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Binance ban a boon to local crypto firms
Local crypto traders are now experiencing as much as four times higher transaction volumes as investors shift their tokens from Binance......»»
DOH: Pertussis cases 20 times higher since January
The number of pertussis cases nationwide has increased 20-fold this year from 2023, according to the Department of Hea.....»»
India, Philippines have seen very perceptible growth in recent times: Jaishankar
Manila [Philippines], March 26 (ANI): Hailing ties between India and the Philippines, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who is on a visit to the Philippines on Tuesday, said that ties between Delhi and Manila have witnessed a very perceptible growth in recent times. Addressing a joint press briefing with Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo, Jaishankar said, "As you all know, India's ties with the.....»»
Reflecting on Your Business Wins
We’ve taken a look at moments of setbacks before, now let’s have a look at moments of triumph that have served as beacons of further hope that your business will be successful and personal validation, reminding us that our efforts and sacrifices are not in vain. These hard-earned victories, whether they manifest as surpassed sales […].....»»
China blocks use of Intel and AMD chips in government computers – report
The procurement guidance also seeks to sideline Microsoft Windows and foreign-made database software in favor of domestic options, a Financial Times report says.....»»
Airports and trains
Over breakfast some years back, in one of those times I had the opportunity to sit down with tycoon Ramon S. Ang or RSA, together with a small group of fellow journalists, he talked about the importance of having an airport express similar to Hong Kong’s much-touted MTR which connects the airport to the rest of the city. .....»»
Jose and Wally recall humble beginnings of comedic tandem 24 years ago
They first met via “Eat Bulaga” where initially, Wally worked as a jester, entertaining audiences before the noontime program would go live, while Jose served as the floor director and audition master......»»
Donald Trumps $3.5bn windfall at stake in Spac deal showdow
The Financial Times, known for its in-depth coverage of global business, economics, and politics, is now offering a special subscription deal for its print edition......»»
US warns China against armed attack on Philippines
Washington, DC [US], March 19 (ANI): US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned China on Tuesday, stating that any "armed" attack on Philippine vessels in the South China Sea would activate a mutual self-defence agreement between Washington and Manila, underscoring the escalating tensions in the region that could potentially embroil the United States in conflict with Beijing, as reported by The New York Times. Despite th.....»»
US State Secretary Blinken begins Middle East tour, marks his first stop in Saudi Arabia
Jeddah [Saudi Arabia], March 21 (ANI): US State Secretary Antony Blinken who began his Middle East tour arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, marking his first stop on this trip to discuss efforts to reach an "immediate ceasefire agreement" between Israel and Hamas, The New York Times reported. Blinken's visit to Jeddah came as US President Joe Biden's administration was hoping it could convince Saudi Arabia to establish.....»»
Sana (kub)ol
So the Bureau of Corrections is dismantling kubols in the New Bilibid Prison compound AGAIN. A kubol, for the uninitiated, is that peculiarly Filipino invention of a customized personal space in a prison that is supposed to have standardized living quarters for all prisoners. This is strange because then Justice Secretary Leila de Lima (2010-2016) made a big to-do about demolishing kubols in her time — which was also the Golden Age of Kubols. It was in 2014 when I, as a lawyer for one NBP inmate (who eventually became part of the so-called “Bilibid 19,” but more on that later) went to the prison for an initial conference with my client, who obviously couldn’t come to my office. I was shocked — shocked! — when I arrived at the compound, and not only because I was ushered in through a side door by a warden who put me in a fancy golf cart to take me to my client. En route, I saw that there were buildings(!) inside the prison premises housing — okay, be ready for this — mini-groceries, beauty salons and barber shops, spas, restaurants and, I was to learn later, a high-tech recording studio and radio-television broadcast facility. My client was waiting for me in a three-story(!) building. The first floor housed a fully-equipped office(!) and staff; the second floor was my client’s office with phones and a computer connected to the Internet, and a separate conference room for 12 people; the third floor housed his quarters (a bedroom with toilet, shower and bathtub). Responding to my quizzical look, he answered my unasked question: “Attorney, dito lahat puede basta ‘magpaangat’ ka kay secretary (Anything goes here, just ‘take it up’ with the secretary).” Anyways (to use the favorite expression of my friend Arni Teves), back to my client. Later that year, he and 18 other prisoners had a falling out with Secretary De Lima over what he claimed to be drug dealing inside Bilibid, and they were transferred incommunicado to the National Bureau of Investigation compound. To the frantic cries of their families who feared that they would be liquidated, I filed for a writ of amparo before the Court of Appeals. Their detention was ruled unconstitutional, and their families and I were allowed see them, albeit with very strict restrictions. The story that they told me of drug trafficking inside the NBP compound would later form the backbone of the indictments against De Lima once Aquino was out of power. I had cautioned them to keep things under wraps, as such disclosures then would definitely put them in grave danger. Back to the kubols. De Lima invited the press to witness their destruction, and the mediamen’s jaws dropped — as mine did years before — at the sight of luxury houses complete with airconditioning, king-size beds and Jacuzzis; a state-of-the-art recording studio; a radio and television station with equipment to rival many commercial stations; among other things. As De Lima smiled smugly for the cameras, claiming credit for “cleaning up Bilibid,” friends in media asked her the question, obliquely and sometimes directly, “How could such a thing happen under your watch and your very nose all these years?” The answer was somehow provided in the probe by the House of Representatives in 2017, when an inmate testified that in a meeting with the late J.B. Sebastian (one of the privileged inmates who was said to have done De Lima’s bidding in the Bilibid drug trade) inside his , De Lima held on to a pole (one provided for pole dancing) and, after preening, looked at Sebastian and said, “Okay ba, J.B.?” She knew, and tolerated — nay, encouraged — it. The authorities can knock down the kubols every year, and they will keep springing back up again, unless drastic reforms in the correctional system are made. In this, we sincerely wish Secretary Boying all the luck and success in the world. So when these kubols are removed, we can plausibly wish, SANA (KUB) ALL… The post Sana (kub)ol appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Sustainability also means financial security for Filipinos
Sun Life of Canada (Philippines) Inc.’s sustainability agenda is in line with its commitment to help Filipinos achieve the freedom to live better lives. “Serving Filipinos for 128 years now, Sun Life has always prioritized sustainability — not just in its Philippine office but also in the global organization where it belongs to,” Sun Life Philippines CEO and country head Benedict Sison said. “As a life insurance and asset management business, we are naturally aligned with the sustainability goals, apart from pursuing philanthropic and environmental projects.” Sun Life’s commitment is expressed through initiatives that support the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals and are anchored on focus areas where it can have the most positive social and environmental impact, including increasing financial security, fostering healthier lives, advancing sustainable investing, operating as a trusted and responsible business and uplifting communities. “We aspire for our people and our solutions to make a difference in Filipino lives, empowering them to achieve financial security and healthier living for generations to come,” Sison said. In line with its goal to increase financial security among Filipinos, Sun Life once again marked June as Financial Independence Month. “We introduced Financial Independence Month in 2015, and we aim to keep the conversation going,” Sun Life chief client experience and marketing officer Carla Gonzalez-Chong said. “Our rallying cry for this year shows our confidence in the Filipinos’ power to bring their goals to life. And as they make the choice to pursue financial freedom, Sun Life will be here to walk the journey with them, with the vision of helping Filipinos achieve lifetime financial security.” Serving as inspiration are four short films created by Sun Life’s in-house team of young creatives. These feature heartwarming stories of Filipinos who made the choice to own their future and bring their goals to life. “Sinag” by Mei Solis tells the story of a daughter who is struggling to connect with her Overseas Filipino mom, until they discover a shared goal of finally being together for good. “Kulay” by Casey Borja explores the world of a child on the autism spectrum who brings hope to his business-owner father amid a crucial time. “Ngayon at Bukas” by JC Manzano depicts the struggle of a son struggling to find his path and finds it in an unlikely place: His father’s humble barber shop. “Para Sa Akin” by Bea Aguilera is a funny take on how a storm of bad luck can ironically lead one to finding a bright partner. All these films are available on www.sunlife.co/KayaMoYan. Complementing the films are free learning modules designed for those who wish to build their financial portfolio. The post Sustainability also means financial security for Filipinos appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Man’s measure
Only because my barber — not Kuwatog, mind you — would not stop talking about it between snips here and there — I got an earful on a burning issue of the day. That the raging debate escaped someone supposedly with a nose for news betrayed the arena where people have been bashing one another over it. Where else, but on social media. If only to ensure that he was wide awake as he gingerly passed the razor over my nape and sideburns (sideburns, really?), I interjected as needed to break his monologue. Such is the lesson every man should learn early in life, aside from how to spit-shine his shoes. Yes, a man is judged by the state of his footwear — and measured too by his shoe size. LOL. A baseless correlation, right, Kuwatog? But back to the lesson. That lesson is that if there’s one person a man should be able to trust, it’s none other than his barber. In his hands, a man could rest assured of catching some shut-eye and still getting up from the chair. Sweeney Todd, I am going nowhere near your bloody shop. Neither am I going to stick my neck out for you nor your delectation. My barber talked — no, make that pontificated — on how wrong it was for Mimiyawn (or Mumu-yun or Mamasan, or whatever) to say that one should not date someone who had no money, lest she end up dirt poor for life, trapped with a loser. I didn’t know the context of that influencer’s gab, and I was just too sleepy or lazy, or both, to pass judgment either way — pro or against. But surmise I did that the one being admonished was poor too. For if you’re rich and you swim outside your gilded “haves” pond, you being a pricey or prized Lapu-lapu taking a chance with a have-not “tilapia” might just have a happy ending, after all. Think of it like Mozart’s Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star: They may run through a gamut of variations, but whether the rudimentary first, the jazzy fifth, or the nearly macabre sixth, they all, nonetheless, sizzle and sparkle. Truly, a mere variation of women predisposed to having diamonds as their best friend — of marrying a 4-EME man: Matandang mayaman madaling mamatay (an old rich man with one foot in the grave). ‘Tis a well-told story, the love-triangle plot of the musical Fiddler on the Roof: Of the maiden Hodel being set up to marry Lazar Wolf, the town’s rich butcher old enough to be her dad, Tevye (played by Topol in the movie adaptation). You reading this, go ahead if you would, sing “Traditions” or “If I Were a Rich Man” ala Topol, or, more in line with the discussion, Hodel’s “Matchmaker, matchmaker,” especially the meaty: Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Plan me no plans I’m in no rush Maybe I’ve learned Playing with matches A girl can get burned So, bring me no ring Groom me no groom Find me no find Catch me no catch Unless he’s a matchless match. Hodel, of course, followed her heart’s dictates and ended up marrying the student from Kiev, Perchik, but amid the Russian Revolution of the 1900s, we were left hanging, asking whatever happened to the young lovers. My wife, she married into wealth, after biting into the ruse during a date that she had to pay for the burgers and fries because I left my ATM card at home. Told and retold as a funny cautionary tale, my daughters never ceased to find hilarious the “secret” that there was no ATM card to speak of at the time. My old paper was taking my newspaperman’s pay from the “petty cash” box, so how could there be an ATM? Haha. My wife, she married into wealth. Not wealth in terms of pesos, but a wealth of experiences in detaching one’s happiness from what’s in your pocket or wallet. Relax, I’m still working on it, but in my own sweet time. The post Man’s measure appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Kuwatog’s lament
On our last visit to our favorite barber, Kuwatog, last week, we asked him what he thought of the performance of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in his first year in office. His reply was quick and direct to the point: “Bakit, naibaba na ba niya ang bigas sa P20 per kilo tulad ng pangako niya? (Why, has he brought down the price of rice to P20 per kilo like he promised).” Kuwatog’s answer, albeit a little unfair, had me thinking, considering that our barber was one of those who supported Marcos Jr. in his campaign last year. If at all, Kuwatog represents the masa or the 31 million who voted for the son of the former dictator and brought back one of the country’s most polarizing families to Malacañang. Of course, Marcos’ resurrection as an elected leader carries significant expectations, particularly regarding his promise to bring down the price of rice to P20 per kilo. Reducing rice prices to a specific target may be as plain as the masa would expect from a leader but actually, it is a complex undertaking influenced by numerous factors, including production, distribution, and market dynamics. To fulfill his promise, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. would have needed to implement comprehensive measures addressing those areas. During his first year, he may have initiated policies to increase domestic rice production, improve agricultural infrastructure, and enhance distribution networks. However, these efforts can face challenges such as natural disasters, changing global market conditions, and the complexities of transforming an entire industry. Of course, Kuwatog would have none of this. All he can see is that inflation continues to erode his purchasing power and that rice, which is the staple of all commodities, is the most visible indicator of whether their leader has failed them. During the campaign, Marcos pledged to bring down the cost of food, including rice, which has been dismissed by analysts as unrealistic and still has not been achieved going into his second year at the Palace. Instead, inflation has been one of the defining characteristics of his maiden year, according to observers. Inflation, driven in large part by increases in food prices, reached a 14-year high of 8.7 percent in January this year. The crisis led to the cost of onions rising to more than P700 per kilo as onion smuggling flourished, while sugar prices also soared, exacerbated by a failure to import enough of the commodity at the right time. Although the President established an inter-agency committee and introduced cash aid to cushion the impact of inflation, these steps may have come late, according to analysts. Marcos also pushed to open more government stores like Kadiwa that sell food at a discounted price but critics dismissed this as a band-aid solution first introduced under his father’s rule. We told Kuwatog we cannot gauge a leader’s performance on only one aspect like the prices of commodities, considering that he has a myriad of other problems to attend to. Running a country is far different from running a household highly dependent on one’s budget, we told him. For starters, we said, Marcos initiated a marked shift in foreign policy, pursuing much warmer relations with the United States and taking a tougher stance in defending the Philippines’ claims in the South China Sea. This is a far cry, we told him, from his predecessor, under whose leadership relations with Uncle Sam deteriorated. An essential aspect of evaluating Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s performance, we believe, is transparency and accountability. It is crucial for the government to communicate its progress in addressing crucial issues and to provide regular updates to the public. Transparency ensures that citizens are informed about the challenges faced, the measures implemented, and the outcomes achieved, fostering trust and understanding. If only Kuwatog was made to understand all of these, he would have made a more balanced assessment of the President’s performance so far. But then, Kuwatog may only be putting his mouth where his money is. *** e-mail: mannyangeles27@gmail.com The post Kuwatog’s lament appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Topuria, Barber dazzle in UFC Fight Night
Although Josh Emmett showed a lot of heart in trying to hold on and fight, it was a one-sided bout in favor of Ilia Topuria......»»
Amanda Ribas co-headlines her first UFC event
A win Sunday against Maycee Barber will push Amanda Ribas into the Top 10, and she would be three fights away from a title shot......»»
A provincial breakfast
For health, a doctor-friend advises we should drink more of our native pure chocolate beverage instead of coffee. My doctor-friend says current research shows drinking native pure cacao builds up stem cells, cells that, as I’m often confidentially told, are extending the shelf life of some of our more colorful geriatric politicians. But other than medical counsel for regenerating tired old bodies, his advice had me nostalgic for the laid-back charms of my hometown, Cebu City, in the 1960s and my childhood breakfasts. Back then, the multi-layered aroma of the frothy sikwate, Cebuano for native chocolate drink, wafting in the quiet dawn air was a sheer, inimitable pleasure. Prepared by my mother, the sikwate bubbled in a terracotta Grecian pitcher-shaped, charcoal-bottomed batidor sitting precariously on a single earthen stove, fired up by bakawan or mangrove wood. If I happened to be up at the crack of dawn, I would watch my mother vigorously palm-rolling the wooden long-handled bolonea to dissolve the pure cacao tableya and brown sugar in boiling water, to achieve the sikwate’s velvety smoothness and lip-smacking frothy glory. Once poured into large thick-walled glass tumblers — those working-class glasses often found in Chinese restaurants — the sikwate came served with generous servings of the Cebuano delicacy puto maya and succulent ripe mangoes. Itinerant vendors sold the banana leaf-wrapped, triangle-shaped puto maya, but the sweet mangoes came from the market, likely sourced from the city’s abundant mango groves in the Guadalupe district, now a distant memory. Puto maya is steamed sticky glutinous rice or malagkit. Cooked for an hour with coconut milk or gata, sugar, salt and ginger — fresh ginger juice gives the puto maya an added kick — the delicacy was scooped straight from the steamer and served on a plate when bought from the public market stalls. If puto maya wasn’t available, there was always my Lola Isang’s celebrated budbud. Lola Isang, my late paternal grandmother, had a singular way with heirloom budbud recipes, just as my late mother had with cakes, breads, tarts, pies, ensaimada, napoleons, and exquisite silvanas dusted with cashew bits. Budbud is simply sticky rice mixed with coconut milk, sugar and salt steamed over low heat, then hand-rolled to about five inches long and wrapped in banana leaf. Budbud is the simplest food in the Cebuano rice-cake universe, but if my Lola Isang felt fancy enough when she woke up at 3 a.m. to make them she would roll them together with diagonal violet strips like a barber’s pole, which I later found out wasn’t ube but was still malagkit, only colored. And if Lola Isang had some millet around, which in Cebu came in the form of kabog from Catmon town in Northern Cebu, she would make one of Cebu’s unique delicacies, budbud kabog. Kabog is Cebuano for bat and for the small-seeded cereal plant that grew wildly on Catmon’s mountainous terrain, so named because bats feasted on them. Kabog seeds are coarse and bland. But once pounded and cooked with coconut milk and sugar it amazingly transforms into budbud kabog, eagerly sought after by aficionados, mostly sabungeros. Yet, all these delicacies were merely breakfast starters. In 1960s Cebu City, Cebuanos had two official breakfasts: The light painit in the early morning hours and the much later heavy pamahaw. Pamahaw in other households, of course, would have the more familiar scrambled eggs and Brazilian corned beef, but I definitely remember eating with gusto ma-is for pamahaw. Ma-is is of course corn. But the corn here is not on the cob but well-milled corn grains steamed to the consistency of rice. Unfeasibly as corn now sounds as a staple, but tummy-filling ma-is was definitely pamahaw, especially if paired with dangit or little round bite-size Cebuano chorizos or the rich fishy flavor of ginamos or partially fermented bolinaw (anchovies), of which Jose Rizal once insisted to a Spanish historian that Filipino fermented fish dishes were neither stinky nor rotten. Email: nevqjr@yahoo.com.ph The post A provincial breakfast appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Cops in 990-kg shabu haul summoned
Officials and members of the Philippine National Police involved in the “anomaly-laden” seizure of 990 kilos of shabu in Tondo, Manila last year have been summoned before the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs to shed light on the scandal. The panel led by Surigao del Norte Representative Ace Barbers will conduct its third investigation on Tuesday to determine the accountability of the alleged “ninja cops” involved in the recycling or resale of drugs seized from their operations and into what appears to be a “double cover-up” surrounding the arrest of now-dismissed PMSgt. Rodolfo Mayo Jr., involving 49 PNP officials and personnel. Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos, Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla and newly-installed PNP chief Benjamin Acorda will also be present before the panel. The 990 kilos of shabu, estimated to be worth over P6.7 billion, seized on 8 October last year in the Mayo-owned WPD lending office, served as the impetus for the congressional investigation. Of the total seized contraband, at least 42 kilos worth over P285 million were allegedly pilfered by two PNP Drug Enforcement Group members. Mayo was an intelligence officer with the PNP’s Drug Enforcement Group who was detained and discharged after the operation. He currently faces administrative and criminal charges for illegal substances as a fallout of his arrest. Despite the murkiness of the PNP’s internal investigations, Barbers is intent on learning whether or not the 49 PNP officials involved in the bust — who attempted to cover up and recycle the seized shabu — were also charged in court. “As far as we know, only dismissed P/MSgt. Rodolfo Mayo Jr. had been charged in court. We have not heard or seen any details of his administrative and criminal cases. What about the other officers who we believe participated in the alleged double cover-up and double recycling attempts in said incident,” Barbers said. “And based on documents, police reports, video footages and TV interviews by police officers involved in the case, we have noticed irreconcilable inconsistencies on their narrative of the incident, particularly the narrative that Sgt. Mayo was arrested in a buy-bust operation at 9 p.m. of 8 October 2022 for possession of two kilos of shabu,” he added. Mayo was arrested but was set free by PDEG director P/Brig. Gen. Narciso Domingo and his men, purportedly to entrap his other cohorts. He was then later uncuffed as seen on the CCTV footage Barbers disclosed that the ongoing PNP investigations into the case have been deafeningly silent on Mayo’s shabu stockpile of more than 990 kilos. “Because it is very important and very urgent for the police agency to find out the surrounding circumstances behind this particular drug recycling activity,” Barbers said. The Mindanaoan lawmaker emphasized that tracking down the origins of the recycled drugs, how they were obtained, and who is involved in the criminal enterprise is crucial to resolve the scandal. Barber’s panel previously revealed that the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency has an alleged scheme of giving its police assets a portion of illegal drugs seized as a “reward” for successful operations. According to the agency’s informants, the “reward” came from drugs hauled, seized and confiscated that had been recycled over the past 20 years. The post Cops in 990-kg shabu haul summoned appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Keep spreading the news
The story is told about a barber who gave a free haircut to a German. Next day, he received a box of frankfurters outside his door. He also gave a free haircut to a Japanese, and received a bottle of sake outside his door. He gave a free haircut to a Filipino, and the next […] The post Keep spreading the news appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Theft case filed against barber caught shoplifting in Talisay City
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Police have filed a theft case against a man who was caught shoplifting in a mall last Monday, August 8, 2022, in Barangay Tabunok, Talisay City. Police Lieutenant Colonel Randy Caballes, chief of Talisay City Police Station, confirmed that they already filed a theft case against Jerome Abanay, 47, a barber […] The post Theft case filed against barber caught shoplifting in Talisay City appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»