We are sorry, the requested page does not exist
HABI jurors laud skill and artistry of piñaand abaca competition winners
Celebrating innovation and creativity among today’s young weavers, Habi: The Philippine Textile Council announced the winners of its two prestigious weaving competitions for piña and abaca, which were chosen by some of the top names in Philippine textile and fashion, and showcased at the highly attended Likhang Habi Fair in Makati City on 13 to 15 October. Topping the Lourdes Montinola Piña Competition, which received over 30 entries, was Marilyn Almero of La Herminia Piña Weaving, for her “Peacock” piece, which also won her the special Filip + Inna Innovation Award and P50,000. First runner-up was Raquel Eliserio for her “Piña Ina” creation, who took home P30,000; while second runner-up was Anna India Legazpi of Heritage Arts and Culture, who also took home P20,000, for her “Argyle Pattern on Piña Seda.” The Nadres Outstanding Young Weaver Award and P20,000 cash prize went to 26-year-old Zairel Rebusta, a weaver at La Herminia Piña Weaving from Aklan, one of Habi’s regular exhibitors. “The outstanding feature [Rebusta’s] piece is that it’s full ringgue — a gauze-like open weave. This is seldom done and resulted in a very light and soft textile. The insects laid in with the suksuk method are random, which is not easy to do,” said Adelaida Lim, Habi president emeritus. All piña and abaca entries underwent meticulous inspection by a distinguished group of jurors composed of heritage advocates, notable fashion designers and distinguished artisans and craftsmen. Now on its sixth year, the Lourdes Montinola Piña Competition is the country’s premier piña weaving contest. Named after local textile champion Lourdes Reyes-Montinola, chair emeritus of the Far Eastern University, the competition invites local artisans from all over the Philippines to join and proudly exhibit their talents in weaving, dyeing, embroidering, and embellishing piña. The competition aims to keep this traditional craft alive, as well as further promote appreciation and use of Philippine textiles. Training the spotlight on the use of abaca, Habi also held the 2nd Eloisa Hizon Gomez Abaca Weaving competition, which celebrates the well-loved and versatile abaca fiber, as well as its namesake — a prominent Kapampangan who actively encouraged the use of Filipino textiles, and is mother to popular haute couture ‘70s fashion designer-turned-monk Gang Gomez, now known as Dom Martin Gomez, OSB. Winners of the abaca weaving competition include Anna India Legazpi, who won under the Applied Abaca Category; Agustin Tawi Sudaw, for the Abaca Ikat Category; and Edgar Cornito’s “Beyond the Horizon” piece under the Pure Abaca Category. All winners took home P50,000 each as part of their prize. “The innovation really stood out — it’s something different all the way, and what’s beautiful is that you see the innovation coming from the young,” said one of the competition’s judges, Vicky Vizcarra Amalingan-Sales, chair of S.C. Vizcarra Inc., a major brand synonymous with fine, handcrafted bags and home items made of wicker. For the Piña Weaving competition, Sales was joined on the juror panel by no less than Far Eastern University chair emeritus Lourdes Montinola herself; Felicidad Nadres, founder of EN Barong Filipino Inc.; textile designer, heritage conservationist and social activist Patis Tesoro; and author and heritage advocate Felice Sta. Maria. Meanwhile, on the juror panel for the abaca competition were the daughter of Eloisa Hizon Gomez, Erlie Gomez Manaloto; top designers Ditta Sandico, Noli Hans, Barge Ramos and Filip + Inna creative director Len Cabili. All competitors also showcased their works at the recently concluded Likhang Habi Market Fair, the annual three-day exhibit, bazaar, and educational event highlighting the country’s weaving culture. Starting as a 12-booth event back in 2009, Likhang Habi now has over 100 participants, drawing huge crowds year after year. “The idea of our fair is to really go out to the weaving communities and encourage them to come,” says Habi chair emeritus Maribel Ongpin. “Most are now self-sufficient, and we now have a waiting list.” The post HABI jurors laud skill and artistry of piñaand abaca competition winners appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Iran women’s activist Narges Mohammadi wins peace Nobel
The Nobel Peace Prize was on Friday awarded to imprisoned rights campaigner Narges Mohammadi, honored for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran. Mohammadi's award comes after a wave of protests that swept Iran after the death in custody a year ago of a young Iranian Kurd, Mahsa Amini, arrested for violating Iran's strict dress rules for women. Mohammadi, a 51-year-old journalist and activist, has spent much of the past two decades in and out of jail for her campaign against the mandatory hijab for women and the death penalty. She is the vice-president of the Defenders of Human Rights Centre founded by Iranian human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi, herself a Nobel Peace Prize laureate in 2003. Mohammadi was honored "for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all," said Berit Reiss-Andersen, the head of the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo. "Her brave struggle has come with tremendous personal costs. Altogether, the regime has arrested her 13 times, convicted her five times, and sentenced her to a total of 31 years in prison and 154 lashes," Reiss-Andersen said in the jury's citation. Speaking to reporters after the announcement, she called for Mohammadi's release. "If the Iranian authorities make the right decision, they will release her. So she can be present to receive this honor, which is what we primarily hope for," she said. The recent protests in Iran "accelerated the process of realizing democracy, freedom, and equality in Iran," a process that is now "irreversible", Mohammadi told AFP last month in a letter written from her prison cell. She and three other women held with her at Tehran's Evin prison burned their hijabs to mark the anniversary of Amini's death on 16 September. Iran is ranked 143rd out of 146 countries on the World Economic Forum's gender equality ranking. Iranian authorities cracked down harshly on last year's "Woman, Life, Freedom" uprising. A total of 551 protesters, including 68 children and 49 women, were killed by security forces, according to Iran Human Rights, and thousands of others were arrested. The movement has since continued in other forms. In what would have been unthinkable a year ago, women now go out in public without the headscarf, in particular in Tehran and other big cities, despite the risks. Wearing the hijab is one of the pillars of the Islamic Republic. Authorities have stepped up controls, using surveillance cameras among other things, and have arrested actresses who post pictures of themselves on social media without the hijab. No prospect of freedom In September, Iran's conservative-dominated parliament announced heavier penalties for women who refuse to wear it. "This year's Peace Prize also recognizes the hundreds of thousands of people who in the preceding year have demonstrated against the theocratic regimes policies of discrimination and oppression targeting women," Reiss-Andersen said. Offenders will face heavy prison sentences if the "Hijab and Chastity" bill is approved by Iran's Guardian Council. Incarcerated this time since November 2021, Mohammadi has not seen her children, who live in France with her husband, for eight years. Considered a "prisoner of conscience" by Amnesty International, she told AFP in her letter that she had "almost no prospect of freedom." The prize comes on the 20th anniversary of the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Ebadi, who was honored "for her efforts for democracy and human rights", especially those of women and children. This year's prize also symbolically coincides with the 75th anniversary of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In 2003, Ebadi defied conservative Iranians by refusing to wear the hijab when she received her prize in Oslo. If she remains behind bars, Mohammadi will not be able to make the trip to Oslo to receive her award, consisting of a diploma, a gold medal, and $1 million, at the annual prize ceremony on December 10. The Peace Prize has on several occasions honored jailed activists, including last year when it went to Ales Bialiatski of Belarus, whose prize was accepted by his wife, and Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo in 2010, whose chair remained empty. The post Iran women’s activist Narges Mohammadi wins peace Nobel appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
India using anti-money laundering rules to ‘silence critics’ — Amnesty Int’l
India is exploiting recommendations by a global money-laundering watchdog as a "draconian" tool to shutter civil society groups and suppress activists and critics, Amnesty International said Wednesday. Government critics within civil society organizations and the media have long complained of harassment in the world's biggest democracy under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu-nationalist administration, a charge it strenuously denies. Amnesty said the recommendations of the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) were being abused to bring in "draconian laws to stifle the non-profit sector" and block organizations from funding. The 39-nation FATF, of which India has been a member since 2010, is mandated to tackle global money laundering and terrorist financing. Critics say Modi's government has sought to pressure rights groups by heavily scrutinizing their finances and clamping down on foreign funding. "Under the guise of combatting terrorism, the Indian government has leveraged the Financial Action Task Force's recommendations to tighten its arsenal of financial and counter-terrorism laws which are routinely misused to target and silence critics," Amnesty International India chair Aakar Patel said in a statement. In the last 10 years, India has canceled the licenses of more than 20,600 non-governmental organizations, with nearly 6,000 of these taking place since 2022, the report said. In 2020, Amnesty International had to suspend its Indian operations after its bank accounts were frozen. The Indian government defended its move, accusing Amnesty of "illegal practices" involving the transfer of "large amounts of money" from Amnesty UK to India. Journalists critical of the government also complain of increased harassment, both on social media -- where Modi's ruling party has a powerful presence -- and in the real world. The post India using anti-money laundering rules to ‘silence critics’ — Amnesty Int’l appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Breathing osmosis of public service
Education and public service are deeply ingrained in his family heritage. His mother dedicated her career to educating students in public schools, while his father pursued a profession in government as a lawyer specializing in human rights. Dr. J. Prospero “Popoy” de Vera III, chairman of the Commission on Higher Education or CHEd, recalled that his mother, a teacher at the Esteban Abada High School in Manila, always brought him to school when he was still a young boy. His mother became the principal of Ramon Magsaysay High School, also in Manila, before her retirement. He said he and his siblings grew up breathing the osmosis of public service. “So, when I was growing up, the importance of education was drilled into us. Our mother always tells us to finish our education; nothing will happen in our lives if we don’t graduate from college,” De Vera said, adding that he and his siblings all graduated from public schools. “We are nine siblings, but my parents don’t have the money to send us to private schools. All of us graduated from the University of the Philippines. We are products of public schools; we were just the ‘iskolar ng bayan’ through and through.” Popoy, who finished a bachelor’s degree in History from UP, teaches political science and history at the De La Salle University and the University of the Philippines. He completed his master’s in social science at De La Salle University and doctoral studies in public administration at the University of the Philippines Diliman. He also has a master’s degree in higher education policy and higher education administration from the University of Southern California, one of the top schools in the United States of America, and later worked at the state legislature in California for three years. “In that sense, after I graduated from college, one of the options that I saw is either I take up law or teach, or to work in government, etc. There was an opportunity to teach, so I got into education.” In addition to his teaching responsibilities, De Vera also served as a consultant to several government agencies and provided his expertise to congressmen and senators. “Simultaneously, while I was teaching, I was also a consultant to the government. I worked as a consultant and then as chief of staff at the House and Senate.” His extensive academic background and government experience were benchmarks for his appointment as CHEd Commissioner in 2016, highlighting his qualifications for the position. “Since my background is in public administration and I also teach, I have a certain level of confidence that I really understand government, and I want to prove that I can do what I teach. I have a lot of involvement in the House and the Senate, from being an executive assistant until becoming chief of staff. I went through them one by one.” De Vera’s proficiency in legislative affairs from 1988 to 2010 (except for his three years abroad) encompasses a plethora of skills, including bill drafting, speech writing, and crafting amendments. Such expertise is a direct result of his extensive involvement and experience in the realm of legislation. Before his appointment to CHEd, he served as vice president for Public Affairs at UP in 2011. In 2004, he became part of the board of regents in some state universities and colleges. When he took the offer to head CHEd in 2018 after serving as commissioner for two years, he was confident because he survived UP. “I have a high level of confidence that I can do the job because they say that if you survived to govern UP, you can govern everything else because UP is the most ungovernable university in the country. So, if you survived there, you understand the public university system,” he admitted. He narrated to have experienced a sense of ease and familiarity when he joined CHEd. “It felt natural, perhaps because it aligns with my expertise. I might have had some reservations if it were a different department outside my field. However, since there was an opening at CHEd, I decided to offer my assistance, and that’s how I found myself here,” he shared. In running an agency with only 1,400 employees and serving more than 2,000 public and private higher education institutions across the country lies the challenge, De Vera said. With the scope of responsibilities, he gets to visit all state universities and colleges. Riding a bicycle, he witnessed first-hand the brilliance, resilience, and great potential of state universities and colleges. “I would be the first CHEd chair who visited all the state universities and colleges in this country. No one has done that yet,” he said, adding that he had already visited 100 of the 114 state-run universities. “I think in a year, I will finish all of them. The feeling is so different when you see what’s happening on the ground. So, from the start of my appointment, I started going around. I’ve gone to the farthest parts of the country.” As the chairperson, he said his firsthand experience in higher education enables him to speak with confidence and authority on the subject. “By engaging directly with students and faculty, attentively listening to their concerns, and providing meaningful responses, I believe I have made a significant impact. The presence of a secretary in these interactions creates a distinct atmosphere, instilling a sense of importance and value in education stakeholders. This ability to make those on the ground feel significant is a legacy I take pride in,” he said. One of the legacies De Vera is proud of is the implementation of free higher education, which coincided with his tenure. “I consider myself privileged because my predecessors did not have the opportunity to enact such a policy. Despite the challenges encountered, I believe that the beneficiaries truly reaped the benefits of this initiative,” he said. In the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, the country was confronted with unprecedented difficulties and uncertainties. CHEd, however, managed to navigate these challenges and ensured that education persisted. “This, in itself, is an accomplishment. Despite various government interventions being affected, we remained steadfast in delivering education to the best of our abilities,” he said. De Vera actively advocates for an inclusive education system that provides equal opportunities for marginalized sectors to complete their tertiary education. He seeks to create “first-generation graduates” as a legacy of the current administration. This program aims to offer educational opportunities to young Filipinos from minority and indigenous groups, children of rebel returnees, and other marginalized communities, enabling them to complete their education successfully. “Why not consciously make our legacy about bringing these individuals into the mainstream and ensuring they have the opportunity to finish their education? This emerging phenomenon is something we can truly focus on.” He added: “If we can successfully accomplish this within the next three years while I am in office, I can confidently say that it will be a legacy achieved by the Marcos administration. While the Duterte administration initiated free higher education, the Marcos administration aims to make it more equitable and responsive to the needs of marginalized individuals.” The post Breathing osmosis of public service appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Clampdown and grief as Iranians remember Mahsa Amini
Iranians at home and abroad marked the first anniversary Saturday of the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, with activists speaking of a renewed crackdown to prevent any resurgence of the protests which rocked major cities last year. Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd, died a few days after her arrest by religious police for allegedly violating the strict dress code for women in force since shortly after the 1979 revolution. Her family says she died from a blow to the head but this is disputed by Iranian authorities. Anger over her death rapidly expanded into weeks of taboo-breaking protests which saw women tearing off their mandatory headscarves in an open challenge to the Islamic republic's system of government under supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. But after several months, they lost momentum in the face of a crackdown that saw security forces kill 551 protesters, according to Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR), and arrest more than 22,000, according to Amnesty International. Iranian authorities say dozens of security personnel were also killed in what they describe as "riots" incited by foreign governments and hostile media. Seven men have been executed after being convicted in protest-related cases. Campaigners say the authorities have renewed their crackdown in the runup to the anniversary, putting pressure on relatives of those killed in the protests in a bid to stop them speaking out. New York-based Human Rights Watch said family members of at least 36 people killed or executed in the crackdown had been interrogated, arrested, prosecuted or sentenced to prison over the past month. "Iranian authorities are trying to impose a chokehold on dissent to prevent public commemoration of Mahsa Jina Amini's death in custody, which has become the symbol of the government's systematic oppression of women, injustice and impunity," said HRW's senior Iran researcher, Tara Sepehri Far. 'Repressive forces' deployed The two journalists who did the most to publicize the Amini case –- Niloufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi who respectively reported from her hospital and funeral –- have been held in prison for almost a year. Another reporter, Nazila Maroufian who interviewed Amini's father Amjad, has been arrested repeatedly. Amjad Amini has told Persian media based outside Iran that he plans to hold a commemoration for his daughter in their hometown of Saqez in Kurdish-populated western Iran later Saturday. Outlets, including Prague-based Radio Farda, said he was summoned by intelligence officials after his announcement. He was not arrested but one of Amini's uncles, Safa Aeli, was detained in Saqez on 5 September. According to Kurdish-focused news outlet Hengaw, the government has sent additional security forces to Saqez and other towns in western Iran that could become flashpoints. On Saturday, Hengaw said, "repressive forces" were deployed around the Amini family residence in Saqez. It posted photos on X, formerly Twitter, showing armed men in fatigues on the streets of Saqez, as well as video of shops shuttered and on strike to mark the anniversary in Saqez, Sanandaj and other cities of Kurdistan province. 'Doubling down' While some women are still seen walking in public without headscarves, particularly in wealthy, traditionally liberal areas of north Tehran, the conservative-dominated parliament is currently considering a draft law that would impose far stiffer penalties for non-compliance. "The Islamic republic is doubling down on repression and reprisals against its citizens and seeking to introduce new and more draconian laws that severely restrict further the rights of women and girls," said Sara Hossain, the chair of the UN fact-finding mission set up to investigate the crackdown. Under the slogan "Say her name!", Iranian emigres are expected to hold commemorative rallies, with large demonstrations expected in Paris and Toronto. Amnesty International accused Iran's authorities of committing a "litany of crimes under international law to eradicate any challenge to their iron grip on power" and lamented that not a single official had been even investigated over Amini's death or the crackdown. "The anniversary offers a stark reminder for countries around the world of the need to initiate criminal investigations into the heinous crimes committed by the Iranian authorities under universal jurisdiction," said Amnesty's Middle East and North Africa deputy director, Diana Eltahawy. On the eve of the anniversary, Iran's arch-foe the United States and its Western allies including Britain and the European Union imposed new sanctions on the Islamic republic over its protest crackdown. Announcing the measures, US President Joe Biden led international calls in solidarity with Iranians on the anniversary of Amini's death. "Iranians alone will determine the fate of their country, but the United States remains committed to standing with them," he said. Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani slammed the Western countries' "illegal and undiplomatic actions" in a statement late Friday. The post Clampdown and grief as Iranians remember Mahsa Amini appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
ASEAN leaders agree on 5PC to address Myanmar crisis
JAKARTA, Indonesia – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday called for the complete implementation of the Five-Point Consensus (5PC) in Myanmar, a set of principles agreed upon by the Association of the Southeast Asian Nation leaders in April 2021 to address the political crisis in the country. Speaking at the 18th East Asia Summit (EAS) here, Marcos said that the Philippines believes that the key to any solution in Myanmar is the inclusive participation of all parties. He also reiterated the Philippines' support for the Special Envoy of ASEAN in pushing the Five-Point Consensus forward. "We maintain that endeavors by other parties to address the crisis should support and complement ASEAN's efforts, and should be done in consultation with the ASEAN Chair," Marcos said. The Five-Point Consensus calls for an immediate cessation of violence, constructive dialogue among all parties, an inclusive political process, the appointment of a Special Envoy of ASEAN, and the provision of humanitarian assistance. Marcos also called for the urgent realization of the Loss and Damage Fund (LDF) to help countries address the impacts of climate change. He said that countries with the smallest carbon footprints disproportionately bear the heaviest burden of climate change. "Climate financing, complemented by viable and effective technology transfer and country-specific capacity-building, is needed to expedite a just transition to a climate-resilient economy," Marcos said. He also sought the support of other EAS leaders for the development of the Philippines' strategic minerals supply and value chains. He said that this would boost the Philippines' efforts to ensure a resilient and sustainable future for the region. Marcos concluded his intervention by reaffirming the Philippines' commitment to an open and inclusive regional order where the rule of law and ASEAN Centrality remain the bedrock of an evolving regional architecture. The East Asia Summit is a regional forum held annually by leaders of, initially, 16 countries in the East Asian, Southeast Asian, South Asian, and Oceanian regions, based on the ASEAN Plus Six mechanism. Membership expanded to 18 countries including Russia and the United States at the Sixth EAS in 2011. The post ASEAN leaders agree on 5PC to address Myanmar crisis appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Southeast Asian air force chiefs to snub Myanmar meeting
Several Southeast Asian air force commanders will shun an upcoming meeting chaired by Myanmar's military rulers, officials told AFP, deepening the junta's regional isolation as it struggles to crush resistance. The annual ASEAN Air Chiefs Conference gathers top air force leaders from the 10-nation bloc to discuss cooperation in defense, combating extremism, and disaster relief. Current chair Myanmar is set to host the meeting next week but at least three Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries told AFP they will not send their top officials. The junta has been accused of war crimes over air strikes carried out by its jets -- mostly Chinese and Russian-built -- in support of ground troops battling opponents of its 2021 coup. Its air force chief Htun Aung, who will chair the conference, has been sanctioned by the United States and Britain. The air force chiefs of the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia will not attend the meeting, officials told AFP. Malaysia's air force chief will not attend, a spokesperson said, while the Philippine commander will send a video message to his counterpart rather than go in person. Indonesia's air force chief "will not be attending and won't be sending anyone to represent him either," air force spokesperson Agung Sasongkojati told AFP without giving a reason. At a summit this week, ASEAN accused the junta of targeting civilians in the grinding conflict sparked by its coup, and of ignoring a peace plan agreed with the bloc to end violence. Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said there had been "no significant progress" in the five-point plan agreed with the junta more than two years ago. ASEAN has barred junta officials from high-level meetings over their refusal to engage with the plan and their opponents. Cambodian air force commander Soeng Samnang declined to comment on whether he would attend, and the defence ministry could not be reached for comment. The air forces of Singapore, Brunei and Vietnam did not respond to requests for comment. But Thailand's air force chief will make the trip to neighboring Myanmar, a defense ministry official told AFP. While ASEAN has halted high-level meetings with Myanmar's generals, Thailand has held its own bilateral talks with the junta and deposed democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in recent months, further dividing the bloc. War crime claims Amnesty International said last year the junta was likely using air strikes as "collective punishment" against civilians supporting anti-coup fighters, and in March the United Nations said the military had carried out more than 300 air strikes in the past year. Also in March, the junta held a parade to mark Armed Forces Day, with flyovers by Russian-made Yak and Sukoi Su-30 jets. The military bombed a gathering in northern Sagaing region in April that media and locals said killed about 170 people, sparking renewed global condemnation of the isolated junta. Human Rights Watch said it had evidence the military had used a thermobaric "vacuum bomb" in the attack, saying it likely amounted to a war crime. Air strikes on a concert held by a major ethnic rebel group in northern Kachin state killed around 50 people last October. The junta has said reports civilians were among the dead were "rumors". AFP has contacted a Myanmar junta spokesman for comment. The post Southeast Asian air force chiefs to snub Myanmar meeting appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Sandigan absolves Alcala in graft raps
The Sandiganbayan has absolved ex-Department of Agriculture secretary Proceso Alcala of a graft charge involving P13.5 million of government funds illegally given to an ineligible farmers’ foundation. In a 40-page decision, the anti-graft court’s Sixth Division cleared Alcala of violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (RA 3019) purely on reasonable doubt. His co-accused, Laureano Mañalac, however, then-DA head executive assistant, was found guilty of violating the same provision of the law. He was meted up to 10 years behind bars and was permanently barred from holding public office. On top of the conviction, the court ordered him to pay P13.5 million, representing the sum paid to Isa Akong Magsasaka Foundation Inc. or IAMFI. Filed by the Ombudsman in 2018, the case stemmed from the irregular accreditation of IAMFI as a DA development partner for the construction of the Quezon Corn Trading and Processing Center at P13.5 million in 2012. Investigation revealed that IAMFI, which was an ineligible foundation but applied to become a development partner of the DA in May 2011, was controlled by Mañalac. Alcala was accused of conniving with Mañalac to release P13.5 million to IAMFI’s former president, Bautista Ella. State prosecutors said the DA’s erstwhile officials gave the IAMFI unwarranted benefit, advantage, or preference. On 17 July 2019, the Sandiganbayan dismissed the case against Ella owing to his passing. Authenticated document The prosecution’s investigation further revealed that IAMFI submitted together with its application for accreditation an authenticated articles of incorporation, concealing that Mañalac is an incorporator, which was in violation of the Commission on Audit Circular 2007-001, and was “highly irregular.” According to the prosecutors, the DA fell short when it failed to investigate its unlawful grant of P13.5 million in funding to the IAMFI, to which it is not entitled to. “The government suffered undue injury in the amount of P13,500,000, which was illegally given to the IAMFI due to the acts of Manalac. Instead of giving the funds to a qualified foundation, it was given to one ineligible being controlled by Mañalac,” the Sandiganbayan said, brushing off the accused claim that the sum was legally awarded to the foundation. In acquitting Alcala, the anti-graft court ruled that despite the prosecution’s serious efforts, it failed to prove that the ex-DA secretary violated RA 3019. “The court, however, is compelled on reasonable doubts grounds to acquit Alcala of the crime as he claims to have relied on multiple layers of review by his subordinates.” Further, it ruled that “no evident bad faith” could be attributed to Alcala in accrediting and signing the memorandum of agreement with IAMFI; instead, it found that all the offense elements have been proven beyond reasonable doubt in the case of Mañalac. According to the Sandiganbayan, it was “very clear that Mañalac was involved in the processing of the proposal of IAMFI.” Mañalac, who resigned from the DA on 30 September 2012, was “immaterial” and “will not serve to exculpate him,” the court said. “Even with Mañalac’s departure from the DA, the proposal would continue to go through the application process in view of the PMO’s positive preliminary recommendation,” it added. The post Sandigan absolves Alcala in graft raps appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
This writers’ workshop loves Filipino literature
The Palihang Rogelio Sicat discussion on 21 June held in UP Diliman looked and sounded like an art class session. Manolo Sicat, the well-known artist and sculptor, was delivering a demo-lecture on printmaking. He said figures and words can go together in a work of art. [gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="175634,175632"] He had a PowerPoint presentation of print images. A pair of prints of a couple of dancers were passed around. One was in black and white, the other in color. Texture and motion were their immediate charm. “But what has printmaking to do with us?,” said Christian Balagoza, a boyish writer. “We’ll know when we get the printmaking session,” said sir Reuel Aguila, director PRS 16 (2023). Art collab This is the latest PRS innovation. When the session was held a few days later, Sicat conducted an honest-to-goodness printmaking workshop at the UP College of Fine Arts. A colleague, Prof. Ambie Abano, welcomed the group and opened her atelier to show mural-sized prints made from wooden originals. It is the artist’s impressive collection of prints featuring landscapes of lush trees in dark, brooding background. Fellows from the previous online batch joined the art activity. During the three-hour session, everyone polished her rubber board, chiseled images and texts, and finally print the works on paper. They were amazed to pick up the skill fast and admire the results in no time. Thumbs and nails got smudged with sticky ink yet everyone was smiling at the wet and black artworks clipped on wires that crossed the studio. 16 years of PRS This is one of the activities that make PRS unique. Thanks to its founders -- dramatist Reuel Aguila, retired professor now a lecturer at the UP, and fictionist Jimmuel Naval, dean of the UP College of Arts and Letters. The partner is always on the lookout for ingenious ways to improve the workshop, all for the good of young writers. PRS began as an informal workshop of a number of young writers held in the mansion of Ligaya Tiamson Rubin in Angono, Rizal, in 2008. Today, fellows accepted in the workshop are pegged at 15. Fellows like the idea that they are the main commentators of the manuscripts. During workshops, they get to be the lead discussant. “They learn to be critical and not rely too much on the opinion of the panelists,” said Aguila. The PRS is the only writers’ workshop that aspires to be mobile, going around the country to make its appellation ‘national’ true. It literally brings the creative writing life closer to practitioners. PRS collaborates with local governments, and with their support the workshop had been to Palayan City, Nueva Ecija (2009); Baler, Aurora (2010); Alfonso, Cavite (2011); Sta. Cruz, Marinduque (2012); Angeles City, Pampanga (2014); and Makati City (2015). It also cooperates with the academe as in UP Visayas-Tacloban (2017), UP Baguio (2018) and UP Los Baños (2019). There were times PRS stayed at its home base UP Diliman like during the 50th anniversary of the UP Department of Filipino and Philippine Literature (UP-DFPL) in 2017. It went online as Zoom conference twice during the pandemic. With the renowned writer Rogelio Sicat as PRS idol, the workshop chooses Filipino language as its medium of writing literature. It also accepts works from the region’s translated into Filipino. Institutional support PRS is the official outreach program of the UP-DFPL whose incumbent chair Schedar DT Jocson said that from the beginning, it has supported PRS and its objectives. Many of its panelists are from the department, including alumna Dr. Lulu Torres-Reyes, the PRS 16 guest of honor. Other PRS supporters include the UP Sentro ng Wikang Filipino (UP-SWF). “We are honored to be part of a movement that brings Philippine literature closer to the common people. PRS writers enrich the catalog of our website,” said director Jayson Petras. Friends and business people also support PRS, like Palawan Pawnshop / Palawan Express Padala company. Lively discussion about literature An hour of PRS discussion on a story or poem does not exhaust its reading or interpretation. To address the gap, sessions are set beyond the allotted time and well into almost midnight. Fellows do not seem to mind as they are very eager to huddle with seniors who are just as willing to forego of an early bedtime. PRS goes one more step. In 2022, it created post-workshop online sessions. Here, senior and beginning writers discuss new works. Everyone is excited to have these disquisitions that aim to improve writing skills. Dedication is demanded from both sides. The recent PRS workshop had the Sicat siblings Luna and Manolo beaming with pride. They were quite surprised to know that almost 300 young writers had already experienced the workshop. PRS is also proud that esteemed writers served as its panelists, including Bienvenido Lumbera, Edgardo Reyes, Ricardo Lee, Rogelio Ordoñez, Lualhati Bautista, Rosario Lucero, Elmer Ordoñez, Jose Dalisay, Marne Kilates, Jess Santiago, Fidel Rillo, Edgardo Maranan, Lilia Quindoza Santiago, Delfin Tolentino, Bonifacio Ilagan, Frank Cimatu, Joi Barrios-Le Blanc, Chris Millado, Jerry Gracio, Richard Gappi, Eros Atalia, Joselito delos Reyes, Choi Pangilinan and Junley Lorenzana Lazaga. PRS connects the lives of senior and beginning writers. Rogelio Sicat would be proud of this long -running project named after him. The post This writers’ workshop loves Filipino literature appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Egypt activist Ahmed Douma freed after presidential pardon
Egyptian activist Ahmed Douma, a leading figure in the country's 2011 uprising who has spent the past decade behind bars, walked free from prison Saturday following a presidential pardon. Douma, now 37, was a leading activist in the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime president Hosni Mubarak. He was arrested in the sweeping crackdown that followed the army's 2013 ouster of Mohamed Morsi, the Islamist president elected after the uprising. "After 10 years in prison, I wish I could say that I am happy after being released, but I postpone any celebrations till all get freedom," Douma said after leaving Badr prison on Cairo's outskirts -- a facility that has been repeatedly criticized for its poor conditions. "I wish we can celebrate soon." Douma was originally sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2015 for clashing with security forces, but this was cut to 15 years in 2019. Later that year, Egypt's top appeals court upheld the reduced sentence, as well as a fine of six million Egyptian pounds ($372,000 at the time). In 2021, Douma published a collection of poems entitled "Curly", written while he was held in solitary confinement. The collection was displayed at that year's Cairo International Book Fair before being quickly pulled for "security reasons". In one of his poems from prison, Douma writes: "There's no time for depression, no opportunity for sadness, the flood is raging." Rising frustration Key activists from the revolution remain behind bars, including British-Egyptian pro-democracy blogger Alaa Abdel Fattah, who has spent the better part of the past decade in jail. After Morsi's overthrow, the authorities rounded up thousands of pro-democracy campaigners as well as Islamists in mass arrests that drew international condemnation. Rights activist Hossam Bahgat welcomed the pardon for Douma, but said the decision was made "without any transparency or understanding of why some people were selected and others ignored". Fellow activist Ziad el-Elaimi, who was released ahead of Egypt's hosting of the COP-27 climate summit last year, welcomed the news that Douma was finally free after having "nine and a half years of his life stolen". "The problem remains, however. Someone is using free men as hostages... People are frightened of expressing their opinions freely," he said. The president has pardoned numerous prominent figures over the past year, but critics have noted that more people have been arrested in the meantime. "President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi... has used his constitutional powers" to pardon several prisoners including Douma, said lawyer Tarek Elawady, a member of the presidential pardons committee. Since April last year, authorities have released 1,000 political prisoners, but detained almost 3,000 more, according to Egyptian rights monitors. In July, Sisi pardoned researcher Patrick Zaki a day after he received a three-year sentence, as well as rights lawyer Mohamed al-Baqer, who was arrested in 2019 while attending an interrogation of Abdel Fattah, his client at the time. According to Bahgat, founder of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, the authorities have "become well aware of rising frustration both domestically and internationally". But "the regime is showing no indication of moving towards ending the crisis of political prisoners in Egypt", Bahgat told AFP. The pardons come as Egypt conducts a so-called "national dialogue" meant to bring in an opposition that has been decimated during the decade of repression since Sisi came to power. The president announced on Wednesday he had received the first recommendations of this "dialogue", saying he had "passed them on to the competent authorities so that they can be applied within the framework granted by the legal and constitutional provisions". Next year, Egypt goes to the polls for a presidential election in which Sisi is widely expected to seek a new term. The post Egypt activist Ahmed Douma freed after presidential pardon appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
ABS-CBN review petition vs Willie dismissed
Issues actually and directly resolved in a former suit cannot again be raised in any future case between the same parties involving a different cause of action. This was the ruling of the Supreme Court’s Third Division, in a 22-page decision penned by Justice Maria Filomena D. Singh, dismissing the Petitions for Review filed by ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation and partly granting the Petition for Review filed by Willie B. Revillame. The petitions challenge various rulings of the Court of Appeals thus on 23 August 2010, Revillame filed a civil action before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court seeking to cancel, terminate, and rescind his three-year contract with ABS-CBN (Civil Case No. Q-10-67770). Revilla under the contract, was to host the show “Wowowee” on the ABS-CBN network until 10 September 2011 “or upon cancellation or earlier termination of the program.” The suit prompted Revillame to withdraw from “Wowowee” on 5 May 2010, which was followed by ABS-CBN’s refusal to release Revillame as its talent and the network’s subsequent replacement of “Wowowee” with a different program. The television company on 15 September 2010, filed its Answer with Compulsory Counterclaim, praying for liquidated damages in the amount of over P700 million, plus over P400 million for each further violation by Revillame, or for each week of violation of their contract. Later on, ABS-CBN applied for a Temporary Restraining Order and/or Writ of Preliminary Injunction to restrain Revillame from performing with TV5, owned by ABC Development Corporation (ABC Corporation) on a similar show, titled “Willing Willie.” The RTC denied the TRO application but ordered Revillame to post a bond in the amount of P426,917,646.96 as security for any damage that may be incurred by ABSCBN. The company then proceeded to file a complaint with the Makati RTC for copyright infringement against Revillame, ABC Corporation, Wilproductions Inc., and one Ray Espinosa. This prompted ABC Corporation and Espinosa to go to the CA to restrain the Makati RTC from proceeding with the copyright infringement case. The CA ruled in favor of ABC Corporation and Espinosa, finding that ABS-CBN engaged in forum shopping for filing two suits: (1) its Compulsory Counterclaim in Civil Case No. Q-10-67770 pending before the Quezon City RTC and (2) the Complaint for Copyright Infringement pending before the Makati RTC. The CA found that both cases are based on one cause of action: Revillame’s alleged breach of its contract with ABS-CBN. The Supreme Court would later affirm the CA’s ruling in a separate case (G.R. No. 201664). The post ABS-CBN review petition vs Willie dismissed appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
NSC condemns NPA land mine attack in Masbate
The National Security Council condemned on Monday the detonation of an improvised land mine by the New People's Army that wounded three people, including a barangay captain, by the roadside of Barangay Bonifacio in Uson, Masbate last week. In a virtual press briefing by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, NSC Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya read the statement of NSC chair and National Security Adviser Eduardo Año who said the incident in Masbate "is another violation" of the CPP-NPA-NDF committed against International Humanitarian Law. "NSC would like to emphasize that our fight against terorrist groups is unrelenting. CPP-NPA-NDF is the Number 1 violator of IHL by executing civilians, ambuscades, etc.," Malaya said. "Over the past decade, 373 people were killed by NPAs. [They] detonated 141 illegal landmines that killed 24 people. By 2010, 524 were recruited by them as child warriors. There are also 270 events of targeting civilians, forced disappearance, sexual assaults." The government has slapped 293 cases of violation of IHL and RA 9851 against the NPA, with 82 already in court, according to Malaya. The rebel amnesty program being offered by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is "now being crafted and going through a process." However, the amnesty will only be for former rebels without court conviction or active court cases. "Those who have specific crimes , have probable cause, trials ongoing or facing cases" are not covered by the amnesty, said Malaya. He said the NSC and NTF-ELCAC' condemnation of CPP-NPA-NDF activity carries the conviction that "justice will be served" for the victims. Democrito Rivera, 62, chairman of Barangay Bonifacio; Romneck Lumabab, 32, and Alex Balayan, 39, were on a motorcycle when the land mine explosion occurred at around 1:30 p.m. on 8 August. Five men reportedly opened fire on the victims following the explosion. The gunmen escaped as state security forces and first aid responders arrived and brought the victims to the hospital for treatment. Noel Legaspi alias Ka Efren, a former CPP/NPA cadre, said the rebel groups' violations of IHL are "historical", citing the Plaza Miranda bombing in the early 70's and even their own purging campaign where thousands of NPA members suspected of conniving with the military were killed, including civilian supporters. The post NSC condemns NPA land mine attack in Masbate appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Beware: God’s silence
Dear Editor, Has the Church lost its moral ascendancy to preach about righteousness and piety? It is a wonder why it has been silent about all forms and sources of evil in our society, like corruption and gambling, legal or illegal. What could be the reason why the Church is mum on important national issues involving depravity or demons, unlike during the time of Jaime Cardinal Sin three or four decades ago? Why does the Church seem to have abandoned its duty of exorcizing evil? I am referring not only to the Catholic Church but to other churches as well, including Protestants, all Christian denominations, and other religions in the country. If church leaders can corrupt the government and politicians, we can just imagine the magnitude of their corrupt acts over their church organization’s own money. These are those who entered a “life of mission,” but due to undying love for mammon and a “good life” (contrary to Christ’s life), they ended up serving themselves rather than God and their flocks. The Constitution is clear: “No public money or property shall be appropriated, applied to, or employed, directly or indirectly, for the use of, the benefit of, or support of any sect, church, or denomination.” May I add, “And no church money shall be used for personal ambitions?” Upon reading news similar to the SUV scandal in 2011 whereby a “bishop asked for a car as a birthday gift but used the welfare of the poor as an excuse,” and upon realizing the baseness of many ministers today who use gadgets as Bibles, I was led to write this piece. In the same way that we can distinguish the original from fake products by looking at the details or scrutinizing the small, minuscule parts, a church is known for its authenticity or hypocrisy. While God is also in the details of Christian living and the imperatives of faith, the Devil is in every side and corner, floor and ceiling, of religiosity and the so-called “essentials” and “fundamentals” of (sham) faith. Since when have sanctified living and/or corruption, child abuse, human trafficking, taking drugs, drinking, smoking, gambling, adultery, and the like become “non-essentials?” Why are most ministers today afraid of speaking against sin? And how dare they categorize crookedness and worldliness as just being parts of what they call “non-essentials”? They have been so focused on their essential “theology” and “religiousness” that they’ve been blinded to see piety and righteousness. Christ was not crucified to save religions but sinners, according to Matthew 7:15-20. But be equally watchful of “ministers” who preach the Bible with Bibles but are actually just preaching their man-made religions and damnable doctrines. Finally, why not make a law that would stop corrupt churches from corrupting politicians during elections by prohibiting them from endorsing any candidate via “block voting,” openly or secretly? Be courageous for the good of the motherland and do this, dear lawmakers. Country first, before yourself (or your votes), and you will have the vote of God. No worries. Reni Valenzuela renivalenzuelaletters@yahoo.com The post Beware: God’s silence appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Render unto Ceasar
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ plenary assembly in 2022 said the Roman Catholic Church will divest from banks and projects that are involved in fossil fuels as part of its contribution to the movement for clean energy. The warning showed the financial muscle through its corporate shares that the bishops can muster to influence the realm of business. In a pastoral letter, the CBCP said it will use its shareholdings in domestic banks to demand policies and plans to “phase out their exposure to coal, fossil gas, and destructive energy in line with the 1.5°C ambition.” “Without clear commitments and policies from these banks to divest from fossil fuels, we commit to withdraw all our resources that are with them not later than 2025, and hold them accountable to their fiduciary duties and moral obligations as climate actors,” read the pastoral letter. In its latest pastoral letter about the “climate emergency” last March, however, the Church bravado has dissipated and instead has been replaced by a warning that it will enforce the “CBCP-initiated non-acceptance policy of donations of whatever kind, from owners or operators and any representative of extractive companies regardless of the scale of operation.” The new position is oceans apart from the earlier encompassing threat to divest from all dirty energy projects and their financiers. Such flip-flops have been the impediment of the Church in exerting its supposed moral guidance in what the Bible says is Caesar’s domain. The Catholic Church is heavily invested in the biggest corporations in the country. In San Miguel Corporation, for instance, the list of its top 100 shareholders shows more than P600 million in investments from Church-affiliated entities. The Archbishop of Manila is currently listed as the fifth largest shareholder in one of the biggest lenders in the country, which is a huge provider of loans to energy projects, with 62 percent of its energy portfolio comprising coal. The bank’s exposure to coal projects is estimated at $444.82 million. The archbishops of archdioceses in Jaro, Iloilo, and Zamboanga are also major stockholders of the bank. The Manila archdiocese is also among the top shareholders in a giant mining firm through shares worth more than P66 million. It also has huge capital as a supplier of construction materials. When the Catholic Church appealed for donations for the renovation of the Manila Cathedral in 2013, top corporation SMC came to its aid with P50 million while Metrobank donated P20 million. In no time at all, the P136-million project was funded. Regarding donations, in 2011, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office named a priest and several Catholic bishops who received sports utility vehicles funded through the agency’s charity fund. The PCSO revelation sparked a Senate investigation and the bishops agreed to surrender the vehicles. A Commission on Audit report said the grant of the five vehicles amounting to P7 million violated the constitutional provision that “no public money or property shall be appropriated, applied or employed directly or indirectly, for the use of, benefit or support to any sect, church, denomination… except when such priest, preacher or dignitary is assigned to the Armed Forces or any penal institution, or government orphanage or leprosarium.” During a Senate investigation on the controversy, PCSO director Aleta Tolentino revealed that a bishop asked for a car as a birthday gift but used the welfare of the poor as an excuse. During the inquiry, Tolentino said, “We are not against the Church. We are just denouncing what happened in the past — corruption of government funds, which is prohibited by the Constitution itself.” “Would the bishops rather that we keep mum or lie about it? Would they want us to just keep quiet about this?” she added. With its heavily compromised state as a result of its financial involvement, the Church has abandoned its role as a conscience of society in the pursuit of uplifting the lives of Filipinos. The post Render unto Ceasar appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
‘Vigilance is key’: Al Shabaab threat rising in Kenya’s northeast
In Kenya's rural northeast, roadside bombs and beheadings that killed two dozen people last month appear to be part of a troubling escalation of violence by Al-Qaeda-linked Islamists, analysts say. A regional economic powerhouse and a popular tourist draw, Kenya has not suffered a high-profile jihadist attack since 2019, when 21 people lost their lives at a hotel and surrounding offices in Nairobi. The recent attacks have been small-scale and focused on minor targets, but have raised fears that Al-Shabaab jihadists, who have been blamed for the assaults, are turning their attention to Kenya as they suffer losses in their native Somalia. Estimated to have between 7,000 and 12,000 fighters, Al-Shabaab has in recent months faced a multi-pronged counterterrorism offensive by the Somali National Army and US-trained "lightning" commandos supported by clan militias known as "macawisley". The militants, who have waged war against the fragile government in Mogadishu for over 15 years, have recently carried out several attacks along Kenya's long and porous frontier with Somalia. Twenty-four people, including 15 security officers, were killed in six separate attacks last month alone. In one of the most grisly assaults claimed by the group, about 30 militants descended on two sparsely-populated villages in Kenya's coastal Lamu county on June 24 and killed five civilians, beheading some of them. One resident, Hassan Abdul, said that "women were locked in the houses and the men ordered out, where they were tied with ropes and butchered". The remote forested mainland is not normally a stopover for tourists visiting the nearby popular Indian Ocean island of Lamu, but the gruesome killings are a signal to Kenya, analysts say. The attacks are a way for "Al-Shabaab to say that despite being under pressure, they still have the firepower and are a force to be reckoned with," said Nicolas Delaunay, International Crisis Group director for East and Southern Africa. "It could also be a way of warning Kenya who has pledged to participate in the Somali government's offensive against the Al-Shabaab," he told AFP. Risk of regional spillover Kenya is no stranger to the long-running Islamist insurgency in Somalia and has been repeatedly targeted by Al-Shabaab since it sent troops into the country in 2011 as part of an African Union force. The militants appear to have been emboldened by the changes in Kenya's security leadership following the election of President William Ruto last August, said Roland Marchal, an Africa specialist at Sciences Po university in Paris. "There is relative disorganisation at the border," Marchal said, adding that Al-Shabaab was seizing the chance to take "revenge" against Kenya for deploying troops in rural central and southern Somalia where the militants remain entrenched. The violence has also threatened to spill into Ethiopia, as the militants try to make their presence felt in Africa's second most populous country. Addis Ababa said last month that it had foiled an attack by the jihadists in the border town of Dollo. Al-Shabaab fighters were chased out of Mogadishu in 2011 by an African Union mission which has been in Somalia since 2007. The militants have also lost some ground in the countryside after Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud last year launched an "all-out war" against the group, describing the jihadists as "bedbugs". But while the gains of the Somali offensive have been significant, the "situation still remains very fragile," African Union Commission chair Moussa Faki Mahamat warned last weekend. Hassan Khannenje, director of The Horn International Institute for Strategic Studies in Nairobi, told AFP that Al-Shabaab was "on the back foot in Somalia". "There is a desire on their part to demonstrate continued relevance and resilience." 'Manifestation of desperation' A US official last month told AFP the recent cross-border attacks by Al-Shabaab were a "manifestation of desperation". But Kenya is taking no chances. A string of major attacks on the Westgate shopping centre in 2013, Garissa University two years later, and the Dusit hotel complex in 2019 left hundreds of Kenyans and foreigners dead. The East African nation earlier this month said it was delaying the planned reopening of its long-closed border with Somalia over the deadly attacks. The phased reopening would not go ahead as announced "until we conclusively deal with the recent spate of terror attacks and cross-border crime," Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki said. Analyst Khannenje said the wave of attacks "should serve as a warning" to Kenya. The post ‘Vigilance is key’: Al Shabaab threat rising in Kenya’s northeast appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Rich-poor split could tighten ‘grip of poverty’: World Bank chief
The new head of the World Bank said Tuesday that growing divides between rich and poor nations risked deepening poverty in the developing world, at a meeting of G20 finance ministers in India. Many countries are still recovering from the double blow of the coronavirus pandemic and fallout from Russia's war in Ukraine -- which hit global fuel and commodity prices. Climate change, meanwhile, is most painfully affecting some of the poorest countries least able to cope. Ajay Banga, president of the World Bank, said he feared a lack of progress was in danger of splitting the global economy, to the detriment of the world's poorest. "The thing that keeps me up at night is a mistrust that is quietly pulling the Global North and South apart at a time when we need to be uniting," Banga told the two-day meeting of finance ministers and central bank chiefs in Gandhinagar, Gujarat state. "The Global South's frustration is understandable. In many ways they are paying the price for our prosperity," said Indian-born Banga, a naturalized American citizen who took up the bank post last month after being nominated by US President Joe Biden. "When they should be ascendant, they're concerned promised resources will be diverted to Ukraine's reconstruction, they feel energy rules aren't applied evenly, constraining ambition, and they're worried the grip of poverty will pull down another generation." The World Bank said it is working to increase its financial capability -- including by raising hybrid capital from shareholders -- to spur growth and jobs, but said the future economy could not rely on expansion at the cost of the environment. "The simple truth is: We cannot endure another period of emission-intensive growth," Banga said. Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, chair and host of the get-together, launched talks on Monday by reminding leaders of their responsibility "to steer the global economy towards strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth". The United States says efforts to reform multilateral lenders such as the World Bank and other regional institutions could unlock $200 billion over the next decade. Little progress on debt Debt restructuring deals for low-income nations have been a key focus of The Group of 20 major economies, but officials suggest there has been little headway. China, the world's second-largest economy and a major lender to several stressed, low-income countries in Asia and Africa, has so far resisted any one-size-fits-all debt restructuring formula, officials said. More than half of all low-income countries are near or in debt distress, double the amount in 2015, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said. Yellen on Sunday said a deal on Zambian debt had taken "too long to negotiate", but added she hoped debt treatments for Ghana and Sri Lanka could be "finalized quickly". Finance ministers from regional rivals and neighbors India and China met early Tuesday, without commenting to reporters. The G20 talks have also focused on multilateral development banks' reform, cryptocurrency regulations, and easier access to financing to mitigate and adapt to the impact of climate change. A newly agreed first step on a fairer distribution of tax revenues from multinational firms -- reached by 138 countries last week -- is also set to be delivered. Multinationals, especially tech firms, are currently able to shift profits easily to countries with low tax rates even though they carry out only a small part of their activities there. The post Rich-poor split could tighten ‘grip of poverty’: World Bank chief appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Savants: Agri not poor man’s task
Social scientists of the Philippine Rice Research Institute, or PhilRice, recommended to agencies and private firms the promotion of agricultural vlogging, technologies, and entrepreneurship among the youth in boosting the agriculture sector and accelerating food security. This is revealed in the institute’s latest study entitled “What is the current thinking on youth and agriculture in the Philippines?” by authors Teresa Joi de Leon, Louie Gerard Orcullo, and Jaime Manalo IV. Prior to its publication in the Rice-based Biosystems Journal, Manalo shared through an email to the Daily Tribune last Friday the paper which found most Filipino youth as interested in agriculture but are discouraged to work in this sector due to misconceptions. Such false views are that agriculture is a poor man’s job, sources of agricultural knowledge and skills are limited to secondary and tertiary education, and agriculture is only about farming or food production. Manalo and his team, however, said the youth can be drawn to agriculture through a combination of more physical, technology-based, and first-hand learning activities. “Examples of these are visitation of agricultural technology and research centers, participating in agriculture-related camps, giving them roles, such as being infomediaries and providing familiar avenues for them to channel their agricultural knowledge such as information technology-applied agricultural projects and vlogging.” Limited info drive Only five information campaigns were launched from 2011 to 2021, based on the authors’ review of 21 pieces of literature. The post Savants: Agri not poor man’s task appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Two economic issues
Contemporary developments point to the unsuspecting tragedy of the government operating on either “fiscal panic” or a “fiscally constrained environment,” in the true sense of these words. One is the matter of the Maharlika Investment Fund that a senator rightly described as a “leap into the great unknown,” and the other is the writing off of land reform debts that were averred by a congressman to be the President’s “biggest legislative accomplishment.” Chinese philosopher Confucius warns thus: “A person who catches two rabbits, catches neither.” While Congress subsumes itself as an enabling partner in nation-building, in the process it blurs the line that insulates its distinct power in a tripartite system, with a semblance of rationality, however. Indeed, the condonation of P57 billion in debt is a relief to 610,054 agrarian reform beneficiaries but it overreaches to become a tax amnesty and an exclusion of estate tax liabilities under a proposed law. It is doubtful if the forecast productivity gain of at least P33.5 billion yearly from the condoned lands would result therefrom. Earlier, the President issued Executive Order 4 directing a moratorium on the payment of the principal obligation and interest on the amortization due and payable by agrarian reform beneficiaries. Then, on the sovereign wealth fund, the former chair of the Senate’s Committee on Banks, Financial Institutions and Currencies argued that if Landbank would have to contribute P50 billion and Development Bank of the Philippines P25 billion to the fund, the return on investment must be in the “two-digit zone,” not the usual 6 percent. Incidentally, the Senate president succeeded in having the House of Representatives adopt the Senate version sans a bicameral conference. Wherever this “capital accumulation cum fundraising project” would lead, a few observations may be laid clearly, to wit: One: As regards EO 4, it seems clear that the “moratorium shall be effective for one year upon the effectivity of the Order (i.e. 13 September 2022).” Thereafter, payment of obligation and interest will resume as if it were just a “layaway plan” or “deferred payment.” Two: While agrarian reform beneficiaries gained relief, the banks theoretically incurred losses during the moratorium which should have been collected in payments and interests. That is sure to generate a domino effect on banking operations in a significant way with almost P60 billion held hostage. Three: There appears to be no clear roadmap to the financial gains the two government-owned and -controlled corporations (LandBank, DBP) will derive as a return on investment on their corporate equity nor is there a surefire guarantee that this will surpass the 6 percent threshold they normally get as earnings for loans or debts from their borrowers. Four: It has become luminous that on one end, much has been taken away from both banks because of the moratorium in what closely constitutes “foregone revenues.” On the other end, to “sequestrate” those required contributions from their current deposits or assets would also mean that their resources or financial capacity is markedly diminished in a sort of a “bank run” consequential to (in)solvency. Five: These are manifest moves of a “fiscal embargo” or capital sourcing from Corp. A and Corp. B to create Corp. C. First, either bank or both receive no payments due to a moratorium, and, second, either bank or both are sliced out of their aggregate assets due to the mandated contribution. In both cases, the moratorium and mandated contribution — if we collapse the two together — simply signal the dangers and risks when a state-sponsored economic intervention is allowed to take shape. Pray that this does not forebode a bailout because the country is on the edge of bankruptcy or because poverty is worsening. In the end, there’s more than meets the eye to all the sweet rhetoric accompanying these moves of a first-of-its-kind state intervention that scholars have described as“taming Leviathan.” Political interference tends to collide with value maximization for shareholders, thereby jeopardizing investment targets. The post Two economic issues appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
FWD Life mints 2 directors
FWD Philippines announced the appointments of Lito Tayag and Henry Joseph M. Herrera as the newest independent members of its Board of Directors. Their addition follows the recent appointment of Jumbing de Rosas as president and CEO. De Rosas said: “We’re excited to have both Lito and Henry on our board. Their expertise in sustainable growth and digital transformation will help FWD Philippines in addressing the country’s protection gap, increasing financial inclusivity, and strengthening our contribution in nation-building.” As independent directors, both Lito and Henry will oversee FWD Life Philippines toward its growth strategies for local business operations. They will be instrumental in advancing corporate credibility and raising governance standards with their objective and balanced perspectives. A graduate of Management Engineering from Ateneo De Manila University, Tayag brings with him extensive technology and operations management experience having served as the country managing director for Accenture Philippines for more than 12 years, with the geographic responsibility for the growth and sustainability of Accenture’s business in the Philippines. He concurrently served as trustee of the Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines from 2011 to 2021 and served as its chairman from 2017 to 2021. Tayag is active in the education sector as a trustee in several educational institutions since 2005. He is also active in the development sector as the vice chair of the board of the Philippine Business for Social Progress. He is currently a member on the board of trustees of the Philippine Business for Education and the Makati Business Club. Herrera graduated from the University of the Philippines Diliman with Master of Business Administration in 1986 and B.S. Statistics cum laude in 1980. He has also attended various short courses at the Asian Institute of Management, Wharton Graduate School of Business and Harvard School of Business. Herrera’s career in the life insurance spanned decades, starting from 1980 in the Insular Life Assurance Corp., Lincoln Philippine Life Insurance Co. Inc., United Coconut Planters Life Assurance Corp., Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines Inc., Philippine Asia Life Assurance Corp., before finally joining Sun Life Financial. The post FWD Life mints 2 directors appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Eat Bulaga’s fate hangs — IPOPHL
The trademark application of Television and Production Exponents Inc. or TAPE Inc., is still pending at the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines, IPOPHL director-general Atty. Rowel Barba said on Saturday, amid the ongoing fracas between the owners of Eat Bulaga’s production outfit, the Jalosjos Family, and its original hosts, former Senator Vicente Tito Sotto, his brother Vic Sotto and Joey de Leon. “Case is now pending so we cannot comment. A sub judice rule (is in effect). Magkakaron ng hearings pa yan before our adjudication officer can decide. Let us wait for the decision on the case,” Barba told the Daily Tribune. It was learned that TAPE Inc. first applied for registration of its “Eat Bulaga” brand with the IPOPHL in 2011. On the other hand, TAPE Inc.’s former president and CEO Tony Tuviera lodged a separate petition to own the “Eat Bulaga” trademark, but this time, at the World Intellectual Property Organization last 27 February 2023, which was confirmed to the Daily Tribune by another source. On Friday, former lawmaker Sotto said in a television interview that the Jalosjos-owned TAPE Inc. cannot continue the segments conceptualized by its former staff, saying that “as based on the jurisprudence of the Supreme Court, inventors are the rightful owners of their creations.” In terms of copyright, he said “TAPE is only limited to “Eat Bulaga” merchandise covered by Sections 16, 21 and 25 of the Intellectual Property Law.” Sotto said the program title was theirs based on Section 41 of the IP Law, and even revealed that they (Tito, Vic and Joey) are the ones who coined the program title “Eat Bulaga” when it first aired in July 1979 over RPN 9. “Kaya sige, gamitin muna nila habang nag-iisip pa kami kung anong susunod naming steps. Pagkatapos eh bayaran. Dali lang naman maningil eh. Singilin natin mga gumagamit ng property natin,” he said. (Okay, let them use it while we think of our next step. Then we go to payments. It’s so easy to ask what is due us.) Tito further revealed that TAPE’s trademark registration for Eat Bulaga with the IPOPHL already lapsed on 14 June 2023. TAPE Inc. still has a valid block time contract with the GMA Network until 2024. In a statement on Friday, TAPE Inc. said they assured that the show will continue but with new hosts, a day after the entire Eat Bulaga team, including all their hosts and crew, relinquished their posts at TAPE Inc. The post Eat Bulaga’s fate hangs — IPOPHL appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»