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Filipinas U17 blast Indonesia 6-1 in Women’s Asian Cup

THE Philippines hit the ground running in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-17  (U1&) Women’s Asian Cup, clobbering host Indonesia, 6-1, in Monday night’s opener at the Kapten Wayan Dipta Stadium in Bali.

Alexa Pino and Natalie Collins each scored twice to spark the young Filipinas to the runaway win that put them in a tie with North Korea for the early Group A lead with three points. The North Koreans shut out their rivals from South Korea, 7-0, in the other kickoff matchup.

Ms. Pino opened the floodgates of scoring for the Philippines in the sixth minute when she nodded home Ava Villapando’s cross.

The hosts managed to  draw level six minutes later with Claudia Scheunemann sending a volley from almost 30 yards but the young Filipinas reasserted themselves again.

Jael Marie Guy put the visitors back in front with her left-foot strike in the 22nd minute, after which Ariana Markey sneaked one past Indonesian keeper Gadhiza Asnanza in the 29th and Ms. Pino completed her brace in the 35th.

Ms. Collins produced her own double in the 54th and 62nd minutes to complete the romp.

The young Filipinas face an acid test on Thursday versus North Korea. — Olmin Leyba

Wolves demolish Nuggets, head home up 2-0

KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS scored 27 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, Anthony Edwards also had 27 points and the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Denver Nuggets 106-80 on Monday to take a 2-0 lead in a Western Conference semifinal series.

Minnesota won without center Rudy Gobert, who was away from the team for the birth of his first child. The Timberwolves, holding a decisive edge on the reigning NBA champions, head back to Minneapolis for Game 3 of the best-of-seven series on Friday.

Even without Gobert, a three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, the Timberwolves held Denver to a season low in points. Jamal Murray scored eight points on 3-for-18 shooting but had a career-high 13 rebounds, and Nikola Jokic finished with 16 points and 16 rebounds.

Aaron Gordon led the Nuggets with 20 points, and Justin Holiday had 13 off the bench. Reggie Jackson left the game in the fourth quarter due to an apparent injury.

Naz Reid and Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 14 points each for the Timberwolves, who have started the playoffs with six straight wins.

Minnesota looked smooth on offense, led by Mr. Towns scoring 20 points in the first half and the team shooting 54.5 percent before the break. The Timberwolves used a dominant run spanning the first and second quarters to take control.

Leading 18-17, the Timberwolves outscored Denver 24-5 to lead by 20 after a Reid 3-pointer with 8:05 left in the half. The Nuggets got it within 43-28, but Minnesota had a strong finish to the second quarter to lead 61-35 at halftime.

Denver continued to struggle in the third quarter and the Timberwolves took advantage, leading by as much as 32 on Alexander-Walker’s 3-pointer with 7:20 left in the period.

The Nuggets found some offensive rhythm late in the third to cut it to 82-60 heading into the fourth.

Mr. Jackson opened the final quarter with a 3-pointer to slice the deficit to 19, but Denver then missed a pair from deep. Mr. Towns made a pair of free throws and Alexander-Walker soon hit his fourth 3-pointer to make it 87-65 with 9:18 left.

Another burst pushed the gap to 97-72 as Minnesota closed it out. — Reuters

Wembanyama unanimous ROY

SAN Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama was voted NBA Rookie of the Year (ROY)  in a unanimous decision on Monday.

The French star received all 99 first-place votes from a media panel voting on the award, joining Ralph Sampson, David Robinson, Blake Griffin, Damian Lillard and Karl-Anthony Towns as unanimous winners of the award.

Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren was a strong runner-up, receiving 98 of a possible 99 second-place votes.

Mr. Wembanyama led all NBA rookies in points, rebounds and blocks along with double-doubles (43) and triple-doubles (two). — Reuters

Puentevella wants Chinese coach Gao to train Paris-bound lifters

SAMAHANG Weightlifting ng Pilipinas President Monico Puentevella knew it would take a world-class coach for Paris-bound Vanessa Sarno, Elreen Ando and John Ceniza to have a legitimate shot at an Olympic gold medal.

That is why he is sending his lifters to the one person who helped Hidilyn Diaz capture the country’s historic Tokyo Olympics mint — Chinese coach Gao Kaiwen.

“Mr. Gao is coaching Taipei, I would like them to try training there for a month, waiting for the answer of Taipei,” said Mr. Puentevella during yesterday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

Mr. Gao, of course, was Ms. Diaz’s long-time coach and was the biggest reason the latter delivered the country’s historic gold in the quadrennial games.

And that is why Mr. Puentevella may try to convince Mr. Gao from moving back to the country to coach the national squad.

“Personally, I want Mr. Gao because he understands Filipino character, he has been successful with Hidilyn (Diaz-Naranjo) and I have very high respect for him, he’s a world class coach,” he said.

“I want him to teach these kids the way he taught Hidilyn.”

Mmess. Sarno, Ando and Mr. Ceniza, for their part, vowed to fight for a medal in Paris.

Ms. Sarno is being tipped as the heiress to Ms. Diaz’s throne. — Joey Villar

Cavs win, Celtics next

For a while there, it looked as if the Cavaliers would regret their decision to deliberately throw the last contest of the regular season to take the fourth seed in the East heading into the playoffs. A favorable result against the lowly Hornets would have placed them second and in a collision course with the Sixers, who were then riding a hot streak of eight straight wins. The latter likewise appeared to be a worse matchup on paper vis-a-vis the relatively inexperienced Magic. As they stared at the prospect of losing a Game Seven against their preferred opponents, however, not a few pundits wondered if they wrongly tempted fate.

As things turned out, the Cavaliers would go on to claim their do-or-die affair the other day on the strength of an otherworldly showing from immediate past All-NBA selection Donovan Mitchell. To be sure, it helped that the Magic outside of resident All-Star Paolo Banchero melted under the klieg lights; the pressure to perform with survival at stake proved to be too much to bear for supposed stalwarts Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs, who shot one of 15 and two of 13 from the field, respectively, to ensure defeat.

That said, the Cavaliers have no reason to rest on their laurels. They may have won the battle, but they’re slated to lose the war. With the juggernaut Celtics waiting in the wings, they will be hard-pressed to advance to the conference finals. There’s a reason the green and white have practically lapped the rest of the National Basketball Association, and nothing the wine and gold have shown so far gives any indication that they can keep pace. At this point, avoiding the broomstick looks to be an achievement in and of itself.

Perhaps the Cavaliers will catch lightning in a bottle and overcome the odds. Perhaps Mitchell has another best-of-seven series’ worth of heroics in him. The flipside, of course, is that they likewise need the Celtics to all but fold the way the Magic did — an extremely unlikely proposition for last year’s East finalists. Which is not to say they won’t try their best. It’s just that their best doesn’t seem to be anywhere near the same zip code as good enough.

 

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.

Fujitsu opens its first Digital Innovation Hub in ASEAN

Fujitsu launched its first ASEAN Digital Innovation Hub in the Philippines.

A Japanese information and communication technology company launched Southeast Asia’s first Digital Innovation Hub (DIH) in the Philippines on Thursday, May 2, 2024.

Fujitsu’s DIH is a collaborative space for organizations and the company’s in-house experts to brainstorm ideas, create innovative concepts, and co-create solutions through their interactive workshops.

“We’re dedicated to addressing business challenges, from refining operations to enhancing customer experiences,” Fujitsu Philippines Managing Director and Head of Customer Success in Asia Pacific Raul Santiago said in a discussion on providing customers with access to ‘top tier’ business and technology specialists.

The company also highlights its Human-centric Experience Design (HXD) in the said workshops. HXD is a unique design thinking method developed in Japan and used worldwide.

The four critical factors for success under this methodology are:

● People
● Purpose
● Outcome
● Design

Through the help of its co-creation program and HXD workshops, the Japanese technology company aims to provide end-to-end IT solutions for the country’s growing businesses to solve societal issues and accelerate its digital transformation.

The company is “committed to innovation and becoming a trusted partner in the digital experience and sustainability transformation” of different companies, schools, and organization, Mr. Santiago mentioned in the roundtable discussion.

The Philippines was chosen as the first location to establish DIH due to the evident demand for digital transformation from the growing number of business innovators in the region, Mr. Santiago added.

The multinational company plans to establish its second ASEAN hub in Vietnam. — Almira Louise S. Martinez

Gaza ceasefire uncertain as Israel strikes Rafah

WIKIMEDIA.ORG

RAFAH, Gaza Strip/CAIRO/JERUSALEM — Palestinian militant group Hamas on Monday agreed to a Gaza ceasefire proposal from mediators, but Israel said the terms did not meet its demands and pressed ahead with strikes in Rafah while planning to continue negotiations on a deal.

The developments in the seven-month-old war came as Israeli forces struck Rafah on Gaza’s southern edge from the air and ground and ordered residents to leave parts of the city, which has been a refuge for more than a million displaced Palestinians.

Hamas said in a brief statement that its chief, Ismail Haniyeh, had informed Qatari and Egyptian mediators that the group accepted their proposal for a ceasefire.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said later that the truce proposal fell short of Israel’s demands but Israel would send a delegation to meet with negotiators to try to reach an agreement.

Qatar’s foreign ministry said its delegation will head to Cairo on Tuesday to resume indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

In a statement, Mr. Netanyahu’s office added that his war cabinet approved continuing an operation in Rafah. Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said on social media site X that Mr. Netanyahu was jeopardizing a ceasefire by bombing Rafah.

An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the proposal that Hamas approved was a watered-down version of an Egyptian offer and included elements that Israel could not accept.

“This would appear to be a ruse intended to make Israel look like the side refusing a deal,” said the Israeli official.

Another official briefed on the agreement said Hamas had agreed to the phased ceasefire and hostage release deal Israel proposed on April 27 with only minor changes that did not affect the main parts of the proposal.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Washington would discuss the Hamas response with its allies in the coming hours, and a deal was “absolutely achievable.” More than 34,600 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, according to Gaza health officials. The United Nations (UN) has said famine is imminent in the enclave.

The war began when Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people and abducting 252 others, of whom 133 are believed to remain in captivity in Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.

RAFAH HIT BY STRIKES
Any truce would be the first pause in fighting since a week-long ceasefire in November, during which Hamas freed around half of the hostages.

Since then, all efforts to reach a new truce have foundered over Hamas’ refusal to free more hostages without a promise of a permanent end to the conflict, and Israel’s insistence that it would discuss only a temporary pause.

Taher Al-Nono, a Hamas official and adviser to Haniyeh, told Reuters the proposal met the group’s demands for reconstruction efforts in Gaza, return of displaced Palestinians and a swap of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

The Hamas deputy chief in Gaza, Khalil Al-Hayya, told Al Jazeera television the proposal comprised three phases of six weeks each, with Israel to pull its troops out of Gaza in the second phase.

Earlier on Monday, Israel ordered the evacuation of parts of Rafah, the city on the Egyptian border that has served as the last sanctuary for around half of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents.

An Israeli strike on a house in Rafah killed five Palestinians, including a woman and a girl, medics said.

Israel believes that a significant number of Hamas fighters, along with potentially dozens of hostages, are in Rafah and has said that victory requires taking the key city.

Israel’s closest ally, the United States, has called on it not to assault Rafah, saying it must not do so without a full plan in place to protect civilians there, which has yet to be presented.

A separate US official said that Washington is concerned about Israel’s latest strikes against Rafah but does not believe they represent a major military operation.

Israel said on Monday it was conducting limited operations on the eastern part of Rafah. Palestinian residents said there were massive air strikes.

“They have been firing since last night and today after the evacuation orders, the bombardment became more intense because they want to frighten us to leave,” Jaber Abu Nazly, a 40-year-old father of two, told Reuters via a chat app.

“Others are wondering whether there is any place safe in the whole of Gaza,” he added.

Instructed by Arabic text messages, phone calls and flyers to move to what the Israeli military called an “expanded humanitarian zone” around 20 km (12 miles) away, some Palestinian families began trundling away in chilly spring rain.

Some piled children and possessions onto donkey carts, while others left by pick-up or on foot through muddy streets.

As families dismantled tents and folded belongings, Abdullah Al-Najar said this was the fourth time he had been displaced since the fighting began seven months ago.

“God knows where we will go now. We have not decided yet.” — Reuters

Australian PM Albanese says China military air incident unacceptable

AUSTRALIAN Prime Minister Anthony Albanese — REUTERS

SYDNEY – Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday it was unacceptable for Australian defense personnel to be put at risk in international airspace by the Chinese military as they took part in an operation to enforce United Nations sanctions on North Korea.

A Chinese fighter jet endangered an Australian military helicopter during an unsafe and unacceptable confrontation over the Yellow Sea, Australia said on Monday.

The Chinese air force J-10 jet dropped flares above and several hundred meters ahead of an Australian MH60R Seahawk helicopter on a routine flight on Saturday in the Yellow Sea as part of an operation to enforce sanctions against North Korea, Defense Minister Richard Marles said on Monday evening.

In a television interview, Albanese said China had not yet responded publicly to Australia’s representations over the incident.

“This issue, we have made public in order to be able to speak out very clearly and unequivocally that this behavior is unacceptable,” he told Nine’s Today Show.

The Australian Defense Force personnel were “in international waters, international airspace, and they’re doing work to ensure that the sanctions that the world has imposed through the United Nations on North Korea, due to their intransient and reckless behavior, are enforced”.

“They shouldn’t have been at any risk,” he said.

The Australian public expected an explanation from China about the incident, and Australia had made “very strong representations at every level to China”, he added.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang is expected to visit Australia next month, he said.

“We will make our position clear as well in discussions,” he said.

The helicopter, flying from destroyer HMAS Hobart, dodged the flares. The confrontation put the aircraft and those on board at risk, although no one was hurt, the Department of Defense said in a separate statement.

This is the second such incident in six months to mar what has otherwise been a growing rapprochement between the two countries after years of strained relations and trade disputes.

Australia said in November a Chinese naval vessel injured some of its divers in Japanese waters using an underwater sonar. China denied it had used its sonar, however Australia rejected the explanation.

In 2022, Australia protested after a Chinese navy vessel pointed a laser at an Australian military aircraft close to Australia’s northern coast.

In a separate incident in 2022, Australia said a Chinese fighter aircraft dangerously intercepted an Australian military surveillance plane in the South China Sea, releasing a “bundle of chaff” containing pieces of aluminum that were ingested into the Australian aircraft’s engine.

Liu Jianchao, head of the international department of the Chinese Communist Party, said during a visit to Australia in November the Australian navy’s movements in the South China Sea and East China Sea appeared to be an effort to contain China.

Australia has rejected this, saying it respects the right of all states to exercise freedom of navigation and overflight in accordance with international law.

China claims sovereignty over much of the South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. An international tribunal in 2016 said China’s expansive claim had no legal basis.

Chinese navy vessels have been tracked off Australia’s coast several times in recent years, including monitoring exercises with the US military. — Reuters

People with two copies of a risk gene have genetic form of Alzheimer’s — study

CHICAGO — People who carry two copies of the APOE4 gene are virtually guaranteed to develop Alzheimer’s and face symptoms at an earlier age, researchers reported on Monday in a study that could redefine such carriers as having a new genetic form of the mind-wasting disease.

The reclassification could change Alzheimer’s research, diagnosis and approaches to treatment, according to the researchers, whose study was published in the journal Nature Medicine.

“Through these data we are saying that perhaps this is a genetic form of this disease, not merely a risk factor indication,” study co-author Sterling Johnson of the University of Wisconsin’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center told reporters in a briefing.

Scientists have known for three decades that people with two copies of APOE4 gene variant have significantly higher risk of developing the disease than people with the most common version of the APOE gene, known as APOE3. About 2% to 3% of the general population, or 15% of people with Alzheimer’s, have two copies of the APOE4 variant.

“This study adds compelling data to suggest that people with two copies of this gene are almost guaranteed to develop Alzheimer’s if they live long enough, and that they will develop Alzheimer’s earlier than people without this gene,” said professor Tara Spires-Jones, an Alzheimer’s researcher at the University of Edinburgh who was not involved in the study.

Dr. Juan Fortea of the University of Barcelona and colleagues studied more than 3,000 donated brains from the US National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center, as well as biological and clinical data on more than 10,000 individuals from three countries.

They found that by age 65, at least 95% of people with two copies of APOE4 — known as homozygotes — had abnormal levels of an Alzheimer’s-related protein called beta amyloid in their spinal fluid, and 75% had positive brain scans for amyloid.

Nearly all APOE4 homozygotes in the study had higher levels of amyloid at age 65 than people who did not carry the risk variant.

The findings suggest APOE4 homozygotes meet the three main criteria for being a genetic disease: nearly everyone with these two variants have Alzheimer’s biology; they develop symptoms at about the same rate; and clinical and biological changes occur in a predictable sequence, the researchers said.

Professor David Curtis of the UCL Genetics Institute, who was not involved in the research, remained unconvinced. “I do not see anything in this paper to justify the claim that carrying two copies of APOE4 represents some ‘distinct genetic form’ of Alzheimer’s disease’,” he said in a statement.

“No matter how many (copies) of APOE4 one carries the underlying disease processes seem similar across cases of Alzheimer’s disease,” he said.

TREATMENT IMPLICATIONS
The findings could have implications for the recently approved Alzheimer’s treatment Leqembi from Eisai and Biogen, a drug that removes amyloid from the brain.

In clinical trials, patients with two copies of the APOE4 variant have much higher rates of brain bleeding and swelling associated with the treatment. Because of this, some centers do not treat these patients, Dr. Reisa Sperling, an Alzheimer’s researcher at Mass General Brigham who worked on the study, said in a briefing with reporters.

The findings suggest they should be treated at a younger age because “we know they’re very, very likely to progress to impairment quickly,” she said.

Dr. Samuel Gandy, an Alzheimer’s researcher at Mount Sinai in New York, said the findings stress the need to enroll APOE4 homozygotes into trials designed to prevent the disease before they develop symptoms. Sperling is conducting one such trial.

Heather Snyder of the Alzheimer’s Association said the findings, if correct, could have significant implications for how disease risk is assessed, how it is studied in clinical trials and how treatments are developed.

The new designation would be for Alzheimer’s that develops later in life. Other genetic forms include Autosomal-dominant Alzheimer’s Disease, which is caused by mutations in three different genes, and Down syndrome.

A key limitation of the study is that it involved mostly people of European ancestry. The team said more study is needed in people of African descent, a population in which APOE4 appears to convey a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease. — Reuters

Judge warns Trump of potential jail time for violating gag order

REUTERS

NEW YORK — The judge in Donald Trump’s criminal trial fined him $1,000 and held him in contempt of court for a 10th time on Monday for violating a gag order and warned that further violations could land the former president in jail.

Justice Juan Merchan said the nine $1,000 fines he had imposed previously did not seem to be deterring the wealthy business mogul from violating the order, which bars him from speaking publicly about the jurors and witnesses in the first criminal trial of a former US president.

“I do not want to impose a jail sanction and have done everything I can to avoid doing so. But I will if necessary,” Mr. Merchan said at the start of the trial’s 12th day before the jury entered.

Imprisonment would be an unprecedented step in the historic trial, which stems from a hush money payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels in the final weeks of the 2016 election.

After Mr. Merchan’s ruling, jurors heard testimony from former Trump employees that could bolster prosecutors’ case that Mr. Trump falsified business records to cover up the hush money payment.

Trump has pleaded not guilty and denies wrongdoing.

As he imposed the fine, Mr. Merchan said he considered jail time “truly the last resort” as it would disrupt the trial, pose extraordinary security challenges and complicate the 2024 presidential election, in which the Republican Trump seeks to win the White House back from Democratic President Joseph R. Biden.

But the judge said Mr. Trump’s “continued, willful” violations of the gag order amounted to a “direct attack on the rule of law.”

Mr. Merchan imposed the 10th $1,000 fine on Monday for an April 22 broadcast interview in which the former president said: “That jury was picked so fast — 95% Democrats. The area’s mostly all Democrat.”

Mr. Merchan found that other statements flagged by prosecutors that mentioned witnesses Michael Cohen and David Pecker did not violate the gag order.

The order prevents Mr. Trump from making statements about jurors, witnesses and families of the judge and prosecutors if meant to interfere with the case. Violations are punishable by fines of up to $1,000 or jail time of up to 30 days.

Last week Mr. Merchan fined Mr. Trump $9,000 for nine social media posts that he ruled had violated the gag order.

Mr. Trump complains frequently that the gag order limits his ability to make his case to voters in his comeback White House bid.

“He’s taken away my constitutional right to speak,” Mr. Trump told reporters outside the courtroom, before the judge fined him. 

PAYMENT RECORDS DISPLAYED
Prosecutors on Monday later showed jurors business records that documented payments totaling $420,000 from Mr. Trump to Mr. Cohen, his former fixer and personal lawyer.

Those payments were listed as legal fees, but prosecutors say they were actually meant to reimburse Mr. Cohen for paying $130,000 to Ms. Daniels to keep quiet about a sexual encounter she says she had with Mr. Trump in 2006.

Mr. Trump denies ever having had sex with Ms. Daniels.

Prosecutors say the $420,000 paid by Mr. Trump was meant to cover the $130,000 Mr. Cohen paid to Ms. Daniels, along with $50,000 in other expenses he had incurred. Mr. Trump doubled that total to account for taxes and also included a $60,000 yearend bonus, they say.

A former controller in Mr. Trump’s organization, Jeffrey McConney, testified that he was not aware of any other instance in which the Trump Organization reimbursed someone so generously.

Mr. McConney said he never spoke with Mr. Trump about the payments but was told by the company’s top finance official Allen Weisselberg that they were reimbursements.

Another former Trump employee, Deborah Tarasoff, walked the jury through the 34 invoices, ledger entries and checks stemming from the payments to Mr. Cohen, which were made on a monthly basis after Mr. Trump won the election. Each represents one of the 34 counts in the indictment against Mr. Trump.

Most of the checks were signed by Mr. Trump personally, and prosecutors highlighted his tall, looping signature in thick ink for the jury.

Prosecutors say the payment to Daniels corrupted the 2016 election by keeping the news from voters, at a time when Trump’s treatment of women was a central issue in his campaign against Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

They say the altered business records covered up election-law and tax-law violations that elevate the 34 counts Trump faces from misdemeanors to felonies punishable by up to four years in prison.

If found guilty, Mr. Trump could face up to four years in prison, though defendants typically face fines and probation.

The main players in the case have yet to testify, including Mr. Cohen and Ms. Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford.

The case features sordid allegations of adultery and secret payoffs, but it is widely seen as less consequential than three other criminal prosecutions Mr. Trump faces. It is the only one certain to go to trial before the Nov. 5 presidential election.

The other cases charge him with trying to overturn his 2020 presidential defeat and mishandling classified documents after leaving office. Mr. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all three. — Reuters

Top PHL stakeholders to hold Realty Confab on May 16-17

The National Real Estate Association, Inc. (NREA), jointly with the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), will convene the country’s top real estate advocates and stakeholders for a two-day national convention.

Aimed at forging a comprehensive. multi-sectoral, multi-disciplinary initiative to boost housing and real estate development in the country, the convention will be held on May 16 and 17 at the Ayala Hall of Makati Sports Club, L.P. Leviste Street, Salcedo Village, Makati City.

Top billing the array of expert guest speakers are DHSUD Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar, who will be the guest of honor and keynote speaker Day 1; Senator Joseph Victor G. Ejercito, chairman of the Senate Committee on Urban Planning, Housing and Resettlement, as guest speaker afternoon of Day 1; Asst. Secretary Marvin Jason N. Bayang of the Office of the Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economics, as guest speaker in the morning of Day 2 (May 17); and Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, as guest speaker on the afternoon sessions on Day 2.

Ma. Loren B. Sales, NREA executive vice-president and convention chairlady, said that the convention is focused on the theme “NREA:  Realizing the Dream of a Thriving Real Estate Industry”.

Red J. Rosales, NREA national president, announced that NREA, DHSUD, and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) is set to sign during the convention a joint memorandum circular strengthening the three institutions’ partnership and operational cooperation behind the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Program (4PH) of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr.

To encourage the participation of the executives and representatives of local government units (LGUs) to the convention, the DILG has issued a memorandum circular to enable LGU leaders’ participation, on official time.  LGUs serve as the main housing project proponents and implementors under 4PH, Mr. Rosales pointed out.

Consultant Imelda C. Magtoto, NREA chairperson, informed that participants will gain 12.5 credits in Continuing Professional Development (CPD) to comply with the license renewal of real estate brokers, appraisers and consultants while architect-participants will gain 3.5 CPD credits.

Ms. Magtoto also announced the convention topics and the invited speakers.  These  are:  “Pasig River Rehabilitation and Other Updates,” with DHSUD Usec., Atty. Avelino Tolentino III;  “Planado Project Program,” with DHSUD Usec. Henry Yap; “Vertical Housing Program and Policy Initiatives for 4PH,” with DHSUD Usec. Garry De Guzman; “Regional Development and LGU Process,” with DILG Sec. Benjamin Abalos, Jr.;

“Affordable Housing for OFWs,” with Congresswoman Marissa “Del Mar” Magsino; “Future of Communities:  Smart Cities and Beyond,” with Architect Felino Palafox, Jr.; “Towards Sustainable Communities,” with DHSUD Dir. Ma. Lorina Rigor; “Innovations in Housing Technology,” with Engineer Christian  Camacho of DoST-FPRDI; “Trends and Opportunities in Township Development,” with Andrew Tan, chairman and president of Megaworld Corp.;

“Investment Prospects and Incentives for Mass Housing,” with BOI-DTI Dir. Mary Ann Raganit; “Pag-IBIG:  Digitalizing Home Financing and Other Program Updates,” with Pag-IBIG President and CEO Marilene Acosta; “Evolution and Future of Affordable Housing,” with Atty. Christopher Ryan Tan, OSHDP legal counsel and past president and Hausland Development Corp. president and current CEO;  “The 7 Flagship Projects of Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC),” with President & CEO Arrey Perez;

“Trends and Insights in Real Estate Marketing,” with Mariana Zobel De Ayala; “Tourism Boom and Tourist-Oriented Real Estate Development,” with DoT Sec. Ma. Esperanza Cristina Garcia Frasco; “Unlocking Potential:  Updates on RPVAR Bill and Role in Shaping Property Valuation Practices,” with BLGF Dir. Ma. Pamela Quizon; “Professionalizing Real Estate,” with PRBRES Chairperson Ofelia Binag;

“Digitizing Land Registry and Updates,” with LRA Administrator Gerardo Sirios; “Ease of Paying Taxes and Other Updates,” with BIR Commissioner Romeo Lumaqui, Jr.; “ARTA:  Business-Friendly PH and Other Anti-Red Tape Updates,” with ARTA Dir. Gen. Ernesto Perez; and  “Land Access for Housing Through Conversion and Other Updates,” with DAR Usec., Atty. Luis Meinrado Pangulayan.

Sec. Gen. Loudette B. Carlos, convention vice-chair, said that invited panel discussion moderators are:  Mr. Leonardo Dayao,  SHDA Chairman; Engr. Marcelino Mendoza, NREA Adviser & OSHDP Chairman;  DILG Dir. Anna Liza Bonagua; Ricky Celis, NREA Adviser & Past President; Alejandro Manalac, NREA Adviser & Past President/Chairman;  Proptech Exec. Dir. AJ Rocero; SHDA Pres. Atty. Joy Manaog, Benigno Cabrieto, NREA Adviser & Past Pres./Chairman; and Paolo Giovanni Olivares, OSHDP President.

Another highlight of the convention is the launching of NREA Research Center (NRC) and of the NREA Youth Council (NYC).  NRC will lead realty industry research initiatives; data gathering, studies and analyses, for actionable outputs. NYC, on the other hand, is a platform to harness youth leaders in housing and real estate.

Immediately preceding the convention, NREA will hold its annual Chairperson’s Golf Cup on May 15 at Wack Wack Golf and Country Club in Mandaluyong City, with prizes totaling to P300,000 in values.

The tournament will be chaired by Adviser Bansan C. Choa with Treasurer Nicole Choa and PRO Christian Mulingbayan as tournament vice chairmen.

Notably, the event is also a fund-raising activity to support NREA’s corporate social responsibility projects. It also promotes camaraderie among its members, colleagues and friends aims to achieve a “healthy mind and a healthy body.”

Golf registration fees are P8,500 each player, inclusive of green fees, golf cart use, food, and a chance to win big raffle prizes.  Meanwhile, convention registration fees are P3,000 for both NREA members and non-members.

Both events are supported by: PHirst Park Homes, Inc.; Pag-IBIG Fund; Davies Paint Philippines, Inc.; Merrytown Properties Corp.; Pocket Communities; Emerald Vinyl Corp.; Prime Homes Realty & Development Corp.; National Home Mortgage Finance Corp.; Mapecon Philippines, Inc.; Oak Drive Capital,  Inc.; Union Cement Philippines; Central Country Estates, Inc./The Lakeshore; AIDEA, Inc.; Phinma Properties, Inc.; Megaworld Corp.; Duraville Realty & Development Corp.; Hausland Development Corp./Fiesta Communities; SM Development Corp.; E. Ganzon, Inc.; A. Brown Company, Inc.; Golden Haven Memorial Parks; and the Department of Tourism.

For registration and other particulars, you may contact the NREA Secretariat at mobile/Viber nos. 0927-9231113 (Exec. Asst. & Event Officer Lhane Sta. Juana); 0965-5392012 (Aileen Garlitos); 0917-6374961 (Iya Angeles); or email us at nrea_org@gyahoo.com.

 

Spotlight is BusinessWorld’s sponsored section that allows advertisers to amplify their brand and connect with BusinessWorld’s audience by publishing their stories on the BusinessWorld Web site. For more information, send an email to online@bworldonline.com.

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JuanHand and FEdCenter announce partnership to revolutionize financial literacy in the Philippines

JuanHand and FEdCenter Contract Signing Event; from left Patrick Ian Bituin (VP for Marketing, JCFAP), Francisco “Coco” Mauricio (JuanHand President and CEO), Marc Kristian Fabio Gulle (FEdCenter CEO), and Princess Claire Isla (VP for Comptrollership, JCFAP).

FEdCenter, an umbrella association of finance teachers and students known for promoting financial knowledge, and JuanHand, the leading Online Cash Lending Platform in the country, are partnering to launch an app-based education platform meant to increase financial literacy by making it fun, rewarding, and convenient.

JuanHand, with over 24 Million downloads and over 21 Billion Pesos worth of loans disbursed, has become the preferred online cash lender of the undeserved who are seeking reliable, fair, and quick financial solutions.  JuanHand has been instrumental in expanding financial inclusion in the Philippines and now wants to serve the country even more by democratizing Financial Literacy.  FEdCenter aims to assist JuanHand by providing engaging content in the soon-to-be-launched financial literacy platform and by promoting its use through their other partners such as the Junior Confederation of Finance Associations – Philippines (JCFAP) and the Finance Educators Association (Fin.Ed). JCFAP and Fin.ED is a community composed of 16,000 individuals from over 160 universities and organizations in the country.

The partnership officially commenced last January 2024, which will revolutionize not only financial literacy in the country but also transform the FinTech landscape across the nation. The Partnership Signing Ceremony was held last April 21, 2024, during the National Finance Summit in Le Pavillon Pasay.

This marks a significant milestone in the history of both companies, as a testament to their dedication to financial literacy and inclusion.  Filipinos now have something to look forward to in the coming months:  a Financial Literacy platform expected to create a movement that will impact the present and future generations. More to come.

For more information, please visit www.juanhand.com, download the JuanHand app at Google Playstore or iOS Appstore or contact official@fedcenter.org.

 

Spotlight is BusinessWorld’s sponsored section that allows advertisers to amplify their brand and connect with BusinessWorld’s audience by publishing their stories on the BusinessWorld Web site. For more information, send an email to online@bworldonline.com.

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