US LAWMAKERS HOPE MARCOS GOV'T WILL UPHOLD HUMAN RIGHTS DURING VISIT TO PHILIPPINES

MANILA — Lawmakers from the United States were inspired by the courage of Filipinos who faced repression under the Duterte administration, and expressed hope that the new government would set a new tone for the importance of human rights and press freedom, an American senator said.

A US congressional delegation led by Senator Edward Markey met with President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., other government officials, former lawmaker Leila de Lima and journalists this week.

According to a release from Markey’s office, the delegation raised concerns about the human rights record of the previous government, and expressed hope that Marcos will turn the page by upholding the fundamental human rights during their meeting with the new president.

“I am pleased to lead the first US Congressional delegation to meet with President Marcos Jr. and look forward to the promise of a renewed partnership with the newly elected government,” Markey said.

“I expressed to President Marcos my hope that he will turn the page on the human rights abuses of the previous government.

Markey was banned from visiting the Philippines by President Rodrigo Duterte after calling for De Lima’s release and raising alarm over human rights violations under his watch.

Markey also said the members of the delegation were “inspired by the courage and resilience of Senator De Lima, the press, and every day Filipinos in the face of persecution and repression under the previous government.”

US lawmakers were allowed to visit De Lima at her detention facility in Camp Crame in Quezon City on Friday. The visit, which lasted for more than an hour, came a day after they were barred by police for lacking a court order.

Markey renewed his call to drop all charges against De Lima and release her from detention. De Lima has been in jail since Feb. 24, 2017 on drug charges.

De Lima has two pending cases. She had been acquitted in one case.

Markey also stressed that a “free and independent press is the bedrock of any democracy.” The delegation met with journalists from Rappler.

PHILIPPINES RECORDS 2 NEW MONKEYPOX CASES, TOTAL AT 3

MANILA — The Philippines has recorded 2 additional cases of monkeypox, the Department of Health said Friday, raising the country's total number of infections to 3.

The new cases have recent travel histories to nations with confirmed monkeypox cases, DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said.

They are not linked to the Philippines' first monkeypox case, which was reported on July 29, and there is no evidence of local transmission of the disease.

"Based on our initial analysis, mukhang itong mga kasong na-detect natin are still imported. 'Yung kaso ay nanggaling sa ibang bansa but we are continuously evaluating and we are doing our surveillance," Vergeire said in a press briefing.

The first confirmed monkeypox case, which is linked to travel, has since recovered and was discharged from isolation on Aug. 6. All 10 close contacts have also completed quarantine without exhibiting symptoms of the disease.

The country's second monkeypox case is a 34-year-old Filipino national who was confirmed positive on Aug. 18. To date, no close contact has been identified, the DOH said.

The patient is ready to be discharged and only finishing a 21-day isolation at home, Vergeire said.

Meanwhile, the third confirmed monkeypox case involves a 29-year-old Filipino national, who tested positive for the disease Friday, Aug. 19.

The patient is in quarantine at a health facility. Some 17 close contacts have been identified and details of their health status are being verified as contact-tracing is underway.

MARCOS TO TRAVEL TO INDONESIA, SINGAPORE IN SEPTEMBER

MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. will travel to Indonesia and Singapore for his first foreign trips as the country's leader in September, Malacañang announced on Friday.

Marcos will be in Indonesia from Sept. 4 to 6, and in Singapore from Sept. 6 to 7, Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said, keeping with the tradition among Philippine presidents of choosing a Southeast Asian nation for their first foreign trips.

Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez earlier said Singapore was considered because it also extended a invitation for Marcos to do a state visit.

The planned visit will precede Marcos' possible trip to the United States for his attendance at the United Nations' General Assembly (UNGA), Romualdez said.

But Cruz-Angeles said that Marcos' visit to the US "is still being worked out although nagsabi ang Pangulo (the President said) that he will be going."

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is already fixing Marcos' schedule, according to Romualdez, based on his recent meeting with Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo.

PASCUAL: DTI HELPING GOVERNMENT PARTNERS MONITOR SUGAR HOARDING

The Department of Trade and Industry has also been keeping tabs on the current sugar shortage in the country, its head said Friday.

Sec. Alfredo Pascual told reporters he has received a report of operations against suspected sugar hoarders and illegal importers but said it is being evaluated by his office.

Pascual clarified the DTI is only playing a supporting role in government efforts to address the issue.

"Chine-check namin lang. Tinutulungan namin ang other partners in government to check kung mayroong hoarding. Di ba ‘yon lang naman ang titingnan diyan," Pascual said during an interview at an aviation company’s event in Pasay City.

He declined to say if there will be further actions taken against those who had been raided in previous days.

The Department of Agriculture and the Sugar Regulatory Administration are the agencies in charge of managing supply and regulating the price of sugar.

However, the DTI has been constantly monitoring sugar prices, Pascual said.

SUPERMARKETS SELL SUGAR AT P70/KILO

The country’s leading supermarkets have agreed to bring down the price of sugar to as low as P70 per kilogram, Malacañang announced Friday.

This came about after Executive Secretary Victor Rodriguez, upon the instruction of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., held a series of talks with owners of Robinsons Supermarket, SM Supermarket, and Puregold Supermarket, the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) said.

The OPS said the supermarket owners heeded Marcos’ appeal to lower the price of sugar to P70.

“They all agreed to the suggested retail price of P70 per kilo of sugar, from a high of P90 to P110 per kilo,” it said in a statement.

The government is also determining if the country’s sugar shortage was “artificial,” Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said on Friday.

Authorities are also conducting inspections in Deparo, Caloocan; Balut, Tondo and San Nicolas in Manila; Rosales, Pangasinan; San Fernando, Pampanga; Ibaan, Batangas; and in Davao.

BIR TAPS BIG ONLINE SELLERS, MONITORS SOCMED FOR DATA

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) will only go after big-time online sellers despite the prodding of Senator Raffy Tulfo to run after smugglers instead of small social-media influencers and vendors.

BIR Commissioner Lilia Guillermo said Friday the agency will only run after the big sellers, and that she has sought the help of e-commerce giants Shopee and Lazada.

Though she did not give details of what makes a large online seller, Guillermo said at the sidelines of the SGV Tax Symposium in Makati City that social media has a lot of data the BIR can collect, including the number of likes and followers for an online store.

The bureau will again begin to monitor those who sell online, particularly on shopping apps, and the BIR will hold a summit with Shopee and Lazada in September to discuss a possible partnership to determine the sales of sellers.

She said the BIR may be able to tap into the online marketplaces’ systems.

“As of now, they’re hesitant to share data with us, citing privacy laws. But I think there’s no privacy law that’s being violated,” said Guillermo.

The BIR will embark on digitalization efforts and has already trained some statisticians to become data scientists or cybersecurity experts, the bureau chief added.

DENR TO ROLL OUT SYSTEMS TO BOOST DATA SHARING, ACCOUNTING OF NATURAL RESOURCES

MANILA — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources said it will create two information systems to enhance the data sharing and the accounting of the country’s natural resources.

In a release Saturday, the DENR stressed the need for a geospatial system to manage its readily available data. The database can be useful in the implementation of government projects and collaboration with other agencies.

Environment Undersecretary Jonas Leones said the system will be helpful in the government’s reforestation program, identification of geohazard risks, conduct of mining operations, monitoring of industry compliances with environmental regulations, land administration, and supervision of protected areas.

“If we can establish this database where all the information is already there, decision-making will be easier and we will be able to discern overlaps in our programs,” Leones said.

The official also said there is a need to conduct a valuation of the natural resources in the Philippines. The Philippines is one of the mega-biodiverse countries in the world, but it is tagged as a biodiversity hotspot with at least 700 threatened species.

“The prime concern of our Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga is that we need to account and put value to our natural resources,” Leones said.

“If we can do that, we will be able to identify our priority initiatives with these resources,” he added.

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DOH SEEING RISE IN COVID-19 DEATHS; MORE THAN HALF UNVACCINATED

MANILA — The Philippines is experiencing a rise in the number of COVID-19-related deaths in the past weeks, the Department of Health (DOH) said Friday.

The country was only averaging 1 death per day in June, DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a press briefing.

"There is this observed increase in the number of deaths over these past months," she told reporters.

"For July, we have averaged 8 deaths per day. Sa mid-August, ganun din ang nakikita natin. Nine deaths per day naman," she said.

More than half or 63 percent of the fatalities, Vergeire said, were unvaccinated.

"Gusto lang natin magpaalala sa ating mga kababayan, mas tumataas 'yung probabilidad na kayo ay magka-severe infection at maaaring mamatay kung hindi tayo magpabakuna," she added.

Since the pandemic began, over 61,000 have succumbed to the disease, data from DOH as of Aug. 18 showed.

DEPED TO GIVE ONE-TIME P5,000 CASH AID TO TEACHERS ON AUGUST 22

The Department of Education (DepEd) will disburse a one-time cash allowance of P5,000 to all teachers during the opening of classes on Aug. 22.

DepEd spokesman Michael Poa said at a press conference that the allowance was aimed at helping teachers return to school.

“All teachers will get that. I think it will be downloaded to school divisions. I’ll confirm but everyone will get their P5,000 cash allowance by August 22,” Poa said.

Aside from the allowance, Poa said schools nationwide would receive supplemental Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) worth P3.7 billion in total to prepare for the incoming face-to-face classes.

“This is to ensure that they have the complete tools), especially for the minimum health and safety standards to be observed like alcohol.

It’s not specifically to ask them to buy face masks. That’s not for it. It’s really for the MOOE. We’re giving them the flexibility to buy whatever they need,” he said.

ANTIPOLO SCHOOL CLOSES 2 DAYS BEFORE CLASSES OPEN

Another private school, Georgia International Academy in Antipolo City, Rizal on Friday announced its closure through a Zoom meeting with parents, a few days before the school year 2022-23 opens on Monday.

Officials of the school, which has branches in Cagayan de Oro and Iloilo cities, promised to refund the tuition paid by parents, GMA News reported on Twitter. The reasons for the school’s closure were still unclear as of press time.

This comes on the heels of the closure of Colegio de San Lorenzo in Quezon City, which announced Monday it was closing shop, to the chagrin of its students, their parents, and the faculty.

On Friday, QC Mayor Joy Belmonte called the attention of Colegio de San Lorenzo school management to stop requiring parents to sign a waiver before getting a refund of their student’s tuition and other payments.

AUTHORITIES SIEZE P144.3 MILLION WORTH OF SHABU AT NAIA

MANILA – Authorities on Saturday said they seized P144.3 million worth of shabu at Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Pasay City.

In a statement, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), the Bureau of Customs Port of NAIA, and the NAIA Inter-agency Anti-Illegal Drugs Task Group intercepted on Friday some 21.215 kilograms of shabu from a South African passenger, who was subsequently arrested.

The suspect's movement was jointly monitored by the BOC, the NAIA and the PDEA using "advance intelligence information."

He arrived from Doha, Qatar and South Africa was his port of origin, authorities said.

The foreigner was placed under custodial investigation by the PDEA.

He will go through an inquest proceeding for violation of the Comprehensive Drug Act and the Customs Modernization And Tariff Act.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

'WHY NOT?': JOSHUA GARCIA ON BELLA POARCH'S CRUSH ON HIM

MANILA — Kapamilya actor Joshua Garcia reacted to the admission of Filipina-American singer Bella Poarch’s crush on him.

In the Thursday episode of "TV Patrol," Joshua said he is happy that the TikTok star admires him.

“She posted me before sa TikTok account niya then nag-comment ako don. Nakakataba lang din ng puso. Masaya ako na nagsu-support siya o humahanga sa akin,” Joshua said.

When asked by entertainment reporter MJ Felipe if he also has a crush on Bella, Joshua said, "Tulad ng sabi ko, MJ, why not?"

He also confirmed that they have been exchanging messages online.

"Yes, nagkakausap kami. Parang June yata magkikita kami pero hindi natuloy 'yung Star Magic tour ko. Hindi ako nakasama. Tapos parang July yata pupunta siya pero hindi rin natuloy,” he said.

“Hindi natin alam. Pero we're very good friends. Magkaibigan kami ngayon. Yes, hindi lang 'Hi, hello.' May mga konting katanungan. Hinanap ko pa 'yung mga English ko pero sabi niya nagta-Tagalog naman daw siya," he added.

He also has a message for Bella.

"Thank you. Sana makita kita. Magpakita ka sa akin," he said.

SPORTS

PHILIPPINES 7TH AMONG TOP EARNING COUNTRIES IN ESPORTS, STUDY SAYS

MANILA — In a recent study that focused on esports earnings, the Philippines ranked as the seventh best-performing country in esports earnings.

In a study commissioned by Best Casino Sites, an esports player's average earnings were compiled to look at the highest performing countries in esports.

The Philippines at 7th, recorded an average esports earning per player of $178,045.60 (roughly P9964767.12) with most of the earnings coming from esports title Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.

MLBB in recent years has taken over the esports scene in the country. It is also a game title that sees Filipinos rule in the world stage.

Last year, the Philippines won both international tournaments for MLBB: the 2021 Mobile Legends Southeast Asia Cup and the M3 World Championship, with both tournaments having an all Filipino Grand Finals.

The total earnings of all Philippine teams (champion and runner-up) from both tournaments amounted to $520,000 (approximately P29,103,100.00).

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League Philippines is also one of the pioneer esports tournaments in the country.

The country's esports scene has seen a boom in recent years following the continuous rise of esports as a industry here and abroad.

Jordan takes the number one spot with an average esports earning per player at $737,125.30 with most of the earnings coming from title Dota2.

Fellow Southeast Asian country Malaysia, meanwhile, comes in second with an average player earning $568,141.06, with most earnings also coming from Dota2.

Also in the Top 10 are Moldova, Estonia, Pakistan, North Macedonia, Serbia, Mexico and Vietnam.

TROPANG GIGA, BEERMEN WAGE WAR IN 'TOSS-UP' OF A PBA FINALS

MANILA – The battle line is drawn as TNT and San Miguel Beer, two high-powered squads brimming with talent and resolve, get set to dispute the PBA’s crown jewel.

On one side stand the Tropang Giga, flag bearers of the PLDT and MVP Group who are out to extend their reign in the pro league's most prestigious tournament.

On the other are the Beermen, the banner holders for the San Miguel Corp. (SMC) conglomerate who are on a spirited quest to return to the top after a three-year dry spell.

The protagonists themselves see this explosive best-of-seven confrontation for the PBA Philippine Cup that kicks off Sunday as “too close to call.”

“It’s 50/50," TNT coach Reyes said during Friday’s pre-finals presscon at Novotel. "The important thing for us is to stay patient and understand how difficult this series is going to be. We know how strong the other team is and we just need to be prepared.”

He was echoed by Austria.

“Both teams are really competitive and are really preparing very hard for this series. We’ll see what happens,” the SMB mentor said.

The two multi-titled tacticians have at their disposal some of the best players in the pro league today.

Jayson Castro, Mikey Williams, RR Pogoy, Troy Rosario, Poy Erram and Kelly Williams spearhead Reyes’ TNT crew. June Mar Fajardo, CJ Perez, Chris Ross, Marcio Lassiter, Jericho Cruz and Vic Manuel banner Austria’s SMB bunch. 

“If you take a look at both sides, it’s very evenly-matched. San Miguel is not only June Mar. The strength of San Miguel is their depth. We can’t just focus on June Mar because the other guys in the perimeter will kill you. Then there’s Rodney (Brondial), Vic and Mo as well. You can see the magnitude of our problem,” said Reyes. “But I have great faith in my team. This team simply doesn’t quit, they fight until the end.”

For Austria, stopping TNT spitfire Mikey Williams alone won't do it. "Mikey is not TNT; all of their players present a threat. They have a lot of players who can score a lot."

San Miguel is embarking on this mission with essentially a new-look lineup. Arwind Santos and Alex Cabagnot, two key elements of their All-Filipino five-peat and last championship in the Commissioner’s Cup in 2019, are already gone.

“There’s a lot of similarities and there’s a lot of differences, too (between the old champion team and the current batch). We’ve all evolved. The Death Five was at the time of pre-pandemic and it’s like post-pandemic now. At the end of the day, we want to win four more games. The next seven games are going to be tough. But we’re ready for the challenge,” said Ross.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

If you want to test your memory, try to recall what you were worrying about one year ago today. - E. Joseph Cossman