UKRAINE ENVOY APOLOGIZES FOR MISUNDERSTANDING OVER REQUEST FOR MARCOS-ZELENSKY CALL

MANILA — A Ukraine envoy on Friday apologized to the Department of Foreign Affairs for the supposed misunderstanding on Kyiv's request for a phone call between their President Volodymyr Zelensky and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

According to Denys Mykhailiuk, Chargé d'affaires of the Ukraine Embassy in Malaysia, he was not complaining when he discussed in a press briefing this week that Manila had yet to respond to their request.

He also noted that the bilateral relations of both nations had been "friendly" and "fruitful".

"I've told that we would like to have some improvement on bilateral level and that's why we do this, our request, which was sent when President Marcos was elect[ed], it's still standing. That was the point," he told ANC's "Headstart".

Mykhailiuk explained the briefing was devoted to the Zelensky's peace plan, which would be presented in the United Nations next month.

"My dear colleagues, I apologized for any misunderstanding this might cause by not very correct or maybe misunderstood [remarks]," he said.

"Thank you for your understanding and I would like to assure you that there is all respect from my side, and I hope of a Philippine cooperation," he continued.

Asked why the Philippines has not yet answered the request, Mykhailiuk said: "You know, it’s not in the regular diplomatic practice that these explanations are given. It is usually stated that it’s under consideration."

In the interview, Mykhailiuk disclosed that the Ukrainian government hoped to open an embassy in Manila this year.

"We already found the premises. We fulfilled the needed procedures with the Department of Foreign Affairs. So, we are ready as soon as we will have budget for that," he said. The plan has been in the pipeline since 2021.

DEATH TOLL DUE TO RAINS, FLOODS RISES TO 17: NDRRMC

MANILA — The reported death toll in the Philippines due to inclement weather since Jan. 2 has risen to 17, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said Friday.

The NDRRMC said 5 of the fatalities were reported in Bicol, 4 each in Zamboanga and Northern Mindanao, 3 in Eastern Visayas, and 1 in Davao Region.

Seven people were injured while 2 remain missing, the agency said in its 6 a.m. report.

Back-to-back low pressure areas, a shear line and the northeast monsoon have triggered floods and landslides in vast swaths of the country since last week.

A total of 121,950 families or 523,991 individuals were affected in Cagayan, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga, Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, Soccsksargen and the Bangsamoro, the NDRRMC said.

Of this number, 13,456 families or 71,442 individuals are staying in evacuation centers, it added.

The cost of damage to infrastructure and agriculture have reached P165.7 million and P252.7 million, respectively.

Some 530 houses were damaged, while 31 roads and 13 bridges were not passable to all types of vehicles, the disaster agency added.

SOFT LAUNCH OF WEALTH FUND SET

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will present the country’s economic performance and its plans to establish a sovereign wealth fund before global leaders and chief executive officers (CEOs) of the world’s biggest companies at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.

“The President will be leading our economic team composed of government officials and business leaders and we will present the country’s economic performance, which tops growth in the region, before an audience of international CEOs,” Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Carlos Sorreta said in a press briefing Thursday.

“At the briefing this morning, the President said that we are developing all these excellent fundamentals, and there’s much that we can offer investors, and he said ‘You know, let’s talk about the sovereign wealth fund that’s being set up,'” Sorreta added.

The DFA official said that the President’s plan to introduce the Philippine’s sovereign wealth fund is just a “soft launch.”

“It’s really more of a soft launch, it’s to introduce it. I understand it is evolving, we have the fullest respect for the congressional process, and the open hearings that they’re having, and how to work out the details. But in broad strokes, the President has very, very good grasp of what he wants to achieve, whatever form the sovereign wealth fund finally takes,” Sorreta said.

The WEF, Sorreta said, is the premier forum for world and business leaders to get together, interact and come up with ideas and plans to address the many challenges and opportunities facing the global economy.

President Marcos will also participate in a high-level dialogue with other leaders, including the president of South Africa, the prime minister of Belgium, and the president of the European Commission, among others during his trip to Switzerland from Jan. 16 to 20.

In addition, Marcos is also set to discuss the issue of global nutrition during a stakeholders’ dialogue.

DFA 'NOT EXPECTING ANYTHING' ON ISSUE OF MARCOSES SWISS ACCOUNTS DURING DAVOS VISIT

MANILA — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is "not expecting anything" that the issue of the Marcos family's swiss bank accounts will be revived when President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr visits Switzerland next week.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Carlos Sorreta said no legal mechanisms "have been triggered" during the President's participation for the 2023 World Economic Forum in Davos regarding this.

"Mayroon tayong malinaw na framework for legal cooperation with Switzerland, nag-negotiate po tayo ng mga agreements for cooperation on legal matters including even iyong mga matters that may relate to this issue that you are referring to," Sorreta told reporters when asked if they are anticipating the issue to be brought up by the public.

"None of those mechanisms have been triggered, whether the Swiss government or anything so we don’t know, and we don’t expect anything. I don’t think it’s an issue," he added.

The official distanced himself when pressed further if there was a possibility the President may withdraw from his family's Swiss bank accounts, as speculated by the public.

Marcos will be in Davos for the WEF from Jan. 15 to 20, said the DFA.

In 2018, the Sandiganbayan 5th Division found President Marcos' mother, former First Lady and Ilocos Norte Rep. Imelda Romualdez Marcos, guilty in 7 counts of graft for using her Cabinet position to maintain Swiss bank accounts during the Marcos regime.

CHINA STILL TO PURSUE JOINT OIL PROBE WITH PH DESPITE SC VOIDING DEAL

China on Thursday reaffirmed its commitment to joint maritime exploration with the Philippines in the South China Sea despite a decision by the Supreme Court striking down as unconstitutional a 2005 deal among the Philippines, China and Vietnam.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), for its part, said it is setting the parameters to guide negotiations on oil and gas following the Supreme Court ruling.

“China remains committed to properly handle maritime disputes in the South China Sea with countries directly concerned, including the Philippines, through dialogue and consultation, and to actively explore ways for practical maritime cooperation including joint exploration,” China’s spokesman for its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang Wenbin, said in a press conference in Beijing.

Wang also recalled President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s recent state visit to China, where he and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed joint exploration.

Wang said the Tripartite Agreement for Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking in the Agreement Area in the South China Sea in 2005 among the three Asian countries, which the high court declared unconstitutional, “was an important step by the three countries to implement” the Declaration of Conduct in the disputed waters.

In a message to reporters, the DFA said it is carefully studying the Supreme Court decision striking down the Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking of the three countries to look for oil in the West Philippine Sea under the country’s jurisdiction.

“The department’s actions and policy recommendations are, at all times, anchored on the Philippine Constitution and laws,” DFA spokesperson Teresita Daza said.

“Cases decided by the Supreme Court form part of the legal system, and the department is duty-bound to take applicable cases into consideration in any future discussion with China on oil and gas,” she added.

AIRPORT MESS TRIGGER: FAULTY CIRCUIT BREAKER

A defective circuit breaker worth P10,000 caused the New Year’s Day air traffic mess that grounded more than 300 flights that affected about 65,000 passengers and cost airlines more than P100 million, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) told the Senate Thursday.

At a hearing before the Senate public services committee, CAAP Director General Manuel Antonio Tamayo said the air traffic control system went down after a circuit breaker failed due to over-voltage. He said this was detected by two uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems that automatically shut down to avoid major damages to the system.

Tamayo said this was contrary to initial reports that there were problems with the UPS.

At the same time, he told the panel headed by Senator Grace Poe that it was “farfetched and unlikely” that the failure of the Communications, Navigation, and Surveillance Systems for the Air Traffic Management System (ATMS) was caused by a cyberattack.

Earlier, House Senior Deputy Minority Leader Paul Daza said aviation authorities had told the House hearing the same thing.

“The problem that caused the glitch, January 1st, at this point they’re saying, it was a simple circuit breaker,” he told ANC’s Headstart.

He said he was shocked that a P10,000 circuit breaker could cause hundreds of millions of losses and so much human misery. “That’s unquantifiable,” he said.

During the House panel briefing, lawmakers were told that the manufacturer’s warranty of the circuit breaker expired two years ago, Daza said. But transportation officials said it should last 20 years, he said.

“There was a voltage surge. The system shut down and then the UPS functioned, but the circuit breaker did not allow the power to go to the system,” Daza said.

“When they were investigating, they opened the circuit breaker and saw that the circuit breaker itself was, in their words, defective,” he added.

DBM SAYS OVER P14 BILLION RELEASED TO FUND PENSION OF MILITARY RETIREES

MANILA - The Department of Budget and Management on Friday said it has approved the release of over P14 billion to fund the regular pension requirements of military retirees.

The Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) amounting to P14,025,351,666 to the Department of National Defense was approved on Jan. 12, the DBM said in a statement.

The notice of cash allocation (NCA) covers the pension requirements from January to March 2023, it added.

Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said the release of the funds is a recognition of the military retirees' role in the security and stability of the country.

“It is our responsibility to make sure that our retirees, as well as their families, always get the benefits entitled to them. Malaking tulong ‘yan sa kanila. Matagal na panahon silang nagsilbi para tulungan at protektahan ang ating bayan. This is the least we can do to show them our sincerest gratitude and respect,” Pangandaman said.

The DBM said the fund is chargeable against the Pension and Gratuity Fund (PGF) under the 2023 General Appropriations Act (GAA).

As of Dec. 31, there were 137,649 pensioners covered by the monthly pension requirement for the first quarter of 2023.

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NO MORE ONIONS AT KADIWA, NEEDS NEW FTI SUPPLY DEAL

KADIWA stores run by the Department of Agriculture will stop selling cheaper onions beginning today, Friday, as its agreement with Food Terminal Inc. (FTI), the supplier of the precious commodity, ended last December 31, 2022.

Meanwhile, Customs agents have seized shipments of smuggled red and white onions worth more than P153 million from China.

Also, Albay 1st District Rep. Joey Salceda blamed a cartel for the rising prices of onions and other goods in the country, saying onion prices in the Philippines are the highest in the whole world.

In an interview Thursday, Agriculture Assistant Secretary Kristine Evangelista said the department needs to ensure it has a supplemental memorandum of agreement with the FTI before Kadiwa stores sell onions again.

“Starting tomorrow, there will be none for the meantime. We have to make sure if we have to have supplemental MOA, then everything has to be in order to start the second cycle,” Evangelista said.

NCRPO CALLS 43 METRO COPS FOR DRUG LINKS

Some 43 Metro Manila cops were summoned by National Capital Region Police Office chief Maj. Gen. Jonnel Estomo over their inclusion in a watchlist of police personnel with possible links to illegal drugs.

In an exclusive report, ABS-CBN showed a video clip of the meeting with Estomo at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig where the cops also underwent a surprise drug test.

“This is painful. I never imagined this even in my wildest dreams,” one policeman said.

Another said he already went through an adjudication process in 2018 and was surprised that his name was still on the watch list.

Yet another said he underwent a lie detector test but was not appraised of the decision on his case.

“We are just simple workers who went against some big fish,” another cop lamented.

Estomo, for his part, said the inclusion of the cops in the watchlist of the Philippine National Police does not automatically make them guilty of being involved in illegal drugs.

“There is perhaps doubt [on your record] so please help yourselves and undergo the adjudication process,” he said.

“I cannot say they are involved. That has to be proven. Some of them were just doing their job, and sometimes when you do your job, you step on people’s toes and they get mad.”

“These have to be resolved by the adjudication board. If they are guilty, file a case. If they are not guilty, then clear them. It is that simple,” Estomo added.

HEAVY RAINS IN SOUTH TO EASE AS LA NIÑA ENDS

The La Niña phenomenon is expected to end by February, a specialist with the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Thursday.

However, the municipality of Basey in Samar was placed under a state of calamity on Thursday amid the massive flooding triggered by the heavy rains dumped by the low-pressure area (LPA) and the shear line.

A resolution for the declaration was passed by the Office of the Sangguniang Bayan following the recommendation of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council(MDRRMC) after an assessment of the “extent of damages caused by heavy rains that resulted in flooding in several barangays of the municipality.”

The La Niña phenomenon is characterized by unusually cool ocean surface temperatures in the Central and Eastern Equatorial Pacific (CEEP), explained senior weather specialist Chris Perez at a televised public briefing

It increases the likelihood of having above-normal rainfall conditions that could lead to potential adverse impacts such as heavy rainfall, floods, flashfloods, and landslides over highly vulnerable areas, the PAGASA expert added.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

NADINE LUSTRE WANTS 'MORE WORK' AFTER 'DELETER' SUCCESS

MANILA -- Director Mikhail Red’s award-winning suspense thriller “Deleter” was not originally meant for the 2022 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) when the project started filming last July 2022.

“When we started filming, it was not in our plan to make ‘Deleter’ join the MMFF,” lead star and 2022 best actress winner Nadine Lustre told ABS-CBN News.

“Nakalutang pa rin kaming lahat up to now. Hindi pa rin siya nagsi-sink in. Ang dami pa ring nanonood. Ang dami ko pa ring nababasang positive tweets. Hindi pa rin ako makapaniwala.”

After the MMFF officially ended last January 7, “Deleter” was extended in several other theaters all around the country. The film will also tour around the globe to be screened in several international festivals.

Filipinos based abroad will get a chance to watch “Deleter” as Viva Films scheduled international screenings and premieres.

The best thing Lustre appreciated in “Deleter” was that the audience really supported her film. To date, it became the 2022 MMFF top grosser, edging out the comedy entry “Partners in Crime,” with perennial film fest box-office winner Vice Ganda.

“At least alam ko na nagustuhan ng tao,” Lustre beamed. “Every time I watched ‘Deleter,’ I could hear sumisigaw talaga ang mga tao at pumapalakpak sila after. They really liked the film.”

The award-winning actress wished for “more work” this 2023. “My plan for this year was to really grind and get back into circulation,” Lustre added. “I don’t want to break the stride.

“I don’t want to break the momentum. Baka mawala pa. So habang nandiyan na ‘yan, tutuloy-tuluyin ko na. Sobrang excited akong mag-work. Sana more out-of-the-box projects.

"I’m always up for challenges. It’s so hard to get boxed into one particular genre. I guess for someone like me who has been in dramas and rom-coms for a while, until now, there are still many people who could not believe I did horror.

“Mahirap umalis when you get tagged into one genre. While it is still early, I don’t want to be typecasted into a particular genre.”

She never expected any awards for “Deleter,” although she felt the pressure. “I didn’t want to have any expectations, although others were constantly telling me, ‘Number one ‘yan.’

“Mananalo ‘yan ng mga awards. Mananalo ka ng best actress. Mas na-pressure ako that people were really expecting me to win. Sobrang unassuming ako. That's maybe kind of hard to believe that I never really expected.”

The success of “Deleter” was undoubtedly one of the biggest highlights of Lustre’s 2022. That sealed her working relationship with Viva Films again.

SPORTS

GINEBRA’S JUSTIN BROWNLEE NOW A FILIPINO CITIZEN

MANILA - Barangay Ginebra’s resident import Justin Brownlee has officially secured his Filipino citizenship, according to Sen. Francis Tolentino on Thursday.

Tolentino said President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. during the day signed into law the bill granting the Gilas prospect Filipino citizenship.

This means Brownlee will be able to join the national basketball team.

But first he must make an oath of allegiance to the Philippines and secure a Philippine passport.

Gilas Pilipinas has been eyeing to include the Ginebra import to the Gilas squad competing in the final window of the 2023 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers this February.

They will play against Lebanon and Jordan at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

No institution can possibly survive if it needs geniuses or supermen to manage it. It must be organized in such a way as to be able to get along under a leadership composed of average human beings. - Peter Drucker