OFW remittances fall to 11-month low

By Mayvelin U. Caraballo, Manila Times

THE amount of money sent home by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) fell to its lowest level in 11 months in April, according to data released on Wednesday by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

Personal remittances, or cash or kind transfers between families, totaled $2.67 billion in the fourth month of 2022, down 7.51 percent from $2.88 billion in March of this year, but up 3.76 percent from $2.57 billion in April 2021. It's the smallest amount sent since $2.65 billion was sent in May last year.

The year-on-year gain in April was attributed to a 4.7-percent increase in remittances from land-based workers on one year or longer contracts, which inched up to $2.02 billion from $2.93 billion a year ago, the central bank noted. Meanwhile, remittances from sea- and land-based workers on short-term contracts saw an uptick of 1.4 percent to $581 million in April 2022, up from $609 million a year earlier.

Total remittances for the first four months of the year totaled $11.31 billion, picking up 2.6 percent from $11.02 billion in January to April 2021, according to the latest numbers. In the meantime, cash remittances were $2.39 billion in April, plunging 7.67 percent from the previous month, but accelerating 3.90 percent from $2.30 billion a year ago.

The BSP said revenues from land-based and sea-based workers soared by 4.7 percent to $1.86 billion from $1.77 billion and 1.4 percent to $533 million from $526 million, respectively, fueling the annual increase in cash remittances in April.

Cash remittances surged by 2.7 percent from January to April 2022 to $10.16 billion, rising from $9.89 billion a year earlier. "The growth in cash remittances from the United States, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Taiwan and Singapore contributed largely to the increase in remittances in January-April of 2022," the Bangko Sentral reported.

In the four months ending April this year, the United States had the greatest share of overall remittances, accounting for 41.2 percent. Next were Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Canada, Qatar, South Korea and Taiwan. Remittances from these 10 countries accounted for 79.2 percent of all cash remittances for the four-month period.

The BSP forecasts a 4-percent increase in cash remittances this year, citing "projected improvements in global growth prospects and further opening of economies along with the continued mass use of vaccines to prevent the spread of Covid-19 are also expected to continue to lend support to the growth prospects for OFW remittances."

Europe 'epicenter' of monkeypox outbreak – WHO

By Agence France-Presse

COPENHAGEN: The World Health Organization (WHO) said Wednesday Europe remained the epicenter of the global monkeypox outbreak, which posed a "real risk" with more than 1,500 cases reported in the region.

The UN health body already announced on Tuesday that it would hold an emergency meeting next week to determine whether to classify the outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern.

"Europe remains the epicenter of this escalating outbreak with 25 countries reporting more than 1,500 cases, or 85 percent of the global total," Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, told a press conference Wednesday.

WHO's European region comprises 53 countries, including several in Central Asia.

Until the past few months, monkeypox had generally been confined to Western and Central Africa.

Kluge said that the majority of cases reported in Europe "have been among men who have sex with men", but also warned against stigmatisation.

He stressed "that the monkeypox virus is not in itself attached to any specific group."

The regional director also warned that the risk was increasing as summer had arrived with "tourism, various Pride events, music festivals and other mass gatherings planned across the region."

"These events are powerful opportunities to engage with young, sexually active and highly mobile people," Kluge said, but stressed that "monkeypox is not a reason to cancel events, but an opportunity to leverage them to drive our engagement."

Speaking next to Kluge, Steve Taylor, director of European Pride Organisers Association, said that some 750 Pride events were planned across the European region and welcomed the WHO's recommendation not to cancel these events.

"Sadly, but entirely predictably, some of those who oppose Pride and who oppose equality and human rights have already been attempting to use monkeypox as a justification for calls for Pride to be banned," Taylor told reporters.

The EU announced Tuesday that it had purchased almost 110,000 vaccine doses to help tackle the outbreak, though the WHO does not recommend mass vaccination against monkeypox.

PSEi drops 2.40% on impending Fed rate hike

By Ed Paolo Salting, Manila Times

THE Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) plummeted on Wednesday by 155.11 points, or by 2.40 percent, to 6,319.42 as the local market was affected by the negative sentiment from last night's performance of the US bourses.

Regina Capital Development Corp. Managing Director Luis Limlingan, Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. chief economist Michael Ricafort and Philstocks Financial Inc. senior research analyst Japhet Tantiangco all agreed that investors are worried over an aggressive rate hike by the US Federal Reserve Bank.

The further depreciation of the Philippine peso against the United States dollar and higher US Treasury yields added to the market's bearish sentiment.

"The rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee will conclude its two-day meeting on Wednesday. The market is betting on a 75-basis-point rate hike, according to the CME Group Inc.'s FedWatch tool. Today's moves also came as investors digested another important inflation reading of May's producer performance index, which showed that wholesale prices rose 10.8 percent, and hovered near a record pace," Limlingan explained in his analysis.

Meanwhile, Vista Land's real estate investment trust (VREIT) debuted on the PSE and Limlingan and Ricafort noted that it would have finished much higher if it were not for the current market sentiment.

They said that the company aims to maintain high occupancy rates and quality tenants with particular focus on those offering essential goods and/or services. Also, its weighted average lease expiry of 5.09 years is quite impressive while the relatively high occupancy rate for malls was at 90 percent as of end-2021 despite the pandemic.

VREIT closed unchanged at its initial public offering price of P1.75 per share, and saw an intraday low of P1.59.

Other Asian bourses ended up mixed as Japan descended again by 1.14 percent, China climbed 0.50 percent, Hong Kong up 1.14 percent, Korea down by 1.83 percent, Vietnam dipped at 1.33 percent, Indonesia inched downwards by 0.61 percent, Thailand slid by 0.59 percent and Singapore slipped by -0.10 percent.

Trading remained anemic with net value turnover posting P5.84 billion, below the year-to-date average of P6.80 billion.

The model prayer

By Fr. Roy Cimagala*

“IN praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words.” (Mt 6,7) With these words, Christ is telling us to be wary of the dangers of the way we pray. And he immediately tells us how to pray. Thus, we now have what is known as the Lord’s Prayer, or the “Our Father.”

We need to realize that this is the model prayer that shows us what dispositions we ought to have when we pray, how we ought to address God our Father, what we have to ask, etc. Thus, we have to assume the spirit with which the prayer is given to us by Christ.

In the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we are told that “the Lord’s Prayer reveals us to ourselves at the same time that it reveals the Father to us.” (2783) 

In other words, we are told who we really are and who God is to us. Thus, no matter how our life here on earth goes, we should never forget that we are children of God who will do everything to bring us back to him. Psalm 129 reinforces this truth of our faith: “With the Lord, there is mercy and fullness of redemption.”

We just have to make sure also that, as expressed in this prayer, we also have to be merciful to everyone just as God is merciful to us. “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

We have to understand that forgiveness or mercy is the ultimate expression of love which is the very essence of God and which is also meant to be the essence of our humanity since we are God’s image and likeness, children of his.

And as if to underscore the importance of this point, Christ reiterated: “For if you will forgive men their offences, your heavenly Father will forgive you also your offences. But if you will not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive you for your offences.” (Mt 6,14-15) It’s clear therefore that we can only be forgiven if we also forgive others.

We have to be clear that this injunction is meant for everyone, and not only for a few whom we may consider to be religiously inclined. That’s why when asked how many times we should forgive, he said not only seven times, but seventy times seven, meaning always.

That’s also why he easily forgave the woman caught in adultery. And to those whom he cured of their illnesses, it was actually the forgiveness of their sins that he was more interested in.

To top it all, Christ allowed himself to die on the cross as a way to forgive all of our sins, and to convert our sins through his resurrection as a way to our own redemption. What he did for us he also expects, nay, commands that we also do for everybody else. 

Thus that indication that if we want to follow him, we have to deny ourselves, carry the cross and follow him.

It is presumed that all of us sin one way or another. That’s why St. John said: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 Jn 1,8) I am sure that our personal experience can bear that out easily.

We really need to live the spirit behind this model prayer!

* Chaplain Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE), Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

PH team finishes ninth in Asian Women's U18 Volleyball Championship

by Kristel Satumbaga-Villar, Manila Bulletin

Team Philippines dominated India, 25-21, 25-19, 25-12, to finish ninth place in the 14th Asian Women’s U18 Volleyball Championship at the Nakhon Pathom Sports Centre Gymnasium in Thailand Monday.

Katherine Shaine Cortez, a standout from Bacolod Tay Tung High School, distributed the ball well with 26 excellent sets to be hailed as Player of the Game.

Rhose Viane Almendralejo bannered the PH team’s attacks with 16 points, while Dona Mae De Leon and Ana Francesa Hermosura chipped in 12 and nine points, respectively.

It was a revenge of sorts for the Jerry Ye-mentored squad after losing to India in the group stage, 25-14, 21-25, 23-25, 19-25, last week.

After escaping a tight opening set, the Filipina spikers dictated the tempo in the next two sets with a 20-16 advantage in the second frame and a 19-9 lead in the third.

The team is the youngest in the tournament and is composed of players from Western Visayas.

IS LIFE REALLY JUST A LOAN?

“My life is on loan, like money borrowed from a bank. God is the lender, and He retains the right to call in the loan any time. Though I am responsible for taking care of it, I do not own this life; it is borrowed. Why should I fear its loss or the loss of anything else in this world when I must surrender it all anyway?” I love this quotation by James Dillehay,  author of the book "Overcoming the 7 Devils That Ruin Success".

Can you borrow against life? You can typically take out loans against permanent life insurance policies, but not term life insurance policies. Life insurance loans use cash value accounts as collateral. Term life insurance policies do not come with a cash value account, so policyholders can't borrow money from their insurer against these policies.

Sweet words are easy to say; nice things are easy to buy; but good people are different to find. Life ends, when you stop dreaming; hope ends, when you stop believing; friendship stops, when you stop sharing. A good friend of mine sent me this quotation. I commented back: So very true and very well said!

Our life is borrowed - from God. No rental charges are collected from us. Many of us have forgotten this and live life to the fullest. Our life is equal to a book from a library that lends one. But how insatiable and unbearable are we in disdainful acting towards life and therefore to ourselves?

Life seems to be nothing, just being ready to riddle one with bullets. Life seems to be nothing, just being broken through indifference and unreliable and immoral behavior. Life seems to be nothing for those people who don't understand cries from the heart of other people around them - cries for their hearts and families, for justice and for many other things.

Life with all its ups and downs, is just a loan, but for many of our fellow creatures it just seems to be nonsense to be littered like a dump. And, if people try to survive, especially during these days, and if they just experienced (once more!) indifference, arrogance, ignorance or cheating by whomever - they will give up!

I can assure you that every one of us can at first help in prayers and in reading the bible. "Proverbs" is the probably most down-to-earth book in the bible. Its teachings prepare you for daily life, the street and the market place. The book offers warm pieces of advice you get; practical guidance for making your way on earth. 

Proverbs covers any kinds of questions you might have right now. Anybody can relate to the generalities of Proverbs, because this book simply tells how life works most of the time.

New FMR , better living for Tagugpo residents in Pantukan

A newly built Farm-to-market (FMR)  road with a length of 1,260 meters, is now in service to the residents of Brgy. Tagugpo, Pantukan, Davao de Oro after a simple  turnover ceremony held last June 11, 2022.

DILG Davao de Oro Provincial Director Noel Duarte said during the official turn-over ceremony of the project, that FMRs established in the formerly conflict affected areas in the province will bring significant changes to people especially farmers, “Dili lang katawhan ang tumong sa proyekto, kundili ang katawhan ug ang iyang produkto,” said PD Duarte. Tagugpo’s new FMR opens access for farmers going to their respective farming areas much easier than ever.

Brgy. Tagugpo is among the sixty-five (65) barangay beneficiaries of the province under the Barangay Development Program (BDP) of the NTF-ELCAC. Each barangay beneficiary is granted a twenty (20) million peso budget for the establishment of much-needed services for the people not only limited to FMRs, but also water systems, health centers, electrification, and day-care centers for education.

Last October 2021, PLGU-Davao de Oro through the Bayanihan Sa Paaralan Program, established a Bayanihan school building with two (2) classrooms and complete amenities in a span of thirty (30) days which will cover primary education of the five (5) sitios in Tagugpo. Right after, a Salugpungan school in Sitio Maligaya, whose operation stopped in 2018 was demolished last January this year.

Further, the turn-over ceremony were attended by Governor Tyron Uy, together with  partners from the PNP, AFP, and DILG. “Ang susi sa kalambuan sa atong probinsya mao ang kalinaw,” said Governor Tyron Uy, “Hopefully atong mahimong zero ang insurgency dinhi sa atung probinsya, kay mao na ang akong pangandoy sukad 2016 isip inyung gobernador and that is my commitment sa pagpanerbisyo,” he added.

Davao de Oro has only one (1) remaining guerilla front, from eleven (11) fronts way-back 2016, a major decrease in insurgency as a result of the collective efforts of the provincial government and partner agencies. The series of turn-overs for the BDP funded projects in the province will continue in the upcoming days. (Jasteen Abella, PAO IPRD, photos by G. Mativo and J. Cadiz)

Alert Level 2 in NCR possible if Covid-19 cases continue to go up, says Vergeire

DOH UNDERSECRETARY MARIA ROSARIO VERGEIRE (Manila Bulletin File Photo)

by Jel Santos, Manila Bulletin

Should the Covid-19 cases in the National Capital Region (NCR) continue to rise, the quarantine level may be raised to the more restrictive Alert Level 2.

This was according to Department of Health (DOH) spokesperson Usec. Maria Rosario S. Vergeire during a radio interview on Monday, June 13.

The NCR is currently under Alert Level 1.

“The possibility would always be there kapag nagtuloy-tuloy po ang mga kaso pero ang kailangan pong maintindihan ng ating mga kababayan ay (when the cases continue to rise but what we need to understand is) we are learning to live with the virus,” she said when asked if it is possible to place the NCR under Alert Level 2

Based on the DOH’s Covid-19 trend monitoring in the NCR, the health department observed a positive two-week growth rate from 14 out of 17 cities and municipality last week.

Vergeire said currently 13 out of the 17 NCR areas have been observed with uptick in Covid-19 cases.

The DOH spokesperson said the slight rise in cases could be attributed to the public’s mobility, the entry of more transmissible Covid-19 sub-variants (BA.4, BA.5, BA 2.12.1), and the waning immunity due to low booster update.

“All of these factors contribute dito sa ating nakikita nating (in what we see as) slight increases in the areas in the country, pero hindi pa natin masabi kung mag-tutuloy-tuloy (but we don’t know if this would continue),” she said.

Vergeire said the increases in Covid-19 cases are still insignificant as they don’t affect hospital admissions.

“Kapag tiningnan po natin ang kanilang average attack rate at mga kaso na tinatala bawat area (When we look at their average attack rate and cases logged in each area), nakikita naman ho natin na (we see that) it is still not significant because it is not affecting the admissions in the hospitals,” she stressed.

Although the rise in Covid-19 cases in the metropolis is still insignificant, Vergeire reminded the public to always observe minimum health and safety protocols, and “always be aware and precautious.”

KC Concepcion's fundraising to finish movie gathers $10K

KC Concepcion on the set of ‘Asian Persuasion.’ INSTAGRAM PHOTO/KRISTINACONCEPCION

By Shennah Romanillos, Manila Times

KC Concepcion and her team from "Asian Persuasion" have yet to reach their goal to raise $50,000 to finish their Hollywood film.

Over the weekend, donations reached $10,748 or 21 percent of the goal.

The actress earlier appealed to her fans for financial help to finish her film after encountering financial problems during its filming.

One of the film's main stars contracted Covid-19, pausing production for 12 days. The delay cost them $100,000.

"We are asking for your help to recover the funds lost during our one-week pause. While we are actively continuing to fundraise throughout the post-production period, we currently need $100,000 to supplement our ongoing private fundraising efforts to complete this movie," the team said in a statement.

"Asian Persuasion" is a romantic-comedy about chef Mickey (Dante Bosco) who sets up a scheme to marry off his ex-wife, KC, to avoid his alimony obligations. It is directed by three-time Tony-Award and Grammy-winning producer Jhett Tolentino.

On Instagram, the 37-year-old actress appealed, "The filming is done, now the hard work begins. And YOU can help bring our movie to the FINISH LINE."

The actress also shared why she agreed to do the movie — more than getting an acting job in America, Asian Persuasion presents an opportunity for Concepcion to represent Asians and Filipinos.

"I think I speak for so many Asian actors who grew up wishing and waiting for this time to come for us to be seen, heard, and represented, in all our different skin tones, body shapes, and backgrounds. This movie is about family, relationships, love, failures, resilience, success, and fighting for what you love. That's why this story is YOURS, as much as it is mine."

Closed season seen to increase prices of fish in Davao Region

by Antonio Colina IV, Manila Bulletin

DAVAO CITY – Prices of fish in the Davao Region will likely increase due to the implementation of the three-month closed fishing season at Davao Gulf, an official of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)-Davao said.BFAR-Davao Region Director Raul Millana said that the prohibited fishing activities would affect the local supply of fish that would result in higher prices.

He added that aquaculture might help cushion the inflationary effect of the fishing ban, prompting the agency to support small fisherfolk in setting up marine fish cages, including even the inland waters.

Millana said production of fresh water fish, including tilapia and catfish, would help abate the increase in the prices of fish.

The implementation of the ban, which is now in its ninth year, must be enforced to allow pelagic fish to reproduce since the period from June 1 to August 31 has been established as their spawning season, according to Millana.

The Departments of Agriculture (DA) and Interior and Local Government (DILG)-issued Joint Administrative Circular No. 2 in 2014 established a three-month closed fishing season in the Davao Gulf to “conserve marine resources, to secure the spawning period of pelagic fishes in the Gulf, and continuously implement measures to address illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.”

The order bans small-scale to large-scale commercial fishing vessels from 3.1 to 150 gross tons and the use of bag nets and ring nets in the Gulf, which the BFAR identified as a spawning ground for tuna and other fish species and one of the 10 major fishing grounds in the Philippines. The protected species include big-eyed scad, mackerel, and moonfish.

He said the ban gives small pelagic fish time to regrow its population, emphasizing that extractive fishing activities would have long-term effect on the supply of fish.