CA APPROVES NEW PH AMBASSADOR TO CHINA AND CONFIRMS APPOINTMENT OF 12 OTHER ENVOYS

MANILA - The Commission on Appointments (CA) on Wednesday confirmed the nomination of Jaime Florcruz, a veteran journalist who spent decades in Beijing, as the Philippines' new ambassador to China.

Florcruz, 71, who was appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. on Oct. 19, hurdled the CA committee on foreign affairs headed by Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, and then later by the entire commission.

"I believe that we should continue our engagement with China, we should pursue the independent... policy that President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. elaborated, saying that in the community of countries, (we) should remain, continue to be friends for all and enemy of none," he said during the committee hearing.

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri told Florcruz during the committee hearing that his new job is "one of the very sensitive positions" because "we are having daily intrusions by our big neighbor... in our particular area of the West Philippine Sea", which forms part of the South China Sea.

The CA also confirmed 12 other ambassadors and 47 foreign service officers, including former DFA secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. as ambassador to the United Kingdom and Evangelina Lourdes Arroyo-Bernas as ambassador to Austria.

Also included were the appointments of Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla, Information and Communications Secretary Ivan John Uy, Science Secretary Renato Solidum and 60 officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

The deliberations of the CA, composed of delegates from the Senate and the House of Representatives, took several hours due to the number of appointees and numerous questions from lawmakers.

The hearings were disrupted for over an hour due to the intensity 3 earthquake in Metro Manila that forced the evacuation of the Senate building in Pasay City.

MARCOS PUSHES STRONGER ALLIANCE WITH LGUS

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos is pushing for stronger collaboration between the national and local governments to address the challenges affecting the public.

During a meeting with officials of the local government of Manila yesterday, Marcos said he is working closely with LGUs to address several problems, including the soaring prices of basic commodities.

He said LGUs face common issues such as water management and traffic congestion.

“That’s why it is important that the local and national governments work closely so that we can maximize our efforts to alleviate the problems that our people face: the rising cost of food and fuel,” Marcos said.

Marcos said the national government could hardly reach the grassroots without the help of local officials.

“Without these barangay-level measures, people would not feel anything even if the plans and programs are good. That’s why we need the help of local governments to guide us,” he said.

SSS, GSIS OUT OF WEALTH FUND

Speaker Martin G. Romualdez and other leaders of the House of Representatives on Wednesday decided to remove the Social Security System (SSS) and Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) as contributors to the proposed Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF).

Marikina City Rep. Stella Quimbo, a co-author of Romualdez of the MIF bill, said lawmakers made the decision to cut out P175 billion in proposed contributions from the state welfare funds after meeting with the administration’s economic managers, who drafted the measure.

Without the proposed P125-billion allocation from GSIS and P50 billion from SSS, the Maharlika Fund would get a P50-billion contribution from Land Bank of the Philippines, P25 billion from the Development Bank of the Philippines, and P25 billion from the National Treasury.

“Based on our assessment of the proposed changes put forward by the economic team, we are amending the bill to change the fund sources, removing GSIS and SSS as fund contributors and instead utilize profits of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas,” Quimbo said in a press conference last night.

Upon the Speaker’s instructions, Quimbo said the changes would be introduced into the bill by the committee on appropriations in a meeting on Friday.

“It is good that we made a series of consultations about the proposal; it validated the misgivings of our countrymen, especially our industrious Filipino workers who give their contributions to the GSIS and SSS monthly,” she added.

Quimbo pointed out that the purpose of the proposed Philippine sovereign wealth fund “is to become an investment vehicle where existing surplus capital of the government can grow and reap benefits.”

As the bill goes through the deliberation and approval process, Quimbo said the House “will put in place safety nets to ensure the success of the project.”

“We should ensure that the law creating the Maharlika Fund will have the pertinent provisions that would secure the public’s funds,” Quimbo said.

PBBM VOWS TO USE PUBLIC MONEY WISELY FOR PEOPLE’S BENEFIT

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday assured the public that his government would use public money wisely, saying this is his policy.

In a statement, Malacañang said taxpayers’ money will be used on projects that will benefit the Filipino people, just as the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas presented new notes and coin series bearing Mr. Marcos’ signature.

“Be assured that it is the policy of this administration, to ensure that every peso and every centavo that the government spends in its programs and projects will be to the benefit of all Filipinos,” the President said.

“So, I convey my full support to all our BSP officials and their employees. I also have complete confidence in your capability, competence, and integrity,” he added.

Mr. Marcos also urged the Central Bank and relevant agencies to ramp up its fight against illegal activities and work on bank reforms “to guarantee that public interest remains at the heart of the government’s priorities.”

The financial system must be used to benefit Pinoys, he said, adding that this should be efficient and secure.

Aside from this, the President sought innovation and “smart solutions” that will help address Filipinos’ burden in their daily lives. Malacañang did not elaborate.

Mr. Marcos had urged his government to finally digitalize transactions nationwide, as the country plans to include more Filipinos in the financial system.

It would be “neglectful,” he said, if the country would not acknowledge the trend.

MEDIA FRETS OVER ANTI-FAKE NEWS BILL

Media groups on Tuesday said they were worried that an anti-fake news measure would stifle freedom of expression and valid political views.

They offered this view during a Senate hearing on Senate Bill 1296, filed by Senator Jinggoy Estrada, that seeks to criminalize the spread of disinformation online.

Jonathan de Santos, chairman of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, said although fake news is a problem, “it might be better addressed with better media and information literacy.”

“We could also look at Senator [Raffy] Tulfo’s point in reaching platforms to take down ‘yung disinformation and fake news, and also free WiFi and internet access,” he added.

De Santos said the possibility of jail time was a danger to free speech and freedom of expression.

The Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas also expressed concern over the definitions used in the bill.

“It should not be too broad to include prohibition of valid political opinions,” said KBP general counsel and spokesman Rudolph Jularbal.

Jularbal said the KBP was concerned that the way the law was crafted might impede free speech and expression.

Senator Robinhood Padilla, on the other hand, said malicious disinformation should not go unpunished as it violates the rights of others.

Padilla, who chairs the Senate committee on public information and mass media, said the constitutional right to freedom of expression should never be abused.

“When we add malice in an attempt to destroy another person’s reputation, that is not right. That is violating the rights of a fellow person. And there should be a penalty for that,” said Padilla.

“Whether the penalty is civil or in another form, we should make sure we punish this wrong,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) said it supported the passage of House Bill No. 454 or the Media Workers’ Welfare Act on its final reading at the House of Representatives.

The CHR said the provisions are in accordance with Article XIII, Section 3 of the 1987 Constitution which guarantees workers’ rights to “security of tenure, humane conditions of work, and a living wage.”

CAVITE SPECIAL POLLS: REMULLA SON, 3 OTHERS FILE COC

MANILA, Philippines — A son of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla and three other aspirants have filed their certificates of candidacy (COCs) for representative of the seventh district of Cavite.

In a statement, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Remulla’s son Crispin Diego of the National Party and independent candidates Jose Angelito Aguinaldo, Melencio de Sagun Jr. and Michael Angelo Santos filed their COCs during the two-day filing on Dec. 5 and 6.

The congressional seat was left vacant when Remulla was appointed secretary of the Department of Justice.

The special elections will be held on Feb. 25, 2023 as provided under Comelec Resolution 10848.

The Comelec said the voting, counting and canvassing of votes would be held using the automated system.

Registered voters from the towns of Amadeo, Indang and Tanza as well as Trece Martires City will participate in the special elections.

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5.3 EARTHQUAKE, TAAL EMISSION FLUSTER LUZON

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake jolted Tinaga Island in Vinzons, Camarines Norte Wednesday afternoon with shockwaves felt across Metro Manila, forcing people out of homes, schools, and buildings, stalling sessions at the Senate, and forcing the Philippine National Railways to temporarily suspend all trips.

The earthquake occurred as the national government was continuing to carry out initiatives to protect public buildings against earthquakes in Metro Manila, where 13 million of the 114 million population live, Climate Change Commission executive director Robert Borje said.

Meanwhile, a small phreatomagmatic burst was recorded in Taal Volcano, which lasted for a minute, according to state monitoring of the volcano from 5 a.m. on Tuesday to 5 a.m. on Wednesday.

Taal Volcano remained at Alert Level 1, which means there is a low-level unrest.

A weak emission of plumes reaching up to 600 meters tall was observed over the volcano that drifted southwest, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.

The PNR said in an advisory all PNR trips were suspended temporarily and advised commuters to and from the Bicol Region to check its official Facebook page for additional updates regarding train trips and schedule.

Meanwhile, Phivolcs said the quake, of tectonic origin meaning it was caused by the movement of the earth’s crust, occurred at 1:05 p.m. at a depth of one kilometer.

Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. of the Department of Science and Technology was at the Senate for his confirmation hearing with the Commission on Appointments at the time when the tremor happened.

Intensity 5, characterized by strong shaking, was felt in Mercedes and Jose Panganiban in Camarines Norte, while intensity 4 or moderately strong shaking was experienced in Daet, Camarines Norte, and Guinayangan and Polillo in Quezon.

Slight inflation was also observed on the Taal Volcano Island and Western Taal Caldera, while deflation on Eastern Taal Caldera.

Phivolcs warned of possible hazards such as steam-driven or phreatic or gas-driven explosions, volcanic earthquakes, minor ashfall, and lethal accumulations or expulsions of volcanic gas.

Phivolcs said there was no expected damage from the quake, but warned the public of aftershocks.

PNR SUSPENDS TRIPS DUE TO EARTHQUAKE

MANILA, Philippines — The magnitude 5.3 earthquake that was felt in Metro Manila yesterday briefly disrupted the trips of the Philippine National Railways.

PNR trips were suspended at past 1 p.m. after the temblor struck Camarines Norte, but was felt in the city of Manila at Intensity 3.

Trips resumed at around 3:30 p.m. yesterday, according to a Facebook post by the PNR.

LUZON, VISAYAS POWER GRIDS BACK TO NORMAL

MANILA, Philippines — The Luzon and Visayas power grids returned to normal yesterday after two consecutive days of being placed under yellow alert.

“The yellow alert raised over the Luzon and Visayas grids due to the forced outage and deration of several power plants has been upgraded to normal,” the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) said in a statement.

The NGCP said the Sta. Rita Module 20 was declared at full capacity at 8:25 a.m. yesterday, providing an additional 256 megawatts to the Luzon grid.

“Luzon will also have enough excess capacity to export to the Visayas, improving conditions further,” the power corporation said.

The yellow alert was raised on Monday and Tuesday due to insufficient operating reserves caused by power plant outages and deration of several power facilities.

A yellow alert means power reserves are not enough to cover the largest running generating unit at the time, but does not necessarily lead to outages.

Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla had earlier said the public should expect power grids to be on yellow and red alerts from time to time due to forced outages of power plants.

3 PDEA OFFICERS HELD IN P9.18 MILLION DRUG BUST

MANILA, Philippines — An official of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and two PDEA agents were apprehended during a sting that yielded shabu valued at P9.18 million in Taguig on Tuesday night.

Arrested were Enrique Lucero, who heads the PDEA Southern District Office, as well as anti-narcotics agents Anthony Vic Alabastro and Jaireh Llaguno.

Their driver, Mark Warren Mallo, was also nabbed by operatives of the PDEA and National Capital Region Police Office.

Southern Police District director Brig. Gen. Kirby John Kraft said the drug bust was carried out at the suspects’ office along A. Bonifacio street in Barangay Upper Bicutan at around 9 p.m.

The anti-narcotics operation stemmed from information that the PDEA operatives were allegedly selling illegal drugs, Kraft said.

The suspects allegedly negotiated a deal with police officers, who posed as buyers, for P100,000 worth of shabu.

“This is proof that we do not tolerate the wrongdoing of our police officers,” Kraft said in an interview on Teleradyo.

Police said they recovered from the suspects around 1.35 kilos of shabu, a .40-caliber handgun, four long firearms and a digital weighing scale.

PDEA director general Moro Virgilio Lazo, who was present during the operation, was dismayed over the action of the suspects.

He said the suspects would not receive special treatment from the PDEA.

LPA TO BRING RAINS OVER LARGE PARTS OF PHILIPPINES

MANILA, Philippines — A low pressure area is expected to dump rains over Visayas, Mindanao, and Bicol region, state weather bureau PAGASA said Thursday.

The LPA, which was last seen 1,265 kilometers east of Mindanao, will enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility today. It is forecast to move toward the Eastern Visayas-Bicol region area.

“The low pressure area has no direct effect on the country. But the LPA’s trough or wide extension will bring rains to large parts of Visayas, Mindanao and even parts of Bicol region,” weather specialist Benison Estareja said.

Caraga, Davao region, Northern Mindanao, Soccsksargen, Eastern Visayas, Central Visayas, Catanduanes, Albay, Masbate and Sorsogon will have cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms on Thursday.

Estareja said the storm will make a close approach to Eastern Visayas and Caraga on Friday. By weekend, it will be close to Eastern Visayas, Bicol region, and southern Luzon. The weather disturbance will reach the eastern portion of Luzon next week.

The LPA has a “moderate chance” of developing into a tropical cyclone. Once it does, it will be called “Rosal” — the 18th tropical cyclone of the year and the first this month.

“We expect that in the next day, the track or strength of this LPA may change slightly,” Estareja said.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

MISS COSMOWORLD WIN DREAM COME TRUE FOR MEIJI CRUZ

MANILA -- Former Binibining Pilipinas runner-up Meiji Cruz said it was a dream come true for her to be the first Filipina to win in the Miss CosmoWorld pageant.

Cruz was crowned Miss CosmoWorld 2022 at The St. Regis Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia last November 30.

In an interview via Zoom with TeleRadyo's Sakto on Thursday, Cruz said she started joining pageants when she was in high school.

"Noong bata pa lang ako like 16 years old nag-start ako sa school ko, high school. Hanggang sa barangay, inter-barangay, hanggang sa city ko, hanggang mag-national ako. Kumbaga sinuyod ko 'yung steps. Dream ko talaga since I was young. And kinukuwento rin ng mom ko na maliit pa lang ako ay rumarampa na ako at kinukuha ko ang heels niya," Cruz recalled.

"Dream ko talaga siya kaya sinasabi ko sobrang nakakakilig, sobrang grateful ako na finally na achieve ko itong dream ko na ito," she said.

Prior to joining Miss CosmoWorld, Cruz finished as second runner-up in the 2021 edition of the Bb. Pilipinas pageant, which also includes the likes of Miss Intercontinental 2021 Cindy Obeñita and Miss Globe 2021 Maureen Montagne.

In the interview, Cruz acknowledged that her experiences joining Bb. Pilipinas helped her win the Miss CosmoWorld title.

Miss CosmoWorld aims to select women who are "independent and passionate about life and with good leadership quality."

The 18-year-old pageant is run by Malaysian celebrity and Miss Chinese Cosmos 2004 Carrie Lee.

SPORTS

HIDILYN DIAZ CAPTURES 3 ELUSIVE GOLDS AT WEIGHTLIFTING WORLDS

MANILA, Philippines – Add “world champion” to Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz’s stellar list of accomplishments.

This after the Filipina wonder took home three medals in the women's 55kg division in the International Weightlifting Federation World Championships in Bogota, Colombia on Wednesday (Thursday, Manila time).

Diaz lifted 93kg on snatch and 114kg on clean and jerk for a total of 207kg en route to the sweet sweep.

The pride of Zamboanga bested close rivals Rosalba Morales, the home bet, and Mexico’s Ana Gabriela Lopez.

The world title had been elusive for Diaz, whose collection of medals include golds from the Olympics, Asian Games and Southeast Asian Games. She finished with a bronze in the women’s 53kg in the 2015 worlds and a silver in women’s 55kg in 2021.

Diaz’s latest hat-trick of victories comes as a momentum builder as the Filipina star launches her bid for another gold medal in the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

PBA QUARTERFINALS GAME 1

SMB def. CON, 114-96 (21-13, 55-32, 88-65, 114-96)

GIN def. NOR, 118-102 (29-24, 56-50, 89-74, 118-102)

INDICATORS

FOREX $1 = P 55.45

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

A lot of people have gone farther than they thought they could because someone else thought they could. - Zig Ziglar