'SO EXCITED TO BE HERE!': NEW US AMBASSADOR ARRIVES IN PH

MANILA — The new US ambassador to the Philippines, MaryKay Carlson, has arrived in Manila.

The US Embassy in Manila confirmed Carlson's arrival in a tweet late Thursday night.

"Mabuhay and welcome to the Philippines, Ambassador MaryKay Carlson!" it said.

Carlson tweeted pictures of her formally presenting her credentials to the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, saying she looks "forward to partnering with their team to explore the great opportunities for the U.S.-Philippines bilateral relationship."

"So excited to be here! I cannot wait to get the ball rolling and engage with our Filipino #FriendsPartnersAllies to further strengthen the thriving U.S.-Philippines relationship. Maraming salamat for the warm welcome!" she said in a separate tweet.

Carlson expressed her gratitude to Heather Variava who served as interim Chargé d'Affaires at the US embassy since last September.

"In my 37-year career, it has always been my joy and privilege to be part of talented and dedicated embassy teams. I am grateful to Heather Variava, who has done an outstanding job as Chargé d’Affaires and am so glad we’ll continue to work together!" she tweeted.

The United States Senate confirmed Carlson in May as the next top US envoy in Manila.

US President Joe Biden nominated Carlson, who served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

According to the White House website, she has been in foreign service since 1985 and won numerous accolades for her work.

REVERSE ‘RIGHTS VIOLATIONS, IMPUNITY’ UNDER DUTERTE, HRW TELLS MARCOS

MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has a “golden opportunity” to undo policies of his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte that resulted in “rampant rights violations and deep-seated impunity,” Human Rights Watch said Friday.

The New York-based watchdog said Marcos should lay out plans to improve the human rights situation in the country in his first State of the Nation Address on Monday, including dropping charges against some of Duterte's fiercest critics and ensuring accountability for abuses during the former president’s “war on drugs.”

“After six years of Duterte’s disastrous ‘drug war’ that killed thousands of people, Marcos needs to make a clean break by showing he is serious about accountability for past human rights violations as well as preventing abuses in the future,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at HRW.

In HRW’s wish list is for Marcos to order the Department of Justice, including the National Bureau of Investigation, to conduct a “credible, impartial, and transparent” review of alleged extrajudicial killings, arguing that the previous review of the agency of 52 killings by police is insufficient.

The group also wants Marcos to ensure that his administration will fully cooperate with the International Criminal Court investigation on the alleged executions in Davao City during the time that Duterte was mayor there and the killings during the course of the former president’s flagship “drug war.”

It also said that Marcos should order the Philippine National Police and the Department of the Interior and Local Government to stop “abusive and unlawful” drug raids.

The HRW also wants Marcos to appoint members to the Commission on Human Rights who have proven track records for upholding human rights and are independent and impartial.

“He should ensure that the selection process for the five members of the next commission is transparent and inclusive, taking into account the perspectives of civil society and human rights groups,” the group said.

QC GOV'T TO 'REVIEW COUNTER-POINTS' IN DENIAL OF PERMIT TO RALLY VS MARCOS SONA

MANILA — The Quezon City local government said Friday it would review its decision to deny the rally permit requested by progressive group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, which earlier questioned the reasoning behind the denial.

In a statement sent to reporters Friday morning, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said that she was recently made aware of requests to reconsider the city hall's initial denial of the progressive groups' request to stage a rally on the day of Marcos' SONA.

This comes after the Quezon City Police District and the Philippine National Police declared Commonwealth Avenue a "no rally zone" in the days leading up to the SONA — despite rally permits being decided on by the local government units and not the police force, according to no less than the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

"I have instructed the Quezon City Department of Public Order and Safety to carefully review the counter-points that were presented, and to determine if there are any possible accommodations or middle ground that they can agree upon. The same will also be applied to all rally permits that are currently with the DPOS," she said.

Belmonte added that she was currently out of the country representing Quezon City for the International Visitor Leadership Program's Summit for Democracy Initiative.

In most cases, the vice mayor serves as officer-in-charge on matters decided upon by the local chief executive, including granting rally permits in the locality.

PHILIPPINES DEBT ROSE THE MOST IN SOUTHEAST ASIA – MOODY’S

MANILA — The ratio of government debt to the economic output, as measured by the gross domestic product (GDP), increased the most in the Philippines and Thailand since the end of 2019, according to Moody’s Analytics.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Philippines managed to trim the public debt ratio to a record-low 39.6 percent in 2019.

However, due to higher borrowings to finance the country’s ballooning budget deficit and fund pandemic response measures, the government’s debt-to-GDP ratio jumped to 63.5 percent at the end of the first quarter of this year.

This was above the 60 percent threshold deemed by credit rating agencies as manageable among emerging markets like the Philippines.

In its latest commentary, Moody’s Analytics said the debt-to-GDP ratios across Asia-Pacific remain well above pre-pandemic levels, although several Southeast Asian countries saw some improvement last year.

However, the research arm of the Moody’s Group noted that the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam had trouble containing total debt last year due to tightened COVID-19 quarantine and lockdown protocols.

“Government debt in Southeast Asia continued to rise in 2021, though the increase was not as steep as in 2020. Thailand and the Philippines experienced the largest government debt-to-GDP increase across Southeast Asia and across the globe between the end of 2019 and the end of 2021,” Moody’s Analytics said.

It noted that the Philippines and Thailand were the slowest-growing economies in the region last year and required substantial expansionary fiscal policy to support economic recovery.

According to Moody’s Analytics, both countries still have rather low debt-to-GDP ratios despite the sharp rise.

AS PROMISED, PADILLA BEGINS PUSH FOR FEDERALISM, OTHER CHARTER CHANGES

MANILA — Sen. Robinhood Padilla, an ardent supporter of the previous Duterte administration, made good on one of his consistent campaign promises and revived the push for federalism in Congress with a resolution Thursday.

In filing Senate Resolution No. 6, Padilla made his case by pointing to what he said was the centralization of both political and economic capital in and around the National Capital Region.

The measure urges the Senate committee on constitutional amendments, which Padilla chairs, to study and revise codes that should be changed in the 1987 Constitution. The committee did a similar study on charter change during the 18th Congress.

"It is unfortunate that after 35 years from [the Constitution's] effectivity, we have yet to attain a 'just and humane society,'" Padilla wrote. "Sovereign Filipino people promulgated the Constitution in order to build [just that.]"

In particular, Padilla — the first-placer in the senatorial polls in May — said that restrictions on foreign equity in natural resources, public utilities, build-operate-transfer projects, and equity in mass media would need reassessment, calling these "stumbling blocks to equitable economic growth."

The neophyte senator claimed that the regions would be "more familiar with the needs and priorities of their respective localities," pointing out that the country's economic growth "has been largely centralized" in the Greater Luzon area, which account for 57% of its gross domestic product.

"Except for the insignificant powers devolved to the local government units, our unitary system of government is concentrated to the central government authority distributed to the three branches of the government instead of decentralized powers delegated to the regions," he said.

The Local Government Code has devolved many of the powers of the national government to local ones and opponents of charter change have argued that better implementation of the LGC could address these issues.

WHO TO DECIDE ON SOUNDING HIGHEST ALARM ON MONKEYPOX

GENEVA — The World Health Organization will reconvene its expert monkeypox committee on Thursday to decide whether the outbreak now constitutes a global health emergency -- the highest alarm it can sound.

A second meeting of the WHO's emergency committee on the virus will be held to examine the evidence on the worsening situation, with nearly 14,000 cases reported from more than 70 countries.

A surge in monkeypox infections has been reported since early May outside the West and Central African countries where the disease has long been endemic.

On June 23, the WHO convened an emergency committee of experts to decide if monkeypox constitutes a so-called Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) -- the UN health agency's highest alert level.

But a majority advised the WHO's chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus that the situation, at that point, had not met the threshold.

Now a second meeting will be held, with case numbers rising and spreading to 6 more countries in the past week.

If the committee advises Tedros that the outbreak constitutes a PHEIC, it will propose temporary recommendations on how to better prevent and reduce the spread of the disease and manage the global public health response.

But there is no timetable for when the outcome will be made public.

13 BIFF FIGHTERS, NPA REBELS SURRENDER

MANILA — Five members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and eight New People’s Army (NPA) rebels have surrendered in Bagumbayan, Sultan Kudarat and Carmen, North Cotabato, respectively.

The BIFF militants turned over two Garand rifles, two M14 rifles and a 60mm mortar to the 90th Infantry Battalion (IB), Lt. Col. Abdurasad Sirajan, Western Mindanao Command public information officer, said.

Meanwhile, many of the NPA rebels who surrendered in Sultan Kudarat were squad and platoon leaders of the Daguma front.

Sirajan said the rebel returnees yielded an M16 rifle, a caliber .30 M1 Carbine, an M14 rifle, two KG9 submachine guns, an Ingram submachine gun, an M79 grenade launcher, a 12-gauge shotgun and assorted magazines and bullets.

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PHILIPPINES REPORTS 2,828 FRESH COVID-19 CASES

MANILA — The Philippines on Thursday reported 2,828 new COVID-19 cases, the highest daily tally in more than five months or since Feb. 13.

Of the additional infections, 1,002 are from Metro Manila.

The total number of active infections increased to 22,207, according to the Department of Health (DOH). This is the highest since April 15, according to ABS-CBN Data Analytics head Edson Guido.

The health department reported zero additional fatalities anew. The country's COVID-19 death toll remains at 60,641.

Of the 3.74 million people in the country who have contracted the disease since the pandemic began, some 3.65 million have recovered, DOH data showed.

From July 17 to 20, the positivity rate rose to 13.5%. This is well over the World Health Organization's 5 percent limit that indicates the spread of the coronavirus is under control.

PARAÑAQUE GOVERNMENT STARTS PLANTING TREES

MANILA — The Parañaque government has started its green and sustainable urban development program by planting trees along the center islands of major roads in the city.

Mayor Eric Olivarez reminded residents of their responsibility to protect the environment and make their surroundings clean.

“At this early stage of my administration, greening has started along major thoroughfares in the city,” Olivarez said.

He said acacia trees and bougainvillea were planted along Dr. A. Santos Avenue, formerly Sucat Road.

More environment-friendly projects will be launched soon under Olivarez’s administration such as the use of idle lands for livelihood and adopt-a-tree program.

MALL VOTING FOR 2025 MIDTERM ELECTIONS PUSHED

MANILA — Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Aimee Ferolino has revived a proposal to use shopping malls for the 2025 midterm elections.

Ferolino said the poll body should study the possibility of allowing the conduct of elections in malls.

“Now we are doing voter registration in malls. When the midterm elections come, I hope that we can enter into partnerships with SM and Robinsons to expand voting in malls,” Ferolino said.

The Comelec has put up satellite offices in malls as more people are expected to register for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections set on Dec. 5.

The voter registration will run until July 23.

During the 2016 elections, then Comelec chairman Andres Bautista pushed for the mall voting project.

Comelec commissioners scrapped the project weeks before the May 2016 elections, citing the Omnibus Election Code that prohibits the transfer of polling precincts within 45 days before an election is held.

WESTERN VISAYAS DENGUE CASES NEAR 6,000 MARK

MANILA — Dengue cases in Western Visayas have continued to increase and are nearing a record high of 6,000, according to the Department of Health (DOH) regional office.

The DOH said 506 new cases were reported from July 3 to 9, bringing the total to 5,837 since January.

Compared to the same period last year, the DOH said cases rose by 423 percent.

Negros Occidental still has the highest number of cases at 2,096 followed by Antique, 1,591; Iloilo, 986; Capiz, 330; Bacolod City, 293; Aklan, 262; Iloilo City, 199, and Guimaras, 80.

Aklan declared a state of calamity due to dengue after the province logged an increase of 684 percent with four deaths.

Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson did not declare a state of calamity due to dengue, saying the provincial health office has enough funds to address the rise in cases.

In the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), Dr. Zul Qarneyn Abas, Ministry of Health officer-in-charge, said 1,525 dengue cases with 22 deaths were recorded.

“We are doing our best to address the situation with the help of local government units in BARMM,” he said.

Abas said most of the patients are children.

GOV'T URGED TO LOWER RETIREMENT AGES, FILL PERMANENT POSITIONS

MANILA — Lawmakers are urged to lower the mandatory and optional retirement ages for government workers, the Civil Service Commission said Friday.

The current mandatory retirement age for government employees in the Philippines is 65, while the optional retirement is age 60, according to CSC commissioner Aileen Lizada.

"I went around Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao nung 2019 and 99 or 98 percent po ng mga kawani ng gobyerno ay gusto na po ng optional retirement...Kasi ang iba ho pagod na, iba may sakit na, baka this is also good to infuse younger blood, younger generation. Give others who would like to retire a time for their family or a small business," she told ANC's Headstart.

"Kasi this one I think marami ho ang mag-a-avail...Tingnan ang ilang mawawala, baka konti na lang ang gagawin niyo or baka di na kayo tutuloy sa rightsizing."

Government, however, has to study where it will source funds for retirement packages, she added.

There are some 2 million government workers, according to Lizada. Around 633,000 are job orders and contracts of service, while there are "more than 150,000" unfilled positions, she said.

"Ito ho ang clamor ng CSC noon pa, bakit ayaw niyong i-fill up ang positions ninyo, that’s why you’re hiring JOs and COS. Tingnan ho natin ang unfilled positions natin," she said.

"In fairness to JOs and COS, ang iba ho 20, 30 years in service but when they retire they're not considered as government employees so wala ho silang natatanggap na retirement pay."

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

YASSI PRESSMAN GOES PUBLIC WITH NEW RELATIONSHIP

MANILA — Actress Yassi Pressman went public Thursday with her current relationship as she greeted her boyfriend on his birthday through an Instagram post.

Pressman, 27, shared a photo of her kissing her partner, whom she tagged as Jon Semira, while on a boat ride in Amsterdam.

In the photo’s caption, she wrote: “HBD [heart emoji] so happy with where life has brought us, so lucky to have you calm my anxieties, hold my hand, push me to become better & empower me.”

“I promise to keep giving u surprise cheek kisses at random times of the day even when u think i'm kulit,” Pressman added.

According to Semira’s public Instagram account with Pressman tagged, he is part of or is heading numerous entrepreneurial ventures, including the pet accessories store Presidential Paws and the personal care line Wavee Works.

Pressman’s birthday greeting for Semira also marked the first time she made a direct indication of being romantically involved.

Pressman, 27, was last linked to her “FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano” leading man Coco Martin. She, however, has consistently denied having romantic ties with the actor over the years they were paired on screen.

SPORTS

GINEBRA DEF. PHOENIX, 100-93 (PBA 2022) JULY 21

Barangay Ginebra (8-3) defeated Phoenix Super LPG (3-8), 100-93 to grab their 8th win in the 2022 PBA Philippine Cup on Thursday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.

Japeth Aguilar led the GinKings in scoring with 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting along with 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and a block. Scottie Thompson with a solid double-double of 14 points, game-high 14 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block.

The Scores:

GINEBRA 100 – J. Aguilar 17, Thompson 14, Mariano 13, Pringle 10, Pinto 10, Chan 9, Standhardinger 8, Onwubere 7, Tenorio 4, Caperal 4, David 4.

PHOENIX 93 – Perkins 17, Anthony 16, Tio 13, Muyang 12, Serrano 7, Melecio 6, Jazul 5, Porter 5, Garcia 5, Lalata 3, Rios 2, Robles 2.

Quarters: 22-14, 47-45, 76-66, 100-93.

MERALCO ENDS ELIMS ON RIGHT NOTE, SENDS TERRAFIRMA HOME WINLESS

The Scores:

Meralco 105 – Newsome 19, Black 16, Almazan 15, Maliksi 14, Quinto 13, Caram 7, Pascual 6, Hodge 4, Banchero 4, Jose 4, Hugnatan 2, Pasaol 2, Belo 0, Johnson 0, Baclao 0

Terrafirma 89 – Ramos 24, Camson 14, Cahilig 13, Munzon 13, Gabayni 9, Calvo 5, Gomez de Liano 5, Tumalip 2, Javelona 2, Mina 2, Balagasay 0

Quarterscores: 27-16, 52-41, 73-65, 105-89

INDICATORS

FOREX $1 = P 56.35

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. - Melody Beattie