'Miscomm': Malacañang clears ex-agriculture execs in sugar import messMANILA, Philippines — What was once called an “illegal” order to bring in sugar from abroad has been ruled a simple case of miscommunication as Malacañang absolved former agriculture officials involved in the botched importation plan. While the Office of the President absolved the former officials from any charges related to the sugar importation mess, it still "admonished" them "to be more prudent and circumspect in the performance of their duties." These duties are no longer theirs as most of them quit their posts in the middle of the mess. According to News5, the Office of the President has ruled that the issuance of the controversial Sugar Order No. RELATED: Trixie Cruz-Angeles, Vic Rodriguez out from MalacañangFormer Agriculture Undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian previously justified his signing of SO No.

Players in action during the CCE MLBB tournament. The Collegiate Center for Esports (CCE) could expand to a bigger cast as early as next edition after the roaring success of its first two seasons. CCE, the country’s fastest-growing collegiate Esports league, said it has received a slew of inquiries and interests from more colleges and universities on the possibility of joining Season 3, which will fire off midway through this year. That’s a welcome development and definitely, a possibility moving forward,” said CCE president Stanley Lao. We are open and willing to lend that hand,” added CCE commissioner Waiyip Chong.

Converge is not yet done wheeling and dealing after shipping Allyn Bulanadi to NorthPort in exchange of two-way guard Jerrick Balanza. Allyn Bulanadi (left) and Jerrick Balanza are switching places as Converge and NorthPort agree to a one-on-one trade. (PBA Images)The deal, which was approved by the PBA office on Wednesday, Jan. 4, will have Converge head coach Aldin Ayo reunited with Balanza, a former soldier back in his time in the collegiate ranks with the Letran Knights. The trade is now the second transaction approved by PBA involving Converge. Last Tuesday, Jan. 3, Converge shipped Mike DiGregorio, RK Ilagan and Tyrus Hill to Blackwater for Barkley Ebona and a first round pick for this year’s draft.

In his remarks to Tsai, Rasmussen said Taiwan had the "right to exist in freedom and peace," as well as the right to decide its own future. China opposes any official exchange between other countries and Taiwan and has reacted with increasing anger over visits by Western politicians. Rasmussen's foundation, which invited Tsai to address its annual democracy summit for three consecutive years from 2020, was sanctioned by Beijing in 2021. In a New Year speech on Sunday, Tsai said ramped-up Chinese military activities around Taiwan were "unhelpful" for maintaining relations between the two. Only dialogue, cooperation and the common goal of promoting regional stability and development can make more people feel safe and happy," she added.

THE mark of good writers is their ability to set their ideas in parallel, not simply the richness of their thoughts and the depth of their grammar knowhow. How scrupulously the parallelism rule is applied greatly determines the readability and persuasiveness of sentences. A very basic application of the parallelism rule is the proper use of the article "the" for the serial elements of sentences. In sentences that use "yet," this parallel construction is preferable: "You can take the train; better yet take the plane." Next week, Jan. 12, 2023: Parallelism as a mark of good writing - 2Visit Jose Carillo's English Forum, http://josecarilloforum.com.

China is ready to resume oil and gas talks and manage maritime issues "cordially" with the Philippines, China President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday, according to Chinese state television. Xi was speaking to his Philippines counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who was on a three-day visit to Beijing. Beijing territorial claims in the South China Sea, which is rich in oil, gas and fish and where about $3 trillion in ship-borne trade passes annually, had been a source of tension between it and some Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines. The Philippines had previously raised concerns over reported Chinese construction activities and the "swarming" of Beijing's vessels in disputed waters of the South China Sea. While the Philippines is a defence ally of the United States, under previous leader Rodrigo Duterte it set aside a territorial spat over the South China Sea in exchange for Chinese investment.

Woman nearly hit by stray bulletMANILA, Philippines — A woman cheated death after she was nearly hit by a stray bullet in Quezon City on Sunday, police reported yesterday. Yu told probers that he and other members of his family were celebrating when a stray bullet landed in the room of his cousin, Donna Lui-Gocor. The incident shocked Lui-Gokor as the bullet, which pierced the glass window, landed in front of her. Yu turned over the bullet from a handgun of an unknown caliber to the La Loma police station for ballistics examination. Police said an investigation is underway to determine where the bullet came from.

‘The economy in 2023’The national economy in 2023 will follow a growth path that is predicted in part by the country’s development program. Global economic conditions, however, are not bullish in 2023. East Asian countries have shown much greater economic growth performance than the rest of the global economy. It is quite fortunate that the new administration can reap the benefits from major economic reforms undertaken in the previous government. For one, we should hurry up being part of the global economy.

Together with the interest, Tong first requested a total compensation of HK$16 million - including general damages of HK$3 million, HK$1.9 million of loss of earnings arising from the deprived contract, and HK$10 million for "future loss of earnings." Coleman handed down his judgment yesterday that Tong can get the loss of earnings arising from the deprived contract, and an extra fee for teacher registration for a total of HK$695,238. In the decision, Coleman reaffirmed that Tong was qualified for the position of NET teacher, and was selected by Fuk Wing Street Government Primary School in Sham Shui Po after two rounds of interviews. The internal policy, which has not been stated in any document, said government primary schools could only get candidates' resumes from the bureau, the judgment said. Schools may opt to recruit NET teachers directly on their own or select candidates through the central pool.

MORE than 30 Filipino crewmembers of the livestock carrier, Yangtze Fortune, are stranded in Australia and reportedly abandoned by the registered vessel owner Soar Harmony Shipping of China. According to the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), Yangtze Fortune has been arrested in Portland, Victoria by the Australian Federal Court. Built in 2005 in China as a containership, the vessel has at least five different names and many managers and registered owners. The 4,800 dwt ship carried livestock between Australia and China with a crew of about 30. ITF Australia's Assistant Coordinator, Matt Purcell, who is providing support to the crew, said that five members of the crew had already worked eight months aboard the vessel.

Converge and Blackwater pulled the first trigger and agreed to a four-man, two-team trade that was approved by the Office of the Commissioner on Tuesday, Jan. 3. Barkley Ebona (left) is joining Converge while (from the right) RK Ilagan, Tyrus Hill and Mike Digregorio join Blackwater (PBA Images)Under the deal, the FiberXers are sending three players in RK Ilagan, Mike DiGregorio and rookie forward Tyrus Hill in exchange for Barkley Ebona and the Bossing’s first round pick in next season’s PBA draft. The draft pick that Converge had acquired was the pick that Blackwater got in a trade for Troy Rosario. Ilagan is a solid backup point guard for the FiberXers while Hill is a forward brimming with potential and only needs some minutes to prove his worth – something he could get with Blackwater. The question, however, for the Bossing is how they will balance the minutes in a team now suddenly loaded with guards following the addition of Ilagan and DiGregorio.

The blast occurred near one of the houses targeted overnight in Dhangri village in the southern Rajouri district. Dhangri is a Hindu-majority village and all the victims were Hindus. Nearly three dozen people in the southern city of Jammu also protested the killings that Sinha condemned as a "cowardly terror attack." Later on Monday, Sinha visited the village and met the victims' families. Rebels in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir have been fighting New Delhi's rule since 1989.

One guy who was there representing the Philippines was Fil-Am Disney executive Jay Trinidad. He said he was “confident” that Disney+ would be “a runaway hit” among Filipinos. Trinidad, Filipino-American SVP and general manager for Direct-to-Consumer for Disney Asia Pacific, certainly believes that is the case. “The Philippines is important to Walt Disney for a number of reasons,” he states. “In 2011, we honored the Philippines national icon for her singing roles as Princess Jasmine in Aladdin and Fa Mulan in Mulan,” he says with pride.

The SAR government should take the initiative to distribute flu medicine to grassroots citizens as many are struggling to find the medications at pharmacies, said Society for Community Organization community organizer Ivan Lin Wai-kiu. His comments came after a surge of Covid-19 infections across China, and the news of the HK-mainland border reopening have sent residents rushing to buy flu medicine, painkillers, and test kits in Hong Kong. Lin said many grassroots citizens reflected that they are struggling to get ahold of over-the-counter flu medicine as multiple brands of antipyretic and analgesic medications are now in short supply due to the shopping frenzy. He said authorities should make reference to previous experiences in distributing anti-Covid packs, having elderly centers and district health centers help distribute the household medicines. He also called on authorities to streamline the procedures for grassroots elderly to get their check-ups at government clinics.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., right, waves beside wife Maria Louise as they board a plane for China on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, at the Villamor Air Base in Manila, Philippines. Alluding to the two countries’ territorial dispute in the South China Sea, he said he looks forward to discussing bilateral and regional political and security issues. “The issues between our two countries are problems that do not belong between two friends such as Philippines and China,” he added. Most recently, a Filipino military commander reported that the Chinese coast guard forcibly seized Chinese rocket debris that Filipino navy personnel had retrieved in the South China Sea last month. China accounts for 20% of the Philippines’ foreign trade and is also a major source of foreign direct investment.