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Medvedev reaches last 16 in Miami; Osaka into quarters

TOP SEED Daniil Medvedev moved a step closer to reclaiming the world number one ranking as he beat Spaniard Pedro Martinez (6-3, 6-4) on Monday to reach the last 16 at the Miami Open, while Naomi Osaka cruised into the quarterfinals of the women’s draw.

Medvedev, who can replace Novak Djokovic in the rankings if he reaches the Miami semifinals, fired down 14 aces and broke Martinez three times to secure victory in 84 minutes.

“I just felt like I had to be more consistent, and the more consistent one today would win,” Medvedev said.

“I managed to just make a few less errors at important moments, serve even better, and it was a small margin but I managed to win and I’m really happy.”

Up next for the Russian, who lost the number one ranking after a surprise third-round loss at Indian Wells, will be American Jenson Brooksby, a 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 winner over Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut.

Spanish 14th seed Carlos Alcaraz will meet Stefanos Tsitsipas after both enjoyed straight-set wins over Marin Cilic and Alex de Minaur respectively.

The 18-year-old Alcaraz beat Tsitsipas in their only previous meeting, a five-set thriller at last year’s US Open.

“He is a great player,” the Greek third seed said of Alcaraz.

“For me, it will be a great challenge, the ones that I like.”

Indian Wells champion Taylor Fritz dispatched fellow American Tommy Paul 7-6(2), 6-4 and will meet Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic, a 7-6(4), 6-3 winner over Sebastian Korda.

Fritz said it is all about managing expectations.

“I didn’t really think about winning Indian Wells until I had match point in the final,” he said.

“So I’m approaching this one the same way. I don’t expect to win the tournament, but I take it one match at a time, and you never know.”

OSAKA SERVES UP WIN
Japan’s Osaka reached the quarterfinals for a second consecutive year with a 6-3, 6-4 win over American Alison Riske, recovering after falling behind 2-0 in the second set.

After the match the unseeded Osaka said she was in a different state of mind than last year when arriving at the Miami Open after winning the Australian Open.

“It’s really funny for me because last year I made it to the (Miami) quarters too, but it was after I won Australia and I wasn’t that grateful, I kind of expected to win,” said Osaka.

“But I’m in the same position this year and I am so like, this is really like one of the funnest times of my life.”

Standing between the four-times Grand Slam champion and a first Miami semifinal will be Australian Open finalist Danielle Collins, who beat Tunisian eighth seed Ons Jabeur (6-2, 6-4).

Poland’s new world number one Iga Świątek eased past 14th seed Coco Gauff (6-3, 6-1) and will next face Petra Kvitova after the Czech defeated Veronika Kudermatova (7-6(5), 6-4) to reach the quarters.

Spanish fifth seed Paula Badosa beat 16-year-old wild card Linda Fruhvirtova (6-2, 6-3) and will next meet Jessica Pegula, who reached the Miami quarterfinals for the first time after Anhelina Kalinina retired while trailing 6-0.

Badosa, who won the Sydney title this year and reached the semis at Indian Wells, told reporters it had been a tough day.

“I didn’t wake up feeling well so I didn’t know if I’d be able to finish the match,” she said. “I always say I want to be a fighter no matter what so that’s what I did. I kept fighting and I don’t really know how I won.” — Reuters

Knicks edge Bulls for season-best fourth straight win

RJ BARRETT scored a team-high 28 points and Alec Burks finished with 27 points, including the clinching 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter, as the host New York Knicks kept their flickering playoff hopes alive on Monday night by fending off the Chicago Bulls, 109-104.

Mitchell Robinson amassed 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Knicks (34-42), who won their season-high, fourth straight to remain 4-1/2 games behind the Atlanta Hawks in the race for 10th place in the Eastern Conference and the final spot in the play-in tournament.

The Hawks (38-37) beat the Indiana Pacers 132-123 on Monday to reduce their magic number for clinching 10th place to three.

Obi Toppin added 17 points off the bench for the Knicks.

DeMar DeRozan scored 15 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter for the Bulls (43-32), who squandered an early 12-point lead as they lost for the 11th time in 15 games. Zach LaVine had 27 points, Nikola Vučević contributed 16 points and 13 rebounds, and Ayo Dosunmu added 10 points.

The Bulls led by as many as 11 points in the first and ended the quarter with a 28-24 lead. DeRozan then scored the first seven points in a quarter-opening 9-1 run in the second as Chicago took its biggest lead at 37-25.

Back-to-back 3-pointers by Toppin soon sparked a 22-6 run by the Knicks, who took the lead for good when Burks scored five straight points to turn a one-point deficit into a 49-45 lead with 3:08 left in the half.

The Knicks quickly expanded their 53-50 halftime lead by scoring the first nine points of the third quarter.

Barrett completed a three-point play to give New York its biggest lead at 65-52 with 9:29 left in the third.

The Bulls cut the deficit to one point three times late in the fourth. DeRozan missed jumpers that could have given Chicago the lead with 3:11 to go and again with 46.7 seconds left, each time with New York up by one.

After the latter miss, Burks drained a 3-pointer from the corner with 23.2 seconds left. Following a timeout by Chicago, Burks drew a charge to negate a potential three-point play by DeRozan. — Reuters

Manulife’s Filipina in Action webinar

MANULIFE Philippines, the local arm of international financial services group Manulife, recently celebrated International Women’s Month through a free public webinar titled, “Filipina In Action: In Business and Health,” featuring Manulife Philippines brand ambassador and Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn F. Diaz, and award-winning actress and entrepreneur Bea Alonzo.

Mses. Diaz and Alonzo shared their stories of success and challenges, by developing a winning mindset bravely pursuing their passions and carving the right path towards physical, mental, and financial wellness. Hosted by journalist and LGBTQIA+ member G3 San Diego, Filipina In Action also featured insights from certified life coach Carelle Mangaliag-Herrera, to help more Filipinos overcome challenges, live a meaningful and empowered life, and secure their future amid tough times.

“The pandemic continues to pose a lot of challenges on us, especially when it comes to our health and finances. Mental strain is seen to be more prevalent among Filipino women, too, as financial worries take a toll on people’s mental health,” shared Melissa Henson, Chief Marketing Officer, Manulife Philippines.

Manulife Philippines recently released its third Manulife Asia Care Survey results, which showed that of the 80% of Filipinos surveyed who have experienced mental health symptoms, 84% are women. They admitted experiencing feelings of sadness (51%), fatigue and sleeping difficulties (44%), excessive worrying (38%), and extreme mood changes (33%), especially working mothers and married women.

Ms. Henson added: “We hope that with insights from inspiring women like Hidilyn and Bea, we can support, empower and inspire more Filipinos to take charge of their lives and overcome life’s hurdles with courage, focus and confidence. As we help advance opportunities for growth, financial security, and well-being for all, we can continue building a more equal and inclusive world.”

Ms. Diaz shared how a champion athlete’s mindset can help Filipinos thrive in their everyday lives. “Hindi ko kinakalimutan kung saan ako nanggaling — it keeps me grounded. I also surround myself with people na sinusuportahan na ako bago pa man ako nanalo ng gold medal. With this mindset and support system, natupad ko ang mga pangarap ko at na-motivate ako na tumulong at mas maging inspirasyon pa para sa iba.”

Ms. Alonzo, who currently owns a 16-hectare organic farm in Zambales, shared her personal and entrepreneurial journeys. “The pandemic made me realize that life is short, and I still have several things I want to do in my life. So I plan and make wise investments to attain my goals. While I work hard, I remember to also enjoy the fruits of my labor.”

In a special segment, Manulife’s top financial advisor Kim Zandueta also offered a few tips on how Filipinos can take care of their finances, mitigate risks, and reach their financial goals. “Listing down your short and long-term goals is one way to start your financial journey. Categorize your dreams — whether for travel, education, or business — to identify the steps you need to take to accomplish them. Track your progress and make the necessary adjustments along the way.”

Manulife’s Filipina In Action webinar is currently being streamed on Manulife’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. To know more about Manulife’s products and services, visit www.manulife.com.ph.

Shocking Oscar night

Everybody’s still talking about the Oscars — or, to be more precise, about how Will Smith stole the awards night. No, it wasn’t because he took home the Best Actor trophy for his affecting performance as the title character in King Richard. Rather, it was because, for some reason, he saw fit to walk from his seat to the stage and land a haymaker of a slap to presenter Chris Rock for what he deemed a poor joke at the expense of wife Jada. Never mind that he actually laughed at the joke, however tasteless, and seemingly changed his opinion of it only after seeing his better half’s reaction.

To be sure, the unfolding of what Rock himself described as “the greatest night in the history of television” proved shocking in both the unexpected display of violence and the utter absence of an immediate response from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. No doubt, the sudden turn of events left all and sundry dumbfounded. The silence that enveloped the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles right after Smith’s assault was deafening. Even members of the Williams family who attended the ceremony were stunned.

Sports is replete with instances of abhorrent behavior of marquee names. Occasionally, their transgressions are such that the actual purpose of their presence is overshadowed. It was certainly the case with Smith on Oscar night. He should have been basking in the glory of his first triumph after two previous nominations; instead, he used most of his acceptance speech rambling to explain away his subhuman conduct. The third time was most definitely not the charm for him.

Smith ruining his night would have been made in and of itself. Unfortunately, he dragged everybody else with him. Serena and Venus Williams were robbed of their moment. The other winners’ experience was likewise ruined, and not simply due to the questions that came their way. As if it wasn’t already bad enough that they couldn’t talk about their success. They were being asked to put in their two cents’ worth on a development anybody with a modicum of decency would need no dissecting to condemn.

All things considered, Rock did extremely well to keep his composure and move the proceedings along even after Smith demeaned him. That he wound up being the adult in the room speaks volumes about his true nature. In fact, everybody and his mother have their identities exposed in their most trying moments. And at the Oscars, no one painted a flattering picture.

 

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.

Nacionalista Party endorses Marcos for president

PHILSTAR

THE PHILIPPINES’ oldest political party headed by a billionaire has endorsed the son and namesake of the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos for president, saying it believed in his call for unity, which has been criticized for lack of substance.

“We believe that Bongbong and Inday Sara’s message of unity is crucial in binding our country together and inspiring our people as we rebuild not only from the pandemic but also from the political chasm that divides us,” Filipino billionaire and Nacionalista Party President Manuel B. Villar, Jr. said in a statement on Tuesday.

He was referring to former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. and his vice-presidential running mate, Davao City Mayor and presidential daughter Sara Duterte-Carpio.

Mr. Villar’s son, former Public Works Secretary Mark A. Villar, is part of the Marcos-Duterte tandem’s senatorial slate.

Meanwhile, a faction of the ruling PDP-Laban said its chairman, President Rodrigo R. Duterte, would join Mr. Marcos and Ms. Carpio in a campaign sortie in Cebu province on March 31.

Mr. Villar, a former senator who lost to the late Benigno S.C. Aquino III in the 2010 presidential race, said the tandem had “the platforms of government, qualifications and track record to lead our country towards unity and prosperity.”

Marcos lawyer and spokesman Victor D. Rodriguez said the Nacionalista Party endorsement would “serve as another insurance to the bandwagon of support for the UniTeam from political parties.”

“Indeed, unity is what will hold our country together as we look ahead into the future of making us, Filipinos, world class citizens with nation-building as our ultimate collective goal,” he said in statement. 

The late dictator ran for president in 1965 under the Nacionalista Party.

The 64-year-old Marcos, Jr., who is leading in presidential opinion polls, won a Senate seat under the party in 2010. He also ran for vice-president and lost under the party in 2016. He moved to the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas in October before announcing his presidential ambition.

Mr. Villar’s Advanced Media Broadcasting Systems took over the TV broadcast frequencies used by ABS-CBN Corp., which was once the country’s top media company until the government forced it off the air two years ago.

He is an ally of Mr. Duterte, who vowed to force ABS-CBN off the air after the network failed to broadcast one of his ads during the 2016 presidential campaign. Mr. Villar’s wife Cynthia is a senator.

Mr. Villar’s endorsement comes as ranking officials of mainstream political parties change their strategies at the last minute. Presidential candidate Senator Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson has left Partido Reporma, which is now headed by a former administration ally, after it endorsed opposition candidate Vice-President Maria Leonor “Leni” G. Robredo for president.

The National Unity Party has backed the candidacy of Mr. Marcos, but its chief Elpidio F. Barzaga, Jr. defied the endorsement and announced his support for Ms. Robredo.

Nacionalista fielded three vice-presidential candidates in 2016, including Mr. Marcos and former Senators Alan Peter S. Cayetano and Antonio F. Trillanes IV. All of them lost to Ms. Robredo.

Ms. Robredo will have to beat Mr. Marcos again, which some see as a rerun of the 1986 snap elections, when widow Corazon C. Aquino was widely believed to have crushed the dictator. That year, a popular street uprising toppled the Marcos regime and sent him and his family into self-exile in the United States.

Mr. Duterte last year called Mr. Marcos a “weak leader,” saying he is the reason why his political party did not form an alliance with his daughter. “I am not impressed by him.”

The late dictator’s heirs still owe the government billions of pesos in estate and income taxes, the agency tasked to recover the family’s ill-gotten wealth said this month.

The P23-billion estate tax had ballooned to P203.8 billion due to interests and penalties after the Marcos family refused to pay it, according to another rival political party, citing computations by retired Supreme Court Justice Antonio T. Carpio in a Sept. 30, 2021 column for the Philippine Daily Inquirer. — Norman P. Aquino and Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Ignoring protocols could lead to rise in infections — DoH

PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

THE PHILIPPINES may record as many as 670 coronavirus infections daily by the end of April if people ignore health protocols, according to the Department of Health (DoH).

“If our compliance with minimum health standards declines — for example, they have a scenario it decreases by 20% — our national daily cases can reach 670 per day,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario S. Vergeire told an online news briefing on Tuesday.

She said the country might post 70 to 268 daily infections by end-April if Filipinos continue to observe health standards.

This assumes the absence of any lockdowns, with Omicron as the dominant variant, a 75% national vaccination rate and with 15% of them having received booster shots.

“The projections are based on assumptions, it is not cast in stone,” Ms. Vergeire said in mixed English and Filipino. “There are a lot of assumptions that could help in the coming weeks or months. Other risk factors may come into play like new variants.”

The country, which remains at minimal risk from the coronavirus, recorded an average of 389 daily infections in the past week, 24% lower than a week earlier. The country’s positivity rate was 2.1%, lower than 2.7% a week earlier, she said.

She traced decreasing infections to more people having been vaccinated against the coronavirus and compliance with health protocols.

Ms. Vergeire said they have not observed a significant increase in coronavirus infections in any areas of the country. “We’re monitoring some areas but the increase in cases is insignificant as it is less than 10.”

Earlier in the day, Ms. Vergeire told ABS-CBN News Channel an 11.8 million of 45 million Filipinos had been injected with booster shots.

“Both the natural immunity and the immunity coming from our vaccines wane over time,” she said. “That’s why we are offering the boosters because based on studies, it gives you additional protection especially for severe infection, deaths and hospitalizations.” — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Philippines told to respect sovereignty of China over shoal

PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD PHOTO

CHINA on Monday asked the Philippines to respect its sovereignty over the Scarborough Shoal after Manila’s coast guard reported a Chinese vessel’s close distance maneuver that risked a collision near the shoal.

“Huangyan Dao is China’s inherent territory,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wengbin said in reference to the shoal, according to a transcript of a press briefing posted on its website. “China has sovereignty over Huangyan Dao and its adjacent waters as well as sovereign rights and jurisdiction over relevant water.”

“We hope that the Philippine ships will earnestly respect China’s sovereignty and rights and interests, abide by China’s domestic law and international law and avoid interfering with the patrol and law enforcement of the China Coast Guard in the above-mentioned waters,” he added.

The shoal, which the Philippines calls Panatag, is about 120 nautical miles (nm) west of Luzon island and within the Southeast Asian nation’s 200 nm exclusive economic zone.

China claims more than 80% of the South China Sea, which overlaps with the exclusive economic zones of Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines. Each year, trillions of dollars of trade flow through the sea, which is also rich in fish and gas.

The Philippine Coast Guard earlier called China’s close sail to Philippine ships a “clear violation of the 1972 International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea.”

The Department of Foreign Affairs had yet to respond to a WhatsApp message seeking comment. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan

Global watchdog seeks sanctions vs rights violators 

PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO

A GLOBAL human rights watchdog has started a campaign to sanction human rights violators in the Philippines.  

The Magnitsky sanction campaign seeks to impose travel and financial bans on government officials who abetted the crimes, the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines said in a statement on Tuesday. 

The campaign will target “architects” of President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s war on drugs. 

“The state of terror created by the Duterte regime is at the heart of this sanctions campaign,” former Australian Senator Lee Rhiannon said. 

“There is overwhelming evidence that the Duterte government has been responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of people and national governments must act to sanction those who commit serious human rights violations to hold the architects of this terror to account.” 

The Magnitsky Act is a bipartisan bill passed by the US Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama in Dec. 2012 that seeks to punish Russian officials responsible for the death of Russian tax lawyer Sergei Magnitsky in a Moscow prison in 2009. 

The bill, which applies globally, allows the US to sanction those deemed human rights offenders, freeze their assets and ban them from entering the US. Countries such as Canada and Australia have passed similar legislation. 

The campaign is a follow-up on a report conducted last year by Investigate PH, an independent human rights group, which alleged patterns of systemic human rights violations including crimes against humanity by the government. 

Last month, the coalition also started the International Observer Mission, a campaign that aims to monitor election-related violence in the Philippines this year. 

“In the absence of justice, in the absence of domestic and international accountability, the proposed Magnitsky measures would afford some level of justice for those guilty of these heinous crimes,” Ms. Rhiannon said. 

The campaign will collaborate with national parliaments and legislatures to take measures against alleged human rights violators, the watchdog said. 

Philippine prosecutors have filed charges in court against law enforcers in four cases and plan to investigate 250 more of what could have been wrongful deaths in the government’s anti-illegal drug campaign, Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra told the United Nations Human Rights Council last month. 

An inter-agency committee formed 15 teams last year that probed extralegal killings and human rights violations during these operations. — John Victor D. Ordoñez 

Justice chief vows to prioritize Comelec’s vote-buying task force 

PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO

JUSTICE Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra on Tuesday said his department will give “the highest priority” to the inter-agency task force against vote-buying being planned by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).  

“I intend to create a DoJ (Department of Justice) composite team from the National Prosecution Service, National Bureau of Investigation, Public Attorney’s Office, and the DoJ action center (main and field offices) for the COMELEC’s inter-agency task force against vote-buying,” he said in a Viber message on Tuesday.  

Comelec Commissioner George M. Garcia said last week that the poll body intends to form a team with representatives from law enforcement agencies and the Department of the Interior and Local Government to address vote buying incidents relating to the May 9 national and local elections.   

Mr. Garcia said the task force is expected to act on incidents based on either formal complaints or motu proprio, meaning upon its own initiative.   

Comelec Spokesperson James B. Jimenez said in February that under the election body’s rules, vote-buying and selling can only be investigated upon the filing of complaints. These incidents may also be reported to Comelec’s social media and email accounts.  

Mr. Garcia earlier urged the public to file formal complaints on these alleged vote-buying incidents so the agency could study the evidence presented and require defendants to respond to the allegations. 

“We want a formal investigation because definitely, we cannot file cases based on news reports,” he said last week. “Cases with concrete evidence are the ones that can stand in court.”  

Videos and photos of possible vote-buying violations have gone viral on social media.  

Under the Omnibus Election Code, vote buying is defined as “Any person who gives, offers or promises money or anything of value, in order to induce anyone or the public, in general, to vote for or against any candidate.”   

“Considering the importance of the forthcoming elections to the survival and recovery of the nation, I will direct the DoJ contingent to give the highest priority to this campaign in the next 40 days,” Mr. Guevarra said. — John Victor D. Ordoñez 

About 5,000 now displaced as Taal Volcano continues unrest

EMERGENCY response teams assist residents on March 26 as they evacuate from areas considered as high-risk from Taal Volcano’s heightened unrest since an eruption on Saturday. _ PHILIPPINE STAR/KRIZ JOHN ROSALES

MORE THAN 1,500 families have been affected by the continued unrest of Taal Volcano, with almost 5,000 people displaced from their homes, based on data from the national disaster management agency as of March 29.  

Of the 5,688 affected residents from the danger zones around the volcano, 4,974 were staying in 17 evacuation centers or temporarily moved to another house.  

Taal Volcano, located about 100 kilometers south of the capital Manila, erupted on March 26 with four phreatomagmatic events recorded by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) up to early Sunday morning.   

Phivolcs has raised the alert status on Taal Volcano at level 3, which means “magma is near or at the surface, and activity could lead to hazardous eruption in weeks.” The danger zone may also be expanded to eight kilometers from the active crater, according to the agency’s warning system.      

Alert level 3 remains in effect as another three phreatomagmatic bursts — or volcanic eruptions brought about by interaction between magma and water — were recorded within a 25-hour period from Monday to Tuesday 5. am.      

Phivolcs also reported in its March 29 bulletin that eight volcanic earthquakes were recorded, including one volcanic tremor that lasted for five minutes.   

Plumes emitted on Monday reached as high as 2,400 meters while the volume of sulfur dioxide flux (SO2) released was 4,273 tons. These were higher than the 1,000-meter plume and 1,140-ton SO2 recorded on Sunday. — MSJ

Lawmaker says gov’t should promote PHL as alternative finance hub for Hong Kong firms

THE DEPARTMENT of Trade and Industry should promote the Philippines as an alternative hub in the Western Pacific for finance firms that plan to move out of Hong Kong, a member of the House of Representatives said on Tuesday.   

“I see this as an opportunity for the Department of Trade and Industry to present the Philippines as the alternative finance hub of the Western Pacific,” BH Party-list Rep. Bernadette R. Herrera-Dy, citing an article from Bloomberg, said in a statement.   

“We have BGC Taguig, Clark, Makati, Quezon City, and Metro Cebu as prime alternative finance hubs.”  

Ms. Herrera-Dy, one of the principal authors of a recently signed law amending the Public Service Act, which removed the foreign ownership limit on certain key industries such as telecommunications and some transport sectors, said the country’s “investor-friendly” laws make it an attractive hub.  

“Our new investor-friendly laws have made the country a much more competitive host of regional headquarters and global hubs,” she said. — Jaspearl Emerald G. Tan

Solon slammed for calling anti-vape bill groups fake news peddlers

PHILIPPINE STAR/EDD GUMBAN

A LAWMAKER was criticized by a group of health advocates for saying that those against a proposed law regulating electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are peddlers of fake news. 

AAMBIS-OWA Party-list Rep. Sharon S. Garin, a member of the vape bill bicameral council, should not call sectors who oppose the bill as bearers of fake news, the Sin Tax Coalition said.  

“On the contrary, the supporters of the Vape Bill are the ones using false information and spreading unverified and controverted studies to favor their narrative that the vape bill is pro-youth and pro-health,” members of the Sin Tax Coalition said in a statement released Tuesday.  

“We ask Representative Garin not to spread false news.”   

Ms. Garin did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Viber.  

The health advocates pointed out that the measure would just remove the strong regulation provided by other laws, including Republic Act (RA) No. 11346, RA No. 11467 and Executive Order (EO) 106, and would expose more youth to e-cigarettes. 

“The deregulation is not only in the age of access requirement that the bill lowers from 21 to 18 years old, which will open the access to these harmful products to more young users,” the coalition said.  

“Online marketing and sale of these products are also encouraged by the vape bill, when we know that children and the youth are more exposed now to online platforms.”  

RA No. 11346 and 11467 are laws that increase the excise tax imposed on tobacco products while EO 106 is a law that bans the manufacturing and selling of unregistered e-cigarettes.   

The pending new law, which has been opposed by more than 50 medical groups in the country, was approved by both chambers of Congress in late January.    

It has yet to be confirmed if the ratified copy was already transmitted to Malacañang. Under the country’s legislation rules, a bill sent to the President’s office automatically lapses into law 30 days after receipt if no action is taken.  

According to the Sin Tax Coalition, the bill is a “deception” and will not strengthen the regulation of vape contrary to claims of legislators, citing that it has always been regulated by the Food and Drug Administration.  

“The vape bill is far from being a harm reduction strategy. The bill is what we should call fake news. Anti-health politicians claim that the vape bill will finally regulate vaping,” they said.   

“That is patently false. The truth is, vaping has always been regulated by the Food and Drug Authority through Republic Act No. 11467 and Executive Order No. 106.”   

Jaime Z. Galvez-Tan, a board member of Health Justice Philippines which is under the coalition, said that they will keep protecting children from harmful tobacco and nicotine products.  

“We remain committed to genuinely protecting the interest of children, the young and vulnerable from the harms of tobacco and nicotine,” said Mr. Tan, a former health secretary. — Jaspearl Emerald G. Tan

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