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Win or lose: Ateneo captain Doromal thanks remaining fans amid lowering attendance | jisaga0269 | 3/3/2024 17:32 | WIN OR LOSE. The Ateneo Blue Eagles huddle after a point in the UAAP Season 86 women's volleyball tournament
UAAP Season 86 Media Team
MANILA, Philippines – Last Saturday, March 2, the La Salle Lady Spikers took on the Ateneo Blue Eagles in their first rivalry showdown of the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball tournament.
Once a must-see showpiece of top-notch skills, the matchup has turned into a one-sided affair in favor of La Salle, which has won 13 straight times stretching over a near seven-year period over Ateneo, including Saturday’s 25-12, 25-22, 25-19 blowout.
And as the equality of competition between the two schools waned, so apparently has the fans’ interest.
Saturday’s match only saw 6,477 fans, and while the number is low by Ateneo-La Salle standards, what’s more noteworthy is that the Lady Spikers’ fans overwhelmingly outnumbered the Blue Eagles’ supporters – around a 90-10 split by the eye test.
The ear test was even worse, with La Salle’s booming kill blocks triggering massive cheers while Ateneo’s valiant efforts were met with soft, scattered applause.
UAAP | HAPPENING NOW:Dying rivalry?La Salle fans overwhelm Ateneo supporters at the half-empty Mall of Asia Arena as the champion Lady Spikers enter their rivalry bout as big favorites against the young Blue Eagles.#UAAPSeason86 pic.twitter.com/8q200dyGeG
This phenomenon, however, does not faze Blue Eagles’ captain Roma Mae Doromal, as she simply thanked fans who stay through thick and thin.
UAAP | WATCH:"Win or lose, it's the school we choose."Amid lowering fan attendance, Ateneo captain Roma Mae Doromal hopes more supporters return to watch the Blue Eagles play, but she is nonetheless fully grateful for those who stay despite the mounting losses.#UAAPSeason86 pic.twitter.com/3vIAy7o4yb
“Of course, we hope that many more fans support us, but we in our team know that we’re not waiting for support to come,” she said in Filipino after the blowout loss.
“Whatever support we get, we’ll accept it wholeheartedly, and of course, we will keep fighting no matter what level of support we get.”
Fight, Ateneo did, as it even threatened La Salle late into the second and third sets – enough for legendary Lady Spikers head coach Ramil de Jesus to acknowledge the young team’s potential despite their recent lack of winning power.
In Ateneo’s glory days, the lyrics “Win or lose, it’s the school we choose” would audibly rock arenas as thousands of fans belted out the Song for Mary school hymn.
Now more than ever, the Blue Eagles could use more fans choosing to support their cause despite the mounting losses.
“This is the Ateneo way,” after all. – Rappler.com
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[Ilonggo Notes] The foremost Filipino engraver, sadly unremembered, needs to be given his due | Marguerite de Leon | 3/3/2024 15:50 | MASTER ENGRAVER. Display of the coins Figueroa engraved, along with his portrait, courtesy of UPV OICA and Martin Genodepa.
Vic Salas
Did you know that one of the most recognizable pieces of Philippine art could fit in your pocket, and that its designer was an Ilonggo? I’m referring to the series of coins that were in wide use from 1903 until the ’80s, of various denominations – one peso, and 50, 20, 10, five, and one centavo coins.
The designs, by Melecio Magbanua Figueroa, depict on one side a lady, sometimes called “Filipinas.” She has a hammer, striking an anvil, while Mayon Volcano smolders in the background. The lady appears on coins 10 cents and above, while on the lower denomination ones, a male is shown sitting with an anvil. The “Filipinas” coins were of a silver mix (hence, whitish) compared to the brown guy, where copper was used. When Figueroa was designing, he looked to his only child, Blanca, as a model (she was just 10 years old in 1902) and imagined her as an adult. Unfortunately, he did not live to see the coins in general use, as he died in 1903.
When I was growing up in the ’60s, the silver coins were often referred to as “genuine,” and were favored for use in wedding ceremonies as the “arras” signifying material prosperity while the one and five centavo coins were used as “batano” (tokens or markers) for childhood games. When sparks of Pinoy nationalism hit in the ’70s, designs were replaced with Philippine heroes and heroines. Through the decades, the reverse side of the coins changed – both designs and text, with the American eagle and “United States of America” eventually giving way to “Central Bank of the Philippines.”
Designing these coins alone would have easily made Figueroa’s reputation, but there is more – as revealed by researcher and former Director of Public Affairs of the Limbagang Pinpin Museum, Gerard Wassily Clavecillas, in a lecture given at the UPV Performing arts hall last February 12. The talk was sponsored by the OICA (Office of initiatives for Culture and the Arts) of UP Visayas, and the UP President’s Committee for Culture and the Arts.
Figueroa was born in Arevalo in 1842. His mother, Gabriela Magbanua, died early. His father, Rufo, relocated to Sorsogon, to be with family, who were known artisans. As a child he carved wooden toys. In Manila he studied at an art school founded by Damian Domingo while moonlighting as a watch repairer. In 1871, with the support of a high-ranking Spanish official of the Manila Ayuntamiento (city hall), he was awarded a scholarship to study engraving in Spain. According to the late psychiatrist-historian Luciano PR Santiago, who has written extensively on Figueroa: “Unique in the history of art in the Philippines is the private scholarship to Spain granted in 1871 by Don Francisco Ahujas, to a native artist, Melecio Figueroa…. The only example of a private scholarship abroad offered by a colonialist during the three centuries of Spanish rule in the Philippines…”
Figueroa studied at the Escuela Artes y Officios where, despite late entry, he still won honors for his work. After a year he entered the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid, where he received awards of distinction. The Academia (today known as the Faculty of Fine Arts of the Complutense University in Madrid) is the top school for fine arts in Spain; students there have included Picasso, Dali, and Pinoy notables such as Luna, Hidalgo, and Amorsolo. He was commissioned to make busts and medals for European royals, including that of the Spanish King, Alfonso XII. Unfortunately, his patron Ahujas (who had been appointed to the powerful Council of the Philippines in Madrid) died in 1876; Ahujas’ daughter continued the scholarship until the end of the year, and Figueroa’s colleagues in the Academy also did their share — a caretaker at the academy let him use one of the rooms for his lodging – while the struggling artist did menial jobs and repaired watches to make ends meet.
A year after, with appeals by friends and supporters in the Philippines as well as the Academy, Figueroa was awarded another scholarship, this time from the central government in Manila, for another three years. In 1879 the Academia chose him, after competitive examinations, as its scholar in engraving and was sent to Rome. He was the only Indio Filipino to be so honored by his alma mater. While in Rome, he garnered three more prizes.
Santiago writes that by the time he returned to Madrid, he was a celebrated artist. For the Grand Philippine Exposition at the Spanish Capital in 1887, he was commissioned to design the award medals and appointed a member of the board of judges, the only person from any of the colonies. The Figueroa-designed medals created such a stir that the Queen Regent awarded him another four-year pension in engraving (1888-1892).
Thus, Figueroa was the only Philippine artist during the colonial period to have won a scholarship four times; one private and three government for a combined period of over 15 years. The prizes he won in competition during his time in Spain and Rome surpass those of any other Filipino artist’s, Luna included. Two of the medals he designed are in the collections of the Prado Museum: the medals awarded for the 1887 Exposition and the Victor Balaguer medal – the latter is the only one that Figueroa both designed and personally struck. Interestingly, the Prado also has a Luna portrait of Balaguer featured in its catalogs and website; here it is acknowledged that Luna used the Figueroa medal as the model for the portrait.
In 1888, Figueroa married Enriqueta Romero of Madrid. Three children were born in Madrid but died early. He received another silver medal in engraving at the Barcelona Exposition. In 1891, he received news that his father’s health was declining and he requested to return. His wife was pregnant when they sailed for the Philippines early in 1892. The child, Blanca, was born during the voyage to Manila.
With his credentials, Figueroa took Manila by storm. La Ilustracion Filipina, a prestigious weekly, featured him and his portrait graced the cover of the May 21, 1892 issue. The Manila Escuela de Dibujo, Pintura y Grabado – which was later to become the College of Fine Arts of UP – appointed him professor of engraving. He was its only Filipino Malay member of the faculty. The others were either Peninsulares or Criollos who had trained in Europe. In 1893, he was appointed “Grabador Primero” of the Manila Mint. In 1894-95, in addition to his engraving work, he created bust sculptures and portraits, as mentioned in publications then, but none of these are known to exist today.
In Madrid he was a member of the Circulo Hispano-Filipino and the Associacion Hispano Filipina both of which agitated for reforms in the colony. Certainly he was known to national heroes Jose Rizal, MH del Pilar, and Graciano Lopez Jaena; the latter mentioned Figueroa in a speech he gave at a dinner in honor of Juan Luna and Hidalgo.
After independence from Spain was declared, Figueroa was appointed a member of the Malolos Congress (representing Iloilo) and was one of the signers of the Malolos Constitution that established the First Philippine Republic (1898). However, independence was short-lived, as America took over the reins after purchasing the islands from Spain and winning the Philippine-American war. Nevertheless, he won a 1901 competition to design the coins, which were later known as the “Conant.” The symbolic figure was a thinly clad statuesque young woman – his daughter Blanca, imagined as an adult. Incidentally, Blanca Figueroa Opinion lived until her ’80s, and was present at the opening of the Philippine Central Bank Museum of Money in the 1970s.
Thus, while the coin series is undoubtedly the best known of his works, Clavecillas’ research uncovered the whereabouts of a rare Filipinana treasure: the only work that was designed and personally struck by Figueroa – the Victor Balaguer medal, of which three are extant. The silver one in the Prado, and one each of copper – one in the Victor Balaguer Museum, and the other in a private collection in California.
Art historian and painter Fabian de la Rosa wrote of Figueroa: “He is the only Filipino engraver who had developed the art of engraving from its purely artistic aspect with unsurpassed efficiency and enviable success…”
There is no doubt that Figueroa deserves much more recognition that having a small side street in Arevalo named after him. Perhaps a bust and statue in the public plaza, and a historical plaque from the NHCP would be appropriate. The country’s foremost engraver and a founding father – a signer of the first Constitution – deserves no less.
Those interested to see his coin designs can visit the UPV gallery of contemporary art, where there is a display. Ambeth Ocampo also features the iconic designs in his Cabinet of Curiosities (2023). Furthermore, Figueroa is inextricably linked with two of the more enlightened colonial administrators who made great contributions to Philippine art and culture: Francisco Ahujas and Vicente Balaguer. The latter was a writer, historian and politician, and three-time Minister of the Spanish overseas colonies. During his term the National Museum and the National library were approved. – Rappler.com
Additional information provided by Gerard Wassily Clavecillas and Frank Villanueva.
Vic Salas is a physician and public health specialist by training, and now retired from international consulting work. He is back in Iloilo City, where he spent his first quarter century.
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How does this make you feel? | Rappler | https://www.rappler.com/life-and-style/arts-culture/ilonggo-figueroa-foremost-filipino-engraver-sadly-unremembered/?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0MdTyEYAd90QKPrpnCJOe09WLl9JaIbwWEmYDqAUkh5nJGR1KCB2iClAI_aem_qrVTqKjx5OFit_W131p20g |
Russian scam network circulates Maria Ressa deepfake through Facebook, Microsoft’s Bing | Angelo Gonzales | 3/3/2024 15:53 | MARIA RESSA DEEPFAKE. The journalist's deepfake video spread through mainstream platforms, which begs the question whether platforms are ready for the expected rise in deepfake content
On Tuesday, February 6, 2024, concerned individuals alerted Rappler about a deepfake video which made it appear that Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Rappler CEO Maria Ressa said she had been earning from the cryptocurrency Bitcoin.
The deepfake video manipulated a November 2022 interview of Ressa by American talk show host Stephen Colbert in his show.
It was circulated using a newly created Facebook page and an ad on Microsoft’s Bing platform. Microsoft and Facebook have since taken down the post and the ad that circulated the deepfake.
Using digital fingerprints left by the fakers, a follow-up investigation where Rappler collaborated with Swedish digital forensic group Qurium linked the deepfake to a Russian scam network. The investigation also indicated that the campaign specifically targeted Philippine audiences.
The deepfake video was initially spotted on January 25, 2024, on the Facebook page, “Method Business,” which was created just a few days before.
Twenty-one hours after the video was posted, it had already garnered 22,000 views. (See screenshot below.)
Rappler was also later alerted to a webpage, hosted under URL ultimainv.website, which alternately cloned the story pages from the websites of Rappler and CNN Philippines. The impostor site was promoted through an ad served on Microsoft’s Bing platform. (Ad encircled by Rappler in the screenshot below)
Ultimainv.website is a newly registered domain. The first record on its domain history is dated January 10, 2024.
The creators of the deepfake video manipulated a November 2022 interview by Colbert where he asked Ressa questions about her book, How To Stand Up To A Dictator, and the cases filed against her and Rappler upon the instigation of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte.
The manipulated video used a fake voice, generated by AI, which mimicked Ressa’s voice. Most of the time, the fake video showed her speaking in sync with the audio. But there were a number of times that the syncing failed, which was the strongest indication that it was a deepfake video. Watch the video embedded below which compares the original interview with the manipulated video that had the AI-generated audio.
The video may look convincing to a user who isn’t paying attention or isn’t aware of how AI technology can copy voices or how a deepfake video might look. Rappler reported the video to Meta, and it has since been removed, but the page, Method Business, remains active.
More than an effort to scam people into investing in bitcoin, the fake articles published on webpages mimicking Rappler and CNN Philippines also implied that Ressa was involved in the scam.
Both headlined, “Maria Ressa could be sued for her remarks on live TV,” the fake CNN Philippines and Rappler articles both claimed that Ressa’s career “hangs in balance” supposedly following remarks she made on live TV. The ad which promoted the impostor websites used the text: “The end for her?” as lead, implying that Ressa was embroiled in a scandal.
The fake articles also claimed that the live broadcast was supposedly interrupted following demands by leading banks to stop it and erase the recording. (See screenshots of fake articles below.)
The pages where the video and the fake Rappler and CNN Philippines articles were posted were also engineered to be viewed only through Philippine internet service providers (ISPs). Investigators who looked into the deepfake had to employ various techniques to view the impostor sites from their location. This implies that those behind the deepfake were specifically targeting Filipinos.
CNN Philippines’ website had already shut down on February 1, 2024, days before the February 5, 2024 publication date of the fake article.
A follow-up investigation with Swedish digital forensic group Qurium Media discovered later that the clone sites were part of a fraudulent online network that tricks victims into paying for a product that usually ends up as an empty box or a random low quality object when delivered.
The network, according to Qurium, appears to be of Russian origin.
Links found in the network also showed the use of Cyrillic script, and a timezone time stamp of GMT+3 (Moscow, St. Petersburg), which, Qurium said, is “solid indication” but “not conclusive proof” that the network is of Russian origin.
The content on the platform used to set up the fake websites is in Russian language.
Qurium analyzed domain registration and hosting information data of the fake sites, metadata from images and the embedded video on the fake sites, and metadata from the original articles scraped from the original CNN and Rappler websites to create the fake pages.
The campaign was in operation from November 28, 2023 to February 25, 2024.
Qurium’s analysis of the network shows an elaborate scheme that skirts legal accountability by dividing the operation into separate entities, allowing for deniability and anonymity.
The scam network, as discovered by Qurium, uses a multi-role scheme that ensures no one will be held accountable for the scam. These are the roles:
This is the webpage, collecting the names and phone numbers of potential victims to an intermediary, which, in this case, is the “M1 Shop.” Qurium said that on their site, “they make clear that they just advertise goods and they are not responsible for anything related to the merchandise.”
The affiliate advertiser in this case was identified as “TD Globus Contract.” Aside from ultimainv.website, which hosted the fake CNN and Rappler pages, TD Globus Contract was found to have links to more than 40 other websites with ties to the scam network.
The intermediary (M1 Shop) takes the victims’ info from the publisher, and forwards it to the advertiser for a fee. They are responsible for paying the publisher for the information they receive or the clicks the publisher’s webpage generates that send victims to the M1 Shop.
Advertisers create the fraud offerings, which, in this case, have ranged from nutrition goods to cryptocurrency offers.
Qurium explained that the fraud works as the advertisers’ identities are protected by the intermediary, while publishers or webpages are changed “once their reputation has been compromised.”
“Ultimately none takes responsibility for the fraud,” Qurium said. “The websites that promote the products are registered under fake companies, and claim that they do not know the final product vendors, and the advertisement network claims that they do not monitor what is promoted in their platform. Something is guaranteed though, victims get scammed and everyone in their network gets paid for their ‘services.'”
Meanwhile, M1 is playing a “brokering role” in the scam network, hiding the malicious advertisers from scrutiny.
Rappler has already reached out to M1 shop via the Telegram accounts on its website. We will update this story when we receive a response from M1.
Deepfake videos can be convincing and powerfully persuasive, which is why scammers would attempt to use it.
However, there are other potential motivations. In India, politicians have used deepfakes to malign opponents or confuse the electorate. In Taiwan, deepfakes and cheap fakes were spread online ahead of the 2024 presidential elections. In Indonesia, deepfakes had been in use, too, in the lead up to their own presidential elections.
The nature of disinformation is not in the outright lie at times. Oftentimes, it could be merely to plant a seed in the minds of audiences that could later be exploited, Qurium added in its report.
Regardless of the motivation, potentially, deepfakes can be used to sway public opinion, like a very powerful lie, which is especially harmful in situations such as national elections and fast-moving scenarios like situations of violence, for example.
In this specific case, if the intent was to scam people, the scammers may have thought that using a Maria Ressa deepfake could convince some to invest in a product that ultimately doesn’t exist. The fake campaign may have attempted to leverage a journalist’s reputation as an authoritative voice, at her expense.
Other figures of authority can be victimized, too, putting their reputations on the line. While Rappler and Qurium were investigating this specific deepfake, a similar one which involves a Filipino businessman was also circulated through what appears to be the same process. Very recently, deepfakes which used GMA7 Network anchors were used to promote a necklace supposedly coming from the Vatican.
There are other possibilities. What is curious about the Maria Ressa deepfake is that the ads on Bing, which were promoting the impostor CNN Philippines and Rappler sites, did not appear to be promoting a product. They were implying a scandal involving Ressa.
“What’s particularly concerning (about the Ressa deepfake) are the layers of malicious intent behind a single act of digital manipulation and the consequent harms these inflict,” De La Salle University Communications professor Cheryll Soriano told Rappler.
Soriano, who has been doing research on disinformation on platforms like YouTube, was one of those who spotted and alerted Rappler about the deepfake video. She said: “First, it (the deepfake video) attempts to push a scam. Second, it makes the scam appear news-like, pretending as Rappler and CNN Philippines, undermining the credibility of news organizations. Third, it is clearly motivated to discredit Maria Ressa by maligning her reputation.”
Soriano added that the deepfake also “perpetuates a disturbing trend of misogynistic practices, utilizing deep fakes to humiliate women. Even if the scam itself fails, it still exposes and perpetuates the latter three, spreading them across networked publics.”
There is a general consensus about fact check groups and disinformation experts that the deepfake problem will only continue to grow in the future now that generative AI technologies are readily available to ordinary citizens.
This makes nuanced and immediate platform action critical to mitigate their impact.
In various public statements, the platforms used to circulate the Maria Ressa bitcoin deepfake – Facebook and Microsoft – have both been saying they have programs addressing deepfakes.
In a recently released statement, Meta, the owner of Facebook, said it is working with industry partners on common technical standards for identifying AI content, including video and audio. It said it will label images that users post when they detect these industry standard indicators. It also said it has been labeling photorealistic images created using Meta AI since the product was launched.
In an email interview with Rappler, a Microsoft spokesperson said they have closed 520,000 accounts engaging in fraudulent and misleading activity since April 2023, using both automated and manual methods. The company said that they build upon their knowledge base with each incident to help them detect similar ones in the future, and that they have instituted Information Integrity and Misleading Content policies.
The Microsoft spokesperson also said they are investing in technology to detect deepfakes. “AI is also being harnessed to identify deepfakes. Major players like Microsoft are investing heavily in developing technologies to detect these sophisticated forgeries.”
Microsoft is also part of a group of tech companies and news organizations that have been working with Adobe on the Content Integrity Initiative, an effort that promotes the adoption of an open industry standard for content authenticity and provenance.
There are, however, challenges to automated detection of AI-generated fakes.
The Microsoft spokesperson said that bad actors employ sophisticated techniques to elude detection.
“AI technology is advancing at an unprecedented pace, leading to the daily emergence of new platforms worldwide that enable the creation of deepfakes. Ideally, companies producing such content would implement watermarking or similar technologies to facilitate easy detection. However, there are challenges: technology capable of removing watermarks already exists,” the spokesperson said.
Most technologies for creating deepfakes are also open-source, referring to software that is made freely available and may be redistributed and modified by anybody. Microsoft says this allows for modification or deletion of the watermarking code, “complicating detection efforts.”
The practice of making the source code of large language models (LLMs) available for anyone to examine, copy, and modify has played a critical role in accelerating the development of generative AI technologies. In fact, even big tech companies released versions of their own LLMs to the public.
In July 2023, Meta released an open source version of Llama, its artificial intelligence model. More recently, Google also released Gemma, the open source version of Gemini, its proprietary AI model.
While open sourcing the language model may help make them more transparent and auditable, some experts note that the biggest threat in unsecured AI systems lies in ease of misuse, making these systems “particularly dangerous in the hands of sophisticated threat actors.”
Since even the source code of AI models are now accessible to anybody for them to freely modify, having the capability to trace the source of a particular deepfake becomes very important.
As illustrated above, people behind fakes usually leave traces of who they are when they use digital systems. However, much of the data that could trace accountable actors still reside in platforms. “The greatest challenge of disinformation is not the lies, but in the lack of accountability of those that disseminate the fake information,” Qurium said.
The Swedish group also criticized platforms like Meta and others that profit from it, and allow the disinformation to thrive.
The Microsoft spokesperson acknowledged that the use of deepfakes is “a new and emerging threat,” and that platforms need to do more. “We need to do more at Microsoft, and there are roles for all of industry, government, and others.”
The company said that aside from working with law enforcement, and other legal and technical steps, they’ve also recently “helped move forward an industry initiative to combat the use of deepfakes to deceive voters around the world, and we’ve advocated for legislative frameworks to address AI’s misuse.”
A Meta spokesperson told Rappler via email, “Meta’s Community Standards apply to all content and ads on Facebook, regardless of whether it is created by AI or a person, and we will continue to take action against content that violates our policies. We have removed the reported video for violating our Fraud and Deception policies.”
Whether these measures are enough to address the avalanche of deepfakes, that those fighting disinformation are expecting to deal with more and more in the coming months, remains to be seen.
Days after Microsoft took down the ad promoting ultimainv.website, a new ad popped up again on the platform. The ad linked to a site with the same content as the previously mentioned Rappler impostor site, but on another newly-created domain.
The game of whack-a-mole continues. – Rappler.com
Help us spot suspected deepfakes by emailing dubious content you find on social media to [email protected]
This special report was produced with support from Internews
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It may be a test run for its application in the coming 2025 Philippine Midterm Elections. It will make such an election advantageous to those who have the money to hire those makers of deepfakes—woe to the candidates who cannot afford to hire them.
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Taguig temporarily closes Makati park, citing permit issue | Victor Barreiro Jr. | 3/3/2024 15:10 | Taguig City Facebook page
MANILA, Philippines – The local government of Taguig on Sunday, March 3, announced it had temporarily closed the Makati Park and Garden for operating without a permit.
“The closure is in line with the LGU’s authority under the Local Government Code, jurisprudence, and local ordinances to regulate any business, trade, or activity within the City of Taguig through issuance of a Mayor’s permit after submission of documents and payment of fees and taxes,” Taguig said in a statement.
“Makati Garden and Park has no permits from Taguig City Hall,” it stressed.
The park, which operated under Taguig’s jurisdiction, had been used by Makati City as a “garage for its heavy equipment and storage for various objects.”
Taguig reiterated that has the “right to possess and administer the same notwithstanding Makati’s unlawful possession.”
In a statement on Sunday, the Makati government meanwhile said it received a closure order for the park for not having a business permit. It added that Taguig padlocked the park “trapping Makati employees inside.”
“Should there be violence, it will be blood on Taguig’s hands,” it added.
This was latest development from Makati-Taguig dispute that started due to a jurisdiction issue.
In 2023, the Supreme Court ruled that the EMBO barangays are under Taguig’s jurisdiction.
These 10 barangays are the following:
– Rappler.com
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Results, team standings: UAAP Season 86 volleyball | Jasmine Payo | 5/5/2024 21:02 | ROARING. NU's Bella Belen (left) and Alyssa Solomon react in the UAAP Season 86 women's volleyball finals
UAAP Season 86 Media Team
MANILA, Philippines – The UAAP Season 86 volleyball tournaments reach a tipping point with the men’s and women’s finals!
LOOK: UAAP volleyball championship schedule
Here are the results in the men’s and women’s divisions:
MAY 15
May 11
MAY 8
MAY 5
MAY 4
MAY 8
MAY 5
MAY 4
** – Twice-to-beat* – Final Fourx – Eliminated
APRIL 27
APRIL 24
APRIL 21
APRIL 20
APRIL 17
APRIL 14
APRIL 13
APRIL 10
APRIL 9
APRIL 4
APRIL 3
MARCH 24
MARCH 23
MARCH 20
First round
MARCH 17
MARCH 16
MARCH 13
MARCH 10
MARCH 9
MARCH 6
MARCH 3
MARCH 2
FEBRUARY 28
FEBRUARY 25
FEBRUARY 24
FEBRUARY 21
FEBRUARY 18
FEBRUARY 17
** – Twice-to-beat* – Final Fourx – Eliminated
APRIL 27
APRIL 24
APRIL 21
APRIL 20
APRIL 17
APRIL 14
APRIL 13
APRIL 10
APRIL 9
APRIL 4
APRIL 3
MARCH 24
MARCH 23
MARCH 20
First round
MARCH 17
MARCH 16
MARCH 13
MARCH 10
MARCH 9
MARCH 6
MARCH 3
MARCH 2
FEBRUARY 28
FEBRUARY 25
FEBRUARY 24
FEBRUARY 21
FEBRUARY 18
FEBRUARY 17
– Rappler.com
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Win or lose: Ateneo captain Doromal thanks remaining fans amid lowering attendance | jisaga0269 | 3/3/2024 17:32 | WIN OR LOSE. The Ateneo Blue Eagles huddle after a point in the UAAP Season 86 women's volleyball tournament
UAAP Season 86 Media Team
MANILA, Philippines – Last Saturday, March 2, the La Salle Lady Spikers took on the Ateneo Blue Eagles in their first rivalry showdown of the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball tournament.
Once a must-see showpiece of top-notch skills, the matchup has turned into a one-sided affair in favor of La Salle, which has won 13 straight times stretching over a near seven-year period over Ateneo, including Saturday’s 25-12, 25-22, 25-19 blowout.
And as the equality of competition between the two schools waned, so apparently has the fans’ interest.
Saturday’s match only saw 6,477 fans, and while the number is low by Ateneo-La Salle standards, what’s more noteworthy is that the Lady Spikers’ fans overwhelmingly outnumbered the Blue Eagles’ supporters – around a 90-10 split by the eye test.
The ear test was even worse, with La Salle’s booming kill blocks triggering massive cheers while Ateneo’s valiant efforts were met with soft, scattered applause.
UAAP | HAPPENING NOW:Dying rivalry?La Salle fans overwhelm Ateneo supporters at the half-empty Mall of Asia Arena as the champion Lady Spikers enter their rivalry bout as big favorites against the young Blue Eagles.#UAAPSeason86 pic.twitter.com/8q200dyGeG
This phenomenon, however, does not faze Blue Eagles’ captain Roma Mae Doromal, as she simply thanked fans who stay through thick and thin.
UAAP | WATCH:"Win or lose, it's the school we choose."Amid lowering fan attendance, Ateneo captain Roma Mae Doromal hopes more supporters return to watch the Blue Eagles play, but she is nonetheless fully grateful for those who stay despite the mounting losses.#UAAPSeason86 pic.twitter.com/3vIAy7o4yb
“Of course, we hope that many more fans support us, but we in our team know that we’re not waiting for support to come,” she said in Filipino after the blowout loss.
“Whatever support we get, we’ll accept it wholeheartedly, and of course, we will keep fighting no matter what level of support we get.”
Fight, Ateneo did, as it even threatened La Salle late into the second and third sets – enough for legendary Lady Spikers head coach Ramil de Jesus to acknowledge the young team’s potential despite their recent lack of winning power.
In Ateneo’s glory days, the lyrics “Win or lose, it’s the school we choose” would audibly rock arenas as thousands of fans belted out the Song for Mary school hymn.
Now more than ever, the Blue Eagles could use more fans choosing to support their cause despite the mounting losses.
“This is the Ateneo way,” after all. – Rappler.com
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[ANALYSIS] How the Philippines should pursue relations with Taiwan under William Lai | Marguerite de Leon | 3/3/2024 14:59 | FILE PHOTO: Taiwan's then-Vice President William Lai announces his "National Project of Hope" ahead of the upcoming presidential election in Taipei, Taiwan September 6, 2023.
REUTERS/Ann Wang/File Photo
On January 13, 2024, the people of Taiwan elected William Lai Ching-te to serve as their next president, succeeding current President Tsai Ing-wen, who has served two terms in the position. Lai’s election likely marks continuity in Taipei’s assertive approach to China as well as a friendly approach to Southeast Asia, which Tsai had prioritized through the “New Southbound Policy.” The Philippines stands to benefit from the new Lai administration because a pro-China candidate can only strengthen China’s ability to project its power over the Philippines. President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Romualdez Marcos should also foster closer ties with Taiwan because the New Southbound Policy’s investment thrust may serve the Philippine economy well but also a Taiwan conflict may spill over Luzon.
After Lai won the election, Marcos issued a congratulatory statement, “On behalf of the Filipino people, I congratulate President-elect Lai Ching-te on his election as Taiwan’s next President. We look forward to close collaboration, strengthening mutual interests, fostering peace, and ensuring prosperity for our peoples in the years ahead.”
The short congratulations angered Beijing, resulting in Philippine Ambassador to China Jaime FlorCruz getting summoned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to get chastised for Marcos’ statement. Beijing argued that the two sentences violated the so-called “One China Principle.” The Philippine Ministry of Foreign Affairs refuted Beijing’s claims by reaffirming its One China Principle and stating that the congratulatory remarks was “his way of thanking [Taiwan] for hosting our [Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW)] and holding a successful democratic process.”
Manila somewhat stood its ground in the face of Beijing’s ire. Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro accused Chinese officials of engaging in “low and gutter-level talk” after Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning advised Marcos to “read more books to properly understand the ins and outs of the Taiwan issue.” Senator Risa Hontiveros even called for Manila to “review this so-called One China Policy. China has done far worse things in our territories compared to a congratulatory message to Taiwan.”
Such remarks are not surprising considering the ongoing tensions between Manila and Beijing over the Ayungin Shoal and the BRP Sierra Madre, which is largely characterized by Chinese overreach and aggression against Philippine assets and personnel. Looking forward to Lai’s inauguration in May 2024, what should the Marcos administration do to strengthen the information relationship between Manila and Taipei?
The first item on the list should be which Philippine government official, if any, should attend Lai’s inauguration. Given restrictions on government-to-government interactions between Manila and Taipei due to the former’s One China Principle, the person will likely not be a high-level cabinet official, whose participation would be particularly controversial. And an official from the Marcos administration is unlikely to attend after Marcos himself tried to appease China’s concerns by stating, “We are not endorsing Taiwanese independence. Taiwan is a province of China but the manner in which they will be brought together again is an internal matter.”
No matter what, Manila should be represented at the inauguration. One candidate should be Secretary Fredrick Go, the new Special Assistant to the President for Investments and Economic Affairs with a rank of Secretary. Secretary Go has been a prominent actor in President Marcos’ numerous foreign trips with heads of state. Another could be Secretary of Tourism Christina Frasco, who also spearheads cultural efforts for tourism. Alternatively, the Chairman of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts of the Philippines (NCCA) Victorino Mapa Manalo could be an option. Either of these three officials would fall under the economic and cultural mandate of the unofficial Manila Economic and Cultural Office Philippine Representative Office in Taipei.
If tensions in the disputed seas get worse before May, then Marcos should seriously consider sending a higher-level official whose attendance would carry greater symbolism, such as former foreign secretary and current Special Envoy of the President to the People’s Republic of China for Special Concerns Teddy Locsin Jr. Such an attendee would send a message to Beijing that it does not dictate Philippines-Taiwan relations and that as Manila and Taipei might have more in common when it comes to tensions with China than Beijing is comfortable with.
Lawmakers in Manila should also consider attending. Members of the Senate who have been very vocal against Chinese aggression in the South China Sea and West Philippine Sea would score additional anti-China points by attending Lai’s inauguration. A top candidate for attendance should be Hontiveros since she visited Tsai Ing-wen in Taipei in May 2023. Senator Raffy Tulfo should also consider attending given his role in criticizing the Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines for threatening Overseas Filipino Workers in Taiwan.
It is time for Manila to send a message of support for Taiwan by having a delegation attend Lai’s inauguration. Considering there will be other similar ministers, secretaries, and lawmakers, whoever does attend will not be singled out.
The next thing that Marcos should do is to secure meetings between the head of Manila’s unofficial diplomatic office in Taipei with Lai’s transition team to discuss Taiwan’s economic investments in the Philippines. Such a meeting is regular business for officials in the Taipei office and would not be considered out of the ordinary. Manila should seek clarification on how Lai views the future of Taiwanese investment in the Philippines and his overall economic strategy for engaging with Southeast Asia.
Given the likelihood of continued tensions between Beijing and Taipei under Lai, Marcos should prioritize defense conversations with the Biden administration regarding spillover effects of a Taiwan crisis onto the Philippines. Joint exercises between the two countries’ militaries should seriously practice for related contingencies. Such planning would inform the United States of the capabilities of the Philippines should the worse-case scenario happen in the Taiwan Strait. And such conversations and exercises should be not limited to just engaging with Washington.
With Lai set for the presidency, Manila should fast-track defense arrangements with Tokyo as well as Hanoi, which have already gained momentum. Another four years of the Democratic Progressive Party in power in Taipei and the resulting cross-Strait tensions should further drive Manila and Tokyo together.
These are just a few items for politicians and lawmakers in Manila to consider in coming months before Vice President Lai becomes President Lai. Manila should not fear reprisals from Beijing for engaging with Taipei as the current standoff in the South China Sea has already pitted the two against each other. Instead, Marcos should embrace the new opportunities that a Lai presidency may offer for the Philippines. – Rappler.com
Thomas J. Shattuck is a Senior Program Manager at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perry World House. Thomas Shattuck is a Non-Resident Research Fellow at the Global Taiwan Institute, Non-Resident Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, member of Foreign Policy for America’s NextGen Foreign Policy Initiative, and the Pacific Forum’s Young Leaders Program, where he participated in 2022 US-Philippines Next-Generation Leaders in Security Initiative.
Robin Michael Garcia is president and chief executive officer of WR Advisory Group, an assistant professor in the political economy program at the University of Asia & the Pacific in Manila, Philippines, and a 2023-24 Visiting Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perry World House.
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Thanks to both writers, Professors Thomas Shattuck and Robin Michael Garcia, for their insights. Let us hope that President Marcos Jr. would heed their advice: “Marcos should embrace the new opportunities that a Lai presidency may offer for the Philippines.”
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‘Uncalled for,’ ‘lack of due process:’ UE coach Jerry Yee slams season-long ban | jisaga0269 | 3/3/2024 15:14 | IN THE DARK. UE Lady Warriors head coach Jerry Yee reacts in the UAAP Season 86 women's volleyball tournament
UAAP Season 86 Media Team
MANILA, Philippines – The UAAP rocked the Season 86 women’s volleyball landscape on Sunday, March 3, after it announced a season-long suspension spanning three months on UE Lady Warriors head coach Jerry Yee for “acts that are inconsistent with the purposes of the [UAAP] Association.”
Per a league statement, the complaint was “raised by a member school on account of conduct violative of the purposes of the UAAP – a platform for Member Universities to foster camaraderie and fair play,” concurred by the league Board of Trustees last Thursday, February 29, and handed on Friday, March 1.
Yee, no longer allowed to enter game arenas as set by the suspension’s parameters, met with members of the media in a separate venue to express his disappointment with the verdict.
“I maintain that there was no ethical breach in my decision to accept UE’s head coaching job, because it was a mutual parting of ways for both Adamson and I,” he wrote in a prepared statement.
“It is unfortunate that this career decision of mine has been met with vitriol at the late-onset, borne out of vindictiveness ironically from an institution that prides itself in instilling Catholic virtues and teachings,” he continued, insinuating that the complaint came from Adamson’s side.
Assistant coach Dr. Obet Vital will take over the Lady Warriors for the duration of suspension, or until a favorable decision is met on Yee’s appeal – scheduled for filing on Monday, March 4.
“I met again with Adamson and [sponsor] Akari around the first week of June 2023 to discuss a mutual termination of agreement, and thereafter on June 7, 2023, the school issued a “statement of release” effectively terminating my services as head coach of the Lady Falcons,” Yee’s statement continued.
“While focusing on my teams in the NCAA (CSB) and PVL (Farm Fresh), UE approached and offered me a head coaching job which I accepted on June 21, 2023.”
League representatives have politely declined in issuing further statements or clarifications on the exact nature of Yee’s offenses out of respect for his incoming appeal.
“My dismay with the UAAP board’s decision is merely secondary to the disappointment that I hold in not being able to fulfill my commitment in coaching and mentoring the UE Lady Warriors,” Yee’s statement continued. “Moreover, this decision also unduly deprives me of the right to obtain other sources of living and providing for my family.”
“I think it’s uncalled for and there was no due process,” he continued in a separate interview. “They did not get my side on this and I was surprised that there was something like this.
Yee now hopes his side will be heard as he maintained he was blindsided by the decision and is still in the dark on what he did wrong.
“If they give me an audience, I can speak up,” he continued. “For now, our practices continue.” – Rappler.com
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Results, team standings: UAAP Season 86 volleyball | Jasmine Payo | 5/5/2024 21:02 | ROARING. NU's Bella Belen (left) and Alyssa Solomon react in the UAAP Season 86 women's volleyball finals
UAAP Season 86 Media Team
MANILA, Philippines – The UAAP Season 86 volleyball tournaments reach a tipping point with the men’s and women’s finals!
LOOK: UAAP volleyball championship schedule
Here are the results in the men’s and women’s divisions:
MAY 15
May 11
MAY 8
MAY 5
MAY 4
MAY 8
MAY 5
MAY 4
** – Twice-to-beat* – Final Fourx – Eliminated
APRIL 27
APRIL 24
APRIL 21
APRIL 20
APRIL 17
APRIL 14
APRIL 13
APRIL 10
APRIL 9
APRIL 4
APRIL 3
MARCH 24
MARCH 23
MARCH 20
First round
MARCH 17
MARCH 16
MARCH 13
MARCH 10
MARCH 9
MARCH 6
MARCH 3
MARCH 2
FEBRUARY 28
FEBRUARY 25
FEBRUARY 24
FEBRUARY 21
FEBRUARY 18
FEBRUARY 17
** – Twice-to-beat* – Final Fourx – Eliminated
APRIL 27
APRIL 24
APRIL 21
APRIL 20
APRIL 17
APRIL 14
APRIL 13
APRIL 10
APRIL 9
APRIL 4
APRIL 3
MARCH 24
MARCH 23
MARCH 20
First round
MARCH 17
MARCH 16
MARCH 13
MARCH 10
MARCH 9
MARCH 6
MARCH 3
MARCH 2
FEBRUARY 28
FEBRUARY 25
FEBRUARY 24
FEBRUARY 21
FEBRUARY 18
FEBRUARY 17
– Rappler.com
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Fifth child of farmer in Negros Occidental assumes responsibilities of slain father | Victor Barreiro Jr. | 3/3/2024 11:33 | FAMILY PICTURE. A photo shows the Caramihan family weeks before the family's patriarch (left) was killed in an encounter in Escalante City on February 21.
Photo courtesy of Charlene Caramihan
NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines – Charlene Caramihan, just 23 years old, felt the burden of being a father figure to her younger siblings after her father was killed in an armed encounter in Sitio Mansulao, Barangay Pinapugasan in Escalante City on February 21.
Charlene told Rappler in an interview on Saturday, March 2, that she was still in shock over the untimely passing of her father, whom she described as a kind, caring, and good provider for their family of eight.
She said that following her father’s death, she took on all of his obligations, including caring for her mother, who has heart problems, and her younger sibling, who was admitted to the hospital a month ago.
Charlene added that right after the dreadful killing, they were fearful and left sleepless, believing there might be another encounter that could occur at any moment.
“Wala me tadlong tulog. Wala ko ka skwela og 5 days. Tapos ang pangabuhian namo affected pud kay wala namay mo atiman sa among mga hayop, kag sa among uma,” she said. (We’re unable to sleep. For five days, I was unable to attend school. Our sources of income, such as our farm and the animals my father used to attend to, were also affected.)
Charlene never tried to hide how she felt, saying that even now, she still finds it hard to accept what happened to her father, still asserting that her father became collateral damage of the fighting between the Army’s 79th Infantry Battalion and the New People’s Army (NPA).
Charlene still has faith that justice will be served.
The same pattern of assault occurred in southern Negros Occidental in 2023 when a tricycle driver hired to carry a group of non-combatant rebels was slain in what the military called a legitimate encounter.
Charlene recounted that she had a conversation with her father a few days before his death, in which she counted down the months until she would eventually don academic regalia, symbolizing her college graduation.
“Pa hapit na gd ko graduate pa, gamay na lng makasaka na nka og stage. Eg human pa, mo kuha ko og board exam,” she said. (It’s almost graduation time, Pa. Not too long now, and I get to walk on stage. I’m going to take a board exam after I graduate from college)
Charlene said that when she told her father that he would eventually have a child who would become a teacher, she said that he seemed more delighted than her. She also recalled the moment when her father told her to work harder because she was the family’s only hope.
Even if their current situation was very difficult to deal with, she would look for other means just to realize her promise to her late father – to finish her education look for a decent job, and help her family.
Charlene’s other siblings were no longer in their community as they already had their own families.
When asked if she was frightened to fight for her father’s justice, she said she was more worried about her mother’s and her siblings’ safety, since they might be singled out by those who see their call as a threat.
Even though taking on all of her father’s responsibilities is challenging, she doesn’t see any need to give up; instead, she plans on using her strength to get up and confront what challenges life may bring. – Rappler.com
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How long can you go cashless? Filipinos last for 10 days on average | lkyu0285 | 3/3/2024 10:18 | Shutterstock
MANILA, Philippines – In 2023, the average Filipino still can’t last for two weeks without using physical cash to pay.
Among Filipinos who actually tried to go cashless in 2023, the average number of days that they successfully managed not to use cash was 10 days, according to the findings of the Visa Consumer Payment Attitudes Study 2024.
Most Filipinos believe that they can go at least a week without using physical coins and bills. According to the study, 82% of Filipinos believe they can go cashless for a day, but that number drops to 68% for three days, and just 52% for a week.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise even for those living in the metro. If you’ve ever gone out to buy a snack from a nearby store – only to realize you forgot to bring any cash – you’ll find that you’re left at the mercy of mobile wallets that aren’t always online.
What about for public transportation? For those commuting by jeep, tricycle, or pedicab, it’s practically impossible to use anything other than cold, hard cash.
If you’re using trains, you might have some more luck going cashless. For instance, commuters using the Light Rail Transit Line 1 can buy single journey QR tickets through Maya. Eventually, you might also be able to tap your Mastercard card to pay for your fares in the Metro Rail Transit Line 3, as well as EDSA and Bonifacio Global City buses (READ: You can eventually tap your Mastercard to pay for MRT3, bus fares).
Likewise, Visa country head for the Phililippines Jeff Navarro said that “discussions are in place with the [Department of Transportation] and all other operator-participants” for a similar tap to pay function for Visa cards in transit stations.
Randolph Clet, head of the Department of Transportation’s automatic fare collection system (AFCS), told Rappler that the goal is to go contactless and cashless for transportation “soon” by enabling commuters to pay for fares using bank cards, QR codes, and mobile payments through near-field communications or NFC. For comparison, other Southeast Asian cities, such as Singapore and Bangkok, have had tap-to-pay functions in their trains for several years now.
But although the Philippines may be lagging behind some of its neighbors, Visa’s country head is confident that we’re headed in the right direction.
“[In] Singapore, you can see there that practically everyone is already using mobile pay. Apple Pay is there. Google Pay is there,” Navarro said. “So, they’re very much ahead when it comes to real penetration and usage already.”
“What we’re seeing in Philippines is directionally it’s already going to that place. The momentum is there. We have critical mass in terms of consumers already adopting this new technology,” he added. “We’re really in a good positive place towards going cashless by 2030.”
Filipinos seem optimistic as one in three believe that the Philippines can become cashless by 2030. In fact, plenty are already trying to drop cash. In 2023, 83% of Filipino consumers attempted to go cashless, which actually places the Philippines second in ASEAN. Vietnam (89%) leads the region while Thailand (81%) is third and Malaysia (76%) is fourth. Singapore (67%) places fifth only because many Singaporeans have already fully embraced cashless payments.
The first step to achieving a cashless society would be to have more Filipinos set up transactional accounts that can be used to pay digitally. This could be by bringing them into the formal banking system through bank accounts or by having them set up mobile wallet accounts.
Navarro said that while the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has yet to release official figures, he estimates that close to 70% of Filipinos now have a bank or e-wallet account.
To reach the remaining 30% of “unbanked” Filipinos, the Visa country head said that banks, fintech companies, and even remittance and currency exchange companies must take the lead in creating “products and services that will allow them to be part of that economy.”
There is still the problem of infrastructure. In 2023, the Philippines’ internet penetration rate stood at only 73.1% of the total population, with some geographically-isolated communities having no internet access. The country’s internet speed also trails others in the region (READ: 91% of PH workers believe internet infrastructure needs to improve faster – survey)
“It’s difficult to do a digital payment if there’s no internet, there’s no Wi-Fi, there’s no nothing. So, that has a natural cycle that will fix itself. So, as to when that becomes available, then definitely digital payments becomes part of the community,” Navarro said, adding that Visa is also exploring possible offline payments solutions.
“We’re trying to work with some of our issuers and acquirers to see if we can do something that’s offline. These are very early discussions. There’s still no concrete solution. But it’s really one of those that we want to do because it again supports the national agenda of the government for financial inclusion.”
There is also the problem of digital fraud. Navarro said that over the last five years, Visa as a whole has invested close to $10 billion in terms of improving its fraud, risk, and identity and cybersecurity solutions. That includes having three dedicated cybersecurity centers that monitors transactions 24/7. Visa, along with other financial institutions, have also turned to artificial intelligence in the fight against fraud. (READ: EXPLAINER: What is digital fraud and how do you protect yourself from scams?)
“This has translated to roughly a prevention of $27 – $28 billion in terms of fraud,” Navarro said. “Whatever solutions that we’re implementing [elsewhere] is also the same platform that’s implemented in the Philippines.” – Rappler.com
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Baboy galore! A list of the 300-plus pork dishes that got the Philippines a Guinness World Record | gdecastro0289 | 3/3/2024 12:45 | PRIDE. Guinness World
Records Official Adjudicator Sonia Ushirogochi declares a Philippine record of 313 uniquely prepared pork dishes in one event at the Gateway Mall, Araneta City, Cubao on March 1, 2024.
MANILA, Philippines – Anong ulam? (What’s the viand?)
In the Philippines, chances are the viand for one’s meal is pork or has some pork in it. One of the most popular, of course, is the Philippine dish adobo, which can either be pork adobo or chicken adobo.
Another mouth-watering pork dish, made famous globally by the late Anthony Bourdain, is lechon, which is often served in fiestas and big celebrations.
Pork is so influential in Philippine cuisine that the country made the Guinness World Records for “most varieties of pork dishes on display” in one event. The title was achieved by the National Federation of Hog Farmers Incorporated at the National Hog Festival 2024 held at the Gateway Mall in Araneta City, Quezon City on Friday, March 1. The event seeks to support Filipino hog farmers and highlight Philippine pork cuisine.
“Filipinos are basically pork eaters,” said the Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Hog Industry Roadmap 2022 to 2026.
Pork is the Filipino family’s main source of protein, and is generally preferred over other protein sources such as chicken meat, beef, fish, and legumes.
“The Filipino’s love for pork will remain because of the meat’s versatility as a preferred dish for nearly every memorable event with friends and family,” said Pilmico, a food and agribusiness subsidiary of the Aboitiz Group.
The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD) of the Department of Science and Technology said swine provides around 60% of total animal meat consumption of Fiipinos. Swine production ranks next to rice in terms of total value of agricultural production, it said in a 2016 article.
On the average, Filipinos eat more pork than the world average. The Philippines’ meat consumption in 2021 was around 15 kilograms (kg) per capita compared to the world average of roughly 11 kg per capita.
FAST FACTS: How much meat does the Filipino consume?
Before African Swine Fever (ASF) severely affected the country’s swine industry starting in July 2019, hogs were the number one livestock produced by the country. In 2018, for instance, the country’s hog production was 2.3 million metric tons (MT) followed by chicken at 1.8 million MT.
Roughly 70% of hogs in the Philippines come from backyard or small producers, and 30% come from commercial farms.
Pigs are sold in markets as live animal or as pork. Pork is processed into food such as ham, bacon, and sausages.
The biggest hog producers are Western Visayas (11.8%), Davao Region (10%), Zamboanga Peninsula (9.7%), and Bicol Region (9.5%). These five regions account for 55.8% of production of backyard/small producers.
Commercial hog producers are concentrated in the CALABARZON or Southern Tagalog Region, led by Batangas province.
The Philippines’ average annual inventory of hogs is 12 million heads. However, due mainly to the ASF, total swine inventory was down to 9.86 million heads in September 2023, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
The more than 300 dishes prepared in the National Hog Festival 2024 represent the diversity of Philippine pork cuisine since most of the dishes were local.
Among these are pork sisig, menudo, pochero, pork binagoongan, lechon, pork laing, embotido, pork adobo, pork sinigang, pork kinilaw, bagnet, lechon paksiw, dinuguan, pork tocino, pork morcon, pork dinuguna, pork menudo, pork afritada, picadillo, chicharon, and longganisa.
Among the Chinese pork dishes were siomai, sweet and sour pork, char siew, and dumpling.
Other Asian pork dishes presented were Indonesian Pork Satay, Vietnamese Pork Chop, Thai-style Grilled Pork, and Japan’s Tonkatsu. There were also German pork dishes.
Among the companies, restaurants, and schools that joined the Guinness World Record attempt were: Tunglok Seafood, Chef Laudico Guevarra’s, Mesa, Tim Ho Wan, Pound x Flatterie, Hawker Chan, Lyceum of the Philippines University, Little Chinatown, Perpetual Help College Manila, Robina Farms, Universal Robina, Del Monte, and Cargill Philippines.
A total of 341 dishes were displayed during the Guinness World Record attempt, 28 were disqualified. The total number of pork dishes that made it to the final list is 313.
Rappler obtained a partial list of the over 300 dishes. The list is still incomplete and includes 28 dishes that were disqualified since they were considered duplicates. We will update the list once we get the information. Some of these dishes contain the restaurant’s name.
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PRIMER: Investigations, cases against Apollo Quiboloy | Herbie G | 27/02/2024 18:35 | CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – Senator Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday, February 27, once again called on doomsday preacher Apollo Quiboloy to face his accusers and address the serious allegations raised against him in an ongoing investigation.
Hontiveros made the call just one week before the fourth hearing set by her committee regarding the alleged abuses committed by the Davao-based Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) against its former workers and members.
The senator earlier warned that she would cite Quiboloy in contempt and have him arrested unless he showed up at the March 5 hearing of the Senate committee on women, children, family relations, and gender equality.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Hontiveros said the committee, as it investigates matters in aid of legislation, “has the power to compel the attendance of witnesses, no matter how well-connected they are.”
She said Quiboloy, who styles himself as the “appointed son of God,” is not above the law and the country’s institutions.
“In the past, Cabinet officials, lawmakers, an incumbent Senate president, and even a former president have submitted to Senate subpoenas and appeared as witnesses. His (Quiboloy’s) constitutional rights, like all witnesses, are respected. Pero hindi siya mataas pa sa presidente, sa Senado, at sa batas (But he is not higher than the President, the Senate, and the law),” she said in a statement recorded on video.
Quiboloy has wielded much influence as a religious figure in the country. He has maintained a close friendship and unwavering support for former president Rodrigo Duterte, with their ties dating back to Duterte’s time as mayor of Davao City. Throughout Duterte’s presidency, Quiboloy served as his “spiritual adviser,” cementing their long-standing relationship.
Hontiveros also noted that Quiboloy and his followers called the witnesses who appeared before the Senate committee as cowards for not showing their faces in public, yet the KOJC leader himself declared his intention to disregard the Senate subpoena.
She pointed out that Quiboloy’s accusers have executed affidavits against the preacher and his church associates.
Addressing Quiboloy, Hontiveros said, “Bukas po ang Senado para sa panig ‘nyo. Hinihintay namin kayo (The Senate is open to your side. We are waiting for you).”
The Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Office served the subpoena to Quiboloy, through his lawyer Marie Dinah Tolentino-Fuentes, on February 22, after the preacher ignored invitations to attend three previous hearings at the Senate.
Hontiveros’ committee has been tasked by the Senate to look into allegations of human trafficking, sexual abuse, violence, and other misconduct involving the preacher and his organization.
She can, according to Section 17 of the Senate rules governing the conduct of committee investigations. The authority of Senate committees includes the “power to summon witnesses and take their testimony and to issue subpoena and subpoena duces tecum, signed by its Chairman, or in his absence by the Acting Chairman, and approved by the President.”
“Within Metro Manila, such process shall be served by the Sergeant-at-Arms or his assistant. Outside of Metro Manila, service may be made by the police of a municipality or city, upon request of the Secretary,” reads a clause in the Senate rules.
Section 18 of the Senate rules on panel investigations provides that a “contempt of the Committee shall be deemed a contempt of the Senate.”
The rules also provide that “such witness may be ordered by the Committee to be detained in such place as it may designate under the custody of the Sergeant-at-Arms until he/she agrees to produce the required documents, or to be sworn or to testify, or otherwise purge himself/herself of that contempt.”
Former KOJC members have testified on the alleged abuses of Quiboloy and his church associates before Hontiveros’ committee since the panel started the hearings on January 23.
Their narratives – including that of two Ukrainian women who alleged that Quiboloy sexually abused them in the name of religion – have been consistent with and corroborated by the allegations made also by former KOJC members in the United States against the Davao-based preacher.
Quiboloy and eight of his associates were indicted by a federal grand jury in a US District Court in Santa Ana, California, in 2021.
The 74-page indictment document shows that the preacher and the other accused have been charged with the following crimes:
The indictment papers enumerate 94 overt acts of the preacher and his associates.
The US court ordered Quiboloy and his associates arrested on November 10, 2021. Except for Quiboloy and two others, Teresita Dandan and Helen Panilag, the others either surrendered or were arrested by US authorities, and subsequently bailed out.
The others who have been indicted along with Quiboloy are the following:
At least one of those accused has subsequently agreed to turn state witness against Quiboloy’s group.
On January 31, 2022, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) included Quiboloy, Dandan, and Panilag, among several other fugitives from Mexico and China, in its most wanted list, and published their separate wanted posters on its website.
The FBI’s “most wanted” poster on the KOJC leader reads, “Apollo Carreon Quiboloy, the founder of a Philippines-based church, is wanted for his alleged participation in a labor trafficking scheme that brought church members to the United States, via fraudulently obtained visas, and forced the members to solicit donations for a bogus charity, donations that actually were used to finance church operations and the lavish lifestyles of its leaders.”
On November 3, 2022, Judge Terry Hatter Jr. of the US District Court-Central District of California reset the trial of Quiboloy and his co-accused in Los Angeles from March 21, 2023, to March 19, 2024. Subsequently, in late 2023, the trial was again moved to November 2024.
In the 2022 order, Hatter granted the request of five of the defendants – Salinas, Cabactulan, Duenas, Estopare, and Roces – to be given more time to prepare their defense, based on the US Speedy Trial Act.
Based on the US-Philippines extradition treaty, an extradition request must be made through diplomatic channels.
But nearly three years after the indictment of Quiboloy and his associates, the US has yet to submit a formal extradition request for the preacher, Dandan, and Panilag, according to the Philippine Department of Justice (DOJ).
In late 2022, the US announced sanctions against the KOJC leader through its treasury and state departments, a move that coincided with International Anti-Corruption Day and on the eve of International Human Rights Day.
The sanctions include the following:
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Baboy galore! A list of the 300-plus pork dishes that got the Philippines a Guinness World Record | gdecastro0289 | 3/3/2024 12:45 | PRIDE. Guinness World
Records Official Adjudicator Sonia Ushirogochi declares a Philippine record of 313 uniquely prepared pork dishes in one event at the Gateway Mall, Araneta City, Cubao on March 1, 2024.
MANILA, Philippines – Anong ulam? (What’s the viand?)
In the Philippines, chances are the viand for one’s meal is pork or has some pork in it. One of the most popular, of course, is the Philippine dish adobo, which can either be pork adobo or chicken adobo.
Another mouth-watering pork dish, made famous globally by the late Anthony Bourdain, is lechon, which is often served in fiestas and big celebrations.
Pork is so influential in Philippine cuisine that the country made the Guinness World Records for “most varieties of pork dishes on display” in one event. The title was achieved by the National Federation of Hog Farmers Incorporated at the National Hog Festival 2024 held at the Gateway Mall in Araneta City, Quezon City on Friday, March 1. The event seeks to support Filipino hog farmers and highlight Philippine pork cuisine.
“Filipinos are basically pork eaters,” said the Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Hog Industry Roadmap 2022 to 2026.
Pork is the Filipino family’s main source of protein, and is generally preferred over other protein sources such as chicken meat, beef, fish, and legumes.
“The Filipino’s love for pork will remain because of the meat’s versatility as a preferred dish for nearly every memorable event with friends and family,” said Pilmico, a food and agribusiness subsidiary of the Aboitiz Group.
The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD) of the Department of Science and Technology said swine provides around 60% of total animal meat consumption of Fiipinos. Swine production ranks next to rice in terms of total value of agricultural production, it said in a 2016 article.
On the average, Filipinos eat more pork than the world average. The Philippines’ meat consumption in 2021 was around 15 kilograms (kg) per capita compared to the world average of roughly 11 kg per capita.
FAST FACTS: How much meat does the Filipino consume?
Before African Swine Fever (ASF) severely affected the country’s swine industry starting in July 2019, hogs were the number one livestock produced by the country. In 2018, for instance, the country’s hog production was 2.3 million metric tons (MT) followed by chicken at 1.8 million MT.
Roughly 70% of hogs in the Philippines come from backyard or small producers, and 30% come from commercial farms.
Pigs are sold in markets as live animal or as pork. Pork is processed into food such as ham, bacon, and sausages.
The biggest hog producers are Western Visayas (11.8%), Davao Region (10%), Zamboanga Peninsula (9.7%), and Bicol Region (9.5%). These five regions account for 55.8% of production of backyard/small producers.
Commercial hog producers are concentrated in the CALABARZON or Southern Tagalog Region, led by Batangas province.
The Philippines’ average annual inventory of hogs is 12 million heads. However, due mainly to the ASF, total swine inventory was down to 9.86 million heads in September 2023, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
The more than 300 dishes prepared in the National Hog Festival 2024 represent the diversity of Philippine pork cuisine since most of the dishes were local.
Among these are pork sisig, menudo, pochero, pork binagoongan, lechon, pork laing, embotido, pork adobo, pork sinigang, pork kinilaw, bagnet, lechon paksiw, dinuguan, pork tocino, pork morcon, pork dinuguna, pork menudo, pork afritada, picadillo, chicharon, and longganisa.
Among the Chinese pork dishes were siomai, sweet and sour pork, char siew, and dumpling.
Other Asian pork dishes presented were Indonesian Pork Satay, Vietnamese Pork Chop, Thai-style Grilled Pork, and Japan’s Tonkatsu. There were also German pork dishes.
Among the companies, restaurants, and schools that joined the Guinness World Record attempt were: Tunglok Seafood, Chef Laudico Guevarra’s, Mesa, Tim Ho Wan, Pound x Flatterie, Hawker Chan, Lyceum of the Philippines University, Little Chinatown, Perpetual Help College Manila, Robina Farms, Universal Robina, Del Monte, and Cargill Philippines.
A total of 341 dishes were displayed during the Guinness World Record attempt, 28 were disqualified. The total number of pork dishes that made it to the final list is 313.
Rappler obtained a partial list of the over 300 dishes. The list is still incomplete and includes 28 dishes that were disqualified since they were considered duplicates. We will update the list once we get the information. Some of these dishes contain the restaurant’s name.
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Why reverting to old academic calendar is just a ‘stopgap’ measure | Bonz Magsambol | 2/3/2024 9:00 | FILIPINO STUDENTS. Students and teachers go about regular classes at the General Roxas Elementary School in Quezon City, on February 21, 2024.
Jire Carreon/Rappler
In 2023, over a hundred students of a public school in Laguna were hospitalized due to dehydration after a surprise fire drill.
The school official said the temperature when the fire drill happened on March 23, 2023 was between 39 and 42°C. It was very hot and humid. In a tropical country like the Philippines, where classrooms are not built to withstand extreme heat, conditions are not conducive to learning.
Classes in the Philippines typically begin on the first Monday of June concluding in March, as mandated by Republic Act 7797. But in 2020, this law was amended to accommodate changes in school opening schedules. Classes should start not later than the last day of August, the new law said.
The country made the adjustment due to the impact of the pandemic and the subsequent lockdown in 2020. But even prior to the pandemic, there had been calls to make the academic calendar in the Philippines synchronized with other countries, especially with its Southeast Asian counterparts. Proponents of the shift also said that the months of June and July coincide with the typhoon season, resulting in class disruptions.
Since then, the academic year had shifted to August, meaning, students were now in school from April to May – a time that previously marked their summer vacation in the previous school calendar, and a period when high temperatures were often recorded.
But after a year of full adjustment, public clamor to revert to the old academic calendar intensified. A survey commissioned by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the basic education committee, revealed that 8 in 10 Filipinos want summer breaks back to April and May. This prompted the Department of Education (DepEd) to gradually revert to the old calendar.
“The shift to the school calendar back to the usual April-May break will be gradual. We will end on May 31, but we will open around July 29. And then slowly, we will move it back until we return to the normal April-May break,” DepEd Undersecretary Michael Poa said.
Poa said the decision to revert to the old academic calendar was based on consultations done by DepEd. “This is a decision made by the people,” he added.
The education official said that by school year 2026-2027, schools would open in June and end in April, based on DepEd’s projected timeline. By school year 2027-2028, schools would open in June and end by mid-March.
While the reversal of the academic calendar was welcome news to many, education experts said that it was just another “stopgap” measure. Meanwhile, for critics, it was just another “populist” policy by Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte.
“I think it’s more of a stopgap because DepEd couldn’t address the heat problems in the classrooms, which is the main reason why the public school teachers and students had clamored for the revert,” said education psychologist and University of the Philippines professor Lizamarie Olegario.
Olegario noted that Filipino students suffer from extreme heat in their classrooms because school buildings do not have “enough ventilation.” She enumerated the following issues that need to be addressed instead of reverting to the old calendar.
Classroom shortages had been a problem even before the pandemic. In some schools, 75 to 80 students were packed into one classroom meant for only 40. To make up for the lack of classrooms, class shifting had been implemented to accommodate enrollees every year. (READ: Classroom shortages greet teachers, students in opening of classes)
At a Senate hearing in 2023, it was revealed that DepEd would need P397 billion to address the 159,000 classroom backlog nationwide. Gatchalian also noted that the congestion rate in schools was at 32% for Kinder to Grade 6, 41% in Junior High School, and about 50% in Senior High School.
While electric fans are a common appliance in any Filipino household, there are still classrooms that don’t have them.
At a separate Senate inquiry in 2023, Senator Raffy Tulfo blasted the DepEd for soliciting funds from students – through the Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) – to buy school supplies and appliances such as electric fans for classroom use, as these should be provided by the agency.
There have been calls to “institutionalize” remote or blended learning in Philippine basic education so class suspensions would be lessened in case of typhoons or any natural disasters.
But doing so is not as easy as ABC because access to technology for both teachers and students remains a problem up to this day. Teachers are also not equipped with adequate know-how on how to use technology for learning.
As if the lack of resources for teachers wasn’t enough, the DepEd even got embroiled in a corruption controversy for purchasing “overpriced and outdated” laptops in 2021.
A separate Rappler investigation also revealed that laptops procured by the agency were being resold in markets.
“Since it has been decided that basic education reverts to the old calendar, during the rainy season, the teachers and the students should be equipped to have automatic online learning. There should be no need to wait for announcements from local officials for cancellation of classes,” Olegario said.
In a statement on February 21, the Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) said that with the DepEd’s move to revert to the old academic calendar, the agency should tap local governments to address issues in the education sector, “as many of the concerns can be addressed at the local level.”
“The decision to revert back to the old academic calendar should not be seen as a stopgap measure to address the underlying issues that make the existing school calendar unbearable. To safeguard our children, we need to make sure that classrooms can withstand extreme weather conditions and have transportation support available,” the group said.
In an interview with Rappler on February 28, PBEd executive director Justine Raagas emphasized that the problem in Philippine basic education is not really the academic calendar.
“Regardless of the academic school year, one of the biggest problems is, our classrooms are not conducive for learning. The problem goes beyond the shifting measures. The problem is classrooms can’t withstand typhoons, or classrooms are in very poor conditions that they don’t allow proper ventilation,” Raagas said.
But another issue that cropped up with the reversal to the old academic calendar is the looming long break for senior high school students going to college.
If by school year 2027-2028, basic education in the Philippines would open in June and end in March, that would mean senior high school graduates would have a five-month break before they enter college.
Raagas fears that the long break would result in learning loss, especially since students’ foundational knowledge isn’t strong.
“Learning loss occurs whenever a student is outside the classroom. If you remember in 2020, schools opened late, sometime in October 2020. Even in normal times, where you have two months of summer break, that results in learning loss. That’s why the first few weeks of the start of classes, it’s for catch-up, and review of past lessons,” she noted.
Learning loss, according to the Journal of Education and e-Learning Research, “occurs when students lose knowledge and skills generally or specifically or there is an academic impediment due to prolonged gaps or the discontinuation of the educational process.”
With the recent move by DepEd, should the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) also change its academic calendar? Olegario and Raagas don’t think so.
“For college, it was done because they want to align with international standards and for better partnership. It could stay that way but the basic education should improve,” Raagas said, noting that DepEd should improve its teaching quality so the long break would not result in learning loss.
For Olegario, higher education institutions in the Philippines “do not have problems with ventilation in the classrooms.”
“I’ve never heard of similar issues mentioned by the public school children. I’ve never seen classes that are too cramped, unlike what I saw in some elementary and public high schools,” she added.
CHED has not released any statement yet on the recent move by the DepEd.
The public hopes that the revert to the old academic calendar will benefit students and help in learning recovery.
“If we make the decision, let’s stick to it. It’s not fair that we experiment on schedules at the expense of our students. [Our] children require normalcy and stability in their education,” Raagas said. – Rappler.com
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Golden Sunset: A home for retirees at the foot of Mount Makiling | Steph Arnaldo | 3/3/2024 10:00 | LAGUNA, Philippines – A multimillion-peso retirement facility at the foot of Mount Makiling is mainly for Filipino expatriates, who have returned home for good and are trying to reestablish themselves in their country of birth.
“It’s an assisted living facility,” says Fe Tolentino-Zosa, chief executive officer of Golden Sunset Elderly Home Care Services, the retirement facility, which a group of retired corporate citizens has put up to cater to Filipino retirees who have immigrated elsewhere but chose to return and retire here.
Zosa’s group operates a half-hectare facility beside the campus of the state-owned University of the Philippines (UP) in Los Baños.
Golden Sunset has a more holistic or community-based approach. Zosa stressed that the facility, being community-oriented, converts the residents into a community for quality and effective living.
Zosa said its community-centered orientation empowers the facility to give the residents what she called “assisted living” that centers on personal care, including preventive care and medication, social events, meals, housekeeping, laundry, and keeping track of their needs and requirements for maintenance medication.
Although the Golden Sunset facility falls under the concept of residential care, it should not be mistaken for a nursing home that provides hospice care for the sick and terminally ill, Zosa said. Elderly care emphasizes the social and personal needs of retirees, who wish to age with dignity and grace while requiring assistance for daily activities and healthcare.
It emphasizes the twin virtues of empathy and compassion to its professional staff of caregivers and other hands who attend to Golden Sunset residents. Zosa said she envisioned setting up the facility in memory of her mother Gregoria Tolentino, who died at 96.
She said her mother became a widow at a young age but did not remarry to raise her six children, of which -Zosa is the second to the youngest. Zosa did not have a course related to social work or medical care for the elderly, but she finished BS Accounting, graduating magna cum laude, at the Pontifical University of Santo Tomas (UST).
A CPA, she held various positions related to finance, but established the facility as her way to pay tribute to her mother. She worked in established firms like IBM Phils. And Meralco, where she retired.
Filipinos are known for their devotion to family. Like other Asians, Filipinos generally take care of the elderly in the family. But times are changing. Some families are learning to institutionalize their elderly to the professional care of a nursing home or home for the aged which provides “clinical” or “skilled” care by licensed nurses and therapists.
On the other hand, home care like what Golden Sunset offers provides “non-clinical” or “non-skilled” care by professional caregivers – so the distinction goes, Zosa said.
Zosa said that sometime in early 2000s, she thought of putting up a community-oriented facility for Filipino retirees based abroad, who have decided to return home and settle here for good. It is not easy for them to relocate here even if they have the wherewithal to reestablish themselves back home. When possible, they prefer a community-oriented facility because they can live with their dignity and personal pride intact. Besides, they want to interact with other people.
She cited the cases of returning residents who have chosen to return home for good but their children are based in other countries. These parents do not want to live in the countries where their children live mainly because they could hardly endure the cold weather especially during winter.
She also cited the case of an American national, who has chosen to take residence in the facility, and a Filipino couple who have never been to a foreign country. The facility started operations in 2022 even as it undergoes continued facelift and construction.
Golden Sunset occupies a half-hectare compound. Its uniqueness lies in the extensive vegetation of the area which enables the residents to enjoy a quiet and relaxing environment. Each of its three buildings is subdivided into eight apartment units. The facility has a swimming pool and two gazebos where residents could gather.
One of the structures has a rooftop that can hold bigger social events. The facility also has units where visiting family members can use when stay while there. The cost for the units are not that prohibitive, according to Zosa. Golden Sunset has plans to expand its services as the firm continues to institutionalize its facilities.
The facility employs a number of highly trained caregivers, who have developed the skills to handle senior citizens, including those who seem to be difficult, Zosa said. They are given competitive salaries, which could be a factor why they have chosen to stay in the facility despite the changing dynamics of the caregiving business.
The retirement business, she said, will continue to grow as more retirees of Filipino descent and their partners return to the Philippines to enjoy their retirement here. Moreover, the Filipino culture of hospitality, warmth, and compassion is always a compelling presence.
The lush Mt. Makiling here is proving to be not exclusively for students, artists, academics, and Boy Scout members, but for returning retirees as well. Mt. Makiling is a sanctuary for retirees, who have retreated to the verdant surrounding of this mountain resort to enjoy their twilight years in peace and solitude. – Rappler.com
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How long can you go cashless? Filipinos last for 10 days on average | lkyu0285 | 3/3/2024 10:18 | Shutterstock
MANILA, Philippines – In 2023, the average Filipino still can’t last for two weeks without using physical cash to pay.
Among Filipinos who actually tried to go cashless in 2023, the average number of days that they successfully managed not to use cash was 10 days, according to the findings of the Visa Consumer Payment Attitudes Study 2024.
Most Filipinos believe that they can go at least a week without using physical coins and bills. According to the study, 82% of Filipinos believe they can go cashless for a day, but that number drops to 68% for three days, and just 52% for a week.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise even for those living in the metro. If you’ve ever gone out to buy a snack from a nearby store – only to realize you forgot to bring any cash – you’ll find that you’re left at the mercy of mobile wallets that aren’t always online.
What about for public transportation? For those commuting by jeep, tricycle, or pedicab, it’s practically impossible to use anything other than cold, hard cash.
If you’re using trains, you might have some more luck going cashless. For instance, commuters using the Light Rail Transit Line 1 can buy single journey QR tickets through Maya. Eventually, you might also be able to tap your Mastercard card to pay for your fares in the Metro Rail Transit Line 3, as well as EDSA and Bonifacio Global City buses (READ: You can eventually tap your Mastercard to pay for MRT3, bus fares).
Likewise, Visa country head for the Phililippines Jeff Navarro said that “discussions are in place with the [Department of Transportation] and all other operator-participants” for a similar tap to pay function for Visa cards in transit stations.
Randolph Clet, head of the Department of Transportation’s automatic fare collection system (AFCS), told Rappler that the goal is to go contactless and cashless for transportation “soon” by enabling commuters to pay for fares using bank cards, QR codes, and mobile payments through near-field communications or NFC. For comparison, other Southeast Asian cities, such as Singapore and Bangkok, have had tap-to-pay functions in their trains for several years now.
But although the Philippines may be lagging behind some of its neighbors, Visa’s country head is confident that we’re headed in the right direction.
“[In] Singapore, you can see there that practically everyone is already using mobile pay. Apple Pay is there. Google Pay is there,” Navarro said. “So, they’re very much ahead when it comes to real penetration and usage already.”
“What we’re seeing in Philippines is directionally it’s already going to that place. The momentum is there. We have critical mass in terms of consumers already adopting this new technology,” he added. “We’re really in a good positive place towards going cashless by 2030.”
Filipinos seem optimistic as one in three believe that the Philippines can become cashless by 2030. In fact, plenty are already trying to drop cash. In 2023, 83% of Filipino consumers attempted to go cashless, which actually places the Philippines second in ASEAN. Vietnam (89%) leads the region while Thailand (81%) is third and Malaysia (76%) is fourth. Singapore (67%) places fifth only because many Singaporeans have already fully embraced cashless payments.
The first step to achieving a cashless society would be to have more Filipinos set up transactional accounts that can be used to pay digitally. This could be by bringing them into the formal banking system through bank accounts or by having them set up mobile wallet accounts.
Navarro said that while the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has yet to release official figures, he estimates that close to 70% of Filipinos now have a bank or e-wallet account.
To reach the remaining 30% of “unbanked” Filipinos, the Visa country head said that banks, fintech companies, and even remittance and currency exchange companies must take the lead in creating “products and services that will allow them to be part of that economy.”
There is still the problem of infrastructure. In 2023, the Philippines’ internet penetration rate stood at only 73.1% of the total population, with some geographically-isolated communities having no internet access. The country’s internet speed also trails others in the region (READ: 91% of PH workers believe internet infrastructure needs to improve faster – survey)
“It’s difficult to do a digital payment if there’s no internet, there’s no Wi-Fi, there’s no nothing. So, that has a natural cycle that will fix itself. So, as to when that becomes available, then definitely digital payments becomes part of the community,” Navarro said, adding that Visa is also exploring possible offline payments solutions.
“We’re trying to work with some of our issuers and acquirers to see if we can do something that’s offline. These are very early discussions. There’s still no concrete solution. But it’s really one of those that we want to do because it again supports the national agenda of the government for financial inclusion.”
There is also the problem of digital fraud. Navarro said that over the last five years, Visa as a whole has invested close to $10 billion in terms of improving its fraud, risk, and identity and cybersecurity solutions. That includes having three dedicated cybersecurity centers that monitors transactions 24/7. Visa, along with other financial institutions, have also turned to artificial intelligence in the fight against fraud. (READ: EXPLAINER: What is digital fraud and how do you protect yourself from scams?)
“This has translated to roughly a prevention of $27 – $28 billion in terms of fraud,” Navarro said. “Whatever solutions that we’re implementing [elsewhere] is also the same platform that’s implemented in the Philippines.” – Rappler.com
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Sotto, Ramos crash back to earth as B. League teams suffer blowout losses | Jasmine Payo | 2/3/2024 21:45 | TEAMWORK. Kai Sotto (center) with his Yokohama teammates in the Japan B. League.
Japan B. League
MANILA, Philippines – After helping Gilas Pilipinas go 2-0 in the first window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers, Kai Sotto and Dwight Ramos were sent crashing back to earth as their respective teams suffered blowout losses in the return of Japan B. League action on Saturday, March 2.
Over at the Kawasaki Todoroki Arena, Sotto scored in double figures for the Yokohama B-Corsairs, but his output wasn’t enough as they absorbed an 83-67 defeat at the hands of the Kawasaki Brave Thunders.
The 7-foot-3 Filipino big man shot 5-of-8 from the field and 4-of-4 from the free throw line to finish with 14 points, together with 8 rebounds in 22 minutes and 10 seconds of play.
Sotto is coming off back-to-back double-double performances for Gilas Pilipinas, putting up 13 points and 15 rebounds against Hong Kong last February 22, followed by an 18-point and 10-rebound showing versus Chinese Taipei last February 25.
Prior to the B. League’s three-week FIBA break, Sotto played the finest game of his young professional career as he exploded for 26 points and 11 rebounds in Yokohama’s 90-85 win over the Chiba Jets.
With the loss to Kawasaki, Sotto and the B-Corsairs dropped their record to 17-23.
Elsewhere, the Saga Ballooners handed Ramos and the Levanga Hokkaido an 81-52 beating at the Hokkai Kita-yale.
Ramos, who averaged 10.5 points in his two outings with Gilas Pilipinas, came up with 8 points on 3-of-8 shooting, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block in the lopsided defeat.
Hokkaido fell to its fourth straight loss and slipped further to 12-28 in the standings.
Like Sotto’s Yokohama and Ramos’ Hokkaido, RJ Abarrientos’ Shinshu Brave Warriors (6-34), Thirdy Ravena’s San-En NeoPhoenix (34-6), and Matthew Wright’s Kyoto Hannaryz (12-28) all dropped their assignments on Saturday.
Abarrientos sizzled for a team-high 20 points on 6-of-12 clip from beyond the arc, 1 rebound, 2 assists, and 3 steals in Shinshu’s 94-83 loss to the Fighting Eagles Nagoya at the Nagoya Biwajima Sports Center.
Meanwhile, Ravena registered 14 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 block in San-En’s 107-88 defeat to the defending champion Ryukyu Golden Kings at the Toyohashi City Gymnasium.
Finally, Wright was held to just 5 markers on 1-of-5 shooting, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist as the Kyoto Hannaryz bowed to the Sendai 89ers, 85-72, at the Xebio Arena Sendai.
Ray Parks was the lone Filipino import in Division 1 to pick up a victory on Saturday as his Nagoya Diamond Dolphins (27-13) defeated the Akita Northern Happinets, 72-63, at the Dolphins Arena.
Parks tallied 8 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals in the win. – Rappler.com
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Cast members, show dates: What we know so far about the ‘One More Chance’ musical | Ysa Abad | 29/01/2024 11:40 | MANILA, Philippines – The emotional love story of Popoy and Basha is set to hit the theater stage soon as the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) announced the cast members and show dates for the highly-anticipated theater adaptation of the Filipino classic hugot movie One More Chance.
On Sunday, January 28, PETA unveiled the cast lineup. Sam Concepcion and CJ Navato will alternately play the role of Popoy while Anna Luna and Nicole Omillo will be alternating in the character of Basha.
John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo played the role of Popoy and Basha, respectively, in the 2007 movie.
Joining them are Kiara Takahashi and Sheena Belarmina, who will share the character of Tricia, and Jeff Florez and Jay Gonzaga, who will alternately play Mark.
Other cast members include Ada Tayao and Rica Laguardia as Krissy, Poppert Bernadas and Paji Arceo as Kenneth, Via Antonio and Dippy Arceo as Anj, Johnnie Moran as Chinno, and Jon Abella as JP. Details for each character were listed in the casting brief provided by PETA during their auditions.
The musical, which will also feature music from the OPM folk pop band Ben&Ben, will run from April 12 to June 16 at the PETA Theater Center. Final time slots have yet to be announced.
As of writing, ticket prices and selling dates are still yet to be disclosed.
Directed by Cathy Garcia-Molina, One More Chance follows college sweethearts Popoy and Basha on the verge of a breakup after five years of being together. The film was released in November 2007, while its sequel A Second Chance was released in November 2015.
It was in October 2023 when PETA first announced that they were adapting the Filipino classic into a musical. The theater adaptation will be the latest of PETA’s stagings, following Rak of Aegis, Three Stars and a Sun, and Walang Aray. – Rappler.com
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‘Not their time yet’: De Jesus keeps Ateneo respect high amid La Salle 13-game win streak | jisaga0269 | 2/3/2024 20:39 | NO SETS OFF. The Ateneo Blue Eagles and La Salle head coach Ramil de Jesus react in the UAAP Season 86 women's volleyball tournament
UAAP Season 86 Media Team
MANILA, Philippines – No lucky breaks, just hard work.
Amid his legendary 27-year career, 12-time UAAP champion coach Ramil de Jesus was never one to underestimate any opponent of his La Salle Lady Spikers, and he is not keen to start now.
After the defending champions imposed their height and skill for the 13th straight time against longtime rival Ateneo on Saturday, March 2, De Jesus maintained that the Blue Eagles are not a team to be disregarded despite lagging near the bottom of the standings to kick off Season 86.
“I’m not looking at the numbers,” the iconic mentor said in Filipino after La Salle hosted a one-sided block party over Ateneo to the tune of a 25-12, 25-22, 25-19 sweep, extending a near seven-year streak dating back to Season 79.
“Whoever comes before us, we’ll prepare for them, whether it’s Ateneo, UST, FEU. All schools are big games for us. If it just so happened that our winning tradition against Ateneo is already that long, maybe it’s just not their time yet to win against us.”
Indeed, the talent difference was quite obvious from the get-go, but La Salle still made it a point to play its best from buzzer to buzzer.
Thea Gagate led the towering Lady Spikers defense as usual with 15 points on 9 attacks, a season-high 5 blocks, and 1 ace, while Shevana Laput bounced back from a long benching against UST with 13 points.
Reigning MVP Angel Canino, following a 28-point effort in the five-set shock loss to the Golden Tigresses, took a backseat with 10 points as she let her teammates shine with 12 blocks against Ateneo.
“Actually, Ateneo is very promising,” De Jesus continued. “You cannot joke around them. You need to prepare every set and give them respect, even though they are young.”
Sure enough, the Blue Eagles have intriguing pieces despite what is currently another losing season.
Lyann De Guzman, who erupted for 24 points, 18 excellent receptions, and 11 excellent digs in a five-set, reverse sweep of UP, followed up with 15 on 13 spikes, 1 block, and 1 ace against La Salle.
Sobe Buena, though limited to 5 points against the Lady Spikers, still showed big promise with 18 in her last outing.
This iteration of the Blue Eagles is no doubt a far cry from the Ateneo’s best rosters in its title-winning glory years, but the talent is still there.
Maybe it will not happen today or in the next few years, but the Eagles will one day soar again. Even their most heated rivals know it. – Rappler.com
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Fresh from pair of blowouts, Gilas Pilipinas climbs 1 spot in FIBA world rankings | delfin.dioquino editor | 2/3/2024 16:43 | CELEBRATE. Kai Sotto in action for Gilas Pilipinas in the 2024 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers.
FIBA
MANILA, Philippines – Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas president Al Panlilio hopes to see the day Gilas Pilipinas becomes a top 20 team in the world.
The Nationals gained ground in that quest as it improved one spot in the latest FIBA world rankings, climbing from 38th to 37th place.
Fresh from a sweep of the first window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers where it clobbered Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei by a combined 83 points, the Philippines leapfrogged African nation Nigeria for the 37th spot.
Despite the rise, Gilas Pilipinas still remained the eighth-highest ranked team in Asia-Oceania behind No. 5 Australia, No. 21 New Zealand, No. 26 Japan, No. 27 Iran, No. 28 Lebanon, No. 29 China, and No. 32 Jordan.
Only Australia made a movement after ceding the fourth spot to Serbia as the rest stayed at their respective spots.
World No. 1 USA, No. 2 Spain, and No. 3 Germany kept their places, while Latvia enjoyed the biggest jump among the top 10 teams, improving from No. 8 to No. 6 by surpassing Americas powerhouses Canada and Argentina.
Canada and Argentina fell to No. 7 and 8, respectively, followed by No. 9 France and No. 10 Lithuania to round out the top 10.
The Latvians’ ascent spells trouble for the Filipinos ahead of their clash in the Riga, Latvia leg of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in July.
Aside from Latvia, the Philippines will also face Georgia, which remained at No. 23. – Rappler.com
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Channeling intense emotions with Filipina artist Laki Mata | jreyes0314 | 2/3/2024 22:46 | Laki Mata
MANILA, Philippines – During her childhood, Filipina artist Laki Mata was always surrounded by art. Her father – a puppet and mascot maker – would regularly hold art workshops during the summer, and she would sit in and follow along with whatever he was teaching his students. It was only natural, then, that she would later grow up to be an artist herself.
Determined to act on her affinity for art, Laki Mata took up Fine Arts in college. But she found herself unsatisfied with the type of work she was doing in the classroom.
“‘Yung practice doon, mataas ‘yung standards. Kailangan mala-Picasso or realist. Pagdadaanan mo ‘yung steps na ‘yun e, so nagco-comply ako doon. Pero hindi ako satisfied sa mga ginagawa ko, kaya doon nadevelop si Laki Mata,“ she said.
(The standards were high in the [Fine Arts] practice. Your art had to either be similar to Picasso’s or be realist. You’ll be made to go through those steps, so I complied. But I wasn’t satisfied with what I was doing, so that’s how Laki Mata was developed.)
Besides now being her artist name, Laki Mata is known as the big-eyed, nude female character that is always painted with different shades of pink.
The character Laki Mata – which translates to “big eyes” in English – was inspired by the artist’s younger sister named Baburoo.
A post shared by Laki Mata (@_lakimata)
“Kaya gano’n ‘yung art style [ni Laki Mata] kasi [nung] high school ako, nagkaroon ng baby ‘yung mama ko. Bunso namin siya. Ang pangalan niya Baburoo. Nung college ako, ‘yung drawings ko, Baburoo ang tawag nila kasi ‘yung kapatid ko na ‘yun, ang laki-laki ng mata niya!“ Laki Mata explained, smiling as she recalled her character’s origins.
(The reason why Laki Mata’s art style is the way it is is because my mom had a baby when I was in high school. She’s our youngest, and her name is Baburoo. When I was in college, people would call my drawings Baburoo because she had such big eyes!)
Beyond Laki Mata’s remarkably big eyes and notable pink hues, however, the character being fully naked tells a deeper story of its own.
A post shared by Laki Mata (@_lakimata)
“I’m painting a world where emotions, vulnerability, and feelings exist. For me, kaya wala silang damit kasi ‘yun ‘yung nag-ga-ground sa atin sa reality. Paano ba mag-paint ng titser? Naka-uniform. Paano mo ipapakita na bata siya? Naka-baby doll dress ba siya? So, sa akin, hinubaran ko ‘yung character para maipakita ko kung sino talaga siya,“ Laki Mata explained.
(For me, the reason why they’re naked is because clothes are what ground us in reality. How do you paint a teacher? In uniform. How do you show that someone’s a child? Do you put them in a baby doll dress? So, for me, I strip my character of its clothing to show who she really is.)
Being in a conservative country like the Philippines, however, it’s always been a common occurrence for the young artist to receive flak for her work. During her past art market stints, she would even get told that she should not be allowed to sell her work there because her character’s breasts were visible.
Nevertheless, Laki Mata stands her ground. She is well aware of the intentions behind her art anyway, so she merely brushes off these comments whenever they come her way.
Browsing through Laki Mata’s paintings, it’s easy to see that the character channels a wide range of emotions each time – including the ones that are often frowned upon when it’s a woman displaying them.
A post shared by Laki Mata (@_lakimata)
It’s common for women to be made to suppress their emotions out of fear of appearing “unladylike.” And so, when a woman expresses rage or sadness, she is often met with looks of pure judgment.
For Laki Mata, who takes inspiration from strong female creatives like Frida Kahlo and Soraya Chemaly, it’s the same in the realm of art, where the presence of intense emotions in paintings is outwardly looked down upon.
“Sa art scene natin, takot tayong idiscuss ‘yun dahil maaaring masyado siyang focused sa female e. [Sinasabi nila]: ‘Paano ‘yan bibilhin ng iba? Hindi siya pangbenta kasi ‘pag ididisplay ko ‘yan, galit, parang malas,'” Laki Mata shared.
(In our art scene, we’re scared to discuss that because it’s too focused on females. They would say: “How could anyone buy that? This can’t be sold because when it’s displayed, it seems angry, like it’s bad luck.”)
But Laki Mata is here to challenge that. Through her work, she shows that there’s nothing wrong with feeling the way we feel. After all, it is our emotions that make us human.
A post shared by Laki Mata (@_lakimata)
“As females, ‘di ba nahubog tayo sa world na ang mga emosyon natin ay dapat isinasantabi. Kapag nilabas mo ‘yan, magiging uncomfortable ‘yung nasa paligid natin, so dapat tinatago ‘yan. Pero ‘yung totoo, natatakot lang sila at nile-label-an nila ‘yung mga gano’ng bagay to control us,” she said.
(As females, we were born into a world where we are taught to suppress our emotions. When you express them, the people around you will get uncomfortable, so you have to hide them. But in reality, they’re just scared, so they label things like that to control us.)
Laki Mata’s two solo exhibits “Soft Pink Feelings” and “She Rage” are testaments to these sentiments.
“Soft Pink Feelings” takes on her theory that we were once all emotionless celestial beings made to go down to earth to experience all these different emotions in a blip – and it’s up to you if you’ll agree to it. The paintings from this collection depict Laki Mata doing what she can to get through these feelings, like hugging a teddy bear or drinking alcohol throughout her fits of sadness, and wielding a knife as she navigates her anger.
A post shared by Laki Mata (@_lakimata)
“Ikaw na pumayag, ito ‘yung emotions, hindi ka makakapili diyan e – dadaanan mo ‘yan. Pero hindi ikaw ‘yung emotions mo, dumadaan lang siya, kasi ‘yun ‘yung nararamdaman mo,” she explained.
(You agreed, so these are the emotions, but you won’t be able to choose which ones you’ll feel – you’ll go through them. But you aren’t your emotions, they’re just passing by, because that’s what you’re feeling.)
The concept behind “She Rage” then stemmed from Laki Mata’s idea from “Soft Pink Feelings” that we feel certain emotions – like rage – intensely.
“Minsan, sinasabihan tayo na parang monstrous ‘yun at masama ilabas ‘yung gano’ng mga emotion (Sometimes, we’re told that it’s monstrous and bad to express these emotions),” Laki Mata said.
And that’s exactly what the pieces included in “She Rage” attempt to fight against. In these paintings, Laki Mata takes ownership of her rage and acts on it – even if it means being met with disapproval from those around her.
A post shared by Laki Mata (@_lakimata)
And so, while Laki Mata started as a way for the artist to chart her life from girlhood to womanhood, it has aptly transformed into a symbol of comfort for all women.
“Sobrang lawak na ng mundo ni Laki Mata. It represents all girls na. Hindi lang story ko ‘yung nate-tell ko, pati na rin ‘yung mga nakikita ko, mga na-o-observe ko, pati ‘yung mga nakukuwento sa akin (Laki Mata’s world is so big now. It represents all girls already. It is no longer just my story I’m telling now but also those of what I see, what I observe, and what is shared with me),” Laki Mata stated. – Rappler.com
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‘Unselfish’ Meralco nails maiden win in Philippine Cup | delfin.dioquino editor | 2/3/2024 23:34 | GUNNER. Allein Maliksi in action for the Meralco Bolts in the 2024 PBA Philippine Cup.
PBA Images
MANILA, Philippines – Meralco standout Bong Quinto wanted to defer his Best Player of the Game honors to teammate Allein Maliksi.
That is the kind of unselfishness the Bolts are trying to foster as Meralco banked on a balanced attack in its 121-117 overtime victory over Rain or Shine in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum on Saturday, March 2.
Six players finished in twin-digit scoring for the Bolts led by Maliksi, who churned out 26 points and 7 rebounds off the bench.
It was Quinto, though, who bagged the Best Player of the Game award on the back of an all-around performance of 16 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 block, and 1 steal.
“Bong said Allein should have been the Best Player. It just goes to show how unselfish he is,” said Meralco head coach Luigi Trillo.
“That is about us. When we have a lot of guys scoring in double figures, most of the time, you see the unselfishness from these guys.”
Maliksi and Quinto joined hands in overtime as they netted 7 points each in the extra period to tow the Bolts to their first win after their comeback fell short against Blackwater in their conference-opener last February 28.
Setting the tone in overtime, Quinto scored the first 7 points for a 109-104 lead before Maliksi finished it off, sinking the free throw that made it a two-possession lead with under 10 ticks left to keep the Elasto Painters at bay.
Chris Newsome put up 16 points and 11 rebounds before he fouled out late in the fourth quarter, Cliff Hodge posted 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists, while Norbert Torres added 16 points and 9 rebounds in the win.
Anjo Caram gave Meralco an extra scoring punch, scattering 11 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter.
“Newsome fouled out and the other guys stepped up. Next man up,” said Trillo.
Rookie guard Adrian Nocum took over for Rain or Shine with a season-high 29 points as he almost single-handedly towed his side to another extra period with 13 big points in overtime.
Nocum completed an and-one to cut their deficit to 117-120 with 14 seconds remaining, but the Bolts escaped as Maliksi settled the final score with a foul shot.
Leonard Santillan backstopped Nocum with 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists, while Gian Mamuyac recorded 15 points.
The Elasto Painters slipped to 0-2 after bungling a prime chance to win it all in regulation, with Andrei Caracut missing a game-winning reverse layup.
Meralco 121 – Maliksi 26, Newsome 16, Quinto 16, Torres 16, Hodge 16, Caram 13, Black 6, Pascual 5, Mendoza 4, Rios 2, Pasaol 1, Banchero 0, Jose 0.
Rain or Shine 117 – Nocum 29, Santillan 25, Mamuyac 15, Belga 9, Datu 9, Clarito 9, Caracut 8, Norwood 6, Belo 3, Borboran 2, Demusis 2, Ildefonso 0
Quarters: 28-20, 49-42, 80-77, 102-102 (reg.), 121-117 (OT).
– Rappler.com
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William Navarro believes NorthPort capable of reaching PBA finals | delfin.dioquino editor | 2/3/2024 21:19 | PASS. William Navarro in action for the NorthPort Batang Pier in the 2024 PBA Philippine Cup.
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MANILA, Philippines – Comebacking NorthPort forward William Navarro believes this current Batang Pier group has what it takes to accomplish what has not been done in franchise history.
Navarro is convinced NorthPort can go all the way to the finals even after the team opened the PBA Philippine Cup with a 107-100 overtime loss to NLEX on Friday, March 1.
The return of Navarro from a knee injury and the entry of rookie Zavier Lucero have provided the Batang Pier additional firepower in their bid to make a splash after failing to make it past the quarterfinals in each of the last seven conferences.
NorthPort made the semifinals just twice in franchise history: the 2015-2016 Philippine Cup and 2019 Governors’ Cup.
“I see great potential in our team. We’re tall and we can all play the running game,” said Navarro in a mix of Filipino and English.
“For me, this team can reach the finals, as long as we can be more sure of what we’re trying to do within our system.”
Back in PBA action after missing the last two conferences, the 6-foot-6 Navarro delivered for the Batang Pier with a double-double of 12 points and 13 rebounds to go with 2 blocks.
Meanwhile, 6-foot-6 Lucero finished with 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 blocks in his debut for NorthPort after also being sidelined by a knee injury.
The two form a dangerous triumvirate of talented forwards alongside 6-foot-5 Arvin Tolentino, who showed the way in the loss with 29 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks.
For Navarro, the Batang Pier only have to develop better chemistry and minimize their errors in order to contend with the heavyweights of the league.
“We just need to jell as a team and polish our connection with each other,” said Navarro.
The fact that NorthPort gave the Road Warriors a run for their money by forcing an extra period gives Navarro a sign of good things to come.
“I’m not sad. We fought until the end. You can see that there is something special in this group.” – Rappler.com
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Rondina proud to see ex-UST sidekick Laure grow in pros | Jasmine Payo | 2/3/2024 22:57 | FACE-OFF. Sisi Rondina (left) and Eya Laure both take the court again, but this time on opposite sides.
PVL IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines — In a showdown of former UST teammates Sisi Rondina and Eya Laure, it was the “Cherry Bomb” who prevailed in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) on Saturday, March 2, at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig.
Rondina came out in her usual explosive self, pumping in a game-high 23 points and 13 excellent receptions to power Choco Mucho to a 25-9, 25-23, 20-25, 25-17 triumph against Chery Tiggo for the solo lead.
But Rondina remained humble, even heaping praise to her talented collegiate teammate turned professional foe.
Laure proved to be a key cog despite the loss, firing 13 points, just behind team top scorer Ara Galang’s 14.
“[Laure] has grown professionally as a player, I see in her how she has grown under coach Kung Fu (Reyes), and I am proud of how powerful her hit was (in our game),” Rondina said in Filipino after the game.
“I hope she learns a lot, and I’m praying for her success in volleyball,” she added.
The two donned black and gold at the same time for just one season — UAAP Season 81 in 2019, where Rondina bagged the Most Valuable Player and Laure the Rookie of the Year honors.
With their leadership, UST reached the UAAP finals and even went up 1-0 against Ateneo before Laure suffered an injury as the Tigresses yielded the crown in three games.
After Rondina graduated, Laure played for three more seasons and became the dominant leader of UST, but was never able to replicate the team’s success.
Rondina, though, expects to see more of Laure unleashing the numbers as the PVL season goes along.
While Choco Mucho needed four sets to dispose of Chery TIggo, the Petro Gazz Angels only needed 89 minutes to dispatch the PLDT High Speed Hitters, 25-16, 25-23, 25-21, behind Brooke Van Sickle‘s 23 points.
Van Sickle battled for the first time against Fil-Canadian Savi Davison, who ended up with 19 markers, with the High Speed Hitters losing their first game in three tries.
“I expected her to make points and she’s a fantastic player, she’s very physical, jumps high, hits extremely hard,” Van Sickle said of Davison after the game as her Angels improved to 2-1.
“I thought just even beyond her offensive game, I thought her defensive, even passing, was really well, she had a really good all-around game.”
“So it was it was super fun to play against her. And yeah, like, you know, we’re gonna build that friendship… So I’m super excited for that,” the American hitter added.
In the first game, the Cignal HD Spikers waylaid the Galeries Tower Highrisers in straight sets, 25-14, 25-16, 25-17.
Ces Molina uncorked 14 points as the team remained undefeated at 2-0, while Galeries Tower got bunched up at the tail end of the standings at 0-2. — Rappler.com
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Filipinos nabbed over corpses in Tokyo face ‘murder’ probe | Jairo Bolledo | 2/3/2024 21:02 | Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – The two Filipinos recently arrested over alleged abandonment of corpses in Tokyo, Japan, are facing investigation for alleged murder, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed.
DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega confirmed to Rappler that the two Filipinos earlier identified as Bryan Jefferson Lising dela Cruz, 34, and Hazel Ann Baguisa Morales, 30, were now being investigated for alleged murder.
“We will see in [the] next few weeks what will be the final charges to be filed against them. The embassy is in touch with the authorities. We are ready to continue providing assistance,” the DFA official told Rappler.
Japan Today reported warrants of arrest were served against the two on Friday, March 1. De Vega said the alleged murder was a separate case from the earlier accusations against the two.
The two Filipinos made headlines after they were arrested in late January after they were accused of allegedly abandoning the corpses of a Japanese couple who had gone missing. The corpses of Norihiro Takahashi, 55, and his wife Kimie, 52, were discovered with stab wounds inside their home.
Dela Cruz and Morales were arrested almost a week apart. While Morales denied all her involvement in the alleged crime, Japanese police reported that Dela Cruz “admitted to the allegations” or abandoning the bodies.
Japanese media reported that Morales was in a relationship with the victims’ son. Japan Today reported that Morales and Dela Cruz “likely knew each other” while in the Philippines.
Under Japan’s Penal Code, which punishes criminal offenses, a person who “damages, abandons or unlawfully possesses a corpse, the ashes, or hair of a dead person, or an object placed in a coffin” could be imprisoned for a maximum of three years if found guilty. – with reports from Bea Cupin/Rappler.com
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SC disbars ex-Customs official over ‘fake’ sale of seized vehicle | Jairo Bolledo | 2/3/2024 17:47 | HIGH COURT. File photo of the Supreme Court in Padre Faura, Manila, taken on December 5, 2023.
Angie de Silva/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – The Supreme Court (SC) moved to disbar a former official of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) after he was found to have used his influence “in an elaborate scheme of pretending to sell a vehicle confiscated by the Bureau.”
In a decision published this week, the SC said it had disbarred lawyer Jorge Monroy after he was found guilty of violating canon II, sections 1, 2, and 28 of the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability – the new code of conduct governing lawyers. The High Court said Monroy “falsely represented” that his position as Director III in the BOC’s financial services unit had the power to sell vehicles confiscated by the bureau.
Disbarment means Monroy can no longer practice law and his name will be removed from the Roll of Attorneys. He was also ordered to pay a P20,000 fine for disobeying the orders of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines to respond to the allegations against him in the disbarment case.
The High Court said being a lawyer is a privilege with continuing requirements. If a lawyer cannot sustain the high degree of moral character expected from members of the Bar, the High Court has the power to suspend or withdraw such privilege.
In explaining why Monroy was found guilty, the SC said the BOC official had the transaction inside his office and even used his staff to gain the complainant’s trust. The SC added that the totality of evidence proved that Monroy failed to maintain the high moral standards of lawyers.
“The Court held that Monroy’s blatant violation of the law, as shown by his conviction by the Sandiganbayan, his lack of remorse when complainant repeatedly begged him to return her money, and his futile attempt to use an unknown employee of the BOC as a scapegoat all demonstrate his unfitness to continue in the practice of law,” the SC said.
Almost 24 years ago, in July 2000, Monroy asked Julieta Co, the complainant, to buy a seized Toyota Land Cruiser for P1.4 million. The BOC official said the transaction was legal and that receipts would be issued, so Co trusted Monroy because he was also Co’s family friend.
On July 18 of the same year, Co gave Monroy a check amounting to P150,000. After three days, Monroy said the vehicle was ready for delivery. Later, the complainant prepared a check amounting to P1,250,000 to pay the remaining balance, but the lawyer insisted on receiving the payment in cash. Monroy received the money in his office.
In different occasions, Monroy stalled the delivery of the vehicle and even made an excuse that a person from the Department of Finance has yet to sign the documents before the vehicle could be released. When the complainant returned to Monroy’s office after some time, the then-Customs official said the vehicle could no longer be released to Co because someone allegedly ran off with the money.
Monroy promised to return the money. As Co kept on demanding for her money, the former Customs official kept on avoiding her. This pushed the complainant to file disbarment and criminal complaints against the official.
Co filed two criminal complaints against Monroy: one for violation of section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and another for estafa under the Revised Penal Code. Later on, the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan found Monroy guilty of both criminal charges.
Despite the presence of a warrant of arrest, Monroy remained at large, the SC said. – Rappler.com
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This news made me both happy and angry. Firstly, it made me happy because punishment has been meted out against someone unfit to continue being a lawyer. Secondly, it made me angry because of the duration of the case’s resolution (24 years?). In addition, while a BOC Customs Lawyer was disbarred because of such a “fake sale,” yet nobody looked into the behavior of a former President who is also a lawyer—for example, his death threats, his call for Mindanao’s secession, hiring of a Chinese citizen as Presidential adviser, etc. Because of this, it seems unfair to the disbarred BOC official – just because he was not the President of our country.
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Sotto, Ramos crash back to earth as B. League teams suffer blowout losses | Jasmine Payo | 2/3/2024 21:45 | TEAMWORK. Kai Sotto (center) with his Yokohama teammates in the Japan B. League.
Japan B. League
MANILA, Philippines – After helping Gilas Pilipinas go 2-0 in the first window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers, Kai Sotto and Dwight Ramos were sent crashing back to earth as their respective teams suffered blowout losses in the return of Japan B. League action on Saturday, March 2.
Over at the Kawasaki Todoroki Arena, Sotto scored in double figures for the Yokohama B-Corsairs, but his output wasn’t enough as they absorbed an 83-67 defeat at the hands of the Kawasaki Brave Thunders.
The 7-foot-3 Filipino big man shot 5-of-8 from the field and 4-of-4 from the free throw line to finish with 14 points, together with 8 rebounds in 22 minutes and 10 seconds of play.
Sotto is coming off back-to-back double-double performances for Gilas Pilipinas, putting up 13 points and 15 rebounds against Hong Kong last February 22, followed by an 18-point and 10-rebound showing versus Chinese Taipei last February 25.
Prior to the B. League’s three-week FIBA break, Sotto played the finest game of his young professional career as he exploded for 26 points and 11 rebounds in Yokohama’s 90-85 win over the Chiba Jets.
With the loss to Kawasaki, Sotto and the B-Corsairs dropped their record to 17-23.
Elsewhere, the Saga Ballooners handed Ramos and the Levanga Hokkaido an 81-52 beating at the Hokkai Kita-yale.
Ramos, who averaged 10.5 points in his two outings with Gilas Pilipinas, came up with 8 points on 3-of-8 shooting, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block in the lopsided defeat.
Hokkaido fell to its fourth straight loss and slipped further to 12-28 in the standings.
Like Sotto’s Yokohama and Ramos’ Hokkaido, RJ Abarrientos’ Shinshu Brave Warriors (6-34), Thirdy Ravena’s San-En NeoPhoenix (34-6), and Matthew Wright’s Kyoto Hannaryz (12-28) all dropped their assignments on Saturday.
Abarrientos sizzled for a team-high 20 points on 6-of-12 clip from beyond the arc, 1 rebound, 2 assists, and 3 steals in Shinshu’s 94-83 loss to the Fighting Eagles Nagoya at the Nagoya Biwajima Sports Center.
Meanwhile, Ravena registered 14 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 block in San-En’s 107-88 defeat to the defending champion Ryukyu Golden Kings at the Toyohashi City Gymnasium.
Finally, Wright was held to just 5 markers on 1-of-5 shooting, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist as the Kyoto Hannaryz bowed to the Sendai 89ers, 85-72, at the Xebio Arena Sendai.
Ray Parks was the lone Filipino import in Division 1 to pick up a victory on Saturday as his Nagoya Diamond Dolphins (27-13) defeated the Akita Northern Happinets, 72-63, at the Dolphins Arena.
Parks tallied 8 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals in the win. – Rappler.com
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Results, team standings: UAAP Season 86 volleyball | Jasmine Payo | 5/5/2024 21:02 | ROARING. NU's Bella Belen (left) and Alyssa Solomon react in the UAAP Season 86 women's volleyball finals
UAAP Season 86 Media Team
MANILA, Philippines – The UAAP Season 86 volleyball tournaments reach a tipping point with the men’s and women’s finals!
LOOK: UAAP volleyball championship schedule
Here are the results in the men’s and women’s divisions:
MAY 15
May 11
MAY 8
MAY 5
MAY 4
MAY 8
MAY 5
MAY 4
** – Twice-to-beat* – Final Fourx – Eliminated
APRIL 27
APRIL 24
APRIL 21
APRIL 20
APRIL 17
APRIL 14
APRIL 13
APRIL 10
APRIL 9
APRIL 4
APRIL 3
MARCH 24
MARCH 23
MARCH 20
First round
MARCH 17
MARCH 16
MARCH 13
MARCH 10
MARCH 9
MARCH 6
MARCH 3
MARCH 2
FEBRUARY 28
FEBRUARY 25
FEBRUARY 24
FEBRUARY 21
FEBRUARY 18
FEBRUARY 17
** – Twice-to-beat* – Final Fourx – Eliminated
APRIL 27
APRIL 24
APRIL 21
APRIL 20
APRIL 17
APRIL 14
APRIL 13
APRIL 10
APRIL 9
APRIL 4
APRIL 3
MARCH 24
MARCH 23
MARCH 20
First round
MARCH 17
MARCH 16
MARCH 13
MARCH 10
MARCH 9
MARCH 6
MARCH 3
MARCH 2
FEBRUARY 28
FEBRUARY 25
FEBRUARY 24
FEBRUARY 21
FEBRUARY 18
FEBRUARY 17
– Rappler.com
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LOOK: ‘House of Paintings’ in Negros Occidental seen as creative tourism booster | Mia Gonzalez | 2/3/2024 14:47 | ARTISTS AT WORK. Budding artists work on a mural outside the House of Paintings of the Cadiz City government.
Cadiz City Government
BACOLOD, Philippines – A new art hub in Cadiz City, Negros Occidental, is being hailed by tourism officials as a “creative tourism” booster in the province.
Jennylind Cordero, Department of Tourism-Western Visayas chief tourism operations officer, said on Saturday, March 2, lauded the newly-opened art hub dubbed as “House of Paintings” in Cadiz City , 55.7 kilometers north from Bacolod.
“Definitely, this is a boost to DOT’s newest thrust: ‘creative tourism,'” Cordero said.
She described creative tourism as the “spur plug” for a new era in travel, and that the concept dwells on the artistic creations of Filipino artists and their societal impact.
Cordero said Cadiz’s “House of Paintings” is expected to create a multiplier effect that will help transform the community from being famours for dried fish into the next flourishing “tourism haven” in Western Visayas.
The new art hub, which is home to 70 city-owned paintings, was officially opened to the public on February 19, in line with the observance of Arts Month.
Write Ver Pacete, one of the tourism gurus in Negros, commended Cadiz Mayor Salvador “Bading” Escalante, Jr. for coming up with the noble idea of establishing a permanent home for noteworthy art pieces courtesy of artists not only in Cadiz but in Negros Island.
Escalante said that the “House of Paintings” was set up just “by chance.”
The art hub is located in the compound of the Philippine Normal University-Visayas (PNU-V) in Barangay Zone 1, Cadiz, in what used to be the old and dilapidated former headquarters of the Boy Scout of the Philippines (BSP).
When the city government was looking for an alternative event venue, the former BSP headquarters was accidentally spotted, Escalante recalled. He said a study was conducted on repurposing the structure and later on the project proposal was submitted.
The city government spent P5 million for a three-phase renovation completed in five years.
During a walk-through inspection of the building prior to its opening on February 19, the mayor said he found the space “too bare” and he brought some of the paintings from the new city hall.
Not contented, the mayor ordered the immediate migration of more paintings from the city’s stock room until they there were 70 art works housed in the newly-renovated BSP headquarters.
During the opening in February visitors were amazed to see so many beautiful paintings adorning the hall, leading instant baptism of the building as the “House Paintings.”
Pacete said Escalante, through the new art hub, “reawakened” Negros’ passion for the arts. – Rappler.com
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Puerto Princesa authorities to strictly implement 3-month closed season for reef fish in city | Mia Gonzalez | 2/3/2024 13:22 | FISHERMEN. File photo shows fishermen at Sabang, Puerto Princesa, Palawan
Daibo Taku/Wikimedia Commons
PUERTO PRINCESA, Philippines – Ahead of the start of the closed season for three types of reef fish in Puerto Princesa, local authorities reiterated the importance of the policy that would be in place for three months beginning March 1: to help boost the fish population while studying the efficacy of the measure.
The rule covers the sought-after red grouper locally known as “suno,” estuarine or green grouper (loba), and tiger or brown marbled grouper (lapung baboy). These reef fish are considered luxury food items and find their way in big restaurants in the country. But most of the reef fish caught in the Philippines are shipped to Hong Kong, China, and other Asian destinations.
The three fish species are regulated under Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) Administrative Order No. 5. The directive aims to address dwindling reef fish stocks by imposing size restrictions and seasonal control on the fish species. It was adopted to alleviate Palawan’s diminishing catch of the three reef fish species.
The PCSD was established in 1992 under Republic Act 7611 or the Strategic Environmental Plan (SEP) for Palawan Act. The SEP law provides the framework on the conservation and development planning and policy formulation designed for Palawan to ensure that its fragile environment is protected, conserved, and utilized and managed effectively.
PCSO AO 5 provides a system that will ensure the sustainability of the reef-fish-for-food industry in Palawan by setting up a comprehensive regulatory mechanism consistent with the provisions of Republic Act No. 9147 or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act. The policy also aims to regulate the catching, trade, transport and export of these reef-fish-for-food and regulate resource extraction to a sustainable level.
Catching and shipping live reef fish is banned from March 1 to May 31 every year in Palawan. But since fisherfolk petitioned for the lifting of the closed fishing season, the provincial government of Palawan lifted the closed fishing season in 23 component municipalities, except for Puerto Princesa.
Trading live reef fish is one of the lucrative industries in Palawan, being an island province consisting of a thousand other islands and islets. Live reef fish traders in Palawan like Sabino Camacho earn P2,500 ($44.6) for every kilo of suno. In a year, they can potentially earn P2.6 million ($46,407).
Live fish traders in Palawan ship their live catch to Manila before they are exported to Hong Kong and China, with exceptions in Puerto Princesa where there is an existing prohibition for trading and shipment of live reef fish.
Fisherfolk opposed the closed fishing season implementation. Fish trader Camacho and other fish traders and fisherfolk trooped to the Puerto Princesa City Hall and raised their concerns to the Sangguniang Panlungsod’s committee on food, agriculture and fisheries chaired by Councilor Elgin Robert Damasco.
Camacho claimed that the closed fishing season would affect their livelihood.
During the meeting, PCSD Project Development Officer IV Ma. Christina Rodriquez defended the move, emphasizing the importance of the closed fishing season to protect reef fish species and for them and other government agencies and institutions to gather data and conduct studies during the period. The study will determine if closed seasons are effective in increasing fish population.
On February 29, a day before the start of the closed fishing season, the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (City ENRO) headed by Carlo Gomez affirmed their office’s stand, consistent with the objectives and intentions of the closed season that the concerned fish species, whether live or lifeless, should be totally banned from entering Puerto Princesa City.
“Transportation of live and dead fish from other municipalities outside of Puerto Princesa City is also covered and provides a window for circumvention of the adopted policy and will possibly defeat the purpose, especially by those unscrupulous individuals,” he explained.
“The implementation of the policy should not provide an exemption that will undermine the objective of the policy,” said Gomez. – Rappler.com
Gerardo C. Reyes Jr. is a community journalist at Palawan Daily News and is an Aries Rufo journalism fellow of Rappler for 2023-2024.
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EXPLAINER: Why did court hand down lighter punishment vs cops in Jemboy killing? | Jairo Bolledo | 2/3/2024 12:59 | JUSTICE. Groups ALPAS and IDEALS roll out banners calling for justice as a Navotas court hands down its verdict against cops in Jemboy Baltazar's killing on February 27, 2024.
Jire Carreon/Rappler
Jemboy Baltazar‘s family was not happy with the outcome of the murder case they filed against the six police officers and personnel tagged in the teen’s killing.
After over four months, Navotas City RTC Branch 286 Presiding Judge Pedro Dabu sanctioned the cops tagged as suspects with lighter penalties on Tuesday, February 27.
The court convicted Police Staff Sergeant Gerry Maliban, not of murder but of homicide. This, even though the original complaint was murder. This could happen as section 5, rule 120 of the revised rules of criminal procedure, states that a person can be convicted of a lesser crime than the crime he/she was originally charged with.
Four others – Police Staff Sergeant Niko Pines Esquilon, Police Executive Master Sergeant Roberto Balais Jr., Police Corporal Edmard Jake Blanco, Patrolman Benedict Mangada – were convicted of illegal discharge of firearm and sentenced to four months in prison.
Since they received short jail time, they could be released from detention because the court allowed their preventive suspension to be credited. They have been detained since October 2023, or four months prior to sentencing.
Meanwhile, Police Staff Sergeant Antonio Bugayong Jr. was acquitted. After the verdict, Baltazar’s family aired their disappointment, particularly over Maliban’s jail time.
“‘Yong lima po makakalaya po, si Maliban lang po ‘yong makukulong, apat na taon lang po. Iyon lang po ba ‘yong buhay ng anak ko? Siya po apat na taon lang siyang makukulong, ‘yong anak ko habang buhay nang wala,” Rodaliza Baltazar, the teen’s mother, said.
(The other five will be freed, and only Maliban will be imprisoned for only four years. Is that what my son’s life is only worth? Maliban will be jailed for only four years, while my son is gone forever.)
Why the cops received lighter sanctions is now the question for the Baltazar family.
Undoubtedly the teen was killed, and whoever caused the gunshot wound in his body was criminally liable for his death. The court said this, and highlighted the autopsy report conducted by forensic pathologist Dr. Raquel Fortun, which found that the gunshot wound was the underlying cause of death of the teen.
This was based in the doctrine “el que es causa de la causa es causa del mal cuasado” (he who is the cause of the cause is the cause of the evil caused), which was used by courts in previous cases.
The evidence also pointed to Maliban as the police officer who aimed at Baltazar, the court said.
First, Sonny Boy Agustillo, Baltazar’s friend who was with him when he was killed by the police, testified that Baltazar said he saw a “fat man” fire his gun during the police operation on August 2, 2023. To confirm, Agustillo stood up and also saw the same man in the dike firing his gun. During one of the hearings, Agustillo identified Maliban as the said “fat man.”
Agustillo’s testimony was supported by no other other Police Captain Mark Joseph Carpio, one of the team leaders of the operation where Baltazar was killed. Carpio testified that he saw Maliban standing in the dike and firing his gun at Baltazar and Agustillo’s boat. Additional evidence proved that the fired cartridge in the boat found by Baltazar’s uncle, Nicanor Guillermo, matched Maliban’s firearm that he surrendered after he was implicated in the crime.
The court also took note of the fact that Maliban himself admitted to having fired his gun during the Senate probe into the killing on August 22 and 29, 2023.
The court said it found Maliban guilty of homicide, and not of murder. A person is liable for homicide under article 249 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC) if that “person who, not falling within the provisions of Article 246, shall kill another without the attendance of any of the circumstances enumerated in the next preceding article, shall be deemed guilty of homicide and be punished by reclusion temporal.”
In the decision, there were elements of murder that were not present in the case, thus the downgrade to homicide.
Treachery, an element of murder defined under article 248 of the RPC, happens when an “offender commits any of the crimes against the person, employing means, methods or forms in the execution thereof which tend directly and specially to insure its execution, without risk to himself arising from the defense which the offended part might make.”
In the decision, the court said even though Baltazar could not have defended himself, it still cannot be said that Maliban “employed means or methods or forms in the execution of the crime.” It was proven, according to the decision, that Maliban’s urge to shoot only materialized when Baltazar attempted to escape. Thus, treachery was ruled out.
Another element of murder that the court said was not present was evident premeditation. Noting the fact that Maliban’s urge to shoot only materialized during the teen’s escape, the element of evident premeditation was not proven.
The court mentioned Yapyuco vs. Sandiganbayan: “The allegation of evident premeditation has not been proved beyond reasonable doubt because the evidence is consistent with the fact that the urge to kill had materialized in the minds of petitioners as instantaneously as they perceived their suspects to be attempting flight and evading arrest.”
Homicide is usually punished with 12 years and one day as minimum, and up to 20 years as maximum.
Article 11 of the RPC lists justifying circumstances that do not incur criminal liability. This means that if a person can prove that his/her act falls under these circumstances, he/she will not be held criminally liable. Among the circumstances mentioned is: “any person who acts in the fulfillment of a duty or in the lawful exercise of a right or office.”
However, the court was not entirely convinced that Maliban should not be held liable through the justifying circumstances. So the court applied article 69 of the RPC to the cop’s case, which states: “A penalty lower by one or two degrees than that prescribed by law shall be imposed if the deed is not wholly excusable by reason of the lack of some of the conditions required to justify the same or to exempt from criminal liability in the several cases mentioned in Article 11 and 12, provided that the majority of such conditions be present.”
The court also took note of Maliban’s surrender before authorities. Voluntary surrender could also be considered by the court to lower penalties in a criminal case.
With all these considerations, Maliban was sentenced by the court to four years, two months, and 10 days, up to six years, four months, and 20 days.
The court said Balais, Esquilon, Blanco, and Mangada fired their guns at the water, and not at the teen, adding that there was no evidence to prove that the two gunshot wounds Baltazar sustained were caused by two different guns.
The court took note of Dado vs. People, that in conspiracy “there should be a conscious design to perpetrate the offense.” In the decision, the court said that neither joint nor simultaneous action could be sufficient proof to prove conspiracy. Since conspiracy was ruled out in the case, the cops were liable individually, and not as a group.
“As we found that these accused did not conspire with PSSg Maliban in shooting Jemboy and that they lacked the intention to kill the victim as shown by their acts of firing their guns in the water just in front of them, they are only liable with Illegal Discharge of Firearms,” the decision read.
As for Bugayong, who was acquitted in the case, the court said there was doubt that he fired his gun. The court said there were conflicting testimonies on whether he fired his gun or not. He was also not the cop who fired his gun that Agustillo saw in the dike.
In addition, the paraffin test on his gun turned out to be negative. Although the negative result is not conclusive evidence, it served as corroborative evidence, the court explained.
The Navotas court added that for Bugayong, this rule was applicable: “if the inculpatory facts and circumstances are capable of two or more explanations, one of which is consistent with the innocence of the accused and the other consistent with his guilt, then the evidence does not fulfill the test of moral certainty and is not sufficient to support a conviction.”
Essentially, it would be difficult to appeal Bugayong’s acquittal because it would amount to a violation of the double jeopardy rule, which is provided in the Constitution.
Section 21 of the Constitution states: “No person shall be twice put in jeopardy of punishment for the same offense. If an act is punished by a law and an ordinance, conviction or acquittal under either shall constitute a bar to another prosecution for the same act.”
The Baltazar family can, however, file a petition for certiorari – a legal remedy used to review grave abuse of discretion – to ask another court to review a lower court’s ruling. This is usual practice when seeking a review of a conviction, without touching on the double jeopardy rule. (READ: Office of the Solicitor General challenges Leila de Lima’s last acquittal)
On February 27, Department of Justice spokesperson Assistant Secretary Mico Clavano said they will bring the case to the Court of Appeals, adding that they will tap the Office of the Solicitor General to represent the government in the appeal.
The six cops, including their supervisors Carpio and Police Captain Luisito dela Cruz, were ordered dismissed by the PNP. The dismissal is still pending because of the cops’ appeal. However, if the appeal is junked, the police officers and personnel will be officially removed from the police service. – Rappler.com
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Based on the facts and reasoning presented in this article, the decision of Navotas City RTC Branch 286, Presiding Judge Pedro Dabu, is fair enough. However, having not read the Case Decision document, I think such “fairness” is just lightly based. The issue has political, social, and cultural dimensions not addressed by President Marcos Jr. Hence, woe to the parents and relatives of the victims concerned because this pattern is going to continue for almost eternity.
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Results, team standings: UAAP Season 86 volleyball | Jasmine Payo | 5/5/2024 21:02 | ROARING. NU's Bella Belen (left) and Alyssa Solomon react in the UAAP Season 86 women's volleyball finals
UAAP Season 86 Media Team
MANILA, Philippines – The UAAP Season 86 volleyball tournaments reach a tipping point with the men’s and women’s finals!
LOOK: UAAP volleyball championship schedule
Here are the results in the men’s and women’s divisions:
MAY 15
May 11
MAY 8
MAY 5
MAY 4
MAY 8
MAY 5
MAY 4
** – Twice-to-beat* – Final Fourx – Eliminated
APRIL 27
APRIL 24
APRIL 21
APRIL 20
APRIL 17
APRIL 14
APRIL 13
APRIL 10
APRIL 9
APRIL 4
APRIL 3
MARCH 24
MARCH 23
MARCH 20
First round
MARCH 17
MARCH 16
MARCH 13
MARCH 10
MARCH 9
MARCH 6
MARCH 3
MARCH 2
FEBRUARY 28
FEBRUARY 25
FEBRUARY 24
FEBRUARY 21
FEBRUARY 18
FEBRUARY 17
** – Twice-to-beat* – Final Fourx – Eliminated
APRIL 27
APRIL 24
APRIL 21
APRIL 20
APRIL 17
APRIL 14
APRIL 13
APRIL 10
APRIL 9
APRIL 4
APRIL 3
MARCH 24
MARCH 23
MARCH 20
First round
MARCH 17
MARCH 16
MARCH 13
MARCH 10
MARCH 9
MARCH 6
MARCH 3
MARCH 2
FEBRUARY 28
FEBRUARY 25
FEBRUARY 24
FEBRUARY 21
FEBRUARY 18
FEBRUARY 17
– Rappler.com
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PRIMER: Investigations, cases against Apollo Quiboloy | Herbie G | 27/02/2024 18:35 | CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – Senator Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday, February 27, once again called on doomsday preacher Apollo Quiboloy to face his accusers and address the serious allegations raised against him in an ongoing investigation.
Hontiveros made the call just one week before the fourth hearing set by her committee regarding the alleged abuses committed by the Davao-based Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) against its former workers and members.
The senator earlier warned that she would cite Quiboloy in contempt and have him arrested unless he showed up at the March 5 hearing of the Senate committee on women, children, family relations, and gender equality.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Hontiveros said the committee, as it investigates matters in aid of legislation, “has the power to compel the attendance of witnesses, no matter how well-connected they are.”
She said Quiboloy, who styles himself as the “appointed son of God,” is not above the law and the country’s institutions.
“In the past, Cabinet officials, lawmakers, an incumbent Senate president, and even a former president have submitted to Senate subpoenas and appeared as witnesses. His (Quiboloy’s) constitutional rights, like all witnesses, are respected. Pero hindi siya mataas pa sa presidente, sa Senado, at sa batas (But he is not higher than the President, the Senate, and the law),” she said in a statement recorded on video.
Quiboloy has wielded much influence as a religious figure in the country. He has maintained a close friendship and unwavering support for former president Rodrigo Duterte, with their ties dating back to Duterte’s time as mayor of Davao City. Throughout Duterte’s presidency, Quiboloy served as his “spiritual adviser,” cementing their long-standing relationship.
Hontiveros also noted that Quiboloy and his followers called the witnesses who appeared before the Senate committee as cowards for not showing their faces in public, yet the KOJC leader himself declared his intention to disregard the Senate subpoena.
She pointed out that Quiboloy’s accusers have executed affidavits against the preacher and his church associates.
Addressing Quiboloy, Hontiveros said, “Bukas po ang Senado para sa panig ‘nyo. Hinihintay namin kayo (The Senate is open to your side. We are waiting for you).”
The Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Office served the subpoena to Quiboloy, through his lawyer Marie Dinah Tolentino-Fuentes, on February 22, after the preacher ignored invitations to attend three previous hearings at the Senate.
Hontiveros’ committee has been tasked by the Senate to look into allegations of human trafficking, sexual abuse, violence, and other misconduct involving the preacher and his organization.
She can, according to Section 17 of the Senate rules governing the conduct of committee investigations. The authority of Senate committees includes the “power to summon witnesses and take their testimony and to issue subpoena and subpoena duces tecum, signed by its Chairman, or in his absence by the Acting Chairman, and approved by the President.”
“Within Metro Manila, such process shall be served by the Sergeant-at-Arms or his assistant. Outside of Metro Manila, service may be made by the police of a municipality or city, upon request of the Secretary,” reads a clause in the Senate rules.
Section 18 of the Senate rules on panel investigations provides that a “contempt of the Committee shall be deemed a contempt of the Senate.”
The rules also provide that “such witness may be ordered by the Committee to be detained in such place as it may designate under the custody of the Sergeant-at-Arms until he/she agrees to produce the required documents, or to be sworn or to testify, or otherwise purge himself/herself of that contempt.”
Former KOJC members have testified on the alleged abuses of Quiboloy and his church associates before Hontiveros’ committee since the panel started the hearings on January 23.
Their narratives – including that of two Ukrainian women who alleged that Quiboloy sexually abused them in the name of religion – have been consistent with and corroborated by the allegations made also by former KOJC members in the United States against the Davao-based preacher.
Quiboloy and eight of his associates were indicted by a federal grand jury in a US District Court in Santa Ana, California, in 2021.
The 74-page indictment document shows that the preacher and the other accused have been charged with the following crimes:
The indictment papers enumerate 94 overt acts of the preacher and his associates.
The US court ordered Quiboloy and his associates arrested on November 10, 2021. Except for Quiboloy and two others, Teresita Dandan and Helen Panilag, the others either surrendered or were arrested by US authorities, and subsequently bailed out.
The others who have been indicted along with Quiboloy are the following:
At least one of those accused has subsequently agreed to turn state witness against Quiboloy’s group.
On January 31, 2022, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) included Quiboloy, Dandan, and Panilag, among several other fugitives from Mexico and China, in its most wanted list, and published their separate wanted posters on its website.
The FBI’s “most wanted” poster on the KOJC leader reads, “Apollo Carreon Quiboloy, the founder of a Philippines-based church, is wanted for his alleged participation in a labor trafficking scheme that brought church members to the United States, via fraudulently obtained visas, and forced the members to solicit donations for a bogus charity, donations that actually were used to finance church operations and the lavish lifestyles of its leaders.”
On November 3, 2022, Judge Terry Hatter Jr. of the US District Court-Central District of California reset the trial of Quiboloy and his co-accused in Los Angeles from March 21, 2023, to March 19, 2024. Subsequently, in late 2023, the trial was again moved to November 2024.
In the 2022 order, Hatter granted the request of five of the defendants – Salinas, Cabactulan, Duenas, Estopare, and Roces – to be given more time to prepare their defense, based on the US Speedy Trial Act.
Based on the US-Philippines extradition treaty, an extradition request must be made through diplomatic channels.
But nearly three years after the indictment of Quiboloy and his associates, the US has yet to submit a formal extradition request for the preacher, Dandan, and Panilag, according to the Philippine Department of Justice (DOJ).
In late 2022, the US announced sanctions against the KOJC leader through its treasury and state departments, a move that coincided with International Anti-Corruption Day and on the eve of International Human Rights Day.
The sanctions include the following:
– Rappler.com
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Results, team standings: UAAP Season 86 volleyball | Jasmine Payo | 5/5/2024 21:02 | ROARING. NU's Bella Belen (left) and Alyssa Solomon react in the UAAP Season 86 women's volleyball finals
UAAP Season 86 Media Team
MANILA, Philippines – The UAAP Season 86 volleyball tournaments reach a tipping point with the men’s and women’s finals!
LOOK: UAAP volleyball championship schedule
Here are the results in the men’s and women’s divisions:
MAY 15
May 11
MAY 8
MAY 5
MAY 4
MAY 8
MAY 5
MAY 4
** – Twice-to-beat* – Final Fourx – Eliminated
APRIL 27
APRIL 24
APRIL 21
APRIL 20
APRIL 17
APRIL 14
APRIL 13
APRIL 10
APRIL 9
APRIL 4
APRIL 3
MARCH 24
MARCH 23
MARCH 20
First round
MARCH 17
MARCH 16
MARCH 13
MARCH 10
MARCH 9
MARCH 6
MARCH 3
MARCH 2
FEBRUARY 28
FEBRUARY 25
FEBRUARY 24
FEBRUARY 21
FEBRUARY 18
FEBRUARY 17
** – Twice-to-beat* – Final Fourx – Eliminated
APRIL 27
APRIL 24
APRIL 21
APRIL 20
APRIL 17
APRIL 14
APRIL 13
APRIL 10
APRIL 9
APRIL 4
APRIL 3
MARCH 24
MARCH 23
MARCH 20
First round
MARCH 17
MARCH 16
MARCH 13
MARCH 10
MARCH 9
MARCH 6
MARCH 3
MARCH 2
FEBRUARY 28
FEBRUARY 25
FEBRUARY 24
FEBRUARY 21
FEBRUARY 18
FEBRUARY 17
– Rappler.com
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Why reverting to old academic calendar is just a ‘stopgap’ measure | Bonz Magsambol | 2/3/2024 9:00 | FILIPINO STUDENTS. Students and teachers go about regular classes at the General Roxas Elementary School in Quezon City, on February 21, 2024.
Jire Carreon/Rappler
In 2023, over a hundred students of a public school in Laguna were hospitalized due to dehydration after a surprise fire drill.
The school official said the temperature when the fire drill happened on March 23, 2023 was between 39 and 42°C. It was very hot and humid. In a tropical country like the Philippines, where classrooms are not built to withstand extreme heat, conditions are not conducive to learning.
Classes in the Philippines typically begin on the first Monday of June concluding in March, as mandated by Republic Act 7797. But in 2020, this law was amended to accommodate changes in school opening schedules. Classes should start not later than the last day of August, the new law said.
The country made the adjustment due to the impact of the pandemic and the subsequent lockdown in 2020. But even prior to the pandemic, there had been calls to make the academic calendar in the Philippines synchronized with other countries, especially with its Southeast Asian counterparts. Proponents of the shift also said that the months of June and July coincide with the typhoon season, resulting in class disruptions.
Since then, the academic year had shifted to August, meaning, students were now in school from April to May – a time that previously marked their summer vacation in the previous school calendar, and a period when high temperatures were often recorded.
But after a year of full adjustment, public clamor to revert to the old academic calendar intensified. A survey commissioned by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the basic education committee, revealed that 8 in 10 Filipinos want summer breaks back to April and May. This prompted the Department of Education (DepEd) to gradually revert to the old calendar.
“The shift to the school calendar back to the usual April-May break will be gradual. We will end on May 31, but we will open around July 29. And then slowly, we will move it back until we return to the normal April-May break,” DepEd Undersecretary Michael Poa said.
Poa said the decision to revert to the old academic calendar was based on consultations done by DepEd. “This is a decision made by the people,” he added.
The education official said that by school year 2026-2027, schools would open in June and end in April, based on DepEd’s projected timeline. By school year 2027-2028, schools would open in June and end by mid-March.
While the reversal of the academic calendar was welcome news to many, education experts said that it was just another “stopgap” measure. Meanwhile, for critics, it was just another “populist” policy by Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte.
“I think it’s more of a stopgap because DepEd couldn’t address the heat problems in the classrooms, which is the main reason why the public school teachers and students had clamored for the revert,” said education psychologist and University of the Philippines professor Lizamarie Olegario.
Olegario noted that Filipino students suffer from extreme heat in their classrooms because school buildings do not have “enough ventilation.” She enumerated the following issues that need to be addressed instead of reverting to the old calendar.
Classroom shortages had been a problem even before the pandemic. In some schools, 75 to 80 students were packed into one classroom meant for only 40. To make up for the lack of classrooms, class shifting had been implemented to accommodate enrollees every year. (READ: Classroom shortages greet teachers, students in opening of classes)
At a Senate hearing in 2023, it was revealed that DepEd would need P397 billion to address the 159,000 classroom backlog nationwide. Gatchalian also noted that the congestion rate in schools was at 32% for Kinder to Grade 6, 41% in Junior High School, and about 50% in Senior High School.
While electric fans are a common appliance in any Filipino household, there are still classrooms that don’t have them.
At a separate Senate inquiry in 2023, Senator Raffy Tulfo blasted the DepEd for soliciting funds from students – through the Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) – to buy school supplies and appliances such as electric fans for classroom use, as these should be provided by the agency.
There have been calls to “institutionalize” remote or blended learning in Philippine basic education so class suspensions would be lessened in case of typhoons or any natural disasters.
But doing so is not as easy as ABC because access to technology for both teachers and students remains a problem up to this day. Teachers are also not equipped with adequate know-how on how to use technology for learning.
As if the lack of resources for teachers wasn’t enough, the DepEd even got embroiled in a corruption controversy for purchasing “overpriced and outdated” laptops in 2021.
A separate Rappler investigation also revealed that laptops procured by the agency were being resold in markets.
“Since it has been decided that basic education reverts to the old calendar, during the rainy season, the teachers and the students should be equipped to have automatic online learning. There should be no need to wait for announcements from local officials for cancellation of classes,” Olegario said.
In a statement on February 21, the Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) said that with the DepEd’s move to revert to the old academic calendar, the agency should tap local governments to address issues in the education sector, “as many of the concerns can be addressed at the local level.”
“The decision to revert back to the old academic calendar should not be seen as a stopgap measure to address the underlying issues that make the existing school calendar unbearable. To safeguard our children, we need to make sure that classrooms can withstand extreme weather conditions and have transportation support available,” the group said.
In an interview with Rappler on February 28, PBEd executive director Justine Raagas emphasized that the problem in Philippine basic education is not really the academic calendar.
“Regardless of the academic school year, one of the biggest problems is, our classrooms are not conducive for learning. The problem goes beyond the shifting measures. The problem is classrooms can’t withstand typhoons, or classrooms are in very poor conditions that they don’t allow proper ventilation,” Raagas said.
But another issue that cropped up with the reversal to the old academic calendar is the looming long break for senior high school students going to college.
If by school year 2027-2028, basic education in the Philippines would open in June and end in March, that would mean senior high school graduates would have a five-month break before they enter college.
Raagas fears that the long break would result in learning loss, especially since students’ foundational knowledge isn’t strong.
“Learning loss occurs whenever a student is outside the classroom. If you remember in 2020, schools opened late, sometime in October 2020. Even in normal times, where you have two months of summer break, that results in learning loss. That’s why the first few weeks of the start of classes, it’s for catch-up, and review of past lessons,” she noted.
Learning loss, according to the Journal of Education and e-Learning Research, “occurs when students lose knowledge and skills generally or specifically or there is an academic impediment due to prolonged gaps or the discontinuation of the educational process.”
With the recent move by DepEd, should the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) also change its academic calendar? Olegario and Raagas don’t think so.
“For college, it was done because they want to align with international standards and for better partnership. It could stay that way but the basic education should improve,” Raagas said, noting that DepEd should improve its teaching quality so the long break would not result in learning loss.
For Olegario, higher education institutions in the Philippines “do not have problems with ventilation in the classrooms.”
“I’ve never heard of similar issues mentioned by the public school children. I’ve never seen classes that are too cramped, unlike what I saw in some elementary and public high schools,” she added.
CHED has not released any statement yet on the recent move by the DepEd.
The public hopes that the revert to the old academic calendar will benefit students and help in learning recovery.
“If we make the decision, let’s stick to it. It’s not fair that we experiment on schedules at the expense of our students. [Our] children require normalcy and stability in their education,” Raagas said. – Rappler.com
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Pacio reclaims ONE strawweight crown after Brooks disqualification | Jasmine Payo | 2/3/2024 11:24 | NEW CHAMP. Joshua Pacio evens it all up against Jarred Brooks.
ONE CHAMPIONSHIP
MANILA, Philippines –Joshua “The Passion” Pacio reclaimed the ONE Strawweight MMA World Championship from Jarred “The Monkey God” Brooks after an unexpected finish to their blockbuster rematch.
Brooks got disqualified by referee Herb Dean after the reigning champion illegally slammed Pacio on his head during the ONE 166: Qatar on Friday night, March 1, at Lusail Sports Arena.
Initially, Brooks animatedly celebrated, thinking he won the match as Dean waved the fight off after a Pacio takedown which the brash American followed up with head strikes 56 seconds into the rematch.
But the official was quick to note the infraction, with Brooks guilty of spiking the Lions Nation MMA’s head to the mat – a clear violation of the global mixed martial arts rules.
Pacio was awarded the victory, but medics were quick to take him to a local medical facility, with updates coming from Qatar stating that the proud Filipino striker is conscious.
Joshua Pacio reclaims the ONE Strawweight MMA World Title by disqualification due to an illegal spike by Jarred Brooks.Tune in NOW to catch the rest of ONE 166: Qatar!🔴 Live Now#ONE166: Qatar presented by @visitqatar@mediacityqa @ooredooqatar🇶🇦 Watch live on beIN SPORTS… pic.twitter.com/a0gX8PkeRK
While the turn of events stunned Brooks inside the ring, he apologized a few hours later on social media.
“I did not intentionally do anything,” said a sorry Brooks, noting that he wishes Pacio “nothing but the best.”
With the unlikely quick end to the match and the head-to-head showdown tied at 1-1, fans anticipate a Brooks-Pacio trilogy to settle the rivalry.
All class from Jarred Brooks 🙏 Should these warriors run it back?#ONE166: Qatar presented by @visitqatar@mediacityqa @ooredooqatarWatch the full ONE166: Qatar event replay on🇺🇸🇨🇦 Prime 👉 https://t.co/ykAJQxXIM1🇬🇧🇮🇪 Sky Sports🌍 https://t.co/eBUfsOlZOd pic.twitter.com/kvuIGXvbJI
Earlier in the night, Jeremy “The Jaguar” Miado also suffered a debilitating first-round submission defeat to Keito “Pocket Monk” Yamakita.
The Filipino standout found himself in trouble and had no choice but to submit to the bulldog choke at the 4:04 mark of round one.
It was a tough loss for the T-Rex MMA bet, who absorbed his third straight defeat after stringing four consecutive victories.
BULLDOG CHOKE 🥋 Keito Yamakita starts the night with a first-round submission!Tune in NOW to catch the rest of ONE 166: Qatar!🔴 Live Now#ONE166: Qatar presented by @visitqatar@mediacityqa @ooredooqatar🇶🇦 Watch live on beIN SPORTS🇺🇸🇨🇦 Watch live on Prime🇬🇧🇮🇪 Watch live… pic.twitter.com/Cq2N4Ni8kp
In the main event, Anatoly “Sladkiy” Malykhin made MMA history as the Russian superstar overpowered Reinier de Ridder to claim the ONE Middleweight MMA World Championship and become the first man in the sport to win three titles in three different weight classes.
Despite De Ridder’s improved striking, Malykhin – widely regarded as the sport’s hardest pound-for-pound puncher – banked on his thunderous boxing combinations.
Malykhin unloaded big blows to the body and head, overwhelming the Dutchman just like in their December 2022 showdown where the Russian knocked out De Ridder to capture the light heavyweight belt.
MAKING HISTORY 🏆 Anatoly Malykhin stops Reinier de Ridder to become the first three-division MMA World Champion!#ONE166: Qatar presented by @visitqatar@mediacityqa @ooredooqatarWatch the full ONE166: Qatar event replay on🇺🇸🇨🇦 Prime 👉 https://t.co/ykAJQxXIM1🇬🇧🇮🇪 Sky Sports… pic.twitter.com/fwWc6RSMOH
– Rappler.com
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‘This shouldn’t be allowed to go on’: Iloilo City mayor calls meeting on fresh power outage | Mia Gonzalez | 2/3/2024 10:35 | ILOILO CITY CHIEF. File photo shows Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treu00f1as during an emergency Zoom meeting led by Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr, with Department of Energy, National Grid Corporation of the Philippines and Power distributor utilities and Cooperatives on continuing power outage in Western Visayas, on January 4, 2024.
Arnold Almacen/Iloilo City Mayor
NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines – Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas has called a meeting with power stakeholders to discuss effective approaches and generate remedies for the island’s power condition following the latest power outage in Western Visayas.
“The power situation should be addressed. Next week, I will be calling for a meeting with stakeholders and pushing for options already presented during the Zoom meeting with DOE. DOE, ERC, More Power, PEDC, PCPC, the business community, and the LGUs will be invited to attend a meeting so that we can discuss what can be done and done fast,” he said in a statement posted on his Facebook page on Friday night, March 1.
“This situation should not be allowed to go on. Our people are all affected,” he said.
The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said the temporary power blackout that affected the island and portions of Negros Occidental is due to the tripping of one of the largest power plants, the Panay Energy Development Corporation (PEDC) 3, which contributes 150 megawatts of power.
NGCP said that three PEDC units, contributing 326 megawatts, shut down at 6:59 pm on Friday but gradually returned at around 8:30 pm on Friday.
The NGCP denied allegations that power outage was caused by a grassfire that occurred just about 15 meters away from its transmission tower.
“In response to unsubstantiated reports posted on People’s Domain and Negros Daily Bulletin, NGCP denies that the tripping of any of its facilities caused the current partial blackout in Negros and Panay,” the NGCP said in a statement.
“The line in the video was undamaged by the fire which was 15 meters away from the transmission tower. The transmission asset also did not trip or register a disturbance before the successive generator shutdowns,” it added.
It can be recalled that Western Visayas was hit by a region-wide power outage in the first week of 2024, which lasted for a couple of days and caused financial losses to local businesses in the region.
In Negros Occidental, political leaders are engaged towards achieving self-sufficiency in electricity supply by harnessing its power-generation capacity.
After accounting for an estimated power consumption of 440 megawatts and power generation of 667.6 megawatts, the island has a power surplus of 227.6 megawatts. Thus, leaders target to avoid future power outages on the island by giving priority to local customers before providing other locations. – Rappler.com
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GAME SCHEDULE: 2024 PVL All-Filipino Conference | jisaga0269 | 27/04/2024 22:53 | PVL Images
The Premier Volleyball League (PVL) heads to another title showdown between the league’s top sister teams!
Defending champion Creamline and sister squad Choco Mucho dispute the PVL All-Filipino championship for the second straight conference in a best-of-three series. Here’s the schedule:
It’s all even again for the top four teams.
The semifinalists of the 2024 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference battle in a single round-robin, where the top two teams will advance to the best-of-three finals. Here’s the schedule:
Near-daily volleyball is back to satisfy fans’ hunger for action as the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) releases its 2024 All-Filipino Conference schedule, starting on February 20.
The development comes after the UAAP also released its Season 86 men’s and women’s volleyball tournament schedules on a Wednesday-Saturday-Sunday rotation.
The PVL, meanwhile, stays in its usual Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday slate, kicking off Tuesday, February 20, at the PhilSports Arena with a double-header featuring newcomers Strong Group Athletics and Capital1 taking on contenders Petro Gazz and Chery Tiggo, respectively.
Capping off the conference’s first week is an appearance at the Araneta Coliseum, with reloaded Farm Fresh challenging the Creamline dynasty in the 6 pm triple-header main event.
Fans outside NCR, however, will have fewer chances to see their favorite PVL stars live unlike the past conference, as only the Ynares Center in Antipolo, Rizal and the Sta. Rosa Sports Complex in Laguna are the announced venues away from Metro Manila.
The season-starting All-Filipino Conference is scheduled to run for three months until May 14 at the maximum, unless plans change.
Other notable elimination round matches are Choco Mucho vs. Petro Gazz on February 27, Petro Gazz vs Creamline on April 6, PLDT vs Chery Tiggo featuring multiple former F2 Logistics veterans on April 16, and the Creamline-Choco Mucho finals rematch on April 18.
Here is the entire conference schedule, as of Wednesday, February 14:
– Rappler.com
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Priest seeks tighter security for family of slain teen Jemboy Baltazar | Paterno Esmaquel II | 2/3/2024 8:30 | PROMULGATION. Father Flavie Villanueva escorts Rodaliza Baltazar, mother of Jemboy Baltazar, as they enter the Navotas Regional Trial Court, on February 17, 2024.
Jire Carreon/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – Father Flavie Villanueva, a Catholic priest helping the family of mistakenly slain teenager Jemboy Baltazar, called for tighter security for the victim’s relatives after a Navotas court issued its verdict in the 17-year-old boy’s high-profile case.
The court on Tuesday, February 27, convicted only one of six accused policemen – Police Staff Sergeant Gerry Maliban – of homicide, which means four to six years in prison, and up to P50,000 ($888) in moral and civil damages. The victim’s relatives had sought a conviction for murder, which would have carried a heavier penalty of up to 40 years in prison.
The court imposed lighter penalties on four other policemen, and acquitted another. The five cops were released from detention also on Tuesday.
In an interview with Rappler, Villanueva said he now fears for the Baltazar family because “possible threats” to their lives persist.
“The culture of impunity is still strong,” Villanueva told Rappler in Filipino. “That’s why I told my companions in guiding and helping the family that security should be tighter for them.”
Villanueva said their camp will continue to appeal the verdict, which he described as a “tragedy.”
“To hear the verdict yesterday, it was like stabbing us, and just like Jemboy was being murdered anew,” the priest told Rappler on Wednesday, February 28.
Villanueva, 53, is one of the Catholic clergymen at the forefront of opposing police impunity from the time of then-president Rodrigo Duterte to this day. A former drug user who entered the seminary in his late 20s, he later became a refuge of families of slain drug suspects, as well as other victims of police abuses.
Villanueva has helped the Baltazar family ever since the teenager Jemboy was killed by police on August 2, 2023.
The priest has been a face of hope for the Baltazar family, in a way that the victim’s mother, Rodaliza Baltazar, twice mentioned the name “Father Flavie” in her recent Rappler Talk interview with reporter Jairo Bolledo.
When asked if she felt afraid that the other accused in her son’s case would soon walk free, Mrs. Baltazar replied in Filipino, “We have Father Flavie and others looking after us.”
In his interview with Rappler, Villanueva recounted his months-long involvement in the teenager’ case.
The priest first heard of Baltazar’s case from a member of his Program Paghilom, his project to assist loved ones of drug war victims. He immediately went to the Baltazars’ home after hearing of the boy’s case, and there he saw the victim’s father, whose wife Rodaliza was working in Qatar. “I remember that the father was still distraught,” he said.
When asked how he feels about cases like this, Villanueva said: “I shout to the high heavens: Stop the killings! I deplore such acts of impunity and demand serious, authentic accountability from the aggressors.”
Villanueva, a priest of the Society of the Divine Word – which calls itself “the largest Roman Catholic order that focuses on missionary work” – spoke of the role of the Catholic Church in defending victims of injustice.
“The role of the Church, in simple terms, is to defend life in all its sense,” Villanueva said. “Whether dead or alive, it is to defend life – to value the sanctity of life.”
When a person kills life, “the killer also kills the truth,” he pointed out. It is also the role of the Church, he said, to stand for truth.
Villanueva said the call to defend victims of abuse is “beautifully stated” in the First Reading in one of the recent liturgies: “to care for the widows and orphans” is something that pleases God.
“The Church should always at the forefront of rejoicing that life is sacred and also in condemning the abuses that have persisted for the past eight years – these killings that never end,” Villanueva said. – Rappler.com
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In a region under ‘threat,’ Marcos presents to Australia a Philippines on the frontlines | Bea Cupin | 2/3/2024 10:30 | CANBERRA SPEECH. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is the first Philippine president to address Australian Parliament.
Presidential Communications Office
In his first visit to Canberra as commander-in-chief, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday, February 29, spoke of a Philippines that was on the “frontline” against “actions that undermine regional peace.”
“We must reinforce each other’s strengths. We must protect the peace that we fought for during the war and have jealously guarded in the decades since. We must oppose actions that clearly denigrate the rule of law,” said Marcos at Parliament House, speaking before legislators of Manila’s newest strategic partner.
Marcos, who flew into Canberra the night before, wore his usual barong but donned a pair of spectacles to address a joint sitting of Australia’s parliament.
The son and namesake of the late dictator is the first Philippine president to have been invited to address parliament. He joins an exclusive club that includes former US presidents and Chinese leaders.
Marcos’ visit was not universally welcomed – Senator Janet Rice, of the minority Australian Greens party, held up a banner decrying human rights abuses in the Philippines, and protesters staged a rally outside Parliament House against the Philippine president.
Yet for the Albanese government and even the opposition – Marcos is a welcome and important visitor.
“I know you will be warmly welcomed wherever you go in Australia. Because all of us in this place, and indeed all Australians, are united in our respect for the contribution your nation and your people make to our region and our communities,” said Albanese, after thanking Marcos and his wife, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, for hosting him and partner Jodie Haydon in September 2023.
His trip to Canberra, with another visit to Melbourne days later for a regional summit, comes as tensions in the South China Sea continue to rise and concerns over stability in the region concern even countries that exist outside of it.
Dr. Maria Tanyag, a research fellow and lecturer at the Australian National University’s Department of International Relations, said the invitation from Australia to make the “rare” address is “the strongest testament to the importance of the Philippines for geopolitical relations.”
“Australia, in a variety of ways, has been signaling its commitment to Southeast Asia, and [this invitation] is part of it. It also aligns because Marcos is also sending the right signals. This is an alignment of strategic interest,” she said in an interview with Rappler before Marcos left for Canberra.
Marcos swept the 2022 national elections on a campaign that vaguely promised to continue the policies of his predecessor, former president Rodrigo Duterte.
In the realm of foreign affairs, especially, Marcos could not be any more different than the former city mayor who came before him.
“Marcos is opening up in ways that Duterte was not. And Australia has been for a while trying to position itself, not just in Southeast Asia, but also in the Pacific. Having the Philippines as an ally covers that region fully. Because again, the Philippines is not just Southeast Asia, it’s very much the Pacific too,” added Tanyag.
Since Marcos took office in June 2022, Philippine foreign policy and relations have taken a 180-degree turn. If Duterte was friends with – critics would say kowtowed to – Beijing, Marcos has chosen to become closer to the Philippines’ only treaty ally, the United States.
If under Duterte, Chinese activities in the West Philippine Sea, or parts of the South China Sea within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), were a mystery, it’s under Marcos’ National Security Adviser, former military chief Eduardo Año, that the Philippines launched a “transparency initiative” in the West Philippine Sea.
Año, curiously, was also a member of Duterte’s Cabinet as local government chief.
A lot of things have developed in the realm of defense and diplomacy under Marcos. In early 2023, his government announced additional military camps that the US could access under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).
“Like-minded countries” – old, existing, and emerging – have been quick to propose closer relations, especially when it comes to maritime cooperation. During a visit to Washington DC in 2023, Marcos got what he had been asking for: an update to existing agreements with the United States.
Japan, a strategic partner and long-time friend especially in maritime issues, is eager to sign a Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA), a Visiting Forces Agreement-like deal that would allow Japanese boots on Philippine soil more regularly. Canada wants the same set-up.
Australia certainly does not want to get left behind.
In September 2023, when Albanese visited Manila, the two countries officially elevated ties to a strategic partnership. During Marcos’ February 2024 visit Canberra visit, the two countries signed a “Enhanced Maritime Cooperation to strengthen our existing civil and defense maritime commitments.”
Canberra and Manila also signed Memoranda of Understanding on cyber and critical technology to better combat cyber attacks, as well as one on cooperation between competitive commissions to “enhance effective competition law and policy.”
Albanese also announced a Aus $20 million investment to “support the Philippines to reform, and improve access to, its justice system.”
While Marcos’ speech made numerous references to the past – Filipino pearl divers in the 1860s who ventured into Australia, Filipinos who fought in Bataan and Corregidor to delay Imperial Japan’s onslaught, and the two countries’ roles in “shaping the free world’s vision for the postwar order” – more focus was placed on what lies ahead.
“From the very beginning, we knew that our interests were intertwined. The security of Australia is bound with the security of the Philippines. When my father accompanied Prime Minister [Edward Gough] Whitlam on a sentimental tour of Bataan and Corregidor in 1974, they reaffirmed that core principle,” he said.
“Our two countries have always understood that without the predictability and stability of our rules-based order, our region would not have emerged as the driver of the global economy as it is today,” added Marcos.
Albanese, in welcoming Marcos, also highlighted the two countries’ commonalities: island and trading nations and middle powers that depend heavily on regional stability and international law.
“All of us in the international community, middle powers like our countries, as well as small nations, have our part to play in building a more stable, peaceful and prosperous future,” said the Australian leader.
He also echoed a sentiment that Marcos had made in the past: that regional stability should not hinge in great powers.
“Our cooperation is an assertion of our national interest and a recognition of our regional responsibility. It reflects our shared understanding that peace depends on more than the presence of the great powers,” said the Prime Minister, as he emphasized the importance of upholding the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and freedom of navigation.
The week before Marcos’ Canberra visit, the Philippines again reported incidents of harassment at the hands of the Chinese – both its China Coast Guard and Chinese Maritime Militia.
The West Philippine Sea is the flashpoint of tensions between Manila and Beijing – there’s Ayungin Shoal where a marooned World War II ship stands as a military outpost, and Bajo de Masinloc, where Filipino fisherfolk are regularly barred by the Chinese from fishing.
Both features are within the Philippines’ EEZ, which means it has sovereign rights over the area. Yet China insists almost all of the South China Sea is part of their territory, rejecting a 2016 Arbitral Ruling that said their claim was invalid.
“We must reinforce each other’s strengths. We must protect the peace that we fought for during the war and have jealously guarded in the decades since. We must oppose actions that clearly denigrate the rule of law,” Marcos told parliament.
In a previous interview with Rappler, Ateneo de Manila University Assistant Professor Alma Salvador said that in bringing Manila back closer to Washington DC, Marcos was building on the diplomacy work of the presidents before him – especially that of the late Benigno Aquino III.
On top of improving Philippine-US ties, Salvador then noted that like Aquino, Marcos was keen on working with fellow middle powers – Japan, South Korea, and, of course, Australia.
Both Manila and Canberra are treaty-allies of the US.
Philippine defense and security officials will say that allies – old and potential new partners – making a beeline to improve ties with the Philippines is a new opportunity they want to capitalize on. Observers and diplomats themselves said the opportunities had always been there: it was just a matter of the Philippines opening itself up to those opportunities. – Rappler.com
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Pacio reclaims ONE strawweight crown after Brooks disqualification | Jasmine Payo | 2/3/2024 11:24 | NEW CHAMP. Joshua Pacio evens it all up against Jarred Brooks.
ONE CHAMPIONSHIP
MANILA, Philippines –Joshua “The Passion” Pacio reclaimed the ONE Strawweight MMA World Championship from Jarred “The Monkey God” Brooks after an unexpected finish to their blockbuster rematch.
Brooks got disqualified by referee Herb Dean after the reigning champion illegally slammed Pacio on his head during the ONE 166: Qatar on Friday night, March 1, at Lusail Sports Arena.
Initially, Brooks animatedly celebrated, thinking he won the match as Dean waved the fight off after a Pacio takedown which the brash American followed up with head strikes 56 seconds into the rematch.
But the official was quick to note the infraction, with Brooks guilty of spiking the Lions Nation MMA’s head to the mat – a clear violation of the global mixed martial arts rules.
Pacio was awarded the victory, but medics were quick to take him to a local medical facility, with updates coming from Qatar stating that the proud Filipino striker is conscious.
Joshua Pacio reclaims the ONE Strawweight MMA World Title by disqualification due to an illegal spike by Jarred Brooks.Tune in NOW to catch the rest of ONE 166: Qatar!🔴 Live Now#ONE166: Qatar presented by @visitqatar@mediacityqa @ooredooqatar🇶🇦 Watch live on beIN SPORTS… pic.twitter.com/a0gX8PkeRK
While the turn of events stunned Brooks inside the ring, he apologized a few hours later on social media.
“I did not intentionally do anything,” said a sorry Brooks, noting that he wishes Pacio “nothing but the best.”
With the unlikely quick end to the match and the head-to-head showdown tied at 1-1, fans anticipate a Brooks-Pacio trilogy to settle the rivalry.
All class from Jarred Brooks 🙏 Should these warriors run it back?#ONE166: Qatar presented by @visitqatar@mediacityqa @ooredooqatarWatch the full ONE166: Qatar event replay on🇺🇸🇨🇦 Prime 👉 https://t.co/ykAJQxXIM1🇬🇧🇮🇪 Sky Sports🌍 https://t.co/eBUfsOlZOd pic.twitter.com/kvuIGXvbJI
Earlier in the night, Jeremy “The Jaguar” Miado also suffered a debilitating first-round submission defeat to Keito “Pocket Monk” Yamakita.
The Filipino standout found himself in trouble and had no choice but to submit to the bulldog choke at the 4:04 mark of round one.
It was a tough loss for the T-Rex MMA bet, who absorbed his third straight defeat after stringing four consecutive victories.
BULLDOG CHOKE 🥋 Keito Yamakita starts the night with a first-round submission!Tune in NOW to catch the rest of ONE 166: Qatar!🔴 Live Now#ONE166: Qatar presented by @visitqatar@mediacityqa @ooredooqatar🇶🇦 Watch live on beIN SPORTS🇺🇸🇨🇦 Watch live on Prime🇬🇧🇮🇪 Watch live… pic.twitter.com/Cq2N4Ni8kp
In the main event, Anatoly “Sladkiy” Malykhin made MMA history as the Russian superstar overpowered Reinier de Ridder to claim the ONE Middleweight MMA World Championship and become the first man in the sport to win three titles in three different weight classes.
Despite De Ridder’s improved striking, Malykhin – widely regarded as the sport’s hardest pound-for-pound puncher – banked on his thunderous boxing combinations.
Malykhin unloaded big blows to the body and head, overwhelming the Dutchman just like in their December 2022 showdown where the Russian knocked out De Ridder to capture the light heavyweight belt.
MAKING HISTORY 🏆 Anatoly Malykhin stops Reinier de Ridder to become the first three-division MMA World Champion!#ONE166: Qatar presented by @visitqatar@mediacityqa @ooredooqatarWatch the full ONE166: Qatar event replay on🇺🇸🇨🇦 Prime 👉 https://t.co/ykAJQxXIM1🇬🇧🇮🇪 Sky Sports… pic.twitter.com/fwWc6RSMOH
– Rappler.com
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In a region under ‘threat,’ Marcos presents to Australia a Philippines on the frontlines | Bea Cupin | 2/3/2024 10:30 | CANBERRA SPEECH. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is the first Philippine president to address Australian Parliament.
Presidential Communications Office
In his first visit to Canberra as commander-in-chief, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday, February 29, spoke of a Philippines that was on the “frontline” against “actions that undermine regional peace.”
“We must reinforce each other’s strengths. We must protect the peace that we fought for during the war and have jealously guarded in the decades since. We must oppose actions that clearly denigrate the rule of law,” said Marcos at Parliament House, speaking before legislators of Manila’s newest strategic partner.
Marcos, who flew into Canberra the night before, wore his usual barong but donned a pair of spectacles to address a joint sitting of Australia’s parliament.
The son and namesake of the late dictator is the first Philippine president to have been invited to address parliament. He joins an exclusive club that includes former US presidents and Chinese leaders.
Marcos’ visit was not universally welcomed – Senator Janet Rice, of the minority Australian Greens party, held up a banner decrying human rights abuses in the Philippines, and protesters staged a rally outside Parliament House against the Philippine president.
Yet for the Albanese government and even the opposition – Marcos is a welcome and important visitor.
“I know you will be warmly welcomed wherever you go in Australia. Because all of us in this place, and indeed all Australians, are united in our respect for the contribution your nation and your people make to our region and our communities,” said Albanese, after thanking Marcos and his wife, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, for hosting him and partner Jodie Haydon in September 2023.
His trip to Canberra, with another visit to Melbourne days later for a regional summit, comes as tensions in the South China Sea continue to rise and concerns over stability in the region concern even countries that exist outside of it.
Dr. Maria Tanyag, a research fellow and lecturer at the Australian National University’s Department of International Relations, said the invitation from Australia to make the “rare” address is “the strongest testament to the importance of the Philippines for geopolitical relations.”
“Australia, in a variety of ways, has been signaling its commitment to Southeast Asia, and [this invitation] is part of it. It also aligns because Marcos is also sending the right signals. This is an alignment of strategic interest,” she said in an interview with Rappler before Marcos left for Canberra.
Marcos swept the 2022 national elections on a campaign that vaguely promised to continue the policies of his predecessor, former president Rodrigo Duterte.
In the realm of foreign affairs, especially, Marcos could not be any more different than the former city mayor who came before him.
“Marcos is opening up in ways that Duterte was not. And Australia has been for a while trying to position itself, not just in Southeast Asia, but also in the Pacific. Having the Philippines as an ally covers that region fully. Because again, the Philippines is not just Southeast Asia, it’s very much the Pacific too,” added Tanyag.
Since Marcos took office in June 2022, Philippine foreign policy and relations have taken a 180-degree turn. If Duterte was friends with – critics would say kowtowed to – Beijing, Marcos has chosen to become closer to the Philippines’ only treaty ally, the United States.
If under Duterte, Chinese activities in the West Philippine Sea, or parts of the South China Sea within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), were a mystery, it’s under Marcos’ National Security Adviser, former military chief Eduardo Año, that the Philippines launched a “transparency initiative” in the West Philippine Sea.
Año, curiously, was also a member of Duterte’s Cabinet as local government chief.
A lot of things have developed in the realm of defense and diplomacy under Marcos. In early 2023, his government announced additional military camps that the US could access under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).
“Like-minded countries” – old, existing, and emerging – have been quick to propose closer relations, especially when it comes to maritime cooperation. During a visit to Washington DC in 2023, Marcos got what he had been asking for: an update to existing agreements with the United States.
Japan, a strategic partner and long-time friend especially in maritime issues, is eager to sign a Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA), a Visiting Forces Agreement-like deal that would allow Japanese boots on Philippine soil more regularly. Canada wants the same set-up.
Australia certainly does not want to get left behind.
In September 2023, when Albanese visited Manila, the two countries officially elevated ties to a strategic partnership. During Marcos’ February 2024 visit Canberra visit, the two countries signed a “Enhanced Maritime Cooperation to strengthen our existing civil and defense maritime commitments.”
Canberra and Manila also signed Memoranda of Understanding on cyber and critical technology to better combat cyber attacks, as well as one on cooperation between competitive commissions to “enhance effective competition law and policy.”
Albanese also announced a Aus $20 million investment to “support the Philippines to reform, and improve access to, its justice system.”
While Marcos’ speech made numerous references to the past – Filipino pearl divers in the 1860s who ventured into Australia, Filipinos who fought in Bataan and Corregidor to delay Imperial Japan’s onslaught, and the two countries’ roles in “shaping the free world’s vision for the postwar order” – more focus was placed on what lies ahead.
“From the very beginning, we knew that our interests were intertwined. The security of Australia is bound with the security of the Philippines. When my father accompanied Prime Minister [Edward Gough] Whitlam on a sentimental tour of Bataan and Corregidor in 1974, they reaffirmed that core principle,” he said.
“Our two countries have always understood that without the predictability and stability of our rules-based order, our region would not have emerged as the driver of the global economy as it is today,” added Marcos.
Albanese, in welcoming Marcos, also highlighted the two countries’ commonalities: island and trading nations and middle powers that depend heavily on regional stability and international law.
“All of us in the international community, middle powers like our countries, as well as small nations, have our part to play in building a more stable, peaceful and prosperous future,” said the Australian leader.
He also echoed a sentiment that Marcos had made in the past: that regional stability should not hinge in great powers.
“Our cooperation is an assertion of our national interest and a recognition of our regional responsibility. It reflects our shared understanding that peace depends on more than the presence of the great powers,” said the Prime Minister, as he emphasized the importance of upholding the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and freedom of navigation.
The week before Marcos’ Canberra visit, the Philippines again reported incidents of harassment at the hands of the Chinese – both its China Coast Guard and Chinese Maritime Militia.
The West Philippine Sea is the flashpoint of tensions between Manila and Beijing – there’s Ayungin Shoal where a marooned World War II ship stands as a military outpost, and Bajo de Masinloc, where Filipino fisherfolk are regularly barred by the Chinese from fishing.
Both features are within the Philippines’ EEZ, which means it has sovereign rights over the area. Yet China insists almost all of the South China Sea is part of their territory, rejecting a 2016 Arbitral Ruling that said their claim was invalid.
“We must reinforce each other’s strengths. We must protect the peace that we fought for during the war and have jealously guarded in the decades since. We must oppose actions that clearly denigrate the rule of law,” Marcos told parliament.
In a previous interview with Rappler, Ateneo de Manila University Assistant Professor Alma Salvador said that in bringing Manila back closer to Washington DC, Marcos was building on the diplomacy work of the presidents before him – especially that of the late Benigno Aquino III.
On top of improving Philippine-US ties, Salvador then noted that like Aquino, Marcos was keen on working with fellow middle powers – Japan, South Korea, and, of course, Australia.
Both Manila and Canberra are treaty-allies of the US.
Philippine defense and security officials will say that allies – old and potential new partners – making a beeline to improve ties with the Philippines is a new opportunity they want to capitalize on. Observers and diplomats themselves said the opportunities had always been there: it was just a matter of the Philippines opening itself up to those opportunities. – Rappler.com
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The Duterte dynasty: Powered by guns | Lian Buan | 11/3/2024 15:38 | The Duterte dynasty: Powered by guns
(2nd UPDATE) Former President Rodrigo Duterte and his family have a combined total of 654 firearms in their possession, according to new information obtained by Rappler
REPUBLISHED MAR 11, 2024 3:38 PM PHTFIRST PUBLISHED MAR 1, 2024 2:30 PM PHTBY Lian Buan, Jairo Bolledo, Jodesz GavilanAll illustrations by Alejandro Edoria
There are already 654 guns in the combined vault of only five members of the powerful and ruling Duterte clan, made up of mostly the handy and easy-to-use pistols and a hundred rifles, documents obtained by Rappler show. (Editor’s Note: In an earlier version of this story, we counted 477, to include only four members of the Duterte family. New information gathered allowed us to update our count.)
The patriarch, former president Rodrigo Duterte, has the most number of firearms in his collection, or 363 assorted weapons, which is five more than we earlier reported which was at the time based on records from October 2023. After our reporting, we obtained the most recent records.
His eldest, Davao City 1st District Representative Paolo Duterte has about half the size of his father’s vault, or 172 newly-licensed firearms. His youngest son, Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte has 61, his son-in-law Manases Carpio has 30, and his daughter, Carpio’s wife, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte, has 28. We were unable to verify if other members of the family, including the former president’s partner and children in-law, have any firearms.
These documents are in the records of the Philippine National Police Firearms and Explosives Office (PNP-FEO), and were verified to be authentic by Rappler. These documents mean that the firearms in these records were licensed.
Former president Duterte passed a law on May 6, 2022 that extended the validity of a firearm to 10 years, when before a license was valid for only four years before it had to be renewed again. The former president benefitted from his own law because his 358 firearms were renewed afterwards, just weeks before he stepped down as president, and obtained 10-year licenses.
The new law he passed, RA 11766, also made it easier for him to obtain a permit to carry outside residence. Part of the amendments made to the old version, RA 10591, listed professions such as lawyers, businessmen, journalists, accountants, as having an assumed threat to their safety and thereby giving them an easier time applying for a permit. In the new law, Duterte added two: an elected official, both former and current such as himself, and retired and active law enforcement personnel.
His children also benefitted from this law because Sara and Sebastian are elected officials too: Sara was Davao City mayor before the 2022 elections, and Sebastian was Davao City vice mayor at the time.
In Sebastian’s vault of 66, there are 24 firearms with 10-year licenses or until 2033 or 2034. Paolo also has 24 firearms with 10-year licenses, because most of the firearms in his vault of 144 are expiring either this year, 2025, or 2026 – which means he can renew them by then and get a fresh 10-year license if he wishes. Sara has six firearms with 10-year licenses, and husband Manases has seven firearms with 10-year licenses expiring in the same period.
The most expensive guns in the vault, according to publicly available market pricing, are the pistols. Paolo’s Wilson Combat EDC X9S is worth P342,500, and Sebastian’s Les Baer 572 Hemi pistol is worth P300,000. The Kriss Vector SDP Gen II, one of which Rodrigo and Sebastian each own, is priced at P261,000.
The Philippines has an enduring problem of gun violence, notoriously committed by the private armies of powerful clans. Past attempts at cracking down, and abolishing the private armies have failed because of watered down legislations, such as not putting a ceiling on the number of guns an individual can own.
The law says an individual possessing at least 15 guns is already a gun collector, and can obtain a Type 5 license, provided she or he passes the required drug and psychological tests, plus a vault inspection.
Although the law does not impose a limit on the number of guns per person, the common gun collector follows regulations as guidance and usually keeps his or her collection to around 15, according to our industry sources. The more avid shooter can have more – for example, former tax commissioner and known gun enthusiast Kim Henares has 40.
Henares believes the law is right not to impose a limit on the number of guns one person can possess, but the former Cabinet member – and the late former president Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III’s shooting buddy – said the regulators must be strict in the psychological test. Under FEO guidelines, the neuro-psychiatric examination and the drug test should be done by the PNP Health Service and the crime laboratory group, respectively.
“What you should regulate is making sure who holds those guns, right? Even if you allow one person to only have one gun, if he’s unstable, it’s the same thing,” said Henares in a mix of English and Filipino.
The Dutertes did not respond to Rappler’s requests for an interview or statement for this story. Separate requests were sent to the offices of Sara, Paolo, Sebastian, and Manases Carpio. We will update this story once they respond.
Rodrigo and Sara indirectly reacted to Rappler’s stories in separate statements. On March 7, the Vice President posted a video statement, saying the reporting about her guns is part of an “organized demolition job.” She said these allegations aim to tarnish her integrity and create an image that she is a “killer, corrupt, abusive, and a warlord.”
“Makikita natin ito sa pag-atake sa confidential funds, pagpapalaganap ng video sa Commonwealth traffic, paggawa ng issue sa pagtatag ng security para sa Opisina ng Bise Presidente, paglabas ng testigo na umano’y ako ay kaparte ng Davao Death Squad, sa malisyosong ulat tungkol sa aking mga baril, at ang pambabastos sa relasyon namin ng aking asawa,” the Vice President said.
(We can see this through the attack against confidential funds, the viral Commonwealth traffic video, making an issue of the creation of a security unit for the Office of the Vice President, a witness claiming that I am part of the Davao Death Squad, through a malicious report about my guns, and the disrespect for my relationship with my husband.)
On January 30 during a press conference in Davao City, Duterte took a swipe at Rappler’s earlier reporting on his gun collection and said that many of his guns were gifts when he was president, and that all of them are licensed anyway. According to Duterte, he knew that there were inquiries about his gun collection because a cop had tipped him off.
“Kinakalkal ‘yung firearms namin kung magkano, naririnig ko eh, tumawag ‘yung FEO…Lahat ng baril ko, pati maliit na baril, lisensiyado ‘yan. Kasi mahilig ako sa baril, pina-rehistro ko lahat sa Crame. Eh sila nagtanung-tanong, marami kang baril, eh putang-ina tanong mo sa Crame, regalo ‘yan,” said Duterte.
(They were looking into our firearms, how much they were, I heard because someone from the FEO called me…. All of my guns, even my small guns, are licensed. I am into guns, so I registered them all in Crame. But they were asking – you have so many guns, son of a bitch ask Crame, they are gifts.)
The PNP-FEO told Rappler in December 2023 that the rules are uniform for everyone and that a former president such as Duterte does not enjoy special privileges.
However, records bear out that each member of the Duterte clan owns Class-A light weapons, which under RA 10591 can be bought, owned, and licensed only by law enforcement personnel.
Class-A light weapons, under the law, include self-loading pistols, rifles and carbines, submachine guns, assault rifles, and light machine guns not exceeding caliber 7.62 mm which have a fully automatic mode. Their FEO records explicitly say that Rodrigo Duterre has 38 Class-A light weapons, Paolo Duterte has 24, Sara Duterte has 3, Sebastian Duterte has 1, and Manases Carpio has 1.
How are they able to license Class-A light weapons, which should have been exclusive to the military, police, and other law enforcement agencies?
It could be because the law’s exception clause applied to them. Because RA 10591 was passed only in 2013, non-law enforcement individuals (like the Dutertes) who possessed Class-A light weapons before 2013 were allowed to continue ownership of such firearms and were only required to renew their licenses. We sought clarification from the FEO on February 20 and followed up on February 28, and again on March 5, but have not yet received a response as of March 11. We will update this story once we do.
We also asked on March 8 whether the PNP will retroactively apply its recently amended internal rules to include more types of firearms in the small arms group, but we got no clear response.
Based on estimates from market retail prices, the Duterte family’s weaponry is worth a total of P24 million. Former president Duterte’s collection is worth around P5.5 million, but his sons’ vaults, although much smaller collections, have more expensive firearms.
Paolo’s collection of 172 is worth P10.2 million – more expensive than his father’s P5.5 million – based on newer documents we obtained. Based on last year’s documents, Sebastian’s collection is worth P5.4 million, Manases Carpio’s collection is worth around P2 million, and Vice President Sara Duterte’s collection is worth around P1.04 million.
When speculations spread that an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) was forthcoming, the former president said he would resist arrest and he threatened violence.
“Kapag puntahan nila ako, arestuhin nila ako dito, magkabarilan talaga ‘yan at uubusin ko ang mga putanginang ‘yan (If they come for me, if they arrest me here, there will be a shootout, I will finish all those sons of bitches),” said Duterte.
The ICC is investigating the six years of Duterte’s bloody drug war, and six years of his term as mayor and vice mayor of Davao City for the killings made by the alleged Davao Death Squad.
While the Philippine government still maintains that The Hague has lost jurisdiction over the Philippine case after Duterte withdrew membership from the Court, Prosecutor Karim Khan has successfully appealed to the ICC chamber to let him continue his investigation. The probe has reached a stage where Khan can request for summons or a warrant.
Duterte has also started pushing for a rehashed idea of a Mindanao secession, which he mentioned in a nasty public word war with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in January. Opposition leader and former senator Antonio Trillanes IV, Duterte’s staunch enemy, said the PNP must cancel his gun licenses if he is threatening to secede.
“Ito ay nag-incite to sedition/secession na. Malamang na gagamitin pa ang mga baril na ‘yan laban sa gobyerno (He is already inciting to sedition/secession. It’s possible he will use those firearms against the government),” Trillanes said.
A witness against Duterte’s friend and spiritual adviser, the controversial doomsday preacher Apollo Quiboloy, said he had once witnessed Duterte and Vice President Sara Duterte leave the preacher’s compound with bags of guns. The witness said this during a Senate investigation into the violations of Quiboloy and his religious group Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) which had been accused of sexual assault.
“Minsan po pumupunta doon si former president Rodrigo Duterte at former Davao mayor Sara Duterte. ‘Pag umalis na po sila sa Glory Mountain, dala na po nila ang mga bag na siya pong mga bag na nilalagyan po ng mga baril,” said the witness during a Senate hearing on February 19. (Sometimes former president Rodrigo Duterte and former Davao mayor Sara Duterte would visit. When they leave the Glory Mountain, they would carry with them bags of guns.)
Sara Duterte responded to this accusation by imputing political motivations. “Sa kasaysayan ng Pilipinas, naging kagawian na ang pag-atake at pagbato ng sari-saring isyu laban sa Bise Presidente. Marahil, sapagkat ang Bise Presidente ang tumatayong pangunahing hadlang sa mga nangangarap maging pangulo,” she said on February 21.
(In the history of the Philippines, it’s been a tradition to attack and throw issues against the vice president. Perhaps, because the Vice President is the primary obstacle to those who aspire to be president.)
Former president Duterte denied that Quiboloy gave him guns, telling journalists in Davao City on February 27 that: “Kami magtanggap ng baril kay Quiboloy? It is a very stupid proposition. Bakit naman si Pastor Quiboloy magbigay sa akin ng baril? Saan siya kukuha?” (We will get guns from Quiboloy? It is a very stupid proposition. Why would Pastor Quiboloy give me guns, where will he get them?)
INSPECTION. In 1997, then-mayor Rodrigo Duterte checks out an assault rifle after inspecting a crime scene in Davao city. Renato Lumawag/Reuters
SHOOTING RANGE. In the late 1980s, then-mayor Rodrigo Duterte inspects an assault rifle at a shooting range in Davao City. Renato Lumawag/Reuters
UZI. Former mayor Rodrigo Duterte poses with his Uzi submachine gun in the mid-1990s in the mountainous village of Carmen in the Baguio District of Davao City. Reuters
ANTI-TERRORISM. On June 28, 2018, then-president Rodrigo Duterte is seen with then-Chinese envoy Zhao Jianhua at the Clark Air Base in Pampanga. Rappler
TURNOVER. Former president Rodrigo Duterte hands over the marksman rifle from then-outgoing PNP director general Ronald dela Rosa to then-newly-installed PNP director general Oscar Albayalde during the PNP change of command ceremony on April 19, 2018. Malacañang photo
FROM CHINA. On June 28, 2018, then-president Rodrigo Duterte at the Clark Air Base in Pampanga, during the turnover by China to the Philippine government of rifles and ammunition to help combat terrorism. Rappler
– with a report from Ferdinand Zuasola/Rappler.com
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Accordingly: “The PNP-FEO told Rappler that the rules are uniform for everyone and that a former president such as Duterte does not enjoy special privileges.” Of course, the PNP-FEO can say this because the new law, RA 11766, was passed by Former President Digong Duterte to have himself as the first beneficiary. Who needs so many firearms? Are they getting them for their private armies? That new law (RA 11766) should be amended based on social justice. But who would want to amend it? It is a law that benefits only a few Filipinos yet would remain unchanged because most of our politicians and businesspersons are its primary beneficiaries – so few yet so powerful.
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How smuggled ultraluxury Bugatti Chirons expose flaws in LTO | lkyu0285 | 1/3/2024 19:39 | SMUGGLED. Composite image of the blue and red smuggled Bugatti Chirons recovered by the Bureau of Customs.
Customs Intelligence & Investigation Services
After a three-week search, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) finally recovered the two luxury sports cars that were smuggled into the Philippines.
These were no ordinary cars. Both were Bugatti Chirons – cars so rare that only 500 units were ever produced from 2016 to 2022 in a Bugatti factory in France. Each is priced at around $3 million or P165 million, an amount that would take the minimum wage earner more than 750 years of daily work to achieve.
The BOC didn’t so much find the cars as have their owners surrender them – perhaps out of fear after Customs called on the public to help spot the sports cars on the road.
But behind the triumph of Customs in its search is a host of questions: How did two of these vehicles find their way to the Philippines? How did the importers and owners cheat the government out of hundreds of millions in duties and taxes? And how did these illegally imported cars get their paperwork done by the Land Transportation Office (LTO) without anyone noticing?
It began in late 2022 when the two luxury cars likely entered the country, as evidenced by a bill of lading dated December 24, 2022 and a certificate of payment issued by Customs on December 27, 2022.
Things get fishy right from the start, as the certificate of payment shows only P24.7 million – or P24,787,838.82 to be exact – was paid in customs duty. Meanwhile, an estimate by Inquirer.net suggests that the customs duty should have been about P49.5 million, with the total duties and taxes supposed to reach more than P160.5 million.
But despite this questionable customs payment, the vehicles were somehow registered under the LTO. The blue Bugatti – with a plate number of NIM5448 – was registered under Thu Trang Nguyen, while the red Bugatti – with plate number NIM5450 – was registered under Mengjun Zhu.
The vehicles were registered with the LTO on the same day, May 30, 2023. This happened to be a turbulent time for the agency. A week before, on May 22, Jose Art Tugade resigned from his post as LTO head over the shortage in plastic cards for drivers’ licenses. Hector Villacorta, a communications assistant secretary for the Department of Transportation (DOTr), only stepped in as LTO’s officer-in-charge on June 1.
That means from May 22 to May 31, the LTO was likely in a messy transition period, and the smuggled vehicles just so happened to have been registered during this window. Coincidence?
So how did these vehicles get through the LTO’s system? It turns out that there are glaring gaps in the system used for vehicle registration, sources close to the LTO told Rappler.
The LTO is currently in the process of transferring all its operations from its old IT system provider, Stradcom, to the government-owned Land Transportation Management System (LTMS) portal. However, because not all processes have been fully swapped, LTO personnel may still sometimes register vehicles in the old Stradcom IT system rather than the LTMS.
This is, in fact, what happened in the case of the two Bugatti Chirons. The LTMS’ service providers – a joint venture headed by German company Dermalog – said that both luxury vehicles were not registered in the LTMS, asserting they “would not have been able to be registered in LTMS as the robust security features of LTMS would have prevented such registration to occur.”
Sources close to the LTO also separately confirmed to Rappler that the vehicles were not registered in the LTMS. Instead, it seems the vehicles were registered through the LTO’s old IT system provided by Stradcom.
The LTO wrote to Stradcom on February 21, 2024 to ask for an audit trail “to determine who are the personnel involved in the processing of the registration of the said vehicles,” based on an initial report seen by Rappler regarding the LTO-NCR’s investigation into the matter.
The problem is that vehicle registrations processed through the Stradcom IT system have a weaker audit trail, a source close to the LTO told Rappler. This is because under the old system, paper documents are not scanned, making it more difficult for other officers to conduct audits or due diligence.
Another LTO source told Rappler that it might be possible for an improper certificate of payment to get through the system because it is beyond the scope of the LTO’s work to double-check if customs duties were correctly paid. Once the Bureau of Customs electronically reports the certificate of payment, the LTO issues a certificate of stock reported (CSR), a document that acts like a car’s “birth certificate” and serves as evidence that it was manufactured or imported in the Philippines.
The LTO, in its initial report, also seemed to deflect responsibility away from the agency when it came to the issue of the improper certificate of payment and the resulting CSR.
“Liaison officers of the accredited manufacturers, assemblers, and importers are responsible for inputting data into the LTO system based on the Certificate of Payment issued by the BOC. They independently handle all stages, including evaluation, approval, and the printing of the CSR. The LTO’s role is limited to the processing of payments,” the LTO said in its report.
“The validity and processing of the CSR are dependent upon the issuance and successful transmission of the Certificate of Payment issued by the BOC. Although LTO employees play a vital role in vehicle registration, their primary function is to facilitate the application process and ensure adherence to established regulations. Their duties are purely ministerial in nature. As long as the requirements are met, motor vehicle registration would proceed,” the agency added.
But even then, a misdeclared CSR was far from being the only issue here.
Aside from a CSR, an original sales invoice is one of the documents needed to register a vehicle with the LTO. But as with the undervalued customs document, there were also anomalies in the sales invoice for the Bugatti Chirons.
The LTO initial report seen by Rappler questioned why each Bugattin Chiron was listed as worth only P1 million – a fraction of the vehicle’s usual price – in two sales invoices dated May 30, 2023. The two sales invoices also did not indicate the breakdown for 12% value added tax (VAT), VATable sale, VAT-exempt sale, zero-rated sale, and total sale.
Remember, the Bureau of Customs estimated the value of the luxury car at around P165 million each. Similar to what happened with the customs payment, it’s possible that the vehicles were undervalued to lessen or avoid taxes paid.
The question here then becomes how the LTO and its system failed to flag the Bugatti Chirons with conflicting sales prices of only P1 million and customs duties of P24.7 million – both of which were obviously incorrect in the first place.
Rappler reached out to the LTO’s intelligence and investigation head for clarification but received no response.
The irregular sales invoices were issued by Frebel Import and Export Corporation, the same company that imported the vehicles into the Philippines based on the bill of lading.
Based on Frebel’s latest certificate of accreditation obtained by Rappler, the company’s address is at Room 317 Femil Building, A. Soriano Avenue, Barangay 656, Intramuros, Manila, putting it under the jurisdiction of LTO NCR West.
However, Frebel’s initial accreditation as an importer was processed by the LTO NCR East regional office when it should instead have been processed by the LTO NCR West regional office.
Frebel was first certified by Benjamin Santiago, then-regional director for LTO NCR-East on August 11, 2022. Frebel then received a certificate of accreditation as an importer and dealer from Teofilo Guadiz III, who was then the LTO assistant secretary. Guadiz currently sits as the head of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, where he has weathered accusations of corruption. (READ: From LTFRB to Malacañang: Insider says Teofilo Guadiz at center of bribes)
The accreditation history of Frebel as an importer and dealer was irregular, as flagged by the LTO investigation in its report. After the “discovery of the questionable processing of the accreditation of Frebel,” members of the Monitoring Committee for Accreditation of Regional Assessment and Compliance paid a visit to Frebel morning of February 19.
“The inspection report identified the absence of both a showroom and a warehouse at the accredited entity’s registered address. Additionally, the report noted the lack of any visible import or dealer signage,” the LTO said in the initial report seen by Rappler.
In light of this, the LTO’s investigation committee recommended issuing a show cause order against Frebel that would compel them to address potential violations. The committee, in its report, also said that “considering the severity of the alleged violations, the issuance of a preventive suspension is deemed necessary.”
The LTO will also investigate Frebel’s liaison officer and Customs broker, as well as the company’s Securities and Exchange Commission documents.
Again, the LTO seemed to downplay its responsibility to verify the legitimacy of its importers and dealers, pointing instead to a supposed “loophole” in the Manufacturers, Assemblers, Importers, Rebuilders, Dealers and Other Entities (MAIRDOE) portal system that handles the accreditation of importers and dealers.
“Online submissions for accreditation renewal of MAIRDs offered convenience and efficiency, but also raised concerns about bypassing verification processes. This approach offered a loophole that was manipulated to get accredited without meeting all the crucial requirements. In-depth verification procedures are crucial to ensure only qualified importers renew their accreditation,” the LTO said in its initial report.
But the question here is: why did the LTO not do its own due diligence before approving or renewing Frebel’s accreditation as an importer and dealer? A simple site visit would have already revealed Frebel’s lack of a warehouse and showroom. Rappler is trying to get the side of Frebel and will update this story once we are able to.
The DOTr has already requested the National Bureau of Investigation and Jose Lim IV, DOTr’s Assistant Secretary for Road Transport Non-Infrastructure and Special Action and Intelligence Committee for Transportation, to look into the smuggling of the luxury vehicles, a source close to the LTO told Rappler. A copy of the LTO’s report was also submitted to Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista on February 23, 2024.
Investigators from the NBI and Office of the Solicitor General visited the LTO Central Office on Thursday, February 29, an LTO source told Rappler. Meanwhile, the DOTr has spoken up on the issue, declaring that “documentary and procedural irregularities appear to surround the eventual registration of these luxury vehicles.” – Rappler.com
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Why reverting to old academic calendar is just a ‘stopgap’ measure | Bonz Magsambol | 2/3/2024 9:00 | FILIPINO STUDENTS. Students and teachers go about regular classes at the General Roxas Elementary School in Quezon City, on February 21, 2024.
Jire Carreon/Rappler
In 2023, over a hundred students of a public school in Laguna were hospitalized due to dehydration after a surprise fire drill.
The school official said the temperature when the fire drill happened on March 23, 2023 was between 39 and 42°C. It was very hot and humid. In a tropical country like the Philippines, where classrooms are not built to withstand extreme heat, conditions are not conducive to learning.
Classes in the Philippines typically begin on the first Monday of June concluding in March, as mandated by Republic Act 7797. But in 2020, this law was amended to accommodate changes in school opening schedules. Classes should start not later than the last day of August, the new law said.
The country made the adjustment due to the impact of the pandemic and the subsequent lockdown in 2020. But even prior to the pandemic, there had been calls to make the academic calendar in the Philippines synchronized with other countries, especially with its Southeast Asian counterparts. Proponents of the shift also said that the months of June and July coincide with the typhoon season, resulting in class disruptions.
Since then, the academic year had shifted to August, meaning, students were now in school from April to May – a time that previously marked their summer vacation in the previous school calendar, and a period when high temperatures were often recorded.
But after a year of full adjustment, public clamor to revert to the old academic calendar intensified. A survey commissioned by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the basic education committee, revealed that 8 in 10 Filipinos want summer breaks back to April and May. This prompted the Department of Education (DepEd) to gradually revert to the old calendar.
“The shift to the school calendar back to the usual April-May break will be gradual. We will end on May 31, but we will open around July 29. And then slowly, we will move it back until we return to the normal April-May break,” DepEd Undersecretary Michael Poa said.
Poa said the decision to revert to the old academic calendar was based on consultations done by DepEd. “This is a decision made by the people,” he added.
The education official said that by school year 2026-2027, schools would open in June and end in April, based on DepEd’s projected timeline. By school year 2027-2028, schools would open in June and end by mid-March.
While the reversal of the academic calendar was welcome news to many, education experts said that it was just another “stopgap” measure. Meanwhile, for critics, it was just another “populist” policy by Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte.
“I think it’s more of a stopgap because DepEd couldn’t address the heat problems in the classrooms, which is the main reason why the public school teachers and students had clamored for the revert,” said education psychologist and University of the Philippines professor Lizamarie Olegario.
Olegario noted that Filipino students suffer from extreme heat in their classrooms because school buildings do not have “enough ventilation.” She enumerated the following issues that need to be addressed instead of reverting to the old calendar.
Classroom shortages had been a problem even before the pandemic. In some schools, 75 to 80 students were packed into one classroom meant for only 40. To make up for the lack of classrooms, class shifting had been implemented to accommodate enrollees every year. (READ: Classroom shortages greet teachers, students in opening of classes)
At a Senate hearing in 2023, it was revealed that DepEd would need P397 billion to address the 159,000 classroom backlog nationwide. Gatchalian also noted that the congestion rate in schools was at 32% for Kinder to Grade 6, 41% in Junior High School, and about 50% in Senior High School.
While electric fans are a common appliance in any Filipino household, there are still classrooms that don’t have them.
At a separate Senate inquiry in 2023, Senator Raffy Tulfo blasted the DepEd for soliciting funds from students – through the Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) – to buy school supplies and appliances such as electric fans for classroom use, as these should be provided by the agency.
There have been calls to “institutionalize” remote or blended learning in Philippine basic education so class suspensions would be lessened in case of typhoons or any natural disasters.
But doing so is not as easy as ABC because access to technology for both teachers and students remains a problem up to this day. Teachers are also not equipped with adequate know-how on how to use technology for learning.
As if the lack of resources for teachers wasn’t enough, the DepEd even got embroiled in a corruption controversy for purchasing “overpriced and outdated” laptops in 2021.
A separate Rappler investigation also revealed that laptops procured by the agency were being resold in markets.
“Since it has been decided that basic education reverts to the old calendar, during the rainy season, the teachers and the students should be equipped to have automatic online learning. There should be no need to wait for announcements from local officials for cancellation of classes,” Olegario said.
In a statement on February 21, the Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) said that with the DepEd’s move to revert to the old academic calendar, the agency should tap local governments to address issues in the education sector, “as many of the concerns can be addressed at the local level.”
“The decision to revert back to the old academic calendar should not be seen as a stopgap measure to address the underlying issues that make the existing school calendar unbearable. To safeguard our children, we need to make sure that classrooms can withstand extreme weather conditions and have transportation support available,” the group said.
In an interview with Rappler on February 28, PBEd executive director Justine Raagas emphasized that the problem in Philippine basic education is not really the academic calendar.
“Regardless of the academic school year, one of the biggest problems is, our classrooms are not conducive for learning. The problem goes beyond the shifting measures. The problem is classrooms can’t withstand typhoons, or classrooms are in very poor conditions that they don’t allow proper ventilation,” Raagas said.
But another issue that cropped up with the reversal to the old academic calendar is the looming long break for senior high school students going to college.
If by school year 2027-2028, basic education in the Philippines would open in June and end in March, that would mean senior high school graduates would have a five-month break before they enter college.
Raagas fears that the long break would result in learning loss, especially since students’ foundational knowledge isn’t strong.
“Learning loss occurs whenever a student is outside the classroom. If you remember in 2020, schools opened late, sometime in October 2020. Even in normal times, where you have two months of summer break, that results in learning loss. That’s why the first few weeks of the start of classes, it’s for catch-up, and review of past lessons,” she noted.
Learning loss, according to the Journal of Education and e-Learning Research, “occurs when students lose knowledge and skills generally or specifically or there is an academic impediment due to prolonged gaps or the discontinuation of the educational process.”
With the recent move by DepEd, should the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) also change its academic calendar? Olegario and Raagas don’t think so.
“For college, it was done because they want to align with international standards and for better partnership. It could stay that way but the basic education should improve,” Raagas said, noting that DepEd should improve its teaching quality so the long break would not result in learning loss.
For Olegario, higher education institutions in the Philippines “do not have problems with ventilation in the classrooms.”
“I’ve never heard of similar issues mentioned by the public school children. I’ve never seen classes that are too cramped, unlike what I saw in some elementary and public high schools,” she added.
CHED has not released any statement yet on the recent move by the DepEd.
The public hopes that the revert to the old academic calendar will benefit students and help in learning recovery.
“If we make the decision, let’s stick to it. It’s not fair that we experiment on schedules at the expense of our students. [Our] children require normalcy and stability in their education,” Raagas said. – Rappler.com
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Two sides of story: UST juniors football team makes stand after punching incident in UAAP final | delfin.dioquino editor | 1/3/2024 19:07 | GOALIE. Ben Sabuga in action for the UST Junior Golden Booters in the UAAP Season 86 boys' football tournament.
UAAP
MANILA, Philippines – As far as the UST Junior Golden Booters are concerned, there is more to the punching incident involving one of their players than meets the eye.
The Junior Golden Booters asked fans to look at two sides of the story after UST substitute goalkeeper Ben Sabuga attacked FEU defender Bryan Villanueva following the Baby Tamaraws’ 3-0 win in the final of the UAAP Season 86 boys’ football tournament on Thursday, February 29.
While his teammates were celebrating, Villanueva walked past the UST bench and appeared to shush spectators before a rushing Sabuga punched him at the back of the head.
“[A] senior player from FEU, donning the captain’s armband charged towards UST’s technical area, hurling offensive taunts at their coaches, players, and supporters. He continued unchecked by anyone from FEU,” the Junior Golden Booters said in a statement posted on their Instagram account on Friday, March 1.
“The actions of this player have been captured and been posted in the social media. Unfortunately, some parts of these videos being circulated may have been spliced and only showed the reactions of some UST players.”
A post shared by UST JUNIORS FOOTBALL TEAM (@ustjft_official)
Although the Junior Golden Booters do not excuse Sabuga for his reckless act, they said disrespecting opponents should also be frowned upon.
“We do not condone these reactions by our players as we strongly believe that violence has no place in sports. But we also do not tolerate disrespect and rude behavior towards opponents, coaching staff, and supporters,” the team said.
“If a spontaneous reaction of a UST player warrants criticism and discipline, it is also with more reason that a deliberate and shameless display of rudeness by this FEU player, who instigated this incident after all, should be equally condemned and addressed.”
Sabuga received a scolding from UST coach Marjo Allado after the incident and the Junior Golden Booters said they are dealing with him privately.
“Our team’s culture is built on the spirit of sportsmanship, respect and fair play, and some of our players may not have live up to these expectations during that time. We want to assure everyone that we are taking immediate action to address the situation internally,” the team said.
“In the spirit of fairness, we only asked for your consideration and understanding and look at the incident on both sides with objectivity and impartiality.” – Rappler.com
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Indigenous wisdom meets guided practice in farm tourism sites in Benguet and Bukidnon | Mia Gonzalez | 2/3/2024 9:00 | FARMERS. La Diyang members take a break from harvesting.
Photo courtesy Cristina Molitas Tolero
In 2022, idle and restricted by health protocols, farmers organized the La Diyang Haven Community Association as well as a series of community-based training in Tuba, Benguet.
The project, conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in partnership with the Department of Tourism (DOT), introduced the idea of social enterprise to the farming community.
“Though most of the farmers have no experience in bookkeeping, but, at least, they have learned to record their activities in their respective diaries, because the training helped us realize its value in decision making,” La Diyang Haven manager Cristina Molitas Tolero told Rappler in an interview.
The La Diyang Haven in Tuba, Benguet is one of four pilot farm sites in the Philippines that were part of the “Technical Cooperation Programme: Enhancing Farm Tourism in the Philippines for Inclusive Rural Development” held in 2023. The sites are meant to serve as models for sustainable farm tourism.
“We are so happy, so grateful for the assistance – the training sessions as well as the material support given to us,” Tolero said.
The 57 members are a mix of Ibaloi, Kankanaey, Ifugao, Ilocano, and Tagalog from La Diyang. But since they need to expand their membership to increase the supply and demand for their products and services, they have opened it to farmers in adjacent municipalities.
Tolero said that during the process, they made an important realization. “We were already practicing agroecology, but it took an outsider to help us appreciate that we have everything we need right here: we grow our own healthy and nutritious food and we breathe fresh air,” she said.
Tolero said that prior to the training on the conservation of cultural practices their our community was also doing this through ancient practices “like food preservation and preparation of native crops like pako (fern), watercress, ube (purple yam), and kini-ing (preserved meat).”
“But our appreciation for them increased because of the training. We used to be hesitant or ashamed of bringing out our cultural practices, like playing gongs and wearing g-string. But the empowerment mindset that we learned through the training helped us realize that even in the present world, we should be proud of our traditional practices. We need to show to the world who we are and there’s nothing to be ashamed of,” she added.
They will hold the Kini-ing Festival on April 4 to 6.
In Mindanao, Umanika Eco-Cultural Farm located in Malaybalay, Bukidnon, has been providing training programs for indigenous peoples and former rebels on various organic farm practices.
According to Green Minds co-founder Reynaldo Gil “Datu Makadingding” Lomarda, they only learned that their more than decade-old farm was in a flood-prone area through an app that was introduced to them through the site safety and risk management training. They have now put more appropriate disaster preparedness measures in place.
The social enterprise has worked with members of 14 ethnolinguistic groups in the Philippines including Higaonon, Matigsalug, and Manobo communities, and practices and promotes indigenous knowledge systems and practices, drawing a direct line to the science that supports it.
“For example, the practice of planting during a full moon makes sense – because groundwater levels are higher,” Lomarda said.
He observed that they need to reiterate this more when they train IPs, to encourage their sense of cultural pride and dignity.
“The training programs gave us an opportunity to learn again,” he acknowledged. “As service providers, we are usually the teachers. We appreciated the many lessons we learned, and the material support in the form of farm gear, solar lights, and early warning and emergency response equipment were a welcome surprise,” Lomarda said.
The other pilot sites are Yumi’s Farm in Tayabas, Quezon, and PeacePond Eco Tourism Events and Learning Center in Binalbagan, Negros Occidental. In total, more than 200 farm staff underwent training on site safety and risk management, social enterprise development, and agro-tourism and farming systems.
At the recent FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, the project was cited several times at the Ministerial Roundtable on Agritourism. Related to this, a farm tourism development training manual will soon be launched. – Rappler.com
Mari-An Santos is an Aries Rufo Fellow.
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NAIA’s surot-infested rattan chairs, once its pride, are now gone | lkyu0285 | 1/3/2024 13:10 | RATTAN. Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, then-MIAA General Manager Cesar Chiong, and Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco walk beside the newly installed rattan chairs in NAIA Terminal 2.
Screenshot from the DOT Facebook video
After news broke out of passengers reportedly being bitten by bed bugs in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), the airport’s operator has been quick to throw out what was once its pride: the rattan chairs that adorned NAIA Terminal 2.
The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) has now pulled out all of the rattan chairs in Terminal 2 after pest control service providers deemed them to be “prone to infestation,” MIAA Executive Assistant Chris Bendijo said in a Radyo5 interview on Friday, March 1.
The MIAA Media Affairs Division confirmed to Rappler that all rattan chairs have been removed “subject to disinfection.”
How did the chairs, which only arrived last year, go from a symbol of local culture to another bad mark on NAIA?
Earlier, MIAA issued a public apology after a passenger’s post about the bed bugs in the airport went viral. The passenger told Rappler that the bed bugs that bit them were particularly located in the rattan chairs of the arrival side of NAIA Terminal 2.
MIAA has reached out to the passenger and offered to compensate them for their medical expenses.
Those rattan chairs, which looked beautiful were it not for the creepy crawlers that they hid, are now gone. They were originally added as part of a “new and improved look” for NAIA Terminal 2.
Just last April 2023, the Department of Tourism and the Department of Transportation set about renovating the terminal and adding Filipino-made solihiya lamps and panels, mini-gardens, and “enticing rattan chairs.”
#NAIATerminal2 gets a new look 🥰😍Relish the beauty of the Filipino-inspired look of NAIA T2, where solihiya lamps hang…
In a video by the Department of Tourism, Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco is seen lounging around the rattan furniture, along with Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista and then-MIAA General Manager Cesar Chiong. A few days later, Frasco posted a photo of her and several children sitting on the rattan seats in Terminal 2 while waiting for their luggage to arrive.
“The craftsmanship and talent of our Filipino furniture makers is truly world class,” the tourism secretary said. “Maka-proud!”
Not even a year later, the same chairs – now infested with bugs – have been pulled out.
And it’s not just the rattan chairs that are problematic. In January 2023, a public video also showed bed bugs crawling and peeking out of the holes of the metal gang chairs at NAIA Terminal 3.
Bendijo said that they’ve already pulled out the gang chairs as well, which will be sprayed with chemical disinfectants.
“Kakaibang species ng surot ang kanilang nakita (They saw a unique kind of bed bug species),” Bendijo said about what their pest control service provider found.
Bendijo also said they’re studying the performance of their pest control and housekeeping service providers. Currently, pest control is done quarterly while housekeeping personnel disinfect chairs daily using alcohol-based disinfectant during the airport’s non-peak hours.
“Itong mga service agreement na ito, aaralin po natin kung kailangan bang mas dikit ‘yung interval … para sigurado pong wala po talagang infestation ng ating mga upuan,” he said in the Radyo5 interview.
(We’ll study these service agreements to see if we need to make them more frequent…to really prevent any infestation of our chairs.)
Before this incident, NAIA already suffered from congestion and a lack of seating. But Bendijo said that MIAA has taken steps to ensure that seats will still be available in the terminals even now that several chairs have been pulled out for disinfection. MIAA is also considering procuring more chairs to replace the rattan chairs.
The country’s ailing international airport is due to get a total rehabilitation soon. A consortium led by San Miguel is expected to take over as NAIA’s operator within the next three to six months while MIAA will remain as a regulator. – Rappler.com
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Is the proposed wage hike good or bad for SM? | Ralf Rivas | 29/02/2024 21:05 | LEADER. SM Investments Corporation president and CEO Frederic DyBuncio.
Rappler
Will a legislated wage hike hurt the Philippines’ business climate?
That was one of the questions asked of SM Investments Corporation (SMIC) president and CEO Frederic DyBuncio in a recent press briefing, amid business groups sounding the alarm that it would hurt both businesses and consumers.
DyBuncio did not give a categorical answer but noted that SMIC, the Philippines’ largest conglomerate in terms of market value at over P1 trillion, is keeping an eye on the issue as “it will obviously increase operating costs” and have an impact on economic growth.
SMIC is the holding company of the SM Group. The company is engaged in businesses through its subsidiaries, namely The SM Store, SM Supermarket, SM Hypermarket, SaveMore, Walter Mart, Alfamart, SM Prime Holdings, BDO Unibank, and China Banking Corporation.
The Senate on Monday, February 19, unanimously approved on third and final reading the bill that seeks to give a P100-daily increase to minimum wage earners in the country. Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has also started deliberating on various bills but with differing amounts, ranging from P150 to P750.
DyBuncio could not give the number of minimum wage earners in the SM group, but noted that most of their employees earn higher than minimum wage.
“That will affect the minimum wage workers. I think the bulk of our employees are actually higher than minimum wage. Again, it will obviously increase the operating cost, so the question is how much of that increase will be passed on to customers,” Dy Buncio said.
“We still don’t know what the final number would be but we had wage increases in the past and we will be able to adjust our businesses,” DyBuncio said.
The last legislated national wage hike in the Philippines was in 1989, when the Wage Rationalization Act ordered a P25 wage hike from the national P64 minimum wage. At present, Metro Manila’s minimum wage is P610 a day.
Proponents of the wage hikes, however, note that workers with higher wages spend more, thus stimulating the economy.
This point was echoed by SMIC consultant for investor relations and sustainability Tim Daniels.
“If you increase the spending power of the average Filipino consumers…when you look at the GDP of the Philippines, a very high percentage of GDP growth, over 70%, comes from consumer spending…that is something that you would probably see – retail activity in our malls,” Daniels said.
So, are wage hikes good or bad for business?
“It depends on who you ask,” Daniels said.
SMIC reported a net income of P77 billion, a 25% jump from P61.7 billion in 2022. Revenues reached P616.3 billion last year, up 11% from P553 billion.
“A key success driver was the healthy spending patterns of Filipino consumers in both essential and discretionary purchases, particularly in fashion, dining and entertainment,” DyBuncio said. – Rappler.com
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LIST: Metro Manila roads where e-trikes, e-bikes are banned starting April 2024 | lkyu0285 | 28/02/2024 18:10 | E-TRIKES. The local government of Manila offers e-trikes for stranded passengers on March 6, 2023, during the weeklong transport strike. File photo by Rappler
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MANILA, Philippines – The Metro Manila Council (MMC), through the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), approved a resolution banning certain e-vehicles from traversing major roads in the National Capital Region (NCR).
MMDA Regulation No. 24-022 prohibits e-bikes, e-trikes, tricycles, pedicabs, pushcasts, and kuligligs from traveling on national roads, circumferential roads, and radial roads in all cities of NCR starting April 2024.
Here is the list of roads where these vehicles are banned:
Those caught violating the ban will face fines of up to P2,500. Motorists driving “electric-powered motor vehicles and tricycles” will also be required to have a driver’s license. Those apprehended without a license will have their vehicles impounded.
“Due to the proliferation of e-vehicles, the MMC deemed it imperative to regulate and penalize those who will traverse the national roads using such means of transportation,” MMDA Acting Chairman Don Artes said in a press conference on Wednesday, February 28.
Each local government unit within Metro Manila may also issue their own ordinances for secondary and other inner roads in their area.
Previously, the MMDA admitted that it lacked unified guidelines regarding the use of e-trikes and e-bikes. Before the MMDA resolution, the most commonly cited regulation for e-vehicles was an administrative order by the Land Transportation Office that categorized electric vehicles and outlined where they could travel based on their maximum speed.
Artes said that this was not a total ban on e-vehicles. Instead, the resolution is meant to set clearer guidelines around e-bikes and e-trikes, which were “a common cause of traffic and road crash incidents.”
There were 554 road crash incidents involving electric vehicles in 2023, according to MMDA’s data.
However, the Move as One Coalition (MAOC) has questioned the move by the Metro Manila Council to ban the light e-vehicles on the basis of safety risks, saying “MMDA’s sweeping statement lacks context.”
MAOC pointed out that based on MMDA’s 2022 data, fatalities from bike, e-bike, and pedicab accidents only accounted for 33 of the 681 total fatalities, or 4.84%. Bikes, e-bikes, and pedicabs also only accounted for a similarly low 5.88% of total non-fatal injuries and 2.05% of total road crashes.
“For added context, MMDA should release the 2023 data on road crashes involving cars and the number of fatalities and non-fatal injuries. Cars have consistently accounted for the highest percentage of vehicles involved in a road crash since the [Metro Manila Accident Reporting and Analysis System] began in 2005,” MAOC said in a statement. – Rappler.com
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Coffee meets cacao as Manila Coffee Festival returns in March | Steph Arnaldo | 1/3/2024 17:36 | STORIES. A coffee farmer shares his farmu2019s online pages with festival-goers interested in his Qahwa Sug coffee from Sulu at the Manila Coffee Festival 2023.
STORIES. A coffee farmer shares his farmu2019s online pages with festival-goers interested in his Qahwa Sug coffee from Sulu at the Manila Coffee Festival 2023. Photo courtesy of Manila Coffee Festival
MANILA, Philippines – The Manila Coffee Festival will be brewing again this year!
The highly anticipated coffee festival will be back on March 15 to 17 at the MGBx Conventional Hall, Marriott Manila, Newport World Resorts in Pasay City, organized by The Coffee Heritage Project.
On its sixth year, the lifestyle event will add a new aspect to the experience: cacao. Called the coffee bean’s “sweet partner,” The Manila Coffee Festival will house a new “Cacao Alley,” which features locally processed single-origin cacao; authentic chocolates from Maranaw, Sarangani, Cotabato, and Batangas; and sustainable products using the popular bonbon.
The Single Origin Bar, which highlights Filipino coffee farmers’ single-origin coffees for guests to taste and enjoy, will still be around. An additional 10 new sources will be added to the roster. The event will showcase the stories behind each origin and even cultural performances by the local communities of these coffee farms.
Alcoholic coffee cocktails will also be served at the “Double Shot Bar,” using espresso shots of single-origin Arabica, Robusta, and Liberica beans.
Many more coffee-centric events are in store, such as workshops, talks, competitions, and hundreds of local exhibitors – from specialty roasters like Yardstick Coffee, brunch spot Maker and Made, sorbetes shop Papa Diddi’s, and more.
A Regular Pass costs P350, while the Espresso Pass costs P850, which offers the three-day experience of unlimited access to all events. Senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs) are eligible for a discounted rate of P200. Tickets can be bought online.
The Manila Coffee Festival’s mission is to showcase that “coffee is more than just a commodity but a part of our cultural identity, which we commit to sustain.”
Prior to the 2023 run in the same location, its last edition was held in April 2022 at Intramuros, Manila, after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. Before that, it was held in March 2020, shortly before the start of lockdown, at Manila Hotel’s Tent City. – Rappler.com
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Ang kulit! ABS-CBN sets record straight on new franchise | gdecastro0289 | 28/02/2024 13:55 | FORMER GIANT. The ABS-CBN Broadcasting Center in Quezon City.
Jire Carreon/Rappler
Ever since ABS-CBN Corporation (ABS-CBN) was ordered by the Duterte administration to shut down its free TV and radio operations four years ago, reports about a new franchise for the Lopez media conglomerate still circulate once in a while.
The reports spread again after ABS-CBN CEO Carlo Katigbak promised Kapamilyas last December that 2024 would be the “best year” for the company after losing its lucrative broadcast business in 2020.
Some social media pages then speculated in January that ABS-CBN would be returning soon, which company executives internally denied.
Even a reputable entertainment website got caught in the hype and reported – albeit more cautiously – that ABS-CBN’s franchise “may be restored” in 2024.
The reports spread again this week after a daily broadsheet wrote about a possible ABS-CBN comeback, linking it to former senator Manny Villar’s broadcasting venture, Advanced Media Broadcasting System (AMBS). With no franchise, ABS-CBN disposed of its broadcast equipment, including selling some to Villar so it can operate its ALLTV after securing the Channel 2 frequency.
Asked by the Philippine Stock Exchange to clarify this latest report, publicly-listed ABS-CBN gave an official statement on Tuesday, February 27.
“ABS-CBN Corporation disposed of assets that the company no longer needed to various broadcasting networks after we ceased operations as a broadcasting company,” the company told the Philippine Stock Exchange.
“It is not true that ABS-CBN is applying for a new franchise nor does it intend to buy back any of the assets it sold,” it added.
ABS-CBN has pivoted into a content creation company and now distributes its entertainment and news programs to various platforms, including to its former competitors.
Although it no longer has a broadcast franchise, most of its entertainment shows, especially its popular teleseryes (TV series) can be seen on free television, including tycoon Manny V. Pangilinan’s TV5 and televangelist Bro. Eddie Villanueva’s A2Z channel.
It is also doing business with its erstwhile enemy, the Philippines’ leading media conglomerate GMA Network, such as co-producing Unbreak My Heart, and selling its movies and other entertainment content so that Kapuso viewers can watch them.
Select ABS-CBN movies and teleseryes are also available via streaming platforms like Netflix and Viu.
With the scuttled Sky Cable acquisition by telco giant PLDT Incorporated, ABS-CBN still has its Kapamilya Channel as well as the ABS-CBN News Channel on Sky Cable and on YouTube.
On radio, ABS-CBN returned to the airwaves on June 30 via a content supply agreement with House Speaker Martin Romualdez’s Prime Media Holdings Incorporated.
ABS-CBN’s former radio station DZMM was resurrected via radio DWPM 630. Under the joint venture Media Serbisyo Production Corporation, ABS-CBN supplies the content, while Prime Media handles the airing.
So, what’s generating this demand for an ABS-CBN free TV comeback? Perhaps, it’s economic. Free TV is ultimately better than paid TV for many people, especially those in the lower-income groups who live in areas not covered by Digital Terrestrial Television. It may also be a sign that people are not happy with unstable telco service.
Whatever the reasons, it’s probably best to just ignore these reports of an ABS-CBN comeback. They’re already back. Ang kulit ‘nyo! – Rappler.com
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Life on tracks: The journey of Santa Mesa’s oldest railway trolley pusher | Herbie G | 23/02/2024 12:02 | TROLLEY. Rodolfo Maurillo and his two-decade-old trolley behind him at the PNR rails in Santa Mesa, Manila.
courtesy of Rafaela Abucejo
MANILA, Philippines – Besides the looming wipeout of traditional jeepneys through the public utility vehicle modernization program, another form of transportation is wary of being stamped out through modernization.
This time, it’s Manila’s illegal transport service, considered as among the world’s most dangerous commutes – the trolleys on Philippine National Railways (PNR).
“Patay! Hindi ‘ata makakatapos ang anak ko (It’s doomed! My son won’t graduate now),” said Rodolfo “Sangkay” Maurillo, reacting when he heard about the PNR’s railroad improvement project through the construction of North-South Commuter Railways (NCSR).
Tatay Sangkay, as his student passengers call him, is a 64-year-old trolley pusher who was among the pioneers of the bizarre transport method in their community in 1979.
His vehicle is a manually pushed handmade wooden cart that plies along the PNR tracks from Santa Mesa to Pandacan station, sending passengers for five to seven minutes from point to point.
In a 2018 article on Yahoo! Finance, the illegal service was dubbed “the world’s most dangerous commute.”
There’s no holding back for Tatay Sangkay to walk on a tightrope every day, pushing his two-decade-old trolley, because it means food on the table. In his case, however, there’s no table to be served food as he lives in a very small shanty alone that he built beside the pile of lumber to be used for the new rails’ construction.
Since he moved to Manila from Leyte around 1979, his family has lived in an informal settlement site in Santa Mesa. In 2007, however, a design company for condominiums demolished their houses and force-relocated their community to Bocaue, Bulacan. This is also the year when his wife gave birth to their only child.
Tatay Sangkay found no opportunities for job openings or any livelihood in the relocation site, so he traveled back to Manila that same year to find a job. Having nowhere to live, the wooden trolley is what he considered his home. The cart has become both his bed and house for 16 years until building his small shelter last year.
Passengers in those times, he said, were still looking for trolleys to ride, so he continued the illegal service even if his wife and infant were left in Bulacan.
Being the oldest trolley pusher in the area, the loud horns of an approaching PNR train do not disconcert him anymore. By pushing the cart carrying, at most, eight people for a single trip, his perseverance to generate income and send money to his family every weekend is what keeps him strong in making ends meet.
Passengers, he said, prefer a trolley ride to other transports to escape the traffic jams of Manila with less smoke and pollution while traveling.
“Ako, masigasig ako kahit matanda na ako (I am still enthusiastic despite my age),” he said.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Tatay Sangkay was earning around P500 daily. For around P7 to P10 per head, he gave a ride to passengers for a whole day. But before he could earn this much, he had to risk his and his passengers’ lives by dangerously traversing the track where a PNR train shuttles.
In times of pitfall when a train is heading in their direction, he swiftly lifts and carries the trolley to the other side of the track. But once, he and his passengers faced a terrifying moment when two trains approached them from both directions. In a split-second decision, they positioned themselves in the middle of the tracks, along with the trolley, as the trains, each traveling at around 40 kilometers per hour, passed by.
Such precarious situations led the PNR management to ban their operations on the railways in 2019, said Tatay Sangkay. Trolley pushers then negotiated for the continuation of their presence on the tracks, for it being their lone means of living. He claimed they were allowed to return to the dangerous service but limited their operations to certain hours.
Now, Tatay Sangkay and other trolley owners can only operate from 7 am to 8 am, and 4 pm onwards. The limited hours left a huge impact on their incomes because even if the fare has increased to P20 per passenger, he now earns only a maximum of P200 for a day or two.
Seeing his son’s commitment to finish his studies keeps Tatay Sangkay moving forward. The 17-year-old, who is now in senior high school, is bent on pursuing a degree in information technology (IT).
He said thinking about his child’s dedication motivates him on every trip, making him somewhat immune to challenges like heat, danger, and physical constraints while doing push-and-runs on the rail tracks.
“Iniisip ko kasi ‘yung anak ko. ‘Yung anak ko kasi nangako siya sakin: ‘Pa, mag-aaral ako nang mabuti.’ […] Kailangan malakas pakiramdam mo dito. E ako, ingat na ingat din ako kasi sabi ng anak ko, ‘‘Pa, mag-ingat ka, ‘tutuloy ko pagaaral ‘ko.’ Sabi ko, ‘Sige kung ‘yan ang gusto mo.’ Kaya di ako sumusuko dito,” he said.
(I think about my son because he promised me: ‘Pa, I’ll be good in my studies.’ You need to have a strong feeling here. I, myself, I’m always being careful here because my son said, ‘Pa, always watch yourself out, I will continue to study.’ I then replied, ‘I’m okay with that if that’s what you want.’ That’s why I never give up.)
Ellen Ayubit, 67, who was among the relocated families in 2007 with Tatay Sangkay, has been admiring his perseverance for years of pushing trolleys despite its dangers. Working hard to provide education to his son every day, she praised the trolley pusher for working despite his age instead of being a bystander.
But Ayubit, who sees Tatay Sangkay as family, said she always worries when he comes back late from Pandacan to Santa Mesa, fearing that he might have an accident, especially when crossing the bridge over the Pasig River in Paco.
For the construction of NSCR, an elevated, double-track, and electrified train system will be built directly on top of the existing tracks of PNR. The modernization means a total wipeout of the unofficial transport culture in the area, a livelihood that became the bread and butter of a community for almost half a century.
Tatay Sangkay said he hopes that despite the ongoing construction at Alabang Station, his income from pushing trolleys will be enough to support his son’s college expenses and graduation. If trolley-pushing is banned, he said he would switch to pedicab driving, borrowing a sidecar to continue providing for his family.
“Nangangamba rin ako syempre kasi kahit papaano, ‘yung kita ko dito sa riles, sarili kasi eh. Wala akong bina-boundary-han. E nanghihinayang din ako. Ngayon, kung talagang gusto nila [gawin] ‘yung riles, patigilan na kami, wala kaming magagawa. Syempre gobyerno na ‘yun,” he said.
“Kung talagang gusto nila [kami] mapaalis, tumulong sa isang taong kagaya ko, senior [citizen], mabigyan man lang ho ng kahit kaunting kabuhayan, okay na ako. Wala na akong kahilingan,” he added.
(I still fear because at least, what I earn here on the rails is mine. I’m not paying through a boundary system. I feel sorry for its loss. Now, if the government persists in working the rails and banning us, we cannot do anything. They’re the government. If they really want to ban us and help senior citizens like me, a small livelihood will do. I’m okay with that. I have no other wishes.)
When asked how he stays strong, he said praying before each trip gives him the strength to carry on. He also said he believes the rosary hanging on his trolley keeps him safe, along with his family’s trust in him and their faith in God. –with reports from Precious Altura/Rappler.com
Chris Burnet Ramos is a campus journalist from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP). A senior news writer for The Communicator, he is also an Aries Rufo Journalism fellow of Rappler for 2023-2024.
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A 97-year-old Philippine company closes down | gdecastro0289 | 1/3/2024 19:55 | SHUT. Central Azucarera Don Pedro, a major Philippine producer of refined premium sugar, ends its operations on February 28, 2024.
Roxas Holdings Incorporated's website
MANILA, Philippines – Even Blue Eagle Manny V. Pangilinan’s (MVP) business acumen couldn’t save this 97-year-old Philippine company.
Sugar refining firm Central Azucarera Don Pedro Incorporated (CADPI), established in 1927, closed down on Wednesday, February 28, citing “serious business losses.”
CADPI, a subsidiary of publicly listed Roxas Holdings Incorporated (RHI) where Pangilinan sits as vice-chairman, informed the Philippine Stock Exchange on Thursday, February 29, that it was “forced to terminate” all its employees due to closure of operations.
First Pacific Company Limited of Hong Kong, founded by Pangilinan, took a 34% stake in RHI in 2013 and raised it to majority stake two years later. CADPI was established by the forefathers of its current chairman, Pedro E. Roxas, who served for a long time as its president and CEO.
“In compliance with Article 298 of the Labor Code, CADPI has given notice both to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the affected employees at least thirty (30) days before the effective date of termination. The effectivity date of the termination of all affected employees is on 29 March 2024,” RHI said.
RHI did not say how many CADPI workers would lose their jobs, but as of end of 2022, CADPI had 445 employees. CADPI workers were sent notices of separation on February 28.
RHI said on Friday, March 1, it had no choice but to close down CADPI since it was draining the parent firm’s financial resources. RHI had a net loss of P797 million in September 2022 and a loss of P938.9 million in September 2021.
“CADPI’s closure of its operations and separation of its employees will essentially mitigate incurrence of manpower costs and other fixed costs,” RHI said.
“CADPI’s closure will prevent further dissipation of resources as opportunities to resume normal operation of the sugar refinery business of CADPI has been affected and/or limited by the increased importation of refined sugar by the national government in the past years,” the company said.
CADPI, located in Nasugbu, Batangas, produced and sold raw and refined sugar, molasses, and related products to traders and industrial customers. Among its customers were multinational food and beverage companies like Nestlé and Coca-Cola Philippines, and pharmaceutical firms such as United Laboratories Incorporated or Unilab.
At one point, CADPI was the Philippines’ second largest raw sugar manufacturer and its biggest producer of refined sugar, said a 2002 paper on labor issues in the Central Azucarera Don Pedro.
It planted and cultivated sugarcane and other farm products, and managed and operated agricultural land. It also owned parcels of land in La Carlota City and in the towns of Pontevedra and Hinigaran in Negros Occidental. Its assets were valued at P2.7 billion in September 2022.
CADPI’s closure is indicative of the sad state of the Philippines’ sugar industry.
The Philippines used to be one of the world’s major exporters of sugar, and sugar was among the country’s leading export products. When the Philippines was still an American colony, US companies put up sugar mills that produced sugar for export. The US and the Philippines had free trade relations, and the latter supplied a large part of America’s sugar requirements, but this special relations ended in 1974.
In 1960, the Philippines’ sugar exports still accounted for 11% of world trade, but this fell to 1% in 1990, according to a study by the government think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies.
For many years now, Philippine sugar production has not been able to keep up with population growth, prompting the government to regularly import sugar and keep prices stable. The breakup of large sugar farms due to the land reform program further hurt the Philippine sugar industry. Sugar farming needs economies of scale to produce efficiently, according to agricultural experts, citing Thailand’s success.
The Philippines has also not been able to produce sugar competitively in the world market.
According to former economic planning secretary Cielito Habito, Philippine raw sugar prices were 1.3 to 2.4 times higher than both world prices and Thailand’s price from 2011 to 2019. Yields of Philippine sugar farms were 60 to 65 tons per hectare compared to an average of 70 to 75 tons for Thailand, India, and Brazil, he said.
“Thailand has managed to keep up with world productivity levels, whereas the Philippines has consistently suffered much lower productivity, hence much higher costs,” Habito wrote in a column on August 23, 2022.
CADPI modernized its facilities through the years as the Philippines opened up its economy as mandated by the General Agreements on Tarrifs and Trade-World Trade Organization and the ASEAN Free Trade agreements.
CADPI was already facing difficulties in the past few years.
In December 2021, Typhoon Odette destroyed a big part of the country’s sugarcane farms in southern Luzon and Western Visayas, where RHI operated. CADPI’s milling operations were hit by a big drop in supply of sugarcanes.
In December 2022, RHI closed its sugar milling operations. Three months later, in March 2023, it announced that it had sold its “unutilized and idle” sugar milling equipment and machineries to the Gokongwei Group’s food and beverage company Universal Robina Corporation. The assets were valued at P897 million.
RHI had hoped “more potential for sustainable operations” if CADPI focused purely on sugar refinery in Batangas, along with RHI’s ethanol plant in Negros Occidental.
In a statement in February 2023, the farmers group Sugarfolks’ Unity for Genuine Agriculture Reform-Batangas warned that the closure of CADPI’s milling operations would hurt 4,584 sugarcane planters in Batangas and mean less work for more than 10,000 sugarcane field workers. It urged the government to take over CADPI, provide subsidies for sugarcane planters, stop sugar importation, and extend aid to sugarcane farmers affected by CADPI’s closure.
CADPI sourced its sugar cane from planters and traders in Batangas.
In May 2023, RHI chair Roxas said CADPI’s sugar refinery operations were dealt “heavy blows” by the government’s move in February to import 440,000 metric tons (MT) of refined sugar on top of the 150,000 MT imported in crop year 2022-2023.
“It has been difficult for local sugar refineries to compete given the high prices of raw sugar feedstock and of outside fuel costs, which have increased significantly in recent years,” RHI said in 2023. “These costs eroded the white premium margin to entice local refineries to process and refine raw sugar.”
On Friday, RHI said CADPI was informed by the Sugar Regulatory Authority (SRA) that the current inventory of refined sugar in the market “must first be depleted before CADPI can offer refined sugar to the public.”
RHI said this was projected to take around 8 to 12 months, adding that this was “too long a period of non-generation of income by CADPI from its sugar refinery operations.”
It said that RHI’s other productive activities, such as its ethanol plant San Carlos Bioenergy Incorporated, could not support the parent’s recurrent costs.
“Thus, maintaining CADPI’s sugar refinery business proves to be extremely difficult and no longer viable,” RHI said.
RHI said it would be disposing of idle assets to prospective buyers to pay its obligations.
On Thursday, SRA chief Pablo Luis Azcona said CADPI’s closure meant one less Philippine company refining premium sugar. With the loss of the refining capacity in Luzon, he said premium refined sugar would come from four companies in Negros island and one in Bukidnon. – Rappler.com
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After court verdict, 5 cops in Jemboy Baltazar killing released from detention | Jairo Bolledo | 1/3/2024 18:06 | FREED. In this photo, the six cops involved in the killing of 17-year old Jemboy Baltazar leave the Navotas Regional Trial Court after the promulgation of the case on February 27, 2024.
Jire Carreon/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – The five police officers and personnel tagged in the killing of 17-year-old Jerhode Jemboy Baltazar have already walked free from detention, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) said.
BJMP spokesperson Jail Chief Inspector Jayrex Bustinera confirmed to Rappler on Friday, March 1, that the police officers and personnel – Staff Sergeant Antonio Bugayong Jr., Staff Sergeant Niko Pines Esquilon, Executive Master Sergeant Roberto Balais Jr., Corporal Edmard Jake Blanco, Patrolman Benedict Mangada – have been released from detention. They left Metro Manila District Jail Annex 2 in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City at 5:30 pm on Tuesday – the same day the Navotas City court handed down its verdict.
The five cops were released after they received lighter penalties. Bugayong was acquitted in the murder case, while Esquilon, Balais Jr., Blanco, and Mangada were convicted of illegal discharge of firearm and were only sentenced to four months in prison.
Since the court allowed the four’s preventive imprisonment to be credited as sentence, they were ordered released. The cops have been detained since October last year after they surrendered to the police.
Meanwhile, since Police Staff Sergeant Gerry Maliban was convicted of homicide and was sentenced to four to six years in prison, Bustinera told Rappler that the cop will be transferred to the custody of the Bureau of Corrections.
A victim of mistaken identity, Baltazar was killed in a police operation in Navotas City on August 2, 2023. The pursing cops said they had mistaken the teen-aged Baltazar as the shooting incident suspect who was said to be in the area.
He and his friend were cleaning a boat in Navotas City when the police team rained gunshots at them. Baltazar died of brain injuries due to a gunshot wound in the head, with drowning as a contributing factor. After he was shot, Baltazar fell into the river where his body remained submerged for around three hours before it was retrieved by his uncle.
His death reignited anger and condemnation against the police, and dubbed him as the second Kian delos Santos. Delos Santos was the biggest case of police brutality in the country under former president Rodrigo Duterte’s administration as he was also killed by cops. But unlike in Baltazar’s case, the cops in Delos Santos killing – Arnel Oares, Jeremias Pereda, and Jerwin Cruz – were convicted of murder and were sentenced to up to 40 years of imprisonment.
The Baltazar family were disappointed with the ruling after hoping the cops would be convicted of murder. Rodaliza, the teen’s mother, was emotional after the ruling and said Maliban will only be jailed for years, but her son is gone forever.
Meanwhile, Department of Justice spokesperson Assistant Secretary Mico Clavano said they will appeal the court’s ruling to the Court of Appeals, adding that they will tap the Office of the Solicitor General to represent the government in the appeal. – Rappler.com
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NAIAx Tramo access ramp in Pasay now open | lkyu0285 | 1/3/2024 17:36 | NOW OPEN. View from the newly opened Tramo access ramp of the NAIAx.
San Miguel Corporation
MANILA, Philippines – A new access ramp for the NAIA Expressway (NAIAx) has opened in Tramo, Pasay City.
The 800-meter access ramp will cater to southbound traffic in EDSA coming from Makati, or northbound traffic coming from Entertainment City, San Miguel Corporation (SMC), the conglomerate that operates NAIAx, said in a press statement.
“This Tramo access ramp provides another option for motorists heading to the airport, and other areas in Paranaque City and Cavite province. We believe it can help relieve overall traffic congestion in the area, and improve traffic flow within the vicinity of the airport,” SMC president and chief operating officer Ramon Ang said during the access ramp’s opening on Friday, March 1.
Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan also said that the government and SMC are looking into “further improvements” for NAIAx to cater to the growing passenger volume of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
The NAIAx is an 11-kilometer elevated toll expressway that connects the Skyway System to the country’s main international airport. It also connects to Entertainment City, Macapagal Boulevard, Sucat Road, and roads leading to Cavite.
San Miguel won the rights to NAIAx after it offered an P11-billion cash bid in 2013, which was significantly higher than the P305-million bid by a Metro Pacific Investments Corporation subsidiary.
A San Miguel-led consortium earlier won the bid for the NAIA rehabilitation project after it offered a government revenue share that was more than double that of the next highest bidder. SMC’s group is expected to take over operations of the Philippines’ main airport within the next six months.
– Rappler.com
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Stephen Holt resets PBA career-high as Terrafirma opens PH Cup with rout of Converge | Jasmine Payo | 1/3/2024 20:31 | TAKE CHARGE. Terrafirma's Stephen Holt goes for a shot against Converge in the PBA Philippine Cup.
PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines – Hard work pays off for Stephen Holt and the rest of the Terrafirma Dyip.
After finishing the previous conference on an eight-game losing streak, Holt and the Dyip opened their PBA Philippine Cup Campaign on a high note as they took down the Converge FiberXers, 107-99, at the Araneta Colisuem on Friday, March 1.
Holt, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 PBA Draft, picked up right exactly where he left off last conference as he exploded for a new PBA career-high of 27 points on 12-of-19 shooting, to go along with 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 5 steals.
The 32-year-old Filipino-American forward surpassed his previous mark of 26 points, which he set in Terrafirma’s final game of the Commissioner’s Cup against the Meralco Bolts last January 12.
“I just wanted to build off my performance over my last game last conference against Meralco,” said Holt.
“Coming into the offseason, I just went straight to work. I stayed in Manila, I didn’t go back to the United States, I didn’t go on vacation. I was in the gym every single day until we started training.”
“At the end of the day, I’ve been a pro for 10 years, playing in high-level leagues. The work is always going to show.”
Aside from Holt, Converge had no answers for Terrafirma’s star point guard Juami Tiongson, who sizzled for a game-high 30 points on 10-of-21 clip from the field.
Three more players scored in double figures for the Dyip, with Isaac Go putting up 13, while Gelo Alolino and Javi Gomez de Liaño adding 10 each.
After being on top by as many as 24 points, 76-52, midway through the third quarter, Terrafirma saw its lead cut down to just 6, 101-95, off a layup by Converge big man Justin Arana with 1:51 left in the game.
The FiberXers had two opportunities to inch closer and pull within a single possession late in the fourth quarter, but three-point attempts by King Caralipio and Mike Nieto failed to hit the mark.
Tiongson then sealed the win for the Dyip with layup in transition with just 39 seconds remaining.
Arana and Alec Stockton led Converge in the losing cause with 18 points apiece.
Rookies Schonny Winston and Bryan Santos chipped in 17 and 14 markers, respectively, for the FiberXers, who are aiming for a better showing this conference after a 1-10 finish in the Commissioner’s Cup.
Terrafirma 107 – Tiongson 30, Holt 27, Go 13, Gomez de Liaño 10, Alolino 10, Sangalang 9, Calvo 6, Ramos 2, Cahilig 0, Camson 0, Mina 0.
Converge 99 – Winston 18, Arana 18, Stockton 17, Santos 14, Fornilos 8, Ambohot 7, Melecio 5, Balanza 5, Zaldivar 3, Maagdenberg 2, Caralipio 2, Nieto 0, Delos Santos 0, Fleming 0.
Quarters: 27-21, 56-44, 86-75, 107-99.
– Rappler.com
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Two sides of story: UST juniors football team makes stand after punching incident in UAAP final | delfin.dioquino editor | 1/3/2024 19:07 | GOALIE. Ben Sabuga in action for the UST Junior Golden Booters in the UAAP Season 86 boys' football tournament.
UAAP
MANILA, Philippines – As far as the UST Junior Golden Booters are concerned, there is more to the punching incident involving one of their players than meets the eye.
The Junior Golden Booters asked fans to look at two sides of the story after UST substitute goalkeeper Ben Sabuga attacked FEU defender Bryan Villanueva following the Baby Tamaraws’ 3-0 win in the final of the UAAP Season 86 boys’ football tournament on Thursday, February 29.
While his teammates were celebrating, Villanueva walked past the UST bench and appeared to shush spectators before a rushing Sabuga punched him at the back of the head.
“[A] senior player from FEU, donning the captain’s armband charged towards UST’s technical area, hurling offensive taunts at their coaches, players, and supporters. He continued unchecked by anyone from FEU,” the Junior Golden Booters said in a statement posted on their Instagram account on Friday, March 1.
“The actions of this player have been captured and been posted in the social media. Unfortunately, some parts of these videos being circulated may have been spliced and only showed the reactions of some UST players.”
A post shared by UST JUNIORS FOOTBALL TEAM (@ustjft_official)
Although the Junior Golden Booters do not excuse Sabuga for his reckless act, they said disrespecting opponents should also be frowned upon.
“We do not condone these reactions by our players as we strongly believe that violence has no place in sports. But we also do not tolerate disrespect and rude behavior towards opponents, coaching staff, and supporters,” the team said.
“If a spontaneous reaction of a UST player warrants criticism and discipline, it is also with more reason that a deliberate and shameless display of rudeness by this FEU player, who instigated this incident after all, should be equally condemned and addressed.”
Sabuga received a scolding from UST coach Marjo Allado after the incident and the Junior Golden Booters said they are dealing with him privately.
“Our team’s culture is built on the spirit of sportsmanship, respect and fair play, and some of our players may not have live up to these expectations during that time. We want to assure everyone that we are taking immediate action to address the situation internally,” the team said.
“In the spirit of fairness, we only asked for your consideration and understanding and look at the incident on both sides with objectivity and impartiality.” – Rappler.com
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Bacolod horrified by discovery of dumped frozen body parts near NBI, capitol | Herbie G | 1/3/2024 21:47 | Shutterstock
BACOLOD, Philippines – The local business community was rattled, and officials were left stunned and bewildered as the city woke to the grim discovery of frozen body parts dumped near the provincial capitol of Negros Occidental and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) office on Friday, March 1.
“This is alarming! Grabe ni pagpanghangkat sa mga natungdan nga otoridad (It’s a big challenge for the authorities),” said Frank Carbon, chief executive officer of the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBBCI).
The body parts, contained in a paper bag, were found in front of the NBI office, adjacent to the provincial government seat of Negros Occidental, on Aguinaldo Street, Kamote Kahoy in Barangay 4 at around 5:45 am.
The paper bag bore the names of an NBI-Bacolod agent and an alleged drug lord, along with a warning against the law enforcer who purportedly serves as protector of the latter.
Carbon said he was worried about the potentially adverse impact of the incident on the business community, Bacolod, and Negros Occidental, and its eventual repercussions on the local economy.
A furious Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez warned of a “syndicate” behind the dumping of the body parts.
“They chose the wrong city,” Benitez said.
It wasn’t the first time. In early 2023, the city witnessed a series of what locals refer to as “wigit bangkay, ti-il kag kamot” (dumping of bodies, mutilated hands, and feet), prompting Benitez to ask Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. for the replacement of Bacolod’s then-police director.
Local officials said an illegal drugs syndicate was likely responsible for last year’s dumping of body parts, a trend that ceased with the appointment of a new police director until Friday’s grisly discovery.
NBI-Bacolod Director Renoir Baldovino, however, dismissed the possibility of the incident being linked to the illegal drug trade in Bacolod, saying it was more likely a diversionary tactic by a group affected by the bureau’s crackdown on illegal gambling operations.
Baldovino cited the NBI-Bacolod’s intensified efforts against illegal gambling activities, particularly e-sabong (online cockfighting) in the city and province.
Colonel Noel Aliño, director of the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO), vowed to uncover those responsible for the recent dumping of body parts and hold them accountable.
“We assure the public that we will not relax, especially with an NBI agent facing a serious threat,” Aliño said.
He tasked the BCPO’s Special Intelligence Group (SIG) and Bacolod Police Station (BSP) No. 2 to focus and prioritize the case. – Rappler.com
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FACT CHECK: SSS has no ongoing scholarship program | Lorenz Pasion | 1/3/2024 21:00 | Claim: The Social Security System (SSS) posted an application link for its 2024 scholarship program offering elementary, high school, and college students allowances of up to P10,000.
Why we fact-checked this: The claim was uploaded on the Facebook page “Philippine Scholar,” which has been previously fact-checked by Rappler for disseminating false information on student aid supposedly from government agencies.
The post claims that the 2024 SSS scholarship program offers P4,000 for elementary students, P6,000 for junior high school students, P8,000 for senior high school students, and P10,000 for college students.
The post also included a link to an unverified website where applicants are asked to provide their personal information such as name, email, and phone number.
While the post was dated January 17, it continues to receive comments and engagements from Facebook users inquiring about the program. As of writing, the post has received 76 reactions, 224 comments, and 12 shares.
Additionally, the website for the supposed application is still actively posting unverified scholarship programs from various public officials and agencies.
The facts: SSS does not offer the alleged scholarship program, the state-owned social insurance agency said in an advisory on January 18.
“Walang ongoing scholarship program ang Social Security System para sa mga miyembro at benepisyaryo nito, o maging sa publiko. Huwag maniwala sa mga balita, post o private messages sa social media na nag-aalok nito,” the advisory read.
(The Social Security System has no ongoing scholarship program for its members and beneficiaries, or even for the public. Do not believe the news, posts, or private messages on social media that offer this.)
SSS also warned the public that these misleading posts are likely schemes that may put their personal data at risk.
For SSS-related concerns, the public is advised to direct their inquiries to the official SSS channels or through their verified support ticket system, the uSSSap Tayo Portal.
Educational assistance: What SSS offers is the Educational Assistance Loan Program (EALP), a short-term member loan program for eligible SSS member-borrowers intended to defray educational expenses for undergraduate degrees and technical or vocational courses.
According to the EALP application form on the SSS website, the maximum loanable amount is P20,000 per academic term, or a maximum allocation of P160,000 and P200,000 in full allocation for four and five-year degree programs, respectively.
Meanwhile, qualified member-borrowers may apply for a maximum amount of between P40,000 and P60,000 for vocational or technical courses.
The loan program is funded by both the national government and SSS. To apply, individuals must submit an accomplished EALP application form and supporting documents to the nearest SSS office.
Debunked: Rappler has published several fact-checks about fake scholarship programs allegedly from government agencies:
Official accounts: For official updates on the programs and services of SSS, refer to its official website, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube accounts. – Larry Chavez/Rappler.com
Larry Chavez is a graduate of Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.
Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at [email protected]. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.
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RUNNING LIST: President Marcos’ foreign trips in 2024 | Dwight de Leon | 22/01/2024 15:00 | TRAVEL. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos fly to Malaysia for a state visit in July 2023.
Presidential Communications Office
MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has established himself as a frequent flyer, does not intend to slow down in 2024.
For this year, the Office of the President (OP) has been provided a budget of P1.4 billion for missions and state visits, as well as P1.1 billion for traveling expenses.
The amounts are a significant increase from what the OP had in its budget for traveling purposes in 2023.
Rappler tracks the countries that the President will visit in 2024.
Updated as of Apri 22, 2024
The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) announced on January 24 that President Marcos will be the keynote speaker at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue, dubbed as Asia’s premier defense summit, on May 31.
As per the IISS, he will join an esteemed list of heads of state who delivered a speech at the summit in the past, such as Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Malacañang has yet to confirm Marcos’ visits to the following countries. The list is based on international gatherings usually attended by the President, invitations that Malacañang received, and other statements that Philippine officials made in the past.
President Marcos and First Lazy Liza attended the royal wedding of Prince Abdul Mateen, the 10th child of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and businesswoman Yang Mulia Dayang Anisha Rosnah Binti Adam.
Marcos flew to Vietnam for a state visit upon the invitation of his Vietnamese counterpart Vo Van Thuong.
There, Marcos reiterated the agreements between Manila and Vietnam’s coast guards, and the two nation’s “cooperation and coordination” in the South China Sea. The two countries also inked an agreement on rice trade.
Marcos was in Canberra, Australia on February 28 to 29. As a guest of the government, he addressed the Australian Parliament, zeroing in on security issues. He also witnessed the signing of agreements on maritime domain, cyberspace, and antitrust between the Philippines and Australia.
The President returned to Australia on March 3, just a few days after his state visit to the country, to take part in the special summit in Melbourne between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Australia from March 4 to 6.
President Marcos was in Berlin in March for a working visit, meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
The two countries signed agreements to strengthen cooperation on maritime issues and the upskilling of Filipino skilled workers.
After his trip to Germany, Marcos wrapped up his Central Europe tour with a state visit to the Czech Republic, where he met with President Petr Pavel, Prime Minister Petr Fiala, Senate President Miloš Vystrčil, and President of the Chamber of Deputies Markéta Pekarová Adamová.
President Marcos flew to Washington on April 10 to take part in the first-ever trilateral summit between the Philippines, the United States, and Japan on April 11. It was a meeting that ultimately zeroed in on the growing threat posed by China in the West Philippine Sea. – Rappler.com
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After court verdict, 5 cops in Jemboy Baltazar killing released from detention | Jairo Bolledo | 1/3/2024 18:06 | FREED. In this photo, the six cops involved in the killing of 17-year old Jemboy Baltazar leave the Navotas Regional Trial Court after the promulgation of the case on February 27, 2024.
Jire Carreon/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – The five police officers and personnel tagged in the killing of 17-year-old Jerhode Jemboy Baltazar have already walked free from detention, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) said.
BJMP spokesperson Jail Chief Inspector Jayrex Bustinera confirmed to Rappler on Friday, March 1, that the police officers and personnel – Staff Sergeant Antonio Bugayong Jr., Staff Sergeant Niko Pines Esquilon, Executive Master Sergeant Roberto Balais Jr., Corporal Edmard Jake Blanco, Patrolman Benedict Mangada – have been released from detention. They left Metro Manila District Jail Annex 2 in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City at 5:30 pm on Tuesday – the same day the Navotas City court handed down its verdict.
The five cops were released after they received lighter penalties. Bugayong was acquitted in the murder case, while Esquilon, Balais Jr., Blanco, and Mangada were convicted of illegal discharge of firearm and were only sentenced to four months in prison.
Since the court allowed the four’s preventive imprisonment to be credited as sentence, they were ordered released. The cops have been detained since October last year after they surrendered to the police.
Meanwhile, since Police Staff Sergeant Gerry Maliban was convicted of homicide and was sentenced to four to six years in prison, Bustinera told Rappler that the cop will be transferred to the custody of the Bureau of Corrections.
A victim of mistaken identity, Baltazar was killed in a police operation in Navotas City on August 2, 2023. The pursing cops said they had mistaken the teen-aged Baltazar as the shooting incident suspect who was said to be in the area.
He and his friend were cleaning a boat in Navotas City when the police team rained gunshots at them. Baltazar died of brain injuries due to a gunshot wound in the head, with drowning as a contributing factor. After he was shot, Baltazar fell into the river where his body remained submerged for around three hours before it was retrieved by his uncle.
His death reignited anger and condemnation against the police, and dubbed him as the second Kian delos Santos. Delos Santos was the biggest case of police brutality in the country under former president Rodrigo Duterte’s administration as he was also killed by cops. But unlike in Baltazar’s case, the cops in Delos Santos killing – Arnel Oares, Jeremias Pereda, and Jerwin Cruz – were convicted of murder and were sentenced to up to 40 years of imprisonment.
The Baltazar family were disappointed with the ruling after hoping the cops would be convicted of murder. Rodaliza, the teen’s mother, was emotional after the ruling and said Maliban will only be jailed for years, but her son is gone forever.
Meanwhile, Department of Justice spokesperson Assistant Secretary Mico Clavano said they will appeal the court’s ruling to the Court of Appeals, adding that they will tap the Office of the Solicitor General to represent the government in the appeal. – Rappler.com
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Life on tracks: The journey of Santa Mesa’s oldest railway trolley pusher | Herbie G | 23/02/2024 12:02 | TROLLEY. Rodolfo Maurillo and his two-decade-old trolley behind him at the PNR rails in Santa Mesa, Manila.
courtesy of Rafaela Abucejo
MANILA, Philippines – Besides the looming wipeout of traditional jeepneys through the public utility vehicle modernization program, another form of transportation is wary of being stamped out through modernization.
This time, it’s Manila’s illegal transport service, considered as among the world’s most dangerous commutes – the trolleys on Philippine National Railways (PNR).
“Patay! Hindi ‘ata makakatapos ang anak ko (It’s doomed! My son won’t graduate now),” said Rodolfo “Sangkay” Maurillo, reacting when he heard about the PNR’s railroad improvement project through the construction of North-South Commuter Railways (NCSR).
Tatay Sangkay, as his student passengers call him, is a 64-year-old trolley pusher who was among the pioneers of the bizarre transport method in their community in 1979.
His vehicle is a manually pushed handmade wooden cart that plies along the PNR tracks from Santa Mesa to Pandacan station, sending passengers for five to seven minutes from point to point.
In a 2018 article on Yahoo! Finance, the illegal service was dubbed “the world’s most dangerous commute.”
There’s no holding back for Tatay Sangkay to walk on a tightrope every day, pushing his two-decade-old trolley, because it means food on the table. In his case, however, there’s no table to be served food as he lives in a very small shanty alone that he built beside the pile of lumber to be used for the new rails’ construction.
Since he moved to Manila from Leyte around 1979, his family has lived in an informal settlement site in Santa Mesa. In 2007, however, a design company for condominiums demolished their houses and force-relocated their community to Bocaue, Bulacan. This is also the year when his wife gave birth to their only child.
Tatay Sangkay found no opportunities for job openings or any livelihood in the relocation site, so he traveled back to Manila that same year to find a job. Having nowhere to live, the wooden trolley is what he considered his home. The cart has become both his bed and house for 16 years until building his small shelter last year.
Passengers in those times, he said, were still looking for trolleys to ride, so he continued the illegal service even if his wife and infant were left in Bulacan.
Being the oldest trolley pusher in the area, the loud horns of an approaching PNR train do not disconcert him anymore. By pushing the cart carrying, at most, eight people for a single trip, his perseverance to generate income and send money to his family every weekend is what keeps him strong in making ends meet.
Passengers, he said, prefer a trolley ride to other transports to escape the traffic jams of Manila with less smoke and pollution while traveling.
“Ako, masigasig ako kahit matanda na ako (I am still enthusiastic despite my age),” he said.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Tatay Sangkay was earning around P500 daily. For around P7 to P10 per head, he gave a ride to passengers for a whole day. But before he could earn this much, he had to risk his and his passengers’ lives by dangerously traversing the track where a PNR train shuttles.
In times of pitfall when a train is heading in their direction, he swiftly lifts and carries the trolley to the other side of the track. But once, he and his passengers faced a terrifying moment when two trains approached them from both directions. In a split-second decision, they positioned themselves in the middle of the tracks, along with the trolley, as the trains, each traveling at around 40 kilometers per hour, passed by.
Such precarious situations led the PNR management to ban their operations on the railways in 2019, said Tatay Sangkay. Trolley pushers then negotiated for the continuation of their presence on the tracks, for it being their lone means of living. He claimed they were allowed to return to the dangerous service but limited their operations to certain hours.
Now, Tatay Sangkay and other trolley owners can only operate from 7 am to 8 am, and 4 pm onwards. The limited hours left a huge impact on their incomes because even if the fare has increased to P20 per passenger, he now earns only a maximum of P200 for a day or two.
Seeing his son’s commitment to finish his studies keeps Tatay Sangkay moving forward. The 17-year-old, who is now in senior high school, is bent on pursuing a degree in information technology (IT).
He said thinking about his child’s dedication motivates him on every trip, making him somewhat immune to challenges like heat, danger, and physical constraints while doing push-and-runs on the rail tracks.
“Iniisip ko kasi ‘yung anak ko. ‘Yung anak ko kasi nangako siya sakin: ‘Pa, mag-aaral ako nang mabuti.’ […] Kailangan malakas pakiramdam mo dito. E ako, ingat na ingat din ako kasi sabi ng anak ko, ‘‘Pa, mag-ingat ka, ‘tutuloy ko pagaaral ‘ko.’ Sabi ko, ‘Sige kung ‘yan ang gusto mo.’ Kaya di ako sumusuko dito,” he said.
(I think about my son because he promised me: ‘Pa, I’ll be good in my studies.’ You need to have a strong feeling here. I, myself, I’m always being careful here because my son said, ‘Pa, always watch yourself out, I will continue to study.’ I then replied, ‘I’m okay with that if that’s what you want.’ That’s why I never give up.)
Ellen Ayubit, 67, who was among the relocated families in 2007 with Tatay Sangkay, has been admiring his perseverance for years of pushing trolleys despite its dangers. Working hard to provide education to his son every day, she praised the trolley pusher for working despite his age instead of being a bystander.
But Ayubit, who sees Tatay Sangkay as family, said she always worries when he comes back late from Pandacan to Santa Mesa, fearing that he might have an accident, especially when crossing the bridge over the Pasig River in Paco.
For the construction of NSCR, an elevated, double-track, and electrified train system will be built directly on top of the existing tracks of PNR. The modernization means a total wipeout of the unofficial transport culture in the area, a livelihood that became the bread and butter of a community for almost half a century.
Tatay Sangkay said he hopes that despite the ongoing construction at Alabang Station, his income from pushing trolleys will be enough to support his son’s college expenses and graduation. If trolley-pushing is banned, he said he would switch to pedicab driving, borrowing a sidecar to continue providing for his family.
“Nangangamba rin ako syempre kasi kahit papaano, ‘yung kita ko dito sa riles, sarili kasi eh. Wala akong bina-boundary-han. E nanghihinayang din ako. Ngayon, kung talagang gusto nila [gawin] ‘yung riles, patigilan na kami, wala kaming magagawa. Syempre gobyerno na ‘yun,” he said.
“Kung talagang gusto nila [kami] mapaalis, tumulong sa isang taong kagaya ko, senior [citizen], mabigyan man lang ho ng kahit kaunting kabuhayan, okay na ako. Wala na akong kahilingan,” he added.
(I still fear because at least, what I earn here on the rails is mine. I’m not paying through a boundary system. I feel sorry for its loss. Now, if the government persists in working the rails and banning us, we cannot do anything. They’re the government. If they really want to ban us and help senior citizens like me, a small livelihood will do. I’m okay with that. I have no other wishes.)
When asked how he stays strong, he said praying before each trip gives him the strength to carry on. He also said he believes the rosary hanging on his trolley keeps him safe, along with his family’s trust in him and their faith in God. –with reports from Precious Altura/Rappler.com
Chris Burnet Ramos is a campus journalist from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP). A senior news writer for The Communicator, he is also an Aries Rufo Journalism fellow of Rappler for 2023-2024.
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Pura Luka Vega arrested again by Manila Police District | jreyes0314 | 29/02/2024 17:47 | Pura Luka Vega's Instagram
MANILA, Philippines – Drag artist Pura Luka Vega was arrested again by the Manila Police District on Thursday, February 29, DZME News reported.
According to Drag Den showrunner Rod Singh, a Quezon City court issued a warrant of arrest for Pura Luka Vega’s three counts of alleged violation of Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code, which includes immoral doctrines, obscene publications and exhibitions, and indecent shows.
“This stemmed from a complaint filed against them by three churches affiliated with the Philippines for Jesus Movement (PJM). The recommended bail is P360,000,” Singh wrote in a statement posted on X.
Regarding the arrest of Pura Luka Vega today. To those who would like to help Luka for their bail and legal fees, NAIA @brianblack_ will handle the donation drive. #DragIsArt #DragIsNotACrime pic.twitter.com/OirKIGl1G7
Pura Luka Vega is currently detained at the Sta. Cruz Police Station.
This comes just three days after Pura Luka Vega posted bail in Pasay City for six counts of violation of Article 201 “in relation to Section 6 of R.A. 10175” following the Kapisanan ng Social Media Broadcasters ng Pilipinas’ complaint.
Weeks after their video lip syncing to an “Ama Namin” remix while dressed as Jesus Christ went viral, the embattled drag artist was sued by Christian leaders from the PJM on July 31, 2023 for alleged violation of Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code.
“Luka got arrested again today. Let’s not panic [because] we know that we can do something about it. For now antabay muna tayo sa (let’s wait) donation drive details for her bail,” drag queen NAIA Black – who organized the embattled drag artist’s fundraising event in October 2023 – later also posted on X.
okay luka got arrested again today. lets not panic bec we know that we can do something about it. for now antabay muna tayo sa donation drive details for her bail #dragisnotacrime
Pura Luka Vega was earlier arrested on October 4, 2023, after their alleged absence from the preliminary investigations of their criminal case in Manila. They later posted bail amounting to P72,000 on October 7, 2023. – Rappler.com
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[Ask The Tax Whiz] Are cross-border services taxed in the Philippines? | Mia Gonzalez | 1/3/2024 15:00 | Shutterstock
Yes. Cross-border services or International Service Provision is a service-based company which operates in various countries, providing services to clients where the source of income is determined by the location of where the services are performed.
For the other similar services, as long as the services that follow the same concept of being provided, processed, or performed overseas and then utilized, applied, executed, or consumed within the Philippines, this is still considered as international service provision.
Per RMC 5-2024, cross border transactions are subject to 25% Final Withholding Tax and 12% Final Withholding VAT. As the services are conducted or paid abroad but there are activities essential to be performed in the Philippines and the said services are utilized, applied, executed, or consumed within the Philippines, they shall be subject to the said taxes.
The reimbursable or allocable expense charged by the foreign corporation in the Philippines should contribute to the value or benefit since it is an additional payment made by the domestic corporation. Thus, the said charge to the domestic corporation reduces the foreign corporation’s expenses and shall be considered as a financial gain for the foreign corporation.
The 2024 International Tax and Investment Conference successfully concluded on February 27, 2024, at the Sheraton Manila Hotel. The International Tax and Investment Roadshow (ITIR) is scheduled to commence in March 2024. This initiative aims to promote investment and business activities in the Philippines across 15 states and countries through a series of events, starting with the East Asia Cluster. Visit www.acg.ph for more information.
If you have other tax issues or concerns, consult us.
– Rappler.com
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Navotas cops get lighter penalties for ‘mistaken’ killing of Jemboy Baltazar | Jairo Bolledo | 27/02/2024 10:39 | LIGHT PENALTIES. Policemen involved in the killing Jemboy Baltazar leave the Navotas Regional Trial Court after the promulgation of the case.
Jire Carreon/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – Police officers of Navotas were meted with lighter penalties after a Navotas court on Tuesday, February 27, found only one cop guilty of the lesser crime of homicide for the “mistaken” killing of 17-year-old Jemboy Baltazar whom police pursued and shot dead in August 2023.
The charge filed against the six cops of Navotas involved in the botched operation was murder. But Navotas City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 286 convicted only one, Police Staff Sergeant Gerry Maliban, not of murder but of homicide. While murder has the penalty of reclusion perpetua or up to 40 years in prison, Maliban was sentenced to only 4 to 6 years in prison. He was also ordered to pay P50,000 for moral and civil damages.
Four others – Police Staff Sergeant Niko Pines Esquilon, Police Executive Master Sergeant Roberto Balais Jr., Police Corporal Edmard Jake Blanco, Patrolman Benedict Mangada – were convicted of illegal discharge of firearm and sentenced to 4 months in prison.
Police Staff Sergeant Antonio Bugayong Jr. was acquitted.
In explaining why Maliban was convicted of homicide instead of murder, Navotas RTC Branch 286 Clerk of Court Anne Kathryn Diaz read a portion of the decision: “Police Staff Sergeant Maliban cannot be said to have employed means, methods, or forms in the execution of the crime.”
Diaz said this simply meant that it was not proven that Maliban planned the method of executing the crime.
“Sabi po rito, ‘This is because the urge to shoot the victim materialized only when the victim attempted to escape.’ So ‘yung pagputok niya ng baril, ginawa lamang niya no’ng nakita niyang mag-eescape na ho ‘yung biktimang si Jerhode Jemboy Baltazar,” she added.
(As stated here, “This is because the urge to shoot the victim materialized only when the victim attempted to escape.” So Maliban only fired his gun when the victim, Jerhode Jemboy Baltazar, attempted to escape.)
Even though Maliban was originally charged with murder, he can be convicted of a lesser offense. This in in line with section 5, rule 120 of the revised rules of criminal procedure, which states that a person can be convicted of a lesser crime in the crime he/she was originally charged with.
As to the four cops convicted of illegal discharge of firearms, the court directed the authorities of Metro Manila District Jail Annex 2 to credit their preventive imprisonment. After crediting the earlier imprisonment and the accused will be found to have served the sentence, they could be released from detention.
The four have been detained since October 5, 2023, so they could be released since more than four months had already passed since the day of the arrest.
As to Bugayong, who was acquitted by the court, the decision said the cop was acquitted on the ground of reasonable doubt.
In explaining the cop’s acquittal, the court said it applied the rule that “if the inculpatory facts and circumstances are capable of two or more explanations, one of which is consistent with the innocence of the accused and the other consistent with his guilt, then the evidence does not fulfill the test of moral certainty and is not sufficient to support a conviction.”
Diaz added that there was no admission and it was not proven in court that Bugayong fired his gun during the operation where Baltazar was killed.
Baltazar was shot and killed by the local cops on August 2, 2023, which the then-local city police chief later admitted as a lapse in protocol because there was no warning before firing at a person who later turned out to be a mistaken target. Charges were filed against the six cops within the same month or on August 28, 2023.
Baltazar’s case reached a verdict faster than the case of 17-year-old Kian delos Santos, which remains to be the Philippine government’s trophy case as it projects to the international community that the local justice system is working. Delos Santos was 17 years old when he was killed like Baltazar, and his case resulted in a conviction of three local police after a year and three months on trial.
While the verdict was quick for Baltazar, the cases of killings of two other young men who were connected to him remain unsolved. Baltazar’s friends Daniel Soria, 20, was killed in September 2023, and John Rey Basie, 18, in October 2023.
Soria was killed by identified assailants in Malabon on September 2. When Soria was killed, Basie was with him but escaped death at the time after he hid underneath a vehicle. Basie was the target of the chase that killed Baltazar.
But a month later, Basie was also found dead only a few kilometers where Baltazar was killed by the police. Basie sustained a gunshot wound in his head – a bullet pierced through the back of his head, and exited his chin, according to the police report.
Baltazar’s killing reignited scrutiny of police conduct, which was at the center of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody war on drugs that is now being investigated at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Although President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. promised an overhaul in law enforcement operations, Baltazar’s killing tainted that promise because of the details that emerged. For one, although police procedures are very clear that the use of megaphones is prescribed to warn a suspect, police instead fired warning shots which is strictly prohibited.
Forensic pathologist Dr. Raquel Fortun, who has examined the remains of drug war victims, also probed Baltazar’s corpse and found that the teen’s cause of death even had drowning as a “contributory cause.” Baltazar’s family said the then teen fell into the water after he was shot, and they only retrieved the body three hours later because the police prohibited them.
A Senate hearing led by opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros revealed that a cop allegedly asked a witness to lie and say that Baltazar had illegal drugs.
The PNP initially said a reckless imprudence resulting in homicide complaint was filed against the six cops. However, upon checking by the Baltazar family and their counsel, no such complaint was filed against the cops. The family and their lawyers later pushed for a murder complaint, which was the subject of the Navotas court’s ruling. (READ: Why the PNP recommended dismissal of 8 cops in Jemboy Baltazar’s killing)
– Rappler.com
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Punching incident mars FEU rout of UST in UAAP boys’ football finale | delfin.dioquino editor | 1/3/2024 14:25 | KICK. Bryan Villanueva in action for the FEU-Diliman Baby Tamaraws in the UAAP Season 86 high school boys' football tournament.
UAAP
MANILA, Philippines – A punching incident marred the FEU-Diliman Baby Tamaraws’ championship rout of the UST Junior Golden Booters in the UAAP Season 86 high school boys’ football tournament on Thursday, February 29.
UST goalkeeper Ben Sabuga punched FEU defender Bryan Villanueva after the Baby Tamaraws captured their 12th consecutive crown with a 3-0 demolition of the Junior Golden Booters at the UP Diliman Football Stadium.
While the rest of his teammates were celebrating, Villanueva walked past the UST bench and appeared to shush fans in the crowd.
Sabuga then rushed from his place near the goal post and hit Villanueva at the back of the head.
Ben Sabuga attacks Bryan Ezekiel Villanueva for celebrating after winning the chip.pic.twitter.com/lJc7SOHPHK
Cooler heads prevailed, but not without Junior Golden Booters head coach Marjo Allado giving Sabuga an earful for his careless act.
The match gave the players a chance to showcase their wares as new Philippine men’s football team head coach Tom Saintfiet watched.
FEU star Theo Libarnes scored in the final for his seventh goal of the season to clinch the Golden Boot and Best Striker awards.
Baby Tamaraws senior Gian Carlo Lucha earned season MVP honors, while UST’s Edcel Lauron and Kent Laurenz dela Peña bagged the Best Goalkeeper and the Best Midfielder awards, respectively. – Rappler.com
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NAIA’s surot-infested rattan chairs, once its pride, are now gone | lkyu0285 | 1/3/2024 13:10 | RATTAN. Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, then-MIAA General Manager Cesar Chiong, and Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco walk beside the newly installed rattan chairs in NAIA Terminal 2.
Screenshot from the DOT Facebook video
After news broke out of passengers reportedly being bitten by bed bugs in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), the airport’s operator has been quick to throw out what was once its pride: the rattan chairs that adorned NAIA Terminal 2.
The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) has now pulled out all of the rattan chairs in Terminal 2 after pest control service providers deemed them to be “prone to infestation,” MIAA Executive Assistant Chris Bendijo said in a Radyo5 interview on Friday, March 1.
The MIAA Media Affairs Division confirmed to Rappler that all rattan chairs have been removed “subject to disinfection.”
How did the chairs, which only arrived last year, go from a symbol of local culture to another bad mark on NAIA?
Earlier, MIAA issued a public apology after a passenger’s post about the bed bugs in the airport went viral. The passenger told Rappler that the bed bugs that bit them were particularly located in the rattan chairs of the arrival side of NAIA Terminal 2.
MIAA has reached out to the passenger and offered to compensate them for their medical expenses.
Those rattan chairs, which looked beautiful were it not for the creepy crawlers that they hid, are now gone. They were originally added as part of a “new and improved look” for NAIA Terminal 2.
Just last April 2023, the Department of Tourism and the Department of Transportation set about renovating the terminal and adding Filipino-made solihiya lamps and panels, mini-gardens, and “enticing rattan chairs.”
#NAIATerminal2 gets a new look 🥰😍Relish the beauty of the Filipino-inspired look of NAIA T2, where solihiya lamps hang…
In a video by the Department of Tourism, Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco is seen lounging around the rattan furniture, along with Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista and then-MIAA General Manager Cesar Chiong. A few days later, Frasco posted a photo of her and several children sitting on the rattan seats in Terminal 2 while waiting for their luggage to arrive.
“The craftsmanship and talent of our Filipino furniture makers is truly world class,” the tourism secretary said. “Maka-proud!”
Not even a year later, the same chairs – now infested with bugs – have been pulled out.
And it’s not just the rattan chairs that are problematic. In January 2023, a public video also showed bed bugs crawling and peeking out of the holes of the metal gang chairs at NAIA Terminal 3.
Bendijo said that they’ve already pulled out the gang chairs as well, which will be sprayed with chemical disinfectants.
“Kakaibang species ng surot ang kanilang nakita (They saw a unique kind of bed bug species),” Bendijo said about what their pest control service provider found.
Bendijo also said they’re studying the performance of their pest control and housekeeping service providers. Currently, pest control is done quarterly while housekeeping personnel disinfect chairs daily using alcohol-based disinfectant during the airport’s non-peak hours.
“Itong mga service agreement na ito, aaralin po natin kung kailangan bang mas dikit ‘yung interval … para sigurado pong wala po talagang infestation ng ating mga upuan,” he said in the Radyo5 interview.
(We’ll study these service agreements to see if we need to make them more frequent…to really prevent any infestation of our chairs.)
Before this incident, NAIA already suffered from congestion and a lack of seating. But Bendijo said that MIAA has taken steps to ensure that seats will still be available in the terminals even now that several chairs have been pulled out for disinfection. MIAA is also considering procuring more chairs to replace the rattan chairs.
The country’s ailing international airport is due to get a total rehabilitation soon. A consortium led by San Miguel is expected to take over as NAIA’s operator within the next three to six months while MIAA will remain as a regulator. – Rappler.com
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The Duterte dynasty: Powered by guns | Lian Buan | 11/3/2024 15:38 | The Duterte dynasty: Powered by guns
(2nd UPDATE) Former President Rodrigo Duterte and his family have a combined total of 654 firearms in their possession, according to new information obtained by Rappler
REPUBLISHED MAR 11, 2024 3:38 PM PHTFIRST PUBLISHED MAR 1, 2024 2:30 PM PHTBY Lian Buan, Jairo Bolledo, Jodesz GavilanAll illustrations by Alejandro Edoria
There are already 654 guns in the combined vault of only five members of the powerful and ruling Duterte clan, made up of mostly the handy and easy-to-use pistols and a hundred rifles, documents obtained by Rappler show. (Editor’s Note: In an earlier version of this story, we counted 477, to include only four members of the Duterte family. New information gathered allowed us to update our count.)
The patriarch, former president Rodrigo Duterte, has the most number of firearms in his collection, or 363 assorted weapons, which is five more than we earlier reported which was at the time based on records from October 2023. After our reporting, we obtained the most recent records.
His eldest, Davao City 1st District Representative Paolo Duterte has about half the size of his father’s vault, or 172 newly-licensed firearms. His youngest son, Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte has 61, his son-in-law Manases Carpio has 30, and his daughter, Carpio’s wife, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte, has 28. We were unable to verify if other members of the family, including the former president’s partner and children in-law, have any firearms.
These documents are in the records of the Philippine National Police Firearms and Explosives Office (PNP-FEO), and were verified to be authentic by Rappler. These documents mean that the firearms in these records were licensed.
Former president Duterte passed a law on May 6, 2022 that extended the validity of a firearm to 10 years, when before a license was valid for only four years before it had to be renewed again. The former president benefitted from his own law because his 358 firearms were renewed afterwards, just weeks before he stepped down as president, and obtained 10-year licenses.
The new law he passed, RA 11766, also made it easier for him to obtain a permit to carry outside residence. Part of the amendments made to the old version, RA 10591, listed professions such as lawyers, businessmen, journalists, accountants, as having an assumed threat to their safety and thereby giving them an easier time applying for a permit. In the new law, Duterte added two: an elected official, both former and current such as himself, and retired and active law enforcement personnel.
His children also benefitted from this law because Sara and Sebastian are elected officials too: Sara was Davao City mayor before the 2022 elections, and Sebastian was Davao City vice mayor at the time.
In Sebastian’s vault of 66, there are 24 firearms with 10-year licenses or until 2033 or 2034. Paolo also has 24 firearms with 10-year licenses, because most of the firearms in his vault of 144 are expiring either this year, 2025, or 2026 – which means he can renew them by then and get a fresh 10-year license if he wishes. Sara has six firearms with 10-year licenses, and husband Manases has seven firearms with 10-year licenses expiring in the same period.
The most expensive guns in the vault, according to publicly available market pricing, are the pistols. Paolo’s Wilson Combat EDC X9S is worth P342,500, and Sebastian’s Les Baer 572 Hemi pistol is worth P300,000. The Kriss Vector SDP Gen II, one of which Rodrigo and Sebastian each own, is priced at P261,000.
The Philippines has an enduring problem of gun violence, notoriously committed by the private armies of powerful clans. Past attempts at cracking down, and abolishing the private armies have failed because of watered down legislations, such as not putting a ceiling on the number of guns an individual can own.
The law says an individual possessing at least 15 guns is already a gun collector, and can obtain a Type 5 license, provided she or he passes the required drug and psychological tests, plus a vault inspection.
Although the law does not impose a limit on the number of guns per person, the common gun collector follows regulations as guidance and usually keeps his or her collection to around 15, according to our industry sources. The more avid shooter can have more – for example, former tax commissioner and known gun enthusiast Kim Henares has 40.
Henares believes the law is right not to impose a limit on the number of guns one person can possess, but the former Cabinet member – and the late former president Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III’s shooting buddy – said the regulators must be strict in the psychological test. Under FEO guidelines, the neuro-psychiatric examination and the drug test should be done by the PNP Health Service and the crime laboratory group, respectively.
“What you should regulate is making sure who holds those guns, right? Even if you allow one person to only have one gun, if he’s unstable, it’s the same thing,” said Henares in a mix of English and Filipino.
The Dutertes did not respond to Rappler’s requests for an interview or statement for this story. Separate requests were sent to the offices of Sara, Paolo, Sebastian, and Manases Carpio. We will update this story once they respond.
Rodrigo and Sara indirectly reacted to Rappler’s stories in separate statements. On March 7, the Vice President posted a video statement, saying the reporting about her guns is part of an “organized demolition job.” She said these allegations aim to tarnish her integrity and create an image that she is a “killer, corrupt, abusive, and a warlord.”
“Makikita natin ito sa pag-atake sa confidential funds, pagpapalaganap ng video sa Commonwealth traffic, paggawa ng issue sa pagtatag ng security para sa Opisina ng Bise Presidente, paglabas ng testigo na umano’y ako ay kaparte ng Davao Death Squad, sa malisyosong ulat tungkol sa aking mga baril, at ang pambabastos sa relasyon namin ng aking asawa,” the Vice President said.
(We can see this through the attack against confidential funds, the viral Commonwealth traffic video, making an issue of the creation of a security unit for the Office of the Vice President, a witness claiming that I am part of the Davao Death Squad, through a malicious report about my guns, and the disrespect for my relationship with my husband.)
On January 30 during a press conference in Davao City, Duterte took a swipe at Rappler’s earlier reporting on his gun collection and said that many of his guns were gifts when he was president, and that all of them are licensed anyway. According to Duterte, he knew that there were inquiries about his gun collection because a cop had tipped him off.
“Kinakalkal ‘yung firearms namin kung magkano, naririnig ko eh, tumawag ‘yung FEO…Lahat ng baril ko, pati maliit na baril, lisensiyado ‘yan. Kasi mahilig ako sa baril, pina-rehistro ko lahat sa Crame. Eh sila nagtanung-tanong, marami kang baril, eh putang-ina tanong mo sa Crame, regalo ‘yan,” said Duterte.
(They were looking into our firearms, how much they were, I heard because someone from the FEO called me…. All of my guns, even my small guns, are licensed. I am into guns, so I registered them all in Crame. But they were asking – you have so many guns, son of a bitch ask Crame, they are gifts.)
The PNP-FEO told Rappler in December 2023 that the rules are uniform for everyone and that a former president such as Duterte does not enjoy special privileges.
However, records bear out that each member of the Duterte clan owns Class-A light weapons, which under RA 10591 can be bought, owned, and licensed only by law enforcement personnel.
Class-A light weapons, under the law, include self-loading pistols, rifles and carbines, submachine guns, assault rifles, and light machine guns not exceeding caliber 7.62 mm which have a fully automatic mode. Their FEO records explicitly say that Rodrigo Duterre has 38 Class-A light weapons, Paolo Duterte has 24, Sara Duterte has 3, Sebastian Duterte has 1, and Manases Carpio has 1.
How are they able to license Class-A light weapons, which should have been exclusive to the military, police, and other law enforcement agencies?
It could be because the law’s exception clause applied to them. Because RA 10591 was passed only in 2013, non-law enforcement individuals (like the Dutertes) who possessed Class-A light weapons before 2013 were allowed to continue ownership of such firearms and were only required to renew their licenses. We sought clarification from the FEO on February 20 and followed up on February 28, and again on March 5, but have not yet received a response as of March 11. We will update this story once we do.
We also asked on March 8 whether the PNP will retroactively apply its recently amended internal rules to include more types of firearms in the small arms group, but we got no clear response.
Based on estimates from market retail prices, the Duterte family’s weaponry is worth a total of P24 million. Former president Duterte’s collection is worth around P5.5 million, but his sons’ vaults, although much smaller collections, have more expensive firearms.
Paolo’s collection of 172 is worth P10.2 million – more expensive than his father’s P5.5 million – based on newer documents we obtained. Based on last year’s documents, Sebastian’s collection is worth P5.4 million, Manases Carpio’s collection is worth around P2 million, and Vice President Sara Duterte’s collection is worth around P1.04 million.
When speculations spread that an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) was forthcoming, the former president said he would resist arrest and he threatened violence.
“Kapag puntahan nila ako, arestuhin nila ako dito, magkabarilan talaga ‘yan at uubusin ko ang mga putanginang ‘yan (If they come for me, if they arrest me here, there will be a shootout, I will finish all those sons of bitches),” said Duterte.
The ICC is investigating the six years of Duterte’s bloody drug war, and six years of his term as mayor and vice mayor of Davao City for the killings made by the alleged Davao Death Squad.
While the Philippine government still maintains that The Hague has lost jurisdiction over the Philippine case after Duterte withdrew membership from the Court, Prosecutor Karim Khan has successfully appealed to the ICC chamber to let him continue his investigation. The probe has reached a stage where Khan can request for summons or a warrant.
Duterte has also started pushing for a rehashed idea of a Mindanao secession, which he mentioned in a nasty public word war with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in January. Opposition leader and former senator Antonio Trillanes IV, Duterte’s staunch enemy, said the PNP must cancel his gun licenses if he is threatening to secede.
“Ito ay nag-incite to sedition/secession na. Malamang na gagamitin pa ang mga baril na ‘yan laban sa gobyerno (He is already inciting to sedition/secession. It’s possible he will use those firearms against the government),” Trillanes said.
A witness against Duterte’s friend and spiritual adviser, the controversial doomsday preacher Apollo Quiboloy, said he had once witnessed Duterte and Vice President Sara Duterte leave the preacher’s compound with bags of guns. The witness said this during a Senate investigation into the violations of Quiboloy and his religious group Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) which had been accused of sexual assault.
“Minsan po pumupunta doon si former president Rodrigo Duterte at former Davao mayor Sara Duterte. ‘Pag umalis na po sila sa Glory Mountain, dala na po nila ang mga bag na siya pong mga bag na nilalagyan po ng mga baril,” said the witness during a Senate hearing on February 19. (Sometimes former president Rodrigo Duterte and former Davao mayor Sara Duterte would visit. When they leave the Glory Mountain, they would carry with them bags of guns.)
Sara Duterte responded to this accusation by imputing political motivations. “Sa kasaysayan ng Pilipinas, naging kagawian na ang pag-atake at pagbato ng sari-saring isyu laban sa Bise Presidente. Marahil, sapagkat ang Bise Presidente ang tumatayong pangunahing hadlang sa mga nangangarap maging pangulo,” she said on February 21.
(In the history of the Philippines, it’s been a tradition to attack and throw issues against the vice president. Perhaps, because the Vice President is the primary obstacle to those who aspire to be president.)
Former president Duterte denied that Quiboloy gave him guns, telling journalists in Davao City on February 27 that: “Kami magtanggap ng baril kay Quiboloy? It is a very stupid proposition. Bakit naman si Pastor Quiboloy magbigay sa akin ng baril? Saan siya kukuha?” (We will get guns from Quiboloy? It is a very stupid proposition. Why would Pastor Quiboloy give me guns, where will he get them?)
INSPECTION. In 1997, then-mayor Rodrigo Duterte checks out an assault rifle after inspecting a crime scene in Davao city. Renato Lumawag/Reuters
SHOOTING RANGE. In the late 1980s, then-mayor Rodrigo Duterte inspects an assault rifle at a shooting range in Davao City. Renato Lumawag/Reuters
UZI. Former mayor Rodrigo Duterte poses with his Uzi submachine gun in the mid-1990s in the mountainous village of Carmen in the Baguio District of Davao City. Reuters
ANTI-TERRORISM. On June 28, 2018, then-president Rodrigo Duterte is seen with then-Chinese envoy Zhao Jianhua at the Clark Air Base in Pampanga. Rappler
TURNOVER. Former president Rodrigo Duterte hands over the marksman rifle from then-outgoing PNP director general Ronald dela Rosa to then-newly-installed PNP director general Oscar Albayalde during the PNP change of command ceremony on April 19, 2018. Malacañang photo
FROM CHINA. On June 28, 2018, then-president Rodrigo Duterte at the Clark Air Base in Pampanga, during the turnover by China to the Philippine government of rifles and ammunition to help combat terrorism. Rappler
– with a report from Ferdinand Zuasola/Rappler.com
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Accordingly: “The PNP-FEO told Rappler that the rules are uniform for everyone and that a former president such as Duterte does not enjoy special privileges.” Of course, the PNP-FEO can say this because the new law, RA 11766, was passed by Former President Digong Duterte to have himself as the first beneficiary. Who needs so many firearms? Are they getting them for their private armies? That new law (RA 11766) should be amended based on social justice. But who would want to amend it? It is a law that benefits only a few Filipinos yet would remain unchanged because most of our politicians and businesspersons are its primary beneficiaries – so few yet so powerful.
How does this make you feel? | Rappler | https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/investigative/duterte-dynasty-powered-by-guns/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0FkK-Fe4FJsMAiCNGUiSxIFMdnRGy8ipDprHVYhCdNmJrWbH3Uhq3whKg_aem_PWA18TggMFNmTG7jlHEqFQ |
The Duterte dynasty: Powered by guns | Lian Buan | 11/3/2024 15:38 | The Duterte dynasty: Powered by guns
(2nd UPDATE) Former President Rodrigo Duterte and his family have a combined total of 654 firearms in their possession, according to new information obtained by Rappler
REPUBLISHED MAR 11, 2024 3:38 PM PHTFIRST PUBLISHED MAR 1, 2024 2:30 PM PHTBY Lian Buan, Jairo Bolledo, Jodesz GavilanAll illustrations by Alejandro Edoria
There are already 654 guns in the combined vault of only five members of the powerful and ruling Duterte clan, made up of mostly the handy and easy-to-use pistols and a hundred rifles, documents obtained by Rappler show. (Editor’s Note: In an earlier version of this story, we counted 477, to include only four members of the Duterte family. New information gathered allowed us to update our count.)
The patriarch, former president Rodrigo Duterte, has the most number of firearms in his collection, or 363 assorted weapons, which is five more than we earlier reported which was at the time based on records from October 2023. After our reporting, we obtained the most recent records.
His eldest, Davao City 1st District Representative Paolo Duterte has about half the size of his father’s vault, or 172 newly-licensed firearms. His youngest son, Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte has 61, his son-in-law Manases Carpio has 30, and his daughter, Carpio’s wife, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte, has 28. We were unable to verify if other members of the family, including the former president’s partner and children in-law, have any firearms.
These documents are in the records of the Philippine National Police Firearms and Explosives Office (PNP-FEO), and were verified to be authentic by Rappler. These documents mean that the firearms in these records were licensed.
Former president Duterte passed a law on May 6, 2022 that extended the validity of a firearm to 10 years, when before a license was valid for only four years before it had to be renewed again. The former president benefitted from his own law because his 358 firearms were renewed afterwards, just weeks before he stepped down as president, and obtained 10-year licenses.
The new law he passed, RA 11766, also made it easier for him to obtain a permit to carry outside residence. Part of the amendments made to the old version, RA 10591, listed professions such as lawyers, businessmen, journalists, accountants, as having an assumed threat to their safety and thereby giving them an easier time applying for a permit. In the new law, Duterte added two: an elected official, both former and current such as himself, and retired and active law enforcement personnel.
His children also benefitted from this law because Sara and Sebastian are elected officials too: Sara was Davao City mayor before the 2022 elections, and Sebastian was Davao City vice mayor at the time.
In Sebastian’s vault of 66, there are 24 firearms with 10-year licenses or until 2033 or 2034. Paolo also has 24 firearms with 10-year licenses, because most of the firearms in his vault of 144 are expiring either this year, 2025, or 2026 – which means he can renew them by then and get a fresh 10-year license if he wishes. Sara has six firearms with 10-year licenses, and husband Manases has seven firearms with 10-year licenses expiring in the same period.
The most expensive guns in the vault, according to publicly available market pricing, are the pistols. Paolo’s Wilson Combat EDC X9S is worth P342,500, and Sebastian’s Les Baer 572 Hemi pistol is worth P300,000. The Kriss Vector SDP Gen II, one of which Rodrigo and Sebastian each own, is priced at P261,000.
The Philippines has an enduring problem of gun violence, notoriously committed by the private armies of powerful clans. Past attempts at cracking down, and abolishing the private armies have failed because of watered down legislations, such as not putting a ceiling on the number of guns an individual can own.
The law says an individual possessing at least 15 guns is already a gun collector, and can obtain a Type 5 license, provided she or he passes the required drug and psychological tests, plus a vault inspection.
Although the law does not impose a limit on the number of guns per person, the common gun collector follows regulations as guidance and usually keeps his or her collection to around 15, according to our industry sources. The more avid shooter can have more – for example, former tax commissioner and known gun enthusiast Kim Henares has 40.
Henares believes the law is right not to impose a limit on the number of guns one person can possess, but the former Cabinet member – and the late former president Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III’s shooting buddy – said the regulators must be strict in the psychological test. Under FEO guidelines, the neuro-psychiatric examination and the drug test should be done by the PNP Health Service and the crime laboratory group, respectively.
“What you should regulate is making sure who holds those guns, right? Even if you allow one person to only have one gun, if he’s unstable, it’s the same thing,” said Henares in a mix of English and Filipino.
The Dutertes did not respond to Rappler’s requests for an interview or statement for this story. Separate requests were sent to the offices of Sara, Paolo, Sebastian, and Manases Carpio. We will update this story once they respond.
Rodrigo and Sara indirectly reacted to Rappler’s stories in separate statements. On March 7, the Vice President posted a video statement, saying the reporting about her guns is part of an “organized demolition job.” She said these allegations aim to tarnish her integrity and create an image that she is a “killer, corrupt, abusive, and a warlord.”
“Makikita natin ito sa pag-atake sa confidential funds, pagpapalaganap ng video sa Commonwealth traffic, paggawa ng issue sa pagtatag ng security para sa Opisina ng Bise Presidente, paglabas ng testigo na umano’y ako ay kaparte ng Davao Death Squad, sa malisyosong ulat tungkol sa aking mga baril, at ang pambabastos sa relasyon namin ng aking asawa,” the Vice President said.
(We can see this through the attack against confidential funds, the viral Commonwealth traffic video, making an issue of the creation of a security unit for the Office of the Vice President, a witness claiming that I am part of the Davao Death Squad, through a malicious report about my guns, and the disrespect for my relationship with my husband.)
On January 30 during a press conference in Davao City, Duterte took a swipe at Rappler’s earlier reporting on his gun collection and said that many of his guns were gifts when he was president, and that all of them are licensed anyway. According to Duterte, he knew that there were inquiries about his gun collection because a cop had tipped him off.
“Kinakalkal ‘yung firearms namin kung magkano, naririnig ko eh, tumawag ‘yung FEO…Lahat ng baril ko, pati maliit na baril, lisensiyado ‘yan. Kasi mahilig ako sa baril, pina-rehistro ko lahat sa Crame. Eh sila nagtanung-tanong, marami kang baril, eh putang-ina tanong mo sa Crame, regalo ‘yan,” said Duterte.
(They were looking into our firearms, how much they were, I heard because someone from the FEO called me…. All of my guns, even my small guns, are licensed. I am into guns, so I registered them all in Crame. But they were asking – you have so many guns, son of a bitch ask Crame, they are gifts.)
The PNP-FEO told Rappler in December 2023 that the rules are uniform for everyone and that a former president such as Duterte does not enjoy special privileges.
However, records bear out that each member of the Duterte clan owns Class-A light weapons, which under RA 10591 can be bought, owned, and licensed only by law enforcement personnel.
Class-A light weapons, under the law, include self-loading pistols, rifles and carbines, submachine guns, assault rifles, and light machine guns not exceeding caliber 7.62 mm which have a fully automatic mode. Their FEO records explicitly say that Rodrigo Duterre has 38 Class-A light weapons, Paolo Duterte has 24, Sara Duterte has 3, Sebastian Duterte has 1, and Manases Carpio has 1.
How are they able to license Class-A light weapons, which should have been exclusive to the military, police, and other law enforcement agencies?
It could be because the law’s exception clause applied to them. Because RA 10591 was passed only in 2013, non-law enforcement individuals (like the Dutertes) who possessed Class-A light weapons before 2013 were allowed to continue ownership of such firearms and were only required to renew their licenses. We sought clarification from the FEO on February 20 and followed up on February 28, and again on March 5, but have not yet received a response as of March 11. We will update this story once we do.
We also asked on March 8 whether the PNP will retroactively apply its recently amended internal rules to include more types of firearms in the small arms group, but we got no clear response.
Based on estimates from market retail prices, the Duterte family’s weaponry is worth a total of P24 million. Former president Duterte’s collection is worth around P5.5 million, but his sons’ vaults, although much smaller collections, have more expensive firearms.
Paolo’s collection of 172 is worth P10.2 million – more expensive than his father’s P5.5 million – based on newer documents we obtained. Based on last year’s documents, Sebastian’s collection is worth P5.4 million, Manases Carpio’s collection is worth around P2 million, and Vice President Sara Duterte’s collection is worth around P1.04 million.
When speculations spread that an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) was forthcoming, the former president said he would resist arrest and he threatened violence.
“Kapag puntahan nila ako, arestuhin nila ako dito, magkabarilan talaga ‘yan at uubusin ko ang mga putanginang ‘yan (If they come for me, if they arrest me here, there will be a shootout, I will finish all those sons of bitches),” said Duterte.
The ICC is investigating the six years of Duterte’s bloody drug war, and six years of his term as mayor and vice mayor of Davao City for the killings made by the alleged Davao Death Squad.
While the Philippine government still maintains that The Hague has lost jurisdiction over the Philippine case after Duterte withdrew membership from the Court, Prosecutor Karim Khan has successfully appealed to the ICC chamber to let him continue his investigation. The probe has reached a stage where Khan can request for summons or a warrant.
Duterte has also started pushing for a rehashed idea of a Mindanao secession, which he mentioned in a nasty public word war with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in January. Opposition leader and former senator Antonio Trillanes IV, Duterte’s staunch enemy, said the PNP must cancel his gun licenses if he is threatening to secede.
“Ito ay nag-incite to sedition/secession na. Malamang na gagamitin pa ang mga baril na ‘yan laban sa gobyerno (He is already inciting to sedition/secession. It’s possible he will use those firearms against the government),” Trillanes said.
A witness against Duterte’s friend and spiritual adviser, the controversial doomsday preacher Apollo Quiboloy, said he had once witnessed Duterte and Vice President Sara Duterte leave the preacher’s compound with bags of guns. The witness said this during a Senate investigation into the violations of Quiboloy and his religious group Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) which had been accused of sexual assault.
“Minsan po pumupunta doon si former president Rodrigo Duterte at former Davao mayor Sara Duterte. ‘Pag umalis na po sila sa Glory Mountain, dala na po nila ang mga bag na siya pong mga bag na nilalagyan po ng mga baril,” said the witness during a Senate hearing on February 19. (Sometimes former president Rodrigo Duterte and former Davao mayor Sara Duterte would visit. When they leave the Glory Mountain, they would carry with them bags of guns.)
Sara Duterte responded to this accusation by imputing political motivations. “Sa kasaysayan ng Pilipinas, naging kagawian na ang pag-atake at pagbato ng sari-saring isyu laban sa Bise Presidente. Marahil, sapagkat ang Bise Presidente ang tumatayong pangunahing hadlang sa mga nangangarap maging pangulo,” she said on February 21.
(In the history of the Philippines, it’s been a tradition to attack and throw issues against the vice president. Perhaps, because the Vice President is the primary obstacle to those who aspire to be president.)
Former president Duterte denied that Quiboloy gave him guns, telling journalists in Davao City on February 27 that: “Kami magtanggap ng baril kay Quiboloy? It is a very stupid proposition. Bakit naman si Pastor Quiboloy magbigay sa akin ng baril? Saan siya kukuha?” (We will get guns from Quiboloy? It is a very stupid proposition. Why would Pastor Quiboloy give me guns, where will he get them?)
INSPECTION. In 1997, then-mayor Rodrigo Duterte checks out an assault rifle after inspecting a crime scene in Davao city. Renato Lumawag/Reuters
SHOOTING RANGE. In the late 1980s, then-mayor Rodrigo Duterte inspects an assault rifle at a shooting range in Davao City. Renato Lumawag/Reuters
UZI. Former mayor Rodrigo Duterte poses with his Uzi submachine gun in the mid-1990s in the mountainous village of Carmen in the Baguio District of Davao City. Reuters
ANTI-TERRORISM. On June 28, 2018, then-president Rodrigo Duterte is seen with then-Chinese envoy Zhao Jianhua at the Clark Air Base in Pampanga. Rappler
TURNOVER. Former president Rodrigo Duterte hands over the marksman rifle from then-outgoing PNP director general Ronald dela Rosa to then-newly-installed PNP director general Oscar Albayalde during the PNP change of command ceremony on April 19, 2018. Malacañang photo
FROM CHINA. On June 28, 2018, then-president Rodrigo Duterte at the Clark Air Base in Pampanga, during the turnover by China to the Philippine government of rifles and ammunition to help combat terrorism. Rappler
– with a report from Ferdinand Zuasola/Rappler.com
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Accordingly: “The PNP-FEO told Rappler that the rules are uniform for everyone and that a former president such as Duterte does not enjoy special privileges.” Of course, the PNP-FEO can say this because the new law, RA 11766, was passed by Former President Digong Duterte to have himself as the first beneficiary. Who needs so many firearms? Are they getting them for their private armies? That new law (RA 11766) should be amended based on social justice. But who would want to amend it? It is a law that benefits only a few Filipinos yet would remain unchanged because most of our politicians and businesspersons are its primary beneficiaries – so few yet so powerful.
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Cordillera faces crisis as region sees alarming spike in wildfires | Herbie G | 1/3/2024 13:49 | DESTRUCTION. Fire ravages an area iin Kabayan, Benguet on February 27.
Northern Blossoms Flower Farm Facebook page
BAGUIO, Philippines – The Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) has seen an alarming surge in fire incidents, mostly wildfires, during the first two months of this year, posing a critical environmental and public safety challenge in the region.
According to Inspector Janelle Daniel, information officer of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in the Cordillera region, there were 161 fires recorded thoughout the CAR from January 1 to February 29. These comprised forest fires, grass fires, structural fires, and other types.
BFP data showed that Benguet recorded the most number of fire incidents, with 66 reported from January to February, followed by Mountain Province with 49 fires during the same period. Even Baguio City, despite its urban environment, had 21 fires.
The provinces of Abra and Kalinga reported 12 and 11 fires, respectively, while Ifugao saw only two fires, and Apayao had none.
As of posting time, three forest fires are ongoing, requiring immediate attention from firefighting teams. These include two fires in Tinongdan, Itogon town, and another in Bokod, Bobok Bisal, all in Benguet province.
Civil Defense Administrator Ariel Nepomuceno said they were closely monitoring the wildfires in Benguet. He, however, said that most of the forest fires in the province were either extinguished or brought under control as of Thursday, February 28.
The Philippine Air Force (PAF) is preparing for cloud-seeding operations scheduled for this week to combat the ongoing forest fires, according to PAF spokesperson Colonel Maria Consuelo.
The PAF has deployed helicopters that have already released 800 liters of water in some areas of Mount Camisong. However, this effort has had minimal impact on extinguishing the fires, which have already destroyed over 50 hectares in Benguet and more than 200 hectares in other areas of the Cordillera region since January.
In response to the alarming increase in fire incidents, the BFP, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and local officials have intensified a training program to suppress and manage forest fires, both on the ground and from the air. They have received support from the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
Albert Mogol, Office of Civil Defense-CAR director, emphasized the importance of collaboration to enhance the skills and capabilities of firefighters and disaster response teams in handling fire emergency situations. – Rappler.com
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Filipino hog farmers set Guinness World Record for most variety of pork dishes on display | Iya Gozum | 1/3/2024 14:36 | An official adjudicator from the Guinness World Records check the display of more than 300 pork dishes in Quezon City on Friday, March 1.
Jire Carreon/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – Local hog farmers set the first Guinness World Record for the most variety of pork dishes on display on Friday, March 1, during the launch of the five-day National Hog Festival 2024 in Gateway Mall 2 in Quezon City.
There were 313 pork dishes on display, from an initial 341 dishes; 28 were disqualified for not meeting Guinness’ guidelines. An official adjudicator from the Guinness World Records, along with industry experts, went around the display to evaluate the dishes.
“Our organization aims to promote the interests of the local and agricultural sector by promoting food security, food safety, and food sovereignty,” said Alfred Ng, vice chairman of the the National Federation of Hog Farmers (NatFed).
“With the hog festival, we also hope to boost our country’s tourism by highlighting our rich culinary tradition of serving pork dishes.”
Among the dishes displayed were lechon, pork barbecue, char siu, pork ribs, and pork belly.
Senator Cynthia Villar, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, and members of NatFed, opened the pork festival on Friday with a ceremonial lechon chopping.
The celebration proves the hog industry is thriving despite setbacks, said Jayson Cainglet, executive director of Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura.
“Despite our struggles with the African Swine Fever (ASF), pork smuggling and unlimited importation, the local hog industry remains vibrant, positive, and will continue to produce clean, safe, and wholesome food that will cater to our pork-loving Filipino consumers,” Cainglet said in a statement.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel also graced the event and was on stage when the adjudicator presented the certificate of the world record.
He said that the Department of Agriculture continues to monitor and respond to new ASF cases.
“Our immediate focus involves reinforcing biosecurity measures, enhancing quarantine protocols, and implementing robust sanitation practices in hog farms nationwide to prevent further outbreaks,” said the agriculture secretary.
The first three days of the festival will take place in Araneta City, featuring pop-up bazaars and a regional pork feast of a nine-course meal crafted by celebrated chefs.
A backyard congress will take place on March 5 at the Marikina Convention Center.
– Rappler.com
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Here’s what you can expect from the much-awaited Wanderland Festival 2024 | jreyes0314 | 21/02/2024 16:49 | Wanderland Festival's Instagram
MANILA, Philippines – Since 2013, Wanderland Festival has been treating Filipinos to two jam-packed days of art and music each year. Now dubbed the premier music festival, Wanderland sees an annual attendee turnout of over 22,000.
There are only around two weeks to go until the 2024 edition finally kicks off from March 9 to 10 at the Filinvest City Event Grounds in Muntinlupa City. This year’s Wanderland will only be the second after pandemic restrictions have eased, so attendees can expect to experience the thrill of the festival in full force.
Here’s a closer look at what to expect at Wanderland 2024:
Organized by Karpos Multimedia, Wanderland takes on a different theme each year, with the 2023 edition aptly being named “The Comeback” to mark the festival’s return after a three-year hiatus.
This year’s theme is “Neighborhood.” With the festival now in its ninth year, it has already evolved into a home for its attendees to form a familiar, tight-knit community from their shared love of music and art. With this, Wanderland also serves as a space for old friends to catch up and for new friendships to be formed – just like that of a real-life neighborhood.
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It’s not Wanderland without great music. Festival-goers can expect to see 11 different acts on each day of the two-day event, which boasts a solid roster of both local and international performers from all kinds of genres. Here’s a list of all the performers you can expect to jam out to during the festival, along with our top picks from each of the acts’ discographies.
DAY 1
Jack Johnson (headliner)
Parcels
Novo Amor
Cosmo’s Midnight
Lola Amour
Beenzino
Gabba
Ena Mori
Jose Miguel
bird.
Bosudongcooler
DAY 2
Thundercat (headliner)
PJ Morton
HWASA
Breakbot and Irfane
Jeff Bernat
The Walters
grentperez
Paolo Sandejas
dwta
CLOUDRIVER
Party Pace
Wanderland isn’t just a music festival; it’s centered on the arts, too! Meet the five Filipino visual artists who are set to add color to the two-day event with their live art and art installations:
VALVEE
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Babsilog
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TRNZ
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seeweirdo
A post shared by Wanderland Festival (@wanderlandfest)
BITTO
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Babsilog, TRNZ, seeweirdo, and BITTO will also be selling their merch at the festival in addition to doing live art.
Wanderland has three ticket types that each hold different perks. Early Entry Wanderer and Regular Wanderer ticketholders are both allowed entry to the festival common grounds and may also access the event’s food stalls and booths. However, while Regular Wanderers may enter the festival grounds at any time, Early Entry Wanderers may only enter at or before 2 pm.
For the Star (VIP) Wanderers, entrance to the festival grounds may be done at any time. They will also have complete access to the food stalls and booth, express entrance lane, express merchandise lane, exclusive viewing deck, VIP toilets, and private bar. They will also receive the exclusive star wanderer kit and will be able to receive two free drinks.
Little Wanders or kids aged 8 years old and below will also be allowed free entry into the festival, provided that the ratio of two Little Wanderers per adult is followed.
You may still purchase your tickets via Tickelo.
Courtesy of Grab, Wanderland 2024’s official food partner, there will be a GrabFood Zone, which will include a variety of food options for any type of eater out there. Expect to indulge in vegan and pescatarian options, as well as dishes from Asian and American cuisines. There will also be a scan-to-order and pick-up feature for all festival merchants if you’d like to skip the queues.
Free water refill stations will also be scattered around the venue, so don’t forget to stay hydrated!
Wanderland also rolled out a series of fun activities at the Wandermarket to keep all Wanderers entertained as they enjoy the live music. Here’s a rundown of cool things to watch out for at the festival!
Workshops
First off, there will be a mug painting workshop and a trinket-making workshop led by pottery studio Wabi Sabi at the festival.
Postcard-writing
Staying true to the theme, there will also be a “Neighborhood Post Office,” where festival-goers can write and send letters to their loved ones, their future selves, or any act from the Wanderland 2024 lineup.
Something for everyone
Other exciting activities include face painting, live doodle portraits with Pajama Art, and a photo booth by The Archives – perfect for those who like to collect mementos.
Spaces for Little Wanderers
As each adult will now be allowed to bring two Little Wanderers to Wanderland 2024 for free, there will also be a designated play area for these little festival-goers! The play area will be equipped with play sets and arts and crafts materials to ensure that Little Wanderers stay entertained throughout the whole festival.
Which music act or artist are you most looking forward to seeing live at Wanderland 2024? – Rappler.com
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Filipino hog farmers set Guinness World Record for most variety of pork dishes on display | Iya Gozum | 1/3/2024 14:36 | An official adjudicator from the Guinness World Records check the display of more than 300 pork dishes in Quezon City on Friday, March 1.
Jire Carreon/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – Local hog farmers set the first Guinness World Record for the most variety of pork dishes on display on Friday, March 1, during the launch of the five-day National Hog Festival 2024 in Gateway Mall 2 in Quezon City.
There were 313 pork dishes on display, from an initial 341 dishes; 28 were disqualified for not meeting Guinness’ guidelines. An official adjudicator from the Guinness World Records, along with industry experts, went around the display to evaluate the dishes.
“Our organization aims to promote the interests of the local and agricultural sector by promoting food security, food safety, and food sovereignty,” said Alfred Ng, vice chairman of the the National Federation of Hog Farmers (NatFed).
“With the hog festival, we also hope to boost our country’s tourism by highlighting our rich culinary tradition of serving pork dishes.”
Among the dishes displayed were lechon, pork barbecue, char siu, pork ribs, and pork belly.
Senator Cynthia Villar, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, and members of NatFed, opened the pork festival on Friday with a ceremonial lechon chopping.
The celebration proves the hog industry is thriving despite setbacks, said Jayson Cainglet, executive director of Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura.
“Despite our struggles with the African Swine Fever (ASF), pork smuggling and unlimited importation, the local hog industry remains vibrant, positive, and will continue to produce clean, safe, and wholesome food that will cater to our pork-loving Filipino consumers,” Cainglet said in a statement.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel also graced the event and was on stage when the adjudicator presented the certificate of the world record.
He said that the Department of Agriculture continues to monitor and respond to new ASF cases.
“Our immediate focus involves reinforcing biosecurity measures, enhancing quarantine protocols, and implementing robust sanitation practices in hog farms nationwide to prevent further outbreaks,” said the agriculture secretary.
The first three days of the festival will take place in Araneta City, featuring pop-up bazaars and a regional pork feast of a nine-course meal crafted by celebrated chefs.
A backyard congress will take place on March 5 at the Marikina Convention Center.
– Rappler.com
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Filipino hog farmers set Guinness World Record for most variety of pork dishes on display | Iya Gozum | 1/3/2024 14:36 | An official adjudicator from the Guinness World Records check the display of more than 300 pork dishes in Quezon City on Friday, March 1.
Jire Carreon/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – Local hog farmers set the first Guinness World Record for the most variety of pork dishes on display on Friday, March 1, during the launch of the five-day National Hog Festival 2024 in Gateway Mall 2 in Quezon City.
There were 313 pork dishes on display, from an initial 341 dishes; 28 were disqualified for not meeting Guinness’ guidelines. An official adjudicator from the Guinness World Records, along with industry experts, went around the display to evaluate the dishes.
“Our organization aims to promote the interests of the local and agricultural sector by promoting food security, food safety, and food sovereignty,” said Alfred Ng, vice chairman of the the National Federation of Hog Farmers (NatFed).
“With the hog festival, we also hope to boost our country’s tourism by highlighting our rich culinary tradition of serving pork dishes.”
Among the dishes displayed were lechon, pork barbecue, char siu, pork ribs, and pork belly.
Senator Cynthia Villar, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, and members of NatFed, opened the pork festival on Friday with a ceremonial lechon chopping.
The celebration proves the hog industry is thriving despite setbacks, said Jayson Cainglet, executive director of Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura.
“Despite our struggles with the African Swine Fever (ASF), pork smuggling and unlimited importation, the local hog industry remains vibrant, positive, and will continue to produce clean, safe, and wholesome food that will cater to our pork-loving Filipino consumers,” Cainglet said in a statement.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel also graced the event and was on stage when the adjudicator presented the certificate of the world record.
He said that the Department of Agriculture continues to monitor and respond to new ASF cases.
“Our immediate focus involves reinforcing biosecurity measures, enhancing quarantine protocols, and implementing robust sanitation practices in hog farms nationwide to prevent further outbreaks,” said the agriculture secretary.
The first three days of the festival will take place in Araneta City, featuring pop-up bazaars and a regional pork feast of a nine-course meal crafted by celebrated chefs.
A backyard congress will take place on March 5 at the Marikina Convention Center.
– Rappler.com
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Negros Occidental farms drying up, initial losses placed at P55 million | Herbie G | 1/3/2024 12:10 | Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental Mayor Benjie Miranda says he has asked IP elders to perform rituals and plead to the 'nature spirits' to bring rain to his city.
Erwin Delilan/Rappler
BACOLOD, Philippines – Dry weather conditions are wreaking havoc in Negros Occidental, causing substantial damage to farms in at least 75 villages and resulting in initial agricultural losses amounting to some P55.4 million.
In a report submitted to Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson on Wednesday, February 28, acting provincial agriculturist Dina Genzola ssaid the dry spell, caused by the El Niño phenomenon, affected 1,064.14 hectares of rice and corn fields, impacting some 1,213 farmers from 10 component cities and towns.
Genzola said Kabankalan City was among the hardest-hit areas, followed by the cities of Sipalay and Himamaylan, and the towns of Ilog, Hinoba-an, Cauayan, Binalbagan, Isabela, Hinigaran, and Moises Padilla.
In Kabankalan alone, approximately 431.6 hectares of farms in 13 barangays have dried up, adversely affecting about 504 farmers who suffered losses estimated at over P22.8 million, according to Genzola.
Kabankalan Mayor Benjie Miranda said on Thursday, February 28, that there could be more, as the city hall counted 25 out of 32 barangays in the city badly affected by the dry spell.
Miranda has instructed Kabankalan’s agriculture department to continue assessing the damage in the city and implement mitigating measures.
The situation has worsened to the extent that Miranda, a member of an indigenous people’s community in Barangay Tan-awan, turned to IP elders and asked them to perform rituals to plead with “nature spirits” to bring rain.
“Wala man ‘ta piyerdihon kon magpati ‘ta, di ba? Pero kon mag-ulan, pasalamat gid ‘ta,” Miranda said. (We have nothing to lose if we believe, right? But if it rains, we should be thankful.)
Miranda said they were considering declaring Kabankalan City under a state of calamity due to the El Niño, a move that would allow city hall to use its reserve funds during the crisis.
For his part, Lacson said there was no need yet to place the entire province under a state of calamity.
Negros Occidental provincial board members Jeffrey Tubola, Valentino Miguel Alonso, and Cauayan Mayor John Rey Tabujara urged the government to initiate cloud-seeding operations to address the ongoing drought, alleviate water scarcity in the region, and enhance precipitation by dispersing substances into clouds.
“Laya na halos ang katubuhan sa 6th District, ilabi na sa Kabankalan City (Sugarcane plantations were almost dried up in the 6th District, especially in Kabankalan City),” Tubola said.
Tabujara said the municipal government has counted 17 barangays and 197 farmers adversely affected when approximately 176.66 hectares of farms started to dry up.
The provincial government estimated that Cauayan incurred losses in agriculture estimated at P2.52 million. – Rappler.com
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PRIMER: Investigations, cases against Apollo Quiboloy | Herbie G | 27/02/2024 18:35 | CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – Senator Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday, February 27, once again called on doomsday preacher Apollo Quiboloy to face his accusers and address the serious allegations raised against him in an ongoing investigation.
Hontiveros made the call just one week before the fourth hearing set by her committee regarding the alleged abuses committed by the Davao-based Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) against its former workers and members.
The senator earlier warned that she would cite Quiboloy in contempt and have him arrested unless he showed up at the March 5 hearing of the Senate committee on women, children, family relations, and gender equality.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Hontiveros said the committee, as it investigates matters in aid of legislation, “has the power to compel the attendance of witnesses, no matter how well-connected they are.”
She said Quiboloy, who styles himself as the “appointed son of God,” is not above the law and the country’s institutions.
“In the past, Cabinet officials, lawmakers, an incumbent Senate president, and even a former president have submitted to Senate subpoenas and appeared as witnesses. His (Quiboloy’s) constitutional rights, like all witnesses, are respected. Pero hindi siya mataas pa sa presidente, sa Senado, at sa batas (But he is not higher than the President, the Senate, and the law),” she said in a statement recorded on video.
Quiboloy has wielded much influence as a religious figure in the country. He has maintained a close friendship and unwavering support for former president Rodrigo Duterte, with their ties dating back to Duterte’s time as mayor of Davao City. Throughout Duterte’s presidency, Quiboloy served as his “spiritual adviser,” cementing their long-standing relationship.
Hontiveros also noted that Quiboloy and his followers called the witnesses who appeared before the Senate committee as cowards for not showing their faces in public, yet the KOJC leader himself declared his intention to disregard the Senate subpoena.
She pointed out that Quiboloy’s accusers have executed affidavits against the preacher and his church associates.
Addressing Quiboloy, Hontiveros said, “Bukas po ang Senado para sa panig ‘nyo. Hinihintay namin kayo (The Senate is open to your side. We are waiting for you).”
The Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Office served the subpoena to Quiboloy, through his lawyer Marie Dinah Tolentino-Fuentes, on February 22, after the preacher ignored invitations to attend three previous hearings at the Senate.
Hontiveros’ committee has been tasked by the Senate to look into allegations of human trafficking, sexual abuse, violence, and other misconduct involving the preacher and his organization.
She can, according to Section 17 of the Senate rules governing the conduct of committee investigations. The authority of Senate committees includes the “power to summon witnesses and take their testimony and to issue subpoena and subpoena duces tecum, signed by its Chairman, or in his absence by the Acting Chairman, and approved by the President.”
“Within Metro Manila, such process shall be served by the Sergeant-at-Arms or his assistant. Outside of Metro Manila, service may be made by the police of a municipality or city, upon request of the Secretary,” reads a clause in the Senate rules.
Section 18 of the Senate rules on panel investigations provides that a “contempt of the Committee shall be deemed a contempt of the Senate.”
The rules also provide that “such witness may be ordered by the Committee to be detained in such place as it may designate under the custody of the Sergeant-at-Arms until he/she agrees to produce the required documents, or to be sworn or to testify, or otherwise purge himself/herself of that contempt.”
Former KOJC members have testified on the alleged abuses of Quiboloy and his church associates before Hontiveros’ committee since the panel started the hearings on January 23.
Their narratives – including that of two Ukrainian women who alleged that Quiboloy sexually abused them in the name of religion – have been consistent with and corroborated by the allegations made also by former KOJC members in the United States against the Davao-based preacher.
Quiboloy and eight of his associates were indicted by a federal grand jury in a US District Court in Santa Ana, California, in 2021.
The 74-page indictment document shows that the preacher and the other accused have been charged with the following crimes:
The indictment papers enumerate 94 overt acts of the preacher and his associates.
The US court ordered Quiboloy and his associates arrested on November 10, 2021. Except for Quiboloy and two others, Teresita Dandan and Helen Panilag, the others either surrendered or were arrested by US authorities, and subsequently bailed out.
The others who have been indicted along with Quiboloy are the following:
At least one of those accused has subsequently agreed to turn state witness against Quiboloy’s group.
On January 31, 2022, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) included Quiboloy, Dandan, and Panilag, among several other fugitives from Mexico and China, in its most wanted list, and published their separate wanted posters on its website.
The FBI’s “most wanted” poster on the KOJC leader reads, “Apollo Carreon Quiboloy, the founder of a Philippines-based church, is wanted for his alleged participation in a labor trafficking scheme that brought church members to the United States, via fraudulently obtained visas, and forced the members to solicit donations for a bogus charity, donations that actually were used to finance church operations and the lavish lifestyles of its leaders.”
On November 3, 2022, Judge Terry Hatter Jr. of the US District Court-Central District of California reset the trial of Quiboloy and his co-accused in Los Angeles from March 21, 2023, to March 19, 2024. Subsequently, in late 2023, the trial was again moved to November 2024.
In the 2022 order, Hatter granted the request of five of the defendants – Salinas, Cabactulan, Duenas, Estopare, and Roces – to be given more time to prepare their defense, based on the US Speedy Trial Act.
Based on the US-Philippines extradition treaty, an extradition request must be made through diplomatic channels.
But nearly three years after the indictment of Quiboloy and his associates, the US has yet to submit a formal extradition request for the preacher, Dandan, and Panilag, according to the Philippine Department of Justice (DOJ).
In late 2022, the US announced sanctions against the KOJC leader through its treasury and state departments, a move that coincided with International Anti-Corruption Day and on the eve of International Human Rights Day.
The sanctions include the following:
– Rappler.com
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Feeling the ground? Red tents, blue posters seen in Angeles, Mabalacat in Pampanga | Joann Manabat - CMS | 1/3/2024 9:01 | Red tents carry the name of Angeles City Mayor Carmelo Lazatin Jr. vis-a-vis blue posters with the face of retired General Oscar Albayalde are seen in busy areas of the two cities in Pampanga
Joann Manabat/Rappler
ANGELES CITY, Philippines – Red tents that carry the name of Angeles City Mayor Carmelo Lazatin Jr. vis-a-vis blue posters with the face of retired Philippine National Police General Oscar Albayalde are frequently seen in busy areas in the cities of Angeles and Mabalacat in Pampanga province.
The 2025 midterm election is still more than a year away. However, it appears that Lazatin and Albayalde have started to make their presence known.
Bearing the name of Lazatin, the red tents also have the word “Cong” before his name.
“Cong” in Kapampangan is short for “coyang,” which is used by the locals to address an older brother, Team Lazatin explained. “Cong” is also used to refer to a district representative – as in “Congressman.”
Editor’s Note: We earlier reported that the mayor and Cong Jun are stepbrothers. This has been corrected.
Carmelo Lazatin II, known to locals as “Cong Jon,” is the incumbent 1st District Representative of Pampanga. Cong Jon is serving his last term while Lazatin is on his second mayoral term. They are half brothers.
Local political observers are convinced that the Lazatin brothers will switch places in the 2025 midterm polls.
The red tents were installed on February 23 in 16 different barangays of Mabalacat: Dau, Lakandula, Duquit, Camachiles, Mabiga, Sto. Rosario, San Francisco, Sta. Ines, Mangalit, Mamatitang, Atlu Bola, Cacutud, Tabun, Dolores, San Joaquin, and Poblacion. The remaining 11 barangays will receive their tents on March 8, Team Lazating said.
Angeles City chief executive IC Calaguas spearheaded the tent distribution together with the respective barangay captains.
Meanwhile, in the blue corner, posters of Albayalde have been pinned up in most residential areas since the holiday season in 2023.
Albayalde said he is still “feeling the ground” whether to run for public office. Albayalde is also making his presence felt through media interviews and public appearances in different communities.
The talk in Pampanga is that Albayalde is eyeing to run as mayor of Angeles City or 1st District Representative of Pampanga.
In 2023, he once admitted that there were “some people” who had been pushing him to run for public office.
The former Philippine National Police chief was once implicated in the “ninja cops” controversy, which later on were dismissed by the Office of the Ombudsman. He ended his career in the national police force quietly after he went on non-duty status in October 2019.
The 1st District of Pampanga consists of the highly urbanized Angeles City, its neighboring component Mabalacat City, and the municipality of Magalang.
The filing of candidacy for the 2025 midterm polls is set for October. Will it be red versus blue? – Rappler.com
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[DOCUMENTARY] Marcos Jr. and Hawaii: Dictator’s son returns to land of his exile | Dwight de Leon | 28/02/2024 16:00 | MANILA, Philippines – It was a triumphant homecoming for the dictator’s son.
During the 38th anniversary month of the EDSA People Power Revolution, Rappler revisits President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s return to Hawaii in November 2023, more than three decades since his family’s exile in the island-state as a result of the uprising.
Rappler’s political reporter Dwight de Leon met with longtime anti-Marcos community leaders and diehard loyalists, to better understand how a family ousted by bloodless revolt sought refuge for years on an island that is over 5,000 miles away from the Philippines.
He also sat down with younger generations of Filipino immigrants who, in their small ways, continue to resist, despite being overwhelmed in numbers by a large group of pro-Marcos supporters in Hawaii.
Ang Muling Pagtapak ni Marcos Jr. sa Hawaii (Marcos Jr.’s Return to Hawaii) features interviews with the following people:
Nearly four decades since the People Power Revolution, the question remains: Will Filipinos ever learn to rise above myths? – Rappler.com
Reporter/Writer: Dwight de LeonProducers: Cara Angeline Oliver, JC GotingaVideographer: Jeff DigmaVideo Editors: Jen Agbuya, Jaene ZaplanAnimation: Guia AbogadoGraphic Artists: Nico Villarete, Alyssa ArizabalSupervising Producer: Beth Frondoso
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Eagles fly again: Lazaro, De Leon relish Ateneo reconnection with Valdez in Creamline debut | jisaga0269 | 29/02/2024 22:27 | TOGETHER AGAIN. The Creamline Cool Smashers huddle after a point in the 2024 PVL All-Filipino Conference
PVL Images
MANILA, Philippines – In perhaps one of the most unusual sights so far in the new 2024 PVL All-Filipino Conference, former Choco Mucho leaders Bea de Leon and Denden Lazaro-Revilla finally donned their Cool Smashers kits on the court after five years of heated sister team clashes with the Flying Titans.
Although it was only their first game together after sitting out the conference opener, both De Leon and Revilla immediately meshed well with their new teammates, excelling in their defensive assignments despite limited playing time against Akari on Thursday, February 29.
Of course, it certainly helps that Creamline is not completely unfamiliar territory, as for the first time in nearly a decade, De Leon and Revilla linked up with their former Ateneo champion teammate Alyssa Valdez, while fellow ex-Lady Eagle Ella de Jesus watched on as a reserve.
Only playing in important stretches of the match against Akari, Valdez finished with 8 points, while De Leon added 5. Revilla, meanwhile, went in and out of the rotation as liberos often do, and finished with 11 excellent receptions on just 23 attempts.
Three-time PVL MVP Tots Carlos, meanwhile, exploded for a new career-high 31 points on 55% attack efficiency to set the tone from start to finish.
Once a heated rival of the PVL’s undisputed top dynasty, Revilla exuded nothing but gratitude for her new team in an emotional postgame press conference.
“I never thought I would once again play with them, so I’m really grateful to be a part of this team,” said the UAAP Season 77 champion. “They welcomed me and I was given an opportunity. It’s just so easy to integrate myself because they know me so well, and that’s why it translated to my game on the floor.”
De Leon – Choco Mucho’s captain as recently as its finals war last conference against none other than Creamline – likewise had nothing but kind words as she continues to integrate herself in a new system.
“Same with Ate Den, I didn’t think I’d still be playing with them. I feel reassured knowing that no matter what happens, someone will have my back,” said the 5-foot-11 net anchor, who was a rookie in the masterful Season 77 run that yielded a rare 16-0 sweep on the way to the title.
“On the court, there’s Ate Ly, Ate Els, who always have your back. It’s really a light feeling on the court knowing they’re around, all my former seniors.”
With only two games down so far in a new PVL title defense, De Leon and Revilla will certainly be vital pieces as the weeks move along and multiple other contenders try to break the Cool Smashers’ seemingly impenetrable ranks.
The road will be tough as always, but champions like Creamline’s new stars are practically hardwired to adjust along the way. – Rappler.com
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FEU reinforces UAAP boys’ football dynasty, topples UST for 12th straight crown | jisaga0269 | 29/02/2024 23:19 | DYNASTY. The FEU Baby Tamaraws celebrate after winning the UAAP Season 86 boys' football championship
UAAP Season 86 Media Team
MANILA, Philippines – No matter the struggles, champions in sports always know when to turn up the fire when it matters most.
Such was the case for the FEU-Diliman Baby Tamaraws as they ruled the UAAP Season 86 high school boys’ football tournament for the 12th straight time, toppling first-time finalist UST Junior Golden Booters with a 3-0 romp on Thursday, February 29.
Even after UST led the standings for much of the season, FEU snuck right back on top after a stellar elimination round wrap-up, followed by a masterpiece finale that saw the Baby Tamaraws hold a 1-0 lead just 18 minutes in.
Eventual Golden Boot winner Theo Libarnes, who pushed FEU further away with his seventh season goal 8 minutes after intermission, echoed the struggles his team went through and was just glad that when the lights were brightest, they shone brightly right back.
“I was shocked to get the Golden Boot award because I didn’t score in the first round,” he said in Filipino. “I did bounce back in the second round, but still, our struggles to get to the final were evident.”
“But now, we’re in the FEU history books. I gave it all I got for my teammates,” added the graduating forward.
Fellow senior Gian Carlo Lucha, the Baby Tamaraws’ ace defender, likewise bowed out of high school competition in style by winning tournament MVP.
UST’s Edsel James Lauron and Kent Laurenz dela Peña nabbed Best Goalkeeper and the Best Midfielder honors, respectively. Bacchus Ekberg, a vital piece in La Salle-Zobel’s third-place finish, bagged the Best Defender award. Ateneo, meanwhile, secured the Fair Play Award.
“It feels unreal because I never thought this award would be mine,” Lucha said in Filipino. “We struggled a lot, lost twice in the eliminations, but I just said to my teammates to steel their hearts and trust God.”
“Thankfully, our sacrifices paid off.” – Rappler.com
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‘He can be a diplomat’: Charismatic Naga priest is new bishop of Virac | Paterno Esmaquel II | 29/02/2024 21:04 | NAGA PRIEST. Father Louie Occiano is currently rector of the Archdiocesan Shrine of Saint Joseph in San Jose, Camarines Sur.
Archdiocesan Shrine of Saint Joseph
MANILA, Philippines – Pope Francis named Father Luisito Occiano, a longtime Naga priest who is described as warm and charismatic, as the new bishop of the Diocese of Virac in Catanduanes.
Occiano replaces Bishop Manolo delos Santos, 76, who has gone beyond the retirement age of 75. Delos Santos was bishop of Virac since 1994, according to the news service of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.
The Vatican announced Occiano’s appointment on Thursday evening, February 29.
The 52-year-old Occiano is currently rector and parish priest of the Archdiocesan Shrine and Parish of Saint Joseph in San Jose, Camarines Sur. He also leads the Caceres Commission on Communication.
When he was installed as shrine rector in 2021, then-Caceres archbishop Rolando Tria Tirona described Occiano as a priest with a warm personality. “He relates well with people and works well with them,” Tirona said.
Once, Tirona even thought of sending Occiano for further studies in Rome to become a diplomat of the Holy See.
“He can be a diplomat. He shows charisma in discussions,” Tirona said.
The Diocese of Virac is a nearly 50-year-old Catholic territory that covers the province of Catanduanes. It is made up of more than 257,000 Catholics. – Rappler.com
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Is the proposed wage hike good or bad for SM? | Ralf Rivas | 29/02/2024 21:05 | LEADER. SM Investments Corporation president and CEO Frederic DyBuncio.
Rappler
Will a legislated wage hike hurt the Philippines’ business climate?
That was one of the questions asked of SM Investments Corporation (SMIC) president and CEO Frederic DyBuncio in a recent press briefing, amid business groups sounding the alarm that it would hurt both businesses and consumers.
DyBuncio did not give a categorical answer but noted that SMIC, the Philippines’ largest conglomerate in terms of market value at over P1 trillion, is keeping an eye on the issue as “it will obviously increase operating costs” and have an impact on economic growth.
SMIC is the holding company of the SM Group. The company is engaged in businesses through its subsidiaries, namely The SM Store, SM Supermarket, SM Hypermarket, SaveMore, Walter Mart, Alfamart, SM Prime Holdings, BDO Unibank, and China Banking Corporation.
The Senate on Monday, February 19, unanimously approved on third and final reading the bill that seeks to give a P100-daily increase to minimum wage earners in the country. Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has also started deliberating on various bills but with differing amounts, ranging from P150 to P750.
DyBuncio could not give the number of minimum wage earners in the SM group, but noted that most of their employees earn higher than minimum wage.
“That will affect the minimum wage workers. I think the bulk of our employees are actually higher than minimum wage. Again, it will obviously increase the operating cost, so the question is how much of that increase will be passed on to customers,” Dy Buncio said.
“We still don’t know what the final number would be but we had wage increases in the past and we will be able to adjust our businesses,” DyBuncio said.
The last legislated national wage hike in the Philippines was in 1989, when the Wage Rationalization Act ordered a P25 wage hike from the national P64 minimum wage. At present, Metro Manila’s minimum wage is P610 a day.
Proponents of the wage hikes, however, note that workers with higher wages spend more, thus stimulating the economy.
This point was echoed by SMIC consultant for investor relations and sustainability Tim Daniels.
“If you increase the spending power of the average Filipino consumers…when you look at the GDP of the Philippines, a very high percentage of GDP growth, over 70%, comes from consumer spending…that is something that you would probably see – retail activity in our malls,” Daniels said.
So, are wage hikes good or bad for business?
“It depends on who you ask,” Daniels said.
SMIC reported a net income of P77 billion, a 25% jump from P61.7 billion in 2022. Revenues reached P616.3 billion last year, up 11% from P553 billion.
“A key success driver was the healthy spending patterns of Filipino consumers in both essential and discretionary purchases, particularly in fashion, dining and entertainment,” DyBuncio said. – Rappler.com
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Joshua Pacio believes confidence is everything ahead of rematch with Jarred Brooks | Jasmine Payo | 29/02/2024 19:13 | ALL SET. Filipino fighter Joshua Pacio believes heu2019s ready and confident heading into the match.
ONE CHAMPIONSHIP
MANILA, Phiippines – Former ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio believes that a lot of things are bound to change the moment he enters his rematch against reigning division king Jarred “The Monkey God” Brooks.
The two best strawweights in the world tangle for the ultimate prize in their division in one of the three World Title bouts scheduled for ONE 166: Qatar on Friday, March 1, at Lusail Sports Arena.
“After that bout, I realized that we went the whole five rounds. We reached the decision, and I wasn’t able to show my strengths in that fight,” Pacio said.
“This time it will be different. I’ll definitely be showing up. Eduard [Folayang] and coach Don don [Colas] have been in my ears since then, telling me my errors and things that I could’ve done in that first fight.”
Pacio still believes his previous loss against the American Brooks could’ve been avoided, and now he’s doing everything to make sure he doesn’t suffer the same setback in the rematch.
That all starts with the energy that his new team, Lions Nation MMA, brings to training.
Pacio now has a team that’s ready to go to war with him – as not only is he getting emotional support, all his physical needs are being addressed as well.
“As an athlete, it’s so helpful to be able to come to the gym and feel at home. You come in confident, you come in happy with the environment. It’s a big help,” he said.
“That’s one of my advantages now. I truly feel all the support from my team. We added kuya Vince [Loman] (Stephen’s brother) as our strength and conditioning coach. He’s helping me out with explosiveness and speed.
“We’re doing fight simulations. Coach Gibran Langbayan added Godwin [Langbayan] to help me out in this fight. He’s one of the best BJJ athletes in the Philippines and also a member of Sambo Philippines.”
With that in mind, Pacio is confident that he’s done enough in his camp, so now it’s all about executing the right game plan come fight night against Brooks.
“The things that we trained for, our combinations, it has to come out in that fight. That’s one thing I truly changed entering this fight, my mindset,” he said.
“I know I have to be confident. I have to realize that I’m already one of the best in the world, and there’s no better stage to show it than this fight,” he added.
“Sure, I’m fighting the best fighter in the world in my division, but I have to remember that I’m also one of the best, and I have to come in without any hesitation.” – Rappler.com
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Cebu City Mayor Rama cries foul over province’s move to stop BRT construction | jsitchon0312 | 29/02/2024 20:55 | CIVIL WORKS. Materials and scaffolding remain in front of the Cebu Provincial Capitol at the Osmena Boulevard on Thursday, February 29.
John Sitchon/Rappler
CEBU, Philippines – A fight could be in the offing between Cebu City Mayor Mike Rama and Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia, with the former asking: are you friend or foe?
What triggered Rama was a cease-and-desist order by the governor stopping the civil works for the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT).
Rama vented on Cebu City’s teleradio channel on Thursday, February 29, his frustrations over Garcia’s latest actions.
“The governor is supposed to make friends or make it clear that they’re making enemies. (Are you) friend or foe,” the mayor said in Cebuano.
Up until this latest turn of events, Rama and Garcia were formidable allies under the banner of One Cebu, which delivered big for the Uniteam partnership of then candidates Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Sara Duterte.
Garcia’s cease-and-desist memorandum dated Tuesday, February 27 claimed that the ongoing civil works for the CBRT along Osmeña Boulevard did not have prior authorization from the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP).
To recall, civil works for the first phase of the CBRT were awarded to Hunan Road and Bridge Construction Group Co., Ltd and were expected to finish in the fourth quarter of 2023.
The project has been hampered by delays due to complications ranging from unfinished feasibility studies and design issues.
In a press conference on Thursday afternoon, National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) National Advisory Board member Jose Bersales and Cebu Provincial Legal Officer Donato Villa said that the construction company violated the National Heritage Act of 2009.
Bersales said that the bus stations being built along Osmeña Boulevard blocked the view of the Cebu Provincial Capitol building from the Fuente Osmeña Rotunda, consequently “desecrating” the cultural significance and integrity of the historical structure.
In 2008, the NHCP declared the building a National Historical Landmark. After Republic Act No. 11961 was signed in August 2023, the building was then classified as a Grade 1 Heritage Structure.
Under the law, a heritage structure receives priority protection, and government projects that affect the integrity of the structure should consult first with the NCCA before implementation.
“The Cebu City Historical Commission was not consulted,” Bersales said.
Villa said that if the construction work would continue, there would be a “high probability” that the provincial government would file a case against the project implementers of the CBRT.
Under the National Heritage Act, violators can be fined P200,000 and/or imprisonment for a term of not less than 10 years, upon the discretion of the court
Rappler has reached out to Norvin Imbong, the project manager of the CBRT, for a statement on the matter but has yet to receive any reply.
Upon learning that Cebu City Vice Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia and fellow councilors met with the governor to discuss what to do with the CBRT issue, Rama described the situation as “treachery.”
“Wala ko’y kalibutan nga gatigum sila (I had no idea that they were meeting),” the mayor said on Thursday morning.
The vice mayor is a nephew of Governor Garcia.
On Wednesday, February 28, the Cebu City Council, which is headed by the vice mayor, passed a resolution ordering the Office of the Building Official to issue a cease-and-desist order against the civil works for the CBRT, supporting the governor’s move.
While Rama clarified that he was not against halting construction of the CBRT, he said that he resented how the councilors “blindsided” him on the issue.
Rama recalled that in the past he kept silent when the governor went against his plans during the previous Sinulog festival celebration in the city.
“Karon, wala na utongay. Wala na…Kung naa mo buhaton, klaro lang mo (This time, no more holding back. No more…if you want to do something, make it clear),” Rama said.
Rappler asked the governor for a comment on Rama’s statements but refused to give any. – Rappler.com
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Marcos names 3rd commissioner to PCGG, the agency hunting his family’s plunder | Dwight de Leon | 29/02/2024 18:49 | President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appoints Rogelio Quevedo to the Presidential Commission on Good Government.
RTVM screenshot
MANILA, Philippines – A lawyer who was part of the group which claimed that then candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr won the 2016 vice presidential election, was appointed to the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG), the agency tasked to go after the Marcos family’s ill-gotten wealth.
Lawyer Rogelio Quevedo was named PCGG commissioner, the Presidential Communications Office announced on Thursday, February 29.
It was unclear if Quevedo replaced someone or was just an addition to four other PCGG commissioners.
Prior to his appointment to PCGG, Quevedo was the government corporate counsel.
Quevedo was among the IT professionals who questioned the credibility of the 2016 vice presidential race, where Marcos Jr. lost to Leni Robredo.
Marcos formally challenged Robredo’s win and the case dragged on for years until the Supreme Court, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, unanimously dismissed the electoral protest in 2021.
A copy of Quevedo’s credentials posted on the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System website indicated he was also once a member of the MWSS Board. He was also a former president of the Philippine Information and Communication Technology Organization.
He had been with the Office of the Ombudsman and the Presidential Management Staff, and taught commercial law and civil law at the University of the Philippines, according to the said document.
In the last quarter of 2023, Marcos also appointed former Abra mayor Marco M. Bautista and former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority executive director Angelito Vergel de Dios as PCGG commissioners.
The PCGG, an attached agency of the Department of Justice, was created after the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution with the mandate to recover the ill-gotten wealth accumulated by the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos, his family, and their cronies during his 21 years in office.
As of September 2021, the government has retrieved P174 billion, and is going after P125 billion more.
Calls to abolish the PCGG intensified during the administration of Marcos’ predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, but these proposals did not prosper.
In the present Congress, at least two bills have been filed seeking to get rid of the PCGG, and transfer its powers to other government agencies. These proposals are still pending at the committee level.
The Marcos administration has given the agency a combined budget of P326 million in the past two years. – Rappler.com
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FEU reinforces UAAP boys’ football dynasty, topples UST for 12th straight crown | jisaga0269 | 29/02/2024 23:19 | DYNASTY. The FEU Baby Tamaraws celebrate after winning the UAAP Season 86 boys' football championship
UAAP Season 86 Media Team
MANILA, Philippines – No matter the struggles, champions in sports always know when to turn up the fire when it matters most.
Such was the case for the FEU-Diliman Baby Tamaraws as they ruled the UAAP Season 86 high school boys’ football tournament for the 12th straight time, toppling first-time finalist UST Junior Golden Booters with a 3-0 romp on Thursday, February 29.
Even after UST led the standings for much of the season, FEU snuck right back on top after a stellar elimination round wrap-up, followed by a masterpiece finale that saw the Baby Tamaraws hold a 1-0 lead just 18 minutes in.
Eventual Golden Boot winner Theo Libarnes, who pushed FEU further away with his seventh season goal 8 minutes after intermission, echoed the struggles his team went through and was just glad that when the lights were brightest, they shone brightly right back.
“I was shocked to get the Golden Boot award because I didn’t score in the first round,” he said in Filipino. “I did bounce back in the second round, but still, our struggles to get to the final were evident.”
“But now, we’re in the FEU history books. I gave it all I got for my teammates,” added the graduating forward.
Fellow senior Gian Carlo Lucha, the Baby Tamaraws’ ace defender, likewise bowed out of high school competition in style by winning tournament MVP.
UST’s Edsel James Lauron and Kent Laurenz dela Peña nabbed Best Goalkeeper and the Best Midfielder honors, respectively. Bacchus Ekberg, a vital piece in La Salle-Zobel’s third-place finish, bagged the Best Defender award. Ateneo, meanwhile, secured the Fair Play Award.
“It feels unreal because I never thought this award would be mine,” Lucha said in Filipino. “We struggled a lot, lost twice in the eliminations, but I just said to my teammates to steel their hearts and trust God.”
“Thankfully, our sacrifices paid off.” – Rappler.com
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‘Massive potential’: PH bids to host FIVB Volleyball World Men’s Championship | Jasmine Payo | 29/02/2024 18:44 | ELITE. US and France in action in the 2023 Volleyball Nations League.
Volleyball Nations League
MANILA, Philippines – The world’s best volleyball players in men’s action may just showcase their wares in the Philippines.
The Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) aims to make that happen as the country formalized its bid on Thursday, February 29, to host the prestigious FIVB Volleyball World Men’s Championship 2025.
“We see a massive potential in the Philippines,” said FIVB Volleyball World chief business officer Guido Betti. “We decided to bring the VNL (Volleyball Nations League) here two years ago and the fandom was crazy. We’re overwhelmed, and with that being said, players will be happy to come back.”
Betti, along with FIVB Volleyball World CEO Finn Taylor, met with PNVF president Ramon “Tats” Suzara during the special briefing of the Philippines’ hosting bid.
Senator Pia Cayetano, a staunch sports advocate, also attended the Thursday meeting at the Grand Hyatt Manila in BGC, Taguig City along with Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco, Philippine Sports Commission officials led by chairman Richard Bachmann, and other key representatives.
“As they say, teamwork makes the dream work and this meeting is a first major step towards the dream of a successful bid and eventual hosting of the men’s world championship,” said Suzara.
The Philippines hopes to ride the heels of the PNVF’s successful staging of the VNL, which the top FIVB officials praised as the best hosted editions in 2022 and 2023, with the country boasting a huge local fan base.
“The VNL last year at the MOA Arena was the best event of the VNL and we had 14 stops around the world,” Finn said. “It shows that the Philippines has embraced the best of volleyball, and we were able to see that not only the fans embraced the players, but teams embraced the fans.”
“They can’t wait to come back,” Finn added.
The PNVF hosted two weeks of VNL action, both men and women, at the Araneta Coliseum in 2022 and a men’s leg at the Mall of Asia Arena last year.
Both major venues are again eyed for next year’s world championship.
“Love from the people here was unique that all the volleyball players are dreaming for,” said Betti.
Cayetano shared her experiences as a former varsity and national volleyball player as she committed Taguig City and Senator Alan Peter Cayetano’s support for the event.
“We’ve come a long way and we’re so excited to be part of this journey,” said Cayetano, promising that the Senate will support the event hosting. “We know that 2025 is a year that will bring much pride to the Philippines and share the love the Filipinos have.”
The Philippines hasn’t been to the men’s world championship since the 1974 edition in Mexico.
As host, the Philippines may earn a slot along with the 31 of the world’s best nations.
The formal announcement of the winning host is set late March. – Rappler.com
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Eagles fly again: Lazaro, De Leon relish Ateneo reconnection with Valdez in Creamline debut | jisaga0269 | 29/02/2024 22:27 | TOGETHER AGAIN. The Creamline Cool Smashers huddle after a point in the 2024 PVL All-Filipino Conference
PVL Images
MANILA, Philippines – In perhaps one of the most unusual sights so far in the new 2024 PVL All-Filipino Conference, former Choco Mucho leaders Bea de Leon and Denden Lazaro-Revilla finally donned their Cool Smashers kits on the court after five years of heated sister team clashes with the Flying Titans.
Although it was only their first game together after sitting out the conference opener, both De Leon and Revilla immediately meshed well with their new teammates, excelling in their defensive assignments despite limited playing time against Akari on Thursday, February 29.
Of course, it certainly helps that Creamline is not completely unfamiliar territory, as for the first time in nearly a decade, De Leon and Revilla linked up with their former Ateneo champion teammate Alyssa Valdez, while fellow ex-Lady Eagle Ella de Jesus watched on as a reserve.
Only playing in important stretches of the match against Akari, Valdez finished with 8 points, while De Leon added 5. Revilla, meanwhile, went in and out of the rotation as liberos often do, and finished with 11 excellent receptions on just 23 attempts.
Three-time PVL MVP Tots Carlos, meanwhile, exploded for a new career-high 31 points on 55% attack efficiency to set the tone from start to finish.
Once a heated rival of the PVL’s undisputed top dynasty, Revilla exuded nothing but gratitude for her new team in an emotional postgame press conference.
“I never thought I would once again play with them, so I’m really grateful to be a part of this team,” said the UAAP Season 77 champion. “They welcomed me and I was given an opportunity. It’s just so easy to integrate myself because they know me so well, and that’s why it translated to my game on the floor.”
De Leon – Choco Mucho’s captain as recently as its finals war last conference against none other than Creamline – likewise had nothing but kind words as she continues to integrate herself in a new system.
“Same with Ate Den, I didn’t think I’d still be playing with them. I feel reassured knowing that no matter what happens, someone will have my back,” said the 5-foot-11 net anchor, who was a rookie in the masterful Season 77 run that yielded a rare 16-0 sweep on the way to the title.
“On the court, there’s Ate Ly, Ate Els, who always have your back. It’s really a light feeling on the court knowing they’re around, all my former seniors.”
With only two games down so far in a new PVL title defense, De Leon and Revilla will certainly be vital pieces as the weeks move along and multiple other contenders try to break the Cool Smashers’ seemingly impenetrable ranks.
The road will be tough as always, but champions like Creamline’s new stars are practically hardwired to adjust along the way. – Rappler.com
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Butuan honors tricycle driver who returned envelope of cash to passenger | Herbie G | 29/02/2024 16:45 | HONEST DRIVER. Tricycle driver Delfin Au00f1ora Jr., seen in a screenshot from DXBC-RMN Butuan video, receives praise and honors from the local government for returning P300,000 left behind by a passenger in Butuan City. In the background is a tricycle against the regional center of the Caraga region.
Ivy Marie Mangadlao/Rappler
BUTUAN, Philippines – Honesty has proven to be the best policy for a tricycle driver in Butuan City. After returning P300,000 in cash left by a passenger on his tricycle during his daily route, he received praise and was recognized by the city government for the commendable act.
Delfin Añora Jr., a senior citizen from Barangay Baan Riverside, Butuan, handed over a red envelope containing the money along with documents to local broadcaster DXBC-Radio Mindanao Network, on Monday, February 26.
“While I was driving, [the driver of] a bao-bao (tricycle) that was behind me approached and informed me that an envelope had fallen at the backseat of my tricycle. I stopped to look into it and discovered that it contained cash, so I rushed immediately here,” Añora told DXBC in Bisaya.
He said he was taught to be honest, and his faith in God compelled him to return the money.
“If God gives it, it’s rightfully ours, but if not, we should not take it, as only God knows what he will reward us with,” he added.
The radio station’s manager, Ramil Bangues, said the owner, a resident of Barangay Obrero, claimed the lost cash as soon as they called him up about the find. The passenger’s contact information was found in the documents.
“That cash is part of his retirement pay. He just retired as a government employee,” Bangues said.
Later that day, during Bangues’ evening radio program, a listener offered to give the honest tricycle driver P5,000, and another listener pledged to donate a sack of rice.
On Wednesday, February 28, the city council passed a resolution, authored by Butuan Councilor Cherry Busa, “commending Delfin Añora Jr., a Butuanon tricycle driver, for his exemplary and admirable character of honesty, demonstrated in his return of a misplaced red envelope, duly expressing the appreciation of the city government of Butuan through an honorary reward commensurate with his act, worthy of emulation by every citizen of the city.”
Councilor John Gil Unay Sr., who chairs the city council’s committee on franchises and licenses, said he would propose the creation of an ordinance to automatically grant financial incentives for such commendable acts by public utility vehicle drivers in the city.
“I am glad that the driver returned the money and showed that humanity is not yet lost; there are still good people in our society,” Unay said.
It was not the first time that a tricycle driver in Butuan has been recognized by the city government for his honesty. In May 2021, tricycle driver Jervin Udarte Abuzo went to the City Information Office of Butuan to return a bag left by one of his passengers, containing P20,000 and important documents. – Rappler.com
Ivy Marie Mangadlao is a community journalist writing for Mindanews and an Aries Rufo Journalism fellow for 2023-2024.
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Australian senators protest vs Marcos | The wRap | Jaira Roxas | 29/02/2024 22:45 | Today on Rappler – the latest news in the Philippines and around the world:
Some Australian lawmakers protest inside and outside their parliament building while Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivers a speech. Senator Janet Rice of the Australian Greens raises a banner inside the hall reading, ‘Stop the human rights abuses.’
The Supreme Court punishes former NTF-ELCAC spokesperson Lorraine Badoy for threatening a Manila judge. It finds Badoy guilty of indirect contempt for her ‘vitriolic and outright threats’ against Judge Marlo Magdoza-Malagar.
The Manila International Airport Authority, which operates the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, apologizes to passengers who were reportedly bitten by bed bugs in Terminals 2 and 3.
An Illinois state judge disqualifies Donald Trump from appearing on the Illinois’ Republican presidential primary ballot due to his role in the US Capitol insurrection on January 6, 2021.
SB19’s Justin releases single ‘surreal’ for his debut as a solo artist. He says the song is a love letter to those who dare to dream beyond reality. – Rappler.com
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Who is the Senate’s top absentee? | Bonz Magsambol | 28/02/2024 17:40 | Manny Pacquiao, former senator, no longer holds the record of having the most absences as a member of the upper chamber.
Senator Alan Peter Cayetano is now the Senate’s top absentee.
According to Senate records, Cayetano attended only 36 of the 54 regular sessions from July 24, 2023 to February 21, 2024. He missed 18 sessions; four were due to official missions.
It seems the senator from Taguig is keeping up with a reputation. In 2017, he also had the most number of absences as senator, attending only 31 sessions from July 25, 2016 to May 31, 2017.
In the 2013 elections, Cayetano was seen only once in senatorial debates and one-on-one interviews. But in 2016, he had the audacity to hit then-vice presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for being absent from one of the televised debates during the campaign.
Rappler reached out to Cayetano’s office for comment, but they have yet to respond as of this posting.
Meanwhile, 12 senators tallied perfect attendance, as of February 2024:
Meanwhile, the following senators had one to six absences:
Meanwhile, Binay was absent in three more sessions due to official missions; Escudero missed two sessions due to official missions; and Pia Cayetano and Tolentino also missed six sessions due to official missions.
Angara’s office said that the senator missed three sessions because of the bicameral conference committee meetings.
Some senators did not register perfect attendance because they were in official local and foreign missions. They were senators JV Ejercito, Lito Lapid, Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, and Mark Villar.
In a statement on Tuesday, Zubiri said that “true leadership starts by showing up for the important work for the people.”
“Many of us show our commitment to our duty by being here most of the session days. Public service is a reward in itself, but we go to work knowing that our presence and our voices represent the people’s interests,” he said.
Zubiri has had perfect attendance since first being elected into the House of Representatives in 1998. – Rappler.com
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Would there be an award for the top absentee? Like that of the “Dirty Ashtray” award? There should be none. Congratulations to the 12 senators who have been in perfect attendance as of February 2024. Absenteeism seems to project that he needs to be more serious about his work as a Senator. This is more likely because he has something of greater priority than his work as a legislator, and the people he represents do not care. I agree with Senator Zubiri: “True leadership starts by showing up for the important work for the people.”
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NAIA’s surot-infested rattan chairs, once its pride, are now gone | lkyu0285 | 1/3/2024 13:10 | RATTAN. Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, then-MIAA General Manager Cesar Chiong, and Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco walk beside the newly installed rattan chairs in NAIA Terminal 2.
Screenshot from the DOT Facebook video
After news broke out of passengers reportedly being bitten by bed bugs in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), the airport’s operator has been quick to throw out what was once its pride: the rattan chairs that adorned NAIA Terminal 2.
The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) has now pulled out all of the rattan chairs in Terminal 2 after pest control service providers deemed them to be “prone to infestation,” MIAA Executive Assistant Chris Bendijo said in a Radyo5 interview on Friday, March 1.
The MIAA Media Affairs Division confirmed to Rappler that all rattan chairs have been removed “subject to disinfection.”
How did the chairs, which only arrived last year, go from a symbol of local culture to another bad mark on NAIA?
Earlier, MIAA issued a public apology after a passenger’s post about the bed bugs in the airport went viral. The passenger told Rappler that the bed bugs that bit them were particularly located in the rattan chairs of the arrival side of NAIA Terminal 2.
MIAA has reached out to the passenger and offered to compensate them for their medical expenses.
Those rattan chairs, which looked beautiful were it not for the creepy crawlers that they hid, are now gone. They were originally added as part of a “new and improved look” for NAIA Terminal 2.
Just last April 2023, the Department of Tourism and the Department of Transportation set about renovating the terminal and adding Filipino-made solihiya lamps and panels, mini-gardens, and “enticing rattan chairs.”
#NAIATerminal2 gets a new look 🥰😍Relish the beauty of the Filipino-inspired look of NAIA T2, where solihiya lamps hang…
In a video by the Department of Tourism, Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco is seen lounging around the rattan furniture, along with Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista and then-MIAA General Manager Cesar Chiong. A few days later, Frasco posted a photo of her and several children sitting on the rattan seats in Terminal 2 while waiting for their luggage to arrive.
“The craftsmanship and talent of our Filipino furniture makers is truly world class,” the tourism secretary said. “Maka-proud!”
Not even a year later, the same chairs – now infested with bugs – have been pulled out.
And it’s not just the rattan chairs that are problematic. In January 2023, a public video also showed bed bugs crawling and peeking out of the holes of the metal gang chairs at NAIA Terminal 3.
Bendijo said that they’ve already pulled out the gang chairs as well, which will be sprayed with chemical disinfectants.
“Kakaibang species ng surot ang kanilang nakita (They saw a unique kind of bed bug species),” Bendijo said about what their pest control service provider found.
Bendijo also said they’re studying the performance of their pest control and housekeeping service providers. Currently, pest control is done quarterly while housekeeping personnel disinfect chairs daily using alcohol-based disinfectant during the airport’s non-peak hours.
“Itong mga service agreement na ito, aaralin po natin kung kailangan bang mas dikit ‘yung interval … para sigurado pong wala po talagang infestation ng ating mga upuan,” he said in the Radyo5 interview.
(We’ll study these service agreements to see if we need to make them more frequent…to really prevent any infestation of our chairs.)
Before this incident, NAIA already suffered from congestion and a lack of seating. But Bendijo said that MIAA has taken steps to ensure that seats will still be available in the terminals even now that several chairs have been pulled out for disinfection. MIAA is also considering procuring more chairs to replace the rattan chairs.
The country’s ailing international airport is due to get a total rehabilitation soon. A consortium led by San Miguel is expected to take over as NAIA’s operator within the next three to six months while MIAA will remain as a regulator. – Rappler.com
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Pura Luka Vega arrested again by Manila Police District | jreyes0314 | 29/02/2024 17:47 | Pura Luka Vega's Instagram
MANILA, Philippines – Drag artist Pura Luka Vega was arrested again by the Manila Police District on Thursday, February 29, DZME News reported.
According to Drag Den showrunner Rod Singh, a Quezon City court issued a warrant of arrest for Pura Luka Vega’s three counts of alleged violation of Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code, which includes immoral doctrines, obscene publications and exhibitions, and indecent shows.
“This stemmed from a complaint filed against them by three churches affiliated with the Philippines for Jesus Movement (PJM). The recommended bail is P360,000,” Singh wrote in a statement posted on X.
Regarding the arrest of Pura Luka Vega today. To those who would like to help Luka for their bail and legal fees, NAIA @brianblack_ will handle the donation drive. #DragIsArt #DragIsNotACrime pic.twitter.com/OirKIGl1G7
Pura Luka Vega is currently detained at the Sta. Cruz Police Station.
This comes just three days after Pura Luka Vega posted bail in Pasay City for six counts of violation of Article 201 “in relation to Section 6 of R.A. 10175” following the Kapisanan ng Social Media Broadcasters ng Pilipinas’ complaint.
Weeks after their video lip syncing to an “Ama Namin” remix while dressed as Jesus Christ went viral, the embattled drag artist was sued by Christian leaders from the PJM on July 31, 2023 for alleged violation of Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code.
“Luka got arrested again today. Let’s not panic [because] we know that we can do something about it. For now antabay muna tayo sa (let’s wait) donation drive details for her bail,” drag queen NAIA Black – who organized the embattled drag artist’s fundraising event in October 2023 – later also posted on X.
okay luka got arrested again today. lets not panic bec we know that we can do something about it. for now antabay muna tayo sa donation drive details for her bail #dragisnotacrime
Pura Luka Vega was earlier arrested on October 4, 2023, after their alleged absence from the preliminary investigations of their criminal case in Manila. They later posted bail amounting to P72,000 on October 7, 2023. – Rappler.com
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NAIAx Tramo access ramp in Pasay now open | lkyu0285 | 1/3/2024 17:36 | NOW OPEN. View from the newly opened Tramo access ramp of the NAIAx.
San Miguel Corporation
MANILA, Philippines – A new access ramp for the NAIA Expressway (NAIAx) has opened in Tramo, Pasay City.
The 800-meter access ramp will cater to southbound traffic in EDSA coming from Makati, or northbound traffic coming from Entertainment City, San Miguel Corporation (SMC), the conglomerate that operates NAIAx, said in a press statement.
“This Tramo access ramp provides another option for motorists heading to the airport, and other areas in Paranaque City and Cavite province. We believe it can help relieve overall traffic congestion in the area, and improve traffic flow within the vicinity of the airport,” SMC president and chief operating officer Ramon Ang said during the access ramp’s opening on Friday, March 1.
Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan also said that the government and SMC are looking into “further improvements” for NAIAx to cater to the growing passenger volume of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
The NAIAx is an 11-kilometer elevated toll expressway that connects the Skyway System to the country’s main international airport. It also connects to Entertainment City, Macapagal Boulevard, Sucat Road, and roads leading to Cavite.
San Miguel won the rights to NAIAx after it offered an P11-billion cash bid in 2013, which was significantly higher than the P305-million bid by a Metro Pacific Investments Corporation subsidiary.
A San Miguel-led consortium earlier won the bid for the NAIA rehabilitation project after it offered a government revenue share that was more than double that of the next highest bidder. SMC’s group is expected to take over operations of the Philippines’ main airport within the next six months.
– Rappler.com
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BINI show in Dagupan cut short amid reports of fans fainting | Angelo Gonzales | 30/04/2024 23:49 | P-POP GIRLS. Eight-piece powerhouse BINI celebrates the launch of their latest EP, March 8, 2024
Mika Geronimo/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – P-pop girl group BINI on Tuesday, April 30, was forced to stop its show at the Dagupan Bangus Festival in Pangasinan, where they headlined the Coke Studio stage, as an unconfirmed number of people in the audience fainted, according to reports on X.
Several members of the group tweeted, confirming the stoppage.
be safe everyone! sorryyyy need namin i-stop yung performance☹️ we don’t want to cause any harm sa inyooooo! but still thank you sa cheer, love, and support!!!! WE LOVE YOU BLOOMS🫶🏼 update kayo pag nakauwi naaaaa #BINIxCokeStudioPH
Videos posted on X under #BINIXCokeStudioPH showed clips of BINI asking people not to push, as well as trying to give out water bottles to the audience, with the members looking visibly worried. A user notes how “the girls tried their best to help.”
Tweets reported that a number of people were fainting. Dagupan City recorded the highest heat index in the country for April 30 at 48 degrees Celsius.
BINI CUT THE SHOW BC OF MEDICAL EMERGENCIES AND YUNG IBA NA NAGSIAKYATAN. and they ended the show with pantropiko after, lagi, love yourself, hmtu.CokeStudioConcert WithBINI#BINIatBangusFestival#BINIxCokeStudioPH @BINI_ph
eto na yung part na may nahilo/nahimatay sa harapan nila and yung pinapababa nila yung nagsiakyatan. kita mo yung concern ng BINI sa mga nakikita nila sa harapan nila“nagwoworry kami sa safety niyo, so hindi tayo magproproceed sa next song if hindi tayo makipagcooperate” pic.twitter.com/8PrIlVYNF4
At least two tweets described the scene as “traumatizing,” with one seeing “dozens of people dropping like flies.”
ang traumatizing maka kita ng dozens of people dropping like flies, i hope they know na hindi nila kasalanan at mainit lang talaga mashado ngayon. hope everyone is safe na ;((CokeStudioConcert WithBINI#BINIatBangusFestival#BINIxCokeStudioPH @BINI_ph
Another user recounted the events, saying that it was difficult for the medics to reach those in need of help. “It was traumatic, no sugarcoating. Sa harap namin lahat dinadaan kasi it was the fastest way. The [BINI] girls got distracted too kasi even sila mismo ung nakakita dun sa ibang nagaask ng help. Maski kami sobrang traumatized kasi bawat lingon ko may sumisigaw ng ‘medic.'”
(Those being aided were passing right in front of us because it was the fastest way. The BINI girls got distracted too because they too were seeing those who were asking for help. We were so traumatized because everywhere we turned, someone was screaming “medic.”)
Grabe yung nangyari. Hapon pa lang, we were being alerted na andami ng nahihilo. Me along with the rescue team even ask the staffs if we can rotate the fans to the blooms sa barricade kasi walang hangin. We were trying to spray people with cooling spray. Nung gabi, grabe parin…
Given the group’s meteoric rise this year, some fans suggest the need for more medical and security staff at events, or the need for a bigger venue, adding that this incident should be a lesson for those planning to stage a BINI performance.
Lesson learned na dapat to sa management na ang @BINI_ph ay pa laki na nang pa laki ang fan base. If need nyo triplehin ang medics, guards or even the venue gawin niyo. @starmagicphils @direklauren #BINI #BINIxCokeStudioPH
the space is too small for bini stage talaga. knowing na they are so popular, they should've put them sa space na much bigger. 🥲 CokeStudioConcert WithBINI#BINIatBangusFestival#BINIxCokeStudioPH @BINI_ph
Tweets reported that the event host had announced an estimated crowd of 10,000.
CROWD CHECK: 6:22PMCokeStudioConcert WithBINI #BINIatBangusFestival #BINIxCokeStudioPH @BINI_ph pic.twitter.com/8FP3hAAaOp
In an ABS-CBN News report, Dagupan City’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer Ronaldo De Guzman confirmed to the news outlet that some attendees had lost consciousness at the event. The officer said that no serious injuries were recorded, and medical officers and volunteers were able to attend to all those who required aid.
No specific number of those who fainted has been released, the site added. – Rappler.com
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DOLE, Robinsons Malls to host Job Fairs starting May 1 | gdecastro0289 | 30/04/2024 19:42 | JOBS. The Department of Labor and Employment and Robinsons Malls partner for a series of job fairs in 2024.
Robinsons Malls/Handout
(This is a press release from Robinsons Malls.)
MANILA, Philippines – Robinsons Malls in cooperation with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), will host a series of Job Fairs for job seekers, specifically fresh graduates, returning OFWs and the like.
Under the umbrella of Robinsons Malls’ Lingkod Pinoy Center, these Job Fairs, which will be held in 24 Robinsons Malls, intend to reach out to many so that they will able to sustain their livelihood and the needs of Filipino families.
“Our partnership with DOLE is founded on mutual objectives and that is to help and assist Filipinos attain employment, the same values Robinsons Malls’ Lingkod Pinoy Center upholds,” said Irving Wu, Robinsons Malls’ external affairs and operations support director.
Wu added that through this partnership with DOLE, Robinsons Malls will instill the value of hard work and showcase the talents and strength of the Filipino workforce.
The Job Fairs will start May 1 till August 31 .
May 1: Robinsons Ilocos, Robinsons Santiago, Robinsons Galleria Ortigas, Robinsons Antipolo, Robinsons MetroEast, Robinsons Las Pinas, Robinsons Naga, Robinsons Roxas, Robinsons Antique, Robinsons Iloilo, Robinsons Ormoc
May 3: Robinsons Lipa, Robinsons GenSan
May 5: Robinsons Gapan
May 16: Robinsons Valencia
May 17: Robinsons Iloilo
June 12: Robinsons Pangasinan, Robinsons Bacolod, Robinsons Butuan, Robinsons Tagum, Robinsons Iligan, Robinsons Valencia
Aug 3: Robinsons Dumaguete
Aug 29 to 30: Robinsons CDO
– Rappler.com
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Donut cry! Poison Coffee & Doughnuts closes down | Steph Arnaldo | 30/04/2024 19:13 | Poison's Instagram
MANILA, Philippines – In news that isn’t as sweet as donuts – local bakery Poison Coffee & Doughnuts announced the permanent closure of its only branch at The Alley at Karrivin Plaza along Chino Roces Avenue, Makati City.
Poison broke the news via Instagram on Monday, April 29, leaving its patrons with a big, doughnut-shaped hole in their hearts. The closure is effective on Wednesday, May 1.
While the reason for the closure was not divulged, Poison did hint at something exciting to come, saying it was a “goodbye but also see you later.”
“Poison Doughnuts will be closed permanently starting May 1 but another cool concept will be taking its place,” the brand said. It also said that just like the legendary Hydra – the name of Poison’s headquarters – “sever one head, and two more emerge.”
“Watch this space for updates,” it added.
Since its inception in 2017, Poison has grown popular for the unique and quirky flavors of its “dangerous coffee” and “deadly” sourdough-based, freshly-baked donuts. Some bestsellers include Champorado, Blueberry Glaze, Garam Masala, Hazelnut Blue Cheese, Bicho Bicho, and Turon, among many other fan faves. Its seasonal collections included Kikkoman-themed donuts, Potchi donuts, and even kakanin-inspired ones.
Poison Coffee & Doughnuts also has a selection of ramen offerings from sister brand Wrong Ramen, like the spicy gyokai tsukemen or the classic tonkotsu ramen.
Here’s to hoping the brand makes an even sweeter comeback soon! – Rappler.com
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‘Aggressive’ revert to old academic calendar eyed for school year 2024 to 2025 | Bonz Magsambol | 30/04/2024 13:05 | SCHOOL. Students and teachers hold regular classes at the General Roxas Elementary School in Quezon City, on February 21, 2024.
Jire Carreon/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – Due to a “clamor” for a faster return to the old academic calendar, the Department of Education (DepEd) said on Tuesday, April 30, that it has sent a letter to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. offering a more “aggressive” ending of the upcoming school year 2024 to 2025 in March 2025.
“In response to the recent clamor for a more immediate reversion to the April-May school break, the department has already submitted a letter to the Office of the President presenting other options, including a more aggressive alternative ending school year 2024 to 2025 in March 2025,” DepEd spokesperson Francis Bringas said during the Senate inquiry into the effects of extreme heat in the conduct of classes.
“In the meantime, we respectfully appeal to the committee to allow the President time to study the options carefully,” he added.
Prior to this, the DepEd had set an initial five-year timeline to fully transition to the old academic calendar, where classes start in June and end in March.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate basic education committee, said that he prefers the “aggressive” approach. “We need to revert to the old calendar. Weather is unpredictable,” he said.
Earlier in April, Marcos said the government would find a way to have “transition completed earlier to put the schedule of our schoolchildren back to normal at the soonest time.”
What’s the catch with the “aggressive” transition?
Bringas said that students will have shorter school days. According to the Republic Act 7797, school days in the Philippines should be between 200 and 220 days.
If approved by the President, students will only have 165 in-person school days for the upcoming school year, while the remaining will be done through distance learning. Aside from this, students and teachers will have shorter school break in the middle of the transition.
“If we do it aggressively, then ma-sacrifice natin (we sacrifice) yung some hours for the learners and some hours for the teachers,” Bringas said. He refused to give more information about the plan pending approval by the President.
The school opening in the Philippines was moved to October, instead of June, in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and remote learning was implemented. In the succeeding years, it was moved to August.
The reversion to the old academic calendar was triggered by public clamor because the summer months of April and May are not conducive to learning. In recent weeks, the DepEd declared in-person class suspensions due to excessive heat. The heat index in Iba, Zambales, for instance, reached a scorching 53°C on Sunday, April 28, the highest that the country’s weather bureau has recorded so far in 2024. – Rappler.com
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