Indonesia's trade surplus hit a record high in April, surpassing its peak in last October amid soaring global commodity prices that boosted exports.
31st Southeast Asian Games opening ceremonies in Hanoi, Vietnam (Photo courtesy of PSC) HANOI - Except for some minor hitches, national team chef de mission Ramon Fernandez on Wednesday gave the thumbs-up to the Vietnamese hosts for the organization of the 31st edition of the Southeast Asian Games. "The Vietnamese SEA Games hosts have been warm, hospitable and run a tight ship. The accommodations of our athletes, coaches and other staff of the Philippine team are comfortable. We have been treated well. There have been no major complaints," Fernandez said. He said the one problem he has heard so far was the transport from the hotels of the participants to the training and competition venues, which was understandable since Vietnam, like the rest of the region, was still coping with the Covid-19 pandemic. "The organizers have been apologetic about this issue and have addressed our concerns as soon as they can whenever the transport problems crop up," Fernandez, also a
National team chef de mission Ramon Fernandez (Photo from PSC Facebook page) HANOI - Halfway through the 31st Vietnam Southeast Asian Games, national team chef de mission Ramon Fernandez was optimistic that if the trend continues, the county will hit its goal of finishing third overall in the medal standings. "We are halfway through the Games, and we are in the top three of the medal standings, thank God. We are well within our target of finishing at least third overall. We just have to maintain our performance until the end," Fernandez said Tuesday. Despite limited resources and training that was hampered by the Covid-19 pandemic back home, the Filipino campaigners were putting up a gallant stand, delivering their biggest haul thus far the other day of 10 gold medals. They were in the third spot with a tally of 30 golds, 34 silvers, and 50 bronzes as of Monday night, within striking distance of No. 2 Thailand (34-35-50), while host Vietnam continued to be out of reach at the