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DITO passed 4th technical audit
DITO Telecommunity, a China-backed company that broke the industry duopoly of Globe and PLDT, has passed its fourth government-mandated technical audit that measures its compliance with network coverage and internet speed commitments. In a letter sent to DITO Telecommunity chief administrative officer Adel Tamano, the National Telecommunications Commission or NTC confirmed that it passed its fourth yearly technical audit. The independent audit is part of the conditions outlined in the Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity or CPCN given to the company. The Independent Auditor’s Report of Factual Findings from the Conduct of Specified Procedures — Year 4 Committed Levels of Service dated 29 August submitted by R.G. Manabat & Co. to the NTC stated that DITO surpassed its target. As part of the issuance of its CPCN in July 2019, DITO Telecommunity needs to record 70.01 percent network reach with a minimum speed of 55 Mbps in the third year of its commitment period. Notably, the audit showed that DITO now covers 80.65 percent of national population coverage. Affordable Internet fulfilled Its minimum average broadband speed or MABS, meanwhile, clocked in at 74.97 Mbps for 4G and 639.32 Mbps for 5G for all sites with a combined MABS of 357.14 Mbps. “Despite all the challenges that we have faced, we continue to achieve our commitments to government and the Filipino people, to provide affordable world-class service and to serve the underserved. This is in support of the Marcos administration’s drive towards digitalization and Nation-building,” Tamano said. If DITO fails to fulfill its commitments on time, the government forfeits, in its favor, the P25.7 billion performance bond that DITO paid before construction activities. DITO has promised to cover 84 percent of the Philippines and offer a minimum average speed of at least 55 Mbps by the end of its commitment. DITO recently conveyed that unresolved interconnection issues with its rivals have been affecting its subscriber base expansion as well as its development of new products for users. The PCC affirmed DITO’s complaints last year over the alleged anti-competitive behavior of its rivals regarding their interconnection deals. PCC said it found “reasonable grounds to open a preliminary inquiry into the complaints filed by Dito Telecommunity against Globe Telecom and Smart Communications.” Under Executive Order 59 issued by late President Fidel V. Ramos in 1993, interconnection is a mandated and important component of the telco industry as it allows interoperability and exchange of calls, SMS, and other information from one network to another. The post DITO passed 4th technical audit appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Taylor Swift, Shakira shine at MTV Video Music Awards
Taylor Swift cleaned up at Tuesday's MTV Video Music Awards and won the evening's top trophy, as Shakira accepted the night's prestigious Video Vanguard honor with a hip-shaking, career-spanning performance. Swift continued her global reign by scooping awards including Best Song, Best Pop and Best Direction, as well as the top competitive award for Video of the Year, which she won for her hit "Anti-Hero." Turn-of-the-millennium teen heartthrobs NSYNC reunited onstage for the first time in a decade to present her with the Best Pop award, leaving Swift, who is poised to post the first billion-dollar tour, fanning her cheeks. "This is unbelievable," Swift said as she accepted the night's top prize, which she also took home in 2022. "I just want to say that the fact that this is a fan-voted award means so much to me." But she didn't perform on the night known far more for its spectacle than its awards, instead sipping her drink as artists including Olivia Rodrigo, Anitta and Doja Cat took the stage. The made-for-broadcast show, held this year in Newark's Prudential Center, frequently panned to Swift who was seated near the main stage next to Ice Spice, the viral Bronx rapper who has collaborated with the pop phenom and who won the evening's prize for Best New Artist. A camera operator was reportedly tasked with filming Swift for the show's entire duration. The nearly four-hour show that included some 20 performances ended without handing out awards in a number of categories, however, including for Artist of the Year, which for the first time was an all-women slate including Swift, Shakira and Beyonce. Lil Wayne opened the show in a nod to this year's 50th anniversary of hip hop, and Sean Combs -- known by his stage names Puff Daddy, Puffy, P. Diddy and Diddy -- delivered a career-spanning performance as he accepted the night's Global Icon lifetime achievement award. "This is so surreal," said the 53-year-old from Harlem. "I started out as a paper boy." [caption id="attachment_183305" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Colombian singer Shakira performs onstage during the MTV Video Music Awards at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on 12 September 2023. (Photo by Timothy A. CLARY / AFP)[/caption] And it was Shakira who scored the night's most prestigious honor for lifetime achievement, the Video Vanguard award that celebrates music video innovations. The Colombian performer, 46, stole the show as she performed her signature hip swings and pops, singing a bilingual medley including "She Wolf," "Te Felicito," "Objection (Tango)," "Whenever, Wherever" and "Hips Don't Lie." Wearing a glittering, nude ensemble, the artist finished her set by crowd-surfing to a platform that then elevated her high above a screaming crowd of fans and peers. "Thank you MTV. Thank you for being such a big part of my career since I was only 18 years old," she said. Afrobeats and Bongos Rapper Nicki Minaj hosted the event for the second consecutive year, also debuting live her newest single, "Last Time I Saw You," which is slated for release on her album "Pink Friday 2" in November. She won the night's award for Best Hip Hop, for "Super Freaky Girl." [caption id="attachment_183306" align="aligncenter" width="1707"] US rapper and singer Nicki Minaj arrives for the MTV Video Music Awards at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on 12 September 2023. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP)[/caption] Minaj also participated in the evening's tribute to five decades of hip hop, which also saw Lil Wayne return to the stage for a medley performance that included pioneers Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick, LL Cool J, DMC of Run-DMC, and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Earlier Doja Cat ignited the crowd as she performed a medley of "Attention," "Paint The Town Red" and "Demons," donning a sexy skirtsuit situation she slowly loosened as she danced, meanwhile unfurling a long blonde mane. Best R&B went to SZA, who did not attend, while South Korea's Stray Kids won the award for Best K-pop and later performed. Nigeria's Rema won the prize for Best Afrobeats, a new category, for his remixed single "Calm Down" featuring Selena Gomez. The song surpassed a billion streams on Spotify over the weekend. "This means so much seeing Afrobeats grow this big," Rema said while accepting the trophy. Brazil's Anitta dropped a booty-shaking dance party of a show with hits including "Funk Rave," which earned the evening's prize for Best Latin. Colombian Karol G was also among the evening's top performers, and she scored a prize with Shakira for Best Collaboration. Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion debuted their live performance of "Bongos," their latest collaboration that follows the resounding success of "WAP." Cardi entered the stage from the ceiling on a disco ball, her hair in loose waves a la Donna Summer. Megan joined her from another stage, and after their respective verses the pair led the audience through a high-energy, twerkified dance breakdown. Pop-punk band Fallout Boy rounded out the millennial nostalgia tour that began the night with NSYNC. The emo rockers performed their updated version of Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire," hitting major moments of the past three decades in a revamp that includes the line: "YouTube killed MTV." The post Taylor Swift, Shakira shine at MTV Video Music Awards appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
MTV Video Music Awards 2023: Full list of winners
Taylor Swift cleaned up at Tuesday’s MTV Video Music Awards and won the evening’s top trophy, as Shakira accepted the night’s prestigious Video Vanguard honor with a hip-shaking, career-spanning performance. Swift continued her global reign by scooping awards including Best Song, Best Pop and Best Direction, as well as the top competitive award for Video of the Year, which she won for her hit “Anti-Hero.” Full story: Taylor Swift, Shakira shine at MTV Video Music Awards The full list of winners: VIDEO OF THE YEAR Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero” ARTIST OF THE YEAR Taylor Swift SONG OF THE YEAR Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero” BEST NEW ARTIST Ice Spice PUSH PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR April 2023: Tomorrow X Together – “Sugar Rush Ride” BEST COLLABORATION Karol G, Shakira – “TQG” BEST POP Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero” BEST HIP-HOP Nicki Minaj – “Super Freaky Girl” BEST R&B SZA – “Shirt” BEST ROCK Måneskin – “The Loneliest” BEST LATIN Anitta – “Funk Rave” BEST AFROBEATS Rema & Selena Gomez – “Calm Down” BEST K-POP Stray Kids – “S-Class” The post MTV Video Music Awards 2023: Full list of winners appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Alibaba announces surprise departure of ex-CEO
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has announced the surprise departure of former CEO Daniel Zhang, who had been set Monday to take charge of a key subsidiary as the firm undergoes a major restructuring. Hangzhou-based Alibaba is one of China's most prominent technology firms, with business operations spanning cloud computing, e-commerce, logistics, media and entertainment, and artificial intelligence. After years of turbulence in the Chinese tech sector, Alibaba in March announced the biggest restructuring in its history, dividing itself into six entities, with the goal of listing them on the stock exchange separately. CEO Daniel Zhang was due to take charge of the firm's new cloud computing branch, now a separate entity, on Monday. But two months after announcing his appointment, Alibaba said its ex-boss was no longer with the company. "The board of our Company expresses its deepest appreciation to Mr. Zhang for his contributions to Alibaba Group over the past 16 years," the company said in a statement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, where it is listed, late on Sunday. It gave no reason for his departure. Plans for a spin-off cloud computing firm would go ahead, Alibaba said, "under a separate management team to be appointed". The company announced in June that Zhang would be replaced by Joseph Tsai as chairman and Eddie Wu as CEO. The executive played a vital role in the company's success in the past decade, spearheading the now hugely popular Singles' Day shopping festival since its first edition in 2009. Shares in the firm sank nearly 3.5 percent Monday -- the first working day of its new reorganization into six distinct branches. In addition to e-commerce and cloud computing, Alibaba's reach stretches into everything from logistics to media, entertainment and artificial intelligence. But its vast size brought it into the crosshairs of Chinese regulators as Beijing sought to crack down on the tech sector. In 2020, Alibaba became the country's first tech giant to bear the brunt of increased oversight, when authorities called off what would have become one of the most valuable public listings in history -- valued at $34 billion -- for its former subsidiary Ant Group. Ant Group is the owner of Alipay, a mobile payment application widely used in China. One month after officials hit the brakes on its IPO, Alibaba was investigated for alleged anti-competitive practices, then issued a $2.8 billion fine. And in July authorities fined Ant Group nearly $1 billion for breaching banking regulations. The post Alibaba announces surprise departure of ex-CEO appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Taylor Swift announces film of massive ‘Eras’ tour
Didn't score tickets for Taylor Swift's "Eras" tour? Never fear -- the culturally defining juggernaut will hit movie theaters with a concert film released on 13 October. "The Eras Tour has been the most meaningful, electric experience of my life so far and I'm overjoyed to tell you that it'll be coming to the big screen soon," Swift said on social media Thursday. "Eras attire, friendship bracelets, singing, and dancing encouraged." The giant AMC movie chain is vowing that each of its theaters across the United States will play the film at least four times a day on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Tickets are on sale now. The company said it had upgraded its website and ticketing services to "handle more than five times the largest influx of ticket-buying traffic the Company has ever experienced before." "But AMC is also aware that no ticketing system in history seems to have been able to accommodate the soaring demand from Taylor Swift fans," the statement added, warning that customers may experience delays and outages. Earlier this year botched sales for Swift's wildly popular tour wreaked havoc, prompting a congressional hearing over Ticketmaster's purported anti-competitive practices. And while "Eras" tickets reached thousands of dollars, fans will be able to nab movie viewings at $19.89 for adults, $13.13 for children and seniors, plus tax. As of Thursday morning, the website for AMC showed that opening weekend tickets in the New York area was already close to selling out. A few hours after Swift's announcement, the release of Universal's sequel to the horror classic "The Exorcist" was pushed up a week to avoid clashing with the concert film. "Look what you made me do. The Exorcist: Believer moves to 10/6/23 #TaylorWins," producer Jason Blum posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. The 33-year-old Swift wrapped the North American leg of her global tour with four shows in Mexico and will pick back up in Argentina in November, with plans to tour into the end of 2024. With 146 total stadium dates, it is expected she will set the record for the first billion-dollar tour, with trade publication Pollstar estimating she's selling some $14 million in tickets per show. Swift's team does not report box office numbers. The current record-holder is Elton John, whose "Farewell Yellow Brick Road" tour, which began in 2018, ultimately made $939 million. The post Taylor Swift announces film of massive ‘Eras’ tour appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Graft buster clears Cusi
Citing the presumption of regularity, the Office of the Ombudsman threw out the graft complaint of a New York-based billionaire against former Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, other Department of Energy officials, Davao City-based executive Dennis Uy, and several others over the sale of 90 percent of the shares of the Malampaya natural gas consortium. On 18 October 2021, US-based geologist Balgamel Domingo and Filipino-American anti-Duterte leaders Rodel Rodis and Loida Nicolas-Lewis filed charges against Cusi, Uy, and the others involved in the sale of the Malampaya stake to the Udenna group of Uy. In a copy of the ruling obtained by the Daily Tribune, the Ombudsman said it could not delve into the complaint on the legality of the transaction since “the authority to make such a determination belongs to the court.” “Seemingly, this complaint is in actuality a collateral attack on the validity of the Share Sale and Purchase Agreement,” it said. The decision declared that “matters of such tenor are not determinable in a preliminary investigation before the Ombudsman’s Office.” “Without any judicial determination decreeing the illegality of the Share Sale and Purchase Agreement, this Office is left with nothing but to acknowledge its validity,” the ruling said. The Ombudsman cited a precedent in the case of Teresita Buenaventura vs Metrobank, in a ruling that stated: “The burden of showing that a contract is simulated rests on the party impugning the contract.” “This is because of the presumed validity of the contract that has been duly executed,” the Ombudsman ruling read. “Wherefore, the criminal charges for violation of Section 3(e) and of Republic Act 3019 against the respondents are dismissed for lack of probable cause.” The ruling was signed by members of a Special Panel of Investigators composed of Ronald Allan Ramos, Josephine Mae Rosapapan, Francisco Alan Molina and Bonifacio Mandrilla. Prime takes control The operation of the Malampaya project was recently assumed by the Razon group’s Prime Energy which bought a 45-percent stake from Malampaya Energy XP, or MEXP, of the Udenna group. MEXP had bought the shares of Shell Philippines Exploration B.V., or SPEX, in the consortium. The Department of Energy had branded the complaint a political move since the two Fil-Am lawyers in the suit were prominent in the “Oust Duterte” movement in the United States. The complaint alleged that Cusi and other energy officials had granted “unwarranted benefits and advantage” to Uy’s UC Malampaya in the buyout of Chevron’s share in the consortium. Udenna, through spokesperson Raymond Zorilla, said there is “no law requiring approval of the transfer of shares of companies that have an interest in Malampaya.” Zorilla said the transfer of Chevron and Shell shares underwent strict bidding processes and due diligence by both multinational oil and gas players. “The share sales were above board and legal and had to pass scrutiny by Philippine regulators, international lenders, and the said private multinationals involved,” Zorilla added. Cusi, in an interview with Daily Tribune, had said the DoE was not involved in choosing the buyer of the shares of Shell and Chevron in the Malampaya project. “The DoE did not get involved in the sale (of shares). We don’t know that they are selling. Our question was what their standards are for choosing Udenna. Why didn’t you choose the big companies, and why Udenna?” he said. Industry experts said the sale of shares was a private transaction that the accusers, who are US lawyers, should have been very familiar with. Cusi said the DoE, during his watch, went beyond its mandate by reviewing the technical, legal, and financial aspects of the transactions, the results of which were provided to the public. Political agenda The complaint, he said, had an underlying political agenda connected to his being the head of President Rodrigo Duterte’s Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan or PDP Laban. “It is not only political propaganda against me, but it also has a destabilization background… because I’m the president of the PDP.” The complaints, in turn, stemmed from the unending Senate inquiries on the Malampaya deals. The DoE said the Senate probes and the controversies that resulted from them had caused costly delays in the review process that would ultimately affect the country’s energy security. To refute a recent remark by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, the DoE, in a statement said: “The inquiries of Senator Gatchalian are causing undue delay to the timeline of the consortium corporations, and this may eventually take its toll and put our energy security at risk.” The DoE’s approval of the sale of shares of stock of Chevron Malampaya LLC, one of the three corporations in the Malampaya Gas Field Project Consortium, had been dubbed by Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy, as “lutong Macau.” It also backed the Udenna assessment that the deals were above-board. “When the sales were made, both Chevron Philippines, which owned Chevron Malampaya, and Shell Petroleum NV, owner of SPEX, followed rigorous global standards,” the DoE said. Nicolas-Lewis was part of a 25-person delegation from the US-Philippines Society, a private group comprising business executives and diplomats, who met with Duterte a week before his inauguration as president in 2016. Nicolas-Lewis was then accompanied by former Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Cuisia, PLDT chair Manuel V. Pangilinan, retired American diplomats, and executives of Coca-Cola, SGV, JP Morgan, and other top corporations. Nicolas-Lewis is the sister of former National Anti-Poverty Commission chairperson Imelda Nicolas, who was one of the “Hyatt 10” Cabinet members who turned against then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2005. Imelda and most of the Hyatt 10 members ended up getting key posts in the administration of President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III. Imelda was made head of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas. Nicolas-Lewis plot bared In February 2018, former President Duterte bared intercepted conversations that indicated Nicolas-Lewis was behind efforts to push the International Criminal Court, or ICC, to probe his war on drugs. Duterte revealed a recorded conversation between Lewis and another political opponent whom he did not name. “I was listening to the tapes of their conversation. It was provided to me by another country, but the conversation was somewhere in the Philippines and New York,” Duterte said. He said that among the recordings was one in which Lewis allegedly told another person: “See you in the headquarters when the case is filed.” Duterte then said in a public address that he was aware of developments on the ICC case and that lawyer Jude Sabio, the main complainant in the case, was a paid hack of Magdalo Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and Rep. Gary Alejano, both failed putschists. Sabio withdrew his complaint before the ICC and revealed that the case was the handiwork of the dirty tricks factory of Trillanes. In 2016, Duterte pointed to Lewis as the financier of an alleged destabilization plot against his administration. Nicolas-Lewis invested heavily in the failed presidential campaigns of Liberal Party bets Mar Roxas in 2016 and Vice President Leni Robredo in 2022. The post Graft buster clears Cusi appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
2 PBBM priority bills pressed for House okay
Two bills President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. listed in his wish list in Congress have been lobbied in the House of Representatives a day after the Chief Executive named it in his second State of the Nation Address. The proposed Tatak-Pinoy (Proudly Filipino) law and the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act, among Mr. Marcos’ 17 priority legislation that he asked Congress to enact, were embodied in House Bills 8601 and 8600, respectively, filed on 25 July by Quezon Rep. Keith Micah Tan. Marcos, during his second SoNA on Monday, bared before Congress his 17 priority bills in his second year in office, seeking its legislative power for its enactment. Seven of the total measures have already hurdled the lower chamber, with the remaining ten expected to be passed in October and December, confirmed by Speaker Martin Romualdez. Tan’s HB 8601 calls for the creation, funding, and implementation of the Tatak Pinoy Strategy by the Tatak Pinoy Council composed of the National Economic and Development Authority’s director general and Departments of Trade and Industry and Finance’s secretary. “The goal is to make the country competent in producing and offering complex or sophisticated products and services in order to empower the economic sector to branch out into other forms of complex production and economic activity towards jumpstarting national development that is anchored in the ingenuity of the Filipinos,” the lawmaker said in filing the bill. The proposal aims to make Filipino-made products, goods, and services competitive in the global market. Meanwhile, HB 8600, among other similar bills filed in the House, intends to amend Republic Act 10845, or the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016. Among the provisions is the imposition of harsher penalties s on anyone found to have smuggled agricultural goods into the country, considering that no one has been prosecuted under existing laws despite the widespread smuggling of rice, sugar, onions, carrots, garlic, fish, and pork, Tan said. Last year, the government seized P1.2-billion of smuggled agricultural products. Also last year, the country experienced an agricultural shortage, primarily in onions, which soared as high as P500 to P700 per kilo during the last quarter of 2022. Earlier this week, Speaker Martin Romualdez has vowed that the House will approve four bills, including the Tatak Pinoy and Anti-Agricultural Smuggling before Congress goes into its first recess in October in the 10 priority measures that the chamber has yet to pass. The post 2 PBBM priority bills pressed for House okay appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
2nd State of the Nation Address
Anti-inflation measures Crafting of Medium-Term Fiscal Framework supported by Congress Implementation of strategies to capacitate economic sectors Results (1) 7.6 percent growth in 2022 — highest rate in 46 years. (2) January to March 2023 — 6.4 growth percent (within 6 to 7 percent target) (3) Philippines considered to be among fastest-growing economies in the Asian region and in the world (4) Strong and stable financial system (5) Banks have strong capital and liquidity positions. (6) Digital economy contributed P2 trillion in 2022, the equivalent of 9.4 percent of our GDP. (7) World Bank projects a 6 percent overall growth rate due to strong local demand, consumer spending, strength from the BPO industry, steady flow of remittances, and continuing jobs recovery (8) Inflation rate eased up from 8.7 percent in January to 5.4 percent in June. (9) Bureau of Internal Revenue posted P1.05 trillion collections — an increase of almost 10 percent over the last year (10) Bureau of Customs increased collection by 7.4 percent for the first seven months of 2023, amounting to P476 billion. (11) PAGCOR increased collection by 47.9 percent (12) PCSO increased collection by 20 percent Reduction of prices of commodities like rice, meat, fish, vegetables and sugar Roll out of more than 7,000 KADIWA stores nationwide that link farmers with consumers, benefited 1.8 million families Agriculture Science-based methods toward food security Revision of Fisheries Code Unify 300 farm and fisheries clusters composed of 900 cooperatives Extensive technology training like the use of local bio-fertilizers Distribution of farm machinery, tools and inclement Distribution of more than 5 million rice seedlings and other crops Fuel at fertilizer discount vouchers Geo-Agri map of farm-to-market roads Irrigated 49,000 hectares of farmlands across the country. Constructed 4,000 additional fabrication labs, production at cold storage facilities Built 24 multi-species hatcheries to increase fisheries production Anti-animal pest monitoring, medicines, and vaccines Cloud seeding and buffer stocks in preparation for El Niño 70,000 agrarian land titles distributed Signing of EO No. 4. Or New Agrarian Emancipation Act the condoned P57-billion farmers’ loans Smuggling and hoarding Days of smugglers and hoarders are numbered Water Supply Creation of Water Resources Management Office Working for legislation of Department of Water Resource Management Allocated P14.6 billion for water supply projects Completion of Wawa Bulk Water Supply Project Phase 1 Installed 6,0000 rainwater collection systems across the country Infrastructure 8.3-trillion peso “Build, Better, More” Program in progress 194 flagship projects Continuation of “Build, Build, Build” projects Infrastructure spending stays at 5 to 6 percent of GDP 1,200-kilometer Luzon Spine Expressway Network Program will effectively connect Ilocos to Bicol from 20 hours to just 9 hours of travel Under Mega-Bridge Program, 12 bridges totaling 90 kilometers will be constructed including Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge and the Panay-Guimaras-Negros Island Bridges, and Samal Island-Davao City Connector Bridge As of June 2023, 4,000 kilometers of roads and 500 bridges have been constructed, maintained and upgraded Completed Cebu’s Pier 88 smart port, new passenger terminal buildings of Clark Airport and Port of Calapan. North-South Commuter Railway System now in full swing Strategic financing Enactment into law of Maharlika Investment Fund Social security Funds for the social security and public health insurance intact and separate Energy and Power Generation Price of crude oil stabilized Since last year, gasoline and diesel prices have gone down by 18 to 29 percent, respectively. Built 8 new additional power plants, bringing to 17 the total number of power generation facilities Energy production increased by 1,174 megawatts. Almost half a million homes given access to electricity; 100 percent household electrification by June 2028 Renewable energy is the way forward Promotion of renewables targets 35 percent share in the power mix by 2030, and 50 percent by 2040 Opened renewable energy projects to foreign investments Since last year, an additional 126 renewable energy contracts with potential capacity of 31,000 megawatts awarded. To date, more than 1,000 active projects all over the country — 299 are solar, 187 are wind, 436 are hydroelectric, 58 are biomass, 36 are geothermal, and 9 are ocean-powered. Malampaya project is boon, energizing 20 percent of Luzon; renewal of the contract guarantees continued revenues and energy production for another 15 years Push for more gas exploration in other parts of the country Partnered with the BARMM in regard to energy exploration and development The Philippines now has a Unified National Grid with the interconnection of the Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao grids “One Grid, One Market” will enable more efficient transfers and more competitive pricing of electricity Performance review of National Grid Corporation of the Philippines to complete all of its deliverables, starting with the vital Mindanao-Visayas and Cebu-Negros-Panay interconnections. Social welfare Enough funds for underprivileged DSWD, DoLE, DepEd, TESDA and CHEd involved in providing assistance Programs like AICS, TUPAD, TVET for Social Equity, Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens, Cash-for-Work for PWDs, and Integrated Livelihood Program-Kabuhayan available for indigents Social protection Pension of the military and the uniformed personnel is as important, urgent, and humanitarian as that of all other civilian Filipino employees Working closely with Congress to ease the transition from the old system to the new one, to guarantee that no effects are felt by those in the uniformed services. The post 2nd State of the Nation Address appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Phl cinema in the first year of BBM
Here, we look back at the state of the Philippine film industry since he took the seat of power 13 months ago. When President Marcos Jr. became the 17th leader of the nation, the country was on the brink of the “new normal.” The campaign elections even saw multitudes of crowds in the streets, the Filipinos’ political passion overpowering the fear of a Covid-19 infection. Covid-pandemic viewing By May 2022, the month of the presidential campaigns, the Department of Health said the country was at “minimal-risk case classification” with an average of only 159 cases per day. By June 2022, when the President took his oath, 69.4 million Filipinos had been fully vaccinated. Along with the country, the Philippine film industry started healing. On the same month, the country went under Covid-19 Alert Level 2, with 50-percent allowed capacity in indoor cinemas. Live film festivals The Marcos administration saw the return of Filipino film festivals in theaters. On Marcos’ fifth month as president, the QCinema International Film Festival, with the theme “in10City,” held hybdrid screenings — in-person and online. The Metro Manila Film Festival in December 2022, six months into the new presidency, went full force in cinemas for the second time during the pandemic. Earlier, in 2020, during the Duterte administration, the festival was held online for the first time, and the following year, in December 2021, after level alert measures in the Philippines were relaxed, the MMFF finally went back to the cinemas. However, only around 300 cinemas (down from the usual 900) were allowed to screen the MMFF entries. Meanwhile, the 18th edition of the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival was held from 5 August to 31 October 2022 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, in select mall cinemas and online. But what made a mark during the Marcos administration’s first year was the inaugural edition of the 2023 Summer Metro Manila Film Festival. The SMMFF was held in Metro Manila and throughout the Philippines. Organized by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority in partnership with the Cinema Exhibitors Association of the Philippines, the first MMFF was supposed to be held in 2020, but was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2023, held from 8 to 18 April 2023 with the theme “Tuloy-tuloy ang Saya,” the summer festival featured eight entries and, like its December counterpart, even held a Parade of Stars. About Us But Not About Us by Jun Lana, produced by The IdeaFirst Company, Octobertrain Films and Quantum Films, emerged as the first Best Picture of the summer festival. [caption id="attachment_161372" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] About Us But Not About Us by Jun Lana[/caption] The Film Development Council of the Philippines’ sixth edition of its own mini-film festival, held during the Marcos administration’s third month, headed back to cinemas, offering free access to award-winning classic films of the new National Artists for Film and Broadcast Arts at TriNoma Cinema in Quezon City and in all Cinematheque centers nationwide (Manila, Iloilo, Negros, Davao and Nabunturan). CCP closes for renovations On 1 September 2022, CCP president Margarita Moran-Floirendo announced during a hearing of the Senate committee on cultural communities, that The Cultural Center of the Philippines — home to the Cinemalaya festival — will close its doors starting January 2023 for renovation and structural retrofitting works, and will reopen in March 2025. This marks the first time that Cinemalaya, on its 19th year, which has the theme “ilumiNasyon,” will be held at various venues inside the adjacent Philippine International Convention Center, from 4 to 13 August 2023. The rise of political films With the country deeply driven by polarized political views, the Marcos administration saw a war between political commercial films. [caption id="attachment_161370" align="aligncenter" width="1800"] ‘MAID in Malacanang’ stars Cristine Reyes, Diego Loyzaga and Ella Cruz. | Photograph courtesy of viva[/caption] On 29 July 2022, Darryl Yap’s period drama Maid in Malacañang, touted as “the most controversial film of the year,” was released to packed cinemas. The movie, about the Marcos family’s last three days in Malacañang Palace before they were forced into exile, premiered at SM North EDSA and was released nationwide on 3 August 2022. Yap, who passionately campaigned for Marcos, became a controversial filmmaker with the release of his Marcos film. Leni Robredo supporters tried to boycott the film, with some Filipino movie critics exposing themselves as heavily political and non-neutral with their reviews, accusing the film of propaganda and historical revisionism. The attempt to quash the movie’s release failed and it became a box-office hit, with producer Viva Films releasing a statement that it earned a whopping P21 million on its opening day and P63 million three days after its release. It was the first time in Philippine cinema history that local theaters nationwide saw a deluge of moviegoers lining up to watch a movie on the big screen, mostly driven by political affiliation. Another unsuccessful political attempt to diminish the film’s release was Vince Tañada’s re-release of his Martial Law film Katips to counter Maid in Malacañang. Tañada’s film eventually won Best Picture at the Famas Awards. MIM actress Ella Cruz’s remark during a press conference, that “history is like tsismis,” further fanned the flames of political debate online. Eight months later, in March 2022, Viva released Yap’s second installment in his Marcos trilogy, Martyr or Murderer, which now focused on Ferdinand Marcos and the assassination of Ninoy Aquino. Two anti-Marcos movies rose to combat the film — Joel Lamangan’s Oras de Peligro, released on the same day, and Tañada’s movie adaptation of his musical play Ako Si Ninoy, released one week earlier. Movie buffs, political analysts, film critics, the press and social media influencers dove into feverish commentaries on the three films, and Philippine cinemas were ignited and, for a while, became alive with social discourse. New FDCP head On 21 July 2022, Tirso S. Cruz III officially assumed his position as the head of the country’s national film agency, the Film Development Council of the Philippines. He replaced Liza Diño, who was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte as FDCP chairperson on 12 August 2016. [caption id="attachment_161368" align="aligncenter" width="736"] FDCP chair Tirso Cruz III. | PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF FDCP[/caption] Cruz, a veteran actor, said that the target of the FDCP under the Marcos administration was to support local films, not just in Metro Manila, but also from regional filmmakers. He also professed support for film students and highlighted archiving as part of the FDCP’s agenda, with 42,000 materials in its archives to be salvaged. MTRCB In September 2022, the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board released a statement addressing the controversy about its proposal to expand its jurisdiction to online streaming services like Netflix, Vivamax, Amazon Prime and other streaming platforms. The MTRCB said it was responding to multitudes of complaints from parents and other concerned groups demanding that the agency regulate movie and TV online platforms to protect children from harmful viewing. The Marcos administration has seen a continuous boom in streamers, which began during the pandemic, with Vivamax becoming one of the leading local streamers due to the popularity of Filipino sexploitation films. On 23 February 2023, MTRCB chairperson Lala Sotto-Antonio expressed her gratitude to Senators Francis “Tol” Tolentino, Grace Poe and Sherwin Gatchalian for the separate bills they filed that would amend and expand the board’s mandate. “We welcome the move to amend the charter of the MTRCB as it will allow the agency to adequately adapt to changes in technology and the ever-evolving needs of the viewing public and our other stakeholders,” Sotto-Antonio said before the Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media chaired by Senator Robinhood C. Padilla. Eddie Garcia Act In January 2023, the chamber passed through voice voting House Bill 1270, or the proposed Eddie Garcia Act, at the House plenary session. [caption id="attachment_161367" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] HOUSE Bill 1270 has been proposed in honor of the late actor Eddie Garcia. | Photograph courtesy of gma-7[/caption] Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte authored the bill, which aims to provide workers in the movie, television and radio entertainment industry opportunities for well-paid employment and protect them from economic exploitation, abuse and harassment, as well as hazardous working conditions. The bill was named after the late veteran actor Eddie Garcia, who died in 2019 after suffering a neck injury while shooting the television series Rosang Agimat, produced by GMA Network. According to Villafuerte, productions would go from 16 to 24 continuous work hours per set and would rush productions to save costs. The proposed law mandates that normal work hours of the worker or talent shall be eight hours a day; overtime work should not exceed more than 12 hours in a 24-hour period; and the total number of work hours shall not exceed 60 hours in a week. Paul Soriano Relatively unknown to most Pinoy moviegoers, filmmaker Paul Soriano was put on the limelight as the man behind the President’s advertisements — way back from campaigns since Marcos started out as vice governor, and then, governor of Ilocos Norte, up until his senatorial campaign, and eventually his campaign for the vice presidency and presidency. [caption id="attachment_161371" align="aligncenter" width="781"] PRESIDENTIAL Adviser on Creative Communications Paul Soriano. | PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF ig/PAUL SORIANO[/caption] Of course, the opposition in the film industry predictably canceled Soriano, the blood nephew of First Lady Liza Cacho Araneta-Marcos. Dolly de Leon It was also during the BBM era that Filipina actress Dolly de Leon gained international fame for her performance in the 2022 Cannes Palme d’Or winner Triangle of Sadness. [caption id="attachment_161366" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Dolly de Leon gained international fame for her performance in the 2022 Cannes Palme d’Or winner ‘Triangle of Sadness.’ | Photograph courtesy ofig/dolly de leon[/caption] The 54-year old film, television and theater actress made history by becoming the first Filipino actor to be nominated at the British Academy Film Awards and Golden Globe Awards. Filipino movie fans and critics, having been exposed to global content since the rise of the streamers, plus the proliferation of self-published movie reviews, are generally still disappointed with the output and system of the Philippine film industry, but filled with hope that, with full support from the government, Philippine cinema will finally become truly internationally competitive, sustainable and recognized. The post Phl cinema in the first year of BBM appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Lethal injunction
It took the decision of the 13th Division justices of the Court of Appeals, chaired by Associate Justice Victoria Isabel Paredes and with Associate Justices Mary Charlene Hernandez-Azura and Florencio Mamauag Jr., as members, to erase a key reform in the energy sector and turn contracts into nothing but scraps of paper. Introduced during the term of former Energy Secretary Al Cusi and hailed as a pivotal policy to keep electricity prices low was the competitive selection process or CSP which was at the core of the legal skirmish between San Miguel Corp. and the Energy Regulatory Commission. Under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act, the ERC oversees the CSP and acts as the quasi-judicial body for the sector. The CA issued last week a permanent injunction on the ERC order for SMC generating companies, South Premiere Power Corp. and San Miguel Energy Corp., to honor their power supply agreements or PSAs with Meralco. The PSAs require a fixed price on electricity which means that the cost can’t be passed on to consumers. The contract only allows for a price escalation in parity with the inflation rate. The PSAs in effect were disregarded through the injunction order, placing the sanctity of Philippine contracts in question due to a court intervention. Had the contract been followed, getting out of the PSAs would have been costly for SMC, as contained in the provisions of the documents SMC obtained when it bid for the contract. In the “Termination upon Event of Default” provision of the PSA, a unilateral pullout makes SMC Global Power, the parent of SPPC and SMEC, liable for P255.5 billion which is required to be paid in full, within 15 days from the demand for payment. Based on the terms of the PSA, the agreed damages “upon the occurrence of a Power Supplier Event of Default” or when SMC Global Power fails to deliver on its committed supply, “Meralco shall be entitled to liquidated damages, in lieu of all other damages to which it may be entitled” in the amount of P100,000 per megawatt per day of the contract capacity for the remaining term of the agreement.” The penalty is computed at P100,000 a day for 1,000 megawatts multiplied by seven years which was the remaining duration of the PSA. In its petition to the ERC, SPPC and SMEC invoked a “change in circumstance” to rescind the PSAs since its definition in the deal did not provide for changes in fuel costs. SMC Global Power, during the deliberations on the petition for a temporary price adjustment, had warned ERC that if it failed to act on the plea, it would terminate the PSAs, which would mean higher electricity prices in Metro Manila and nearby provinces of as much as 30 percent. Like clockwork, the SMC threat happened courtesy of the injunction order. The court order effectively placed the burden of SMC walking out on its contracts on the electricity users who would have to pay for the higher cost of electricity as a result. Had the contract been followed, an industry source said Meralco would have likely applied the huge penalty as a rebate or to cushion the higher cost of electricity at the spot market. The situation was stacked in favor of SMC since its power plants, due to numbers, dominate the spot market and thus it gains when Meralco needs to augment supply. Consumer group Power for People said SMC should be barred from doing business in the energy sector “for being unreliable.” With the PSA terminated, it is estimated that the cost to consumers would be an additional P25.8 billion in added electricity charges for the remaining seven years of the SPPC and SMEC PSAs. One stakeholder said that with the injunction, SMC was given a free pass to abandon the PSAs. The latest ruling affected some 300 megawatts supplied by SMEC. Meralco will have to source electricity from the spot market until it bids out a new contract. SPPC and SMEC, combined, supplied a total of 1,000 MW of capacity under the PSAs. The CA decision becomes patently anti-consumer considering that setting a precedent with the SMC case will prod other power suppliers of Meralco with straight pricing PSAs to instead seek court relief instead of petitioning the ERC. The sector then becomes a convoluted mess with unreliable contracts which are instantly thrown away through court injunctions. The post Lethal injunction appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
PEMC gets teeth vs WESM breach
The Supreme Court affirmed a Court of Appeals ruling declaring valid the memorandum of agreement between the Energy Regulatory Commission and the Philippine Electricity Market Corporation to probe irregularities at the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market or WESM. Associate Justice Marvic Leonen in a 12-page decision, said the Court’s Second Division denied the petition filed by the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. or PSALM seeking the nullification of the said agreement as well as its accompanying protocol. The ruling affirmed the 2009 CA findings which held that the PEMC has the power to investigate possible breaches of the rules governing WESM. The appellate court also held that the ERC did not unduly delegate its powers in the assailed memorandum and protocol with PEMC. It noted that under the rules and regulations of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act or EPIRA, the Department of Energy with the industry players, were mandated to formulate rules for WESM. Citing the rules promulgated for WESM, the CA found out that PEMC’s investigative powers came from its designation under EPIRA as the autonomous group tasked to implement the electricity spot market and formulate rules. Also, it noted that this was made clear in the assailed protocol, which delineates the actions that the ERC and the PEMC may take. “With the statutory basis for respondent Philippine Electricity Market Corporation’s power to investigate and sanction breaches of the Rules outlined and considering that petitioner failed to show how these acts encroach on the exclusive and original jurisdiction of respondent Energy Regulatory Commission, we deny the Petition,” the SC declared. In affirming the CA decision, the SC, pointed out that the power to investigate violations of the spot market ules is concurrently exercised by the ERC and EPMC. Basis is EPIRA It also explained that EPIRA provides for the establishment of spot market, whose rules are to be formulated by the DOE jointly with industry participants. The spot market would also be implemented by a group to be constituted by the DoE with representation from industry players. “Thus, EPIRA empowered the Department of Energy, together with the industry participants, to develop the governance structure of the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market. This structure, as laid down in the Rules, empowered the Philippine Electricity Market Corporation to investigate breaches of the Rules and act accordingly to ensure the members comply with them,” the SC noted. “The Philippine Electricity Market Corporation is likewise vested with the power to resolve disputes between market participants and the market operator and provide adequate sanctions in case of breaches of the Rules,” it added. The case stemmed from the request of PEMC to then Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes to approve the conduct of a formal investigation by its Enforcement and Compliance Office against petitioner for possible breach of WESM rules with respect to six power generating plants whose electricity output is being traded in WESM. PSALM argued that the agreement signed on 31 January 2008 and its protocol constituted undue delegation of authority by the ERC of its exclusive powers under EPIRA to enforce the rules and regulations of the electricity spot market, investigate and act against any participant or player in the industry for violation of any law, rule or regulation governing the same, including rules on cross-ownerships, anti-competitive behavior, abuse of market, positions and other similar acts. It further contended that the procedure adopted for investigation of breaches of the WESM rules under the protocol is violative of due process. But the ERC posed no objection to PEMC’s conduct of investigation. The post PEMC gets teeth vs WESM breach appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Challenges in Antitrust Law
The passage of the Philippine Competition Act or PCA was a watershed moment for Philippine competition policy. Before its passage, Philippine antitrust laws were scattered into about 30 different laws with outdated provisions and hardly any jurisprudence. In July 2015, Republic Act 10667 was enacted, marking the end of a two -decade congressional push to finally enact a law that would promote fair competition in economic activities and penalize anti-competitive conduct. As international trade became significantly easier with reduced cross-border trade barriers, it became important to look at domestic measures, particularly domestic competition law, otherwise known as antitrust law, to facilitate trade and investment. In the face of globalization and reduced barriers to international trade, the PCA is considered a breakthrough legislation. Before the enactment of the PCA, the Philippine Constitution already provided for a clear mandate to promote competition and prohibit combinations in restraint of trade. Article XII, Section 19 of the 1987 Constitution provides: “The State shall regulate or prohibit monopolies when the public interest so requires. No combinations in restraint of trade or unfair competition shall be allowed.” The fundamental principle espoused by Section 19, Article XII of the Constitution is competition, for it alone can release the creative forces of the market. But the competition that can unleash these creative forces is fair. Ideally, this kind of competition requires the presence of not one, not just a few, but several players. A market controlled by one player or dominated by a handful of players is hardly a market where honest-to-goodness competition will prevail. The Philippine Competition Act addresses many of the issues and inadequacies that prevented an effective competition regime from taking hold in our jurisdiction. The PCA lays down the foundation for creating a working competition regime that can help achieve the goals of economic efficiency as well as the protection of consumer welfare. However, the new competition authority has many challenges to confront. Philippine competition law, being in its infancy, needs to develop its ability to detect and investigate anti-competitive conduct and impose and enforce sanctions for anti-competitive behavior. There is a steep learning curve, considering that competition law engages with esoteric and abstract economic concepts. Overcoming this learning curve will require close engagement with specialists across multiple fields. The road to the PCA’s passage was met with many obstacles, the biggest obstacle being the death of the principal proponent of the House competition bill, Representative Enrique M. Cojuangco Sr. Competition law also faces the challenge of harmonization with the competition laws of other countries. Harmonization is critical because many competition laws apply extra-territorially which means competition laws of two countries may overlap. A recent example of a significant cross-border merger where the extra-territorial application of competition law became an issue is the Grab/Uber case. The number of cross-border mergers will only increase in the years to come as revealed in a 2014 OECD study, which means there will be more contentious mergers across state boundaries. Nevertheless, enacting a competition law in the first place is already a massive achievement. The road to the PCA’s passage was met with many obstacles, the biggest obstacle being the death of the principal proponent of the House competition bill, Representative Enrique M. Cojuangco Sr. Following Representative Cojuangco’s death, House lawmakers gathered to pass House Bill 5286 on second reading, as a tribute to its fallen sponsor. On 10 June 2015, Republic Act 10667, a consolidation of Senate Bill 2282 and House Bill 5286, was finally passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives. It is worth noting that the Philippines is among the last in the Asian region and the world to pass a comprehensive competition law. But as they always say, better late than never. ***** Atty. Lean Carlo Macoto obtained his Juris Doctor degree from the University of the Philippines College of Law and was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 2023. He is currently an associate at Aranas Cruz Araneta Parker & Faustino Law Offices. The post Challenges in Antitrust Law appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Photographer sues Kanye West over alleged assault
A photographer who claims Kanye West threw her cell phone to the ground in a confrontation is suing the troubled rapper for assault, she said Thursday. Nichol Lechmanik said the artist, who is now formally known as Ye, caused her "great mental and emotional pain" in the January confrontation. A press conference in Los Angeles heard how the paparazzo was outside a sports center in Ventura County, north of the city, where Ye and Kim Kardashian's son was playing. The lawsuit says Lechmanik had taken photographs of Kardashian and then saw Ye standing outside arguing with someone, so began filming him from her car. The clip, which was played for reporters, shows Ye approaching the vehicle and addressing the photographer. "If I wanna go see my son at a game, You all ain't gonna run up on me like that. If I say stop... stop with your cameras," the rapper says. "I know, but Kanye you are a celebrity," Lechmanik replies, continuing to film. The footage shows Ye reaching into her car, grabbing the phone and throwing it to the ground, before he walks away. "He caused me so much fear that I have not been the same since," Lechmanik told reporters Thursday. "His actions have interfered with my ability to work. Although I am not a world-famous artist (like) Ye, I have just as much right to work as he does. He has no right to assault me, batter me or cause me to be afraid to pursue my profession." The suit, filed in Ventura County, seeks "general, special and punitive damages," attorney Gloria Allred said. No figure was given on the amount being sought. Confrontations between paparazzi and celebrities in and around Los Angeles are not uncommon, with movie stars and musicians complaining that they are abused and harassed by people who follow them incessantly. Such freelance photographers say images of famous people are often tightly controlled, and that a picture of an unguarded moment is the only way to make a living in a highly competitive marketplace. Ye and Kardashian, who have four children together, divorced last year in an acrimonious split, after around a decade together. The entrepreneur and musician has spoken openly about his struggles with mental health, but has sparked alarm with a number of high-profile outbursts. In October he parted ways with Adidas, for which he had designed a line of popular shoes, after he made a series of anti-Semitic remarks. The post Photographer sues Kanye West over alleged assault appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
PCC nagkasa ng imbestigasyon sa mataas na presyo ng sibuyas
MANILA, Philippines- Sinabi ng Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) nitong Huwebes na naglunsad ito ng imbestigasyon sa pagtaas ng presyo ng sibuyas noong Disyembre sa posibleng “anti-competitive practices”. Inihayag ng PCC na mula November 2022, iniimbestigahan na nito ang mataas na presyo ng sibuyas sa posibleng kartel o pag-abuso sa dominance conduct. Sinabi ng antitrust watchdog […] The post PCC nagkasa ng imbestigasyon sa mataas na presyo ng sibuyas appeared first on REMATE ONLINE......»»
Economy. – Epic Games is suing Apple in front of UK regulators for “anti-competitive behavior”
Londres, 30 (Europe Press) Video game developer and distributor Epic Games has filed a lawsuit against tech giant Apple with the UK Competition and Markets.....»»
Biden s Commerce pick Raimondo vows toughness on China
Gina Raimondo, nominated by President Joe Biden for commerce secretary, pledged Tuesday during a Senate confirmation hearing to be tough on China for "anti-competitive" trade practices......»»
Kaspersky Shares Cybersecurity Tips for a Peaceful Getaway during the holy week
As the holiday season approaches, the urge to unwind and kick back is natural. And it’s all too common for people to let their guard down completely when connecting to the Internet too– but shouldn’t. Recently, the Philippine National Police (PNP) Anti-Cybercrime Group shared its findings on identity theft cases in the country. Between November […].....»»
PNVF forms coaching sataff for world meet
Seasoned coach Dante Alinsunurin will make a comeback as one of the deputies for the national men’s team as host Philippines pulls out all the stops to parade a competitive squad against the best of the best in the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championships 2025......»»
Israel bombs Gaza, fights Hamas around hospitals
Israeli forces pounded besieged Gaza on Wednesday and fought Hamas around several hospitals, despite a UN Security Council demand for a ceasefire. Talks in Qatar towards a truce and hostage release deal involving US and Egyptian mediators have brought no result so far, with Israel and the Palestinian militant group blaming each other. READ: Israel.....»»
Alinsunurin appointed Philippine men’s volleyball assistant coach
Seasoned mentor Dante Alinsunurin will make a comeback as one of the deputies for the national men’s team as the host Philippines pulls out all the stops to parade a competitive squad against the best of the best in the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championships 2025......»»