PRESIDENT OPENS CLARK AIRPORT TERMINAL, EYES PH AS LOGISTICS HUB

President Marcos inaugurated the new terminal building of the Clark International Airport in Pampanga Wednesday, saying it was “another building block” toward turning the Philippines into the logistics center of Asia.

“We need this, we need more,” the President said. “We have many plans for the airport in Manila (and) we have many plans for the airports surrounding Manila.”

He said that while some airports such as those in Bulacan and Cavite were already being built, other existing facilities in the regions must already be open.

“Let’s not compel everyone to go through Manila,” he said in Filipino. “So they can go direct to Bohol, direct to Cebu, direct to Cagayan de Oro, and direct to Davao, so they no longer have to pass through Manila.”

Marcos said the new airport terminal signaled the country’s commitment to business and more investments.

The Office of the Press Secretary said the 110,000 square-meter building at Clark airport, which can accommodate about 8 million passengers yearly, aims to decongest the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

“It is state-of-the-art, and this is one of the things that we will continue to do in the future to bring you all to come and be partners with the Philippines to help the lives of our people, to help the Philippine economy,” Marcos said.

“This facility is essentially a very strong signal that yes, indeed, we are open for business,” the President said.

“The Philippines is an ideal place to invest and the government is ready to go the extra mile to nurture strong partnerships with potential investors wanting to put their money in the country,”Marcos said.

“We are probably the most vibrant economy in Southeast Asia, and we understand the requirements and the needs of our potential investors, and we will do everything so that that partnership becomes to the advantage of… the private sector, the public sector, and the people,” Marcos said.

Marcos said he was confident that the new passenger terminal and other public-private partnership (PPP) projects would encourage more investors to do business in the Philippines.

NO BREAK FOR HOUSE PANELS WHILE CONGRESS IN RECESS

The House of Representatives under Speaker Martin G. Romualdez on Wednesday night authorized all standing and special committees to hold hearings during the congressional break starting Thursday.

In her formal motion in the plenary, House Deputy Majority Leader and Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin moved to allow all panels to continue with their mandate of producing vital pieces of legislation during the first recess of the 19th Congress.

“I move that we authorize all committees to conduct meetings and/or public hearings, if deemed necessary, during the House recess from September 29, 2022 to November 6, 2022,” Garin said.

“Is there any objection? The chair hears none, motion is approved,” House Deputy Speaker and Pampanga Rep. Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales responded in granting Garin’s motion.

In an interview, Garin said Speaker Romualdez and House Majority Leader and Zamboanga City Rep. Manuel Jose “Mannix” Dalipe instructed House leaders to hold committee meetings during the break to ensure the expeditious passage of noteworthy and meaningful legislative measures, particularly those aimed at reviving the economy.

“The continuous hearings and deliberations of various measures even when Congress is on recess will help accelerate the passage of priority legislations,” she said.

Garin assured that the House leadership will continue to work hard and focus on shepherding the priority legislations of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. “to address and serve the needs of the people during these challenging and difficult times.”

PALACE SEES MARCOS’ US TRIP TO GENERATE $4B INVESTMENTS

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s recent trip to the United States could generate close to $4 billion (about P236 billion) in investments from multiple sectors, Malacañang said on Wednesday.

According to investment data released by the Palace, business agreements and commitments secured during the President’s visit have an estimated investment value of $3.9 billion, with a potential employment generation of 112,285 jobs.

These investments will come from the Information Technology and Business Process Management (IT-BPM), data center, and manufacturing sectors.

However, Malacañang said, the estimated value does not reflect the full potential of future investments from several companies that Mr. Marcos and the Trade Department had talks with while in New York.

According to the Palace, some companies had expressed interest in considering new or further investments in the country, but their plans have yet to be firmed up.

At the grand opening of the New Terminal Building of the Clark International Airport in Clark Freeport in Pampanga, the President reiterated that the country is open for business, and the government is ready to go the “extra mile” to nurture strong partnerships with potential investors.

“And this facility is essentially a very strong signal that yes, indeed, we are open for business,” he said during the event.

The Philippines, Mr. Marcos said, is a “good investment destination” being probably the most “vibrant economy” in Southeast Asia.

PBBM VOWS EFFICIENT USE OF ADB AID

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday vowed to effectively use assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to benefit all Filipinos.

At the 55th ADB Meeting of the Board of Governors, the President said the ADB, which is based in Manila, has been a dependable institution in providing loans, technical assistance, and equity investments to its members to promote social and economic development.

“As President, it is certainly my duty to ensure that the government remains committed to the efficient and effective utilization of this institution’s assistance for the full benefit of all Filipinos,” he said.

He also pledged that the government’s relationship with the ADB under his administration will grow stronger.

Through the ADB, Mr. Marcos said the government was able to move forward with projects in areas such as infrastructure, social reform and community development, and governance and institution development.

“As such, our shared goals will only bring us closer together to nurture our bonds and foster hope in the communities that we serve,” he said.

Mr. Marcos said he recognized the ADB for allowing the Philippines to access its quick disbursing budget support facility to aid countries in mitigating the severe economic shocks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The President also encouraged international counterparts and partners to work together for a better post-pandemic world.

“It is time for us to work together to bring about an even better normal. I believe that at the heart of this goal is the way that we must develop an economy that is green, that is sustainable, truly climate resilient and responsive to people’s immediate needs,” he added.

PDP-LABAN TO SERVE AS FISCALIZER OF MARCOS ADMINISTRATION – DUTERTE

MANILA — The Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) under the wing of former president Rodrigo Duterte will serve as so-called “fiscalizer” of the Marcos administration if needed.

During the PDP-Laban’s 2022 National Assembly in Pasay City yesterday, Duterte said his party would not be confrontational with President Marcos.

“We are not going to quarrel. Far from it. We will be giving our full support for him politically. But the President can be very sure that in the coming days, we will fiscalize. When we see something wrong, we will raise our voice, because that is the essence of our presence here,” the former chief executive said.

Duterte personally presided over the election of Palawan 2nd District Rep. Jose Alvarez as the new party president, succeeding former energy secretary Alfonso Cusi.

The national assembly, which also served as its 40th anniversary celebration, had the theme “40 Years of Enlightened Nationalism.”

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III, the son of the founder of PDP-Laban, said “the original PDP Laban does not recognize any unauthorized election… We have our own set of party officers.”

The Duterte-wing PDP Laban also elected Sen. Robinhood Padilla as its executive vice president.

EX-BUCOR OIC RAGOS SHOWS UP IN DE LIMA HEARING, EXPECTED TO AFFIRM RECANTATION

MANILA — A key prosecution witness in one of the drug cases against former Senator Leila de Lima showed up at the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court on Friday, where he is expected to affirm his affidavit of recantation.

Former Bureau of Corrections OIC Rafael Ragos arrived just before 8am.

Both lawyers for the prosecution and the defense confirmed to ABS-CBN News that Judge Abraham Joseph Alcantara of Muntinlupa RTC Branch 204 issued an order on Thursday to allow Ragos to testify.

But the prosecution filed a motion for reconsideration, according to prosecutor Darwin Cañete.

Ragos had claimed that he personally delivered a total of P10 million worth of allegedly drug money in November and December 2012 to De Lima’s former bodyguard Ronnie Dayan at De Lima’s house in Parañaque in 2012.

That testimony was cited by a Muntinlupa court in February last year in denying De Lima’s demurrer to evidence, essentially a motion to dismiss on the ground of insufficiency of prosecution evidence.

The court also denied her bail plea, on the same ground.

De Lima has maintained she did not receive any money from Ragos and questioned how a BuCor OIC could simply find millions in his office and follow a convict’s order, supposedly made through a phone call, to deliver the alleged drug money to a Justice secretary.

KARDING AFTERMATH: VEGGIE, FISH, RICE PRICES TO GO UP 20%

Prices for vegetables, fish and even rice could shoot up by as much as 20 percent as a result of the damage wrought by super typhoon Karding, the Department of Agriculture (DA) warned Thursday.

Agriculture Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban said in an interview that the country’s rice granary, Central Luzon, sustained severe damage during the typhoon, resulting in the loss of 20 percent of the standing crop.

“The typhoon has affected, more or less, 91,944 farmers and fisherfolk. Lost production was estimated at 117,663 metric tons (MT) of combined crops,” he said.

Gale-force winds damaged crops in six farming towns in Nueva Ecija and in the provinces of Tarlac, Pampanga, Bulacan and Quezon. Lost palay accounted for at least 20 percent of the total area planted to rice.

Regional field reports said Karding affected 150,693 hectares of farmlands in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Bicol Region and Western Visayas.

The typhoon damaged P1.66 billion worth of palay or paddy rice, P36.9 million worth of corn, P271 million in high-value crops, P7.1 million in livestock and poultry, and P43 million in fisheries.

To help affected farmers and fishers, the DA has distributed P170.34 million worth of rice seeds, P23.16 million worth of corn seeds and P13.55 million worth of assorted vegetable seeds; P2.45 million worth of animal heads, drugs and biologics for livestock and poultry; fingerlings and fishing paraphernalia.

BADOY DENIES THREATENING TRIAL JUDGE, LAWYER SAYS SHE MAY FACE CONTEMPT

Former anti-communist body spokesperson Lorraine Badoy may be charged for indirect contempt and inciting insurrection following the comments she made against Manila Judge Marlo Magdoza-Malagar, Rico Domingo, a former president of the Philippine Bar Association, said Thursday.

But Badoy, former undersecretary for the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), denied the accusations that she threatened Magdoza-Malagar, whom she accused of lawyering for the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army.

In a Facebook post, Badoy said she takes “full cognizance of the stern warning given to me by the Supreme Court, and I would like to assure them that I hear their guidance.”

This was after the High Court said it will “consider attempts on social media and elsewhere to incite violence against judges a contempt of the court.”

Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo on Thursday reassured all judges and other judiciary members nationwide that the SC will always have their back and will offer protection from any form of threat and harassment.

PH SHORT OF 106,000 NURSES DUE TO BETTER JOBS ABROAD

The Philippines has a shortage of about 106,000 nurses as health workers seek better opportunities abroad, the Department of Health (DOH) said Thursday.

The DOH wants the country to retain the 7,000 annual deployment cap for new-hire medical professionals abroad.

“We have a shortage or a gap of around 106,000 to fill up positions in our health facilities all over the country, both for public and private (hospitals),” DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a press briefing.

The Philippines also lacks doctors, pharmacists, medical technologists, midwives, physical therapists and dentists, she added.

At present, the DOH has over 2,000 unfilled positions. The figure includes 624 positions for nurses, 1,332 for midwives, and 63 for dentists.

Given the shortage, the DOH wants to maintain the deployment cap—a limit that President Marcos has said he would raise.

The DOH is scheduled to meet with the newly created Department of Migrant Workers and the Department of Labor and Employment about offering incentives to health workers to stay in the country.

Vergeire said the DOH also plans to talk to countries where health workers are deployed on possibly providing perks to the Philippines, such as scholarships or exchange programs.

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GLOBE BLOCKS SMS WITH CLICKABLE LINKS TO BEAT SCAMMERS

MANILA - Globe Telecom on Friday said it has started blocking all messages with clickable link in a bid to ramp up security against SMS-linked scam.

The "unprecedented" measure will block the delivery of person-to-person text messages with clickable links coming from all networks, the Ayala-led telco said in a statement.

"Before implementing this measure, what we were doing was blocking access to malicious links in text messages to help protect customers. This time around, we're blocking the actual message," said Globe Chief Information Security Officer Anton Bonifacio.

"If the SMS has a link of any kind, we are not going to deliver it, period. This is necessary to protect our customers,” he added.

SMS blocking will be in effect while the passage of the SIM Registration bill is pending.

Both the National Telecommunications Commission and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas have ordered the blocking of URLs that lead to malicious sites as well as the inclusion of links in text messages.

It is expected to be transmitted to the Office of the President for approval.

SHELL PHILIPPINES EYES EXPANSION OF NON-FUEL RETAIL BUSINESS

MANILA — Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. (PSPC) has secured approval from its stockholders to pursue growth of its non-fuels retail (NFR) segment as well as proceed with the planned change in its corporate name.

PSPC said its stockholders approved the amendment of the second article, secondary purpose of the company’s articles of incorporation to include retail trade.

The amendment is being made as PSPC aims to grow its NFR segment.

In the first half, PSPC’s NFR business recorded a 24 percent increase in profitability, with continued double-digit growth across all its segments.

PSPC’s NFR network is composed of 198 Shell Select stores, 223 Select Express, 81 Deli2Gos, and 462 Lube bays.

The company said its stockholders also approved the change in its corporate name to Shell Pilipinas Corp.

“This introduces PSPC’s wider future forward approach towards energy transition that sees it venture beyond petroleum and pivoting towards sustainable and cleaner energy solutions for the company, people, community, and environment,” the company said.

ZERO TARIFF ON E-VEHICLES SEEN TAKING SHAPE THIS YEAR

MANILA — The government expects to release its policy on zero tariffs on electric vehicle (EVs) imports by the end of this year, according to an  official of the Department of Energy (DOE).

In a pre-event press conference for the 10th Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit (PEVS), DOE director Patrick Aquino affirmed that there are moves by the government to bring the ad valorem tariffs of EVs to zero.

Aquino said the proposal is pending with the Committee on Tariffs and Related Matters (CTRM).

“Based on our understanding we are just waiting for the settling of the new officials. The zero ad valorem (tariff) is expected to be released within the year,”Aquino said.

“So you can expect that zero ad valorem from 30 percent or five percent irrespective of country of origin to zero, hopefully before the end of the year,”he said.

Aquino said such a measure is seen to encourage consumers to consider EVs as a cleaner and greener transportation option.

PAGASA EXPECTS 6 TO 9 MORE CYCLONES THIS YEAR

MANILA — State weather bureau PAGASA on Thursday said it expected up to 9 more tropical cyclones this year, after super typhoon Karding battered Luzon.

Two to 4 cyclones could form in October, 2 or 3 in November, and up to 2 in December, said PAGASA administrator Vicente Malano.

"So nasa 6 hanggang 9 pa itong taon na ito," he said in a public briefing.

ABS-CBN News resident meteorologist Ariel Rojas earlier said authorities must prepare for storms in the last quarter of the year since these usually hit land and pass through central or southern Luzon, the Visayas, and northern Mindanao.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

KUH LEDESMA RELEASES MUSIC NFT TO BENEFIT PAWS

MANILA -- OPM veteran Kuh Ledesma will be releasing her single "Precious" as a non-fungible token (NFT) 25 years after it was released.

The non-crypto NFT will be available at AnimalAid.io with the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) as the beneficiary of sales proceeds. It can be purchased using most credit/debit cards, GCash/Maya or Google/Apple Pay.

No crypto is involved in this collectible NFT so fans from all over the world can own Ledesma’s NFT collection.

The release of Ledesma’s “Precious” NFT will be available online on October 2 coinciding with the World Animal Day Celebration in Mall of Asia Arena.

"Precious" is the title track of Ledesma's debut US album, which was released in 1997 and even reached the top 20 in the US Billboard Jazz charts. The album will also be available on various digital platforms this October.

Last July, Ledesma announced that she is set to release a new album "K: Para sa Bayan Kong Mahal," which will include kundiman and OPM songs.

Ledesma is the original singer of George Canseco’s "Ako Ay Pilipino," a patriotic song released during and associated with the Marcos regime.

Ledesma, however, openly supported Vice President Leni Robredo and Sen. Kiko Pangilinan in the May 9 elections.

INDICATORS

FOREX $1 = P 58.97

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

You can shoot the tiger, or stay out of his way, but you cannot pronounce him a vegetarian. - Richard Mitchell