Empress in 2023.
It has been a year since the fuel tanker sank in the waters off neighboring Naujan town. Yet, Villanueva and other Pola fisherfolk who rely on the sea for their livelihood still await total and proper compensation.
The town of Pola was considered “ground zero” of the oil spill, which has caused P41.2 billion in environmental and economic losses, according to a Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development (CEED) report.
Interviewed by phone on Tuesday, Villanueva, president of the Pola Municipal Fisheries Aquatic Resources Management Council and head of fisherfolk group Lapian ng Mangingisda sa Batuhan, said several affected fishers told him they had not received full payment, including aid from the International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC) Funds.
The IOPC Funds, financed by contributions paid by entities that receive certain types of oil by sea transport, “provide compensation for oil pollution damage resulting from spills of persistent oil from tankers,” according to its website.
Of more than 4,000 claimants from Pola, only 627 received initial payment on Feb. 15 and Feb. 16, according to Villanueva, a resident of Batuan village.
The fisherman said he received only P14,000 of the P54,000 in compensation to which he was entitled.
The total amount was supposed to represent lost income “when fishing for two months during peak season” before the oil spill resulting in a five-month fishing ban.
Princess Empress, departing from Bataan en route to Iloilo with 20 crew members on board, began sinking on Feb. 28 last year because of an overheated motor tanker and rough sea conditions.
Remove sunken tanker
By March 1, the tanker had been submerged off Naujan town. In 10 days, the slick had spread to Antique and Palawan provinces.
Aside from the yet-to-be-received compensation, the fisherfolk are worried about further ecological damage due to the underwater tanker, threatening the Verde Island Passage (VIP).
The VIP, known as the “center of global shorefish biodiversity,” spans 1.14 million hectares and is home to 60 percent of all known shorefish species, over 300 coral species, and thriving reef formations along the coastlines of Batangas, Romblon, Marinduque, Occidental Mindoro, and Oriental Mindoro provinces.
Villanueva said the fishers were concerned that the sunken vessel might release the remaining oil, believed to still be inside it, over time. Holes in the main body or hull of the vessel had been sealed to keep the remainder of the 900,000 liters of industrial fuel from spilling out.
There is a long-standing appeal among Pola officials and residents to have the sunken tanker removed, Villanueva said.
‘Felt for generations’
A commemoration program will be conducted in Pola today, the anniversary of the disaster, to remind the public of the first marine environmental crisis under the Marcos administration.
The CEED report, released on Feb. 26, estimated that the oil spill caused P40.1 billion in environmental damage and P1.1 billion in socioeconomic losses.
On Tuesday, the Protect Verde Island Passage group called on San Miguel Corp. (SMC) to compensate all those affected by the oil spill.
The tanker owned by RDC Reield Marine Services had been chartered to carry industrial oil by SMC subsidiary SL Harbor Bulk Terminal Corp.
READ: Group estimates 2023 Mindoro oil spill damage at P41.2B
“The effects of the oil spill will be felt for generations. It will take a long time for the environment to recover truly and for fishermen to get back the income, equipment, and ways of life they lost due to the oil spill,” said Fr. Edwin Gariguez, lead convener of Protect VIP.
In a legal opinion dated Feb. 15, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) was mandated to facilitate the preparation of claims for compensation for the damage due to the oil spill.
Justice Undersecretary Raul Vasquez cited Republic Act No. 9483 or the Oil Pollution Compensation Act of 2007, which laid down the role of the PCG in filing compensation claims.
“It is understood that if the shipowner’s insurer is willing to pay the claims, no such action in court need be filed, as the claims can be directly filed with the insurer,” Vasquez said.
Last week, the DOJ recommended filing falsification charges against the owners and corporate officers of RDC, two crew members of Princess Empress, a member of the Maritime Industry Authority and a private individual.
No charges for the environmental damage have yet been filed.
A year after the oil spill, fishing activities are back to normal in Oriental Mindoro. But the “catch has dwindled to about five to seven kilos from about 20 kilos caught using nets,” said Villanueva.
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This meager catch is still to be “distributed among two to three fishers in a small boat,” he said. —WITH REPORTS FROM JANE BAUTISTA AND INQUIRER RESEARCH INQ
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ACEN, too, wants to recover losses from Meralco | Meg J. Adonis | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 02:03:00 PST | MANILA, Philippines -Ayala-led ACEN Corp. wants to recover more than P2.5 billion in losses related to power supply deals with distribution giant Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), incurred due to a surge in global coal prices back in 2022.
This developed two years after two power generation subsidiaries of San Miguel Corp. filed for rate increases for their own supply contracts with Meralco.
ACEN’s concern refers to two power supply agreements (PSAs) with Meralco that the supplier won in 2019.
The PSAs provided that ACEN was to provide Meralco electricity sourced from the 246-megawatt (MW) South Luzon Thermal Energy Corp. (SLTEC) coal power plant in Batangas province.
In its “change in circumstance” notice sent to Meralco last Feb. 1, ACEN reported at least P2.23 billion in additional costs under its PSA with Meralco, and another P329.65 million under a separate PSA.
Of ACEN’s total claim, the company said that P1.85 billion accounted for purchases from third-party generators and from the spot market as replacement supply.
READ: ACEN eyes P20-B loan for renewable energy expansion plans
The remaining P706.24 million was used to shoulder additional costs for the SLTEC plant.
Jose Ronald Valles, head of regulatory management at Meralco, told reporters on Monday that ACEN was only entitled to recover the P706.24 million it spent to draw power from SLTEC.
Valles said recovering the amount would mean a rate increase of around 4 centavos per kilowatt-hour in the monthly bills of Meralco customers for six months.
He added that if ACEN disagreed, then the Ayala unit would have the option to end the PSAs. INQ
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Bulalacao, Or. Mindoro under state of calamity due to El Niño | Zeus Legaspi | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 13:20:17 PST | Farmlands in Bulalacao, Oriental Mindoro are drying up due to a prolonged dry spell triggered by the El Niño phenomenon as seen on this photo from the Bulalacao local government posted on Facebook on February 28, 2024.
MANILA, Philippines — The municipality of Bulalacao in Oriental Mindoro was placed under s state of calamity due to the effects of the El Niño climate phenomenon, the municipal government said on Wednesday.
Farmlands in Bulalacao, Oriental Mindoro are drying up due to a prolonged dry spell triggered by the El Niño phenomenon as seen on this photo from the Bulalacao local government posted on Facebook on February 28, 2024.
An El Niño report from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) issued at 8 a.m. on Wednesday identified the town of Bulalacao as the first municipality this year which declared a state of calamity due to the climate phenomenon.
According to the Bulalacao Public Information Office, the local government unit (LGU) declared a state of calamity on Feb. 26 due to a prolonged drought which severely affected farmers.
In a post on Facebook, the LGU said that so far, the dry spell has affected around 1,148 onion and rice farmers tilling some 1,059 hectares of farmland.
“Due to the lack of water supply, the quality and quantity of rice, onions, and other staple crops were affected,” the post read.
It added that the local government is already in talks with the Department of Agriculture regarding the aid that they will provide to the town’s farmers.
In the same report, the NDRRMC further said that so far, the dry spell has resulted in agricultural losses of up to P865,161,689 across the Ilocos, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon), Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan) Western Visayas, and Zamboanga Peninsula regions.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said in its latest El Niño advisory on Feb. 6 that a strong El Niño is ongoing and is expected to continue throughout this month.
It will, however, transition to El Niño Southern Oscillation(Enso)-neutral conditions in April to June this year.
Enso-neutral refers to meteorological conditions that are neither El Niño nor La Niña.
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Hontiveros: Quiboloy can’t skip Senate inquiry | Philippine Daily Inquirer | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 04:45:00 PST | Senator Risa Hontiveros answers queries from members of the media during the Kapihan sa Senado forum at the Senate of the Philippines in Pasay City on Thursday, February 15, 2024. Noy Morcoso/INQUIRER.net
Senator Risa Hontiveros answers queries from members of the media during the Kapihan sa Senado forum at the Senate of the Philippines in Pasay City on Thursday, February 15, 2024. Noy Morcoso/INQUIRER.net
Sen. Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday put her foot down as she insisted that televangelist Apollo Quiboloy, the founder and leader of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ sect, should attend the Senate inquiry into allegations that he raped some of his former followers.
“In the past, Cabinet officials, lawmakers, an incumbent Senate president and even a former president have submitted to Senate subpoenas and appeared as witnesses,” Hontiveros said in a statement.
“His constitutional rights, like all witnesses, [will be] respected. But he is not higher than the president, the Senate and the law,” she stressed.
Hontiveros, who chairs the Senate committee on women, children, family relations and gender equality, issued the statement after Quiboloy again challenged the panel’s authority to investigate him.
READ: Quiboloy: Not attending ‘bogus hearing’
He has also disregarded previous invitations to attend the inquiry, prompting the Senate to subpoena him for the next hearing on March 5.
“The Senate is open to hear your side. We are waiting for you,” Hontiveros said. —MARLON RAMOS
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Why Ebitda is not a good measure of profitability | Henry Ong | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 02:01:00 PST | Since the 1990s, the use of Ebitda (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) as a measure of profitability has gained popularity, being regarded by analysts and investors alike as a simple and straightforward metric for evaluating the operating profitability of a company.
The purpose of Ebitda is to offer a clearer view of the ability of a company to generate cash from its primary business activities.
While Ebitda highlights the core earnings, failure to account for these expenses results in an incomplete depiction of true cost structure and profitability. This limitation could potentially lead to misguided investment decisions.
For instance, interest expenses represent the cost of borrowed capital, and excluding them can distort the actual profitability, especially for highly leveraged companies.
Similarly, depreciation and amortization expenses reflect the gradual wear and tear of tangible and intangible assets, respectively. Failing to consider them can result in an inflated sense of profitability.
Take the case of Philweb. In its financial report for the first nine months of 2023, its Ebitda was P50.9 million, representing 8 percent of its total revenues. However, upon deducting its depreciation, interest, and income taxes, the bottom line results in a net loss of P13.6 million.
Ebitda is also often mistaken as a measure of cash flow because it ignores the cash flows associated with changes in working capital, which are important for assessing a company’s liquidity and long-term sustainability.
Changes in working capital, such as inventory levels, accounts receivable and accounts payable, impact a company’s cash flow and its ability to meet short-term obligations. By neglecting these factors, Ebitda fails to capture the cash flow dynamics that underpin financial stability.
For example, if we examine the financial report of Cebu Landmasters as of September 2023, its Ebitda stood at P4.7 billion, accounting for 36.5 percent of its total revenues. However, when we factor in the changes in its working capital, we find its operating cash flows for the period declining to negative P808 million.
READ: Using Ebitda multiple to buy stocks
Moreover, Ebitda is often used to see how easily a company can pay the interest of its outstanding debt in the form of Ebitda-to-interest coverage ratio. In reality, when a company has significant capital expenditures, it means that it needs to allocate a substantial amount of its cash flow toward these investments.
This allocation of cash reduces the available funds that the company can use for other purposes, such as debt service, which involves making interest payments on outstanding debt.
Even if the Ebitda-to-interest expense multiple of a company appears favorable, indicating that it generates enough earnings to cover its interest costs, neglecting the impact of capital expenditures can be misleading. The company may have limited cash available for debt service after accounting for the necessary investments in its operations.
Investors rely on financial metrics like Ebitda to assess the attractiveness of a company for investment. When Ebitda fails to account for depreciation and interest expenses, investors may get the wrong impression that the company is more profitable than it actually is.
For example, PLDT has an enterprise value (EV) to Ebitda multiple of 5.1 times, which is lower than the market average of 7.9 times, indicating that it is relatively underpriced. But when we factor in the interest expenses and depreciation, PLDT appears overpriced compared with the market, with a price to earnings (P/E) ratio of 25.9 times, nearly double the market average of 13 times.
Capital-intensive companies often require substantial investments in infrastructure, equipment and technology to maintain operations and propel growth.
READ: Why investors should not use P/E ratio as a valuation tool
By ignoring depreciation, Ebitda fails to account for the ongoing capital requirements necessary to replace aging assets. As a result, investors may underestimate the future capital needs of the company, leading to underinvestment and potential operational challenges down the line.
Despite its flaws, Ebitda is still widely used and accepted in financial analysis because it’s easy to understand and calculate. It may seem like a simple and helpful metric for assessing performance, but it has significant limitations that make it unreliable. It is therefore important to be cautious and not rely solely on Ebitda when evaluating a company.
Investors and analysts should approach Ebitda with skepticism and consider other important factors like debt levels, tax exposures and asset depreciation to get a better understanding of the financial situation of a company. By understanding the limitations of Ebitda and considering a broader range of financial factors, investors can make more informed judgments and avoid being deceived by its apparent simplicity. INQ
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Henry Ong is a registered financial planner of RFP Philippines. Stock data and tools were provided by First Metro Securities. To learn more about investment planning, attend the 106th RFP program this March 2024. To register, email [email protected] or text 0917-6248110.
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PBA: Rey Nambatac makes Blackwater debut, leads win over Meralco | Jonas Terrado | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 19:50:06 PST | Rey Nambatac makes his debut for Blackwater Bossing in the PBA Philippine Cup.–PBA IMAGES
Rey Nambatac makes his debut for Blackwater Bossing in the PBA Philippine Cup.–PBA IMAGES
ANTIPOLO CITY—Rey Nambatac put up a splendid debut for his new team as Blackwater escaped with a 96-93 victory over Meralco to tip off the PBA Philippine Cup Wednesday at Ynares Center here.
Nambatac shook off early struggles to finish with 27 points and a career-high 10 assists as the Bossing got the All-Filipino tournament off to a good start, with hopes of avoiding what transpired in the previous conference.
Coach Jeffrey Cariaso won his maiden game for Blackwater in the Commissioner’s Cup, only to lose 10 straight to suffer an early exit.
But with new players like Nambatac, who two weeks ago was traded from Rain or Shine, Blackwater will look to turn a different page this time.
James Yap also suited up for the first time in a Blackwater uniform, coming off the bench to score five points in almost 13 minutes.
But Nambatac and Yap’s first appearance with the Bossing was almost spoiled when the Bolts trimmed an 86-69 lead behind Allein Maliksi’s hot shooting.
Maliksi’s last triple put Meralco behind 94-93 with less than a minute to go. The Bolts on the next play, however, fouled Nambatac, who hit both charities to make it a three-point game before Maliksi missed a chance to tie it with a three.
READ: PBA: Jeff Cariaso gushes about Rey Nambatac’s addition
The last attempt turned out to be only miss from downtown for Maliksi, who ended up with 27 points.
Chris Newsome, fresh from representing Gilas Pilipinas in the two games of the Fiba Asia Cup Qualifiers window, had 16 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals for the Bolts.
Blackwater pulled ahead in the third as Nambatac was finally hitting his shots, particularly from beyond the arc. The Bossing drained five threes in that period to hike a 43-41 halftime lead to double figures.
BLACKWATER 96—Nambatac 27, Rosario 15, Suerte 11, Hill 10, DiGregorio 9, David 7, Escoto 6, Guinto 5, Yap 5, Jopia 1, Ilagan 0, Kwekuteye 0, Sena 0.
MERALCO 93—Maliksi 27, Newsome 16, Jose 10, Mendoza 10, Black 10, Hodge 6, Banchero 5, Quinto 3, Bates 3, Torres 3, Caram 0, Pasaol 0, Pascual 0.
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Quarters: 18-26, 43-41, 72-62, 96-93.
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Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano is Senate’s top absentee | Marlon Ramos | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 05:30:00 PST | Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano (Bibo Nueva España/Senate PRIB)
Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano (Bibo Nueva España/Senate PRIB)
Senate records show that Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, who once skewered President Marcos for his absence in the second vice presidential debate during the 2016 election campaign, is the chamber’s top absentee.
According to records from the Senate Legislative Journal Service, Cayetano, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, attended only 36 of the upper chamber’s 54 regular plenary sessions from July 24, 2023, to Feb. 21 this year.
On the days he was present, he came in late 16 times to their thrice-a-week proceedings, which usually start at 3 p.m. He was also absent four times as he was on an official trip abroad on those occasions.
READ: 12 senators maintain ‘perfect attendance’ from July 2023
In 2017, Cayetano had the most number of absences in the Senate, having only attended 31 session days from July 25, 2016, to May 31, 2017. He was also on official trips for more than half of the time.
When he did show up at the Senate, he arrived late or after the roll call over 10 times.
Former lawmaker and boxing champion Manny Pacquiao had also been cited as a leading absentee both in the House of Representatives as Sarangani representative and in the Senate.
Cayetano’s sister and colleague, Sen. Pia Cayetano, also turned up late 16 times in the Monday to Wednesday sessions. But she was absent only once during the second regular session of the 19th Congress.
The Inquirer sought the Cayetano siblings for comment, but both had yet to respond at press time.
Sen. Nancy Binay, chair of the Senate ethics committee, placed second to Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano with six absences, while Senators Francis Escudero and Juan Edgardo Angara both missed the plenary sessions five times.
Angara had to skip the session days thrice as the head of the Senate panel to the bicameral conference committee on the 2024 national budget.
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri had perfect attendance, while two of his deputies, Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda and Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, and nine other colleagues were also present in all 54 session days.
“In my long years as a public servant, I have learned this one important thing: True leadership starts by showing up for the important work for the people. And here in the Senate, we take that to heart,” Zubiri said in a statement.
Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, who also had perfect attendance, said, “Our presence during plenary sessions is essential when expressing views, raising concerns and proposing amendments to bills and measures.”
Also having perfect attendance were Senators Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, Sherwin Gatchalian, Christopher “Bong” Go, Risa Hontiveros, Robinhood Padilla, Ramon Revilla Jr., Raffy Tulfo and Cynthia Villar.
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Rounding up the attendance list were Senators JV Ejercito (52), Imee Marcos (52), Mark Villar (52), Lito Lapid (51), Grace Poe (51), Aquilino Pimentel III (51) and Francis Tolentino (47), who skipped six session days because of official functions abroad. —WITH A REPORT FROM INQUIRER RESEARCH INQ
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Salceda questions Singapore’s exclusivity of Taylor Swift’s concert | Gabriel Pabico Lalu | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 17:47:56 PST | MANILA, Philippines — Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Salceda has asked the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to ask the Singaporean ambassador to the Philippines about claims of exclusivity in hosting the only Taylor Swift concert in Southeast Asia.
Salceda requested this to the DFA on Wednesday amid rumors that the grant given by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) to company AEG Presents, the producer of Swift’s concert, included a provision that prevents AEG from staging concerts in other Southeast Asian countries.
Such a practice, Salceda said, is not “what good neighbors do.”
“Some 3 million USD in grants were allegedly given by the Singapore government to AEG to host the concert in Singapore. The catch was that they do not host it elsewhere in the region,” Salceda, who chairs the House committee on ways and means which discusses tax policy proposals, said in a statement.
“I give it to them that the policy worked. Regional demand for Singaporean hotels and airlines was up 30 percent over the period. I estimate that the exclusivity term caused an increase in industry revenues by USD 60 million. So, the grant produced 30 times more in economic activity,” he added.
According to Salceda, the allegation was made public by Thailand Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, who said that the Singaporean government’s grant was offered on the condition that there be no other stops in Taylor Swift’s Southeast Asian leg.
READ: Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour allegedly omits PH, other regions after closing exclusive deal with SG
Filipino fans were disappointed upon hearing the news that Taylor Swift would not be holding a concert in the country, leading “Swifties” to fly off to other locations like Japan and Singapore just to see the artist live.
READ: Filipinos laugh-cry to news of Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras Tour’ Asian leg skipping the Philippines
“But it was at the expense of neighboring countries, which could not attract their own foreign concertgoers, and whose fans had to go to Singapore. I doubt the exclusivity terms were on the grant contract itself,” Salceda said.
“But I don’t think we should just let things like this pass. We should still officially register our opposition. It also runs contrary to the principle of consensus-based relations and solidarity on which the ASEAN was founded,” he added.
READ: Singapore lures Taylor Swift with grant for sold-out March concerts
Such a policy by Singapore should be enough reason for DFA to send a note verbale to the Singaporean envoy according to Salceda.
Salceda, an economist by profession, however, admitted that the Philippines really needs to improve its approach and step up its game so that it can attract revenue-generating events.
“So, I think the DFA should send a note verbale to our counterparts in Singapore. Our countries are good friends. That’s why actions like that hurt I think it’s also one example of the evolving nature of trade in services that we need to discuss with our neighbors, perhaps as enhancements to the ASEAN Trade in Services Agreement,” he said.
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“In the long run though, we need to up our game. That is what agencies like the Tourism Promotions Board were made for,” he added.
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Most Filipinos see no change economy in 2024 – SWS survey | Adrian Parungao | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 20:23:31 PST | P
INQUIRER file photo/ MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
INQUIRER file photo/ MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
MANILA, Philippines — A Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed that majority of adult Filipinos think that the Philippine economy will stay the same in the next 12 months.
The survey was conducted from Dec. 8 to 11, 2023.
According to the SWS survey, 44 percent said that the economy will stay the same, while 40 percent of respondents, termed “economic optimists”, 10 percent, or the so-called “economic pessimists” said that it will worsen,while five percent did not give an answer.
The current Net Economic Optimism Score is +30, which is classified as “very high,” but is five points below the September 2023 Net Economic Optimism Score, the SWS said.
It added that Net Economic Optimism Score rose in Metro Manila, where it was highest at +36, and in Visayas at +25.
In contrast, the Net Economic Optimism Score fell in Mindanao at +32, and in Balance Luzon, or outside Metro Manila, at +30.
The SWS likewise reported that Net Economic Optimism was highest for those who graduated tertiary studies and beyond, followed by those who had or finished secondary education, those who had or finished elementary education, and finally, lowest for those who did not have formal education.
It said that Net Economic Optimism was higher for adults who belong to families who did not consider themselves to be poor, followed by those whose families considered themselves poor, and lastly, those whose families considered themselves to be borderline poor.
The SWS said that 1,200 adults were surveyed for the study, while error margins were marked at ±2.8 percent for national percentages, and ±5.7 percent each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
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BIZ BUZZ: Davao grabs Head balls | Philippine Daily Inquirer | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 02:05:00 PST | The biggest tennis ball production hub in the world will soon rise at Anflo Industrial Estates in Panabo City, Davao del Norte.
In three months, Austrian-American sports equipment and apparel manufacturer Head Sports, which controls 40 percent of the global tennis ball market, will complete its factory.
Through Head Sport Philippines Inc., a Philippine Economic Zone Authority-registered company, the group had acquired with local partners 50,679 square meters of land to build on its new hub, where it will consolidate operations.
“What’s interesting is that right now, their main facility is in China. Once this is operational, they will slowly phase in everything here,” said Ricardo “Cary” Florendo Lagdameo, president of Damosa Land, developer of the industrial park.
With this big-ticket investment, Head will become the single biggest locator at Anflo Industrial Estates, the first fully operational industrial park in Davao.
While Head has pretty much maximized the area that it purchased, Lagdameo said it was already looking at the adjacent property for future expansion.
Head had long wanted to set up a production hub specifically in Mindanao, because of the proximity of rubber suppliers. Damosa Land, which started talking with the foreign firm in 2018, likewise had the advantage of having Davao International Container Terminal close by. When it came to the toss-up between Cagayan de Oro and Davao del Norte, the latter prevailed.
Once operational, Head Sports factory will create new jobs for about 800 people in Davao.
Lagdameo added that the popularity of padel, another type of racket sport that uses similar balls, has also contributed to the surge in the global business of Head Sports. —Doris Dumlao-Abadilla
When PLDT Inc. and ABS-CBN Corp. decided to abort the P6.75-billion Sky Cable deal, the parties did not specify the reason why, leaving market observers both surprised and clueless. It was a year in the making, after all.
Biz Buzz, however, reported that PLDT allegedly wanted to reduce the P6.75-billion offer to Sky Cable purchase and include new conditions to the transaction. All signs point to parties not agreeing to any changes even after the Philippine Competition Commission gave its go-ahead.
The telco giant finally made an official statement on Tuesday in response to the report about the cancelled multi-billion peso deal but was still mum on the specifics.
PLDT said they did not proceed “due to the non-fulfillment of certain closing conditions, which compelled parties to revisit the commercial terms of the proposed transaction.”
It must be noted that the company did not directly confirm nor deny the details in the Biz Buzz report.
“We trust that the foregoing explanation clarifies matters,” PLDT added. But did it? The parties have yet to disclose these “certain closing conditions” to really inform the market what went down.
Now, the question is: Will the parties eventually explain everything moving forward? Let’s see! — Tyrone Jasper C. Piad
Asialink Finance Corp., a leading local lender to small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs), has reason to bring out the champagne after getting a P4-billion investment from Malaysian private equity firm Creador.
This investment gives Creador an 18-percent stake in the lending firm, which will in turn use the funds to expand its lending capacity and support the growth of SMEs.
Aside from funding its lending expansion, Asialink said in a statement that Creador will help improve the lender’s operational efficiency, and offer its expertise in business innovation and automation.
“With Creador, Asialink is primed for further growth to help the largely unbanked part of the business community. This partnership is envisioned to strengthen the SMEs and make them a major contributor to economic growth just like in other developed economies”, said Robert Jordan Jr., CEO of Asialink.
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Paulton & Company acted as Asialink’s financial advisor for this transaction. —Tina Arceo-Dumlao INQ
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4 die, 8 injured in Cebu City fire | Nestle Semilla | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 12:19:25 PST | Cebu. INQUIRER FILES
Cebu. INQUIRER FILES
CEBU CITY — A couple and their two teenage sons died while eight others were injured when a fire engulfed a residential area in Sitio Lucia, Barangay Tinago here past 1 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 27.
Fire investigators believed that Parulito and Rosita Otadoy, 60 and 54 respectively; along with their sons Joseph, 14; and Jeffrey, 12; were in deep sleep when the fire broke out.
Based on the data of Cebu City Fire Office (CCFO), at least 13 houses were destroyed while three were damaged in the fire.
READ: Elderly woman dead in Rizal town blaze
Investigators have yet to determine the cause of the fire that lasted for three hours.
Damage was pegged at P7 million.
Thirty families, composed of 90 individuals, were affected by the fire and are currently housed in the Tinago gym.
SFO2 Wemdell Villanueva, spokesperson of CCFO, said that it is possible that the Otadoy couple and their children were sleeping and did not notice.
“Perhaps, when they woke up, the fire was already too big and they could no longer escape,” he said.
Monaliza Otadoy, daughter of the Otadoy couple, survived the fire. She said her parents and younger siblings were sleeping on the third floor of their house while she and other members of the family were sleeping on the lower floors.
When she noticed the fire, Monaliza said she immediately rescued those near her.
She said she later noticed that her parents and other two siblings were not able to get out of their house.
The other members of the Otadoy family who were injured were Sean Roby, Rose Ann, Jemar, Emarie, Keira Marie, Neil John, Christopher, and Dylan.
READ: BFP: Fire hits Barangay Tatalon in Quezon City
It has yet to be established how many children the Otadoy couple have and their relationship with those who were injured.
Villanueva said around 57 fire trucks responded to the fire in Tinago.
The firefighters received the fire alarm at 1:43 a.m. and were put out at 5 a.m.
Villanueva admitted they had many challenges during the operation.
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“The place was a residential area and the way towards the incident was too narrow. Also, many houses were made of light materials. Those were among the obstacles encountered,” he said.
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13 senators sign panel report endorsing medical marijuana bill | Maila Ager | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 10:09:01 PST | Senate Bill No 2573 states that the use of cannabis for medical purposes will be permitted “to treat or alleviate a qualified patient’s debilitating medical condition or symptoms.” (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)
Senate Bill No 2573 states that the use of cannabis for medical purposes will be permitted “to treat or alleviate a qualified patient’s debilitating medical condition or symptoms.” (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)
Updated on February 28, 2024, at 3:26 p.m.
MANILA, Philippines — A bill that seeks to legalize the medical use of cannabis or marijuana has reached the Senate floor.
Senate Bill No. 2573 was contained in Committee Report No. 210 signed by 13 senators.
The report, which was calendared for ordinary business on Tuesday, was jointly prepared and submitted by Senate committees on health and demography, public order and dangerous drugs, and finance.
Those who signed the panel report are Padilla, Senators Christopher “Bong” Go, Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, Sonny Angara, JV Ejercito, Jinggoy Estrada, Mark Villar, Lito Lapid, Raffy Tulfo, Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., Grace Poe, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel Jr. and Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva.
Go, Villar, and Revilla, though, signed with reservations while Estrada, Pimentel, and Villanueva indicated that they would interpellate or make proper amendments when the bill is reported on the Senate floor.
“The state shall protect and promote the right to health of the people and instill health consciousness among them. Pursuant thereto, the state shall legalize and regulate the medical use of cannabis, which has been confirmed to have beneficial 9and therapeutic uses for known debilitating medical conditions,” the bill reads.
Under the proposal, the use of cannabis for medical purposes will be permitted “to treat or alleviate a qualified patient’s debilitating medical condition or symptoms.”
“The medicalization of cannabis includes its acquisition, possession, transportation, delivery, dispensing, administration, cultivation, or manufacturing by private individuals or entities only for medical and research purposes,” the bill said.
A Philippine Medical Cannabis Authority or PMCA will be created under the Department of Health (DOH), which shall be the principal regulatory agency in the access and use of medical cannabis and the implementation of the measure.
Upon the recommendation of the DOH Secretary, the President will appoint a director to lead the PMCA as proposed in the measure.
Importation of medical cannabis “from countries with stringent regulatory agencies or countries with established medical cannabis regimes or countries already using the same medical cannabis products in the last five years, will be allowed under the bill.
It, however, prohibits the importation of medical cannabis products “from countries not using their own products.”
Other prohibited acts were also enumerated in the bill.
A qualified patient, for instance, is prohibited from doing the following:
Meanwhile, any physician is prohibited from doing the following:
A counterpart measure was also approved by a joint panel in the House of Representatives early this month.
This proposal, however, was met with opposition from medical doctors and various sectors of society. They fear that this would open the “floodgates for the legalization of recreational marijuana.”
“We want to educate the public [about the dangers of marijuana]. We want to stop [our lawmakers from their proposed law to legalize medical marijuana]. Our lawmakers have a moral and legal responsibility to safeguard [the well-being of the public],” health advocate Dr. Tony Leachon was earlier quoted as saying.
Leachon warned the Philippines might end up like “the Colombia of Southeast Asia,” referring to the Latin American country known for being the world’s top producer of cocaine.
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“We will be the ones exporting these (marijuana). It will lead to the tainting of the good image of our country,” he said.
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Iloilo City school to cease operations after 52 years | Joey Marzan | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 13:58:02 PST | Iloilo. INQUIRER FILES
Iloilo. INQUIRER FILES
ILOILO CITY — One of the city’s oldest basic education schools will be closing down by the end of the current academic year due to financial losses and a continued drop in enrollment.
In a letter to stakeholders, parents, teachers, learners, and alumni dated Feb. 15, Maria Lourdes Josefina Garcia, owner of St. Joseph School Iloilo, announced the institution’s permanent closure by the end of school year 2023-2024.
Garcia cited “insurmountable financial losses incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent continuing decrease in enrollments as the reasons” behind the decision to cease operations.
READ: 2 private schools in Bacolod permanently cease operations
The 52-year-old private school is located along Diversion Road in Barangay San Rafael Mandurriao district.
Garcia and her husband Roberto started the St. Joseph Kinder School in 1972.
It had 40 students, three teachers, and one office staff member.
The school eventually expanded as it opened its elementary education in 1986 and high school in 2002.
It was envisioned as a non-profit institution and “a center for holistic learning” by Garcia.
READ: In Western Visayas, 76 schools stop operations
Garcia said that her three children had reservations of having to continue the school’s operation in the future.
But as an educator, she went on to run the school.
The St. Joseph School Iloilo was known for its students who had been representing the country in international academic competitions.
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Last year, one of its students, Gihun Yoo, won Bronze in the Heat Round of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Mathematical Olympiad 2023.
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Augustinians support Cebu on return of historic church pulpit panels | Adrian Parungao | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 21:41:31 PST | FROM OLD PULPIT The National Museum of the Philippines received a series of early 19th-century panels depicting the founder of the Augustinian Order as a gift from private collectors on Feb. 13. The panels came from the pulpit of the Patrocinio de Maria Santisima Parish Church in Boljoon, Cebu. Leaders of the Archdiocese of Cebu and the provincial government, however, are asking the National Museum to return the panels, said to be stolen and lost for four decades, to the church.—NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE PHILIPPINES
FROM OLD PULPIT The National Museum of the Philippines received a series of early 19th-century panels depicting the founder of the Augustinian Order as a gift from private collectors on Feb. 13. The panels came from the pulpit of the Patrocinio de Maria Santisima Parish Church in Boljoon, Cebu. Leaders of the Archdiocese of Cebu and the provincial government, however, are asking the National Museum to return the panels, said to be stolen and lost for four decades, to the church.—NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE PHILIPPINES
MANILA, Philippines — The Augustinian Province of Santo Niño de Cebu has expressed solidarity with the Archdiocese of Cebu in its request to the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) to return the four pulpit panels in the Archdiocesan Shrine of Patrocinio de Maria Santissima in Boljoon, Cebu.
In its statement on Monday, the religious group said that the objects are of “Catholic Cebuano heritage” and “Augustinian legacy.”
READ: National Museum open to share donated historical pulpit panels with Cebu
“The friars of the Augustinian Province of Santo Niño de Cebu-Philippines, in oneness with the Archdiocese of Cebu, are immensely thankful that the missing pulpit panels have resurfaced and definitively ascertained their provenance. These valuable objects are considered important artifacts of Catholic Cebuano heritage but bespeak as well of Augustinian legacy,” the statement said.
“In consideration of the foregoing, we express our full support to the Archdiocese of Cebu on its declaration of ownership of the four pulpit panels and the demand for their immediate return to the rightful owner and sanctuary, the Boljoon Parish Church and Shrine,” it added.
On Feb. 13, the NMP received the four panels depicting Saint Augustine from private collectors.
READ: Archdiocese of Cebu calls on National Museum to return pulpit panels
This was followed by separate petitions from Cebu Archbishop Most Rev. Jose Palma and Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia to return the panels on account that they are treasures of the city, and that they are still sacred in nature.
The NMP also said that it is open to dialogue on the sharing of the panels.
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Sandiganbayan clears 2 NGO execs in P5-M pork barrel scam case | Philippine Daily Inquirer | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 05:05:00 PST | INQUIRER PHOTO / NINO JESUS ORBETA
INQUIRER PHOTO / NINO JESUS ORBETA
The Sandiganbayan acquitted on Tuesday the officials of a nongovernment organization who were accused of misappropriating P5 million of former Malabon-Navotas Rep. Alvin Sandoval’s Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) for a nonexistent project in 2008.
In a 108-page decision, the antigraft court’s Fourth Division cleared Pangkabuhayan Foundation, Inc. (PFI) president Petronila Balmaceda and PFI secretary Fernando Balmaceda of graft and malversation of public funds charges, saying that prosecutors failed to present evidence to prove them guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The court, however, found the pair civilly liable for the “improper implementation” of a ghost livelihood project and ordered them to pay back “jointly and severally” with their coaccused the losses incurred by the government due to the irregular release of public funds totaling P4.5 million.
READ: Court denies Napoles’ plea to reverse conviction over pork barrel scam
The figure is equivalent to the PDAF allocation, excluding the 10 percent in management and service fees charged by the defunct Technology Resource Center (TRC), the supposed implementing agency of the nonexistent project.
In a 2015 resolution, the Office of the Ombudsman found probable cause that Sandoval’s PDAF was unlawfully channeled to bogus foundations, including PFI, using the TRC as an implementing agency.
This was based on the Ombudsman’s findings that the projects supposedly funded by the lawmaker’s pork barrel fund were nonexistent.
In absolving the PFI officers, the Sandiganbayan pointed to the acquittal nearly five years ago of Sandoval and former TRC officials, the PFI executives coaccused in the case.
The Malabon-Navotas lawmaker, along with TRC group manager Maria Rosalinda Lacsamana, chief accountant Marivic Jover and budget officer Consuelo Espiritu, were cleared of graft and malversation charges in September 2019.
“Regardless of the undue injury suffered by the government, particularly the constituents of Sandoval, the acquittal of their co-accused public officers contradicts the guilt of Petronila and Fernando, especially so when there is no proof that they themselves acted with manifest partiality, evident bad faith or gross inexcusable negligence,” the court said.
It also noted that proof of conspiracy was not established among the respondents. —KATHLEEN DE VILLA INQ
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STI Education Systems to buy PSBA | Miguel R. Camus | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 16:10:27 PST | MANILA, Philippines —Education and ports tycoon Eusebio Tanco is buying the 61-year old Philippine School of Business Administration, which has local campuses in Manila and Quezon City, in a bid to expand his school network.
Tanco-led STI Education Systems Holdings announced on Wednesday that its board had approved the signing and execution of a term sheet to acquire PSBA Manila and PSBA Quezon City.
“The term sheet covers the takeover by the company of the operations of PSBA as well as the acquisition of licenses, trademarks, trade names and school-related assets owned by PSBA,” said STI, which is listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange.
READ: PSBA QC campus closes in October
“The term sheet and the implementation of the transaction are subject to several conditions including the execution of mutually acceptable definitive agreements, the fulfillment of conditions precedent, the approval of the stockholders of PSBA and regulatory approvals,” it added.
Other details, including the purchase price, were not included. Established over six decades ago, PSBA now offers high school, business college courses and advanced management degrees.
It also has partnerships with other schools in Indonesia and Pakistan where it provides technical assistance in designing academic programs in business education and in providing administrative advisory services and qualified Filipino professors and instructors, the school’s website showed.
READ: Higher enrollments lift STI income by 132%
STI is one of the biggest private school chains in the country with enrollees in the current school year reaching almost 120,000 students
Net income during the six-month period ending Dec. 31 last year surged 132 percent to P517.8 million, STI said in a previous stock exchange filing.
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Caraga and Davao Region to have scattered rain showers, thunderstorms | Zeus Legaspi | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 07:55:34 PST | MANILA, Philippines — State meteorologists advised residents in Caraga and Davao Region to prepare for possible flash floods and landslides as the two regions are expected to have scattered rain showers and thunderstorms on Wednesday.
According to the 4 a.m. advisory from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), these weather conditions in Caraga and Davao Region are due to the trough or extension of a low pressure area (LPA) currently affecting parts of eastern Mindanao.
READ: Pagasa: Davao Region, parts of Soccskargen to have scattered rains
However, the LPA has not yet entered the Philippine area of responsibility, and no weather disturbance is projected to enter the country until the end of February, the state weather bureau noted.
In a flood advisory issued at 6 a.m., Pagasa said that light to moderate rains and thunderstorms may affect watercourses in Davao Oriental, Davao De Oro, and Davao Occidental in the next 12 hours.
“Extra caution is advised in these areas, particularly in Caraga and Davao, as the rains may cause flooding and landslides,” Pagasa specialist Obet Badrina said in Filipino during a morning report.
The rest of Mindanao, Badrina mentioned, will have isolated rain showers and thunderstorms brought by localized thunderstorms.
READ: Pagasa: February tropical cyclone chance low for PH
In the same 4 a.m. advisory, Pagasa reported that the northeast monsoon, locally known as amihan, is still affecting Luzon, bringing overcast skies and light rains over Cagayan Valley and Aurora.
Also affected by the northeast monsoon is the rest of Luzon, including Metro Manila, and Visayas, which may have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated light rains due to the weather system, the advisory continued.
No gale warning was raised over the country’s seaboards on Wednesday, but Badrina cautioned that waves as high as 3.1 meters may occur in Luzon, Visayas, and the northern and eastern sections of Mindanao.
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120,000 garment workers at risk over pay hike | Alden M. Monzon | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 05:00:00 PST | INQUIRER PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
INQUIRER PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
A local group of garment exporters warned on Tuesday that a new wage hike would devastate their industry, with data pointing to over 120,000 jobs getting wiped out in a sector already on a downward spiral due to softening global demand.
Confederation of Wearable Exporters of the Philippines (Conwep) executive director Maritess Jocson-Agoncillo said that as much as two-thirds of the 182,600 currently employed by the industry could end up losing their jobs should a legislated salary increase push through.
“Maybe [around] 20 to 30 percent of 160,000 would stay,” Jocson-Agoncillo told reporters.
“We are already suffering a bad 2024 projection of losing another 22,000 workers without the legislated minimum wage,” she added.
The group employs around 65 percent of the local garments industry’s over 180,000 employees who work in factories that make clothes for international brands.
Aside from the job losses this year, Jocson-Agoncillo also presented data showing that their export revenues for apparel, leather goods and footwear were also expected to decline by 11 percent.
The export revenues for these goods were pegged at $1.35 billion in 2023, with the business group projecting it to settle at $1.20 billion for 2024.
These commodity groups have seen a 34-percent decline in export revenues after the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020. The figure hit $1.79 billion in 2019.
Conwep has already asked President Marcos to reconsider a wage hike through a letter, where it also explained the reasons behind the decline in export revenues.
READ: P350 wage hike to hit biz sector hard–employers
“Falling consumer purchasing power and rising price cuts leave retail stores with higher inventory, and buyers migrate their orders to more affordable options such as Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia due to preferential trade agreements or competitive sourcing costs and faster deliveries,” it said.
In the same letter, the group told Mr. Marcos that a major client in the United States had already warned Conwep on Feb. 22 that its orders would be diverted to Indonesia and Cambodia should a new wage increase be implemented.
According to Conwep, garment factories in Regions 3, 4A, 4B and 7 would be impacted by this loss.
Citing these problems, the group said it suggested, in its letter to Mr. Marcos, to enforce a two-year monthly government inflation subsidy of P1,000 for minimum salary earners instead of another pay increase.
“We understand the predicament of the approximately 4.2 million registered minimum wage earners adversely affected by inflation and rotational job loss. The [Department of Labor and Employment’s] Adjustment Measure Program can be mobilized and funded rather than legislating a P100 minimum wage increase or any amount,” Conwep said.
It added that a two-year inflation subsidy would allow the industry to recover, saying that it expected global demand for apparel exports to remain soft until March 2026.
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“Other countries such as Vietnam, China and Cambodia have implemented support programs similar to those of their apparel export sectors in previous years,” it noted. A second suggestion from the group was for the President to mobilize government agencies to improve the country’s business climate and promote the Philippines as a preferred investment choice. INQ
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Bongbong Marcos leaves for Australia for 2-day official visit | Jean Mangaluz | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 08:37:26 PST | FILE PHOTO: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. INQUIRER.net / Ryan Leagogo
FILE PHOTO: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. INQUIRER.net / Ryan Leagogo
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. left for Canberra, Australia on Wednesday morning.
Marcos will address the Australian Parliament during his two-day visit to Australia. He will return to the country on Thursday.
“As part of this visit, I will have the opportunity to address the Parliament of Australia and provide greater detail on the commitments that we place in this partnership and our vision for the future of the Philippines,” said Marcos in his departure speech.
“I will make sure to acknowledge the ever-growing relations on defense and security with one of our only two Status of Visiting Forces partners, as highlighted last year by the success of Exercise Alon and the Maritime Cooperative Activity,” he said.
In 2023, Australia and the Philippines held joint sea and air patrols in the South China Sea as part of their commitment to regional peace.
South China Sea issue part of Marcos’ agenda in Australia visits – DFA\
“I anticipate an enhancement of the mutual understanding between the Philippines and Australia as we share a common vision not just for our bilateral relations, but for the peace and security of the region as well,” said Marcos.
Marcos also said he expected large investment opportunities in Australia.
According to the Palace, Marcos will be the first Filipino leader to make such an address to Australian lawmakers.
The President will return to Australia next Monday for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations – Australia Summit.
“The President’s visit and official activities in Canberra shall further strengthen existing bonds of cooperation and shall enable discussions for new avenues of collaboration, as both the Philippines and Australia look forward to celebrating the 78th anniversary of diplomatic relations later this year,” Department of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza said in a press briefing.
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SM Investments reported P77-B profit haul in 2023 | Miguel R. Camus | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 16:39:52 PST | MANILA, Philippines —The Sy family’s SM Investments Corp., the country’s biggest conglomerate by market value, saw 2023 net income surge 25 percent to P77 billion, with nearly half of the earnings coming from record profits at its banking units.
During the past year, total revenues reached P616.3 million, a gain of 11 percent, buoyed by robust growth in both the property sector and its consumer-focused retail and malls portfolio.
“A key success driver was the healthy spending patterns of Filipino consumers in both essential and discretionary purchases, particularly in fashion, dining and entertainment,” SM Investments CEO Frederic C. DyBuncio said in a statement on Wednesday.
The conglomerate also underscored the 6-percent growth of its emerging investment portfolio, which accounted for nearly 10 percent of earnings last year.
These businesses include renewable energy firm Philippine Geothermal Production Co., 2GO Group Inc., Goldilocks Bakeshop and the leisure and casino arm of Belle Corp.
“Our portfolio companies continue to present solid potential as we invest in emerging sectors that positively impact the economy,’’ DyBuncio said.
Another major earnings driver was the company’s retail segment, which has a nationwide presence of supermarkets and grocery stores.
SM Retail Inc. saw net income climb 11 percent to P19.9 billion while revenues increased 10 percent to P415 billion in 2023.
READ: SM Group makes major push into grocery delivery services
Nearly half of its revenues came from SM Markets, WalterMart and Alfamart while net income at the division increased 21 percent.
The SM Store sales also increased 16 percent while specialty retail revenues grew 11 percent amid robust spending on “fashion, health and beauty, pets, toys and other discretionary items”.
“This sustained growth is reflective of the spending power of Filipinos. Through our diverse range of brands, we cater to the many needs and wants of our consuming public,” DyBuncio said.
The group’s retail footprint increased to 3,853 retail outlets at the end of 2023, with more store openings focused on provincial areas, the conglomerate said.
SM Prime Holdings, the second-biggest contributor (25 percent) to the parent firm, saw profits in the past year surge 33 percent to P40 billion.
The company’s mall businesses, which accounted for more than half of total property revenues, saw a 30 percent increase to P71.9 billion.
SM Development Corp. led the residential business to an 8 percent increase in revenues to P43.1 billion, with reservation sales hit P102 billion, equivalent to over 21,000 units sold.
SM Prime’s other segments including offices, hotels, and convention centers enjoyed a 26 percent revenue jump to P13.1 billion.
READ: BDO shatters PH income records
A few days ago, BDO Unibank announced its largest profit yet at P73.4 billion in 2023 while China Banking Corp. recorded P22 billion in net income, which was also a record figure.
BDO’s net interest income surged to P186.4 billion, supported by a 9 percent expansion in gross customer loans to P2.85 trillion.
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Chinabank’s net interest income expanded by 17 percent to P53.5 billion as loans grew by 10 percent to P791 billion.
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SMC makes best power supply offer to Meralco | Meg J. Adonis | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 02:06:00 PST | MANILA, Philippines -A subsidiary of conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC) gave the best offer for the 400-megawatt (MW) baseload capacity requirement of distributor Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) that must be available until February 2025 to help meet growing demand.
Meralco on Tuesday said Limay Power Inc. (LPI) offered a rate of P6.2708 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for the entire baseload requirement. This already includes value-added tax and line rental, according to Meralco.
Baseload refers to capacity and supply that is deployed throughout the business day.
Masinloc Power Co. Ltd., another San Miguel company, offered the next best bid at P6.2957 per kWh for 195 MW.
READ: Meralco calls for more power supply as warm months near
The bids and awards committee of Meralco is set to conduct a postqualification evaluation prior to the issuance of a notice of award.
The power supply agreement will only be implemented upon the approval of the Energy Regulatory Commission.
LPI currently operates a 600-MW coal-fired power plant in Bataan province. The facility started commercial operations in 2017.
The power utility giant sought suppliers for the baseload requirement in January to meet high demand and ensure ample supply for its customers, especially at the onset of the El Niño climate pattern.
READ: Meralco bares best bids for new supply deals
Another 260-MW peaking interim power supply agreement was also up for bidding. However, the only two companies that initially expressed their interest to join had withdrawn, resulting in a failed bidding, Meralco head of regulatory management Jose Ronald Valles said on Monday.
Valles did not disclose why the companies backed out, but noted that they would apply for a second round of bidding with the Department of Energy. INQ
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LOOK: PAF continues heli bucket operations vs Benguet forest fire | John Eric Mendoza | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 18:31:49 PST | Photos from the Philippine Air Force
Photos from the Philippine Air Force
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Air Force (PAF) on Wednesday said it continued its heli bucket operations in Benguet to suppress the forest fire in the province.
PAF’s Bell-205 helicopter conducted two heli bucket operations on Feb. 27 (Tuesday) in the municipalities of Sajatan and Bokod.
On Feb. 25, the same helicopter also performed two sorties of heli bucket operations in Bokod, dropping a total of 11 buckets of water across Barangays Karao and Banao.
The same aircraft, on Feb. 26, conducted three sorties over Itogon, Benguet, dropping 15 buckets of water on Mt. Lusod.
Each heli bucket only contains 800 liters of water, which is not enough to suppress the fire in the woods, according to PAF spokesperson Col. Maria Consuelo Castillo.
To address this, Castillo said they will conduct cloud seeding operations in Benguet this week.
At least 200 hectares of forested areas in the Cordillera region have been ravaged by fires since Jan. 2024, according to authorities.
READ: AI use in fighting wildfires increases as their threat rises
In Feb. 2019, five men were killed while helping put out a fire that razed a 60-hectare forest area in Benguet.
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Philippine Navy test-fires weapons of anti-submarine choppers in WPS | John Eric Mendoza | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 12:14:31 PST | A .50-caliber machine gun is lodged at AW-159 antisubmarine helicopter for a firing exercise at Marine Base Gregorio Lim firing range in Ternate, Cavite on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024. (Photo from the Philippine Navy)
A .50-caliber machine gun is lodged at AW-159 antisubmarine helicopter for a firing exercise at Marine Base Gregorio Lim firing range in Ternate, Cavite on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024. (Photo from the Philippine Navy)
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Navy test-fired the weapon systems fitted in two of its AW-159 anti-submarine helicopters, Cmdr. John Percie Alcos, the newly designated Navy spokesperson, told reporters in a phone interview on Wednesday.
Alcos said that two .50-caliber machine guns — one for each of the AW-159 — were test-fired at Marine Base Gregorio Lim firing range in Ternate, Cavite on Monday, Feb. 26.
“The inclusion of the .50-caliber heavy machine gun further enhances the aircraft’s mission capabilities, providing the AFP [Armed Forces of the Philippines] with a potent weapon system to combat potential threats in the maritime domain,” Alcos also said.
The heavy machine gun is a secondary weapon of the AW-159, with the Blueshark torpedoes being its primary weapon.
The two United Kingdom-made AW159 Wildcat Helicopters are an integral part of the Jose Rizal Class anti-submarine frigate’s firepower.
In June 2023, the AW-159s were deployed in the West Philippine Sea for the first time to ensure effective maritime presence there, according to the AFP Western Command.
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2 suspected drug pushers yield P523,000 shabu in Lucena City bust | Delfin T. Mallari Jr. | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 12:34:21 PST | INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
LUCENA CITY – Police arrested a suspected drug trafficker and his associate in a buy-bust operation here early Wednesday, Feb. 28, and seized over P523,00 worth of shabu (crystal meth).
Lucena City police reported that members of the local drug enforcement unit busted “Jeff”, 41, and “Nelson”, 42, at 1:35 a.m. after they allegedly sold shabu to an undercover cop in Barangay (village) Bocohan.
READ: Over P2M shabu seized in Camarines Sur buy-busts
Authorities confiscated from the suspects two plastics containing meth weighing 25.66 grams with an estimated Dangerous Drugs Board value of P174,488.
The seized shabu is worth P523,464 in the street market at the prevailing price of P20,400 per gram, police said.
Authorities are investigating the source of the drugs.
Police tagged “Jeff” as included on the police drug watch list as an “HVI” or high-value individual on the local drug scene while “Nelson” was classified as a street-level drug pusher on the police list.
They were detained and are facing charges of violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
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Elderly woman dead in Rizal town blaze | Delfin T. Mallari Jr. | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 11:43:12 PST | Rizal map. INQUIRER FILES
Rizal map. INQUIRER FILES
LUCENA CITY — A 75-year-old woman died on Tuesday, Feb. 27, when a fire of still unknown origin gutted her house in Taytay town in Rizal province.
The Police Regional Office (PRO 4A) in a report Wednesday, Feb. 28, identified the victim as Catalina Edrial.
The report added that Edrial was trapped inside her house in a subdivision in Barangay (village) San Juan when it caught fire at 5:56 p.m.
READ: BFP: Fire hits Barangay Tatalon in Quezon City
The local fire department responded and declared the blaze under control 21 minutes later.
The body of the victim was recovered by firemen inside her room during the clearing operation.
The report did not provide information on the whereabouts of the victim’s family when the fire broke out.
The cause of the fire, which started in the stockroom and library of the house, is still under investigation.
Authorities estimated the cost of damage to P2.7 million.
Police said the family of the victim waived the conduct of an autopsy of her remains.
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MMC passes resolution banning e-bikes on major roads | Luisa Cabato | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 14:45:15 PST | A motorist (R) speeds past a woman riding an electric bike along a street in Manila on November 24, 2023. (Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP)
A motorist (R) speeds past a woman riding an electric bike along a street in Manila on November 24, 2023. (Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP)
MANILA, Philippines — The Metro Manila Council (MMC) on Wednesday passed a resolution banning electric bikes / trikes on national roads under the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
The MMC is one of the governing boards and policymakers of the MMDA, along with the president of the Metro Manila Vice Mayors League and the president of the Metro Manila Councilors League.
MMDA acting chairman Romando Artes said that the resolution will be effective by April since the guidelines are still being drafted prior to publication.
Below is the list of national roads where e-bikes / trikes will be prohibited:
Each local government unit in Metro Manila will also craft their respective ordinances on the ban on e-bikes / trikes.
Violators will be fined P2,500, Artes said.
Their units will also be impounded if they are not able to present a driver’s license upon apprehension, he added.
According to Artes, there were 554 e-vehicle-related accidents and two deaths logged last year.
“Dumarami ‘yung gumagamit [ng e-vehicle] at parami nang parami ‘yung masasabi nating reckless driver,” he said.
(The users of e-vehicles are increasing, and we’re seeing more and more of what we can call reckless drivers.)
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On February 15, MMDA and other government agencies also conducted a meeting to discuss the creation of a unified regulation for e-vehicles.
Among the concerns raised during the meeting were minors driving e-vehicles on national roads, driving without helmets or protective gear, and driving in the middle of highways.
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Proposed 2024 climate change budget slashed | Jean Mangaluz | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 18:37:15 PST | A view of Baguio City, considered the most vulnerable to climate change among four cities outside the National Capital Region due to its vulnerability to extreme weather events, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature-Philippines, which did a study years ago. (INQUIRER FILES)
A view of Baguio City, considered the most vulnerable to climate change among four cities outside the National Capital Region due to its vulnerability to extreme weather events, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature-Philippines, which did a study years ago. (INQUIRER FILES)
MANILA, Philippines — A total of P86 billion was trimmed from the proposed 2024 budget for climate change, with a portion reallocated to unprogrammed funds, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said on Wednesday.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Tuesday declared that the government has allotted P457.41 billion pesos for climate change in the 2024 General Appropriations Act (GAA), which is the final budget that Congress deliberated and passed.
The DBM, however, proposed around P543 billion for climate change in the National Expenditure Program (NEP) 2024. This is a P86 billion slash during Congressional hearings.
INQUIRER.net learned that a portion of the P86 billion became unprogrammed funds.
“This is to confirm that the amount of P543.4 billion was allocated for climate change projects, programs and activities under the NEP, while P457.41 billion was allocated for the same under the [Fiscal Year] 2024 GAA,” the DBM told INQUIRER.net in a message.
“Our concerned budget bureau explained that a portion of the P543.4 billion were reclassified to unprogrammed appropriation under the FY 2024 GAA,” the DBM added.
This is a mere P4 billion increase from the 2023 climate change budget, which was P453.11 billion.
INQUIRER.net has reached out to both chambers of Congress for a comment.
The 2024 GAA has a sizable P449.5-billion unprogrammed funds, which raised concerns from a number of lawmakers.
In January, Albay First District Representative Edcel Lagman questioned the legality of the unprogrammed funds, as they were inserted by Congress and exceeded the budget that the Executive asked for.
“This year’s GAA, which took effect on [Jan. 1, 2024], suffers a constitutional infirmity insofar as the bicameral conference committee inserted P449.5 billion in excess of the unprogrammed appropriations of P281.9 billion recommended by the President in the national budget or the NEP (national expenditure program),” Lagman said in a prior statement.
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However, the DBM previously explained that the unprogrammed appropriations are merely standby funds.
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Crab fest in Zamboanga seen to revive ‘dying’ industry | Julie Alipala | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 04:35:00 PST | ABOUT CRABS In this photo taken on Feb. 23, students in Zamboanga City’s Barangay Vitali, through a street dance, depict the life of residents whose income depend on aquaculture. Crabs andother crustaceans are the main source of income in Vitali. —JULIE ALIPALA
ABOUT CRABS In this photo taken on Feb. 23, students in Zamboanga City’s Barangay Vitali, through a street dance, depict the life of residents whose income depend on aquaculture. Crabs andother crustaceans are the main source of income in Vitali. —JULIE ALIPALA
ZAMBOANGA CITY—For half a century, Barangay Vitali, about 70 kilometers from the city proper here, has been known as a source of first class cultured king crabs, prawns and other shelled products.
Dr. Kier Dela Calzada, administrator of the Zamboanga Peninsula Polytechnic State University (ZPPSU)-Vitali Extension, recalled how the stretch of national highway in the village used to thrive with small stores selling crabs, prawns and milkfish.
“A fresh catch in the morning easily sold out before the day ended,” he said.
But in the early part of 2010, the vibrant image of seafood covering the highway as one passed through this village drastically changed when the villagers observed colorful spots on their crabs and prawns. The spots were caused by a crustacean’s disease that badly hit all crab and prawn raisers here, recalled Mike Alavar, a former city councilor whose family owned the famous Alavar Seafoods House here.
Now, villagers felt the pressing need to revive the dying aquaculture industry before Vitali could easily end up buying king crabs from neighboring provinces.
On Feb. 23, the village celebrated its first Cangrejo (crab) Festival intended to revive the dying industry and draw attention to Vitali as the source of first class crabs, said Dela Calzada, who organized the event.
He wanted to make the festival bigger in the succeeding years so it would included in the city’s calendar during the Zamboanga Hermosa Festival, also known as Fiesta Pilar in honor of the city’s patron saint Nuestra Señora del Pilar, celebrated every Oct. 12.
READ: World street food festival: Try ’em all
“We support the city’s active involvement in promoting sardines, but (the industry) all come from big investors. We have our own crabs, prawns, talaba (oysters) and milkfish, our industry that is dying to be known and promoted too,” he said.
With a population of 10,716 based on the 2020 census, Vitali used to be Zamboanga city’s pride, harvesting almost five tons of crabs and crustaceans a month. Most of the harvest used to go to the markets in the National Capital Region, supplying five star hotels and restaurants in Metro Manila and other big cities.
But harvests drastically dropped from five tons a month to only four tons in a year when the crustacean’s disease struck in 2010, with most aquafarmers unable to recover from their losses
Edward Falcasantos, who was a financier of fishpond operators, lamented the lack of support from the local governments and the increasing ravages brought about by climate change.
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“We used to have more 1,000 fish pond operators and tank owners here, now there are only about a hundred, so the harvest have gone down drastically,” said Falcasantos, who also used to operate a fish pond that got hit by the disease. “Our business that I ran for more than 30 years was gone and now I ended up as a buyer-seller of prawns,” Falcasantos said. INQ
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Hacked PCG Facebook page sharing, uploading movie clips | Zeus Legaspi | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 15:00:16 PST | A screenshot of the official PCG Facebook page at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 28.
A screenshot of the official PCG Facebook page at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 28.
MANILA, Philippines — Netizens are now watching clips of free movies online through an unexpected source – the hacked Facebook page of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
On Wednesday, the PCG’s social media page started uploading and sharing clips of various movies.
In a span of almost 48 hours, since the PCG announced that its page had been hacked on Monday, the page has posted 12 movie clips, each lasting anywhere between three to 13 minutes.
READ: Coast Guard’s FB page hacked in third cyberattack this year
The clips were taken from foreign movies and television series, including CBS’ The Flash.
The page uploaded some of the video clips while the other video snippets were shared from another Facebook page, Salsa Socca Gigante.
A quick search of the page shows that it is a “gaming video creator” from Colombia and has uploaded the same content as those shown on the PCG’s page.
Some Filipino Facebook users quickly made fun of the incident, with one user commenting on one of the videos, “Watching full movies with family.”
Other netizens commented that clips from movies are better than sharing explicit content, which is known to happen among other hacked official social media accounts.
On Monday evening, the PCG announced that an “unknown entity has gained access” to its Facebook page.
This is the third time that the agency has sustained cyberattacks this year. Just two weeks earlier, hackers gained access to its official X (formerly Twitter) account.
READ: PCG retakes X page control after hack
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The PCG previously fell victim to a series of cyberattacks that followed after the agency released videos and photos of Chinese ships at the contested Scarborough Shoal and within the Philippine exclusive economic zone.
As of posting time, the PCG has yet to regain control of its Facebook page.
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Mindanao solon to Quiboloy: Show up in hearings if you’ve nothing to hide | Gabriel Pabico Lalu | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 20:28:16 PST | Apollo Quiboloy
Apollo Quiboloy
MANILA, Philippines — A House lawmaker from Mindanao has called on Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC) founder and leader Apollo Quiboloy to attend hearings conducted by congressional panels if he has nothing to hide from the public.
During the press briefing on Wednesday, Davao Oriental 2nd District Rep. Cheeno Miguel Almario said that while he is not a member of the House committee on legislative franchises, he understands why the panel issued a subpoena against Quiboloy.
Quiboloy is being asked to attend the said panel’s hearing this March 12, to answer questions regarding his alleged involvement in Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) ownership structure.
“I’m not a member of the committee, but looking at it at least from my perspective personally, there is a process to everything. And although we here, and it is also greatly recognized from the words of our former President to Pastor Quibuloy there are things that we also have to consider in terms of at least how we go through the process,” Almario told reporters at the House complex.
“Now we cannot deny that there is an ongoing subpoena, that there are ideas being bounced off, but the thing is you know, quite frankly speaking, if you have nothing to hide, then you have nothing to fear,” he added.
According to Almario, there is a logic behind a House panel’s decision to summon resource persons — it is also meant to give people a chance to air their side and defend themselves.
“And we just really want to present also — well not we, but I guess in the nature of our jobs, when we issue subpoenas, when we try to call also guest speakers, resource persons, we also want to hear from their side, so that we can have a better understanding on how to move forward with the things that we are trying to achieve, or we are trying to understand,” he said.
“So I guess, to put it simply, for this to be smooth sailing, there should be a transparent submission of information, at least one that is required by the Senate in this case, or in any matter,” he added.
Mandaluyong City Rep. Neptali Gonzales II meanwhile clarified that a subpoena is only an invite. However, the lawmaker also noted that the committee is entitled to act in accordance with the actions taken by the invited resource person.
“You know, a subpoena is just an invitation. It’s akin to filing a complaint to the fiscal, you will be subpoenaed to give you an opportunity to answer. If the subpoena is received and you don’t want to answer, it doesn’t mean that the fiscal has no right to make a resolution, you are just given an opportunity to answer […] If the legislative franchise issued a subpoena to him to appear, it’s an invitation,” Gonzales said.
“If he wants to attend, he can attend to air his side. If he doesn’t want to attend, then the committee is not without authority to decide the issue even without his testimony,” he added.
The House committee issued a subpoena against Quiboloy last February 19, for him to clear the ownership issue, as he has continuously evaded the hearings. SMNI has been linked to Quiboloy, although company officials have denied accusations that the pastor is involved in the network’s operations.
READ: House summons Quiboloy to panel hearing on SMNI franchise
Originally, the panel conducted hearings about SMNI after Laban Kasama ng Bayan host Jeffrey Celiz made false claims about Romualdez’ travel expenses on air. However, the hearings led to the discovery of possible franchise violations.
According to Surigao del Sur 2nd District Rep. Johnny Pimentel, they are looking at three possible violations of SMNI’s franchise:
READ: Surigao lawmaker wants SMNI franchise revoked amid violations
It was also Pimentel who moved that a subpoena be issued against Quiboloy, after Gabriela party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas complained that the KJC leader has been absent for several times.
Brosas asked SMNI legal counsel Mark Tolentino as to why Quiboloy was getting preferential treatment from SMNI hosts if the pastor was not part of the network’s day-to-day operations.
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Tolentino said thanking Quiboloy was the prerogative of the hosts and was part of their free speech.
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Philippine Navy to commission 2 more missile-mountable gunboats | John Eric Mendoza | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 18:59:46 PST | Photo from Philippine Navy/FACEBOOK
Photo from Philippine Navy/FACEBOOK
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Navy will commission two additional Israeli-made gunboats designed to mount missiles in March, according to its spokesperson.
“The Philippine Navy is scheduled to commission two more fast attack interdiction craft missiles this coming March,” said Navy Spokesperson Commander John Percie Alcos in a regular briefing in Camp Aguinaldo on Tuesday.
Capable of delivering precision strikes thanks to its remote stabilized weapons and short-range missiles, the 32-meter long FAIC platforms are still in the East Commodore Posadas Wharf in Cavite City for mandatory enhancement and maintenance.
Alcos said the acquisition of FAICs “is geared towards further developing the Navy’s capability to support the range of missions that different unified commands are mandated to undertake.”
The Navy’s fifth and sixth gunboats are expected to be commissioned under hull numbers PG906 and PG907, joining the other four which are under the Philippine Fleet’s Littoral Combat Force.
The Acero-class patrol vessels were also named under Medal of Valor awardees, and the newest patrol vessels could also follow the pattern of being named after the recipients of the highest military honor.
In total, the government acquired nine FAIC platforms from Israel, with the remaining three still being manufactured.
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LIVE UPDATES: UAAP Season 86 volleyball February 28 | INQUIRER.net | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 12:42:15 PST | 10am– NU Bulldogs vs Adamson Falcons (men’s)
12nn– Ateneo Blue Eagles vs UP Fighting Maroons (men’s)
2pm–NU Lady Bulldogs vs Adamson Lady Falcons (women’s)
4pm–Ateneo Blue Eagles vs UP Fighting Maroon (women’s)
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Alyssa Solomon and the NU Lady Bulldogs in the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball tournament. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — Alyssa Solomon is happy her team is rediscovering its touch after the NU Lady Bulldogs strung two straight victories in the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball tournament despite their slow starts.FEATURED STORIES
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After losing to UST and being forced to a five-setter by the rebuilding Ateneo last week, the Lady Bulldogs showed flashes of their lethal form in sweeping Adamson Lady Falcons, 25-17, 25-20, 25-20, on Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Lyann De Guzman and the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball tournament. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines —With her former coach on the other side of the court, Lyann De Guzman stayed focused on leading Ateneo past Oliver Almadro and University of the Philippines on Wednesday.
De Guzman dropped a career-high 24 points, 18 excellent receptions, and 11 digs to lift the Blue Eagles to a come-from-behind 22-25, 20-25, 25-22, 25-17, 15-9 against Almadro and the Fighting Maroons.
Lyann De Guzman and the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball tournament. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines–Ateneo pulled off the biggest comeback of the season so far by reversing University of the Philippines, 22-25, 20-25, 25-22, 25-17,15-9, on Wednesday night at the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball.
On the brink of another meltdown, the Blue Eagles snatched their first victory from the jaws of defeat after riding on the heroics of Lyann De Guzman and Sophia Buena in the last three sets.
WATCH: Ateneo coach Sergio Veloso, Lyann De Guzman, and Sobe Buena on getting their first win. #UAAPSeason86 | @LanceAgcaoilINQ pic.twitter.com/Ky0220sptp
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— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) February 28, 2024
FINAL: The Ateneo Blue Eagles (1-2) complete a come-from-behind win over their former coach Oliver Almadro and the UP Fighting Maroons (0-3). #UAAPSeason86 | @LanceAgcaoilINQ pic.twitter.com/glOBhgy90i
— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) February 28, 2024
Ateneo earns its first win! #UAAPSeason86 @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/PInupY0J5q
— Lance Agcaoili (@LanceAgcaoilINQ) February 28, 2024
END OF SET 4: Ateneo 25, UP 17
The Blue Eagles force a decider. #UAAPSeason86 @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/WzaNSRgIOX
— Lance Agcaoili (@LanceAgcaoilINQ) February 28, 2024
END OF SET 3: Ateneo 25, UP 22
Lyann De Guzman with a clutch kill to extend the match for Ateneo. #UAAPSeason86 | @LanceAgcaoilINQ pic.twitter.com/aC2kzTXVhp
— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) February 28, 2024
END OF SET 2: UP 25, Ateneo 20
The Fighting Maroons inch closer to their first win with a two-set advantage. #UAAPSeason86 | @LanceAgcaoilINQ pic.twitter.com/1wsH1L0jvM
— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) February 28, 2024
END OF SET 1: UP 25, Ateneo 22#UAAPSeason86 @inquirerdotnet
— Lance Agcaoili (@LanceAgcaoilINQ) February 28, 2024
NU Lady Bulldogs (2-1) beats Adamson Lady Falcons (1-2), 25-17, 25-20, 25-20, to earn its second straight victory in UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball. Photos: Marlo Cueto | INQUIRER.net
#UAAPSeason86
Posted by Inquirer Sports on Wednesday, February 28, 2024
NU Lady Bulldogs’ Sheena Toring in the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball tournament. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — Sheena Toring made sure she’s a student first and an athlete second.
Amid National University’s redemption tour in the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball tournament, Toring has also been focused on completing her thesis.
Alyssa Solomon and the NU Lady Bulldogs in the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball tournament. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines–The National University Lady Bulldogs felt their egos got deflated despite clipping the Ateneo Blue Eagles’ wings in a five-setter.
The Lady Bulldogs wasted no time redeeming themselves four days later by devouring the Adamson Lady Falcons, 25-17, 25-20, 25-20, in the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball tournament.
Alyssa Solomon pummeled the other side of the floor without mercy with 14 attacks out of her game-high 17 points while Bella Belen was just as superb in imposing herself with 15 kills as NU registered a second straight win in three games.
NU coach Norman Miguel, Alyssa Solomon, and Sheena Toring on their second straight win. #UAAPSeason86 | @LanceAgcaoilINQ pic.twitter.com/uT38kzCPeu
— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) February 28, 2024
Sheena Toring on playing at the Big Dome after her injury last year.
Alyssa Solomon on addressing their slow start. #UAAPSeason86 @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/QV1tBt3O8J
— Lance Agcaoili (@LanceAgcaoilINQ) February 28, 2024
Bella Belen with a match-clinching hit. #UAAPSeason86 @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/ot0tlrLk9u
— Lance Agcaoili (@LanceAgcaoilINQ) February 28, 2024
FINAL: NU (2-1) beats Adamson (1-2), 25-17, 25-20, 25-20, to earn its second straight victory. #UAAPSeason86 | @LanceAgcaoilINQ pic.twitter.com/Yoga2Q2fEE
— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) February 28, 2024
END OF SET 2: NU 25, Adamson 20
Bella Belen gives the Lady Bulldogs a commanding 2-0 lead. #UAAPSeason86 @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/XTVq8bLpn9
— Lance Agcaoili (@LanceAgcaoilINQ) February 28, 2024
END OF SET 1: NU 25, Adamson 17#UAAPSeason86 @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/tupHD5ZaT8
— Lance Agcaoili (@LanceAgcaoilINQ) February 28, 2024
NU Bulldogs.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — Defending champion National University needed to recover from a second set loss before taking down Adamson, 25-19, 25-27, 25-21, 25-18, to earn its second straight win in the UAAP Season 86 men’s volleyball tournament on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Bulldogs leaned on the versatile showing of Nico Almendras and Jade Disquitado with the graduating spiker leading the way with 23 points and 19 excellent receptions while the rookie delivered 21 points and 11 receptions.
After losing to the University of Santo Tomas last week, NU forced a four-way tie in the second place with the former, La Salle, and Ateneo, which swept the University of the Philippines, 25-19, 25-16, 25-23, in the second game.
Ateneo coach Timmy Sto. Tomas and Jan Mangulabnan on their second win. #UAAPSeason86 | @LanceAgcaoilINQ pic.twitter.com/sGYnlGMZvS
— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) February 28, 2024
FINAL: Ateneo (2-1) sweeps UP (0-3), 25-19, 25-16, 25-23, in the #UAAPSeason86 men’s volleyball tournament. | @LanceAgcaoilINQ pic.twitter.com/OBwrBVlj6w
— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) February 28, 2024
NU coach Dante Alinsunurin and Joshua Retamar after their second win in the #UAAPSeason86 | @LanceAgcaoilINQ pic.twitter.com/pgVwsDRXcZ
— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) February 28, 2024
FINAL: Defending champion NU (2-1) beats Adamson (1-2), 25-19, 25-27, 25-21, 25-18, for its second straight win in the #UAAPSeason86 men’s volleyball tournament. | @LanceAgcaoilINQ pic.twitter.com/seu7dSGHoc
— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) February 28, 2024
NU Lady Bulldogs in the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball tournament. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
National University (NU) coach Norman Miguel has watched his team lose in an upset to University of Santo Tomas (UST) and struggle to get a win against a rebuilding Ateneo
He didn’t bother getting too technical about what needs to be done against Adamson. “Work twice as hard [with our] blocking, passing and floor defense,” he said.
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Investors await fresh catalysts | Miguel R. Camus | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 02:02:00 PST | MANILA, Philippines -The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PSEi) lingered below the 6,900 level as investors waited for further market catalysts while regional markets were mixed.
The PSEi slipped 1.45 percent, or 30.82 points, to 6,860.67 while the broader All Shares Index was down 0.48 percent, or 17.4 points, to 3,583.09.
READ: Asian shares mixed after Wall Street edges back from recent highs
A total of 577.04 million shares valued at P5.66 billion changed hands while foreigners were net buyers to the tune of P77.08 million, data from the stock exchange showed. Meanwhile, most PSE subsectors slumped, led by mining and oil (1.92 percent), property (-1.28 percent), financials (-1.16 percent) and holding firms (-0.49 percent).
Services and industrial added 1.12 percent and 0.05 percent, respectively.
BDO Unibank, the most actively traded stock, shed 3.81 percent to P143.80 per share. It earlier reported a 2023 profit of P73.4 billion—the highest ever by the bank and by a Philippine corporation to date. INQ
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Negros Occidental bans entry of pigs, pork products from areas with ASF | Carla Gomez | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 12:24:38 PST | INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
BACOLOD CITY – Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson has issued an executive order that bans the entry into Negros Occidental all pigs, boar semen and pork products from areas with reported cases of African swine fever (ASF).
The order is meant to protect and enable the hog industry in the province to recover.
The directive was released on Monday, February 26.
It prohibits the identified items from Bacolod city, Negros Oriental, Luzon, Mindanao, Eastern Visayas, Panay Island, Guimaras Island, Cebu province, Camotes Island and Bantayan Island.
The entry of the same commodities is also banned if they come from countries affected by ASF, as declared by Department of Agriculture (DA).
Exempted from the order are processed pork products that are fully cooked.
Samples are hams, sausages, hotdogs, canned goods, pork chicharon and pork-based seasonings.
The exempted items must be sourced from meat establishments with Certificates of Compliance to the ASF Public-Private Audit.
According to National Meat Inspection Service, ASF is a highly contagious viral disease that affects pigs, warthogs and boars.
It causes pigs to have high fever and lose their appetite, and results in hemorrhages in skin and internal organs.
Pigs die in a span of two to 10 days upon affliction.
There is no known vaccine against ASF yet.
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Health officials reiterated ASF does not pose any threats to humans and that other pork products from infected areas are safe to eat.
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Ayala Land’s Cresendo: North’s gateway to growth comes to life | Philippine Daily Inquirer | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 06:00:16 PST | Written by: Amy R. Remo
Excitement builds for this emerging estate in the north as it unveiled new developments that will, this early, cement its position as a premier destination for contemporary urban living.
Cresendo, Ayala Land’s expansive 290-hectare masterplanned estate in Tarlac, is cementing its position as a premier destination for contemporary urban living
Cresendo, Ayala Land’s expansive 290-hectare masterplanned estate in Tarlac, is rapidly gaining momentum as it continues to attract strong interest from businesses and investors amid the ongoing turnover of its commercial and industrial lots, the debut of its inaugural locator, the successful hosting of various community events, and the introduction of fresh offerings. Each milestone reached came with the promise of potential, foretelling a vibrant future for those who will soon be part of this burgeoning estate.
Significant milestones
Last year, in particular, saw several significant milestones being achieved in Cresendo.
For one, AyalaLand Estates completed the fully sold out 32-ha Cresendo Industrial Park, enabling it to commence the turnover of lots to locators as early as June. Hosting light to medium industrial locators, this park is expected to generate about 2,000 jobs at full build.
Phase 1 of the 47-ha Cresendo Downtown, the community’s commercial core, was completed in December last year. This prompted turnover of lots to commercial investors.
AyalaLand Estates brought to life its shophouse concept with the completion of Cresendo’s shophouse model unit.
Ayala Land is skillfully integrating the traditional shophouse, considered a heritage architectural icon in Southeast Asian cities, in Cresendo. Given the flexibility in use, strong investment potential, and community integration, shophouses are cost-efficient, and offer a practical approach to the live and work concept. It highlights business inclusivity as it allows smaller industries to be part of the Cresendo development.
These commercial and shophouse lots have drawn such strong interest that AyalaLand Estates offered in September fresh inventory under Phase 3, valued at P4.4 billion.
Retail, amenity selections
Complementing Cresendo’s shophouse lot offering are 2,000 sqm of leasable retail spaces for various uses such as offices, dormitory, and the “one-stop-shop” of the city government of Tarlac. Already completed are the flower farm and the 2-ha multipurpose ground that now serves as a civic space within the estate.
In December, Cresendo saw the opening of its first locator, McDonald’s, with its flagship “Green and Good” store. Its design integrates environment-friendly building features, systems and practices.
Cresendo will have an operational MerryMart, a full-sized supermarket carrying a full line of grocery, pharmacy, personal care and other essential products
By the second quarter this year, Cresendo will have an operational MerryMart, a full-sized supermarket carrying a full line of grocery, pharmacy, personal care and other essential products.
Soon, more businesses are set to find a home in Cresendo, all poised to provide fresh retail and dining concepts in Tarlac while generating jobs and helping accelerate growth in the city.
The opening of pioneer locators has spurred strong interest in retail. AyalaLand Estates is currently negotiating with other potential locators including national players.
For the coming school year 2024-2025, Don Bosco, one of the country’s premier educational institutions, will start accepting 800 senior high school students who will occupy the first school building completed within this estate.
Nurturing community bonds
As Cresendo continues to take shape, AyalaLand Estates is also hosting an array of community gatherings and diverse activities that can cultivate social ties and strengthen community bonds.
Don Bosco and MerryMart Grocery are set to start operations this year
Last month, Cresendo hosted TakboJuan, a fun run event for the Don Bosco and Salesian Community, which gathered about 2,500 students, parents, faculty and Salesians. A Christian Mass, zumba, a tree planting activity, as well as the blessing of Don Bosco’s Senior High School building also took place.
Ayala Land is skillfully integrating the traditional shophouse in Cresendo
This 2024, AyalaLand Estates will be holding even more onground events catering to diverse hobbies, interests and passions. The public can thus look forward to an outdoor movie night, a football meet, concerts, trade fairs, a banchetto or food bazaar, a car meet and even a Flores de Mayo. Come Christmastime, Cresendo will have a Belenismo and Simbang Gabi.
To further support this growth, Ayala Land has commenced planning of the transport terminal in Cresendo to ensure ease of access and connectivity.
Indeed, all these developments underscore the many exciting prospects on the horizon, signaling a tremendous potential fueled by businesses and investors who have embraced the vision of such a promising estate that is Cresendo.
ADVT.
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Eumir Marcial slated to fight Thai amid Olympic preparations | June Navarro | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 04:15:00 PST | Filipino boxer Eumir Marcial during the 2023 Asian Games send off ceremony. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
Filipino boxer Eumir Marcial during the 2023 Asian Games send off ceremony. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
Eumir Marcial gets to show off his flair and power in front of fellow Filipinos before turning his focus on the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
On Tuesday, MP Promotions confirmed Marcial’s upcoming brawl with Thailand’s Thoedsak Sinam on March 23 at Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.
“Just like the rest of Filipinos around the country, I’m very excited to spearhead a fight for Eumir here in the Philippines, so everybody will get a chance to see him before the Paris Olympics,” said Manny Pacquiao.
The owner of MP Promotions and former eight-division world champion spearheaded the effort in making the fight a reality as Marcial aims to finally seize the gold medal in what could possibly be his last Olympics.
The 28-year-old slugger from Zamboanga City claimed a bronze medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as a middleweight.
Since his weight class has been scrubbed off the Paris program, Marcial will be wearing his gloves as a light heavyweight.
MP Promotions president Sean Gibbons said the fight will set the tone for Marcial heading to the Olympics set in July.
“Everybody wants to see their fellow [Filipino] Eumir, a big boxer fighting for them for free. This fight will serve as a good fitting send-off heading to his Olympic campaign. Everybody will be there too,” said Gibbons. “This is for the people.”
According to Gibbons, Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chair Richard Bachmann, PSC Commissioners Walter Torres, Fritz Gaston, Olivia “Bong” Coo and Edward Hayco and PSC executive director Paulo Tatad have been invited to witness the fight.
“We are so thankful to these people for making this fight possible and for helping not only Marcial, but also the rest of the other Filipino athletes to achieve their dreams,” said Gibbons. “The POC and the PSC salute to them for helping the athletes like Eumir.”
Marcial is deep in training with sparring sessions in Las Vegas under coach Kay Koroma, who molded several amateur boxers who saw action in the Olympics since the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Games.
Sinam is sporting a 23-13 record with 19 knockouts while Marcial remains undefeated after four fights, two of them by knockouts.
After the fight, Marcial will return to the US to continue preparing for Paris.
“He has a great time training and sparring in the US with coach Kay. We have to remember that we’re not going to send him to war just yet, but to showcase his skills for the people,” said Gibbons.
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Marcial clinched his ticket to the French capital after claiming a silver medal in the light heavy division at the 19th Hangzhou Asian Games last year. INQ
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Fire hits Tandang Sora in Quezon City | Zeus Legaspi | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 12:16:46 PST | INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Fire hit a residential area in Barangay Tandang Sora, Quezon City, on Wednesday morning.
According to the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), the blaze at Janet Extension Corner M. Aquino Street reached the 1st alarm at 11:06 a.m.
A few minutes later, at 11:31 a.m., the fire was raised to 2nd alarm until it eventually reached the third alarm at 11:34 a.m.
Meanwhile, Volunteer group Txtfire Philippines said the situation was declared under control at 12:09 p.m.
“Fire out” was determined at 1:23 p.m.
No injuries or fatalities occurred as a result of the blaze.
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Over 12,000 students are ineligible DepEd voucher grantees — PEAC | Zacarian Sarao | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 13:36:57 PST | MANILA, Philippines — A total of 12,675 students have been found to be ineligible grantees in the Department of Education’s (DepEd) voucher program as of school year 2022 to 2023, said the Private Education Assistance Committee (PEAC) on Wednesday.
PEAC executive director Rhodora Ferrer bared the data after Senator Raffy Tulfo inquired about “ghost” beneficiaries of the DepEd’s voucher program during a Senate committee on basic education and committee on finance joint hearing.
According to Ferrer, aside from the 12,675 students recorded to have had issues in DepEd’s voucher program from 2021 to 2023, 588 students also had issues in DepEd’s Educational Service Contracting (ESC).
“’Yung mga eskwelahan na may issues from SY 2020-2021 to 2022-2023 so this covers three school years — sa voucher program, 12,675. Sa ESC, 588,” said Ferrer during the hearing.
(The schools facing issues from the school year 2020-2021 to 2022-2023, covering three school years, amount to 12,675 in the voucher program and 588 in the ESC.)
When Tulfo asked for clarification on whether Ferrer was referring to the number of students, Ferrer responded with a yes.
The DepEd’s voucher program or the Senior High School Voucher Program allows the department to shoulder the costs of schooling for senior high students by providing subsidies in the form of vouchers to qualified learners in participating SHS.
DepEd implemented the program in an effort to allow increased access to SHS education, especially for the marginalized.
READ: DepEd opens voucher program for senior high school students
But Ferrer noted that some of these cases are mere “clerical issues,” which result in schools giving back the funding to DepEd due to ineligible beneficiary students.
“‘Yung ibang issues dito clerical, because this is spread over several schools. Merong mga eskwelahan na high performing,” explained Ferrer.
(Some issues here are clerical, as they are spread across multiple schools. Some schools are high-performing.)
Such clerical issues pertain to students being declared voucher recipients even if they did not apply for the grant.
“Isa sa pinakamalaking naging concern natin is ‘yung mga ALS (Alternative Learning System) completers na nagiging voucher recipients, dahil dinedeklara silang voucher-eligible … ngunit hindi sila pumasok sa voucher application which ‘yung tamang guideline,” said Ferrer.
(One of our major concerns is the ALS completers who become voucher recipients because they were declared voucher-eligible but did not participate in the voucher application as per the correct guidelines.)
“In other words, kung ALS completer ka, hindi ka automatically eligible, dapat nag-apply ka. Kaso hindi sila nag-apply,” she added.
(In other words, being an ALS completer doesn’t automatically make you eligible; you must apply. However, they did not apply.)
However, if there were over 10 students with such instances in a specific school, Ferrer explained that it would be deemed intentional and beyond a mere clerical matter.
“Kung mahigit sampu ‘yan per school (if it exceeds ten for each school), we move towards suspension,” said Ferrer.
When asked by Tulfo how much has been refunded so far by the schools to the DepEd due to the said issues, Ferrer responded that P239 million of around P300 million remain unrefunded from SY 2022 to 2023.
On the other hand, 32 voucher-participating schools so far are recommended for termination from the program, with DepEd and PEAC vowing to complete the refunds and investigations before the opening of classes for SY 2024 to 2025.
READ: A puzzler in DepEd’s voucher program
Tulfo then pointed out the sluggish progress in addressing the problem.
“Kung titignan natin ang figure sa P300 million na original amount, at ang collected ay P239, medyo mabagal po ata ang collection?” said Tulfo.
(If we look at the figures, with the original amount at P300 million and the collected amount at P239 million, it seems that the collection process may be somewhat slow.)
“Ang gusto natin dito ay mapabilis po ‘yung pagtapos ng investigation at para [makuha] na ‘yung pera na napunta sa eskwelahan na hindi dapat,” he added.
(We aim to expedite the investigation’s completion and retrieve the funds that shouldn’t have gone to schools, hastening the resolution.)
For her part, Ferrer committed to accelerating the process of collecting the funds.
The official said that to avoid such cases from happening again, PEAC started requiring schools to submit documents accepting their billing request for the program for DepEd to validate the list of students before releasing the program funds.
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Drought may hit 30 areas in March due to El Niño – Pagasa | Faith Argosino | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 21:22:31 PST | File photo of a fair warm weather
File photo of a fair warm weather
MANILA, Philippines — Drought may strike thirty areas nationwide by the end of March due to El Niño phenomenon, according to an official of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).
During the House committee on agriculture’s hearing on Wednesday, Pagasa’s Climatology and Agrometeorology Division Officer-in-Charge Ana Liza Solis reported that 25 areas in Luzon and five in Visayas may experience drought by the end of March.
Based on her presentation, drought is forecast in the following areas since they have experienced way below normal rainfall conditions over the past months (October 2023 to February 2024).
Drought is experienced in areas with three consecutive months of below normal rainfall condition or greater than 60 percent reduction from average rainfall.
Metro Manila is among the areas she mentioned that may have drought in Luzon, as well as Abra, Apayao, Aurora, Bataan, Benguet, Cagayan, Cavite, Ifugao, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Isabela, Kalinga, La Union, Laguna, Mountain Province, Nueva Ecija, Vizcaya, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Palawan, Pangasinan, Quirino, Rizal and Zambales.
In the Visayas, drought may hit Antique, Guimaras, Iloilo, Leyte, and Negros Occidentaal, Solid added.
Aside from drought, she added that “dry condition,” or two consecutive months of below-average rainfall conditions, may prevail in 16 provinces and areas nationwide, while a “dry spell,” or three consecutive months below regular rainfall occurrences, is expected in 24 areas across the country.
The areas and provinces that would likely experience “dry condition” and “dry spell” by the end of March are as follows:
Luzon
Visayas
Mindanao
Luzon
Visayas
Mindanao
Solis, however, explained that this forecast may change by the end of February with more areas possibly joining the original list.
According to the Department of Agriculture (DA) latest bulletin, the dry spell’s damage to the crop sector has spiked from P151.3 million to P357.4 million as of February 24.
It added that the El Niño phenomenon affected 7,668 farmers inthe Ilocos, Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan), Western Visayas, and Zamboanga Peninsula regions.
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Marcos: Conclusion on PhilHealth contribution hike coming ‘very soon’ | Jean Mangaluz | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 09:31:46 PST | President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. answers questions in an ambush interview at Villamor Airbase in Pasay City on February 28, 2024. (Photo by JEAN MANGALUZ / INQUIRER.net)
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. answers questions in an ambush interview at Villamor Airbase in Pasay City on February 28, 2024. (Photo by JEAN MANGALUZ / INQUIRER.net)
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said that the review of the increased PhilHealth contribution is still ongoing but a conclusion is coming soon.
PhilHealth contributions have increased from 4 percent to 5 percent of the employee’s monthly salary in 2024. Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa has asked Marcos to suspend the hike, as Philhealth had enough money to give benefits.
READ: Marcos wants PhilHealth to prove bigger contributions mean more benefits
“If there are any benefits, if we can justify the increase. Then we’ll do it, but if not, we won’t. It is that simple. It’s just a very straightforward cause-benefit analysis. We’re still under study, but we’ll conclude very, very soon,” Marcos said, speaking partly in Filipino, in an ambush interview before leaving for Australia.
PhilHealth chief Emmanuel Ledesma previously stated that the Palace has no objections to the impending increase.
READ: Palace didn’t object to hike in premium, says PhilHealth chief
However, Presidential Communications Office Secretary Cheloy Garafil noted that the review for a possible suspension is ongoing.
Marcos has repeatedly stated that if PhilHealth could justify its increase through its services, there is no reason to suspend it.
“PhilHealth has been expanding its services and trying to reach more people, trying to engage more people,” Marcos said.
READ: Herbosa: PhilHealth has enough money, premium hike delay won’t hurt
Herbosa said that he saw nothing wrong with delaying the contribution hike further.
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“My position is I think PhilHealth has enough money to actually continue to give benefits. It will not be hurt by delaying the increase in premium,” Herbosa said.
PhilHealth contribution hikes are meant to increase yearly from 2019 until they reach 5 percent under the Universal Health Care Law. The increases were delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the hikes have now begun in 2024.
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Adiong vows no repeat of Marawi siege as gov’t pursues Maute remnants | Gabriel Pabico Lalu | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 00:39:01 PST | CITY IN RUINS In this photo taken on Oct. 8, 2017, soldiers patrol a section of the city center of Marawi as government forces continue to battle members of Islamic State-linked groups that laid siege to the provincial capital of Lanao del Sur. —JEOFFREY MAITEM
CITY IN RUINS In this photo taken on Oct. 8, 2017, soldiers patrol a section of the city center of Marawi as government forces continue to battle members of Islamic State-linked groups that laid siege to the provincial capital of Lanao del Sur. —JEOFFREY MAITEM
MANILA, Philippines — Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong has assured the public that there would be no repeat of the Marawi siege despite an incident between Maute group remnants and the military, saying that government forces and local governments are actively pursuing the terrorists.
Adiong in a briefing on Tuesday explained that the support of local government units (LGUs) is crucial to law enforcement agencies and military institutions tracking down Maute Group fighters involved in the recent clash with the military.
Six Scout Rangers and three alleged fighters of the Daulah Islamiyah-Maute Group (DI-MG) were killed in an encounter in Lanao del Norte’s Munai town last February 25, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said.
READ: 6 soldiers killed in clash with terrorists in Lanao
“With the support of the LGUs, we’ve seen how we were able to liberate Marawi City. And I don’t see any reason why the same problem again may pop up in the future,” Adiong, who chairs the Ad Hoc Committee on Marawi Rehabilitation and Victims Compensation, told reporters at the House complex.
The lawmaker also said that the best way to deter public fear about the incident is to show that the government is in control of the situation — which happened as Brawner himself visited the area.
“I saw that after what happened in Lanao del Norte, the chief-of-staff himself went there to condole bereaved families. And then there are additional deployments in the area to secure it. Because the military and the police, they already have an idea as to where the remnants would run towards,” Adiong said.
“That’s why it’s important, based on our experience, is the engagement of our security sector with the LGUs down to the barangays. We need to have a stronger presence there and the intelligence gathering is of prime importance. Because if we have a good intelligence gathering and we get correct intel, resources are not wasted,” he added.
Reports from the Philippine Army’s 1st Infantry Division (1ID) stated that troops of the scout platoon of the 44th Infantry Battalion were on a military operation when they encountered DI-MG
After a two-hour gunfight, the terrorists withdrew toward the direction of Lanao del Sur province. Five soldiers were left wounded.
READ: Six soldiers, three Maute fighters killed in Lanao del Norte clash
The Maute Group is the same organization that laid Marawi City — a vibrant Islamic City which is the capital of Lanao del Sur — to siege. Intense fighting between military forces and Maute members lasted for five months, but left a large-scale humanitarian crisis with over 300,000 residents displaced.
READ: 4 years after siege, Marawi folk desperate to trek back home
Despite the affiliation with Maute, Adiong said the recent clash between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the DI-MG might be an isolated incident.
“If you go anywhere in Mindanao, all areas in Mindanao, okay naman…relatively peaceful,” he expressed. “And there’s an ongoing military operation against the remnants. Remember, ISIS, it’s not a homegrown terrorist organization. This is an imported ideology.”
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“That’s why we can see even if the 2017 Marawi siege is finished they are still there. Because they’ve been, you know, I don’t know how the military is handling this but I’m pretty sure they know exactly how the funds are coming in,” he added. With reports from Barbara Gutierrez, INQUIRER.net intern
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BOC: P76-M marijuana from Thailand seized | Gabriel Pabico Lalu | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 15:49:01 PST | (Bureau of Customs – Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service)
(Bureau of Customs – Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service)
MANILA, Philippines – The Bureau of Customs (BOC) intercepted an estimated P76 million worth of dried marijuana leaves inside “balikbayan” boxes from Thailand.
“Based on the information we received, the alert order was issued against this shipment because of the suspected presence of illegal drugs. We found around 12 kilos of marijuana per balikbayan box during the inspection,” BOC-Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service Director Verne Enciso said in a statement.
According to BOC, the shipment was consigned to Marcelo D. Laylo Cargo Forwarders, and was sent to an individual from Cavite.
It was originally declared as consolidated balikbayan boxes/personal effects from Thailand.
The boxes and the containers were examined by the assigned Customs examiner and witnessed by the CIIS, BOC’s Enforcement and Security Service, Customs Anti-Illegal Drug Task Force, the Philippine Coast Guard, Environmental Protection and Compliance Division, Office of the District Collector, and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence Juvymax Uy said the BOC is now in the process of preparing supporting documents to track the individuals involved in the shipment.
“We are preparing the necessary documents to start looking into these individuals. Stopping the entry of these shipments into the country is one thing, but the bigger part of the operation is making sure someone is held accountable for such activity,” Uy said.
“The successful interdiction of illegal narcotics from entering our borders was possible because our officers continue to exhibit their experiences combined with the technology we now have. This operation shows our commitment to keeping illegal drugs off our communities because protecting the people is our duty,” BOC Commissioner Bien Rubio said.
BOC said the consignees, senders, and recipients of the balikbayan boxes will possibly face charges for violating Section 118 (Prohibited Importation and Exportation) and Section 1400 (Misdeclaration) in relation to Section 1113 of Republic Act No. 10863 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) and other provisions of Republic Act No. 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002). (With reports from Barbara Gutierrez, INQUIRER.net intern)
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Teves on Interpol red notice, target of global manhunt — DOJ | Tetch Torres-Tupas | Wed, 28 Feb 2024 20:04:10 PST | MANILA, Philippines – Former Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr. is currently the target of an international manhunt following his inclusion in the red notice system of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL).
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Wednesday confirmed that Teves is already included in Interpol’s Red Notice System.
An INTERPOL Red Notice is a global alert to locate and provisionally detain a person awaiting extradition or similar legal acNtion based on a valid arrest warrant from the requesting country.
“With more than 190 member countries, INTERPOL ensures the broad distribution of these notices, which are also accessible to international entities like the United Nations and International Criminal Court for arresting fugitives and conducting investigations,” the Department of Justice said in a statement.
Teves is accused of masterminding the killing of then Governor Roel Degamo and nine others in Pamplona, Negros Oriental, on March 4, 2023, which also resulted in numerous injuries.
Teves is also facing cases related to the death of three individuals from March to June 2019 in Negros Oriental, violation of the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act, and violations of the Law on Explosives following the discovery of high-caliber weapons and ammunition in his family’s compound.
On July 26, 2023, the ATC designated Teves Jr. and his affiliated armed group as a terrorist organization, identifying both the group and its members as terrorist entities.
Remulla also announced that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) had officially canceled Teves’ passport.
However, the DOJ admitted that they remain uncertain when the government would be able to bring Teves back to the country.
“We have to be patient. We will just have to wait. It’s difficult to give an estimate as to when…We’ll go through the process. We won’t stop working here. We will continue our work, so just give us more time,” Remulla said.
Remulla said officials of the justice department and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) are now studying the possibility of sending a team to Timor Leste to implement the arrest warrant issued by a local court against Teves through Interpol’s red notice.
Remulla said Teves is in Timor Leste.
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