MARCOS ADMINISTRATION TO INHERIT 'GASPING FOR BREATH' AGRI SECTOR: DAR

MANILA - The incoming Marcos administration will inherit an agriculture sector that is "gasping for breath," its chief said Monday.

The agriculture sector has been "underbudgeted, neglected all these 30 years," according to outgoing Agriculture Secretary William Dar.

"It’s gasping for breath and we need sizeable budgetary support to make it possible to really now unlock the potential of the Philippine agriculture," he told ANC's Headstart.

"Of course, I would've been much happier if agriculture would have been properly budgeted."

The agriculture department has proposed a budget of P270 billion for 2023, Dar said.

The fisheries sector needs a budget of P12 billion, triple its current budget of P4 billion, Dar added.

"That's the level of budget we need in agriculture. Otherwise, talagang (really) we have been underbudgeted, neglected all these 30 years. In spite of that, we have new record production in rice production. Everything we've budgeted for we’re using that properly," he said.

"We're having strides in most areas, we can do much more if we’re given the right budgeted support."

President Rodrigo Duerte has approved an action plan to mitigate the impact of the looming global food crisis, Dar said. This includes institutionalizing balanced fertilization strategy, upscaling local technology and raw materials for feeds, and developing areas where higher yields can be obtained, Dar added.

When asked if he's willing to serve under President-elect Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Dar said: "If offered, I am there to serve this incoming leadership. If given the chance."

CHINA'S SECRET OFFER: CASH FOR CYBERSECURITY, MARINE MAPPING, ACCESS TO NATURAL RESOURCES

SUVA, Fiji - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi holds talks with leaders and top officials from ten Pacific Island states Monday, part of a regional diplomatic blitz that has stirred deep Western concern.

The virtual summit is expected to discuss leaked proposals for China to radically increase its involvement in the security, economy and politics of the South Pacific.

Wang is in the Fijian capital Suva, where he will co-host a virtual meeting with regional foreign ministers -- many of whom are also leaders of the small island states.

On the table is a secret deal -- obtained by AFP -- that would see China train local police, become involved in cybersecurity, expand political ties, conduct sensitive marine mapping and gain greater access to natural resources on land and in the water.

As an enticement, Beijing is offering millions of dollars in financial assistance, the prospect of a China-Pacific Islands free trade agreement and access to China's vast market of 1.4 billion people.

Only Pacific nations that recognize China over Taiwan will attend today's summit, including those Wang has already visited on his regional whistle-stop -- Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Samoa and Fiji.

The proposal comes as Beijing jostles with Washington and its allies over influence in the strategically vital Pacific.

Analysts say the deal is unlikely to be unanimously approved by Pacific Island leaders today.

A recent security deal between the Solomon Islands and China caused deep unease in a region that is usually more concerned by climate change than superpower politics.

"The Solomons came off as an outlier, there wasn't a rush of interest," said Richard Herr, an academic at the University of Tasmania who has decades of experience working in the Pacific Islands.

The region will be hesitant about "being dragged into geostrategic competition," he said.

There has already been some pushback to Beijing's latest proposal, including from the President of the Federated States of Micronesia, David Panuelo, who warned other Pacific leaders it could cause "the fracturing of regional peace, security, and stability".

The president of Palau, a Pacific nation that maintains diplomatic ties with Taiwan, told the ABC Monday that the region "should be concerned" about the proposed deals.

But many Pacific nations are also keen to maintain amicable ties with China, balancing relations between Beijing and Washington or playing each off against the other.

So it is far from clear what Pacific Island leaders will tell Wang Monday or in a series of closed-door meetings around the South Pacific.

"It's hard to believe that the Chinese foreign minister will come to the region and be told to go home," said Herr.

"It could be an embarrassment. Every Chinese diplomat in the region will be working on that."

COMELEC TO PUSH FOR LAW VS SOCIAL MEDIA TROLLS

MANILA — The Commission on Elections said Monday it would urge Congress to pass a law against the use of social media trolls during campaign period.

According to Comelec Commissioner George Garcia, it is "difficult" to enforce the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 against fake users who are posting libelous comments or disinformation on online platforms.

"We will push Congress to enact a law specifically for the campaign, specifically the use of trolls during the campaign period," he told ANC's "Rundown".

"Easily, anybody who will be victimized by these trolls can file cases in relation to cyber libel. But of course, it's very difficult to prove and at the same, it's very difficult to pinpoint the liability of individuals in this case."

In a Senate hearing in February, a fact-checking group told lawmakers that Vice President Leni Robredo was the top target of disinformation in social media.

Research by ABS-CBN News in May also revealed that Robredo had the second biggest interactions on Facebook among presidential candidates in the 2022 elections. But these posts came mostly from detractors and critics.

Due to the absence of a law regulating social media in the country, Garcia admitted that the country's poll body is "powerless" in monitoring online campaign expenditures of candidates.

"That's the reason why in the next Congress, we will push for a social media regulation at least as far as election expenditure and campaign is concerned," he added.

This comes as the Comelec reminds candidates to file their statement of contribution and expenditures before the June 8 deadline.

None of the candidates who ran for national posts have filed their SOCE so far, Garcia said.

He warned that candidates who fail to file their SOCE twice would be perpetually disqualified from holding public office.

VAX FASTER: IATF ADVISER SEES EARLY SIGNALS OF COVID SURGE

The Philippines must pick up the pace of COVID-19 vaccinations amid early signals of another COVID surge, a member of the inter-agency task force technical working group said Monday.

Dr John Wong, founder of Epimetrics and a member of the IATF technical working group for data analytics, said the Philippines has seen two instances of COVID-19 case increases since May 18 but noted that the increases are not sustained but drop off after 3 days.

"If we look back longer to let's say, February, the end of the omicron wave, we had decreasing cases. The increasing number of cases in the past month is worrying because it is showing that more transmission is taking place," he said in an ANC Rundown interview.

He noted that the current COVID case numbers are underestimates since some people may be doing home antigen tests but not reporting while some who feel mild COVID symptoms may not be testing at all.

The Philippines recorded 200 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, with 82 new infections from Metro Manila. The number of active cases is 2,434.

Data from the Department of Health showed the number of deaths at 60,455, with no new death recorded Sunday. The total recoveries also reached 3,627,365.

ABS-CBN Data Analytics Team head Edson Guido said the positivity rate for the week of May 22 to 28 is 1.2 percent, slightly higher than the 1.1 percent recorded the previous week.

PURSUE DUTERTE INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM, MARCOS URGED

MANILA — President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should start where his predecessor, President Duterte leaves off, most particularly massive infrastructure projects that have been stalled for various reasons, if only to let the country recover from adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to his expected allies in the House of Representatives.

They are hopeful that the Build Build Build projects of the outgoing administration will still be pursued to resuscitate the economy that suffered a recession in 2020.

Among those who vowed support for Marcos are Representatives Joey Salceda of Albay, who chairs the House ways and means committee; LRay Villafuerte of Camarines Sur; Alfred Vargas of Quezon City, who chairs the social services committee; and Deputy Speakers Isidro Ungab and Arnie Teves Jr.

Salceda reiterated his call for the privatization of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) as a means for the government “to raise new revenues and decongest Metro Manila” as a way to “offset the fiscal impacts of COVID-19.”

“We should consider privatizing the NAIA, and let me clarify: I don’t mean just an outright sale, if the incoming president is uncomfortable with disposing of government properties. It’s around 625 hectares, double the size of Bonifacio Global City,” he said.

“A study done on the matter five years ago estimated multiplier effects of redevelopment to be as much as P5.4 trillion in economic value. The land, of course, costs around P400 billion,” he added.

COMELEC SHUTS DOWN AES SERVERS TODAY

MANILA — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is shutting down the automated election system (AES) servers and their network infrastructure today.

In an advisory issued over the weekend, the Comelec said the system will be turned off at 9 a.m., given that the winners of the May 9 national and local elections have already been proclaimed.

Scheduled for shutdown is the Central Data Center-Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) Vitro Taguig, located on the ground floor of the Bonifacio Technology Center in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City.

The Comelec is also shutting down the Transparency Data Center-PLDT Vitro Parañaque, located at Rack IT Elorde Compound in Sucat, Parañaque City; and the Backup Data Center-Data One, located at the IBM Plaza, Eastwood City Cyberpark in Quezon City.

Comelec Commissioner George Garcia said that for transparency purposes they have invited political parties and citizens’ arm groups to witness the activity.

The Comelec advisory noted that while the media would not be invited to personally witness these events because of security reasons, these would be streamed live on the official Comelec Facebook page (facebook.com/comelec.ph) and YouTube Channel (youtube.com/COMELEC).

The Comelec will also be releasing official photos after the activity.

Garcia gave assurance that even after the dismantling of servers, data would be preserved.

GOV’T PREPARING LIST OF PINOYS TO BE REPATRIATED FROM SRI LANKA

MANILA – The Philippine government is preparing a list of Filipinos to be repatriated from Sri Lanka, an official said Monday.

Sri Lanka is facing a severe financial crisis due to a shortage in foreign exchange.

“Tayo po’y inatasan ni (Labor) Secretary Bello na makipag-ugnayan sa team ni Secretary Locsin at ng (Department of Foreign Affairs) at ang pinakalatest pong ulat na natanggap natin, ay sa ngayon ay nagsasagawa ng ng paglilista ng mga ililikas, isasama doon sa repatriation flight na pauwi,” Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration(OWWA) chief Hans Leo Cacdac told TeleRadyo.

Money will be sent to help Filipinos in Sri Lanka with their basic needs, he said.

“Nagawa po natin ‘to sa Shanghai, kung tatandaan natin nagka-lockdown nung isa o dalawang buwan na nakalipas, at tayo po’y nagpadala ng pondo sa consulate general’s office, so handa rin po tayo ngayon sa Sri Lanka,” he added.

A Filipino community leader in Sri Lanka told ABS-CBN News last week that Pinoys are interested in repatriation amid the shortage in basic goods and fuel plaguing the South Asian country.

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PHILIPPINES CONFIRMS 200 NEW COVID-19 CASES, WEEKLY POSITIVITY RATE SLIGHTLY HIGHER

MANILA - The Philippines recorded 200 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, data from the Department of Health showed.

The number of active cases is 2,434. Of the fresh infections, 82 are from Metro Manila.

The country's total cases has climbed to 3,690,254.

The first confirmed coronavirus infection in the Philippines was reported on January 30, 2020, involving a Chinese woman who arrived from Wuhan City, China were the disease is believed to have first emerged.

Data from the Department of Health showed the number of deaths at 60,455, with no new death recorded Sunday. The total recoveries also reached 3,627,365.

ABS-CBN Data Analytics Team head Edson Guido said the positivity rate for the week of May 22 to 28 is 1.2 percent, slightly higher than the 1.1 percent recorded the previous week.

DILG URGES FACEBOOK TO REMOVE ILLEGAL E-SABONG PAGES

MANILA —  The Department of the Interior and Local Government called on Meta, the parent company of social media platform Facebook to block several FB pages or accounts catering to illegal e-sabong operations, including those in its social media affiliates or subsidiaries

In a statement, the department said that DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya wrote Facebook requesting them to block several pages, groups, and accounts encouraging people to play illegal e-sabong in all of its social media affiliates or subsidiaries. Malaya said he submitted to Meta Platforms, Inc. the list of seven Facebook pages, groups, and accounts identified by the PNP Anti-Cyber Crime Group as catering to illegal e-sabong.

In his letter to Meta, Facebook’s parent organization, Malaya asked the company to automatically ban from the Facebook platform and its affiliates and subsidiaries all Facebook pages, links and the like that operate or encourage people to do illegal e-sabong.

“We look forward to a fruitful cooperation, coordination, and collaboration on this matter in order to fully implement the ban on illegal e-sabong,” he said.

“We hope that Facebook will immediately suspend or block pages devoted to illegal sabong as fast as they suspend pages that allegedly violate their community standards. I presume that engaging in illegal activities is a violation of FB’s standards."

NEDA PUSHES RCEP APPROVAL

MANILA — The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) has joined calls for the ratification of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement this week.

“We hope the Senate will urgently ratify the RCEP this week, given its urgency and large benefits to the country,” NEDA chief Karl Chua said in a statement yesterday.

Amid concerns raised by the agriculture sector on the RCEP, Chua, along with Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez and other officials from NEDA, Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Agriculture had a dialogue with members of the Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura last Wednesday to listen to the group’s views and to explain the benefits of the trade deal.

For the NEDA, the agricultural sector can further improve if parallel efforts are undertaken to fix structural issues of the sector and the country joins the RCEP.

On concerns raised by the sector on importation, Chua gave assurance that bringing in products from other countries is a temporary measure as the country works on improving agricultural productivity.

While the country’s population has grown to 110 million at present from just 46 million in 1978, he said the land area is not going to increase.

He acknowledged other problems in the agriculture sector that require urgent solutions and noted these can be addressed while participating in the RCEP.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

CATRIONA GRAY SHARES SWEET MOMENT WITH SAM MILBY IN CANADA

Their concert tour in Canada may already be over, but Catriona Gray and Sam Milby are still having a good time together exploring the country.

On Sunday, Gray sent her followers abuzz when she shared a new photo of her and Milby getting a little cozy.

“Getting lost in the mountains,” wrote Gray in the caption of their picture which depicts them holding hands while Milby gives her a kiss of the cheek.

Their photo was taken in Alberta, Canada with Lake Louise serving as the perfect backdrop.

In another post, Gray shared some scenes from their concert, with one of the pictures again showing a sweet moment between her and Milby on stage.

“True enough, it really was #OneMagicalNight. As an artist, the joy of performing for a live audience hits different! Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton, thank you for all your love . Canada, I can't wait to be back,” she said.

Gray and Milby confirmed being in a relationship in May 2020, nearly two years after they were first romantically linked.

While they have since become open about their relationship, they rarely share updates about each other on social media, save for special occasions.

SPORTS

SEA GAMES: AT 51, RICHARD GONZALES HAS MORE TO GIVE TO TABLE TENNIS, COUNTRY

In a sport that requires speed, agility, endurance and high skill set, 51-year-old Richard Gonzales has no plans of slowing down and is not ready yet to give up playing for the country.

The enlisted Army personnel notched a silver medal for the Philippine men’s table tennis team at the recent Southeast Asian Games, as he and his partner, John Russel Misal, placed second behind the powerhouse pair of Clarence Chew and Ethan Poh.

Philippine Table Tennis Federation Inc. secretary-general Pong Ducanes told ABS-CBN News that Gonzales, a living legend in the sport, has committed to continue serving the national squad as long as his services are needed.

“At his age, we really wanted him to be playing coach,” Ducanes said in a telephone interview. “Pero ayaw pa niya. Gusto niya pa talaga maglaro, kasi ang katwiran niya, nakaka-medal pa siya.”

The silver-medal finish, which was an improvement from a bronze medal output in the 2019 SEA Games in Manila, is enough justification that the pride of Bohol can still play competitive table tennis.

Gonzales has defied different generations as he continued to play the sport that he loves.

“Binibiro nga siya, ’yung mga coach ng ibang teams, mga nakalaban na niya, pero siya naglalaro pa rin. Parang living legend talaga siya ng table tennis,” added Ducanes.

True enough, Gonzales is definitely a legend in the sport.

From his humble beginnings, Gonzales shared to Ducanes how he emerged to become the country’s top paddler.

“Nu’ng bata siya, ang sinasabi ng tatay niya, kapag hindi siya nanalo (sa pustahan), hindi siya kakain,” relayed Ducanes. “Ganu’n siguro ’yung mga nakagawian ng mga sinaunang tatay.”

For Gonzales, playing table tennis has been his life.

“Hindi naman kasi mataas ang natapos niyan sa pag-aaral. Talagang ibinuhos niya sa paglalaro ng table tennis, hanggang sa kinuha siya ng Army to become an enlisted personnel and mailagay siya sa special service,” Ducanes said.

But as long as Gonzales can smash, engage in fiery exchanges with his opponents and play at a very competitive level, the living legend of local ping pong will continue to hold on to that paddle.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives. - Abba Eban