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Death on the Nile besting Marry Me in quiet Super Bowl weekend showdown

Emma Mackey and Armie Hammer in Death on the Nile (2022) — IMDB.COM

LOS ANGELES — There’s a battle between love and Death this weekend at the North American box office, as the Jennifer Lopez rom-com Marry Me and Kenneth Branagh’s follow-up to his 2017 whodunit Murder on the Orient Express both attempt to lure older audiences back to movie theaters in their openings. Death on the Nile looks to bow at No. 1 with a muted $12.8 million from 3,912 locations, while Marry Me will follow with an expected $8 million intake.

Disney and 20th Century Studios’ Death on the Nile, based on the famous Agatha Christie novel, took in $5.1 million on Friday, an underwhelming tally. That’s only half as much as the opening day gross of its predecessor Murder on the Orient Express ($10.7 million), which eventually legged it out to a $102 million domestic gross. While Gal Gadot’s character Linnet Ridgeway-Doyle may have enough champagne to fill the Nile in the film, it seems dubious that the whodunit could sell enough tickets to fill the $90 million hole left by its production budget.

While sequels are usually expected to build on the financial success of their predecessors, the box office fate of Death on the Nile may have seemed prewritten for quite some time now. The production was greenlit shortly after the release of Murder on the Orient Express and was subsequently inherited by Disney after the studio’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox was finalized in 2019. Many of Disney’s projects rooted in the Fox era have been perceived as financial disappointments, with films like West Side Story, The Last Duel, and The King’s Man coming up short at the box office.

Additionally, the release has faced a litany of other issues, including several delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic and accusations of rape and sexual abuse levied against Armie Hammer, one of the film’s more prominent stars. The whodunit has had an extremely quiet rollout with little to no effort made at a press tour.

Directed by Kenneth Branagh, the adaptation follows the mustachioed detective Hercule Poirot (also Branagh) as he attempts to solve a murder on board a glamorous river cruise in Egypt. The film boasts a deep cast of stars that includes Gadot, Annette Bening, Russell Brand, and Letitia Wright. Variety’s Owen Gleiberman had praise for the film, writing that it is “crisper and craftier than Murder on the Orient Express; it’s a moderately diverting dessert that carries you right along. It never transcends the feeling that you’re seeing a relic injected with life serum, but that, in a way, is part of its minor-league charm.”

Elsewhere, Universal’s Marry Me is looking to debut in third place. The studio projects an $8 million weekend gross from 3,642 locations. While Death on the Nile is bowing exclusively in theaters, Marry Me is debuting day-and-date on NBCUniversal’s streaming platform Peacock.

Romantic comedies hardly carry much box office weight anymore, with 2018’s Crazy Rich Asians representing the last smash hit in the genre. However, with a modest production budget of $23 million, a B+ CinemaScore indicating positive audience reception and both Valentine’s Day and the President’s Day holiday weekend on the horizon, Universal is anticipating a happy ending for the release.

Marry Me stars Lopez as a pop star who decides to get married to a total stranger (Owen Wilson) during one of her concerts. Together, the two must face Lopez’s toxic ex (Maluma) and see if their shotgun wedding can turn into true love. In his review of Marry Me, Gleiberman complimented the film’s self-awareness of its preposterous plot, writing: “The bar for rom-coms is not high, and this one, ludicrous as it often is, inches over the bar. But I would no more call it a good movie than I’d pretend fast food is high in nutrients.”

Meanwhile, Briarcliff Entertainment’s Liam Neeson-led action thriller Blacklight is estimated to bring in $2.89 million from 2,772 locations in its domestic debut, opening outside the box office’s top five.

Sandwiched between the two top new releases is Paramount’s Jackass Forever, which should take the box office’s runner-up slot with a projected $8.3 million gross. That’s a 65% drop from its debut last weekend, a figure that’s roughly in line with the 58% drop that its predecessor, Jackass 3D, faced in its sophomore outing in 2010. By the end of the weekend, Jackass Forever should push its domestic haul past $37 million, a figure well beyond its production budget of $10 million.

The sci-fi disaster spectacular Moonfall is having a much less enjoyable sophomore outing. After opening to a slim $10 million, the film is facing a rough 75% drop in its second weekend. With a reported production budget of $140 million, Moonfall ranks as one of the most expensive independently financed films ever made. Lionsgate is only handling distribution.

Sony and Columbia Pictures’ Spider-Man: No Way Home should take fourth place in its umpteenth weekend at the box office. The MCU monster hit has been enjoying a smooth finish in its domestic run, with this weekend’s projected $7 million gross representing a mere 26% drop from its previous outing. No Way Home should reach the third place slot on the all-time domestic box office earners sometime next week, pushing past Avatar ($760 million) in the record books. — Reuters

Netbank launches open product testing platform

NORDWOOD THEMES/UNSPLASH
NETBANK has launched an open platform where companies can browse and test its services. — NORDWOOD THEMES/UNSPLASH

NETBANK launched an openly accessible platform where Philippine companies can browse and test services, which they can embed in their own products.

“While some larger local banks have started to offer banking services through API (application programming interface), none have built the technology and the business from scratch, as we have done at Netbank,” Netbank Co-founder Gus Poston said in a statement.

Through the Netbank Virtual platform, financial institutions can do a self-service onboarding process when trying Netbank’s services. They will have access to a dashboard where they can generate their credentials, track their transactions, and manage their corporate bank accounts.

The platform will also serve as a sandbox environment where institutions can test different products to check how they fit their own offerings and processes.

Netbank will offer low-cost, high-quality banking services on a white-labeled basis to companies.

Through the platform, these entities can try Netbank’s open financial services such as account-as-a-service, which will allow entities to introduce digitally allowing clients to open bank accounts. It already includes electronic Know Your Customer process, account creation, and account management.

Other services that can be tried and tested through the platform are disburse-to-account and virtual account features, as well as loan and card management.

“Netbank Virtual allows fintechs to offer a much wider range of services, which will accelerate innovation and achieve the central bank’s goals of greater financial inclusion,” Mr. Poston said.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas is hoping to bring 70% of adult Filipinos into the financial system by 2023.

The central bank launched an open finance framework last year, which allows for customer consent-driven data sharing among institutions that follow the same data security standards. It is expected to be useful in Know Your Customer and credit underwriting processes, among others. — L.W.T. Noble

First Gen’s Avion plant now running on gas and liquid fuel

LOPEZ-LED First Gen Corp. said on Monday that Unit 1 of its two-unit 97-megawatt (MW) Avion power plant is now running on both natural gas and liquid fuel.

“As an update to our Feb. 7 disclosure which advised that Unit 1 of the 97-MW Avion Power Plant is commercially available on natural gas, we are advising that the unit is now also commercially available on liquid fuel,” Frist Gen said in a disclosure to the stock exchange.

Avion is owned by First Gen’s wholly owned subsidiary Prime Meridian Powergen Corp.

The company said last week that although the unit is partially running on natural gas, its manufacturer General Electric (GE) will continue recommissioning and testing activities using liquid fuel.

The repairs were done due to damaged compressors in the gas turbine of the 48.5-MW Avion Unit 1 in December last year.

Located in the First Gen compound in Batangas City, Avion is one of five power plants that source fuel from the offshore Malampaya natural gas field in Palawan.

It began operating on Sept. 26, 2016 and is said to be the first power facility to operate on aircraft engines for land-based power generation in the country.

Half of Avion’s capacity is contracted to National Grid Corp. of the Philippines for the grid’s ancillary services, while the other half is sold to the wholesale electricity spot market.

Shares of First Gen in the local bourse, closed unchanged at P27.00 apiece on Monday. — M.C. Lucenio

Entertainment News (02/15/22)

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Willie Revillame leaves GMA for Villar-backed network

TV HOST Willie Revillame will be moving to the Villar-linked Advanced Media Broadcasting System (AMBS) network. He confirmed the move during the final episode of his long-running TV variety show on GMA, Wowowin, on Friday. GMA said in a statement that Mr. Revillame’s contract with the network ends today, Feb. 15, and that the final broadcast of his show was on Feb. 11. “We Wish him good luck in his future endeavors,” the statement read. While his position with the new network is vague as of now — Mr. Villar told the TV host that they still lacked basic network infrastructure like transmitters and studios — he opted not to sign GMA’s new contract which had been on his desk for a month. According to Mr. Revillame, he was leaving GMA for “delicadeza” as it would not be right to continue having a show with GMA while making plans with a rival station. Mr. Revillame had been under contract with GMA for the last six years. Previous to that, he had worked on a series of shows under ABS-CBN since 1998, including Wowowee, a gameshow best remembered for a stampede which killed 73 people and injured 400 in 2006. The National Telecommunications Commission granted AMBS provisional authority to use what had been ABS-CBN’s digital Channel 16. ABS-CBN lost its broadcast frequencies last year when Congress refused to renew its franchise in 2020.

Muni-Muni Stories talks to Jadaone, Millare

IN EPISODE 7 of the 2nd season of Muni-Muni Stories, film director Antoinette Jadaone and singer-songwriter Armi Millar discuss the music of the 2019 film Alone/Together. The film follows two college sweethearts who reunite after breaking up eight years before. Now leading different lives, their reunion takes them back to their youthful dreams and reawakens feelings they had for each other. Reflecting on scenes shot in hospitals, universities, and museums, this podcast episode takes a deep dive into the song, “Kapit,” written and performed by Ms. Millare. She is joined by the film’s director, Ms. Jadaone, in conversation about the importance of holding on to personal truth in the face of change and uncertainty. Muni-Muni Stories, a podcast co-produced by Filipinas Heritage Library (FHL) and Podcast Network Asia, is exclusively available on Spotify. In its second season, the podcast has heavyweights in the film and music industries talk about official soundtracks in Pinoy movies.

PLDT Home releases music series

PLDT HOME this month releases a new musical anthology that celebrates the power of digital connections despite social distance. #SpeedthatMovesYou is a two-episode series narrating different kinds of love. It stars Gigi de Lana, Markus Paterson, and Kaori Oinuma. The mini-series is available online on the PLDT Home YouTube channel. The first episode, “The Duet,” is the story of a popular singer-songwriter struggling under the pressure to create successful music records, who finds solace in writing music for himself and posting it anonymously. He meets a young talented singer who also posts anonymously because of fear of the spotlight. The second episode, “The Confession,” is about Abbie, a college student/professional gamer/streamer who has amassed a considerable following online. Eager to gain her OFW mother’s approval, Abbie juggles her studies and her eSports, which she hides from her mother. The mini-series’ theme song, “Speed of Love,” performed by Gigi de Lana, Markus Paterson, and Kaori Oinuma and written by Jonathan Manalo, is available on Spotify.   

Jeremy G releases debut EP

SINGER Jeremy G shares his thoughts on romantic relationships in his debut extended play (EP) maybe forever. “We often think all romantic relationships reliably progress from the initial meet to infatuation, to a series of small trials, and finally to happily-ever-after. Love is a journey without a final destination,” the artist said in a statement. The EP includes tracks written, composed, and co-produced by the singer including the first single “someday,” along with “who knows,” “forever maybe,” and “sunflower.” The EP is available on various digital music platforms.

Angelina Cruz releases new single

POP singer Angelina Cruz has released her latest single, “Ayoko Lang,” which is about life after a breakup. Filipino-Canadian Ricky Tillo, Lady Gaga’s tour guitarist, performs on the song. Ms. Cruz debuted in the music scene in 2017 with her version of “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” Her stripped-back cover of “Hanggang Kailan” by Orange & Lemons in 2018 now has over 10 million streams on Spotify. “Ayoko Lang” is available on digital streaming platforms under Universal Records.

Jurassic World Dominion in PH cinemas in June

CHRIS PRATT, Bryce Dallas Howard, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill return to the world of Jurassic Park with Jurassic World Dominion. The film takes place four years after Isla Nublar has been destroyed. Dinosaurs now live and hunt alongside humans all over the world. This fragile balance will reshape the future and determine whether human beings are to remain the apex predators on a planet they now share with history’s most fearsome creatures. The film features new cast members DeWanda Wise, Mamoudou Athie, Dichen Lachman, Scott Haze, and Campbell Scott. Jurassic World Dominion is produced by franchise producers Frank Marshall and Patrick Crowley and is executive produced by Steven Spielberg, Alexandra Derbyshire, and Colin Trevorrow. Jurassic World Dominion premieres in Philippine cinemas in June. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/universalpicturesph.

The Adam Project on Netflix

DIRECTED by Shawn Levy, The Adam Project follows a time-traveling pilot who teams up with his younger self and his late father to come to terms with his past while saving the future. It stars Ryan Reynolds, Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Garner, Walker Scobell, Catherine Keener, and Zoe Saldaña. The Adam Project premieres on March 11.

New schedule for news magazine show

FROM GTV, the fast-paced news magazine program Dapat Alam Mo! now airs on GMA-7 on weekdays at 5:30 p.m. In the show, anchors Emil Sumangil, Patricia Tumulak, and Kuya Kim Atienza provide viewers with the news of the day and public service, as well as feel-good features and trivia. Launched last October on GTV, the GMA Public Affairs program has become one of the country’s top 20 news and public affairs programs based on Nielsen Philippines’ official data for 2021.

Uncharted premieres in PH on Feb. 23

COLUMBIA Pictures’s new videogame-based film, Uncharted follows the game’s characters Nathan Drake and Victor “Sully” Sullivan. Moviegoers will see how the two joined forces and how a young Nathan Drake became a famed treasure hunter. It is directed by Ruben Fleischer (Venom, Zombieland) and stars Tom Holland as Nathan Drake, and Mark Wahlberg as Sully. The film will be shown in the Philippines starting Feb. 23.

Women’s football team visits PSC

THE women’s football athletes joined the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) employees on Monday when they visited for a courtesy call to PSC Chairman William “Butch” Ramirez, who was joined by PSC Commissioners Celia Kiram and Arnold Agustin.

“We recognize the outstanding performance of our women’s football team and their historic accomplishment,” said the sports chief, lauding the ladies who graced the agency’s first physical flag-raising ceremony at Rizal Memorial Sports Complex on Monday.

Lady footballers Chandler and Olivia McDaniel, Camille Rodriguez, Anicka and Sara Castañeda, Hali Long, and Inna Palacios were present on the flag-raising together with Philippine Football Federation (PFF) President Mariano “Nonong” Araneta, Jr.

“This is one of the pinnacles of our experience. We couldn’t have done it without the PSC’s support and all of you behind the scenes. You are all part of this achievement,” said Ms. Long, who served as the team’s co-captain in the tournament.

Mr. Ramirez also commended the leadership of the PFF, its officials, and Australian coach Alen Stajcic, for ensuring that each of our athletes are bringing their best performance on the world stage. Mr. Araneta responded that, “the PSC has been very supportive of all our elite athletes and the campaign of the women’s football team.”

You can now book the ‘Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ suite at the Plaza Hotel

THE Marvelous Maisel Suite at the Plaza Hotel — COURTESY OF THE PLAZA WEBSITE

CITY DWELLERS may be craving a return to 2019-like normalcy, but for visitors to Manhattan it will soon be possible to rewind the clock much further: to the early 1960s. That’s courtesy of the storied Plaza Hotel and Amazon Prime Video, which are teaming up to recreate aspects of the hit show The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. The Emmy award-winning comedy will begin streaming its fourth season debut on Feb. 18.

Although the hotel itself is not prominently featured in the show, a suite on its 12th floor has been converted into a replica of main character Midge Maisel’s Upper West Side apartment.

The room at the historic Plaza on Fifth Avenue is filled with midcentury art, antiques, and furniture similar to those sourced by the show’s designers; the dark wooden, carved headboard is an exact replica of the one on set. Perhaps most enticing will be the closet, loaded with such Midge-inspired outfits as her signature wide-lapel wool coats and pearl jewelry, which guests can wear and purchase on site. Overnights, available until April 10, will start at $1,675, reflecting nearly a 50% premium over the Plaza’s one-bedroom suites. The rates include a themed afternoon tea menu and Midge-inspired blowout from the hotel salon.

For the Plaza, the partnership comes at a good time. The 115-year-old hotel has struggled to regain footing after being acquired by Qatari sovereign wealth fund Katara Hospitality for $600 million in June 2018 and subsequently closing for a year amid the pandemic. And themed suites have historically represented good business for the property: According to Crystal Laurence, the hotel’s director of sales and marketing, its 10-year-old Eloise suite has seen such consistent, year-round demand that it’s become one of the hotel’s signatures.   

Amazon and the Plaza are hoping to generate buzz beyond the suite with additional offerings that can bring in a local crowd. Some of the show’s actual costumes and props, including one of Midge’s gold handbags and a pair of her long, green, leather gloves, are on display in glass showcases throughout the hotel lobby. And a special riff on the Plaza’s signature Afternoon Tea called the Midge Menu, from $99 per person, includes black-and-white cookie-inspired macarons, Nutella babka cheesecake, and gussied-up pastrami finger sandwiches served on three-tiered trays, all paying homage to Midge’s ’60s Jewish New York.

Laurence expects the appeal to be even broader than the show’s sizable fan base. “The quintessential New York items on the menu will resonate, even if someone’s never seen the show,” she says. — Bloomberg

How PSEi member stocks performed — February 14, 2022

Here’s a quick glance at how PSEi stocks fared on Monday, February 14, 2022.

Metro Manila 18th worst traffic-congested city in 2021

TRAFFIC CONGESTION in the Philippine capital further eased last year, pushing Metro Manila out of the top five most congested cities in the world. Read the full story.

Metro Manila 18<sup>th</sup> worst traffic-congested city in 2021

Shares rebound as investors pick up bargains

REUTERS

SHARES bounced back on Monday on bargain hunting and the impact of the index rebalancing ahead of the central bank’s upcoming policy review.

The 30-member Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) advanced 90.79 points or 1.24% to end at 7,361.15, while the broader all shares index went up 20.81 points or 0.53% to close at 3,892.94.

COL Financial Group First Vice-President April L. Tan said the PSEi staged a recovery rally following its sharp fall on Friday. The index sank by 162.26 points or 2.18% to end at 7,270.36 on Friday, while the broader all shares index fell 52.61 points or 1.34% to finish at 3,872.13.

Unicapital Securities, Inc. Equity Trader Christopher Adrian T. San Pedro said bargain hunters caused the PSEi to move sideways between the 7,156 support and 7,500 resistance zones amid hopes of a continued accommodative stance by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

The BSP’s policy-setting Monetary Board will meet on Thursday. All 16 analysts in a BusinessWorld poll last week said the central bank will likely keep benchmark interest rates steady to help the economy recover.

“The latest iteration of the benchmark PSE index came into effect today, and was the main driver of market activity despite weekend developments in the Ukraine,” AAA Southeast Equities, Inc. President William M. Cabangon said in a Viber message on Monday.

“Smart money that speculated on their inclusion to the index used the rebalancing flows as an opportunity to take profits on their positions, while passive funds begin to accumulate,” Mr. Cabangon added.

Monde Nissin Corp. and Emperador, Inc. became PSEi members on Monday after the regulator’s review of the index and sectoral indices’ performance from the first to last trading days of 2021. Monde Nissin’s shares ended 6.39% lower and Emperador dropped by 10.44%.

Back home, most sectoral indices advanced on Monday, except for mining and oil, which dropped 27.76 points or 0.25% to 10,923.64, and industrials, which lost 35 points or 0.33% to end at 10,550.54.

On the other hand, holding firms climbed 129.67 points or 1.89% to 6,973.98; financials went up 26.28 points or 1.53% to 1,741.83; property advanced 29.98 points or 0.88% to 3,427.05; and services increased 13.07 points or 0.68% to 1,921.25.

Value turnover dropped P14.19 billion with 1.19 billion issues traded on Monday from the P22.83 billion with 1.93 billion shares that switched hands on Friday.

Decliners beat advancers, 113 versus 85, while 48 names closed unchanged after Monday’s trading session.

Foreigners turned sellers with P2.42 billion in net outflows logged on Monday versus the P4.47 billion in net purchases seen on Friday. — M.C. Lucenio

Peso weakens versus the dollar due to Russia-Ukraine tensions

BW FILE PHOTO

THE PESO retreated versus the greenback on Monday amid cautious sentiment caused by the ongoing rift between Russia and Ukraine.

The local unit closed at P51.37 per dollar on Monday, depreciating by three centavos from its P51.34 finish on Friday, data from the Bankers Association of the Philippines showed.

The peso opened Monday’s session weaker at P51.38 versus the dollar. Its weakest showing was at P51.405, while its intraday best was at P51.32 against the greenback.

Dollars exchanged dropped to $627 million on Monday from $913.88 million on Friday.

“The peso weakened amid growing geopolitical concerns between Russia and Ukraine over the weekend,” a trader said in an e-mail.

The United States and Europe have warned their citizens to exit Ukraine amid a brewing possibility of Russian invasion which may include an air assault, Reuters reported.

US officials have said Moscow may invade Ukraine before the end of the Winter Olympics on Feb. 20 and may target Kyiv and other cities.

Ukraine on Sunday told airlines to avoid the open waters of the Black Sea from Monday to Saturday while Russian forces conduct their naval exercises.

The dollar and safe-haven currencies held firm and riskier ones struggled for traction on Monday, with traders on edge about the prospect of war in Europe and unsettled by soaring inflation.

The risk of war in Ukraine pushed the euro down on Friday and it was nursing losses at $1.1346 on Monday, well below last week’s top of $1.1495.

The Australian and New Zealand dollars were also pinned below last week’s levels and the Russian rouble was struggling after the spectre of sanctions sparked its sharpest fall in nearly two years on Friday.

The safe-haven yen has climbed to 115.53 yen from a five-week low of 116.34 last week.

The Russia-Ukraine flashpoint adds to stress already evident in markets’ volatile response to hotter-than-expected US inflation data last week, which unleashed bets on the Federal Reserve lifting rates more than 160 basis points before the end of the year.

The dollar index crept up to 96.059 in the Asia session. Analysts see the euro, which dropped 1.2% on the yen on Friday, and oil importers’ currencies as most at risk from conflict in Ukraine. Oil prices have surged.

Meanwhile, Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. Chief Economist Michael L. Ricafort in a Viber message said the peso only moved sideways as the market was waiting for remittance data.

Based on the central bank’s advance release calendar, December and full-year 2021 cash remittances data will be out this Tuesday.

Remittance inflows in November rose by 5.1% year on year to $2.502 billion. This caused inflows in the 11 months to November to increase by 5.2% to $28.43 billion.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas had forecast cash remittances to have grown by 6% in 2021. It expects a 4% rise this year.

For Tuesday, Mr. Ricafort gave a forecast range of P51.30 to P51.45, while the trader expects the local unit to move within P51.25 to P51.50. — LWTN with Reuters

Over 7,000 visitor arrivals logged since Feb. 10 border reopening

REUTERS

MORE THAN 7,000 international visitors landed in the Philippines since the borders reopened on Feb. 10 to fully vaccinated nationals who are not required to obtain visas to enter the Philippines, the Department of Tourism said.

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said many of the visitors are balikbayans (returning Filipinos holding foreign nationality), though many other foreigners are here on business or are reuniting with their Filipino spouses and families after a long separation due to the pandemic.   

“I was quite surprised when we reopened Feb. 10. I thought that only a few would come. But then… a lot came. In fact, if you count the four days from Thursday to Sunday, we’ve already had about 7,051 tourist arrivals. But of course, 45% are balikbayans (who are) considered tourists because they have foreign passports,” Ms. Puyat said in a television interview on Monday.  

According to Ms. Puyat, the foreign nationals are American, Canadian, Australian, British, Japanese, and Korean.

Ms. Puyat said feedback from tour operators indicates that foreign visitors place a high value on ease of entry requirements.

“Some just really want to travel. That’s it. What they are looking at are travel restrictions. If it’s complicated to visit the country, they won’t. That’s it,” Ms. Puyat said.

On Feb. 10, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) allowed quarantine-free entry of fully vaccinated foreign nationals who do not require a visa to enter the Philippines.  

Other requirements include a negative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test taken 48 hours before departure from the country of origin, a passport valid for at least six months, an outbound ticket, and travel insurance that includes coronavirus coverage with a minimum payout of $35,000. 

The Philippines has also been admitting returning Filipinos quarantine-free since Feb. 1. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

Repeal movement gathers steam as review period nears for tariffication law

PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

FARMER organizations said the Rice Tariffication Law, or Republic Act No. 11203, has failed to make farmers more prosperous three years after it was enacted, and called on the government to repeal it and focus on supporting rice cultivators.

“We call on the government to understand that these last three years are enough to judge the effectivity of this program. First off, it did not improve the lives of farmers. Let’s not add to this during the review, let’s just accept that it failed so we can move on and can enhance agriculture,” National Spokesperson of the Pambansang Katipunan ng Makabayang Magbubukid (PKMM) Jhun P. Pascua said at a virtual press conference.

On March 5, the law is subject to automatic review, a process which the farmers said they hope to participate in.

“Three years of the law is three years of deepening structural hunger — three years of setting up the stage for yet again faux corporate-led solution such as Golden Rice. It will never address food insecurity in the country; rather it will further advance the problems (with) our country’s already fragile biodiversity by yet again implementing lopsided trade agreements and letting in corporate solutions in the form of policies and environment-contaminating creations,” Magsasaka at Siyentipiko para sa Pag-unlad ng Agrikultura (MASIPAG) said in a statement.

Golden Rice is an enriched variety intended to address Vitamin A Deficiency, co-developed by the International Rice Research Institute.

“The government (insists on) retaining a law that virtually obliterated the local rice market, buried rice farmers neck deep into debt, and basically intensified the food security problem both in the peasant and consumer sector,” it added.

They said the law, which liberalized rice imports but required importers to pay a 35% tariff on Southeast Asian grain, has discouraged young people from going into agriculture.

“We know that the liberalization of agriculture has had a big effect on the youth… We have many universities that teach about agriculture but our education system is all about agribusiness and liberalization. They should change the orientation and direction of our education towards developing local products. We need subsidies and the fixing of farm to market roads and (lower the) cost of production in farming,” PKMM Spokesperson Sara D. Espiritu said.

“In its third year, we urge the government to finally repeal the law on rice tariffication and stop the entry of GM Yellow Rice and focus instead on the genuine development of the rice industry. MASIPAG farmers’ experience shows that food security can be achieved using sustainable and appropriate technologies and techniques which can be further upscaled with genuine pro-farmer policies. Furthermore, we likewise call for an immediate resolution to the land struggles suffered by small-scale farmers over the country — only when farmers have access and control over this resource can we truly attain food security,” MASIPAG said.

“Achieving food security will start from junking the law that removed the quantitative restrictions and allows for rice tariffication. Addressing food insecurity and malnutrition will start with shifting from chemical-based agriculture to sustainable organic agriculture that puts emphasis on a diversified and integrated farming system ultimately championing a diversified, accessible, and nutritious diet for the masses,” it added. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson

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