ON EID’L ADHA, MARCOS ASKS FILIPINOS TO STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH MUSLIMS

MANILA  — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Wednesday called on the public to show solidarity with Muslims in the country and abroad as they observe Eid’l Adha of the Feast of Sacrifice.

In a statement, Marcos acknowledged the contributions of Muslim Filipinos in “[helping] weave our rich tapestry of diversity.”

“Let their devotion to these beliefs shine above all throughout the festivities and further strengthen the bond among our families, friends, and communities,” Marcos said.

The president stressed that “it is only when we open and willingly embrace each other's differences that we will be able to build a more prosperous and harmonious society for all.”

Marcos also said the warmth and kindness that Muslim Filipinos show will be a “bedrock of our collective success as we usher in a better and brighter tomorrow for all.”

“Let us all be reminded of the importance of sacrifice and selflessness that mirror the essence of this occasion so that we can join hands with our Muslim brothers and sisters from all over the world in the spirit of peace, unity, and mutual respect,” he said.

The Supreme Court also issued an Eid’l Adha message through Associate Justice Japar Dimaampao, the second Muslim justice of the high court.

“Today’s celebration of Eid’l Adha calls to mind the Islamic doctrine that we should surrender something very precious if religious and spiritual duty requires such sacrifice or offering. Only by doing so can we keep the spirit of Eid’l Adha alive,” Dimaampao said.

Eid’l Adha honors the willingness of Prophet Abraham to sacrifice his son Ishmael as an act of obedience to God’s command.

It also marks the end of hajj, a key pillar of Islam that able-bodied Muslims must undertake at least once in their lives.

SUPREME COURT DECLARES LAW POSTPONING BARANGAY, SK ELECTIONS UNCONSTITUTIONAL

More than 6 months since the initial schedule of the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, the Supreme Court announced Tuesday it has declared the law postponing it unconstitutional but ordered the October 2023 polls to proceed anyway.

Republic Act 11935, signed into law by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. in October last year, moved the schedule of the polls from December 5, 2022 to the last Monday of October 2023, supposedly to create savings amounting to billions of pesos.

“The Supreme Court has declared unconstitutional the law which postponed the holding of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (BSK) Elections (BSKE), from its initial schedule of December 5, 2022 to the last Monday of October 2023, but recognizes the legal practicality and necessity of proceeding with the conduct of the BSKE on the last Monday of October 2023, pursuant to the operative fact doctrine,” the high court’s Public Information Office said in a press release Tuesday night.

The operative fact doctrine recognizes the effects of a law or a legal provision before it was declared unconstitutional.

This means that while the Supreme Court voided RA 11935, its consequences, such as the holding of elections on a later date, could not be reversed or ignored.

The press briefer did not say when the Supreme Court rendered the ruling or how the voting went.

It only credited Associate Justice Antonio Kho, Jr. as the ponente or writer of the ruling, which granted the consolidated petitions.

Two petitions were filed last year challenging the constitutionality of the law — one by veteran election lawyer Romulo Macalintal and another by a group of lawyers.

MALAYSIA WINS $14.9 BILLION SULTAN CASE IN DUTCH COURTS

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Malaysia on Tuesday won a Dutch court case over a $14.9 billion award against the Southeast Asian nation that stems from a 19th century deal with a Philippine sultan.

The verdict is part of a complex legal battle being fought in European courts that is rooted in Malaysia's colonial past, with territorial claims and potentially billions of dollars worth of state assets at stake.

Descendants of the Sultan of Sulu, who once ruled over the tropical islands that are part of the southern Philippines as well as Sabah in Malaysia, had taken the case to the Hague Appeals Court.

They were asking Dutch judges to enforce a decision by a French court last year which ordered the $14.9 billion payout.

"The Hague Appeals Court today rejected the request of the Philippine nationals for the recognition and enforcement of the final arbitral award in the Netherlands," the Dutch court said in a statement.

Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim welcomed the "landmark" decision.

"This decision has blocked any attempt by the claimants to enforce their illegitimate claims against the government of Malaysia in the Netherlands," the prime minister said in a statement.

"We are now closer than ever to completely nullifying the sham and abusive final award" by the French court, he added.

DOT EYES HITTING 12-M TOURIST ARRIVAL DURING MARCOS JR PRESIDENCY

The Philippines aims to hit 12 million annual tourist arrivals during the administration of President Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr, Philippine Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said on Wednesday.

This will be possible by launching initiatives such as the country's new tagline "Love the Philippines" which is in step with the changing tourism landscape in the new normal, Frasco told ANC.

“Under the national tourism development plan the projections indicated by our statisticians is that we would be able to reach a baseline target of 12 million by that time [2028],” Frasco said.

“We're working very hard to make sure that these are moving targets and so we would be able to build up our tourism portfolio in terms of international arrivals but also continue to support domestic tourism,” she added.

Frasco said the Philippines is confident it could hit its target of 4.8 million tourist arrivals this year as it had already exceeded last year's total.

SUPREME COURT DISBARS LARRY GADON OVER MISOGYNISTIC, ABUSIVE REMARKS

MANILA  — The Supreme Court has unanimously disbarred Lorenzo "Larry" Gadon, the president's anti-poverty adviser, for his misogynistic and abusive language. The court voted 15-0 to disbar Gadon due to his cursing and profane remarks against journalist Raissa Robles, which were captured in a viral video. The court found the video to be scandalous and discrediting to the legal profession. Gadon was also cited for violating the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability by not acting with propriety and disrespecting the dignity of the legal profession. The court also found Gadon in direct contempt of court for baseless allegations against two justices. Gadon had previously been convicted and suspended for offensive language. Several administrative cases against him are still pending. The Supreme Court emphasized that there is no room for misogyny and sexism in the legal profession. Gadon plans to file a motion for reconsideration, while his appointment as the president's adviser has drawn criticism due to his past behavior and perceived lack of expertise.

PHILIPPINES SAYS HAS ENOUGH RICE SUPPLY, SEES ‘BOUNTIFUL’ H1 HARVEST

MANILA— The Philippines, one of the world’s biggest rice importers, has enough supply of the staple grain as it enters the third quarter of the year, the president’s office said on Tuesday.

The government expects a “bountiful harvest” for the January-June period rice planting season, Agriculture Undersecretary Leo Sebastian, who heads the ministry’s rice industry program, said in a statement.

Paddy rice output in the first half of the year is expected to increase around 6% to 8.6 million metric tonnes versus the year-earlier volume of 8.1 million metric tonnes, Sebastian said citing government estimates.

Sebastian said that volume, together with an estimated carry-over stock of 1.8 million metric tonnes of milled rice and imports totaling 1.8 million metric tonnes, is enough to fill the domestic demand estimated at 7 million metric tonnes from January to June.

“By the end of June, the stock available will be good for more than two months, in addition to the incoming supply from the new harvest and import arrivals in the coming months,” he said.

As top rice exporters including Vietnam – the Philippines‘ main supplier – saw rates for the grain advance last week to a more than two-year peak amid supply concerns and continuing high demand, Sebastian said they expect prices to eventually stabilize.

WATER IN ANGAT DAM CONTINUES TO RECEDE

MALOLOS  —The water level in Angat Dam has continued to drop.

Records from the Bulacan provincial disaster risk reduction and management office show that as of 8 a.m. yesterday, the water level was at 183.51 meters or only 3.51 meters above its minimum operating level.

The dam‘s normal high water level is 212 meters.

Sevillo David Jr., executive director of the National Water Resources Board (NWRB), had earlier said the dam’s irrigation and power generation allocations would be suspended once the water level drops to the minimum operating mark of 180 meters.

Josephine Salazar, National Irrigation Administration-Central Luzon regional director, said the NWRB has not suspended Angat Dam’s irrigation allocation for rice fields in Bulacan and parts of Pampanga.

Salazar said the NWRB had projected that the dam’s water level would continue to recede until August.

Angat supplies 90 percent of Metro Manila’s water requirement. It also provides water to irrigate some 28,000 hectares of farmland in Central Luzon.

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OVER 2,700 PEOPLE DETAINED IN ANTI-TRAFFICKING RAID

Authorities in Manila have detained over 2,700 people during a raid on buildings where alleged trafficking victims were involved in recruiting players for online games. The detainees included individuals from various nationalities, such as Chinese, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Singaporean, Malaysian, Pakistani, Cameroonian, Sudanese, Myanmar, and Filipino. The raid was described as the largest anti-trafficking operation in the Philippines. Many of the victims were lured through job postings on Facebook and forced to work long hours for low pay, with restricted freedom of movement. Concerns have been raised about internet scams in the Asia-Pacific region, where trafficking victims are coerced into promoting fraudulent cryptocurrency investments. The International Organization for Migration highlighted that education does not provide immunity against these scams, as even well-educated professionals can become victims. The US State Department's human trafficking report criticized the Philippines for not adequately investigating or prosecuting labor trafficking crimes within the country, citing corruption and official complicity as significant concerns.

2-YEAR TERM AWAITS 2023 BSKE WINNERS

Winners of the October 2023 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections will only have a 2-year term following a Supreme Court decision declaring Republic Act 11935 unconstitutional.

RA11935, signed into law by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. in October last year, moved the schedule of the polls from December 5, 2022 to the last Monday of October 2023, supposedly to create savings amounting to billions of pesos.

In its decision, the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional the law which postponed the holding of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (BSK) Elections (BSKE), from its initial schedule of December 5, 2022 to the last Monday of October 2023, but recognizes the legal practicality and necessity of proceeding with the conduct of the BSKE on the last Monday of October 2023, pursuant to the operative fact doctrine.

Because RA 11935 was declared unconstitutional, SC said its predecessor, RA 11462, is revived, which limits the term to December 31, 2022.

All existing barangay and SK officers are deemed to be in a "hold-over" capacity.

To avoid confusion, the high court made clear that the next BSKE will be held on the 1st Monday of December 2025 and every 3 years after that date.

Commission on Elections Chairman George Garcia said the shorter time period between the October 2023 and the December 2025 elections means those elected in the barangay and SK polls this year will have shorter terms.

He said Comelec is "95 percent ready" for the October 2023 polls, saying it needs to print more ballots and train teachers for the elections.

The filing of certificates of candidacy scheduled on August 28 to September 2 will continue, he added.

"Tuloy na tuloy na ang October 30 [elections]," he said in an ABS-CBN "Sakto" interview.

A command conference will also be held with the Armed Forces and Philippine National Police to discuss the peace and order situation and "check which areas should be placed under Comelec control or deemed as areas of serious concern," the Comelec chief said.

Meanwhile, the poll chief said Comelec will decide on a proposal to postpone the BSKE in Negros Oriental by the last week of September or he first week of October.

MAJORITY OF FILIPINOS VIEW GAYS, LESBIANS AS TRUSTWORTHY, CONTRIBUTORS TO SOCIETY — SWS

MANILA  — A recent survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) revealed an increase in Filipinos' trust and acceptance of gays and lesbians.

The study, conducted from March 26 to 29 this year, showed that a majority of Filipino adults expressed a positive view of gays and lesbians, considering them as trustworthy and contributors to society.

Out of the 1,200 respondents, 79% agreed that gays or lesbians are just as "trustworthy as any other Filipino.”

Only 7% of the respondents admitted that they do not trust gays or lesbians, while 13% remained undecided on the matter.

When asked whether LGBTQIA+ individuals have contributed to the progress of society, 73% of respondents agreed with the statement. In contrast, only 8% disagreed with this notion, while 19% were undecided.

In the survey, about 43% of respondents believed that "AIDS can be considered as a sickness of gays and lesbians."

Approximately 26% of respondents in the latest survey agreed with the statement that being gay or lesbian is contagious.

The poll also showed that 40% of respondents expressed a desire for gay or lesbian family members to change and conform to heterosexual norms.

The survey results, which was released on Friday last week, came shortly before the nationwide pride marches advocating for the right to love and urging the passage of the SOGIE Equality bill.

The non-commissioned survey conducted by SWS carried a sampling error of ±2.8%.

BSP TO UNWIND RESERVE REQUIREMENT RELIEF MEASURE BY JULY 1

Starting from July 1, 2023, universal and commercial banks in the Philippines will no longer be allowed to use loans to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and large enterprises (LEs) as an alternative to meeting reserve requirements, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). This decision is part of the central bank's plan to unwind relief measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. The move aims to restore the reserve requirement as a tool for managing liquidity in the financial system and simplify banks' compliance. Concurrently, the reserve requirement ratio (RRR) will be reduced by 250 basis points, bringing it to 9.5 percent for universal and commercial banks and non-bank financial institutions. However, thrift, rural, and cooperative banks will still be allowed to use outstanding MSME and LE loans as an alternative compliance method until they are fully paid, but no later than December 31, 2025.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

PIA WURTZBACH ASKED ABOUT INTENTIONS OF HAVING HER OWN KIDS

MANILA – Pia Wurtzbach has finally spoken up about the topic of having kids with her husband, travel entrepreneur Jeremy Jauncey.

On Instagram, the former Miss Universe addressed inquiries from her followers, including questions regarding her intentions of starting a family.

“I guess I'll start with this because literally every 4 questions I get, there's one question about us having kids,” she started.

Turning candid about the matter, she added: “Honestly I find these questions so personal. I wonder why this is considered a normal thing to ask though?”

Without directly answering the question, she sounded exasperated and said: “First it was ‘Kailan ka mag-aasawa?’ Now it's constantly ‘kailan kayo magkaka-anak?’”

The former Miss Universe surprised her social media followers in May when she revealed that she is already married.

Wurtzbach uploaded a video that showed scenes from her beach wedding with the travel entrepreneur at North Island in Seychelles.

Based on the post's caption, they tied the knot last March 24.

Wurtzbach first confirmed her relationship with Jauncey, the man behind the popular travel page Beautiful Destinations, in June 2020.

They announced their engagement in May 2022, and celebrated their third anniversary last January.

SPORTS

FIBA: GILAS FALLS TO ESTONIA IN TUNE-UP GAME

Gilas Pilipinas battled back from a huge deficit but eventually fell short against Estonia, 81-71, in a tune-up game at the Kalev Sports Hall in Tallinn on Tuesday.

It was the first tune-up game for the Philippine men's national basketball team in their training camp in Europe, where they are preparing for their campaign in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.

Gilas fell behind by as much as 22 points after a slow start. Estonia built a 29-14 lead after the opening quarter, pouncing on the Filipinos' foul-prone ways for free throws.

But a big third quarter allowed Gilas to close the gap, 64-59, giving them momentum heading into the final period. They were unable to overhaul the deficit, however, as Estonia held on for the win.

Dwight Ramos was the only player in double-digits for Gilas, with 16 points on 5-of-15 shooting. Naturalized forward Justin Brownlee added eight points in a 20-minute stint. The Philippines shot 40% from the field, a shade better than Estonia's 39.7% shooting, but they were a paltry 5-of-17 from behind the arc.

Estonia also scored 21 points from Gilas' 23 turnovers.

Gilas will play tune-up games against Finland and Lithuania during their camp.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for. – Epicurus