CHINA DENIES PLACING PHILIPPINES ON TOURISM BLACKLIST

MANILA — China denied Tuesday that the Philippines is on its tourism blacklist after Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri claimed that Beijing has restricted Chinese tourists from coming to Manila due to the continued operation of offshore gaming firms.

“The report of 'tourist blacklist' is misinformation. China has not placed the Philippines on its blacklist for tourism,” the Chinese Embassy in Manila said in a statement.

The categorical denial came hours after Zubiri claimed “that the Philippines now is part of a blacklist of tourist sites,” citing a conversation with Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian during their meeting at the Senate on Monday.

Speaking to DZBB on Wednesday, Zubiri maintained that Huang mentioned of a blacklist during their meeting with Sens. Sherwin Gatchalian and Robinhood Padilla.

"'Di naman ako nagsisinungaling kasi ang dami namin sa room," Zubiri said. "Siguro, nagkamali siguro iyong ambassador. Baka hindi niya ibig sabihin na blacklisted tayo ngayon, baka posibleng ma-blacklist tayo."

He added, "Hindi gawa-gawa po namin 'yan. 'Yang salitang blacklist ay galing po sa ating ambassador. Bakit niya babanggitin ang word na blacklist kung wala pong katotohanan na maba-blacklist tayo kung magtutuloy ang POGO sa ating bansa?"

Huang posted on his Facebook page that among the issues he discussed with Zubiri, Gatchalian and Padilla was cracking down on crimes related to Philippine offshore gaming operators.

Hours later, the Chinese Embassy came out with a statement neither denying or confirming Zubiri’s claim, but instead said that “we expect more Chinese tourists to come to this country after the pandemic.”

Gatchalian told reporters separately that the blacklisting of the Philippines is not yet in effect and that Huang only warned that the continued operation of POGOs could negatively affect tourism in the country.

China’s culture and tourism ministry has referred to the existence of a tourism blacklist at least three times since it was first announced in August 2020. This was when it said it will impose travel restrictions on specific areas that were “endangering the personal and property safety of Chinese citizens.” This blacklist has yet to be made public.

China is among the top sources of tourist arrivals to the Philippines, with Chinese residents accounting for 1,257,962 arrivals in 2019, according to data from the Department of Tourism. Arrivals from China dropped to 22,236 this year.

PBBM ORDERS UPGRADE OF MARITIME, AVIATION SECTORS TO BOOST TOURISM

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday ordered the creation of a Maritime Industry Development Plan to develop and broaden the country’s maritime sector and directed the Department of Transportation to rehabilitate the country’s ports.

This was as the President and his Cabinet met to discuss the administration’s plans to develop and upgrade the maritime and aviation industries.

In a Facebook post, the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) said the improvement of the two sectors topped the agenda of the 11th Cabinet meeting convened by Mr. Marcos at Malacañang Palace on Tuesday morning.

The President “ordered the crafting of a maritime industry development plan to improve the maritime sector,” Press Secretary officer-in-charge Cheloy Garafil said in a briefing.

Mr. Marcos also emphasized the need to upgrade the country’s ports to accommodate more cruise ships and boost the tourism industry.

Garafil said the President directed the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) to address the challenges to the quality of maritime education and training in the country.

She said MARINA was told to go after schools that are not complying with educational quality standards, based on international requirements and guidelines.

“(The President) also wants the issue on ship boarding requirements of maritime students to be addressed),” Garafil said.

“The President said the schools’ competency and training programs must be improved to build the students’ advantage and put them to international standards to maintain the country’s state as number one supplier of seafarers worldwide,” she added.

Meanwhile, Mr. Marcos also ordered the DOTr to upgrade the Manila airport to accommodate more flights and passengers, Garafil said.

“The transportation sector is one of the President’s priority sectors, that’s why he asked the DOTr to present their programs for maritime and aviation sector to ensure our economic recovery and create more jobs for our fellow countrymen,” she said.

ZUBIRI VOWS 6 PRIORITY BILLS FOR CONGRESS OKAY

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said Congress would pass six laws before the end of the year.

During the first Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) meeting in Malacanang, Zubiri said they had agreed to pass the following measures by the end of 2022:

1. Medical Reserve Corps;

2. National Disease Prevention Management Authority/Center for Disease Prevention and Control;

3. Virology Science and Technology Institute of the Philippines;

4. Mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps and National Service Training Program;

5. Amendments to the Build-Operate-Transfer Law; and

6. Condonation of Unpaid Amortization and Interest on Loans of Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries.

Zubiri said they presented a total of 26 priority bills, 23 of which are measures mentioned by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during his first State of the Nation Address (SONA).

Describing the meeting as a success, Zubiri said this will allow the legislative and executive departments to synchronize their priority measures.

APPELLATE COURT UPHOLDS CONVICTION OF RESSA, REPORTER FOR CYBER LIBEL

The Court of Appeals has turned down the appeal by Nobel laureate and Rappler CEO Maria Ressa and former Rappler reporter Reynaldo Santos Jr. seeking reconsideration of their cyber libel conviction.

In a 16-page resolution dated October 10, the CA’s Fourth Division said the motion for reconsideration is “unmeritorious” as the accused-appellants did not present new arguments nor evidence to warrant a reversal of its decision.

The appellate court had upheld the June 15, 2020 decision of the Manila Regional Trial Court convicting Ressa and Santos of cyber libel filed by businessman Wilfredo Keng.

“A careful and meticulous review of the motion for reconsideration reveals that the matter raised by the accused-appellants had already been exhaustively resolved and discussed in the Assailed Decision,” stated the resolution penned by Associate Justice Roberto Quiroz.

CA Associate Justices Ramon Bato Jr. and Germano Francisco Legaspi concurred with the ruling.

Ressa will appeal the conviction for cyber libel in the country’s highest court, her lawyer said Tuesday, as the veteran journalist battles to stay out of prison.

The move was “disappointing,” her lawyer Ted Te said.

Ressa, 59, and her former colleague Santos Jr face lengthy jail sentences for the conviction, which her news website Rappler has vowed to fight.

PH HAS 1 PCT CONVICTION RATE FOR POGO-RELATED CRIMES: GATCHALIAN

MANILA – The Philippines only has a 1 percent conviction rate for crimes connected to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said Wednesday.

The lawmaker made the statement as he reiterated his objection to allowing POGOs to continue operating in the country.

“Natuklasan rin namin sa loob ng 4 na taon, 99 na cases ang naimbestigahan ng pulis, pero 1 lang ang nakulong,” he told TeleRadyo.

“Kaya malakas ang loob ng mga criminal na konektado sa POGO kasi alam nila makakawala sila. So ang conviction rate ng mga POGO-related crimes is only 1 percent, so napakababa.”

Gatchalian noted that POGO-related crimes continued to persist in the country, even as their earnings dropped in the last two years.

The senator also noted that POGOs are an unstable source of income for the Philippines.

Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian earlier told senators that the country might be placed on their tourism blacklist amid the continued operations of POGOs in the Philippines.

“Sinabi ng China na bawal, hindi pwedeng tumaya ang aming mamamayan dyan, makukulong sila. Itong negosyo na ‘to unstable dahil ito na nga nangyayari at nakikita nating blacklisting.”

“So ang ibig sabihin yung kita natin na nanggagaling sa China maaapektuhan. At pag naapektuhan yung kita natin maapektuhan rin ang mga kababayan natin na nagtatrabaho sa POGO,” he explained.

10K COPS TO BE DEPLOYED FOR UNDAS

MANILA — The National Capital Region Police Office will field at least 10,000 police officers to secure public and private cemeteries during the observance of All Saints’ Day or “Undas,” the NCRPO said yesterday.

“This does not include force multipliers like tanods, security guards and civic volunteer organizations,” NCRPO spokesperson Lt. Col. Dexter Versola said in a message on Viber.

The full deployment of police officers will occur a day before Undas, when thousands of people are expected to visit their deceased loved ones in cemeteries, to ensure that all security measures are in place.

In Quezon City, police district director Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III said they will deploy at least 4,000 police officers for Undas.

Versola said they will also set up seven rolling police outposts at cemeteries.

“You can put them where they are needed, for police officers to monitor the influx of people during Undas,” he told reporters during the unveiling of a rolling outpost in Parañaque.

Apart from cemeteries, the NCRPO will also secure other places of convergence such as churches, malls and public transportation terminals.

Police reminded the public to observe COVID-19 protocols such as wearing face masks in crowded places.

THE REST

========

DOH REPORTS 1,554 NEW COVID-19 CASES, 32 NEW DEATHS

MANILA - The Philippines recorded 1,554 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, bringing the country's total to 3,971,455 cases.

This is the 10th straight day that the number of new cases were below 3,000, ABS-CBN News Data Analytics Head Edson Guido said.

Thirty-two deaths were also reported, raising the total to 63,329.

The number of active cases is now at 25,004, the lowest since Sept. 15, Guido also said.

The total number of those who recovered from the illness has reached 3,883,122.

Of the newly reported infections, 575 are from Metro Manila.

From Oct. 3 to 9, an average of 2,048 daily infections were recorded in the country, which is 10 percent lower compared to the previous week.

Of the new infections that week, five or 0.04 percent were severe and critical.

As of Sunday, 669 or 9.2 percent of COVID-19 admissions were in severe and critical condition, the DOH said.

ATENEO OVERTAKES UP AS TOP PHILIPPINE UNIVERSITY IN GLOBAL RANKING

MANILA — Jesuit-run Ateneo de Manila University is the top Philippine university as it surged in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, overtaking the state-run University of the Philippines.

From being excluded in the rankings last year, Ateneo leapt to the 351-400 bracket while UP, the country’s premiere state university, sank to the 801-1000 bracket from the 601-800 bracket last year.

THE gave Ateneo an overall score of 45.0-46.9, which is based on teaching, research, citations, international outlook and industry income. UP, meanwhile, got an overall score of 29.8-33.9.

Two other Philippine universities made it into the rankings, namely De La Salle University and Mapúa University which placed in the 1201-1500 and 1501+ brackets with scores of 18.4-24.3 and 10.4-18.3, respectively.

Cebu Technological University, Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology, University of Santo Tomas, University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines, Tarlac Agricultural University and Visayas State University submitted data for inclusion in the rankings, but did not make the cut.

Universities excluded from the rankings are those that were unable to publish at least 1,000 papers in reputable publications within a five-year period, those that only teach in a single subject area and those that do not teach undergraduates.

University of Oxford topped the THE rankings globally, while China’s Tsinghua University was the top Asian university and the National University of Singapore was the top Southeast Asian university.

PARAÑAQUE A FINALIST IN PCCI’S SEARCH FOR BUSINESS-FRIENDLY LGUS

MANILA — Parañaque Mayor Eric Olivarez expressed his gratitude yesterday to the officers and members of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) for choosing the city as one of the finalists in this year’s search for the Most Business-Friendly Local Government Units or LGUs.

The PCCI award aims to assess and recognize LGUs efforts to further improve ease of doing business and strengthen public-private sector collaboration through inclusive growth and sustainable development.

In 2019, the PCCI, the biggest aggrupation of business organizations in the country, cited Parañaque as the Most Business-Friendly LGU for Project Express Lane Operation 2.

The project – which involves the city government’s continuing digitization of its systems, particularly those involving applications for business and work permits has enhanced investor confidence and improved service delivery, the PCCI said.

The city was again recognized by the PCCI as among the 2020 Most Business-Friendly LGUs in Metro Manila during the 46th Philippine Business Conference and Expo.

This is Parañaque’s fifth consecutive national finalist admission from the PCCI.

PULSE ASIA: 9 IN 10 PINOYS SEE FAKE INFO A ‘PROBLEM’

At least 9 in 10 Filipinos said they have read or watched fake political news, and believe that the proliferation of false information is a problem, results of a Pulse Asia survey released Tuesday showed.

The survey, conducted from September 17 to 21, also showed that 26 percent of the respondents have encountered false news about government and politics a few times a week, 25 percent a few times a month, and 21 percent at least once a day.

This was more pronounced in Metro Manila at 87 percent and the rest of Luzon at 92 percent, compared to respondents from the Visayas and Mindanao at 77 and 81 percent, respectively.

“A tenth of Filipino adults (10 percent) are not aware of untrue news regarding government and politics,” Pulse Asia said.

At least 58 percent of the respondents said social media influencers, bloggers, and/or vloggers are top peddlers of fake political news, followed by journalists at 40 percent, national level politicians at 37 percent, local politicians at 30 percent, civic leaders/NGO leaders at 15 percent, businessmen at 11 percent and academics, professors or teachers at 4 percent.

Respondents also identified either social media or the internet (68 percent) and television (67%) as their top sources of fake information about government and politics.

The survey was conducted using face-to-face interviews based on a sample of 1,200 respondents 18 years old and above, with a ± 2.8 percent error margin at a 95 percent confidence level.

VHONG REFUSES TO ENTER PLEA IN RAPE CASE

MANILA — Host-comedian Vhong Navarro refused to enter a plea during his arraignment for rape yesterday.

Navarro is on trial for rape before the Taguig City Regional Trial Court Branch 69 after model Deniece Cornejo accused him of sexually assaulting her in 2014.

In an interview with reporters, Navarro’s legal counsel Alma Mallonga said they have a petition to review the case pending before the Supreme Court.

“For the reasons stated in our petition for review which I will not discuss, we thought it more prudent not to allow Mr. Vhong Navarro to enter a plea,” Mallonga said.

“Under the rules, therefore, the court entered a plea of not guilty. That is what happened,” she added.

Navarro surrendered to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) last month after the Taguig court released a warrant of arrest for a case of acts of lasciviousness.

After Navarro posted P36,000 bail, an arrest warrant for rape was served that same day. Navarro has been under the custody of the NBI since then.

Yesterday, Navarro did not appear at the arraignment proceedings personally and instead attended by videoconferencing.

Cornejo, on the other hand, did not attend the arraignment in person after the court did not allow her to attend via videoconferencing.

TROPICAL DEPRESSION MAYMAY LIKELY TO WEAKEN ON WAY TO PH

MANILA—Tropical depression Maymay is expected to weaken as it makes its landfall in Central Luzon, the state weather bureau said early Wednesday.

In its 5 a.m. weather bulletin, PAGASA said Maymay was last sighted at 305 km east of Baler, Aurora packing maximum sustained winds of 45 kph near the center, with 55 kph gusts.

The agency projected Maymay will continue to move slowly westward or remain almost stationary before it moves towards the eastern coast of Central Luzon on Wednesday.

"Maymay is forecast to weaken into a low pressure area as it approaches the landmass," it said.

The agency raised Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal no. 1 over the following areas, where 39 to 61 kph winds and intermittent rains are expected within 36 hours:

Isabela

Quirino

Nueva Vizcaya

Aurora

Nueva Ecija

Extreme northern portion of Quezon (General Nakar, Infanta) including Pollilo Islands

PAGASA said that on Wednesday, moderate to heavy with at times intense rains will fall in Cagayan and Isabela while light to moderate with at times heavy rains will be experienced in Aurora.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

VICE GANDA DEFENDS IVANA ALAWI'S APPEARANCE IN MMFF MOVIE TRAILER

MANILA — Kapamilya host Vice Ganda responded to criticism over Ivana Alawi's appearance in their upcoming movie "Partners In Crime.”

Social media users criticized Ivana's look in the trailer released last Monday.

In his Twitter account, Vice defended Ivana's look, saying there's nothing wrong for a curly hair girl to straighten her hair.

"Anung mali pag ginusto at pinili ng isang taong kulot ang buhok na ipaunat ang buhok nya? Walang mali sa kulot. At wala ring mali kung gusto nyang ipaunat ito. Ang mali ay ang baluktot ang pananaw mo at nagpapanggap kang tuwid! Ang mali ay ung ang nega nega nega mo!!!!!" Vice said.

Vice also replied to a Twitter user saying, "As a curly-haired morena, I pray na walang part sa movie na gawing katatawanan ang looks ni Ivana. Otherwise, it's gonna be offensive for me. And disappointing towards Vice Ganda."

"Makakaasa kang walang ganun," Vice replied.

He also replied to a post saying, "The point kasi meme is Ivana having curly hair then may makeover scene tapos magiging straight yung hair nya. Also, morena pa skin nya. For sure after the makeover magiging fairer yung complexion nya portraying na mas maganda yung may fair skin and straight hair."

“Have u watched the film yet? Girl 4 sequences pa lang nashu-shoot namin. Don’t stress urself," he replied.

An entry to the Metro Manila Film Festival this December, "Partners In Crime" marks the Star Cinema's return to the big screen. The film is directed by hitmaker Cathy Garcia Molina.

INDICATORS

FOREX $1 = P 58.86

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Do not weep; do not wax indignant. Understand. - Baruch Spinoza