PHILIPPINE INFLATION SLOWS TO 2.3 PERCENT IN SEPTEMBER

MANILA - Philippine inflation slowed to a four-month low in September

government data released on Tuesday showed, driven by lower food and

non-alcoholic beverage prices.

The consumer price index rose at a slower annual pace of 2.3 percent in

September, according to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority,

within the government's 2 to 4 percent target range.

Core inflation, which strips out volatile food and fuel items, came in at

3.2 percent.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas projected September inflation to settle

within the 1.8 to 2.6 percent range.

"The latest inflation outturn is consistent with the BSP’s prevailing

assessment that inflation is expected to remain benign over the policy

horizon with the balance of risks tilting toward the downside due largely to

the impact on domestic and global economic activity of possible deeper

economic disruptions caused by the pandemic," the Bangko Sentral ng

Pilipinas said in a statement.

Prices of pork and chicken meat as well as the prices of milk, cheese and

egg also contributed to the decline, Mapa said. Cigarette prices also posted

a slower movement for the month, data showed.

Transportation is a major contributor to the headline inflation, the PSA

said.

“The fact that inflation is at the lower end of the BSP’s target. That’s a

good thing. It helps preserve purchasing power for those of us who are

struggling in this economic recession,” ING Bank Philippines senior

economist Nicholas Mapa said.

“Yes, it’s good the fact that it does preserve purchasing power but at the

same time, it also shows that the economy is really struggling at this

moment and we are in recession and we’re expected to remain in recession for

the next few quarters,” he added.

Mapa said the Philippines could remain in recession in the next few

quarters.

BSP Gov. Benjamin Diokno said Monday the fourth quarter could be "much, much

better" as restrictions further ease.

'WALANG SINDIKATO': DUTERTE SAYS BAYANIHAN ACT FUNDS SPENT WISELY

MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday assured the public that

additional funds allocated for the government's COVID-19 response were spent

properly.

This, as he admitted that there was corruption within the Philippine Health

Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth).

"I must admit, and it would be stupid of me to invent lies, na talagang

nangyari 'yung sa PhilHealth. And that is why the NBI, after an

investigation, submitted their findings to the Ombudsman, and recommended

prosecution in court. Nandoon 'yun," Duterte said during his weekly public

address.

He, however, gave the assurance that the additional funds provided by the

Bayanihan to Heal as One Act (Bayanihan 1) and the Bayanihan to Recover as

One Act (Bayanihan 2) laws were spent properly.

"Ito namang pera ng Bayanihan Act, I assure you, that it was spent wisely,

it was spent according to rules. At sinigurado ko 'yan at the start. Wala

hong ano diyan, sindikato. Wala hong, sabihin mo na may nakawan," Duterte

said.

"And we will be careful with the next round of Bayanihan. There's still

money to be, well, given to the people, to the poor, especially," he added,

hinting at a third Bayanihan law.

The Bayanihan 2 law, signed into law in September 11, is seen as a life vest

for the economy, as it includes a P140-billion aid package for industries

adversely affected by the pandemic, and a P25.52-billion standby fund that

the government may spend before the 2021 budget takes effect.

Its predecessor, the Bayanihan 1, granted Duterte additional powers, such as

the authority to realign items under the 2020 national budget, to respond to

the pandemic. It was signed into law on March 25 and expired on June 24.

AFTER PREVIOUS CLAIMS, DUTERTE SAYS HE 'NEVER KILLED ANYONE'

MANILA - After years of claiming he has killed lots of criminals and drug

personalities, President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday backtracked on his

previous remarks, saying he hasn't taken the life of anyone.

He made the claim in a public briefing Monday, responding to his critics'

accusations that he and his allies are not following the law they were

enforcing themselves.

"Marami nagsasabi, 'Rule of law, di ka naman sumusunod, marami kang

pinapatay.' Wala ho akong pinatay na tao. And I never, never... magtanong ka

ng isang pulis dito sa Pilipinas, magtanong ka kay (Interior) Secretary Año

sa DILG, magtanong ka kay (Defense Secretary) Delfin Lorenzana kung may

inutusan ba akong tao na sinabi, 'Patayin mo tong si Mr. Edmundo Santos o

patayin mo 'to si Juan dela Cruz.'"

"I never do that."

Duterte admitted in multiple speeches he has killed suspected criminals.

Months after he assumed the presidency in June 2016, Duterte boasted he

"personally" killed them while serving as mayor of Davao City for 23 years.

"In Davao, I used to do it personally, just to show to the (police) that if

I can do it, why can't you?" he told a business gathering.

Even before becoming president, Duterte said he actively participated in the

execution of several criminals in Davao ever since he was elected mayor.

Duterte is known for preaching a tough stance on criminality and illegal

drugs.

AMID HOUSE SPEAKERSHIP ROW, VELASCO MEETS AGAIN WITH DUTERTE

MANILA — Rep. Lord Allan Velasco (Marinduque), a contender for speakership

of the House of Representatives, met with President Rodrigo Duterte on

Monday evening amid the continued row for the top post of the lower chamber.

This was confirmed to Philstar.com by presidential spokesperson Harry Roque

and by Partido Demokratiko Pilipino – Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) executive

director Ron Munsayac. Velasco and Duterte hail from the ruling PDP-Laban

party.

Details of the meeting between Duterte and his close ally are not yet

available, but Rep. Doy Leachon (Oriental Mindoro) said that it ended past 3

a.m.

Roque said details of the meeting will be announced during his regular press

briefing.

This marks the first time Velasco met with Duterte separately following his

and Cayetano’s meeting with the chief executive last Tuesday where they

attempted to settle the term-sharing question.

During the meeting, the president insisted that the agreement that he

brokered in 2019 — which should see Cayetano step down from the helm of the

House after 15 months to give way for Velasco’s 21-month term — should push

through.

However, two different stories emerged from the meeting, with Velasco’s camp

claiming that Cayetano is set to step down on October 14, while the

speaker’s camp says that no definitive date was agreed upon.

LAWMAKER EYES 'ROVING TEACHERS' IN AREAS WITH LOW COVID-19 RISK

MANILA - Areas with low COVID-19 transmission risk may slowly explore having

"roving teachers" to aid students before the year ends, the chairman of the

Senate education committee said Tuesday.

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said it would be "more disruptive" to open up

schools in low-risk areas by 30 percent and then withdraw face-to-face

classes upon an increase in COVID-19 cases.

He said the situation is "very volatile," as he cited the case of Batanes,

which was previously free of any cases before 2 returning residents were

detected with the coronavirus.

Instead, he suggested that teachers in low-risk areas go to their students'

community and "support them with tutoring, learning and interaction" in

small groups of 5 to 10 pupils.

"This is a modality that we can explore slowly in low-risk areas," he told

ANC's Headstart.

"As long as you practice social distancing, you have enough space, it’s open

air, and the roving teacher goes there, that’s feasible and I think that can

happen sooner than the new year," he said.

He said under this modality, teachers should be protected with regular

COVID-19 testing and free treatment should they contract the illness.

"Without that, they would not have the confidence to do their job because

it’s a very risky job at this point," he said.

Benjie Basas, national chairperson of Teachers Dignity Coalition, said

whether or not the suggestion of having "roving teachers" is implemented,

they should have been covered with the same benefits afforded to other

frontliners.

"With or without this pandemic, we have the Magna Carta for Public School

Teachers which provides every teacher should be given itong medical benefits

na ito kasama po ang libreng test taon-taon at syempre hospitalization and

even compensation for injuries," he told Headstart in a later interview.

CAYETANO DENIES HE AND ALLIES GOT BIG CHUNKS OF ALLOCATIONS IN 2021 BUDGET

MANILA — House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano (Taguig-Pateros) denied that he

and his allies got big allocations for infrastructure projects in the

proposed 2021 budget following fresh allegations from the camp of his rival

for the speakership, Rep. Lord Allan Velasco (Marinduque).

Cayetano said in a Facebook Live video on Monday that claims that he and his

wife, Rep. Lani Cayetano (Taguig-Pateros), cornered 60% of the budget

allocated to districts in Metro Manila were “completely false” and tagged it

as part of a “campaign of lies” against him.+

The Cayetano couple, who represent the separate legislative districts of

Taguig City and Taguig-Pateros, will supposedly receive P11.11 billion in

infrastructure allocations from the 2021 budget, representing more than a

quarter of the budget allocated for Metro Manila, according to data provided

by the office of Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. (Negros Oriental).

Teves is allied to Velasco, who has been insisting that Cayetano abide by a

term-sharing agreement brokered by President Rodrigo Duterte in 2019.

Cayetano also said that of the 10 lawmakers who received the largest budget

allocations for next year, seven are not even “super close” to him.

Reporters have asked for the list of the top 10 House members with the

largest allocations, but his office has yet to provide it.

THE REST

========

DUTERTE WANTS BEEP CARDS GIVEN TO COMMUTERS FOR FREE

MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte said Monday he is looking at the

possibility of giving Beep cards to commuters for free in a bid to ease

their commuting woes and still push for cashless payments on public

transportation amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"They were not prepared for this card. Kaya 'yang card na 'yan, card lang

naman 'yan ibigay na yan ng libre. Bakit pabayaran pa yan? We have been

wasting so may billions to corruption tapos hindi 'yan maibigay," Duterte

said in a public address aired late night.

"That's why I would like to talk to (Transportation) Secretary (Arthur)

Tugade next meeting because I would raise the possibility of giving it

free," he added.

The transportation department on Sunday advised the public that it is

suspending the mandatory use of Beep cards at the EDSA Busway until issues

are resolved.

The short-lived policy, implemented on October 1, was derailed by issues on

cost. Many commuters who did not have the cards yet were surprised to find

that they had to pay P80 for the cards on top of the fare for their trip. It

was also found that the cards for the bus system are different from those

used on the Metro Rail Transit and the Light Rail Transit.

Service provider AF Payments Inc. last week said that the cards were given

for free before October 1 and that the P80 fee is at zero profit and is

already partially subsidized.

"If there is no relief in sight or it cannot be done immediately, I suggest

we find the money and give it to the public for free para walang gulo,"

Duterte said.

Tugade said he is confident that that cashless system on public

transportation will be in place by the end of the year.

NASA 30 RIDE-HAILING SERVICE DRIVERS, NAG-PROTEST CARAVAN SA LTFRB LABAN SA

OWTO

MAYNILA - Nasa 30 ride-hailing service drivers ang nagsagawa ng protest

caravan mula Tomas Morato papuntang tanggapan ng Land Transportation

Franchising and Regulatory Board sa Quezon City para magsampa ng reklamo

laban sa kompanyang OWTO.

Gusto ng mga TNVS drivers na ipa-revoke ang accreditqation ng naturang

kumpanya.

Ayon sa mga driver, pinapabiyahe sila ng kolorum at walang provisional

authority.

Drive-to-own din ang mga sasakyan at kapag hindi nakabayad ay ipinapasa sa

ibang drivers.

Isa pa sa kanilang inirereklamo ay ang kill switch system o nilalagyan ng

OWTO ng device ang mga sasakyan nila para mapatay ng management ang mga

sasakyan anytime.

Paliwanag umano sa kanila na ito ay safety device para makaiwas sa holdapan

pero giit nila ginagamit ito para mapatay ng OWTO ang mga makina nila sa

iba’t ibang rason.

Delikado umano ito lalo't may ibang pinatayan ng makina habang may sakay na

mga pasahero.

Nakipag-ugnayan ang news team sa OWTO hinggil sa reklamo ng mga driver pero

wala pang tugon ito.

ROQUE THANKS BORACAY LIFEGUARD FOR SAVING HIM

Tourists should visit Boracay to help its workers get back their livelihood,

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Tuesday, as he shared that he had

to be rescued by a lifeguard in his recent trip to the resort island.

Roque, who held a press briefing from Boracay on Monday, said he swam for an

hour and a half there but "not by choice."

"Napakakalma ng alon, langoy lang ako nang langoy, hindi ko nararamdaman

iyong current, napakalayo ko na," he told TeleRadyo. "Ini-save ako ng

lifeguard. Maraming salamat sa lifeguard."

Boracay on Oct. 1 reopened to tourists from across the country after

initially welcoming only travelers from Western Visayas.+

The resort island last year closed for 6 months to give way to a

rehabilitation of its sewage system. It reopened in October 2019, only to be

shuttered again by the pandemic last March.

Less than 5 percent of Boracay's 30,000 tourist workers have gotten their

livelihood back, said Roque.

"Kung hindi po tayo bibisita sa Boracay, number one mama-miss natin iyong

world’s best tropical beach at number 2, wala pong hanapbuhay ang mga

taga-Boracay," he said.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

NEW ROMANCE? BELA’S IG POST STIRS SPECULATION

MANILA — Is Bela Padilla in a relationship? This was the question among her

followers on Monday as the actress shared an Instagram update that appeared

to hint at a new romance.

The photo shows Padilla during her recent trip to Cappadocia, Turkey — a

tourist destination famous for its panoramic view of hot air balloon rides.

In its caption, she wrote: “I waited till my swab test result came back

negative before posting anything. And I didn’t think I’d leave the country

at all this year, but life really has to start moving again.”

Padilla was referring to the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdowns that

have limited international travels.

“As seen in this photo, my head is still up in the clouds in Cappadocia. I’m

really super thankful that my job takes me to places I’ve never been before

or never thought I’d go to...because honestly, I’m not one to go to touristy

places, so Cappadocia was low on my list of places to visit. But now, I

consider it one of my safe havens,” she said.

“Cappadocia is so beautiful and charming. They have great food and wine and

even better people. I luckily got to meet some of the best ones! Their

street animals are kind and calm, a great testament to how their treated.

And the view is just beautiful from any point. (My peripherals haven’t been

as blessed as they have in the last two weeks.) I love everything about this

trip so so much. So I’ll slowly share what I went through in Cappadocia.”

Padilla tagged in her post the @nocir, or a certain Norman Ben Bay, as her

photographer, notably with an emoji surrounded by hearts.

In the comments on Padilla’s post, Bay wrote, “You are truly a professional

when it comes to captions,” punctuating it with a kiss emoji.

“You truly are a professional at making me smile,” Padilla replied with a

laughing emoji.

The exchange in the comments, as well as Padilla’s introspective post,

stirred speculation that the actress has found a new romance.

Padilla was last romantically linked with her former co-star Zanjoe Marudo

in 2018, although the two never confirmed being officially together at any

point.

She was earlier in a relationship with film producer Neil Arce, who is now

engaged to actress Angel Locsin.

SPORTS

GINEBRA, NLEX TO GET BALL ROLLING

MANILA — Barangay Ginebra and NLEX will clash in the main game when the PBA

makes its much-anticipated return in a bubble environment on Oct. 11.

Although the league has yet to release the full schedule for the Philippine

Cup in Clark, the Gin Kings-Road Warriors tussle will serve as the featured

match of a double-header on “re-opening” day.

Ginebra, winner of the 2019 Governors Cup, and NLEX, the elims topnotcher in

the same season-ender, will hit the Angeles University Foundation court at

6:45 p.m.

Sunday’s encounter will mark the first PBA game after a seven-month lull

caused by the pandemic.

After missing Ginebra’s opening scrimmages in the Clark bubble, aces LA

Tenorio and Japeth Aguilar will have some catching up to do in the team’s

buildup for the coming restart.

Coach Tim Cone said Tenorio and Aguilar should reunite with their teammates,

who have been in Clark for a week now, a couple of days before tip-off.

“They’re not yet here but LA is expected to join us on the 7th and Japeth

should come soon after,” Cone informed The STAR yesterday.

He did not elaborate on the duo’s late entry in the bubble. The league’s

deadline for the arrival of players and team officials is 11:59 p.m. of Oct.

10.

Tenorio and Aguilar, though, would have to get swabbed upon arrival and

spend 24 to 48 hours waiting for the results isolated in their hotel rooms

before getting cleared to join the team.

Tenorio, whose wife gave birth to their first daughter last week, is working

out and doing shooting drills in a gym and mini court at his home Manila.

Aguilar is reportedly completing rehab for an “old injury” before packing

his bags for Clark.

Meanwhile, NLEX coach Yeng Guiao underscored the importance of mental

toughness as the PBA teams explore uncharted territory in Clark.

“I think the physical aspect is being taken care of right now (with the

scrimmages) but the mental aspect is also something we have to hone,” said

Guiao.

The Road Warriors and the rest of the field have been in the bubble since

last week, and the excitement for the Philippine Cup resumption is building

up.

But according to Guiao, once that excitement wanes, “the mental issues will

start coming out.”

“We really have to be tough mentally and be able to cope with the stress of

not seeing your family for a long time, not getting into your normal

routine. But at the same time being focused and productive,” he said.

INDICATORS

FOREX $1 = P 48.40

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Conservatism stands on man's confessed limitations; reform on his

indisputable infinitude - Ralph Waldo Emerson